#like. honey you're a genius but that's the wrong planet

[literaryavenger]

Meet The Guardians Of The Galaxy

Summary: The Avengers meet the Guardians of the Galaxy for the first time.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Female Reader

Warnings: Minimal use of Y/N. Language. A lot of fluff. My poor attempts at being funny.

Word Count: 1.4K

A/N: I'm not sure what this is, but I was just thinking how it might go if the Avengers met the Guardians of the Galaxy. It started with the reader cooing at Groot and Bucky being jealous and this is what came out, lol, hope you like it! Needless to say, this doesn't follow the MCU timeline, like basically all of my other stories. Don't ask me how Thor knows the Guardians, the bitch just do. I also just needed Bucky fluff, like always, and I'm really happy how it turned out! Like always I appreciate asks and messages and am always up for it if you have any ideas.

Masterlist

By this point you’re very aware that there’s life on other planets, that the universe is a place much bigger than you ever imagined. Working with the Avengers allows you to see so many things that you never thought could possibly even exist.

Super soldiers, superheroes, enhanced individuals, even Thor himself is a demi-god from literally a different planet.

This particular demi-god is the reason why today you and the rest of the team find yourselves in the common room of the Avengers Compound, a spaceship casually parked in your yard.

They call themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy: Peter Quill, Gamora, Rocket, Nebula, Drax and Mantis, literal aliens currently bickering amongst themselves because they came to earth to visit Thor the wrong day, resulting in Thor not being home for their arrival.

"Is that a plushie?" you ask, a little confused, pointing at a little teddy bear-like thing on Quill’s shoulder and effectively ending their search for who is at fault for their mistake.

He looks even more confused than you and asks "What the hell is a plushie? This is Groot, he’s a Flora Colossi."

You decide, for my own peace of mind, to ignore the latin and instead focus on the cute little thing on his shoulder who is now moving and looking at you weirdly.

"I am Groot." he says in the cutest voice ever.

"Oh my god, you're just adorable!" You say, reaching your finger out for him to hold, freaking out at his cuteness.

"I remember when you used to talk to me like that…" you hear Bucky mumble behind you, which makes you laugh and, with your attention still completely on Groot, you tell him "God, you really are a needy bitch, Barnes." at which everybody laughs.

"Yeah? And you’re just a bi-"

"Hey!" you basically yell, interrupting him and startling Groot.

"I’m kidding!" he quickly says, putting up his hands in defeat. With one last glare at Bucky, your attention turns back to Groot.

"I am Groot!" he says again.

"I know honey, you said that." you tell him.

"I am Groot." he says, yet again, at which Sam answers "Yeah, you’re Groot, got it."

Groot says "I am Groot." again and, before Sam can say something that you're sure is gonna be very rude, you turn to the Guardians and ask "Why does he keep saying that?"

Rocket is the one to answer "Well, he don't know talking good like me and you. So his vocabulistics is limited to I and am and Groot. Exclusively in that order."

His answer leaves you all a little dumbfounded but again, for your own sanity, you all seem to decide to let it go.

Instead Bruce asks "So how do you understand him?"

"We speak Groot." Nebula says like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"How can you speak ‘Groot’ if he says literally the same three words, in the exact same order, in the same way every time?" Tony asks, starting to get a little frustrated, probably because the genius can’t do something that seems to come really easy to a bunch of space idiots.

"We manage." Quill simply says.

At this point Groot reaches his little hands towards you, signaling that he wants to be picked up, so, before Tony can make any sarcastic comment, you look at Quill and ask, excitement clear on your face "Can I?" while pointing at an awaiting Groot.

"Sure." He says, and you very carefully pick him up and put him on your shoulder.

"Be careful not to move too fast, he’ll hold onto your hair for dear life." Gamora warns you.

"Noted." you say giggling a little when Groot sticks his tongue out to Gamora, then she does the same to him, making everyone else laugh too.

"Buck, look how cute he is." you coo at Groot who's playing with your finger.

"’s not that cute…" he says quietly but you hear him, and apparently so does Groot because he says "I am Groot." in a very annoyed tone that prompts a chorus of whoas and protests from the guardians.

"The acorns on you, kid!" Quill says, and everybody just knows he said some really bad words to Bucky.

"Who even taught you that word?!" Rocket sounds like an exasperated parent.

"I am Groot."

"What do you mean, Drax taught you?! WHY WOULD YOU TEACH HIM THAT?" 

"The small tree asked." Drax says unbothered.

"Just because he asks doesn't mean you have to teach him dirty words!"

"How was I supposed to know that?"

"It's really common sense, Drax." Gamora interjects, calmer than Rocket.

"I am Groot."

"See, even Groot knows you don’t have common sense, Drax, that’s why he asked you." Quill says.

"I am Groot."

"I am not stupid, tree!" Drax glares at Groot.

"See, he’s not cute. He’s a disrespectful little shit!" Bucky says, also glaring at poor Groot.

"I am Groot." the guardians snicker, leaving the rest of you confused.

"What? What did he say?" you're too curious not to ask as Groot is now glaring back at Bucky.

"He said he doesn’t understand how a sweet person like you is with someone like him." Nebula translates, earning some gasps and snickers from everyone else too.

You look at Bucky trying hard not to laugh and he looks like he's about 5 seconds away from murdering Groot.

He takes a step towards you but Groot, still on your shoulder, makes the cutest little growl and starts flinging one of his arms around in Bucky’s direction, the other one holding to your hair so as to not fall.

"Oh, he’s ready to fight a bitch." you say unable to hold in your laughter any longer and the others follow you.

"What?" you turn around and Drax is giving you a confused look.

"What?" you say, calming down from your laughter.

"I do not understand. He does not resemble a female dog." he looks at Bucky and then back at you.

"He- I don- What?" you’re as confused as you’ve ever been, everybody else’s faces mirroring your own.

"His people are completely literal, he doesn’t understand metaphors." Rocket explains.

"Oh… fun." Tony says, still a little confused.

"Is it though?" you hear Gamora mumble, before Mantis starts giggling.

"It is!" she says with the joy of a kid on christmas morning.

"It’s really not." Nebula says casually, and from that the Guardians start bickering amongst each other.

You look at Groot who’s still on the warpath with Bucky and then at Rocket, the only one not saying anything.

He meets your eyes and simply says. "This is what I gotta live with."

"Oh, poor little racoon." you coo at him while laughing and that seems to stop the bickering.

"Hey, I am no racoon!" Rocket tells you defensively.

"I am Groot." Rocket groans and Quill snickers.

"Groot’s right, he’s a trash panda." he says knowing the people of earth will know why that’s funny.

Some of the Avengers laugh, but you gasp trying to hide your amusement for Rocket’s sake.

"You know, you might be right, Buck. He’s not that cute and innocent after all." you turn to your boyfriend, who gives you a slight pout.

"I’m cuter than him, right"- he asks you with those puppy eyes he knows make you melt.

"Aww, of course you are, baby." you give him a kiss on the cheek, almost forgetting about Groot on your shoulder until he talks again.

"I am Groot." the Guardians “aww” and coo at him but before you can ask, Mantis explains. "He says he understands now why you’re together."

"He says he can see how much you two love each other." Gamora finishes.

You smile at Groot and he smiles back before making the cutest yawn, looking at Bucky and doing grabby hands at him.

Bucky looks at you and you take his hand and guide it towards where Groot is, he’s uncertain but when Groot climbs on his hand Bucky looks almost like a little kid seeing a butterfly up close for the first time.

He brings Groot against his chest and the little tree gets comfortable and falls asleep almost immediately, while everyone else in the room coos at the two.

"This might be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen." you whisper, not wanting to wake up Groot, and Bucky looks up at you and flashes a smile bright enough to light up the whole of New York.

