#steve is the best i love him hes a sweetie siamese that loves to talk and roll around on the ground <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[slaren]

honestly love that some of the neighborhood cats have human names. like i go for a walk and im just calling for STEVE (though i prefer steven usually), JACOB, HAROLD or BOB!

[tilltheendwilliwrite]

Soft Names, Soft Touches

Chapter Two

Previous Chapter 

Pairing: Bucky x OC | Word Count: 2.6k+

Warnings: Swearing. Violence. Russian that may or may not be correct. Angst. Mild sexual content.

Franki woke to the soft sound of beeping and had an instant heart-stopping moment of panic before a strong hand squeezed her own. Her eyes snapped open and darted to the person sitting beside her bed and finding Natasha filled her with relief that she wasn’t back there. Back in the hell hole the Avengers had pulled her out of. “Sestra,” she murmured, calling Nat sister and causing the redhead to smile.

“Sestrenka,” Nat replied with little sister, a smirk twitching her lips. “You gave us all a fright.” Especially one large, metal-armed supersoldier but she kept that knowledge to herself for the moment.

Sitting up, Franki looked down at her air cast coated leg and sighed. “Steve is going to chew my ass out for this.”

“He’s going to have to stand in line.” Seeing her best friend and heart sister sit up was all Natasha needed to unleash the anger living inside her. “What the hell were you thinking? You could have killed yourself, Franki! You took a swan dive out a seventh-floor window onto a concrete roof and expected to what, just get up and walk away? God! I just want to smack you so hard!”

Blinking, surprised by the vehemence, Franki had to take a moment to catch up. “Natasha,”

“No! No way,” The fired up redhead waved her hands and paced back and forth at the foot of Franki’s bed. “You don’t get to speak, not yet.” Stalking back around to stand before the brunette with the sickeningly perfect mane of hair, Nat gripped her by the shoulders and wasn’t offended when she flinched. Holding her tight, she jerked the other woman forwards and hugged her hard. “You are not expendable. You are not allowed to throw your life away because you feel nothing! You may not feel your pain, but the rest of us do, dammit! You are not some afterthought that we picked up one day in China. You’re part of this team, part of our family, and if you don’t stop pulling this bullshit I will see that Steve and Fury bench you!”

Gasping softly, Franki recoiled at Nat’s words. “You think that I... that I am trying to hurt myself?”

Sighing, Nat plopped down beside her. “Sometimes… yeah.” Taking the brunette’s hand, Natasha held it between her own. “Franki, I’ve seen you take blows you could easily have avoided. I’ve listened to your bones break, watched your bruises heal, your skin knit back together as if the damage was never done. You take unnecessary risks. You fight like your life doesn’t matter. Only the job. Always the job. Sometimes… you scare me, sestrenka.”

A second sharp gasp left Franki’s lungs. She had scared Natasha, the Black Widow. The one all the girls in the Red Rooms had been told was the best. The fearless one. Franki had caused the strongest woman she knew to admit to fear. It broke something inside her to hear those words. “Klubnika,” she whispered, heart aching. “I did not realize…”

“Yeah, well, cut that shit out,” Natasha grumbled, a small smirk twitching her lips, a tiny flush of red in her cheeks announcing her embarrassment at admitting something so personal. “I mean it, Franki. You are important to me, to us. We feel your pain, even if you don’t.” Patting her hand, the redhead stood from the bed and gave in to the need to grin coyly. “Some of us more than others.”

Franki looked at her confused. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, nothing. Just a large metal lug has been lurking, waiting for you to wake up.” Natasha snickered when Franki blushed.

“Oh, god,” she whispered, fingers going to her lips as everything she’d said to him before she’d passed out came screaming back. “I’m so stupid.”

Natasha was quick to sit back down. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Klubnika, I did something very foolish.” Franki whispered, “I don’t know what came over me. I gave him his soft name.”

“No!?” Nat gasped, wanting to shriek for joy. “You called him snegopad?” It was an unknown fact that Franki had soft names for all of them. Wanda knew hers because it was impossible to keep anything from Wanda. Clint and Natasha’s were well used, though Sam had only called her strawberry once before Nat had thoroughly handed him his ass in the training ring, but all of them had her little soft names. Franki just kept them close to her heart, rather than dolling them out.

Steve was belyy rystar’, the white knight, an honourable leader that she was happy to follow. Wanda was blesk, a brilliant sparkle, and Nat thought it suited the Scarlet Witch well, as did Wanda who always blushed in pleasure when Franki used it. Sam was lovko, slick, for his smooth talking ways. Franki would always just roll her eyes and walk away. She loved him like a brother, but he was the little annoying one that did too much talking. Scott had earned his, obayatel’nyy, for being exactly what he was, sweetly charming and a charlatan at the same time. Franki had pegged him, and the Ant-Man hadn’t stood a chance.

