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evansbby · 1 year

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𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐲 (𝐏𝐎𝐘𝐓 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐧-𝐨𝐟𝐟)

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: alpha!Bucky Barnes x naive omega!Reader, also featuring: dark alpha!Steve Rogers

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Misogyny, a/b/o dynamics, dubcon, dark Steve, poyt!Steve (yes, he is a warning), mentions of smutt, 18+ minors dni.

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: It’s your first day at college and Bucky, a popular alpha, asks for your number. (This is a spin-off of my fic Preying on You Tonight, exploring what would have happened if Bucky had gotten to omega before Steve. You do not need to read that fic to understand this one).

𝐀/𝐍: It’s finally here! As the writer, all I sincerely ask is for you to read it till the end. I put a lot of hard work into this and it’s been a long time coming. I really hope you give this fic a chance, and I hope you enjoy! This is 16.8k words.

It’s gonna be okay, it’s gonna be okay, it’s gonna be okay. You quietly chant under your breath as you make your way into the intimidatingly large lecture hall. World Politics. It’s a senior class, mostly males, majority alphas. But you’ve managed to get in – the only freshman who was accepted – and it makes your heart flutter with excitement. Maybe they’ll all be impressed, you think to yourself, clutching your bookbag tightly as you make your way inside.

Everyone’s already sat down or milling about in groups. You shoot a few smiles here and there, hoping someone might smile back – but everyone seems busy catching up with their own friends. You sigh – of course, you don’t expect to make friends right away. But you probably will soon.

There’s a pack of intimidating looking guys in the back of the room, they draw your attention because of how loud they’re being as they laugh and joke around. Football players, you think to yourself – they’re all wearing blue jerseys with the university emblem. And they’re all so big and broad. There’s a blond one who seems bigger and scarier than all of them, and there’s also a brunet – also big and intimidating but he looks slightly more laid back than the others.

You snap your head away as soon as he looks in your direction, feeling your cheeks heat up. You’re confident you’ll make friends, but it probably won’t be anyone from the resident campus jock group. Not wasting any more time, you make your way to the front of the lecture hall and take a seat in the very first row. Hopefully, someone else would join you and you could strike up a conversation.

You’re arranging your pens in colour order when your phone vibrates.

Peter: Good luck, babe! I know first days can be hard, but you’re gonna smash it! See you tonight!

Smiling softly, you text your boyfriend a quick response before putting your phone away – the lecture is about to start and you don’t want to miss a single word.

A chorus of loud snickers makes you look back over your shoulder. It’s the group of jock alphas – they’re only a couple of rows behind you now, laughing over something while they look in your direction. You suddenly feel self-conscious, looking over your hoodie for any stains, eyes scanning around your vicinity for anything remotely funny.

You’ve just given up and gone back to opening your notebook when you feel a tap on your shoulder. It’s the brunet alpha, he’s standing next to your desk with a cocky smile on his face.

“Hey, newbie.”

You smile shyly, “Hi.”

“YOU’RE SUCH A DOG, BARNES!” One of the alpha jocks hoots from the back and all the rest of the pack guffaws too, some even making barking sounds. It causes the smile to freeze on your face.

The brunet laughs in his friends’ direction before turning back to you, “Ignore them. You a transfer student or something?”

“No. I’m a freshman. This is my first day.”

“Freshman, huh?” He licks his lips. He’s got nice lips; you think to yourself before inwardly shaking your head in alarm. You have a boyfriend, you remind yourself. But the brunet in front of you also has nice eyes, you can’t help but notice. Light blue and shining, along with scruffy brown hair and a smattering of facial hair. “What’s a little freshman like you doing here? You realise this is a senior class? Are you lost, newbie?”

“No, not lost, I’m meant to be here.” You tell him firmly, “I was interested in this class so I applied for it. I was the only freshman to be accepted.” You hope it doesn’t sound like you’re boasting, you can’t help but feel proud about it.

The brunet nods thoughtfully, “No kidding. You must be very smart.”

You shrug modestly.

“What’s your name, newbie?”

You tell him and he nods, repeating it to himself slowly as if he’s savouring the word.

“I’m James.” He says, “I mean, everyone calls me Bucky but you can call me James.”

You giggle nervously, “Wh-Why do I get to call you that?”

His smile is lop-sided and lazy, and you can’t help but stare. It brightens up his whole face, painting an image of mischief across his features. But he’s not intimidating, not like his friends who continue to hoot and yell behind him. You feel fire on your cheeks because he looks kind of… cute.

Wait. What?

“Pretty girls like you are allowed to call me James.”

The professor chooses that moment to clear his throat as he begins to start up the PowerPoint presentation.

“Well, anyways, newbie. I just came over to say hello. And while I’m here, I was wondering if I could borrow a pen. I forgot mine and you seem to have… a lot.” He gestures to your collection of pens – you have one in just about every colour of the rainbow.

You nod eagerly – you hadn’t expected an alpha jock to be the first one to speak to you at college, but you weren’t complaining.

“Sure! Take your pick,” You say enthusiastically “The blue one doesn’t work too well, but the rest are all good! If you prefer ink pens over ballpoint, I’ve got those too!”

“What about this pink one?”

“Oh,” Your response is less than enthusiastic, “I mean… I always use the pink one. But if you really want it–”

He laughs, reaching out and patting your hand softly. And the touch, despite being seemingly innocuous, sends thrills up and down your spine. You can’t help but think how much bigger his hand is than yours.

“That’s alright, sweetheart. You use the pink one. I’ll take this one instead.” He grabs a green pen, and that’s when you get a strong whiff of his scent. Smoky yet dewy – like a cosy fireplace on a winter morning. Fresh like snow mixing with the earth, like cold rain mingling with a special kind of musk.

Bucky seems to notice how you suddenly pause, your nose twitching as you repeatedly inhale his scent. He chuckles softly, waving a hand in front of your face, “Hey, you still there?”

You shake your head, giving yourself a moment to gather yourself before looking up at him, “Yeah, uh. Yeah, I’m here.”

“Good. Because the lecture’s about to start, and you look like someone who doesn’t want to miss a word.” He winks, and you’d be lying if you said it didn’t send shivers of excitement up and down your spine, “Well, thanks for the pen, newbie.”

And then he goes back to join his friends, leaving you with a lightness in your heart, a spark in your eyes and a smile on your lips. You’d always thought jocks were mean, but Bucky – James – had been nice. Maybe it was a sign, a sign that your first year of university perhaps wouldn’t be as daunting as you originally thought.

You risk a glance back at him. He’s sat a few rows behind you, next to his blond friend. The two couldn’t be more different – with Bucky sitting back, relaxed and laughing, the pen you gave him dangling out of his mouth like a cigarette. The blond sits up straight with rigid posture, and he looks sullen, a touch of a scowl on his face as he looks at Bucky. And then he turns, piercing blue eyes glaring right at you.

You turn back to look in front. That can’t be right. This blond jock doesn’t even know you. Sighing, you begin to take notes, the world of politics taking over as you excitably fill page after page.

You’re immensely satisfied when the class ends – it was everything you wanted it to be and more. With the risk of sounding like a nerd – and you are a nerd, you’ll happily admit it – you’d enjoyed every second of the lecture, soaking in every word like a sponge. If this is what all university classes were going to be like, you’d stay forever.

“You look happy, newbie.” It’s Bucky again; the rest of his group is milling around by the exit, and you can’t deny the thrill you feel at the fact that he hung back with you.

“I am happy, wasn’t that just the most fascinating lecture ever? I mean, I’d heard things about this professor, that he’s so mesmerising to listen to. And it’s true!” You sigh almost dreamily, hugging your fresh notes close to your chest, “I feel like I’ve learnt more in this past hour than I did in the entirety of my high school history class.”

Bucky just stares at you, a smile on his face that reaches all the way up, making the sides of his eyes crinkle.

“What?” You ask consciously when he continues to just… look at you.

“Nothing. You’re just very cute, all bright-eyed and enthusiastic. Not like us jaded seniors.”

“BUCKY, LET’S GO.” As if on cue, the blond alpha bellows across the lecture hall.

Bucky seems wholly unperturbed, even as you jump from the loudness of the blonde’s tone.

“Your friend’s calling you,” You shuffle from one foot to the other, unable to ignore how the blond alpha is glaring at the pair of you all the way from the doorway, “He seems really impatient.”

With a wave of his hand, Bucky dismisses this claim, “Oh, don’t mind Steve. He’s just pissy these days because his girlfriend’s being a bitch.”

Oh. You have no idea what to say to that, so you just continue to pack up your things.

“So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?”

“I’m gonna head over to the library,” You answer excitedly, “I’ve heard it’s really, really big. One of the biggest in the country. I got a glimpse of it during orientation, but I’ve got the rest of the day free so today I’m gonna sit in there and catch up on some reading, and may–”

“Why don’t I walk you there?” The brunet offers. And it’s his quiet confidence that gets to you, the way he’s got this small smile on his face, as if he knows you won’t refuse him, “I have a class in that direction anyways. Steve does too. We could both walk you there.”

You glance once more at Steve, who – believe it or not – is still glaring at you. Or are you imagining it? You’re about to respond when a tall blonde girl in a cheerleading uniform skips up to him. They kiss, and then leave the lecture hall hand-in-hand. You turn back to Bucky, who shrugs.

“Well. Scratch that. I guess it’s just you and me then, newbie. C’mon. I’ll give you a campus tour.”

Talking with Bucky is surprisingly simple. He’s easy-going and laidback, completely cool in the way he makes conversation. Talking about himself but at the same time asking you questions about your life. You’ve always been shy but you find yourself at ease with him, you find yourself laughing at his jokes… You even catch yourself staring at him more than a few times, completely captured by his pretty eyes and lazy smile.

“I’m mostly friends with everyone on the football team, but Steve’s my best friend,” He nods at the blond alpha who’s walking a few paces ahead of you two, hand-in-hand with the cheerleader who you assume is his girlfriend. “We’ve known each other since we were kids. And then there’s Sam, but he’s hungover so he didn’t come in today.” Bucky’s eyes crinkle as he laughs, “Classic Sam.

The walk to the library is over a little too soon.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you in the next lecture. Thanks for walking with me.” You say, backing away but not wanting to completely leave just yet.

“Princess, wait.” He grabs your hand, yanking you back till you’re only a few inches away from him. And maybe it’s the shock due to the fact that he called you princess, but you just… let him do it. He grins down at you.

“You’re not gonna leave without giving me your number first, are you?”

You giggle nervously, and you’re surprised that you have to swallow down the words ‘yes, I’ll give you my number’ which are on the tip of your tongue. Instead, you shake your head slowly, “I, uh, I have a boyfriend.”

The alpha blinks, hand freezing midway through running through his hair. But then he relaxes, and that familiar lazy smile returns to his face. “So? Can’t friends save each other’s numbers? We’re friends now, aren’t we?”

You feel heat rising up your neck and spreading to your cheeks, “Oh. Of course. I guess we are. Sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed–”

“No worries, princess.” He takes your phone, quickly putting in his number and texting himself from yours before handing it back to you. “Your boyfriend’s a lucky guy, by the way. But I’m sure he won’t mind if I text you tonight, right?”

Bucky doesn’t wait for an answer, instead just winking at you before taking off. And you stand outside the steps of the library and watch him for a second. He catches up with Steve and gives him a hard thump on the back before falling into step next to him. Steve still has a scowl on his face but it slowly dissipates, and you watch for a moment as the two alphas talk animatedly. Even if Bucky hadn’t told you earlier, it was clear as day that the they were best friends.

It takes you a while to realise that you’re staring, and you quickly retreat into the library, the magical pull of books and knowledge sucking you in and making you forget about everything else.

***

“I’d say it was a good first day, as far as first days go.” You deduce, walking into the living room with a bowl of popcorn in your hands. You hand it over to Peter, who’s scrolling through Netflix in search of the perfect movie. Which is an impossible task since the two of you had seen practically everything Netflix had to offer – you guys had more movie nights then you did date nights. Actually, you can’t remember the last time you and Peter had gone out on a date. The thought seemed weird… you were much more comfortable sitting on the couch and gorging on popcorn and talking the night away with him – like you were right now.

“That’s good. Did you make any friends?”

You think back to Bucky’s twinkling blue eyes and feel a jolt of electricity run through you. Bucky was your friend, right? He’d said so. But for reasons you don’t quite understand, you only clear your throat and shake your head. “No. I talked to a few people but that’s all. I mean, it’s only day one, right? Nobody makes friends on day one.”

“True.” Peter agrees, his mouth full of popcorn. “Okay, so, I’m thinking it’s a teen dystopian movie kind of night. Hunger Games or Divergent?”

Your brow furrows while you think, “I don’t like Divergent and I’ve seen The Hunger Games way too many times.”

“Okay, how about Catching Fire?”

“The ending of that one makes me sad.”

You bicker back and forth before settling down with Alice in Wonderland, and the popcorn is half finished by the time the beginning credits start rolling. And that’s when your phone vibrates.

James: Hey, princess. You busy?

A smile touches your lips before you cast a quick glance at Peter. He’s half laid down on the other end of the couch with his eyes locked on the screen. You swallow down the guilt – you know Bucky is just your friend but it still feels kind of wrong to be texting him when you’re meant to be watching a movie with Peter. But there’s a large part of you that wants to answer, and it doesn’t take long for that part of you to win the inner conflict inside your head. You quickly text back:

You: Hey! I’m currently watching a movie with my boyfriend.

Your text is truthful, but you hope Bucky doesn’t think you’re dismissing him. His reply is almost instantaneous:

James: Aw, how cute. What movie is it?

You: Alice in Wonderland. Have you seen it?

You mentally kick yourself after you press send. What a dumb question – of course he’s seen it! Who hasn’t seen one of the most recognisable Disney movies of the last decade?

James: I have. I didn’t know you were such a big fan of cartoons, princess.

You feel the ends of your mouth tugging into a smile before you give Peter another glance. He’s polishing off the last of the popcorn, engrossed in Alice as she tumbles down the rabbit hole. You grab the empty bowl and stand up. “I’ll go make some more popcorn.”

Peter nods, “You want me to pause it?”

“No, that’s alright.”

You float into the kitchen and put another bag of popcorn in the microwave before taking a deep breath and looking down at your phone again.

James: Maybe we could watch a movie sometime? I’ve got a flatscreen in my room ;)

You feel a shiver go down your spine when you read his text, and you let yourself imagine it for a split second. Watching a movie with Bucky. In his bedroom. On his bed? You’d never been to a boy’s room before – except Peter, but he’d been your best friend all through high-school. Sure, he was your boyfriend now but you always do the same things you guys did when you were friends – just with added kissing and sometimes touching.

“Babe, you done?” Peter calls for you as if on cue.

Once more awash with guilt, you quickly type out a text:

You: I’m sorry, I should get back to the movie. Good night :)

You switch your phone off for the rest of the night, trying to focus on Alice’s adventures in wonderland, but the thought of Bucky dwindles at the back of your mind as if it’s there to stay.

***

You plan on avoiding Bucky the next day but that proves to be an extremely flimsy plan. You’re sitting in the front row when him and Steve and another guy – you assume it’s Sam – walk in. You get a pleasant whiff of Bucky’s scent before it’s overpowered by something stronger – the smell of firewood and a hot summer day. They walk by you, with Bucky giving you a small smile and a wink and Steve sucking in a breath, his nostrils twitching as he walks past you. Strange. What was his problem?

You still feel guilty about the previous night. Peter was your first ever relationship so you might not be the biggest expert on these types of things, but you’re sure that getting giddy over another guy texting you is not good girlfriend behaviour. You need to put a swift stop to it, starting now. You spend the rest of the lecture taking notes diligently, stuffing the thought of Bucky to the back of your mind.

When the class ends, you try to scurry away to the library. But you don’t get too far down the corridor before a hand encloses around your wrist and tugs you back.

“Princess, wait up. Where are you hurrying off to?”

“I – uh – I need to go to the library to print something.”

Bucky raises an eyebrow, “I’ll walk you.”

“Oh no, that’s okay.”

He looks at you for a handful of seconds before sighing and taking a step back, “This is about last night, isn’t it? My texts scared you off?”

You bite your lip, “James, I have a boyfriend.”

“I know, I know.” He runs a hand through his messy brown hair, shifting from one foot to the other before those icy blue eyes settle on you again. “I’ll be honest, princess. You’re so pretty, I thought I’d shoot my shot anyways.”

Your jaw drops, “B-But I have a boyfriend.”

He shrugs, looking virile and handsome with his facial hair and lazy smile, “That’s never stopped me before. I mean, it’s not really a big thing with me and my friends. If we want a girl, we go after her, boyfriend or not, it doesn’t matter to us.”

“Oh.” You don’t know whether to stay or just leave, and you’re debating over just that when Bucky pipes up again.

“Look, princess. I like you. And I have a hunch that you like me too. And as I said before, I usually don’t care if the girl I like has a boyfriend. But you’re different, I want to do right by you.” He strokes the palm of your hand with his thumb and it’s like you’re mesmerised by the feeling. “I’d really like to take you out sometime. But I can give you time to break up with your boyfriend first.”

You gasp, pulling your hand out of his grasp, “James Barnes! That’s so wrong. You know how awful of a person that would make me? And I barely know you!”

“Just think about it. I really like you.” He says earnestly, blue eyes sparkling and locking with yours as he grabs your hand again, “And breaking up with him will spare this guy the embarrassment of being with a girl who’s no longer into him.”

Your jaw drops open at his audacity, “That’s not true–!”

“Bucky, we have practice.”

Steve rounds the corner, stopping short when he sees the two of you so close, his eyes narrowing as they zero in on your intertwined hands.

“Gimme a sec.” Bucky answers, not even sparing Steve a glance, eyes unblinking as they stare at you meaningfully.

For the second time, you snatch your hand out of his grip. “I-I – uh – I have to go!” You do the easiest thing you can think of, backing away and getting the hell out of there. Bucky’s just dropped a huge bomb on you and Steve’s intimidating as hell, so you deem it best to put some distance between you and the two alphas as you speed-walk away from the situation.

“Why are you talking to that trashy omega?” You hear Steve mutter as you turn your back on them, and the hurtful words make your heart jolt.

“Hey, don’t call her that.” Bucky answers, and that’s the last thing you hear before you round the corner and escape into the comforting clutches of the campus library.

***

So, Bucky liked you. He liked you. As in, he wanted to take you out on a date. This information has you feeling giddier than it should. You’ve never known anyone to like you like that (except Peter) and never so brazenly. You can’t help but feel all light inside. A popular, handsome senior liked you!

But then, the flowy lightness inside you is overtaken by wracks of guilt, showering down on your heart like hard, jagged rocks. You’re with Peter. You like Peter. You can’t get happy over Bucky liking you when you’re with Peter. That’s just a fact.

You lay low for a couple of weeks, avoiding Bucky like he’s the plague. But you know his eyes are on you, glued to the back of your head during every lecture, when you keep your face pointedly facing forward and never look back at him. You can’t. You’re in a relationship. You have to respect it.

But then, things take a different turn than you ever expected them to.

Peter scores an internship at Stark Industries, which means he has to move to New York immediately. And you’re so happy for him, it’s what he’s been working towards and dreaming of for as long as you’ve known him. His goal of tackling the tech world is similar to your own goal of being the first person in your family to earn a university degree. You’re thrilled for him. But sitting on his bed and wistfully watching him pack, it’s like you both know what this means.

The break-up is mutual. Peter says that he’ll be busy with work, and you agree that you’ll be busy with college assignments too. And after one last movie night and a tearful goodbye, you both agree to try to remain best friends. He promises to come see you when he’s got a free moment, and you tell him you’ll travel up to New York once you’ve saved enough money to be able to afford it.

And then he’s gone. Off chasing his dreams and you couldn’t be happier for him.

But now you’re single. And what does that mean for you?

***

Bucky approaches you after spring break, sporting a healthy tan and messier hair. You’d overheard him and his friends talking earlier, so you knew they’d all flown to Cancun for the past week. Lucky them. You’d spent the break studying in your room, making notes for the next set of lectures to make sure you were well-prepared for them.

“Hello, princess. You’re looking extra beautiful today.”

You look down at your old hoodie and ratty leggings and wonder if he’s joking with you. “Uh, thanks?”

“I’m serious. You’re glowing, which can only mean one thing. You broke up with him, didn’t you?” Bucky leans down over your table, giving you a strong whiff of his wintery scent. It’s like freshly powdered snow and warm fire logs, enveloping around you like a welcome hug after your lonely spring break.

You purse your lips together, focusing on your notes except the lecture hasn’t started yet so you have nothing to write down except the date. But you’re determined not to look at him, “Actually, it was mutual.”

Bucky’s grin only gets wider, and to your surprise, he plops down on the empty seat next to you. Your eyes widen, “Wh-What are you doing?”

“What? I can’t sit next to you? Is this seat taken?”

Well, of course it wasn’t. You usually sat alone. Nobody really spoke to you apart from Bucky, but that was okay. It’s not like anyone was ever horrible to you either. Except Steve with that one comment that he’d made the other day. But you must have overheard him wrong.

“So, what did you do over spring break?” He asks.

You shrug, “I read up on the next few chapters on our syllabus.”

Bucky nods, “A quiet week, huh? Well, I wish I’d stayed back too.” He chuckles when he sees your raised eyebrow, “Hey, don’t get me wrong. Cancun’s beautiful, but it gets tiresome after a while. All Steve and Sam ever did was hook up with different girls. Constantly. Me? I just didn’t feel like doing that this time around.”

You frown, casting a short glance at Steve, except you quickly look away because he happens to be staring right back at you. But why was Steve hooking up with other girls? Didn’t he have a girlfriend? You mull over it for a second before you register the other thing Bucky had said. “Y-You didn’t feel like hooking up with anyone?”

The brunet clasps his hand over yours and shoots you a sparkling smile, “Why would I? When my girl wasn’t there with me?”

Bucky takes you out the following weekend. And you don’t know why you agree, when it’s so soon after your breakup with Peter. But when he asks you out, it just feels right, and the word “yes” is flying out of your mouth before you have the chance to think about it. Peter’s probably seeing other people too, you think to yourself. And the thought doesn’t bother you at all, because why shouldn’t Peter have his fun? He was single. And so were you.

Bucky presents you with a bouquet of pink tulips at the start of your date, and sits on your bed with an amused expression on his face while you quickly tend to them. Trimming the stems and finding a vase before setting them on your windowsill. “You look beautiful, princess.” He comments, making your cheeks feel like they’re on fire before he grabs your hand and takes you out.

The diner he takes you to is casual and pretty, only a few minutes outside of campus. The evening sunlight spills down through the window while Bucky brazenly holds your hands in his over the table – even when the waitress is taking your order! It makes you squirm, but in a pleasant kind of way. And he tells you about himself while you eat, how he knows he’s from a privileged family but always felt different growing up.

He tells you about all the mischief he and Steve got up to when they were kids, and then teens, and now young adults. And you can’t really imagine Steve, all stoic and mean and preppy-looking, getting up to any kind of mischief but you smile and nod anyways, loving how Bucky tells his stories in such an easy-going and charming way.

You’re a bit more guarded when he asks you about your childhood, though. You keep it brief and simple, outright evading certain details because you don’t want to get into it right now. But Bucky seems to understand, squeezing your hands before grabbing a napkin and wiping a spot of sauce on the side of your mouth.

He takes you to a nearby park after that. He buys a small loaf of bread so the two of you can feed the ducks. And he never lets go of your hand, and you can feel him watching you as you focus on the ducks gobbling up the pieces of bread. And then he grabs your chin and gently turns your face to him and he kisses you. And it’s sweet. Sweeter than it is with Peter. And you kiss him back, because you like how light and fluffy and exciting it feels to kiss Bucky.

It feels like you’re on cloud nine.