"I guess he is kind of cute." he says looking back down at Groot’s sleeping form, leaving everyone else snickering as quietly as they can, while he imagines how it would be to be like this one day with a baby that’s his and yours, and you can’t help but think the same thing.

Part 2

[thefoxtrot008]

Dialogue Prompts

Here we are! Part 16 of the dialogue prompts. These are sporadic and not categorized, we're winging it. Enjoy! :)

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"Oi, mate. A word. Right now."

"Do me a favor will you?" "Yea, sure. Name it. "Kick his fucking ass for me?" "You got it."

"Well, then. Let's you and I have a little chat then, shall we?"

"Okay. Who do I have to kill to make this all go away?" "Put the sword away, you're not killing anyone." "Try me."

"I thought you were planning on taking (character name)?" "Change of plans, they are dead to me at the moment." "Ah. I see that you're still fighting then." "Before we go any further in this conversation, I want to remind you that you're the only guy I am finding tolerable at the moment." "Copy that, but instead of taking me, I have a counter-proposal for you." "I'm listening."

"This is so stupid, you said it not me."

"You're taking her?" "You're taking him?!"

"Just make up already, because you're driving everyone crazy!!"

"I didn't want to take it there, but you leave me no choice!"

"Who is (character name)?" *everyone groans*

"We come bringing snacks!!!" "And here we have your favorite, of course."

"So. Are you ever going to man up and actually tell me what your problem is? Or do I have to force it out of you?"

"You scared the absolute shit out of me."

"Curse over attentive brothers."

"Fine. Don't tell me; but, when you're done lying to me and are ready to talk about it, you know where to find me."

"You're an idiot." "Thanks for telling me what I already know."

"He's just mad is all... give him time. I'm sure he'll come around."

"We don't have a problem." "Wrong answer, try again."

"I don't know, but I do know one thing." "Oh, and what's that, my love?" "That my hero deserves a reward, of course." "And kind of reward would that be?" "Just... the best kind of course."

"Someone has to make sure you get your rest, sweetheart."

"Here is how this conversation is going to go."

"I'm going to ask you this once, and you're going to be completely honest with me."

"Move your hands. I need to see the damage... it looks like it's just that wound, but we should get that cleaned up; Do you want to take off your shirt?" "Do you want to take me out to dinner first?"

"I did get his number." "Oh mama, someone's got game!" "I wish I did, but unfortunately, all we've been talking about is his paper." "Okay, honey, what's the end game here?"

"Yea, put the phone away, so we can get crazy."

"Do you know how long I've been waiting for this moment?"

"I am in heaven." "Yea, we can see that."

"The simple solution would be to open the door."

"Try all you want, you can't mess with fate." "Well, we're definitely going to try to. Considering that fate gave me a supposed soulmate that I wasn't supposed to have." "Yea, fate gave me a soulmate that I didn't even want." "Fine. But don't say I didn't want to."

"We're going to have to come up with some more ideas on how to break this thing."

"You of all people should know that I cannot keep a secret. This is unfair to me!"

"You have to tell him eventually." "Tell who what?" "Nothing." "Doesn't seem like nothing." "It's on a need to know basis."

"Yep, I'm going to go and dig myself a grave." "Can't be that deep of a hole, you don't have much dignity."

"Thought I'd find you up here." "Look, if you're coming here to gloat, I, really... really don't want to hear it right now."

"But I don't know, I'd say as of recent events, your standards have only gone up assuming..."

"Why don't you hate me so much?!" "Because YOU hate ME!" "But I don't!" "Well, then I don't either!" "Good!" "Fine!"

"Alright, red leader to red one, pull over." "Red one to red leader, what's the situation?"

"I wouldn't erase things off of your board." "There are no incorrect equations on my board."

"You think you're the only one having these issues, but you're not."

"I am the biggest genius on the planet!!!!"

"It's out of your jurisdiction, back off!"

"Hey, guys... I'm guessing you're all here because you want something and not just for chit chat."

"I have never seen you loose your shit like that. Ever." "I apologize. It won't happen again."

"Can you like... give me a warning before you come over?"

"I am going to settle this, once and for all."

____--------_____--------_____--------_______-------______------_____

And that's a wrap folks!

[sexiestpodcastcharacter]

Sexiest Podcast Character — Scripted Bracket — Finals

Propaganda

Captain Isabel Lovelace (Wolf 359):

Her everything <3 But in all seriousness WHAT is more sexy than a haunted, competent, funny, cursed, vengeful, mourning, badass, doomed woman?

listen to the run and hide speech and tell me that isn't the sexiest thing you've ever heard

Hot space lady who could kill me mmm yes please!

(sort of) twice-undead space captain who wired a bomb to her heart to make sure the crew of her ship didn't kill her before her escape shuttle got working. she's funny she's a genius she knows how to use a gun and she cares very much about her crew (despite the whole bomb thing).

#LOVELACE #idk who she’s up agaunst really tbf #but she cares so SO much #she gets boiled down to ’tough scary lady hot’ a lot (which 100% agree) but #she is heartbroken about her failure to keep her crew safe #and stubbornly wants to make sure none of it is in vain #even if it kills her #HOT. ​even apart from how hot her monologues and threats to hilbert are #also her and eifel laughing and getting along when they first meet her 😭 yall #anyway. lovelace 1000%. the defense rests

Vote Lovelace cuz of the way she says "Hi honey, I'm home" to the bastard who shot her in the head, and then how she proceeds to beat him up <3 Oh. And how she twists his arm and says "good boy". Yeah.

LOVELACE SWEEP LOVELACE SWEEP GO LISTEN TO HER RUN AND HIDE SPEECH AND WEEP THAT GODDARD AERONATICS EVER KILLED HER ENTIRE CREW AND ALSO HER (she recovered) AND MADE HER THEIR ENEMY

#LOVELACE SWEEP. DO NOT FUCKING LET ME DOWN #Lovelace is so much to me #Seen some people in the notes citing the run and hide speech#Which is very good #but my personal favorite Lovelace thing is variations on a theme #The cyclical nature of trauma #The lack of trust #The fear #the sadness #‘You can never go home. You were home. And now you’re back— and you can never go back.’ #Lovelace hearing Hera say something to her and #Thinking ‘what she’s actually saying is that I’m a demon and she would be glad to kill me in a slow and horrifying manner’ #Is so #I don’t agree that Lovelace is doomed either #Like #lovelace did die. But #She got out of that pain and trauma #How do you listen to her say that she is Isabel Lovelace #That she rejects the person that pain made her to be #And say she’s doomed

captain lovelace helped 12yo me realise I like women. She’s so hot. her threatening Hilbert is the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard. isabel lovelace SWEEP

If you don't vote for lovelace you're all lying about supporting womens' wrongs.

Not to be dramatic or anything, but I will never forgive any of you if you let Lovelace lose. She's tragic, she's haunted, she's an alien clone, she's vengeful but trying to be a better person. SHE DIDNT DIE TWICE FOR Y'ALL TO LET HER LOSE THE SEXIEST PODCAST CHARACTER TOURNAMENT. And I'm sorry. The part when (see propaganda above) she is intentionally pissing off Kepler so in the event he kills one of the hostages it's her instead of Eiffel??? Shit talking Kepler AND trying to save Eiffel's life? Serving absolute cunt. Sexiest moment of all time, actually.

