#bucky bodega fic

[somanywords]

Wait, we're allowed to ask about the WIPs even before the poll is over?!😮

So, if I may, I would really like to know anything and everything you're willing to share about "disgruntled guy finds love." 👀

Thank youuuu 💛

...J, I don't think we were, but I threw those rules out the window like a fool 😭😂

But thank you for the ask!!! I would love to ramble. 😁 Ahem. So, this one is like. totally edited. I need to post it. It's just sitting on my computer like a maiden waiting to see the world, anyways. It's post CATWS, with Bucky being very disgruntled and working in a bodega in Brooklyn, right? And then one day Steve accidentally walks in to buy himself a granola bar, because he's hungry. 😈

Have an excerpt!

Steve Rogers stared back at him. He wore surprise well, although if Bucky’s healing memories served him, he wore just about everything well. He was dressed in workout gear, and the messiness of his hair said he was likely on his way back. He’d put several things on Bucky’s counter, one of which was a tube of chips. Ringles, or something, Bucky sure as hell wasn’t looking now. “Do you have sour candy?” Steve blurted, and wow, he still had as much suaveness as a hippo barreling through an airport. Bucky meant to say what the hell are you doing here, is there a SWAT team outside I should know about? But what he actually said was, “Aisle three.”

[winterspiderpurrs]

Can I please have a fanfic where like, Bucky is straight up obsessed about this random kid he bumped into(Peter) who helped him, and Winter stalks him, even at school and on patrol? But like, Peter is oblivious and doesn’t even know him and thinks nothing of it, y’know?

I would LOVE a fic like this. I don't really write them. But I liked this idea so much I wrote a little blurb of how they met! Hopefully someone will see this and seek to bless us with a 50k+ story!!!

*************************************************************

It was a random Wednesday when he met him. He has been wandering around New York for a few months now. He dressed humbly, fitting in with the busy crowd of people. No one ever paid attention to him. He had wandered out into Queens as he was scouting for new hideouts. His place in Brooklyn wasn't bad, but it's always best to have multiple.

He was standing outside of a local Bodega called Delmar's Deli-Grocery. Peering down at a newspaper at the apartment for rent listings. Then a pair of dirty well worn convsere sneakers came into view just under the hem of the paper. They shuffled a little before the owner cleared their throat.

" Excuse me sir..... uh. Here this is for you. "

Lowering the paper, he glanced down at the kid, no teenager between 17 or 19. His bright brown doe eyes looked up at him, soft smile on his lips, his nose and cheeks slightly dusted with freckles from being out in the sun. He had a large sweat shirt on with his school name, apparently from a debate team which he was most likely on. Holding out a sandwhich toward him. He reached out and took a hold of the greasy wrapped sandwich.

" My Aunt helps run FEAST... if your looking for a safe place to stay... they help out with housing and job placement.... and... yeah....umm have a nice day!"

The guy ran off before he said anything. He blinked before looking down at the sandwich and then back up. This person noticed him. Sought him out. And wanted to help him. Gave him food. Basicly offered him shelter. There has to be more to this guy.

Hmmm, his said his aunt works at FEAST... probably wouldn't be hard to find. Especially since he knows which school the kid attends/attended. The local library will have all the answers he needs to track down this kid this... angel who saw him and only wanted to help.

In a matter of hours he tracked one Peter B. Parker down to an apartment he shares with his Aunt in Queens. Just in time to see him sneak out onto the fire escape and strip down to his boxers to put on his Spiderman suit. Interesting.

[bisamwilson]

Hey, Mak! Okay, for the ask game, I thought this would be a fun ask for you - 17. Assign a selection of fics you've written a cryptid.

hi mexi! thanks for the ask! (from this list)

17. Assign a selection of fics you've written a cryptid.

i had to dig deep into the cryptid wiki for this one!

first up is the beaver run snow gator for MILF (man i love fishing) because that one is all about sam out in the water and it felt right we have a gator for it

next is the jersey devil for i slithered here from eden admittedly mostly just because the name fits

and lastly is mothman for my convenience store dream boy bc mothman has been a meme amongst my friend group forever and 1) that story is very memeable and 2) i think kate and bucky have had long discussions about the existence of mothman during particularly dry shifts at the bodega

[estrellami-1]

Goddammit I do not have the TIME to write this but by Talos I will Find the time

…I may not sleep but hey, I can sleep when I’m dead 😉 in the meantime though, if anyone else wants to hop on this, please do!

Shrunkyclunks AU where Bucky owns a bodega and Alpine is the bodega cat and every day they look forward to seeing the tall, sad and quiet blond guy with pretty blue eyes who only buys instant soup and sour gummies and always gives Alpine a tip.

[hazel-wand]

@dreadlockholiday posted this fic prompt. And although I was meant to spend this weekend writing something else, this story would not get out of my head, so here it is.

This Is Home

A Stucky bodega AU

(7200 words | Teen and Up Audiences)

The voice - deep, soft and, oh, sad - pulls Bucky back to his actual job behind the counter of this shitty old bodega which, actually, he kinda loves. He looks up, then regrets it immediately, because Biceps McShoulders has ocean-blue eyes that Bucky could stare into for a creepy-stalker length amount of time. The guy’s beautiful.

In which a sad Steve Rogers walks into Bucky's bodega.

[dreadysficrecs]

Stucky Fic Rec List #34

Tuesday, April 26

🍲This is Home by @hazel-wand - [Teen; 7,5k words]

[Shrunkyclunks; Bodega AU; War Veteran Bucky; Amputee Bucky; Touch Starved Steve Rogers; Steve Rogers Needs a Hug; Fluff and Angst; Alpine the Bodega Cat; Happy Ending]

The voice - deep, soft and, oh, sad - pulls Bucky back to his actual job behind the counter of this shitty old bodega which, actually, he kinda loves. He looks up, then regrets it immediately, because Biceps McShoulders has ocean-blue eyes that Bucky could stare into for a creepy-stalker length amount of time. The guy’s beautiful.

In which a sad Steve Rogers walks into Bucky's bodega.

🍹A Very Specific Type by @yammz - [Explicit; 19,5k words]

[Modern AU; Silver Fox Steve; Age Difference; Past Relationships; Getting Together; Explicit Sexual Content; Bottom!Bucky; Blow Jobs; Anal Sex; Dirty Talk]

Natasha places a well-manicured hand on Sam’s thigh as she explains, “Bucky has a type and they’re terrible men.”

Bucky makes a face. “No, Bucky has a type and it’s older blond men.”

“Who are all terrible,” Natasha adds.

Bucky meets one more older blond man after swearing off of them forever. This one may be special.

🍪 where momma hides the cookies by @rooonil-waazlib - [Explicit; 13,7k words]

[College AU; Sports AU; Hockey; Enemies to Lovers; Pining; Explicit Sexual Content; Bottom!Bucky; Happy Ending]

The thing is, ever since Bucky’s been on the UNNY team, a guy named Steve Rogers has been on the Halverton team. He’s captain this year, as Bucky is for UNNY. They’ve faced each other three years in a row, now. Bucky hates that guy. He’s too perfect for his own good.

💘something about your love and affection by lavenderbucky - [Gen; 475 words]

[Canon Divergence; Established Relationship; Domestic Fluff; Banter; Schmoop; Forehead Kisses; Forehead Touching]

Bucky takes Steve's head in his hands. He tips his forehead against Steve's, closing his eyes. "I love you," he says. "Keep yourself safe for me."

Or: Steve and Bucky take time to connect before Steve heads out on a mission.

🧊 he said, there's a paradise beneath me (she said, am i supposed to bleed) by @voxofthevoid - [Explicit; 23k words]

[Canon Divergence; Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes; Modern Steve Rogers; Canon Typical Violence; Hurt/Comfort; And They Were Roommates; Minor Steve/Wade Wilson; Minor Steve/Sharon Carter; Recovering Bucky; Getting Together; Background Daddy Kink; Kink Negotiation; BDSM; Light Spanking; Oral Sex; Anal Sex; Bottom!Bucky; Fluff and Smut]

“If you kiss me like that, Rogers, you’re gonna have a hard time convincing me you want to fuck me.”

“Can’t have that,” Steve says and—

And the fucker bends Bucky back like this is a goddamn romcom and kisses the everloving shit out of him.

Bucky doesn’t think he reciprocates all that well. Yeah, he remembers the bare bones of how to smash mouths, but it’s been a long time, it’s been seventy years, and even the cocky shit he used to be wouldn’t be able to do more than cling to Steve and gasp against his mouth because the mad motherfucker is holding him parallel to the floor like Bucky’s not nearly three hundred pounds of muscle and metal.