The dates get more frequent after that. Bucky walks you to class every day, holding your hand and talking to you about anything and everything. Like the latest report your class has been assigned, or his football team winning another game, or any new books you’ve read. You find yourself giggling and opening up a lot more, every shy bone in your body relaxing when you’re talking to him.

The kissing and touching becomes more frequent too. Often, he comes to your dorm room and things get hot and heavy. And oh, it’s so exciting feeling Bucky’s hands on you, and his expert kisses leave you breathless! He really was an incredible kisser, taking control and moving his tongue so lazily and perfectly against yours. But something within you always stops him before he can go any further.

“Bucky, please. I just got out of a relationship and I don’t know if I’m ready for sex.” You tell him truthfully one evening while he’s got you pinned down on your bed in the middle of a particularly passionate make-out session.

Bucky lies back down beside you while you fix the buttons of your cardigan which he’d almost had undone. He reaches down to adjust his boner through his jeans, “Princess, you’re killing me here. I want you so bad.”

You swallow, “I’m sorry, James. I just don’t think I’m ready.”

Light blue eyes smile down at you as the alpha sits up and grabs your hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Don’t apologise, princess. I understand.”

“I just feel bad, I don’t want you to think I’m leading you on.” You duck your head, but he grabs your chin and lifts it up again, making you look at him.

“I’ll be honest, I don’t think I’ve gone out this long with a girl without sleeping with her.” Bucky confesses, scratching his head with a sheepish look on his face. “I haven’t been a great boyfriend in the past, and my motives have usually been selfish.”

Your eyes grow wide, but you don’t say anything.

“I’m telling you this because I care about you, princess. I think you’re different.” He tucks a strand of your hair behind your ear and chucks you under your chin till you smile. “I like talking to you and spending time with you. You’re smart and beautiful and I know we haven’t been together long, but I really see a future for us.” He kisses you sweetly, and you’re too busy trying to tame the butterflies in your stomach to respond properly, but you try your best anyways.

“What I’m saying is, you can take all the time you need till you’re ready. I’m not going anywhere, and I’ll wait as long as I have to till you’re ready to have sex.” Bucky finishes earnestly, and you can’t help but wrap your arms around his neck and plant a million kisses on his face. He’s saying all the right things, everything a girl wants to hear from her boyfriend.

“You really mean all that?” You ask him softly.

“Yes, princess, I mean it. You’re my girlfriend, and I’ll wait for you for as long as you need.” Bucky looks earnest and sweet, and you hug him hard. You feel a mix of thrill and nervous energy flutter through you. It’s something you’ve never felt before. But it’s a good feeling, and you welcome it with open arms as Bucky continues to leave tiny kisses all over your face. Till you’re giggling against his lips and hugging him close, feeling lighter than a feather.

***

Being the girlfriend of a popular senior was not something you’d envisioned happening to you at the start of university. But Bucky made it feel so natural, introducing you to all his friends, holding your hand all the time and including you in all his plans. His friends are nice enough: Sam was a bit cold at first but he warmed up after a while. Thor was loud and funny, Ransom acted overly smart and confident but seemed to have a sensitive side too. Curtis was mysterious and Andy was kind of dopey, and they were all friendly with you.

But then there was Steve.

The blonde alpha glowered at you any chance he got. Whenever you were in his presence, you could feel his steely blue eyes boring holes straight through your skin. You always kept out of his way so you were unsure why he seemed to hate you. Bucky just said not to take it personally, that Steve was just going through a rough patch with his girlfriend and he didn’t hate you at all.

One day, you’d gone over to Bucky’s house where he – unfortunately – lived with Steve and Sam too.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Steve had demanded when he’d opened the door and seen you standing there.

“Uh… James to-told me to meet him here after my morning classes.” You explain, feeling oddly nervous around the big alpha. You’re naturally shy but you’d come out of your shell quite a bit ever since you’d started dating Bucky. But Steve was just so intimidating, standing there in just a pair of grey sweats that are slung low over his hips. You avert your gaze to the ground in a bid not to stare at his bare chest.

Steve regards you suspiciously before stepping aside and letting you in. And you feel his heated gaze still on you as you brush past him to get inside. And that’s when you hear him inhale sharply, a low rumble coming from his chest before he stumbles. You whip around just in time to see him recover, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Are you okay?”

Steve scoffs, “Why the hell wouldn’t I be okay?”

“Uh… You kinda just tripped?” You point out hesitantly, and the blonde alpha’s pale face goes crimson before he clears his throat.

“I did not trip.” He glowers through gritted teeth.

Okay then. You decide not to question his rude and erratic behaviour. “Where is James’ room?”

Steve glances upstairs before leaning against the kitchen counter, his intense gaze locking on you as his frown relaxes into a smirk. “He’s taking a shower right now. You should wait for him down here.”

“Okay.” You sit down at the kitchen table. The house is big, spacious and minimalistic in the way it’s decorated. The kitchen is modern and it’s clear that there’s only boys living here, because you can see a ton of takeout containers and microwave meals strewn across the countertops. Once you’re done observing your surroundings, you notice Steve still staring at you.

“So, you’re Bucky’s girlfriend now, huh?” He breaks the silence.

“Yes.”

“Strange. I never thought he’d go for someone like you.”

Your brows knit together into a frown as a pang of hurt echoes inside you, “Wh-What’s that supposed to mean?”

He shrugs, and you try not to focus on his broad, muscular shoulders. But it’s not easy to just look at his face either, because he’s so intimidating. He runs a hand through his light hair, “Nothing, omega. Don’t worry your little head over it.

Your jaw drops open, “Don’t call me that, please. I have a name.”

“As if I care.”

God! It was like talking to an eight-year-old. You had no idea that Steve was this immature and rude, and it makes your blood boil. You’re just about to get up and find Bucky’s bedroom yourself when you hear a pattering of light footsteps coming down the stairs.

“Steve, I have to go. But promise you’ll text me tonight?” It’s a girl. You recognise her from college – you’ve definitely seen her around campus somewhere. But she’s definitely not Sharon. She skips up to Steve and plants a kiss on his cheek, and the alpha only responds with a grunt. You get a weird feeling inside you as you watch this exchange, but try your best to shake it off.

The girl stops to shoot you a smile. “Hey, you’re Bucky’s girlfriend, aren’t you? Nice to meet you!”

She leaves before you have a chance to reply, and you’re left staring at the back of her head as she shuts the door behind her, getting an eyeful of her hair which you vaguely notice is the same shade as yours. And it’s only when she’s gone that you realise your mouth is open in shock, and you slowly turn to Steve who looks wholly unbothered.

“Aren’t you going out with Sharon?” You can’t help but blurt out.

Steve raises an eyebrow, but says nothing as he continues to just stare at you. You feel hot all over, and you don’t know whether it’s because of his eyes on you or because of the sudden anger you feel at the blatant display of cheating you’ve just witnessed.

“That’s not fair on your girlfriend, Steve.” You whisper.

And all Steve does is stare at you, to the point where you feel waves of heat on your face. And then suddenly you’re hit with this overwhelming scent of burning firewood. A freshly mown lawn with a strong sun beating down on it, and smoky wood on a hot summer’s day. Your eyes widen as the intimidating alpha walks over to you, leaning down at the table where you’re sitting.

“I don’t remember asking for some lowlife omega’s opinion on my private business.” He says softly, but there’s danger and threat embedded in his words and it makes your blood run cold. But your nose can’t stop twitching as it takes in his heady scent, and you feel your mind cloud over and your limbs grow weak like jelly and–

“I’d appreciate it if you’d put a shirt on in front of my girlfriend, Stevie.” Bucky chuckles, elbowing past Steve and making his way over to you. He helps you up and plants a firm kiss to your lips. You’re still rattled by the blonde alpha, though, and distractedly kiss your boyfriend back. You can still feel Steve’s eyes on you, and it’s unnerving to say the least.

“You ready to go, princess?” Bucky tugs at your hand and you nod, allowing him to pull you out of the house. It’s only when the fresh outside air whips against your face that you seem to snap out of whatever trance you’re in. You swallow and shake your head as Bucky leads you to his car, and you only speak once both of you are inside.

“Steve did something awful.” You breathe.

Bucky frowns before squeezing your arm, “What? Did he touch you?”

“N-No, he…” You shake your head, feeling a wave of anger overtake you momentarily, “He had a girl over, James. He was cheating on his girlfriend!”

“Oh.”

The silence is louder than ever as Bucky starts up the car and backs out of the driveway. He puts his arm over the back of your seat as he looks over his shoulder, and it’s not until he’s on the main road that you huff:

“Is that all you have to say?”

Bucky grimaces, keeping his eyes glued to the road, “Look, Steve isn’t exactly in love with Sharon.”

“But she’s his girlfriend, Bucky. He shouldn’t be cheating on her either way!”

“I know, I know. What can I say?” He pauses, as if mulling over how to say his next words. “Look, princess. Steve’s young, he’s only in college. It’s what us guys do. Why have one piece of the pie when you can have the whole thing, you know? That sort of thing.”

It only takes Bucky about three seconds to realise the error in his words. You turn to stare at him in utter shock and horror. Was this really James? Your James? Who had said all the right things and been so sweet and gentlemanly all these weeks? Who had respected your boundaries and never questioned you or lashed out for wanting to wait?

“Is that why you’re so okay with us not having sex?” You say quietly. “Because you’re getting it from somewhere else?”

“What? No, sweetheart. No, that’s not it at all.”

Bucky turns into a random lane and stops the car before turning to you. You try to bat him off but he grabs both your hands in his, bringing them up to his lips and pressing kisses on your fingers and palms before yanking you into an embrace.

“I’m sorry. That was a terrible thing for me to say.” He mumbles into your hair, and you try to find solace in his scent but it’s not strong enough right now. He kisses the top of your head before drawing back to make eye contact. “Princess, I’m not seeing anyone else behind your back, that I can promise you.”

“But how can I believe you? When it was so easy for you to justify what Steve’s doing?” You sniffle.

Bucky sits back in his seat and sighs, but he doesn’t let go of your hands. “Look, it’s no secret that us alphas are all a bunch of assholes. We don’t really hide it, either. Steve’s cheating on his girl because, well, it’s almost normal for a lot of us to do that. And I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t slept with multiple girls without them knowing about each other in the past.”

You bow your head, not liking this at all. But Bucky grabs your chin gently, lifting it up so you look at him.

“But I’m past all of that now, okay? I really like being in a serious and committed relationship with you, princess. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted in a girl, and I would never even think of being with anyone else.” He cups your face and strokes your cheek, and his eyes are so pretty and blue, and you can feel your heart melting already as he gives you a peck. “I guess I just wasn’t surprised by what Steve did because I’m so used to it.”

You nuzzle your face into his palm, “Can’t you tell him that it’s wrong? That you’ve grown out of doing stuff like that, and that he should too?”

Bucky chuckles, pressing your cheeks and nose with more soft kisses, “I could. But Steve is extremely stubborn and bossy, in case you haven’t noticed.” He pauses, smiling fondly at you when you giggle softly in agreement, twining a piece of your hair around his finger. “The way I see it, we should just focus on our relationship, and let Steve do whatever it is he’s doing since it’s got nothing to do with us. It took meeting the right girl for me to recognise the error of my ways. Maybe soon, he’ll find someone that he’ll want to be better for too, right?”

You nod, despite that weird feeling surfacing inside you once more. But you shove it back down and give Bucky a smile as he pulls you in for another long kiss.

“Well, let’s get to that movie, shall we? We’ve probably missed the opening credits and I’m gonna have to cut the line to get us our snacks, but I think we can still make it.”

You spend the rest of the evening at the drive-in movie theatre with Bucky. He reclines his seat and makes you climb over the console to sit in his lap while the two of you watch Gone with the Wind on the big screen with a bag of sweet and salty popcorn and a bar of chocolate to share. Once the snacks finish, you sleepily rest your head on his chest and let him stroke your back through your hoodie. And you almost fall asleep like that, Scarlett O’Hara’s indignant dialogues lulling you into a peaceful slumber until your nostrils are unceremoniously invaded with the scent of burning firewood and a hot summer’s day.

Opening your eyes slowly, you peak out the window to see another car pull up beside Bucky’s. And your heart sinks down to the depths of your chest when you see who’s inside. Steve. And Sharon. She’s talking to him animatedly, but he seems sullen and unresponsive as always. That is, until they start making out, and you have to forcibly look away when Steve’s eyes meet yours and you feel this burning feeling in your chest.

You swallow harshly before cuddling up to Bucky even more.

“James, I’m sleepy,” you say softly.

“Yeah? You wanna go home, princess?”

“Yes, please. If that’s okay?”

“Sure, princess.” He lifts you up and places you back on the passenger seat before pressing a kiss on your forehead. “Close your eyes and rest. I’ll tuck you into bed once we get back to your dorm.”

And he does just that, carrying you all the way back into your dorm room and helping you change before putting you to bed. And you can’t describe whatever it is you’re feeling but all you can do is clutch at his shirt when he goes to leave, pulling him into bed with you. And he rains your face with a billion kisses before you both fall asleep in each other’s arms.

***

Life at college continues. You’re still in contact with Peter, despite the two of you being so busy. But he sends you updates about his internship and all the cool technology he’s being exposed to. You tell him about your classes and all the interesting things you’re learning. You also, very tentatively, tell him about Bucky. Surprisingly, Peter seems supportive, and the conversation between the two of you grows easy once more.

The romance between you and Bucky seems to blossom with every passing day. He carries your books to class and takes you out on cute dates that make your heart flutter. Picnics, scenic walks, movies, restaurants – he takes you everywhere you’ve ever dreamed of being taken. And how your heart had skipped a beat when you’d seen he’d had a bouquet of yellow roses delivered to your dorm room! There was no note or tag attached, but you knew they were from Bucky. Who else could they be from? And they were the prettiest flowers you’d ever received, and the butterflies in your tummy fluttered at his perfect choice.

It was also in the little things he did, like kiss you on the forehead reassuringly or squeeze your hand when you’re feeling nervous. And slowly, you feel yourself coming out of your shell more and more. You find yourself laughing out loud and voicing your opinions that usually you would’ve kept silent.

Being Bucky’s girlfriend meant hanging out with his group of friends, too. And it thrills you that you’re able to hold conversations with some of them, and have them be genuinely interested in what you have to say and not just write you off as a “dumb omega”.

One day, you find yourself sitting on Bucky’s lap in the campus courtyard between classes, a number of his friends surrounding you. You still feel nervous around this many people (especially intimidating seniors) but with Bucky squeezing your hand reassuringly, you find the task less daunting than you normally would, as you grow to feel more comfortable with them.

Well, most of them.

“…and then I told her to fuck off, because who knows what kind of diseases she was carrying. I mean, she’s fucked half the football team after all.” Steve says cockily, taking a drag from his cigarette while the alphas around him all laugh as if he’s cracked the funniest joke of the century. Even Bucky chuckles before you shoot him a look and he stops, a sheepish look on his face.

“I mean sure, she’s got a great ass, but there’s nothing attractive about a slut who spreads her legs for any man who looks her way.” The blond alpha continues, and it irritates you how all his friends seem to hang on to his every word, looking up to him like he’s some sort of God.

Having been with Bucky long enough, you had somewhat cracked the hierarchy of his friend group. And Steve was definitely the leader, the one they all flocked to and tried to impress. Well, not Bucky – he and Sam were the only ones who would keep Steve in check. But the blonde alpha’s ego was through the roof, as were his misogynistic ideals and derogatory views towards omegas and women in general.

And you hated how shy you were, especially around him. You felt sickened by Steve’s gross statements but you could never say anything against him. A part of you just wanted to be liked and accepted by Bucky’s best friend, but Steve only alternated between glaring at you or pretending you didn’t exist.

“HI, BABY!”

A high-pitched squeal knocks you out of your reverie, and you watch as Sharon jogs up to Steve in her pretty blue cheerleading outfit. Together, they look like the perfect couple. Head cheerleader and the captain of the football team. Perfect. You feel that weird feeling bubbling up inside you again but do your best to keep it at bay.

Steve rolls his eyes before Sharon launches herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and planting her lips on his. Steve, however, remains stoic.

“Gosh, baby, could you please put that cigarette out?” Sharon says, pushing a wayward lock of Steve’s blonde hair off his forehead.

“No.”

She giggles, shaking her head before turning to you. “Men, huh? Stubborn as ever. I’ve asked him to stop smoking about a bajillion times, but he never listens.”

You smile and nod, feeling stupid and awkward as ever because Sharon is pretty and popular and you don’t know how to act.

“I like your pin.” Sharon points at the World Politics Society pin on your bookbag, “I couldn’t even dream of getting into that class. You must be really smart.”

Steve snorts but everyone ignores him.

“Thank you, I find the subject really interesting,” you reply.

You watch Sharon as she talks to everyone in the group. She’s kind, confident and beautiful – everything you wish you were. But that weird, indescribable feeling keeps surfacing inside you every time she locks hands with Steve, or brushes his hair back, or smooths the wrinkles on his sweater.

“And Mister Barnes, how come I’ve never met your girlfriend before now? When she’s practically my sister-in-law?” Sharon hits Bucky lightly on the arm before shooting you another bright smile. “We should organise a double-date. Me and Steve and you both. That sounds fun, doesn’t it?”

Steve scoffs but everyone ignores him.

“Epically fun, Miss Carter.” Bucky gives her a charming smile before tugging you close to his chest. “We could go bowling or something. If His Highness is up for it.”

Steve takes another drag of his cigarette, saying nothing. In fact, he’s barely said a word since his girlfriend joined the conversation, and you find that to be weirdly peculiar. Why was he even with her if all he did was cheat on her and ignore her every time she spoke?

“Looking forward to it!” Sharon smiles before checking her phone, “Okay, I gotta go now or else I’ll be late for practice. I’ll see you tonight, baby?” She gives Steve a peck on the lips, which he also doesn’t return.

“Sure.” Steve answers, finally seeming to snap out of it as his hand meanders down to squeeze her ass. You feel your own hand clench into a fist but you quickly relax it and hope no one saw. What the heck was that? Why had you reacted that way?

“What a fuckin’ bitch.” Steve resumes once Sharon is out of earshot. “As I was saying, I told this other whore who was all over me the other day that I just wasn’t interested in sluts like her, and she said–”

“Could you stop being such a misogynistic jerk?!”

You can’t believe the words have left your mouth, and your hands start shaking immediately once you realise they have. Never before have you raised your voice at someone like this, let alone a formidable alpha who’s about twice your size.

Steve’s cold blue eyes rest their steely gaze on you, when up until this point he’d been content on pretending you weren’t there. You dare peak up at him and see his jaw tick, and a vein protrude from the side of his forehead.

“What did you just say to me?” He asks softly.

“Hey, leave her alone.” Bucky says warningly, but you sit up straight.

“I’m… I’m sorry, but I just don’t like how you talk about women.” You say, hating how your voice shakes and how you can’t look Steve in the eye.

“And I don’t like the tone you’re taking with me right now.” Steve’s intense gaze bores holes straight through you before he looks at Bucky, “Haven’t you taught her not to speak to her superiors like that?”

Your jaw drops open in pure shock, “H-How dare you–”

“Okay, let’s go.” Bucky hoists you to your feet while your whole body seems to shake with shock, anger, and a tiny bit of fear. The brunet alpha holds you tightly by the arm before evenly glancing back at his best friend. “Steve, don’t speak to my girl like that. In fact, if you’re going to be rude, then don’t speak to her at all.”

You and Bucky don’t stick around to hear Steve’s retort, and it’s only when you round a corner and are hidden from the rest of the group by a brick wall, that you burst into tears.

“He’s – so – awful!” You cry, your heart pitter-pattering in a mix of fear and hurt. You hated being spoken to like that, like you were beneath him. Bucky holds you close and you sob into his chest, hugging him as hard as you can. His solidness and wintery scent is a source of comfort to you, and so is his hand which rubs your back soothingly.

“He shouldn’t have spoken to you like that, princess. I’ll make sure to speak to him about it later.” Bucky promises you, pressing soft kisses to your hairline while you cry, leaving splotchy tear-stains on his shirt.

“Why is he even with Sharon when he doesn’t seem happy with her at all?!” You burst out, desperately wiping at your teary eyes except it doesn’t stop you from crying even more. “He’s just…I just… Oh, I hate him, James! I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!”

“I know, sweetheart. I know. I’ll talk to him, don’t you worry.”

Looking into his earnest eyes, you can tell Bucky’s intentions are good. And you don’t know if he talks to Steve or not, but you do receive another delivery of yellow roses to your dorm room that very night. This time, there’s a note attached too. “I’m sorry” is all it says, and you can’t help but smile as you hold the roses up to your nose and take in their delicate scent. Bucky was obviously feeling bad about the whole situation – and it wasn’t even his fault!

But clearly, your boyfriend knows you well, because the flowers do lift your mood up a little bit. You place the second bouquet of yellow roses caringly next to the first one. They look expensive and beautiful, and have your entire room smelling heavenly and sweet. It makes you smile and clasp your hands together, and you’re just about to call Bucky when you hear a rustling from outside your window, followed by a series of heavy footsteps.

Strange. Who would be out at this time? And in the bushes outside your dorm room, no less? You decide you’ve probably imagined it, but you close your window and draw your curtains anyways before calling Bucky.

“You’re the best, you know that?” You tell him, a huge smile plastered on your face as you take one last whiff of the roses before flopping down on your bed on top of all your pillows and stuffies.

“I do know that, sweetheart, but it’s nice to hear you say it.” Bucky laughs from the other end of the phone. “It’s also nice to hear you sound so happy.”

You grab your stuffed rabbit and tug his ears mindlessly, “Yeah, I know I acted like a huge cry-baby earlier today.”

“Didn’t I tell you not to worry about it, princess? Anyways, I spoke to Steve.”

Your heart skips a beat, “You did?”

“Yes. Look, he’s set in his traditional ways and he’s stubborn as hell. But he did look like he regretted speaking to you that way, and I don’t think he’ll do it again.”

You breathe a sigh of relief, “Well, that’s all I want. Thank you for speaking to him, James.” There’s a pause, and then you pipe up hesitantly: “And what about Sharon? Is he still going to stay with her?”

“Uh, yeah. Why wouldn’t he?”

BECAUSE SHE’S NOT RIGHT FOR HIM! The omega inside you screeches, and the sheer vitriol you feel makes you sit up straight, eyes wide and hands shaking. What the heck? Where had that outburst even come from?

“Hello? Princess? You still with me?”

You clear your throat and physically shake your head to rid yourself of that weird feeling that seems to be bubbling inside you so often now. But never before had it manifested into your inner thoughts screaming at you like how they just had. You feel hot all over, and quickly place your palm on your forehead to check if you have a fever before remembering Bucky is still on the phone.

“I’m here. Sorry, I just…” What can you even say to him? Without sounding crazy? You take a deep breath. “Thank you for talking to him, James. I’m just glad he won’t be mean anymore. Everything else isn’t really any of my business.”

“That’s good to hear, sweetheart.”

***

True to Bucky’s word, slowly but surely, Steve becomes a lot more bearable to be around. He’s still awful in his misogyny but at least he no longer glares at you or makes you feel unwelcome and uncomfortable when you’re with Bucky and his friends. You still catch him staring at you sometimes, but you must be imagining it because you know he hates you. You try not to care though, and only focus on Bucky.

“I want you to meet my parents, princess.” Bucky says to you one day. The two of you are in your dorm room where you’d just completed an intense study session. Well, you’d been studying while Bucky grew distracted after about ten seconds of staring at his textbook, and proceeded to kiss and touch you while you laughed and batted him off. “And I would like to meet your parents too.”

The smile drops from your face almost instantaneously, and you nervously grab your stuffed rabbit and pull its ears. “Oh, I… Uh…”

“I mean, we’ve been seriously dating for a while now, haven’t we? It’s only right that I get to meet the parents of the girl who captured my heart.”