Are we all forgetting that her introduction involved keeping a dead man switch for her spaceship (converted into a bomb) wired into her goddamn HEART??? Vote Lovelace or else

VOTE FOR ISABEL LOVELACE, HOTTEST WOMAN ON THIS PLANET (AND OUT OF THIS WORLD 🤘). she is everything to me , always . im head over heels

Hera (Wolf 359):

I don't care if she's an AI with no physical form, she is HOT

my digital wife <3

oh it's always "i want a hot computergirl with poor cable management to glitch on my shit" and "i want to fuck her until she bluescreens" on this website until it's time to put your money where your mouth is. i have a post about usb penetration with tens of thousands of notes. i see the things you all say. you have a hot computergirl in front of you and this is how you all repay her? you would abandon her? prove yourselves as the computer sex website; vote for hera NOW!!!

"everyone voting Hera in this round is doing it strictly because she is an AI" WRONG. INCORRECT. everyone voting for hera is doing it because she's funny and thoughtful and passionate and wears her heart on her sleeve despite all of the times people have let her down. because she's anti-authority, and that's sexy. it's sexy that she's an AI because the way she navigates being a woman in that context is inherently transgender, and THAT'S sexy, but on its own? not even like, top five most relevant things about her. self-determination? that's sexy.

VOTE FOR HERA. i'm not done. i've made the case that she would want this more, and that's true, but you should also want her. the propaganda says she doesn't have a physical form - in one sense, that's true, but she DOES have an internal self-image and the desire for physicality. most of the physical sensations she's experienced so far have been painful - think of what you could do for her. she has human desire without the means to act on it. she's the most touch starved anyone has ever been. making love to someone who can't be touched by conventional means IS inherently sexy and it IS a win for disabled trans women everywhere.

she's passionate and kind of emotionally unstable and fiercely loyal - "officer eiffel? he's your deadman's switch. if you let him die, or if you do anything that doesn't fall under the category of do no harm, i will go off. i will rain acid on your ass. i will crank the temperature in the room so high that your skin will crack, and bubble, and burn. i will vent you into space through a hole the size of a quarter. and if i am feeling very, very generous, i won't do all those things slowly." like come on!! what more do you want!!

VOTE FOR HERA. my final, last-minute appeal: her character arc is fundamentally about identity, autonomy, and being seen the way she wants to be seen. the way she navigates her identity as a woman in this context is inherently transgender, and that IS sexy. she's funny, she's passionate, she's sweet, she's been let down repeatedly by almost everyone she's ever met and she still opens her heart to people because she so badly craves connection. she's frustrated, touch starved, and pent up, and was initially rejected from service because of her impulsive, emotional, unorthodox way of thinking. i have so much more i could say on her behalf, but this IS a contest of sex appeal. thinking outside the box, breaking rules, and reaching beyond the limitations of her own form is so central to who she is. hera could come up with freak shit beyond the comprehension of the average person, and she IS enthusiastic enough to make it work.

[dihalect]

remember when meenah called karkat "nubs mcshouty" (which i love btw). what the fuck is up with that name.

we know that troll culture can accommodate some names that don't follow the 6/6 rule. troll will smith, for example. so that part is whatever. but 'mc' is an irish/scottish name-part that means 'son of'. i can also accept that alternian has words and morphemes that, in english history, are loans. i'm sure there are hundreds of other examples of those in homestuck.

but how did they specifically get a prefix that means "son of"? OBVIOUSLY that meaning wouldn't work with troll name assignment. they don't have the concept of a parent or a son. so what does it mean to them??? how did it arise?????

[sweetdreamsbuck]

miss col. i have been sitting here trying to think of words to describe this GIFT of such a sweet and tender little series. it is so beautiful. in every sense of the word. so tender and lush and just so earnestly beautiful 💜🥺 I can't handle him one bit, i'm pretty sure i lost my ass about 3 seconds into the first chapter but this ending is just so PERFECT I literally cried and giggled and squealed so much all through out. he's such a soft little devil and i couldn't want to bite someone or play with their beautiful irish chestnut locks more.

you did such a phenomenal job with the range and pacing of emotions in this series, but the description of feeling in not only your characters but the scenic sensory stuff for this chapter is just divine!

THE FIRST FUCKING LINE????? ARE YOU SHITTING ME????????? i'm taking your laptop and phone away from you and throwing them off of a cliff goodbye. you are losing your writing privileges solely because nothing will ever make me claw my heart out of my chest and throw it at someone MORE THAN THE THOUGHT OF HIM WAKING ME UP WITH HIS WARM BODY NEXT TO MINE, STROKING THE SIDE OF MY FACE???????

i'm so touch starved this story only makes me realize it tenfold

"You let out a soft whine and he chuckled, rubbing his hands up and down your arms at a quick pace and then caging your face between his calloused palms to pull you in for a deeper, hungrier kiss."

nope. no. throwing them off a damn cliff overlooking the great big sea, col.

OH MY GOD BLUSHY BABY BLUSHY BABY!!!! OH MY GOD IM SO MAD I WANT HIM SO BAD I JUST WANNA BITE AND NEVER LET GO

"But I’m pretty sure that the second you’re not within arms reach of me, my heart is goin’ to cleave in two."

i swear to god col i'm never speaking to anyone ever again unless they are this man.

"And you look devilishly handsome, Bucky. Now let’s get this party started so it can be over that much faster and I can finally rip that bowtie off of you, undo a few buttons, and mess up that gorgeous hair of yours."

you actually didn't write that bit, those are just my own thoughts this entire fucking series. i can't believe you're putting me through this right now. you're not allowed to be doing this to me specifically. every single word of those two sentences are quite literally my essence and reason for existing

YESSS BUCKY SAID WOMEN'S RIGHTS thank fuck this baby boy exists. other men need to take note

OMG WHAT HE JUST KEEPS GOING HE "HAS AN IMPRESSIVE LADY" TO FOLLOW AROUND YES THAT'S RIGHT!!!! bucky said i'm sorry just in case it wasn't clear the first few times WOMEN'S RIGHTS

oh no i fucking feel it coming i almost forgot what was coming No no

oh no

"The memory of Bucky’s small smile as he handed you the small rectangular box, as if he was truly so excited to do something that would make you happy. To fix whatever was going wrong in your life. Oh how you wished he could fix this moment for you."

this is literally me weeping over my phone right now why would you ever write those words KNOWING i was going to be reading this

okay but all screaming aside those sentences are haunting and absolute brilliance you're the most beautiful evil genius to exist i got CHILLS

oh no you're descriptions are so fucking beautiful I literally am clenching my ASS CHEEKS TOGETHER SO I DONT FALL OVER

why is this so gorgeous col you're everything perfect about this world my god

"I never realized how much luck I was going to get from the blasted thing, but it led me to ye, and now I feel like the luckiest bastard on the planet for getting to spend these last few days with ye. "

oh the sweetest baby boy in the entire world🥺 he's so baby i'm so not okay right now

TITLE DROP TITLE DROP!!! THEY WERE SWEETER THAN HONEY YESSSS THEY ARE

YOU FUCKING EVIL LITTLE DEMON!!!! natasha KNEW HE WAS APPLYING TO NEW YORK AND TO COLUMBIA OMG COL YOUR BRAIN!!!! i just ran back to her almost saying it in the bar and bucky cutting her off all uncomfy oh my god i'm buzzing this is perfection and everything I want in life

OH MY GOD HE'S FUCKING BLUSHING COL!!!! WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU DO THIS THANK YOU

bucky baby..... omg no you're reading the reaction wrong i couldn't possibly ever not want you here in NY i'm quite literally laying on the ground with my legs spread and my mouth as wide open as it'll go. don't get is crossed baby

of course id kiss him right now. of course you knew that col

"And just like that, it felt like you were back in Ireland, surrounded by fields of green as the light of the sunrise kissed your face."

oh this line. felt it in my soul 🥰🥰

this series is bliss and such a perfect getaway from our pitiful irishhunkless lives. i want to visit ireland so terribly, and this only made my longing way worse. now if I ever go, it won't be good for me unless I meet this baby boy hehehe

pure perfection col, yet again another flawless and beautifully tender story that made me choke on my tongue and my cooch yell at me for neglecting her of this godlike Bucky

Sweeter Than Honey • 3

Pairing: Mechanic!Bucky x Fem!Personal Assistant!Reader

WC: 8.2k

Summary: It all started with a failed attempt to buy your boss a new phone, and then suddenly you're in the middle of nowhere Ireland crying your eyes out in front of a handsome mechanic who would do just about anything to make you smile again...

