#ciarasdisney1kchallenge

[the-canary]

Summary: Falling in love wasn’t on the menu, but neither was finding prince charming looking like a trash raccoon and living in your industrial freezer. 

Pairing: Baker! Reader/Bucky Barnes 

Status: Complete

Part 1 

Part 2 

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Part 10

Part 11

Part 12

Part 13

Part 14

Part 15 

[dwaekkiiracha]

La Princesa y La Coqui Part 1

Pairing: First Son!Bucky Barnes x PR!Reader (it can still be read as any nationality)

Summary: After Y/N’s dream was ripped away from her, will Bucky be able to help her fulfill it?

Warnings: Language in Spanish, burjaria (black magic),

Word Count: 1,239

A/N: This is for @ciarawritesmarvel‘s 1k writing challenge! My prompt was The Princess and The Frog and I did what I know best so bare with me my dudes.  I’m not sure how long this series is going to be but it probably won’t be too awful long. I will hopefully be updating at least once a week, Saturday’s seem best so we’ll go with that. If you wanna be tagged, send me an ask and I’ll get you down. Likes, reblogs and comments are greatly appreciated. And as always, happy reading!

It was just another normal day for Y/N. Wake up before dawn, get to the Americanized boricuan hole-in-the-wall that was fixed up first because San Juan was a huge tourist spot and the big wigs didn’t want to have it down for longer than they had to, and be as polite as possible during your 12 hour shift that you were only getting paid $5.50 for. Being a waitress wasn’t the most glamorous job in the world but it’s gotten you so close to your dream. Today’s shift should be the deciding factor on if you get the cute little building on the edge of Old San Juan that during the sunset, the view is just right for a romantic setting. After moving to San Juan over five years ago and saving all of your tips and most of your paychecks you finally could put down money to hold the building until you had the full amount.

Just the thought of having your own place made you as giddy as a school girl; the dream of you and your father’s so close it’s palpable. You were shaken from your day dream as your boss signaled that you had some customers that just walked in. You grabbed a complimentary plate of tostones and weaved your way through the packed dining room full of locals and tourists to the table with your newest guests.

“Y/N, oh my god it’s been so long!” The high-pitched squeal brought a grin to your face as you saw the person behind it. Marisol was the daughter of the governor that your mamá would help take care of when you were younger and you have stayed close friends ever since.

You set the plate on the table and move to hug her, enveloping her in your arms. “Marisol, it’s so good to see you! What brings you here to see little old me? You live all the way across town.”

“You’ll never believe who’s coming to town!!” She jumps up and down excitedly, clapping her hands at an impossibly fast rate.

“Ay dios mio, Sol, tell me who it is before you have a conniption!” You shake your head at the bubbly girl in front of you, knowing full well she’ll tell you no matter what you guess.

She takes a big breath and squeals out, “Bucky Barnes is coming to San Juan to help clean up from the hurricane and he’s staying at our mansion!!”

“That coño?! Why are you so excited to see him? He’s a literal ass that has had everything handed to him!” You’ve never been a fan of the current president and his son and his coming to your island isn’t going to change your mind. “You know he’s probably just coming to do some press work and pretend he’s actually helping us when he was probably forced to come here by his father.”

“Ugh, yes I know Y/N/N, but have you seen that man? His jawline could cut glass, his eyes are as blue as our waters and don’t even get me started on his body- “

You cut her off before she could go on. “Alright I get your point, but could you turn your voice down a little? I have customers here and I’m so close to my goal I can taste it!”

“Chula, you know you could have asked Papá to help out. He wouldn’t have minded if you needed money after all you and your mamá have done for me. You’re practically mí hermana.” She places her arm around your shoulder and gently squeezes you.

“I know Sol, but I would never put your Papa in that situation. It would look like he was favoring just me and not helping anyone else out. I don’t want to put him in that position.” You wrap your arms around her waist and hug her back. You’re interrupted by your boss smacking the bell at the window, breaking up your moment. “Sorry amór but duty calls. Got to get back to it.”

She lets you go as you start to walk away. “You’re coming to my welcome party tonight Y/N/N! And bring six dozen of your famous tostones with you! I need to impress Bucky tonight!”

You chuckle as you walk back to the counter. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world Marisol! I’ll see you tonight!” And with that she waltzes out the door as you hopefully continue your last shift.

Stepping out of Air Force One, Bucky places his aviators on the bridge of his nose and fakes a smile and waves at the press waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. He can’t believe his father has made him come here. It looks nothing like the pictures that he’s seen of it before. It’s so… broken and dirty, like it hasn’t been cleaned since it was established years ago.

“Rumlow, how much longer until we have to be at that stupid party at the Governor’s mansion?” He picked at his fingernail bored, waiting for a reply.

Brock struggles with both his and Bucky’ luggage as he checks his watch. “About four hours, Sir. Why? Anything you have in mind?”

Bucky smirks and slides into the town car that was waiting for them on the tarmac. “A little sightseeing would be good for me. I’m excited to see what kind of potential the locals hold for me…” Rumlow loads the bags into the trunk and they’re headed off to the heart of the city.

They soon reach their destination and Bucky jumps out of the car, making his way down the cobbled streets, Brock fumbling behind, hoping to catch up and not lose the one thing he’s actually in charge of for the whole trip. Bucky stops in front of a dark-faced building with skulls and colorful bottles lining the windows.

A frail, older woman steps out from the shadows and clears her throat. “Buenos tardes gentlemen. Anything I can help you with today?” There’s something off putting about the woman but Bucky just shrugs it off.

“I’m looking for a way to get out of the work I came here to do. Do you think you could help me out?” Bucky snarks, not thinking anything about what this would could actually be capable of.

“Of course, sir. Please, step into my shop and we’ll get something going for you.” She leads the way into the dimly lit store and it’s filled to the brim with potions, black flamed candles and various animals in different stages of decay. “Now Señor Barnes, you wish to be relieved of your first son duties?”

Bucky nods his head; nothing could go wrong. It’s just a little fun before he has to deal with all of the presswork and actual work that begins tomorrow. Might as well go one with the crazy “witch” just to make her happy.

“Very well Señor.” She starts chanting something in Spanish, a language Bucky wished he would have paid attention to in high school so he could understand what the old bag was actually saying. Suddenly, the room started to spin and somehow there was a fast wind picking up in the small room. Bucky didn’t feel right, his stomach doing flips and dizziness started to set in. The small room seemed to be growing bigger with every word the woman said until he couldn’t hear her any more and then there was nothing.

La Princesa y La Coqui tag list:

@knittingmad @learisa @marvel-girl01 @stevieboyharrington

Permanent tag list:

@broitsmydick @callmebucky-doll

[ciarawritesmarvel]

OOO CAN I HAVE SNOW WHITE W STEVE FOR YOUR WRITING CHALLNEGE PLEASE?

YOU SO CAN HONEY IM SO GLAD YOU’RE JOINING IN I LOVE YOUR BLOG AND YOUR WRITING OMG

Join the Disney/MCU Writing Challenge!

[sincerelymlg]

Do You Trust Me?

Summary: Come with us and enter a whole new world beyond your imagination. Where a boy discovers his snarky equal and a girl that can make all his dreams come true. Imagine a whole new world of excitement, danger, and enchantment. They were two very different people brought together by one incredible wish. Imagine the world at your command only to discover the greatest power is within. This summary was taken from the original trailer from Aladdin with some artistic commands and I’m sorry about it. 

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Word Count: 1700

Warnings: Violence? Heart-stopping fluff

A/N: This is for @ciarawritesmarvel ‘s Disney Style 1K Challenge! Ciara is an amazing writer and you should all go check out her stuff, you will not be disappointed. I chose the Disney Animated class: ALADDIN. I know everyone is shocked because of the title of this. Ciara, congrats on your first ‘k’ and I look forward to you having many more. I also hope you like this and that I did your challenge justice!

“Do you trust me?”

Y/N looked at the outstretched hand with an eyebrow raised. She decided right then that Bucky wasn’t allowed to watch anymore Disney movies.

This was the fourth Aladdin quote of the day. Last night as Y/N had bidden everyone goodnight Bucky spoke up, “Sleep well, princess.”

She turned and saw his shit-eating grin on his face, his eyebrows raised in anticipation. With a sigh, she completed the quote he had started, “Goodnight, my handsome prince.” He chuckled and she walked out of the room, face burning.

This wasn’t the first time he had caused her face to burn like this. He’d been pushing her buttons with the romantic quotes for weeks now, not knowing about her feelings for the super soldier. She knew he was doing it because it got a reaction out of her. She couldn’t help it.

He had sat next to her on the quinjet and as soon as they had taken off he was humming A Whole New World just loud enough for her to hear. He had a lovely voice, but it didn’t stop her skin from crawling as he got under it.

She thought that would be the last of it until they had infiltrated the base together. Steve’s voice had come over the comms letting them know that several agents were on their way to the room they were extracting information from, Bucky covering Y/N as she worked the system.

“Here comes trouble,” Y/N muttered under her breath when she saw a shadow under the doorframe.

Bucky laughed, shooting her a wink, “Trouble. You’re only in trouble if you get caught.”

She groaned as she tucked the drive into her pocket and walked toward the door. Throwing it open she made eye contact with the person on the other side. The agent was surprised at the sudden movement and stared, stunned, at Y/N for less than a second, but that was all the time she needed. She grabbed the gun he was holding with one hand while hitting his wrist with the other, breaking it. She removed the gun from his broken grip and with a smirk kicked him squarely in the chest, knocking the breath out of him and he flipped over the railing landing on the floor below.

She walked out of the doorway turning to smirk at Bucky as he followed. She cocked her newly acquired gun and swore she heard Bucky mutter under his breath.

“Show off.” She chuckled to herself and he pulled ahead, not wanting to be outdone.

They made their way to the roof, where the quinjet should have been. Bucky let out a sigh of frustration.

“Where the hell are you Rogers?” Y/N closed the door leading to the roof behind her as Bucky questioned the captain.

“We were taking fire and had to move. Get to safety and we will come to pick you up,” came his reply.

It was that exact situation that brought the two of them back to this moment. Bucky approached the edge of the building while Y/N turned and watched the door in case it burst open with more agents. He walked the perimeter of the rooftop and walked towards her.

“Any way off this roof that doesn’t get us killed?”

“I’m working on it, doll.”

A sudden kick at the door caused both their heads to snap towards it. Y/N took a fighting stance a stared down the quaking door. “If you could work it out a little faster, that would be great.”

A shout behind her caused her to stand and run towards the voice, just as the door gave in, the rooftop flooding with agents. Bucky smirked as he held out his hand. “Do you trust me?”

She raised her brow, shaking her head.

“We’re gonna have to jump.”

“Barnes! I told you to find a way off that won’t kill us!”

With his signature grin, he backed away from her. “Just follow me,” and he took off running towards the edge they stood near. He leaped off the roof with a grunt and landed on a balcony of the apartments that were across the way.

“Show off,” she muttered under her breath as she gained her running start.

She aimed to land on the same balcony that Bucky had just landed on, but with bullets flying near her head, she miscalculated. She reached her hand out towards the soldier but wasn’t able to grasp his outstretched arm. She scrambled to grasp anything and managed to find a holding on the bottom rung of the iron fencing. She laughed as she released the breath she’d been holding. She pulled herself up enough to grab another piece of the ironwork while Bucky reached down to help her over the top.

He held her in his arms, scanning her face for any injuries. He brushed a piece of hair that had come out of her braid behind her ear. “Wasn’t too bad was it, doll?”

Y/N laughed again. Her breath tickling his lips. Had he gotten closer?