Steve breaks the kiss, and Bucky’s left panting in the aftermath, but Steve’s not much better off, breathing hard with dark eyes and wet lips.

“Convincing enough?” Steve asks between rough breaths.

Bucky just stares at him. He thinks he’s in love.

That’s when Steve tries to straighten up, loses his balance, and sends the two of them crashing to the floor in a painful tangle of limbs.

-

And they were roommates.

🦌The Pajama Party Incident by follow_the_sun - [Teen; 1,5k words]

[Modern AU; Meet-Cute; Firefighter!Steve; Amputee Bucky; Fluff and Humour]

A pajama party goes horribly wrong, then wonderfully right.

🐈9-1-1... THAT'S your emergency? by cablesscutie - [Gen; 1,4k words]

[Modern AU; Firefighter!Steve; Meet-Cute; Disgruntled Jogger!Bucky; Fluff and Humour]

“New York City Fire Department, how may I help you?”

“Hi, um...It’s uh...not an emergency per se, but there’s this cat in a tree in Prospect Park.”

“Sir, if this is a prank call -”

“No! No, I’m serious."

Bucky is mugged by a cat. Steve comes to the rescue.

🍑 Blush Pink by voluptuous_panic - [Explicit; 3,9k words]

[Canon Divergence; Established Relationship; PWP; Dom/Sub; Bottom!Steve; Barebacking; Dirty Talk; Nipple Play; Feminization; Felching; Desperation; Multiple Orgasms]

Bashful has always been Steve’s best look.

🖇️The New Guy by Venusdoom3 - [Explicit; 12k words]

[Modern AU; Meet-Cute; Workplace Relationship; Getting Together; Fluff and Smut; Explicit Sexual Content; Office Sex; Hand Jobs; Blow Jobs; Hot Tub Sex; Rimming; Bottom!Steve; Happy Ending]

"I wonder if he's single."

Steve loosened his tie; the temperature in the office had seemingly risen since James arrived. "If he is, he's mine."

Wanda laughed in disbelief. "You don't even know if he's gay!"

Steve's voice dripped with certainty. "Oh, that won't matter."

🌻sweet music playing in the dark by hiljainen - [Explicit; 3,3k words]

[Canon Divergence; Established Relationship; Porn With Feelings; Fluff and Smut; Recovering; PTSD; Laughter During Sex; Crying During Sex; Communication; Explicit Consent; Oral Sex; Anal Sex; Bottom!Bucky; Post-Coital Cuddling]

Steve and Bucky have sex for the first time since they found each other again.

[bombsonboard]

the stray

summary: You make it a habit to feed the stray behind your building. Turns out someone else had the same idea, sickly meet cute ensues

pairing: bucky barnes x f!reader

work count: 1k

tags: swearing, mention of weight gain (but it is for a cat so)

A/N: i’m a sucker for a good alpine fic basically. This was originally going to be pretty freaking long but I decided to split it into two smaller parts so now you have something to look forward to yeahhh

*****

The little white stray behind your apartment's dumpster was starting to get chubby. When you’d leave it a tray of kibble before, it would bound out of hiding, mewling like mad, bashing its scrawny body against your hands. Now, well, the meows were just as excited but she began to take her time getting to the meal, the scramble was more of a joyful pitter patter.

“You’re getting big” your not so little friend purrs contentedly while circling your ankles “you find a stash of fresh fish or what?”

Leaving the kitten with a rub to the forehead, you neglect to notice the man with both of his hands in his pockets hesitantly watching you. 

And then you got off work early, hopped to the nearest bodega to get some cat treats to celebrate small with your friend but somebody else was there already. At first glance, you were wary of the tall guy looming over the kitten padding at his feet because it’s New York and strays are easy pickings for whatever twisted shit you want to do.

A weighted sigh leaves your chest as the ‘guy’, we will dub him, slowly crouches down and scratches the cat playfully on the head. The affection is welcomed easily, and you were always a firm believer that cats could sniff out the worst in people, and you’d seen that little thing screech as soon as it sensed something it didn’t fuck with.

So, you were curious. Keeping out of sight, you crept a little bit closer to get a better view. From here you could see the side of his face and...yeah he was handsome. The soft tilt of his smile was enough to make your heart beat half a second faster. The leather jacket wasn’t helping either. You see that he’d also left a small tray of leftovers, which explains the sudden growth of the fluffball.

Huh, nice to look at and thoughtful. Maybe you should stop lurking and actually go talk to him?

Subconsciously drifting forward, like a sucker with hearts for eyes, you were half debating interrupting. But what the hell would you say? ‘Hi, I also like stroking that cat, how funny’ or ‘Hello attractive guy, I see you like the cat that I also like, would you wanna get coffee sometime?’ Yeah, the options weren't great. 

The guy finally looked up from the cat, as if he sensed something and you realised you’d been lingering for far too long and it was starting to become creepy. Though you couldn’t help but notice that he looked good from any angle...really? Every single one? 

Tearing your eyes away and carrying on to your apartment you silently wished you would see him again.

*****

Your friendship sort of snuck up on you, literally.

“Were you watching me the other day?”

“Jesus” You jumped at the voice and turned to see Mr. Handsome Guy staring you down.

Putting down the cat’s daily tray before you left for work and falling on your ass was not the meet cute you’d imagined in your head. 

And how the hell did he know you semi-stalked him?

“I, uh,” frantically standing up, you decided to just be honest “...Yeah, I was, sorry. But it wasn’t creepy though, wasn’t supposed to be, I just-”

His face didn’t change at your stumbling explanation, his hands remained stationed in his pockets. 

“I saw you with the cat and you left food so, I sort of sussed that was why she was looking a little….rounder?”

His eyes softened at the mention of the white kitten now purring against his legs, his tongue hit the roof of his mouth and he began to smile. 

“So, not a psycho, then?” 

“Well, I hope not” you awkwardly joke

“That’s... good” 

It turns out his name is Bucky and he’s recently moved back to Brooklyn after being away...for a while? He was vague. You watched the stray brush against his left pocket but he made no move to take his hand out, shifting the attention to the right one instead. 

“I saw you’ve been feeding her for a while.”

He realised his mistake as soon as the words slipped out, flinging his eyes to catch yours with a startled look.

“You...saw?”

“Fuck, sorry, I just...I watched you feeding her the other day, not trying to stalk you, I promise-”

It was your turn to let him stammer and flail, arms crossed disapprovingly against your chest. 

“Just interested in the cat, yeah, just the cat” He runs a hand over his face.

“I can't believe you had the audacity to suggest that I might be the psycho.” You smirked at him.

Your attention fell back to the cat and you missed the painful cringe flashing across his face oh so briefly. 

Realising the time, you slung your bag over your shoulder and smiled kindly at your new friend. 

“I’ve got to get to work but we should figure out some schedule so we don't end up feeding her so much-”

“Alpine.” He mumbles with the content cat resting on his palm.

“I’m sorry?”

“I call her Alpine.” He admits sheepishly.

Your heart stutters at his sudden shyness.

“You gave her a name?” 

“You don’t like it?” a frown creeps in from the corners of his mouth.

“No, I love it.”

The broad smile that he hides by looking down at ‘Alpine’ was one you wanted to keep in your mind all day. He looked at you and bit his lip, holding back the urge to ask you on a date then and there, he didn’t know why he held back that day.

“Okay, bye.” You waved small and he nodded politely as you walked away with a cheesy pep in your step.

Bucky smiled to himself, finally having introduced himself to the pretty girl who fed the stray cat. 

...and forgot to give her his number.

“shit.”

*****

tag list: @minohell​ @harrysthiccthighss​ 

[christowhore]

Just One More Minute

pairing: bucky barnes x fem!reader

summary: you grow tired of bucky constantly leaving you in dark when it comes to his feelings. finally, you have enough.

word count: 2.5k

warnings: ANGST, slight fluff, meet-cute, bucky is a dick, slight smut, heartbreak, no happy endings !!! 18+ MINORS DNI !!!

notes: i got inspired to write this, though i didn't mean to make it so sad. sorry not sorry.

i do not allow the reposting, rewriting or translating of my fics. these are works of my own and i do not give permission for any of the acts stated above.

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The once filled basket of freshly baked bread had begun to dwindle down over time. What once began as a taste of heaven on your tongue, turned into a painful reminder of your unfortunate circumstance.