Note: That's all, folks! Thank you so much for reading this mini series of mine. I had WAY too much fun thirsting over our favorite Irish mechanic. If I were a famous children's author with all the money in the world, I would by you all plane tickets to Ireland to find yourselves a hunky bae <3 Banner photo taken by *moi* ;)

You woke to the feeling of Bucky’s hand cupping your face, thumb stroking your cheek.

“Come on, love,” he whispered, and though your eyes hadn’t yet opened, you could hear the smile on his face as he spoke. “We got a big day ahead of us.”

God, his morning voice might actually be the thing that killed you.

He kissed your forehead and you let out a small, content sigh, eyes slowly fluttering open.

Bucky was, in fact, smiling. Eyes looking at you as if you were everything good in the world.

The sun was just beginning to rise across the vast fields before you. Bucky had originally offered to drive you back to the hotel as the late evening transitioned to early morning, but you were so happy, so lost in this magical little bubble the two of you had created together, that you said you wanted to stay in the back of the truck and watch the sunrise.

So, here you were, safely secure in the arms of the man who made your chest ache and your head spin, your leather jacket from the night before replaced by one of his flannels he kept in the truck as backup. The air was a bit chilly this early in the morning, but you barely registered it thanks to the furnace that was Bucky’s body and the blanket wrapped around you.

His smile grew as he watched you wake up, and he leaned forward to give you a slow, chaste kiss.

“Morning, love,” he murmured into your lips while pulling away.

Another happy sigh. “Morning, Buck.”

“Ready to see the sunrise?” You nodded and he kissed your nose before pulling you up to sit along with him. “Right then, we need to get moving then.”

You let out a soft whine and he chuckled, rubbing his hands up and down your arms at a quick pace and then caging your face between his calloused palms to pull you in for a deeper, hungrier kiss.

That woke you right the fuck up.

He guided you down the bed of the truck, then grabbed a few bottles of water from the cooler and you smiled as he handed one to you. Never in your life had you had someone who was so attentive to your well-being, and Bucky seemed to do it so effortlessly. 

His cheeks turned pink as you continued to stare at him fondly. “What?” he asked.

You shook your head. “I’m going to be really fucking sad when I leave tomorrow,” you responded, your voice light but coated with bitterness.

Bucky frowned, then pulled you in for a tight embrace, his chin leaning on the top of your head. “Can I be honest with ye?” 

Your heart skipped a beat as dread spread through your body in an instant. He was going to say that he couldn’t wait for you to leave, or that you leaving wasn’t going to affect him at all.

You braced yourself and nodded against his chest and he sighed, hand running up and down over your hair.

“I know it hasn’t been a full day since our paths crossed, and I don’t mean to startle ye,” he said, “But I’m pretty sure that the second you’re not within arms reach of me, my heart is goin’ to cleave in two. Colors will be less bright, the air will be less sweet, everythin’ will be dim because you’re not there.” He chuckled. “I must sound like a nut, don’t I?”

You squeezed him tighter before pulling away to look into his eyes, moving a hand up to trace along his jaw and cup his cheek.

“No,” you said softly. “I think you described it perfectly, Buck.”

He smiled, moving forward for another deep kiss, a light breeze pushing the tips of his hair into your face and you reveled in the feel of it, soaking up as much of the experience as you could.

After another passionate makeout session that made you breathless, Bucky took your hand and led you down the field and up a small hill that ended up providing a perfect view of the sunrise. You sat there between his legs, back leaning against his chest as he wrapped his arms around you. He kept his cheek pressed against yours, moving only to press his lips to your temple, your forehead, your jaw, every spot of your skin he could get to.

You turned to look at him once the rays began warming your body, admiring the way his skin glowed in the light. The way the orange/yellow hues mixed with the blue of his eyes made your breath hitch, and with the way they sparkled when he looked at you, you knew he felt the same.

As much as you would’ve liked it to, the moment could not last forever. You still had a job to do and Bucky had one more stop planned before dropping you off. He took you to a cafe, where you had the best coffee and soda bread of your life, the two of you sharing stories of your childhood, your friends and family back home, learning as much as you could about the other person.

Then, your time was up, and suddenly his truck was pulling up to the hotel. His hand was interlaced with yours, and he lifted it up to kiss your knuckles.

“See you tonight?” you asked with a smile.

He nodded. “I’ll be countin’ down the hours, love.”

You scrunched your face and he scrunched his back, the two of you giggling as you got out.

When you reached the door of the hotel, you turned around to find him still parked, eyes locked on you, smiling.

You pulled open the door and winked at him, and you could hear his chuckle perfectly in your mind as he shook his head, switching his focus to the road and driving away.

A small groan escaped you as you noticed Quentin standing against the wall by the door to your room, his arms crossed in front of him. The sound caused his head to shoot up, and he scoffed.

“Where the hell have you been?” he chastised, standing straight.

You rolled your eyes, digging through your bag for your key. “I was out.”

His hands waved around in the air as he let out an even more dramatic scoff. “Out where? With that mechanic Tony said you met yesterday? Are you even capable of doing your job, Y/n?”

You whipped your head at him, eyes filled with rage and momentarily startling Quentin.

“Quentin,” you said in a cool, calm voice. “Was there an emergency last night involving Tony?”

He huffed. “Well, no but-”

“Did Tony ask you where I was at any point last night or this morning because he needed me?”

“No but-”

“Then I don’t understand what the problem is.” You held up a hand, pressing one finger at a time as you listed off facts to the brat in front of you. “I got him his phone, I got him to his event last night, I got him back to the hotel, and now I’m here an hour before his press schedule begins. And had Tony called me at any point last night, I would have dropped whatever I was doing and taken care of it. Now unless you have some actual constructive criticism about my job performance, I would ask that you let me change and get ready so that I can get Tony where he needs to be, alright?”

He clenched his jaw, stepping toward you and you narrowed your eyes in defiance, showing no fear as he leaned down to meet your eye. “Listen here, you little-”

“Y/n,” Tony said, voice slow and questioning as he watched you and Quentin jump back from each other, eyes both on your boss with much lighter expressions. “Beck…everything okay with you two?”

Quentin let out a chuckle, seamlessly switching into his Tony’s in the room time to schmooze mode. “Of course, Tony, just making sure Y/n here got in okay. Looks like she had a wild night.” His hand patted on the flannel Bucky told you to keep covering your shoulder and you flinched.

Tony nodded slowly. “Right….uh, Y/n, can I talk to you for a sec?”

Knots formed in your stomach and you nodded, forcing yourself not to look over at Quentin’s smug expression as he walked away.

This was it, you were actually going to get in trouble for being out with Bucky last night. 

He walked over to you and smiled. “So, I take it you had fun last night?” His eyes went down to the flannel covering your arm.

You grimaced, wrapping your arms around yourself. “I’m sorry boss, I should have come home and been here if you needed anything. This was so unprofessional-”

He shook his head. “No no no, Y/n you’re fine.” He smiled. “I’m glad you had a good time! I love that giant bastard. Pretty sure I got lost in those sweet baby blues of his a couple of times yesterday.”

