mandoalorian
mandoalorian
rach barnes
3K posts
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mandoalorian · 5 hours ago
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sparks of submission [bucky barnes x bob reynolds x f!reader]
synopsis: the time has come for bob to prove himself as a member of the new avengers.
warnings: 18+ explicit content, mdni, unprotected p in v, riding, m receiving oral, f receiving oral, dom!bucky, sub!bob, tit play, threesome, bob is a begger, praise kink, bucky is a little controlling, power dynamics, multiple orgasms.
word count: 2.5k
hymns of hunger (optional read) | masterlist ⋆✴︎˚。⋆
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The Avengers Tower training room was a cathedral of shadows at 3 a.m., its mirrors drinking in the city’s neon pulse, casting fractured light across the mats like a mosaic of unspoken dares. Bob Reynolds stood at the centre, his faded tee soaked with sweat, clinging to the lean planes of his chest, mousy hair a damp, tousled mess.
Months of “training” with you—sparring by day, bodies tangled in fevered nights—had carved him into something sharper, but his blue eyes still carried the weight of what happened in the Void, haunted and hungry for redemption.
Tonight was his crucible: Bucky Barnes, the former Winter Soldier himself, had promised him a shot at the New Avengers, but only if he could prove his worth. Bucky loomed at the room’s edge, metal arm glinting like a blade, his stare a storm of command and expectation.
“Time to show me what she’s taught you, Reynolds,” he said, voice a low growl, each word a challenge etched in steel.
You leaned against a mirrored wall, leggings hugging your curves, tank top taut against your skin, a smirk curling your lips like you owned the night.
“He’s got more than you think, Barnes,” you said, sauntering forward, hips swaying with deliberate confidence. “Question is, can you handle what we’ve been working on?”
Bob’s gaze snapped to you, a soft whimper escaping as his eyes traced your form, his erection already straining against his sweatpants. The sound sent a spark straight to your core, and Bucky’s lips twitched, a predator’s smile that promised no mercy.
“Prove it,” he said, crossing his arms, the metal of his arm catching the neon in a cold gleam.
You kicked off with drills—jabs, blocks, footwork—Bob’s movements crisper than when you’d started months ago, but still raw under Bucky’s unrelenting scrutiny.
“Faster, Reynolds,” Bucky barked, circling like a wolf, his boots heavy on the mats.
Bob lunged, all heart and no finesse, his fist grazing your shoulder. You dodged, grabbing his wrist, twisting until he hit the mat with a grunt, your thighs pinning his chest.
“Too slow, rookie,” you teased, leaning close, your breath hot against his ear.
His whine was raw, desperate, “Please, I—I wanna be good for you,” and the tremor in his voice set your pulse racing, heat pooling low.
Bucky stepped closer, his presence a tangible weight. “Months with her, and you’re still begging like a puppy?” he taunted, voice dripping with amused disdain. “Show her what you’ve learned, or I’ll show you how it’s done.”
Bob’s flush deepened, his hands hovering at your hips, unsure, pleading.
You tilted his chin up, locking eyes. “You know what I like, sweet boy,” you purred, guiding his trembling hands under your tank top, his calloused fingers grazing your skin, sparking fire.
He whimpered, a broken “Fuck, I need you,” and you laughed, soft and commanding, tugging his hair just hard enough to make him gasp.
“Earn it,” you said, standing, peeling off your tank top to bare yourself to the neon glow. Bob scrambled to his knees, eyes wide, reverent, a prayer in his gaze.
“Please, let me taste you,” he begged, voice cracking with need, and you nodded, shedding your leggings, guiding his head to your core.
His tongue darted out, eager, lapping with sloppy devotion, his whimpers vibrating against your clit as he found your rhythm.
“Good boy,” you moaned, fingers tangling in his hair, hips grinding against his mouth. The mirrors caught every angle—his flushed cheeks, your arched back, the city’s electric veins painting you in fractured light.
Pleasure coiled tight, your gasps echoing in the empty room, and Bob’s muffled “You’re perfect” pushed you over, a sharp climax ripping through you, thighs trembling as he lapped up every shudder, his eyes pleading for approval.
You pulled him up, kissing him hard, tasting yourself on his lips, sweet and salty.
“You did so good, baby,” you purred, sliding your hand into his sweatpants, wrapping around his hard, leaking cock.
