#the context in the fic was that Sam knew about Steve and Bucky

[waywardcrow]

I’d do bad things with you.

Summary: The day after the wedding, Bucky and his new wife go to Stark's house to plan their next step because that's why they are married, right? Not because they love each other.

Pairing: Mob!Bucky x Stark!reader.

TW: Really not so many, talks of murder but very lightly, implications of mafia kind of stuff but please remember all I know about this I learned from SoC and fics lol, allutions to death, mention of cheating and sex, lots of angst, curvy!reader, no mention of y/n and reader's nickname is Bells (context coming soon), kind of enemies to lovers but not really enemies, arranged marriage, this will be a +18 story so minors dni.

Disclaimer: English is not my first language, please tell me if I make grammar mistakes.

Part of the Yours to lose series.

All eyes on us <<<

Pictures from pinterest and graphic and dividers by the amazing @ firefly-graphics so all credits to the creators.

Bucky didn’t dare to say anything when his wife closed the door of the guest room, how could he? His dragă asked for one thing: help to protect her family.

That didn’t mean she owned him something, she was his wife but not his woman, not anymore.

If only he wasn’t so impulsive, if he weren’t so blind to recognize what he had in front on him, they wouldn’t be in this situation, their wedding wouldn’t be an arrangement, he would had ask her to marry him instead of trapping her.

Still, he had hopes, he would never give up in getting her back, and when Bucky finally did it, he would make up for the lost time.

Alone in her room, Bells felt the Barnes’ family ring heavy in her hand, not only for the rose diamond, it was heavy because she didn’t deserve it. She was well aware she only had it because she ended up being a Stark, there was no way this could ever happen to her being the mistress on turn for the Winter Soldier.

And even knowing it, she missed those times.

Everyone that worked in the restaurant knew she was sleeping with him, they also knew it was better for their tongues that she never heard them talk about it, Bucky made an example of the first and only one who tried, a jackass named Julian who liked to make women uncomfortable.

After that, everyone turned a blind eye when Bucky when to the bar and talk to her for hours, when he called her to his office and she used disappeared in there to don't go back to work for the whole shift, they saw them going home at night, both being walking proof of the affair.

Her friends sometimes looked at Bells with concern; especially Kate but no one said a thing.

She would get in the car with Bucky who would try to convince her to stop working so he could spoil her and Bells would gave him the same answer, she only wanted him, not his money.

It was so stupid of her, to believe he could feel the same one day but how could she not think it when he played his part so well? Treating him like she was something delicate, something beautiful, she wanted to believe he could want her, love her.

That was why she spent most of the nights with him during the months her fantasy ran wild, she was even familiar with his men, Steve and Sam adored her, Scott, Thor and Clint were sweet with her, even the stoic Loki smiled sometimes at her jokes.

Bucky made her feel at home, she had free reign in the house except for his office and they found their routine very quickly.

Even in the nights Bucky couldn’t join her right after work, he would find her sometimes eating alone in the kitchen or taking a shower and he would made up to her, he was so tender with Bells, making her feel everything was right, maybe it was because she never had a real home and she craved it that she was so easy to fool.

After taking the dress off her and removing her make-up, the girl curled in bed, refusing to cry again for him.

“Good morning, dragă, I made breakfast” was the first thing Bucky told his wife in the morning. His wife, he would never get tired of saying it even if it was only in his head.

She looked beyond beautiful, the ivory set of pants and jacket hug her curves and he was loving the cleavage cut he could see from his place in the counter. His wife looked like what she was, a Queen.

“Don’t call me that, James” hearing his name on her lips hurt but he deserved it, at least she didn’t call him by his last name.

Their last name.

“Does my lady prefer any other nickname?” he asked without stop smiling, serving her coffee like he knew she liked it.

“I have a name, stick to it”

Her name was beautiful, both of them, the one her parents gave her and the one he met her with but she was the woman he loved, dragă was really appropiate.

“You used to love when I called you that, I don’t think I should change it if we want this marriage to be believable” he shrugged, knowing well why his wife didn’t like it anymore.

“We made a deal, Barnes” oh, James was gone “you will not make anyone believe this after we deal with our enemies”

She really did believe he would give up on her, which almost made him smile. His dragă still had to learn a few things about him.

“You should eat, Mrs. Barnes, we have to be at your brother’s house in half an hour”

Bucky was the least happy about working with Tony Stark, he supposed they could have been friends in another circumstances but he hurt his sister, if Natasha would ever did the same to Becca, Bucky would never forgive her.

Thor drove them to Stark’s mansion and Bucky hated how at ease his wife was there, that wasn’t her home, not anymore.

Russo and Castle were waiting besides Stark who hugged his wife and kissed her cheeks, taking her away from Bucky, leaving him scowling beside Steve and Sam.

“You look like you drank your weight in alcohol, Billy” she giggled and Bucky’s heartache increased, when was the last time he made her laugh? He couldn’t remember.

“Are you trying to tell me something, topolina?” Russo inquired with an offended look while they walked to Stark’s office.

“Yes, she means you look like shit Bill” Castle answered before his wife could and they all laughed but Russo and Bucky, Sam and Steve were too busy talking with Thor to notice. He watched as they took her inside the house bringing back her sweet personality, all the love she felt for them that made him mad watching the “proof” of her betrayal slapping him in the face once again.

Maybe Hydra staged all that but it was his fault, his own insecurities and ghosts were what made her hate him and he couldn’t see the way out of the mess he created, not when the scars that piece of shit gave her in his murder attempt were visible every time Bucky could see her arms.

“Are you ok Buck?” Sam asked quietly, his gaze following Bucky’s, his dragă was smiling at Pepper and Tony, touching her sister in law’s bump. He might never get that with her and if it wasn’t with her- Bucky knew it now, if it wasn’t her, it was no one.

“I’m fine, let’s go”

Pierce had endless resources, deals with powerful people, enough money to buy himself a kingdom, lots of people who would kill for him without hesitation but with all that, he had an Aquiles heel.

“We know he feels like he already won the reelection for Mayor but I’m not so sure” Bells projected a picture of a handsome man with dark hair. He had a kind smile and even the red sunglasses didn’t disminished his likable aura “Matthew Michael Murdock was born and raised in Hell’s kitchen, he graduated Columbia with honors with his best friend, Franklin Nelson, the current District Attorney and he was a champion of the people as a lawyer in his neighborhood despite he had multiple chances to work for a big firm, all of that changed when his soon to be wife, Karen Page, got in the way of Wilson Fisk”

Billy raised his hand as if he was in a classroom.

“Why does this sound like someone talking about their crush and how this helps us?” next to him, Maria hit him in the head and he yelped “I’m just saying!”

“She has a point, you would know it if you let Bells finish” his sister smiled at her friend “please go on topolina.

“Thanks Maria, you’re right as always” Bells winked at her and Maria blow her a kiss “Murdock it’s going to help us beat Pierce in the legal side and meanwhile dear Karen would help us convince him to let us give his campaign a hand” there was a mischievous grin in her face that Bucky had never seen before and it took everything in Bells to look away from him.

Pepper then cleared her throat and Bells took her seat, everyone looking at the ginger.

“Since Fisk got killed in jail, Miss Page got out of witness protection and Mr. Murdock reinforced his fight against the system from the political side” Bells helped her showing reports of Murdock’s popularity, his good press, all the people that supported him “we are going to destroy Pierce taking everything from him. Natasha and Yelena are working with Wanda and Maria to take more territory from him, Madani and Torres keep going after his most powerful lieutenants just like we talked about the last meeting.”

The map in the screen showed the comparison of the before and after, all the east side of the city that once was Pierce’s now it was all theirs, there were still parts resisting the change, it would have been quicker if the group didn’t tried to make the transition the less bloody as possible.

It wasn’t about power, even if it was what their line of work demanded, it was about revenge.

Pierce took something irreplaceable from each one of them, it would be only fair they’d leave him with nothing.

This time Bucky catched Bells eye and refused to let her go.

If not for Pierce, maybe they still would been together but maybe not, Bells was so afraid to tell him the truth about who she really was when Tony found her and it just added to the impending disaster they were, they would been living a lie, she would have been just the mistress, the toy on turn for someone that didn’t loved her.

Bells had to remind herself she didn’t need Bucky, she couldn’t, not after being the target of his cruelness, she couldn’t wash the memory of him fucking Jenna on his desk after telling Bells he loved her hours before.

She knew the truth now, she couldn’t forgive him, not when Bells’ heart was still aching for Bucky’s betrayal, for his lack of faith in her, for his lack of love towards her.

On the other side, Bucky was proud of her, his dragă was born to rule at his side and he didn’t care if he had to hunt Alexander Pierce himself, he would do anything to do this right.

If the murder of his father taught him something, it was that he wouldn’t fix anything feeling sorry for himself, Bucky had all the chances in the world to make amends and he would pay for every mistake with the blood of their enemies.

Tag list: learisa blackhawkfanatic queerqueenlynn calwitch pono-pura-vida

Hiya! This took me so long but it was only because I was stressing myself about it, then I decided to do whatever felt right and here we are! Also the nicknames I used here:

dragă: sweetheart.

topolina: little mouse.

Let me know what you think.

Love, Lily.

[firstelevens]

your titles are so clever!! talk to me about "what's my age again?"

Thank youuuu! 99% of my titles are just word for world the silly joke that I make about a potential fic concept before I think about it for more than ninety seconds and then realize I'm going to have to attempt to write it

what's my age again is a canon divergent MCU fic (pre Civil War) where Bucky gets badly injured when he accidentally gets caught in the middle of an Avengers op and Steve insists on bringing him in, so he like, wakes up at the Avengers Compound and he very much does not want to be there, but he's hurt enough that he can't safely make a break for it yet, either.

And I know that all sounds very dire and I don't think it'll be completely without angst, but honestly I just wanted to write a fic where Bucky kvetches a lot and we get to see more dimensions of his dynamic with Steve and the others? Also maybe we deal with the Howard and Maria Stark thing in a more reasonable fashion than what Civil War chose to do. I was also very entertained by the idea of Steve dealing with the thing where you introduce two of your friends and you think it's gonna go great and it absolutely does not, which is the context for one of the few excerpts I've managed to write so far:

At least once a week, Steve approaches Bucky and asks him whether it wouldn’t just be easier to bury the hatchet with Sam. At least once a week, Bucky points out that he wasn’t the one to break out the hatchet in the first place, so why should he bury it, and anyway, why would anyone bury a hatchet when that’s an objectively terrible way to hide a weapon? (He’s only started tacking this last part on the last few times that Steve has approached him, elaborating on his thoughts about weapon disposal every time. Steve really must have grown as a person between 1944 and now, because he just walks away with a shake of his head. The Steve Bucky knew would have socked him in the jaw by now for being this annoying, arthritis be damned.)

[dilemmaontwolegs]

hello!! I’m a teensy bit late on your Q&A post but I was wondering about your family first fic! do the readers parents/closest (and trusted) friends know about bucky and what he does for a living? if so how did they take it?

Family First  || Parallel Story  || Main Masterlist || Bucky Masterlist

Oh thank you so much for blessing my inbox 💕

Prior to the attack, aside from Steve and Sam, only the readers parents knew who Bucky really was. Here’s a few little backstories/blurbs to give context 🥰

I briefly mentioned in the fic that reader and Bucky met locking eyes in a market. How I imagined this happening was in Bucharest where Bucky was living before he was found in Civil War.

You really had thought more people would understand English when you left your home to travel Europe. Now you were in the middle of a flea market, holding an apple wondering why the old woman wouldn’t take the money you held out to her. You looked around for help but everyone seemed to be in a rush somewhere until you spotted a handsome stranger. You offered a smile hoping he would come to your assistance but after he turned back to his own purchase you lost that hope.

“Cât de mult pentru ceea ce vrea frumoasa doamnă?”

You jumped as you found the man had approached as silently as a cat and he reached into the pocket of his jeans as he conversed with the stall owner. The Romanian rolling off his tongue was doing all kinds of things to you and you saw him hand her a few small coins. You realised what he was doing as he took the apples you had been trying to buy and held the bag out to you.

“I can pay.” You said as you showed him the note you held. “Um, plati. I can plati.”

His lips tipped up as you fumbled over the language and cursed under your breath. His hand curled around yours and he folded the 100 leu into your palm. “She probably thought you were trying to buy her stall with that. Try not to wave that around too much, doll.”

“Oh…” You clenched your hand tighter and tucked it into your pocket, once again caught by the currency conversion before gasping. “Your accent, it’s American.”

“Born in Brooklyn.” He said with a small grimace, not like he wasn’t fond of the information but like it was bittersweet.

Frown lines formed on his forehead and you felt the urge to distract him from what had caused them. “I would really, really appreciate a little help if you don’t have somewhere you need to be. I don’t think a few apples are going to feed me all week. Do you think you could help me get my groceries?”

The lines deepened for a moment and he looked around the market before nodding his head and holding his hand out. “I’m Bucky.”

“Y/n.” You said as you shook his hand, surprising him when you hooked your arm in his. You already knew in your gut that you could trust him and it had never been wrong before. “It’s only fair I buy our lunch first, mom always said don’t shop on an empty stomach.”

“I can pay.” He said as he guided you away from the market to a courtyard that had a few cafes. “Mom always said a gentleman pays when taking a dame out.”

You laughed at the old speak and shook your head. “Well you have already done your mom proud, you paid for these.”

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

"What happened to your travel plans?" Your dad asked as you sat on your small balcony waiting for Bucky to come over. It was your weekly catch up and about the only time you could speak that wasn't too late or too early for your parents with the time difference.

"It's obviously a boy, hun." Your mother called out, eaves dropping on the conversation. "It is a boy right?"

"It is." You admitted shyly.

"Does he have a job?" Your dad started quizzing immediately and you sighed. "What does he do?"

"Dad...he's smart with lots of skills, he works in private security at the moment but he used to travel all over the world for work. He actually speaks more languages than anyone should be able to and he used to serve in the US Army."

"Is he cute?" Your mom couldn't help but ask.

"He's very cute." You giggled as Bucky just happened to walk in the door with two coffees balanced on top of each other and a paper bag of pastries pinched between his teeth. "He's actually just arrived so I will call you next week. Love you."

"Love you too." Your dad said with a sigh. "I miss you kiddo."

"I miss you too."

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

By the time the parents met Bucky face to face he had been cleared of the charges against him. He pulled reader’s father aside and like the gentleman he was, he asked for permission to marry her. Reader’s father granted it but only if Bucky swore he wouldn’t bring his work home with him and endanger his daughter. Bucky of course swore to protect her with his life. Here’s the final blurb.

You were beside yourself as you spun your bracelet around your wrist and drove through the suburbs to your childhood home. This was the first time Bucky would be meeting your parents and you had never felt so nervous in your life. It had been a long time coming but you felt now was the right time, Bucky had been cleared of the charges over the bombing and you had some surprising news to share with everyone.

"You're making me nervous now." Bucky said as he reached over the centre console and took your hand in his. "Should I be scared?"

You laughed as you thought of your father and the idea of your brave soldier being scared of him, the tension in your body easing with the laughter. "You'll be just fine. Mom might eat you alive though.”

Your mom had come rushing out of the house, pushing your dad aside in the doorway and racing down to the car. Bucky had come around and opened your door and you opened your arms to greet her only for her to hug Bucky instead, his eyes widened with surprised.

“I told you so.” You chuckled as you greeted your dad instead. 

“Good to have you home kiddo.” He sniffed as he hugged you tightly before reluctantly letting you go. “You might want to go save him.”

“Mom, he needs to breathe.” You said between giggled. “Don’t smother him.”

Bucky didn’t seem to mind one bit once he got over the initial surprise, there was only so much warning you could give him. He actually seemed to enjoy it but it had been decades since he had a mothers love, you were more than happy to share. 

“You said he was cute.” Your mom said with a shake of her head. “Mhmm, that’s not cute, hun, that man is fine. Marry him.”

You apologised to Bucky over her shoulder as she gripped you in a tight hug after years of being physically separated. It was later that night that you had all sat down, and although your parents had thought he looked familiar they hadn’t realised exactly who he was until he explained for himself. There had been inklings of doubt and fear but by the time Bucky had finished his story and you had held his hand throughout it all, they had accepted him wholeheartedly. Bucky had even asked if he could have a moment alone with your father.

It was perfect for you because you needed some motherly advice and you dragged her up to your old room. “Mom, how did you tell dad you were pregnant?”

Her eyes watered over and her fingers flew to her mouth before she pointed to your tummy. “Are you...? Am I gonna...?”

“I just found out a few days ago but we haven’t even spoken about kids or anything, our lives are already strange enough.” You said as your own tears filled your eyes. “I don’t know how to tell him.”

“Honey, you just have to do it, it’s not something you can keep a secret.” You mom said as she pulled you into a hug. “But I can tell you, that man downstairs loves you. He looks at you like those sappy movies you like so much, you don’t have to worry.”

With a firm nod of her head she pointed you to the door and gave a you a little push. “Go on, I’ll be with you all the way.”

You descended the stairs and found Bucky at the bottom, your father a few feet away looking on the edge of tears and your stomach dropped. “Uh, Bucky, can I talk to you for a minute?”

He nodded and reached into his pocket as he knelt on one knee and you heard your mom’s gasp behind you. “I just have one question and then you can have every minute of the rest of my life, if you say yes. I loved you from the moment I saw you and it has grown with every moment we have had together and even more in the moments when we are apart. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, loving you, protecting you, and growing old with you. Will you marry me?”

