#fatws fic

[bi-disaster-yn]

Vital Organs

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x fem!Reader

Summary: Reader is in love with her best friend, Bucky. The feeling is mutual but having a troubled relationship with her father means that she’s scared to risk the heartbreak.

A/N: I MAY have cried while writing this. To all the girls who, like me, have shitty dads and derive a lot of comfort from Bucky - I’m dedicating this to you. We deserved better.

“Do ya think you’d ever go on a date with me?”

Bucky’s words echoed in your brain, sending a sharp pain in your chest with each repetition. The quietness in the jet only increased the agony of that moment being replayed. Your best friend had stood before you and put his emotions on the line - something he had never afforded himself to do. Then you made him realise why.

Two of your ribs were fractured from the mission but that thought was more painful.

“So quiet, what are you thinking about?” Yelena commented, looking over her shoulder from her pilot duties to check up on you.

“Nothing.” You replied putting your hand over your ribs and resting your back against the seat.

Bucky was going to be so worried when he’d found out you’d been injured. You could see it now, him following you around like a puppy. At least, he might have done if you’d given him a better answer than ‘I don’t know’ to a date. When you left for the mission he had worn a wounded expression that he’d desperately tried to conceal as you told him goodbye.

The truth is, when Bucky had asked you that question it threw your body into a complete state of conflict.

Your heart was about to burst out of your chest, as if it was trying to escape and connect with Bucky’s. It was crying out for you to say yes to him and take everything you had ever wanted.

That was until your brain stepped in and lassoed your heart to keep it in its place. The logic had corrupted you and was determined to prevent you from getting hurt. It wore you down and drowned out the excitement of your heart. It went to work in bringing back all the disappointment and hurt caused by your father who had left you behind at an early age.

But your lungs burned. The air was trapped in them and you struggled to breathe. It felt like you were being suffocated. It was a curious and familiar feeling from when you were younger.

To be the daughter of a man who abandons you is to constantly hold your breath in fear that if you let go, you’ll fall apart.

The other organs had overpowered and barricaded your lonely heart. They left you in the predicament of stuttering and stammering in front of a very nervous Bucky which had concluded with your pathetic answer. The memory had plagued you ever since.

Simultaneously, your brain provided you with flashbacks of being a child and waiting excitedly for a a man that rarely ever came. The feeling of disappointment after every interaction with your father that somehow managed to make you feel so unimportant had returned. The lump in your throat held there with every breath reminded you of the struggle to accept that he was never going to be what you needed to him to be.

It had taken some bone-crushing strength to move on. He was your father and you needed him to be better. As his child, you believed you should be the only motivation he needed to stop being so unreliable and grow up.

Whilst you were right, that is unfortunately not how the world works.

Now the perfect man had asked you the question you deemed was only possible in your wildest dreams. But to say yes to him was to give him access to potentially do the exact same thing as your father had done.

It was just too much of a risk.

*

The jet had landed with a halt and Yelena came over to assist you with walking off. You were quietly grateful for her, trying to hide just how much pain in you were in as you grasped Yelena’s shoulder.

Sam was poised and waiting for you both. Bucky stood next to him, fidgeting anxiously in anticipation of your return. He had spent the last few days licking his wounds in your absence. He had accepted that you had only ever been so affectionate with him because you were a good friend and he’d misinterpreted it. It fucking stung, but he respected that you can’t help how you feel. Although your answer had left him unsure where he stood with you, he was eager for you to return so he could be the best friend you needed him to be.

Bucky’s face fell as his eyes landed on Yelena holding you up with your arm round her shoulders and your regular wincing.

“First of all, are you okay?” Sam asked, him and Bucky instinctively making their way over to you both, ready to take you from Yelena if need be.

“Yeah, just fractured some ribs. No biggie.” You joked but it sounded painful. You could feel Bucky’s eyes on you, scanning and analysing you, processing the possibilities if this had been worse.

It made you feel weak and incompetent. The strong super soldier wanted to protect you and all you could think about is that you wished you were stronger. All of those years of having to establish your independence and leave behind weakness and vulnerability were completely discarded in that moment with Bucky’s pitiful look.

“Okay well, get checked out. No training or missions for you until you’re better.” Sam instructed, having settled into his new role as Captain America; he needed to make sure his team were in the best shape possible.

“Got it, Cap.” You nodded at Yelena to get her to take you to the medical wing of the compound. That was when Bucky stepped in.

“I’ll take it from here, Yelena.” He said and before you could even say anything, you were scooped up into Bucky’s arms and he was carrying into the compound.

“I could have walked.” You protested meekly. Being in his arms felt awkward, you didn’t allow yourself to hold on to him because then you’d stop holding your breath and you’d be done for.

“This is easier.” He retorted. For the first time since Bucky had started his recovery, he was unable to look you in the eye.

It was stony silence between you both, each of you having moments to open your mouths but no words came out. Nothing felt right. Despite being in his arms, a gap had been wedged between you and you were unsure how you’d ever be able to get back to him again.

You fixated on Bucky’s jaw which was constantly clenched, you could just about feel his teeth grinding together. His slouched shoulders and defeated expression didn’t go unnoticed by you. He was your best friend, you knew everything about him. Bucky was heartbroken.

Heartbroken, yet he still showed up for you when you needed him.

*

It was now a requirement that the compound had medical staff on hand at all times. Pepper had insisted on it in the rebuild, too many people had been lost. More preventative measures were put in place to keep the team as safe as possible.

You were thankful that you didn’t have to go to hospital but it now meant that Bucky was glued to your side as you were checked over. He was sitting on the edge of his seat, digesting everything the doctor had said to you while you lay back wishing he would go away.

Bucky being there was a constant reminder that you’d hurt him. Locked inside its cage, your heart wept at the thought, desperate for you to tell Bucky you’d been stupid and you’d love to date him, marry him, die for him.

It made your lungs tighten and your breath hitch, ready to give way. You had to be stronger than this. Love was not worth risking the pain of being abandoned. You had vowed never to give anyone the power to make you feel that way again.

When the doctor left, Bucky settled back into his chair, clearly having no intention of leaving. You settled down on the bed, feeling drowsy from the painkillers and squeezed your eyes shut like a child, wishing that when you opened them that he’d be gone.

Alas, moments later when you opened your eyes again he was still there, watching over you protectively.

“You don’t need to sit with me, Buck. I’m sure you’ve got better things to be doing.” You mumbled, looking away from him to stare out of the window.

“I am not leaving your side, need to make sure you’re okay.” Bucky responded. “And I missed you.”

His voice broke a little at the last four words, almost as though he was scared to admit it to you. It wasn’t like you were a stranger to his vulnerability but this felt different after him admitting to having feelings a few days prior. It made you frown.

“I missed you too.” You muttered. “I’m sorry about the other day.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” Bucky said defensively and definitively as though he didn’t want to talk about it. He was ready to pretend it didn’t happen and move forward as your friend.

But Bucky deserved the whole world. The least you could do is offer an explanation.

“No, Bucky, you deserve better than an ‘I don’t know’. In all honesty, you’re… perfect. And I’ve loved you for a long time. The way my heart skipped a beat when you asked me that question, you have no idea. But I just can’t…”

“Why?” Bucky choked out, his voice still broken. He had moved to the edge of his seat again, his eyes constantly darting between you and your fingers which you were anxiously playing with.

“Can’t risk it. I can’t risk being abandoned.”

“I’d never leave you.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” You snapped at him and instantly regretted it as you could sense his posture shrink with the unsolicited harshness. It wasn’t intentional but rather instinctual. Words were empty; if a parent could leave you then there was nothing to stop a boyfriend from doing the same thing.

“You promise me you won’t leave all the time.” Bucky offered after a couple of seconds of uncomfortable silence. He was right, in all of his moments of insecurity and grief after Hydra; it was you providing comfort and reassurance. It was you by his side, being his supportive and loving best friend.

“Because I know how shit it is to be left.” You sighed and felt the painful tug in your chest. Your breathing was rapid and your lungs were aching. They were agonisingly trying to keep everything in; keeping your heart locked up and holding your breath. You’d come too far, you couldn’t let go now.

“And you think I don’t?” It was Bucky’s turn to snap now.

His words were a cruel and embarrassing wake up call. It prompted you to give him eye contact and fuck, he really was broken.

It was so insensitive: you should have known better than that. Steve leaving him behind had had a profound effect on Bucky. Rarely did he ever let people see his tears but he had allowed you to cradle him like a baby while he sobbed for his friend who had left him behind.

“Buck, I’m so sorry.” You mumbled, feeling like a fool with your carelessness. Twice now had the tight leash you had kept on your lungs resulted in your words hurting Bucky. It was becoming more than you could bear.

Bucky shook his head lightly, waving off the comment and wiping the slate clean again. Nonetheless, he held your eye contact in search of further elaboration.

“It’s just I used to get all that crap from my dad about never leaving me and he did. It means nothing to me anymore. What if I’m not enough for you like I wasn’t for him?” Tears has trickled from the corners of your eyes and spilled down on to your face and the sheets.

Bucky wasted no time in getting up and sitting on the bed next to you, pulling you into his chest. The remaining pieces of the puzzle formed in his head. He had known before that any mention of your dad made you extremely uncomfortable and he had always changed the subject. Bucky understood all too well what it was like to be left behind, but not by a parent. Not by one of the very few people in this world that actually owed you something. He cursed himself for not considering this beforehand but quickly turned his focus to comforting you.

This time you didn’t protest to being taken in Bucky’s arms, you just wept into his t shirt as he stroked your hair and pressed loving kisses to the top of your head. Your brain was too fatigued to provide you with reasons why you should push him away. You just needed him.

“I need to protect my heart.” You asserted finally, trying to explain yourself further.

“Sweets, you’re breaking your own heart.” Bucky sighed as he pulled you in closer to him.

Just as you had cradled him when Steve left, it was his turn to do it for you. Engulfed in those strong arms, he rocked you gently and carefully. It felt safe and warm and like home.

Now that your brain had called surrender on this pointless fight against your feelings for Bucky, it played a different film in your head than memories of your dad.

You remembered Bucky teaching you to ride a motorbike. He had put your helmet on for you and let out a hearty laugh at the goofy grin you’d given him. Everything he did that day was with extreme patience as he’d put his hands over yours on the handlebars, explaining what everything was and how it worked. The praise he’d given you when you did something right had encouraged you to keep trying. Conversely, when you got something wrong or made a mistake; Bucky was calm and reassuring, compelling you to try again.

Or the time you’d gotten sick and were bedridden for days. Bucky made it his personal mission to take care of you. He was out of his depth, sure, but he had just tried to mirror what you had done when you comforted him after nightmares. Your cup of tea was never empty, you were never left without enough blankets, you never had to wait for your medicine. Bucky was attentive, caring and there.

Even today, you knew that based on his stoic face that you’d hurt him. But he still turned up for you. He was nothing like your father.

Bucky had proved already that he could be there. He was right: you were breaking your own heart. The trauma of abandonment had caused you to deny yourself a love that felt like home. You had been judge, jury and executioner in your own trial and had made a mistake.

Then it happened. You stopped holding your breath.

Your lungs expanded as fully as possible and then shrunk dramatically again. This process continued over and over as you inhaled as much air as possible and then exhaled in deep, incredible breaths.

“You okay, sweetheart?” Bucky asked, looking down at the powerful heaving of your chest and listening to your breathing.

You nodded in response, unable to offer any words. Without realising, you had clutched on to his t-shirt and balled up a bunch of the fabric in your fist.

It was exhausting after having kept your lungs in tension for so long but it was so liberating to let go safely. Focusing on the thudding of his heartbeat in his chest, it grounded and secured you.

Your own heart was screaming in her cage, knowing her rightful partner was close and she needed to be near him. You had set your brain and lungs free, it was time to do the same for your heart.

With some slow coaxing from Bucky as he rubbed your back and continued to kiss the top of your head, you started to calm down. Your lungs adjusted to regular breathing and seemed content in their new routine of being used the way they should always have been.

Your head was rested on Bucky’s chest, still finding comfort in his regular, clockwork heartbeat. The fabric of his shirt that you had grasped before had been let go and was left wrinkled and misshapen.

“You know, Doll,” Bucky began. “I understand why you feel like that, but I’m not your dad, okay?” He took a moment to look at you and ensure that you weren’t too upset or triggered for him to continue.

“You say you love me, so can you trust me? Can we give this a go?”

You looked up and met the adoring gaze of his ocean eyes. Instead of answering him with words you pressed your lips against his. It was soft and gentle, his flesh hand moving to hold your face. Even with his eyes closed, he’d studied your face enough to know where to run his thumb so it was along your cheekbone.

It was the key to unlocking your caged heart. She leapt from her shackled prison and lunged for Bucky’s heart to connect with him. The hearts embraced with the deepening of your kiss and formed an unbreakable bond.

When you finally pulled back for air - which your lungs were well accustomed to now - you couldn’t help but give each other a chuckle. Your foreheads met as your hearts worked in unison to pull you as close to each other as possible.

“Is that a yes then?” He asked, with a cheeky smile stretched across his face.

The insecurity and fear of being left was still there. You accepted that it always would be on some level. On the other hand, you’d had enough of constantly being on your guard and having to be so strong all the time. No longer would you send your vital organs into mortal combat over an irrelevant man when the man in front of you just wanted to love you.

“Yes.” You decided. “Yes it is.”

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes x yn #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes angst #Bucky and reader #James Bucky Barnes #fatws bucky #FATWS Bucky x reader #sebastian stan #sebastian stan x reader #friends to lovers #bucky barnes one shot #bucky barnes x fem!reader #bucky barnes x female reader #fatws fic #marvel fanfiction #the winter soldier x yn #the winter soldier x reader #the winter soldier x female reader #the winter soldier

[joaquinwhorres]

thorough (fckboy!Joaquin Torres x f!Reader)

SUMMARY ››››› When Joaquín texts, you know what he wants. And you also know that despite your better judgement and all of the other things you should be doing, you're going to give it to him.

PAIRING ››››› Fuckboy!Joaquín Torres x Female!Reader (written in 3rd person so you can pretend it's an OC like I do) Read the OC version here.

WORD COUNT ››››› 3,928

WARNINGS ››››› Joaquín's pretty out of character because my angel would never. oh yeah, and smut

A/N ››››› This idea has taken over the entirety of my thoughts. It has consumed all of my free time, so I figured I should try to wrangle some of the vibes and vague ideas into an actual story. So, here is this little imagine which is v smut heavy and v plot light. But, I am thinking of turning this into a fake dating/redemption fic, so lemme know what you think! Divider from firefly-graphics (not tagging because this is a work of smut).

A single notification flashed across her screen. 

U up?

Y/N reached over, clicking the screen dark. She was up. But not for him. Instead, she turned back to her textbook and the packets of printed out notes strewn across the desk in front of her. The only men who would be getting her attention tonight were the esteemed scholars Sedra and Smith. And maybe Dr. Barnaby if she got around to reading her lecture notes over. He would have to find someone else. And there would be someone else. There was always someone else for him. She just had to hold out long enough for him to move on and go find them.

Her screen lit up again. 

Or has circuits put u to sleep? 🥱

This time she rolled her eyes as she dismissed the notification, a small smile playing at her lips despite herself. Of course he knew exactly what she was doing. Even if he never acknowledged her, he still sat in the same lecture hall as her and dealt with the same lectures and exams. 

Y/N returned back to the textbook example problem, fingers sliding under her glasses to rub at her eyes. She withdrew her hands, fixing her glasses before picking up her pen once more. She needed to stay focused. This test was going to be thirty percent of her grade. If she wanted to pass, she needed to learn how to apply input resistance to both Example 6.11 and her own life.

Oh god. She was broken.

Shaking off the thought of her mental deterioration, Y/N pressed her pencil to her notebook paper, copying down the problem in front of her. Just one more section and a skim through of her lecture notes after this. If she powered through, she could probably finish before three and get a solid five and a half hours of sleep before the exam. Yet, as Y/N worked her way through the problem, her eyes continued to slip over to her phone and the dark glass screen that reflected her desk light back up at her. 

Circuits.

Not dick. 

Circuits. 

Not–

Her phone lit up again.

It didn't kill u did it??? 😱🪦 

She snorted a laugh through her nose as she picked up her phone, thumb swiping to unlock it. As she began to type out a reply, the white auto suggestion box popped up. 

Not today Satan.

She exed out of her roommate's attempt at a safeguard, as if on autopilot.

Not yet but I am slowly dying.

The three dots in response were instantaneous. 

Sounds like you need to take a break. 😉

The auto suggestion box popped up once more as she typed, this suggestion an indictment of both her idiocy and predictability. She clicked on it.

Come over.

Very little studying was accomplished in the time between Y/N sending her text off and receiving the text that he'd arrived. The promise of a break seemed too much for her brain to withstand, and she'd only managed to work out an answer for the RIN before she finally gave in and took off her glasses. After that, she'd only had time to shove her dirty clothes in the closet and straighten her sheets up from where they hung  off the bed before her phone buzzed.

Y/N put her phone back down, slipping out of her chair and padding across the still apartment towards the door. Pulling it open revealed Joaquín dressed in a maroon ASU hoodie and dark grey sweatpants. His hair was ruffled, and his own glasses were on. 

 Evidently he'd been studying for Circuits too. 

The corner of his mouth quirked up into a soft smile—the same one that he'd given her last fall when they met eyes across the crowded frat. She had known even then exactly what she'd be getting herself into if she smiled back. But there was something about the genuine delight in his smile–the fact that he looked almost awed–that had her lips curving into a smile almost on their own accord. Much like now. 

"Hey," he whispered. 

Y/N leaned against the partially open door "Hey." 

"Is it cool that I parked in the lot?" he asked with raised eyebrows, and she nodded. 

"Yeah, they don't usually check for tags at 3 am."

Joaquín breathed out a laugh, hanging his head and shaking it as his own stupidity as Y/N smiled at him. "Yeah, I probably should have guessed that." He looked back up at her with a small smirk, and it was Y/Ns turn to shake her own head before motioning with it that he should come in. He obliged, stepping into the small dark apartment and waiting for her to lock up behind him. 

He probably could have made his way back to her room without her, but instead he remained, eyes roaming over the dark living room and kitchenette as if it were his first time there and he was taking it all in. She took this as an act of kindness–a preservation of the little dignity she had left when it came to Joaquín Torres.

So, Y/N quietly led the way back to her room, ushering him in and closing the door as softly as possible behind them to avoid waking her roommate. 

When she turned back to him, she found Joaquín bent over her notes, curls falling into his face. He looked intently at what she had written, his eyes following along each line of her solution before he shook his head. "That problem's been kicking my ass for the last hour," he said, tilting his head to look up at her. "Think you could walk me through it tomorrow?" 

The sheepish grin he gave her made her stomach flip, and she really should have kicked herself for it. Because there was no way he didn't know exactly what he was doing when he looked at her like that. And he knew that she knew what he was doing whenever he flashed his dimples too. And yet she still couldn't find it in herself to tell him to go to hell.

"Depends how much sleep I get," she said with a shrug, attempting to fix her face into something more smirklike than smiley and feeling like an utter failure at it.

His eyes gleamed mischievously as he straightened up and turned to face her. "How much sleep is enough?" 

She shrugged as she walked past him and over to the foot of her bed, setting herself down to sit on the edge and leaning back on her hands. "I don't know, three hours? Four?" 

"What if it's two and a half, but I buy you coffee," he bargained, leaning back against her pushed-in chair with his arms crossed across his chest. 

"It'd need to be really good coffee." 

"Starbucks counts as really good coffee, right?" 

She scoffed, and Joaquín laughed softly, his head tipping back as the amusement lit his face up. When he faced her again, it was with an expression of warm amusement. "What if it's Starbucks, but I make sure you thoroughly enjoy all of the time you're not sleeping tonight?" he asked, eyebrows raising up over his glasses as he took a step towards her. 

A tingle shot through Y/N as she followed his slow, purposeful movements towards her, and she fought the urge to press her legs together. "I guess that would depend on how thorough is 'thoroughly'." Somehow her voice managed to keep its teasing playfulness even as the look in Joaquín's eyes became more focused, more intense, more hungry. 

He stopped in front of her, close enough that the fabric of his sweatpants brushed against her bare knees and she had to tilt her head up just to see his face. She raised an eyebrow at him, and while she had intended for it to be questioning–a prompt for an answer–she couldn't keep the smirk from playing at the corners of her lips, turning the look into almost a challenge.

He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he lifted a hand, brushing her hair back behind her ear, his fingers trailing down her neck and along her shoulder until they reached the strap of her cropped cami. His pointer finger hooked under the strap and he pulled her towards him by the thin piece of silk, until her head was tipped all the way back just to see his face.

Joaquín leaned towards her, his breath warm and promising more than his words could ever deliver on. "Thorough," he murmured, letting the word kiss across her skin, setting her nerves alight with anticipation before he closed the space and kissed her himself.

It was easy to get drunk off of Joaquín's kisses. She wondered if this was simply a paired stimuli given the nature of their first encounters. If the dizzying effects his kisses had on her was her body remembering the weightlessness of too much Jungle Juice and a cute boy's attention. If the way she seemed to melt into him was a conditioned response from him pulling her close to him so easily even when her limbs felt heavy from Jell-O Shots. 

But maybe it wasn't classical conditioning or muscle memory. Maybe it was just the natural biological response to the way his hand took hold of her waist, squeezing at the bare skin there as he deepened the kiss and stepped forward, between her legs. Maybe it was just a natural reaction to feel lightheaded when an attractive boy slid his hand up under your crop top and moved his lips along your collarbone with each kiss like a whispered promise.

Her head lolled to the side, allowing him more room to work, and he took advantage of the newly exposed stretch of skin, placing hot, open mouthed kisses there. Y/N sank her teeth into her lip, biting down into it to keep herself from making any of the embarrassing sounds threatening to spill from her just from a bit of kissing. It was a pointless measure though, for as if inspired by her action, Joaquín's teeth caught at the tender skin on her neck and pulled it into his mouth, sucking harshly. Her fingers curled into his shoulders, dragging him closer to her as he moved up her neck, picking a new spot to nip. A gasping noise escaped her as his tongue swiped over the spot, sounding far too much like a whimper for her own comfort. 

Joaquín dragged his lips further up her neck to just under her ear. "Fuck you make the most beautiful sounds," he praised, pressing a kiss below her ear. "Drives me crazy."  He kissed her again before taking a hold of her ear with his teeth. 

Another noise, much like the first escaped her, and her fingers reached up into the hair at the nape of his neck, threading through the strands and then tugging him backwards and away from her so she could see his face. His glasses had slid down a bit on his nose, and his pupils were blown wide and dark, and she knew, she knew,  that whatever happened next, it would be thorough enough.

"Did you come here to compliment me or to fuck me?" 

He grinned. "Por qué no los dos?" 

She leaned closer so that her lips almost brushed his as she demanded, "Cógeme." 

Joaquín practically tore his sweatshirt and shirt from his body, his glasses catching in the material and flying off somewhere with the clothes to a corner of her room. Her own arms were crossed across her middle to pull off her top, but she didn't get a chance before his hands wrapped under her knees and yanked her forward so her back fell onto the bed.  He knelt before her, hooking his fingers into the waistband of her pajama shorts and dragging them down her legs. 

His eyes snapped to hers as he pulled the silky fabric free of her legs. "Impatient, aren't you?" 

Y/N reached down, flicking the side of his head. "It's how I sleep." 

"Mhmm," he hummed, disbelievingly as his eyes focused  back to her parted legs and her center that was completely bare to him, not a scrap of lace or satin or cotton or anything to shield it from his hungry gaze. He lifted her leg over his shoulder, pausing to press a kiss to the inside of her knee and then trailing a line of kisses and nips up to the top of her inner thigh. Y/N squirmed, and he chuckled, moving his other hand to her hip to hold her in place. "I haven't even gotten to the good part." 

"I'm sensitive," Y/N breathed out,

"I know," Joaquín grinned, leaning forward to lick a large stripe through her folds, sending her arching off the bed with a gasping moan. "Qué buena estás." 

And then he dove back in. 

There were a lot of reasons why allowing Joaquín into her bed at three in the morning was a bad idea. 

For one thing, she really should have used the time to study for the test that would make up a solid third of her grade in a class that took many people two tries to pass. There was also the inevitable exhaustion that would probably affect her performance on that test. 

Then there was the fact that if they woke up her roommate, she would have to deal with side eyed glances, reproving sighs, and little comments for at least a week. Not to mention the fact that her roommate would probably tell the rest of their friends, and then she'd be getting it from all angles. 

But the biggest reason this was a bad idea, the reason with the most inevitable consequences, was the fact that he'd leave behind an ache that chased her throughout her morning, reminding her of how stupid she was for doing this. 

But as she gripped onto Joaquín's head like her life depended on it, hips chasing a release on his tongue, it was difficult to really think about any of that. It was difficult to think at all. All she could manage were small bits of breathy praise spurring him on.

"Fuck. Fuck yes, right–ah!" She threw her head back into the bed as he sucked harder around her clit. One hand freed itself from his curls,  clawing at the sheets to give herself more purchase as words left her in favor of high pitched, gasping noises that sounded vaguely like his name. And then, finally,  she could hardly get out any sound as a wave of pleasure coursed through her causing her whole body to go taut as Joaquín replaced  his tongue with his fingers to help her ride out the high.

"I've got you. I got you," he reassured, coming back up her body to place kisses along her jaw as she slowly came down, chest heaving. Y/N pulled in deep breath as his lips continued to rove  around her chest and collarbone, neck and face, always whispering bits of praise before gracing her skin with a kiss. One hand slid across her bare stomach, taking hold of her waist as he gave one last kiss before looking up into her face. 

"And?" he asked with a small smirk.

"And?" she repeated in question, the word coming out more as an exhale.

"How am I doing so far? Thorough enough?" he asked, his hand inching up under her top to take hold of a breast. The pad of his thumb ran over the nipple there, and for a moment, Y/N's mind went hazy. "Or is there something I'm forgetting to pay attention to?"

"I think you already know." Despite the words themselves, her voice came out needy and airy, and it elicited a low chuckle from Joaquín whose hand retreated back to the edge of her top, teasing her with the promise of taking it off. 

"I want you to tell me." 

"Stop teasing me, and put that mouth to better use," Y/N snapped, and he grinned this time. 

"Close enough," he said, pulling her top up and over her head, flinging it away from them.