He gasped, hips bucking, a desperate “Please, ma’am” spilling out as you stroked him, slow and firm, rewarding his devotion. His head fell back, whimpers filling the air, his hands clutching your hips like you were his salvation. “I’m yours—fuck, I’m yours,” he panted, voice wrecked, and you smiled, savoring his surrender, the way his body trembled under your touch.
Bucky’s patience shattered like glass. “Enough,” he growled, stepping in, his vibranium hand wrapping in your hair, tugging with a possessive edge that made you gasp. “You’re hogging her, Reynolds.”
His flesh hand grazed your throat, a light squeeze sending a thrill through you, his touch a claim that sparked heat. Jealousy burned in his steel-blue eyes as he tilted your chin up, his cock straining against his tactical pants.
“Open for me,” he commanded, voice a low rumble, and you obeyed, lips parting as he freed himself, thrusting into your mouth with a guttural groan. The taste of him—salt, heat, and raw power—filled you, his grip tightening in your hair, setting a demanding pace that made your head spin.
“Keep up, Bob,” Bucky snapped, his voice a whipcrack of authority. “Take her from behind. Now.”
Bob whimpered, scrambling to obey, his hands shaky as he positioned himself, sliding into you with a desperate moan that echoed in the mirrors.
The stretch was exquisite, his thrusts uneven but eager, guided by Bucky’s orders.
“Harder,” Bucky growled, and Bob complied, hips snapping against you, each movement drawing a muffled moan as you worked Bucky’s cock, your tongue swirling, throat relaxing under his control.
The room started to spin—Bob’s needy whines, your gasping breaths, Bucky’s commanding grunts, all reflected in a kaleidoscope of desire.
Pleasure coiled tighter, Bob’s thrusts hitting deep, your body caught between his desperation and Bucky’s dominance.
“Please, I—can I cum?” Bob begged, voice a broken chant, his hands gripping your hips.
“Not yet,” Bucky snarled, his hand tightening on your throat, just enough to make your pulse race. “Make her come first, Reynolds.”
You moaned around Bucky, the vibration drawing a curse from him as Bob’s thrusts grew frantic, his whimpers a symphony of need.
“Ah-- fuck, Bob,” you gasped, muffled, and Bob’s answering whine pushed you over, a second climax crashing through you, your body trembling as you clenched around him.
Bucky pulled back, blue eyes blazing, and you moved, a string of your saliva between your lips and the tip of his cock. You pushed Bob onto his back, straddling Bucky’s hips instead.
“My turn,” you said, sinking onto him without hesitation, his thick length filling you as he groaned, hands gripping your thighs with bruising force.
Bob knelt beside you, eyes pleading, his hands roaming your chest, lips closing around your nipple, sucking with desperate reverence.
“Fuck, Bob,” you moaned, riding Bucky’s steady rhythm, his dominance anchoring you as Bob’s worshipful touch sent sparks through you.
“Please, ma’am—I need to—can I?” Bob begged, his cock leaking against your thigh, his voice a shattered plea.
“Wait,” Bucky ordered, thrusting up harder, making you gasp, his voice a low growl. “She comes first.”
Bob whimpered, sucking harder, his hands trembling as he caressed your other breast, his devotion a contrast to Bucky’s command. Your climax built again, fierce and blinding, and Bucky’s eyes locked on yours, possessive.
“Now, doll,” he growled, and you shattered, pleasure ripping through you as Bucky followed, a guttural groan as he spilled into you. “Now, Bob,” Bucky commanded, and you stroked Bob, fast and firm, his release hitting with a broken cry, his body shaking as he clung to you, sated and spent.
You collapsed, panting, Bob’s head on your shoulder, his breath warm and ragged, Bucky’s hand still tangled in your hair, possessive yet soft. The mirrors reflected your tangled forms, neon light painting you in shades of electric blue and violet.
“Not bad, Reynolds,” Bucky said, smirking, his voice softer but laced with a promise. “You might just make the team yet.”
A sharp beep sliced through the haze—a mission alert crackling over the comms, urgent and unyielding. Bucky’s eyes gleamed, feral and teasing.
“Next time, we do this my way—both of you,” he said, standing, his silhouette sharp against the neon glow. Bob whimpered, hiding his face in your shoulder, and you grinned, ruffling his hair.
“Better rest up, rookie,” you teased, the promise of more hanging like a star in the fractured dark.
