#pastrychef!Bucky

[lillywillow]

Secret Ingredient

Summary: When completing a delivery for Sam, you must work together with one of your least favourite people to get the job done but things get a bit more complicated.

 Written for: @buckybarnesbingo

 Words: 2752

 Square Filled: K3- Secrets

 Pairing: PastryChef!Bucky Barnes x Female Reader  

 Warnings: Mild adult suggestions, mentions of injury

 A/N: Set in a Baker!AU

 Ever since you first started working at Sam’s patisserie, Bucky Barnes had been a thorn in your side. Yes, he was handsome, charming and very skilled at his job but he was also a terrible flirt and was always trying to show you up. There wasn’t a day that went by you didn’t butt heads. You were only the commis chef, or in other words, you were Bucky’s underling and he never let you forget it. You had training in other areas of the culinary arts but you still had to learn the fineries of pastry. Sure, you were pretty good at baking simple recipes but when it came to more complicated dishes or getting the decorating just right, you needed work. Bucky was more than happy to assist you but that often came with the price of his gloating and or flirting. The metal armed chef got on your nerves. There were rumours about how he lost his arm but nobody seemed to know the truth and should one ask Bucky, he’d give some impressive backstory. You couldn’t stand him and his showboating which is why when Sam asked you to deliver goods to a four-star hotel upstate, you were less than thrilled.

 “Come on, doll. I’m sure it’ll be a piece of cake,” Bucky winked.

…

 A piece of cake indeed. On your way upstate, the car broke down, your phone died, Bucky had forgotten his and it started to rain heavily. Bucky got out of the car to push while you steered but eventually you made it to ‘les Vengeurs’ but by then it had gotten dark. Bucky went in first but almost got into a fight with the concierge over him tracking in mud through the clean floors but when you walked in with the boxes from Sam’s, it became a different story.

 “You must be the famous pastry chef Madame Marvelle! Come in, come in,” the concierge preened, ushering you inside.

 “We’ve been expecting you. And this gentleman with you must be your husband,” he continued.

 “Actually, he’s-”

 “Her fiancé! Yes, we’re not technically married yet but the wedding is just around the corner. Right, honey?” Bucky smoothly interrupted.

 “R-right…”

 Why was Bucky doing this?

 “We’ll prepare a room for you right away,” the concierge said.

 “Thank you. We’ll pay for it as soon as we can,” you replied.

 “No, no, no. THE Madame Marvelle will not pay in my hotel. Consider your stay here a gift from us.”

 “That would be great,” Bucky grinned, putting his arm around you before you could object.

 “What are you doing?! You’ll get us in trouble!” you hissed.

 “Relax, Y/N. We’ll stay here tonight and make up some excuse to leave tomorrow,” Bucky confidently replied.

 “Everything is all organised. I’ll show you to your room,” the concierge explained.

 The pair of you followed him through the hotel, Bucky deliberately squishing mud and flicking water at times. He smirked at the subtle twitch in the concierge’s eye. You gave Bucky a nudge to the side to make him stop.

 “I must say, Madame, you’re a lot younger than I would picture for someone with your prestigious accolades…”

 “Well, I take good care of my skin,” you sheepishly smiled.

 “I see… well, here we are. I hope this room will be to your liking. My name is Phil Coulson, if you need anything, just let me know. I’ll give you some time to settle in and then I’ll come and get you to show you to our kitchen. With your help, we may be able to earn that final star…”

 Phil handed you the key card and left you be. You and Bucky walked in and looked around the room which could only be described as the height of luxury. The king-sized bed had an expensive looking duvet with plush pillows piled high. A chaise lounge draped with an exquisite blanket was in the corner. The windows were decorated with velvet curtains either side. The bathroom was just as luxurious with a tub made for two and all sorts of bottles filled with shampoos, conditioners, lotions and other such items lined the spotless vanity.

 “I’m going to take a shower,” Bucky announced, heading into the bathroom before you could say anything.

 With a sigh, you laid down on the bed. Now it was just you and your thoughts. How were you going to get away with this? Pretend to be this famous pastry chef when you were only a beginner? Bucky could help you but how long would it be until you were discovered as a fraud? You were still deep in thought when Bucky emerged from his shower in one of the hotel’s fluffy robes and flopped himself down on the bed.

 “What do you think you’re doing?” you asked.

 “Making myself comfortable,” he replied, running a towel through his hair.

 “You’re sleeping on the floor,” you huffed.

 “What?! No, I’m not!” he protested.

 “Well, I’m not taking the floor,” you stubbornly retorted.