His mouth was truly a gift from God, but his hands, and the way they massaged her breast, twisted her nipple, worked her in ways that were positively sinful, they could only have been given that skill through a deal with the devil. So, she lay there, fingernails scratching at his shoulder blades as he worshiped her chest, switching between the breasts and from mouth to hands in ways that made her feel holy. Holy but aching. 

"Joaquín," she mumbled, hand sliding from his shoulder to his bicep, pressing her away from him. He lifted himself from her skin, eyes meeting hers. "Flip over," she commanded. His face lit up, and he complied so quickly and eagerly that Y/N laughed. 

Joaquín tucked his hands under his head, watching intently as Y/N moved to straddle him. "We can't be too loud," she whispered, placing a finger against his lips. "Ok?" 

"Got it," he said, biting her finger playfully. She withdrew her finger from between his lips, running her hands down his muscled chest. It was almost criminal, the fact that he always wore loose fitting t-shirts instead of something that showed off the hard work ROTC had him put into his body.

She leaned down, allowing her tongue to explore the planes of his chest, dipping low to swirl around his belly button and lower to the center of his v line. Joaquín groaned, and Y/N hooked her fingers in the waistline of his boxers, dragging both the underwear and sweatpants down his legs and off his body. When she looked up at him, she found Joaquín's gaze fixated on her. There was a quiet desperation to his look, not as needy as she was sure her own faces were, but almost like he was a second away from an answer, and she was the only one who could help him get it. 

Y/N crawled back up his body, taking his cock in her hand and teasing it with long, slow strokes. Under her, Joaquín's eyes had closed, a grunt passing through his lips as he managed to lift a hand to take hold of her hip. Her thumb passed over the head, spreading the precum along his hardened length, her hand twisting around him before she dipped down and kissed the head of his cock. His hips jerked up from the bed, as if chasing her as she pulled away. Joaquín opened his eyes, casting her a look of confused desperation. 

"I'm not the one who made promises," she said with a tilt of her head and a smirk. He let out a gasping laugh, pinching her hip, and she rolled over him leaving the boy groaning underneath her. 

"Hold on," she said, pressing a hand to his chest and leaning up over him to reach into her side table. She fumbled around, fingers slipping over the contents of her drawer until at last the smooth feeling of the condom packet greeted her fingertips. She snatched it up, not even bothering to shove the drawer closed as she withdrew to her position over Joaquín's hips, tearing open the package with her teeth. 

She probably could have been more sensual about it–moved a bit slower with teasing touches and seductive glances–but instead she tossed the empty wrapper and immediately went about rolling the condom over Joaquín's waiting cock. Because while she probably could have withstood a little bit more anticipation, a little bit more build up until this moment why should she have to when she could have him now? 

Y/N raised herself a little higher, Joaquín's hands coming to her hips and slowly guiding her down onto his waiting cock. He hissed as she lowered herself even further until he filled her completely. Y/N paused, hands flat against Joaquín's chest to allow herself a moment to adjust to his size. "You good?" Joaquín asked, gently squeezing her side, and she nodded. 

"Yeah," Y/N breathed. "Yeah, I'm ready." 

There was a reason she always seemed to cave whenever Joaquín texted her. A reason she never told him to go fuck himself or any of the other things her roommate and friends suggested she say. A reason she snuck him in and out of her bedroom late at night or times when most  people were at class.

And it wasn't because she was stupid enough to have feelings for him again.

It was because he knew exactly what to do to make her body feel electric. It didn't matter if he was letting her ride him slow, fucking her fast from behind, or clutching her close to him as he stroked hard and deep–he knew exactly what her body craved and he gave it to her. He gave it to her with murmured bits of Spanish and breathless cursing and moans that made her chest constrict. He gave it to her with fingers that circled her clit and twisted her nipples and pulled her hair at all the right times. He gave it to her with hot, hard, and fierce kisses.

And as much as he gave, it was never enough. 

Even after her second orgasm left her feeling close to overstimulated and boneless, she still clutched at him. While she hardly had enough energy to raise her hips to meet his thrust, she locked her legs around him and pulled him closer as he buried his face in her shoulder. She stayed with him as his hips stuttered and strokes got sloppy and it became clear that he was going to come. 

Admittedly, Joaquín's orgasm face was rather dumb, ridiculous even, with his mouth hanging open and only a grunting sound coming out. But she kept her eyes trained on his face, not to remind her that this god in bed was a mere mortal who made stupid faces too, but because after he finished, when his face relaxed, he was nothing short of angelic. The corners of his mouth turned up just barely into a light smile and his eyes fluttered open and looked at her like she really was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. 

Joaquín placed a kiss on her shoulder as he helped to lower her legs back down to the bed, finally withdrawing from her to dispose of the condom in the trash by her bedside. It was all Y/N could do to catch her breath, her body hot and sweaty from the activity. Yet as Joaquín climbed back into the bed, she allowed him to pull her in close to him, arms wrapping around her, and chin resting on her shoulder. Because this was part of the deal with Joaquín and something that had almost made her doubt her initial assessment of him back when his body was brand new and she was still discovering all of the things it could do—after sex, he always stayed. Not necessarily the night, but long enough to hold and cuddle her and talk about things that didn't matter. 

"Better than studying?" he asked, and she let out a snort and nodded. 

"Yeah." 

"Good enough for Starbucks?" he asked, tilting his head to try to look at her face, and this time she gave a full laugh. 

"I'll meet you there at seven." 

#joaquín torres smut #joaquín torres #joaquín torres oc #joaquín torres x reader #joaquín torres x oc #fuckboy!joaquín torres #fuckboi!torres #fuckboy!torres #joaquín torres fic #marvel fic #marvel smut #tfatws fic #fatws #fatws fic #tfatws #college!au #college au #marvel college!au

[b0hemian]

"Sleepy"

Sambucky

Fluff

Warnings : A but of cursing and a shit tone of gay <3

[ author's note: ] I've been really into Sambucky again recently, and at this point I'm so done with trying to think of other ships. This ship will forever have my heart despite other ships that come to sail.

James Buchanan Barnes loathed the empty space of the mattress next to him. He loathed how prim and neat the cream sheets were. He despised the rightly order of the pillows. But most importantly, he hated the missing presence of Sam.

Despite what others thought, Bucky longed to be cuddled and caressed. He loved the sudden gestures Sam would provide out of the ordinary blue. He loved the surprise of Sam's arms around his stomach. His head, dangling with tire or snuggly warmth, resting on Bucky's vibranium shoulder.

It's been a week now since Sam had left for Egypt. A week too long for a home of two with only one in its vacancy.

Bucky knew that being apart from your parter every once in a while was okay, healthy, and suggested. The first few days were of total peace. It was nice lounging about in the house without the worry of the world apart from the occasional missions and precautionary runs he ran to secure the city. But as time went on and Bucky's thoughts clouded him and his longing for Sam grew, he grew frantic and needy. He missed Sam Wilson more than anything, and if Sam can't be home right now in this very bed, he wished that he was at least safe. With a roof over his head. With food in his plate. With a smile on his lips that gave everyone, him especially, hope of a better future.

Bucky inhaled the sharp cool and crisp air. Exhaling not long after. He pulled down a pillow from the mound of them on Sam's side. He chuckled. Sam always had a shit ton of pillows with him. He called it, "the bird-ly habit of a nest." At this thought, Bucky chuckled and cuddled the pillow into his chest. His head bowed down as he inhaled its scent- Sam's scent of the oceanic blues of the cologne he had given him. He missed it. His smell. His snores however small and adorable they are. He missed the way Sam's thumb would move back and forth on his neck as he held him dear in his arms. Comforting him through his occasional, but rarer occurrences of nightmares.

He closed his eyes expecting to finally fall asleep until a ringing blew into the closed room. Bucky hummed with a tinge of curiosity and immediately hoped that whoever was calling was his boyfriend. He sat up with the pillows on his lap and reached to his left, grabbing his phone. And as the words "Idiot Bird" appeared on the blurred familiar dialing screen, Bucky's wistfulness vanished and a smile, as bright as the moon's crescents, appeared. He pressed the green button in an instant and played Sam up on speaker.

He waited until a loud crackling sound bursted from the speaker. Then, a laugh.

"Bucky!" Sam proclaimed, although in a more whispered tone than a shout.

God he missed that voice. That call of his name in a tone so beloved to him, so familiar.

"Hey, baby. I miss you."

"I miss you too, so much. It's been a hell of a whirlwind back in Cairo. Barely had any time to sleep."

"Im sorry," Bucky apologized as he laid the phone down on the empty space next to him and rested his head down the pillows. "You should probably sleep then."

"Yeah.. But you know how it is with me and planes. I can't sleep for shit."

"Wait, planes?"

"Yep. Got the whole situation sorted sooner than I thought and after a few debriefs on the actual witnesses, I can finally go fucking home."

Bucky closed his eyes and breathed in a shaky breath. Exhaling a long moment after with a stuttering chuckle. "Good good.. I miss you so much you, Sam." You have no idea.

"I miss you too, Bucky. A lot. I think a part of the reason why I could barely sleep with the time they let me go to my hotel was because all I could think about was you."

"Oh?"

"Mhm, I was scared. I was scared that I won't be there."

Bucky didn't need Sam to say it, nor Sam need to say what I meant for Bucky to know. It was a silent knowledge between them and Bucky was thankful for Sam's silence and patience about his struggles. Bucky's nightmares weren't as prominent as it once was, but they lingered like a guilt. Even though he made his amends long ago, he was still terrified of what his monster had done. Who it had killed and who's lived it had destroyed for the purpose of others. The Winter Soldier was the past and as much as he intended to forget all of what happened, he knew Sam was right when he said that sometimes forgetting the past can only lead to more suffering. Bucky smiled to himself as he thought of what else Sam had told him. Healing meant facing your fears, not abandoning them.

"Don't worry, I haven't had one since the week before you left," Bucky answered truthfully with pride knowing how long its been since he had such horrible recollections.

"Good good. Don't worry, I'll be home soon. I'll make you steak, we'll stay up till 2 watching Disney movies, and stay up for another 30 minutes stuck like tape."

Bucky, imagining every moment Sam had described, smiled. "I'd love that. Will there be kisses?"

"So many."

"Perfect."

A yawn wrapped around the air a Bucky felt sleep pull him closer and closer. Knowing Sam's voice was close and knowing the whole of him was closer, he was finally in a state of peace against the restlessness. His body relaxing. His eyelids refraining from wanting to open.

"Sleep, baby. I'll be here."

"Promise?" Bucky whispered.

"I promise."

Pulling the blankets closer and Sam's soft pillow even closer to his chest, Bucky slept off with a sentence last spoken in a whisper. A whisper loud enough for the receiving end to hear and giggle at his boyfriend's sleepy and adorable voice.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Bucky."

#sam wilson #sambucky #sam wilson x bucky barnes #fatws fic #gay couple #pride #fluff #ashittoneofcutefuckers #adorable #sleepybitch #imawakeat1amwiththeurgetowritemtgaycrapheads #happy pride motherfuckers #marvel #bucky x sam #captain america x white wolf #captain america sam wilson #white wolf

[justinewt]

Power Broker - MARVEL REWRITE Chapter Sixteen

[MARVEL REWRITE-MASTERLIST] - [THE MULTIVERSE SAGA]

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

Summary: Things were speeding up in their search for Karli Morgenthau. The trio was off to Germany to see an old enemy of the Avengers in a high-security prison... allegedly high-security. But as always, the reunion wasn’t going to go as expected, especially by Sam. 

Words: 11.3k

Warnings: Falcon & The Winter Soldier episode 3 “Power Broker” spoiler, Mcu phase 4 spoilers, angst, some violence, shootings, nostalgia, flashbacks (kind of) explosion, fights, stabbing, one slit throat and that’s about it I think

Berlin, Germany

Frainn walked down the hall of a prison facility along her two partners, Sam and Bucky, who made the three of them come here to see one of their inmates. The guard led them up to a certain point in the hallway and indicated a door a few feet away, leading on a smaller corridor.

“He’s just through that corridor.” He told them with a thick german accent, pointing ahead of them. Bucky nodded and as they stopped in their tracks, glanced at Frainn and Sam.

“All right, give us a sec.” The guard replied with a brief nod and walked away, leaving the three of them alone for a moment, as requested by the super soldier. “I’m gonna go in alone.”

“Oh, right.” Frainn scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. She wasn’t going to let him go in there on his own. She was coming along, just in case. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her lover, but she indeed didn’t trust Zemo very much and she had never seen his face before, so it was the occasion.

“Why?” Sam inquired; his hands stuffed into his jacket’s pocket.

“Cause you’re Avengers. You know how he feels about that.”

“It’s not like you two were known for frolickin’ in the sun together.” Sam argued.

“He was obsessed with HYDRA.” He retorted. “We have a history together. Trust me. I got it.”

“I’d like to meet this terrorist whom you share a “history” with, if you don’t mind.” She declared as he turned around, about to go through the corridor leading to his confined cell. He glanced at the stubborn goddess and as he rolled his eyes, she shot a smirk at Sam and followe him while the guard led them to the door of Zemo’s cell. He passed his badge and the door buzzed and opened to a narrower and quite darker corridor, plunged in a dim kind of dull light. Coming to the cell’s door, he made a call and spoke in german to the director of the facility for him to open the door of their prime inmate. The door buzzed and he opened it for them, closing it right after Frainn stepped in the room. She walked right behind Bucky as they walked in so Zemo was going to have a little surprise when she would step aside and reveal herself from the shadow, as he would as he sat on his bed on the other side of a thick glass in the miffle of the room, isolating him in his tiny cell. When Bucky stood near the glass, Zemo started reciting the russian words to activate the winter soldier. Frainn stood in the back and he if he did notice her, he didn’t acknowledge his presence for now as he tested the reactivity of Bucky to the words.

“Those days are over.” Bucky stated as Zemo stood up, emerging from the dark.

“I know.” He said softly, nodding, pursing his lips. He then slowly approached the glass to look at Bucky from upclose. “I just wanted to see how the new you reacts to the old words. Something is still in there. At least you were not conscious for most of your imprisonment.”

“That time wasn’t exactly a picnic.” He retorted bitterly, keeping on a straight face in front of the criminal. Frainn bit her lips, looking around. She thought about commenting on this, saying that she had went through centuries of emprisonment, far away from her people, her family, in a cold place, in an ice cell with her tyrannic grand father who abandoned her father, leaving him to die until he was found by Odin after the battle against Jotunheim. As much as she resented Odin for how he treated Loki, she was glad he lived, because he had Frainn to live through from now on.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. It was never personal.” He walked around his half of a cell and looked at Bucky. Frainn was fighting herself to stay silent and let them have this moment to talk, whatever Bucky wanted to talk to him about. It wasn’t her place to intervene unless one of the two addressed her. Right now, it wasn’t about her, as much as she wanted to say sarcastic things out loud. “You were simply a means to a necessary end. I also am sorry for not introducing myself properly to my other, very special guest of the day.”

“Oh, there’s no need. I know who you are, and I assume you know who I am as well.” She took a few steps and stood beside Bucky. The latter glanced at her as she came nearby.

“I indeed know who you are, Frainn. Norse Goddess of Ice and the Winter, daughter of Loki.”

“You want my résumé and complete family tree too?” She retorted, staring him down. He chuckled, glancing down for a second, his hand joined in his back.

“That would definitely be an interesting reading.” He answered and she shook her head, not stopping to look at him and he smirked, nodding as if he was observing her and trying to decipher the shades of very soft and cold green in her icey eyes. Bucky eventually spoke up again, getting on why they even came here in the first place.

“Someone recreated the super-soldier serum.” Zemo instantly looked at Bucky. “I need to find out who.”

“You are assuming HYDRA has something to do with this, which why you came to me, which means you are desperate. Even though you have a powerful and smart goddess under your arm. I do not doubt that she could get rid of this threat easily, but you know that just killing off the super-soldiers isn’t enough.” He declared as if he had everything figure out already. “Luckily for you, I know where to begin.”

“What are you talking about? You wanna break Zemo outta jail?” Sam asked, already expecting the worst of his dear partner in crimes. “Where the hell are we, Buck? Have you lost your mind?”

“Look we have no leads, no moves, nothing.”

“What we have is one of the most dangerous men in the world behind the bars.”

“And we also have eight Super Soldier that are loose.” Bucky argued. Frainn walked with the two guys, looking around with the flashlight in her hand. The place they had stepped in was completely dark, but it looked like some sort of old hangar with stuff all over the place, which they couldn’t see because of the lack of light. Frainn suddenly bumped into something and looked down. She had accidentally kicked a chair’s leg and now it was lying on the floor, so she just pushed it aside carelessly, listening to the two.

“Zemo’s gonna mess with our minds. Especially yours. No offense.” Bucky stayed silent for a second as he turned on the light in the room and he glanced at Sam, turning his flashlight off.

“He can’t mess with mine.” Frainn mumbled to herself.

“Offense.” They looked around them. What Frainn thought was a sort of hangar or shed or whatever, was actually a messy garage, storage along the walls and a car sitting in the center of it all, its trunk opened. “Super Soldiers go against everything he believes in. He is crazy but he still has a code.”

“If we follow his logic, my kind is as much against what he allegedly believes in.” Frainn swinged her flashlight in her hand and caught it back as it fell, shoting up her eyebrows, following the motion of the object she played with for an instant. “May I remind you that he wanted to wipe out super-heroes, targeting the Avengers, a team I was and still is a part of, and any powerful non-human whatever being, which defines… me.”

“Yes. Exactly.” Sam pointed at the Goddess with his hand after he supported his point. Bucky gave a sidelong glance at Frainn and looked back at Sam. “And not to remind you that, I’ve been on the wrong side of that code and so have you. He blew up the UN, he killed king T’Chaka and framed you for it. Did you forget that? You think the Wakandans forgot about it? It’s a rhetorical question. They didn’t. I know why it matters to you, but it’s pushing you off the deep end.”

“We don’t know how they’re getting’ the serum.” Bucky kept arguing. “We don’t even know how many of them there are. Look, let me just walk you through a hypothetical. Can I?”

“What’d you do?” Sam asked softly and Frainn frowned, staring at her lover, trying to figure out what he was talking about.

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Oh, right.” Frainn chuckled, nodding, crossing her arms over her chest. He definitely did something, no matter how hard he tried to convince the both of them otherwise. She eventually shook her head and waved her hand around and he started.

“The weakest point in any system isn’t the software, the hardware, it’s the meatware. The human element. Now, in this lockup, it’s nine to one, prisoners to guards. And if two prisoners start fighting, then the protocol says four guards have to respond.”

“So why would prisoners randomly start fighting at that moment?” Sam inquired, shaking his head.

“Who knows? There could be any reasons… But the point is, these things escalate. Lockdown procedures would have to be initiated, and with all those bodies flying around left and right, wouldn’t be hard to slip down a hallway or two. And if the fire alarm got tripped while the prisoners were being separated… someone could use the chaos to their advantage.”

“I don’t like how casual you’re bein’ about this.” Sam smirked, feeling something was up. “That is unnatural. Are you— And where are we, man?” He then looked beyond the car as a door opened and a figure walked toward them, and there he was. Zemo pushed the plastic stripes hanging in the door frame, in a german guard’s uniform. “Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Hye, what are you—”

“No, listen.” Bucky stepped in front of Sam and blocked him.

“What are you doin’ here?” He yelled anyway.

“I didn’t tell ‘cause I knew you wouldn’t let this happen.” Bucky rose his voice.

“What did you do?” Sam insisted on asking. He turned his face to Frainn as she was being quiet, standing nearby, looking at Zemo with a slight hint of contempt in her stormy blue eyes. “Did you know? You’re a deceiver, that was all an act back there?”

“Sam.” He rose his eyes in disbelief, shaking his head upon realizing that she helped Bucky in his little “breaking Zemo out of prison” plan.

“We need him.” Bucky said.

“You’re going back to prison!” Sam pointed his index finger at the former terrorist.

“If I may…”

“No!” All three of them turned their heads to him, frowning and yelled simultaneously at him.

“When Steve refused to sign the Sokovia Accords, you backed him. You broke the law, and you stuck your neck out for me.” Bucky went on to tell him. “I’m asking you to do it again.”

“I really think I’m invaluable…”

“Shut up.” Sam cut him off in a low voice. He glanced at Bucky, let his head fall over and slowly shook it before raising his face to the centenary standing in front of him. “Okay.” He turned his head to Zemo. “If we do this, you don’t make a move without our permission, or we let Frainn confirm why you think superheroes are dangerous, and it’ll go beyond what you ever thought.”

“Fair.” He nodded, glancing at the Goddess, staring at him, dead in the eyes.

“Okay, Zemo.” Sam paused. “Where do we start?”

“So our first move is Grand Theft Auto?” Frainn glanced at Sam, confused as to what he was referencing saying this. She had no idea what this Grand Theft Auto thing was.

“These are mine.” Zemo replied casually. “Collected by family over generations.”

“Yeah, to me it’s just a bunch of junk on wheels. I don’t see whatever beauty you see in it.”

“To ordinary mortals devoid of the power of teleportation, they are very precious.” Zemo explained in a drawling tone like he was some philosopher before he went back to his explanation to the three of them while Sam and Bucky checked out the cars here and there and Frainn just stood in the middle, waiting as she had no intered in those things. “I spent years hunting people HYDRA recruited to recreate the serum. Because once it’s out there, someone can create an army people… like the Avengers.”

“Not all of us have serum running through our veins in order to grant us strength and powers, Zemo.” Frainn spat, pacing her finger against her arm in boredom.

“That was just a pure factual metaphor.” He smiled before benting over and grabbing some things in the backseat of one of the cars. “I ended the Winter Soldier program once before. I have no intention to leave my work unfinished. To do this, we’ll have to scale a ladder of lowlives.”

“Well, join the party. We’ve already started.” Sam retorted.

“First stop is a woman named Shelby.” He spoke as he walked away, holding his bag and coat. “Mid-level fence I still have a line on. From there, we climb.”

“So all this time, you’ve been rich?” Sam wondered as they walked along a private jet parked on the tarmac, the engines roaring in the back.

“I’m a Baron, Sam. My family was royalty until your friends destroyed my country.”

“I’m royalty too.” Frainn chimed in, looking around. “I was an Asgardian princess until my world was destroyed by a, uh, let’s say, a “end of the world” kind of prophecy and I should be queen of a realm of ice, but I can’t go back and it most likely went to ruins by now sooo....”

“Hearing these things coming to life when you spoke of it, is… fascinating.” He admitted. “Tell me more about it, any time.”

He then greeted the old butler standing by the stairs leading into the plane in russian and they exchanged a few words and kisses, and he then invited the three others to follow him inside. Frainn brought up the rear and she gave a smile to the man, greeting him in Russian as she spoke any Midgardian language. The old man was at first surprised, but he just smiled and climbed the steps after her as they all entered the jet. They sat down on four fancy beige leather seats in the aisle, facing each other. Sitting on the armchairs with his back to the cockpit, Bucky was seated facing Sam and Frainn facing Zemo. Arms and legs crossed, she was dangling her foot in boredom and looking out the porthole. She turned her head when she felt someone benting near her. It was the old man handing out a glass of champagne to Zemo.

“Apologies if that’s a little warm, the fridge is out. But I will see if there is some good food in the galley.”

“If it doesn’t pass the smell test… give it to them.” Zemo answered in Sokovian. Frainn stared him down while the butler chuckled at the comment and left.

“You’re decaying body won’t pass the smell test either, but I’ll be sure to feed it to the All-Father’s crows.” Frainn said in Sokovian, with a smirk on her face. He glanced at her and nodded as he took a sip of his drink like he understood why she would say this to him. Sam and Bucky were silently gazing at the both of them as the goddess death stared the Sokovian Baron.

“You don’t know what it’s like to be locked in a cell.” He then said, turning his head to Sam and Frainn frowned while Bucky looked away. “Oh. That’s right. You do.”

“Easy mistake.” Frainn retorted, giving him a fake reassuring smile. All four of them in this plane had known what it was like to be in a cell, some longer than others, in harsher conditions, but it all came down to the same memory of being in these four walls with no way to escape, except that they all did escape.

“Why don’t you tell us about where we’re going?” Sam inquired, annoyed.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what to call it, but this part seems to be important. Who is Nakajima?.” His eyes down on a book he held in his hands, and he then revealed a smaller one he had hidden in the pages. When he pronounced the man’s name which Frainn recognized, Bucky jumped out of his seat and brought his gloved hand to Zemo’s throat and the latter let out a light gasp.

“You touch that again, I’ll kill you.” He threatened, grabbing the book and sitting back in his seat under Frainn gaze.

“I’m sorry. I understand that list of names. People you’ve wronged as the Winter Soldier.”

“Don’t push it.” He warned in a low voice, calm. He glanced over at Frainn when her spear’s blade suddenly came beneath Zemo’s chin. She knew about this little book of his. She knew it was important and what was important to Bucky would be protected with her life by Frainn.

“Next time, this spear won’t stop at your chin.” She spat, implying that the next time he tried to push Bucky around, she would let the spear pierce his throat and the blood would flow down his mortal body.

“I’ve seen that book.” Sam added as Frainn made her spear shrink back to the side of a mere pencil. No one would ever suspect this seemingly harmless object people saw everyday would hide a much more lethal weapon. He looked at Bucky as he spoke. “It was Steve’s when he came out of ice with Frainn. I told him about Trouble Man. He wrote it in that book. Did you hear it? What’d you think?”

“I like 40’s music, so…”

“You didn’t like it?” Sam was almost offended.

“I liked it.” Bucky replied.

“Before you come for me, Sam, I just want to say I haven’t had much time on Midgard since 2012.” The Goddess raised her hands, palms turned to Sam, in defense.

“Well, you should listen to it now that you live on our planet.” He chuckled.

“It is a masterpiece. Complete. Comprehensive. It captures the African-American experience.” Zemo explained.

“He’s out of line, but he’s right.” Sam then declared. “It’s great. Everybody loves Marvin Gaye.”

“I like Marvin Gaye.” Bucky argued calmly.

“Steve adored Marvin Gaye.” Sam insisted.

“You must have really looked up to Steve. But I realized something when I met him. The danger with people like him,” He glanced at Frainn as he spoke before his eyes went on Bucky. “America’s Super Soldiers, is that we put them on pedestals.”

“Watch your step, Zemo.” Sam whispered but Zemo kept going, staring at Bucky.

“They become symbols. Icons. And then we start to forget their flaws. From there, cities fly, innocent people die. Movements are formed, wars are fought. You remember that, right?” Bucky was quick to look away after he glanced at the man with the glass of champagne. “As a young soldier sent to Germany to stop a mad icon. Do we want to live in a world full of people like the Red Skull?” He shook his head. “That is why we’re going to Madripoor.”