────୨ৎ────
Sebastian Stan taglist: @notreallythatlost @houseofaegon @bunnyfella @sunday-bug @wintrsoldrluvr @maryevm @mcira @monsteraddicts-world @positivenergy @cherriesnmango @navs-bhat @hits-different-cause-its-you @avivarougestan @allhailbuckybarnes
Tagging those who requested a part two: @oscarisdaddy69 @furiousprincesskingdom @viennafromthelakes @dobby-is-a-freak-elf
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mandoalorian · 2 days ago
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and if i am undone, let it be by you [bucky barnes x f!reader]
pairing: new avenger!bucky x f!reader
synopsis: with bob still missing and doom's arrival drawing near, the new avengers begin to fracture under the weight of uncertainty. as the team struggles to hold together, you delve deeper into the secrets of the multiverse… and sam calls in a favour from an old ally.
word count: 8000
rating/warnings: 18+ explicit content, mdni, unprotected p in v, fingering, intimate moment in the bath 🛁, bucky uses the shower head on you, biting, praise kink, lots of filth and dirty talk, yours and bucky’s first time (finally!), bucky shows a little insecurity, nightmares, more steve angst, canon typical action & jargon re the multiverse, cursing, avengers tower fic, the new avengers are breaking.
masterlist
previous part | current | next part [coming soon!]
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The doors hissed open, and John Walker stepped in like a storm in boots. “Please tell me someone’s got eyes on Bob.”
Silence.
Yelena didn’t even look up from the holomap. “If someone did, you’d have heard it already.”
“I’ve been out there for six hours,” John growled, tossing his taco shaped shield onto the table with a clang. “And I’ve seen nothing. Where the hell could he have gone?”
“I told you already,” Ava snapped, arms folded. “He’s not gone. He slipped into the void again. Or it slipped into him. Same difference.”
Alexei let out a low growl from across the room. “You speak of him like he is some… dark entity. He is a boy. A scared one.”
“He’s a threat!” Ava fired back, stepping toward him. “You didn’t see his eyes in that last fight. Something inside him is changing. He said so himself.”
“Something inside all of us is changing!” Alexei roared. “We went from fighting people, to fighting gods and monsters! You think we walk out the same as we walked in?”
“Hey, hey—” John stepped between them. “Don’t talk to her like that.”
Yelena snorted. “Oh please, don’t act like you’re the stable one here. I’ve watched you throw chairs for less.”
“I am stable,” John said, jabbing a finger at her. “I’m just tired of chasing ghosts while our strongest asset is out there, probably going nuclear.”
“Asset?” Yelena scoffed. “You call Bob an asset, like he’s some military experiment? No wonder you can’t connect with anyone.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot you’re the queen of emotional stability now,” John snapped. “Wasn’t it you who shoved a blade through a drone last week just because it beeped at you?”
“It startled me!” Yelena shouted.
“It was an espresso machine.” Ava sighed quietly,
“Enough!” Alexei bellowed, slamming his fists down on the edge of the table. The entire platform rattled. “We are wasting time. My son is out there!”
The room fell silent.
Even Ava flinched. “You think of him like he’s yours?”
Alexei turned, voice suddenly quiet and broken. “He looks at me like I’m his father. I didn’t ask for it. I didn’t earn it. But I feel it. Every time he calls me by my name. Not ‘Red Guardian’, but Alexei. Every time he asks me if I’m proud of him.”
Yelena’s mouth tightened.
Ava said nothing.
John looked away.
And then, Ava phased—literally. Her molecules flickered, and she sank into the floor, escaping before emotion could expose her.
The silence was loud now, hanging heavy in the air.
And then Bucky finally spoke. He’d been leaning against the far wall, arms crossed, watching them all unravel. “Ava, get back here. Now.”
The dark haired girl immediately reappeared, guilt and shame etched on her face. 
His voice cut like a wire snapping. “This is exactly what Doom wants.”
Eyes turned.
“You think he’s coming for Bob?” Bucky asked. “For Reed? For revenge? No. He’s coming because we’re fractured. Because he knows if he pushes hard enough, this team breaks.”
He stood tall now, stepping into the centre of the room. “We’ve all lost people. We’ve all watched universes end. The Blip. The Void. But that kid—Bob? He believed in us. Every single one of us. He saw something good here.”
He looked at John. “You saved his life. Remember that.”
Then at Ava. “You protected him like a sister, even when you pretended not to care.”
He met Yelena’s eyes. “You were the first to train him when he got here.”