A shot sounded near their heads and they broke apart, looking back at the rooftop they’d just jumped from. With a sigh, they turned and broke open the balcony door. A quick glance inside showed that, luckily, nobody was home. They made their way through the building and to an abandoned parking lot a couple of blocks away letting Steve and the others know where they were headed and that the mission was a success.

Once aboard the jet, they settled into their seats, strapping themselves in. Y/N’s eyes began to slowly close as the jet took off, the adrenaline leaving her body quickly. Her head started to drop forward and Bucky chuckled at her. “Come ‘ere, doll.”

With a sigh, she adjusted so her head was resting on his shoulder. She felt Bucky adjust beneath her and what felt like a kiss placed on the crown of her head before the black void of sleep took her under.

The jet landed too soon for Bucky’s liking. The team unloaded off the jet sending glances his way. Nat raised her brow and looked between them as she walked off. Steve approached looking his friend in the face. “You want me to take her?”

Bucky shook his head. “No. I’ll wake her. Do you want us to meet you anywhere?”

He shook his head. “Nah, get some rest. It’s been a long day we will debrief tomorrow.”

Bucky nodded and watched Steve leave them. Turning his head he pressed another kiss to the top of her head and shook her knee a little. She let out a heavier sigh and burrowed further into his shoulder. He chuckled at the action.

“Doll, come on. Let’s get you to bed.”

Y/N raised her brows, trying to coax her eyes open at his words. “Home already?”

He chuckled again, “Doll, you passed out before we even hit the skyline.”

With a yawn she sat up straight, stretching a little and undoing her seatbelt. Bucky did the same. “We’ll debrief tomorrow so why don’t you head to bed?”

She nodded at his suggestion and started to walk to the door. She turned and looked at the man that was still sitting in his seat. “Aren’t you coming? You must be as tired as I am, maybe more.”

“I’m right behind you,” he smiled at her. She nodded and started walking toward the kitchen. As she reached for a glass Bucky came in.

“The actor that plays the genie, he’s a comedian.” She looked at him as the glass filled with water. He looked confused, but she continued. “While he was working on Aladdin another director would call him to tell jokes to the cast of the movie he was working on. They were working on a movie about the Holocaust and, well I’m sure you know personally, that isn’t the most cheerful subject so Robin Williams would tell jokes to the cast and crew to lift their spirits while they worked.”

Bucky nodded and chuckled when he caught what she was saying. “Sounds like what Steve was supposed to be doing during the actual war.”

“Ah, I think I’ve seen some old footage of good old Captain America punching Hitler in the face. He did that, what? Two-”

“Two hundred times,” Bucky said with a smile.

She laughed and smiled at the soldier in front of her. Another yawn possessed her body and she covered her mouth.

“Alright doll, let’s get you to bed.”

He walked with her to her bedroom. She stopped in front of the door turning to face Bucky. “Thanks-” she took a deep breath, “thanks for having my back today.”

“We’re teammates Y/N, of course, I have your back.”

“Right, right,” she looked at her feet. With a sigh of defeat, she turned toward the door. “Thanks again, goodnight.”

“Sleep well, princess,” he responded before she could step into the room. She turned, an idea forming in her head.

“You know that’s actually one of my favorite parts of the movie.” Bucky watched her, noticing the scheming look in her eye. “Goodnight, my handsome prince.”

Bucky took a step closer to her, leaning on the doorframe. “Sleep well, princess.”

Y/N takes a step closer and they are toe-to-toe again. Bucky’s gaze drops to her lips quickly before making eye contact again. “They’d just traveled the world on a magic carpet ride right?” he says, his voice dropping lower. She didn’t trust her voice, so she simply nodded. “That might be my favorite part as well doll.”

His lips pressed lightly against hers and then pulled a hair away as their shock was pushed away. She stood up a little on her toes to press her lips to his again. He pulled himself off the doorframe and cupped her face in his hands, deepening the kiss. She pulled him closer by his shirt and then slowly backed into her room, Bucky kicking the door behind them.

[the-canary]

Kitchen Royalty - B.B (13/15)

Summary: Falling in love wasn’t on the menu, but neither was finding prince charming looking like a trash raccoon and living in your industrial freezer. (Pastry AU! Reader/Bucky Barnes)

Prompt: Sleeping Beauty

Masterlist

A/N: This is for @ciarawritesmarvel​ ‘s 1k challenge. Drabble requests are open! We are so close to the end! 

Please enjoy and feedback is always appreciated.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12

Richie, having spent the longest time living with their mother, probably knew the truest form of the woman sitting across from him in little chic cafe not to far away from the center of Manhattan. Sal had been blinded by his own resentment and inability to do anything for himself and his siblings in the years afterwards, his older sister simply didn’t want to remember the woman their mother had turned into nor the unseen pressures put on her. Their mother was a monster that controlled all the evils in the world, maybe that’s why Sal made up some excuse not to see her today and Richie knew not to even ask his older sister.

In front of him, behind the designer clothes and cool smile, he was sure that there was still purple bruises and scars that had never really faded. Richie tried to be a good brother and even better son, but he knew that only one winner would come out of this contest at the end of the day.

“How are your brother and sister doing?” she questions, her tone steady but Richie has had years of practice of noticing when it hitches for just a moment due to whatever emotion she might be feeling. His version of their mother wasn’t some dragon that couldn’t be beaten, but a broken woman that had hidden herself in the woods to protect her sanity.

“Good,” Richie states with talking a sip of his latte, “Sal is worried over Maggie and the baby. Sis is sort of dating--”

“Really?” Eleanor states with a giddy smile, over the fact that she was going to be grandmother (even though she hadn’t been allowed, by Rumlow, to go to the wedding or had ever meet Maggie) and that her daughter was opening her heart to someone -- whoever it was, she could just hope they were kind to her.

“Oh yeah, that Bucket is head over heels for her,” Richie smiles, having put two and two together a while back as Eleanor’s eyes widen for a bit -- catching his meaning and for a moment she remembers the crying her middle child had gone through over the loss of her dear childhood friend, over not seeing that restaurant ever again

She takes unsteady breathe and lets out a shuddering laugh over how strange and wonderful life could be sometimes, but she was sure that all her children were happy in this stage in of their lives, even without her. She takes out a packet from her bag, knowing that she is running out of time. Richie gives her a worried and confused look, as he leans in a little bit more -- unsure of what his mother is planning to do. Eleanor just smiles.

“Sweetie, I don’t think I am going to see you for a very long time,” she explains, as Richie frowns, “But, I hope you know that I love all three of you, even if it didn’t always seems that way.”

“Ma,” he breathes out, as she pushes the envelope towards his side of the table. It had all three of their full name. He looks at it before going back to look at the woman with a sad smile on her face.

“I am going to do one good thing for you three,” she states, trying to stop her voice from cracking, “They don’t have to forgive, but I want you to know that it’s always been for you three -- even if it didn’t always seem like it.       

“I know, mom,” Richie nods as she grins a bit more, “I’ll make sure they do too.”

They disperse soon afterwards, Richie to the bakery and Eleanor to a safe house in an undisclosed location, completely under Agent Coulson’s watch -- a first row seat to watch Rumlow’s empire fall.

 Steve can’t help but come home grinning from his latest visit with Bucky at the bakery. This was the happiest he had seen his best friend in a long time, and even with all the drama that surrounded the little bakery at the current moment and all the thoughts Bucky was having in regards of what to do after the contest was done with -- that didn’t stop the giggles and sweet moments that he shared with you out in the open. And if Bucky is happy, then Steve is over the moon.

However, Steve was never good at hiding things, especially not from his fiancee who sitting in the kitchen of their shared apartment with a frown on her face, as he came in.  

“Okay, Steve,” Peggy --his girlfriend since college and fiancee for the past year-- asks, as she crosses her arms over her chest, as Steve just stands there like a deer caught in headlights, “What are you hiding?”

“Sweetheart,” Steve starts, though he already knows that he is going to lose, “What are you talking about?”

“You’ve been going out a lot,” she frowns in worry, though Peggy knew that Steve would never do anything to hurt her --he was a giant gold retriever-- but sometimes he had too much a big heart for people, “I would like to know why, especially if it’s--”

“It’s Bucky,” Steve states because he doesn’t want Peggy to ever doubt him, but  because he was also the worst type of gossiper.

“What?” her breathe hitches in question, having not heard about the man in months since he had disappeared, as she presses her hands on the table in exclamation, “You found him? And you haven’t told his family?”

“It’s complicated, Peg,” he sighs out before taking his own seat, as brown eyes catch him like a hawk, “He made me promise.”

“Then, explain it to me,” Peggy relents softly, as she grabs his hand from across the table and a smile on her face, trying to reach a compromise like they usually did.

“He’s so happy,” he starts off with a grin and bright eyes, “And he finally found her.”

Peggy can’t help but grin, catching Steve’s enthusiasm as he moves forward with his story, but she will also be there to remind him that there are a group of women missing their son and older brother dearly.

 The next two weeks before the competition are crazy as hell for Bucky and you, what with still talking to Mr. Stark for additional details, there is also an increase in people coming into the store and checking out one of the best spots for pastries in Queens. There is an uptick in how many items have to be made in the day and the orders of people who want to try everything, it doesn’t help that people soon find out your relation to Marjorie's towards mid-week of the second week, as if someone had leaked it.

You count having Maria (and by extension Coulson and Fury, though only Bucky knew that) as a blessing because when people are asking a million questions and interviews, she stays quiet. The only time you really answer any questions or talk to people is during the social media campaign that Wanda had come up with for all the social media accounts that the bakery had.

Bucky watched you running around like a chicken with its head cut off. He was there to catch you when you were too tired or simply when you needed a second opinion on things, if the two of you were a team before -- now you were a partnership. Nobody could deny the soft look in his eyes when he looked at you and how you were never not that far away from him.

You were both lovestruck fools, it was plain to see and while you could share this happiness with your brothers, Bucky was coming to realize that he missed his mother and younger sisters. And while, he was doing a lot better since the last time he had seen them, he still didn’t want to be a disappointment when they saw each other again -- he wanted to go back to Sam and give it another chance.   

He wanted to be good for everyone, but it was hard as hell. Bucky wondered, as the two of you sat down and watched Netflix after setting up the final details for the competition for your pudding treat, if he could be happy with everyone, if they (and by extension you) would forgive him for all his faults.  

“Bucky,” you murmur softly as you see that he is lost in thought once again. You wonder what he was thinking about, but you never pushed him on anything especially when he was helping you so much with the contest just a week away -- both emotionally and within the shop, “What’s wrong?”

“I’m just thinking about my family is all,” he answers back as he places his head on top of yours and sighs out, “I miss them a lot.”

You pause and grab his left hand, curling your fingers together as you ask: “What are they like?”  

He doesn’t answer for awhile, as he takes a deep breathe which causes you to panic for just a moment.

“Wait, you’re not married, are you?” you can’t help but squeak out nervously, as Bucky only laughs at the question.

“No, cupcake,” he kisses your temple to calm you down, “It’s just hard to put them all into words, but I guess my ma and sisters are all strong women. The type that just pick up everything and just keep rushing forward without a word, sort of make me seems a little weak-willed, ya know?”

“Now, now--”

You’re about to complain, he knows you are, but before anything else can happen the doorbell to the back of the store rings. It causes the both of you to pause, as you quickly get up to see who it is but Bucky thinking about the last time that something like this had happened gets up and pulls you behind him. You blink in confusion for a moment as Bucky gives you a tight-lipped smile, silently asking if you’ll just indulge him for this moment. You nod and the two of you take the steps down to the store.

Bucky makes you stay near the staircase, as he sees four shadows near the metal door. He gives a quick glance for what might be near him, in case he needs to fight. However, he stops when he picks a familiar voice complaining about how cold it is. His heart stops as he slowly opens the door.

