Avalanche, Part 1
Summary: Bucky is a fool in love, and so is she. She sings her sorrows to cafe patrons, and he avoids his feelings like the plague. Being afraid of his past is keeping Bucky from enjoying the good things the present and future are providing for him. How long will these good things wait for Bucky?
Word count: 3122
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Mutant!Stark!Reader, platonic Steve Rodgers x Reader, platonic Sam Wilson x Reader
Rating: Teen?
Tags: Fluff, angst if you squint, established relationships/world, Stark!Reader AU, Mutant!Reader AU
A/N: I do not own these characters. I do not own the image below (titled Byron by Adele M. Reed on Flickr). Sorry for any mistakes, this work is not beta read. I hope y'all enjoy my first work in a long, long time! Hoping to make this into a three part series. Also, a complementary playlist for you lovely beings :)
Soft music flowed from the old speakers of the cafe, dancing along the glass dessert display case, caressing the frostbitten ears of the late night patrons. Coats were stacked in layers on the coat hooks near the entrance, a wet floor sign and mop perched beside a chalkboard welcome sign decorated in hand drawn white music notes and orange leaves. Paintings from local artists adorned the brick walls, outlined in faux ivy and illuminated by the faint glow of Edison lights strung across the exposed wooden beams of the cafe’s high ceiling. Behind the counter, a barista was humming along to the music as he wiped down the espresso machine, the pastry chef carefully lined the empty display case with warm, flaky croissants and gooey chocolate muffins she pulled fresh from the oven. People were beginning to gather around the stage, sipping on hot drinks and sugary pastries as they made themselves comfortable in the cafe’s mismatched chairs and sofas.
A young woman was sitting on a stool on stage, tuning a guitar. Her unruly curls were tucked behind her ears as she intently focused on the sound of the strings beneath her fingers. She tapped the toe of her black boot against the worn dark wood of the cafe stage as she thought for a moment. Something was off. She felt nervous, though she couldn’t quite place where this feeling of unease was coming from. It wasn’t being on stage that made her feel this way. Everyone in the audience knew her. They - like her - were evening regulars. No, this feeling of dread seemed to come from somewhere else - somewhere outside of the safe bubble of this cafe.
In the past few months, this place had become a second home for her. When she wasn’t performing, her evenings were spent in the back corner, away from the group, sipping on her mocha while she scribbled away in a journal. Tonight though, she felt like singing. She played with the hem of her bell sleeves, taking note of how the thin, red polyester looked against her pale hands. The music playing from the cafe speakers faded out, the sound of static signaling her microphone was now live. She cleared her throat then smiled, shrugging away the universe’s warning.
“We love you Y/N Stark!” the cafe’s pastry chef screamed from behind the counter, a grin plastered on her face. The crowd laughed.
“Hey everyone, I’m back,” the crowd erupted in cheers. “Unfortunately, I will not be sharing any of my personal woes with you today. I know, I’m sorry to disappoint you.”
“I love you too, Ingrid,” Y/N laughed. “Especially your Tuesday night danishes. Now, I’m in a bit of a mood, you know? And the only one who really gets me when I’m feeling like this is the wonderful Brandon Flowers, so tonight I’ll be playing his masterpiece ‘Lonely Town’ and you all can join me in this wonderful mood that I’m in. If you know the chorus, feel free to join.”
Y/N began to strum the strings of her guitar, closing her eyes as she waited for her cue. She was two lines in when the bells of the front door rang, signaling the arrival of a new customer, but she didn’t bother to look up. In this moment, it was just her and the music. Eyes closed, fingers strumming chords she knew by heart.
Three men entered the cafe and sat around an empty table in the back near the counter. Two were smiling and nudging each other, occasionally stealing glances at the quiet third. The smiling blond man whispered something to his laughing companion whose face lit up. He quickly got up and ordered from the counter.
The third man didn’t notice their smiles and whispers, or even the steaming mug of black coffee that suddenly appeared before him. His blue eyes were focused on the girl singing on stage. Nothing else existed in the dimly lit cafe, only her and her voice. It was the same voice he once would fall asleep listening to under the stars, the same one he had been aching to hear again for months.