Your lips were trembling as you tried to stop the tears, there was nothing you wanted more in life and his smile grew as you nodded your head but the words that fell from your lips were not what anyone was expecting. 

“I’m pregnant.”

The ring box nearly fell from his hand but he caught it as he stood up and looked to your father with shock. You dad stepped closer to him and you saw Bucky close his eyes as if he were expecting to be hit and his body shuddered as your dad placed a hand on his shoulder. 

“You’ve got one more person you have to swear to protect, but I trust you with them both.” Your dad said before stepped up to you and pulling you into a hug. “Congratulations, kid, you’ll make one hell of a mom.”

He headed up the stairs, taking your mom with him so ‘the kids’ could have a moment. He still called Bucky a kid even though he was twice his own age. 

“We’re having a baby?” Bucky asked as if he had blacked out the last minute and needed to recheck.

“Is that something you want?” You asked quietly as you noticed the ring still in his hand and you placed your hand over your yet unnoticeable bump.

He pulled the ring out of the box and held the sparkling diamond up. “I was ready to promise the world but you have already given it to me. Please say yes.”

“Yes, Bucky.” You nodded as the tears leaked down your face. 

“I love you, and I’ll love our little one already.” He grinned as he slipped the ring on your finger before dropping to his knee and pressing his lips to your stomach. “Daddy is going to spend the rest of his life protecting you, you and mommy are my world.” 

[duuhrayliegh]

Hello, darling! I was wondering if you could right some Bucky x reader, where the reader worked along Sharon during Civil War and she meets Bucky. Then she runs always with Sharon and meets Bucky again in Madripoor and continue their story. I hope that makes sense. Thank yooouuuu✨✨✨

hey babes!! yes i absolutely can! i kind of gave more background than i meant to making it way longer, but i hope you enjoy it anyway! i do want to continue this story and most definitely will be so be on the lookout for the other parts of it lovie <3. i hope you still enjoy it even though it isn’t quite what you asked for yet :)

A Friend of Yours

FATWS SPOILERS

warnings: not much, canon lvl violence, some suggestive stuff closer towards to end, language, i think that’s it

word count: 6140 i went a bit overboard, it’s fine i’m totally fine

a/n: i got this request and then didn’t stop writing all day. i didn’t get anything else done all day. i got home at like seven-ish? and i’ve been sitting on the floor of my bedroom just writing this fic (for context it is now 12:47 pm where i’m at)

check out A Friend of Yours - pt. 2 and A Friend of Yours - pt. 3

p.s.: this is the first fic that i’m writing with an actual ‘x reader’ i’m so proud

xoxo ray

ray’s m.list

******************************

You grew up with Sharon, the two of you were best friends from birth it seemed. Honestly, Peggy raised you more than your own parents did. When Aunt Peggy got Sharon her first thigh holster, she got you one too. You enlisted together, moved up the ranks together, everything. So, it was of no shock to anyone that after the fall of SHIELD, you both moved together into the CIA’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.

You were inside the hotel with Sharon, Steve and Sam when the bombing on the UN took place. The look of unbridled fear that fell over Steve’s face as they announced Barnes as the primary suspect was heart wrenching. You weren’t able to watch it for long because your phone was already ringing off the hook.

“Look, you need to get me more information, and now.” You gritted into your phone speaker before quickly hanging up the phone and turning to a crestfallen Steve who was still watching the news casting. Sharon ended her phone call and turned to you.

“We have to go to work.” A few short hours on a jet later, you and Sharon were coordinating the operation. Close by, Steve and Sam were awaiting new information. Steve had this insane plan to find Barnes before the whole rest of the world did. Like that’s going to happen, it took the world 70 years to find Barnes. Of course, Steve and Sam are going to find him in about half that time.

You followed the blonde woman into a busy coffee shop and up to the counter. She slid a manila folder over to a well disguised Captain America. “Tips have been pouring in since that footage went public. Everyone thinks the Winter Soldier goes to their gym. Most of it’s just noise, except this.” Sharon was talking quietly, trying to not draw attention to the fact that she was committing a serious offense.

“We have to give the briefing, like now Shar, so we have to go.” The two of you pushed off the counter and you turned quickly to say one last thing. “And you better hurry. They’ve given the order to shoot on site.”

You left the shop quickly and made your way back to the white tent, passing the redheaded spy who was watching you like a hawk. A look of understanding crossed her features as you kept a calm facade. She fucking knows, how the hell could she read you that easily?

*********************************

The next time you saw any of them, they were exiting the back of an armored prison van. It was no surprise that his eyes flitted over to his best friend from childhood. You glanced over at Barnes, who was strapped in all different ways, and your heart hurt for him. You tried not to pity him, you know you would’ve gotten a slap on the wrist from Aunt Peggy about it.

Bucky must’ve felt you looking at him because his steel blue eyes locked with your pair. This was the first time that you’ve ever actually seen the man in person. It was startling, in a good way. You grew up going to the Smithsonian and hearing Aunt Peggy’s stories about the great James Buchanan Barnes. You never thought that you’d get the chance to meet the man you did a history report on your freshman year of high school.

“Y/N?” Sharon’s voice cut through your thoughts, recalling you to reality and out of your past. “We have to go. We’ve been assigned to monitor Steve and Sam while they’re here.” Sharon was clearly not a fan of this, which made you laugh loudly.

“Oh, score! We get to babysit Captain America and the Falcon!” You spoke in an unnecessarily upbeat voice and then clapped your hands together. “Our dream job! Let’s go, Shar!” She stared at you for a millisecond before slapping a hand on your shoulder.

“Let’s go, you fucking dork.” You followed her through the office building into the control room where you observed Tony talking to Steve. Apparently, the conversation was not going well because both their faces held angry glares. Eventually, Tony left the room, leaving Steve alone with his thoughts and that can never be good.

“How you doing, Cap?” You asked as you less-than-gracefully plopped yourself into the chair across from him. He looked over at me and released a heavy sigh.

“Honestly, Y/N, not that great at the moment.” He looked at you with his iconic mom Steve stare. Wow, so that’s what it’s like to be on the receiving end of that. Sam walked in and sat next to you. You drowned out their conversation as your gaze focused on screens outside of the glass office.

The video feed of Barnes in his metal cage was displayed on a TV screen. How is this considered humane? Obviously you knew that the CIA had pushed boundaries in the past, but this was just insane. “Are those restraints really necessary?” Sam seemed to be just voicing his thoughts, not expecting a response back.

“Well, he is considered an international terrorist, so yeah, they’re kind of necessary.” You said quickly and then muttered under your breath, “No matter who thinks that it’s excessive.” Steve’s gaze met yours and he was about to speak when Sharon walked in and dropped a paper in front of Sam.

“The receipt for your gear.” A scoff sounded from Sam as he glared at Sharon.

“‘Bird costume’? Come on.” Always quick to defend your best friend.

“Hey, we didn’t write it up.” It came off snappier than you had meant it. Sharon shot you a look, signaling you to back off. You raised a brow at her as she leaned over the table to the intercom buttons.

The audio from Barnes’ evaluation echoed through the glass room. Everyone around you was unsuspecting the four of you listened in. The psychologist was talking to Barnes, who seemed incredibly closed off. Who could blame the guy though?

“I’m not here to judge you. I just want to ask a few questions. Do you know where you are, James?” The psychologist paused for a second, looking down and off to the side. “I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me, James.” The caged man spoke for the first time.

“My name is Bucky.” His voice was rough from not being used. A look crossed Steve’s face and he turned to Sharon.

“Why would the Task Force release that photo to begin with?” Sharon’s body turned to face the man speaking to her. Her brows furrowed while she answered.

“Get the word out, involve as many eyes as we can?” Your head tilted, trying to follow Steve’s train of thought.

“Right. Good way to flush a guy out of hiding. Set off a bomb, get your picture taken. Get seven billion people looking for the Winter Soldier.” Oh shit.

“You’re saying someone framed him?” You wanted to believe it with every fiber in your being.

“Steve, we looked for the guy for two years and found nothing.” Sam reminded in a calm tone.

“Yeah, you didn’t bomb the UN though. That turns quite a few heads. Especially if prominent people like King T’Chaka end up dead because of it.” You made a good point, but there were still pieces missing.

“That doesn’t guarantee that they would find him. It guaranteed that we would.” Sharon and Steve began examining the room around them. Your attention returned to the audio emitting from the intercom.

“You fear that,“ the doctor paused, “if you open your mouth, the horrors might never stop. Don’t worry.” He glanced down again and moved his hand to swipe something away.

“Guys?” You pointed to the screen as the doctor held up his pointer finger.

“We only have to talk about one.” All of the sudden, the screens went dark and the lights flickered off. Secretary Ross was yelling at technicians to get his video back. Tony was speaking to his AI, Friday, about locating the source of the outage. Steve and Sam tensed at the thought of what could be going on with Barnes.

“Sub-level five, east wing.” was all Sharon said as the pair ran off. You looked at her and threw your hands in the air.

“What the hell do we do now, Shar?” She glared at you as she started reasoning with you.

“They’re stronger than we are. If they can contain whatever the hell is happening down there then great. In the event that they can’t, we’ll be up here with Natasha and Tony to deal with it.” You nodded quickly as you both ran out of the room.

You quickly followed Natasha, Tony and Sharon to the main level of the building. Clearly Steve and Sam were unsuccessful in containing the situation because Barnes could be seen through the glass, fighting his way to his destination.

Tony stunned Barnes with a previously concealed Iron Man glove. Barnes started towards Tony and quickly attacked. After Barnes bested Tony, it wasn’t long before Natasha rushed the man alongside Sharon. It wasn’t hard for Barnes to throw Sharon across the room. Natasha took the opportunity to launch herself onto his shoulders, which caused Barnes to slam her into a table with his metal hand wrapped around her neck.

She mumbled something to him as you kicked his ribs, releasing his chokehold on her. He stumbled backwards, his hard gaze landed on yours as he approached. Your eyes locked on his as the two of you traded blows.

They weren’t the same eyes as before. Those eyes were soft and remorseful, these were hard and unattached. There was no emotion behind the pair staring at you. The fraction of a second that you were analyzing his eyes in your head was enough for him to catch you off guard. His metal fist landed in your rib cage. The opposite hand jabbed at your face, busting your lip and sending you flying backwards.

You hit your head on the concrete below, making your eyes roll back. The wind left your lungs and you gasped to get it back as Barnes and T’Challa fought in the background. It was a few minutes later that a concerned Sharon made her way over to you.

“Are you okay?” You looked her over as she did you, checking for any severe injuries. You offered a small nod, not wanting to shake your head too much in fear of a concussion. “Let’s go check in with Ross.”

******************

“And how the hell did Rogers and Wilson even know where to find Barnes?” Ross’ voice boomed through the office. No one said anything, not wanting to incur the wrath of Secretary Ross. “I’ve already allowed Stark 36 hours to find them and bring them back here.” Ross turned to you and Sharon standing in the corner of the room. “If they contact any of you, report it immediately.” Rounds of ‘yes, sirs’ bounced around the room, then chaos ensued as everyone got back to trying to clean up this mess.

“Carter. Y/L/N. Elevator now.” He raised two fingers to point toward the elevators before walking into one. It was just the three of you in the enclosed space. He clicked the button for the ground floor. “I know you have some kind of connection to Rogers but do not let that cloud your judgement. The both of you are CIA agents first.”

“We understand, Secretary.” The elevator doors opened again and you went to step out when Ross stopped you again.

“I mean it, girls. This is your job on the line here.” You and Sharon shared a look before continuing walking. Did he just call us girls?

“Do you think that was supposed to be intimidating?” You laughed under your breath as you went out to the parking lot. Sharon sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

“Probably.” She looked at you over the top of her car. “You don’t have to come with me.”

“Where do we start?”

****************************

Getting that fucking shield and bird suit wasn’t easy. They had moved it from the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre to the US Embassy to await transport back to the States. It made it easier but still damn near impossible to get. Thankfully, you and Sharon are good liars. Skills of a misspent youth.

The two of you walked in the front door and displayed your badges. “We’re here to pick up Captain America and the Falcon’s effects.” The man behind the counter didn’t even question it. Man, they need better people at the Embassy.

“You’ll have to sign some paperwork saying you picked it up.” There it is. You both flicked a brow and Sharon held her hand out for the clipboard. Small scratches from the pen in her hand were echoing throughout the empty building.

She handed the clipboard back to the man behind the counter. “Okie dokie, just pull your car around to the side of the building and we’ll get you loaded up.” He shot them a small smile and turned around to file the papers.

“That was easy enough.” You whispered to Sharon as you left, not wanting your voice to carry. You walked to your car that was parked in front of the iron wrought gate. Pulling your car around to the side of the building, you popped the trunk. The gear clad Embassy soldier carelessly tossed Sam’s suit inside before gently placing the shield on top of it.

“Hey, if there’s a scratch on that suit, it’s coming out of your paycheck buddy.” You held your pointer finger up to the man’s unimpressed face.

“Y/N, let’s go. We’ve got to get these to the jet or Ross will have our heads. Remember it’s our job on the line here.” What Sharon said made you laugh big while hauling yourself back into the driver’s seat of the car. As you pulled out into the street, Sharon was typing away on her phone and pushing it to her ear.

“This is a secure line but I don’t know for how long, so don’t talk just listen.” She took a deep breath and then continued. “We want to help. Meet us under the bridge on Route 6. We’ll be there in two hours.” She ended the call quickly and threw the phone outside the car. Glancing over at you, she nodded and sighed again.

“We’ve gotten this far.” You had one question burning in your throat that you were afraid to ask.

“Where do we go after they’ve gone?” She looked at you and she was biting her lip, something she only did when she was incredibly stressed.

“I don’t know yet. Do you have any ideas?” You smiled and thought of the one place that you wouldn’t be followed.

“Yeah, I’ve got one, but it’s rough.”

***************************

The drive to the underpass wasn’t a hard one. You had beat the boys there so you and Sharon were sitting in the car. You had the radio playing softly in the background.

“Who the hell do you know in Madripoor?” You laughed and shrugged.

“I’m supposed to tell you all my secrets for free?” You shook your head and shifted in your seat to face her fully. “I was tasked with tracking some artwork down there. One of my assignments when we went through initiation for the Agency.” You picked at the holes in your jeans. “I thought it was just all fake stuff, but I researched it more and more. Turns out, the underground artwork dealing is really lucrative over there.”

Sharon stared at you in amazement. “What did you do, Y/N?” You smirked.

“I haven’t done anything.” You held her gaze, “Yet.” She released a small laugh and her mouth hung open a bit. “I may have a warehouse out there.” You squinted one of your eyes, and leaned forward. “And the apartment above it.” She was going to say something when an old ass blue Beetle pulled up behind you.

“Now how the fuck did they all fit in that tiny ass car?” You both laughed as you stepped out of the car with big smiles on your faces.

“Not sure you understand the concept of a getaway car.” Steve walked up to Sharon and they began talking as she popped the trunk, revealing their gear. Your attention was on the men in the car behind them. Barnes was stuck in the back away from cameras and Sam was lounging in the passenger seat. Your eyes met Barnes’ again, they were back to the remorseful pair you saw the first time.

“You know he kind of tried to kill us.” You waved your hand in gesture to the man in the car.

“Sorry, I’ll put it on the list too.” He glanced back down at Sharon, who had migrated closer to him. “They’re going to come looking for you.”

She nodded, “I know.” Then the most awkward kiss in all of kissing history took place. Your brows shot up then furrowed quickly, a small wince overtaking your face. They pulled apart and traded more words. Sharon began walking back to the passenger side of the car.

Steve turned around and you looked back at the two men in the car. Both of them were wearing proud, smug grins. Steve threw his head back as if he was berating them.

“About damn time, Cap! She’s been pining over you for God knows how long now.” The windows were down in the Beetle so the other two heard you shouting at their friend.

“Y/N!” Sharon was a bit embarrassed.

“What? It’s the truth, Shar!” The two of you began bickering like an old married couple as you started the car again. Steve got all he needed from the trunk and shut it quickly, slapping it twice. You began driving off with Sharon giving you directions to an airport on the opposite side of the country.

***********************

That was the last time you saw Steve. Last time you saw anyone for a while. You had been dusted in the Blip. Sharon had followed you to your apartment in Madripoor. The two of you were able to figure the city out pretty quickly. Learning the ins and outs of the island, where to go, who to sell to. One afternoon, you and Sharon had been surveying a Van Gogh piece for your gallery when you flew away. In the middle of a fucking deal, what perfect timing.

Five years later, you were reunited with an even more successful Sharon. “I kept your room the way you left it.” She said as she led you through your shared home. “I figured that you’d be back and you’d be pissed off if I fucked with anything.”

You smiled at the woman gratefully and hugged her. Neither of you let go for a while. When you did, she started filling you in on everything. She had continued to split all her profits and had been depositing the money into your account. “Even if you didn’t come back, I could’ve used it if I needed to bug out. Win-win.” She explained with a smile.

The two of you had about six months of getting back into the groove of things. It was quickly cut off by a ping of your phones one day. A look of confusion and anger crossed her face, “Are you fucking kidding me?” She locked eyes with you and told you to get your gear.