Both Bucky and you stop breathing, though for different reasons as he sees four pairs of blue eyes staring at him with a mix of emotions from relief to confusion to anger. He quickly picks up the hitch of breathe you take from behind him and in that moment Bucky knows he’s screwed .

“You’re Winifred Barnes,” you state, almost starstruck as she gives you a guarded look, “And those are your daughters behind you.”

“Yes, and that’s my son, James,” she answers back while pointing at Bucky. Your eyes widen before turning to look back at Bucky, who is clearly panicking as he turns towards you.

“Doll, I can--”

“ You’re Bucket ,” you whisper to yourself as blue eyes watch you frown as you put everything together. Your face going through a wave of emotions from confusion to concern until it’s completely blank as you walk over to him.

His mother is quite, unsure of what is going on, as his sisters murmur themselves in excitement over the sound of the familiar nickname. Bucky readies himself for you to yell at him --even hit him-- for lying to you, for keeping things from you like he had always done to the people he cared about for their own safety. However, you shock him once again as you grab the back of his neck and pull him into a heated kiss with your bodies moving together like puzzle pieces to fit together perfectly as you find out the truth.

You don’t let him go for a long time, careless about having his whole family there and more in love because after everything you had gone through to know who he was and how he had helped you this whole time -- well, that had your heart racing like never before and you didn’t want let him go until.

Eventually, after a good while you do so, only to see him blushing and biting his bottom lip, as if reminiscing the kiss from a few seconds ago and you are sure that the pain from your cheeks means that you have the goofiest, lovestruck smile.

“You’re my fucking good luck charm, Bucky Barnes ,” you breathe out as you had done so not so long ago but so much more loving (and completely in love)  than ever before, as your foreheads are still touching and you are in your own little world until you hear a voice -- that you are sure belongs to Rebecca Barnes followed by the laughing of the other Barnes women.

“Oh, we’re going to need coffee and pastries for this story.”  

Part 14

[the-canary]

Kitchen Royalty - B.B (14/15)

Summary: Falling in love wasn’t on the menu, but neither was finding prince charming looking like a trash raccoon and living in your industrial freezer. (Pastry AU! Reader/Bucky Barnes)

Prompt: Sleeping Beauty

Masterlist

A/N: This is for @ciarawritesmarvel​ ‘s 1k challenge. Drabble requests are open! Thinking about a epilogue not sure yet, but really just one chapter left. 

Please enjoy and feedback is always appreciated.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13

“I missed you so much,” Winifred Barnes declares in the middle of your kitchen area with tears in her eyes, as Bucky’s younger sisters come in and the Barnes clan fill your little apartment with love, as you can’t help watch with a little bit of envy.

After your kiss, everyone received an explanation of what happened after Bucky disappeared to the point of where Pietro had found him in the freezer and how you proceeded to hire him and how you got to this point. His sisters had been cooing the entire time and while a bigger discussion was needed for what had happened since the last you had seen all of them, that would happen to happen another time. For now, you for to learn about a Bucky who had been lost for a very long time -- someone who had nightmares and found no purpose in what he was doing and had the weight of a million emotions on his shoulders until he ran away time after time, even though he knew it caused an incredible sadness to the people that loved him the most.

However, there seem to be a new resolved in his words as he talked to his family, that he had found something during his time with you in your little bakery shop -- that he would try his best, but for now he wanted to see the contest through to the end. He promised to call them everyday after work and you would visit when you had the time once more. It eased their fears and worries a little more because all these women could see it so clearly -- you had shown it in how close you clung to each other, in the little giggles and shared stories, in how you couldn’t keep your eyes off each other.

You and James Buchanan Barnes were utterly in love.

Somehow, Sleeping Beauty and Prince Bucket had found each other once more and they couldn’t be happier, knowing that you guys would fight for one another in anyway -- Bucky was at your side for this family drama and you would be there to support him through his VA treatment when he started it once more.

“Take care of each other, darling,” Winnie states with a loving smile as she hugs you, tight as you smell honey and thyme on her like you used whenever you were at her restaurant. The girls follow one by one with little remarks that “we have to go out and talk” as they give their older brother a teasing smile before exiting into the middle of the night -- Bucky standing outside and escorting them as they go.

You stand there, near the industrial freezer where it all began for you and him, trying your hardest not to cry right then and there. Bucky sees you rubbing the corners of your eyes when he finally comes back in.

“Hey, hey are you alright? Bucky rushes to your side, as you let out a small laugh.

“You still have a wonderful family, Bucky,” you can’t help but let out with a tinge of bitterness, as his eyes soften at the declaration because while you, Sal, and Richie are healing and leaning on each other it would never make up for the damage done, or ever be as tight as what he had with his own family.

“And they’re there for you,” Bucky starts off, as he pulls you in for a side hug,”Just like Sal and Richie. Maria and little Teresa, and hell people you might even not know yet. They’re all there for you, just like I am too, love.”

You guys don’t end up really sleeping at all that night, as you snuggle together in blankets and the emotional turmoil just leads to the two of you sharing stories about anything you can think of -- trying to press last years together in a matter of hours, though some wounds are still too dark and scary to share with the other. Bucky --your sweet prince Bucket-- brings you in closer, as you whisper if you could look at the scars connecting his arm.

Blue eyes widen in fear and you almost take back your words, as he nods and takes off his long sleeve. Battle scars are what you meet with most of all, littered all over his body, as you let out a sad sigh and touch the cold metal, looking at him softly while silently asking if you could get a bit closer.

“James,” his eyes widen at the sound of his first name at the end of your tongue, as blue eyes look at you in the dark, “Answer me honestly.”

“Yes?”

“Where you going to run away once the contest ended?”  

It hadn’t taken you long to put two and two together from all of the stories he had told you. Bucky loves people and wants to help all those that he can, you were part of the list but you wanted him to know what he wasn’t alone -- he had family, friends, and you had each other now.

“I--I didn’t think…” he starts off with a stutter, as he watches you lean in and kiss the scar tissues between his shoulder and the metal meet,  “Yeah, I was. You don’t deserve me the way I am now. You deserve the best, cupcake.”

“You’re already the best there is,” you admit, while circling your arms around his waist, “Always have been, Bucket.”

“Your sweet words are killing me,” he laughs, a little strangled with emotion for the moment as he grabs your face and proceeds pepper kisses all over it, as you giggle at the feel of his scruff on your face.

“Well, it’s true,” you state as you feel him let out a deep sigh, like the weight of the world has been lifted from his shoulders, “I’ve said it before. I got you and you got me. We’re a team.”

“I gotcha,” he places you on his left side, metal arm around your waist as you sink back into the bed and try to finally get some shut eye after a crazy night.

Together. Now, that had a good ring to it,  were Bucky’s last thought as everything finally seemed to be falling into place for him.

Two more days of testing and perfecting your little recipe, as the day finally arrives. The participants are supposed to meet in the central headquarters in Manhattan, a closed meeting between the chef and their choice of assistant. You would make your make your recipe in front of board members and they would all get a taste and decide amongst themselves then and there. It had happened every once and awhile, in odd intervals since you had left your home. People won, became famous, before they were paid off by Rumlow and their recipes became part of the assortment of Marjorie’s line of food.

However, you weren’t here --with Bucky at your side, as you had decided with your brothers would be the best choice-- standing in an elevator to set foot into a place you hadn’t seen since you were sixteen for some simple prize. You would stare at your fears in the face and show Rumlow and your mother that you weren’t afraid anymore. And maybe, Richie would be right in what he had said before you left.

Everything will be all right.

The elevator stops on the fifteen floor, a place where all the biggest kitchens and testing was done for new products --- you spent hours there at times when you were younger. Today, though it was filled with 4 other contestants and their chosen assistants standing behind metal cooking tables and their own variety of ingredients and chosen instruments when it came to cooking. You took out your own state of the art Stark marked utensil, before going around to see that you had everything you needed, while trying to make sure that you stayed calmed at the same time.       

Nobody seem to want to talk to you, knowing fully well who you were, until a redhead from the the other side came to your table. She was pretty in her black chef uniform and while she didn’t seem to smile, there was something bright in her green eyes. She looks at Bucky once before asking for your name.

“Yeah, that’s me alright,” you let out in a nervous chuckle, as she gives you a brief smile, while holding out her hand.

“Natasha from Red Cake Sweets in Brooklyn,” your eyes widen at her introduction remembering how well her little shop used red velvet and devil’s food in the most ingenious ways to show off their sweets, “I used to love your dad’s egg tarts, used to eat them when I had enough allowance saved up.”

“I love your red velvet choco cupcakes,” you manage to squeak out, as she smiles a bit, as Bucky shakes his head as he watches the two of you talk for a moment before setting everything up.

You end up talking for awhile before it is the start time and Nat --as she insist on you calling her-- goes back to her own table with a man that has dark curly hair and glasses. Bucky smiles and grabs your hand as you wait, that’s when it happens -- the doors open and in come the men dressed in fine suits. You know some of them -- Pierce and Zemo stand out the most, but the man in front of the crowd grabs your attention the most. The smile he sends you if the stuff of nightmares, as Bucky tightens his grip to keep you from shaking.

“Welcome to the--” that’s all you can stand from his voice, as you close your eyes for just one moment.

You grip Bucky’s hand back as tightly as you can before letting a deep breathe out. You look at Bucky, Rumlow forgotten into the background as you give your partner the brightest smile you can.

“Looks like I’m finally keeping my promise, Bucket,” you let out a shaky laugh as the bell rings for the start and while you don’t look up you know that there are several eyes on you.

“Show them what you’re made of, cupcake,” he nods, as you begin to set to work.

Nobody in that room knew what was going on a few floors up and in Rumlow’s home as well -- a full scale investigation and search had been launch.

Part 15

[the-canary]

Kitchen Royalty - B.B (12/15)

Summary: Falling in love wasn’t on the menu, but neither was finding prince charming looking like a trash raccoon and living in your industrial freezer. (Pastry AU! Reader/Bucky Barnes)

Prompt: Sleeping Beauty

Masterlist

A/N: This is for @ciarawritesmarvel​ ‘s 1k challenge. 

Please enjoy and feedback is always appreciated.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11

Eleanor laid in the darkness of her room. She had been sleeping alone for a very long time now had been feeling lonely since her husband died, even more so when Rumlow stopped his “visits”. Eleanor had lived with silence for a long time that she was a mere husk of the person --wife, mother-- than she once was, so never in all her years of life did she blame her children for leaving her when it was time. It was something that was bound to happen, it was just more destructive with her.

It just seems like she was that type of person -- one that had very little interest in things and could hardly keep things together for long. Her husband was a bright sun in her patchy gray sky and as much as she hated baking and cooking (horrible at it since the beginning and hated it even more after it took him away from her), she was happy all her children had taken after their father. Saul was a chef, her daughter owned her own successful bakery, and Richard was training in a variety of things.

They had escaped their hellish household run by a wicked mother, but the dragon still wasn’t dead -- still won’t leave them be.

I hope you can forgive us one day, but we’re siding with her on this one.

The two sons, tired of running, had told her before they came back to New York with her restless daughter leading the charge. Rumlow won’t give up until they are defeated and submitted to him in the worst kind of way, she knows him too well and she wonders: What are you going to do about it?

Are you going to hand your children to the beast, Ella?

She had done so once and for years, their resentment and scars still ringing loudly in the dark, in her dreams in the worst sort of way until they all grew and flew away or hide until the time was right. Her husband’s voice lingers in remorse over what she has done, over what she will continue to do, but her children’s courage and tenacity causes something bright to jump in the middle of her cold, graying heart. She knows things that no one else does -- hidden businesses and dealings that have made all of Rumlow’s companies successful and prosperous, like her husband’s bakeries.