“Hey, hey Buck,” his blond friend nudged him, breaking him from his thoughts. “Welcome back.”
“Steve...” he said, raking his gloved hand through his long, dark hair.
“Now, before you get mad,” the other interjected. “We have a very good reason for-”
“It was Sam’s plan,” Steve explained, trying to hold back a smile.
“No, Steve, our plan. Us.” Sam said. “However, my informant failed to provide one small detail.”
“The singing, that was not planned.” Steve shook his head.
“Did not think she would be singing.” Sam said.
Bucky frowned. Yes, he missed her. Yes, he had been dying to speak to her since the night they walked down to the pier together. Neither of them could sleep, and they always found comfort in each other's presence. But this was not the way he wanted this to happen. This isn’t how he wanted to see her again. He didn’t even bring flowers or practice what he would say to her.
“She’s going to kill us,” Bucky said.
“And you’re going to love every minute of it,” Sam wiggled his eyebrows at Bucky over his yellow mug.
Bucky glared at him, then turned his attention back to the stage. Back to Y/N.
The crowd was joining her now as she sang a new song, one he recognized from a CD she made him. She was smiling and nodding her head now, her foot tapping along to the sound of her guitar. Her hair was longer, but she still looked the same to Bucky. Her dark blue eyes still sparkled, even under the dim lights of the stage, her laugh still infectious.
Soon the cafe was applauding and Y/N was making her way off the stage to the counter with her guitar case in hand. Before Bucky could stop him, Sam was already out of his seat running up to her.
“Steve…”
“Don’t worry, Buck,” Steve clapped Bucky on his shoulder. “Y/N is one of my best friends, I know her better than most. She probably won't hurt you. Probably.”
“Thanks,” Bucky said sarcastically.
Meanwhile, Sam was busy helping Y/N with her guitar case. To say she was surprised to see him would be an understatement.
“Sam, how did you know I was here?” She asked through a forced smile. This was not good. Not good at all.
“It’s a long story. We enjoyed hearing you play. Had no idea you could sing like that.”
Y/N froze. “We?”
Sam jerked his head in the direction of the back table. Steve waved and Y/N let out an internal scream. When she realized who was beside him, she swore her heart stopped beating. When Bucky made eye contact with her, she could feel her heart leap right out of her body and bury itself into the earth.
“Samuel Thomas Wilson,” Y/N whispered through clenched teeth. “You’re dead.”
“You guys need to just talk,” Sam begged. “Things have been weird long enough -”
“But I was singing!” she squeaked, “Singing things that may or may not be about - something. And someone here might recognize him and that’s just going to be -”
“Wait, wait,” Sam interrupted. “How would anyone recognize him?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Yeah, you did.”
“Nope.”
“Yes. How often are you here?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Stark, do you do more than sing?”
“Let’s get coffee, I want coffee!” Y/N began to quickly walk to the counter, waving down the barista. “The mochas here are so good! It has dark chocolate and caramel, and I like to ask for a sprinkle of crushed cookies on top.”
Y/N ordered her drink then purposefully took a seat next to Steve, across from Bucky.
“Hello boys,” she said, feigning confidence.
“So,” Steve said, nudging her with his elbow, “does this mean you’ll be serenading us now when we ask?”
Y/N rolled her eyes.
“And, is it just acoustic guitar, or do you play anything else?” Sam asked.
“Keyboard, maybe?”
“What about a tambourine?”
“No, Sam.” Y/N tilted her head and smiled. “But I can tell you just where to shove that tambourine -”
“Here’s your drink, Y/N.” Isaac, one of the cafe’s best baristas and a true angel, handed her the warm beverage. “Ingrid and I were hoping you’d be sharing another story or poem today.”
“I’m sorry,” Steve said, raising his hand. “Did you say poem?”
“You write poems?” Sam grinned.
Y/N could feel her cheeks redden. She avoided their eyes, especially Bucky’s.
“Thank you for the drink, Isaac. I’ll talk with you and Ingrid in a bit.”