“Where are we going?” She threw her phone at you and you looked at the screen. As soon as you read the notification at the top of it you understood. Repeating your question from before, you tied the knots on your Converse. You followed Sharon to the Low Town side of the island.

“Now what the fuck are they doing here, do you think?” The two of you camped outside of the Brass Monkey nightclub, ready for whatever came your way. Deciding that you were too visible to everyone else, you moved to the building across from the club. Something is bound to go wrong and the first place they're going to get ran to is this dead end alley.

Sure enough, not even ten minutes later, Sam, Barnes, and Zemo got cornered in the alleyway. Sharon had decided to stay on the ground floor next to the door. You shot two of the assassins following the group of three and Sharon took out the final one.

You made your way back down to Sharon, who was still holding her gun up. “You cost me everything.” She focused her gun on Zemo.

“Sharon, wait. Someone recreated the super soldier serum and Zemo had a lead.” Sam remarked calmly, trying to diffuse the situation.

“Explains why you guys are here and Selby’s dead.” Your brows shot up at that, must of been new information that she got while you were upstairs.

“Why are you here, Sharon?” Sam questioned.

“She was one of the ones who stole Steve’s shield, remember?” You stepped forward, raising your gun to gesture to the men in front of you. “And the wings, so your ass,” you waved at Sam, “could save his ass,” at Barnes, “from his ass.” You lowered your gun and stepped in front of Zemo, staring the man down. Your fist balled and you launched it at Zemo, landing a solid hit to his cheekbone.

Barnes grabbed your hand, twisting your body to slot against his with your arm bent behind your back. He leaned close to your ear, breath making shivers trickle down your spine. “I only let you do that because I’ve wanted to for a while now, so don’t get any more ideas.” Your breath hitched because of the proximity of the man behind you.

“Alright, give me my Y/N back.” Sharon said, lowering her gun to holster it. Bucky held onto you for a few more seconds than necessary and then pushed you towards Sharon as he released you. You scoffed, then shoved your gun into the waistband of your jeans. Sam and Sharon had already started their own conversation by the time you calmed down enough to face Barnes.

Sharon bobbed her head to you, an unspoken language between the two of you. After bringing them into your home, Sam began admiring the artwork in the first floor gallery. “Looks like breaking the law is treating you two well.”

“Before even graduating into the Agency, I had a place over here. Never had any intention on using it, but here we are.” You started, “Then, after having to flee Berlin, for you,” You shot a look at Bucky, “we figured if we had to hustle, might as well enjoy the good life. Do you know how much we can get for a real Monet?”

“Deactivate your hustle mode. You sell fake Monet’s.” Sharon shot him a look, about to defend us when Zemo cut in.

“No. She means real. This gallery is specialized in stolen artwork. Monet. Van Gogh. All the classics.” Sam made a face of disbelief.

“It’s true. You know, half the artwork in museums like the Louvre is fake. Real stuff sits in places like this.” Bucky gestured to the gallery. Sam pulled his phone out of his suit pocket.

“Okay, guys, I see what you’re doing. You’re more worldly than good old Sam.” He was typing furiously as he spoke. Bucky passed him, soundlessly following you and Sharon to the upstairs apartment.

“Yeah. What’s Google say?” Once the five of you got upstairs, Sharon began walking them into her office, telling them that they needed to change because we were hosting clients. It didn’t take long for the men to switch outfits. It was refreshing to see Barnes in something other than combat gear or a torn Henley. Sharon followed you in the office, making a remark at Sam while he apologised.

“Look, you know the whole hero thing is a joke, right? The way you gave up that shield, deep down, you must know it’s all hypocrisy.” She said as you plopped yourself on one of the plush chairs across from the couch, holding a clear glass full of whiskey.

“He knows. And not so deep down.” Zemo added quietly, since when is Zemo informed? Sharon glazed over his comment, opting for asking about the new Cap while filling a glass for herself.

“Don’t get me started.” Barnes spoke for the first time since being downstairs. You narrowed your eyes at the man.

“Please. You buy into all that stars and stripes bullshit.” You swung your glass to Zemo, “Before you were his pet psychopath, you were Mr. America! Cap’s best friend.” His gaze darted over to you, nose wrinkling at your comment.

“Do you know who I am?” He tried to be intimidating but it was just funny to you. You were taking a drink to moisten your throat to fire back a witty comeback, when Sharon spoke for you.

“Oh trust me, she knows. She did a report on you freshman year of high school.” You started choking on your drink as Sharon smirked from the couch next to Barnes. His brows raised and a smug smile graced his face.

“She did now?” Clearly he was a different man from the last time you saw him. Meeting his eyes for the fourth time ever, you were surprised with what you saw. There was almost a hunger lingering behind his eyes.

“Most definitely. I don’t even know how many times she went to the Smithsonian to see the exhibit about you.” You glared at Sharon, who continued to talk, unbothered by you. She raised her own glass to her lips, speaking into her cup, muffling her words.  “Honestly, think she developed a little crush.” Barnes’ eyes never left your face, his mind racing.

“Wait, so the entire time you were helping me and Steve, you had a crush on Tin Man?” Sam interjected, wanting to be included in the conversation. You rolled your eyes and gave a subtle nod to Sam. The action wasn’t missed by Bucky.

“Which is why I think it must’ve been really hard for you to ask him of all people for help. They comin’ down real hard on you out there?” You asked Barnes with a smirk and a head tilt towards Zemo. “I know he fucked you up real good, triggering the Soldier, Barnes.”

Sam laughed beside him. “Dude, that’s basically what you told Walker.” Barnes threw a glare at Sam, who had clapped a hand on his metal shoulder. The conversation dissipated after your comment, guess you killed the vibe.

Sam turned to a relaxed Sharon, “We need your help.” Her body tensed, neither one of you was ready to throw yourself back into enemy territory. “I can get your name cleared.” He dangled a huge bargaining chip in front of her face. You knew Sharon was eager to get back to the States. She misses her dad. It was unfair of Sam to use that as a way to gain her favor.

“Haggling with someone’s life like that isn’t okay, Sam.” You said quietly, focusing your gaze on the glass in your hand.

“It’s not like that, Y/N.”

“Yes, it is, Sam.” You said firmly. “You can’t just say something like that. I know you’re an Avenger. That’s great shit, but you need to realize that if you can’t deliver on your word, we go to jail or worse. You know that.”

“I don’t trust charity, Sam.” Sharon said from beside Barnes.

“All right, a deal then. You help us out, and I get your names cleared.” Your nostrils flared and you shook your head. Sharon agreed, blinded by the possibility of seeing her family again. You don’t doubt that she thought through all the outcomes, it just wasn’t the route you would’ve taken.

“We sell to some pretty connected people. Lay low, blend in, and enjoy the party.” She got up, exiting the office.

“Try to stay outta trouble, boys.” You said placing your glass on Sharon’s desk as you left. “We’ll see what we can find.”

*********************************

You were standing next to Sharon when the three men joined the party. Leaning over to Sharon, you told her you were going to get a drink from the bar. You pushed your way through the crowd, planting yourself on a stool in front of the countertop. Nodding your head at the bartender, they passed you a bottle of club soda.

“Not drinking tonight?” A raspy voice questioned over your shoulder. You turned to face the owner as you shrugged your shoulders.

“Already had my fill. And technically, I’m supposed to be working, Barnes.” Your eyes met with his again. You couldn’t tell if it was the light in the room or if it was just him, but they were a deeper shade of blue than before. He leaned his weight on his elbow that was resting on the bar top next to you. He was so close you could feel his body heat rolling off him in waves.

His eyes roamed your face, stopping on your lips as he spoke. “You know you can call me Bucky, right?” You made a face, bringing your bottle to your mouth. He watched intently as your lips wrapped around the opening.

“We’ve never had a single conversation before today. And the first time you actually met me, you twisted my arm behind my back because I punched the dickwad standing next to you.” You took another sip and his eyes drifted down to your throat. He watched as it bobbed when you swallowed.

“So, yeah. I’m going to call you Barnes.” You leaned closer, “I’ve never been given permission to call you anything else.” You could tell you struck something. Something that he didn’t even possibly know about. His face heated and he had to clear his throat before speaking.

“Um, okay. Well you can call me Bucky or if you want, James.” Your brow quirked and you pulled back to take him in fully.

“How many people have you let call you that since you got your free will back?” Your tone was serious, but your face held a smile.

“None, doll.” His eyes ran over your face again. “I just want to hear how it’ll sound coming from your mouth.” One of his metal fingers came up to rest on your bottom lip as your smile grew.

“James.” You whispered, just for him. What he was giving you was a privilege, one you were going to revel in. One corner of his mouth tugged upwards.

“Again.” He growled as his finger remained on your lip.

“James.”

“Again.”

“James.” The party around the two of you faded away. In your reality, it was just you and the man in front of you. A peaceful place, where nothing could change what was happening right at that moment.

Of course, reality is a bitch. And you never got what you wanted. Your jaw clenched as soon as your phone pinged. James dropped his hand from your face as he read the text with you.

Found Nagel. Meet us outside and if you find Bucky, tell him too.

You scrunched your nose and bit your lip. James’ hand was quick to pull your lip from your front teeth, before resting there for a second as he studied your face. He stepped back quickly, nodding his head for you to follow him.

**************************************

You don’t know how the hell Sharon managed to find him, but she did. You were in a shipping yard for storage cars. “Madripoor could give New York a run for its money.” Sam said as the five of you weaved your way through the containers.

“With a bounty on your head, the longer you’re in Madripoor, the less likely you’re ever leaving.” She glanced down at her phone in her hand. Nodding toward a red container, “Alright, he’s in there. Container 4621.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out five earpieces.

“We’ll keep watch while you guys talk to Nagel. But hurry. We’re on borrowed time.” You said as you watched everyone situate their pieces. Sharon turned around and began walking down an aisle not far from the container Nagel was in. You stopped James before he could go anywhere.

“Hey, be careful.” His eyes met yours and they were back to the normal steel blue. “Don’t forget who you are, James.” Something flashed behind his eyes, but his face showed no change.

“You too, Y/N. Don’t make me come out here and save your ass.” His eyes flicked down quickly and a smile spread quickly. “I mean, not that I would mind.” You rolled your eyes and shoved his shoulder, turning and walking down the aisle Sharon did.

“So,” She was leaned against a rusted container with a smug smile. “You and Bucky, huh?” You groaned and stood next to her.

“I don’t know, Shar. Neither one of us should be in a relationship. Especially since we’re both Enemies of the State, well one of us is, the other one was.” You turned your head to look at her. “What do you think about all of this?” She opened her mouth to speak when you both heard something ricochet off a metal wall.

She raised a finger to her mouth and crouched down before pressing that same finger to her earpiece. “Guys, we have company.” She took off down one end of the aisle and you down the opposite, ready to attack from both sides. There were three men walking towards Nagel’s container, you shot a look down to Sharon and she nodded.

She came from the back with a baton, whacking the last guy once in the knees and once in the head, disarming him. When the front man turned to help his comrade, you did the same move to him with your own baton. You both continued trading blows with the men. You had effectively taken out the first man, using his thigh to latch yourself to the third man’s shoulders. Situating yourself to use your body weight to flip him over, definitely knocking him out.

“Every bounty hunter in the city is here. We gotta go now, boys!” You yelled to your earpiece as you watched Sharon fight off another opponent.

It wasn’t until the gunfire started that Sharon said something else into the piece. “Guys, we’re seriously outta time here.” You both split off, out of each other’s view, battling your own demons. You were currently dealing with two of those said demons, when a third approached from behind. Locking you in a chokehold as the other two continued punching your ribs.

One of the hunters was suddenly ripped away from you. Punches were landing and groans were echoing through the alleyways. You threw all your body weight forward, throwing your assailant over your shoulder. Two gunshots rang out and then a third one, which landed a bullet hole between your aggressors eyes. Your head whipped around to face James, whose arm dropped back to his side.

He walked towards you, putting a hand on your back leading you to where Sharon and Sam were standing. Zemo pulled up in a blue convertible car, “Supercharged.” was all he said. Sam pointed his finger at the man in the driver’s seat.

“You’re going back to jail.”

“Do you want to find Karli or not?” James sighed heavily, his shoulder sinking with the action.

“He’s right. We need him. And there’s two of us, and at least twenty of them.” James got in the front seat, leaving the door open for Sam.

“Fine. But if you try that shit again--”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Zemo raised his hands in surrender. Sam turned to Sharon.

“Well, that was one hell of a reunion.” You leaned over the open door to talk to James. He looked at you with a sad face.

“Why don’t you come back to the States with us?” He tilted his head. “We could clearly use your help, doll.” You smiled at that and licked your lips before responding.

“You know we can’t. Not yet anyway.” He placed his finger back on your bottom lip, maintaining eye contact. “This isn’t the last you’ll see of me, James. That I can promise you.” He smiled and dropped his hand back to his lap.

Sam climbed into the seat behind James. “You’re not going to move your seat up, are you?” James smirked before replying.

“No.” You watched as they drove off, desperately wanting to see James again already.

You turned back to Sharon and the two of you began walking back towards High Town. “I think you should go for it.” 

[battlships]

Hello friends it’s 5am and I want to talk about a few things: Jewish Bucky, Steve the golem, and the importance of Sam and Bucky’s dynamic. This is gonna get long so I’ll put a cut in at some point

okay so Bucky in the MCU is based off two characters, Bucky Barnes, Captain America's sidekick and Arnie Roth, Steve Rogers' childhood best friend who saved him from bullies growing up. Arnie is gay and Jewish (Roth is a very typical Jewish name without being a stereotype). Remember these characters were all originally created by Jews and names are very important in Jewish culture. Now, Steve is a character who was metatextually created by Jewish writers to fight the Nazis (and therefore protect the Jewish people). A golem is a being created from clay to protect the Jews in times of trouble. There's a whole extra thing about truth  and death that i can get into at another point BUT that's not super important right now because Steve is a different kind of golem.

Steve obviously is also his own character within the context of the story, so he's a metaphorical golem. The writers created him to fight the Nazis like I said... but textually he's also a golem, "created" in a sense by the Jewish scientist Abraham Erskine... to fight the nazis and protect the Jews. Futhermore, while it's a different kind of star to not be quite so obvious, the Hebrew words for "star of David" is "magen david" or "shield of David" and what does Steve fight with? 

A shield. With a star. And he uses that shield to save his Jewish best friend from the Nazis.

(Side note, Jewish prisoners were more likely to be selected for experimentation, which is what was happening to Bucky when Steve found him.)

So now that we've gotten all of that established, let's talk about why it's so important that Sam isn't give the super soldier serum (in canon, please have fun with all your fics and headcanons) but Bucky is. Bucky was held captive by a fictional group of people that started off with the Nazis and have since morphed into something different, something possibly more dangerous, because it's hidden. He was held captive and tortured by Neo-Nazis. (I hope I don’t need to explain that Soviet Russia was also not a big fan of the Jews.) He was also forced to do terrible things to survive, something with which many white Jews have to reckon.

Bucky ultimately can’t be held responsible for his actions by any law, but he is morally held responsible and takes it upon himself to make amends. This is a very Jewish concept of forgiveness (not to say it doesn’t exist in other cultures). According to Jewish law, a person can’t be granted forgiveness by G-d unless they’ve truly and genuinely undergone “teshuvah” or “repentance”. This means a sincere attempt at making amends to the person you’ve wronged, or to their family. I don’t know if the FAWS team knew what they were doing here, but honestly kudos either way. 

Teshuvah is not just about making amends though, it also involves self-reflection.

The elements of teshuvah include rigorous self-examination and require the perpetrator to engage with the victim, by confessing, expressing regret and making every effort possible to right the wrong that he committed.

What is therapy if not self-examination? 

That also makes it very important that Bucky isn’t really making amends in the way that Jewish law requires until Sam sets him straight. Now, let’s talk about Sam for a bit. Samuel Wilson, a black man who grew up in modern day America, and in FAWS it’s the American South. He’s constantly bombared by an image of America that has never fought for him. But when he’s handed the shield by Steve, he doesn’t become a golem the way Steve was... and he’s never given the serum. On one level that’s good because it would harken back to the Tuskegee Experiments, which is very blatantly referred to with Isaiah. But I feel like I’m probably not overstepping any bounds as a white person to say that maybe we don’t need more torture porn. If I am feel free to call me out. 

That said, I think it’s really important that with Sam and Bucky, the dynamic is flipped. Whereas Steve, in his position of social power over Bucky as a white goyische man (though still a victim of some oppression himself as a working class Irish Catholic in the 30s) was the one saving Bucky (after Bucky saved him when he was physically weaker), now Bucky the white Jewish man is the physically stronger one who protects, defends, and uplifts the black man wearing the stars and stripes. When Steve first had his Captain America moment, Bucky shouted to the crowd “Let’s hear it for Captain America!” Steve was a vehicle for a Jewish voice. Meanwhile Sam’s Captain America moment involved him getting to directly yell at US senators over their refusal to help the people of their country and the world who need them, despite the fact that they very easily could. After Sam gets to have his voice heard, Bucky quietly tells him, “Good job, Cap.” It’s not Bucky’s place to speak for Sam, but to validate and support him instead.