You smile uneasily, heart feeling like it’s about to beat out of your chest. “What are your parents like?” You blurt out, trying to deflect.

Bucky lies back on your bed, “They’re great. My dad’s a lawyer so he’s always working. My mom is usually at home, though. She makes a great apple pie and she’s also great for when I need advice.”

You smile softly, “She must really love you.”

He blinks. “Of course, she does. All parents love their children.”

He goes on to tell you about how his dad used to take him golfing at the country club when he was younger, and how much he hated it. But he’d always get treated to ice cream afterwards, which was why he agreed to go every time. He tells you about how his mother values family over everything, which was why he went home every other Friday to have dinner with his family, and how he’d love for you to join him on one of those dinners soon.

You nod and agree, but you feel like crying on the inside. There’s a sense of yearning inside you that you can’t seem to get rid of no matter how hard you cuddle into Bucky or how much he kisses you.

His hands slowly slip down to your hips, squeezing gently before meandering up under your hoodie. His touch is tentative yet confident, and usually it excites you. But you always stop him before he goes too far, hoping and praying he doesn’t get mad at you. Which he never does. Instead, the two of you lazily make out on your bed until you fall asleep in each other’s arms. And then the nightmares commence, but when you wake up, you can’t remember them at all.

***

“Ooh, look at the pink bowling balls! And the powder blue ones. Aren’t they cute, Steve?” Sharon clutches Steve’s muscular bicep, her perfectly manicured nails scraping lightly against his pale skin. Steve only grunts in response before shaking her off as him and Bucky go up to the counter to pay for one session of bowling for all of you.

Through Sharon’s pure will and determination, the four of you find yourselves on a double date at the bowling alley. She seemed blissfully unaware of the fact that Steve hated you, or that you didn’t particularly like Steve either, and had practically begged Bucky to organise the date. Bucky had said you didn’t have to do it, but what harm could one night of bowling actually do? Especially since Steve hadn’t really been mean to you for a while now.

“Do I seriously have to wear these ugly bowling shoes?” Sharon complains, gingerly holding up the dirty shoes and making a face.

“Don’t wear them. Let’s see what happens.” Steve pipes up.

Bucky laughs, “Unless you want a broken toe, you better put them on.”

It’s Steve and Sharon against you and Bucky. You’ve bowled a few times, so you’re not embarrassingly bad or anything. Bucky is fairly good too. Surprisingly, Sharon turns out to be extremely skilled at bowling, getting a strike on her first try.

And then there’s Steve.

“Another gutter ball, Rogers!” Bucky doubles over in glee, practically in tears. You try to hide your amused smile and even Sharon can’t help but laugh.

“Shut up!” Steve seethes, looking redder than a tomato as he jams his hands in his pockets and walks back to the bench you’re all sitting on. He casts a quick glance in your direction, his nose twitching. “There’s too many distractions here.”

“What distractions, bro? You’re just a bad player.” Bucky mocks, jabbing his elbow into his friend’s ribs and laughing even harder when the blond gives him an absolutely murderous look.

Bucky gets up and stretches, “I think I need a beer. You want one, Steve?”

Steve flips him off.

“I’ll take that as a yes. You girls want anything?”

“Maybe a strawberry milkshake? Or iced tea sounds good. And I think we should also get some food for Steve before he implodes. Maybe nachos? Or curly fries. I’ll go with you, since that’s a lot to remember.” Sharon gets up.

Bucky presses a kiss to your forehead, “Think you can hold down fort and keep us in the lead until I get back, princess?” He whispers.

You giggle, “I think so. I just need to get a minimum of one pin.”

They leave, and you get up to do your turn. Making your way over to the contraption where they keep all the bowling balls, you can feel Steve’s eyes on you. God, without Bucky and Sharon here, you felt all shy and nervous. Not to mention his scent, which was so overpowering as it settled into your nostrils. Just ignore him, you think to yourself before absentmindedly selecting a bowling ball.

You’ve taken one step towards the bowling lane when the ball slips from your sweaty palms. It’s a lot heavier than you anticipated, and you can’t take the weight as you watch it fall down almost in slow motion. There’s a flurry of movement, Steve moving quick as lightning and batting the ball sideways before it completely crushes your foot. It ends up bouncing on the tip of your toe with a loud thud before rolling away under the table.

“What the fuck inspired you to choose the heaviest ball available? You could have really hurt yourself!” Steve shakes you angrily by the shoulder as you remain frozen in place, still registering what just happened.

“I…I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.” You stammer before suddenly becoming aware of your toe throbbing from where the bowling ball had fallen. Most of its weight had been absorbed by your shoe, but your toe still hurts. And you hate being such a baby, but your lower lip can’t help but quiver, and you feel your eyes well up with tears.

You don’t really register it as Steve’s fingers encircle around your wrist, and he tugs you back to the bench, forcing you down before crouching in front of you.

“Did you hurt yourself? See, this is why little omegas like you shouldn’t be carrying heavy things. I told Bucky bowling was a bad idea.” At the mention of his best friend’s name, Steve instinctively whips his head towards the snack counter, and you do too. Bucky and Sharon are still in line, and with their backs turned and so many people around, you doubt they can see you.

You sniffle, “I didn’t think it would be that heavy.”

“Of course, you didn’t. You’re just a baby omega, and sometimes you don’t think about things like that. Here, let me see.” Before you realise what’s happening, he grabs your ankle with one big, warm hand; and uses the other to unstrap your shoe. You gape at him, the scent of smoky firewood and a freshly mown lawn making you swallow harshly and freeze in place, letting him slip your shoe off.

But it only a takes handful of seconds for you to come back to your senses, and you shake your head and cringe backwards.

“Uh, th-that’s okay, Steve. It stopped hurting now, I think I’ll be fine.”

But his grip on your ankle doesn’t loosen, your shoe falling to the ground and his blue eyes zeroing in on your foot which is covered by just your lacy white ankle sock. The air feels thick around you both, and you feel your breathing start to get laboured as you watch his Adam’s apple bob in his throat as he swallows.

Slowly, tentatively almost, he strokes your foot with his other hand. And a part of you is so acutely aware of how weird this is. You boyfriend’s best friend tending to your injury in the middle of a crowded bowling alley – while Bucky and Sharon were in the same vicinity!

“You’ll be alright.” Steve says gently (the gentlest you’ve ever heard him speak), as he continues to stroke your throbbing toe, “You just need to be more careful, okay?”

You find yourself nodding, your entire body buzzing with some sort of strange energy that you’ve never felt before. “I guess I just got distracted.”

Steve’s hand remains rubbing your toe, but his eyes look up to meet yours. And you almost forget how to breathe, feeling like there’s a bubble encasing the two of you, and everyone else is far, far away. All you can feel is his burning gaze and his hand touching you.

He clears his throat, “Yeah, I’ve been distracted all night too.” And you can’t help but notice how long and dark his lashes are, how they contrast so deeply from his pale hair and skin, how they fan against his cheekbones as he blinks up at you almost earnestly. “Maybe I should drive you home.”

That knocks you out of whatever reverie he’s pulled you into. Drive you home? While his girlfriend and your boyfriend stayed here? Was he insane?

You forcibly tug your foot out of his grasp, quickly putting your shoe back on before he can grab it again. And Steve stays in his crouched position in front of you, almost as if frozen in place. He’s staring at his hand, the one that was holding your ankle, before he looks up at you. There’s a fiery look in his eyes, one you can’t fully explain. You also can’t fully explain why your heart is beating like mad, and there’s a warm feeling spreading through your chest.

“I’m fine, Steve. Really. Thank you for uh… Just… Thanks.” You mumble.

Steve blinks, opening his mouth to speak before he shuts it again when he looks beyond your shoulder. He coughs, standing up to his full height and moving away from you suddenly. And you watch him whip his phone out, pretend he’s texting someone, and all the while your heart just won’t calm down. And then you feel a tap on your shoulder.

“We’ve got snacks!” Sharon announces, skipping over to Steve and handing him a bunch of things, “Here you go, babe. These cheesy fries are literally to die for. Me and Bucky picked at them on the way back here. Oh, and here’s your beer.”

You watch as Sharon simpers at her boyfriend, grabbing his hand and leading him to a nearby bench. Feeding him fries while he bats her hand away, instead grabbing his beer and taking a long swig. His face is still red, and his eyes are still bright, and–

“You okay, princess?” Bucky sits down beside you and puts his arm around you, giving you a tight squeeze. “You look troubled.”

You force a smile, “I’m fine, James.”

“Did Steve say something to you? Do you need me to talk to him again?”

Rapidly, you shake your head. Subconsciously, you’ve already made the decision not to tell Bucky about the weirdness that has just transpired. And the guilt is already eating you up from the inside out, despite the fact you hadn’t done anything. Or hadn’t you? Why had you not pulled away sooner? And why was Steve acting this way? Why was he so gentle, so tender? When every other instance between the two of you has been either him ignoring you, or being rude towards you?

Suddenly, your head hurts.

Bucky seems to understand that something is off with you, because he tells Sharon and Steve that he’s tired and wants to cut the night short. You hug Sharon goodbye, feeling like you want the ground to eat you up whole, before your boyfriend leads you out of the bowling alley.

“Princess, please tell me what’s bothering you.” He says moments later when the two of you are in his car.

You force a smile, “Nothing!”

His light blue eyes, so piercing in the darkness of the car, stare at you as if they can see right through you. But all he does is draw you in for a hug, and you feel your body sag into his. Bucky feels so cosy and safe, so dependable and good. All your worries and concerns dissipate for a moment as you hug him back almost fiercely.

“Well, why don’t we go get some ice cream?” He asks kindly.

You bury your face in his chest, not quite done hugging him yet. Maybe you were just overthinking whatever had happened back there with Steve. Maybe the blond alpha was just trying to turn a new leaf and be kind for once. Maybe his actions had been innocuous after all. You sniffle before looking up at your boyfriend and pressing a long kiss to his lips.

“Okay. Let’s do that.”

Bucky gets a double mint chocolate chip cone and you get a vanilla strawberry swirl. He licks the ice cream that you accidentally smear on the side of your mouth as you dig in, and then you both kiss some more. Sweet kisses and sweet touches laced with giggles. And then he takes you on a drive, and you roll the windows down and let the breeze hit your face as if you’re the main character in an indie film, allowing the cool night air to wash away any remnants of guilt. Bucky’s got one hand on the steering wheel and the other one holding steadily onto yours, squeezing every few seconds and shooting you lovesick smiles that you return.

He parks outside of your dorm building and pulls you over the console and into his lap. And you let him kiss you and touch you and try to lose yourself in it. Try not to think of a hot summer’s day and freshly mown grass. You don’t even stop him when he pushes his hand down your leggings and past your panties, and you gasp into his mouth when you feel his fingers brush against your hot core.

“Are you sure about this, princess?” Bucky breathes against your lips, and you want to cry at how sweet he is. How patient and kind. You don’t deserve him at all. You nod your head to indicate that yes, you are sure. You kiss him doubly hard, trying to drown out the feel of wanting to cry. Because actually no, you’re not sure about this. You don’t know if you’re ready. But you feel so bad, so bad for what happened with Steve.

You didn’t even do anything! The rational part of your brain screams. So then why did it feel like you had?

Bucky moves his fingers expertly inside you, his thumb rubbing your bundle of nerves in a way that does make you momentarily forget about anything else except for his touch. You mewl his name, clutching the fabric of his shirt and rutting against him. His large hands rub up and down your back, his lips warm against your ear as he coaxes you, “That’s right, princess. Let go for me, I’ve got you. I’ve always got you.”

You come hard, body shaking and spasming on top of him as he holds you close to his chest. Praises you for being so good for him, for being so beautiful and perfect. And it’s crazy, because you feel anything but those things right now. But you sob out his name softly, and let him stroke your hair back as he continues to talk you through your orgasm, “That’s it, princess. You’re such a good girl for me, aren’t you? Such a good girl. Thank you for letting me in, sweetheart. Thank you for being so perfect.”

He lets you recover, all the while kissing you. And then he walks you to your room and bids you goodnight. He tells you he’d have stayed the night, but he has to drive home to pick up an important document for his father. You manage a weak smile, and return his kisses before waving goodbye.

And then you shut the door and burst into tears.

And you don’t even know why, because nothing had happened between you and Steve! Nothing at all. But you cry for all the confusion within you, the unresolved feelings of guilt that you can’t understand for the life of you, and how you can’t seem to shake this yearning sadness inside you. Oh, why did Steve have to be so different tonight? Why had his eyes reflected such tenderness? Why had he held your ankle like that? Why hadn’t he let go?

Why did you care so much?

You take a long shower and change into clean, comfortable clothes before trying to distract yourself with Netflix. And that’s when you hear a knock on your door.

It’s another bouquet of yellow roses. You smile at the delivery man – you recognise his face at this point, since he’s been to your dorm room three times now. You marvel at Bucky’s quickness, because he’d only dropped you home about an hour ago. He must have paid for express delivery or something. And this time, the bouquet is accompanied by not only a note, but also a small package.

I really enjoyed our date tonight, baby.

You smile softly at the short but sweet message, before your eyes shift to the package. It’s brown and unsuspecting, with a yellow ribbon holding it together. You gently rip it open.

Coal black eyes stare up at you. A furry little face. Tan coloured fur and a light blue bow-tie. It’s a teddy bear! You can’t help but crack a smile, heart feeling lighter than it has all day. Oh, it was so cute! Like a furry little baby. You hug it close to your chest, the butterflies fluttering happily around in your tummy. You don’t receive gifts too often, and this was a total surprise. And definitely one that was helping lift your lousy mood.

You fall asleep with the teddy in your arms, and no nightmares come. Instead, you dream of warm sunlight splashing down on your skin, and green grass so fresh you can almost smell it. And the silhouette of a shadowy figure who holds you close and promises to keep you safe. And the yearning feel goes away. And you feel content.

***

“Okay, do you want the good news first or the bad news?”

“Uh oh.” You bite your lip, immediately assuming the worst as your hand freezes in the middle of tossing a folded shirt into your overnight bag. Today was the day you and Bucky were driving down to Bucky’s family house, where you were finally going to meet his parents and stay for the weekend. “They don’t like me, do they?”

Bucky snickers over the phone, “Wrong, sweetheart. My parents love you. Well, they love the pictures of you that I showed them from my phone. That’s the good news, actually. They seem genuinely excited to meet you. My mom’s planning a whole five course dinner.”

You resume packing, putting in your pyjama bottoms, an extra hoodie, your plastic bag of toiletries, as well as your new favourite stuffed teddy bear. You force out a chuckle, hoping he can’t detect your anxiety and nervousness over the phone, “That’s good. I really hope I don’t let them down.”

“Let them down? How?”

You chew on your lip and whisper, “By not being good enough…”

“Princess, you’re the prettiest, kindest, sweetest and smartest girl I’ve ever dated. I don’t want you putting yourself down like that, okay?”

“O-Okay.” He was right – it wasn’t healthy to keep thinking of yourself in such a negative light. And it wasn’t like you enjoyed feeling sorry for yourself or drowning in self-pity, you just sometimes let the doubts you had about yourself creep in and take over your mind. Despite the fact that since day one, Bucky had been reassuring you about how perfect you were.

But would a perfect girlfriend be feeling as guilty as you were?

“What’s the bad news?” You ask, trying to push your thoughts to the back of your mind and focus on the conversation with your boyfriend.

Bucky sighs, “So, I had to actually stop by my dad’s office to sort out some paperwork. He only trusts me to do it, and since I’ll be working at his firm once I graduate, I figured it would be a good chance for me to show him that I’m actually competent with stuff like that.”

You nod, “That makes sense.”

“But that means I’ll be tied up all morning, so I won’t be able to drive you back to my house in Brooklyn.”

“Oh.” You let the words sink in. “That’s alright, James. I can just take the train.”

“Uh, I don’t think so, princess. But listen, Steve is going home for the weekend too, and his parents are practically neighbours with mine. He offered to give you a lift.”

You feel your whole body begin to shake as soon as his name is mentioned. It’s been a few days since the double date, and since what you’ve dubbed in your head as “the ankle incident.” Even now, your heart flutters at the memory, and you can still feel his warm fingers brushing over your foot as he’d held it in his hands and stroked you so softly. And when you close your eyes, you can see that earnest look on his face, and–

“Bucky, I really don’t mind taking the train.”

“Sweetheart, I know you don’t mind. But I mind, I don’t want my girl taking the train when you could easily just drive there.” There’s a pause as Bucky inhales deeply, “Look, I know you and Steve aren’t exactly the best of friends. But I really think he’s trying to turn a new leaf and be a nicer person. I mean, he actually volunteered to drive you, which is progress. And if I’m being honest, it would really give me peace of mind if I knew you were in the car with one of my friends instead of alone on a crowded, dingy train.”

“James, I really don’t think–”

“Please, sweetheart? For me?”

You exhale slowly, clasping your hands together to stop them from shaking. If Bucky had so much faith in Steve, then maybe it was you who was overthinking everything. Maybe Steve genuinely was turning a new leaf, and who were you to deny someone when they were doing you a favour? The drive down to Brooklyn would be long, but not too long. And Steve hadn’t been mean to you for many weeks now, so maybe it would all be okay?

“Okay, Bucky. If that’s what you want.” You agree softly.

“Great! Steve told me to tell you that he’ll pick you up at 3.”

***

Steve arrives outside your dorm at 2:55pm. Actually, you see his car pull up at around 2:45, and then you watch him park it and sit there drumming his fingers against the steering wheel. And then he gets out of the car and paces around for a while before finally making his way over to your door and knocking on it rather loudly. You give him a quiet hello and he gives you a grunt in return, the exchange giving you a sick feeling in your tummy – would it be this quiet and awkward for the whole journey? Before you can worry some more, Steve takes your overnight bag from your hands and leads you to his car.

“Put your seatbelt on.” He orders you the moment you sit down in the passenger seat.

“I was just about to.” You respond, a tad defensive because he hadn’t even given you a chance to breathe before he’d started ordering you around.

“Just do it.”

“Okay.”

He doesn’t start the car until your seatbelt is firmly in place, and then you sit there twiddling your thumbs in silence because Steve doesn’t even have the radio on. You wonder if you should start a conversation, but you feel too shy. Which is crazy, since you’d really been starting to come out of your shell these past few months. But not with Steve. He was way too intimidating and scary and just… intense.

“How’s your toe?” He asks you gruffly out of the blue about ten minutes into the journey.

“It’s all good, thank you for asking.�� Your response is cordial, and you wonder if you sound bitchy or clipped. It certainly isn’t your intention, but you’ve definitely got your guard up and you don’t really know how to speak to him.

Steve sighs, and there’s another fifteen minutes of silence before he pulls into a traffic jam, and that’s when he turns to face you.

“I broke up with Sharon.”

Your eyes widen and you feel your heart skip a beat, “Oh…uh…Oh.”

He nods, “Yeah. I took your advice.”

That makes you snap out of whatever momentary shock his sudden revelation had put you in. “My advice? Wh-What do you mean?”

The car starts moving again, and Steve takes his time to reply, and you wonder whether he can hear your heart pitter-pattering loudly in your chest as you anticipate his response.

“I’ve heard you, you know. All those times you complained to Bucky, asking him why I was with Sharon if I clearly didn’t care about her. And you were right, so I took your advice and I dumped her.”

You clear your throat, nervously tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear, “I didn’t mean… Well… She deserves better, Steve.” You inhale deeply and turn to look out the window – either out of awkwardness or because you can’t seem to meet his gaze. But he’s got a weird pull about him, practically reeling you back in and you can’t help but look back at him once he starts speaking again.

“I told her I wasn’t interested in her anymore. That I was in love with somebody else.” Steve takes a turn off the highway, and you sit there frozen in shock as he takes quick left and right turns, eventually driving into a small, deserted street, where he parks the car. You swallow, but there’s a huge lump in your throat that you can’t seem to get rid of.

“Wh-Why are we stopping here, Steve?”

“I like how my name sounds when you say it.” His hand creeps over the console in a bid to grab yours, and you quickly move back. Your back slams against the door as you cringe away from him, eyes wide and heart racing.

“Wh-What are you doing? Stop!”

Steve scoffs, “Please. Don’t play dumb, I know you like me too. And the sooner you stop denying it, the easier all of this will be for you.”

You can hardly believe what you’re hearing, it’s almost like your own ears are playing tricks on you. As if you’re Alice falling down some weird rabbit hole into a dimension where nothing makes sense. Was this a joke? Was he pulling some sort of prank? But he’s got that same earnest, honest look in his eyes, the look he’d had at the bowling alley. But you swallow and shake your head rapidly.

“Steve, no, I’m with James. He’s my boyfriend, I don’t like you like that –”

“DON’T LIE!” Steve bursts out, and the sudden explosion of anger makes you jump out of your seat, and the panic that ensues in your heart has you grabbing the door handle in a desperate bid to get out of the car and away from him. But of course, the door remains locked, and now you can really feel the cold terror and dread as it overtakes your body.

Steve exhales slowly, running a hand through his blonde hair, “Don’t. Lie.” He repeats, reaching over to forcibly grab your wrist. And his touch alone sense goosebumps up and down your arm. “I knew we had a connection from the moment I saw you. And then at the bowling alley on our date, I knew you felt it too.”

“Y-You mean our double date,” you say slowly, incredulity dripping from your tone, “where you were with your girlfriend and I was with my boyfriend.”

Steve shakes his head, his grip on your wrist tightening, “You were the only one I could focus on that night.” And then, as you watch in horror, he brings your hand up to his lips, kissing it as his eyes flutter shut, almost like he’s savouring kissing your skin for the first time. And you feel every cell in your body, from the top of your head to the bottom of your toes, flutter as he does it. He locks eyes with you, “And I saw how you reacted that night when you opened my gift, that’s how I knew you liked me too.”

His gift? The terror in your veins seems to triple in less than a second, and you feel like you might throw up. You think back to all those bouquets of yellow roses with no name on the notes that accompanied them. And your favourite stuffed teddy with the coal black eyes and blue bow tie. No. No, it couldn’t be. And he’d watched you open them? How?

“N-No, those were from James!” You bat at him, trying to get him to let go of your hand. You suddenly can’t breathe, can’t think. Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. “Those flowers were from James!”

“Sure.” Steve snorts, “Is that why you never even mentioned them to him? You knew deep down they weren’t from him, omega. You knew.”

“No, no, no–”

“And how could they be from him? He doesn’t understand you. Not like I do.” He tries to cup your cheek with his warm hand but you dodge him, shaken down to your very core by all the revelations hurtling towards you at top speed. Steve narrows his eyes at you for a second, before grabbing your hand again. “You think he doesn’t tell me everything, omega? You think I don’t know that you haven’t even let him fuck you yet?”

You feel you’ve just been doused with a bucket of ice-cold water, and all you can do is gape helplessly at Steve, any words you may have had on the tip of your tongue now firmly lodged in the back of your throat.

Steve smirks, “That’s right. He told me you haven’t let him fuck you, and it’s been what, three months since you guys started going out?”

“I wanted to wait till I was ready.” You whisper.

“You keep telling yourself that.” Steve laughs bitterly, “But you and I both know the truth, which is that you’ll never be ready. Not for him. Because you don’t want him to fuck you, you don’t want that intimacy with him.” He yanks you closer with the hold he has on your wrist, till your foreheads are almost touching and you’re frozen in place by not only your fear but something else too. Something warm and inviting.

“If you were my girlfriend, you’d already be three months pregnant.”

Your jaw drops open, only a tiny squeak making its way out past your lips. It’s as if he’s stolen all the air from your lungs, and all the thoughts from your brain. You feel hot all over, but also numb. You feel nothing yet everything all at once, and you can’t believe what he’s saying.

“But that’s okay, we still have plenty of time for that.” Steve nods determinedly, his eyes clouding over with an almost wistful, faraway look. “Baby, I have a plan for us. I’m graduating soon, and I want you by my side as the mother of my children. You’re perfect for me, and I’ll give you the family you crave.”