And finally Alexei. “And you… you gave him something none of us could. A family.”
Bucky exhaled slowly. “We don’t give up on our family.”
There was a long pause.
“…So what do we do?” Yelena asked quietly.
“We plan,” Bucky said. “We get smart. We go back to his last steps, track every anomaly, every void echo. Ava’s gonna help me pull system scans. John, I want you on street patrol. Check every safehouse, every contact. Yelena—dig up anything Reed might’ve missed. Alexei, take the sublevels and tunnels.”
He took one final glance around the room.
“We’ve got three cycles before Doom shows up. We find Bob before then. No excuses. No egos. Just the mission.”
John stepped forward and grabbed his shield.
“…Yeah,” he said. “Alright.”
Yelena nodded, brushing a hand under her eyes.
Alexei cracked his knuckles. “Let’s bring him home.”
────✪────
The elevator ride to the sublevels was silent, save for the low drone of machinery humming beneath your feet. Down here, time felt warped—like every second stretched a little longer, wore a little heavier. It was colder, too. The kind of sterile cold that seeped into your bones and reminded you that this was the edge of something unnatural.
The whir of fluorescent lights overhead barely masked the buzz in your head as you stepped back into the lab.
Reed Richards stood alone in front of a levitating schematic, the blue light washing over his gaunt features. He didn’t even glance up when you stepped inside.
“Tell me you’ve got something,” you said.
He blinked slowly. “Define ‘something.’”
You walked closer, peering over the layers of holographic data. “Doom’s location?”
“Gone.”
Your pulse skipped. “What do you mean gone? Gone like our Johnny is gone?” Your patience was wearing thin. 
“I had a trace,” he said, voice clipped. “Three cycles out, stable and predictable. But sometime around 7pm, the energy signature dissipated. Phased out of spectrum or slipped through something I can’t yet detect. The signature we were monitoring—it blinked out. Cloaked. Or maybe moved dimensions. Or he’s… I don’t know. I’ve rerun every model. He’s vanished.”
You frowned. “So he’s still coming… we just don’t know how or where.”
“Correct. Best estimate still remains: three cycles. But I feel like I’m navigating the end of the world with a paper map and a flashlight.”
You let that hang in the air. The number tasted sour in your mouth. “We… really appreciate your help. Is there anything I can do for you? Maybe you need a break.”
“Doom is coming, I can’t make time for a break,” Reed scoffed, like your suggestion was crazy. 
“But I think that maybe—“ you started but Reed cut you off.
“I’m fine.” Reed finally looked at you, a flash of annoyance on his face. “Why are you here?”
You nodded. “Thought I should check in.”
“With Johnny?”
“Yeah,” you replied. “How’s he doing?”
He rubbed the back of his neck—nervously, which was rare for him. “Worse today. He doesn’t like confinement. Keeps igniting himself just to set off the sensors. I’m worried he’s going to fry the shielding.”
“Fuck,” you squeezed your eyes shut, wishing away all of this. What you’d give for things to go back to normal…
But then, you’d never have met Bucky.
Reed moved aside, allowing you to access the containment room console. “He’s starting to feel like a caged animal. I won’t be able to hold him here forever.”
You didn’t answer. Just keyed in the security code.
The door hissed open.
Johnny Storm sat cross-legged on the metal cot inside, tossing a ball of fire from palm to palm. He didn’t look at you when you entered.
“Ah, the babysitter returns! You should start charging me rent,” he muttered.
“You’ve been here less than 24 hours,” you sighed at his dramatics before approaching cautiously. “Wasn’t sure you’d still be here.”
“Oh, I tried leaving,” he said, still not looking. “Some pretty aggressive energy shielding kept me from burning through the wall. Not bad for a toaster scientist.”
You fought a smile. “Reed’s doing his best.”
“That makes one of us,” he snapped.
Silence hung between you.
Then he glanced up, expression unreadable. “So. You gonna tell me what’s really going on?”
You sat on the edge of the metal bench opposite him. “That depends. You ready to cooperate?”
“I’m not the one holding you in a room.”
You took a breath. “Fine. Doom’s arrival is accelerating. Reed says three cycles left. Maybe less.”
Johnny’s expression changed. “Doom? He’s back?”
“Back? He was never here in the first place,” you narrowed your eyes. 
“No but…” Johnny froze up.
“Wait, Johnny, do you know him?”