You laughed. “They are quite hypnotizing.” Your eyebrows furrowed. “So, you’re not mad at me? And I’m not fired?”

His eyes narrowed, head jumping back in confusion. “Absolutely not. Why on earth would I fire you?”

Biting your bottom lip, you explained to him the reason for your panicking. “Cause of the fiasco yesterday with the phone and the car, and I’ve just spent the night galavanting off with some random guy I just met.”

Tony cocked his head to the side. “Was Quentin just giving you shit for all of that?”

You blinked, not wanting to put yourself into a deeper hole with Quentin or causing Tony any unnecessary stress.

It was enough of an answer for him though and he rolled his eyes. “Clearly he never told you about his first year on the job. Kid forgot to convert my international tour schedule to the appropriate time zones. I don’t even want to talk about the number of flights and events I missed because of that.”

Your eyes widened and you breathed out a small chuckle as Tony continued. “Y/n, you are seriously doing a fantastic job. Yes, yesterday got a little crazy, but this whole job is fucking crazy. And you handled it like a champ! As far as the Bucky thing goes, you’re an adult! And though the hours for this job get a bit nutty, I hardly expect it to be a 24/7 gig. In fact, I would hate that for you. So if you meet a cute guy in a foreign country and decide to get safely swept away by him during the time I’m not asking you to buy me a new phone that I dropped off a cliff, who am I to get in the way? I am the cool boss, after all.” He winked and you laughed again.

“Thanks Tony. For this job, this trip…everything. You’re seriously probably the best boss I’ll ever have.”

He grinned. “Damn straight.” Then, he lifted his arm to check his watch. “Alright, I should go back to my room and let you get ready.” Walking backwards, Tony made a peace sign with his fingers and went back into his room.

A small smile lingered on your face as you walked into your own, checking the time yourself. 

Technically, you should start getting ready for work now so that you didn’t have to scramble to meet Tony on time.

Or….you could scramble and still make it on time….after laying in bed and pressing your face against Bucky’s flannel for five more minutes.

Yeah, that would be a good idea.

When Tony first told you about the fancy dinner you would be attending to raise money for child literacy programs, you had originally gone shopping for fancy gowns and sparkly dresses. It wasn’t everyday that you got to attend such a high society event, so why not go all out with the glam and live out your Princess Mia Thermopolis dreams?

But then, two weeks into your job you worked your first event, and you were glad that you hadn’t bought an outfit yet because you were hit with a sudden realization.

There was no way you were going to wear a dress while running around every which way for hours on end. Your thighs would never forgive you.

So, you went with pants.

A green sequin jumpsuit, to be precise (you were in Ireland, after all). 

It was now the greatest thing you owned. So sparkly and chic, yet incredibly comfortable. The quarter-sleeve piece hung loosely around your body making it easy to move around without fear of anything ripping or tearing, and its tie belt wrapped around your middle to give your figure shape. 

In this outfit, you felt hot as fuck even as you were lugging stacks of chairs across the large ballroom, a thin sheen of sweat forming over your brow as you hustled to put everything together. 

You had thought that Quentin had set everything up last night, seeing that he used it as an excuse to skip Tony’s event. It turns out that he had set up the tables….and rolled the racks of chairs into the room.

That was it.

So when you showed up an hour before showtime to a half-empty room, you asked one of the servers setting up the bar for a free shot of scotch before getting to work, scrambling to decorate the tables and put up the seating cards and make the fundraiser that was supposed to raise millions for children’s literacy program into something that looked worth investing in.

Luckily, after a month of working for Tony, you had grown used to the chaos and you were able to shift to total work mode and get things done quickly. Within thirty minutes, the tables were dressed and decorated. You were so focused that you barely noticed the stack of chairs being lifted from your hold for a moment until you realized that you were walking towards a table with empty arms.

You stopped short, staring at your hands confused until you heard a soft chuckle behind you. And then Bucky was walking past you toward said table, chairs in hand. You took a moment to ogle at the giant irishman, dressed in a tux that fit his body extremely well. So well, in fact, you felt slightly concerned that if he turned too quickly he might tear the fabric. The thought made you instinctively run your fingers over your mouth to make sure you weren’t drooling. 

“Ye gonna stand around all day while I get this place situated, love?” he asked, giving you a side smile as his eyes looked you up and down hungrily. “Not that I’m complainin’ if ye do. Ye look too gorgeous to be doin’ any work, in my opinion.”

You grinned, running forward to give him a quick kiss before grabbing another stack of chairs. “I love the flattery, Barnes, and I owe you many more kisses for coming to my rescue to help set up, but we have twenty minutes before the big wigs show, and this place needs a lot of work.”

He nodded, expression going serious. “On it, boss.” Then he smiled again. “Ye look beautiful, Y/n. Just gotta make sure ye know.”

Your smile grew. “And you look devilishly handsome, Bucky. Now let’s get this party started so it can be over that much faster and I can finally rip that bowtie off of you, undo a few buttons, and mess up that gorgeous hair of yours.”

This time, when Bucky nodded, he stayed silent as you watched his Adam’s Apple work.

By the time the first round of guests arrived, the room looked stunning, as if an entire team of workers spent hours making sure everything was perfect, instead of two now very exhausted people running around last minute in a panic. As soon as the final napkin was placed on the table, the head bartender of the evening placed filled glasses of whiskey in yours and Bucky’s hands, congratulating you both on achieving the impossible. 

The two of you made eye contact as you downed the drink, laughing in complete shock that you had finished the job.

Tony and Quentin were one of the first to show up, Tony looking around the room in awe as they walked up to you.

You pulled on Bucky’s arm, silently asking him to lean down until his ear reached your lips and you whispered, “That’s the deck I was telling you about. Quentin.”

Bucky let out a low, almost silent growl in the back of his throat and his jaw clenched. When he stood straight, you saw him roll his shoulders back and puff his chest out, looking larger and more intimidating than ever before.

You knew he was trying to look frightening, but to you, he had never looked hotter as the Irishman went into full protective mode.

“I gotta say Quentin, you really outdid himself with this one…I swear it’s never looked this good before,” Tony said as they approached, patting his employee on the back.

Bucky furrowed his brow, opening his mouth to argue but you elbowed him in the gut and smiled, nodding at your boss.

“Just doing my job boss. You know I’ve always got your back!” Quentin narrowed his eyes as he looked Bucky up and down, sizing your date up (even though your date towered over him easily). “So,” Beck said, “You must be Bucky…”

Bucky nodded, one hand reaching around to rest on your waist as the other extended out to shake Quentin’s. “And you’re Y/n’s colleague. Heard a lot about ye.”

Quentin cocked his head to the side and shook his hand, fighting back a groan as you watched his fingers get crushed within Bucky’s tight grip. All he could do was bob his head in response, desperate for his hand to be free. When Bucky finally let go, Beck’s fingers flexed a few times to allow the blood flow to move once more.

“Anyways,” Quentin said, forcing a smile, “I should start chatting with some of the investors. You should do the same, Tony. You know they love ya.” He patted your boss on the back and Tony rolled his eyes.

“I know how to talk to people, Beck. You do your thing and I’ll do mine.”

You and Bucky exchanged glances as soon as the two of them left, then burst out into a fit of giggles. 

“Bucky, you’ve done a lot of stupidly hot things over the past 24 hours. But the look on Quentin’s face as you crushed his hand? That takes the cake, babe.”

His eyes lit up and he winked. “Listen, that deck has to know that as long as you’re my girl, he better be on his best behavior. Even if ye weren’t my girl, he should respect ye as the fierce, hard working woman ye are.”

You bit your bottom lip, fighting back the urge to kiss him senseless in a room full of people that weren’t his closest friends like at the Golden Elixir. “Well, Buck, ready to meet Dublin’s elite?”

