#like 20x as intense as calm before the storm

[thesquidgame]

I was originally gonna post the In-ho fic in one long post, but I just finished the first 2k words and they are so intensely angsty and end on such a good cliff hanger that I kinda low-key wanna post it now and let y'all read it as I write a second part. What do y'all think.

[halcyonrogers]

hii! can a request a bucky x reader with the prompt, “I can't believe this. Out of everyone in the entire world, I get paired with you.” “believe me, I’m not to pleased with this situation either.”

warnings: mention of gun assembly, hate to like scenario

Send me a dialogue prompt (can be anything from a couple of words to a conversation) and a character of your choice, and I’ll write a one shot for you!

“Hey Y/N, you coming?”

You looked up from your book of manipulation tactics (courtesy of Natasha) and sighed in realisation, Steve stood in the doorway of your room with an apologetic smile.

“Is it completely necessary?”

He laughed and crossed his arms over his chest, a sight you could never get used to. It was true, you had a small crush on your Captain, but you knew nothing would ever come of it. You value your job too much to get involved personally with any of your coworkers.

Steve pursed his lips and watched the way you sat up in bed, stretching your limbs out before standing, a light sway taking hold of your body that you quickly corrected by grabbing your leather jacket. 

You ran a hand through your hair and looked up at Steve who was smirking, then you grabbed your mission file and walked past him, saying over your shoulder, “Cmon then, Rogers, we haven’t got all day.”

By the time you reached the meeting room on the ninth floor, everyone was looking between you and Steve with a grimace, probably frustrated with your lateness. Steve plonked himself down next to Bruce, so you had to take the plush armchair which Bucky was sat on the arm of. You sat and swung your legs over the other side.

“This is a formal meeting, miss lounge-a-bout, not a get-together,” Tony chided, regarding you with a smirk.

You gasped and put a hand on your chest, feigning innocence, doing your best southern accent. “Oh dear, my sincerest apologies sir, I thought this was my regular dinner date with my honeys from the country club!”

Bucky scoffed from beside you. “Take things seriously for once, why don’t ya? This is serious shit, you can’t just regard everything with some kinda childish view.”

“I’m probably the only sunshine and daisies bitch in this room, apart from Bruce! Love you, big guy.”

Bruce put a hand up in acknowledgement and muttered those ‘Love you too’, to which Bucky rolled his eyes. You had never known anyone to be so stubborn, pretentious and dismal as Bucky Barnes, but you guessed he had his reasons. Sure, he goes to a therapist about his past and takes work easy so he doesn’t feel strained, but he’s so nice and cheerful around everyone else except you. You supposed that maybe it was something you had said a while ago to put him off you, but you know you’ve always been nothing but wonderful to him. So what, in the world, is his issue with you?

Fortunately, you’ve never had to work with him 1:1 during a mission, so you guessed that maybe if you had worked with him before, things would be different. Unfortunately, you and him have very different skill sets and ways of working, so it’d be illogical to partner you two up. You worked more with the mind, using manipulation tactics to recover secretive information and your appearance to seduce the baddies into a false sense of security, whereas Bucky worked directly to either lightly hurt, maim or kill the rivals. He only did the latter if any of the team or innocent bystanders were in threat of being killed themselves, so Bucky’s skills were only really used in the most dire of circumstances. 

Today was that illogical exception.

“- No I don’t think she’s listening, hey, Y/N?”

“Huh?”

Your eyes scanned the room, and was met with some very thunderous gazes. “Oh, what did you say Tony?”

“I said,” He groaned, pinching the skin on the bridge of his nose, “Today is different, and that I need you and mister frosty fighter to partner up for this mission. Do we get that? Are you listening?”

“Frosty fighter? That’s a new one,” You laughed, lifting your legs off the arm of the chair so you could stand. “But no thanks, I work very differently to him and quite simply, I don’t like him or his attitude. I don’t get on with people who insult me.”

From behind you, Bucky spoke, “Frosty fighter is right here, feeling rather insulted himself, you know.”

You scoffed and adjusted your jacket, suddenly frustrated with everyone staring you down. Bruce whispered something to Steve, and the pair chuckled before your eagle eyes observed them shaking hands under the table.