It’s like he’s lit a candle inside you. A tiny, almost minuscule candle of hope fuelled by the picture his words paint, but it flames fiercely nevertheless. Until you forcibly snuff it out and shake your head once more, and deliver more futile pushes to get him to let you go.

“Y-You’re crazy! I don’t want that, Steve! I don’t want any of that!”

“You do.”

“No, I don’t!”

“Yes. You do.” Steve sneers, twisting your arm when you grow more desperate, your movements ceasing as you stare up at him helplessly. But his face remains stoic, and a wild piece of blonde hair flops down over his forehead. “I told you; Bucky tells me everything. How you never really fully open up to him, how you get closed off and distant and sad sometimes and he can’t figure out why because you never tell him.”

“Th-That’s between me and him–”

“Don’t you get it?” He grabs you by the shoulders, shaking you as if he’s had an epiphany and wants you to have it too. “I’m the one who knows you, omega. Not him.” His hand reaches up to cup the wide of your face again, and this time he succeeds because you’re frozen in place. His voice softens, “I know you feel like your mother doesn’t care about you. I know you feel lonely despite being in a relationship with Bucky. I know you felt like this even in your previous relationship before Bucky. And I know you don’t have a dad, and I know it hurts–”

“No, no, no, no!” The tears are welling up in your eyes now, and you feel like you can’t breathe. Like you’re hyperventilating and there’s no escape and you can’t run away because this stupid car is locked and you’re in the middle of nowhere and you’ve never told anyone about your dad! You never talk about that with anyone. You don’t even think about it! How did he know?!

“Hey, hey, calm down.” Steve rubs his wrists over your face, and the tranquil effect of a hot midsummer afternoon warms you from the inside out. You feel your heartbeat go back to normal, and you’re able to breathe again. You look up to see Steve’s face inches away from yours, and all you can feel are the pads of his thumbs slowly stroking your cheekbones, and for the life of you, you can’t explain why you just let him do it.

“Do you ever get that yearning feeling, baby?” He asks you softly, so softly that you almost don’t hear it. His blue eyes sparkle with determination and earnesty, and he holds your face so carefully in his hands. “Tell me, do you ever get that feeling? Of wanting something so bad but you can’t seem to figure out what it is?”

“Yes.” You whisper hushedly, dropping your head in shame. Your heart throbs with the same guilt that you’ve been feeling for days now. Horrific, unforgiving guilt that washes through your body in taunting waves.

Steve kisses you then. And it feels like everything around you seems to stand still. Every particle, every atom, every hair, every speck of dust freezes in place. You close your eyes, and it’s like the sun itself descends down to the earth, making everything bask in its addicting glow. Fireworks and explosions behind your eyes and all around you, his warmth enveloping you like a hug. An embrace of delicious heat that feels like you’re home. Really home, and it’s something you’ve never felt before.

And then you start crying.

“I can’t do this to him.” You pull away, and the panic you feel is almost immediate. “Steve, I… We can’t do this to Bucky. He’s so good to me, he doesn’t deserve this! We can’t, we can’t–”

“He’ll understand.” Steve says firmly, keeping a tight hold on you. “It’ll be hard for him, but once he sees that we’re in love, he’ll understand. And it’s good for him too, because this way he can find a mate who is better suited for him.”

Through the haze of Steve’s smoky firewood and hot summer day scent, you think back to Bucky and his crinkled smile. How he’d been the first one to speak to you on your first day, how he’d walked you to the library and how at ease you’d felt with him. How his lopsided smile, sparkling eyes and effortless charm had reeled you in. All the nights spent cuddling or watching TV or just talking and talking and talking. How respectful he’d been of your boundaries; how sweet and patient and intuitive he’d been any time you felt uncomfortable or upset.

How he’d complimented you every chance he got, building up your self-esteem through his love and adoration. How his easy-going nature made you feel so comfortable… But yet not comfortable enough to let him in. And that’s when the guilt seems to attack every cell of your body, killing you from the inside out. Why? Why couldn’t you just let Bucky in? Why couldn’t you just love him? Why, why, why?

Why did it have to turn out this way?

“No.” You shake your head, trying to shake away the thick haze of Steve’s scent which seems to be corrupting your every sense. And when you next speak, your voice is firmer, and you wipe the tears from your face, and you sit up straight, and you shrug his hands off of you. “No, Steve. We can’t do this. I need to get out, I need to–”

Steve’s eyes narrow once more, “Omega, listen to me–”

“Let me out of this car! Just let me out, okay! I’m not doing this to him! You’re wrong, Steve! You’re wrong, wrong, wrong! I don’t like you like that!” You rattle the door handle desperately, but of course it doesn’t budge. “Let me out, Steve! I can’t think in here, I need to get out! I need to speak to Bucky, I need to… I need to…”

You feel yourself going lax in his arms, your limbs turning to jelly as he places his hand on your mating gland, fingers pressing down. It sends thrills and shivers up and down your body as he draws you back to him, closer and closer till he’s embracing you.

“I’m your alpha.” Steve whispers in your ear, and the possessiveness in his tone rocks you to your very core. “You’re my omega, all mine. It’s like you were made for me. And that’s all that matters.”

You’re about to protest once more, and then you feel his teeth graze against your mating gland. It feels peculiar, thrilling, dangerous all at the same time. But the threat of his action doesn’t register immediately, and it takes you a second too long to realise, and then–

“No, Steve, don’t! Don’t!”

A blood-curdling scream leaves your mouth. Steve’s teeth are sharp and unforgiving as they clamp down on your mating gland. And his bite if so painful, like he’s chipping and tearing away at any traces of autonomy left in your body. The sensitive skin of your neck breaks and tears along with the last remnants of your independence.

Everything stills around you. Everything but Steve. He’s all you can feel now. His heartbeat, loud and wild. Or is that your heartbeat? Everything feels different, nothing is the same. It’s all Steve. All of your senses are Steve. All of your feelings are Steve.

“I’m never gonna let you go.” Steve whispers against the fresh wound on your neck, licking at his handiwork which will soon turn into a mark that brands you as his forever.

His presence around you is infinite. The intense heat of his aura mixed with his addictive scent, hitting you from all angles like a tidal wave.

And, like a bittersweet film coming to an end, it washes away the memory of Bucky before you even have the chance to say goodbye.

SDKGKSLAG OKAY.

So.... did I just present y’all with a Steve x omega fic disguised as Bucky fic?? Despite hyping the Bucky fic for MONTHS? Well... *dodges tomatoes* Yes. Yes I did. I’M SORRY BUCKY GIRLIES. STOMEGA FOREVER. This was the plan from the start, because it doesn’t matter if Bucky asked for omega’s number first - she would always end up with Steve. In any AU. In every AU. ANYWAYS. GUYS. I hope you liked it and I hope you’re not mad! I really really really would love to know what yall thought! Like genuinely, I jsut NEED to know what you guys thought of this bc honestly... I am not so sure AHHHHH. okay i’ll shut up now. Bye.

#bucky barnes #steve rogers #bucky barnes x reader #steve rogers x reader #dark steve rogers #sebastian stan #chris evans #sebastian stan x reader

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s0urw00lf · 3 months

Text

All the time

Bucky Barnes x reader

The three times you called his name. The one time he answered.

1940’s era: James Barnes

Y/n l/n had regrettably found herself on a date with a something shed be called unladylike for saying asshole. To be fair her mother wouldn’t let her turn the man down, ready to get her married off before the war. She was currently at the movies sitting beside him as his arm draped sloppily over her shoulder and much to close to her breast for her liking all the while he continuously yelled for the movie to start. People all over the theater were ‘shhh’ing him but he didn’t care as he continued on, making y/n want to melt into her seat with embarrassment. You heard from behind you “hey, wanna show some respect?” Someone whispered. You turned around to see a small frail man, you mouthed ‘I’m sorry” and he just nodded back. Again “who cared, Just start the cartoon” he said. Y/n sighed about to get up and leave until the small man spoke up again “hey you wanna shut up?” At that point Tommy heard him and turned towards him.

Somehow you found yourself in the alleyway trying to pull Tommy off of the guy. “Tommy that’s enough” you said pulling his arm, he pushed you down hard making you hit your head on a rock and you felt the blood immediately pool down your face not fully aware of what was going on anymore, until you were pulled up softly “you okay ma’am” you were asked. “Yes, yes I’m fine he needs More help than me” you said pointing to the fight, not even looking at the man that helped you up, more focused on the blood running down your face. You soon saw Tommy walk past you and grabbed your wrist firmly “come on y/n” he said angrily. You struggled against his grip “let me go you pig” you said as you clawed at his hand trying to separate it from your wrist. He didn’t budge “let go of me you disgusting pig” you cried putting as much resistance as you could.

Tommy finally turned and gave you the worst bitch face and forcefully pushed you back as he let go. You fell to the muddy ground, and tears formed in your eyes when you looked down and seen how dirty yourself and your dress was. The two men had seen the whole interaction and rushed to help you up. “Thanks” you said not making eye contact with either as you tried to make yourself a bit more presentable even though those stains weren’t gonna come out without some stern washing. You finally looked up when the shorter man spoke “no thank you for trying to help me. I’m Steve by the way. Steve rogers” he said. You nodded “y/n l/n, wish we could’ve met on better terms” you said with a small laugh. “Steve seems to find trouble everywhere he goes. James Barnes” the other man spoke. You finally took a good look at him and you let out a gasp when you made eye contact with the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen.

He towered over you and his brunet hair only heightened his handsome features. “Oh, uh yeah I mean it happens right?” You replied trying to cover up how shocked you were at his handsome face. He smiled and nodded, making you melt a little. Suddenly you’d felt a little more self conscious. “Hey Steve, how about you go get cleaned up and I’ll walk miss y/n here home.” James says. Steve looked up at him in confusion “why, we goin somewhere?” He asked. James nodded “the future” he said smiling and handed Steve a pamphlet. Steve studied the pamphlet before nodding and making his way home with a nod to you and a pat on James’s back. James led you back to the sidewalk and you began to get dirty looks from people passing by, making you even more uncomfortable and self conscious .

James luckily noticed and started up conversation in hopes to distract you, “So, what where you doing here with, and excuse my language, an asshole like that” he asked. She sighed “my mom, she wants me married or at least in the process of getting married. She’s getting old and my pa passed some time ago, she doesn’t think I can make it on my own.” You said bitterly. You looked at him taking in his attire for the first time “you getting shipped out?” You asked. He nodded “Sargent James Barnes, shipped out to England first thing tomorrow morning” he said standing proud. You nodded lowering your head to watch your shoes as you walk feeling a bit disappointed because he and his friend were the first decent men you’d come across in all of Brooklyn.

“James Barnes”

—————

Winter soldier era

after being let out of cyro for the first time in decades the soldier was led to a morally grey room, by the same man with round glasses shed seen before she went into the cyro. Aside from the table and two medal chairs, the room was empty much like the rest of the facility.

The only difference from the rest is there was a lingering presence in the darkest corner of the room. All she could see was the shining of something silver. She made no face, showed no sign of weakness, because she couldn’t, she’d been erased of everything. Fear included. But she stayed on high alert, ready to defend herself and her boss. “Sit” zolo demanded.

She took a stealthy seat, not making any noise as she did so, not even as her boot made contact with the ground on the other side of the chair. She stared at the man who had also taken a seat in front of her. “You have been assigned a new partner, it he has been made to match your every move as if it was your own. You fit together like a puzzle.” The man stated.

She nodded letting the man know she understood. “Step out soldat” the man demanded. At the corner of her eye she’d seen it, the smoothest movement as the figure slipped out of the darkness and into the light. “Meet the winter soldier” said zolo. She slowly turned her head meeting the steel blue eyes. ‘Barnes’ the name had echoed in her head but she was careful not to let her expression shift. She looked back to zolo only to see him eyeing the herself and the soldier carefully. She chose not to make it known. “Do we have a mission?” She asked, voice hoarse from not being used in so long.

“You do” he said and smiled his sickening smile. A file was placed in front of her, the soldier came to stand behind her so he could see, she almost felt at ease. She opened the file only to be met with a photo of a blonde haired blue eyed man. Captain ‘Steve rogers’ America. “What do you want us to do?” The man finally spoke behind her. His voice deep and hoarse as well. “Find him. Bring him alive. Beat him to the brink of death if you have to. But. Bring. Him. Alive.” He demanded. The pair nodded in understanding, before bing dismissed.

as they made their way to the jet and got stocked up on weapons and ammo the name ‘Barnes’ kept running through her head. So much so that it slipped out of her mouth.

“Barnes”

—————-

Fatws era

The last time you’d come face to face with james it was after the thanos war, you’d lived with nat while you were figuring things out before then you’d been snapped and now you’re living close toSam’s sister Sarah, helping her out with the boys. On this particular day you had walked into Sarah’s house in search of some flour, as you had ran out some days ago, “hey sara-“ you called but stopped yourself as your eyes landed on an all to familiar shield in the hands of Sarah’s boys. “Hey where’d you-“ she began to question but the oldest shushed her and pointed to the couch. Y/ns brows furrowed as she looked only to see that all too familiar face, obviously just now waking up. She ushered the boys away, but was quick to take the shield before they slipped too far out of her reach. “Hey, I uh- i didn’t know that you were here” she said awkwardly. “I just got here yesterday. I didn’t know you lived here” he said as he sat up from his laying position. “Oh no no. I don’t live here. Like here as in this house, I’m neighbors with Sarah.” You said shaking your head.

All he did was smile at you in amusement, making your cheeks heat up. “Uh well i only came to get something, I’ll be out of here soon” you said slowly backing away into the kitchen. Helping yourself to the flower you’d initially came to get. As you passed him again, he looked lost in thought so you cleared your throat, once again catching his attention. “Uh i live next door, if you uh- ever wanna come by and talk things over” you said nervously picking at your fingers. He smiled that charming smile that had you swooning since day one and nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind” he said. You nodded and backed away from the room and out of the door you used to enter the house.

a while had gone by since your interaction with James and if you’re being honest, you are really disappointed because you were looking forward to seeing him again. You are about to pack up for bed when a knock on your door broke you out of your daydream. You went to cautious because old habits die hard, you open the door to come face-to-face with James Buchanan Barnes. “Oh, hey I wasn’t expecting you” you’d said stupidly before you could think. You were totally expecting him, hoping and praying for him to knock on your door. “If im gonna be honest i want going to. Last time we’d seen each other we left off on a kiss and a barely confessed ‘I love you’. Sam told me not to let that go again.” He said sincerely. “ Well, Sam was right. Ever the wingman, no pun intended” you said letting out a laugh, as did he. Before either of you could make another remark, Bucky rushed forward and pressed a kiss to your lips. The kiss was soft and full of longing and warmth, happiness flooded you like you just took your first drink of hot chocolate on a chilly winter morning. The two of you separated breathing heavily

“my Bucky Barnes.”

“My Y/n L/n”

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buckrecs · 1 year

Note

been enjoying and loving the recs I find in here! do you have any along the lines of reader being part of Hydra('s projects)?

ex: reader being a WS/enhanced, agent, or assassin for hydra?

Hydra Experiment Reader

masterlist | req masterlist

ONESHOT

Lost & Found by @rassvetsky

it takes one brainwashed soldier to find another.

Soldat and Sparow Universe by @navybrat817

Your fire burns for the Winter Soldier. And one day, you’ll be free. Both of you.

in loosing grip, on sinking ships by @mellowsaturns

when the avengers pick up unusual activity, they realize that not all of hydra was destroyed. one unidentifiable face sends the team into a frenzy but bucky knows it. he could recognize those eyes anywhere.

Kills and Kisses by @lizatill

He comes back to save you from Hydra, he can’t leave you behind. You are linked deeply through the wounds of the past you share - hanging by a string, loosely holding each other from collapsing.

Tears of an Angel by @theeleggymeggy

You’ve been trapped at HYDRA for god knows how long, until the cell next to yours gets someone new. Who is this man, and why is he comforting you? He doesn’t even know you.

SERIES

ghost of you by @gogolucky13

Bucky has worked hard to come to terms with his past and enjoy the new life he’s been given. But his mind is still plagued by nightmares of what he’s done and by the face of an unknown woman. What happens when the team is tasked with recovering another Winter Solider, causing Bucky’s past and present to collide in the form of the woman from his dreams?

Cержант by @waiting4inspiration

After returning from a mission, you meet the new man in the compound. Only, it’s not exactly the friendliest because you both know each other as being part of HYDRA

Nightmare by @petertingle-yipyip

You were only in New York for a recon mission. Seek out and assess the threat. But when you get distracted by a handsome soldier, plans change.

lâcher prise by @aescapisms

Bucky Barnes had always tried to fill out the missing pieces in his memories, always tried to figure out the person before he became the Winter Soldier. And everything was going well until you joined the team.

Krasavchik by @after-avenging-hours

While under orders from Karpov to test the Soldat’s loyalties to Hydra, you find yourself questioning your own loyalties.

Stars In Your Eyes by @m4tthewmurd0ck

Life was definitely not what you thought it’d be. Not long after Thanos wiped out half of the population, you were kidnapped. They called themselves New Hydra (sooo clever, right?), the group consisted of about only 25 men, but their goal was clear: they wanted to make newer and better Winter Soldier’s.

Obey by @waiting4inspiration

An assassin is brought in by Fury because he thinks she has a connection to HYDRA. Bucky recognizes her and knows how to handle the programming installed in her mind (much like his Winter Soldier programming). Things become challenging now that he is her new Commander and has the responsibility to look after and protect her from HYDRA.

The Watching Hawk by @heliads

Bucky Barnes is constantly haunted by his past, but the memories of his days as a Winter Soldier will come into a new light in the form of the Watching Hawk, his old HYDRA partner. Will he be able to trust her, and will she be able to move on from his mistakes?

Forgotten Love by @thundering-barnes

You’re new to the Avengers. In joining the team, there’s a lot that no one yet knows about you. And there’s some unusual tension between you and a certain brunet. Under a pseudonym and with completely fresh start, and background, you hope for a chance at a new life. A better life. But how long will it last before someone figures out the life you’ve hidden away?

Quiet by @nastybuckybarnes

Steve Rogers makes an accidental discovery while on a simple hydra base raid. You. He brings you back to the Avengers Tower where they all try to figure you out. Your… interesting way of communicating makes that especially hard. Until one super-soldier proves otherwise.

Running From the Past by @green-eyeddragonfanfiction

Reader is a mutant who was experimented on by HYDRA. Due to her unique powers, she escapes without being seen when the Avengers attack the Hydra compound she’s been kept in for the last 5 years of her life. Her mutations and Hydra experiments allow her to blend in with her surroundings and change her appearance in minor ways, though the changes are only temporary. She’s now on the run, avoiding both Hydra and SHIELD.

Winter Makes Ice by @subwaysurf45

you’re captured after a brawl at the Avengers building, Bucky and others must save you before Hydra makes a new Winter Soldier out of you, Bucky has given up that title.

The reader was a nurse back in the 40’s with Bucky and Steve; her and Bucky were together. After Bucky’s death, she is captured, given the serum, turning both her and Bucky into Winter Soldiers. But the one thing that cannot be erased is their memories of each other and how important they are to each other.

After returning from a mission, you meet the new man in the compound. Only, it’s not exactly the friendliest because you both know each other as being part of HYDRA

#bucky barnes fic rec #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x f!reader #bucky barnes smut #bucky barnes series #winter soldier x reader #bucky x hydra!reader #bucky x spy!reader #bucky x agent!reader #bucky x assassin!reader #winter soldier!bucky #winter soldier smut #winter soldier!bucky x reader #bucky x super soldier!reader #bucky x avenger!reader

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estrellami-1 · 10 months

Note

Writer prompt: hurt Steve Harrington

Jesus fuck babe I think you’re trying to kill me.

Also side note this was NOT supposed to be Steve channeling Steve Rogers but. Oh well. It happened and honestly I’m not upset about it. They both get the doe-eyed brunet with the hair at the end, so. 🤷‍♀️ also you should know I’m absolutely incapable of not ending with fluff, so. That is happening. Thanks for the prompt! ❤️

Steve was used to getting back up.

He was used to taking the hit, to walking it off, so no one else had to.

Perhaps the most notable one was underneath Starcourt, in a skimpy sailor costume, so his then-coworker—and God, now he can’t imagine life without her—could hopefully remain unscathed.

He was used to being brushed aside, labeled other, unimportant, dumb. He was used to brushing all that off. Like water off a ducks back or whatnot.

But this.

God.

This was total, all-encompassing, dizzying, terrifying.

It had started as a small headache. He wasn’t sure from what—from not drinking enough, skipping lunch, not sleeping enough, just too many bright lights and loud sounds, who knows—but it didn’t matter, not now, not with the way it had grown, from a slight pulse behind his eyes to a jackhammer through his skull. His vision was going in and out, his ears were ringing, he couldn’t even tell if he was standing or laying or upside-down.

All that mattered—all he could think about—was the pain.

Time didn’t exist, which meant he didn’t know how long it had been since it had started to now, feeling a hand on his shoulder. He wanted to move, to jerk away, but he couldn’t. Couldn’t tell if the hand was friendly or not. It didn’t matter; whatever they could do to him couldn’t be worse than this.

He would know. This hurt worse than the Russians.

Something pushed against his lips, and he opened on instinct, swallowing pills on instinct.

He didn’t have the capacity to wonder what it was, if it was more medicine, if the medicine he’d already taken had worn off, or if it was something worse.

He didn’t have the capacity to wonder about the hand on his shoulder, the other hand now on his head, in his hair. He couldn’t move away.

The pain lessened slightly. The hand in his hair, on his shoulder, felt nice. He didn’t move away.

The pain lessened slightly. A warm body, next to his. Familiar.

The pain lessened slightly. Words, a voice, whispering.

The pain lessened slightly. He could make out what the voice was saying, if he concentrated hard enough.

“You’ll be okay, Stevie, I’ve gotcha. ‘M glad Robin called me, said she thought you weren’t okay. God, to think you were just going to try to ride this out on your own.” A pause. “I’m only sorry for breaking in because it feels like something I should be sorry about. But I’m not sorry, if it means you’re not alone. If it means I can help you through this somehow.” A hand moved through his hair again. “I really hope any of this is actually helping. Kinda outta my depths here.”

Steve focused more. He knew that voice. “Eds?”

He winced, curled in on himself. The jackhammers doubled for a few seconds, drowned out any and everything else.

“Shh,” Eddie said. “Yeah, it’s me. Can you give me one of your hands?”

Steve focused. Tried to remember the rest of his body. Found a hand, prickly like tv static. Moved it until it hit something unyielding.

Eddie scooped it up, placed it in his palm. Lifted Steve’s first finger, let it fall against a callus, under his fingers. “Tap once for yes, twice for no.”

Tap.

“Good. Can you drink some water for me?”

Steve didn’t move. He wasn’t sure.

“Okay, let’s try this. Would water help right now?”

Tap. Hesitant, he didn’t want to move, but it probably would help.

“Okay. We can do that in a second, I’ve got a glass right here. Do you feel nauseous?”

Another pause, then two taps.

Eddie tapped back. “Do you think you could get nauseous if you move?”

Tap.

Eddie sighed. “Okay. Can I move you for just a second? So you can drink some water?”

Tap. Hesitant, but there.

“Brave boy,” Eddie murmured. “Let me do the moving, m’kay? You focus on keeping lunch down, but if you can’t, I’ll have a trash can ready. Okay?”

Tap.

“Alright.”

The world spun behind his closed eyelids, and he gagged, but kept it down.

“Good,” Eddie murmured, now behind him. “You’re doing so good, Steve. Little bit of water, now, slow, small sips, take your time.”

A glass pressed against his lips. He opened. Slow, small sips, like Eddie had said.