There is a long history between the Jewish and Black communities, one of both contention and support, with a hell of a lot of crossover. We are often pitted against each other by white goyische society despite the fact that we have common goals, and Sam and Bucky are a really great (probably mostly accidental) metaphor for what we can accomplish working together. While Bucky is a victim of white supremacy as a Jew, he also benefits from it as a white man, so it’s his responsibility to use that whiteness to defend Sam when he needs it (both in battle - Bucky will often jump in front of Sam to take a hit meant for him - and in society in general, like when Sam was justifiably angry at him and the cops started hassling Sam for his ID).

Anyway this ramble was partly brought to you all by the batshit take that Bucky in FAWS is actually supposed to be a Nazi and the moral of FAWS is that we’re supposed to forgive Nazis. Shoutout to Noah Berlatsky for muting me on twitter when I tried to argue with him about it. Bucky isn’t a Nazi, he’s a Jew who suffered under white supremacy and also helped to perpetuate it but is now attempting to make amends and uplift black voices.

[teebarnes]

✨ | A Bad Day

Click [100 Followers Fic] for the rest of the 100 follower fics :)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Fem!reader

Summary: You had a bad day at work and Bucky knows that, so takes this chance to brighten your bad day.

Word Count: 2k

Warning(s): Fluff, crying... I think that's about it.

A/N: Thank you for 100 followers! Plus, I mean, who wouldn't want Bucky to comfort them after a bad day? (GIF isn't mine)

⤑ Click here for my taglist to be notified when I post my future fics.

Any Likes, Comments & Reblogs are super duper appreciated :))

Locking the door behind you, you lean yourself against your door, sliding to the floor. Tears flowing down your face, you pike your knees up you to the chest, wrapping your arms around them. It was another one of those awful days at work, your face hidden in the nook you made. You slowly sobbed to yourself, trying to express the bad day you had quietly into your house as if it could listen.

The quietness of your rural home thickened the sound of your tears; you sigh deeply into your knees, attempting to catch the breath you longed for. Then, calming yourself, you wipe the tears with the end of your jumper before hearing your phone ring. A few sniffs holding the fact you were crying, you check your phone to see it was your best friend calling.

"Yellop", you softly chime to your best friend on the end of the other line. You can hear an audible laugh. "Yellop doll, how was your day?" The voice you always long to hear at the end of your days. "U-usual", you softly chocked out before continuing ", how about you, old man? How was your day?" You giggle slightly at your remark.

A long pause extended your conversation with him before he broke the silence with a soft laugh through his nose, "usual, same since we last spoke", you smile, getting up, taking the conversation to your couch. Hearing his voice had taken away any sadness you had before you even picked up the phone. "Hey, I'm coming over. I need your help," he says, which piques your interest.

"What does a 107-year-old man need my help for? I'm sure you have all the life experience you need," you joked; Bucky gasps ", ouch, my feelings… they're hurting because of you", he laughs, causing the two of you to roll your eyes at each end of the line. "May I ask what you need help with?" You sat up from the couch, eagerly waiting for his reply.

A steady silence homed their conversation for a few seconds "a date y/n… there is this beautiful woman I want to ask on a date." He sighs.

Your face drops slightly, tears rushing down your face again like the ones before. Quickly wiping the tears, you answer, so Bucky doesn't worry "a date, huh? Since when do you socialise" you half-laughed to yourself sadly. "well… doll. You see, I don't if I'm honest," you both laugh, waiting for him to continue. "But… she is amazing, beautiful, the most incredible person I've met", he boasts to you over the phone.

You couldn't help but wallow in your thoughts for a bit, wishing that it were you he was talking about. But you knew that you two were just made to be the best of friends; despite how you felt towards him, you knew he could never feel the same. It took you a while to collect yourself when Bucky spoke again, breaking your train of thought. "Doll?" Your eyes focus again on your surroundings, coming back to the reality that you wanted to run away from right then and there. "Doll, are you there?" He asks again; you clear your throat "yes! yes… sorry, yes I am." You coughed.

"I am happy for you, Buck! She will be so lucky to have you." You stand up from the couch walking into your kitchen. "I am the lucky one, actually…" he replies softly. You smile at his reply only to realise the context of the conversation before answering back to him, "Well… are you sure you need my help? I feel you have all of that covered. I don't think I could be of much help to you, Buck." You held the phone between your shoulder and your ear as you opened the fridge up to check what was for dinner tonight. "I most certainly do doll. You are a vital part to getting this right," he excitedly says; you could never turn him down.

Even after being his friend for over ten years, you still couldn't say no to him. "Geez, Bucky, you really are serious… I'll have you know, though. I haven't had a boyfriend since I met you, so I'll only be able to give you basic pointers," you laugh to yourself. "Doll, don't worry about it… as long as you're there, that's all I need." He swoons. You couldn't help but laugh, "see, buck, with that attitude, I think she will say yes." You lightly say, "plus, have you asked Steve? I'm sure he has better advice to give," you question. "Yeah, I did… no help there", he laughs.

"Okey dokes, well I'm going to take my shower n stuff… you've got a key so you can let yourself in, alright?" You say, continuing to push through the built-up tears and emotions that halted at your throat. "Okay, doll! See you shortly," he says "see ya, Buck" you smile, hanging up.

Not knowing it, but your world fell before you; you didn't want to lose Bucky to a woman he hasn't even told you about. Then again, you cared for his happiness, that is what he needed after all the trauma he had been put through. You shook off the tears sucking up the pain into your stomach, heading to take a shower.

~

Bucky’s POV

"How do I tell her, Steve?" Bucky groans, pacing around the living room, "I love her so goddam much, but I am afraid to lose her. What if she doesn't like me and only sees me as a friend-"Bucky is cut off by Nat, who is sitting on the other side of the couch reading a book. "Bucky, I am going to slap some sense into you soon. She is head over heels for you." She sighs, getting up to leave the room. Bucky continues to pace again, with Steve closely watching.

"Ask her on a date Buck. Go from there," Steve lightly says, leaning back into his seat. "Hey doll, I know we've been best friends for ten years now, but I just wanted to let you know that I've fallen in love with you since the day we met", he frustrates into the palm of his hands. Steve chuckles a bit, "sounds about right", he snorts. Bucky wide-eyed to his oldest friend. "Ahaha, so funn-" he is cut off with a buzzing in his left pocket.

Reaching in, he picks it up "oh, it's just Sam" he rolls his eyes, answering, "what's up, Sam?" Sam sighs "have you talked to y/n recently?" He asks, which immediately makes Bucky furrow his eyebrows "no, why? Has something happened?" A pause before Sam speaks, "Can you check on her, please. She had a rough day at work. I have a feeling she is not at her best at the moment." Bucky's eyes dull hearing that the woman he's in love with is sad "okay, on it. Thanks for letting me know, Sam", he let out a sigh. "I've given her the week off, but please check." He sternly asks. "You have my word Sam" Bucky hangs up, turning to Steve.

"She had a bad day at work…" he frowns before plopping himself on the couch. "Well, buck, this may be a good opportunity to take her out on a date? Or even have a sneaky film night?" He stands up, patting his friend's shoulder. Bucky gives a slight grin, nodding, "Thanks, pal".

Steve walks out of the room, leaving Bucky alone with his thoughts, "okay okay okay, I can do this, I can do this." He hypes himself up, taking his phone pressing your contact that he had on speed dial.

"Yellop" Bucky hears on the other end of the phone; he couldn't help but melt to the sweetness of your voice. It was one he loved so much. It wasn't unusual to call each other; it was a religious routine for the both of you. If one didn't call, the other would. But this time, it was different; Bucky was nervous; it has taken him ten years to work up the courage to ask you out. But he still couldn't, not without seeing your face, not without being able to hold you as he said he loved you and not without comforting you first. He knew you didn't want to burden him with your troubles, so he took it upon himself to make up an excuse just to see you.

After the call, Bucky knew that you'd been hiding your emotions just to have your usual conversation with him. He felt even guiltier when he went on and on about you but never had the guts to tell you that he was talking about you.

Bucky packed a night bag from his room, packing it onto his motorbike before making his way to the local supermarket that was on the way to your house.

He picked up some of your favourite snacks and a bunch of your favourite flowers, securing them on his bike before riding to your house. Then, turning his bike off, he left it parked in your garage, heading inside. He closed the door behind him, walking into the kitchen laying the snacks on the table before heading down the hall into your room. He could hear the shower running and knew you were still in there.

He could hear you singing a soft melody of your favourite song; Bucky smiled, took his shoes off, and set them at the door in the hallway. Bucky flopped onto your soft bed with the flowers he had for you hidden on the bedside away from the bathroom door so you wouldn't be able to see them when you'd come out.

Finishing your shower a few minutes later, you wrapped your hair in a towel. Drying yourself and popping on your oversized henley, the same one Bucky had given you all those years ago when you had nothing to wear the first time you slept at his. You put some undies on and Van's socks. Using the dryer to dry your hair, you fitted your thick hair into a messy bun with your black scrunchy. "Alright", you took a deep breath before heading out to see Bucky lying on your bed.

"Oh, Buck! Hey," you smiled at him. His head was comfy on the bedsheets; he turned to see you, a bright smile upon his face. "Hey, doll," he noticed straight away that you weren't wearing any pants, something he was used to but not used to at the same time. You'd always make a fuss over going to bed with pants on; you hated wearing pants to bed. So you just opted for socks. "So", you sigh, flopping on the bed next to him. "Who is the girl?" You asked, turning your body to the side facing him. He chuckled, rolling over the edge of the bed, coming back to meet you, your favourite flowers in his hand; you both were face to face.

"You"…

~

You look at him, jerking your face back a bit in surprise but totally melting seeing the flowers. "M-me?" You reply; Bucky smiles, brushing the hair from your face nodding, "It's always been you y/n." His arm caressed your cheek, and you couldn't help but rest yours on his. You kissed the inner of his hand before taking the flowers leaving them on the bedside table.

"You know how long I've wanted to tell you that I love you" you smiled almost in tears; wrapping his metal arm around your waist, Bucky pulled your body close to his "And you know how long I've wanted to say the exact same thing" he rested his head against yours "I am in love with you y/n, I've loved you ever since I met you". You sniffled, cupping his cheek before leaning in, kissing his chapped lips; he leaned into him, kissing back "and just when I thought I was going to have to let you go, you prove me wrong," you chuckled through your tears.

He chuckles with you. "I couldn't tell you on the phone. I had to be here. Plus, Sam told me you had a bad day, so I wanted to be with you." You smiled, giving him the biggest hug. "Thank you, Buck. Thank you for doing this" he kissed the top of your head.

"You're welcome, love", he smiled.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sebastian Stan's Taglist: @buckyswintersoldiermask @lharrietg @buckyfan12 @afraid-to-be-me @fairityretro

[usuallydeepcoffee]

Oof... I feel like it were the same people who started out with Stony for Tony, then got into Stucky for Bucky, and now after Endgame they're into SamBucky for Bucky. Like it's the same fics and the same bs all over again. 1 gets all the attention, the other is cast aside and used as a prop

And also: the absolutely super annoying tendency to make everything about Bucky. Literally everything shield/hydra did got attributed to Bucky like "oh they did this for the asset" they literally were working with Steve for over 2 years, OF COURSE THEY GOT PROTOCOLS IN PLACE FOR HIM.

"They knew how to wake Steve up because of Bucky" bolt of you to assume Marvel had even planned ahead that far. Also, that would be incredibly stupid because Steve and Bucky have different versions of the serum and it's entirely different context.

Anyway, not everything is about Bucky 2021

Ooof, I'm so sorry to hear that, anon. I was kinda hoping they wouldn't pull this shit with Sam as the other part of the pairing, because of the gross racist implications, but once again, I seem to have given fandom too much credit.

I feel like a big part of the B*cky fandom has just been discussing his trauma and suffering for so long (and throwing tantrums when that was not the focus of entire movies), that they don't realize that the other characters a. Have lives outside of B*cky b.Are not obligated to play therapist for him for no reason at all.

Also, I don't know what's up with that, but I feel like in a lot of ships fandom just collectively picks a fave and they pour all the interest in them while the other is stuck in the caretaker role. I don't remember it being so unbalanced when I got into fanfic -and sure, it's not like this in EVERY fandom, but it's certainly a trend I've seen more recently (especially in m/m fics).

[luninosity]

Okay, so, some Falcon and the Winter Soldier thoughts (will have some spoilers) for episodes two and three. General non-spoilery comment first: I feel like these were both *okay* episodes - neither as good as the first, but I didn’t dislike them, either. I’m still really curious to see how we’re going to wrap this all up in three more episodes; it doesn’t feel like we’re halfway done yet!

Okay, more spoiler-y notes below the Read More, not in any real order, just as I think and type. I’ll probably forget some things, but for now, here’re some thoughts...

--I like ep 3 slightly more than ep 2, mostly because of Zemo!

--I actually really love Zemo here (I liked him in Civil War, too): complex, sardonic, enjoying poking at people, a villain we do feel sympathy for even as he’s still sharp enough to remind us that he is a villain. Daniel Bruhl has always done a fantastic job flipping between calculated cruelty, wry humor - the whole “I am a Baron” moment was great - and pain that for him is still raw, about the loss of his family. (Some things’re awfully cliche - look, the supervillain’s playing chess and reading Machiavelli in his cell? really? - but, y’know...sure. Why not. We expect some cliches in the superhero genre, and this is an inoffensive one.)

--also Zemo dancing. That’s it. That’s everything.

--moving on from that: I’m also really liking how they’re writing John Walker. He does have charm, and there’s a certain amount of sympathy - especially as we see him worrying about filling the Captain America shoes, in ep 2 - but we’re also getting this really subtle sense of wrongness about him. He’s clearly vindictive and angry when things (and people) don’t act according to his mental script for them, and he’s willing to use his name and power to do things like get Bucky released...which in context and given our sympathies for Bucky is a good thing, but...it’s also an indicator of his willingness to do what he wants, because he can. (To be fair, Steve Rogers also often did that! - but Steve earned our trust, both in narrative and character. From his first introduction to WWII leadership experience to all the Avengers stuff, Steve consistently acts to protect people, and he’ll also listen if someone else has a good idea or if someone needs to talk, like with Wanda.) So I’m really liking this slow-fuse character development.

--mixed feelings about Sharon. I love that the show’s acknowledging how much she sacrificed for our main heroes, with no reward. On the other hand, she also clearly knew the consequences that could happen; she said as much at the time. The level of bitterness seems like a lot. But I’m also interested in everything we still don’t know about her - if she’s not the Power Broker herself, she’s obviously Up To Something. So that should be fun.

--hey, look at that X-Men location, with Majipoor! Also a nod to Wolverine’s favorite bar there, I think?

--I love heist and disguise plots!

--I also really like Bucky’s having to revert to the Winter Soldier - Sebastian Stan does it so brilliantly, with so many layers of emotion: not wanting to, loathing it, recognizing the necessity, shutting off all emotion and just coldly doing it, hurting but covering it up...just fantastic, and you know I love some hurt/comfort, and this seems like such a great set-up for emotional hurt

--but! this also seems like...a weird plot hole, kind of? Bucky’s pretty famous at this point, right? I imagine the criminal underworld knows he’s been pardoned and deprogrammed, right? or do they assume Zemo, with his knowledge of Hydra, still has some special control over him?

--along the same “this seems like someone didn’t think this through” path, Sam, you’re a professional, turn off your phone on a mission. Oh my god. Face-palmingly stupid - and I think somewhat lazy writing, as the writers plainly needed a giveaway, and went for the first idea they had. Even if it made a main character look incompetent.

--the Flag Smashers and Karli are...fine. They feel very Generic Marvel Villain - not the big space alien type, but the other type, the “I have a personal loss and motivating pain so I’m a little sympathetic but also Clearly Evil, watch me kill civilians so the audience won’t ever find me TOO sympathetic” type. Meh. Fine. Zemo’s more interesting, but...fine.

--Anthony Mackie is such a fantastic actor - every bit of his reaction to the Isaiah Bradley reveal is so good. The anger, pain, frustration, ferocity...heartbreaking. Actually that whole scene is so good - his emotions at discovering this secret history are palpable, and it’s so painful, because we also understand why Bucky would keep the secret - as someone who knows about pain and trauma and being experimented on, and knowing Isaiah wants to be left alone - we feel really deeply for both characters here, and it’s great.

--I actually liked the abrupt swing from the Isaiah Bradley encounter to the casual everyday racism of the cops on the street - is it subtle, no. But it’s not meant to be: it’s meant to be standing up and shouting about how not that much has really changed, and about how pervasive racism is. I know some reviews were all, “this was just too much!” or “too forced!” but...look, it needs to be shouted sometimes for people to hear.

--Bucky’s notebook being Steve’s, oh, ouch, my feelings. If I had the time and energy to write fic...

--(also, if I had the time and energy to write dark!fic: where’re my fics in which Zemo’s implication about the Winter Soldier “doing anything you want” gets played with? what or who does Bucky have to do to keep the undercover charade going? so many Bad Wrong Kinky power dynamics and explorations of consent and what this would do to Bucky’s head, here, and honestly I’d totally read them all, just saying.)

--Sam and Bucky together...I don’t know. This is one of the elements that I’m not actually a huge fan of, but I think it’s partly a personal genre / sense of humor thing that’s not clicking for me, personally, again. Like...

--I don’t find people shouting aggrievedly at each other to be funny? I’m not sure why it is.

--I mean, I get that they’re doing, like, eighties buddy cop movies, but...it got old really fast then, and it’s not something we needed to bring back. It’s not clever, and it’s...well, shouty and annoying.