He stayed by your side the majority of the night, chatting with various investors with so much charm and wit that you had to force yourself to stop staring at him and make eye contact with the other people you were chatting with.

It worked out for Bucky as well, because everyone you spoke with took a liking to him immediately, and as soon as he mentioned that he worked at Wilson’s, most of them remarked that they would be willing to check the shop out, complaining about the shit work “high end” mechanics did around these parts. Bucky was overjoyed at the idea of potential new business, and you beamed when he offered free tune-ups to anyone who contributed more than five thousand dollars for the fundraiser.

“Bucky,” you whispered, hand wrapping around his forearm.

He shook his head, smiling. “It’s alright, love. It’s for a good cause. Plus, we’re good at what we do, so if we can lure them in with free work, we’ll most likely get guaranteed business forever. It’s all about the investment, right?” He winked again, and you couldn’t stop yourself as you stood on your tiptoes and kissed the now blushing man on the cheek.

“Oi! Barnes!” a deep, rumbling voice echoed through the room and you saw a blond head bobbing through the crowd. “Is that you, mate?”

Yesterday, you had first thought that Bucky was the tallest man you had ever seen in your life.

Then, you met Steve, who managed to stand over Buck ever so slightly.

But now, as the blond man stood before you, you were certain that he was an actual giant, a literal skyscraper next to anyone who ever crossed his path.

Bucky smiled from ear to ear, moving forward to pull the large man in for a hug. “Thor! It’s so good to see ye, brother! How are ye?”

Thor grinned back, shaking Bucky’s hand when they pulled away. “Absolutely grand! Even more so now that I know someone fun is at one of these things.”

Bucky turned to you. “This is Thor Odinson, part of Asgard Electric. His family’s company lights up almost all of Ireland. We went to primary school together. Thor, this is Y/n, she’s Tony’s assistant.”

You extended your hand to shake Thor’s, only to let out a small yelp as he wrapped his arms around you, lifting you in the air as he hugged you with a hearty chuckle.

“Y/n! Lovely to meet ye!” He lowered you to the ground and you stumbled back to Bucky’s side. “Ye sure have a lovely woman on your arm tonight, Barnes.”

Bucky shook his head, smiling as his arm made its way back around you. “Aye, she is lovely, but I feel as if I am her arm candy for the evening. She’s quite an impressive woman. Practically put this whole thing together.”

Thor’s brows raised and he nodded. “Well, you’re lucky to have such an impressive lady.”

Bucky nodded back, squeezing you against him. “That I am.” He looked at you with a fond smile before turning back to Thor. “So, are ye here alone or is the rest of the clan here? I’ve been meaning to talk to yer mother to see how her car’s been holding up since we changed the battery last month-”

His words were cut off as the two of you were jostled by a figure bumping against your arm. Quentin.

He let out an incoherent apology as he worked to stand up straight, alcohol sloshing around in his glass and he gave you a mischievous grin.

“Well, Y/n,” he slurred, completely ignoring Bucky and Thor as his arm waved around to gesture at the crowd. “Welcome to your first party filled with the dumb, snobby rich folk. Now I know you came here with your own date or whatever,” Bucky pulled you closer to him and out of Quentin’s reach, “But you should really consider hitting up some of the old crones who are looking for a fun time. I’ve managed to add a few extra thousand dollars to a donation thanks to my generous attention to some of the guests who are looking for a little something extra.” You looked over to Thor and Bucky who were both frowning, clearly uncomfortable with what your trashed coworker was saying. 

Quentin, completely oblivious to their being upset by the conversation, kept going, and he whispered loudly in your ear, “I think I’m gonna go for the wife of the electric company guy. That hag Freyja looks like she hasn’t had a good time in decades-”

Thor roared, grabbing Quentin by his jacket and lifting him up in the air, face red with rage. “What did you just say about my mother?”

Quentin whimpered. “I’m sorry, I didn’t- I wasn’t-”

“What is going on here?” Tony emerged next to you, brows knit together in anger. 

Bucky jumped to action, moving to Thor’s side and whispering something in his ear. Thor grumbled back, but then lowered Beck to the ground, his hands still clenching his suit. He looked the terrified man in the eyes as he responded to Tony. “This little maggot just disrespected my mother, Stark, and I’m half inclined to rip his mouth from his face so that he never gets to speak ill of her ever again.”

Another whimper from Quentin. “Tony,” he pleaded, “Ya gotta, ya gotta believe me man I was just joking around of course I would never-”

“Are you drunk, Beck?” Tony asked, crossing his arms.

“N-no,” Quentin stammered, hands out in an I’m innocent manner. “I mean, I’ve had s-some drinks here and there-”

Thor let go of Beck and stood back as Tony stormed over to him, silencing his employee and you heard him murmur. “I want you out of here, Beck. Don’t pretend like you’ve been acting like a real piece of shit these past few months. I thought the new role would give you more responsibility to finally get your head out of your ass, but looks like I was wrong.” He gave Quentin a long, cold stare before saying, “Pack your bags, you’re fired.”

Quentin stared at Tony, horrified for a few seconds before he regained composure, standing straight and buttoning his suit jacket. “Fine,” he said, feigning nonchalance. “I’ll go, and see how long you last without me.” His glassy eyes bore into yours and you glared at him. “Good luck with this incompetent loser managing everything on her own-”

He yelped as Bucky’s hand grabbed him by the back of his hair, the seething Irishman now dragging him by the scruff toward the exit. Nobody had noticed the scene playing out before, but now all heads were turned to the two of them as they cleared a path to the exit. 

Bucky was back by your side in less than a minute, his hand interlacing with yours and squeezing it as he leaned down to whisper in your ear. “You okay, love?”

You nodded, squeezing back. “Thank you…for being here and taking care of that.”

His jaw worked. “Believe me, I’ve been wantin’ to do that ever since I realized he was the root cause of ye cryin’ yesterday. It was a pleasure to toss him around a bit.”

At that, you let out a small giggle, and Bucky finally smiled for the first time since the whole ordeal.

Afterwards, you went into damage control mode, starting with politely asking the servers to hand out a new round of drinks to everyone and escorting them to their seats so that speeches could start to hopefully prevent gossip from spreading too far. Then, you, Tony, and Bucky went to issue a formal apology to the Odinson family (Bucky, of course, had nothing to actually apologize for, but he still offered to do a full detail of each of their cars for free). Per your suggestion, Tony offered to donate five signed full sets of his books for the libraries at the schools of their choosing.

Thor gave both you and Bucky a big hug for dealing with Beck. “Barnes, the way ye dragged him out with his tail in between his legs was just grand! Wish it could have been me doin’ it, but I probably would have done way worse and for everyone’s sake, I’m glad I didn’t.”

Bucky nodded, shaking his hand and you smiled up at the man at your side, grateful to have him here to keep you grounded after feeling you were going to pass out from the panic racing through your veins.

You were definitely still in shock, not totally believing that Quentin had just been fired.

Thank fucking God.

The rest of the night was a roaring success. Tony went up to the stage shortly after the chaos died down, being his usual charming self and completely winning the crowd over. Bucky kept his hand in yours for the rest of the night, never wanting to leave your side.

There was one moment that the two of you had to temporarily part ways at the end of the night – much to both your disappointment – when you had to square away payment for the bartenders and caterers.

When you returned, you noticed that Bucky was standing in a circle with Tony and a few of the investors that were heading out, smiling and laughing as Bucky shook one of their hands. He turned to you as you approached and his smile widened, excusing himself to head your way.

“Making friends, Barnes?” you asked, tilting your head to the side questioningly.