It was your one year anniversary; 365 days with the blue eyed brunette, and yet you were the only occupant of the two person table that evening.

•| ⊱✿⊰ |•

In the beginning of your relationship, it was rough. You knew of his backstory that was released to the public, so you knew it would be difficult to get him to love you properly.

Being a soldier for so long, shutting himself off to love, it had him confused on how to go about his new affair.

Bucky was apprehensive to start up a romance with someone, per his therapist's advice. He never saw himself capable, not worthy of love. But then that glorious day happened over a year ago, when he met you.

He was standing in the aisle of the nearby corner store, staring at the plethora of microwaveable options. The growling of his stomach could be heard throughout the bodega as he pondered his choices. The brunette didn’t realize he had been standing there for some time until he heard a soft giggle to his left.

The sharp turn of his head and piercing eyes had your actions die down in your throat.

But those intense eyes of his quickly turned into longing ones as he took you in. There was something indescribable about you that had him unconsciously drawn to you.

“Sorry I-,” your voice faltered, “You were standing there for so long, I couldn’t help it.”

Buckys’ mouth opened and shut like a fish out of water, desperately trying to form a string of coherent words.

Gulping down his nerves, he took turns looking back and forth at you and the shelved meals. “It’s alright. I’m just trying to find something to eat. Not that great at cooking.” The last part comes out in an ashamed mutter, embarrassed that he was an 106-year-old man that couldn’t even work a stove.

The laugh that came out of you was melodic, making him feel like he could conquer any feat as long as his ears were graced with that lovely sound escaping from your lips.

“It’s no problem, we all gotta start somewhere right?”

He was expecting you to ridicule him; scoff at the fact that a grown man could only make meals by pressing a few buttons on a whirling machine. Or even pity him. Show him eyes of commiseration at the unfortunate circumstances that he had faced in his long-lived life.

But you didn’t do any of that, instead you assisted him on his quest for a late night meal. You showed him how he could turn a simple 3 minute cup of ramen into a filling meal with just a few more ingredients.

From that moment on he was enamored but you.

It took him a while to officially ask you on a date, the two of you only meeting up for ‘hang outs’ whenever you both weren’t busy with work.

But then late at night one day, after an encouraging pep talk from Yori, he showed up to your apartment gripping onto a bouquet of daffodils for dear life.

He had a speech prepared, but once you opened your door and your breathtaking eyes locked onto his, he was at a loss for words. His planned speech evaporated from his mind.

It wasn’t until you looked down at the bouquet, a faint gasp from you snapping him out of his mind and placing him back in the moment.

“Would you like to accompany me to dinner this weekend?”

From there it was history.

It didn’t take long after for Bucky to ask you to be his, though even then he had some doubts.

‘What if I scare her off? What if I push her away from me? What if she realizes how much of a fuck up I am? What if I somehow revert back to the old me around her, hurting her in the process?’ All of those questions plagued his mind, the last one in particular.

He knows that with the help of Ayo and members of the Dora Milaje, the brainwashing that HYDRA placed in him was eradicated. But he couldn’t help but wonder if one day it could somehow come back, resulting in him being unable to control his actions around you.

Six months into the relationship, you had had enough of your boyfriends apprehensiveness and called him out on it.

“Why is it that everytime I have to initiate things between us,” you questioned, frustration evident in your tone, “I have to go out of my way to plan things for us as a couple. Do you just not want to be with me anymore, is that it?”

Bucky sat there, silently mulling over your words. Without a peep coming from his mouth, you took his silence as his answer and began to pack up your belongings.

His body was instantly filled with fear. It was then he realized that he was acting out on one of his fears which was driving you out of his life.

You were halfway towards the door when he shot up from his seat on the couch.

“I’m scared that one day I might end up hurting you! Like actually hurting you.”

Upon hearing his words, you stopped in your tracks and pondered his statement. You knew about some of the things he was forced to do as the Winter Soldier. The people he killed, innocent families broken due to his actions. But you also knew that he had no control of them. What he did have control over was the current life he had laid out in front of him.

That evening, Bucky fully opened himself up to you. He told you everything; growing up with Steve and looking out for him, being enlisted in the 107th infantry, falling off the bridge and being taken prisoner of HYDRA, all the adventures with the Avengers and eventually how he was able to overcome the hold that the organization had on him for years. He even showed you his notebook, a gift from his best friend, filled with names of people he still needed to make amends with in the world.

It was difficult for him, being so vulnerable with someone, an emotion he never saw himself leaning into. But you welcomed his openness, informing him about how despite his past, you weren’t going to abandon him upon knowing the truth.

That night, you two made love for the first time. The usual rough intimate moments were set aside for a more passionate affair.

Bucky took his time that evening, caressing every curve of your body. Laying kisses across the expanse of your figure, whispering sweet nothings into your ear as he took you apart underneath him.

With your bare and sweaty frame, pressed against his, he placed his forehead against yours.

His body rocked, his thick shaft languidly stroking your walls; in an effort to savor every inch of your sweet heat.

Locking eyes with you, Bucky watched as your lids became hooded, heavy with desire. Your pupils dilating, while your breaths came out in pants, warming up his face.

With such an intimate moment unfolding, he felt like it was only right to utter the 3 words he had been scared to say to you for so long.

“I love you.”

After that lovely night with you, things started to get better between the two of you.

He made it his mission to spend more time with you, planning events himself instead of subjecting you to the task.

Things got better, but one day about a month ago rescinded all progress he successfully made between you two.

Sam had realized that Bucky had found someone due to his constant texting and smiles he directed at his phone. And after a while of teasing and questioning, Bucky finally told him about you.

Overjoyed for his friend, he invited you two for dinner with his sister and nephews down in Louisiana, in hopes to find out who broke through his friend's tough demeanor.

It was a pleasant weekend, filled with laughter and good food. The weather was a drastic difference to what you were used to back in the city, but you welcomed it with open arms, grateful to get away from your monotonous routine of life.

You were watching Sam playing with Cass and AJ, with Bucky laying by your side.

“You ever think about having kids, Buck?”

The statement caused him to tense up, which you quickly took notice of.

“I’m not saying for us to have kids right now,” you fretted, “Just y’know in the future. Could you see it?”

Bucky didn’t know how to properly answer, so he simply shrugged, hoping that would satisfy your questioning.

When the two of you left the south and headed back home after your mini getaway, things became tense again.

You picked up on his sudden, and often, late nights at the bar for the next 2 weeks. The stench of alcohol that he could never get drunk off of would fill your nose every time he came home late at night. Always choosing to sleep on the couch instead of the bed that you were able to get him adjusted to over time.

Long, meaningful conversations turned into brief sentences with him obviously looking for ways to escape your questioning gaze.

You had brought it up with him one morning, as he woke up to the sounds of your movements in the kitchen. He tried to sneak out while your back was turned to him, when he heard your broken voice speak out.

“If bringing up kids was a sore subject, I apologize James. But it’s something that, as a couple, is normal for us to talk about. Which you’re not doing by the way, you’re just going back to your old ways and ignoring me.”

Bucky felt guilty, especially knowing how you only addressed him with his first name when you were mad.

He took a deep breath and turned to face you, his heart getting heavy when he took in your glossy eyes and quivering lips. “You’re right doll, I’m sorry.”

Walking over towards you in the kitchen, he pulled you into his frame, rubbing the small of his back with his flesh hand while placing his chin in the crook of your neck.

Without looking at you, he proceeded to explain his behavior. How, with everything he had been through in life, he never saw himself becoming a father. Never felt like he was worthy enough to experience the blessing of fatherhood.

“It’s an accomplishment that I never saw myself experiencing in my lifetime,” he muttered to you.

You could tell how much the topic took a toll on him due to his erratic heart beating inside his chest.

“I know you think that you’re not worthy of love, whether it be romantic or familial. But, James Buchanan Barnes, you are deserving of all the wonderful things that life has to offer.”

Bucky pulled his face away from your shoulder to showcase a beaming smile. “Doll, how the hell did I get lucky enough to call you mine?”

Giggles left you as you reciprocated the same smile to the brunette, “Hmm, I think an unexpected trip to the corner store on my end had something to do with it. Your adorable face did play a very big part in it though.”

Leaning towards you, Bucky molded his lips into yours, melting into the feel of your soft touch.

After a few moments, you pulled away and nuzzled your face into him. “Speaking of accomplishments, you do know what’s in 2 weeks right?”