--(I say this as someone who genuinely likes the first two Lethal Weapon movies...but the significant difference is, I think, we’re also shown in both those movies that Riggs and Murtaugh care about each other. They don’t want to be partners initially, and they don’t get along initially, and they do argue over tactics**...but they immediately feel responsible for each other and act to protect each other even as they argue, because it’s the right thing to do and we’re shown moments of them awkwardly trying to connect, because they both have that deep sense of...protectiveness...that makes them Good People - like, if they learn something that the other person needs to know, they tell each other. They protect each other’s families / love interests. So by the end of the second movie, with that fabulous character death fake-out, Murtaugh’s initial shock and grief is real and powerful and painful, and so is his genuine relief when the worst isn’t true - and it’s all earned.) (**however, they tend to argue tactics *before* jumping in - “is it 1, 2, 3, go on 3? or 3, then go?” And then once that’s established, they go ahead. That makes a difference as far as...well...competence and teamwork!)

--(Sam and Bucky, as far as I can tell, don’t do the above, and just...maybe shouldn’t be working together?)

--I also don’t find grown men acting like my youngest nephew, when he’s having a temper tantrum, to be funny. Staring contests? Random insults? Sulking in silence? Oh, grow up.

--(Also, yes, writers, we see you with the “couples therapy” and “get closer and make your legs touch” and “landing on top of each other as they hit the ground” moments. I, at least, personally, am very tired of...I don’t know that I’d call it queerbaiting exactly, but this idea that we’re supposed to find these moments funny...because why? Because, ooh, they’re two men getting close to each other, physically or emotionally? Why is this a thing we need to draw attention to? Do you think you’re doing some sort of fan service? Please either make Sam/Bucky happen or stop doing this.)

--both Sam and Bucky are highly competent and professional agents, or they should be. They should know how to work in the field - even with people they may not like - and adapt to shifting strategy, make best use of available assets, include people in the plan, etc. I can’t help but compare this to something like, say, Leverage, which also has a team who mocks each other and makes jokes but clearly absolutely respects each other’s capabilities, has a plan going in and tells everyone what the plan is, and adapts (and trusts each other to adapt) on the fly as necessary, and does it all without random insults about someone’s (PTSD-related) staring and “robot brain”.

--one of the very specific moments that bothers me a lot is the ending of the therapy scene (yay for showing heroes in therapy! but also I’m pretty sure she’s...not a great therapist?). Bucky finally opens up and says something real, about his own self-doubt and wondering whether Steve was wrong about him....and Sam just...brushes it off and goes, “we’re done here,” basically. Not only does that feel wildly out of character for former counselor Sam, it feels cruel. I really deeply dislike that moment the more I think about it. Makes me want to scream.

--Sam insults Bucky way more than the other way around. It’s starting to feel very one-sided (it’d be better if more clearly reciprocal, though it’s still not a dynamic that’s my favorite), and again, feels out of character - maybe this is Anthony Mackie’s sense of humor, but Sam isn’t Mackie, and Bucky isn’t Seb, and it reads as...a weird unbalanced power-trip thing to me. And also out of character for Sam, who can be sarcastic (”If you guys eat that sort of thing,” about breakfast, when Steve and Nat have randomly shown up at his door) but that’s not the same as just throwing unprovoked insults at a person who’s trying to recover from trauma, and a lot of those insults seem to center on things that were done to Bucky, that he had no choice in (the staring, the arm, etc), and that feels....it just feels mean, to me. Make fun of things he’s had a choice in / can do something about, if you have to - hair, clothes, liking “old people’s games” like gin rummy or pinochle, not knowing who Beyonce is, I don’t know, there are so many options that aren’t cruel! Do that instead. Let Bucky have a good comeback for once, too!

--the action scenes are action scenes. Also fine.

--Sam might be right about destroying the shield, and the show may even be (unintentionally?) setting that up as the best outcome, but that’s a problem for the future, Sam; get it back first. Also it’s a problem you caused by giving the shield up - did you really trust the government to leave it unused in a museum? You’re not that naive.

--overall, it’s...a perfectly fine show, so far, I think? Solid, and interesting, but not great. I think some of what doesn’t work for me is because it doesn’t work for me personally, as far as the shouty insult-heavy action “comedy” bits that I’m not enjoying, but I think they’re doing what they aimed for with it, so in that sense, I guess it’s working? There’s a lot of really cool stuff around the edges - John Walker, Isaiah Bradley, that Dora Milaje stinger, the bigger world of a history interwoven with racism and superpowers, the chillingly effective use of Bucky’s past - but I wish I liked the central Sam-Bucky relationship more. Individually they’re wonderful - they’ve both had such powerful scenes dealing with family, trauma, and consequences - but I feel like, in the effort to do the buddy comedy dynamic, the writing has just made me really sure that they actually genuinely don’t like each other? To such an extent that if they show any affection / caring / interest in each other in the last three episodes, it won’t be believable. (I mean Sam and Bucky, not Mackie and Seb. Mackie and Seb’re adorable.)

--I just want to think about Zemo dancing some more.

[abhorsenbranwen]

the moment when you find fluffy fanfiction of you and your boyfriend taking a couple's hayride by @abhorsenbranwen

The internet is reacting to the revelation that Sam and Bucky are together by taking to AO3. Sam can't help reading and sending Bucky "Just a Couple's Hayride" after he reads this summary: Bucky is in love and overthinking things when he invites Sam on a couple's hayride.

hayride prompt for the @sambuckylibrary's halloween event 2021 | tysm to scullystwin42 for the header!

just a couple's hayride (fic within a fic)

"Sam," Bucky says, "I was thinking."

"What were you thinking about, Buck?"

That I love you, Bucky thinks, but very pointedly does not say. After all, he has no idea whether Sam feels that way, too. He'd been pretty open about his feelings in an interview he'd given in August, but while Sam definitely hadn't rejected him or changed how he acted after reading the interview, he hasn't really escalated things since then, either.

Sam is usually on top of things. Insightful. That's one of the things Bucky really loves about him. But maybe he has a blind spot where people having feelings for him is concerned. Maybe he just doesn't like men.

Maybe Bucky's still just too much of a mess. That also seems plausible.

Who knew? There could be many reasons.

It's particularly annoying that he can't get drunk as some kind of transparent cover layered with a thin veil of plausible deniability, and he sort of wishes he'd never told anyone that. (Of course, Steve had spilled that particular piece of information to the modern world with no regard for the minor inconvenience it would create for Bucky more than a decade later, so this is probably really on Steve, anyway.)

"You know how Halloween is tomorrow?"

That was a silly question. Of course Sam knows that Halloween is tomorrow. AJ and Cass have been talking about it since Bucky arrived. Sam's even been helping them on their costumes, though he's refusing to let AJ borrow his shield or let Cass borrow his wings.

Sam doesn't call him on this admittedly ridiculous comment, though. Instead, he just says, "Yeah?"

Bucky swallows. "Well - so - after the trick-or-treating, obviously - I mean - do you - I just saw this hayride thing -"

He doesn't mention that it's being advertised as a fun couple activity. They're a couple of guys, anyway, that's cover if he needs it.

It occurs to him that he should possibly be thinking less about cover and more about what he's going to say to Sam once he starts saying something.

If he manages to say something at all. He's not convinced that he will - he's been putting it off for months, what's a little longer? Maybe he can say something when Sam drops him off at the airport, then he'll have a built-in getaway. (Except, a voice inside him says, you're going to be really pissed off if you do that, the answer is yes, he has feelings for you, too, but you have a fucking flight to catch.)

He's also considered just saying it and immediately walking away, but that seems possibly passive-aggressive. Or just cowardly.

Bucky doesn't want to be a coward, he just also doesn't want to talk about his feelings for his partner.

"Sure," Sam says. He's very quick to agree to this, which Bucky feels like is either evidence that he's not feeling it and doesn't want to give Bucky an opening to say something more or is really feeling it quite a lot and is very keen to do a couple's hayride.

It’s very unclear. He considers asking Sarah, but asking Sam's sister about Sam's feelings seems like a sure way for the information to get back to Sam in a thoroughly middle-school way, and Bucky would like to avoid that if at all possible.

It begins to feel a little less unclear when Sam offers Bucky an entirely unnecessary hand up onto the cart. Wagon? Whatever it's called. It's been a very long time since Bucky did something like this - the last time had been before the war, when he and Steve had gone out with some friends and Bucky's sister Rebecca. She'd taken a lot of pictures and written up a narrative of it - he wishes he could track it down, but it seems like it’s probably lost for good.

Bucky had been wondering where he should sit, but thankfully, Sam sort of decides that for him. He gently pulls on Bucky's right hand, and Bucky's more than happy to sit down next to him. He's not sure Sam meant to pull him quite that close, but he's more than happy to go along with it; he's never said no to being in very close contact with his very attractive partner.

The closer, the better, really.

Their thighs are touching, and Sam hasn't let go of his hand. This feels like it might be too long to be just a friend thing or a partner thing. It's probably too long, right?

"What?" Sam asks, and Bucky realizes that he's staring. On the bright side, Sam doesn't seem to mind - there's a smile quickly spreading across his face.

It accentuates his cheekbones. Bucky has always really liked Sam's cheekbones, especially when he smiles.

His heart is starting to race, and his left hand clenches around the hay. Fuck, he thinks. Fuck, fuck - "I -" he tries, and stops. "I - so - the thing is -"

Sam hasn't stopped smiling. "Something you want to share with the class?"

Bucky's heart hasn't slowed down, but he is feeling a little less anxious now. Sam is very anti-toxic masculinity, which Bucky appreciates (even if he still doesn't entirely understand what toxic masculinity is, he's gathered that it's really not great from context clues), but he’s fairly sure that holding hands and stare into each other's eyes like they are now goes beyond “anti-toxic masculinity.”

"Can I kiss you?" Bucky blurts out. He's not entirely sure he'd meant for that to actually come out, but now Sam hasn't stopped smiling, which seems like it's probably a good sign.

"Yeah," Sam says. His voice is soft. "I mean, it's a couple's hayride. We should probably do it properly, we're not just a couple of guys anymore."

Their lips meet, and Bucky tightens his hold on Sam's hand - just a little, not enough to hurt him, Bucky's always conscious of his strength - and when they pull apart, Sam's other hand rises to Bucky's cheek. "We should do that more," Bucky breathes. He's not sure whether he'd rather stare into Sam's eyes or at his lips right now, but he is sure that it's not really possible to do both at once, because he's trying very hard right now and still isn't succeeding.

"We should," Sam agrees, and Bucky leans back in.

reaction on ao3

bucky: and why is it all about me, why couldn't you have found one about you pining for me? sam: this is more fun bucky: for you, maybe

[shipskicksandgiggles]

for your fic ideas, I genuinely cannot decide between 3, 6 & 10 (they're all so good!) but if you do write something for any one of them, I'd love to read it.

okay so I wrote short thing for all of them, but they also come with little explanations because at least one of them needs context. I cut after 3′s explanation but all of them have blurbs (honestly 6 and 10 could be considered short fics ngl), but yeah. enjoy!

3. “Listen I know this is a Christian place but you cannot tell me something about this feels like witchcraft” in which Peter, MJ, and Ned go to Rose Hill for something with Harley

now I’m from a city. not a big one but big enough that moving to a small town was really fucking weird for me, and while I know this place has a lot of roots in christianity, something about it feels unholy in ways I cannot express. I like to think that Rose Hill has the same vibe

So the history of Rose Hill, Tennessee, like all other tiny Bible Belt towns, begins with a church. It's not big, but its congregation is consistent, and Harley could have told you every little thing about the pipe organ and the stained glass windows. 

When his Midtown friends agreed to come down for spring break, he was already planning out an entire tour of the town. 

MJ shouldered her bag as she got out of the car and walked closer to the church he’d told them about as they got closer. She stopped a few feet from the bottom of the stairs and spun to take in a 360° view of the main street. 

It was mostly filled with quaint old houses and homey shops, but it was a cute place in Harley’s opinion. It was home. 

After another minute, she turned back to face the boys. 

“Harley, don’t take this the wrong way since I know you said this town has roots in Christianity and all that, but you cannot convince me there’s not some sort of witchcraft involved here.”

Ned let out a huff. “Thank god someone else noticed. I was about to say that, but I didn’t want to sound crazy.”

“I don’t even know how to respond to that if I’m honest,” Harley confessed. 

“Hon, I’m sure it’s nothing. We’re just not used to small towns. The energy is-” Peter waved his hand “-different, I guess. C’mon, let's just keep going. It’s nothing,” Peter repeated. 

He frowned, but he shrugged it off. Maybe the friendly cats around the coffee shop would warm them to Rose Hill a little more. 

6. Scott Lang and Peter Parker meet John Walker, and in true character roast the ever living shit out of him while Tony cheers them on in proud dad

this definitely isn’t original but I think it’s hilarious and the concept is killing me so here you go. also hi nat and tony are alive because fuck you I said so. endgame was a stupid movie and the only part of the ending I consider canon is steve giving up the shield. let me know if I should post this on ao3 since it’s a bit longer

Sam made fun of him for his staring problem, but it came in handy when he didn’t react to the quiet thud that landed on the truck. Bucky knew exactly who it was and why he was there. 

The bastard sitting across from him did not have the same information, and the look on John Walker’s face had Sam suppressing a smile by the looks of it. 

Sure enough, a familiar red mask appeared upside down in the window, and Sam let out a laugh when Walker shrieked. Hell, even Bucky smiled. 

“What the hell is that thing?” he demanded. 

“C’mon Spider-Baby, get in the damn truck.”

The kid climbed his way in through the back window and landed in a crouch before pulling off his mask and taking his seat between Sam and Bucky. “Sorry I’m late, you know how it is. And I’m not a baby, Captain Wilson. That’s rude.”

Walker cleared his throat. “He’s technically not a captain.”

Peter seemed to just notice the new guy. “Who the hell are you?”

“I’m Captain America, who the hell are you?”

“Uh, no offense big guy, but unless I missed a really important email, he’s Captain America.” He nodded towards Sam. “I’m your guy’s backup.”

“You look like you’re 12.”

“Okay, is someone gonna tell me who this asshole is, or am I going to have to web his mouth shut for the rest of this trip?”

Bucky snickered. “Peter Parker, meet John Walker. John, play nice. I know he looks small, but he could beat me in a fight, super soldier or not.”

“Why do I know that name?” Peter wondered aloud. “Wait, you’re the PR experiment right? Like the one the government is trying to make work because they’re made Captain Rogers appointed a man of color to be his successor? Oh Scott’s gonna love this, hold on.” He tapped out a code on his wrist, and something akin to a phone screen appeared. “Cass? Cass!”

Cassie Lang’s face popped into the camera. “Peter? Dude, I thought you were on a mission.”

“No, no, I am. Hey, is your dad around?”

“Uh, yeah I think your dad’s lab, hold on.” She disappeared and her audio cut out, presumably as she went to find him. 

Not even a minute later, she came back into view with Scott by her side. “Okay, what’s up?”

“So I’m with Captain America right?” He flipped the camera to show John. 

“That’s not Cap,” Scott snorted. “Wait, is this the guy they put on the news in a Cap cosplay a couple months ago?”

“Yeah. He’s kinda awful.”

Walker squawked, but Peter shushed him. “So the man with the giant metal frisbee really thinks he’s Cap like Captain Wilson isn’t right here, yeah?”

“He looks like a Renaissance painter tried to paint Steve from memory, so he’s definitely not America’s Ass.”

They heard a loud wheeze in the background. “Was that Tony?” Sam asked. 

“Sam? Hey man! Yeah it was Tony.”

“Put him on then,” Bucky said. 

“Hey Mr. Stark!”

“Hey you crazy kids. Walker, I didn’t appreciate you complimenting me on the news, I’m much more than my brains you know. Kinda saved your whole reality and all, but sure. Anyways, as Iron Man I’m obligated by my strenuous relationship with your mantel to tell you that you’re not all that and everything special about you came out of the United States government, which as we know is consistently racist, homophobic, sexist, and overall awful so I don’t trust you around my team or my kid. Stay in your lane and don’t get cocky. That shield isn’t yours and it’ll never be, so don’t give us a reason to take it from you, cool? Cool. To the rest of you, be safe on your mission and I’m sure Nat and Clint will have dinner warmed up when you get back.”

The call ended, and Walker’s flushed looked severely unhealthy. “How dare you-”

Peter waved him off and started talking to Bucky instead, choosing to trace over the lines of his metal arm. “Hey, Shuri said she sent Tony the parts to fix the rotator in your wrist. Did he get them installed last time you were home?”

Despite the way they first met, Bucky was fairly comfortable with Peter handing his arm. “Yeah he did. Might need a tune up though.”

He nodded. Then he spoke to Sam. “Nat misses you. She can’t wait until you’re back home so she can kick your ass in Monopoly.”

“As if,” Sam scoffed. 

Walker looked thoroughly constipated just watching their dynamic, and Peter definitely noticed. “You’re not an Avenger, John Smith. We don’t care if you have the shield or not, you’re still an imposter, and quite frankly Captain Rogers would be ashamed of you.”

Bucky wanted the face Walker made framed in his front room just so everyone else could see the man exalted by the US government dressed down by a teenager in a bug costume.

“Hey how much longer till we get there?” Peter asked. 

“Torres?” Sam called. 