Eleanor takes a deep breathe before getting up where she hides things and looking into the darkness of her room. She searches in of her drawers, in the back and near the bottom. A maniac giggle is all she breathes as she finds the black phone she had been given years ago. She presses a button and the phone begins to ring.

She knows that she is beginning to set in motion something big -- things that will hurt him in the long run, but she needs to do this one good thing in her life -- at least for her children.

The phone gets picked up and she asks: “Am I talking to Agent Coulson? Do you remember me?”

 I think it would be best to save the romance until the competition is done with.

No, Bucky Barnes hadn’t died the day Sal and Ritchie had come to visit your apartment mixed with hugs and glares from the shorter of the two brothers, but it had been agreed upon that whatever was going on between the two of you would not move forward until after the competition was done with -- until the three of you finally defeated that demon from the past. It was strange seeing all three of you huddled up together around the kitchen table, like you used to but so much older now, trying to figure out the dessert you were going to present.

Caramel pudding. Isn’t that a little overdone?

Like the one from Winnie’s? Is that what you’re going for?

Bucky wonders if any of your siblings remember him. If you don’t, he doubts Ritchie does, who was between Rebecca and Lizzie’s age and was such a scaredy cat, and it was shocking to see him turn into such a confident and flirty man (he had seen it with some of the customers and even Steve when he came to visit once) with an easygoing smile on his face. Sal was year older than Bucky, though the man was always a bit of a loner though still protective as hell. Bucky wasn’t surprised to hear that he was a successful chef -- married and with a baby on the way. There are times when he looks at Bucky, pensive and weary, and the old soldier in him gets put on high alert. Sal saying his mother’s name the other day just confirms that he does in some way.

“So, what do you think?” your question drags him out of his thoughts, as he takes another spoonful of the pudding you had made, with a dozen of other cups surrounding him as he had become the guinea pig for your taste testing, not that it bothered him. Caramel -- like his mother-- was the center of it all but you mixed it with different taste and textures, but you still couldn’t find the perfect match -- Bucky was sure this wasn’t the one either.

“Too salty,” he explains, as you frown. Your brothers and Maria having called it a night already, though Bucky was sure that Fury and Coulson were still outside somewhere -- they had been since the attack on the store, though you had never found out about it. However, you kept on working trying to make a good pudding, so you could present to Mr. Stark before the competition began.

“I thought as much,” you complain, throwing the towel you were holding on the countertop before placing your hands on your hips. Blue eyes look at you, thinks of a younger version of you with the same pose when you were annoyed but still as determined as ever before. He knows you try your hardest not to think of when you lived with your mother, when you were forced to interact with Rumlow -- Maria said that you had nightmares for a very long time from all psychological and emotional pain that you had gone through.

Unlike Sal and Ritchie, you hadn’t talked to your mother since you had runway.

You don’t remember much, but he loves you all the same and he thanks whatever brought you together again.

“I just--”

“Come on. Enough thinking, cupcake,” he laughs, getting up and pulling you out of your thoughts with his hands on your hips, “You can think about it tomorrow. We gotta watch the new season of British Bake Off .”

Bucky drags you into the bedroom, as you laugh with no hint of protest as you used to do before, and he kisses you on the temple. Even in the shadows of your apartment and the night as a whole, you shine brighter than any star for him -- give him butterflies and feelings that he hasn’t had in a very long time. Bucky Barnes has come to realize that he loves you now more than he did back then, though it’s mixed with a whole bunch of other emotions that are hard to define at the current moment.

However, he hopes that when the time comes, you’ll be proud of the choices he makes too.

 Between your brothers and Bucky, it takes you two more days to decide on what three flavors of pudding that you wanted to show Mr. Stark. You just didn’t think that he would come back to your shop after the first time, but Mr. Stark had a tendency of surprising people -- as he came this time around with a more subtle flair but with Ms. Pepper Potts at hand, and you tried not to die right then and there.

“Welcome,” is all you can say without stuttering, as Sal leads them to the kitchen -- clearly more used to dealing with celebrities than you, as Bucky -manning the front since Maria had the day off- gives you a quick smile before all of you head to the back.

“I hope you’re ready, kid,” the man smiles, as he takes a seat in front of the cups of pudding already on display, “Pepper’s got a real sweet tooth you’ll have to live up to.”

Pepper takes the seat next to him, as the three of you stand on the other side of the table. In front of Tony Stark and Pepper Potts is an assortment of pudding cups in three different colors -- white, yellow with a brown glaze, and milky chocolate. Each has the own assortment of fruits on top, though the chocolate one is topped with a bit of whip cream. Pepper’s eyes twinkle as you begin to talk about each recipe individually, as they taste test each one, and boy was Mr. Stark right because Pepper Potts has all different types of questions for each one and you and Richie answer them well, as she comes back with suggestions just a quickly.

The couple talk to each other over each flavor and in a way that only they seem to understand, as you watch them with bright eyes. It takes them a while to choose their favorite and though it surprises you what it is, you are excited as well. After all is said and done, Pepper asks you a few more questions while taking some notes, which causes Mr. Stark to grin as he takes a hold of her hand near the end.  

“Well, kid,” the billionaire grins, as Pepper shakes her head, “I think you’re gonna make us a great wedding cake very soon.”

“It would be my honor, Mr. Stark!”

You grin as the older man smiles. You turn to look at Bucky who is manning the front of the store and give him a thumbs-up as he grins before going back to work at the sound the chime welcoming a customer. Sal is grinning as Ritchie comes in for hug, all three of you soon heading into a fit of laughter after Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts give you some more information before they leave.

“Congrats, buttmunch,” Sal declares as Richie takes out his cellphone.

“Let’s order the best takeout we can find,” he grins as the three of you cheer.

Bucky shakes his head as the customers give a few curious looks towards the sudden sounds of rambunctious siblings celebrating in the back. The familiar sounds of home making Bucky miss his own for a moment, though those thoughts are quickly pushed away as you come to the front and ask him what he wants to eat.

Your smile is bright and the loveliest sight he had seen, as you look like there has been a weight lifted from your shoulders and while he misses his old home -- Bucky knows that he has a new one here with you too.

Part 13

[the-canary]

Kitchen Royalty - B.B (10/15)

Summary: Falling in love wasn’t on the menu, but neither was finding prince charming looking like a trash raccoon and living in your industrial freezer. (Pastry AU! Reader/Bucky Barnes)

Prompt: Sleeping Beauty

Masterlist

A/N: This is for @ciarawritesmarvel​ ‘s 1k challenge. #sorrynotsorry

Please enjoy and feedback is always appreciated.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 

It’s not hard for Rollins and his crew of flunkies to find where your bakery and everyone connected to it is located and their schedules, that’s one of the things that Rumlow had hired him for. Maria, Teresa, Wanda and her boyfriend, Pietro -- they were all on file and he knew your schedule down to the last second within a couple of days, the one anomaly in all this was the dark-haired man that seemed to live with you in the bakery.

Besides going outside for a run every once and awhile, he never went out and Rollins never saw him in the store front. There wasn’t any documentation in regards to his employment -- he was a ghost story in all this, but Rollins just had to dig deeper and he was sure he was going to find out something.

Rollins just didn’t know that he was being watched as well.

 Bucky knows that eventually you are going to crash and burn from everything you are trying to do and are worrying about. He tries to do what he can to help, but sometimes you really are too stubborn to ask for help and there are still things that he doesn’t know like the back of the hand like you do. This isn’t his family’s restaurant where he has years and years of experience of knowing the layout and declaring the kitchen as his own. Looking at you moving around to ease is something that makes him miss that -- looking at you makes him miss a lot of things actually.

“So, we’re not gonna talk about it?” Steve finally asks a couple of times after going to your shop, mostly to hang out with Bucky after his work is done in the morning. They take lunch in a little bistro not too far away from the shop after you come back from your “research”. Blue eyes look up from his pastrami sandwich with a piece of said meat hanging from his mouth as Steve shakes his head.

“What do ya mean, punk?” Bucky asks cautiously, because at this point there is a lot of things they could be talking about.   

“That’s she’s the girl we used to play with,” Steve explains, touching on the lighter subjects within his head at the current moment, as he laughs -- joyful at this turn of events, “You know, the one that disappeared and you’ve been mourning since 5th grade.”

“I know, it’s crazy, isn’t it?” Bucky chuckles at the thought, at the absurdity of it all. However, he hadn’t felt this lucky or this happy in a very long time, “But how did you figure it out so quickly?”

“Seriously, Buck. Who would ask for a 12-pack of caramel pudding?” Steve laughs at the memory as Bucky frowns, remembering how a certain baker was looking at his best friend awhile back, “Then, she told she used to go there all the time once before. I put two and two together.”

“Hmm... “ is all Bucky can say, thinking of all the time lost and he reasons why, as he put all the missing pieces together that he couldn’t back as a child. However, things weren’t the same anymore, he wasn’t the same person anymore, though he knew that even then you had welcomed him with open arms. Yet, all the issues going through his head seemed less complicated than your current family situation.

“I can only wait for now,” he decides, as Steve can’t help but shake his head.

Bucky had decided that for now he was going to do the best to help you, to be your backup in all the family drama and when this was all over -- maybe, he would tell you who he was and how he felt about you. For now it was better to stay silent, you already had a hundred things on your plate and if he thought about it, he did too, but James Barnes was done running away.

At the same time, he knew that he had to deal with something else first.

 As most everyone saw, you were running yourself ragged what with everything you were doing for the competition, thinking about your brothers coming soon, and being on alert over Rumlow --Rollins wasn’t exactly very discreet, especially since he hadn’t changed the men that worked for him since the time you were a teenager. However, this would eventually going to collide within your body as you felt it getting weaker over the ongoing days with coughs and red eyes here and there. Maria told you to stop working, but you didn’t listening, as Bucky just watched as if silently judging you.

It finally catches up shortly after you close the shop, a wave of nausea hits you hard as you stop moving for a moment and grab the metal table. Bucky comes into the room after putting some things away as he rushes to your side. You’re breathing heavily, as he feels your forehead with his right hand.

“Shit, doll. You’re heating up,” Bucky curses, as you lean into his right side. He quickly forgets about everything that needs to get completed as he picks you up bridal style and heads to the stairs. He’s making a checklist in his head over what you need to fight this fever or cough that you have, while trying to remember what you had in your kitchen and bathroom in terms of food and medicine. Bucky was slowly starting realize that he was spending more time in your little apartment than in his own room.

For now he ignored that, as he pauses at his next challenge -- your bedroom.

“I’m sorry, doll,” he murmurs to himself as you let out a huff just beneath his chin, as if responding to his apology. Bucky moves you just a bit and tries to ignore his face heating up at how close you are to him, while opening the door.

The dim lampshade lighting lets him see most of your bedroom and he can’t help but smile at your eclectic taste, though he sees the baker shine with all the cooking books and little cute objects in the shape of pastries and other foods around your room.  He lays you down gently, as you groan. He promises that he’ll be back that just needs to get you somethings.

Bucky is scampering around the kitchen when he hears two things that put him on high alert: a rattling noise from downstairs and a familiar song from an old movie. He moves swiftly into your room to see you sitting up with hazy eyes and a music box that plays the song from an old Disney movie you loved so much -- he’s heard you play it a million times before in another life.      

“I used play dragons and princess all the time back at Winnie’s ,” you says groggily as he hands you a glass a water and some medicine since it hadn’t been that long since you had eaten dinner, “With the owner’s son…”

Bucky decides to stay quite, as he picks up more noises downstairs. His body slowly going into his old soldier habits, even if he wants to stay and watch over you a bit longer.