Bucky froze once again, remembering the upcoming date. He realized he hadn’t answered your question when your body began to tense up.

“Y-yeah (Y/N), our anniversary. How could I forget? I have something planned, don’t you worry.”

You tried to relax your muscles but couldn’t due to the unwavering tone you heard in his voice at his last comment.

•| ⊱✿⊰ |•

You had dressed up to the nines that evening, getting ready to meet up with Bucky that evening at the restaurant where you had your first date.

Wearing a black figure hugging dress, and minimal makeup you sat there and waited for your companion. But after an hour had now passed, your once happy self was riddled with sorrow.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry but if the rest of your party isn’t showing up, then-”

“Just one more minute. Please,” you pleaded with the server.

“I’m sorry ma’am, but it’s been an hour and my manager says I need to sit another couple here,” his voice laced with pity.

With the sorry-filled stares from other patrons, you stood up and gathered your coat and bag before heading towards the door. You stood outside, with tears cascading down your face as you took in the gravity of the situation.

You never thought Bucky would hurt you, physically at least. Yes, he had made some unfortunate actions in his past, but you thought that you would be able to move past it together.

Now standing here, you realized that though you loved Bucky with all of your heart, he could never entirely love you the same.

So you made your way back to his apartment, and found a box and packed up any of your items you had left around.

Double checking you had everything you owned, you grabbed a loose scrap of paper and wrote a goodbye to the man that you loved.

‘I’m sorry, but I can’t deal with this anymore. I will always care for you, Buck. But I can’t handle being left in the dark while you deal with your issues on your own, instead of coming to me so we could work through them together. Making me fight to get the truth out of you. I wish you the best of luck in life and that you’re able to solve whatever is going on with you. And I sincerely hope, in time, you are able to love someone as much as I loved you.’

Setting the pen and paper down, alongside of your key to his place, you took one more look around the space and walked out of it and his life for good.

Meanwhile, a few blocks away, Bucky sat there nursing a beer, scratching away the condensation soaked label. He knew the alcohol did nothing due to the super serum running through his veins, but he needed something to try and dull the ache in his heart.

He knew standing you up, especially tonight, was cruel. He just didn’t know how to go about his relationship with you anymore.

And as he sat there on his bar stool, dressed in a suit, he realized he broke one of Dr. Raynors’ rules; and worst it involved you.

‘Rule number two. Nobody gets hurt, it’s a big one.’

•| ⊱✿⊰ |•

A/N: if you enjoyed this fic, make sure to reblog and comment. feedback is much appreciated !

permanent taglist: @firoozehmoon @nagygreta

bucky taglist: @syrenavenger @sunflowerdarlingx @beminetokeep @zoinks-101 @karzich9 @histoirepeanut @redhairedfeistynerd @iwannabekilledtwice @onyourgoddamnleft @slutherin-7

*if your name is crossed out, tumblr won't let me tag you. please check your settings

[thatmexisaurusrex]

What Could You Ask For My Auction SamBucky/SamBuckyQuin/SamQuin?

So, I have two auctions for Marvel Trumps Hate 2022 and I was thinking about how people sometimes don’t have ideas for prompts and that it helps when you can provide some prompts they can ask for. So I'm going to do that! If someone wants to use the prompts for a different auction too, feel free to do so. I just want to give some examples for prompts. I came up with 29 ideas 😂

Here are some ideas for my Auction 1025!

Some Art or Photos That Would Inspire A Fic, like:

1) A Fairytail AU based on these pictures where Royal!Sam has a meet-cute/meet-ugly in the forest while Bucky is on horseback. Could be an arranged marriage or marriage of convenience AU. Could be a love story between two dorks in a fantasy setting.

2) This artwork of Sam working out that could be about Sam being oblivious as Bucky tries to come out to Sam and ask Sam out.

3) Thor Corps Sam and Joaquín, based on this pic from the comics, perhaps?

4) A SamBuckyQuin fic based on these "kiss the cook" pics?

5) This "What Are They Saying?" post. What are they saying? Want to fill in the blank? Want me to fill in the blank?

6) This series of pics on thighs that @hot-chocolates-world posted. Because who doesn't like a fic appreciating Sam 🥰

7) Barista AU where someone's making bird art in coffee like this?

8) Sam doing some gymnastics like in these comic pics?

9) This Chicken Brooding Canon Divergence idea @runzu sent me and I haven't gotten to yet.

10) Maybe something inspired by this Vampire!Sam and Werewolf!Bucky art

Prompts Found Around The Internet, Like:

1) This Soulmates "we woke up married in Vegas"/“we got drunk at a pagan ritual in Scotland and now we’re bound for life and any attempt at separation will tear apart our souls” AU idea.

2) This goofy conversation I had with @vampire-grayson about Sam and Bucky doing the Tumblr ball-shaving ads? 😂

3) Something based on this series of unrelated questions?

4) Something about Sam or Bucky or Joaquín having this conversation about a fanny pack and a very horny fan blog?

5) This Cheese Seller AU idea that @jules-of-the-crown sent me a while back that I've been meaning to take a crack at 😆

6) This Gym Bro story from Reddit.

7) This AU idea @margarethx thought up and Jules sent me where Sam's a Paranormal Investigator and Bucky's a Cryptid.

8) This marriage of convenience idea @saryasy had that I've been meaning to do.

9) This ridiculous Lighthouse Idea Bee and I somehow formed 😂

10) A "Didn't Know I Was Dating Him" AU based on this Reddit spiel

Some Ideas From The General Prompts From My Auction:

1) Fake Dating: Sam needs his family to stop asking Sam when he's going to get married. Sam hires Bucky to pretend to be his fiance over the holidays.

2) Huddle for Warmth: After a mission gone wrong, Sam and Bucky find themselves needing to survive for the night in the woods. It gets chilly.

3) Angel/Demon AU: Sam, Joaquín, and Bucky meet across the centuries after Bucky falls from grace.

4) Bodega/Corner Store AU: A corner store employee watches Sam and Joaquín fall in love whenever they bump into each other at the store.

5) Enemy Soulmates AU: What it says on the tin. Sam and Bucky were always supposed to be enemies. They're destined for it. So why do they keep getting along?

6) Courtship/Arranged Marriage AU: Sam and Bucky find themselves in an arranged marriage neither of them asked for after both of their siblings run before their wedding day. As they try to figure out how the marriage will work, they start to fall in love.

7) Days in Delacroix: Sam and Bucky Slice of Life moments.

8) Persephone/Hades AU: Sam finds his way to the Underworld, where he meets the King of the Dead. They strike up a friendship. Maybe something more...

9) Hurt/Comfort: After Sam gets injured during a mission, Bucky and Joaquín take care of him.

[somanywords]

WIP Game 🎏

Thank you so much for the tags, @dharmasharks @dontcallmebree and @xoxobuckybarnes!! This is always a fun one when it rolls around :D

RULES: post the names of all the files in your WIP list, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it. And then tag as many people as you have WIPS!

It's a lot, I grant you, and it isnt even everything, but here's some newer stevebucky ones/ones I'm currently working on 😁

Alpine Barnes

Another Song sequels because I am bad #2 and #3

Baseball and Bruises

Bucky's bodega life

Farm therapy, ws style

for you for me for evermore

Frankie the dog fic

guardian angel steve

Hold that summer breath tight etc.

no winter soldier au

Steve, a mixture of maladies

Wartime confessions and confusion

Workdays and weekend teas

You're the only 10 I see

And a few newsies: 🌈

modern newsies au

ANOTHER MODERN AU (Ariel)

A prayer becomes a vow

Tomorrow's News

disaster dinner party

I know some of you have already been tagged and others haven't, so no pressure tags for @voylitscope @hipsterdiva @its-tortle @t4tstevebucky @not-withoutyou @moodymelanist @emmedoesntdomath @spookyklaine @turtle-steverogers @sparkagrace and also anyone else who'd like to join and share what they're workin' on!

[dollslayer]

Fight or Flight

Steve Rogers x Reader

Summary: Steve comes clean, in the aftermath and shock you turn to the one person who you know you can trust.

W/C: 2,369

Warnings: Implied cheating, angst, swearing

A/N: Hello! I wrote this for @sweetlyscared 's 1k celebration (congrats, it's well deserved!), prompt is in bold. I'm still pretty new to writing and this is my first true Angst fic so any and all reblogs/comments are super appreciated! Please check out my other stuff if you liked this fic!! Cheers!