 “Why do either of us have to take the floor? It’s a big bed, big enough for two. We don’t even have to touch…”

 “Fine,” you groaned. “But you stay on your side of the bed. Anything that comes over my side, I’m breaking off. Got it?”

 “Whatever you say, Y/N.”

…

 After Bucky managed to get his clothes dry, you let Phil know you were ready to see the kitchen.

 “This is very exciting; having such a famous chef helping us in our hotel. In fact, we have one of your former students in our employment…”

 Your heart dropped to the bottom of your stomach. This could blow everything. Your skin felt hot and itchy, your pulse started to quicken. You were brought out of your head by a warm hand holding onto yours. To your surprise, Bucky gave you a kind smile.

 “Madame Marvelle, and fiancé, this is Carol Danvers. I’m sure you can get reacquainted as she shows you around the kitchen,” Phil smiled.

 Carol looked you up and down before offering you her hand to shake.

 “Of course. It’s an honour to work with you again Madame,” she smiled but it was tight lipped.

 There was something that didn’t feel quite right about this exchange.

 “I’ll leave you be,” Phil nodded, leaving to tend to other matters.

 “Alright, who the hell are you? I’ve worked with the real Madame Marvelle and you’re not her,” Carol hissed once he was out of earshot.

 “I’m Y/N and this is Bucky. We’re stranded here until our car gets fixed,” you sighed.

 “Why shouldn’t I go and tell Phil the truth?”

 “Because, you have that inspector coming tomorrow to decide on whether or not this hotel should be giving another star. I’m still in training but Bucky, he’s really good. He can help you earn that star…”

 Bucky looked surprised you were giving him such high praises.

 “Thanks, Y/N,” he breathed.

 You smiled a little and nodded in response.

 “Alright, if you’re a good as she says you are, I want you to make a croquembouche,” Carol ordered.

 “No problem,” Bucky shrugged. “Come on, Y/N. I’ll teach you how to make it…”

 Carol watched Bucky like a hawk as he made the dessert, walking you through the same process. You followed his steps and produced a decent looking stack although, it wasn’t anywhere near as elegant as Bucky’s tower. When you had finished, Carol tried some of Bucky’s first.

 “This is satisfactory. I’ll cover for you until the inspection is over but if you blow this for us, you’re out of here,” she warned.

 Next, she tried some of yours.

 “You have a lot of potential but you could use a little work. Keep practicing.”

…

 You spent a few hours baking and decorating until the pastries looked to the standard of perfection one might expect from a luxury hotel. This of course would not have been achieved without Bucky’s help. It was quite late by the time you decided to go back to the suite.

 “You know, Y/N, I’m surprised you think so highly of me. I always thought you hated me,” Bucky started, getting into the elevator.

 “I don’t hate you. It’s just… you’re always criticising me or nit-picking over every minor error,” you sighed, tired from the long day.

 “That’s because I want you to be better than me and not make the same stupid mistakes that will get you hurt like I…”

 You were shocked. Slowly, your eyes were drawn to his left arm; the metal one. Bucky had told many stories about how he lost the arm from a shark attack when he was surfing off the coast of Florida to an epic tale similar to the guy in ‘127 Hours’.

 “You…?”

 “It was an accident. I was training to become a chef. I was young and arrogant… I… I was showing off with the creme Brulé blow torch and it caught my sleeve on fire. My arm got burned pretty badly… It later became infected and they eventually had to amputate…”

 “Is that why you make up stories about how you lost it?”

 Bucky nodded and sighed. You couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for him. To hide something like that from everyone.

 “It was my own damn fault. I did this to myself… but that’s why I’m hard on you sometimes, Y/N. Because I don’t want you to go through what I did. I want you to more have opportunities…”

 Before you could say anything, the power went out, causing the elevator to jolt and sending you into Bucky’s arms.

 “The storm must have cut the power,” Bucky mused out loud.

 You clung to his shirt, terrified to be in this small, dark place. At least you had someone with you that you could talk to.

 “It’s okay, Y/N. I’ve got you,” he assured you, holding you closer.

 You actually felt safe in his embrace.

 “You know, Bucky… there is another reason I pushed you away…”

 “Oh, really?”

 “Yeah… it’s because… you remind me of my ex…”

 Bucky waited for you to continue.

 “We met in college when I was training to be a chef. He was a little bit older than me and studying medicine. He was flirty and charming, just like you. We had one of those sappy romances…”

 You felt his chest vibrate as he chuckled.