“But we wanna know about the poetry,” Steve whispered as Isaac walked away.
“No,” Y/N said firmly.
She couldn’t help but steal a glance at Bucky. He was staring intently at her. Y/N hid her face behind her purple mug, pretending she hadn’t looked at him. Was it believable that the drink was making her face flushed? She really hoped so.
She wasn’t trying to ignore Bucky. On the contrary, she wanted more than anything to talk to him. She missed the nights in Wakanda where they would sit together and share stories by the fire. She missed pizza with him. She missed teasing him and getting him to cook for her. She missed their friendship before the Blip and the few good weeks after he came back.
And then he just disappeared. She only knew he was okay because Steve and Sam let her know he was still alive. Unfortunately, even they had no answers to why he suddenly began avoiding her.
“Seriously though,” Sam said, “you sounded really good up there. Didn’t she, Buck?”
Bucky shifted uncomfortably. He didn’t know what to say or if he should even say anything.
Y/N cleared her throat as she pretended to check her phone. “Well, it was lovely to see you all, but I have to get going.”
“Your drink just got here though.” Steve motioned to her still steaming mug.
She slid it in front of him, “You can have it, I need to be back in Salem early tomorrow.”
Before anyone could speak up, Y/N pulled on her coat and waved goodbye as she lugged her guitar case towards the entrance. Bucky frowned as he watched her disappear into the night.
“I hate that teleporting thing,” Sam huffed. “It always feels like cheating somehow.”
Their table remained silent. A man and woman were on stage now, singing a duet that had the whole crowd bobbing their heads and swaying to their music. Isaac and Ingrid were whispering and laughing together behind the counter. A group of four college aged boys entered the cafe, peeling their snowy gloves off their pink hands as they anxiously examined the menu, eager for something to warm them.
“What was the point of this?” Bucky mumbled, his eyes closed.
“We didn’t think she would just leave,” Steve said.
“Like I did?” Bucky opened his eyes and glared at his two friends.
Sam and Steve looked down at their empty mugs. They both knew what he was hinting at. Y/N had good reason to not want to speak to Bucky. He had kissed her. Then he disappeared without a word.
Bucky stood up and pushed in his chair. “I’m going home.”
They didn’t try to stop him when he left. They looked at each other, each bearing an expression of concern, one that said they hoped they didn’t just make a mistake.
--
--
The french doors of her room open, the green and ivory curtains dancing in the autumn breeze. The faint sound of traffic four stories below had helped keep her mind from spiralling in the lonely quiet of her small Manhattan apartment. Y/N dug herself deeper into the crisp white comforter on her bed, hoping sleep could help tame the thoughts swarming her mind like a cloud of locusts.
Five months later, and the knot in her chest ached just as much as it did that night. The embarrassment still felt brand new. She thought about the pier. She could see him standing next to her, closer than he had been when they first stopped to look out at the waves in the moonlight. He smelled like coffee and leather. She remembered the way his blue eyes looked into hers and made her breath catch in her throat. The cool leather of his gloves against her flushed cheeks. Then the warmth when their lips finally…
Y/N buried her face into her pillow and screamed. No, she thought, No more thinking about that! She quickly threw her blankets off of her and stomped to her kitchen for a glass of water.
Her bare feet padded along the cool oak floors as she paced the length of her kitchen. From behind a curtain of faux ivy, an oval clock above her dining table read 3am. She counted four hours - no, four and a half hours since she saw him. Four and a half hours since they saw each other for the first time in months and said nothing.
As she wrapped herself in a warm fleece blanket and sunk into the maroon cushions of her couch, Y/N couldn’t help but wonder what he had been thinking that night. Had he planned on seeing her? Did he want to talk to her, or were Steve and Sam meddling? Did he think about her as much as she thought about him?
With a sigh, Y/N shut her eyes and rested her head on a couch pillow. She was too exhausted; physically and emotionally. It was too late at night to worry and relive all that hurt. She promised herself that when the sun rose in the morning, she’ll head over to Steve’s and pry the truth from him. In the meantime, she let her mind drift into better memories as she slowly drifted to sleep.