He wiggled his eyebrows up and down. “What can I say, love? Everyone wants a chance to talk to the handsome mechanic who can get them a deal on good-quality service.” He leaned closer and whispered, “Becca and Sam are gonna shite themselves when they start getting calls from some of these folks.”

You laughed, rolling your eyes. “Alright, Mr. Hotshot Mechanic, how about the two of us get out of here?”

His eyes lit up in excitement and he extended his arm out, the other finding its way back around your waist right where it belonged. “Lead the way, love.”

You both bid your goodnights to Tony and then Bucky went to grab the truck, leaving you and your boss outside the venue by yourselves.

“I’m so sorry you had to deal with all this shit, Y/n,” Tony mumbled, face apologetic. “I should have fired him long ago. I guess I never realized how much he sucked until I actually hired a good assistant.”

You gave him a small smile, nodding. “No worries, Tony. I’m just sorry he wasn’t who you thought he was.”

He shrugged. “Well, I’ll be much more mindful of that when I look for a new Brand Manager. Until then, your workload might get a little nutty. That okay?”

You laughed. “If it was anything other than nutty I’d honestly be a bit concerned.”

Tony laughed with you, resting a hand on your shoulder. “Ain’t that the truth.” Headlights hit his face and you turned to see Bucky’s truck pull up. “So….are you two like, officially a thing now?”

You turned back to Tony, smile turning bittersweet. “Who knows. Kind of complicated, you know, living thousands of miles apart and all.”

“You never know. Sometimes things change.” He paused for a moment, then grinned. “Speaking of change, I got asked to go to breakfast with one of the investors from tonight right before our flight home. It’s right by the airport and it would honestly be a waste of time for me to go there and then pick you back up at the hotel.” His eyes flickered to the truck then back to you. “Do you think you might be able to find a ride to the airport and just meet me there?”

You fought back a gasp, eyes widening. Not having any morning obligations with Tony, nor driving with him from the hotel to the airport meant so much more time with Bucky. It wasn’t much, but any amount you could get with him was now a precious gift. You nodded, seeing the knowing look in his eyes and feeling like you’d never be able to adequately express your gratitude. 

He nodded back, patting your shoulder before stepping away. “Right then, go have a good night and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You grinned. “Have a good night, boss!”

His fingers moved up in a waving motion as he walked toward the valet pickup area, and you wasted no time turning and running to Bucky’s car.

The first stop was to the hotel so that you could both change into sweats and pack up your things. You nearly squealed with delight when Bucky let you remove his bowtie in between kisses, and then nearly dropped all of your toiletries when he removed his shirt, finally getting a peak at the hardened muscle all those terrible layers of clothing had been hiding all this time. Bucky let out a soft chuckle when you pouted as he threw on his red henley before he began to help you pack. 

Helping turned out to be more like a series of constant derailments caused by him wrapping his arms around you from behind and kissing your neck every five minutes.

Once that was done, you checked out of your hotel and Bucky put your belongings in the truck, and then it was time to drive to your new favorite spot: a field in the middle of nowhere Ireland where the stars shone brighter than the streetlights in New York.

In the arms of the man you had fallen for before you even had a chance to stop yourself. 

There were many moments when you wanted to crumble and burst into tears, as his hand cradled your face, or when his lips brushed against yours so tenderly. But you knew that as soon as you started you wouldn’t be able to stop, and you didn’t want anything to ruin this perfect moment.

Still, there were a few tears that managed to slide down your face, but Bucky kissed them away before they could leave streak marks on your skin.

You held onto each other, through the stories you shared, the silence that lingered as you stared into each other's eyes, the desperate kisses that made you wish you could stay in this moment forever.

Forever wasn’t an option, but the emotions you had felt the last two days would at least last you a lifetime.

You tried to stay awake all night, arguing that you could just sleep on the flight home. But the work from the last few days left you completely exhausted, and your lids grew heavy as Bucky’s hand moved along your arm in a hypnotic motion.

What really did you in was the moment he started humming an unfamiliar ballad, his perfect, soothing voice coaxing you to sleep.

When your eyes opened back up, the stars were gone, replaced by a purple sky.

You turned your gaze to the side to find Bucky awake, staring at you, a small, sad smile on his face.

“Morning, love.”

Things moved by in more of a haze the rest of the morning. You watched the sunrise, but your focus was more on the feel of your cheek against Bucky’s shoulder. The green fields passed you in a blur as you passed them on your way to the airport, your attention solely on the profile of Bucky’s face as he stared out at the road ahead, the way his fingers wrapped around the steering wheel of the truck, the way his hair blew in various directions from the wind.

Everything you could memorize about him, to paint the clearest picture in your head so that no matter where he was in the world, you could find him in your daydreams.

When the airport finally came into view, you felt knots form in your stomach, bile rising in your throat, dread puncturing your heart. Bucky noticed your distress and took your hand, giving you a comforting smile as he parked the truck.

You both sat there for a moment in silence, looking out at the crowds of people moving about outside, unable to make eye contact.

“We never spoke about it,” you finally whispered, taking a deep breath and turning to look at him. “About the after. After I leave…and what happens then.”

“Well,” Bucky started, clearing his throat, “I’m probably going to go to the pub and drown in my sorrows for the day after I make sure you’re settled and kiss ye senseless. And then, I’m gonna sit by my phone and wait for ye to call me when ye land and tell ye how much I miss ye.”

You smiled, tears welling in your eyes. “I know you said that you don’t have plans to visit New York anytime soon, but if you ever find yourself with a free week or something and feel like taking a trip across the pond…I would really like that.”

He bit his bottom lip, grinning. “That sounds grand.”

“And I definitely have to go back to the Golden Elixir to hang out with the hot redhead,” you said with a wink.

Bucky groaned, a low chuckle rumbling in his chest as he shook his head and you laughed along with him.

Your phone buzzed and you looked down at it, smile dropping from your face. “That’s Tony. He just got here. Guess I should go meet him.”

Bucky nodded somberly, then reached out to grab the back of your neck to pull you in for a sweet, tender kiss.

The two of you moved slowly as you grabbed your bags and made your way to the airport entrance, Bucky’s hand around your waist, thumb stroking your side.

Once you got to the double doors, you stopped and Bucky followed suit. You could see Tony through the glass windows scrolling through his phone, the one that you had been so desperate to get for him only two days ago. 

The memory of Bucky’s small smile as he handed you the small rectangular box, as if he was truly so excited to do something that would make you happy. To fix whatever was going wrong in your life.

Oh how you wished he could fix this moment for you.

You turned to him, tears starting to fall. “I-”

“I have somethin’ for ye,” Bucky said nervously, lowering your bag to the ground and reaching into one of his pockets.

You breathed out a laugh. “If it’s another phone Bucky I might slap you.”

He shook his head. “No, it’s not that, love. Although if you want one let me know and I’ll give Sarah a call.” You lightly shoved his left shoulder and he grinned. “It’s nothin’, really, and if ye hate it you’re more than welcome to toss it in the bin as soon as I turn my back. I erm,” he shifted on his feet, “That day we met, I was finishin’ up a job near ye, and as I was walkin’ back to my truck Becca called asking me to head over to BHOD to help a panicked American lass out.” He smiled fondly at the memory, then pulled something out of his pocket, holding it out to you.

It was an Irish penny, a circular piece of metal punched through it and attached to a black leather cord.

“As I was talkin’ to Becs, I saw this coin right by the front tire of my truck. I don’t know what the custom is in the states, but it’s good luck to find a penny on the ground, so I took it. I never realized how much luck I was going to get from the blasted thing, but it led me to ye, and now I feel like the luckiest bastard on the planet for getting to spend these last few days with ye. They’ve been the best days of my life, and no matter what happens when ye walk through those doors, I’ll cherish the memories forever. I just want ye to remember that.”