“What’s up with Madripoor? You talk about it like it’s Skull Island.” Sam wondered, looking at Zemo. Frainn was kind of confused. She didn’t know where was Madripoor or what was the deal about it and she didn’t know what was this Skull island thing Sam brought up but she hid her confusion behind a mask of ice.

“It’s an island nation in the Indonesian archipelago.” Bucky mumble an answer. “It was a pirate sanctuary back in the 1800s.”

“It’s kept its lawless ways.” Zemo added. “But we cannot exactly walk in as ourselves. James, you will have to become someone you claim is gone.”

Madripoor, Indonesian Archipelago

“We have to do something about this.” Sam complained, glancing at his red and gold suit. “I’m the only one who looks like a pimp.”

“Only an American would assume a fashion-forward Black man looks like a pimp.” Zemo countered as they walked down an impressive bridge toward the city they landed for. “You look exactly like the man you’re supposed to be playing. The sophisticated, charming African rake named Conrad Mack, aka the Smiling Tiger.”

“He even has a bad nickname.” Sam argued after taking a phone Zemo handed to him with a picture on it. He then looked down on the screen and rose his eyebrows. “Hell, he does look like me, though.” He glanced at Frainn, walking next to Bucky. “Why are you not dressed up too?”

“I could, but I don’t need to.”

“What do you mean?” He questioned, as if he wasn’t aware of the extent of her powers by now.

“You said it yourself, I’m a deceiver. No one will see me but you three. They won’t even be able to know unless I show myself.” She then explained.

“It is truly an art. An unpredictable and dangerous one.” Zemo philosophized before frowning slightly. “You smell this?”

“Yeah, what is that? Acid?” Sam wondered.

“Madripoor.” The Baron simply stated. “No matter what happens, we have to stay in character. Our lives depend on it. There's no more margin for error than Frainn can cover us for with her illusions.”

“You won’t even see or feel it when I do so.” They approached a black car stationed in the middle of the empty road, waiting for them.

“High Town’s that way. Not a bad place if you wanna visit, but Low Town’s the other way.” Frainn stood by Bucky as he opened the door and she slipped in between him and Sam on the back seat, already hidden from anyone’s sight but her three partners in crime, that included the driver on that fancy car they got in. The latter drove off and after a couple minutes tops, rain started pouring outside and thunder rumbled. Frainn looked at the sky when she heard it, thinking of her uncle, wondering how and what he was doing while she was in this mess, hunting Super Soldiers. As if they knew who was in this car, a bunch of armed men riding bikes came around the vehicle and escored them. They got out of the car and walked down a bunch of stairs, surrounded by artificial light and LED paneld hanging on the building, plunging them in a blueish atmosphere with some hints of pink and yellow, the night sky over their heads. The streets were crowded. Shady people holding guns over thei shoulders all over the place. It wasn’t so high class like back on Asgard. She wasn’t scared but it wasn’t somewhere she wanted to stay for long. It kind of made her miss the cosyness of their small not so furnished apartment in New York.

“Here we are.” Zemo then led them into a bar, a crow thronging the room. Frainn glanced around and winced at the sight of a wall filled with monkeys’ skulls painted in gold, just hanging there in decoration. She didn’t like this place very much and couldn’t wait to be out of here, but she could feel it was only the beginning of a long night. They made their way through the crowd and as seconds passed, people noticed them and in no time, all the eyes were on Bucky, walking behind Zemo as he spoke in Russian to the Super Soldier. “Ready to comply… Winter Soldier?”

“Hello, gentlemen.” The barman greeted the three. “Wasn’t expecting you, Smiling Tiger.”

“His plans changed. We have business to do with Shelby.” Zemo declared.

“The usual?” The man frowned behind his glasses and looked at Sam. The latter nodded, and he watched him grab a snake into a jar and cut it open on a black cutting board below the counter.

“Ah. Smiling Tiger, your favorite.” Zemo smiled, as the barman made the drink, plunging something from the snake into ther liquor. Frainn saw the look on Sam’s face, so she took care of it, like she discussed with Zemo. To the man behind the bar, Sam was looking pretty confident and eager to drink whatever this was.

“I love these.” He said, calmly, grabbing the glass and looking at Zemo.

“Cheers, Conrad.” Their glasses clinked as they cheered, and he drank. Only them could see the wince of disgust on his face. A man then walked up to the Baron from behind and the latter turned around.

“I get word from on high. You ain’t welcome here.”

“I have no business with the Power Broker,” Frainn frowned, wondering who this person Zemo mentioned was, but what she got from the way he said it, was that whoever this was they were kind of the big deal here in Madripoor. “but if he insists he can either come and talk to me…” He showed Bucky beside him, keeping on a straight face, silent. “Or bring Selby for a chat.”

“A power broker? Really?” Bucky inquired once the man walked away.

“It’s a pretty lame nickname.” Frainn added.

“Every kingdom needs its king.”

“Stop Zemo, I’m this close to find you funny.” She taunted, making a small space between her fingers. He glanced at her without moving his head to not make it suspicious. She wasn’t there to anyone else in the bar, he couldn’t act like he was talking to a ghost.

“Let’s just pray we stay under his radar.”

“Do you know him?” Sam wondered, leaning his back against the counter.

“Only by reputation.” He turned to Sam. “In Madripoor he is judge, jury, and executioner.”

“Seems like a lot of power for just a man if you ask me.” Frainn appeared beside Sam and crossed her fingers on her chest. He nodded at her comment. They looked at Zemo when he turned around and started speaking Russian to Bcuky when a man walked up to him.

“Winter Soldier, attack.” The second the man put his hand on Zemo’s shoulder, Bucky grabbed him with his metal arm and twisted his wrist, pushing him away forcefully. He punched him in the stomach and made him fall over on the floor while everyone stepped away, watching, their phones out to film the scene. Another man rushed at Bucky, but he threw a punch and a couple of kicks at him and threw him away, dragging someone else in his fall. But really, this fight scene was much more complex than people could see. Bucky fighting as the Winter Soldier in the middle of a crowded bar was just the work of Frainn’s power. The persons he fought of were very much getting hurt and kicked and punched around and that was the whole thing about her illusions. She could make them so real you would actually mistake them for the reality. She could conceal herself from the sight of others and project illusions that would go to such a realistic level that no one could see through it. No mere mortals could notice the trick. The real Bucky was still standing near the bar and Frainn was squeezing his shoulder lightly.

“I didn’t want to let you do this.” She whispered, watching the fake but real-looking fight taking place in the bar. The damages in the room were real as they were cause by Bucky’s opponents upon falling around.

“This is very impressive, Frainn.” Zemo remarked, knowing that her illusion would make it look like he didn’t even talk at all, and he nodded, watching as well. Illusion Bucky then stood right where Bucky was, pinning a man down onto the bar and in a fraction of second, Bucky found himself actually holding him down. When Sam put his hand on Bucky’s metal arm, Frainn made it look like he didn’t move so they wouldn’t be suspicious. “Stay in character, or the whole bar turns on us. You are lucky Frainn is covering us.” He then switched to Russian. “Well done, Soldier.”

“Selby will see you now.” The barman exclaimed as Bucky let the man slip down the bar, groaning in pain. They were then led through a back door. Cells along the walls, tables covered in bundles of cash. They eventually reached a private lounge. They walked to a woman casually sitting on a couch.

“You should know Baron.” She started, tapping her fingers on the top of the back of the sofa. “People don’t just come into my bar and make demands.”

“Not a demand. An offer.” He replied, sitting on the other sofa.

“A lot has changed since you were here last.” She went on to say, following Bucky with her eyes. Frainn stood beside him and stared at the one named Selby as he positioned himself near the wall. The white-haired woman turned her head back to Zemo, frowning slightly. “By the way, I though you were rotting away in q German prison. How did you escape?”

“People like us always find a way, don’t we?” He shrugged, sketching a smirk. “I’m sure you’ve already figured out what I’m here for.”

“You’re taller than I’d heard, Smiling Tiger.” She stated, still looking at Zemo and pointing at Sam with her index finger and slowly turned her head to him. He simply looked down at her and nodded silently, with a straight face. She then purred softly, moving her fingers in the air and glanced at Zemo with a thrilled smile. “What’s the offer?”

“Tell us what you know about the super-soldier serum.” He stood up and walked over to Bucky, passing behind him like he was a prize and Frainn didn’t like that very much. She knew it was all part of the plan to get the information but knowing that Bucky must have been so uncomfortable in this position, she was upset. “And I give you him, along with the code words to control him, of course. He will do anything you want.”

“Now that’s the Zemo I remember. I’m glad I decided not to kill you immediately.” Her smile faded to a more serious facial expression, but one could see that she liked the idea of having the Winter Soldier under her thumb. As she continued, Zemo went back to the sofa. “Arrogant, but right. The Super-soldier serum is here in Madripoor. Dr. Wilfred Nagel is the man you wanna thank. Or… condemn, depending on what sied of this you’re on. The Power Broker had him working on the serum, but… things didn’t go as planned.”

“Is Nagel still in Madripoor?” Zemo asked. She slightly leaned forward, shaking her head.

“The bread crumbs you can have for free, but the bakery is gonna cost you, Baron.” She stood up. “And before you get all cute, don’t think you can find Nagel without me.” Suddenly Sam’s phone started to vibrate in the inside pocket of his suit jacket. Frainn clenched her fist. Doing anything wouldn’t do them a favor because Selby had heard it and if there was magically no sound, it would be strange. He looked at the screen of his cellphone and glanced back at Selby who now stood right in front of him. “Answer it. On speaker.”

“Hello?” He eventually said, taking a deeper voice than usual, trying to keep it together for the act. A female voice rose.

“Hey, um, we need to talk about this situation. It’s been drivin” me nuts.”

“What situation exactly are you talking about?”

“Are you high?” The woman wondered, sensing something wasn’t right about the way Sam was talking to her over the phone which made Frainn think it was someone close to him, who would know his behavior was off. Whilst he was on the phone, Selby walked around the room. “You know what situation, it’s the only situation me and you have.”

“What situation, Sarah? Say it.” He sounded fakely bothered.

“The damn boat. And watch your tone. Okay? I let you slide at the bank.” Sam scoffed before replying.

“The bank. Yeah. Laundered so much…” He chuckled, shaking his head with a proud smile, trying to play this off. “Yeah, they’ll come around.”

“If that was the case, then why’d they dog you out, Big Time?”

“Yeah, you damn right I’m Big Time. You’ll see when I have that banker killed.”

“Cass! What’d I tell you about the Cheerios? I don’t have time for this!” She seemed to be addressing a kid, maybe hers even. Frainn grabbed the golden pen in her pocket and slowly extended it to its full size, her hand tightly holding onto the spear, feeling that it was about to go down rather quickly in the next seconds, and she sensed right, it did, the moment the woman articulated his real name for everyone to hear and the Goddess didn’t expect this so it wasn’t Conrad that Selby and her men heard. “Sam, I’m sorry. I’ll call you back.”

“Sam? Who’s Sam? Kill them!” Right after she gave the order, a bullet pierced her throat and her body fell heavily on the floor. Frainn revealed herself and helped to get rid of Selby’s men. Bucky and Sam took the guns of the guards they knocked out and Zemo and Frainn followed them to a door in the lounge.

“They’re gonna pin this on us.” Sam looked at Zemo and the Baron sighed.

“We have a real problem now, so leave your weapons and follow my lead.” He instructed the Bucky and Sam. The two men let go of the guns and they all walked out of the bar through the back of the building and out onto the crowded streets. They heard cell phones chimed and people chattering as they walked briskly to get away before anyone identified them and, in any case, before Frainn could even hide them, people had seen them. Some guy suddenly fired at them and Frainn deflected the bullets with a violent gust of wind, and they went right back at the shooter but it was only the first of many who wanted the bounty on their heads for the murder of Selby. They all sped up and started running and Frainn took care of the guys after them all while running along them.

“I can’t run in these heels!” Sam complained.

“Just fucking run, Sam!” Frainn groaned and she looked behind when she heard bikes coming after them. “Where the fuck is Zemo?”

“What?” Sam looked back as she threw discs of ice under the motorcicles’ wheels, and it froze the whole machine along with the people driving them and they fell with a crash and broke into pieces, as if they were only made of ice. She turned around and looked up. Seeing a window half opened and a sniper posted right there, she didn’t think twice and the moment the person was closing the window after shooting someone on the street, she gathered the wind around her hands and thew a gust of it, shattering the glass towards the inside, and right at the sniper, whoever that was. Zemo then reappeared, shooting another.

“You seem to have a guardian angel.” Bucky and Sam looked at Frainn at Zemo’s comment and all she was thinking of after hearing him say this was how Bucky called her Steve’s guardian angel the day they met in this back alley, and he saw it in her eyes. He knew exactly what she was thinking in this instant.

“Well, this is too perfect.” A woman’s voice rose from the shadows behind Zemo, and he turned around as she approached. Frainn frowned when she recognized Sharon beneath that hood, holding the Baron at gun point. “Drop it, Zemo.”

“Sharon?” Bucky was as surprise to see her.

“You cost me everything.” She ignored the super soldier, walking toward Zemo and he stepped back between Bucky and Sam. The latter stretched his hand out, palm to Sharon.

“Sharon, wait.” Frainn walked around, observing the woman’s face. She noticed cuts on her face. “Someone recreated the super-soldier serum and Zemo had a lead.”

“That explains why you guys are here. And Selby’s dead.”

“So what are you doing here?” Bucky wondered.

‘I stole Steve’s shield, remember? I also took the wings for your ass, so that you could save him from him.” She pointed Sam, Bucky and Zemo in order with her gun. “I didn’t have the Avengers to back me up. So, I’m off the grid in Madripoor.

“Had a little accident, Sharon?” Frainn asked in a softly threatening way, almost like hiss of a snake to the blond’s ear. She glanced at her but gave no response, shrugging it off.

“Don’t blow smoke. I was on the run, too.” Sam retorted.

“Was. Is. Big difference. I don’t speak to my family anymore. I can’t. My father doesn’t know where I am.”

“How sad, Sharon. I feel you.” Frainn overplayed being sad and nodded, then cracked a fake sympathetic smile. Her sarcasm was probably misplaced and a childish reaction in this moment, but she was bitter upon hearing her play the victim. Sure, she was. Unfair things happened to her, but the goddess could compete on who had it worse. “Mine doesn’t know where I am and I can’t talk to him or anyone of my family either,” She pressed heavily each of the words that followed, and it threw a cold. “because they’re all dead.”

“Hey. Listen…” Looking at Sharon, Bucky was the one to speak up, stepping beside the goddess, a hand on her shoulder. She swallowed harshly, maybe she needed to vent on someone, and she didn’t feel bad for it. Sharon wasn’t anyone to her. “Sharon, we need your help.” The blonde chuckled. “Please.”

“This isn’t over. I have a place in High Town. You’ll be safe there.” She then walked away, and Bucky motioned at the two others to follow as he placed his arm in Frainn’s back, leading her along with him. Sharon brought them to a car and they crossed Madripoor to the gate of a fancy building.

“Looks like breaking all those laws is treating you well.” Sam stated as they entered. It was a quite luxious indeed. Even with an Asgardian interpretation of the word luxury, she could see it was rather nice, but she preferred the gold and greatness of her homeworld’s architecture, which she could ever only see again in memories.

“I thought if I had to hustle, might as well enjoy the life of a real hustler. You know how much I’ll get for a real Monet?” Frainn frowned, not knowing who this Monet was and just listened to Sharon talking with Sam as they climbed a bunch of stairs.

“Deactivate your hustle mode. You sell fake Monets.”

“No.” Zemo spoke up and Sam turned to him. “She means real. This gallery is specialized in stolen artwork. Monet. Van Gogh. Classics.”

“It’s true.” Frainn nodded at Bucky’s affirmation, but she had no idea what and who they were talking about. She had only knowledge of the Nordic artworks, she wasn’t so informed about Midgardian’s art in general and those names meant nothing to her as she didn’t know the people. “You know, half the artwork in museums like the Louvre is fake. Real stuff sits in places like this.”

“I must admit, I’m lost.” Frainn whispered to Bucky as she looked at the painting of a lady in a white dress, holding an umbrella. He glanced at her and chuckled.

“Okay, guys, I see what you’re doing. You’re more wordly than good olf Sam.”

“Yeah. What’s Google say?” Bucky inquired as he and Frainn walked past Sam.

“Come on, you guys need to change.” Sharon called out to them. “I’m hosting clients in an hour.” She opened a double door and led them into a sitting room with a bar, a couple sofas and a rack full of nice clothing for the guys. She left them for a moment and came back after Bucky changed into a suit and Sam was going through the clothes on display, topless as she walked in, Zemo drinking at the bar. Frainn was sitting next to Bucky on the sofa, in a fancy green backless dress with a slit along her leg and a plunging neckline. She had her spear turned into a gold arm ring with Nodic runes associated with Loki engraved on it and her necklace with the wolf's head pendant that she had been given by Frigga centuries ago, and that her mother wanted to give her. Her dark hair were slicked back on her head, brought into a high ponytail, hair cascading down on her neck.

“What’s going on, Sharon? You don’t ever wanna come back home?” Sam wondered.

“They’ll lock me up if I step foot back in the States. Madripoor doesn’t allow extradition.”

“Look, I’m sorry I didn’t call, but after The Blip and the chaos, I just…”

“Look, you know the whole hero thing is a joke, right?” They listened the two in silence, Frainn let her head fall on the back of the sofa and stared at the ceiling, fidgeting with the pendant of her necklace. “The way you gave up that shield, deep down, you must know that it’s all hypocrisy.”

“He knows. And not so deep down.” Zemo chimed in, a glass in his hand.

“By the way, how is the new Cap?” Frainn clenched her jaw and sighed at Sharon’s question. All the Goddess wanted was to see that jackass drop dead on the ground.

“Don’t get me started.” Bucky said in a low voice, hands joined on his laps. Sharon scoffed.

“Please. You buy into all that stars and stripes bullshit. Before you were his pet psychopath,” She walked around the sofa and sat down on Frainn’s right ands the latter straightened up her head and stared at her. “you were Mr. America! Cap’s best friend, and you, Frainn, you were Eagle, his sidekick.”

“I’m no one sidekick. I was his friend.” She spat, bitter.

“Wow. She’s kind of awful now.” Bucky stated and exchanged a glance with Frainn.

“Karli Morgenthau and at least seven others have taken the serum.” Sam approached, adjusting the high collar of his top.

“You guys really should steer clear of all this for your own safety.”

“We know it’s a risk, but we’re not gonna leave until we find the one who cracked the code.” Sam insisted and Sharon frowned, worried.

“We got a name. Wilfred Nagel.” Bucky added. Sharon then stood up and took a few steps away towards a plate with alcool bottles near which Zemo was seating.

“Nagel works for the Power Broker.”

“We need your help, Sharon. I can get your name cleared.” Sam tried to convince her.

“You haggling with my life?”

“Not like that.”

“I don’t buy that.” She retorted, a glass in her hand and sat down. “You pretending like you can clear my name.”

“Okay, maybe it is hypocrisy. Maybe you’re right. What happened to you.” He stood up and walked toward her. “But I’m willing to try if you are.” He motioned to Bucky and Frainn with his hand. “They cleared the bionic machine, and he killed almost everybody he’s met.”

“I heard that.” Bucky declared, staring at the floor.

“They even gave US and Norwegian citizenship to his alien— Goddess of a girlfriend, and she killed almost everybody she’s met too.”

“I heard that too.” Frainn sighed.

“I don’t trust charity.” Sharon shook her head.

“All right, a deal then. You help us out, and I get your name cleared.” Sam crossed his arms and then held out a hand to her, which she took before taking a sip of her drink with a sigh and stood up.

“Well, I sell to some pretty connected people. Lay low, blend in, enjoy the party.” She walked away towards some stairs. “Try to stay outta trouble. I’ll see what I can find.”

“Trouble.” Zemo looked at the three others in the room and shrugged, his glass in between his hand.

“I don’t like Midgardian parties.” Frainn stood up and walked toward one of the French windows opening onto the balcony, her heels making her even taller than she was already, slamming on the floor with every step she took. She went to the balustrade and looked down on the city, plunged in the dark of the night with blue LED panels all over the place, giving to the place that was Madripoor a peculiar aura. “I’d rather have an Asgardian feast.”

“What’s it like?” She turned her head upon hearing Bucky’s voice behind her as he came next to her to the balustrade. She turned her head to him before looking back down at the streets.

“I went to a few of them before I was cast out. It was always so cheerful. People were eating and drinking, seated at the longest table I had ever seen or chatting here and there, laughing. Oh, and the food. The food was divine.” She chuckled at the use of this word as she was herself pretty much a Goddess, and it felt a bit funny to use it. But in any case, her smile faded rather quickly as nostalgia got the upper hand and the joy that the memory brought her turned into sadness of never being able to relive this moment.

“It sounds fun. Care to show me, honey?” He put his hand over hers and she raised her eyes to him. Frainn knew he meant showing him by using her illusions casting power and she grabbed his other hand, turning to him and in the blink of an eye, their surroundings changed, and she saw wonders in Bucky’s eyes. The golden palace of Asgard, candles hanging on the walls, their flames dancing to the breeze, laughs and people eating and drinking everywhere. At first, he must have thought it was just some projection to show him but when they looked around, they saw her younger self, sitting next to Loki in a corner, swinging her leg in the air. “Is that you?”

“Yes. My father didn’t like these feasts much, but I managed to get him to come sometimes.” He held on to her hands as she walked to her and Loki and stood a couple feet away from them. They could hear the conversation the two were having.

“You’re so not fun, Loki.”

“Those celebrations are a waste of my time.”

“No, they’re not.” Young Frainn argued.

“Did you know he was your dad, at that time?” Bucky wondered, watching her and the God of Mischief chatting. Frainn glanced at the floor for a second.

“No. The moment I found out, I went berserk and caused a massacre.” The settings switched. They were in the mountains on the other side of the realm, far from the palace, their feet were sinking in the snow and there she was. She saw herself sitting in the snow, her skin blue and eyes red just staring ahead with this downcast look. There was also anger in her eyes. Bucky was probably silent because he didn’t know what to say upon seeing this. She was showing him things she never really talked about that much. She thought that he must have wondered if she told Steve or anyone else the whole story about her banishement. But even if she did talk about it, it wasn’t the same as letting people dive into her own memories. As the guards came and dragged her back to the palace, she shut down the illusion and they were back on the balcony, facing the balustrade, holding their hands.

“Hey,��� They turned around and saw Sam holdig the French doors opened ajar. “What’s taking you so long to talk about?”

“We’re coming.” Bucky simply replied and Sam nodded and went back inside with Zemo. The latter was looking right at Frainn with this strange fascination he had when she spoke of her past, which were stories coming right from mythology books. He eventually got up and stopped looking so she turned to Bucky.

“Let’s go to that party.” Frainn declared but her words were met by Bucky’s lips softly connecting with hers. She kissed him back. His lips tasted sweet and the comforting kiss, as good as it was, ended when they went on their way to the party going on downstairs. A loud upbeat music was playing in the now crowded show room, arms up in the air, drinks in hands, everyone was dancing in rhythm to the music, cheering. Frainn found a party like this quite grotesque. The music and vibe of the party wasn’t to her liking, and she just followed, Zemo, Sam and Bucky to the bar with a straight face. A moment ago, she was opening her heart to Bucky, sharing a sweet moment with him and now she was here, already bored. As Zemo and Sam went their separate ways, Bucky brought his hand to Frainn’s waist, standing next to her.

“I know you don’t like it. Just stay at the bar and get yourself some drinks.”

“That sounds like a plan. I hold alcohol very well.” She joked, still stone-faced as she watched the people partying all around the room.

“Not everyone knows that.” He retorted with a smirk as he let his hand slip down her back and walked away, making his way through the crowd of people dancing, jumping on the spot. The Goddess sketched a slight smile and went to sit at one of the barstools along the bar, her side to it to keep an eye on the party going on, not turning her back to anyone. She ordered the strongest drink the barman had and casually drank it like there was no alcohol in it. She felt it, but it didn’t have effect on her body. It would take a lot more than whatever she was served to get drunk. After a moment that seemed awfully long and she was already at her fourth drink, she noticed Bucky motioning for her to come to him and Sam with his hand, so she just got up and walked over to them. “You’ll be happy.”

“Why is that?”

“Sharon found Nagel.” Sam told her.

It was very early in the morning when all four of them left the party and went with Sharon to the docks of Madripoor where were stacked hundreds of huge containers. It was apparently in the area that this Wilfred Nagel they were looking for, was hiding, working on the serum.

“Madripoor could give New York a run for its money.” Sam said as they walked after Sharon as she led them around the place.

“They know how to party.” Zemo retorted.

“I beg to differ.” Frainn argued, glancing at Zemo behind her. She always felt that her royal titles were just that, titles but the more she experienced new things, she saw that there was a gap between her and her upbringing and everyone else. That kid of party or gathering would never have had its place on Asgard, or Jotunheim for that matter. There wasn’t any party in that ice kingdom anyway but on Asgard, the parties were like she showed Bucky through her memories. Gold, drinks, good food, fruits, meat, laughs and chatter with a breath-taking view from the palace’s balcony. It was something else.

“With that bounty on your head, Zemo, the longer you’re in Madripoor, the less likely you’re ever leaving.” Sharon spoke up, glancing up and down at her phone. She then stopped in front of a containers’ double doors. “All right. He’s in there. Container four-two-six-one. I’ll keep an eye out while you guys talk to Nagel. But hurry. We’re on borrowed time.”

She handed them earpieces for each of them, before leaving them on their own. They walked to the container and Sam opened the door which creaked briefly. They glanced inside but it was empty.

“Hey, Sharon. You sure this is the right one?” He inquired. “It’s latelytely empty.”

“Positive. It has to be.” She replied and they stepped inside. Frainn looked around and went to the back of the container. Zemo came along with his flashlight, and he passed his gloved fingers on the sheet metal and they glanced at each other, thinking there was a door right there. She pushed the panel with both hand and it moved under the pressure so he and Frainn looked at Sam and Bucky. There was a flight of stairs with music coming from above. Bucky and Sam pulled out their guns and walked up the stairs first, Zemo bringing up the rear. Silently, they walked into a lab with music blasting from a record player. And there he was, Wilfred Nagel, oblivious to their intrusion, his back to them as they approached, focused on whatever he was doing. Frainn, Sam and Bucky exchanged a look and she pulled out her spear, concealing the noise Sam stopped the music. The scientist turned around, already on the defensive and stared at Sam.