“Good,” Eddie said again, moving the glass away. His hand found Steve’s again. “Think you can sleep?”

A tap, then a squeeze.

Eddie paused. “With me here?”

Tap.

“Okay, Stevie. Okay. I’ll stay. Always.”

Steve woke up an indeterminate amount of time later. His head still hurt some, but it was much better than it had been. He rolled over to look at Eddie, who was waking up. “Mornin’,” Eddie murmured. “How’re you feeling?”

“Good,” Steve whispered. “You stayed. You came.”

“Course I did,” Eddie said, hand finding Steve’s hair again. “You needed me.”

Steve’s hand found Eddie’s other palm, tucked between them. Tap. “Always.”

#asks #send me asks #writing #writing asks #writing prompts #from friends!#thank you friend!#stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie #hurt Steve #this one HURT but it also felt so so good to write #starambles

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broodybuck · 7 months

Text

Title: Peeping Neighbor

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Bucky Barnes

Rating: E

Tags: 18+ explicit smut, neighbors AU, no powers AU, bickering during sex, top Steve, bottom Bucky

[ao3 link]

Steve stands in front of his bedroom window. There he is again. Shirtless, in all his glory, wearing only plaid boxer shorts to divide his long legs from that trim torso. He's gorgeous, Steve thinks as he stares openly.

Since moving into this new apartment, this has been the added bonus of the century. Most walk-up apartments in Brooklyn don't have much of a view. This one is no exception since his bedroom window looks into an alleyway directly across from another building's window. But ends up, that window looks right into a man's kitchen — a man who seemingly only cooks in his underwear.

Thank god he's hot, Steve tells himself every morning he sneaks blatant glances. Well, late morning actually. The neighbor across the way doesn't seem to be an early riser. Steve is usually done with his run, shower, breakfast and on his second cup of coffee by the time the cute brunet walks out half naked. It works out for Steve though, he can enjoy his coffee with a very pretty view. He only has to stand in his bedroom for it.

Steve has gotten away with his inappropriate peeping for well over a week now but of course, this is the morning the man finally catches him. The stranger is carrying a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast over to the couch when he stops short, meeting Steve's eyes through the window panes. Steve freezes, not sure what to do, but his neighbor does the opposite of freeze. He jumps unexpectedly and in consequence, his food falls off his plate and onto the floor.

The man scrambles to pick the fallen food up. Steve flinches, feeling bad, wanting to help. He needs to do something... he grabs a piece of printer paper and a marker. He writes in large letters across it, spelling out, "SORRY" and then holds it up to the window.

The neighbor slowly stands with his food and reads the sign. He places his plate down and walks over to the window, opening it. Steve sets the paper down and opens his own window.

"Sorry about your breakfast," Steve says first.

"It's alright, I jump easily," the man shrugs with a sheepish smile. It's a lovely smile making Steve stare again. Turning the following moment uncomfortable until his neighbor clears his throat and says, "Sorry, I should really close my blinds or put more clothes on. I didn't realize how easy it was to see in."

Steve shakes his head too quickly.

"I don't mind," Steve laughs, "I cook in my underwear all the time too."

"Yeah?" the man chuckles.

Steve doesn't, but he sticks with the lie anyhow.

"Oh yeah, sometimes if the blinds are closed I'm wearing even less."

He didn't mean it to come out so flirtatious but it doesn't hurt when the other man breaks into a surprised smile. But he doesn't say anything more and Steve needs to fill the next silence.

"Hey, let me make it up to you — for making you drop your breakfast. How 'bout I whip you up another plate," Steve offers.

The man blinks.

"Oh, you don't have to."

"I want to."

The man looks unsure but then he shrugs and says.

"Alright, come over. I'm number 107."

Steve blinks wide, he wasn't expecting the invite over. Apparently, he was imagining passing the plate through the windows. But he swiftly nods and throws him a very lame thumbs up.

"I'll be right over!"

When the man opens his apartment door, he's unfortunately wearing more clothes. He's thrown on some sweatpants and a t-shirt. Steve tries to hide his disappointment and smiles wide.

"I'm Steve by the way."

"Bucky," the man says, stepping aside to let him in.

"Five-star breakfast coming right up for you, Bucky," Steve announces and makes his way to the kitchen.

Bucky is grinning at him from a few feet away. It makes Steve's face grow hot. He turns on the stove hoping that'll cover the heat in his cheeks.

"You know, I thought you'd make some for yourself," Bucky says when he's digging into the food Steve has cooked.

"Oh, I already ate. Besides, wouldn't want to waste your food."

"You could've but thanks."

"Anytime," Steve smiles and he means it. He hopes this won't be his last time in this apartment.

Bucky looks up at him.

"So, how long have you had to endure seeing me in my underwear?" Bucky asks like it's a bad thing. Steve shakes his head.

"Not long. Just moved in a little over a week ago."

"Oh, good," Bucky says relieved.

"Yeah, I think it's good," Steve smiles brightly. Bucky pauses and meets his eyes like he's trying to figure something out.

"You know, half the time it sounds like you're flirting with me."

"I am," Steve confirms without warning. Bucky only stares in surprise so Steve clears his throat and corrects, "I mean, if you're interested I am. Otherwise, I'm totally not."

Bucky slowly smiles and sets his fork down.

"So, you're trying to say you liked seeing me in my underwear?"

"I haven't looked away," Steve shrugs innocently, although it's not innocent at all.

"Well, then I think it's only fair I see your underwear," Bucky dares.

Steve narrows his eyes and grins, "on or off?"

Realizing how he said it, Bucky's eyebrows raise but then he matches Steve's grin.

"Off."

~~~

"Fuck Steve," Bucky breathes, his face pressing into the pillow on his bed.

"Been imagining this for too long," Steve gravels as he pushes his cock inside, stretching his attractive neighbor.

"You moved in a week ago," Bucky protests although he moans immediately after.

"Yeah, that's already too long," Steve growls before snapping into a rhythm and fucking the man effortlessly.

"God — I gotta drop food more often," Bucky gruffs into the pillow.

"Don't have to, sweetheart. I can be here every morning if you want," Steve coos sweetly then he grabs a handful of Bucky's hair and yanks it back, pulling Bucky up to his chest. Bucky heaves in a sharp breath.

"Fuck, yes. Do that," Bucky mewls, resting his head on Steve's shoulder.

Steve hums happily and kisses his neck, still thrusting into him steadily. He grabs Bucky's cock and works an orgasm out of both of them.

~~~

The next morning, Steve's back in his own apartment pouring his second cup of coffee. He walks over to the bedroom looking forward to the fact that he no longer has to hide his ogling anymore (not that he hid it much before).

When he steps into his room, his eyes go wide. He almost drops his mug. Bucky's standing right in front of the open window, leaning against the frame with one arm while his legs are spread wide in front of the glass panes. His cock hanging down in between his legs, half hard, making Steve drool on sight.

Steve quickly gathers himself and opens his window. Bucky doesn't miss a beat.

"Figured I didn't have to bother with the underwear anymore."

"You definitely don't. Is this another invitation?" Steve's eyes darken from across the way.

"Don't you wanna finish your coffee?" Bucky plays.

"Fuck no."

"Then hurry up, there's a breeze and I'm getting cold."

Steve drops his coffee and sprints out of his apartment and over to his neighbor's.

Steve has Bucky up against the same window in Bucky's living room, closed since he's already complained about the temperature but with the blinds open. Of course, this window only looks into's Steve place but it only seemed fitting to finally fuck him against the thing that brought them together.

"You're such a fucking tease, you know that?" Steve purrs in his ear.

"I know— ahgh," Bucky gruffs as Steve gets a wet finger in his ass.

"I love it," Steve growls by his ear, easing a second finger in.

"You owe me breakfast after this."

Steve laughs darkly, kissing the back of his neck.

"I'll make you whatever you want, darling."

"Want your cock first."

"Yeah, working on it honey," Steve says and turns Bucky's jaw to kiss him as his other hand works a third finger in.

"'m ready," Bucky hums, breaking the kiss, "come on, got up early for this."

"It's almost noon," Steve mocks.

"Yeah, I could be sleeping," Bucky argues.

"But you were craving me, huh," Steve teases, removing his fingers and lining his cock up. Bucky pushes back eagerly. "Needed me so bad, you couldn't sleep."

"Yeah, fuck. Come on," Bucky gravels.

Steve pushes in and is rewarded with a strangled moan. Steve wraps a hand loosely around Bucky's neck, keeping him close, kissing his jaw sweetly.

"So feisty, baby. You know I'm gonna give you what you need," Steve coos.

He snaps his hips back and starts fucking him seamlessly.

"God, yes— harder," Bucky whines.

Steve presses him hard against the window and roughens his pace. It causes a slew of moans to fall from Bucky's sweet mouth.

Steve fucks him until the clear glass gets tainted with stripes of Bucky's come. Steves comes right after, filling him with his first load of the morning.

"What a perfect way to start the day," Steve huffs into Bucky's neck.

Bucky laughs, pulling him forward to kiss him breathlessly on the mouth. He totally agrees, Steve thinks. He hopes he'll be fitting this into his morning routine from now on.

#stucky #stucky fanfiction #stucky smut #oneshot #tumblr fic

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applcrumbl · 5 months

Text

Waitress

Pairings: Pre-serum Steve Rogers x Reader Warnings: reader is treated like shit, sexual harrassment

Author's Note: Ah stevie <3

It wasn’t that you didn’t hear the clicking sounds that seemed to echo around the busy four walls of your local bar; it was rather that you chose to ignore them. People seem to think that because the word “server” is in your job title, they are entitled to have you wait on them hand and foot.

“Hey, swee’art” an older ‘gentleman’ called, tugging on the hem of your skirt. You tried to politely swat his hand away, but he refused to budge. “Fancy doing your job and getting me another pint of lager eh?”

The man was a local, he knew your name and could read your nametag, so it was more infuriating to hear the pet names and flirty advances that escaped his mouth Especially when you knew he had a loving wife and two kids at home. “Right away, Andrew”

The soft pat on your bum went unspoken about as you barged into the kitchen, ready to collect the 2 club sandwiches that table 6 had ordered. Balancing the plates on one of your forearms, and the attached hand, you swiftly headed towards the far corner of the bar. Dropping the pint glass with a soft thud on a table, you continued your journey, not even stopping to wait for the ‘thank you’ that would never come.

“Two club sandwiches,” you said, placing them on the splintering wood, “one with extra mayo. I’ll be back with the baked potato with tuna, and the house salad”

Faces were always a blur when you worked, you were so used to the same customers coming in all of the time, and whenever there was someone you didn’t recognise, they stuck out like a sore thumb. It wasn’t often you got new customers, and the bar quickly became a creature of habit, the same tables occupied by the same people, week after week. The bodies at a usually empty table almost went unnoticed.

“Excuse me, is anyone going to take our order?” A voice said, forcing you to turn around and greet it. A pair of boys, not much older than yourself. It was the larger one who had spoken.

“Hi, yes, sorry. Someone else is supposed to be covering this section. I’ll quickly go and grab them”

Walking back towards the bar, you caught the eye of a coworker. Nodding your head towards the unfamiliar group, you pushed yourself through the kitchen door once more. Returning again with hands full of plates.

“Y/N” Eloise called, tucking her notebook into the pocket of her apron, “Table 7 want you as their server, refused to talk to anyone but you”

“Why?”

“No clue, just hope that you know you’re stealing my tips”

Bringing the warm plates up the small set of stairs, you smiled at the 2 elderly couples. They visited every Saturday at 4pm, ordering the same meals every time. It had gotten to the point that you need not take their order.

“Anything else I can get you guys?”

“No thank you, dear,” Kathleen stated, a shaky hand entering her purse. A singular pound was produced. “For the college fund”

“This is way too much, I can’t take this!”

“Don’t be silly” George countered, “now go and serve those young men that have been watching you this whole time”

A look of confusion crossed your features as you looked at the adjacent table. The same 4 strangers from before staring back at you.

“Hi, I’m Y/N and I’ll be your server today?” your notebook was pulled from your pocket, and the pen nib rested softly on the paper, “Will you be wanting food today, or just drinks?”

“2 pints of Lager please,” the brunet spoke. He wore a soldier's uniform. Broad shoulders, and clearly much taller than his friend. His chair stuck out much further from the table, and his legs were turned at an angle, obviously too long to fit under the old wood. He kicked the foot of the smaller boy he was with.

“And your number.” The Blond quipped, Obviously quite shy.

However, it was much more of a demand than a question, and so you rolled your eyes. “I’m going to need to see some ID”

“We don’t have.”

They noticed your impatient expression. “ Then I can’t serve you alcohol.”

The larger one turned to his friend, obviously egging him on. You caught sight of the badge upon his left breast. ‘Barnes’ it read. You tapped your foot impatiently.

“I’ll just have a club” he stated. Closing a menu and looking ahead. “Steve?” He asked.

“I’ll have a tall slice of you,” ‘Steve’ winked.

His question demand was ignored. You didn’t bother asking if they needed anything else before you trudged to the bar once again.

The end of your shift was quieter, the strangers still laughing around in the corner. You hoped they would leave soon so that you could finish up early. It was 11pm after all, and the manager had gone home, entrusting you with the final clean-up of the bar. You started by wiping the tables and turning the chairs upside down. There were a few hushed whispers before a whistle caught your attention. It was the blond-haired boy again. He had certainly perked up since the first time you spoke.

“Hey, fancy getting us the cheque, love” he flirted, a confident demeanour radiating from his cocky smile. Cheeky didn’t suit him.

You finished with the last chair. leaning over the bar to grab the pad of receipt paper. You copied down their order on the way to the table, pausing to do the maths.

“It’s $12.50″ he said, noticing your struggle. Why you left the calculator at the counter, you weren’t sure.

The cash was produced and dropped into the palm of your hand. a crisp $10 note and a few coppers. The pair started to put their jackets on as you finished the receipt. The man was right, but they were short.

“This is only $11.20,” you stated. If a customer was short it would come out of your pocket, and God knows you didn’t have the money for it. “You’re short,”

“I know,” he said, “ you get the rest when you give me your number”

Part of you felt flattered that a man who wasn’t 30 years older than you, found you attractive, especially when he wasn’t too bad to look at either. But, a bigger part of you was disgusted that they thought you were for sale.

“You owe us $1.30″ she said again, lifting an empty palm at the man.

He must’ve thought he was really suave with what he did next, linking his own hand with yours, and bringing it to his lips for a kiss. The taller boy had gone, patting his friend’s back in approval, “get her in,” he said. Disgusting.

You snatched your hand away appalled, “I’m not for sale. and quite frankly I’m disgusted that you feel that your behaviour is acceptable. Now I’m going to have to ask you to leave, and never come back. You are no longer allowed in this establishment any longer.”

Why did you do it? you were unsure. Men had said way worse things to you in the past. But, they were much older and hadn’t grown up in the changing times, whereas this man looked around your age. He should know better, you thought.

You opened the door with a slam, ushering the small man out of the door, he seemed almost embarrassed.

“wait- I’m sorry” he apologised, “he told me that it would work”

“What would work?”

“Bucky said that girls like confident guys, ones that tell them what to do”

“Well then, tell 'Bucky' that he is a jerk” your arms were crossed and your back elongated. Trying to look intimidating, but failing miserably. “and you can fuck off now, we’re closed”

“I’m Steve,” he tried,

“and I’m not interested”

“You close at 11, it’s 10:58”

You paused, taking a sharp breath. He was right. “Then you have 2 minutes,”

“I’m really sorry about my behaviour tonight, I’m not usually like this, but my friend told me that I had to be more assertive when it comes to relationships. He goes away tomorrow, and the truth is, I think you are stunningly beautiful, and I didn’t want to scare you away by staring at you all night, so I tried to flirt” he rambled. It was a wonder that he still had any breath left. “So to make a pretty long story short, I really want to take you on a date. Just us. Where I can be myself, not some ignorant douchebag”

“I’m not really sure, I mean I’m working early tomorrow-“

“Great, I’ll pick you up at 7” he concluded, cutting you off. “I have to keep some of my newfound assertiveness, and I’m not taking maybe as an answer.”

You just smiled, his face had gotten quite red and you quite admired his honesty.

“I’m Y/N” you introduced, “and I’ll see you tomorrow,”

#applcrumbl #writing #steve rogers #captain america #chris evans #steve rogers x reader

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bellsnuit · 2 years

Text

Speak Now (Steve Rogers x reader)

Summary: Bucky objected to your wedding. It's not that he's in love with you, but he makes it clear that he wouldn't tolerate watching you marry another man when he knows you love someone else. And he also makes it clear that he wouldn't tolerate Steve crying all night if you say yes. And for you, who had known Steve even before the serum, you didn't think he could get any smaller.

If you like, I would be so grateful if you reblog or comments to interact ( I love to share your thoughts)

THE WAY I LOVE THIS makes me feel butterflies.

When you were six years old, Bucky punched the face of the boy who was bothering you. He was an idiot, he kept bragging that after the war his father was at least alive. Your father didn't make it, but you were proud of him. You knew he had done everything he could.

"He is a big idiot" spat the angry brunet, standing quite a bit taller compared to those in his classroom.

"Thanks, James" you muttered shaking your head as you tuck your arms behind your back.

"You're welcome, braids" you frowned your brow, unsure if it was an insult or not. "Don't listen to this stupid guy." you nodded.

"You have to be proud of your dad, he's been a hero" behind Bucky, a small blond boy was blushing just talking. You smiled at his words.

"Thank you."

"His dad died in the war too" Bucky pointed to that new friend he had made, who often sent him to do his homework because it looked stupid to him and because Steve did it.

"But I didn't meet him" clarified this one quickly "And he wasn't a hero. He was a jerk" you shook your head with a grimace, letting your reddish-brown hair move to the side.

"A lot of men are, my sister says" you muttered shaking your head, somewhat obviously and with a grimace. "I think she's right."

"I mean, she is right" nodded Steve with a grimace.

"Anyway, my mom died too" Bucky shrugged "So, what's your name?" he asked you. "I'm James, he's Steve."

And you all had inadvertently created a dead parents club.

...

At the age of eight, you understood why Bucky always spoke for Steve: and now he was speaking for you too. He would ride up front and you and Steve would stay to the side.

Bucky was really messed with a boy, but neither you nor Steve were going to intervene with that.

"Here," Steve held out a flower that he had bent down from picking up off the ground.

"Steve, stop giving me flowers" you complained blushing. The blond blushed too, but you turned so he could place it behind your ear.

"Sorry, it's the last one" he promised but you both knew it wouldn't be. And even Bucky who had already turned in their direction and was looking at them with a grimace of displeasure.

"Can we go? I really want to snack on Miss Rogers' food," he spoke.

"Yes, yes," nodded Steve quickly. Bucky nodded and stood between the middle of you two, wrapping his arms around both shoulders. "I guess we'll be friends forever."

"That's a long time" your blurted out looking at Bucky.

"That's the point" he spoke obvious.

...

At ten, you had your hands on your head. "What's wrong with you?" asked Bucky walking to your side. Usually, it was the other way around, but since Bucky's father had died, your mother and Steve's mother who had become friends, seemed to take turns taking care of Bucky; sometimes he slept at your house, sometimes at Steve's.

"My head hurts."

"I'm sure from thinking about Steve so much."

You banged your head annoyed at always doing the same thing "You're so annoying, Barnes" you shouted. "You're always annoying with the same thing!"

"You both just want to make out and have lots of babies" you shrieked loudly and your mother came in blaming you.

"James is annoying me!" and when you realized it, the stupid one was becoming more of a brother to you than a biological one ever could.

...

You were sitting in the doorway of Steve's house with twelve. You had your hands on your face and turned your face as you watched someone open the door. Sarah looked at you lovingly and was surprised "Oh honey, what are you doing here?" she asked. "Did you call Steve? He was taking a bath, maybe he didn't hear."

"No, I didn't call him" you sighed "Can I come in?" you pointed and saw the bag she was carrying, possibly going to the grocery store.

"Sure, he must be in his room" you smiled at her and shamelessly walked into the house to run towards the stairs. You slowed down once you saw Steve's room slightly open, and could hear his music. He loved music, and you loved his music.

You poked your head out the door and watched him fold his clothes; it was cute.

"Hey" he turned and saw you. He instantly made a smile. "Excuse me," you said as you walked in, without asking.

"Are you okay?" you weren't, that's why you were there. You shook your head as you took a small hop on Steve's bed, dropping your body.

"Bucky is really annoying. I didn't want to be with him at home anymore."

"I think you're exaggerating."

"He's really rude since mom let him invite his new friends over."

"He just annoys you."

"And I resent him and his stupid friends, They really are stupid. Can I stay here?"

He nodded quickly "You know you always can. But I don't think he wants to hurt you or anything."

You shrugged and offered help, but he refused and you just looked at him "One of the things I like most about you is that you're not mean."

"You really seem to hate Bucky."

"Since he started calling my mom his mom too, she's very happy and doesn't grumble at him. I'm always the one with the problem"

"Sometimes Bucky takes care of you and you just protest" you looked at him indignantly "I'm not defending him" he clarified quickly.

"It's okay, Stevie" you both exchanged a smile "Shall we play a game?"

...

Bucky really was the annoying brother, but he was always there, it was true.

"And you could be less stupid!" at sixteen you thought it was smart to yell at a muscle-bound giant after bullying Steve. You weren't Bucky, but you had begun to have a pretty similar character.

You knew that if the kid turned around, you were going to be screwed. And he did turn around.

You opened your eyes and looked sideways at Steve, who looked at you "We don't want to fight" he clarified coming closer, but earning himself a beating.

"You asshole!" when you saw him raise a hand towards you, you also saw him fall backward. Bucky had grabbed him by the hair and pushed him backward.

"Don't touch my little sister, or my friend" Bucky's voice.

...

You had watched Steve get beaten up all your teenage years, and it pained your stomach for you to see that and not be able to help him. But you knew nothing hurt him more than watching his mother die when you were eighteen.

You ran to his house before Bucky could even find out. You ran to him and you didn't even knock on the door, you just heard his crying. You walked to his room and opened the door, only this time he wasn't waiting with music or a smile, no. He was on the floor, clutching his body in pain.

"Shit, shit" you mumbled as your body shook, and tears came out of you too. You knew Sarah Rogers, you knew her story. She had been a fighter woman, it had never even crossed your mind that she was going to die. You practically ran into Steve's arms and forcibly embraced him, wrapping your arms around his weak body that for the first time, truly reflected what he looked like.

You used to say that his body was too small cause he didn't reflect the good man he was inside because it never brought out the best in him. Now, his small body only seemed to reflect his pain. "I'm so sorry, Stevie" you murmured running your hands over and rubbing his back "It's not fair, shit, it's not" you tearfully denied and hid your head in his neck. You felt his weak arms around you, and his crying had never hurt you more.

"I lost everything" his words echoed in every part of your body and you pulled away, also in tears and denying.

"No, Stevie, you have me. You have me, Bucky. And me you're never going to lose, not even if you want to."

And the door behind us opened loudly, we both turned to Bucky who was almost seedy. "The world sucks" he spat with tears in his eyes too.

He advanced to you and as he always used to do, he hugged you both by the shoulders and attached him. "Steve, you're going to get through this. I'm going to help you" James let the three foreheads collide. And usually, you used to be called whore for being with two men all day, now, everyone knew how important you could be even to wimpy Rogers, who had already proven he would fight for you.

...

A year later, Bucky enlisted for the war. Steve wanted it too, and you were just a nurse.

"You're crazy" you spoke as you had Steve sitting in front of you, shirtless and vulnerable. Yes, he was crazy but he was crazy for you too. The only thing that kept him from losing his mind about not being chosen for the army was because you were always the nurse attending him for tryouts, wearing that beautiful outfit. "Please, Steve, stop it" you begged to look at him.

"Your hair looks nice" he nodded.

"I didn't do anything to it."