“I wonder how he’s doing,” you keep on going as the medicine takes its effects rather quickly with how sick you are, “Couldn’t go after dad died. I hope he’s okay.”

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Bucky soothes you, he places the blanket over you, “Get some rest, okay?”

“Night Bucket,” you yawn before sinking into the warmth of the blanket. Bucky’s heart tightens in his chest just a bit at the sound of that childish nickname, wondering if you’ll remember any of this when you wake up, so he decides to take his chance.

“Sweet dreams, princess,” he says, while placing a chaste kiss on your forehead.

Bucky closes your door soon afterwards and picks up an old, familiar metal bat at the front of your door. The noises rattling downstairs and for once in a long time, Bucky doesn’t seem to mind playing the knight in shining armor - the solider saving the princess.  

Part 11

[the-canary]

Kitchen Royalty - B.B (9/15)

Summary: Falling in love wasn’t on the menu, but neither was finding prince charming looking like a trash raccoon and living in your industrial freezer. (Pastry AU! Reader/Bucky Barnes)

Prompt: Sleeping Beauty

Masterlist

A/N: This is for @ciarawritesmarvel​ ‘s 1k challenge. #sorrynotsorry

Please enjoy and feedback is always appreciated.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8

A woman in a beautiful dark grey business suit sits across the table to a muscular man dressed in a black on black suit. A look of complete calm on his face, but the woman knows better with the subtle nuances that he shows -- the grip on the paper in his hand that is close to tearing it, the tightening of his jaw, the utter look of murder in his eyes, but there was something else and that’s what scared Eleanor the most.

“So the little princess returns,” Brock remarks as as throws the manila folder to her. Brown eyes scanning her face for any change in expression at his words, however there isn’t even a frown on her face. The fire in her had died long ago, she was nothing but a complacent doll that enjoyed the thousands that her expanding company made. But, her daughter, that little baking princess, still did and it had always riled something dark and sinister in the financial consultant.

“With backing from Tony Stark himself,” Brock can’t help but laugh at the tech company would enter the world of sweets and baking, but Brock understood -- the recipes from the old man that once ran all this were magical, they sold like hot cakes and SB Bakery (as he read on the application) was an extension of that -- one that he needed to own now that he knew it was hers.

“And what do you plan on doing about that?” her eyes move from the desk to stare at him and for a moment Brock swears he sees a bright spark flash before her eyes go back to the dead look he has been so used to since her children left the nest. Eleanor had lost the will to fight when they weren’t there anymore and she was all right with them hating her -- in way, she deserved it.

“Call Sal and Richie, ask them to be part of the jury,” Brock replies as she finally frowns at the thought of contacting her sons, “What we’ll to her, just leave to me.”

Eleanor’s hands tighten for a moment and for a second the spark burns brightly.

 You’re full with a rush of happiness and triumph over the acceptance you had gotten from both the Tony Stark and the current CEO Pepper Potts. Every day following that event you had gotten up early or just didn’t go to sleep as you messed with recipes and made new things. The old recipe book was getting filled once again with ideas and completed recipes, but as the week and work wore on you started to feel the weight of what just might happen to you. You would have to see both Rumlow and your mother again, and while you were certain you could do -- the man had always been a bit too much. The way he stared at you haunted your teenage years and once you graduated you ran, but that didn’t mean he still wasn’t in the back of your head on your darker days.

It didn’t help that Sal had called in the middle of the night either.

“Mom called saying that you’re entering the competition,” Sal says with an even and composed tone, as a level-headed older brother should, “We should all meet in a month’s time, I’m guessing it’s been awhile. Just don’t do anything stupid, buttmunch.”

If only he had told you that few weeks back when this whole mess started, then maybe things would be different but at the same time -- it was something you should have done a long time ago. It seemed like since meeting Bucky, things just keep accelerating out of your control and while it was annoying in the family aspect of things, you wouldn’t have it any other way. And maybe in that nostalgia of everything in your life, that why you decided to head towards good old Brooklyn.

“---tle Avenue Stop,” the automatic voice calls out, as you get out of the subway on a very early Friday morning. You had left Bucky and Maria tending the store after making all the pastries this morning and glad that there hadn’t been any special orders to tend to. Walking three blocks down from the station, you notice the white painted motif in front of the red brick building that tended to populate the area.

Winnie’s.

While, you hadn’t grown up in Brooklyn, one of your father’s shops had been placed a little bit further down. You often can here in your early years to check how it was doing, while lunch or dinner was usually spent at the generations owned family restaurant and dessert always came from the little bake shop they had on the first floor. Sometimes, there were even kids around your age to play with since your parents sometimes ended up talking to the owners.

Today, as you glance into the large window, only the shop is closed as the sign shows that the restaurant doesn’t open until 11am. You frown, knowing that you’d be back in Queens by then but the doesn’t stop you from heading inside and getting some sweets and coffee. The chime on top of the door announces your entrance. The man behind the counter turns, blue eyes meet yours and you pause because none of the Barnes you ever meet had blond hair.

“Um, do the Barnes still run this place?” you can’t help but question as the man smiles with a warm greeting that you almost miss because you have to stop yourself from ogling at this specimen of a man hidden behind an apron.

“Yes, they do,” he explains, leaning just a bit on the countertop, “I just run the shop when they are all out. I’m guessing you haven’t been here in quite awhile.”

“Since I was a kid,” you laugh, as he can’t help but quirk an eyebrow at this piece of information, but he won’t say anything out loud for the moment. Instead, he introduces himself as Steve and let’s you look at all the pastries on display, telling you that some of the Barnes sisters and other workers make everything from scratch and you can help but smile at precious piece of information.

“I was wondering if you guys still had the caramel pudding,” you explain as you can’t help but stutter just a bit at having Steve’s undivided attention, “T-T-he one with the glazing on top.”

“Oh yeah, we just got some last night,” he smiles, seemingly unaware of the distress he is putting you under, as he walks a little way down to a mini refrigerator and takes out a couple. Your eyes glimmer at the sight, as Steve lets out a laugh.

“Can I have all of them,” you state, as Steve nods and you begin to tell him what other pastries you want along with an order of coffee. He packages them all in a box with Winnie’s written on top. He thanks you for buying with them today and that you should come again. You don’t mistake it for flirting, knowing the problems of that all too well, but you can’t help but open your mouth -- ready to say something you aren’t quite that sure of. Then, the phone rings.    

“Winni--Oh, hey babe,” Steve answers with a bright smile, as your eyes turn up from the bag full of pastries to him. You feel a wave of shamefulness and embarrassment over the monetary crush you had gotten over the blond and thus grabbing your items you run out of there. You run back to the station and take a deep breathe.

“I’m so sorry, Bucky,” you whisper harshly while trying to catch you breathe but once your mind catches up with your mouth -- you freeze.

Why were you apologizing to Bucky?        

And then you think that pretty boys with blue eyes have always been the death of you.  

   Bucky watches you throughout out the days after Tony Stark accepts your proposal. You’re as flighty as a bird moving here and there, experimenting with different tastes and keeping everything going in the shop. Sometimes you disappeared in the morning (calling it “research”) and came back with sweets and coffee just in time for a quick lunch, you were like a storm and he couldn’t help but get caught up in it. He smiles when you do, he finds himself waking up on your couch after long marathons of those baking shows you enjoy, and eating everything you bring him. It’s scary as hell, but this is the happiest he has been in a long time, even though it raises a lot of questions of where he should go next.

Though he knows the first step begins with Steve, so he calls him one early morning stating that he wants to show his oldest friend where he is currently staying. Steve eagerly agrees and promises to be there the next day. With you leaving in the morning, Bucky doesn’t have time to tell you and he’s too fearful to say anything when you come back. He stays quiet until the last minute, until Steve is at the front counter asking Maria for Bucky and you’re whipping up little cakes in cups as a test. He wriggles his hands together as Maria comes and tells him someone is waiting for him.  

“I know I shoud’ve told you sooner,” Bucky lowers his eyes as you had stopped mixing and give him with a questioning look, as he keeps on explaining,“But, I have someone coming over today.”

“Oh?”  

“He’s been worried about me and wanted to see where I was staying,” Bucky rubs the back of his neck, as you move over just a little, “I hope you don’t mind, doll.”

“I’m glad that you think I should meet them, even with the late notice,” you ease his nerves with your quick acceptance --as always-- before rubbing your hands against the apron you are wearing, “You ain’t got nothing to worry about, Buckaroo.”

You wink and though Bucky knows it’s your friendly manner, he can’t help but flush a little. You motion him to bring his friend to the back as he runs towards the front the store, which give you a little time to do a breathing exercise, but it doesn’t prepare you for seeing the blond god from Winnie’s again. Steve smiles and introduces himself, as you try not to die right then and there.  

“Didn’t we meet the other day?” he questions, with quick flicker of recognition in his eyes, as Bucky is the one that is taken aback now.  

“Yes, we did,” you explain trying to put down the embarrassment you are feeling from that incident, as Bucky keeps looking at you, “At Winnie’s.”

“You went to Winnie’s?” Bucky finally manages to say something in all his confusion, as you look at him but at the mention of the place, your smile can’t help but soften.

“Who wouldn’t go? I’ve loved that place since I was a little kid. I love the pudding , ” you admit bashfully as blue eyes widen for just a second before you go back to welcoming Steve to your little store,  “So, what can we do for you today, Steve?”

“Just a tour is fine, if that’s okay with you,” Steve states with a smile, as you nod and proceed to show him around.

Your voice is polite and kind, like always, but the old soldier part of Bucky can’t help but pick up the hopeful uptick towards the end. There is a soft smile as you gaze at the blond, and Bucky can’t help but feel a painful lurch at the center of his chest as he watches two of the most important people in his life talk and enjoy themselves, as you give Steve a small tour around the kitchen and let him try some pastries. Bucky knows that Steve Rogers is his best friend, since those scrapes in the back alley of his family’s restaurant. But, looking at you, bright-eyed and getting along with the blond, it’s in that moment that he’s has an epiphany.

He knows who you are.

But, above all that Bucky Barnes also knows that he’s falling in love with you.  

Part 10

[the-canary]

Kitchen Royalty - B.B (8/15)

Summary: Falling in love wasn’t on the menu, but neither was finding prince charming looking like a trash raccoon and living in your industrial freezer. (Pastry AU! Reader/Bucky Barnes)

Prompt: Sleeping Beauty

Masterlist

A/N: This is for @ciarawritesmarvel​ ‘s 1k challenge. *glares at chapter, only for chapter to glare back*

Please enjoy and feedback is always appreciated.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

The “talk” between you and Bucky doesn’t happen right away as it should, what with your building supervisor calling you and saying he has to have you come back to look at your apartment -- the rattling of pipes just being an infestation in disguise. You weren’t going back there anytime soon, as you prepared moving some stuff into storage and bringing some more clothing back with you. Between the two of you and Maria, the shop and the orders keep going but it isn’t the same as it was before. Smiles replaced with concerned looks and shying away from the biggest secrets at hand, as Bucky sees you look at the letter from time to time, because he is fully aware of what Marjorie's is --  it had been his mother’s major competition once across the bridge once, before it got too grand scale and now only had stores in the more “upper class” side of New York. However, the cold side of business never seemed important to you, as you smile caked in flour and other ingredients to your customers.

However, here you were -kind, selfless you- claiming that you were the daughter of someone who ran such a company. He couldn’t believe it, but frankly Bucky couldn’t remember much from a certain time either. Besides, he has his own fish to fry, as you knock on the door to his little room one Saturday evening, a  week after you have received the letter, with bag at hand and wearing a wistful smile.

“If you’re okay with talking to tonight, I brought cake and we could make some coffee,” you declare as blue eyes watch you shuffle nervously for a moment.