--
--
Bucky knew he should be paying attention, or at least try to pretend to be paying attention, but his mind was too occupied at the moment. The night at the cafe kept playing over and over in his mind, her face more bright and more clear the longer he thought about her. He was busy imagining all the things he should have said to her when Dr. Raynor cleared her throat.
“Sergeant Barnes,” she said as she tapped her pen on her clipboard. “What’s keeping your mind so occupied today?”
He shifted his weight. The blue sofa in Dr. Raynor’s office was too soft, it made Bucky like he was sinking into quicksand. He kept his eyes focused on something outside the office’s window.
“Nothing,” he said.
Dr. Raynor sighed, “Barnes, do I need to remind you again why you’re here -”
“No,” Bucky sighed. “You don’t.”
“Then, talk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“You’re frowning more than usual,” Dr. Raynor smirked.
“It’s the couch.” Bucky said flatly, crossing his arms.
“Maybe the color of the couch?” A knowing smile danced across Dr. Raynor’s face.
Bucky pursed his lips, “No.”
“Did you see her?”
“No.”
“That’s a yes.”
With another sigh, Bucky leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “We didn’t talk,” he said finally.
“And why not?” Dr. Raynor’s expression was full of genuine concern. It was a miracle he had let Y/N’s existence slip during one of their first sessions, it was obvious this girl was important to him.
“Wrong place, wrong time.”
“Then where would the right place be or the right time?”
Bucky buried his face into his hands and groaned, “I don’t know, but that wasn’t it.”
“What would you say to her if the time and the place were right?”
“There’s nothing I can say.”
“Nothing at all?”
Without a word, Bucky stood up and leaned against the office window. There really was nothing he could say to her. How would he even begin to explain?
“You have feelings for this girl,” Dr. Raynor continued. “That much is obvious. Based on what I have gathered from what little you have told me, and what I already know about her due to her family’s public presence, she’s a good one. There are no words that do Y/N Stark justice, she’s a selfless creature with endless love and compassion for all. It would be hard for anyone to get to know her and not fall in love.”
Bucky shifted his weight, “I never said that.”
“You didn’t have to. It’s written on your face when you hear her name. Is this not the same girl who waited those five years for you during the Blip?”
“She didn’t wait for me. She and Steve were trying to get everyone back-”
“She never moved on.” Dr. Raynor and Bucky locked eyes.
“There was nothing to move on from.”
Dr. Raynor laughed, “I doubt that, or else you wouldn’t be so smitten.”
Bucky rolled his eyes and looked back out the window.
“She didn’t move on. I doubt she has now, or else you’d have more than a frown on your face. She waited for you, Barnes. She searched for you. How long are you going to keep her waiting?”
He turned back to Dr. Raynor, shaking his head. “I can’t.”
“You can’t what, Sergeant?”
Bucky hesitated. It was one thing to think these things, another to say them aloud. “She’s so good, and bright, and lovable. She’s done nothing but good and then I’m… I have these things that will always haunt me. I have a past. I’ll never be…”
“I have a feeling she doesn’t see any of that,” Dr. Raynor said with a gentle smile.
“I killed her grandparents.”
“That wasn’t you.”
“Yes, it was.”
“It was a twisted, memoryless shadow of you.” She took off her glasses and massaged her temples. “How long are you going to let these chances slip by? Stark is a good thing, she is good for you. And you keep running away. You can’t run forever. Good things won’t wait around forever.”
Bucky didn’t respond. He didn’t want to let go of Y/N. He didn’t like the distance he put between them. The problem was that he didn’t know what the right thing to do was anymore. Being with her felt selfish, undeserved, but being without her was miserable.
“Barnes, just go to her. Tell her everything. That girl doesn’t deserve to wait any longer,” Dr. Raynor sighed. She tossed her clipboard and pen down onto the table in front of her. “And get a haircut, that might help you.”
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Small World - Wonwoo (15)
{14}
You stood there staring at each other for a minute. Your mind felt both blank, and out of control.
“Come again?” Was your genius response.