“Couple hours give or take,” Torres responded. “We might hit a little traffic on the outskirts of the bigger city between now and the target.”

“Cool. Are you guys good if I nap for a bit?”

Bucky cocked his head at him. “Have you not been sleeping again?”

“Not on purpose! I’ve got a lot of homework, man. That Reintegration to Society class my school is making all the blipped kids take is kicking my ass.”

“Fine. Half hour nap. We’ll wake you.”

“M’kay.” Peter leaned his head on Bucky’s shoulder and laid his legs across Sam’s. The kid was out like a light before they could glare Walker into submission. 

One thing was for certain: this would be the easiest mission they’d had in a while.

10. Nick Fury’s collection of lesbian daughters + Clint Barton and Tony Stark that he has no idea how they got there but he secretly wanted kids so this is fine

literally this man has adopted every lesbian he has met in the MCU so far. I want him to meet Valkyrie so bad it’s not even funny. Clint and Tony kind of just Happened but he’s okay with it.

“What will your kids call you?”

“Fury.”

She called him Nick. Carol that is. So did her friend Maria. He wasn’t so sure if they were a couple or not, but he didn’t want to assume. 

That’s not the point. Fury didn’t want to have kids. Wasn’t the type to settle down and marry a nice girl, so he never put much thought other than ‘no’ into it when people asked. 

But goddamn it, he was going to manage this lesbian space person and her wife to the best of his abilities, so sure, he was a parent. 

Two kids were enough though. 

Clint Barton was strange. Fury had no idea who he was or what he had done with his life, and considering his whole life was intelligence, he didn’t know what to make of it. 

Still, the guy was a human disaster area, and Fury begrudgingly took on a third child. 

The third child obviously brought in the fourth one. An angry red head he was pretty sure Barton was supposed to kill. That didn’t matter when Nick sat down outside her cell and asked why she didn’t just kill him instead. 

“He’s not like the others,” she said. 

“How would you like to become like him?” he asked. 

He wasn’t expecting a fifth. Maria was calm, down to earth, and he trusted her. She was the do no harm, take no shit type of woman that he liked working with. She still needed someone to keep her nerves from fraying once in a while. 

That and he was wholly unprepared for the only side of her that she had no idea how to hide. Why every girl he adopts likes other women he will have no idea.

Natasha had to drag Tony Stark in by the ear, and Nick couldn’t say he was exactly impressed. 

“Dying isn’t an option.”

“Well I’m out of options, Nick.”

Nick Fury swore the children he didn’t plan on having would never call him anything other than Fury. Now he has a granddaughter and he doesn’t mind so much anymore. 

Carol called him old when he told her, and Maria rolled her eyes. Clint just grinned before he tripped over his own feet. Natasha caught the plate he almost dropped before handing it back to him. Hill made fun of him, but that was okay. He could take it. Tony had taken after him a little too well, and was managing his own group of pseudo-children somewhere in New York, but he promised to FaceTime them over dinner. 

“What will your kids call you?” she’d asked. 

He reflected back on that moment now, almost 30 years later. Nick. They’ll call me Nick. 

[anonwriter27]

Trust in Me

This is my first Loki fic and I'm a little out of practice writing. If you guys could let me know if I should continue this story, I'd really appreciate it :)

Y/N had struggled with identity for a very long time; her own, the concept, the tags that came along with it. Identity became an imposition, something forced upon her rather than chosen for herself. Perhaps some context is necessary to explain why.

Y/N’s mother, Lia, had been what many would class as a socialite; the oldest daughter of a wealthy family, beautiful, intelligent. She had that sass that could be detected by the slight curve of her eyebrow. Despite her quick wit and sharp tongue, she was incredibly loving and doted on her family, which is why her ‘banishment’ had come as a surprise.

Lia’s little brother liked to stir the pot and annoy their father at any given moment. One of their father’s biggest grievances came from his son’s choice of best friend, Rafael. Rafael Tatum came from an aggressive family. Though he himself was calm and collected, his family’s erratic behaviour had given them quite the reputation, one that Lia’s family wanted nothing to do with.

Despite knowing her father’s distaste for the Tatums, Lia fell in love with her brother’s best friend. He was well read, well-travelled. Despite his strong build and withering stare, he believed in peace and discussion over war and violence. There weren’t many men like Rafael.

Lia respected her parents enough to tell them the truth, but when given the ultimatum of us or him, Lia chose him. She kept in contact with her brother, but after quickly eloping, she and Rafael moved to a house on the coast. Lia soon fell pregnant and she and Rafael raised their beautiful baby girl by the sea. But the Tatums had made many enemies at this point, and with Rafael and their daughter’s striking blonde hair and piercing grey eyes, they could not leave their home out of fear of attack.

Lia became ill when Y/N was nine, and after a lengthy battle for her life, Lia passed away peacefully in her sleep. Rafael knew his days were numbered, but the thought of leaving his little girl defenceless in the world sickened him; so, he called on his best friend, Lia’s brother.

On the day Rafael was killed, Lia’s brother scooped up his eleven-year-old niece into his arms and took her to his home where he would raise her.

He kept her hidden from those who would judge her, and safe from those who would harm her. He often joked that she was like Rapunzel, with her long golden hair locked away in a tower. Although she would laugh at the comparison, he wasn’t far off. Y/N did have locks like spun gold, and she did live in a tower; in fact, it was one of the highest towers in New York: Stark Tower, where she lived with the ever reliable Miss Potts and her fun uncle Tony.

  Despite what many would say about him, Tony was a good uncle to Y/N, and a strong father figure in her life. He kept her safe when she didn’t realise she was in danger, and he did so because he loved her, just as much as he had loved Lia.

Tony and Lia could have been twins with how in sync they were. Despite being her younger brother, Tony always felt like her equal. She always included him and helped him with his inventions. She encouraged his intelligence and scolded their father when he refused to shine a light on Tony’s brilliance. Perhaps that’s why he had befriended Rafael, there was so much of his sister’s goodness there, it was just in a different shade.

Rafael had been annoyed by Tony at first, his constant sarcasm and nature to provoke irritated Rafael to no end. Slowly these annoyances became endearing and the two, though an odd pairing, became a duo to be reckoned with. They went travelling around the world, exploring new cultures, and expanding their minds. Although Tony got them into trouble, Rafael was there to get them out of it.

When Y/N would ask Tony about her father, the story would often start something like “Did I ever tell you about that time your dad rescued me from falling off a pier?”

Y/N could have heard that story a thousand times but she’d gladly hear it a thousand more.

Tony never resented his sister for running away with his best friend. In fact, after years of her being the golden child, it was refreshing to see her let loose and follow her heart. His only regret was not having more time: more time to laugh with her, to sit with her, to watch her raise her little girl.

So when he promised Lia, on his last visit to her sick bed, that he would watch over her little girl, he took that promise to heart. And as such, every landmark moment in his life would be done with her in mind.

When Tony became Iron Man, he feared he had put an even bigger target on the poor girls back. But she just smiled up at him and called him her hero.

When he told her he loved Pepper and that he wanted her to move into the tower, Y/N simply looked at him with her mother’s signature curved brow and said “well it’s about time.”

When Tony asked what she thought of his new intern Peter Parker, she laughed and said, “I always wanted a little brother.”

They were in sync, they understood each other and looked out for one another. In all the tragedy that had befallen their family, they had made a family of their own. So, you can imagine how protective Tony was when introducing the avengers to his precious niece. Although Y/N was now eighteen and a young woman, Tony took his role of father-figure very seriously. He only introduced a member or two of the avengers at a time.

Natasha had been the first, followed swiftly by Bruce. After years of the introvert lifestyle and second-guessing people’s motives, Y/N had become very shy and quiet to everyone but her uncle. Bruce and Nat’s discretion and sensitivity allowed Y/N to warm to them.

Steve and Sam were polite and calm enough to allow Y/N to relax around them (Steve was always there to stop Sam from staring at Y/N and her “heart-warming smile” as he calls it). By the time Clint brought Wanda to the tower, Y/N was able to sit in the same room as everyone and eat dinner without feeling too uneasy.

Y/N liked everyone well enough, but like her father she enjoyed peace and discussion. During particularly rowdy dinners, she would often find herself sitting with Bucky and Vision in comfortable silence; the comfort this provided her allowed her to class them as her closer friends. But like her father, she needed one friend to find both annoyance and love, and she found that in the brotherly figure of Peter Parker.

Tony kept this system in place, slowly integrating people he trusted into Y/N’s life, allowing her to trust them for herself before pushing them into her life.

So when Friday announced the arrival of Thor and his war criminal brother on the lawn of Stark tower, Tony was far from pleased.

[cafecitowriter]

Peggy Carter Saves Infinity War

So hear me out. We always talk about how Peggy could’ve stopped Civil War and the Snap (which obviously she could). I’ve been re-watching the Infinity Saga with my friend before she goes back to work next week. We’ve gotten to the point where a week ago, we saw Infinity War, and then I couldn’t get this idea out of my head, of exactly how Peggy saves the day in Infinity War. Like seriously I haven’t been able to write because this idea has just consumed me and I needed to write something out if I wanted to go on with my life.

I might make this a full fic someday. We’ll see.

There are probably some plot holes in here since I am about to ramble from brain to paper without any editing, but just roll with it for my sake.

Insert your favourite “this is how Peggy got to the future” but for all intents and purposes, the Peggy I’m talking about here is also a super soldier for reasons. Also, Civil War never happened because of Peggy so they’re all friends yay.

Even just this little bit got kinda long so it’s under the cut here: 

Tony and Bruce are still the only (official) Avengers right in New York when they come to get the Time Stone - except Peggy’s also there. 

Wanda and Vision are on a romantic getaway type trip in Glasgow, while Steve, Nat, and Sam are close by them responding to something unrelated. So while they’re all friends, they’re still physically separated from each other.

I read a post once that said that Tony covers the people he loves in suits (Rhodey, Pepper, Peter). He and Peggy would have obviously bonded and become extremely close, so he made a (more subtle) suit just for her - though there’s nothing subtle about the colours on her suit matching the ones on Steve’s uniform. It’s nothing nearly as extravagant the ones he made for himself or for Peter (because she wouldn’t let him). It covers her body, has some thrusters on the soles of her feet that she can use to fly, and has an optional helmet that is similar to Steve’s but also has a clear portion that covers her mouth if she’s somewhere she needs to be fully covered. The suit lives in a red, silver, and blue bracelet that she can activate at any time. She’s never worn the full suit in all the years she’s had it, but he begs her to always have it at the ready just in case. 

When they take to the sky, Peggy’s glad she actually listened to him.

As they’re going up, she and Tony have the same realization: it’s a one way trip. While Tony calls Pepper, she calls Steve.

He picks up in the middle of the first ring.

“You’re going up,” he states immediately, his voice heavy.

She’s not surprised that he knows. It’s all over the news - that she can hear in the background of wherever Steve’s at.

Which means he can see the space ship that they’re chasing getting higher and higher. She wonders if he can see her, too.

“Yes,” she answers simply, because there’s no way around it. As it is they’re almost out of time before the call inevitably gets dropped.

“Thanos is coming, he’s after the infinity stones,” she warns him.

“Vision,” Steve realizes at once.

“You can’t let Thanos or his minions get to him. You have to protect him, Steve.”

“I will,” he says firmly.

She couldn’t help but think that it wasn’t any easier being on this end of the call, but she had to keep it together. Steve was strong for her, after all.

“When I get back, I’m going to take you dancing,” she promises.

“8 o’clock on the dot,” he agrees.

“We can start with something slow,” she offers, and she feels the tears burning in her eyes as she finds her way into the damn ship. “We can start with our song.”

“I promise not to step on your feet.”

This time, he finishes his sentence before they get cut off.

While Steve, Nat, and Sam don’t get to Vision before he gets stabbed, they do get there sooner, so he’s not as in terrible condition. The earth end of the movie goes very similarly to the movie at this point.

Everything goes pretty much the same on the space side too - until we get to the team on Titan fighting Thanos. With Peggy’s help, Tony manages to form the plan to attack Thanos and things are going pretty well with the extra hand.

Then Quill comes along and allows his own grief to get in the way.

But this time, they have one more person to help. (And seriously I couldn’t help but think that entire time that they just needed one more person to deal with Quill so that they wouldn’t lose their grip on Thanos ugh).

Before Tony lets go, Peggy screams at him to keep at the gauntlet with Peter. She then drops her arms from where she had them wrapped around Thanos’ neck and tackles Quill. They fight it out because SERIOUSLY QUILL CAN YOU NOT WAIT TWO SECONDS.

He’s stronger than she thought he’d be - put she’s Peggy goddamn Carter and she isn’t about to let the billions of people die because of some petulant man child.

While they fight, Quill yells at her, tells her that she has no idea what Gamora meant to him, what he’s going through.

Peggy, of course, is one of the few people that probably understands what he’s going through the best. 

While physically wrestling him, she tells him about losing the love of her life but not being able to mourn because it was World War 2 and they had work to do, lives to save.

She tells him that he needs to respect Gamora’s sacrifice and the only way to do that is to get the gauntlet off of Thanos and stop him for good. She tells him that she knows how hard it is, but he needs to be strong.

He owes the billions of lives at stake - he owes Gamora that.

Finally, the gauntlet comes off. 

Thanos is now fighting back even harder, Mantis isn’t going to be able to keep him down much longer.

Peggy lets go of Quill and dashes to take the gauntlet from Peter because he’s just a child.

There’s a big mess as Thanos “wakes up”, throws them all off, and they play keep away with the gauntlet. At some point, Peggy gets it and she takes off in a mad dash/fly away from Thanos. During this, she sneaks the stones out of their slots without anyone noticing (where do you think Tony learned it from?) and she places them in the bag that Shuri made specially for her out of Vibranium - among other things. It is tear-proof, can be adapted to a different sizes and strapped to her body in multiple different ways. Peggy never leaves home without it.

(Context: Peggy visited Wakanda with Steve when he went to ask T’Challa to help Bucky. She and Shuri became fast friends because they’re two kickass women who have so much respect for each other and we love women supporting women. Ya’ll can fight me on this.)

Thanos catches up to Peggy and tears the gauntlet away from her. He then throws her violently in a random direction. Strange opens up a portal that she flies through.

(How he knew that she actually had the stones, well he’s Dr. Strange so).

Peggy lands (hard) in Wakanda during their big battle - right in the middle of the field. She’s disoriented, aching, and lying on her back, but she needs to get those damn stones to safety and this looks the exact opposite of that. 

“Peggy?”

It’s Steve.

He’s bloodied and breathless, but dear god it’s her Steve.

He rushes to her and helps her on her feet. Before she can say anything, he’s kissing her bruisingly because he thought he lost his best girl but she’s alive and she’s here.

“Steve,” she gasps, pulling back, her fingers digging into his biceps. “There’s no time.”

“That’s because you’re late,” he whispers, still in shock.

“I have the stones,” she presses on.

“What?”

“I have four infinity stones on my person and I need to get them as far away from here before Thanos realizes I’ve taken then and follows me here.”

“We need to destroy them,” he told her.

“How?”

Still keeping one arm wrapped around her, he pressed his finger to his ear, speaking into the comms.

“Wanda, we have a package coming your way, be ready. Everyone else, if we want to win, we have to get Peggy to Wanda while keeping those things away from Shuri and Vision.”

Then there’s a whole other mess as Peggy rushes toward Wanda. It’s very similar to Endgame where everyone takes turns fighting with her (at some point she gets separated from Steve for a bit), covering her and getting her to her destination. (Also I want one of these people to be Bucky because she and Bucky were friends okay and they deserve a cool fight scene together).

At one point, her leg gets injured badly. Her thrusters are no longer working so she can’t fly and she’s alone. Cue Steve.

By the skin of their teeth, they make it to Wanda, Steve setting Peggy on the floor. They keep Thanos’ army at bay while Wanda destroys the stones and Shuri continues working. The battle rages on, but they’re starting to get the upperhand.

A portal opens in the sky. Steve, Peggy and Wanda look out the window, for a moment terrified that Thanos caught up to Peggy.

It’s not Thanos.

Well, not just Thanos, anyway. It’s Strange and Peter and Tony and the Guardians of the Galaxy and a one-armed, half unconscious Thanos. Without the Infinity Stones, they were able to team up and defeat Thanos. Strange never had to give up the time stone.

Thanos’ army realizes what’s happened, and they begin to flee.

With the extra time they bought, Shuri manages to get the mind stone out of Vision’s head. Wanda destroys that one too, for good measure.

After, they’re cleaning up the remnants of the battle, tending to the dead, to everyone else’s wounds. Steve is stitching Peggy’s leg back up and caring for her. They both know she’ll heal soon enough without his help, but Steve is still buzzing with adrenaline and energy and needs something to do with his hands and they’re not about to let each other out of their sights anytime soon.

Together, they watch Vision and Wanda hold each other, whispering sweet nothings and words of comfort in each other’s ears.

“You kept him safe,” Peggy tells Steve, who looks up at her with pained eyes.

“He offered to sacrifice himself when we figured out that our best chance was to destroy the stone.”

“It’s what we all would have done,” she agreed, her fingers now carding through his hair. “But you found another solution.”

“I thought about losing you when I crashed the plane. About you going up with Tony and Strange and the kid and the fact that I’d probably never see you again and... I couldn’t let them become us.”