PART TWO I Masterlist

____

The feeling of everything crashing around you was slow. Like your world was moving in slow motion as you processed the words. Everything else he was saying became distorted, going to waste as he tried desperately to explain himself to you. All you could hear clearly was your own breathing while you tried to will yourself to do something, anything.

Fight or flight is a funny thing, you were always so feisty and eager to fight back, A Bulldog, Steve had affectionately called you. But when he told you he was in love with someone else, that he has been in love with someone else for months, your body couldn’t find anything in it but to walk away.

Your breathing picked up and your eyes searched the ground, refusing to meet his. You felt your legs raise you up to stand and start walking away, unsure of your destination. When you pivoted to leave the room your eyes met his briefly, staring emotionlessly as his desperately searched for anything at all in yours.

“Where are you going? Doll, please, can we talk about this? I’m, I’m so sorry I-”

Whatever else he was saying wasn’t heard over the noise of opening the door and shutting it behind you. You didn’t know where you were going or what you were feeling other than the obvious. You were in a state of shock, it’s one thing to hear awful news and another to understand that it’s true but you were fastly approaching that truth head-on.

You paused for a moment in the hall and heard no movement come after you. You almost let yourself be surprised but he’d admitted he gave up on you a long time ago, so it only makes sense he wouldn’t fight your exit. You kept walking and tried to hold the floodgates of your heart closed for a bit longer.

Flashes of what was said come back to you slowly as reality sets in. “I can’t put this off any longer. I want you to know that I will always love you, but there’s someone else.”

Your head hurt like it would as if you were already crying, the blood pumping in your ears and pressure building in your temples that would no doubt evoke a long-standing headache. Your face felt hot as you stepped into the elevator, maybe you’d go for a walk in an attempt to fend off your tears. Or maybe you’d walk to a safer place to have an emotional breakdown. Whichever is easier.

Brisk gusts of air greet you as you exit the building, making you realize you left your jacket on the arm of the couch. You took a second to evaluate yourself and noticed you’d also walked out in your house slippers and a thin pair of leggings. Trying to evade the cold you tucked yourself in the doorway of a bodega down the street and dialed Bucky.

Two rings and he picked up.

“Hello?”

“Did you know?”

The silence on the line only reminds you of the blood pumping in your ears. The silence tells you everything you needed to know.

“Liste-”

You hang up.

You’re breathing even harder now. Who else knew? For how long? How long was I the joke? You need to find somewhere else to be soon or all these strangers are going to get an eyeful of a grown woman sobbing. You dial the last number you’d expect to at a time like this.

“What’s happening, shortstack?”

You can hear Tony’s grin through the phone and his easy greeting gives you momentary comfort.

“Can I come over? Something happened.”

“I’ll let Jarvis know to let you in” Tony’s tone is understanding, not needing you to explain further, just letting you know you can come to him.

____

Tony’s only seven blocks from yours and Steve’s shared apartment, a fact you’re grateful for when you feel your feet aching every time they hit the pavement. The conversation replays in your head, you try to word what happened in your head and your anger starts overtaking the heartbreak. It’s almost a welcome reprieve from the settling heartbreak but you’re not sure if you’d rather be numb to it completely.

When the elevator doors open Tony’s waiting for you with two tumblers of scotch in hand. You shake your head and move past him to the couch. He joins you on the opposite armchair and sets both his elbows down on his spread knees, resting his face in his hands.

“Would you like to talk about it or not talk about it?” He asks with a sigh.

You don’t make eye contact with him so you don’t cry, choosing to focus on the Iron Man coffee table book you’d gotten as a gag gift for Tony all those Christmases ago. It almost distracts you enough to laugh, the fact that he just has it out. But you need to tell someone what happened and get it all out before you can let yourself feel it all.

“Steveisinlovewithsomeoneelse,” You rushed it all out in one breath afraid if you didn’t get it out fast enough that you’d break. “He has been for months. He said he doesn’t know when it all changed but when he was with her things just clicked,” you paused to collect yourself, “But don’t worry, I’ll always hold a special place in his heart and he hopes this won’t affect the future of the team or our friendship.”

“Oh, and he’s really sorry.” you added.

You laughed bitterly and shook your head in disbelief. His delivery had been so cold but so sincere, very to the point but pained in its delivery. “I just, whatever we had, it’s just gone. Things are just different now, with her, this kills me though, please believe me. You’re still really special to me.” Bullshit. Special enough to act as a placeholder until someone better comes, special enough to cast aside.

You’re broken momentarily from your spiral into anger by the sound of a glass hitting a coaster a little too hard. Looking up, you find Tony quietly seething. He and Steve aren’t close by any means so you figured that he wouldn’t have known, it’s why you called him over anyone else.

He moves slowly to your side on the couch and pulls you into his side. You can smell his aftershave and what you think might be burned grease from one of the many things he’s been tinkering with in the lab, it smells like him, like comfort.

“That fucking asshole. Unbelievable, I don’t even…” He leaves the thought unfinished.

His hands move up and down your arms in a soothing motion and you finally let yourself have it. You don’t even realize you’re crying until you feel the tears wet his shirt when you bury your face in. You sniffle up tears and snot when your face heats up.

There’s no way to know how long Tony lets you sob into him, no doubt ruining his vintage Depeche Mode shirt. Somewhere in the back of your mind you make a mental note to buy him a new one later. But for now you’ll just allow yourself to cry and you can deal with the world in the morning.

____

Tony lets you fall asleep on his chest, feeling somewhere between furious and heartbroken by proxy. He thinks about letting you sleep and giving Steve a piece of his mind but figures that’s not what you need right now. Your phone sits on the table and he touches the screen to check the time. No notifications on your homescreen except for a missed call from Bucky and an old photo of Steve making a funny face as your background.

Had Steve not even tried to call you? Had he not even tried to go after you? Why was Bucky of all people the only one to be trying to get a hold of you? Prick.

Selfishly Tony is glad that he has a good reason to be rude to Steve now, he has to admit. You two had always been close but when you and Steve started dating he saw less and less of you. He couldn’t fault you for it though, you were so in love with Steve and you knew that the relationship between the two of them was strained so you kept your distance a bit.

He thought of all the sacrifices you’d made for Steve. You gave up your childhood home in the Bronx that your parents had willed to you to move in with him because he wanted you to be closer to the tower. You gave up a promotion and transfer to DC when you were still just an agent, granted you were an avenger now but it doesn’t matter, he’d made a very big deal out of you turning it down. You gave up the friendship the two of you had.

It was incredible, really. How much you had done for him only for him to turn around and love someone else behind your back. Brave enough to fight aliens and terrorists but too cowardly to break up with you and leave you with some dignity. Did anyone else know about this?

Tony had to stop himself from getting too angry, afraid he’d wake you up. So instead he went back to plotting up schematics for the half-finished suit mod he’d been in the middle of when you called.

____

It’s been a week and you still haven’t properly talked to Steve. After two days on Tony’s couch you need to look at things from a logical stance. Where am I going to stay? It’s not like you had your parent’s place anymore and you didn’t want to sign a new lease on an apartment. You could always move into the tower but that meant a higher chance of running into Steve.

You were thinking about all of this out loud to Tony when he offered you the guest bedroom in his penthouse. You were shocked, he’s always been a generous man but after you drifted apart from him you were surprised he even let you stay these past few days. Maybe now was a good time to rebuild your friendship with him and have some space from work.

What’s work going to be like? You agree and go on a temporary leave from the team, just a month to collect yourself. If you really wanted to you could go back but the thought of seeing everyone that knew about Steve’s affair was humiliating and enraging in one go.

It turns out Sam had been playing therapist to Steve in all of this, Nat figured it out through some sleuthing, and Wanda had inadvertently heard his thoughts about her. And none of them thought to tell you? To save you from the anguish but to let it fester? Steve wasn’t the only one that betrayed you. They all had.

What will I say to him? Should I say anything to him? Turns out the answer was ‘nothing’. You texted him to let him know you were moving out and you’d be by to get your things as a courtesy. You walked into an empty apartment and you were almost relieved.

He’d chosen to not be here but he’d left you a letter on the kitchen counter next to a framed photo of the two of you on vacation last year. You scoff but don’t touch the letter. Every ounce of restraint you have is being used as you leave it untouched. But you don’t need to know what excuses or apologies he has on deck, nothing he could say would exonerate him of his wrong-doings. You had no intentions of speaking to him but secretly you hoped he suffered as he stewed in his guilt and inner-turmoil. He deserves to.