Tony was kotenok, kitten, and Nat wasn’t sure how the Iron Man had garnered such a name, but he was excessively arrogant, kind of like a loud-mouthed Siamese who had moments of swift activity but could also spend hours doing nothing. On second thought, Nat found it was kind of perfect. Peter, the little spider, had become lapochka, sweetie pie because he truly was. Plus, he was too damn young and innocent for any other name. And Vision was myshka, little mouse because he was as quiet as one and moved without noise, appearing and disappearing without warning. Fury was nachal’nik, boss man, though he spent little time with them now.

Both Bruce and Thor hadn’t been around as much, Franki unable to make a decision on their soft names as she just didn’t know them very well. Thor was stuck in Asgard, dealing with the fallout from his brother’s latest escapade, and Bruce was, well, he was being Bruce and had disappeared again. The Hulk had been more present in his day to day life than ever before and, though he accepted the other guy was part of him and not something he was ever going to get rid of, sometimes he just needed to disappear into a rainforest or the wilderness of some remote area to find a little balance again.

Focusing back on Franki, Nat let her grin widen at her rapidly reddening friend. “And!?”

“And what? I passed out!” She flopped backwards over the bed and felt a mild hitch in her breathing. “Did I break ribs, too?”

“Ribs, leg, punctured your femoral artery and bruised a kidney.”

Nat’s voice was hard and full of disapproval, but Franki ignored it in favour of sitting back up. “Shit.” She’s was going to be out at least three days before she was back to fighting strength.

“Forget that. What are you going to do about Bucky?” Nat said, poking her in the shoulder.

“Nothing.”

“You can’t just do nothing!”

The screech was enough to have her flinching. “Nat,” she sighed when the redhead glared at her. “I think I have embarrassed myself enough for one lifetime.”

“It is a soft name! You know the others all want one.” It was a bone of running contention that only she and Clint, allegedly, had them.

“Nat… my mouth ran away with my brain. I told him why!” Franki almost wailed. Using her enhanced hearing to make absolutely certain they were alone before telling her friend all that had happened in the quinjet before passing out. Nat’s wicked smirk and glee filled giggle made Franki growl, “Not funny, Natasha! I practically mauled the man!”

“It’s hilarious!” Franki was never so vocal or so outgoing. She was very contained and to tell Bucky all she had, wow! But to initiate touching… it was unheard of.

“I don’t know what came over me,” Franki sighed. “It was like my mouth had a will of its own that my fingers followed.”

“Well you did have a severe head injury at the time,” Natasha scoffed.

“Oh. Must have been when I was hit with that chair…” she trailed off at Nat’s look of exasperation. The agent had rung her bell with the blow causing her vision to swim but, like all injuries, she had powered on.

“Franki…” Nat sighed but refused to get sidetracked. “You should take a chance and talk to him. Tell him how you feel.”

“You know why I can’t.” Franki murmured, rubbing her temples. She didn’t have your traditional kind of headache, but there was pressure behind her eyes that was playing havoc with her vision. It was a stress thing, she knew, but it didn’t make it any less annoying or easier to calm herself.

“Franki, you won’t know you can’t tolerate his touch if you never try.” Retaking her hand, Natasha squeezed it gently. “You have grown used to my touch.” And she had no doubts that the petite brunette would handle Bucky’s just as easily. Most of her issues with the team seemed to stem from the mental phobia, not from actual physical discomfort.

“Yours is different.”

The softness, the whisper, hurt Nat’s heart. “Why?”

“Your touch is not sexual in nature.” Franki turned her face away, embarrassed. She’d grown up in the Red Rooms but had never gotten old enough for that kind of training. And every touch she’d ever experienced afterwards had been to inflict pain, pain that she couldn’t feel though they kept trying. “I’m not even sure I can feel pleasure.”

Without hesitation, Natasha reached out and cupped Franki’s breast through her cotton gown, brushing her thumb over the other woman’s nipple. The brunette gasped, her mouth falling open in shock. “Oh, I don’t think that will be a problem.” Nat chuckled, drawing back her hand.

“What… I … what?” Franki was quick to cross her arms over her chest.

Natasha frowned at the strange reaction. “Franki, what do you know about sex?” Another bright red blush covered her milk-white skin and widened Nat’s eyes. “You’re kidding me?”