“Funnily enough... in a way, they have become us,” Peggy told him, flicking her eyes to the pair. 

Vision kissed the palm of Wanda’s hand, both of them still clinging to each other.

Steve tilted his head until he was able to do the same with Peggy’s palm, closing his eyes.

They won. 

Once Peggy’s leg is healed and they’ve dealt with the fallout of Thanos, Peggy makes good on her promise to take Steve dancing.

[valkyriesryde]

Sergeant Boinky

Pairing: Bucky x Reader but mainly platonic relationships with reader and Sam

Summary: Bucky’s got a new interest and Sam and Y/N are taking full advantage of it.

Warnings: swearing, fluff, embarrassed Bucks

Word Count: 1,853

A/N: Dedicated to @mrwinterr and inspired by this post that she shared, thanks for giving me an excuse to procrastinate my WIPs hahahah this is also not edited at all i apologise in advance

Masterlist

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It was an average overcast afternoon at the Avengers compound. A quiet day, not a peep through the house, not even a mouse.

The members that were left were either relaxing or working. Each to their own.

Bucky Barnes lay on the couch in the common area, phone in hand, held above his head scrolling slowly but steadily.

Sam Wilson sat on the couch beside him. His feet were propped up on the coffee table he lazily leaned on his elbow as he played on his Nintendo switch.

Y/N Y/L/N lay on the couch opposite in a similar position to Bucky, they almost mirrored each other except she held a book to the side and was making her way through.

There was a comfortable silence between the three of them. Every now and then Sam would let out an annoyed huff or you could hear Y/N turning a page but apart from that, it was peaceful.

Then Bucky spoke.

“Hey what does ‘y/n’ mean?”

“Yes or no” Sam didn’t bother looking up when he answered and Y/N ignored them both.

Bucky read the sentence over again in his head, it didn’t make sense.

“That doesn’t work,” Bucky looked back to his friends more confused than before. This caught both Sam and Y/N’s attention. They looked up, first at Bucky and then to each other. There was only one other possible meaning and both knew what it was.

Neither were strangers to fanfiction, no one really is a stranger to fanfiction, unless I suppose you’re about 105 and missed the rise of it. Questions started spinning in their heads at what exactly was happening in front of them.

Was Bucky reading fanfiction?

How did he find it?

Y/N’s most important question was 'oh God did someone introduce him to ao3?!’

Sam’s most important question was 'who the hot diggity hell is he reading about?!’

They were freaking out in their heads so much that they almost forgot to answer him.

“What’s the context?” Y/N raised an eyebrow, surely it had to be something else.

“Uhh it’s in a story but I don’t know what it means"

"Your name,” Sam answered and Bucky nodded reading back over the sentence again.

'Bucky staring at Bucky’s eyes…'  that didn’t make sense still? Maybe he had to use another name?

Y/N and Sam had sunk low into their seats, both prayed that the world would open up and swallow them.

It was hours later and not much had changed. The embarrassment of earlier had passed and they were back to normal.

Steve Rogers had joined the gang in the common area and sat next to Sam with sketchbook in hand.

Bucky Barnes was now fast asleep with his phone resting beside him on the couch.

Sam Wilson was still playing on his Nintendo switch but was starting to get bored of losing the same boss fight over and over again.

Y/N Y/L/N had set her book aside and was now trying not to fall asleep herself.

Then she saw it.

The black shine of Bucky’s phone caught her eye and she sat up and took two steps towards it causing Steve and Sam to turn their gaze towards her.

“What are you doing?”

“Why are you staring at Bucky?” They both whispered to her, as not to wake him up and she just smiled and shrugged.

“I’m curious” was all she said before she plucked the phone quickly from his side and sat between the two men.

“Don’t you need a password to get into it?” Sam asked, catching on as to what she was curious about and he had to admit he’d thought about it too.

“This is an invasion of privacy you two realise that don’t you?” Steve wasn’t too thrilled with the idea of going through his friends phone, it’s not like there was a need to.

“Steve, this is a matter of life and death, now tell us his password.” Sam was straight to the point and though it wasn’t quite a matter of life and death per se, it was the deciding factor on how much embarrassment he was going to cause Bucky.

“It’s 0410 how do you not know that"

"How do you know that?” Steve questioned Y/N but she merely rolled her eyes

“It’s your birthday and then his, and he told me a while ago” she smiled innocently between the two but behind that smile was mischief and she quickly unlocked the phone in Sam’s hand.

Low and behold there it was in all its glory. Fanfiction. About himself. The two curious critters stifled a laugh as they read through the story. A classic enemies to friends to lovers. Everybody loves one of those. They kept looking, kept reading. Bucky seemed to have it all. Coffee shop au, roommates au, you name it he probably had it.

“Oh I’m gonna enjoy this”

“Enjoy what?” Sam locked the phone immediately and hid it from view as Y/N let out a small scream as soon as Natasha had spoken.

Natasha looked at the two questionably then at Steve who had been ignoring them and gave her a shrug.

Bucky sat up abruptly, his eyes wide open searching the room for any kind of danger after being woken up by Y/N’s scream. When he noticed nothing out of the ordinary Bucky fell back into the couch and rubbed his hands over his face.

“Why are you screaming?” He asked before getting up and making his way to the door.

“Nat scared the shit out of me, sorry, didn’t mean to wake you.”

Bucky grumbled an it’s okay and walked out. As soon as he was out of sight Sam tucked the phone between the cushion and couch where Bucky had been and sat back in his seat.

“Should I be asking what you were doing?”

“It’s best to ignore them, that’s what I’ve been doing” answered Steve.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

When Bucky woke up the next morning he couldn’t help feel content, happy even. He couldn’t help but think about the domestic life, the two story home with a cat on his lap and girl under his arm.

He’d spent half the night in bed reading through series on his phone of that domestic life. Imagining himself as a mob boss, a writer, a college student. And strangely he didn’t feel like he was missing anything. He didn’t wish that life was his, in fact, it made him more appreciative of the life he had. The one thing Bucky kept coming back to was how close he was with his friends in the stories, and they were pretty spot on, that’s how it was in his real life.

The only aspect he would probably change is the whole not having a girl under his arm. A specific one.

Bucky couldn’t help think of that domestic life when he walked into the dining room to see a group of his friends, his family, all chowing down stacks of pancakes and bacon and fruit.

And if that didn’t surprise him enough he went into a state of shock when he walked into the kitchen to see Y/N flipping more pancakes in her pyjamas.

He had to be dreaming? Or been thrown into an alternate reality where all of his domestic dreams are true?

“Morning Bonky,” Y/N flashed him a smile over her shoulder. Bonky? That was the nickname from one his fics he read yesterday?

“Bonky?” Bucky picked at the bacon on the bench trying to act nonchalant.

“Yea Sam and I came up with a couple nicknames for you last night, isn’t that right same,” Sam jumped to take a seat on the bench opposite them, a giant smirk on his face and that could only mean bad news for Bucky.

“That’s right indeed and boy did we come up with some great ones Bork,” Sam winked at Bucky who sighed in response.

“Oh what about Boinks!”

“Sergeant Boinky!” Bucky rolled his eyes as the two went back and forth but there was a nagging voice in the back of his head. These names were used in the stories from yesterday and he had a feeling they knew that. How embarrassing.

“Ooh I like that one,” she turned to Bucky and flashed him an innocent smile, “what do you think Sarge?”

Bucky gulped. So maybe some of those stories had chapters that were maybe not so safe for work. And maybe a common theme in them was him being called ‘Sarge’ or ‘Sergeant’. And then maybe he also had been imagining it was a certain girl who was currently stood in her pyjamas staring up at him like it was the most innocent act in the world. But there was nothing innocent going on in his mind.

“How um, how did you come up with these names anyway?” Need to get out, need to leave, this is an ambush. God Bucky wanted her to call him Sarge again, he wanted to hear her moan it in his ear and oh fuck he needed to get out of there.

“Online,” Sam’s smirk grew bigger and Bucky narrowed his eyes.

“Don’t touch my phone again.”

Y/N and Sam looked at each other then back at Bucky still trying to be innocent, but they knew they had caught him.

“I didn’t touch your phone, why would you think that?” Sam had never had so much fun messing with Bucky, but he needed to know who Bucky was picturing with him because it can’t have been himself!

“Is there something on your phone you don’t want us knowing about Sarge?” Bucky caught the growl in his throat before it could escape as Y/N finished cooking the last of the pancakes.

“No, nothing, not at all.” he shook his head and started making himself a plate of food to hide the red in his face from the two asshats.

Y/N shrugged and gave him a pat on his back, “whatever you say Bonky,” she winked at him before leaving the room. Sam came up next to him, leaning over the counter, stupid smirk still on his face, gonna smack that thing real soon Bucky thought.

“So who was it? Gal Gadot? Mila Kunis? Oh! Xena, Warrior Princess!?” Sam started jumping with excited as he kept listing off celebrities and characters he thought Bucky might have liked enough to read fanfiction about them, paired with him.

“None of your business,” he pushed past Sam and peered out the ajar door to make sure no one was listening. He didn’t need the whole compound knowing what he’s been up to.

“Oooh, or is it someone a bit closer to home perhaps?” Sam wiggled his eyebrows and Bucky rolled his eyes, plate in hand and ready to retreat back to his room.

“You know I can kill you right?”

“And yet,” he held out his arms, “here I stand.” Sam moved to step past Bucky and retreat back to the dining area but not before pausing, “don’t worry, I won’t tell Y/N.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

And a big thank you for reading!

[pendragonfics]

You Seemed So Happy

Paring: James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes/Reader

Tags: gender-neutral reader, no pronouns in fic, alternate timeline, canon divergence - after Captain America: Civil War, Avengers Tower, domestic Avengers, Bucky Barnes recovering, Bucky Barnes feels, rain, first kiss, fluff

Summary: A longtime lover of inclement weather, Reader is often seen mucking around in their rain shoes outside. It just so happens that the newcomer to the Avengers Tower, a recovering Bucky Barnes has taken note in them, and their somewhat peculiar habits.

Title comes from this song (recommended listening while reading)

Word Count: 2,411

Current Date: 2019-11-20

Requested By: @karasong​

Without a doubt, the best part of any day was checking the weather app. It wasn’t always fruitful in its outcomes, and whenever Thor made his way to the Avengers Tower, you’d be sure to make him change the weather for you. It had gotten to the point where if there was rain forecasted for the week ahead, you’d set your rain jacket and galoshes out in preparation. You’d cancel all plans for days when the rain would roll in.

Luckily, your day job was being a superhero.

By the time that the newest Avenger came to live in the old Stark Tower in New York, everyone else had lost the thrill of teasing you over your adoration over precipitation. And if you were being completely honest, you were glad that they weren’t rubbing it in all the time. You didn’t tease Tony Stark about his love of Judge Judy, or Sam Wilson about his liking of bath bombs. But as soon as your new neighbour to the twelfth floor came in, he was the newest attraction.

James Buchannan ‘Bucky’ Barnes.

With a name like that, he could be many things. You grew up on the other side of the world, it would seem - because before joining the team, you had a) no clue as to who Captain America was, and b) had never heard of the Winter Soldier. Which, you assumed after some context, was James. Wait no, he preferred Bucky. You were still getting used to his many names, among other things.

While you were a morning person of sorts, the only time you ever crossed paths with your new teammate was at the elevator one evening. Not that you were one to objectify openly, but the man - he was sure fresh out some trauma that you were still wrapping your head around, but oh my, was he a looker.

But today, there wasn’t a sign of him at all upstairs. After a movie night with the remaining Avengers, you fell asleep midway through Mama Mia! and woke up on the couch. When whoever’s left are given a budget and told to stay out of trouble when the other half of the team are in Portugal for the latest hero-ing your skillset wasn’t needed for, movie nights become the thing when someone joins you. So far, only Clint joined you when he was able, but that was just because he liked that you only watched movies with closed captions.

It was going to be a normal day.

But then, after stretching, you checked the weather app. And lo and behold, there was the best news of the day: a change in the prediction. Light to moderate rain in the morning, followed by heavy rain in the evening, it said, summarised with the humidity and the other details you didn’t quite care for. At once, you felt your pulse quicken, and you threw yourself from the cramped corner of the couch to the elevator.

Mashing the buttons, you paced the space as the box descended, and as soon as you free from it, you ran to your room and donned the right clothes to explore in the rain. You pulled your hair from your face and brushed haphazardly at your teeth. Washed your face and tossed the clothes you slept in into the hamper. Pulled on the galoshes and your favourite tee shirt and the rain jacket too. You were so happy, you felt your abilities sparkle beneath the palms of your hands, your feet growing light as your happiness translate into partial hovering. Bounding like a kangaroo on the moon, dressed, you rush back to the elevator.

Bucky stood there, also waiting.

He wore black jeans, and boots, and a grey hoodie. They looked like new clothes. Like, they were so new that they hadn’t been washed yet after coming home from the store. As you joined his side, you met Bucky’s eyes. He’d cleaned the dirt that was spread across his face since you last saw him. Not that you had anything against people who wore eyeliner! You’d give him a pointer or two if he wanted to wear it again, that was for sure. And his hair was pulled back into a haphazard ponytail.

“Hi,” you say, beaming.

He blinks. “Hi,” Bucky echoes.

As soon as the elevator comes, you both enter it. As you reach for the button for the roof, your hand brushes alongside his. You’re not sure why, but you feel a little zap! of electricity as you do. Maybe it’s the energy your body is creating from the excitement, or just static from the rain, but Bucky looks at you funny, and presses for the roof.

“I’m headed there too,” you make conversation, poking your hands in your rain jacket pockets. “For some very important business.”

He raises an eyebrow, silent. As the elevator ticks upward, you sway, rocking back and forth on your feet as you wait patiently for the destination. Ever since the roof was refurbished from being Tony Stark’s personal living room to the loft living space - usually used for fancy soirées or stuff like that - you fought to have a little greenhouse outside too, and access to the tip-top of the building. Because of your abilities, and a promise that you weren’t going to go crazy and cultivate fifty types of roses, it was allowed.

As soon as the elevator opened, you waited patiently for Bucky to alight before rushing out. You barely paid him any attention as you made your way to the balcony, and once the doors let you out, you felt your abilities pricking underfoot. At once, you soared up to the top of the Avengers Tower, your rain jacket and boots almost a comical hero-costume as you flew through the rain.

It wasn’t as heavy as you thought it would be, the droplets splashing over your face and head lightly. In your glee, you shot your hands out before you, and without thinking, propelled two bolts of energy from your palms into the sky.

Thankfully, there weren’t any planes in the sky today.

Looping around, you were surely a spectacle to be seen above the Avengers Tower. While the people of New York and beyond America’s borders knew of your existence on the team, you were still a new face that wasn’t as popular an action figure as say, the Black Widow doll. Before returning to the top floor of the tower, you spread your arms wide, as if to embrace the sky, and propelled yourself backwards.

You landed on the top floor, laying softly on the concreted ground. The rain continued to fall around, the droplets gathering on your face to make it run as if they were tears and you were from a Ghibli movie.

“Best day ever,” you grinned to yourself.

---

The next time there’s rain, you’re out in the street, running errands. It’s almost a month later, and the dry spell has gotten to you. Except, unlike any other time when you’d be very thrilled for the rain, you’re carrying groceries back to the Avengers Tower with Steve and Bucky, and don’t want the shopping to get wet. Steve barrels ahead of the both of you, sparing sorry!’s and excuse me!’s to those who he knocks into. You try the same, but it’s no use.

You’re not Captain America.

Bucky loops his gloved hand through the bags you’re carrying and whisks them from your grasp. People move out the way for him and his imposing stature, and you follow him swiftly through the path he carves in the crowds of the New York footpath back to the tower. Once inside, he calls the elevator with his spare elbow and turns to you.

His face is sodden, hair dripping into his eyes like a baptised puppy dog, his clothes soaked through. You’re no better, glad that you wore a jacket over your white shirt so that it isn’t see-through to others’ eyes.

“I thought you liked the rain.” He says as the doors open.

You blink, following him inside. You’ve never heard him say this many syllables except to Steve. You try to hide the shock of it with a shiver, and reply, “I do like the rain. It was just-,” you shiver once more, the movement of the elevator providing the interior with an uncustomary breeze, “-a little unexpected.”

Once the elevator reaches the common area, you both approach the communal kitchen. Steve’s already unpacked his bags and has started to put odds and ends away. As he’s turned to the pantry, he calls over his shoulder, “I’ve got it this time. Thanks for carrying the bags, ________, Buck -,” he beams, and turning, adds, “Why don’t you go get dry?”

You thank him but ask, “You’re wet too, Cap. How about we tag team?”

Steve shrugs. “Thanks, but I don’t feel the cold.” Bucky goes to interject, and the leader of the Avengers adds, “Seriously, I’m good. It’s been a while since you’ve both had a day off. Enjoy the time off.”

Bucky joins you in the elevator, and you return to the level you sleep on. Parting ways upon exit, you only meet up with him again not ten minutes later, when you’re drier. This time, you’ve donned your favourite socks (the ones with avocado’s with faces) and a tee-shirt that Thor gave you (it’s the demi-god’s size, with a print of Thor as Nyan Cat on the front) and of course, your raincoat and boots. Bucky’s in a different all-black set of clothes, and he calls the elevator as you join him at it. Waiting.

“Are you going to the roof?” he asks.

“Yeah,” you nod. A second passes, and you wonder, “are you?”