When you pack you leave every gift he ever gave you, taking only what you’d brought with you in the first place. You take one look at the unmade bed and almost go to make it out of habit but then you think of the two of them there together. All the long missions you went on without him, all the times you stayed late at work or went out with your friends. How many times had he been here with her while you were there?

You end up only leaving with two suitcases and a backpack full of things. Tony waits for you in the lobby, understanding you wanted your space when you went to get your things in case Steve was there.

The elevator doors open to him taking a selfie with a couple of fans and shaking hands. He’s all too happy to be recognized but when he sees you his eyes soften. Not out of pity, but fondness, like he’s proud of you for getting out.

He sends you a questioning look with a silent question. Are you okay?

You smile at him and for the first time in days it’s a genuine, non-placating, happy-to-see-you smile. It’s okay, I’ll be okay.

He takes one of your suitcases from you and helps you load them into the back of the car before opening the door for you. The drive back to Tony’s is silent but comfortable. The trust you have in each other is strong and unspoken. Something you’ve always been grateful for between the two of you.

He doesn’t ask you about Steve or what happened, always letting you come to him first, which you appreciate. And when you talk he just listens. No bullshit unsolicited advice about moving on or how everything happens for a reason or getting back out there, just listens.

You know the road ahead is long and it will be difficult, but you have someone in your corner and the knowledge that what happened isn’t your fault and that you’re a badass and fuck Steve Rogers and fuck anyone else that did you wrong in all of this. Maybe you’ll forgive them someday but for now you’re gonna focus on you and work on building yourself back up. You’re ready for the ups and downs, you’re ready to fight.

[late-to-the-party-81]

N & G (for your latest DBF Steve fic!) pls <3

N: Any fic ideas brewing that you’d care to share?

Currently I’m working on a three chapter fic for Alpha Bucky April that also crosses off the squares of some other bingos too.

It’s going to be and Omegaverse Shrinkyclinks

Here’s a snippet from chapter 1 (unbeta’d)

It was only by chance that he’d seen the flyer, pinned up on the board in the local bodega.

Omega dancer needed. Primary gender irrelevant. The Alpha Barne, the #1 Exotic club for the discerning Alpha. Contact Clint on 555-1474 to arrange an audition.

Had Steve ever considered stopping -exotic dancing - as a career path before? No, but he had taken a few dance classes in college, encouraged by his friends who said he had the perfect physique for it. So he’d bitten the bullet, made the call and passed the audition. Now he was Steve Rogers, diner server by day and stripper by night.

G: If you wrote a sequel to [DBF Steve], what would it be about?

So, in my head (where nearly all my plans lie) the next part will involve reader starting her job, Walker being a creep plus a sleep over at Steve’s because her parents are away… that’s all I’ve got so far 😂

[bisamwilson]

Fic writer asks: 7, 40, 55!

hi zainab!! thanks for the ask <3

(from this list)

7. How do you choose which POV to write from?

i think it's mostly whichever one feels more right for the story? for sambucky, i think i usually end up writing from sam's POV bc i generally have a more similar thought process to sam than i do bucky, but there are certain fics where it just makes more sense to write from bucky's POV to me (like the massage fic, for example, bc it's mainly about bucky kind of panicking over sam and having a 6k word Time™ about it)

40. If someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see?

i feel like my go-to answer to this is always either any of sam's looks in hey princess (but especially either his birthday party or wedding day looks) and one/both of sam or bucky in the USO girl outfit in you were an army officer bc 🥵, but honestly i'd also love to see the costco condiment aisle proposal from put some mustard on it or the dancing-under-the-broken-awning-in-the-rain scene from buffalo gals

but also if anyone drew anything from any scenes in any of my works i'd be over the fucking moon

55. Of the characters you write for, which is your favorite? Has that choice been swayed at all by your followers/readers’ reactions to certain ones?

oh sam wilson, easily. literally no contest. i adore him more than anything, and i think that really shows in my work, and i love to give him the love and attention that he deserves. i think people generally like the way i write sam? but that's just a bonus to how much i enjoy writing sam

since sam's the easy answer, in terms of background characters, i adore being able to give clint more of a personality than he's got in the mcu whenever i have him in a fic (he was one of my favorite parts of the one last stop au and the bodega owner!bucky au, for example)

i did really enjoy getting to write phee in the techphee fic i wrote though! finding her voice was super fun, and i loved being able to give her more of a backstory since we know so little about her

[hazel-wand]

for the WIP ask meme: Memories & Untitled A/B/O fic

For the WIP Ask Meme (please feel free to send an ask - I’m enjoying going through old fic and it’s nice to share bits)

Memories is probably not going to get written. It’s also one of those fics where I’m not even sure if the idea for it is mine or whether I read it somewhere (I’m sure the idea has been written before). It was going to be a post CACW Wakanda fic, where Steve visits Bucky shortly after he wakes up. Steve is being ridiculously careful of Bucky - doesn’t want to stall his recovery or bring up trauma. Bucky, meanwhile, has most of his memories back, but fantasy and memory have blurred in his mind, so he’s not completely sure what’s true or not. He loved Steve before the war, and thinks they were in a relationship because he has so many ‘memories’ of kissing Steve, telling him he loves him etc (Steve erroneously confirms this in a fit of miscommunication). So when Steve tells Bucky that he isn’t expecting - doesn’t want - things to go back to how they were before (because Steve isn’t expecting him to be the Bucky from 1938 or 1944), Bucky takes it to mean that Steve no longer wants a romantic relationship with him. Bucky figures it out when he mentions Steve coming to rescue him in the early WS days and realises that of course Steve never did, it’s just that newly-captured Bucky had waited and hoped and imagined so much that when Shuri restored his memories, she’d restored Bucky’s fantasies of Steve as fact rather than fiction.

The untitled A/B/O fic is again inspired by a post someone made somewhere which said that alphas would be like the ‘mom friend’ who always has snacks. I liked the idea of a pre-serum Alpha! Steve who needs to be needed by his friends - needs to be able to take care of them/feed them, except that none of them really need him (like Sam is a good buddy but is a level-headed Beta who doesn’t need to be fussed over; Natasha allows Steve to put her back together after a mission goes south, but then she’s off on her own again). So Steve uses his small-for-an-Alpha size to help people get over Alpha-related trauma/abuse, because he smells like an Alpha but is much less physically threatening. Meanwhile Bucky is a Winter Soldier-sized Omega whose war experience has left him down an arm and with a phobia of Alphas.

Here’s their first meeting:

“Meeeeoooow!”

Bucky pulls his pillow further over his ears and tries to escape back into sleep.

“Meeeeeeooooooowww!”

He rolls over and fumbles for his phone. 9:15. Fuck.

Alpine, his white-furred, blue-eyed menace of a roommate continues singing the song of her people outside the bedroom door until Bucky can’t take it anymore and, grumbling to himself - and her, he staggers out of bed and heads to the kitchen in search of cat food and coffee. In that order.

Alpine weaves around his ankles as he fills up her bowl. His dad had suggested one of those feeding machines, which would feed her at a set time, but Bucky had said no. Feeding Alpine would get him up on time and get him home on time. He’d thought it would be good for him. It is good for him, he supposes, as it means he’s up and awake and won’t be late for the VA today, even though he hadn’t fallen asleep until almost 5 in the morning. He grimaces at the first bitter sip of instant coffee. He needs to buy milk.

Bucky stops at three bodegas before finding one that doesn’t smell too badly of Alpha on his fourth attempt. He keeps his nose pressed into his scarf and doesn’t dare to shop for longer than it takes to grab the milk and a new bag of cat food (he has enough cat food, but the thought of running out and failing Alpine terrifies him, so he makes sure to buy some every time he shops). By the time he gets outside his face is hot and his breath is coming too quick. He hurries home to drop off the shopping, and then it’s time to head to the VA.

His group session at the VA is fine, really it is. Bucky’s always been the type to stand up and say something when no one else will, and while he can’t say he loves talking about his experiences in front of a bunch of Beta and Omega semi-strangers, he feels that at least he’s done what he set out to do once the session is over. It’s hot in the room, even with the windows open, and no matter how generous they all are with the scent dampeners, a group of nervous veterans in a small room on a warm day creates quite a cocktail of scent after an hour or so. Bucky keeps his eyes on Sam, the Beta who leads the group, and who is the only one who doesn’t put on a scent dampener for the session. He broadcasts steady Beta calm. For all that going to group leaves Bucky feeling raw and confronted, the goodness of Sam’s scent is something he looks forward to each week.