"Yes, a bun" you gave him a dirty look and he just gave you a shy smile.

"You keep hurting yourself with this, you know that" you spoke. An officer walked in and you had never felt so nauseous as when the military man told him he had been accepted. You didn't believe it, and neither did he.

That he had to leave for boot camp tomorrow?

"I did" Steve's voice echoed and you raised your teary eyes at him. "I made it!" all you did, was grab his t-shirt and throw it at him. "Hey" his confused voice followed you as he walked out of there "Wait, wait" he grabbed your arm and you turned to look at him. "Could you get happy for me?" he asked confused.

"You're going to go to war! You want me to get happy about it?!" your shout echoed in the empty hallway to where both were.

"It's what I wanted."

"Well, I didn't want you to die!"

Your face transformed and saw a pain that you didn't understand "I knew you thought I can't do it"

"Are you kidding?"

"Yes, because of course, Bucky clearly could. He's big and shit, but me" he pointed out hurt "I'm not going to be able to do it, that's what you think. James is a hero for going to war and I give shame for going."

"You're an idiot, Steve. That's what you are. Always thinking you can take on the world but you don't even look at it. I don't want to lose you too!" you wiped away an annoying tear "After years of being the only one who always pulled you through, you think I think you can't do anything. I always believed in you!" you reproached him for the words. "But go, go save the world and die like all our fathers. Go!" you walked out of there clomping your shoes, annoyed.

And that night, the door of your house rang. Your mother called out to you and you came downstairs, clearly in a bad way. You were hurt about Steve and you couldn't even complain to Bucky because he wasn't there. You knew he was around but not in the house and you hadn't seen him, just his stuff and your mother's words. She said he had left with Steve, and you knew you hadn't been invited.

You saw Bucky standing there in his uniform, hands in his pocket.

"Hey" serious you stood in front of him "With Steve, we're going to a presentation, are you coming?"

"I thought it was a soldier's outing?"

"Steve already told me you're mad about that."

"Yes, I am. I'm glad he knows."

"You're going to let him leave knowing you're bitter?" you gritted your teeth just imagining losing Steve. Bucky had fought all his life, but you knew Steve was betting faith alone.

"I'm going to get ready," you muttered.

And the next day, you watched the two of them leave. You saw how Steve had made a new friend. And when Bucky said goodbye to you, Steve approached you somewhat guardedly.

"I don't want you to hate me" you rounded your eyes with tears you had already given for Bucky too.

"You're the biggest jerk of anyone I've ever faced, but you're the only one I love" every fraction of Steve's face contracted and he saw you. You nodded. "You're the best man in the world, and letting you go to war is losing you too."

"You're not going to lose me" HE WAS STUPID WITH WOMEN. HE WAS A FOOL.

"Then come home soon and I'll believe you."

"I love you" the words hit your chest and he kissed your cheek. You smiled with your eyes crystallized and watched him walk towards Bucky.

"Don't do anything stupid until we get back!" shouted Bucky and you laughed with tears, looking at both of them.

"How could I? You guys are taking all the stupid with you both."

A month later, without knowing anything about them, someone knocked on your door, you walked sleepily because you had been working late.

You opened it, saw a sturdy figure in the dark, and were frightened, only when you looked into his eyes. You blinked twice and hugged him, but you had to jump to hug him by the neck. It was weird, but your feet were dangling and tears were coming out.

"Until I finally know something about one of you" you mumbled through tears, but you were so hidden in Steve's neck and letting those new arms wrap around your body. A sob came out "Please tell me you came back to stay" you asked, and it was all you wanted.

"Bucky and I aren't on the same base" he murmured, still holding you. You pushed yourself away from his chest and he helped to deposit you. You pulled away confused and looked him up and down. "I changed" his cheeks flushed and you could tell by the faint porch light.

You grimaced even more "What stupid thing did you do?"

"A very big one" he mumbled nodding, but it didn't look bad. You brought his hands up to his face and stroked his cheek, returning to his eyes. "Can I talk to you?" you watched as he held his bag at his feet, and you guessed he had left it to hug you. You nodded and let him in, letting him know that your mother was asleep but would love to see him again.

He set his things down on the kitchen floor and you just went to heat water "I thought you were going to yell at me more for showing up in this state."

You turned to look at him, now in a better light. His body had completely changed and he was three times bigger. "Possibly I will when you tell me what you've done and how you've had your body like this, but right now I just keep seeing the same old idiot."

"That's good, I think" he spoke somewhat amused, and you smiled because he might be four times bigger and have muscles, but he was the same old Steve; withdrawn, bashful and cautious.

"I missed you so much" you confessed denying incredulously. "And now you show up like this, at a great size, and expect me to yell at you."

"I always expect my girl to yell at me" he teased and you had to smile involuntarily. The whistling kettle made you turn it off to pour the two cups of tea. So you sat down.

You were annoyed when he told you what he had agreed to, but you were even more annoyed to know that he wasn't telling you the worst parts so as not to upset you.

"I really do feel good like this, I think... I've been given a chance."

"You definitely took all the stupidity, do you think you need a great body to show everyone that you're Steve Rogers?"

"I always needed it, be honest. People saw me.... like shit."

"Not those of us who love you, Steve."

"By the same token, Bucky still hasn't seen me. He was sent into battle, he hasn't returned his group yet." you bit your lip and lowered your head. You hated the idea of even having to clear out Bucky's bedroom just because he wasn't coming back. But you always hoped so. It was the least you could do.

"So... What about you?" the question left your lips and you saw the look on his face.

"Tomorrow morning I'm being sent into battle" the vomit stopped in your throat and you had to get up quickly. The way he let it out, really expected a bad reaction. You gasped with some discomfort and took a step back. "I wanted to say goodbye in case" he muttered.

You nodded wryly "Come and break me even more Steve" you muttered and he got up.

"I'm not going to kill myself, it's just a possibility. And I wouldn't forgive myself, nor would I rest in peace knowing I didn't say goodbye to you."

And with fury, you slammed your palm into him. You saw his face, rather than pain, it was a surprise. "You're an idiot!" you shouted with the slightest intention of making it so loud as not to wake your mother. "You're a piece of shit, Steve" he mumbled your name, but you denied it with tears "I thought you were going to stay here. I thought you were going to choose me!"

His face transformed "I choose you. I always did. And when this is over, we can all three of us go back to -" you interrupted him, punching him in the chest again.

"No you piece of an idiot, no! Not the three of us!" you swallowed your words and realized what you were doing. He had already chosen that and you were just going to look like an idiot saying what you felt "You've already chosen that" you mumbled swallowing and nodded, bringing your hand to your head. "But you came to say goodbye and now you are telling me that when you come back. What about me, do I sit around waiting for you or Bucky to show up?"

"Or you can start making your life on the outside of us" Steve's words caused you to bring to curl your face which was completely in tears. "No please" you felt his voice crack "You deserve the whole world, you deserve a man who will turn the world around for you. You're going to find him only if you let your stupid friends go a little until they come back. You deserve the best."

And what that day didn't hurt, hurt all night as you slept in his arms, on the couch, after he comforted you. And you never thought those muscular arms could be so warm. If only he would stay...

---

It took you eight months to say yes to the man. Eight months where letters with Steve and Bucky were as infrequent as the news. Things weren't better, but they weren't bad, they just weren't there and you had never felt so empty.

And you had definitely done the stupidest thing, which was to get engaged. And as if that wasn't stupid enough, you sent the wedding invitations to both of them by letter, but at this point, that was all you wanted; them to come back.

Maybe that would get them back, maybe it would make Steve bang his head against the wall and realize he should have stayed and not left in that shitty world alone.

Your bedroom door rattled and you let yourself in, waiting for your mother to put down that dress she'd gone to get while you were getting ready. It was tomorrow, a small wedding in which your maid of honor was nothing more than your co-worker who you got along with because it was never really your forte to socialize with anyone.

You let it pass and the lipstick you had on your hand fell off when, through the mirror, you saw Bucky and Steve walk by as if they were those two little boys sneaking out to get your attention.

You turned and put your hands to your mouth, choking back the scream with tears. They both smiled, but there was something about their smile that hurt. "You two came" Steve's eyes crystallized as he looked at you, only it wasn't for the same thing you thought.

"Impossible to miss your wedding, little sis" Bucky murmured and you stood up, jumping on him letting him hug and lift you. "Shit, we left you alone for a while" he joked and put down.

You looked at Steve and smiled at him, he did too after wiping away a tear that had fallen "You're doing it" he murmured "You moved forward" you let out a little cry and jumped into his arms. You sank your head on his shoulder and missed the look Steve gave Bucky, for the first time confessing to him what the dark-haired man had always known.

Bucky sighed and denied, stunned at his friend's sudden confession he thought he would never make. It wasn't fair for him or you to make it at that moment, and Steve understood that from the look on his face. He closed his eyes and

made a pained smile, but enjoyed the scent on him.

You walked away and looked at them, proud and happy for them. "How are you both doing?" they both nodded, but didn't answer; Bucky was processing the pain Steve was in, and Steve was processing his pain.

That day was spent together with the three of them. You told them everything you could, and they just listened as if they didn't have things to say. But you mattered, they had always made space for you before. You told them about your fiancé above conversation, but you emphasized the wedding: not with whom, you just told them what it meant to put it together.

"You're happier about the wedding than you are about getting married" Bucky's words made you take your gaze off Steve, who only smiled slightly as he looked at you. You both made eye contact.

"Well, that's it. Don't you think?" your mother distorted the conversation, who began to shout and celebrate at having you both; she admired and gibbered at Bucky, she was proud and encouraging of Steve, saying how proud she was of him.

They had both confessed that they were just coming to the wedding, to be with me after the invitation. You were disappointed and let them know it. "But you can stay longer."

"What are you going to need us for now that you're already going to be someone's wife?" Steve spoke as he fiddled his fingers between the table. He looked up and smiled at you again.

"For everything" you mumbled in response.

"Well" Bucky slapped his hands together as he looked at both of you. "Are we going to celebrate or are we going to do that cumbersome presentation with someone we don't know?"

"We're going to party" you muttered.

And really the stupidest thing you had done was invite them because there was something on both of their faces that let you know they didn't want to be there, especially Steve's face. They were there for you, not because they wanted to be, but because they would always be there for you.

And that wanted you to die because everything you had planned had gone down the drain when you had Bucky's look of pity and Steve who looked like he hated that he had come.

"Looks like someone forced both to come" you caught the attention of both of them who were silent, looking at you "Or is there something you want to tell me?"

"Just processing the fact that you're getting married" Bucky spoke and Steve nodded without raising his head.

"Yeah, it's been a long few days. We're just processing it" you laid your hands on the table and felt Steve's gaze accompany the ring. "It's pretty"

I wrinkled my nose "I saw it a little big, but it's nice."

That night, one way or another, you ended up alone on the porch with Steve. You were both looking out at the dark street and you were hugging your knees.

"Are you happy?" you asked and he looked at you, just as he had been doing for the last twenty minutes. "At war."

He shrugged "It's what I got, it feels productive."

You laughed incredulously as if you were hurt by the answer "I told you, Stevie"

He shrugged "I'm fine, really." there was another silence "What about you, are you happy?"

I don't know if that's exactly the most naïve question to ask the bride who is about to get married in a few hours, who was heartbroken over something she'd never admitted to. "Yes, I mean, I'm getting married. It's exciting... "

"Put some emotion into it, then," Steve's words were cold.

"It's just... it's just still hard to believe."

"Not for me. It's really only part of what you deserve. You deserve to be put on a pedestal, put in a better place, and shown every day what you're worth. That's the marriage you choose. And I'm happy for you. I loved being all this way with you."

Your eyes crystallized again as you looked at him "Why are you talking like it's over?"

Both gazes collided and he smiled with a certain obviousness "Because what we had is over, now a new stage begins for you, and it means there's Bucky and I left in there. But that's okay, because we'll always be inside your life like fleas. Only... now we have to accept that we won't be the first men you're going to choose."

You denied "It will always be you first."

"Wait until you have kids and they run to greet the war uncles" he joked but didn't laugh.

Neither did you.

And all you wanted to do was ask Steve to play a song and dance with you. But you remembered that tomorrow you were going to dance with another man. And you really weren't going to play with your own heart like that. It would be stupid. Really stupid if you did that.

But you looked at him, and he looked at you "Can you dance with me?" and he had never said no to you before, so he stood up and let you lay your head on his chest. And in the dark, you didn't let him see the tear that fell down your cheek.

Too bad you didn't see his either.

...

The white dress dragged on the floor of a church you never went to because it wasn't in your town. You weren't in Brooklyn where you had grown up, no. And soon you were going to move out of there because you were walking down the aisle.

The walk was supposed to be looking at the groom, but you could only look at your mother, who was looking at Bucky, who was looking at Steve, who was looking at you. You smiled, all three of you made a grimace that was nowhere near a smile.

Now, unbeknownst to you, four people were thinking that was a bad idea. Including you. You shook your head at the boy and closed your eyes for a second, taking a breath of air: he was going to stay, and those on the bench were going to leave. Some had already made other decisions. And you looked at Steve from just thinking that but you averted your eyes again.

Steve had his gaze up, and he had settled into the soldier's stance with superiority, and so did Bucky as well.

The piano stopped playing but to you, the keys were still vibrating, and it was no longer fun or exciting.

The dress had stopped being pretty and you began to get annoyed with the maid of honor who had even spoken.

You were annoyed by the pink color of the bouquet in your hand and almost dropped it on the floor.

Your shoes hurt and they weren't comfortable either, but they were at one point.

"She's wearing your necklace" Bucky muttered in Steve's ear, who turned his head away. His friend hadn't told him about it, he couldn't do it or hurt himself at the wedding when he was doing it from just looking at you. "A necklace you gave ger ten years ago."

"Shut up" the words came out in a whisper violently, but you weren't even listening because no one but them could. Or so they thought as your mother was feeling her heart skip a beat hearing what she had always known.

"Steve, I know it's late but shit, I think this is your last chance" the stares were on you, where your palm was caressed as the priest spoke.

"There's no chance"

"Yes, there is" the woman muttered feeling like shit for doing that to her daughter. Both boys were silent, still. "Come on, Steve" it sounded like a plea in a whisper and Steve looked all around, hoping no one was listening.

"She's getting married, please," he begs in a whisper.

"Speak now" Bucky squeezed his arm, still sitting in line.

The preacher took his gaze from you "Speak now or forever hold your peace."

Silence punctured the stomach of the four of you and you didn't even turn to look because you know it was something that wouldn't happen. A chair ended the silence and you turned, your eyes widened as Bucky stood up slapping his hands between his thighs. Steve looked at him with even wider eyes, and the way he grabbed his friend by the arm, you had to drop the bouquet of roses knowing what it was.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not the kind of man who interrupts a wedding like that" Bucky asked permission from two women who were too stunned to move. He walked by just the same and looked at you. He denied it as if it was external to what he could do. You looked at your mother who was standing, Steve was too. "I'm not in love with you, it would be weird, you're my sister" why the fuck was he giving a speech?

"Bucky, come here" Steve's voice shook and he earned everyone's stare, letting his cheeks turn red.

"I'm not in love with you" Bucky repeated pointing to you in the middle of the aisle and making eye contact with you as if it was for you he had to say "and it's not my place to do this, I know it, you know it. But I can't tolerate watching you waste your life looking at Steve from afar, and I wouldn't tolerate Steve crying all night if you said yes either."

Everyone looked at Steve, everyone really. He just looked at you, like he was fucking sorry. You took a deep breath and looked at him, but he ended the contact as he lowered his gaze in denial and walked past the people, walking quickly after Bucky who had left rather quickly.

There was silence and their gazes settled on you. "I'm sorry. I... it's the men I grew up with" you truly don't know how you dared to look into the stunned eyes of the boy next to you "I'm so sorry, but something's not right" was all you muttered to pull off your ring and drop it, running quickly down the hallway.

Steve was annoyed, yelling at Bucky at the church entrance. But when the wooden door opened, they both turned around stunned. "I'm sorry" Steve muttered as if he had to apologize, but you'd already had enough shit for one day so all you did was move towards him pulling your dress uncomfortably, intending to pull the top off, and pounced on Steve's lips.

Steve didn't react, but he didn't pull his lips over yours. Bucky had to yell with his arms up, for Steve to bring his hands to your hips and kiss you back. "Into the car before the church botherers come out!" yelled Bucky pointing to the car in front, and by the time you realized it, there were the three of them running. Steve shoved you into the back seat and jumped in with you, while Bucky started up before Steve could close the door.

A silence ensued "In the movies, they don't specify what you do after that moment" muttered Bucky.

"You're a fucking idiot!" you shouted towards Steve and Bucky quickly braked the car, turning towards the seat.

"What?" they both looked at you, confused.

Your eyes crystallized"I told you several times and you waited until the day of my life!"

"You told him?" Bucky yelled looking at Steve.

"You didn't tell me anything!" justified Steve.

Your eyes crystallized "I told you when I asked you to choose me, to stay with me! When I told you we didn't want to be the three of us, it was because I was talking about the two of us!"

Bucky knelt on the seat looking at Steve who seemed to have grasped the situation too late "Yes you are an idiot!" he shouted back annoyed "Twenty years without taking a hint, she tells you straight up and you go to war!"

"I-I" Steve stammered but you had already returned to kiss his lips effusively. This one was quick to take you and attach yourself to him.

"Well, I'll be the driver and take you to the safest place where no one is supposed to go and rip each other's heads off."

"I'm sorry" you turned your head towards Steve, who every time he seemed to remember the last few minutes got red. "Shit, I'm sorry" he stammered "You didn't have to, it wasn't the best time. You deserved a good man, I didn't have the right to any of that"

"Steve, shut up better" spoke Bucky.

"Steve, really...I think that was the best thing you've ever done" you muttered somewhat amused and he took a breath.

"Now, instead of saying any quality of what she deserves, strive to be the one who fulfills all that" Bucky interjected and parked the car. He pointed to Steve's old house "Out of the car, I'll come to visit."

Steve opened the door and lowered his head as you got out, you could see him still a little uncomfortable. Well so were you.

He took a few seconds to rummage for the keys under his door and you tried to ignore the "congratulations" of the people walking past you with a smile as if you two had just gotten married. Steve had the same face, with a grimace trying not to give away that he had interrupted the wedding.

You walked in when he let you through first and pushed every top fabric your long dress had, it was a shame because it was pretty after all.

You coughed towards the dust that was in the house in general, which hadn't been cleaned possibly since Steve had left. You turned to him, in the suit that was closer to wartime than anything else.

You nodded when you saw his blue eyes.

"I love you, Steve, I love you as a friend, but as more of a friend. I didn't want all three, I wanted both. I wanted you, I wanted you to choose me before you left. I didn't think you weren't capable of it, I just wanted you not to."

"I didn't understand," he confessed apologetically and shrugged.

You walked over to him and stood in front. You wiped his lip that had your lipstick on it from the first kiss you had given each other outside the church. He just looked at you "I even had the nerve to stand up myself."

"Because you're not that kind of man, but... it's valid, we have Bucky for a reason" he smiled slightly and you brought your hand to his cheek. You stroked with your thumb, he tilted down his head.

"You were going to get married, you deserved it."

"What doesn't happen also happens for a reason" he hugged you as if having you was his priority. He hugged you, kissed you and you even had to be explicit to make him take you to bed; that bed you had laid in so many times as children innocently, where you played or just complained. Now you were in that bed and he was on top of you.

He still hadn't gotten used to his size, you knew that because he was kind of clumsy and bumbling, but you just laughed as he begged for forgiveness. You pulled him to you, you murmured to him how much you loved him and how much you wanted him, he was still begging for forgiveness.

And when you were on his chest, resting and feeling your heart beating fast. He would run his hand down your bareback, but you felt him tremble as if he was afraid he was doing something wrong; he had been like this for a while, even afraid of hurting you in the act.

You knew he was like this because, after all, he didn't know how to behave with a woman. "I never wanted you to feel like I was turning my back on you before going in as a soldier."

"I think I understand now" you murmured and you just lifted your head, resting your chin on his chest and looking at him. He lowered his gaze and saw you. You ran your hands over his face, over his lips, over his cheekbone.

"I thought you were going with that girl who was... Sergeant? Senior? I don't know."

"She's a nice girl, but no...she wasn't you."

You smiled as you bit your cheek, thus playing with your fingers on Steve's face "Can I be the one to wait for you every time you have to leave?"

"What?"

"What if I can wait for you every day, or wait every day for your letter or just sit on the airfield to wait to see you arrive?"

"You deserve more than that" your body tensed and he denied "I don't want you to wait for me that long" his hand kept caressing your back "But I would like it if you did when you know I'm coming" you frowned and he closed his eyes for a few seconds "Tomorrow I have to go back, you know?"

You denied, pulling away from his chest "No, not again Steve. We've already seen how it ends and I don't like it"

"No, no, wait" he grabbed your arm quickly, sitting up so you wouldn't leave. He averted his gaze to your bare breasts after lifting you up and then to your face. "I'm going, but I'm going to tender my resignation from the war service" every muscle in your body is untensed. "I've been waiting all my life for this, waiting for you to have love in me. I have you, and I know I have you and... I don't want to let you go again."

Maybe you should feel selfish, but you kept thinking both were going to be happy. You smiled "Good. Good" you repeated shaking your head and hugging him by the shoulders, sitting back down on him. "You're going to go, you're going to come back and I'm going to wait for you with everything done for you. You're going to come back and we're going to be happy, do you think so?"

He nodded and bit his lip "And we're going to get married, and we're going to have children. We're going to dance every day."

You pressed your forehead to his, with a smile "I like it" you nodded.

And from when he left, a month went by where it was letters and letters after letters. Letters to one side, letters to another side, you didn't even care if anyone read them in between, you just wanted them to get to Steve.

You also wrote to Bucky, but less frequently.

You had spent a whole month redecorating the house where Steve had been born; you had removed every dust, every crumb, every shadow of grime that had accumulated. You changed the curtains and aired out the house, letting the sunshine into the living room.

He had said so, said that when he came back, you were definitely going to move in together. You couldn't complain, you didn't even want to, so after his approval by one of the letters, you started doing those things.

You put little Steve's clothes away, knowing there was no way anything would fit him. You bought some clothes for him, squeezing that month's income and moving the savings around a bit; it didn't matter, some things had been returned from the wedding and others that you had sold; like the bottom of the dress that you had torn, but it was a good fabric. Or like the decorations that would have been a nice souvenir if you had just gotten married.

There were five days when you didn't hear from him, and you truly pretended not to worry every time a new wave of hurt people came. You desperately tried not to cross those blue eyes, but lucky for you, you never did.

You were in the emergency room, wearing the gown and your hair pulled back when you heard a thick voice calling for help "We need urgent assistance!" it was Steve's voice, so when you turned around you saw him dragging the gurney with an injured person on it. Medics rushed over, and you simply dropped what you had in your hand to run and hug him, but he hadn't seen you.

He relaxed his arms when he smelled your scent and hid his head in your neck "You came back" you murmured. He lifted you off the ground lightly, kissing your neck.

"Forever, I swear."

You pulled away to see him and saw his uniform with all his things on his chest. You touched one and looked at him somewhat complicit "You got promoted."

He nodded and stood straight and serious "Major General," he said trying to hide his smile. You didn't and creased your proud smile "To work in the field here in training, without having to leave. I'm staying here."

You brought your hands up to his cheeks and kissed him "I think that's awesome Stevie." you said amused and stroked the back of his neck, watching as he still hugged you by the hip "I've got the house almost ready."

He brought one of his hands up to the nameplate on your uniform and touched it "When you get ready I'm going to make sure you have my last name."

"I'm dying for that" you murmured close to his lips.

Getting married, having kids, moving in, and living with Steve Rogers had never been a desire or a weird feeling. So it was a success to achieve that.