He laughed—a sharp, disbelieving sound. “Know him? I’ve fought him. Victor Von Doom—industrialist-turned-magic-wielding-megalomaniac? Yeah. We go way back.”
You stepped closer. “Then tell me everything.”
Johnny paused, watching you.
“You’re serious.”
“Dead serious. The Doom in your universe—did he ever talk about crossing dimensions?”
“He talked about dominating them. Said this world was soft. Idealistic. He always wanted to burn it down and start over.” He frowned. “Wait… you think it’s my Doom?”
“We don’t know. But this variant has Tony Stark’s face, and he’s already leveling cities off-world. We need any edge we can get.”
Johnny blinked. “Who the hell is Tony Stark?”
You stared.
“Wait—Iron Man? Genius, billionaire—?”
“Never heard of him,” Johnny said, brow furrowed. “That a comic book character?”
Your skin prickled and you figured you’d try your luck. “Okay. What about Captain America?”
Johnny shook his head. “Is that, like, a propaganda mascot?”
You inhaled sharply.
He noticed your expression shift. “Hey, what?”
“It’s nothing. Just… we’ve been assuming some shared universal constants. Clearly, that was naive. Do you have the Avengers?”
“I’m not even going to even ask what the Avengers is,” he said, “my universe has four overworked, underpaid cosmic disaster magnets trying to keep Doom from melting entire cities.”
“And you… you were one of them.”
“Yes!The Human Torch. Maybe you’ve heard of me?” He gave a cocky little smirk, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
You gave him a look. “You’re aware you’re currently stuck in a universe that thinks you’re a ghost.”
“Yeah, and apparently I look like your dead best friend or whatever?”
“He wasn’t mine,” you said quietly. “I didn’t know him. My brother idolised him when we were kids, but… I only ever saw him on a screen or in magazines or action figures.”
Johnny’s demeanour shifted.
“Still. That’s gotta be weird. Seeing me.”
“It’s… disorienting,” you admitted. “It’s like staring at a memory I never actually lived.”
He nodded slowly. “Well, for what it’s worth… I’m not him.”
“I know,” you said. “It’s everyone else I’m worried about.”
He tilted his head. “You mean Barnes… I overheard your conversation with Richards.”
You tensed. “You don’t need to say his name.”
“But that’s the real problem, isn’t it?” Johnny leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “You’re scared he’ll see me and unravel.”
“He’s been through enough.”
“So have I.”
That made you pause.
You studied him—closely, quietly. There was still heat radiating off him, but not like before. This was grief, frustration, confusion. The raw edges of someone pulled from his world and dropped into a foreign body. His aura.
“Do you miss your world?” you asked.
“Every minute,” he said. “But I miss my sister more.”
You blinked. “You have a sister?”
“Yeah. Sue. And Reed, Ben—my team.” He glanced at the door. “Even Doom, in some twisted way. At least he made sense.”
You swallowed. “We’ll get you home.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You promise?”
You tried to smile. “I’ll do my best.”
He stood then, walking toward you slowly. Not threatening—just steady.
“I’m sorry I lashed out before,” he said. “It’s been a mindfuck.”
“I get it.”
He stopped just inches away.
“I didn’t mean to scare you. Or remind you of someone you lost.”
Your voice was barely above a whisper. “It’s not your fault.”
Something in the air between you went still. He smelled faintly like ozone, like charged air after a storm.
“Three cycles,” you said. “That’s what we’ve got before Doom makes landfall. And Reed can’t track him anymore.”
Johnny let that sink in. “So we fight. Together.”
You nodded. “But for now… you stay here.”
He sighed, resigned but not bitter. “Fine. But someone better bring me food that doesn’t taste like chalk.”
You smirked. “I’ll see what I can do.”
As the door sealed behind you, your heart pounded.
Steve Rogers was long gone.
But his face was standing in a room behind you, glowing with cosmic fire.
────✪────
The rooftop was quiet, save for the distant hum of traffic below and the rhythmic pulse of helicopter blades somewhere far off. The wind tugged gently at your clothes, lifting your hair as you stepped out onto the open concrete. You found Sam sitting on the edge of the helipad, legs dangling over the side like he didn’t have a care in the world, though you knew better.
You walked over and sat beside him without saying a word. For a while, neither of you did.
The city stretched out endlessly below, lit like it was trying to mimic the stars above. It smelled faintly of ozone and jet fuel, familiar and oddly comforting.