Bucky nods. There’s a look on his face as you both ride to the roof that you just can’t put your finger on. You don’t have any time to really question what that look is because he turns to you and starts to speak.

“I used to be happy like you are about the rain,” he says. There’s a sigh, barely audible, but you catch it. “I used to be happy…about a lot of things.”

You swallow offhand. Slowly, you gather your words before offering a reply. “I don’t know much about what you went through, before coming to us…but if you like, I can help you.” Bucky looks at you quizzically, and the elevator reveals the top floor of the tower. Stepping out, you correct yourself, “I mean, I can help you with your thing about the rain. Or other stuff. I’m not the most qualified, but I’ll give it a shot if you want.”

He exhales, but it’s then you realise that it’s an attempt at a laugh. You smile at that and move toward the balcony.

“What makes you like the rain?” Bucky asks.

He’s trailing behind. You can see him in the reflection of the glass windows, and as he gazes out, you can see a look there that you recognise. Hesitation.

“I didn’t always like it,” you say. “When I was a kid, the rain freaked me out. It felt weird, like, too much to handle on my skin. But then one day I woke up one day and realised I could shoot energy from my hands, and fly, and I was eight, nine years old?” you scrunch your nose, trying to remember. “Now that is scary. Rain turned into a piece of cake after that, and when I got used to being basically a kid hero, nothing much could really freak me out.”

You look to Bucky. “You don’t have to tell me what’s going on with you, but…” you unlatch the door to the balcony and start to step out. The rain patters down upon your face as you go, but you wait for Bucky to follow. “May I have this dance?”

“Dance?” he echoes.

You grin. “Well, if I’m goof off on the roof with you, buddy, we’re dancing. You know, the kind like-nobody-is-looking?”

Bucky glances behind him and sees you’re alone together. “But you’ll be looking too.”

You close your eyes and hold your hands up as if in surrender, “At a risk to my safety, I will not be looking. Besides! I’m a crappy dancer myself.”

You hear Bucky’s footsteps follow you out, feeling him ghost past you with a slight breeze that follows. Quietly, you turn to where you feel he is, and say, loud enough for J.A.R.V.I.S. to hear, “Play The Horses, Daryl Braithwaite, please.”

You thank Tony Starks’ surround-sound system as you start to sway in your space. As the beat kicks in, you start to move faster, feeling more and more confident. You stomp your feet in the wells of puddles growing underfoot, shaking your arms and chest in a half-hearted shimmy, busting out the tried and true bedroom-only moves. The climax of the song comes, and you feel yourself collide with Bucky -

Your eyes shoot open, shocked, but as you see his face, he’s far from upset. His eyes are wide, yes, but at the corners of his lips, there’s the faintest tug, and your heart jumps, pulse fast. You bite your lip, unsure what to do next, but he takes charge. He places his hands on your shoulders, and almost like you’re slow dancing, Bucky leads you into a swaying movement.

There’s a clap of thunder somewhere off, and in the flash of lightning that follows, you feel his hands tense up. Your move your palms to rest on his, and almost so slow that you didn’t realise it was happening until it was, he closes the distance between you. Just as the last part of the song comes, his lips rest upon yours, parting them, pressing in such a delicate way that your already racing heartbeat skips a beat.

“Oh,” you say, the kiss taking all your wits from you.

No words come when your wits return, nor does Bucky supply them. He threads his fingers in yours and looks out across the city, the rain still cascading over the both of you. However, some words come, and they do so as he turns to you, his eyes bright and full of something that you recognise. “I think I - I think love the rain.”

You squeeze his hand lightly, just as the song ends. “I love the rain too.”

[movedvalkyriesryde]

Sergeant Boinky

Pairing: Bucky x Reader but mainly platonic relationships with reader and Sam

Summary: Bucky’s got a new interest and Sam and Y/N are taking full advantage of it.

Warnings: swearing, fluff, embarrassed Bucks

Word Count: 1,853

A/N: Dedicated to @mrwinterr and inspired by this post that she shared, thanks for giving me an excuse to procrastinate my WIPs hahahah this is also not edited at all i apologise in advance

Masterlist

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It was an average overcast afternoon at the Avengers compound. A quiet day, not a peep through the house, not even a mouse. 

The members that were left were either relaxing or working. Each to their own. 

Bucky Barnes lay on the couch in the common area, phone in hand, held above his head scrolling slowly but steadily.

Sam Wilson sat on the couch beside him. His feet were propped up on the coffee table he lazily leaned on his elbow as he played on his Nintendo switch. 

Y/N Y/L/N lay on the couch opposite in a similar position to Bucky, they almost mirrored each other except she held a book to the side and was making her way through.

There was a comfortable silence between the three of them. Every now and then Sam would let out an annoyed huff or you could hear Y/N turning a page but apart from that, it was peaceful.

Then Bucky spoke.

"Hey what does 'y/n' mean?"

"Yes or no" Sam didn't bother looking up when he answered and Y/N ignored them both. 

Bucky read the sentence over again in his head, it didn't make sense.

"That doesn't work," Bucky looked back to his friends more confused than before. This caught both Sam and Y/N's attention. They looked up, first at Bucky and then to each other. There was only one other possible meaning and both knew what it was. 

Neither were strangers to fanfiction, no one really is a stranger to fanfiction, unless I suppose you're about 105 and missed the rise of it. Questions started spinning in their heads at what exactly was happening in front of them.

Was Bucky reading fanfiction?

How did he find it?

Y/N's most important question was 'oh God did someone introduce him to ao3?!'

Sam's most important question was 'who the hot diggity hell is he reading about?!'

They were freaking out in their heads so much that they almost forgot to answer him.

"What's the context?" Y/N raised an eyebrow, surely it had to be something else.

"Uhh it's in a story but I don't know what it means" 

"Your name," Sam answered and Bucky nodded reading back over the sentence again.

'Bucky staring at Bucky's eyes…'  that didn't make sense still? Maybe he had to use another name? 

Y/N and Sam had sunk low into their seats, both prayed that the world would open up and swallow them. 

It was hours later and not much had changed. The embarrassment of earlier had passed and they were back to normal.

Steve Rogers had joined the gang in the common area and sat next to Sam with sketchbook in hand.

Bucky Barnes was now fast asleep with his phone resting beside him on the couch.

Sam Wilson was still playing on his Nintendo switch but was starting to get bored of losing the same boss fight over and over again.

Y/N Y/L/N had set her book aside and was now trying not to fall asleep herself. 

Then she saw it. 

The black shine of Bucky's phone caught her eye and she sat up and took two steps towards it causing Steve and Sam to turn their gaze towards her.

"What are you doing?"

"Why are you staring at Bucky?" They both whispered to her, as not to wake him up and she just smiled and shrugged.

"I'm curious" was all she said before she plucked the phone quickly from his side and sat between the two men.

"Don't you need a password to get into it?" Sam asked, catching on as to what she was curious about and he had to admit he'd thought about it too.

"This is an invasion of privacy you two realise that don't you?" Steve wasn't too thrilled with the idea of going through his friends phone, it's not like there was a need to. 

"Steve, this is a matter of life and death, now tell us his password." Sam was straight to the point and though it wasn't quite a matter of life and death per se, it was the deciding factor on how much embarrassment he was going to cause Bucky. 

"It's 0410 how do you not know that" 

"How do you know that?" Steve questioned Y/N but she merely rolled her eyes 

"It's your birthday and then his, and he told me a while ago" she smiled innocently between the two but behind that smile was mischief and she quickly unlocked the phone in Sam's hand.

Low and behold there it was in all its glory. Fanfiction. About himself. The two curious critters stifled a laugh as they read through the story. A classic enemies to friends to lovers. Everybody loves one of those. They kept looking, kept reading. Bucky seemed to have it all. Coffee shop au, roommates au, you name it he probably had it.

"Oh I'm gonna enjoy this"

"Enjoy what?" Sam locked the phone immediately and hid it from view as Y/N let out a small scream as soon as Natasha had spoken.

Natasha looked at the two questionably then at Steve who had been ignoring them and gave her a shrug. 

Bucky sat up abruptly, his eyes wide open searching the room for any kind of danger after being woken up by Y/N's scream. When he noticed nothing out of the ordinary Bucky fell back into the couch and rubbed his hands over his face.

"Why are you screaming?" He asked before getting up and making his way to the door.

"Nat scared the shit out of me, sorry, didn't mean to wake you."

Bucky grumbled an it's okay and walked out. As soon as he was out of sight Sam tucked the phone between the cushion and couch where Bucky had been and sat back in his seat. 

"Should I be asking what you were doing?"

"It's best to ignore them, that's what I've been doing" answered Steve.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

When Bucky woke up the next morning he couldn't help feel content, happy even. He couldn't help but think about the domestic life, the two story home with a cat on his lap and girl under his arm. 

He'd spent half the night in bed reading through series on his phone of that domestic life. Imagining himself as a mob boss, a writer, a college student. And strangely he didn't feel like he was missing anything. He didn't wish that life was his, in fact, it made him more appreciative of the life he had. The one thing Bucky kept coming back to was how close he was with his friends in the stories, and they were pretty spot on, that's how it was in his real life.

The only aspect he would probably change is the whole not having a girl under his arm. A specific one. 

Bucky couldn't help think of that domestic life when he walked into the dining room to see a group of his friends, his family, all chowing down stacks of pancakes and bacon and fruit.

And if that didn't surprise him enough he went into a state of shock when he walked into the kitchen to see Y/N flipping more pancakes in her pyjamas. 

He had to be dreaming? Or been thrown into an alternate reality where all of his domestic dreams are true? 

"Morning Bonky," Y/N flashed him a smile over her shoulder. Bonky? That was the nickname from one his fics he read yesterday?

"Bonky?" Bucky picked at the bacon on the bench trying to act nonchalant.

"Yea Sam and I came up with a couple nicknames for you last night, isn't that right same," Sam jumped to take a seat on the bench opposite them, a giant smirk on his face and that could only mean bad news for Bucky.

"That's right indeed and boy did we come up with some great ones Bork," Sam winked at Bucky who sighed in response. 

"Oh what about Boinks!"

"Sergeant Boinky!" Bucky rolled his eyes as the two went back and forth but there was a nagging voice in the back of his head. These names were used in the stories from yesterday and he had a feeling they knew that. How embarrassing.

"Ooh I like that one," she turned to Bucky and flashed him an innocent smile, "what do you think Sarge?"

Bucky gulped. So maybe some of those stories had chapters that were maybe not so safe for work. And maybe a common theme in them was him being called ‘Sarge’ or ‘Sergeant’. And then maybe he also had been imagining it was a certain girl who was currently stood in her pyjamas staring up at him like it was the most innocent act in the world. But there was nothing innocent going on in his mind.

“How um, how did you come up with these names anyway?” Need to get out, need to leave, this is an ambush. God Bucky wanted her to call him Sarge again, he wanted to hear her moan it in his ear and oh fuck he needed to get out of there.

“Online,” Sam’s smirk grew bigger and Bucky narrowed his eyes.

“Don’t touch my phone again.”

Y/N and Sam looked at each other then back at Bucky still trying to be innocent, but they knew they had caught him.

“I didn’t touch your phone, why would you think that?” Sam had never had so much fun messing with Bucky, but he needed to know who Bucky was picturing with him because it can’t have been himself!

“Is there something on your phone you don’t want us knowing about Sarge?” Bucky caught the growl in his throat before it could escape as Y/N finished cooking the last of the pancakes.

“No, nothing, not at all.” he shook his head and started making himself a plate of food to hide the red in his face from the two asshats.

Y/N shrugged and gave him a pat on his back, “whatever you say Bonky,” she winked at him before leaving the room. Sam came up next to him, leaning over the counter, stupid smirk still on his face, gonna smack that thing real soon Bucky thought.

“So who was it? Gal Gadot? Mila Kunis? Oh! Xena, Warrior Princess!?” Sam started jumping with excited as he kept listing off celebrities and characters he thought Bucky might have liked enough to read fanfiction about them, paired with him.

“None of your business,” he pushed past Sam and peered out the ajar door to make sure no one was listening. He didn’t need the whole compound knowing what he’s been up to.

“Oooh, or is it someone a bit closer to home perhaps?” Sam wiggled his eyebrows and Bucky rolled his eyes, plate in hand and ready to retreat back to his room.

“You know I can kill you right?”

“And yet,” he held out his arms, “here I stand.” Sam moved to step past Bucky and retreat back to the dining area but not before pausing, “don’t worry, I won’t tell Y/N.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

And a big thank you for reading!

Permanent Taglist: @starvinggaywriter @witch-of-letters @turquoisekokiri @harryngtonewithyourshit

Bucky Taglist: @bxrnsfeyson @brilliantbellesoares

[realmythology]

can we all as a fandom please stop devaluing steve and peggy’s relationship just because we’re mad about how steve’s plot in endgame was handled?

i’m mad about his regression and his being inexplicably hung up on peggy, who lived a long and full life and died of old age eight years before the events of the movie, too. i’m mad about the hand-waving ridiculousness and the absolute nonsensical explanations regarding steve traveling back in time, having the shield, the frozen-steve issue, and the clusterfuckery of the timelines. i’m mad about the loss of steve’s character growth and how much the russos shunted aside his close friendships. i’m mad he wasn’t torn up about sam and bucky and wanda during his weird therapy session, the people he should have been mourning. i’m mad about steve clinging to a long-gone past when part of his whole thing in the comics was letting the past go. 

but for the love of god, stop calling peggy “some woman steve kissed once.” there was clearly a lot more to their relationship than that and you know it. 

stop saying that steve and peggy had “crushes” on each other. it’s clear from steve’s reaction to losing peggy in the subsequent cap movies and in peggy’s reaction to losing him both on-screen and in agent carter that they were in love. just because there weren’t hearts and rainbows doesn’t mean that there was nothing there.  

stop assuming because they “kissed once” (on-screen, that is) that there was no depth to their relationship. they were working together during the war for a solid two years. we’re given a lot of context that we should be able to perceive a close relationship from. peggy, a hardened agent by that point, can still barely talk about steve in the 50s, years after his “death,” without breaking into tears. and y’all are the same people who psychoanalyze every second of screentime steve and bucky get to hell and back and get off on fics that go neck-deep in romantic tension and mutual pining scenarios, so miss me with that “just because they weren’t fucking 24/7 means they weren’t in love” bs. 

stop calling them “coworkers” just so that you can further devalue a canonical romantic connection. steve literally had peggy’s picture in his compass, she knew it and was touched by it, all their interactions were full of romantic tension that was supposed to imply more going on off-screen, and they were both profoundly affected by the loss of one another. i sure as hell am not nor have i ever been hung up on any coworkers of mine years after the fact.

stop implying (or outright saying!) that steve rogers, of all people, went back in time to force peggy carter to be his trophy wife. literally in what world would steve do that, and in what world would peggy carter allow that? why are you assuming that she couldn’t run shield while married to steve, when she was clearly able to run shield as a married woman in the original timeline? why are you saying that a woman being in a loving marriage is misogynistic? why are you assuming that married women can’t work? what are you doing with your life?

stop saying that steve “stole peggy’s agency” by going back in time to be with her. how the hell does that make sense? if peggy didn’t want to be with him, she wouldn’t be with him! she’s margaret fucking carter, she isn’t just going to lay back and let anyone force her to do anything. as stupid as i think the plot was, most normal people would absolutely jump at the opportunity to reunite with their long-lost love. which is what steve was to peggy. he wasn’t just some guy, some coworker, or some random fleeting crush to her. 

stop saying that this is just like those gross time travel movies where a guy tricks a girl into dating him. in all of those movies, the girl was never interested to begin with or was barely interested or was with someone else before she met the time-traveler, and he used time-travel to manipulate her into being with him. in all those movies, the fundamental issue is that the woman isn’t interested in or attracted to the protagonist. peggy was already very much in love with steve before any time-travel bullshit started; i sincerely doubt he had to trick her into a relationship with him.

look, i’m not saying all this to imply that steve’s entire endgame plot was a good idea by any stretch of the imagination. but you can criticize how absolutely senseless it was without insulting peggy and steve’s relationship, throwing shade at peggy by making it seem like she wasn’t all that important to steve, or acting like steve was some evil rapist who went back in time and forced peggy into a relationship with him. 

tl;dr: YOU CAN CRITICIZE THE SHEER RIDICULOUSNESS OF THE WHOLE PLOT WITHOUT PROPPING UP HEAVY-HANDED STRAWMAN ARGUMENTS TO MAKE YOURSELF SEEM MORE RIGHT OR MORALLY SUPERIOR TO ANYONE WHO WASN’T AS OUTRAGED AS YOU WERE. 

and i know, i know, that most of the people who were/are really hardcore mad about steve’s endgame debacle are stucky fans. i’m also a hardcore stucky shipper. i’ve written hundreds of thousands of words of stucky rp and have read hundreds of stucky fics over the years. i’ve been in the fandom for years. and i’ll be the first to gleefully point out that how much the stucky fandom hates peggy carter for daring to stand between their precious ship (even though they claim to love her sooooo much) has never been cute, and it’s been especially un-cute this past year. you just sound bitter, misogynistic, and entitled when you do this shit.

second tl;dr: you’re allowed to be angry about steve’s character assassination. i’m also angry about it. just stop lying about why you’re angry by propping up weak arguments and feigning moral outrage.