And not only did they dance almost every day, but he didn't stop giving you flowers; this time, not feeling a little ashamed to give his wife flowers, and after a while, his daughter too; in the future, he hoped his son would treat women the same way.

Dancing had never felt better, even when you had him next to you and he let you sway along with him. Sometimes he would catch your laughter in his mouth when he kissed you, other he would laugh with you.

When he came home early, he would go and get things to eat, when he didn't, you waited for him at the door sitting; at first alone, then with your belly, then with a child, then pregnant again, and so time went by, but whenever he looked in the direction, he smiled.

#steve rogers #captain america #steve rogers x y/n #steve rogers x original female character #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers fluff #steve rogers fanfiction #Marvel #chris evans

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late-to-the-party-81 · 1 year

Text

The Strongest Shape

AN: Wow - I can’t believe it’s been 6 months since I wrote something for my OT3! But here we are, with an update as to how they are doing now they are officially a throuple. It's also the first instalment without smut!

Beta’d by @lfnr-blog-blog-blog

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

Moodboard by me

Masterlist | Series Masterlist | Part Eight | Part Ten

Relationship: Artist!Steve Rogers x Reader (Cali) x Engineer!Bucky Barnes

WC: 2k

CW: Fluff, suggestive language, implied smut

The car lurched to the side and you threw out your arms to steady yourself, one against the passenger side door and the other against the warm, firm body next to you.

“Can’t keep your hands off me, can you darlin’?” Bucky’s teasing drawl sounded in your ear and he grabbed hold of you, pulling you as close to him as the seatbelts would allow. You giggled back.

“You wish, Barnes.” You snuggled in close, enjoying being cuddled up against him. “Steve, can you drive more carefully?”

“Sorry, Cali. Cabby pulled out without warning.”

You scrubbed at your face with your free hand, inching up under the piece of black cloth that had been tied over your eyes.

“And when can I take this blindfold off?”

“When we get to our destination. Ain’t that right, Buck?”

“Mmm-hmm.” Bucky nuzzled his nose into your neck. “Might never take it off, to be honest. The sensory deprivation could be… stimulating.”

You smacked your hand against him playfully.

“You’re incorrigible.” He nipped at your ear and you squeaked in surprise.

“You love it, and don’t pretend you don’t.”

Steve chuckled from the driver’s seat as he continued to drive you towards your mystery destination. You knew you were still in the city; Steve’s muttered cursing, the constant tapping of the brakes, and the fact you hadn’t seemed to have got 20 miles an hour gave it away.

It had been three months now since the three of you had changed the nature of your relationship, bringing Bucky into it as more than just Steve’s friend, and it wasn’t to say that you and Steve were unhappy before, far from it. But now? Now there was an extra dimension, someone else to share the load, more love to give and more love to receive. If one of you needed to be alone, you didn’t have to worry about the other. If one of you was feeling spicy, the chances of both the others not being in the mood was low. And well, if all three of you were in the mood…Steve and Bucky had ended up shelling out for a reinforced, California King for Steve’s apartment after his previous bed broke during one of your more ‘intense’ sessions. Luckily none of you had been hurt and the memories of that night had kept you all giggling for weeks after.

Before this, there was no way you could have ever considered not feeling jealousy seeing your partner being affectionate and intimate with someone else, but watching your boys together was something beautiful. Sometimes you weren’t sure which was better - watching or participating. You’d mentioned as much to the pair of them and they both said they felt the same way,

The only fly in the ointment was your living situation. Not only did you all have to get used to living with an extra person, even Steve’s apartment, which was the biggest, couldn’t sustain you all for more than a couple of days without you all tripping over each other and tensions getting frayed. But when either you or Bucky went back to your own apartment for space, it just felt wrong.

The car lurched to a halt and you were glad for Bucky’s arm around you, bracing you.

“Bucky, next time we go on a mystery drive, could you do us all a favour and you do the driving?” The brunet chuckled as Steve gasped dramatically.

“You wound me, Cali. How could you be so cruel? I’m a very good driver.”

You heard Steve open his door, climb out and push it shut. Bucky’s hand slid down between you, releasing your seatbelt, and then your door was opened, Steve helping you to step out, as you were still blindfolded.

“I hope no-one sees us and thinks you are kidnapping me.” Your left hand was held in Steve’s large, warm grip, and Bucky was standing behind and slightly to the side of you, his hand resting between your shoulder blades.

“Come on, darlin’. Let’s get on with the surprise. Careful now, there are some steps.”

Your boyfriends carefully guided you up, the steps wide and smooth. You were glad you had eschewed heels for this excursion; it made it a lot easier to negotiate your way into whichever building your boys were taking you into.

Steve let go of you briefly to open the door; you heard the click of a lock and the creak of hinges and then Bucky ushered you forward. Your curiosity was piqued as you heard your three sets of footsteps echoing inside the space.

“Where the heck are we, guys?” Neither of them answered, but Steve’s nimble fingers came up to the back of your head, loosening the knot on the silk scarf they’d used for your blindfold.

“You ready for the surprise, sweetheart?”

“Yes! Stop torturing me - It had better be worth it, Stevie.”

The fabric fell away and you blinked for a moment, adjusting to the bright light. Then you gasped. You were standing in the empty front room of a brownstone. Smooth wooden floors and decorative sconces grabbed your attention.

Steve’s arms enclosed you from behind, his beard tickling your ear.

“What do you think, Cali?”

“Is this what I think it is, Stevie?”

You felt him nod against the side of your head.

“Mmm-hmm. Buck and I have been scouring realtors, looking for just the right place. An enormous master bedroom, big enough for an Alaska king bed, another room with north facing windows, perfect as an art studio, and three others- so both you and Buck can have your own work spaces, plus a spare for guests, or if one of us is annoyed with the others.” He chuckled at the last bit and you playfully thumped him on the arm.

“Show me…”

Your boys lead you on a tour around the property they’d found, Steve hanging by your side, fingers entwined with yours while Bucky ran back and forth between you and the various features he wanted to point out.

You tried to keep your mind on the house and what they were eagerly showing you, but you couldn’t help but marvel at the two men that you called yours, and how different they were. Despite being a Saturday, Steve was immaculately turned out, his dirty blonde hair slicked to the side, his beard neatly trimmed within an inch of its life. He wore black slacks, a maroon crew neck sweater and his long, black wool coat over the top; head to toe, the distinguished gentleman. Except when you got him home.

Bucky, on the other hand, was, well, Bucky. Jeans with rips across the knee, black boots on his feet, a black tee-shirt, which looked far too small, and his lemon leather jacket. His deliciously ‘too-long’ hair kept flopping over his brow, and the way he kept brushing it back just returned your attention to his clever fingers. Fingers that were now pulling you out of Steve’s arms so he could drag you up the stairs to your potential new bedroom.

The master suite took up the entirety of the top floor. There was a large walk-in closet too, that even had its own window, and you couldn’t help some of the thoughts that rushed through your head; alternative uses for the closet in the future. Also, Steve hadn’t been lying when he said there was space for an Alaskan king. Other thoughts filled your mind then, of all the things that could happen in such a bed. You couldn’t believe they’d managed to find a place like this.

Looking over the rest of the house, Bucky and you bickered good naturedly about which room you would each have for your own private space. The pair of you both had the same preference, but you knew that Bucky would inevitably concede, although probably not before you had to bribe him with a blowjob.

You were also excited by the size of the kitchen, mainly because it had the space to fit in a massive refrigerator, big enough to house the mountains of food that your boyfriends went through.The whole house was currently empty of furniture, but you couldn’t help but envisage Steve’s couch here and Bucky’s bookcase there, interspersed with occasional tables from your own apartment. Then Steve’s art on the walls, turning the place from a house into a home. A home for the three of you.

“It’s perfect! But I don’t know if we can afford it?” It was Bucky’s turn to embrace you now.

“You think we’d show you this, if we weren’t certain of that? That would be cruel, darlin’. So don’t you worry, Steve and I can more than afford it on our own.”

“I’m paying my share, Barnes. I’m not being a kept woman.”

He nipped at your earlobe and a dart of heat went to your core, your brain no longer picturing furniture fitting into the space, but supplying you with images of all the places the boys could take you, and each other, apart in.

“Doll, you know you’re an equal partner in this. So the house would be equally in your name too. Remember, if it wasn’t for you I don’t think Stevie and I would have really admitted to each other how we felt. So now, not only do I have him, I also have you, and you have both of us. A triangle is one of the strongest shapes.”

Steve moved from where he was looking out of the window to where you and Bucky were standing, wrapping his arms around the pair of you, dropping a kiss on Bucky’s cheek and one on the top of your head.

“Are we really doing this, then?” Your voice was uncharacteristically quiet. This decision felt momentous. It was one thing to become a ‘throuple’, but this, pooling your resources, moving in with each other permanently felt like something else.

Scary, but also right.

“Only if you want to, sweetheart.” Steve spoke into your hair. “You’re the linchpin here, Cali. Everything is down to you.”

You rolled your eyes, glad he couldn’t see.

“Way to pile on the pressure, Steve.”

“Well, for the record, Buck and I are all in. We’d love nothing more than to be living all together, permanently. All cuddled up in bed every night…”

“Except when you’re away.”

“Yes, smartass, except when I’m away and you and Buck can starfish to your heart’s content. And I won’t be worrying about you, or Buck, cos you’ll have each other.”

“Yeah, and we can make ‘home movies’ to send to Stevie…” Bucky couldn’t help but lower the tone, making you smile. You turned to look at him, his misty blue eyes full of mischief.

“How soon after you saw this place did you start getting ideas?”

“Darlin’, as soon as I saw the floor plan on the website. My first visit I found the correct joist for the sex swing.” He winked dramatically and you couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“Love you, Buck, even if you’re a big child.”

“Just addicted to making you smile, Cali. Now, whaddya say? We all gonna take the next step? Together?”

“Yeah, I think we are.”

Bucky let out a loud whoop. “Stevie - call the realtor, I’m taking our Cali back upstairs to show her which joist the swing is going on.” He looked at you slyly and licked his lips. “‘N maybe we start to find out how soundproof the floors and ceilings are…”

Steve rolled his eyes, but pulled out his phone as he watched Bucky chase you up the stairs.

“Don’t get too far without me! Hello, yes, this is Steve Rogers. We’ll take it…”

Tag list: @christywantspizza @jobean12-blog @bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky @tuiccim @yarnforbrains @sidepartskinnyjeans @maladaptivexxdaydreaming @krissy25 @bodeckersdiamonddoll @goldylions @ohsymphony @luxeavenger @wheezy-stucky @doasyoudesireandlive @seitmai @marvelstarker-mha98 @talia-rumlow @pono-pura-vida @poppunksnowwhite

#steve rogers x reader x bucky barnes #artist!steve rogers #engineer!bucky barnes #an artist and an engineer #late writes #steve rogers x reader #bucky barnes x reader #stucky x reader

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lizzie-is-here · 2 years

Text

like the dawn

part i- until the end of the line?

“we were children thrust into a war. and when it is over, what will we become?”

summary: when three kids meet on a brooklyn playground, no one could ever tell that they would become a trio of superheroes, running from the law and saving the universe. but this is how they started.

wordcount: 2.7k

warnings: cussing, mentions of racism, misogyny, bucky being drafted, brief period talk

a/n: i planned to put this series out next week but here we are 😩 i got too excited lol. if you’d like to be added to the taglist, feel free to ask! feedback and comments are very welcome 🤍

taglist: @whelvedfeelingsstuff @sebsgirl71479 @rebloggingmyrecs @babyblublossom @local-mr-frog @thenyxsky @capsiclesdoll

series masterlist | next part

James “Bucky” Barnes, (Y/N) (L/N), and Steve Rogers. The original Avengers. The soldiers out of time. The first superheroes. You three held many titles.

But before you all became lauded as national heroes, you were an inseparable trio.

———————————————————————

Steve and Bucky had practically known each other out of the womb, no surprise there. You came into the picture in kindergarten.

It was only the first day when you were singled out by some first graders. Although your parents had warned you about how other kids might treat you, little you wasn’t prepared to be shoved down on the concrete, landing hard on your hands and scraping your knees.

You were sniffling and crying as they berated you, calling out mean names that you didn’t know the meanings to. Suddenly, out of the corner of your eye, you spotted a tiny, blond blur racing at your bullies.

To his credit, the kid tried his best. But the fact was that he was thinner than you, so he wasn’t able to do much damage. Luckily, a larger brunet followed, throwing an actual punch and running the older kids off.

They both kneeled down next to you, helping you up as you wiped your eyes.

“Are you alright?” the shorter one asked, voice high and weak. You nodded, brushing rocks off of your dress. He held his tiny hand out.

“My name’s Steve. This is my best friend, Bucky.”

You shook his hand, tilting your head. “Buck-ee?” You slowly sounded the name out, confused.

The brunet nodded. “My real name is James.”

Huh. “Well,” you said, kicking the playground mulch. “Do you want to be best friends with me, too?”

Neither of the boys hesitated. Instead, they nodded and offered their pinkies. You gladly entwined your own pinkies and shook them, sealing the promise.

Sure, to any teachers around, it looked like any other day. Little kids making promises at random, with little regard for whatever the future held.

But to you three?

That pinky-swear was the beginning of something far beyond kindergarten recess.

———————————————————————

True to your word, you, Steve, and Bucky remained thick as thieves through elementary school. Steve excelled in the arts and mathematics, Bucky in literature and sports. But you had talents elsewhere.

Since it was frowned on for girls to participate in most physical activities, you threw yourself into everything else. You honed musical skill, particularly in string instruments.

However, there was one activity you were allowed to pursue. Archery.

According to your father, it was the least strenuous and most ladylike. Needless to say, you picked up the skill quickly, shooting at makeshift targets on the top of your apartment building in the dead of night, illuminated only by a flashlight.

You also learned everything you could about medicine and health. It was no secret that another war was approaching, quickly. And if and when it arrived, your only shot in was as a nurse.

For all of your studies however, you still weren’t ready to bleed profusely one day in middle school.

———————————————————————

“(Y/N)? Are you alright?” From inside the stall, you panicked. What was this? Nothing hurt, and all you’d been doing was eating lunch.

“(Y/N)?” Steve whispered again. Right. They weren’t supposed to be in the girls’ restroom.

You tied your sweater around your waist. “Uh, yes, I think so. I still don’t know where it’s coming from, though…?” You opened the door, coming face to face with your best friends.

The living hell known as puberty had descended upon all of you. Bucky had grown taller than any other boy in your grade, and while you had grown some, your body had warped and changed more than him.

As for the blond, all he’d gotten were voice cracks. “We can ask my ma,” he suggested.

“No,” Bucky muttered. “We should go to the nurse.”

“Do you think I’m dying?” you asked in a panicked tone. They both rushed to calm you down, ushering you to the school nurse.

“Ms. (L/N),” she greeted kindly, eyebrow arching as the two boys shuffled in behind you. “And Mr. Barnes… and Mr. Rogers.” She sighed, shuffling a file. “Who am I fixing up today?” You stepped forward sheepishly.

“Go on,” Bucky urged you.

Taking a deep breath, you blurted out, “I think I’m dying.”

Once you explained what was going on, the blood, the permeating pain in your stomach, and the oncoming headache, Ms. Weathers smiled knowingly.

“Can I just speak with Ms. (L/N)?” she asked. She already knew the answer when it came to your trio, but it never hurt to ask.

“No!” Both boys protested. “We need to know what’s happening. Is she okay?”

What followed was the most general and non-detailed description of a period that she could manage. You were horrified, to say the least. You had to deal with this, every month, for a week? Hell. No.

“So what should I do?” you sighed. You felt uncomfortable, mildly annoyed, and very hungry.

Ms. Weathers grabbed an absence slip. “I’ll send you home early today, hon. Is your mother home?”

Truth be told, she was. But she was also working late shifts at the hospital, and you didn’t want to wake her up.

“No,” you lied through your teeth. She was about to call your bluff when Steve piped up.

“My mom’s home, she could help,” he offered. After much convincing and several half-baked excuses, all three of you managed to get let out of school. Walking home wasn’t any trouble, thanks to Steve’s apartment being only a few blocks down.

He opened the door for you, rushing off to find Sarah. Bucky grabbed a stool from the kitchen, helping you up.

“(Y/N), hi sweetie,” Mrs. Rogers greeted. “Come with me.”

She managed to pull you away long enough to explain period products and what to do in more detail, giving you said products and providing advice from the other side of the bathroom door.

You emerged in a dress you’d left at their home a while ago, dramatically flopping onto the old couch as you groaned.

The cushions dipped with the weight of two more people.

“Go away,” you mumbled into the couch. “I’m all gross.”

The smell of soup emanated from the kitchen. The radio crackled with commentary of the baseball game. A blanket was tossed atop you.

“We’re not going anywhere,” the blond said firmly. “We’re gonna stick with you. Until the… the…” he trailed off, unable to come up with a comparison that properly reflected what he meant.

“‘Til the end of the line,” Bucky concluded.

You rolled over to look at both of them. “What line?”

He shrugged. “The line. Whatever it is.” Steve nodded, extending his pinkies to both of you.

“Until the end of the line.”

———————————————————————

Fast forward through the rest of school, which at the time seemed like the worst thing ever. The occasional stuck-up rich kid making rude comments, the casual misogyny, the Great Depression.

All around, not your favorite time in your life.

But Steve and Bucky made it tolerable. You were there for the latter when his father left, and for the former when Sarah passed away.

And they were there for you, too. As hard as high school had been, getting into college was even harder. Although many women had begun to pursue higher education, that didn’t mean it was a walk in the park.

You were sitting in Steve’s apartment, waiting for him and Bucky to get back from the grocery store when you were met with more disappointment.

“I don’t understand.” You glared at the third college application that had been returned. “My grades were perfect, my letter was aces, I-“

Your eyes fell on one particular line in the rejection letter. “‘We cannot accept a woman of your background’?!” With a frustrated shout, you flung the paper out of reach.

You could feel the anger building up, creeping in and controlling your mind. And that wouldn’t do.

So you left your kitchen, grabbed your bow and a target, and climbed onto the roof of Steve’s apartment. Thanks to its secluded location, no one would spot you up here, so you unpinned your hair out of the tight style that was standard and tied it into a ponytail, sighing in relief when the soreness in your head subsided.

Your bow was tall and sturdy. So much so that, when you first got it for your 16th birthday, you could hardly pull it back. Now, you could shoot effortlessly right-handed and left-handed.

With only three arrows in hand, you nocked one and aimed, sending it flying into the bale of hay with a red dot spray-painted on it. Rapid-fire, you loosed the other two, sighing as they all land within the dot.

You briefly pondered pinning the rejection letter on the bale and shooting it to pieces, but you decided against it, instead opting to continue practicing until your arms were sore. When you finally turned in for the evening, the sun was sinking behind the buildings, and you knew that the boys would be home soon.

You tossed your bow and arrows on the table, stepping over the letter on the floor. Flinging open a cabinet, you rustled around until you find the tin of your tea hidden away.

You’d saved up for weeks, waiting patiently to buy the tiny container. Normally, you tried to save it. But tonight called for comfort.

By the time the front door creaked open, you’d made three cups of tea, setting them on the counter.

“Hey, (Y/N), we’re back,” Bucky called. “Got enough food to put a few pounds on Stevie.”

You heard the blond mutter, “Pounds is generous,” under his breath, but you only smiled, taking the groceries from him as his arms strained under the weight.

As you and Bucky put the food away, Steve spotted the tea. “That bad, huh?” he asked, taking a cup and gingerly sipping the drink.

“Ha,” you scoffed. “The rejection letter is on the floor by your feet. Read the second-to-last sentence aloud for Buck, would you?”

He did as requested, voice only raising as he read the statement. “Background?” he shouted, flinging it to Bucky so quickly it may as well have burned him. “What the hell do they mean, ‘background’? That’s got nothin’ to do with your grades!”

Bucky, as usual, was far calmer, thought still annoyed. “He’s right, doll. That’s ridiculous.” You nodded, passing the taller man his own cup of tea. “I’m honestly shocked you’re not more upset.”

You sighed, gesturing to the bow. “I already took my anger out on the hay bale. I’m spent for the day.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll get in eventually,” Steve offered. “Just gotta keep trying.”

———————————————————————

Needless to say, you didn’t make it into college. Your best attempts proved futile in the face of the school boards, so you resorted to learning from books and your mother, who was more than willing to teach you everything she knew about nursing.

Bucky began working full-time down at the docks, and you started working as a librarian in your spare time in an effort to further your knowledge of medicine. Steve, on the other hand, couldn’t find a job that played to his interests or skills.

When his dingy apartment finally broke down, you extended an offer.

The three of you would move in together. Cheaper rent, plus you could keep an eye on Steve. You knew he didn’t need it, but it provided peace of mind knowing he wasn’t being beaten up in some random alley.

Sure, it was taboo. But at that point, you’d given up on caring about standards. If this was your solution, it would have to work.

And it did. You three worked together like a well-oiled machine, paying rent and honing skills. Yours and Buck’s families were understanding, always ready to send food or money if you needed it. However, you managed to make do.

You three were mostly content. You could live your life out with your best friends and have a few dreams that remained out of reach. Maybe get married one day, then die a boring death unfulfilled.

What could you say? You were living in the Great Depression; your expectations weren’t very high. They sank even lower once the war began.

Under your mother’s urges, you tried to enlist as a nurse in the military. Due to the high demand, you were accepted, regardless of background or ethnicity. Of course the only time they would accept you would be in a time of war.

However, you were alright with it. Odds were, you’d never see combat and you would stay safe. Plus the money would be enough to fix up your dingy apartment and get Steve more medicine for his neverending illnesses. You’d be gone for around a year, during which Bucky and Steve would keep up shop until you returned.

All three of you had come to terms with the situation. Sure, they’d miss you and you would miss them, but they knew you would return unharmed, other than some trauma from whatever you would see in those infirmaries.

But then, one day before Steve got home from a diner downtown, Bucky trundled in, envelope in hand and his breath trembling.

“(Y/N), they- I’m-“ You rushed forward, helping him onto the couch. He continued stammering, choking up as he held out the paper.

He had been drafted.

“Oh, God. Buck, I… I’m so sorry,” you whispered, letting him rest his head on your shoulder. You held back your own tears as he gathered himself.

He raised his head, eyes red. “What do we tell Steve?” Freezing, you wracked your brain. Steve was more enthusiastic than most to help fight. He wanted justice for the people in Europe suffering under the Nazi forces. Standing up for what was right had always been his dream. News that his best friend was being sent to fight against his will would wreck him.

You shook your head, words evading you. Bucky only trembled more. When he spoke, his words were weak.

“I’m gonna die over there, (Y/N).”

That broke you from your stupor. “No. No, you aren’t,” you said, gently grabbing his face. “James Buchanan Barnes, you listen to me. You aren’t going to die. I swear it.”

You curled in on each other, with him clinging onto you like a lifeline as you pondered a life without one of your best friends. The three of you didn’t remember life before each other. Only life together.

After a while, he said, “I’m telling Steve I enlisted.” The set in his jaw made it clear he wasn’t budging on this. “I… I can’t let him know. I can’t believe I told you,” he admitted.

“It’s alright, you’re alright.” Gulping, you spared a glance at the paper. “When are you shipping out?”

“Two weeks.” The same time you were.

Shakily standing up, you paced the room. “God, he’s gonna be all alone, Buck. What- How do we even tell him this?”

The door swung open before he could respond. Steve, covered in some new bruises but triumphantly clutching his leather-bound sketchbook in hand. He seemed to notice the melancholy tension, eyeing both of you suspiciously.

“What happened?” he asked, although he definitely did not want to know the answer.

Bucky rose with a wide grin on his face, flawlessly hiding the fear that you knew was bubbling just under the surface. “I enlisted, Stevie. Gonna go punch Hitler in the face and come back with, like, a dozen awards,” he joked.