“I figured I’d find you up here,” you said softly.
Sam didn’t look at you at first. He just sipped from the cup in his hands—probably black coffee, lukewarm by now—and tilted his head toward the skyline. “It’s the only place I can breathe lately.”
“Yeah,” you whispered. “Me too.”
You sat in silence for a moment longer. Then he turned to you, studying you like he could read your thoughts if he stared long enough.
“You look like hell.”
You laughed—quiet, tired. “Thanks.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
You shrugged. “There’s too much to say. Not enough time.”
Sam leaned back on his hands, the movement casual, but his voice was anything but. “You know you don’t have to carry all this alone, right? You got people.”
“I know,” you said. “It’s just hard to know what parts I can share.”
He gave you a side-eye. “Try me.”
You smiled softly. “Let’s just say… I’m learning there are more versions of this world than I ever imagined. And some of them? They bleed through. Even when you’re not ready.”
Sam was quiet a moment. “Multiverse.”
You nodded slowly. “Yeah. God. It would be so nice if there were someone who… specialised in that kind of thing. You know, someone who didn’t blink when the fabric of reality tore open in front of him.”
Sam chuckled under his breath. “I might know a guy.”
You blinked at him. “You’re kidding.”
He shook his head. “Nope. He’s eccentric. Kinda dramatic. Has a goatee that makes him look like he just stepped out of a Victorian funeral home.”
You laughed. “What does he do?”
“Magic,” Sam said simply. “Or… something that looks like it.”
You turned to face him. “You’re serious?”
“As a heart attack.”
You blinked. “Wait. You’re telling me you know a wizard?”
Sam grinned. “Yeah. A real one. Flies without wings. Opens portals with his hands. He lives in this big haunted-looking place in Greenwich Village.”
You squinted. “You’re not messing with me?”
“Not even a little.” Sam shifted his weight and nudged your shoulder gently. “He helped us during the Infinity mess. And again with… everything after. He doesn’t always pick up his magic phone, but when he does, he tends to solve problems the rest of us can’t even pronounce.”
You exhaled slowly. “Sounds like exactly who we need.”
Sam nodded. “I’ll reach out. Might take a little time, but I’ll do what I can.”
You turned your head toward him, touched. “Sam…”
He gave you a look—soft, protective. “You didn’t ask. I’m offering. Whatever this is? You’re not in it alone.”
You smiled, swallowing past the knot in your throat. “Thank you.”
The two of you sat there a little longer, letting the silence stretch again, not awkward this time but full of something warm and unspoken. The city below, the sky above, and a million unknowns in between.
Finally, just as he stood to leave, you asked, “What’s his name?”
Sam paused, looked back over his shoulder with a small smirk, and said—
“Stephen Strange.”
Then he was gone, leaving the night colder but your hope a little warmer.
────✪────
You closed the door to your bedroom behind you with a soft click, leaning your forehead against it for a second longer than necessary. The conversation with Sam replayed in your head—his promise, his quiet strength, the name Stephen Strange echoing through your thoughts like a bell rung too close to your ears. Your body was buzzing with exhaustion and tension all at once. The kind of pressure that lived in your chest and shoulders and wouldn’t let go.
You didn’t even notice Bucky at first.
He was sitting on the edge of your bed, elbows on his knees, head turned toward the window where the city lights poured in like liquid gold. His jacket was off, sleeves rolled up, dog tags glinting in the glow.
His eyes met yours the moment you moved. He read you instantly—because of course he did.
“You’re shaking,” he said softly, standing. “What happened?”
You forced a small smile, voice hoarse. “Just… was out on the rooftop. It was cold.” It was only a half-lie.
He crossed the room in three strides and was in front of you, his hands cupping your face before you could think. The way he looked at you—searching, tender, that quiet kind of worry he wore like armour—you nearly crumbled.
“You’re stressed,” he said, low and steady. He saw straight through you. “Let me take care of you tonight. Please.”
You blinked up at him. “Bucky, I don’t need—”
“I’m not talking about fixing the world,” he cut in gently. “I just want to help you breathe again.”
You swallowed hard.
“Come with me,” he said.
He took your hand and led you into the bathroom. You hadn’t even noticed him running the water, but the tub was nearly full, steam curling into the air like a warm fog. Candles flickered from the sink and windowsill. The scent of eucalyptus filled the room—soothing, clean.