“Dr Nagel?”

“Who are you? What do you want?”

“We know you created the super-soldier serum.” Sam insisted.

“Get out my lab.” He walked past him and was met by two rather threatening people, Frainn and who he knew as the Winter Soldier. His confidence dropped very quickly when he saw the two and when he noticed the sharp blade of the spear she held in her hand.

“You know who he is, right?” Sam grabbed the scientist’s arm and showed him Frainn and Zemo in turn. “This is Frainn Lokadottir, the Avenger and this is Baron Zemo, I know you’ve heard of them too, right?” He pushed him toward Bucky, still holding his arm and cornered him. “You seem like a pretty smart guy. So you better become conversational real quick.

“How about a counter proposal? Make me a better offer and I’ll talk.”

“People on this planet have such an audacity.” She casually walked to him and put her hand to his neck. She wasn’t squeezing. She didn’t need to choke him to hurt him. Her hand slowly turned blue, and he started to wince, trying to repress and conceal the pain that he began to feel.

“Guys, we have company.” Sharon said over the coms. Frainn glanced at the others and brought the coldness to another level and the scientist breathed in and out rather loudly still trying to contain himself. She dragged him to a chair and forcefully sat him down as he started to groan in pain

“Here’s this “better offer” that you want.” She was crouched in front of him, her hand still holding onto his neck, looking at him dead in the eyes. “If you don’t want to die, you talk. If speak, I take off my hand and your neck will heal from this just fine but the longer you take to decide… you either get your throat slit or he shoots you in the head. Simple.” On that note, Bucky fired a warning shot behind him and brought the barrel of the gun to his temple.

“Okay. Okay.” He eventually gave in, and she nodded, letting go off him and standing back up. He took a deep breath in, bringing his hands up to his neck but not daring touching the burn she caused on his skin. Bucky then lowered his gun. “I was brought into HYDRA’s Winter Soldier program to pick up their work after the five failed test subjects in Siberia. When HYDRA fell, I was recruited by the CIA. They had blood samples from an American test subject with semi-stable traces of serum in his system. After much labor, I was able to isolate the necessary compounds in his blood. I was a god.” Frainn’s jaw clenched. “I did what no other scientist since Erskine was able to do. But mine was going to be different. No clunky machines or jacked up bodies. Mine was going to be subtle, optimized, perfect.”

“How have we never heard about this?” Sam was in disbelief in front of how insane the man sounded.

“Because… Before I was able to complete my work, I turned to dust. Then when I returned, it was five years later, program had been abandoned, so I came here. The Power Broker was more than happy to fund the recreation of my work.”

“How many vials did you make?” Wilson asked.

“Twenty.” He looked away for a second. “Karli Morgenthay stole those, so… I can only imagine what the Power Broker has planned for that poor girl.”

“Where’s Karli now?” Sam went on with the questions.

“I don’t know where she is but a couple days ago, she called and asked if I could help someone named Donya Madani. Poor woman has tuberculosis. Typical of overpopulation in displacement camps like that.”

“Well, what happened to her?” The scientist shrugged.

“Not my pig. Not my farm.”

“Is there any serum in this lab?” Bucky inquired and as Nagel kept quiet, he brought his gun to his head once again.

“No.” He finally said.

“Now what?” Bucky turned his head to his peers and suddenly, Sharon bursted in the lab.

“Guys, we’re seriously outta time here.” Out of nowhere, Zemo pulled out a gun and shot Nagel in the chest. The latter fell over on the floor, dead, in a pool of his own blood. Sharon and Sam jumped at Zemo and blocked him against a wall, but they had no time doing anything, an explosion occured in the lab and they all were projected to the floor. Frainn was lying there, having a hard time breathing after the heat of the blast of fire that entered the lab upon the explosion. She gasped for air and winced as an alarm blared fluriously in the room, ringing her ears. The ringing was bearable. What was much harder to deal with for her was the heat that filled the whole room all of a sudden. She turned her head when she heard a muffled voice coming from her right and before she could understand what was happening, she felt Bucky’s hands grab her sides and help her on her feet, passing her arm around his shoulders.

“Frainn—” Bucky said her name but as they climbed down the stairs, another explosion sounded loud, causing the container above them collapse in front of the one they were in. Bucky ducked over Frainn to shield her just in case. Sam and Sharon were the first one to step outside while Bucky brought the palm of his hand to Frainn's forehead and he immidietaly took his hand off of her skin. “You’re burning up.”

“I gathered that.” She articulated, swallowing harshly. With the outside breeze entering the container, she regained her senses, but she still felt very weakened. “Leave me just a sec, join the others… I just need a minute.”

“All right, Frainn.” He was a little worried to leave her there but he reluctantly obliged, helping her to sit against a wall and he stepped outside. She breathed out and tensed her fingers. Her sking turned blue and she had some kind of relief. She didn’t know what skin-color she was born, she only ever saw herself with her white skin until she found out about her ancestry but then, she mostly kept this white skin and it felt effortless all the time until she got herself into situations like this one, which didn’t happen very often, and then she would feel a difference. It actually required some magic to keep her skin-color white but so little that it wasn’t a bother, she was more used to this one anyway. Less than a minute later, she stood up and walked outside. Shots rang out here and there, hitting the sheet metal containers around them. She stepped in the middle of the shooting, out in the open, her skin blue and her eyes red. It was definitely something to see given she was still in her dress because she had been too lazy to change into something else, and it wasn’t harder to move in it as it wasn’t really tight.

“Frainn.” She heard Bucky call out her name, but she didn’t look at him as bullets started hitting her in bursts and yet, she didn’t flinch. She wasn’t moving an inch as if the bullets weren’t doing anything to her, which was actually the case. As funny as it sounded, her skin was so thick due to her being Asgardian and Jotun. One shooter got confused and it gave an opening for Bucky to shoot him down. She generated an ice pick along her hand and threw it at another that was standing above the containers. He had no time to dodge it and it pierced through him, and he fell heavily on his back. A second later, a pipe exploded, and another fire briefly sprung from it. Frainn crouched and put her arms and hands in front of her face, swirling a wind around her which she then sent on the black smoke that succeeded the fire and cleared the area. She slowly stood up and watched a figure jumped off a container, figure that she recognized to be Zemo given the coat he wore was the exact same and she watched him take down the last opponents standing, and she shook her head, sighing.

“Great fucking show.” She groaned. Bucky came by her when he, Sam and Sharon took the opportunity to run, and she followed the three of them without a word. Sam suddenly opened a container’s door as someone shot at them and he snatched a bar from it and knocked down another coming from behind him and Frainn. He then threw it at the woman that fired at them, pining her against a container. Frainn stared at her as she groaned and winced in pain and threw a thin disc of glass to slit the side of her throat. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out of it and less than a second later, there was no life left in her eyes. Frainn was pulled into the container Sam opened by the man himself and the door locked itself behind her. Frainn was a little disturbed to see how easy it still was for her to take the life of others but what was she to do if they were attacking her? For once, she had a legitimate reason of attacking back and killing. The deaths she caused back on Asgard because of Odin’s lies was the only thing she had ever done that couldn’t be excused, even though the blood of these Asgardians was on Odin’s as well. Would he not have lied to her, this would have certainly not happened. They walked across the container and Bucky punched the double door to the other side with his metal arm and they stepped out to the sound of tires creeching on the ground and here was Zemo, in a vintage car, pulling up to them.

“Supercharged.” The Sokovian stated. Frainn stared at him as her skin turned back to her Asgardian light complexion and she sighed silently.

“You’re going back to jail.” Sam reminded him.

“Do you want to find Karli or not?”

“He’s right. We need him.” Bucky added before getting in the passenger seat beside Zemo, leaving the backseat to Sam and Frainn. As her lover spoke, the Goddess walked around the car to get to the other side and get in. “And there’s three of us, and at least 20 of them. Come on.”

“Fine. But if you try that shit again…” He threateningly pointed his finger at Zemo before getting in in turn.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Well, that was one hell of a reunion.” Sharon sighed in relief, shutting the door of Bucky and Sam’s side of the car.

“Come back to the States with us.” Sam insisted.

“I told you I can’t. Just get me that pardon you promised me.”

“Thanks for everything.” Sam told her as she walked away. He slipped in his seat and looked at Bucky with annoyance. “You’re not gonna move your seat up, are you?”

“No.” The former soldier simply replied and Frainn chuckled. It was the same setting as back in 2016 when all three of them were waiting for Steve as he talked with Sharon outside of the car. Their places were reversed this time around and it was to Sam to struggle with little space for his legs.

“Donya Madani. She’s a refugee, yeah.” Sitting on a couch behind the four chairs facing each other on which all four sat on the outward journey to Madripoor, Frainn watched Sam step around while on the phone with Torres. Next to her was Bucky, cleaning his metal hand with a small towel. “Okay. Call me if you get a hit. Thanks, Torres.”

“You okay?” Bucky asked him after he let himself fall in one seat with a sigh.

“Yeah.” He replied in a deep voice. “Just thinking about all the shit Sharon had to go through. And Nagel referring to the American test subject like Isaiah wasn’t even a real person.” He straightened up and turned the seat to face Bucky. “Just makes me wonder how many people have to get steamrolled to make way for this hunk of metal.”

“Well, it depends on who you ask.” Bucky replied, looking down at his hand before switching his focus to Sam. Frainn had let her head fall on the back of the sofa and, her arms folded across her chest, she was staring into space listening to them. “That hunk of metal saved a lot of lives.”

“Yeah, I get that. All right. Maybe I made a mistake.”

“You did.”

“Yeah. Maybe I shouldn’t have put it in a museum. I should have destroyed it.” Frainn suddenly lifted her head and stared at Sam.

“Look, that shield represents a lotta things to a lotta people, including me, and Frainn.” He leaned forward, his arms resting on his knees. “The world is upside down, and we need a new Cap, and it ain’t gonna be Walker. So before you go and destroy it, I’ll take it from him myself.”

“Yeah.” Sam’s phone vibrated and he picked it up. Zemo arrived at the same time, small dishes in his hands and handed it over to Bucky, Sam and Frainn so they could eat, and he then sat down on the seat with its back to Bucky on the sofa. “They found Madani… dead. She died in Riga, a city near the Baltic Sea.”

“I have a place we can go.” Zemo spoke up. “I, for one, am looking forward to coming face to face with Karli. Oeznik, we’re changing the course.”

Riga, Latvia

“I heard what become of Sokovia.” Zemo said as they walked down the street towards the place Zemo owned in the city. “Cannibalized by its neighbors before the land was cleared of rubble, erased from the map. I don’t suppose any of you bothered visiting the memorial?” As his question was met by silence, he pursued. “Of course not. Why would you? We are here.”

“I’m gonna go on a walk.” Bucky then randomly declared, and everyone stopped in their tracks in front of the building and turned to him.

“You good?” Sam inquired.

“Yeah. See you guys in a bit.” He replied as he turned around and walked away. Frainn watched him going the other way, wondering what was going on but she didn’t say anything and followed Sam and Zemo inside. She needed some rest after all that happened in just the past couple days.

[To be continued…]  

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter 

Published (05/25/2022) by Andrea

Taglist: @cathrin2405​ @kika64

#falcon and the winter soldier #falcon and the winter soldier rewrite #falcon & the winter soldier rewrite #falcon and the winter soldier spoilers #fatws #fatws x reader #fatws series #fatws fanfiction #fatws spoilers #fatws fic #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x oc #oc!loki's daughter #oc loki's daughter #marvel oc loki's daughter #marvel #mcu #mcu phase #marvel phase #marvel phase 4 #loki's daughter oc #reader!loki's daughter #loki's daughter #!loki's daughter #sam wilson #falcon #marvel falcon #the winter soldier #white wolf

[aikaterini-drag]

Smiles and Smooches

Summary: You get drunk and demand kisses and hugs from your boyfriend. He is more than happy to please you.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x fem!Reader (no mention of y/n)

Warnings: no smut, takes place during tfatws, boyfriend Bucky, emotional security, fluff, kisses.

Kofi ❤️ Wattpad 🧡 AO3 🩷 ASK ME 🩵

The night carried a pleasant breeze, the stars twinkling. You and Bucky sat close together under the dimmed light of a cozy booth at your favorite bar. The hum of laughter and clinking glasses surrounded you. And tonight, you were a little tipsier than usual. You had consumed two of your favorite cocktails— despite your boyfriend’s advice to take it slow. Bucky, unlike you, couldn't get drunk no matter how hard he tried, thanks to his super soldier genes. He had finished the last sips of your drink, attempting to prevent you from feeling sick later on.

Thankfully, you were feeling fine. Only slightly drunk and blissfully happy inside.

With flushed cheeks and a captivating smile, you shifted on your chair and leaned toward him.

"You know, babe," you slurred slightly, "you're like... seriously the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Bucky couldn't help but half-laugh. “I told you, you shouldn’t have ordered that second drink, sweets. You’re drunk.”

“I’m fine.” You hiccuped and hugged his arm. “It’s not my fault you’re superman.”

“Super-soldier,” he corrected with another half laugh.

“Tsk… is the same. You’re my strong, virile man. And I love you!”

He grinned and gently brushed a strand of hair behind your ear. "And you're the best thing that's ever happened to me.”

You beamed at him, your fingers tracing patterns on his bionic hand. "No, I love you more! Seriously, you're, like, super super cute. I mean, like, cuter than, like, a basket of puppies."

He chuckled at your comparison. “What an adorable declaration of love.”

“You’re adorable.” Your breath ghosted over his lips. “My adorable James. My Bucky.”

He smiled and kissed across your forehead. “Well, that’s debatable. I have the most adorable girl in the world right here with me."

Your cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of pink. "Can I have a hug? Please? You give the best hugs."

Who was he to deny you? He eagerly wrapped his arm around you and pulled you close. You melted into his embrace, your head resting on his chest, your fingers playing with the fabric of his shirt. You popped a button and he chuckled and gripped your hands gently.

“No funny business, sweets.”

You pouted. “Want to kiss you. Everywhere.”

He kneaded your hair. “We’re in a bar full of people.”

“Then let’s go home,” you said as your mouth trailed a path of warmth along his unshaven jawline.

“I’m not letting you drink ever again. You get turned into a little kiss monster.”

You giggled. “Your kiss monster.”

“Mine. Always.” He hummed, his voice a warm murmur.

“Take me home, sarge.”

“Home it is, my sweet.”

After taking care of the bill, he held you up, his arms wounding around you to steady you. You still felt a little tipsy but you were also so happy and warm, holding him close, inhaling his fresh masculine scent. Holding you protectively against him, he led the way to the apartment you shared.

As they walked, he glanced at her. “Why did you drink so much, sweets? You dislike it.”

You sighed and clutched his arm. “I’m just sad you’re going on another mission. I don’t want you to be hurt. I meant to have one drink but… I lost control a bit, I guess.”

Bucky stopped and cupped your flushed face. “Hey, don’t worry. I’ll be fine. You know I’ve got this.”

“So what if you’re good at it? Does that mean you have to risk your life without concerns?” Tears welled up in your eyes. “What if something happens to you?”

Exhaling, he drew you into a tight embrace. “I’ll be careful, I promise. You know I’ll always come back to you.”

You nestled into his arms, suppressing a sob. “I just hate seeing you go into danger again.”

“I know, sweetheart. But it’s what I do. And I do it to protect people like you, people I care about,” he said, pressing gentle kisses on your moist cheeks. “Don’t cry. I’ll be counting the minutes until I can come back to you.”

“Promise?” You gazed up at him, searching his ocean eyes for reassurance.

“I promise.”

“My Bucky,” you said, caressing his face. “I love you,” you whispered, your voice filled with emotion.

He held you tighter, pressing a kiss to your lips. “Love you too, more than words can express, sweets.”

With his arms wrapped around you, you stayed there for a while, holding each other, kissing lazily. His lips brushed against yours repeatedly, his tongue coaxing your mouth apart and slipping inside. He consumed you, with his touches and his warmth, until there was nothing left but his warm gentle touches and the assurance that everything would be alright.

Follow for more content 🩵 Reblogs or any other kind of support are greatly appreciated. Hugs and kisses 🩷

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x fem!reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x fluff #bucky barnes fiction #bucky barnes fan fiction #bucky barnes oneshot #james bucky barnes #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes #alpha bucky barnes #fatws bucky #bucky fluff #beefy bucky #bucky bear #caring Bucky #by aikaterini

[delicatebarness]

FATWS!Bucky x Agent!Reader - After been told by Bucky not to flirt with John Walker to receive the shield, she waits until he’s not around to tell her no.

i cant read your mind | prologue

Y/N: You know, I worked under Steve.

Walker: Oh yeah?

Y/N: Oh yeah, we got real close.

Walker: Is that right?

Y/N: Mhmmm *runs hand over the suit* I always loved the Stars and Stripes.

Walker: 😏😏😏

* Bucky and Sam walk out of the police station, Bucky fills with rage and jealousy when he sees you all over Walker and marches over, pulling you away by your arm *

Bucky: I said no.

Y/N: *mumbles under breath* I’ll get that shield.

#I can’t read your mind notes #bucky x reader #bucky x you #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x y/n #bucky barnes #bucky x female reader #bucky fanfic #james bucky barnes #bucky fic #james bucky buchanan barnes #fatws!bucky x agent!reader #fatws bucky #fatws #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n

[feelmyskinonyourskin]

Pink Roses [Fake Dating Trope]

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Trope de Sept Masterlist | Main Masterlist

Fake Dating situation 1. Two characters pretend to date for some purpose such as social gain, only for real feelings to get involved at some point "Bucky asked you to pretend to be his girlfriend to keep his elderly sister happy. You’re just platonic friends/coworkers, what could possibly go wrong?"

Warnings: Lil’ bit of angst into a happy ending. Reader uses fem pronouns and is referred to as ‘girlfriend’. No use of y/n. Friends to lovers. Reader spends Christmas and Easter with Bucky but doesn’t necessarily celebrate them herself, but they are mentioned.

WC: 7,000 baby!!!! Kicking off the Trope De Sept event strong!

*I never give permission for my fics, manips, or any other original creation I post on this site to be copied, posted elsewhere, translated, or fed into any AI program. The only platform I currently post anything on is Tumblr. Thanks!*

“Thank you for the flowers by the way, they are beautiful.” Rebecca sighed, playing with the pink petals of the roses in front of her

“Of course Rebecca,” you responded. “Bucky picked them.”

“Oh my, he has good taste. He gets you flowers right?”

“Oh…” her question caught you off guard.

Bucky had merely introduced you by name when you arrived with him to visit his sister for Christmas. You assumed he had warned her he was bringing a coworker, but she seemed to not have gotten the memo and thought your relationship with her brother was something else.

“All the time, Becca. Mom raised me right.” he said, giving you a playful wink as he did

It was a lie, but Rebecca didn’t catch on.

“See I knew my brother was a gentleman. Oh he is so lucky to have you in his life.”

You shot Bucky a curious look and he merely shrugged in response.

The reason you were there with him at all began a few days before, right before Christmas.

“Hey Bucky, just heading out. See you in the New Year!” you said, tying your scarf tightly around your neck, ready to leave the Avengers compound for the two week break from work.

“Hey yeah! Have a good winter break! You got any big plans?” he asked

“No. Keeping it quiet this year.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah I just…I got so sick of my family asking me the same thing and all my cousins flaunting engagement rings, and wedding plans, and ultrasounds, that I just don’t even bother going home for holidays anymore.”

“Oh yeah, I get it. You should meet my sister. I’m going to see her on Christmas and all she does is worry about me. She’s convinced I’m unhappy because I’m single. She literally tries to set me up with every new nurse they hire at her nursing home and I just know most of the Christmas dinner conversation is going to be asking me when I’m going to find someone nice to settle down with.”

“Oh gosh that sounds fun.” you said with a chuckle

“Hey if you don’t have any big Christmas plans, would you want to come with me? My sister loves company and we can even get takeout afterwards. You know, just so you don’t have to spend Christmas alone?”

“Bucky, that’s very sweet of you. I’d love to. Your sister sounds amazing. I can't wait to meet her.”

“Great. Yeah Rebecca’s a fun time. She’s 98 and still smart as a whip. You’ll love her!”

“Okay sounds like a plan.”

The Crown Heights Senior Living Center knew how to throw a Christmas party, with Rebecca Barnes leading the charge on the caroling group and Bucky helping her coordinate the gift exchange.

You couldn’t remember the last time you’d had such a fun time, with a group of octogenarians no less.

“Wow Rebecca! How did Bucky keep a pet racoon in the attic for a whole week without your mother noticing?”

“Well that old Brownstone we lived in was solid. They don’t build them like that anymore. The walls were so thick it took her a while to figure out where the scratching noises were coming from.”

“Yeah well she also got suspicious when I swiped an extra serving of her meatloaf and ran upstairs with it right after dinner.” Bucky chimed in

“Speaking of, Becs they’ll be serving your dinner soon and we’re getting hungry too.” Bucky said, standing and giving his sister a kiss on the forehead

“Darling, it was lovely to meet you.” Rebecca said to you, then turned to her brother “James, please bring your girlfriend around more often, she’s a treat.”

You and Bucky smiled at her and departed the room, making your way down the tinsel decorated hall.

“Awe, she thinks I’m your girlfriend!” you teasingly commented, playfully smacking his arm

“Yeah well, literally every time I visit, she’s trying to set me up with a new nurse they’ve hired and she’s always asking me when I’m going to find someone nice to settle down with.”

“I think it’s sweet.”

“Now when I come back to visit next week, she’s gonna ask about you and I’m gonna have to break her heart and tell her I’m still alone and destitute. I…” Bucky trailed off

“What?”

“It’s a dumb idea.”

“What is?”

“What if we… look this might be crazy but. Would you want to, you know, pretend to be my girlfriend? Just come with me to the nursing home every once in a while on like holidays and things? Just to keep my sister happy. I mean she’s 98 years old, there’s not a lot left going on in her life and I’ve literally never seen her more excited.”

“Okay. This is either going to go really well or really poorly. Either way I wanna see it. So yeah. Let’s do it.”

You saw Bucky at work nearly everyday in the New Year, exchanging pleasantries and making small talk like all coworkers do. At the beginning of February, he brought up his sister again, mentioning that she asked about you and asking if you’d like to join him to visit her again on Valentine's Day. You agreed.

Bucky gave your front door three knocks and you swung it open to greet him, still fiddling with the clasp on your necklace as you got ready.

“Hey, I’ll be ready in a few.” you said as he entered your apartment, stopping in your tracks as you noticed the bouquet he held in his metal arm.

Pink roses, just like the one’s he’d brought Rebecca at Christmas.

“Oh these are for you.” he said, noticing your gaze traveling to them

“For me? But…”

“Don’t worry I have another bouquet for Becca.” he said, pulling an identical bouquet from behind his back “But at Christmas I told her I got you flowers all the time, so I figured I actually should, you know, not be a liar.”

“Not be a… Bucky, we are quite literally about to go see her and lie to her a bunch! You know, about us.” you gestured between the two of you

Bucky laughed and shook his head.

“Fair, but why lie about one more thing? And besides, I think I owe you more than just a thank you for doing all this.”

“Fair.” you said, mimicking his tone and taking the bouquet from him

As you filled a glass vase in the sink and placed the roses in it, Bucky stepped behind you, grabbing the necklace from where you had placed it on the counter and wordlessly fastened it around your neck.

A chill ran down your spine as his fingers fiddled with the clasp, finally connecting it with the hook and pressing his palm against the back of your neck to lay it flat.

“Now I know you aren’t just spending such a romantic holiday just visiting an old lady. What are your plans? James, how are you romancing your lady today?”

You and Bucky looked at each other nervously. You hadn’t really discussed backstory or any other thing she might want to know about your relationship.

“I’ll tell you later Rebecca, don’t want to ruin any surprises!” Bucky finally spoke up, and you made a point to reach for his right hand, intertwining your fingers with his like any couple might and put on an excited look on your face for the non-existent Valentines plans. His palm was warm as he rubbed his thumb in delicate circles around your hand.

“Oh good! Well don’t let me keep you kids too long!” she exclaimed, shooing you out the door of her room

“Okay we really need to discuss more backstory and stuff before we come here. She’s asking too many questions.” he commented as you walked down the hall

“Bucky, maybe this is a bad idea. Your sister is so sweet and I feel bad lying to her like this.”

“Hey, look, she's happy because she thinks I’m happy. We can call this off if you want, but I really think it’d break her heart if I tell her we broke up. Please, just a few more visits? Just so she doesn’t think I’m totally alone.”

“But you are.”

Bucky shot you a look that you’d only ever seen when Sam got on his nerves.

You gnawed at your bottom lip and gave it some thought, Bucky’s blue eyes staring you down. “Okay. But we need to come up with more of a back story. Let’s go grab a cup of coffee and set some ground rules?”

“It’s a date.”

Your eyes went wide at the word date.

“Sorry. It’s a ‘platonic coworkers pretending to date’ not-date.” he said with a grin

“Fine, but you’re buying.”

“It’s Valentine's Day, it'd be absolutely ungentlemanly of me to not.”

The coffee shop around the corner was decorated for the occasion, with heart-shaped foil garland cascading from the ceiling and a cupid chalk drawing taking up a large portion of the menu board.

The barista topped your hot chocolate’s whipped cream with red and pink sprinkles and Bucky chuckled at the foam heart she drew into the top of his latte.

Every other table seemed to be occupied by couples, all looking gooey-eyed at each other and whispering sweet nothings across the small marble tables.

You were so busy taking in all the displays of love that Bucky had to clear his throat to get your attention, arms stretched out behind you reaching for your coat.

“Oh gosh sorry.” you said, shrugging out of it as he placed it on the hook on the wall and then pulled the wooden chair out for you to sit.

“Shit, your sister is right, you are a good boyfriend.” you said

Bucky rolled his eyes with a smirk and took his seat across from you.

“Okay.” you said, placing your palms on the table in front of you “ground rules.”

“Right, if you want to add a third to the bedroom, it has to be Sam. We made a pact a while back, it’s a long story but sorry it’s the only way...”

“Bucky!”

“Shit doll, sorry! I was kidding! I mean kind of, Sam and I did sort of agree…”

“Bucky!” you cut him off “Look if you don’t want to take this seriously, then fine I can just go and call it here. This is for you and your sister after all.”

“No, dammit I’m sorry, you’re right. Okay, go ahead.” Bucky replied

“Well we need to establish a backstory. And know a little more about each other so it doesn’t seem suspicious.”