“I am familiar with the… theory behind the process but I was not… initiated,” she murmured, wringing her hands. “And then I was in China. They were more concerned with pumping me full of that serum and teaching me to be an efficient killing machine. I could see the lust growing as I did, but, no one ever…” She shrugged. There had been that one time, but she had killed the man so quickly, his touch so foul, no one had dared try it again. Even drugged, she would grow feral at the slightest brush of her skin. It seemed the softer the touch, the more she fought. She didn’t want gentleness. Softness bred weakness. Weakness was death in the facility she had been in.

“Alright, alright. Okay.” Nat breathed out. “I can work with that. Come on.” Tugging on Franki’s hand, she helped her to her feet and into the robe at the foot of the bed. “We need a girl’s night. I’ll call Wanda in, too. She’ll want to help.”

“Help what? Do what? Nat?” Franki asked, puzzled, tying her robe closed. “And what about the boys?” They were all going to rip into her eventually. She kind of wanted to get it over with.

“I’ll deal with them.” Nat flicked her fingers in dismissal and wrapped her arm around Franki’s waist, gripping a little tighter when the woman stumbled. “Let’s get you settled on my couch.”

They hobbled towards the door, doing their best to keep the pressure off Franki’s cast. She may not feel the pain, but her body was still working to fix her. They didn’t need to do more damage or slow the healing process. They’d made it to the elevators before one of the boys caught them.

“Well, well, well. Look who’s out of bed.” Tony’s smug voice called out.

“Not now, Stark,” Natasha growled as the doors slid open.

“And why not? I have a few things to say to little miss Francessca that keeps making me restock my med bay.” Striding forward, he ignored the look from Nat, glared at the two of them, and finally focused on the pale face of the woman he was annoyed with. “Oh for god’s sake,” he huffed before giving Nat a shove and lifting Franki into his arms. “You’re a stubborn little fool.” Tony griped.

“Bite me,” Franki snarled, gritting her teeth together. She tried very hard not to shudder, but his touch made her want to throw a punch so badly. “Put me down, Tony.” She didn’t have enough layers on for this. Her uniform was different, offering its own sort of protection, but in day to day life she spent the majority of it covered up unless Tony was throwing another party, in which case Nat wouldn’t allow her to go in less than a body-baring dress.

“I know your issues, kid. You’re going to suck it up and deal until we get you where you’re going. Or would you rather I call the metal man to cart you around?” he asked smug smirk and raised brow making him look more arrogant than usual.

“Tony,” Franki couldn’t contain her shiver a second time but had no time to protest further when he stepped into the elevator with Nat who hit the button for their floor. The pressure was building in her chest as the warmth of his arms seeped through her clothing. “I need you to put me down.” She didn’t want to hurt him but she would, soon, unable to stop herself if he didn’t.

“Tony,” Nat could see the sharp panic beginning to fill Franki’s face.

Silver eyes were slowly going glassy. “Franki, focus on my voice,” Tony murmured, well aware she was halfway to a panic attack. “Look at me and take a deep breath, follow my breathing.”

He was exaggerating the inhale and exhale, forcing his chest in and out against her side, and she latched on to the moment of distraction, staring into brown eyes filled with more understanding than she’d ever given him credit for. Closing her fist in his t-shirt, she breathed with him until the doors slid open and he followed Nat to her suite where he placed her quickly on the sofa and sat on the coffee table before her.

Rubbing her arms, Franki refused to look at him, embarrassed to react so to a teammate that wouldn’t ever try to hurt her. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, unable to meet his eyes.

Looking to Nat standing guard over the small woman, Tony sighed. No matter how badly he wanted to yell at Franki for being stupid and reckless, she looked like a kicked puppy. Much too pale and so very young. He felt old just sitting there. “Franki,” he murmured, reaching out slowly to lightly touch her chin. She jerked against his fingers, and it hurt his heart. Yes, the one Sam and Scott teased that he didn’t have. “Hey, kid. I know all about panic attacks. You ever want someone to talk to, come and find me.” Standing up, he nodded to Nat and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

“Was Tony Stark just… nice?” Franki asked in shock.

“Yeah, yeah he was.” Natasha smiled after him. She’d thank him for that later. Picking up her phone, she called Wanda to join them and began gathering snacks and drinks, and everything they would need for a girl’s night in. While she was in her small kitchenette, she texted Clint, telling him to keep everyone off Franki’s ass for the night and to warn the others they’d have to go through both her and Wanda to get to the other woman if they tried. He sent back a smiley emoji and nearly made her snort. Clint had an obsession with emojis.

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