 “Once he graduated, we broke up but he always promised to keep in touch… The last I heard he was some rich and famous doctor but out of the blue, I get a call from him wanting to meet up in the place we had our first date. Stupidly, I went, and by the time I got there, he was proposing to his girlfriend…”

 “What?! He had a girlfriend and he was still going to meet you?”

 You let out a dry laugh.

 “She was perfectly lovely. The thing that hurt the most is that he introduced me as his ‘friend’…”

 “What a jerk!”

 “I guess he was…”

 “No, he definitely was. You’re better off without him, Y/N.”

 You smiled a little at his words.

 “Thanks, Bucky. I’ve always been scared to get back into the dating world because what if the same thing happens? What if I fall hard and fast for someone only to have them toss me aside like he did? I don’t know if my heart could handle that…”

 “I would never treat you like that,” Bucky softly muttered.

 You were starting to see Bucky in a new light and beginning to think that maybe he wasn’t the jerk you thought he was.

 “Bucky, I…”

 Once again, you were interrupted as the lights came back on and the elevator started moving again. You both silently made your way back to the room, both thinking of the moment you shared.

 “Bucky?”

 “Yeah?”

 “Forget about what I said before about my side of the bed… but, don’t take it as an invitation to get weird…” you quickly added.

 “Wouldn’t dream of it,” he chuckled.

 When morning came, you woke with Bucky’s arm gently around your waist. You actually felt comfortable with his touch.

…

 Later that morning, you busily helped Bucky and Carol prepare for the upcoming inspection. You followed every order the two professional chefs as fast and as the orders arrived. Mostly you stuck to following the orders while Bucky and Carol made them look good. It was long, hard work but eventually you made it through the huge rush. When things quieted down, the three of you took a breather. Phil took the opportunity to come and check on how you were doing. You chatted for a while when you noticed him looking at you strangely.

 “Where is your ring?” he asked.

 “My ring?”

 “Engaged women usually wear rings…” he subtly pried.

 “Oh! I usually take it off when I’m baking. I wouldn’t want to soil something so precious to me…”

 “That’s so sweet! I’d love to hear more. Your first date? First time you met? Oh! How did you propose?” Phil grinned like a giddy school boy.

 “Actually, she was the one who proposed to me,” Bucky supplied, casually putting his arm around your shoulders.

 “Really?” Carol challenged, raising an eyebrow.

 “She made a wonderful candlelit dinner with all my favourite sweets. When she popped the question, well, she was just so beautiful, all I could say was yes…”

 The look in Bucky’s eyes melted your heart.

“That’s so romantic! Sorry, I know I’m a big sap when it comes to this kind of thing,” Phil chuckled. “I should check on our esteemed guests…”

 “You make a pretty convincing couple,” Carol stated once Phil was gone. “Makes me wonder how much you’re really hiding…”

 You and Bucky exchanged glances. Could you make a go of things? Your concentration was broken when Phil came back to proudly announce that les Vengeurs was officially now a five-star hotel.

 “Thank you so much, Madame!” Phil beamed.

 “Actually, I can’t take all the credit. It was mostly thanks to Carol…”

 Carol looked at you in surprise.

 “Yes, she put a lot of hard work in. You should really give her the praise.”

 “Well, I couldn’t have done it without your help,” she smiled.

 It was half true. If it wasn’t for Carol and Bucky, there was no way you could have pulled this off. Phil was grateful for all your help and once he was gone, Carol offered her gratitude as well.

…

 Once the mechanic had fixed up your car, you and Bucky made up some excuse to leave before you were discovered.

 “Before we take off, can we talk?” Bucky asked.

 “Of course. What’s up?”

 “I was wondering if… I could take you out on a date sometime…”

 “You think we should start dating?”

 “Yeah… We could give it a try. Tell you what, how about one kiss? If you don’t feel anything, we go back to being co-workers and learn to get along. On the other hand, if you feel a spark, we could explore where it goes…”

 “Alright. One kiss,” you agreed.

 Bucky gently pulled you into his arms as you wrapped yours around his neck. As he pressed his lips to yours, you felt butterflies erupt in your belly. It had been a long time since anyone had made you feel this way. By the time you pulled away, you were totally breathless.

 “Well?” Bucky breathed.

 “I think I’d like to see where this goes…”

 Bucky smiled and kissed you again.

…

 You and Bucky agreed to keep your relationship a secret for now. During the day, you pretended it was like it was before but at night, Bucky was teaching you how to improve your technique. You got away with hiding your relationship for quite some time until you were caught making out one night after Sam came back to grab something he had forgotten. He teased you for some time but he thought you were good for each other. With Bucky’s help, you really improved your pastries. After all, every good chef knows the secret ingredient to making any recipe is love.

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