“Yeah,” he gets up with a defeated sigh, as if he is getting ready to face the firing squad.

 While, you were a good baker, you weren’t a miracle worker or patient enough to bake some things, or just weren’t good enough, at least in your head. The dreaded lava cake was one of them, but you loved to indulge on them when you could, especially from Pietro’s main workplace. The head chef and owner of Barton’s --an older, grumpy man that liked to tease Pietro-- Clint was an expert at making it. It was your comfort food and you were going to need after looking back at how exactly you started SB Pastry . After eating dinner, you feel blue eyes watching your every move from the other side of the counter as you take the cake out of the container and plate it with a side of vanilla ice cream.    

“My dad’s store wasn’t always so big, ya know?” you start off, as you take a spoon and cut the cake in half, watching the dark chocolate spill out, “He had one or two stores that he kept watch over, named them after his ma, entered competitions and just liked making people happy. Married, had my brothers and I. Worked everyday until he got sick, but never complained. Not once in his life.”

Bucky watches you take a bite out before digging in with his own spoon. You rub your eye with your sleeve, promising that you won’t cry thinking about your old man, you know he would have always wanted you smiling.

“Worked himself to death. Ma couldn’t pay the bills or keep the shops open on her own, so some financial consultants took it over on her behalf, made it what it is today,” you look away for a moment and huff out a breathe as Bucky’s hand softly grabs yours, “It survived, but at a cost and I couldn’t live with that. I’ve always been the firecracker in the family compared to my brothers. Fought tooth and nail with my mom, with the investors until I came of age. I took my share of what dad left and ran to Queens. This store is the only thing I have left of him.”

“You’re trying to keep his memory alive,” Bucky asks softly, as you nod though you vaguely remember the man that taught you how to bake and to be kind to everyone you met.

“It’s a struggle keeping this place open half the time,” you admit, remembering the last time you had looked into the accounting books, “And neither Rumlow or Rollins are gonna back down from destroying any potential competition.”

“You don’t have to enter,” Bucky tries to deflate your subtle anger, as you dig into the innocent ice cream before taking another bite and shaking your head. The bitterness of the dark chocolate matching your words.

“I’m not gonna coward and run away, Buck,” you explain, “I gotta do this.”

“Stubborn,” he says with a laugh, as you shrug.  The room is quite for a long moment, as Bucky gains the courage to talk, slowly taking off the glove on his left hand to show the metal you had only seen once before. Your eyes meet, as he gives you a sad smile.

“Signed up for the army straight out of high school. Did a couple of tours, killed people,” Bucky stops and take a quick bite of the cake, “Lost my arm in an attackand got sent back home. It’s been a struggle since I came back, doll.”

You’re silent as he hangs his head, waiting for you to say something, kick him out or tell him that he was an idiot for getting caught up in a hopeless war, he’s heard it all before but he knows it would kill him hearing it from your pretty lips. Instead he hears you whisper: Can I touch it?

He nods and gasps silently at the change in density of his metal hand. He feels you lift it and press it to your face, cradling it like its fine china and not some type of monstersity. Something soft presses against the center, as he lets out a choked sob at the immediate acceptance you have of him, of the endless kindness you have shown him, and in the stillness of your kitchen -- something bittersweet, like the ice cream covered in chocolate, begins to bloom in his chest.   

 Over the next couple of days, Bucky watches you apply and prepare your proposal with Maria, who had at least two degrees in business, from what he understood. To enter the competition, you needed a corporate sponsor and the two of you had thought it would be best to ask the one man that had brought the spotlight to your little store -- Tony Stark. It was a long shot, but there was an excited grin on your face that Bucky couldn’t help but admire. He had promised himself that he would stay as long as you would need him, then he would consider going back home -- going back to Brooklyn and his own life. Even if you hadn’t rejected who he was and his past, he couldn't keep taking advantage of your kindness forever, he needed to move on and find his own way.  

“Buck,” you drag him out of his thoughts after the morning rush, as he notices you holding a plastic folder, “Do you wanna see our finished proposal?”

Blue eyes soften at the sight of you excited over your concept and gives you a look over as you are dressed in a black dress and heels,. Happy having gotten you a meeting with Mr. Stark for later in the day, after you had pleaded with him relentlessly. Excitement and a mixed of emotions bubbled in his chest as he nodded, you handing him the folder with a huge smile. He looks over it once, twice -- eyes widening at the signature of your proposal... pudding .

“Isn’t that a little conventional for a bakery?” he questions, as you look away a little embarrassed.

“It’s fulfilling a promise from a long time ago, okay?” you explain, a bit shier than before. Bucky nods, though a little unconvinced, thus he decides to say the first thing that pops up into his head.

“What? From a boy?”

“Yeah, my pudding prince,” you admit, as Bucky sees how the look in your face softens as if almost lost in a sweet memory, “I know it’s silly and I doubt he would even care, much less remember, but I promised if I entered this competition...I would use pudding.”

Bucky stands frozen for awhile, as you turn to look at him a little worried. His grip tightens on the folder, but before you can ask if anything is wrong, Maria comes barreling into the kitchen.

“Mr. Stark is here!” she declares, as you jump out of your business dress for a moment, thinking that you were going to go over there and not that the billionaire would drive to your dingy shop in Queens.

“Oh shit,” you grab the folder, grasping Bucky’s hand for a moment and dragging him out of his stupor, “Wish me luck!”

“You don’t need it, but good luck,” he gives you a boyish grin, the more carefree you have seen him in all the time you had known him, as he squeezes your hand tightly before letting go. Mr. Stark’s voice declaring that he is here and the excited crowd in the front of the shop dragging you away. Bucky is left alone in the back, as a faint memory bubbles to the surface.

“Pudding, huh?” is all he manages to say to himself.

Part 9

[the-canary]

Kitchen Royalty - B.B (7/15)

Summary: Falling in love wasn’t on the menu, but neither was finding prince charming looking like a trash raccoon and living in your industrial freezer. (Pastry AU! Reader/Bucky Barnes)

Prompt: Sleeping Beauty

Masterlist

A/N: This is for @ciarawritesmarvel​ ‘s 1k challenge.

Please enjoy and feedback is always appreciated.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

After the pizza dinner, things seems to shift between you and Bucky, there is quiet understanding of each other’s boundaries that aren’t meant to be crossed, such as his nightmares. Yet, at the same time, you seem to be magnetized to each other, you spend breakfast --depending on what you can make due to the orders-- together as well as dinner. To Maria’s surprise, you have given Bucky complete control of the kitchen when you are sleeping, to the point that he starts on some of the orders early on in the morning when he isn’t going for a run. You were teetering on the edge of something with Bucky, you just weren’t sure what, especially after a couple of mornings ago.

It was way too early and you weren’t still fully awake without your cup of coffee. You enter the small kitchenette to the sound of Glen Miller playing in the background, as you have gotten accustomed to when Bucky decided to make breakfast. He really seemed like an old soul sometimes, like he had seen too much and it trapped him, making sure he never forgot.  However, there were moments that he seemed to smile and not look 10 years older than he might actually be-- like right now, as he washed the dishes while shaking slightly to the music. He was too caught up in that, so he didn’t notice that pan was close to burning.

You still in your sleepy haze fail to realize how hot the pan might actually be, grab it on to yelp. It catches Bucky’s attention, as he curses while grabbing to your burnt hand in the process. You sniffle, as he places it underneath the cooling water -- that’s when your eyes catches a glint of silver and it’s not the metal pan.

“A metal arm?” you ask, unsure of what is going on, but Bucky’s hand is silver and glimmering as his usual long-sleeved is rolled up to his elbows. Blue eyes look at you mortified and as soon as he knows you are going to be okay -- he’s out of the room. Everything else forgotten.

“Snap out of it,” you murmur to yourself wrapping the chocolate-tipped madeleines in threes inside small, clear bags with a blue bow.

Bucky had made them earlier this morning --you were slowly becoming aware that there were just some recipes that he beat you at-- with you finishing the decorations (some 200 little bags and you were halfway done) for Happy to pick-up before the store opened. And while some time ago, you were happy and glowing over the extra customers and coverage, the only thing in your head now was how to get Bucky to talk to you again, which he hadn’t since the incident.

Men, talking to them, had never been a problem for you, but you and Bucky were a team now -- at least, you thought you were, but while you knew you were something, there was always going to be a wall between the two of you and as more time passed, it bothered you even more. But, what could you do about it?

Why did it even bother you so much?

Ring! Ring!

The back doorbell catches you attention, as you look up at the clock to notice that it is too early for Happy to pick up. You finish wrapping your latest bag before heading over to the back, getting a weird sense of deja vu from the night you met Bucky, though when you open the door that is quickly replaced with a sense of horror at the sight of an all too familiar black suited man.

“Rollins,” you seethe, as he simply hands you a small white envelope with a ensign you know all too well.

“An invitation, princess ,” he says mocking you with the nickname. You grab the envelope and close the door on his face before he can say anything else, or even worst thinking about coming in. You take a shaky breath and don’t leave until you faintly hear his footsteps leave the alleyway. You fall to the floor, hot tears streaming down your face, as you try to stop yourself from having a panic attack right then and there. Through your tears, you can’t help but stare at the logo that you used to hold near and dear to your heart: a little cupcake with angel wings behind it and three little stars surrounding it: one for you and the other two for your brothers.

Marjorie’s.

You let out a heavy sigh, knowing that you should’ve listened to Richie all those weeks ago. Mother was done playing her game with you.

 Run! Run!

It’s all Bucky is able to do keep himself from going crazy with each day since the incident going a bit farther than before. He is almost close to the bridge once or twice, and then he thinks about how easy it would be crossing it again and disappearing from your life, like he had done with his family and Steve. All his years in in the Army had given him the right tools to run and never be found, aside how to kill a man and the nightmares that still ate at him. Bucky Barnes wasn’t good at anything.

“Oh, you so much better at making madeleines than I am!”

“It’s so cute what you did with the whip cream design, Buck.”

No, this Bucky was good at some things: making breakfast, madeleines, even making you laugh and he could be a little proud of that. He stops running and takes a deep breathe, going through a little breakthrough in the middle of the street. You had always been so kind to him, but he was afraid of what would happen once he told you a little bit about himself. You deserved to know a little bit about him before deciding kick him out of your life, because what else were you going to do in the long run? He knew that while you had been confused about his arm, he could feel the hitch of your breathe in fear, the sleepy haze in your eyes being replaced with something else --- something that he never wanted to see from you.

“I should do it after work,” Bucky sighs out, feet taking easy steps in preparation to head back to the bakery. However, the sound of a hopeful voice stops him. He knows this voice too well, it’s etched on his skin like the scars of war, as blue meets blue. A sad smile on his best friend’s face.

“Bucky!” is all Steve Rogers manages to scream, as he crosses the sidewalk as fast as he can. Bucky stands still, knowing that he can’t outrun the punk now, that had been years ago.

“Hey Steve,” Bucky lets out full of hope and defeat at the same time, as the taller man hugs him, so close to crying.

“Where the hell have you been?” he asks, tears in his eyes that remind Bucky that despite everything Steve still had a sentimental side, or maybe it was just because they hadn’t seen each other in months -- since Bucky sneaked out of the safe house he had been staying in.

“It’s a long story, pal.”

Everyone’s worried about you, Buck. Please think about coming back home.

Those had been Steve’s last words before departing from the little diner they had spent close to two hours in, Bucky telling him what had happened and Steve telling him how everything was going back home. How Sam blamed himself, how his ma was suffering, and his sisters were doing their best to keep the shop going. However, Steve knew well enough to push Bucky to come back right then and there, that he would come and see him again soon, maybe even check out the bakery he worked at.