It’s only at the end, when the door opens and new air rushes in, that Bucky realises how much distress has still filtered through the air of the meeting room. He stays behind while the others file out, ostensibly to talk to Sam about some of the therapy programmes the VA offers, and mostly so that he can spend a few moments collecting himself under the influence of Sam’s scent, before he heads back to the world.

“Art therapy’s really helped some people,” Sam’s saying. “The main guy who does it is an Alpha, but there’s an Omega who sometimes offers a watercolour class - let me see when she’s running it …” He turns and clicks through some screens on the ancient desktop computer in the corner of the room.

Bucky looks out the open door, watching the rest of the group walk off. Some are walking hunched over, their heads down, while others are chatting as they go, maybe planning on getting a coffee together. A few feet away there’s a large alcove in the hall, and a small guy is hanging up some pictures in it. Bucky’s eyes drift over the art - a turbulent seascape and a canvas filled with burnt orange and red swirls of colour which makes Bucky’s stomach ache - and fix on the man who is currently using a spirit level to check that they’re hanging straight. He’s small, with floppy blond hair that looks soft, even from this distance. He moves efficiently: not hurrying, but working decisively and neatly. It’s soothing to watch.

Or at least it is until the last of the group members filter past him, and Bucky catches the first hint of the man’s scent. Bucky’s heart beats sickly out of time.

Alpha.

The man, small as he is, has the scent of an Alpha, unmistakable even through the distance between them and the dampeners he’s presumably wearing. Too late, Bucky notices the yellow triangle set up saying ‘Alpha at work.’

“Yeah, so Majorie’s not doing watercolours again until after Christmas, but there’s an adaptive knitting class,” Sam says, walking towards Bucky, who is still standing frozen in the doorway, his heart going rabbit fast and his eyes fixed on the Alpha.

Sam stops behind Bucky and swears softly.

As though he’s heard, the Alpha turns towards them, both of them standing in the still-open doorway. Bucky tries to remind himself that he’s safe, he’s home, that the Alpha means him no harm. He tries to focus on Sam’s steady scent, but all he can smell is his own fear, heavy and cloying, a sour taste in his mouth, and beyond that the sharp spikes of Alpha coming from the stranger in the hallway.

The stranger’s face might look concerned, but Bucky can’t really tell as his vision is swirling and clouding, the pressure in his head causing black spots behind his eyes. His throat is seized, his lungs stilled, stifled by his own ridiculous terror.

The stranger moves towards them.

“Steve!” Sam’s shout sounds far away, even though he’s standing right by Bucky. “You can’t be here.”

The stranger’s eyes widen. He looks at Bucky and Sam, then down at himself, and the Alpha scent suddenly explodes around them under a crest of the man’s emotion.

“Shit!” the man says. Even Bucky’s swimming vision can pinpoint the moment the man realises what’s happening and pulls himself back (the Alpha scent - shame and pain - recedes a little). The Alpha starts speeding back down the hall.

Bucky hears Sam’s inhale beside him, although he’s too embarrassed right now to look at him. His heart starts to slow and the pressure in his head dissipates, chased off by the safe, steady, calm that Sam is pushing out towards him.

Bucky screws his eyes tight shut and tries to will down the tears that prickle behind his eyelids. As a child he cried easily, much to his little sisters’ teasing and his dad’s discomfort. Since choosing to join the army, he’s tried to force the emotions back. It’s too easy to be seen as a hysterical Omega if he cries, and he’s not. He’s not.

Bucky shakes as he feels himself come back. “Fuck,” he says. His voice is breath-soft and shivery. “I’m so sorry.” He forces himself to look at Sam, standing still at Bucky’s side, his eyes fixed on the hallway where the strange Alpha had run.

Straight away, Sam turns to him, his brown eyes warm and concerned. “Nothing for you to apologise for, James,” he says kindly. “That was in no way your fault.” Sam’s eyes flick back down the empty corridor. “I’m not sure why he was there, but he shouldn’t have been. This is your space, and you need to feel safe here.”

“It’s okay,” Bucky says, trying to shrug and failing. He suddenly hopes the little Alpha won’t get into trouble for being too close to a group that was for Betas and Omegas only. After all, he wasn’t one of the Alphas who had … - he wrests his mind from that train of thought.

“It’s not okay, and it shouldn’t have happened,” Sam repeats. He shifts his weight on the balls of his feet. “I’ll talk to Steve, make sure it won’t happen again. How are you doing, man? Can I - do you need …? Sam offers Bucky his wrist, underside up.

Bucky’s seized by the desire to grasp Sam’s wrist, pull it to his face and take a deep breath of that calming, soothing scent. He doesn’t get close enough to scent many people, and few offer the same comfort that Sam does, even though he’s only known him a short time, and it’s not like Bucky’s exactly been himself in that time either. He reaches out a finger, lightly touches the soft skin of Sam’s wrist, then pushes it back down with the same finger. He knows Sam wouldn’t think he was weak for taking some comfort, but Bucky’s been called it enough times in his life to not let himself.

“You good, James?” Sam asks, not letting any awkwardness colour his tone or scent. “You want to stay here for a few minutes, get your breath? I can look for a Be-Meg class that isn’t knitting?”

Bucky makes himself smile. He used to be good at this, he reminds himself. “Nah,” he says, forcing his voice to sound strong and casual. “I’m good. Just gonna head off.”

Sam gives him an easy smile which doesn’t reach his scent. “Sure thing,” he says. “I’ll walk you out.”

Outside, it is a relief to be swathed in the anonymity of smells that is Brooklyn on an unseasonably warm October day. Bucky says goodbye to Sam and pulls his bandana around his chin just in case, but outside it’s unusual to pick out any one particular scent, unless it’s someone you know well. Bucky walks almost everywhere these days: it’s the best way to be around people without having to be around them.

As he skirts the building, he catches sight of Sam standing over a small figure slumped against a wall. He sees the mop of blond hair, and recognises the Alpha from the hallways. Outside, and from this distance, he can’t smell anything from the man, but he finds himself standing still and watching. The Alpha has his head in his hands; his posture broadcasts distress and shame. Bucky feels a pang. Yes, the guy had scared the shit out of him, but that’s Bucky’s problem, not his. The little Alpha shouldn’t have been in that hallway during a Be-Meg group, but it’s not as though he’s built like a stereotypical Alpha - all power and muscle. Poor guy can’t be used to scaring people. Sometimes, Bucky wishes he could get angry at people. It would be easier if he could just blame the Alpha and be done with it, rather than feeling sorry for him.

Bucky’s not even surprised when it starts to rain as he’s halfway home. Not only did it take a cat to get him out of bed, an hour and a half to find a place he could buy milk, a panic attack at a tiny Alpha’s scent and a good drenching round off his day. He keeps coming back to the look on the guy’s face - the scent of the Alpha’s shame that Bucky could smell alongside his own fear, and the Alpha’s defeated pose as he waited - for Sam? - outside the VA, downwind from the doorway so that Bucky wouldn’t be able to smell him.

Bucky sighs. The kicker was that this isn’t a bad day. Not really. It’s just another day in his boring, lonely, fucked-up life. And isn’t that just the worst part of all?

[dreadlockholiday]

I saw you post a … fic idea? The Bucky owns a bodega one. If I wrote it, would that be okay first of all? Since it’s not my idea? Secondly would you like to be tagged in it here when I post it to Ao3? Sorry to ask anon I’m nervous 😭

Omg YES PLEASE DO!! And yes tag me when it's posted I can't wait to read it 😍😍😍 I posted that fic idea because I hoped someone would write it so go ahead!! Ahh 💖💖

[turtle-steverogers]

she is very long so. enjoy😌

- Steve n Bucky going to the bodega down the street from their apartment. it’s open till like 4am and they go at all hours. sometimes they’ll go separately but they always go together when they go in between 12-4 am and no one who works there questions why

- they get a cat that they treat her like their child. it’s Alpine ofc😌 steve loves her so much but he knows it’s Bucky’s Cat and he’s fine with it

- you know how some siblings or partners or friends can communicate with their eyes and basically have telepathy? they totally have that and it annoys the shit out of every single person they meetjdksndks. someone will be talking to them and they will just make eye contact with each other bc it reminded them of an earlier convo they had or they both got annoyed by the other person or it reminds them of an inside joke or something and it just irritates EVERYONE. no one is able to intercept it and it’s just a thing that no matter what - even though they don’t mean to - you’ll feel a little left out when you’re with steveandbucky. it just comes with the gig. i like to imagine that depending on if it’s an au or not, its either really obvious or not. like in an au then yes it’s obvious they can have non verbal conversations, but if it’s not an au then it’s not entirely obvious bc they’re enhanced humans and they know how to hide their secret conversations. but everyone they talk to is essentially an enhanced human or has special abilities so it’s obvious to them and they catch them in the act LOL. if they’re interacting with regular people then it’s not very obvious though