You took the necklace, brushing your fingers over the coin, more tears falling down your face. You looked back up at him with a smile.

“I love it.” I love you, you thought, but couldn’t find the courage to say it. You figured he knew, though, and you figured he might feel the same.

“Grand,” he said, beaming. Then he moved behind you to tie it around your neck, leaning down to brush his lips right above where the leather rested along your skin.

When he was back in front of you, his hands caged your face between them, and he wiped away your tears with his thumbs. 

“This isn’t the end, love, okay? I reckon we’re too good together for that to be the case, aye?”

You nodded. “And miss a chance to see this pretty face again? Never.”

He scrunched his nose with a smile, then pulled you in until your mouths found their way home. 

No matter how long it might be before you crossed paths again, you knew you’d never forget the mesmerizing taste of Bucky Barnes’s lips.

They were sweeter than honey.

He pulled away to envelope you in his arms, embracing you to the point of almost crushing your body, and you still felt like it wasn’t tight enough.

“Until the next time, love,” he murmured into your ear. “I’ll be counting down the seconds.”

You nodded, moving back until you locked your eyes on the beautiful cerulean ones before you.

“Remember what you said to me that first night? About your lips being mine as long as I’ll have them?”

He smiled, eyes glistening. “I do.”

“Remember what I said after?”

A tear fell down his cheek. “That ye’d have them forever.”

You kissed him again, then whispered into his lips, “I’m holding you to that, Barnes.”

His smile widened. “Sounds like a plan, love.”

You smiled back, rubbing your nose against his and running your fingers through those soft, gorgeous chestnut locks.

Then, you grabbed your bags, took a long, deep breath, and moved to the double doors.

As soon as you got inside the airport, you looked over your shoulder.

Bucky was still there, smiling at you with tears in his eyes.

With one small wave, you turned and kept walking, heart cleaving in two.

FOUR MONTHS LATER

“Listen Y/n, are you sure you can’t come with us to D.C.? We’re meeting the President and everything!”

You chuckled, looking both ways before crossing the street. “I know, I know, but it’s my best friend’s wedding this weekend. I know the President is a big deal, but he wasn’t there with a sewing kit when I had a wardrobe malfunction at junior prom.”

Tony sighed. “That asshole,” he joked and you both laughed. “Well, I hope you have fun this weekend. Maria and I will sing all the karaoke without you.”

You nodded, even though he couldn’t see the movement through the phone. Maria Hill was Tony’s new Brand Manager. At first, she terrified you, her seemingly tough and serious demeanor incredibly intimidating. But then Tony took the two of you out to a karaoke bar after the first event she worked, and you realized that she was actually just the coolest, funniest person ever. She even helped with setup and breakdown, and complimented you when you did your job well. Basically, she was awesome, and you did feel a tinge of disappointment that you were missing a chance to hang out with them this weekend even though you saw them almost everyday. “If y’all sing any Spice Girls I will be devastated, you hear?”

He gasped, acting as if you had just accused him of murder. “I would never.”

“That’s what I thought, Stark.” You checked the time on your watch. “Has your car picked you up yet? They should be there within the next five minutes.”

“Not yet,” he said. “I’m bringing my bags down right now though so I’ll be ready when they do.”

“Do you have everything? Wallet, laptop, boarding pass, Invisalign-”

“Y/n, you have to let the Invisalign thing go. I forgot it one time-”

“And then I had to overnight it to Texas for you, where it got held up at some warehouse and took twice as long to redirect it back home. I’m sorry boss, but until those pearly whites are straight and no longer need a fancy retainer, it is permanently on the checklist.”

He sighed. “You know, sometimes it’s annoying how good you are at this job.”

“Just trying to make it impossible for you to fire me.”

“Well, you already nailed that one. If you ever threaten to leave me I might actually get on my hands and knees and beg you not to. Or I’ll make Morgan give you her best pouty face.”

“That’s not fair. You know I can’t resist a Morgan pout.”

“Neither can I.” He paused, then continued. “So…the wedding. Got a date or anything?”

“Nah, I usually go stag to these things. Besides, the only person I’d want to go with is thousands of miles away.” Though your tone was joking, you felt the familiar ache return in your chest, and your free hand moved to grab the penny resting on your chest.

You and Bucky had talked non stop since you left Ireland, either texting almost 24/7, late night phone calls, FaceTiming, or sharing funny TikToks with each other. You had wished that the two of you could have reconnected in person by now, but with your chaotic schedule and him focusing on applying to schools, there didn’t seem to be enough time for it to work out. Nor did it seem like it would anytime soon…

“Gotcha,” Tony replied, “Probably for the best, anyways. I bet you’re going to be too busy making sure the bride doesn’t have her own wardrobe malfunction.”

You giggled. “Exactly.”

“Oh, car’s here. What are you up to right now?” Tony asked.

“Almost home. Why? Do you need something?”

“Well, I did have something delivered to your place that should be there by now. Just want to make sure you get it.”

You furrowed your brows in confusion, rounding the corner to your building. “What is it-”

You stopped short, mouth agape as you stared wide-eyed at the door of your apartment.

At the ocean blue irises that were now locked onto yours, the sheepish smile just below them.

“Bucky?” you breathed out.

“Oh, good,” Tony said, and you could hear the smile on his face. “Delivery got there. I’ll leave you to it then. Have a great time, Y/n.” He hung up, but you couldn’t move the phone away from your ear. You couldn’t move at all.

Bucky walked slowly down the stairs and toward you, hands buried in his pockets.

You finally lowered the phone to your side. Your heart was pounding, head dizzy. 

He stopped when he was a few feet away from you, and you noticed a pink hue form along his neck and up to his cheeks.

“Hello, love,” he said softly.

“W-what…what are you doing here?”

His shoulders moved up and down as he released a deep breath. “Well, I kind of live here now.”

Your face scrunched in confusion. “Wait, like in New York?”

He nodded. “Classes start in a week, so I just moved into my new flat.”

Your brain felt like it was moving 100mph and yet the idea of forming a coherent sentence seemed impossible. “You- classes? You do school here?”

He grinned at your words. “Columbia. Studying engineering. Also managed to snag a job as the personal mechanic for some rich author or whatever.”

Bucky was here. He was in New York. And he was staying? “I..”

“Listen, love. I know this was sprung on ye and I’m sorry I didn’t tell ye sooner. I had actually been wantin’ to apply before we even met, but I didn’t want to say that in case it made you feel any kind of pressure between us. And I honestly didn’t think I��d be able to get in because this school is so damn nice and I didn’t want to get yer hopes up. But Tony introduced me to some people in Dublin who knew members of the admissions team and..well, here I am.”

You tried to speak again, but there were too many words trying to push themselves up and it caused what could only be described as a traffic jam in your throat.

The silence made Bucky uncomfortable, so he continued. “We can talk about what this means. Obviously this is a very different scenario than what ye first imagined all those months ago. If ye wish our paths didn’t cross while I’m here, that’s…” he took another deep breath, “That’s fine. But I’d love to take ye out on a proper date if you’re interested. Many dates, if possible. Of course, I don’t know any of the places around here to eat so ye’d have to tell me what place ye like to-”

Without warning, you had finally regained control of your motor functions, and you jumped to close the distance between you, lips crashing into his.

He let out a gruff moan, arms wrapping around your waist and pulling your feet off the ground as he held you tightly to him. 

And just like that, it felt like you were back in Ireland, surrounded by fields of green as the light of the sunrise kissed your face.

His lips were just as you remembered. Soft, tender, hungry.

Sweeter than honey, and all yours.

Forever, just as you wanted.

The End 🍀