“Why should I repeat it when you didn't?” He asked cheekily, smiling happily at you.
“But...but…” you could not get the words out.
He slowly stepped closer, placing both hands on either side of your face. You immediately felt your face heat up from the blush that had come to rest on it.
“I love you Y/n.” he said earnestly.
You weren't sure if your mind registered the moment first, or your body, but you flung yourself into his arms, almost knocking the both of you to the floor.
You wrapped your arms tightly around his waist as his arms came to rest on your shoulders, head laid on top of yours. You guys stayed there like that a few minutes. You relished in listening to the heavy pounding of his heart, loving that you were affecting him as much as he affected you.
He put this hand on your shoulders, moving you back slightly, and looked deep into your eyes.
You got lost in the intense stare he was giving you. You felt your body move on instinct as you saw his head moving down towards you.
Just before your lips met, you heard a surprised “oh shit” from behind you.
You spun quickly, grabbing onto Wonwoo’s arms for support. You saw Ji standing at the end of the hallway, face full of surprise.
“Um...I was just...checking you...You've been gone a long time. I got worried, but I see things are fine.” Ji rambled, face red from embarrassment.
“You really wanna watch us make out don't you?” Wonwoo said lightly.
“What? No! She's like my sister, that's gross.” Ji yelled at him.
“Damnit Ji! I haven't even had a first kiss with him yet! You have horrible timing.” You yelled at him, stomping your foot like a petulant teenager.
“Right. Sorry. I'll just… Go” he said, all but running down the hallway again.
“Well, that moment is kind of ruined now” Wonwoo said, shaking his head at Ji’s retreating form.
“It doesn’t have to be” you said turning back towards him.
Before he could respond, you grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down to you. He stopped again, just before your lips met, wrapped his arms tightly around you one more time, and pulled you in for the kiss.
Fireworks doesn’t even begin to describe what you were feeling.
It was almost as if someone doused you with gasoline and set your whole body aflame.
So this is what it feels to kiss someone you love you thought to yourself.
As soon as he pulled back, you immediately missed the connection.
“Well this is going to be a problem.” You said.
“What is?” he asked curiously.
“Now that I've kissed you, that's all I want to do.” You admitted shamelessly.
He pulled you in for a another hug and you felt the soft laugh rumble in his chest.
It was quiet for a while, the moment absolutely perfect, when you thought of something.
“Are you going to be on Show Champion tomorrow?” You asked suddenly.
“That's quite the change of topic. But yes we will.” he answered.
“That's good.” you said vaguely.
“Any more details as to why?” He asked.
“Nope” you replied, laughing at the small huff he let out.
“Now that you're not mad at me, can I compliment your song?” you asked, sending you both into fits of laughter.
“Why can’t you just tell me why you wanted to know if we’d be here today?” Wonwoo asked, sitting on the chair in your dressing room, you on his lap.
“Because it’s a surprise.” you said, playing with his fingers that were interlocked with yours. You weren’t sure now if it was a good surprise or not.
“But I don’t like surprises.”
“Aw, I’m sorry. But that’s just too damn bad.”
“Wow, you’re cold hearted.” he said, shoving you slightly.
“I am, but you loooove me” you said to him.
“You’re so corny it’s unreal.” he joked, kissing you lightly on your head.
You heard a knock at the door, and immediately got off his lap to go sit in the chair next to him. He gave you a funny look, but didn’t say anything.
“It’s open.” you said.
Seungcheol stuck his head in.
“Hey, we’ve got a few things left to do, and Producer said you need to get mic’d up Y/n.” then closed the door.
“That’s my cue. Think you’ll be able to watch my performance?” you asked.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world. But later, we’re gonna talk about why you jumped off my lap in a quick second as soon as someone knocked on the door.” he said, making his way towards the door.
You looked down, embarrassed at your actions, but nodded your head in confirmation.
You went to get mic’d up, nerves on end the whole time. You’d be debuting a new song, and you weren’t sure now why you wanted him to hear it so bad, but since you had written it about him, it made sense. What really solidified it was hearing his song last night.
You walked onto the stage and sat behind the piano that had been set up there.