“Okay. You go first. Ask anything you want to know about me.”

“Okay um. What’s your favorite color?”

“Really? You think what’s gonna make us not believable is whether or not you know my favorite color?” he looked at you in disbelief

“I don’t know! What else do couples know about each other?”

“Not sure. I haven’t dated regularly since 1943. It’s blue, by the way. What’s yours?” He responded

“Purple. Is that your usual coffee order?”

“In the winter, yes. In summer, I go for iced coffee.”

“Okay. Um. I guess it might be more important to have some facts about us. As a couple.”

“Right. Like what?”

“Well like where was our first kiss? Or our first date?” you asked

“In Central Park under the Cherry Blossoms. I’m romantic like that.”

“Bucky you told her we just started dating in the fall…”

“Fine, in Central Park under the orange leaves.”

“Who said I love you first?”

“You, obviously” he replied

That made you roll your eyes “Why is it obviously me?”

“Do I seem like the kind of guy to be open with his feelings?”

“No, you're the quietest on the team. It took four months of me working with the Avengers for you to return my good morning greeting everyday with even a nod of acknowledgement.”

Bucky raised his eyebrows as if to say “see I’m right”

“Fine. What’s the most romantic thing you've ever done for me?”

“Decorated your Christmas tree while you were at work.”

“I didn’t have a Christmas tree.”

“Well since all of this is pretend, let’s pretend you did.”

“Fine. While we’re on the subject, what did we get each other for the holidays?”

“I got you that necklace.” he nodded in your direction to the string of delicate pearls he helped you put on earlier. In reality, it’d been a gift you got yourself for your most recent birthday, but you were fine with the alternate story.

“Fine. I guess I got you a Frank Sinatra album for your record player.”

“How’d you know I have a record player?”

“Lucky guess.”

“Is it because I’m old?”

“I mean, yeah maybe…”

He sat back in his chair, looking thoroughly unamused.

“Since I know she’s going to ask next time you see her, what did you do to woo me on Valentine’s Day?” you asked

“Took you to a coffee shop and got you pink roses.” he gestured at the cafe around you, a proud smile on his face

“You know what, it’s actually the best Valentine’s Day I’ve ever had.” you said with a grin

“See, I am good at this boyfriend thing. What else should we know?”

“What side of the bed do you sleep on?” you asked

“Trick question, neither. I sleep on the floor because of my nightmares.”

“Bucky thats…” you trailed off

“Hey, it's something my girlfriend would know.” Bucky said so casually, as if he had not opened up to you and revealed something incredibly sad and personal about himself.

“Right. Um… what else do you and Rebecca talk about? That way you can think of things to weave into conversation about us that make us seem real.”

“Honestly, we talk a lot about our childhood. She helps me remember a lot of things I’ve forgot thanks to the, ya know” he pointed to his head

You nodded in understanding.

“Anyway, like last week she told me a story I’d totally forgotten about the time Steve and I snuck into the movies and when we got caught, we pretended we didn’t speak English to avoid getting in trouble.”

You listened as Bucky shared more stories about his life in the 30s and 40s, eventually laughing so much and talking so long, the cafe employees had to ask you to leave so they could close up for the evening.

He rode the subway with you to your stop and even walked you to your door as if he were really your Valentine’s date. You felt much better about seeing Rebecca again, confident now that you and Bucky could convincably appear as a real couple after today.

By the time Easter rolled around, you’d established a solid back story and even hung out with Bucky a few times outside of your work relationship to get to know each other better. You always loved every visit with his sister and hanging out with him felt easy.

You were, however, very nervous when Mother’s Day came. You’d finally be meeting Rebecca’s children and grandchildren, all of whom loved their Uncle Bucky, but loved Rebecca even more.

“You seem nervous.” Bucky commented

You had been silent but fidgety the whole subway ride from your apartment to the nursing home. Bucky, of course, picked you up at your front door every time you met, even though it was out of his way from his place to the nursing home.

“I am.” you replied

“Why? Becs loves you. She’s excited to see you again.”

“Yes but I’m meeting everyone else and it’s making me anxious.”

“Why?”

“Because they love you and your sister a lot. I want them to like me”

“I like you so they'll like you.”

“Bucky, you’re only pretending to like me! I love your sister, but it feels a lot easier to trick one old lady than to trick a bunch of people at once into believing we’re real!”

“Okay. First, I do like you. I promise, that part is not pretend.” You know he just meant it platonically, but it still made you blush.

“Secondly,” he continued “Rebecca is the sharpest person I know, so if she’s convinced, then they will be too.”

“I’m still worried they’re gonna find out and kill me.”

“Hey” he reassured “They won’t find out and they won’t kill you and even if they try, like they’re gonna get past me.” he wiggled his metal fingers in your face.

“She hasn’t said anything right? Like she isn’t getting suspicious?”

“Doll, take a chill pill. Even if she figures it out, it’s on me not you. I’m her brother, remember?”

“I know but Bucky she’s been so sweet and nice to me and I adore her and I don’t want to let her down!”

“You won’t, now just relax.”

Rebecca’s son, Scott, had prepared a fabulous meal and as you all sat around a table in the community room of the nursing home eating, her daughter Kim gave a beautiful speech about how Rebecca taught her to be a great mom and how loved she was by the family.

Tears sprung to your eyes at just how loved and revered this woman was and how lucky you felt to know her, even if it was under the false pretense of being her brother’s girlfriend.

Bucky noticed you getting emotional and placed an arm around your back, absentmindedly rubbing circles with his hand in comfort as Kim continued to speak. You shot him a look of thanks and winked at him as you saw tears welling behind his eyes as well.

After dinner had been cleared and dessert had been served, you were locked in a pleasant conversation with Bucky’s grandniece Jenny.

“I don’t know, maybe I should change my major…”

“Well, you’re young. Lots of people take years to figure it out.” you replied

“Uh oh.” she exclaimed, pointing toward the door “Looks like you’ve got some competition.”

Bucky was standing in the hall, deep in conversation with one of the nurses, who was throwing her head back in fits of laughter at whatever he was saying to her, and playfully touching his arm.

“Well, you know Bucky, he’s just… friendly.” you shrugged it off, trying to not let the interaction bother you

Jenny gave you a quizzical look, knowing that was a bold-faced lie and Bucky was the most surly and quiet person either of you had ever met. Except around you and Rebecca, of course.

“So tell me more about your thesis,” you said, directing the conversation back and hoping to distract yourself from whatever it was Bucky was doing

The subway ride back to your apartment was mostly silent, which wasn’t abnormal for him, except all you could think about was the way that nurse was with him, and more importantly, how he was with her. The way his eyes crinkled when he smiled at her, how he had leaned into her touch everytime she placed a hand on his arm, how they had talked nearly the whole afternoon.

“So David told me he and Shelby are expecting.” Bucky said, finally breaking the silence

“David and …? Oh yeah, Scott’s oldest.” you said, still mentally trying to keep all of Bucky’s nieces, nephews, and their kids straight in your mind, having just met all of them in one go today.

“Yeah. Which means Rebecca is going to be a great-grandmother.” he continued

“Oh my gosh that’s right! That’s so great! Did they tell her?”

“Yeah. She was pretty excited. Then of course, she asked me when you and I are going to start…” he said

“Oh yeah? What did you say to her?”

“Told her we’d get to it eventually. That we were still enjoying being young and in love.”

“Bucky, you’re 106…”

A smile formed across his face and he shook his head.

“You know what I meant!”

“Well we’ll never fictitiously get around to it if you for-real flirt with nurses.” you snidely commented

“Ohhh not my pretend girlfriend pretending to be jealous!” he joked back

“I’m not jealous, Bucky, I’m just trying to keep up appearances. But I don’t blame you, she was cute.”

“Yeah she was.”

“Okay serious question, what if one of us gets into a real relationship?” you asked

“Why are you planning to?”

“No, I mean I wouldn’t complain, but I don’t exactly have any great prospects right now.”

“I don’t either.”

“Um, that nurse was absolutely a prospect.” you argued back

“Doll, will you drop it with the nurse already?”

“No. Look, if you want to be for-real happy and quit lying to your sister, I think you should ask the nurse out. This has been fun, but don’t let us pretending to date hold you back from an actual relationship.”

Bucky sighed and hung his head.

“Okay. When I visit Rebecca this week, I will ask the nurse out. Just to get you off my back about it.” he conceded

“Well just be sure to add in the fact that you have prospects lined up when you tell your sister we broke up, just to soften the blow.” you joked

“Wow, you make it sound like I have women out the door, just waiting in line for me.” Bucky joked

You could if you wanted, you’re a fucking catch, is what you wanted to say, but instead just chose to lightly chuckle at Bucky’s joke.

“I think I will wait and see if the nurse says yes and if she does, see how the date goes before breaking it to my sister. And if it goes bad, at least I still have you.”

“Wow, make a girl feel more special to be your backup plan, why don’t you?” you joked

“You know what I mean! Wait, you will still keep this up for me if the nurse says no right?”

You sighed.

“Yes. I’ve actually really been having fun spending time with your sister.”

And you, you wanted to add, but again, didn't.

“But I do want you to be happy, so I will sacrifice hanging out with the coolest 98 year old I’ve ever met if it means you get a for-real girlfriend and stop being a grumpy, lonely old man.”

“Thanks doll, you’re the best.”

Things at work got hectic that week and you didn’t see Bucky until midway through the next week.

You were sitting at your computer, combing some case files when Bucky snuck up behind you.

“So things got complicated…”

“Jesus, Bucky, don’t scare me like that!” you said, practically jumping out of your seat when he spoke

“Sorry!”

“Wait, complicated how?”

“Well I asked the nurse out. And she said yes. And apparently it was the hot topic in the nursing home all weekend. And my sister asked why I was two-timing you. So I had to tell her we broke up.”

Your heart sank at the thought of not hanging out with Bucky and Rebecca anymore.

“Okay. Well, we knew that might have to happen. And the nurse?”

“Her name is Maddie, by the way. And we went out last night.”

“And?”

“It went well. She was nice and it was fun and we’re going to go out again this weekend.”

“Bucky, that’s great. I’m really happy for you.” you replied, trying to truly mean it and push your own feelings towards the situation aside.

But your mind just raced with worry about how well it actually went. Did he mean it went well like it was an agreeable evening and they talked a few hours and went their separate ways? Or did he mean it went well like she got to find out if his lips were as soft as they actually look? It went well like they hooked up and had steamy sex and she got to feel how his toned muscles felt under her hands while he brought her to ecstasy the way you’d always imagined and … no. You needed to stop. It was a bad idea to think about him that way. Especially since he now belonged to someone else, and never really belonged to you in the first place.

“Doll, I really can’t thank you enough.” Bucky spoke and broke you out of your spiraling thoughts “Rebecca had so much fun with you and you know… I think pretending to date you might have actually given me the confidence to ask Maddie out. Don’t know if I thought I could be a good real boyfriend without being a good fake one first.”

You laughed and shook your head.

“Well I’m happy to have helped. And by the way, yeah you were a phenomenal fake boyfriend. Better than most of the real ones I’ve had.”

You tried not to let the tears come to your eyes that you could feel brimming to the surface. You were just sad to say goodbye to Rebecca, that’s all. She was so special and spending time with her was a gift. It helped that Bucky was also so charming and funny, but it was absolutely just about Rebecca. Afterall, you’d still get to see Bucky at work. You wouldn’t really talk as in-depth as when you were with his sister and hanging out in service of keeping up the lie, but it would be fine.

However, much to your disappointment, it seemed like after that conversation, Bucky avoided you like you two had actually been a couple and actually broken up. He wouldn’t look you in the eye during mission briefings, wouldn’t say more than two words to you and they were always related to work, and if he ever found himself alone in a room with you, he quickly found an excuse to leave.

It had been about two months since you had “broken up” and you had given up hope of even having any sort of friendship with Bucky. But the truth was, you missed him. You missed making fun of him when he made a reference so outdated, historians wouldn’t even get it. You missed the way his smile rose more on his right side when you’d crack a joke. You missed when he’d sing along to one of Rebecca’s records and try to dance with both you and her at the same time, inevitably spinning you into each other and ending in the three of you in a fit of giggles.

You tried not to think of it though, threw yourself into work and tried to forget. But you couldn’t. Everything reminded you of him.

And you tried not to think about how much you missed him as you watched him walk onto the ramp of a quinjet, prepping to take off for a ten day mission to take down a Hydra base in Latvia.

Six days later, you were in your apartment, making your evening cup of tea when your phone rang.

You picked it up and put it down three times before finally processing that it was Bucky’s name popping up on the screen. With the time zone difference, it had to at least be three in the morning where he was.

“Bucky?” you finally answered “Is everything okay?”

“No. Doll, it’s not.”

“What happened? Are you okay? Is Sam okay? Did something go wrong?” you panicked, knowing of all the hundreds of people the Avengers employed, you were not the person to call if something went wrong with the mission.

“No, it’s Rebecca. She um…” Bucky sounded on the verge of crying and your heart broke in an instant “Kim called and Rebecca is in the hospital. I didn’t get all the details, but it’s not good.”

“Bucky, I’m so sorry.”

“Listen, I know I’ve already asked so much of you, but can you please… Can I ask you to go for me? Go see her? Sam and I are trying to wrap up as quick as we can, but I just can’t bear the thought of not being there with her and she loved you so much and I know you being there would really mean a lot to both of us.”

You had never heard Bucky ramble like that before. His voice was shaky and unsure and it broke your heart.

“Okay. Of course I can go.” you replied without hesitation. You loved Rebecca too, of course you wanted to be with her.

“Thank you. So much. Really. I’ll text you the room number and the hospital. I’ll let Kim and Scott know you’re coming too.”

“Okay.”

“And um… I just wanted to say I’m sorry. For how it’s been lately.”

“Bucky, It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not. But um, we can talk more when I get back.”

“Okay. I’ll go see her now, just text me.”

You were pulling on your shoes already when Bucky’s text came through. You were out the door and to the hospital in less than twenty minutes.

Kim greeted you with a big hug when you arrived.

“Oh, she’ll be so excited to see you!” Kim said, leading you down the hall of the hospital towards Rebecca’s room “You know, she still talks about you all the time even though you two broke up a while ago.”

You tried to bite back a smile, not wanting to feel happy in such a grim situation. But knowing at least Rebecca missed your presence and made sure Bucky didn’t forget you lightened your mood just a little.

Any hint of a grin was knocked off your face as soon as you stepped in the room. Rebecca was looking quite different from when you last saw her. Usually so healthy and spry for her age, she looked frail in the thin hospital gown, laying limply in the bed in the middle of the sterile room. Her gray curls were not in their usual coiff, but unkempt and wild. Her eyes looked sallow and dull. But her beautiful smile still came through when she saw you walk into the room.

“Oh my dear!” she reached out a shaky hand toward you. “It is so good to see you!”

Her hand wrapped around yours and she patted it a few times.

“How have you been? Oh, I’ve missed you! You know I was just saying to James the other day, it was a shame he let such a gem like you go.”

“Rebecca, that’s very kind, but how are you? Are you resting? Are you feeling better?”

“Oh, don’t worry about me. I was fine, but the nurses at the home, they called an ambulance and made me come here!”

“Mom, you passed out and your heartbeat was at 22 bpms!” Kim interjected

Rebecca waved her hand, then turned back to you.

“Where is James? Did you come with him?” she asked

“No. He’s away on a mission, but he’ll be here as soon as he can. He asked me to come see you until he could get here.”

“Oh that’s so kind of you. You know, he really loved you. I could see it every time he looked at you and every time I’d ask about you he’d talk and talk. I told him to hold on to you, but, well my brother never wants to listen to me!”

“Mom!” Kim interrupted again and you couldn’t help but chuckle. Even in this state, Rebecca’s personality was still shining through.

You caught up a little more, filling Rebecca and Kim in on your life since you last saw them.

Finally, Rebecca’s eyes kept closing mid-sentence and you and Kim left her to get more rest.

As you and Kim walked down the hall of the hospital together, she filled you in more on Rebecca’s health and explained that Scott and Jenny were also taking shifts visiting, currently hanging out in the waiting room down the hall.

“Sweetie, it’s getting late, let me give you some money so you can get a cab home.”

“No, Kim, I’ll stay here with you guys tonight.”

“You don’t have to…”

“Please? Just until Bucky calls again. Maybe by morning we’ll have a better idea of when he’ll be back.”

Kim nodded and gave your arm a light squeeze in thanks.

The waiting room was small and featured dated furniture and peeling wallpaper set under the glow of harsh fluorescent lights. Scott was asleep, curled in an uncomfortable position in a chair in the corner. Jenny flashed you a tired smile as you entered. You sat on one of the worn couches and laid your head back, attempting to drift off into sleep.

The night was rather restless, dozing in and out, but never really getting pulled into sleep fully. Between the buzz of hospital employees rushing about, the cramped sleeping arrangement, and the worry chewing in the pit of your stomach about both Rebecca and Bucky, it was far too difficult to get solid rest.

Would Rebecca be okay? How would Bucky act towards you when he got back? Would things go back to being friendly between you as a thanks for being there for his family or would he simply continue to ignore you and act as though this also didn’t happen?

You must have finally gotten to sleep, because you were pulled out of slumber by a metal hand squeezing yours and a soft calling of your name by a familiar voice.

Your eyes shot open to find Bucky, crouched down in front of you, face meeting yours as he gently woke you. Despite the exhaustion painted on his face, he was a radiant light in the otherwise dim environment.

“Bucky!” you sat upright and pulled him into a tight hug

“Hey Doll.” he said, squeezing you so tightly you thought you’d burst like a can of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls.

“How did the mission go? When did you get back? Have you been in to see your sister yet?” you asked

Bucky shook his head.

“We can talk about the mission later. Thank you so much for being here.”

“How is Rebecca?” you asked

“I… um. I don’t know. I just got here and came to see you guys first.” he nodded toward the sleeping forms around you.

“You should go see her. Hopefully she got plenty of rest over night.”

Bucky shook his head some more.

“I don’t know if I can… she’s the last thing I have of my old life. I don’t know if I can bear to see her like that.”

“Bucky, she needs you. She wants to see you, she asked where you were last night.”

Bucky sighed, wetness welling in his worn blue eyes.

“I’ll go with you.” you volunteered

“Doll, you’ve already done so much. I can’t ask another thing of you.”

“Please, Bucky, I want to be there for you. And for her.”

He nodded and took your hand in his flesh one, helping you off the couch and not letting go as you walked down the hall together towards Rebecca's room.

She was sitting upright in bed and her face lit up at the sight of you and her brother, nearly spilling the applesauce the nurses brought her for breakfast into her lap.

Bucky finally let go of your hand, giving his sister a hug much more gentle than the one he gave you.

“Oh James, you know you didn’t have to rush away from work just to come see me!”

“Becca, yes I did!” he smiled

“Well, your girlfriend had things covered here.” she gestured towards you

“Oh, Becs no, we’re not back together.” Bucky explained

“Oh? But why not?” Rebecca asked

“It's not important right now. What’s important right now is getting you healthy.”

Rebecca smiled and shook her head.

“James, it is important right now. I’ve lived a lot of years and I’ve learned the most important thing in life is holding the ones you love close to you. I learned that when my big brother ‘died’ at war. I learned that when my children grew up too fast and moved away. I learned that with every grandchild born and held in my arms. And I learned that when you came back into my life after so many years.”

“Rebecca…” Bucky spoke, but she held up her hand to cut him off.

“I don’t know why you two broke up or what happened. But what I do know is how much the two of you clearly love each other. Look, James, I’m old. I know I don’t have much time left. But you, you have a life to live still and running away from the good things is not what your baby sister wants for you.”

“Rebecca, this is a conversation for her and I and another time.” Bucky argued

“You know for being my older brother, you sure aren’t wiser than me.”

“Wow, even sick in the hospital, still trying the younger sibling thing.” Bucky joked back

A knock at the door took the three of you from the conversation as a cheery nurse stepped inside the room.

“I’m so sorry to interrupt, but I need to run a few tests the doctor ordered. It’ll only take a little while.” he explained.

Bucky sighed and gave his sister a kiss on her temple, then gestured for you to step out with him.

Once in the hall he finally broke down completely, the stress of the past few days catching up to him.

You cradled his head in your arms as he sobbed, knowing the longer the two of you stayed like this, the longer you could put off having a conversation.

“Can we go for a walk?” he asked, finally calm enough to stand and wipe the tears from his eyes

You nodded and took his hand again, leading him out to the front of the hospital into the sunshine.

A few open benches along the sidewalk provided a place for the two of you to sit. Still, it took a few minutes for Bucky to finally speak up.

“I’m sorry I let it get like this between us.” Bucky mumbled, barely loud enough for you to hear.

“Bucky, please. We don’t have to do this right now. You should be worrying about your sister, not me.”

“No, Doll, Rebecca’s right.”

“Yeah?”

“About everything.” he nodded his head “About life. About us. But don’t tell her I said that, or she’ll never let me live it down.”

You giggled.

“I wanted it to be real. Not at first, but after a while. When she tells you a story about us as kids and you smile at me the way you do. Or when your eyes light up when I make up a lie about the latest romantic thing I did. I wanted it all to be real. And I still do.”

“I wanted it to be real too.” you confessed “But if you wanted that, then why did you not just ask me out for real instead of Maddie?”

“Because, like Rebecca said, I was running away from the good things. I was scared that after everything I’ve been through, no one would stick around knowing all of that about me. But then you did, and it scared the hell out of me. And I wasn’t sure if I was reading it all wrong. Asked Maddie out as an excuse to push you away. I thought maybe avoiding you would make me get over it, but it didn’t, it just made me miss you.”

“And Maddie?”

“We went on a few dates and it was fun, but of course, I kept her at a distance. Didn’t want to let her in like I did with you. So she broke it off with me after a while.”

You chuckled and shook your head.

“You know, the leaves in Central Park aren’t quite orange yet, but it’s still a nice time of year for a first date there.”

“Yeah. It is. For real this time?”

“For real this time.” you agreed “But let’s worry about getting Rebecca healthy first.”

“I bet if we go up and tell her we’re back together, she’ll run out of that room and steal a cab just to make sure we make it to Central Park today.” he joked

You softly pressed your lips against his, feeling him melt into your kiss as the tension between the two of you these last few months finally evaporated.

When you finally pulled apart, you realized now you were the one crying, relieved that things between the two of you worked out.

Rebecca was released from the hospital a few days later, new medication bringing her health back into balance and making her as vivacious as ever. She was even well enough to join you and Bucky in Central Park for your 8th date, though she didn’t know that, as you and Bucky decided it was best not to tell her about the lie even now. And of course, when Bucky and Rebecca stepped out of the cab on 5th Avenue, he held two bouquets of pink roses in his hands.

#bucky barnes #bucky x reader #sebastian stan #bucky barnes x reader #winter soldier #fatws #mcu #marvel fic #bucky x fem reader #trope de sept #trope #fake dating

[imomnba-x07]

CONGRATULATIONS EVERYONE!!!

We hit 10k sambucky fics last night! thank you to everyone who was brave enough, who had the dedication to write, and is still apart of this fandom. Next stop 15k!!!!

#sambucky #winterfalcon #sambucky fic #sam wilson #james bucky barnes #sam wilson captain america #marvel #captain america #samuel thomas wilson #anthony mackie #bucky barnes #tfatws #fatws bucky #falcon #the winter soldier #sam wilson supremacy

[mariaxxxxx]

The love you offer me (Zemo x Female Reader One-Shot)

Summary: Short stories of how Helmut J. Zemo destroyed his heart.

Warnings: 18+ sex, anal sex, vaginal sex, pussy eating, anguish, depression, separation, unprotected sex, cream pie, pregnancy, loss of a child, manipulation, abusive relationship.

A/N: English is not my mother tongue. I apologize for any errors.

Work count: 9.352

🟣 🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣 🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣 🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣

Helmut J. Zemo was like no one You had ever met before. Although he is a very vindictive man, he is actually the ultimate embodiment of manipulation, as he is able to carefully plan and execute every step necessary to accomplish his goals. Despite his intense behavior and capacity for extreme violence and destruction, Helmut possessed a more pleasant side to his personality. He was a family man, a loving companion, with a passion for collecting art and high-value cars, and even dancing in a nightclub.

Maybe it was his pleasant personality that led you to him in the first place. The charismatic, respectful and passionate Helmut Zemo who would never hurt You. Helmut is good, but not in the way everyone thinks. He's good at wooing you with expensive trips and gifts, good at making you scream his name on his private plane. He's good at taking you out of reality, destroying your mind when you're under him. He's good at making You beg to be ruined. He is good at adorning your neck and wrists with precious jewelry; he is good at kissing you and telling you how much he loves you. Zemo is everything.

Unfortunately, he was also good at breaking your heart into tiny pieces without any chance of concert. He was good, excellent and perfect in reducing You to nothing more than a broken doll.

(…)

You still remember the first time you saw him. You were a simple, new waitress at a nightclub in Madripoor. On your first day on the job, you were already cleaning tables, serving drinks and keeping the cash register full, even if it meant losing precious nights of sleep. You were more than grateful for that. Staying in Madripoor, in the upper city, was really expensive and after his father's death things really got difficult for his side. Unfortunately for him, his damned father had wiped out his bank accounts with gambling and drinking, leaving nothing but negative accounts. After burying them the bills arrived; rent electricity, food, and hospital and burial bills. You wouldn't be able to maintain everything with a simple part-time job and, to your delight, your colleague Nathan offered you the chance at employment.

It was a dangerous place indeed. With rude men, women of dubious reputation and corrupt foreigners, but the money at the end of the night made it all worth it. There was also protection exercised over site workers; it wasn't uncommon for a funny guy to try his luck by touching you under your skirt. You were a pretty and delicate little thing for the place and that attracted curious people as to why a pretty girl like You stopped in a place like that. Countless times Mark, the security guard, had to chase away mean men and jealous women to keep you alive.

One night, like any other, the most bizarre version of Charles' little angels you've ever seen appeared; the damned winter soldier, the smiling tiger and a man in a big fur coat. You thought it was fun. But confusion soon ensued at the scene when the Winter Soldier attacked some men, causing a general fight. You were hiding behind the counter when his gaze met yours. Maybe, if You weren't so enchanted by those damn eyes, you would have noticed the pain behind it. In an almost supernatural way, You struggled to keep your balance as he continued to stare in your direction.

The moment was interrupted with the departure of the three men and the news that the club would be closed for the rest of the night. The way home was strange, not to mention funny. His gaze never left your idle mind, sending shivers down your spine and contractions in your stomach. You remember finding him handsome and old, older than you, but that didn't matter after all he was beautiful. You slept that night with him in your head like a teenager discovering her first love.