- DATE NIGHT!!! yes they’re old yes they have date night. when they go out it’s usually to places in their neighborhood, but a lot of the time they like to stay in bc. they’re old men <3 steve is better at cooking and bucky is better at baking bc you can get creative with cooking and steve likes that more. he enjoys baking a lot too but he thinks bucky’s stuff tastes better. whenever they stay home though there’s ALWAYS a movie. always. they alternate choosing but there is always a movie to watch. bucky usually falls asleep nearing the end and steve plays with his hair😌 he rolls his eyes cause it happens every time but he actually likes when it happens bc he can braid strands of hair together

- pet names oh my god. so many pet names. every single one. mainly from bucky. steve uses them but maybe like two. he favors sweetie and buck and that’s it really. sometimes he uses hon. bucky though oh my god. every single pet name under the sun. so many variations of doll you wouldn’t believe - baby doll ofc, dolly, stevie doll. sweetheart. sweetness. blondie. pretty boy. hot stuff. stevie. baby. hon. honey. sunshine. angel. it’s just so many. and it’s like very sickening insane twisted etc but hot at the same time. most people are like jeez barnes do you ever shut up… but most of these people secretly think it’s a little hot theyre thinking damn where is that affection for me…. i need me a bucky barnes :| steve is the only smitten kitten outwardly even if he huffs and puffs sometimes but it’s obvious he enjoys it. like they are so annoyingjdkssn for real they aren’t a pda couple really but the petnames….. so many. so so so many it’s sickeningly sweet but bucky dgaf! steve is his sweetheart his dolly his baby his angel so he’s going to call him these things!

- steve knows his body is what is considered “perfect” but he still is insecure about it around most people and bucky knows this so when steve lounges at home in bucky’s boxer briefs and his own tee shirt or he kicks off his pants when he’s too hot at night in bed bucky is reminded of just how much steve loves him and feels comfortable around him which is something he always strives for - to make steve comfortable. not baby him because steve bitches at anyone that does that to him but to make him feel comfortable

- and on the subject of feeling comfortable i imagine that they always check in with one another but it’s very subconscious they hardly realize they do it. like steve will bitch at bucky to pick up his shoes from their doorway or to clean his hair from the shower drain but the next second he will ask him if his back still hurts from being kicked by sam and from where steve AND alpine scratched him (in very different ways)

- steve is the sweater husband and bucky is the sweatshirt husband. they trade off a lot but that’s just how their closets look

- steve takes a liking to crop tops 😌 but ONLY around the house bc again he’s really truly only comfortable around bucky. he wears em with boxer briefs or sweatpants but you can guarantee that the briefs and sweats usually just end up on the floor 9 out of 10 times

- hair ties everywhere. they can be found on the floor in the laundry in their bed in the couch on top of the fridge on their fire escape. they are literally everywhere. steve just picks them up and puts them in the bathroom but they always make their way back. he doesn’t say anything to bucky until he finds alpine chewing one and she ends up smacking herself in the face with the hairtie

- their fridge is always full with leftovers and food from sam or clint’s or whoever’s house or takeout. they always eat it all but they get and make a lot of food so the fridge is always full

- subconsciously bucky always has a hand on the back of steve’s neck. like it’s not ENTIRELY a possessive thing but he used to do it a lot when steve was small because it was easy and it was comfortable. for him and just for him and steve. it was like swinging an arm around steve’s shoulders or putting a hand on his shoulder. it was just natural and easy so he did it. a part of him back then prewar did it possessively too, but he always tampered that down bc steve wasn’t his. now he does it without shame

- steve really likes tofu and vegan meat, non dairy milk like almond and soy, and overall a lot of non dairy vegan foods, and a lot of fruits. he gets made fun of for a lot specifically about the vegan stuff but his reasoning is that there’s so much food accessible for people with allergies in the future that he wished existed a hundred years ago so he’s going to try it and stick with it if he likes it. people shut up after that

- he also tips a little more than he needs to everywhere he goes. everywhere. like it’s cool when steve rogers walks in to a restaurant bc he’s a superhero or whatever but its REALLY cool because he leaves a generous tip and that’s what really makes peoples day

- before they get legally married they are still very much married. like “i packed you lunch, meet me at the restaurant instead of me going to pick you up bc it’ll take longer, i got takeout let’s bitch together while we watch shitty reality tv, let’s bitch at EACH OTHER through the phone in public, let’s send each other ugly pictures of each other or funny texts while we’re right next to each other, i’m out with a group and you’re not there and i say multiple times ‘i miss steve/bucky’, let’s yell at each other from opposite ends of the apartment instead of getting up to see each other, steve i’m going to fuck you on the couch bc our room is too far, etc.” they are just very much married without the documents and legalities and it’s very obvious

okay all of these were ABSOLUTELY wonderful and im really going to restrain my urge to respond to each and every one but that might be futile

-okay YES they definitely go to that bodega at all hours, and usually it's for normal things when they go separately: milk, cereal, toilet paper. but when they go in the middle of the night, they almost always purchase some like odd assortment of candies and deli meat. also, they're always in their pajamas. like bucky's in plaid pj pants and a star wars sweatshirt, and steve is in like 5" shorts and a huge crewneck and they're both in slides and they definitely only speak russian to each other when they're in there after hours

-yes alpine! they also have a dog, that is more steve than bucky's!! his name is norman in my headcanon (and a couple of my fics) and he is best boy

-okay i need more of this in my general stucky life: steve and bucky being like,,, best friends as well as lovers and being so seamlessly close. like yeah, they definitely talk with their eyes, or just one glance, or half-sentences ("hey, did you ever get to--" "yup, on the way home. it was so--" "yeah, good. glad to hear") and they know exactly what the other is saying.

-yes to the date nights!!! and when they stay in to watch movies, they make Tons of popcorn. and they Have to make separate batches, because steve will Only eat his with like half a bottle of that powdered white cheddar on his

-YES we share the same fucking headcanon for petnames on god

Steve: love you, buck:)

Bucky: love you, pumpkin

-Steve definitely has body dysmorphia, probably even post serum (I have lots of thoughts on this, that might be a different post) and yeah, Bucky definitely knows its Big that he feels comfortable enough to be exposed around him (and he's even more honored that steve lets him be intimate with him, because that's really hard for steve, too)

-yeah! and easy check ins like "ur stomach still bothering you from last night?" "oh, no it was just a little bug turns out" or like "my head hurts:(" "i have meds in my bag. you want?" "yeah, just two" or like subtly checking on injuries, yeah

-yeah the sweater versus sweatshirt tracks tbh i picture steve in a lot of crewnecks so yeah

-STEVE IN CROP TOPS STEVE IN CROP TOPS and i raise you they're often ones he's cropped himself and he's also painted on! or bleach painted!! and theyre so cool and bucky never wants to make a big deal out of it, but he's so proud of steve for expressing himself like that

-ALPINE SMACKING HERSELF ALKFJALSDKFJA also steve always has a hairtie on HIS wrist in case bucky forgets one for himself

-they also always have Steve Staple Foods cuz i headcanon steve as a picky eater (adhd!steve + serum enhancements, it's down to a formula) so they have a lot of Kraft mac and cheese and easy heat up meals and lunch meats around for when he's having bad food days

-OMG and steve absolutely MELTS i raise you, too, bucky will especially hold the back of his neck when he needs to get steve to Chill Out. so like if he sees him stressing he'll put his hand on the back of his neck and squeeze and literally feel the tension drain from him or like if steve is having a panic attack, he'll hold the back of his neck while they breathe together

-yes and also any time that steve is Choosing food for himself and feeling motivated to eat it, it's a win, so people learn to back off there, too

-yes! he tips generously, but never awkwardly or offensively. he's also super kind and patient to food service workers!

-this last point is so perfect i cant. like yeah, back to steve and bucky just being,,,, the best of friends. ugly selfies galore, shoving their feet in each other's face, flicking each others ears. and yes, all the fucking gossiping. on the phone gossip, venting, fun gossip from around work. they talk about it all. and it's so great for them

thank you again for stopping by! your thoughts are impeccable!