She sounds like a sweet gal, Buck. I’m sure she’ll understand.

Steve’s voice echoes in his head over the thought of telling you everything and while he wanted to believe that, something itched deep in his bones that something bad was going to happen. It buzzes more is his head when he sees that the bakery is closed, which is something he had never seen occur since he started living there. He frowns as he takes the back entrance, only to see you and Maria sitting on the large metal table with cups of coffee and a plate of madeleines between the two of you. It makes him a little proud for a moment, until he sees your face -- weary and like you have been crying for hours.

“Welcome back, Bucky,” you croak out with a tired smile. Maria stays quiet, drinking her coffee as she watches what Bucky does next, only to smile when he rushes over to you. Large hands grab your cheeks, turning you to look at his worried face.

“Doll,” he soothes you, as your eyes widen at the sudden nickname, “what’s wrong? What happened?”

“I got a letter,” is all you can say, pointing to the piece of paper with golden lettering and cupcake motif. Blue eyes now look at you in confusion, as he reads:

Annual New York Bakery Contest!

Show off your skills and have your winning pastry be sold at Marjorie’s.

“Isn’t that a good thing?” he goes back to looking at you, as you just shake your head.

“That’s my mom, Bucky,” you explain, which just confuses him even more as Maria sighs.

“And the evil queen is calling the good princess back home,” she says cryptically, before declaring that she is leaving -- giving you a tight smile and a pat on the back, hoping that everything goes well between the two fools that don’t seem to understand what is going on between them.

“I think we need to talk,” you say, holding his hands and staring straight into his bright blue eyes.  

“Yeah, I think it’s long overdue, doll.”

Part 8

[the-canary]

Kitchen Royalty - B.B. (6/15)

Summary: Falling in love wasn’t on the menu, but neither was finding prince charming looking like a trash raccoon and living in your industrial freezer. (Pastry AU! Reader/Bucky Barnes)

Prompt: Sleeping Beauty

Masterlist

A/N: This is for @ciarawritesmarvel​ ‘s 1k challenge.

Please enjoy and feedback is always appreciated.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 

“Don’t come into my room, please...no matter what.”

After the first night of you living in the attic upstairs, it was the only thing Bucky requested of you and while it scared you a little, you were also a little proud that he had come to call the space his own. However, the task wasn’t so easy. The screaming was every other night like clockwork at around 1am. It was muffled from where you were, but you could still hear him struggling and in pain and in all honesty you cried yourself to sleep multiple times over your own helplessness. You threaded lightly over what had become his space, your eyes filled with sorrow and questions that Bucky caught too often and he hated himself over it.

So, he ran -- no, not like from his family or from Sam and Steve. He got up at 4am, or whenever his nightmares took too much out of him and in those fitful hours, you got some sleep. However, you knew it was catching up on you -- the worry and stress was making you more clumsy at work and it didn’t help that since the expose you were just getting more orders.  

“Good morning,” you give him a tired smile, while mixing the dry ingredients for your latest order: apple and cinnamon cheesecake. Blue eyes look at you for a moment, taking in the slight difference of your stance and appearance, before wiping the sweat on his face with the top of his long-sleeved shirt.   

Your eyes widen at the small peak of abs and scars close to his waist line. You knew Bucky was built, but damn.

“--are you making?” his raspy voice makes you jump lightly, as you go back to looking at his face. A curious look on it, like he didn’t catch you staring.

“Cheese! Cheesecake!” you declare so loudly that it echoes back at the two of you. Bucky is confused for a good moment before shaking his head and laughing, and to all the deities up above you try to stop your heart from speeding up.

“I’ll go upstairs and shower, then I’ll come help,” Bucky nods, before disappearing into the hallway, as you clutch your metal bowl a bit tighter than before.

“What the fuck was that?”

 You had told Bucky once that he was a natural in the kitchen and since Maria had him bake those cupcakes, his capacity shined brighter than before. He was slowly getting used to using the recipe books and there were things that he knew instinctively at this point -- the cupcakes being one of them. Work had become faster and even more fun with him around, as he asked for advice and moved to his own beat around the kitchen. Like right now, as he hummed to the Elvis Costello song playing in the background while pounding in the breadcrumbs to the last cakes you needed for the day, while you glazed the cooled ones.

“Damn, Buck. You might drive me out of business,” you laugh as take a bit out of his finished product, while you had used the same recipe it tasted slightly different than how you made them, “You’re great at this, Bucky. Really.”

“Thanks,” he pauses and manages to say bashfully while running his ungloved hand over the back of his neck, “My ma...used to make some like these all the time.”

Your smile drops for a moment at the first piece of information you have of Bucky’s life outside of the bakery. You had your ideas and theories, that you had gone over with Pietro long ago, as to Bucky’s past but you never wanted to push him into telling you something either -- I mean, as long as he didn’t try to kill you, it was all right for him to stay.

“Well, I hope our cheesecake is just as good as hers,” you give him a huge grin, until your eyes crinkle, from your chair in his general direction, completely unaware of the blush dusting his face.

 The day passes by smoothing, as you end up manning the cash register due to Maria leaving early and Bucky ends watching over the kitchen and cleaning up whatever is left. As the working day draws to an end, you can’t help but question whether you should ask Bucky about his nightmares, not only did you worry but you were also losing sleep. You had wondered how long you could keep going like this, but you were scared about pushing him away. People usually got defensive when you asked too much, at least your mother had once. So, when you were done closing and without any special orders for the next day, you start to make your way upstairs.    

Only for Bucky to stop you, as he hands you a small packet.

“What this, Bucky?” you ask looking at the package of what seems to be 50 earplugs. He gives you a weak smile, as he explains.

“I know it’s not the best solution,” he sighs, “But, to help ya sleep at night.”

“Thank you,” you give him a softer smile, as he nods and begins to move away ready to go back into his room and a bright idea suddenly pops into your head.

“Hey, have you eaten yet?” your voice echoes, as he turns back to look at you and shakes his head. It made you wonder if Bucky ate when he went out on his runs, there was still a lot of things that you didn’t know about him, but you doubted he had a good meal since the employee refrigerator was usually empty and the cabinets only seemed to be filled with cereal and protein bars.

“Do you want to bake a pizza?” you ask, but that quickly changes as his blue eyes light up at the familiar food. You motion for him to follow you and while he is hesitant to follow you any further than the bathroom he had being using for some time now, you wave your hand and tell him to make himself at home.

He glances over once more at the joined kitchen and living room area of the brick building with the countertop being the only thing that separates them. The living room was just an old leather couch and an old television with its lacking sound system.

“Come on, I have pepperoni and veggies,” you say picking up both boxes from the freezer, only to have his stomach growl loudly and for you to declare you are having both pizzas then. Bucky ends up sitting across the high counter top, as you wait for the pizzas to bake in the oven. There is a subtle silence between two of you and you’re thinking about turning on the television when Bucky gains the courage to start talking.

“I just wanted to thank ya,” he smiles a little wider than you had seen before, as you nod, “I know a lot of people wouldn’t do this for someone they don’t know. Thank you so much , doll.”

“Well, they should, Bucky,” you let out a weary sigh, putting your hands on top of the countertop directly parealling his gloved ones, “One never knows when they’ll end needing some help.”       

Bucky gives you a look of confusion, though you can’t see it behind his hair, as you keep staring at his hands wondering what he is hiding and so close to touching them.  

Ping! Ping!  

The silence is broken by the timer as you jump and hurry to get the pizzas, while Bucky goes around to get the dishes and drinks. You end up eating dinner together and trading simple likes and dislikes, even some stories of your bakery disasters when you had just started, and if either of you sleep better than you had done in quite sometime, it is never mentioned the morning after.

Part 7

[the-canary]

Kitchen Royalty - B.B (5/15).

Summary: Falling in love wasn’t on the menu, but neither was finding prince charming looking like a trash raccoon and living in your industrial freezer. (Pastry AU! Reader/Bucky Barnes)

Prompt: Sleeping Beauty

Masterlist

A/N: This is for @ciarawritesmarvel​ ‘s 1k challenge. 

Please enjoy and feedback is always appreciated.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 

It takes all of your strength to keep you from freaking out right then and there, from going into Bucky’s room and doing something about his screaming, but you knew better. You had never dealt with what he might be going through, but you had had your fair share of pain attacks that sometimes people just needed to go through the motion of things on their own before moving forward. So, you did what you knew best -- you made tea and started baking the first thing that came to mind -- chocolate chip cookies.

“Okay, okay,” you try to calm down your speeding heart as the screaming becomes more muffled. You push your duffle bag underneath the large counter and take out everything you needed from the large freezer. You hum while putting the ingredients into separate bowls, and you try to stop yourself from crying at the thought of what could be such a sweet and quiet man like Bucky. By the end of the hour, you had made more than a hundred pecan, chocolate chip cookies and even some tea. You sit in the kitchen area, sleep escaping you but too scared to move, munching on cookies when you hear purposefully heavy footsteps.  

“Bucky,” you exclaim, as the brown-haired man enters the room while putting the metal rod he was holding down, near the edge of the room,  “It’s just me.” “Did you?” he murmurs unsurely, looking at the large batch of cookies you had made, before taking his usual seat across from you on the large metal countertop.

“Yeah, but I won’t ask you about it, if ya feel uncomfortable about it,” you smile. You push the plate towards him, though you don’t know if he would like cold tea. Blue eyes keep looking at you like you might throw him out at any moment, “But, there might be a problem.”

“W-What?” Bucky questions, waiting for you and the inevitable.

“I’m gonna stay in the attic until they finish repairing my apartment's busted pipes,” you give him a sad smile, though he is stunned that this is what was coming out of your mouth. Bucky was sure that you had grown tired of him, even if you didn’t show it, because everyone eventually did in the end -- that’s what his gut always told him. You couldn’t be this kind, Bucky couldn’t believe it at times -- he was just waiting for the other shoe to fall. For you to show him your true colors, but you kept proving him wrong every time.

“I could leave if you…” Bucky adds in hesitantly, but ready to leave if you ask that of him.

“I never said that. I would never ask you to, Buck,” you shake your head, the lack of sleep tonight starting to catch up with you, as he gives you a defeated but sweet smile.

“I texted Maria that she doesn’t have to open today, if she doesn’t want to,” you explain as you get up and stretch, a yawn leaving your mouth,“Take the day off, okay.”

You give him one last smile before heading up the stairs near the end of hallway, leaving Bucky to munch on the cookies you had made for a good while. His dreams and your reaction to them slowly moving to the back of his mind due to all the sweetness from the baked goods and you.

Maria decides to open the store a bit later than usual with a little girl, with bright eyes and pigtails, following her. The girl smiles and waves at Bucky, like she already knew him, before taking a seat behind the glass countertop like her mother. Maria nods in his direction, as he tries his best to move forward in the kitchen without you  since you haven’t come downstairs at all since going up this morning -- and Bucky can’t help blame himself a little. It isn’t a quick break, but she decides to close for lunch time that’s when the dark-haired woman stands in front of him.

“Don’t think it’s your fault,” she explains, as she sets the child --Teresa-- on the metal table with small containers filled with salad, fajitas, and tortillas, “One setback and she tends to overthink a lot. She gets stressed over things she can’t control.”

“I see,” is all really Bucky can say, as Maria gives him a tiny smile.

“I am guessing, you both have that in common,” she keeps talking as blue eyes look at her making tacos, as Teresa exclaims in joy for a moment, “We’re running out of cookies, if you think you handle making them.”

Bucky gawks at the woman for a good minute, as she eats with her daughter. Maria hadn’t talk to him a lot, even distrusted him at the beginning, though she seemed open to the idea of letting him run the kitchen --your kitchen-- for the day and that seemed like a big trust potentially placed on his shoulders. He wonders if he can handle it for a moment, but deep down he knows he can -- baking, it was one of those few good things still ingrained in him.