A week later You found him while walking through the streets of the upper city carrying bags; You had received payment and decided to stock up on supplies at home by going to the market. You were distracted watching the ships parked at the pier that you didn't notice someone going in the same direction, they collided quickly and you didn't have time to stop it. You struggled to keep your balance, failing to fall to the floor with your bags. You opened your eyes, fighting the embarrassment, and saw some of your purchases scattered across the floor.

"Are you well?" A voice with a thick accent. You moved your head quickly ready to trash talk the man, but something stopped you.

There he was, the man from the nightclub, the one who would rip your heart out of your chest, at that time You didn't know. For some reason, you bit your tongue to avoid the curses and opened your mouth to show the most beautiful smile.

“I’m fine” You said as you stood up.

"He is sure? I am really sorry." He apologized again. You thought the attempt to alleviate all the embarrassment was cute.

With his help, you gathered up the fallen products on the floor, trying to ignore how his touch made your heart flutter as he handed you a can of peas. After making sure everything was collected, You turned on your heel about to leave. His hand held your forearm keeping you in place. The heat that came from his touch took you to heaven for a few brief minutes only to be replaced by a slight disappointment when he took it away.

You looked at him, trying to say something funny about the situation, anything that would make you seem less clumsy, but you couldn't. The brown eyes were looking at You. No, they were marking You. You couldn't move or speak.

"Everything is fine." You said after a long minute of silence. "Thank you for helping me."

“Let me do something to make up for this misfortune.” He said. “I can take her home. My car is parked right there.”

His cheeks heated at the tempting but dangerous proposition. Madripoor was a den of outlaws and fugitives. You wouldn't risk your safety with a stranger no matter how handsome he was.

“I prefer to walk.” You were definitely being petulant and he seemed amused by it.

“Stop being stubborn.” You didn't miss the authoritative tone in his voice. “You’re full of bags and you just got hurt. I just want to take care of You.”

“My parents taught me not to trust strangers.” You said amusingly. “But if it pleases you You can walk home with me.”

It wouldn't hurt to flirt a little; after all, you were young and single in front of a handsome man. Sometimes, you blamed your naivety for allowing yourself to be carried away so easily by him, being at the height of your youth and ready to experience all the good things in the world. You allowed yourself to be swept away with a simple bump into the curb. As you sunk into his smile, his hand brought you back to reality. A comforting touch on your arm and a friendly expression on your face.

"Let's go."

He walked you home and offered to even carry your bags. The path was filled with conversations.

“Are you from Madripoor?” You questioned.

"No." He said. “I'm here on business.”

“I saw you at the club the night the Winter Soldier showed up, but you looked different. You wore a funny coat.”

He let out a little laugh. Cute.

"Oh yeah." You rounded a corner. “I was helping an old friend.”

“You guys made a mess. We had to clean everything up the next morning.”

“Do you work at that place?” There was a hint of mockery in his voice and it bothered you briefly. It wasn't one of the best jobs in the world, but it was still a job and it paid all the bills.

"Yes." You said with a firm voice. “I work waiting tables, sometimes making drinks, sometimes cleaning and sometimes taking care of the cash register. I do everything."

“Do your parents allow you to work there?”

You looked at him, in disbelief to hear something so silly. You were young, but not too young to ask your parents for permission – if You still had them.

“My mother left when I was little and my father died.” You said. “But that doesn’t matter since I wouldn’t need their permission to work.”

"Of course not. You’re a big girl now and you can take care of yourself.”

If you were a little smarter at that time you would have been able to capture the tone of eroticism in his voice when he said those words, but at that moment you thought it was funny. The conversation was interrupted when you arrived at your residence. You stopped in front of your building and looked at it.

“Thanks for following along.”

“I must be grateful for allowing me to accompany you. It’s been so long since I’ve had a pretty girl by my side.” He winked and you smiled, feeling your cheeks heat up once again.

"You are very kind." His words came out as a whisper, even though it wasn't his intention.

He reached into his back pocket, took out a black cell phone and handed it to You.

“Write down your number.” He instructed. “I would like to talk to you more.”

You put your number on his cell phone, convincing yourself that this was all just a quick flirt with an older man. How wrong you were.

(...)

You underestimated how flirtatious and charming Helmut would be. You thought he would just take you to bed and disappear before dawn, but that wasn't what happened. You spent hours sharing text messages that would evolve into phone calls and, later, romantic dates. Days with him turned into weeks and, without warning, into months. He wasn't at all interested in fucking you and leaving, no, Helmut was different; he spoiled her with expensive dates and exorbitant gifts. Before you knew it, you were falling for him.

You had been dating for four months when he took you to bed for the first time. It was good, but clumsy and quick. Helmut made her cum that night, but he himself had finished quickly with just a few thrusts. You didn't mind finishing quickly since the man had brought a beautiful orgasm out of you with his fingers and tongue. In the eighth month, you and he made your relationship official. Helmut took you to a restaurant in the upper city. The food was good, the waiters were polite and the atmosphere was pleasant. He gave her a simple and delicate necklace; with a gold chain and a pendant with a design that resembled an H. You thought the H symbolized the initial of his name. He placed the necklace around your neck and stood in front of you to admire it. At that moment, you noticed emotions passing through your face, love, longing and sadness. He covered it up with a smile.

“Wear it always, my dear.” He said as he played with the pendant. “It would break my heart if You took it away.”

You wore that necklace without ever taking it off your neck. You were in love and would do anything to make him happy. What you didn't expect was to be fired from your job. When You demanded an explanation, your former boss just gave a disinterested shrug.

“Orders from above.”

Of course, the bastard wouldn't say anything more than that. In Madripoor, loudmouths didn't have happy endings. You returned home frustrated that night, wondering how you were going to support yourself now. You had no family or studies to guarantee you a good job, all that was left were part-time jobs and bars with a dubious reputation. Still, you needed to find something quickly, as the month would soon end and new bills would arrive.

When he got home, his cell phone beeped in his pocket with a new message from Helmut; the man who won a place in your heart in just a few weeks. The message only said that he would pick her up that night for a date. So authoritative You thought. Your current state didn't allow you to have fun, but you swallowed all your anguish to be with him. You might not have fallen in love so quickly if he was just attractive; a pretty European faces to look at on a sunny afternoon. Something superficial, like the designer handbags in the window that you wanted but would never have. Deep down, deep down, You knew there was something wrong with falling in love so quickly, but who could blame You? The man was simply perfect.

After reflecting for a moment, you walked to the bedroom to improve your swollen face from crying and look pretty for him. He showed up in his luxury car at the appointed time, Helmut was always so punctual. You sat down next to him and gave him a small peck.

"Where are we going?" You asked as you fastened your seatbelt.

"A surprise." He whispered with a false air of mystery.

Helmut took you to the pier that night where a huge white yacht was waiting for you.

“My god” You sighed as you came across the grandeur of the yacht. Helmut stood beside you, his hand on your waist guiding you inside.

“Come, I want to show you everything.”

He introduced you to the deck, the captain's cabin, the crew, the room you would share for the night. After the short tour You sat at a table set on the deck with exquisite dishes under the starlight.

“What a great surprise.” You said with a big smile. “I’ve never been on a boat before.”

“It saddens my heart. A girl like you deserves everything the world has to offer.”

When he tells you this your heart jumps out of your chest. After all, no one had ever loved you like this to the point of spoiling you with such beautiful things. The moment of joy was replaced with sudden distress as You, for the first time, realized the vast difference in social class between You. Helmut was a fit, cultured and rich man. You were just a young thing without a family, education or job.

“Helmut.” You started talking. “What will happen to us?”

“What do you mean, darling?” He asked with a slight tilt of his head.

“It’s just…” You took a deep breath. “...we've been dating for a few months and I...it's just...We're so different.”

“Oh, my dear I know I'm too old for You.”

You scolded yourself for not being good with words and causing that misunderstanding. You didn't want to hurt him, so you recanted as quickly as you could.

"It's not that." You said it too loudly. “It’s just that you’re so rich and I’m me. I don’t even have my job anymore.”

"I know." He raised the glass of white wine to his lips. “I asked them to fire you, I didn’t want you working in that dangerous place with men of ill repute.”

“Helmut!” You exclaimed indignantly. “I needed that job. How will I support myself?”

"I will take care of you." There was a wild gleam in his eyes as he said this.

Maybe it was passion speaking too loudly, but you didn't question him any further and just allowed yourself to be taken care of by him. You talk that night, there was no room for silence at that table. He told him his story; about Sokovia, the Avengers, the prison, about Sam and Bucky and how he was now an international fugitive. In normal situations, an abrupt reaction would be expected, but you didn't do it. At that point, You were sure that you loved this man and that he loved you to the point of trusting You so much to tell him all his problems. You comforted him as he told you about his family buried in the rubble of New Gadi after the Avengers battle and the killer robot, Ultron, created by them.

You smiled beside him as he recounted the antics of his son, Carl. You comforted him when he shared a close bond with his father. When he started talking about his late wife with so much love and devotion a spark lit in You because of the way he spoke; Helmut exercised such devotion over the woman that she could be his own private goddess. You saw the sadness, longing and love run through his eyes. You ignored the jealousy and resentment by convincing yourself that she was dead.

“So, you’re telling me to run away alongside you?” You ask in disbelief. You were sitting on the deck floor, your legs spread across his lap, his hands lightly brushing your skin.

"Yes." He says with a mischievous smile. “There is nothing for You here. Come with me and I will give you everything.”

You accepted the invitation as there was nothing for You in Madripoor.

You guys spent a week or two, you're not sure, on the yacht going from place to place across the ocean. You and him talked a lot, drank a lot and fucked a lot. To his surprise, Helmut took her to Germany. You disembarked from the yacht on a Sunday night. On the way to the hotel You tried not to show all your perplexity at being in a completely new place. You had never left Madripoor before. The biggest surprise was the hotel he chose. With a huge reception, golden pillars and employees who guided you to your hotel room.

"Did you like it?" Helmut asked.

You didn't make a point of answering right away, you were too busy, impressed by the large windows with a privileged view of the city.

“I loved it” You shouted while jumping up and down with joy. Helmut laughed behind You at your excitement.

“I’m going to draw a bath. Then let's get some sleep. Tomorrow we need to buy clothes for You.”

“Uhm.” You murmured, still impressed by the grandeur of that room.

With your crazy and sudden impulse to go after one of the most wanted men in the world You didn't have time to grab clothes. Helmut assured You that your belongings in the old apartment would be well taken care of and that the expenses left by You would be paid. Although you were sad to leave some gifts he gave you in his old apartment, he assured you that he would give you others. During the yacht trip, You didn't miss his clothes, preferring to wear his shirts; Helmut had a lot of fun with your lack of underwear and it allowed him to fuck you everywhere on that yacht.

“The bath is ready.” Helmut announced from the bathroom.

With a burst of joy, you went to the bathroom, which turned out to be even more elegant and sophisticated than the large windows. You liked it and quickly got used to that life.

(...)

The time with Helmut was funny, everything seemed to move so slowly. You stayed in Germany for a year and six months, settling in the city of Munich in a small village far from the big center surrounded by trees and stone roads. Helmut was kind to you and taught you to speak fluent German, to dance and differentiate between the different forks that were on the table. He instructed you to go back to studying, although it wasn't his wish, he enrolled you in a semester-long fine arts course at the University of Munich. You didn't hate art, but you didn't identify with it enough to study the subject.

In the end, despite yourself, you took the course and finished it with honors and letters of recommendation for internships in galleries. Helmut was proud and to congratulate you he presented you with a new wardrobe of haute couture clothes. Your stay in Germany ended with the authorities discovering your existence in the country. You and Helmut fled in the early hours of the morning, heading straight to the airport where his private jet was waiting for you.

“We’ll be fine, my dear.” He said while hugging You.

Leaving Germany was difficult, as you left behind a few friendships and opportunities for a bright future. But You consoled yourself by remembering that you were with him, by his side, and wherever Helmut took you You would be okay.

The next stop was in Spain, on one of the Balearic Islands, where a small but luxurious house was waiting for you. You settled in quickly and to your surprise Helmut introduced you to the Oeznik family butler, an old man with a great sense of humor and loyalty.

“We can have pizza today, Oeznik.” You said as you walked around the kitchen with bare feet carrying dishes from one place to another.

“You should eat something healthier, my lady. You young people love to eat junk.” Oeznik said, watching You walk from one side to the other. “You won’t like your choice.”

“He will like it.” You guaranteed it. “I’m going to order a pizza.”

Oeznik was right that Helmut wouldn't like the pizza.

“You don’t like that kind of thing.” Said Helmut with clear mockery in his voice as You placed the slice in front of him.

"I love pizza." You said, trying to hide your discomfort. “We eat a lot of that in Madripoor.”

“Well, I took you for pizza in Venice and you hated it.” Helmut said with nostalgia in his voice. “You said mixing tomato sauce and pasta was a crime against nature.”

It was the first time Helmut looked at You with dazed eyes. As if he was not seeing You, but seeing someone else.

“We never went to Italy, Helm.” You mutter.

Helmut blinks rapidly as if trying to get something out of his mind and smiles in your direction.

“Let’s eat the pizza, little dove.”

The nickname was new, You noticed. That night you ate the pizza reluctantly, because with each bite a bitter taste formed in your mouth.

In the following months, Helmut was a very generous man towards You. He gave you a luxury apartment in Ibiza, created a bank account with $3,000,000 so that You could have a good life in case he was arrested again and enrolled you, again, in another semester arts course. You took the course reluctantly, because you didn't identify with it, but it made you happy so you were happy, and you had the advantage of learning a new language; Helmut joked about how smart You were at learning new languages in such a short time. To his delight, the course ended in exactly four months. You and he celebrated with a candlelit dinner by the sea.

"Marry me?" Helmut asked with his knees on the floor and a diamond ring in his hand.

"Yes." You said in one breath.

“Baroness Zemo.” He said as he put the ring on her finger. “I will make you very happy, little dove.”

You hugged him, kissed him and swore your eternal love to him. After dinner he dragged you back home; you walked through the door holding each other without separating your lips from each other. One moment you were on the stairs and the next you were in the bedroom. In bed, with a shirtless Helmut on top of you. His clothes disappeared. His panties and bra were the only things covering his body. His hands were touching you, exploring his skin while his lips devoured yours. Helmut knew what he was doing. He was reducing you to dust.

His hand grabs your panties, his finger trailing down your covered slit. A wet spot made him smile proudly.

“Always so wet for me, my little dove.” He whispered in her ear. You tried not to think about how much that nickname bothered you, but to your delight his fingers began to trace circles around your clit. Erasing everything from your mind. “Do you like this, little dove? Do you like how I make you feel?”

The lack of response made him accelerate his movements. His head spun at the sensation. He was torturing You; The moisture in her panties increased, creating a slight discomfort with the contact between the wet fabric and the hot flesh.

"Answer me. Use the damn words, little dove.” His voice was deep, his accent stronger and more authoritative.

“Yes, Helmut.” You said. He kissed you, his tongue finding its way to his.

He pulled away, kissing his way down to her covered breasts where he nibbled on her right nipple through the lacy fabric. You moaned loudly at the stimulation. He bent down completely, with his head between his legs, freed himself from her completely soaked panties. He brought his face closer to her wet pussy, inhaling her scent. He traced a line between her folds, playing with her pussy. Lick after lick, Helmut placed his lips on her folds and began to suck her clit.

You screamed at the quick action and pleasure. His fingers teased your entrance, slowly massaging your arousal until he finally slipped one of them inside and then another. Helmut had deliciously large fingers, bigger than his own, and he reached the g-spot with flying colors. The way he moved them, with such agility, was breathtaking. The established rhythm was specular. His fingers pumped in and out of You while his tongue stimulated your clit, making You feel better than ever.

Suddenly, he lifted his face away from You, but his fingers kept moving inside. His lips glistened with a mixture of his own saliva and his arousal. That and the damn smile on his face made her belly tighten.

“Enjoy little dove.”

The tightness in his stomach intensified, a tingling started from the tips of his toes, went up his legs, going to his stomach causing an explosion of pure ecstasy. You felt his soul leave his body for a few seconds and return. You were stuck in your little world of satisfaction as Helmut got rid of his pants and underwear. He placed himself on top of you, both hands rested on the sides of his face. The feeling of his dick, dripping with pre-cum, made You look down.

Helmut had a dick that was large in length and thickness, half tilted to the right, white and with a reddish head with a drop of pre-cum leaking out. You reached out to his arm and touched him. His breath hitched as his palm closed around his member to stroke it. His thumb slipped on the tip, making his dick twitch in circles in his hand.

"Little Dove." He groaned,

Her hand trailed up and down, down and up, pumping him as he grew harder and wetter. It was gentle touches, but it was driving him crazy. After some more stimulation, Helmut moved his hand away and positioned himself at her entrance. He spread her legs, with his right hand guided his cock between her slit. A brief lapse of consciousness appeared in his brain as he remembered the lack of protection. You didn't use contraceptives, as Helmut thought they were a poison bomb, always preferring to use condoms.

“Helmut.” You said between moans. “The condom...”

“We don’t need her.” He said come in and cuddles.

You moaned loudly when you felt him inside you. The feeling of having him without the latex was simply sublime. With quick movements, the head of his dick reached her spongy spot. The sensation of it made your eyes roll back, electricity course through your body aware of what his cock was doing. His legs opened wider for him. You felt it everywhere. The deeper he went, the more pleasure you felt. His hands grab his hair, pulling it lightly into fists.

Like the popping of a bottle You have, once again, reached climax. You have never been so satisfied in your life. Helmut fucked you like there was no tomorrow. You felt him go faster, riding out his own release, and when he finally did, releasing all of his semen inside of You a name escaped his lips.

“Heike.” He said between whispers and moans.

Helmut pulled out of You and rolled onto his side, falling asleep. You remain in bed, rubbing your face with your hands, hurt from hearing him cry out for the dead woman as he spilled himself inside you. It was an unraveling feeling, as if strong waves flooded your heart with sadness and disappointment. You even tried to convince yourself that you heard wrong. It wasn't her name, You thought. Maybe, it was something in his mother tongue that resembled his name, maybe he just blurted it out in his frenzy, maybe he didn't love you that much and thought about his wife every time You shared a bed.

At that moment, You found yourself crying yourself to sleep at the possibility of Helmut thinking about his late wife every time he was with You.

(...)

Things were great for a while. Helmut spoiled you, your stay in Spain increased, the preparations for the wedding were almost ready and sex became constant. You memorized the things Helmut loved during sex. The way he moaned when You were on your knees with his dick in your mouth, massaging his balls. The way his eyebrows do when You ride him. You even noticed how quickly he finished when You let him eat his anus. So things were great, but there was still growing discomfort.

Helmut still moaned for Heike every time he came. You decide to pretend not to notice his late wife's name slip past his lips every time. You just hid in the bathroom, with the shower running and burst into tears. You never imagined that being by his side would have you competing for affection with a dead woman. After all, she was rotting underground, while You were there in the prime of your youth with all the love and affection to give. You just suppressed all those feelings and pretended everything was fine, pushing all those thoughts away and convincing yourself that he loved you. When you were convinced of this, you would take a long shower to hide your swollen face and leave the bathroom with a big smile.

The wedding took place in mid-July, the seventeenth to be exact. You exchanged your vows in a minimalist ceremony with the presence of Oeznik, a priest and a justice of the peace to establish the prenuptial agreements.

“I promise to love, respect you and make you happy for the rest of our lives.” Helmut recited the vows while placing the ring on her finger.

“I promise to love you, respect you and yours until death do us part.” You recited your vows when you put the ring on his finger.

“You can kiss the night.” Said the priest.

Helmut kissed you with so much passion that you truly believed again that he loved you. The party was held at home, a dinner between the two of you, just to celebrate the union of two souls. Due to his fugitive status, he was not allowed more than that.

Married life was easy. You instructed the servants how to take care of the house, you often went to the beauty salon to look beautiful and you had sex with your husband whenever asked. You could live like this for the rest of your life next to him if it weren't for Heike's growing presence in your lives. After being married for a while, being called Heike didn't just extend to bed, but to everyday life. The first time was during a walk through the streets of Barcelona.

“I love this coat.” You pointed to a window where a mannequin was dressed in a cloth coat with colorful abstract designs.

“It’s so messy.” He said. “I thought you liked more minimalist clothes.”

“Helmy.” You groaned. “I love messy clothes. What would our lives be without neon clothes and red boots?”

He laughed at your words and said something that would break your heart forever.

“You look so different, Heike.”

Your eyes burned into his dark ones, anger welled up inside You, ready to explode like a volcano. You let out a nervous sigh as you feel tears start to well up in your eyes. You try to swallow the solutions that reached your throat.

“I...” He starts to say, taking a step forward to take you in his arms, but you move away, shaking your head.

“No, don’t you dare apologize.”

You leave him standing on the sidewalk and run in the opposite direction, blending into the crowd. You spent the whole day on the streets trying to forget the humiliation and pain caused in your heart. After a long period of walking and reflection, you convince him that everything is fine and that he loved you for who you were. You came home at night and found him in the living room. Helmut walked up to You hoping to apologize.

"Everything is fine." You said.

You took one more look at him before going up to the bathroom and locking yourself in there. You turned on the shower and burst into tears and sobs. Deep down, you knew, you always knew. He didn't love you. He tried to turn You into his dead wife; with the art courses, the language classes, the new clothes, the strange nicknames. You were just a substitute, an object to replace what he had lost.

You took a long shower, got dressed in comfy pajamas, and did your nightly skin care routine. When going down the stairs that led to the room You found Helmut walking with a pizza box in his hand towards the stairs. He stopped and smiled when he saw you.

“I ordered pizza, my favorite.”

Oh! That nickname. It had been so long since he called you that.

"I like pizza." You whispered.

"I know." He responded equally in a whisper. “I want to spoil you tonight. I’ll start with the food.”

You smiled at his gesture. You sat by the fireplace where you ate pizza and wine, talked banal things and laughed at silly things. When they finished, Helmut took you to the bedroom where he mounted you and fucked you hard. When he came it was his name that left your lips, You were happy about that. It was his name he said and not hers, but his happiness was short-lived. For in his sleep Helmut cried out to her. By Heike.

You got up and walked to the bathroom where you cried through the night, returning to bed before sunrise. When the day started, You just went downstairs, smiled and shared breakfast next to him. He didn't bring it up and you pretended everything was fine. He still said her name at inopportune moments where you pretended not to hear. His trips to the bathroom at night were becoming more and more frequent.

(...)

You and Helmut migrated to another country. You didn't know the exact location, but according to Oeznik, you were close to what would have once been Sokovia. You have settled into an immense residence, with several bedrooms, bathrooms and living rooms worthy of the title of Baron. The property was large; surrounded by trees and high walls with large silver gates.

"It's so big!" You exclaimed as you got out of the car and came across the mansion. “I’ve never seen a house as big as this one.”

“It’s been in my family for generations.” Helmut said. “I had to rebuild it after the fall of Sokovia, but here we are. You need to see your new home, Baroness.”

Helmut guided you inside where a line of employees waited for you. He introduced you one by one and indicated their services.

“They are here to serve your Baroness.” He whispered in her ear. “I know you will be a great lady for this property.”

“Yes” You mumbled. “I’m going to be a good lady.”

You really were a good lady; The employees tolerated you and things went reasonably well. However, the comparisons with the old lady still echoed between the walls, although Oeznik tried to hold the servants' tongues, it was not uncommon. You heard whispers among them about how Mrs. Heike had more class, how Mrs. Heike knew the Baron's tastes, how Mrs. Heike was beautiful, just as Mrs. Heike had given birth to a healthy boy. You tried to persuade Helmut to fire them, but he disapproved saying how difficult it was to find trustworthy people with his current fugitive status, he said that the former employees were trustworthy and Sokovia's last legacy. You just accepted your situation by hiding in the bathroom every time you heard her name echo.

“What was she like?” You questioned Oeznik one day as you walked through the estate. You felt trapped inside the house and decided to walk a little, Oeznik offered to keep you company.

“Madam...” said the old man with a clear sign of reprimand.

“Everyone loved her.” A bitter taste formed in his mouth. “Please tell me about him.”

“She was pretty.” He started to say. “She had noble blood in her veins and class in her feet. Their marriage was arranged, like all Sokovian royal marriages, but it worked. The young Baron loved her as soon as he saw her.”

You felt your throat close and your stomach tighten with the jealousy that formed.

“Did Helmut love her?”

"Yes."

You felt her eyes burn. You didn't know why she felt this way now, You knew how important she had been, the most important in Helmut's life, and there You were, wallowing in her insecure questions. His body shuddered in the icy breeze.

“Do I look like her?”

You needed to sink even deeper with your damned questions, which you knew the answer to, but you needed to hear it from someone else to torture yourself even more.

“A little, ma’am.” Oeznik seemed hesitant to continue. “You have similar trajectories, I would say. The courses taken in Germany and Spain, the way he dresses and even the necklace around his neck, it was the same necklace that the young Baron of Heike wore when he made their courtship official. He also called her his little dove.”

You let out a nervous sigh, barely holding back the tears. You turn and walk quickly towards the house, leaving the old butler behind. You feel your heart slowly submerge under the waves of pain. Your nimble feet guide you to a familiar place, the bathroom. You pass through the long corridors and the employees who whisper about your deplorable state. Reaching the bathroom door was a relief, because as soon as you reached the door, tears fell from your eyes.

Your mind reflects on how, little by little, Helmut turned you into her. He instructed you to dress like her, to study like her, to be like her. You were just a clay doll in the hands of the skilled sculptor to be sculpted to his whim. You wanted to leave, get as far away from him as possible, but as you stood there, feeling your heart breaking, you realized you couldn't leave. The love you felt for him kept you together, even the mention of leaving him could open a wound in your soul that You were fighting to stop.

After the tears dried, You performed your usual ritual; shower, cleanse and go downstairs as if nothing was happening. As if your soul wasn't broken, your bones aching and your heart stabbed. You found Helmut in his office carrying papers back and forth. He smiled when he saw you and patted your thigh indicating for you to sit there. You sat up and snuggled in, placing your face in his neck, inhaling the scent of his expensive cologne.

“Helmut.” You mumbled. "You love me?"

“Of course I love dove.” He kissed her forehead and turned his attention back to the papers.

Little dove, little dove, little dove, little dove, little dove. That word echoed in your ears and you bit your tongue to avoid crying.