“Both of you? No one’s gonna keep me out of trouble,” Steve snarked. You ruffled his hair, forcing a smile onto your face. “You better not get into any trouble, punk.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m not the one trying to bring a bow with you to your base. You’re a nurse, not a sniper,” he grumbled.

Shrugging you, eye the weapon. “Who says I can’t be both? I’m pretty good at it.”

“Believe me, I know,” the brunet laughed. “I wouldn’t want to be on the business end of your bow.”

You all squeezed onto the couch, trying to relax as a timer counted down on your head. These little moments, the comfortable schedule, it was all going to shit soon. Too soon.

Two weeks.

#marvel #marvel x reader #x reader #avengers x reader #avengers #like the dawn #steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #captain america x reader #captain america #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #40s stucky #stucky x reader #stucky x winged!reader #avengers x winged!reader #winged!reader

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eepylesbean · 3 months

Text

Just a lil stucky WIP I pooped out just now, tell me how we feeling about it

Steve quickly made his way down the ornate castle halls, making sure to keep his dress from tripping him. He zipped past servants going on about their work, heels clacking loudly on the marble floors before coming to face a large intrequit door.

He slammed it open, chest heaving as he came to a stop. His mother and a very familiar face stood at the foot of the throne, two guards by each person.

"Bucky?" He said breathlessly, the man in question turned from the queen Sarah--Steve's mother-- and grinned. "Hey stevie" He said as he held out his arms, inviting the blond in.

Steve quickly took the hint and pushed himself from the door and into the brunet alphas arms. He jumped and bucky quickly caught him in air and spun him around, Steve's dress and bucky coat tails dramatically spinning with them.

Bucky sat Steve back down on the floor looking down at him with an even bigger smile on his handsome face. "Long time no see, huh?" He said kiddingly, Steve still in his embrace.

Steve's bright expression quickly turned to anger, "You jerk!" He said sternly as he broke from his embrace and punched the much larger man's shoulder.

Bucky laughed and held a gloved hand up to one of his, frankly, confused guards--a heavier set man with a bushy mustache, as moved towards them.

"I haven't seen you in forever and I have to find out through servant gossip that you were here?!" Not lowering his voice any but there was no real malice in his tone.

"Sorry doll, my dad was working me to the bone, trying to get me ready for the throne." He explains, " hardly any time to write or visit." He put his hands on Steve's shoulders as to stop his flailing.

Steve huffed at the explanation but stopped his movements. "Can I tell you why I'm here?" Bucky ducked down to meet Steve's eyes, who looked back up at him through his lashes and nodded with a pout.

"Well, I've got news and I of course wanted you to be the first to know." Steve perked up, wondering what it could possibly be.

"I'm getting married." Bucky said with a smile.

Steve's heart dropped, he blinked a couple of times in confusion. "What?" He barely heard himself over the blood rushing to his ears.

He quickly recovered and cleared his throat. "That... is great." He tried his best to look and sound excited for the alpha, but even to him it didn't sound right. "Do I... do I know them? What are they like?" He knew he shouldn't be but he was curious to find who would be taking the spot by Bucky's side he had been wanting since he was a pup.

Bucky seemed to get more excited at the question. "You know them very well, I promise, and they're probably the prettiest omega I've ever met, little spitfire too, always quick to put me in my place when I need it." Bucky gushed about the omega, not knowing about Steve's plight happening in front of him.

Steve swallowed and numbly pushed from Bucky loose embrace, nodding along to what Bucky was saying.

"Well, I'm sure they'll be great for you... I think I might just..." He trailed off trying to find an excuse, looking to his mother who was holding her hand over her mouth, trying to cover a smile. "Steve, dear, did you hear a thing he said?" She asked with a smile and an eye roll aimed at Bucky.

Steve looked back at the alpha even more confused. Bucky was biting his lip trying to hold back laughter like his mother was a few seconds ago. "Steve, I was talking about you, I want to marry you, if you'll have me of course."

It seemed everything Bucky was saying was a different language, because Steve froze again, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I don't understand." He said slowly, looking between the two older alphas.

"That's why I'm here, I was asking your mother for your hand in marriage." And when that explanation didn't work Bucky sighed deeply. "Here how about this," he lowered down on one knee in front of the blonde. " Steven Grant Rogers of TBD, will you marry me?" He held Steve's much smaller and colder hands in his own large warm hands as he smiled up at the omega.

Something finally clicked in Steve as he gasped and tear rushed to his eyes for a different reason.

He looked up at his mother and even the guards around excitedly before making his way back down to Bucky, who was looking back with affection.

"Yes! Yes of course I'll marry you, you jerk!" He said excitedly and found himself back into the alphas arms, almost knocking him over. Bucky laughed as he hefted himself and Steve from off the floor.

Bucky brought out a small box that held an even smaller band of silver and shinging diamonds in it. "Now I know it's not much but I figured we'd go together and pick something else out before the---." He tried to explain sheepishly before he was cut off. "Shut up, I love it, I'll keep it forever." Steve said while admiring the ring that was placed on his finger.

Bucky chuckled and brought the blonds hands to his mouth and kissed his knuckles. "Of course, doll." He smiled from under his lashes.

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kazuki86 · 3 months

Text

I have nothing if I don't have you

(Chapter 2)

Kriiiiing!

Kakashi hated that sound. The sound of the alarm clock beside his bed. It's not the alarm's fault. The alarm had carried out its task according to its orders, waking Kakashi at 6 o'clock.

But Kakashi was still reluctant to wake up. He still felt tired and sleepy, because just like the previous days, he had difficulty sleeping at night. This has happened every night, since 2 years ago, since Rin suddenly left his side, left their family, left their home.... by only leaving a message on a piece of paper that she had decided to pursue her dream long ago, to become a famous actress. Rin couldn't be contacted either. Her cellphone number is not active. The emails that Kakashi sent were never answered. Her social media is also not up to date. Even when Kakashi contacted Rin's mother, she answered that she didn't know where Rin was.

Kakashi got up and reluctantly walked to the bathroom. However, he still had to get ready for work.

After showering and getting dressed, Kakashi went down to the kitchen, heated water to make coffee and baked a slice of bread, not 4 as usual, because today there would be someone else preparing breakfast for his three children. Well... at least starts from today, his daily duties will be lighter.

The water kettle makes a sound indicating that the water inside has boiled. Kakashi turned off the stove and left the kettle for 10 minutes so that the coffee wouldn't be too hot. While waiting 10 minutes, as usual he fiddled with his smartphone, skimmed the news and checked his email.

When he was about to pour hot water into a cup containing instant coffee, his doorbell rang. Kakashi looked at the wall clock in the kitchen. 7 o'clock. It must be Tenzo. On time like yesterday. He put the kettle down and walked to open the door.

"Good morning, Sir!" Tenzo greeted excitedly when Kakashi opened the door.

Kakashi was a bit surprised by Tenzo's enthusiasm. It felt like he still couldn't believe that the person standing in front of him was a man. His long brunet hair was still flowing like yesterday and he was still wearing a t-shirt with a cat on it, jeans and a sling bag. His wide eyes narrowed with a smile.

"Umm...Is something wrong, sir?" Tenzo asked

"Oh...no...nothing... Good morning, tenzo. Please come in."

"Thank you, sir." Tenzo bowed and went into the house.

"The children will wake up in a moment. Please prepare breakfast and lunch, then take them to school. All the food ingredients are in the refrigerator. If you need to buy groceries, please use the money in the drawer."

"Roger that, sir!"

"Do you know where their school is?"

"I know, sir!"

"Good. The car key is in the glove compartment. And they have to be at school before 8."

"Don't worry, sir! You can count on me." Tenzo said while clenching his right hand.

"Okay then, I'll go now."

Kakashi sipped his coffee, took his toast with his right hand, took his briefcase and car key with his left hand, then went to the office.

After Kakashi left, Tenzo walked towards the kitchen, looked at what food or drinks were available, both in the cupboard and in the refrigerator, then thought about what breakfast and lunch he could make with the existing food ingredients. It didn't take long for Tenzo to get an idea of what to make.

Kriiiiiiiing....there was an alarm sound from upstairs.

"It must be Sakura, Sai, and Naruto's alarm. OK, I'll start cooking..." Tenzo said to himself while clenching his fists.

A few moments later, sakura and sai came down. As usual, Sakura went down the stairs lazily, yawning, stretching her body, and rubbing her eyes. Meanwhile Sai came down with a pale, expressionless face.

"Good morning!" Tenzo said cheerfully.

Sakura and Sai were surprised, partly because they weren't used to seeing Tenzo in the kitchen that morning, and partly because at the dining table there were 3 plates of sandwiches and 3 glasses of orange juice. Usually they only see toast and milk.

"Enjoy your breakfast." Tenzo said smiling. "In a moment, I'll finish making your lunch and then I'll take you to school.

Sakura and Sai looked at each other. Then they sat down and took sandwiches on their plates.

Sakura looked at the sandwich in her hand, took a bite, then chewed slowly. She then felt something on her tongue. "That's really great..." she said...in her heart...she didn't want his praise to be heard by Tenzo who was busy preparing lunch.

Meanwhile Sai was holding a sandwich while watching Sakura next to him. Sai became curious. He then started eating his sandwich. He stopped for a moment after taking the first bite, because he also felt that the sandwich was very delicious. But sai is not as expressive as sakura even though it is only in the heart. The fact that he continues to eat his sandwich until it's finished is a sign that he likes it.

Tenzo finished preparing his lunch, then looked at Sakura and Sai. They were both finishing their orange juice. Then Tenzo realized, Naruto hadn't come down yet.

"Umm...where is Naruto?" Tenzo asked.

"That lazy boy must be still in his bed..." Sakura answered nonchalantly.

Tenzo went up and headed for the only room whose door was still closed. That must be Naruto's room, thought Tenzo. He knocked on the door. When there was no answer, he opened it slowly. Naruto's room was a mess. Toys and clothes were scattered here and there. Naruto himself was still asleep under his blanket. Tenzo approached and sat next to Naruto.

"Naruto...come on, get up. It's time for you to get ready for school..." said Tenzo.

No answer.

Tenzo sat next to Naruto and touched him gently. "Naruto...come on, wake up..."

"Uuuh...I don't want to wake up..."

"But you have to go to school..."

"I don't want to go to school..." Naruto answered while still closing his eyes.

"Why you do not want?"

"Anyway, I don't want to." he answered while covering his face with the blanket.

"If you don't go to school, you won't be able to meet your teacher, you won't be able to play with your friends..."

"I don't like school. I don't want to meet teachers. I don't want to play with friends." Naruto answered from under the blanket.

Tenzo thought. He had to find a way to get Naruto to wake up and go to school.

"Naruto...do you like ice cream?"

Naruto was silent for a moment, then answered "Like..."

"How about I buy you ice cream. There's a new ice cream shop near the school. If you want, you can choose the flavor of ice cream you want, you can choose the toppings you like, and you can eat as much as you want." Tenzo said

"Really????" Naruto opened the blanket.

Tenzo nodded with a smile.

"Yeeeaaaahhh.....I want ice cream!"

"But there is one condition..."

"Oh nooo! What's that????"

"You have to go to school."

Naruto's enthusiasm immediately died out.

"How about that" Tenzo asked

"Umm... okay... but... can you accompany me while at school? I don't want to be left behind..." said Naruto.

Tenzo smiled and nodded.

"Now go downstairs for breakfast and get ready to go. OK?"

Soon everything was ready on the terrace. When Tenzo was locking the door, Naruto said...

"Sakura...lace my shoes..."

"Do it yourself, lazy!" Sakura answered.

"Sai..." said naruto

"Don't want to." Sai answered flatly.

"Naruto, why don't you tie your own shoes?" Tenzo asked.

"Because he's a spoiled and lazy child. It's his father who always strings him along..." said Sakura. Naruto whined while stomping his feet.

Tenzo knelt in front of Naruto, leveled his eyes with Naruto's, then held his shoulders. "Listen Naruto. I will teach you how to tie shoes. Pay attention, because starting tomorrow you have to tie your own shoes..."

"Don't want to!"

"If you don't want to, then you go to school without shoes, and maybe everyone at school will look at you strange and even laugh at you..." said Tenzo firmly.

"Uughhh.....alright...." said Naruto reluctantly.

Tenzo sighed then smiled. "You're a great kid, Naruto. I'm sure you can tie your own shoes. Now pay attention..." Tenzo started tying Naruto's shoes slowly.

"Well, it's easy, right? You can do it. Alright, let's go. Don't be late for school." And finally, the four of them went to school.

Konoha Corp is one of the large contracting companies in the city. The office building is magnificent and very artistic. After driving for half an hour, Kakashi's car finally arrived at the basement parking level. After parking his car, Kakashi walked towards the elevator. Usually he has to run because he is late after taking his children to school. But today he could walk casually to the elevator.

Kakashi entered the elevator together with 3 female employees. The three of them immediately became embarrassed, gave each other codes, and straightened their makeup. It was clear that they were happy to be in the same elevator as Kakashi, and it was no longer a secret that many female employees were attracted to Kakashi. Kakashi himself never cared about it because he wasn't interested at all.

Since Rin left 2 years ago, Kakashi decided to focus all his thoughts, feelings and energy only on his three children and his work. He didn't want to think about falling in love or anything like that at all.

Finally the elevator arrived at the 10th floor. The marketing floor. Kakashi walked towards his room. As a marketing manager, of course he has his own room. He put his bag away and turned on the computer.

"Wow...wow...what a surprise! Who's here so early?" Who's Genma?

"Aren't you always late, Kakashi?" Gai said.

"Morning Genma...morning Gai..." Kakashi greeted his two subordinates. Even though they were subordinates, they were kakashi's close friends.

"You didn't take your children to school? It's not Sunday, right?" Genma said as he sat at Kakashi's table.

"Someone has already taken them..." answered Kakashi while looking at his computer screen.

"Oh...who?" Gai asked as he sat down and crossed his legs on the chair across from Kakashi's desk.

"New nanny." Kakashi answered without looking away from the computer screen.

"Oooh... you finally got a new nanny..." said Gai.

"She must be a middle-aged woman, with a firm face, gentle eyes that can suddenly turn scary sharp, white hair pulled back into a bun, and a long-sleeved shirt and long skirt, right?" Genma guessed while crossing his arms over his chest.

"Umm... not really. The new nany is 3 years younger than me, with a couple wide and soft eyes, long brunet hair, not in a ponytail or bun, and so far always wears a t-shirt with a cat picture on it and jeans..."

"Really??? That means she must be so beautiful, right?" Gai asked excitedly while leaning towards Kakashi.

Kakashi thought. Tenzo may looks pretty, but he's a male....

"Who's so beautiful?" A voice from the doorway startled kakashi, genma and gai. That's Anko, the main manager of the architectural section at Konoha Corp and the only daughter of the director.

"Genma met a middle-aged woman, with a firm face, gentle eyes that could suddenly turn scary sharp, white hair pulled back into a bun, and wearing a long-sleeved shirt with a long skirt. And Gai thinks that the woman was so beautiful... "Kakashi replied casually.

Anko wore a clueless expression. How could a woman like that be so beautiful? "Genma and Gai are weird..." thought Anko.

"Is there anything I can help you with, Anko?" Kakashi asked.

"Here are some documents. Dad wants you to study them." Anko said as she walked to Kakashi's table.

"Oh... thank you. Sorry for bothering you. Why didn't the director just call me to his room..." said Kakashi

"Because I my self offered to take it here..." answered Anko while placing the document right in front of Kakashi and blinking one eye. "Okay. See you soon, Ka-ka-shi..." Anko turned and walked out of Kakashi's room.

"She didn't even care we were both in this room too..." Gai said with teary eyes.

"Well...it can't be helped. It's clear she likes Kakashi..." said Genma.

"You're really lucky, Kakashi. All the female employees, even the director's daughter, like you. You just have to choose which one you like to go on a date with..." said Gai.

"I'm not interested..." Kakashi answered while opening the document from the director.

"None of them caught your attention?????" Genma asked.

"Nope..." Kakashi answered briefly.

"Why??? Aren't they all beautiful and smart... and there are also some who are very rich, like Anko..." asked Gai.

"I'm not interested in them at all. I'm more interested in the assignment I gave you two last week. Hand me the report now..." said Kakashi, who was greeted with unenthusiastic complaints from Genma and Gai.

Meanwhile...

Tenzo, Sakura, Sai, and Naruto arrive at school. Sakura and Sai walked towards their school building. Meanwhile Tenzo took Naruto to the building next to him. Tenzo kept his promise to Naruto, after taking Naruto to class, he sat on a park bench in the school yard, waiting for Naruto.

Two hours later several parents came to pick up their children at kindergarten. The school bell rang. Kindergarten children walk out of their classrooms. Some left the classroom by running excitedly to their parents who had come to pick them up, while others left the classroom casually while chatting.

Tenzo got up from his seat, waiting for Naruto to appear. Not long after, Naruto was seen. A happy expression appeared on his face to see Tenzo kept his promise to wait for him at school. He immediately ran towards Tenzo and immediately hide behind him. Tenzo was confused as to why Naruto was hiding behind him and holding his shirt tightly.

"Orphan...orphan..." shouted a boy, followed by the laughter of two other children next to him. They mocked Naruto as they walked away.

Naruto tightened his grip on Tenzo's shirt. After the children had left, he released his grip. Tenzo turned around, then knelt in front of Naruto.

"Naruto..." said Tenzo while touching his cheek gently.

"Why... why did mom leave..." Naruto struggled to hold back tears. Tenzo hugged Naruto, he himself didn't know who and where Naruto's mother was and didn't know what to say.

After a while, tenzo said "How about I keep my promise? Treat you ice cream?" Naruto nodded in his arms. Tenzo got up, carrying Naruto, then walked to a new ice cream shop not far from there.

As soon as he entered and saw the various colors and flavors of ice cream, various toppings, and various colorful balloons that could be taken for free, Naruto immediately forgot his sadness.

"Well, you can choose the flavors and toppings you like..." said Tenzo as he put Naruto down.

Not long after, Tenzo and Naruto were sitting on the bench in the school yard. Naruto enjoyed 3 flavors of ice cream with chocochip and sprinkles toppings in his right hand, while his left hand held a red balloon. Tenzo sat next to him enjoying vanilla ice cream with walnut topping.

"Is it delicious?" Tenzo asked. Naruto nodded as he continued to lick his ice cream.

"You like it?" Tenzo asked again. Naruto nodded again while licking his ice cream enthusiastically.

"Thank goodness...." Tenzo said.

When the ice cream was finished, Naruto raised both of his hands while exclaiming "It's really goooood!"

Tenzo smiled, then asked Naruto. "Umm...naruto, can I ask you something?"

Naruto nodded his head happily.

"Those kids...are they your friends?"

The happy expression on Naruto's face immediately disappeared. He lowered his hands, lowered his head, fell silent, then nodded slowly...

"Do they always do that to you?"

Naruto nodded.

"Is that what makes you not want to go to school?"

Naruto nodded again.

"How did you feel when they did like that?"

"I....I....I don't like....I don't like them calling me that. But...I also don't like that mom is gone...why is she gone...why?" Tears started to roll down Naruto's cheeks. "All the children are always dropped off and picked up by their mothers. When there are events at school, their mothers always come, but my mother doesn't..."

They were both silent for a moment. The wind blows softly...

"You know Naruto...I myself have never met my mother..." said Tenzo while looking forward.

Naruto raised his face, looking at Tenzo.

"My mother died shortly after giving birth to me. So I never saw her face directly, I never heard her voice, and she also never took me to school or came to my school when there were parent events."

"Then who takes you to school or comes to school when there are parent events?"

"My sister" answered Tenzo while smiling at Naruto. "I used to feel jealous when I saw other children being dropped off or picked up by their mothers. Some of the children also made fun of me. So I often cried and was angry about why my mother had to leave me so quickly. Then one day my sister said, instead of spending time and energy on crying and angry, wouldn't it be better if I focused on doing everything with the best I could do, so that I could make my mother or the people around me proud of me and happy. Since then I decided not to cry and get angry anymore. I decided to always do everything with the best effort that I can do and enjoy it. So my heart feels spacious and light. Then I can be the champion in class and I always get the best score in every subject. That made me don't have time to pay attention to the ridicule of my friends, so in the end they themselves stop mock me." Tenzo's gaze was still directed far ahead. Meanwhile Naruto was still looking at Tenzo next to him, with a look of surprise and admiration.

"So...how about you focus on doing the best you can in everything you should do, Naruto? And enjoy it? Since the first time I saw you, I knew and I was sure that you were a tough, strong and great child... Tenzo said while wiping the tears from Naruto's cheeks.

Naruto nodded and smiled at tenzo. Tenzo raised his right hand for a high five, and Naruto patted it firmly.

"All right. We still have an hour until Sakura and Sai finish school. How about we go shopping at the market?"

"Okay. I want to buy a lot of chocolate and candy!!!"

"No..."

"What?? Why???"

"You've eaten too many sweets today..."

"But I want chocolate and candy..."

"No."

"I want..."

"No."

The two of them continued to argue while walking casually to the nearest market.

That evening, after dinner, Sakura, Sai, and Naruto went to their rooms. At 7 o'clock Kakashi arrived home. When he opened the door, Tenzo was standing near the sofa.

"Welcome home, sir." Tenzo said with a warm smile. Kakashi was a bit surprised, because it was unusual for someone to greet him like that when he came home from work.

"Can I go home now, sir?

"Yes, of course. You can go home, Tenzo."

"Umm... I prepared dinner for you, sir. Just in case if you haven't had dinner yet..."

"Oh...thank you very much..."

"You're welcome sir." Tenzo said as he bowed, then took his bag and went out.

After closing the door, Kakashi went upstairs. When he entered Naruto's room, Kakashi was surprised because Naruto's room was very neat, not as messy as usual.

"Wow... I'm surprised your room is so neat. Was there just a storm that put everything back in its place?" Kakashi asked while sitting on the bed holding Naruto in his arms.

"I was competing to tidy up my room with Tenzo. Tenzo divided my room into two parts, I tidied up here and he tidied up over there. The loser has to treat the winner ice cream tomorrow."

"Oh... I see... Then, who's the lucky one who will get an ice cream treat tomorrow?"

"Of course I am!" Naruto answered happily. Kakashi laughed while rubbing Naruto's head.

"Tenzo also brought me lunch, bear-shaped rice balls, cute and tasted very good too..."

"Really? That's good."

"Umm....Dad...."

"Hmm?"

"Will Tenzo come here again tomorrow?"

"Of course. Tomorrow he will still work here. At least for the next 3 months. Why?"

"I want Tenzo here..."

"Are you sure? Usually you didn't like previous nannies?"

"But I like Tenzo. I want Tenzo here, dad...forever..."

"Ummmm....Well... let's see then..." answered Kakashi while hugging and kissing Naruto's head.

After saying good night to Naruto, Sai, and Sakura, Kakashi went down to the kitchen. Not like usual either, this time the kitchen was clean and tidy. On the table there is a square bowl. When Kakashi opened the lid, what was inside was beef lasagna. Kakashi sat down, took a fork, scooped up beef lasagna and put it in his mouth. Kakashi chewed it slowly. Delicious...so delicious, he thought.

Coincidentally, he himself hadn't had dinner either. Usually he orders fast food. Apparently Tenzo is good at cooking and tidying the house. Kakashi also didn't expect Tenzo to get close to Naruto so quickly.

Even though it was only Tenzo's first day working here, for some reason Kakashi felt that his house felt more.....hommey.

Then kakashi thought about Naruto's words earlier, "I want Tenzo here dad...forever...."

"For...ever?" Kakashi muttered.

To be continued.... :)

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#kakashi x tenzo #kakashi x yamato #kakayama #naruto #kakashi #kakashi yamato #hatake kakashi #hatake kakashi/yamato tenzo(u)#tenzashi #yamato tenzo

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