“A teaspoon of sugar, James…”

Bucky nods and Maria’s smile grows by a smudge. She hands him a big recipe book that he had seen you with before, skimming through it to find a cookie recipe that you already knew by heart. She slides it over to Bucky, who spends the rest of his lunch mixing ingredients and preparing the oven. Teresa looks on with curious eyes, as Maria declares silently to herself that the two of you have much more in common that meets the eyes, though she isn’t sure if that’s a good thing or bad one at the moment.

The act of mixing and checking everything bring a familiar sense of relief to Bucky, as he soon finds himself scooping dough into the large metal sheet before placing them into the preset oven, while Maria goes back to handling the register after opening again for the mid-afternoon rush. Teresa is still sitting in her chair and exclaims happily that she wants one too, reminding him briefly of something when he was younger -- he almost loses himself to the memories, if it weren’t for shuffling footsteps and you running into the kitchen.

“Oh my god, that was a long nap,” you declare cheerful before hugging a busy Teresa who was eating a cookie. You smile at Bucky as he was transferring some cookies over, “So, you were a baker in the past life, huh?”

“Something like that,” he smiles back, before going up to hand a complete batch to Maria, who just nods at you.

“Thank you, Bucky,” you say softly, while playing with Teresa’s hair. He sits down on his usual chair.

“About…” he starts, but all you do is shake your head.

“We’ll figure it out, but you ain’t leaving, Bucky,” you declare with a fire in your eyes that Bucky swears makes his heart skip a beat, though he’ll deny when he thinks about it later on.

“Okay?” you ask, taking his never-ending silence as a different response.

“Okay,” he smiles, while watching you take a bite out of Teresa’s cookie and declaring that you want your own, and for now Bucky is sure that he can live with this and your strange sort of kindness.

Part 6

[the-canary]

Kitchen Royalty - B.B (3/15)

Summary: Falling in love wasn’t on the menu, but neither was finding prince charming looking like a trash raccoon and living in your industrial freezer. (Pastry AU! Reader/Bucky Barnes)

Prompt: Sleeping Beauty

Masterlist

A/N: This is for @ciarawritesmarvel​ ‘s 1k challenge. more towards bucky’s side on this current situation. 

Part 1 | Part 2 

Please enjoy and feedback is always appreciated.

Always help as you see fit.

Bucky Barnes has been staring at the plaque on the right of the mirror for the past 10 minutes, unsure of what he was going to find, but knowing that he didn’t want to go back to his small bedroom down the hall. At the same time, it spoke completely to the character of the woman that had helped him these past two weeks since finding him -- she had given him so many things so far, but never asked for anything in return. He had thought it was almost too good to be true.

“Okay, dig in!”

Smile. Warmth. Coffee. Pancakes.

It’s the main things his mind is buzzing around with she sets down a big stack of pancakes from the styrofoam container, having just finished making the last batch of cupcakes right before they were picked up by a Mr. Hogan, she had ordered pancakes from her favorite place through an app on her phone. The coffee is brewing as she motions for him to start eating— he takes half the stack, along with some hashbrowns and eggs. She does as well but just less than him. They eat in silence until she finally starts talking.

“Bucky, I don’t need to know your reasoning, but you can’t keep living in my freezer,” she explains as Bucky looks up with a piece of pancake hanging from his mouth, “But, you’re really good at baking! If ya want, you can live and stay here. I could use the extra help and there’s a spare storage room to use.”

She smiles, and Bucky --even though he has family and friends that love him-- agrees.

“Good morning, Bucky!” you smile, as he nods pulling on his own apron and hairnet before starting on his own section of baked goods. He learned early on the you did everything by starch, getting up and driving to get to the bakery by 4am, which was usually the time that Bucky was already awake, to mix the ingredients or what you had left the night before. You were precise but graceful in everything you did in your little bakery -- it reminded him off.

“James, remember…”

Bucky shakes his head and proceeds to start glazing the sugar donuts. Baking and killing, the only things that James Barnes had been good at. He takes a deep breath and loses himself to the repeated procedure as you hum to the music in the background. Before you guys know, it’s opening time as Maria comes in with a tight smile and nods in his direction, as she gets ready to man the cashier. He had learned a few days in that you stayed in back during the morning, working on different recipes or spending time making phone calls, though you would be grinning at everyone and anyone by midday.

Bucky stayed in the back all day, too unsure to move forward and following the system  you had taught him a million times over. It kept him calm when the voices got louder throughout the day, but he was fully aware of how Maria watched him. He didn’t blame her.

“He’s staying here! You hired him!”

A voice thunders as Bucky decides to stay in the hallway, almost wanting to run back to the safety of the freezer. However, instead he watches from the dark corner as an equally dark-haired woman places her hands agitatedly on her hips, as you sit there and shrug. The woman says you name in annoyance, as you respond back.

“What did you want me to do, Maria?” you questions softly, as you run your fingers through your hair, “Kick him out? Call the police?”

“Anything,” she responds, while letting out a weary sigh, making Bucky think that she has gone through this more than once, “You know, you could get hurt or worst. What if Pietro hadn’t vouched for him? Where would you be right now?”

“I don’t know,” you admit and Bucky drops his head in shame for a moment, “But, Bucky isn’t like that, I just feel it.”

Oh, if you only knew, he was the worst kind of person. A killer, through and through. His own misery doesn’t let him catch the last sentence coming out of your lips, making Maria halt her speech competely.

“But, you of all people know I wouldn’t let someone go through that.”

Your selfless attitude and general heart of gold remind him of someone he would rather forget, but that doesn’t stop him from smiling when you give a free discount or sample here and there. From the moment, he sees that and how it affects others, Bucky can just sense how much you love this job. He had only seen a few people that were perfect for their jobs, and not in very good ways, but you shined as your smiled at kids, taste tested new things, or where just cleaning up after a long day.

However, it didn’t help that you had made him a bit of a guinea pig when it came to trying out your new experiments, like now as you are looking at your notebook while mixing all the dry ingredients in a bowl, as he wipes down the countertop near the front. Maria had left hours ago to pick up her little girl. You call him over and hand him a teaspoon of already made bread, leaning into the metal table as he gives you a questioning stare.

“Do you think it’s missing something?” you question with wide eyes, as he takes a bite and closes his eyes trying to figure out the taste at the tip of his tongue. You pout a little and tap your foot impatiently, waiting for his verdict,  before he talks.

“Needs cinnamon, maybe some paprika,” he answers, as your eyes light up before taking more notes and going back to playing with the recipe. The night goes on a like that for a bit more, as Bucky makes more coffee for the two of you. You go through two more bowl of batter before you end up making a couple of baked Cinnamon-Applesauce donuts, as he goes through half of them.

“The paprika was a great addition, Bucky!” you laugh and take a bite out of the donut, as he gives you a timid smile back. He can’t help but agree, and when you’re gone --having gone back to your own apartment-- Bucky can’t help but think that this was a first good day in a long while, as he falls asleep.

James Buchanan Barnes had been lost for a long while now, but in this dingy little pastry shop in Queens -- Bucky Barnes was getting a second chance at things.

Part 4

[the-canary]

Kitchen Royalty - B.B (Intro)

Summary: Falling in love wasn’t on the menu, but neither was finding prince charming looking like a trash raccoon and living in your industrial freezer. (Pastry AU! Reader/Bucky Barnes)

Prompt: Sleeping Beauty

Masterlist

A/N: This is for @ciarawritesmarvel​ ‘s 1k challenge. i am excited for this series, even though i don’t know where it will go! there is some cursing. 

Please enjoy and feedback is always appreciated. 

“Hey, Hey!” the blue-eyed boy looks at the wet girl, as her small body shakes, “It’s okay to cry, girls do it all the time.”

She frowns and shakes in that camisole dress and sweater that are soaked to the bone, “Mama said good girls don’t cry. I’m not gonna.”

The boy panics because he can see she’s trying her hardest, as she keeps rubbing her small fists on her face to stop herself from crying, though it just makes her face blotchier and the boy has no idea what do even with all the experience he has with having younger sisters. Rebecca would have yelled and walked away by now, but this one girl is trying her hardest to be strong and he’s a little at awed with that.  He pulls out a small cup from his pocket and places it into her shivering hand.

“That’s awesome!” he gives her a toothy grin and close his hand over hers, “Since you’re doing such a great job, I’ll give you my pudding.”

“Really?” she asks in a shaky voice as he nods.

“Really really,” he smiles, as tears start to gather in the corners of her eyes.

“I’ll make you--”

The heavy breathing of a boy and adults yelling cut the little girl off.

BEEEPP! BEEEP!

“Motherfucking cupcakes!” you swore sleepily to yourself, hoping to some unknown force that the 4th batch of ordered cupcakes was still okay. It wasn’t everyday that you got such a big order and with you as the only working right now, you had spent most of the night making the freshest and best cupcakes for this high end business meeting.

“Oh, thank god,” you murmur to yourself, seeing that your quick nap had only lasted 10 minutes and not an hour like the last time. You sigh and wearily take out the batch before placing them on the center counter where the completed 200 were already placed in small, personalized boxes. You sag a bit against the counter and take a look around the empty kitchen and a little into the the small section that made up the central shop.

SB Pastry had been your dream as long as you could remember, making sweets and seeing people smile was what you enjoyed, even if your mother disapproved of such outlandish notions. Food and the culinary arts were a battlefield for said woman and she had instilled that into you and your siblings. Your older brother was a highly sought after chef that was opening his third restaurant in Tokyo soon, while your younger brother was finishing is core training in London, already being sought after some highly respected individuals both there and abroad. And here you were, making cupcakes at 5 in the morning in some hole-in-wall shop in Queens. It was obvious who was the disappointment of the family, but you hadn’t cared in years, hadn’t talked to her even longer than that.

“Ok, no more life crisis while working,” you huff to yourself and chug the last bit of your cold coffee, knowing that you still had another set of 200 cupcakes to make and decorate before 8am. Yes, it would have been easy to have some help, but you knew that Maria’s kid was sick and Pietro...well he did almost burn the pastry shop last time due to that pretty girl, and to be honest you hardly got any work done with the goofball around. This had to be a solo mission.

“Ok, okay. Next batter is ready to be placed in the oven,” you murmur to yourself as a cool jazz from your favorite radio station plays in the background. You look to the end of the counter and notice that icing dispensers are nearly empty, which meant you had to make more frosting.  

You let out a groan before heading to the back of the building where most of the supplies where stored in the industrial freezer. It was been a pain to buy and keep maintenance of, but it helped in situations like this. It was just in a super dark place, but you weren’t afraid of the dark -- no way.

“No more scary movies with Wanda,” you whisper to yourself at the antics that your best friend dragged you into due to her deep love of the horror genre, though you often didn’t sleep for weeks afterwards. But, taking a deep breathe you steel yourself to enter the large metal room, making sure this time that something is holding the door open, as you head a little ways in to find the ingredients that  you needed. And that’s when you hear it.

RAP! RAP!

The sound of metal against metal has you freezing in place, as you let out a small whimper. You grab the frosting box and a metal rack that you have never used. You make the stupid decision of heading towards the back, where there is a door that leads to the alleyway behind the building and take a cautious glance in its general direction. You curse at the open door, looking around and seeing a body --male with a heavy jacket and baseball cap covering their face-- not that far away from it and that’s when you let out a loud scream.

Part 2

[ciarawritesmarvel]

Hi! For the writing challenge - I was thinking I could go with Peter Parker x Reader in a Hercules AU if that’s alright?

Of course! :) Can’t wait to read it!

Join the Disney/MCU Writing Challenge!