The days passed quickly when You established a routine. You alternated between instructing the employees and paying attention to Helmut. Comparisons with the former lady seemed to have diminished drastically; Helmut no longer cried out to her in his dream, and the servants no longer whispered. You knew that there was a finger of the old butler behind this, but you chose to believe that it wasn't that. You preferred to believe that you had finally achieved your rightful place in Helmut's heart and the full respect of the employees. His trips to the bathroom no longer existed, that is, more or less. You no longer went to the bathroom to cry, but you often went to the bathroom to vomit.

It happened on a Saturday morning. You woke up early and left Helmut sleeping in bed, you walked to the kitchen to eat something since your stomach demanded food. You found a loaf of bread on the counter, when you put it in your mouth a wave of nausea came and you ran to the bathroom. After that morning you vomited for any nonsense.

"Enough." Helmut exclaimed when he saw you kneeling on the toilet putting out all the dinner. “We’re going to the doctor now.”

"It is not necessary." You said. "I am..."

You were interrupted by another wave of nausea where you let it all out again. The next day, the doctor came and diagnosed you with severe food poisoning; He recommended drinking plenty of fluids, avoiding heavy foods and using lactobacilli. You followed all the recommendations, but the nausea continued and with it came other symptoms; her blood pressure plummeted with every movement, her breasts felt like they wanted to explode, her period didn't start, the cramps kicked her ass and the fatigue was constant.

You spent half the day sleeping and the other half vomiting. It wasn't uncommon for Helmut to find you dozing in some corner of the house; You once dozed off while eating dinner. Helmut called the doctor again, this time; he diagnosed you with a virus. You constantly took anti-flu medications, drank lots of water and ate foods rich in fiber and vitamins. But the symptoms didn't go away at all. Helmut was visibly irritated by the doctor's incompetence in curing you.

On a Monday morning, you were in the kitchen devouring bread filled with ketchup and peanut butter; You had woken up that morning with a strange desire and decided to fulfill it, the crazy mixture proved to be delicious. A maid, named Jenna, found you in the kitchen eating your strange food.

"Madam." Greeted Jenna. “Can I help you with something?”

"Don't worry." You said with your mouth full. “I just felt like eating bread with ketchup and peanut butter. I must be going crazy, but this feels so good.”

“Are you having cravings?” The maid asked.

"Yes. Cravings, nausea, sleepiness and sore nipples. The doctor said it has a virus, but nothing is helping.”

You took a generous bite of your bread as Jenna seemed to ponder something.

“Did you take a pregnancy test?”

Her throat closed and you choked on a piece of bread stuck in your throat. Jenna ran to help you. You coughed, watered, and sniffled as you choked on the piece of dough. After the feeling passed, you looked at the maid in disbelief that she would suggest something so absurd.

"Do not say silly things. I can’t be pregnant.”

"Why not? She is a married woman. I'm sure the Baroness has been fulfilling her duties as a wife.”

Sex in your marriage was one thing You couldn't complain about. Helmut fucked you often and always ejaculated inside you; the use of condoms was no longer necessary. It wasn't in her plans to be a mother one day, but the idea of carrying a part of her and Helmut in her womb caused good feelings.

“Jenna.” You started talking. “I could go into town and buy some pregnancy tests.”

“Of course, my lady.”

Jenna brought five pregnancy tests from different brands. You used them all and to her surprise, all five gave a positive signal. You look down, moved by what you see and convinced yourself that you wanted this. With the tests in hand, You want this more than you could ever imagine. Your smile is dulled by the tears that fall silently on your features, You needed to tell him.

He loved you, the life you built together and he loved children. The loss of his son broke a part of him that he could never get over. Now, You had the chance to make him happy again, rebuild a new family. For hours, trapped in the bathroom, you try to gather the courage to tell him. Every time the time approached, you found excuses not to leave. But his plans were thwarted by a knock on the door.

“Little dove, are you there?” It was Helmut's voice behind the door. “Are you sick again? I will call the doctor.”

"No." You screamed, feeling despair flood your senses.

You didn't want him to find out like this, it wasn't fair. You would prepare a space moment where the news would be given and celebrated with kisses. You hide the pregnancy tests in a drawer full of towels and open the door to find him.

"Everything is fine?" He questioned worriedly.

“It’s okay” You reassured him. “Only one got sick quickly.”

“Come on, let’s get something to eat.” You followed him, dinner went well with conversations and jokes between you.

Keeping the secret proved difficult since every time you saw him you wanted to shout from the rooftops about your pregnancy. With Oeznik's help, you prepared a special night for you, complete with typical Sokovian food. It would be simple, Helmut would arrive at home at night where you would have dinner and then you would tell him the news. You took the day to take care of yourself, wanting to look pretty for him, you prepared your hair, did your nails and wore a beautiful purple dress, Helmut's favorite color.

You turned around to admire your appearance in the mirror, it looked beautiful. Her hands caressed her still unchanging stomach, feeling a mix of emotions for generating life in her womb. A silly smile formed on his lips as he imagined how good it would be to have a little boy or girl running down these long corridors with black hair and brown eyes like Helmut's. The feeling was interrupted by knocking on the door.

“Madam, the Baron has already arrived and is in his office.” It was Jenna. “Should I serve dinner?”

"Yes. Serve dinner and release other employees. I want to be alone with my husband today.”

Jenna left leaving You alone in the room. One last look at your reflection, You left the room heading towards the stairs. Your intention was to go to the dining room, but somehow You ended up passing through a door. Behind her were pictures, books and a large Persian rug. Adornments that probably dated back to the medieval age. The house was big and even after so long You hadn't seen all the rooms, it was not uncommon to get lost between the different doors that led to uninhabitable rooms.

Before You have the chance to turn around, voices reach your ears. The nature of the noises was obvious and, from the sounds, they were both having a serious conversation. You recognized Oeznik's soft voice followed by Helmut's Eastern European accented voice. You tried to find the source of the voice and came across a false wall with a vast view of Helmut's office, he and Oeznik seemed immersed in conversation.

"This is not right." Oeznik exclaimed.

You froze in your spot. The old butler never got excited, he always kept a soft and friendly voice. You decided to listen to more of the conversation.

“She is my wife.” Helmut said. “I will do whatever I want.”

“Turn her into the late Mrs. Zemo? For God's sake Helmut. This isn’t doing her any good, the employees comment on her constant trips to the bathroom to cry.”

You wanted to leave, get as far away from them as possible. But as you lay there, holding a piece of your heart, You realized you couldn't move.

“She is not Heike. She never will be.”

Every word that came out of his mouth was meant to hurt you whether intentionally or not. You held firm as you wanted to see where this would lead. You hear Helmut sigh and the echoing words break you forever.

“You have no idea how many times I imagined it was Heike next to me. How many times have I called for her. I almost asked if I could call her that, but instead I did it without permission. I never wanted her, not really. I just thought I would have another chance and I actually did; They are so similar physically and it was easy to compel her to do things that pleased me.”

Helmut was cruel. Helmut never loved You. He played with your heart for his own benefit. Deep down, you always knew, preferring to deceive yourself with small gestures of apology and accepting to play the role of the dead woman. He molded her like a little doll so she wouldn't be alone. He never saw you as a companion, a mind or a human being. You were just a substitute and the child You carried in your womb would soon play the role of the lost son.

A sudden pain hit his chest; his heart was no longer in place. The other times he broke your heart were nothing compared to this. The more his words stuck in her mind, the more intense the pain became. Waves of shock and grief hit his chest as You tried to process what was happening.

His feet retreat, your shaky legs failing as you try to move. One wrong move causes you to fall against a dresser that falls to the floor, causing a loud noise. You hear a surprised gasp from Helmut and, unfortunately for You, he emerges through a false door. With all the strength you have left, you turn to see him.

“Baby” You heard him whisper.

His eyes connect; he knew You had heard every word. His expression reflected the one You had when you heard them. The shock, the surprise and the sadness. He saw the pain on his face, the way you held on to a piece of furniture to keep from collapsing. A flash of regret ran through his eyes when he saw how you grabbed the necklace around his neck. The necklace that belonged to her, the damned Heike. The necklace that, even though he knew what it meant, never left his neck so as not to hurt him.

You lost yourself over the years to make him happy. You allowed yourself to have your heart crushed multiple times just to satisfy you and receive nothing but disappointment in return. He never cared about you and he would never care about the child that was forming in your womb.

“Let’s talk.” You heard him beg. “Let’s order pizza and talk about it.”

You didn't let out a tear when you heard his apology. You also didn't cry when you ripped the necklace from your neck and threw it towards him. You didn't cry when you went upstairs and locked yourself in your room. You didn't cry when Helmut desperately banged on the door clamoring for your attention. You didn't cry, not even when you made the decision to leave, packing all your clothes, shoes and jewelry in your suitcases ready to leave forever; You no longer cried for Helmut J. Zemo. He could go fuck himself for everything he caused you.

(…)

Waking up the next day was relatively easy. You got up, brushed your teeth, skin care routine, passport, suitcases and handbag with intimate items. Everything was in its right place. You closed your bags and left them next to the door. A quick look at the clock you had on your dresser indicating that it was not long before you left that place and never came back. You opened the bedroom door and allowed two servants to enter who took your bags.

“Put them in the car, boys.” You instructed.

"Yes ma'am." They said together leaving the room with their bags.

One last look at the room, You walked out the door heading towards the stairs. You found the bastard at the foot of the stairs waiting for you. He had a swollen face, indicative of a bad night's sleep, with messy hair, something so unusual for him. A part of You liked seeing him so broken. Helmut was selfish and evil. You put an end to his selfishness and evil.

"Let me pass." You demanded the moment he stood in front of you, blocking your exit.

“Please let me...”

“Whatever You have to say, I don’t want to hear it. Get out of my way let me go, stop being such an idiot.”

His own words surprised him. You never had the strength to face him, not really, nor to release the anguish you felt for so long. Your words were met with silence, none of You dared to speak. His breathing became heavy, after a few minutes, Helmut finally gave in and broke the silence.

"Sorry." He whispers.

“That doesn’t solve anything.” You snort.

"I know." he says. "Where are you going?"

Maybe it would be better to just turn around and walk away, before the conversation gets worse. That would have been the right thing to do. Unfortunately, the sadness was not motivated by reason.

“You are a patient and persistent man, I know you will figure it out on your own.”

"Do not go, please." He begged. "Please, do not go. Do not leave me alone. Stay. I will improve how I treat myself and I will never hurt you again. I love you dear."

On a normal day you'd go back to him for a lot less. A few days ago, you would have given him everything, without a doubt. But now, the devotion You had for him was buried. A high wall was built around his heart and not even the warmest words could break it down.

"Stay." He begged again. “It will be different.”

Helmut's love was strange. He appeared to be generous, but he was destructive and cruel. He never had anything to give you other than scraps; it was easy to let yourself be fooled with good charisma. A part, deep in his head, begged you to come back to him. But it wasn't fair to You to allow yourself to live all of this once again and it wouldn't be fair to the child You were carrying. Helmut was not worthy of You, he was not worthy of his son, he was not worthy of anything. You had to save yourself, You had to save what little was left of your heart.

"No."

With the final word You left without looking back. Carrying with him a son that Zemo wouldn't live with, he didn't deserve this, he didn't deserve anything that came from You. One day, with persistence, he would discover the existence of a child conceived by you, but it wouldn't be You who would tell. As the car drives, you lean your head against the window, caress your stomach and allow yourself to dream of a day that would open your heart again.

#helmut zemo x reader #baron zemo #helmut zemo #zemo x reader #falcon and the winter soldier #fatws #zemo x you #marvel mcu #dark!fic #zemo

[make-me-imagine]

Bucky Barnes Masterlist

I have written enough for Bucky that he now desrves his own masterlist lol.

(Marvel Masterlist)

Headcanons:

Headcanons - Tag

Bucky being a father figure (platonic)

Romantic

Sleep Headcanons

Being stuck in Quarantine with Bucky (fluff)

The moment they realize they have feelings for you. (fluff/romance)

Oneshots/Fics

We need to talk (action/angst)

Have you ever heard of personal space? (fluff/humor)

Carry Me (fluff/angst/action)

Thunderstorm (fluff)

We always share blankets on the couch I’m sure sharing a bed is fine too (general)

So…did you miss me? (angst/fluff)

Reader cuts her hair - Bucky’s reaction (general/cute)

Three times I almost kissed you, and the one time I did (fluff/action/angst)

Werewolf AU (Written by Guest Writer ‘Jay’)

“Was that a wolf?”’There are no wolves here” (action)

Spending Christmas with Steve and Bucky (buying Bucky a present and being afraid you offended him since he is Jewish) (fluff)

Love and Flowers; 2021 Valentines Multi-Part Special (fluff/romantic)

Happy Birthday Buck (fluff)

I’m too sober for this (humor)

Haunting (Halloween/spooky)

Safe with You (angst/comfort/fluff)

Perfect (cute/fluff/Valentines Day)

Be Mine (cute/fluff/romance)

Moments In Time (fluff/humor)

Take a Chance (fluff/cute)

Flowers and Courage (romantic/fluff)

Mood-boards/Camera Rolls:

Camera Roll: Picnic Dates with Bucky

Gif-Imagines

Having slowed aging and reunited with Bucky and Steve

Bucky being nervous to kiss you for the first time

#bucky barnes masterlist #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes/reader #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes fic #marvel masterlist #fatws #bucky barnes camera roll #bucky barnes imagines

[bi-disaster-yn]

Remnants of a Life

Pairing: husband!Bucky Barnes x wife!Reader

Summary: Bucky has the chance to get some of his possessions from his life in the 40s back but he needs his wife there to face it with him.

A/N: I had this idea in my head for a while but was inspired to write it when I saw this post and the comment @snugglingbucky left on it. I originally hadn’t intended for them to be married either but @buckiesbabie and I agreed that we needed more husband!Bucky fics. Enjoy! <3

“Just this way, sir.” the young and nervous museum clerk gestured down the clinically lit hallway. The invitation was intended for Bucky but the young man ended up directing it at you when he noticed your husband’s vacant expression. You nodded to him in response and gave Bucky’s hand a squeeze.

Normally Bucky’s strides easily overtook yours but today it was like his boots were filled with lead as he laboriously dragged them along the floor. You pulled him along with you gently as you followed the clerk.

Bucky’s hesitation did not come as a surprise to you. He’d been quiet and distant ever since he’d received the call from the Smithsonian. In an interesting turn of events, his sister, Rebecca Barnes had donated some of his belongings to the museum when Bucky had tragically fallen from the train. It was her way of telling the world her brother’s story. She’d hoped that if she shared pieces of him that people would remember him the way he always should be remembered: as a young man who’d given his life for his country. A hero.

The museum was only too happy to accept and had put the collection on display in the exhibit dedicated to Steve. In their minds, these were the belongings of a dead man which could be fashioned and shown off in any way that they chose. It then became clear after the Sokovia Accords and the blip that these items belonged to someone very much alive who had so much taken from him already. The least he deserved was the opportunity to take his possessions back.

The museum extended the olive branch to Bucky who could only bring himself to be here and face his past life because you’d agreed to come with him.

“Now, as I said before, you’re free to take anything you like. The rest we will either use for the Captain America exhibit or we will preserve.” The clerk explained as you reached the door, again intended for Bucky but instead being directed towards you.

Bucky had internalised his feelings about being presented with relics of his old life. He’d moved on and had settled into the modern age, adjusting to life after Hydra. He met and married you, the love of his life and someone he was always destined to find. Even if he had found another way to the present, or you had somehow found your way to the past; Bucky truly believed that you would always have found each other.

Nonetheless, your timeline had manifested the way it did; with years of Bucky in captivity and then having to adapt and recover in a new world. He thought himself an entirely different person now and was terrified of having to face his old life. The anxiety that he wouldn’t be able to recognise his old self made his chest tighten and he held on to your hand tightly in a desperate attempt to ground himself.

“You ready, Buck?” You asked softly, giving his hand another gentle squeeze and rubbed your thumb over his knuckles soothingly.

“Yeah.” Bucky sighed, finally acknowledging the clerk and giving him a nod. Your husband took a deep breath as the door was unlocked and opened for him.

The little room containing Bucky’s things was eery. Everything was folded and presented neatly for his inspection on tables that ran along the length of a room. Bucky scanned everything, recognising them but not feeling a claim over them in any way. It was like these objects had belonged to a ghost and he would be a thief if he dared to take anything from their special place.

After assessing that Bucky wouldn’t make the first move, you took some careful steps towards the table to observe the items on display. You nonchalantly inspected each item, ghosting your fingertips over them. Your ability to make this look like not such a big deal inspired Bucky to follow after you. He didn’t need to be so scared: he had you.

Your fingertips had landed on his cap that sat atop his neatly folded war uniform. You traced along the edges of it and felt the roughness of the old fabric on your skin.

“I made Steve try that on when they first gave me my uniform, it looked so funny and large on his small head.” Bucky chuckled sheepishly, looking down and playing with his hands.

It was the first time Bucky had said a full sentence all day and it had taken you by surprise. Looking up at him, you met his gaze and gave him an animated smile which invited him to tell you more.

“Well, Steve was the one that actually wanted to go to war. I was drafted. I uh… I wanted to make him feel like part of it, you know? He was always doing stupid stuff like getting into fights he’d never win. I thought if he tried on the uniform that it would get the stupid idea out of his head.” Bucky continued.

He looked at your eager face and realised you hadn’t said anything in a while. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’m droning on.” He quickly said and went back to rubbing his vibranium thumb in little circles on the palm of his flesh hand.

“No please, tell me more.” You encouraged, perfectly content to listen to his stories from the 40s that Bucky rarely, if ever, shared with you. In truth, it sometimes felt like your husband had a double life and the side from the 40s was something that you were not permitted entry to. It seemed that you knew more about his time as the winter soldier rather than as the young man from Brooklyn who took pretty girls out on a Friday night with his scrawny friend and was dragged into a war he didn’t want to fight in.

“Well,” Bucky started, shuffling closer to the table to get a better look at everything. His hand found its way to the small of your back and it stayed there, being steadied both physically and mentally by you. It made you grin and as you looked up at him you could see the stern concentration of his face while his brain processed the memories.

“This isn’t anything special, it’s just a watch my dad gave to me.” He explained as he landed on a simple watch with a small round face and a brown leather strap. “Although, he did always say that it was important to never be late, so I guess it taught me a valuable lesson. And have I ever been late?”

You giggled and shook your head in response to his question which he had partnered with a cheeky grin. “No, baby. You were always on time for our dates. Picked me up at the exact times you said you would.”

“Exactly.” He smiled warmly at you. “Couldn’t have my best girl waiting.”

Bucky looked at the clerk as if for permission before putting the watch on but then a tinge of embarrassment flushed as he realised he didn’t need to. It was his watch; he could take it or leave it as he pleased. His focus returned to the watch and soon it found itself back on his wrist where it belonged.

It ignited a new confidence in Bucky as he stood up a little straighter and analysed the remaining items on the table with more purpose. He let out a chuckle as he picked up a book that was obviously from a bygone era from the cover design but was otherwise perfectly preserved. Your eyes followed Bucky’s fingers as he traced shapes on the mountains on the hardback cover. It was a copy of Tolkien’s The Hobbit.

“Sam will laugh when he hears about this.” Bucky said. “He seemed to be surprised that I knew about Gandalf. But I read this when it first came out, way before the movies were released.”

“Who knew my husband was such a nerd?” You smirked and pinched his side playfully. Bucky let out a hearty laugh; his eyes creased and he flashed those brilliant white teeth. It made your heart do a victory leap to see him relax and get more comfortable. The anxiety that had plagued him before coming here was ebbing away by the second.

“I hope this isn’t a dealbreaker for you.” He joked, rubbing his thumbs over the book as if he was considering purchasing it in a store.

“Of course not.” You kissed his cheek and rubbed his back. “Are you gonna take it?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I have a copy of it on the Kindle you got me for Christmas.”

“Yeah, but this is beautiful, and –“ you opened the front cover of the book “it’s a first edition! Bucky, if you don’t take it then I will!”

“Alright, alright!” Bucky chuckled and sat it down to the side so he could review more of his possessions.

A ring sat in the middle of everything and you might have missed it if you weren’t looking for it. Instinctively, Bucky grabbed it and picked it up. The smile on his face from earlier had been replaced with a frown and his lip quivered slightly.

“This was mom’s ring! I wish Rebecca had kept that.” Bucky sighed, holding on to the ring with both of his thumbs, as though it would shatter if he dropped it. “I know she wanted me to have it, to give to my wife, but Rebecca deserved to hold on to it. She thought I was dead afterall.”

It was a pretty ring; a gold band with lilac oval stones forming a flower shape. It was probably a very grand thing for a working class woman of her time to own.

“It’s a very pretty ring, Buck. At least it’s with its rightful owner now.” You commented in a bid to reassure him.

“Well actually, you’re its rightful owner,” Bucky smiled lightly at you. “Like I said, mom wanted me to give it to my wife. Sorry it arrived a little late. I would have liked to have proposed to you with it but I thought it was lost forever.”

You thanked him by putting your hand to the back of his head and pulling his face in to press a loving kiss to his forehead. The gesture left you feeling grateful to have been trusted with something clearly so precious to Bucky. For a long time now, you had been used to being the only family that Bucky had. This introduction into his old life had admittedly, made you feel a bit alienated. It was the life he was supposed to have but he was cruelly stripped of. Whilst you had accepted that you would never have the relationship with Rebecca and his parents that you had wanted, it still stung that the opportunity had been snatched from both you and him.

Bucky giving you this ring and connecting his old life with his new one reminded you that in every circumstance, in every chain of events, in every universe: he was meant to find you.

“Bucky, I don’t know what to say.” You eventually offered. Bucky lifted your hand to try and put the ring on one of your fingers but it became clear very quickly that it was not going to fit. It only deepened the severity of his frown.

“I mean, we can always go somewhere to get that fixed. People can do that right? Alter the size of rings?” Bucky started to panic, fixating on the ring with fierce concentration as though his staring was a magical power that would change the size of it.

You offered a small smile in response, also disappointed that the ring wouldn’t fit. It seemed to invalidate your earlier theory that he was meant to find you. If it were true, the ring would have fit perfectly.

Nevertheless, you mulled it over. That ring wasn’t a symbol of Bucky’s love for you; the one already on your left hand which he had picked out carefully and specifically was. This was his mother’s ring, a Barnes family heirloom. He was its rightful owner and the one most deserving to hold on to it. An idea formulated in your head as you spotted Bucky’s dog tags peeping out of the collar of his t-shirt.

Without warning, you reached up and pulled the chain over his head and undid the clasp. You took the ring from Bucky’s now trembling fingers and fed it through the chain so that the ring sat next to the tags, making a rather chunky necklace.

You presented it back to him with an explanation. “Now you’ll always have a piece of your mom to carry round with you. Then, when you give your tags to me when you go on missions, I’ll take care of her for you and we can wait together on our Bucky coming home.”

Bucky swallowed thickly, overwhelmed at how thoughtful and sincere you were. He tried to speak several times but his throat closed over and kept him silent. You gave him a small smile and put the tags round his neck again and he immediately clasped his flesh hand over the ring now situated on his chest over his heart. You ran your fingers through his hair slowly to ground him.

“I love you.” He choked out eventually, still holding on to the ring as though it would disappear if he let go.

“I know,” you smiled. “I love you too.”

Bucky inhaled deeply as he took one last scan over the items. He put his hand on a small antique frame containing a sepia tone photograph of Bucky in his war uniform and a girl who looked a lot younger than him who you deduced as being Rebecca.

Rebecca had sat on a chair while Bucky stood next to her with his hands behind his back – a pose that had made him look older and wiser than he probably had been when the picture was taken. It was like a picture your grandparent would show you so that you may have an insight on their youth. Instead, you recognised your husband that you had found yourself only too lucky to wake up to everyday. The only difference was the man standing next to you had a vibranium arm and the weight of years of atrocities on his shoulders.

“She’d have really liked you, you know?” Bucky finally said, tracing his thumb over Rebecca’s face.

“Do you think so?” You asked, peering over his shoulder to get a better look at the photograph. This was the only connection you had to his sister and you studied her image in hopes it might make you understand her better.

“I know so.” He asserted. “She’d see how happy you make me and that would be all that mattered.”

“You make me really happy too, Bucky.” You grinned and gave his back another quick rub. His gaze was still concentrating on the picture and you decided it was best to let him have a moment with his sister. You picked up The Hobbit and made your way over to the door to wait on him. He stood in contented silence for a few more moments before straightening his back and coming over to join you.

“Did you get everything you wanted?” The clerk addressed Bucky after having waited outside while you both toured Bucky’s past.

“Do you have a copy of this picture?” Bucky asked, completely ignoring the question posed to him and held up the picture of him and Rebecca so he could see.

“We do, sir. We keep copies and scans of everything.”

“Well, I think you should put it in the exhibit.” Bucky said, taking another look down at the picture. “If you wanna tell my story, you gotta tell hers too.”

“Sure, Sergeant Barnes, I’ll pass that on.” The clerk enthusiastically agreed and led the way out while you and Bucky followed leisurely.

“That was a nice thing you did for Rebecca, I’m so proud of you.” You beamed at him. He put his arm round you and flashed you one of his perfect and pearly white smiles that never failed to bring out a rose tint on your cheeks.

“She deserves it.” He replied and kissed your temple gently. “Thank you for coming today. I didn’t want to face this on my own.”

Your arm found its way round his back and your hand rested on his hip, sighing contentedly. “I would do anything for you, Buck.”

“I’d do anything for you too.”

Both of you felt a sense of vitality and freshness as you left the building, despite the items you were leaving with being decades old. The nervous man you’d came here with this morning had been left behind and, in his place, had emerged an assured and satisfied one. The watch, novel, ring and photograph seemed unnoteworthy on their own but they closed the gap between Bucky’s life with you and his life in the 40s in your mind. There was no longer a divide between you and Rebecca and his parents; now unionised with these remnants of his old life and with your love for Bucky.

A complete family.

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes x yn #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes imagine #marvel fanfiction #Bucky Barnes fluff #husband Bucky Barnes #bucky barnes x fem!reader #bucky barnes x female reader #sebastian stan #sebastian stan x reader #fatws fic #fatws bucky #beefy bucky

[kitsune024]

Stucky Fics

WinterFrost Fics

WinterIron Fics

*

Operation Hindsight by @dcangstfiction I Chapters 24/24 I Completed Time Travel Fix-It, Bucky & Winter Soldier, Dehumanization, Captain America Sam, Alternate Timelines. BAMF Bucky Barnes

Bucky and Sam follow Jack Rollins through time from 2024 to 2014. Armed with knowledge of the future, Rollins wants to make sure Project Insight succeeds and Hydra rules the world. Bucky and Sam take on the challenge of stopping him and preserving their timeline. To do that, Bucky has to take on the Winter Soldier.