“Whatever bet you two just made, I raise you $20, no more no less because I’m broke.”

The next morning, you were stood in the midst of some winter storm on the outskirts of Russia, wrapped tightly in warm clothes that made you itch everywhere. The first part of your assigned mission was to stake out in a tent approximately two hours away from the ‘checkpoint’, as you liked to call it. Bucky just liked to call it the target. 

Snowflakes dropped onto your eyelashes, the cold turned your cheeks a brazen red and made your torso shiver almost dramatically with the fierce winds constantly attacking you. You had your arms crossed just below your chest, your mitten-covered fingers shoved in your armpits to miserably keep the heat within your body. 

You entered the tent you and Bucky had slaved over for the past half hour and sat in the corner with a blanket. Out of the corner of your eye, you watched Bucky assemble and disassemble his favourite assault rifle. You assumed it was ‘first mission with a stranger’ nerves, but both of you had lived in the Avengers compound for the same amount of time. Or, you thought cynically, he was trying to scare you into letting him do it alone.That would never happen, luckily enough, as you’re just not that kinda person to give up easily.

All was silent before Bucky swivelled on his knees and opened his mouth to say, “I can't believe this. Out of everyone in the entire world, I get paired with you.” 

You scoffed and pulled your knees up to your chest, avoiding his intense glare. “Believe me, I’m not too pleased with this situation either.” 

Bucky rolled his eyes and sat down in front of you, wanting you to look him in the eye and say something so insulting, so rude and harsh that he’d be able to retaliate 20x better. But you didn’t. You just sat, silent, observing the way the small fibres on your clothes swayed with the breeze that managed to enter the tent. You weren’t about to entertain him and his sarcasm, instead you’re much too occupied with planning the best moves for when you reach the checkpoint. 

“Is there any particular reason you’re staring at me?”

“You’re not full of your usual venom towards me today, it’s weird,” Bucky paused, noting the way you were shivering. “Cold out here, I suppose you’ve retracted your fangs for once.”

You closed your eyes, willing yourself to stay calm. “You know me, I can’t survive in the winter winds with the frosty fighter lurking in the shadows, waiting for my fall from grace.”

“Ya gotta good way with words, I’ll give you that,” He chuckled, suddenly occupied with rummaging through his bags. “Can I ask you something?”

You gave him a small nod. “Nothing too revealing, I like to give my enemies a sense of security before I strike, you know, I don’t wanna lure you into falling in love with me.”

“Do you like hot chocolate?”

You looked up, and gaped at the sight of Bucky Barnes offering you a metal flask with a somewhat rugged looking blanket. Your hands itched to reach out and grab the items from him, but you were apprehensive of his intentions. “How do I know you ain’t gonna poison or smother me?”

He shrugged, and for once, suddenly looked rather vulnerable and timid. “I know you didn’t exactly have a good sleep last night what with being on the quinjet, so I dunno, I normally bring this sorta stuff when I feel run-down and frustrated and thought maybe you’d need them more than I do.”

“Well I feel like you’ve just opened up your heart and soul to me-”

Bucky laughed, taking it upon himself to tuck the blanket around your sides. “It’s just fucking hot chocolate and a really old blanket, not a kiss and a cuddle. I still don’t like you.”

You smiled up at him and pulled your hands out to pour the hot chocolate into the cup that screwed onto the flask. He pretended not to notice your genuine smile and shaking hands that brought the steaming cup to your lips, but inside, he felt like he’d melted into one big Bucky Barnes pile of goo. 

You held half a cup of hot chocolate out to him, and he grabbed it eagerly, sipping it as you spoke. “Would I be pushing my luck if I asked for a little nap whilst you prepare?”

“You have exactly an hour and forty four minutes rest time, use it wisely,” Bucky reprimanded with a smirk, using his other hand to pat the top of your head affectionately.

Whatever happened in those mere minutes of you and Bucky talking, you were certainly intrigued to see where the spare hour and fourty four minutes would go.

Send me a dialogue prompt (can be anything from a couple of words to a conversation) and a character of your choice, and I’ll write a one shot for you!