“Whenever you’re ready” the producer said.
You took a deep breath, looking straight into the camera that was on you, then started playing the piano.
I will leave my heart at the door, I won’t say a word
They’ve all been said before, you know.
So why don’t we just play pretend
Like we’re not scared of what is coming next, or scared of having nothing left.
You took a deep breath, feeling overcome with emotions already and it was only the first verse of the song.
Look, don’t get me wrong. I know there is no tomorrow
All I ask is…
You took a deep breath, knowing your emotions would be strong during the chorus. You hoped he was watching, but at the same time, you hoped he wasn’t. You had written the song when things had been strained between the two of you. You'd poured all your feelings out into the song. It was merely coincidence you guys reconciled last night.
If this is my last night with you, hold me like I’m more than just a friend
Give me a memory I can use
Take me by the hand while we do, what lovers do.
It matters how this ends...Cause what if I never love again?
On left backstage where your piano was facing, you saw Wonwoo run over, skidding to a halt just in your line of sight.
You knew the song by heart, so you looked into his eyes as you continued singing, instead of down at your hands.
I don’t need your honesty, it’s already in your eyes
And I’m sure my eyes, they speak for me.
No one knows me like you do
And since you’re the only one that’s mattered,
Tell me who do I run to?
You couldn’t quite make out his facial expressions, but his stance was rigid. He kept shuffling his feet like he wanted to come to you, but knew he couldn’t. You tried hard to hold back the tears that were slowly forming in your eyes.
Look, don’t get me wrong I know.
There is no tomorrow
All I ask is…
You closed your eyes for a beat of the song, and then quickly returned your gaze to him.
If this is my last night with you, hold me like I’m more than just a friend.
Give me a memory I can use
Take me by the hand while we do, what lovers do.
It matters how this ends.
Cause what if I never love again.
You watched as his eyes frantically looked over your face, gauging your emotions throughout the song, the same thing you were doing to him.
Let this be our lesson in love, let this be the way we remember us
I don’t want to be cruel or vicious
And I ain’t asking for forgiveness...
All I ask is...
You took a deep breath, knowing you needed your voice to be strong for the last part of the song.
If this is my last night with you, hold me like I’m more than just your friend
Give me a memory I can use
Take me by the hand while we do, what lovers do.
It matters how this ends...Cause what if I never love again?
It was quiet for a moment, before the audience erupted in applause.
You looked around, lost. In all of the emotion, and seeing Wonwoo there, you had all but forgotten about the audience you were singing for.
You tried exiting stage left where Wonwoo was, but the producer motioned you towards stage right. You saw in the corner of your eye Wonwoo run backstage again.
“That was excellent. I don't think we're going to need to do another take. It's a beautiful song” the producer said to you.
“Thank you very much” you said shyly.
As soon as you were backstage, you looked around for Wonwoo, but didn't see him anywhere.
You knocked on the door to the guys’ dressing room.
As soon as it opened and Seokmin saw your face, he pulled you in for a hug.
“I'm going to punch whoever hurt you like that!” He said, hugging you close.
“Aw, thanks sunshine. Is Wonwoo here? I wanted to talk to him for a minute before you guys went on.” You asked him.
“Not sure where he went. About a minute into your performance he took off outta here like his ass was on fire” Jeonghan said from beside you.
“Oh, alright. If he comes back before you guys go on, send him my way will ya?” You said as casually as you could.
As soon as you closed your dressing room door after entering you were pulled into a pair of strong arms.
“What?” Was all you managed to squeak out before Wonwoo started talking.
“I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I made you feel like that. I will never forgive myself for not talking to you and being short with you. I caused those feelings. I should have just been open and honest with you about how I felt. Instead I took the coward's way out and ignored you. I promise in the future I will always talk to you about my feelings and not hide them. I love you so much Y/n.” He said, hugging you closer to him.
There were a lot of things you could have said in that moment. There were a lot of things you wanted to say in that moment. But you only said what your heart was feeling.
“I love you too, Pom.”
{16}
Credit for the song. It’s All I ask by Adele
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