The Life, Death, and Resurrection of James Buchanan Barnes by @dcangstfiction I Chapters 35/35 I Completed Winter Soldier Bucky, Bucky Barnes, Recovering, Multiverse, Alternate Universe - Canon, BAMF Bucky, Time Travel, Amnesia, Epic Bromance, Whump

One day in 2012, Steve Rogers encounters a doppelgänger of himself who says three words that change everything: "Bucky is alive." This is a story about friendship that survives war, tragedy, and the devastation of time. It eases into things with a glimpse of two friends growing up together in the 20s and 30s. It then goes DARK (mind the tags). Darkness doesn't last forever, though. It yields to light. COMPLETE. Thanks to Fictitious for beta-reading!

Avalanche by MuzzledRavings I Chapters 19/19 I Completed Winter Soldier Bucky, Secret Identity, CEO Bucky Barnes, Bucky Barnes Remembers

When an experiment to improve the effectiveness of the Winter Soldier’s supersoldier serum is a little too successful, James regains his mind and his memories. After breaking free from HYDRA’s grasp, he finds the world is infested with HYDRA. Desperate for purpose, he puts the muzzle of the Winter Soldier back on to fight against his old tormentors from the shadows. When New York is attacked by aliens, the masked Avengers assemble. Not knowing who this new superhero team truly works for, James tries to find out while still hunting HYDRA. When it becomes clear to him that the Avengers can’t be trusted, he decides the best way to protect the world is to do it himself. So, the Winter Soldier founds a terrorist organization. TL;DR: The Winter Soldier founds a terrorist* organization *Terrorism subject to interpretation

Avengers: Search for the Winter Soldier by Wolverine6Claws I Chapters 58/? I Winter Soldier Bucky, Psychologists & Psychiatrists, Psychological Torture, Emotionally Repressed, Body Horror, Brainwashing, Aftermath of Violence, Rape Aftermath, Mind Control Aftermath & Recovery, Borderline Personality Disorder, Hydra Bucky, Past Bucky Barnes/Natasha

Steve Rogers was adamant about finding his friend whom he thought had died decades earlier. Seeing Bucky behind the Winter Soldier's mask had stunned Steve. His mind had been reeling at the time, but now he was totally focused and committed to finding Barnes and helping him regain his identity. The Avengers team agrees to help him do just that.

paint me as the villain by TheCockyUndead I Chapters 21/21 I Completed Bucky & Clint Friendship, Manipulative Nick Fury, Blood and Torture, Past Torture, Steve & Tony

Out of everyone that could have captured the Winter Soldier, Fury hadn't expected to be the one to do so. But he didn't question it. After all, who was he to argue when a sharpened weapon was given to him?

Kill Strike Trigger by llethe I Chapters 17/17 I Completed Gen or Pre-Slash, Bucky/Natasha, Bucky & Sam, Bucky Remembers, Steve/Sharon implied, Hydra, World Travel, SHIELD

Rumlow actually smiles and crackles “our puppet, like you,” his voice so quiet and the words so distorted that Barnes just barely makes them out. He tells himself that they’re just words, and they’re just words designed to elicit an emotional response. It’s been just two months; there’s nothing HYDRA could have done by now, to make those words true. Right? A story of how far three people will go to bring Steve Rogers home -- and of how far HYDRA will go to bring home their Winter Soldier.

Oneshots

Falling and The Fallen by @iamshadow21 BAMF Bucky, Soul-Searching, SHIELD Agent Bucky, Post-World War II, 20th Century, Amnesia, AU- Different First Meeting, AU- Canon Divergence

You're in some kind of convalescent home in New York when you're visited by two men in uniform. Captain Steve Rogers, killed in action, they say, and that's how you learn his name. An AU where Bucky Barnes falls and is found by the Howling Commandos.

what departs at death by magdaliny World War II

Steve breathes a sigh of relief. Instead of giving in to his impulse to shout invective, to demand to know why Bucky broke camp without telling anyone, why he keeps doing that, Steve says: “Who you talking to, Buck?” Bucky pats something on the ground and shifts his leg.

Running Through My Veins (An American Masquerade) by @cheesethesecond Winter Soldier Foreshadowing, World War II, Implied/Referenced Torture, Hurt/Comfort

For all Steve’s bravado, his disregard and his blind determination, Bucky knows that neither of them thought they’d end up here—Bucky, with a body full of poison and secrets, a head full of landmines; Steve, with the weight of a nation on his newly-formed shoulders; both of them, with eyes for each other first. At least that part isn’t new. [Or, Bucky Barnes, from the rescue to the Commandos.]

Keep You Going Through the Show by Lauralot Torture, Aftermath of Torture, Pain, Implied/Referenced, Torture, Self-Harm, Blood, Gore, HYDRA Trash Party

The first time Bucky breaks his fingers, Steve thinks nothing of it.

Fulcrum by @laporcupina World War II, Military, keeping an eye on Steve is sometimes a thankless business, POV Bucky Barnes

Bucky really wishes that Steve understood all of the ways that this wasn't a back alley in Brooklyn, that this was war, and that he had a half-dozen men who would follow him to hell but he could try a little harder to keep those excursions to a minimum.

they came in by the dozens by orphan_account Captain America: The First Avenger, World War II, Canon-Typical Violence, War is hell and they're just trying to get through it, Team as Family

“Y’know,” Dugan gestures vaguely, “senators, war profiteers, generals. Big men don’t care if a few of us get blown up as long as we win the battle.” “Yeah,” Jones joins in, “we do the fightin’, they get the glory, and don’t care what else happens as long as they get their name on the front page.”

Bookmark Series

Blue-eyed matador by @flamingo-queen-writes I Part 1-2 I slow burn Bucky/Clint, Steve/Sam, Mute Bucky, Asset Bucky, Implied/Referenced HYDRA Trash Party, Canon Divergence - Post-Avengers, Kinda dark to start out, Dehumanization The Claws That Catch by MuzzledRavings I Part 1-2 I Completed Amnesiac Bucky, BAMF Bucky, AU - Canon Divergence, BAMF Tony, Avenger Bucky The Hollows by ealcynn I Part 1-4 I Standard Winter Soldier Warnings, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, hydra All Life's Evils by @bridge-agent I Part 1-2 I Past Winter Soldier/Natasha, James "Bucky" Barnes/Natasha, Action/Adventure, Drama

Bucky || Winter Soldier with Fanart

I've Heard That Song Before by @pokimoko I Chapters: 10/10 I Completed World War II, Minor Peggy/Steve, Winter soldier Bucky meets the Howling Commandos, Time Travel Winter of the White Wolf by @klecrone I Chapters: 75/? I Winter Soldier Bucky, White Wolf Bucky, Captain America Sam, BAMF Dora Milaje, Post-Canon Fix-It, Wakanda, Friendship

Bookmark Series

Bucky and Sam in 1946 by @dcangstfiction I Part 1-2 I James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson, Time Travel, AU - Canon Divergence, 1940s, BAMF Bucky, Alternate Timelines, Period-Typical Racism, Period-Typical Sexism

#winter soldier #fic rec #fanfic rec #bucky barnes #bucky fanart #bucky fanfiction #winteriron #stucky #winterfrost #mcu bucky barnes #bucky barnes fanfiction #ao3 #must read fics #mcu bucky #i love bucky #captain america winter soldier #fatws bucky #ao3 fanfic #i ain't gonna put in all the tags in each fic so yall read the tags

[klecrone]

This illustration by @elkleggs is just so warm and cozy and easy to fall into, and I'm so thrilled to share it with you with my latest story update!

I love the idea of hinting at more of Bucky’s life in Wakanda, and while there were certainly some rough and trying times, I’d like to think there were a lot of peaceful and nourishing ones too. There’s something sweet about him connecting with the people around him, and the idea that asking to borrow one of Yama’s sister’s hairbands came with a promise that she could style his hair was an amusing one to me, and I adore Elklegg’s take on their interaction!

Elkleggs captured such a sweet and charming moment with these two. Please check out her Twitter and Tumblr pages to see more of her beautiful art!

Chapter 82: "Completely Inconspicuous" - (Read on Ao3) "Winter of the White Wolf"

#Bucky #Bucky Barnes #Wakanda #FanArt #Marvel #MCU #MCU Fandom #Marvel MCU #Marvel Fan Art #Marvel Fan Fic #Guest Art #TFATWS #FATWS #Black Panther #Wakanda Forever #Falcon and the Winter Soldier #Elkleggs #Ao3 #Sebastian Stan #FFnet #Ao3 Fan Art #Ao3 Fanfic #Winter Soldier #The Winter Soldier #WotWW #Winter of the White Wolf #Braids

[eat-limes-bitches]

What Would I do Without You?

PAIRING: Female Reader x FATWS Bucky

SUMMARY: One quiet morning, Bucky reflects on his love for you and decides to tell you about it.

SONG

WARNINGS: Fluff!! Soft! Bucky, romantic! Bucky, (yes I consider those warnings). Pet names (darlin’, honeybee)

Word Count: 1038

A/N:   I was on my way home from a meeting when I heard this song play on my Spotify recommended and all I could think about was a super sweet and fluffy Bucky thinking back on his love for the reader and so I started writing it the second I got home and decided to share.

Words in italics are memories and words bolded AND in italics are song lyrics.

Enjoy! <3

Divider by Rookthorne

Sometimes I wake up with a sadness,  Other days, it feels like madness

It was a quiet morning, something Bucky was still not quiet used to. In his own words, “I had a little calm in Wakanda. And other than that, I just went from one fight to another for 90 years.” So watching her mull around the kitchen as she tended to the plants in the window sill, humming a gentle melody under her breath as she gave them water and rearranged their leaves was something he cherished.  He remembered not even months ago when he was waking up in cold sweats in Madrid while he was far away from her, the lack of her gentle touch and soft words driving him slowly crazy.

He bolted up right in the bed in the hotel room that Zemo had provided him to rest in for the night. He glanced around wildly, looking for her but remembering that she wasn’t there. He was half a world away. He glanced at the clock and blinked at the little red numbers on the clock informing him that it was two in the morning, meaning that she would be awake. He reached for his phone on the nightstand pressing the call button on the familiar contact. Holding his breath as the phone rings once, twice, and on the third ring her voice soft as rain comes through. “Hello?” Bucky lets out the air trapped in his lungs in a gentle sigh as he smiles to himself, “Hi darlin, how’s my honeybee?” He coo’s gently, his small smile turning into a grin as her giggles ring through the phone. “Everything is just fine here. Alpine is just helping me in the garden.” He smiles and listens as she tells him all about the rooftop garden and how the sunflowers are  “So huge! They’re probably taller than you now Buck!” Eventually his heart stops racing and he feels calm, lying back down he falls back asleep listening to her sweet voice telling him how much she loves him and how she can’t wait to have him home again.

 When colors turn to shades of gray, With the weight of the world at the end of the day

He smiles fondly at the memory snapping back to reality as the sounds of pans clattering catches his attention. “Are you ok darlin’?” He questions, getting ready to stand up when she waves him off. I’m fine, James. Jus’ gettin ready to make those blueberry muffins you like.” She smiles sweetly leaning over the counter to place a kiss on his nose before getting back to work measuring out ingredients. As she’s washing the blueberries he thinks back to the first time she made those muffins, and how much comfort something so simple brought him.

He abruptly turned off the TV, slamming the remote onto the coffee table as he ran his right hand through his newly shortened chestnut locks, unknowing that she was watching him from the doorway. Quietly, she enters the room and sits next to him, taking his metal hand in hers as she silently comforts him. She knew how much this dollar tree cap was probably bothering him so when she stood and pulled on his hand he looked up at her with a questioning look and she just smiled that sweet smile before answering his silent question. “I’m trying out a new blueberry muffin recipe for the shop and need your help. I can’t reach the pans on the top shelf, please James?” He sighs, knowing he can’t say no to her and some time later with a fresh warm muffin in his hand is grateful that she knows how to take the weight off of his shoulders.

 Once the muffins are in the oven, it’s her turn to watch him quizzically for a moment. “James?” She calls out softly causing him to hum in response. “What’s going on in that head of yours. You’ve been awfully quiet this morning. Everything ok?” Bucky stands and makes his way around the kitchen island wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his chest. “ I’m fine honeybee, just thinkin’.” She hums lightly before speaking again, “That’s a dangerous thing to do, Barnes. Better fill me in on these thoughts.” She teases lightly, causing him to chuckle slightly, “ Just realizing how years go by without a warning and there's still a kindness in your eyes.”

 He pushes her back slightly so he can look into her eyes before he speaks again, “Amidst the questions and the worry, peace of mind always takes me by surprise.” He slowly starts to move side to side, swaying her with him as they dance to the soundless music in their kitchen. He spins her and then pulls her back into his embrace as he continues to speak his mind to her, “The difference between what I've said and done, and you're still standing by my side.” He chuckles at the look she gives him, clearly wondering what he means. “A guilty soul and a worried mind, I will never make it if I'm on my own.” He continues, elaborating on his previous statement, causing understanding to pass over her features along with a hint of sadness.

 He smiles sweetly, twirling her again as he continues to speak, “So you’ve got the morning, I’ve got midnight. You are patient, I'm always on time.” He pulls her flush against his chest and presses a kiss to her nose causing sweet giggles to erupt from her form causing his smile to grow into a bright grin as he rocks them both side to side. “You’ve got your sunshine, I’ve got my rain clouds. You’ve got hope and I’ve got my doubts.” She listens intently as he pulls her in close, resting his forehead against hers, savoring her warmth. “But out of everything, there is one question I don’t ever want to find the answer to.” He opens his eyes to meet hers swimming with curiosity, silently urging him to continue. He smiles and shakes his head lightly, “Oh, what would I do without you?” 

He shrugs his shoulders, bringing her in for a sweet kiss before answering his question, “I never want to find out.”

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky fluff #fatws bucky #fatws bucky x reader #fluff #song fic

[lives-in-midgard]

A special gift

 Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader

Summary: Reader celebrates Christmas with the Avengers.

Masterlist

Today is Christmas and you are really looking forward for the Secret Santa game and the dinner at the compound. You are very excited to see who got you and what Thor will think about his present and of course what Bucky will say.

“Hey Babe” you say while opening the door to Bucky´s room. You see him sitting at the desk trying to wrap Wanda´s gift.

“Hey Doll” he says with a smile on his face. Then looks at the gift again and then back at you.

“Do you need help Buck?” You ask your boyfriend with a chuckle and he nods. You go to him and sit on his lap and wrap the gift. He holds you from behind and gives you a kiss on the neck.

“Thanks doll, I wouldn’t know what to do without you.” You turn around and face him. You smile at each other, and he cups your face with his hands and gives you a passionate kiss on the lips.

“Do you want to cuddle until dinner?” Bucky asks you with a smile.

“Of course, I want, what question is that.” You say and he laughs. You go to his bed and snuggle up to each other.

“I love you so much Bucky” you whisper while lying on his chest.

“I love you too Y/n” You hear him say.

An hour later you say: “Buck I think we have to make us ready for dinner.”                                           

“Doll, we have an hour left, there is enough time, let's wait for a while I don’t want to get up right now.

“Oh, Baby I also don’t want to get up, but I want to look good and wear something beautiful. It is my first Christmas here, it has to be something special.” You say to him. “Doll you are always beautiful, and it will be something special I promise.” Bucky says to you while looking at you. You start to smile.

“Thanks, babe but we still have to get up now, but I promise you that we have enough cuddle time afterwards.” He begins to smile and gives you a kiss, then starts to stand up and you go to your room to change your clothes.

“Are you ready doll” You hear Bucky say while knocking at your door.                                                 

“Yes, you can come in Buck.” You yell from the bathroom. He goes in your room, and you go to him. He immediately begins to smile when he sees you in that beautiful dress you wear.                                                                        

“You look so beautiful."

“Thanks Buck, you look great too.” You say and give him a kiss on the cheek. Then you go to the living room with your presents and put them under the tree.

“The meal was so good, Wands!” You say with a smile to your best friend who sits at the other side of the table holding Vision's hand. “Thanks Y/n. Thank you all for this beautiful time this means so much to me.” She says with a smile on her face, everyone smiles, and they start conversations.

After a while the group goes to the tree to give each other the gifts. Steve has Nat. Nat has Bucky. Bucky has Wanda who is very excited about the cooking book she gets from him. Then Peter gives his gift to you, and you open it and find a beautiful snow globe in it. You thank him and give him a hug. After that you give Thor your present. He is very excited to open it.                                                                             

“Guys look what I got from Y/n a cup which says strongest avenger on it!” He screams with full excitement. You and the others start to laugh.

“Thanks Lady Y/n, I really love it.”

“Of course, Thor, I am happy that you like it.“  

After everyone got there presents Bucky came to you and says, “Close your eyes doll.” You do as he says. “Now open” When you open your eyes you see him holding his dogtags in his hands.

“I don’t understand baby?”

“I want to give them to you, so you always have a piece of me with you whenever I am away, so you know you are not alone.” He says and presses a soft kiss on your lips and whips with his thumb from your cheek a tear away.                                                     

“Thanks Bucky, I love it so much and I won’t take them off, they are safe with me. I love you so much. And now my gift for you” You give him a small gift.                                  

“Wow doll, this is amazing. I love it we are going to have such a good time in Coney Island. It's been such a long time since I’ve been there.” You thought it would be a good idea to make a vacation just for the two of you.

Then you all watch a Christmas movie together and you fall asleep beside Bucky he puts a blanket over you and gives you a soft kiss on the forehead.  

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky comfort #bucky barnes x you fluff #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky x y/n #bucky x reader #james bucky barnes #bucky barnes #bucky barnes comfort #marvel #bucky barnes one shot #bucky imagine #bucky barnes fanfiction #mcu x reader #fatws bucky #marvel christmas #marvel christmas fic

[delicatebarness]

i cant read your mind | chapter two

Summary: After hearing the news, you go to confront Sam. However, you end up on your first mission since the return of Thanos.

Warnings: MCU Spoilers. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier spoilers throughout.

Word Count: 1584

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A/N: Two chapters in one night. I did plan for this chapter to cover the whole of episode two of FATWS however, I also don't like the chapters being too long so here's the first half.

Tags: @blackhawkfanatic | @cjand10 | @wintrsoldrluvr | @missvelvetsstuff | @buckys-metal-arm | @matchat3a | @shadowzena43 | @torntaltos |

Your heart pounded in your chest as you scrambled for the remote, turning up the volume. On the screen, a man clad in red, white, and blue filled the screen as he stood tall, winking at the camera. The new Captain America. 

Racing with questions, your mind couldn’t stop. How could they replace Steve like that? And who the fuck even was this new Captain America? Was he even worthy of carrying the shield?

Frustration and anger boiled your blood, mixing with the hurt from Bucky’s appearance the day before. The world felt like it was spinning out of control, and tears began to trickle down your cheeks. 

Taking a deep breath, you wiped away the tears and forced yourself to focus. With determination, you got up and made your way to find Sam.

~

“You had no right to give up the shield, Sam.” you listened to Bucky and Sam talk about the situation as they made their way closer to you. Not yet noticing your presence. 

“Hey. This is what you’re not gonna do.” an amused smile tugged at the corners of your lips as Sam began to tell Bucky straight, “You’re not gonna come here in your overextended life and tell me about my rights. It’s over Bucky.”  

Applause echoed through the room, drawing the attention of Sam and Bucky. Bucky’s gaze locked with yours, while Sam’s eyes rolled.

“You too?” Sam’s voice filled with annoyance as he addressed you. Your smile remained as you stepped forward. 

“How could I resist this party?” you quipped, voice laced with amusement. “Sam, you know I respect your decision,” you sent him a sincere smile as his expression softened at your words. He was grateful for your support, now and back in Washington. “But, we need to fix this.” 

“I have bigger things to deal with now,” Sam exclaimed, taking both you and Bucky by surprise. “What could be bigger than this?” Bucky asked, his disbelief was evident. 

You listened to Sam and Bucky go back and forth about the group called the Flag Smashers and The Big Three. You were on Bucky’s side about the wizards, but you knew agreeing with Sam would rile him up.

As the conversation carried on, you felt a sense of urgency. Without a second thought, you began walking toward the waiting jet. “Where do you think you’re going?” Bucky called out to you, his tone mixed with frustration and concern.

As you reach the jet, you turn to face Bucky, “I’m going with Sam,” you stated firmly, meeting his gaze. Bucky’s gaze hardened as both he and Sam walked towards you, you heard them bickering between each other but resulted in rolling your eyes as you boarded. 

~

The flight to Germany was quiet for the most part, there was an occasional interruption from the rumble of the jet’s engine. You found yourself consistently checking your phone for texts from your date, and stealing glances between Sam and Bucky. They had been engrossed in a silent staring contest for most of the flight. Their unspoken tension filled the cabin. 

“Is that your boyfriend?” Bucky’s snarky remark cut the tension, his annoyance evident as he observed your constant glances down to your phone.  

You raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on your lips. “Jealous, Barnes?” you teased. He rolled his eyes at your response. You tucked your phone away, ready to turn your attention to the mission. 

As the journey to Germany continued, Bucky and Sam returned to their staring contest, only breaking again when Sam got up to pick his comm up. Bucky followed his lead and you followed Bucky’s. And, within an instant, they returned to their arguing: This time about a plan. 

“Where’s the chute?” Bucky asked, resulting in finding out you were too low for them. He looked back at you with concern, he knew he could survive the jump, but you wouldn’t. You knew you couldn’t afford to waste time, it was too risky to attempt jumping with Bucky. 

“I’ll catch up with you from the ground,” you reassured the super soldier, his concern was palpable as he looked back at you. His eyes betrayed him as they filled with worry. 

He nodded, reaching his Vibranium hand to your cheek and running his fingers down your neck. A shiver was sent down your spine, you missed the cool feeling of his left hand. “Be careful, baby,” he whispered in your ear before turning to prepare for the jump. You watched him as you allowed yourself a moment to apprehend the feeling of being called ‘Baby’ by him again. 

~

Stepping out onto the solid ground, you felt the urge of determination course through you. You heard over the comms that Sam and Bucky wasted no time, they immediately sprung into action. Immediately, you began searching for a car you could use to catch up to them. Your mind focused solely on reaching them, you wasted nothing rushing towards a car you knew would be fast enough. Using your government identity to secure it, you thanked the salesman and wasted no time roaring the engine and speeding off in the direction of Sam and Bucky. 

As you sped toward their location, Sam updated you on the tracking information for Redwing over the comms. “Shit!” Bucky’s exclaim echoed through the small earpiece, you pressed down harder on the gas pedal, determined to reach them. 

Finally reaching their location, you witnessed Sam swiftly grabbing Bucky from under the truck, and soaring with him into a nearby field. Meanwhile, you continued to trail behind the truck, your eyes widening in surprise as you noticed the new Captain America engaged in a fight on top of it. 

“Those are Super Soldier, kid, get out of there.” Bucky’s voice was urgent as it crackled through the comms, his concern for you still evident as he warned you of the danger. 

Your voice was laced with determination as you responded, “Don’t call me ‘kid’.” You prepared to face the Super Soldier head-on. As you prepared mentally, you didn’t see the new Captain America about to collide with the car. The impact was catastrophic, causing you to lose control of the vehicle and tumble off the road and into the woodland area by the field. 

Before you could register what had happened, new Cap and his friend had vanished. Sam and Bucky were by your side in an instant. “I told you to be careful,” Bucky reminded you as he gently pulled you from the wreckage, steadying you.

~

As Sam and Bucky conversed between themselves, you found comfort in intertwining your fingers with Bucky’s, his silent gesture of support. A chill swept over you, causing your body to tremble. 

Coming to a halt, Bucky crouched down to meet your gaze as concern plastered over his face. “You okay?” he asked, noting the shallow and rapid rise and fall of your breathing. You nodded, feeling the chill of shock settling. 

Bucky swiftly removed his jacket and draped it over you. Despite the absence of his left sleeve, the jacket still provided warmth and comfort. 

After walking for a while longer, the sound of a horn honking beside you caught the attention of the three of you. You looked up, meeting the gaze of the new Captain America. John Walker, Sam had explained to you previously. Despite his efforts to engage in conversation, you followed Sam and Bucky’s lead, choosing to ignore them. 

However, it didn’t take long for Walker to provoke a reaction out of Bucky, unknowingly circling back to the topic of wizards. This led to Bucky defending the Captain America title, causing a rise now out of Walker. After realizing that Bucky was unfazed, Walker shifted his approach, acknowledging the state you were currently in. 

“Look, it’s 20 miles to the airport. You guys need a ride.” Walker offered, and he tried to convey a sense of goodwill despite the unlying tension. Your eyes pleaded with Bucky as he glanced down at you. Walker might not have been your choice of Captain America but the idea of sitting down sounded appealing. 

Bucky assisted you into the car with a sigh. You couldn’t but grimace inwardly as you locked glances with Walker the moment he shot you the same wink you had seen earlier on television. The one moment you wouldn’t have protested Bucky throwing a punch for someone looking at you, and he misses it. 

You nestled your head against Bucky’s shoulder as they discussed the issue of The Flag Smashers. With each glance from Walker toward you, Bucky's body tensed beneath you, prompting an episode of the infamous Bucky stare-off. 

“Does he always just stare like that?” Walker asked Sam, a smile tugged at your lips at the thought of Bucky’s intense stare making Walker so uncomfortable, he needed reassurance. “You get used to it,” Sam huffed in response. The conversation resumed as they spoke about the government and what they were trying to do to help after The Blip. 

“Battlestar?” Bucky exclaimed, a sense of annoyance mixed with amusement in his voice. “Stop the car!” He commanded the driver. The car came to a halt and Bucky wasted no time to exit leaving Walker shouting back toward him. “Come on, Y/N!” Bucky’s voice boomed a clear demand for you to follow him.

For a moment you debated if you should follow your ex-situationship or simply stay in the car and avoid walking the rest of the way to the airport.

---

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#bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x you #bucky barnes #bucky x y/n #bucky fanfic #bucky x female reader #james bucky barnes #bucky fic #james bucky buchanan barnes #i can #i cant read your mind #i cant #i cant read your mind fic #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x you #fatws #fatws bucky #fatws au #fatws!bucky x agent!reader