“I figured…” he began, then paused. “You take care of everyone else. Let me do this for you.”
You stared at the water, at the candlelight reflecting off his eyes, and suddenly, something inside you cracked open.
You nodded.
“I’ll wait outside if you want privacy,” he offered.
But your fingers were already slipping into the hem of your shirt. “Stay.”
His throat bobbed. “Yeah?”
You met his gaze. “Join me.”
The water lapped softly against the porcelain as you leaned back, steam curling around your shoulders, calming the tension in your chest.
But when you looked up and saw him watching you from the doorway — jaw set, eyes unreadable — something inside you twisted tight with nervous anticipation.
“You sure?” he asked, voice low and almost hoarse. “You want me in there with you?”
You nodded. “Yeah. I do.”
He didn’t move right away. Just let his gaze linger on you for a second longer, as if committing the sight of you in the bath to memory. Then he reached for the hem of his shirt.
You tried not to stare. You really tried.
But when the fabric lifted and his chest came into view — all lean muscle, old scars, and the quiet strength of a man who’d survived more than anyone should — your breath hitched in your throat.
He stripped slowly, deliberately, like he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to rush. As if he were giving you a chance to look away. But you didn’t. You couldn’t.
His metal arm glinted faintly in the soft, golden light, catching on the rivulets of steam that curled through the room. You followed the line of his torso with your eyes, past the faint trail of hair down his stomach to the waistband of his boxers.
Bucky paused when he caught your stare.
“I’m not exactly… a pretty sight,” he muttered, eyes dipping to the water like he couldn’t bear to meet your gaze.
“Bucky,” you said softly, and he looked at you again — wary, like he was bracing for something that never came. “You’re beautiful.”
The words spilled out before you could second-guess them. And once they were out, you didn’t want to take them back.
He huffed a breath, something between a laugh and a scoff, and finally stepped out of the last layer between him and you. You caught the faint tremble in his hands as he did, the unspoken weight of vulnerability in every movement.
And then he was climbing in beside you, the water shifting and rising with his presence.
You made room for him, settling against the opposite side of the tub. Your knees brushed under the surface.
It was quiet for a moment. The kind of quiet that wasn’t awkward, but thick with something unspoken. Reverent. He didn’t look at you right away. Just leaned back and exhaled, the heat loosening the muscles in his shoulders, in his jaw. Like it was the first time in days — maybe years — he’d let himself relax.
And then his eyes found yours again, dark and unsure.
Then you reached for him — gently, slowly — and he came without hesitation, shifting so you could rest your back against his chest, his arms wrapping around your middle beneath the water. His lips brushed your temple.
You leaned back into his chest, your head resting beneath his chin, the heat from the water soaking into your bones — but it was him that made you feel warm. His presence, his arms around your waist, his breathing slowly falling in sync with yours.
Then, without a word, Bucky reached for the bath oil on the rim. Unscrewed the lid, poured a small pool into his hand. The floral scent mixed with steam, soft and soothing.
He brought his palms to your shoulders, slow and steady, and began to knead.
A sigh slipped out of you before you could catch it.
“Yeah?” he murmured near your ear, voice low and fond.
You nodded. “Yeah.”
His thumbs worked into the tension at the base of your neck, careful and steady, tracing the edges of your shoulder blades and easing the tightness you didn’t realise you’d been carrying. His metal hand stayed at your side, warm from the water, anchoring you there — holding you like you were something precious.
You melted under his touch, sinking further into him, into the way he treated your body like it deserved to be cherished.
“You’ve been holding the world on your back,” he said softly, pressing a kiss to your damp shoulder. “Let me carry it for a while.”
You didn’t say anything. Just turned your face into his neck and let yourself breathe.
His fingers drifted upward, threading gently through your hair.
“You mind?” he asked.
You shook your head. “Please.”
He reached for the shampoo with one hand while the other gently gathered your hair behind you. He was so careful — so tender — massaging your scalp in slow, circular motions, working the lather through each strand as if this moment were the only one that mattered. He cradled your head like it was the most natural thing in the world, rinsing the suds away with soft strokes and whispered reassurances.
“Feels nice,” you murmured.
His voice came next to your ear, low and warm. “Good. You deserve nice.”
You turned in his arms just enough to see his face — calm, almost bashful — and gently reached for the bottle yourself.
“My turn,” you said with a small smile.
He raised a brow. “You sure?”
You nodded. “Sit back.”
And to your quiet amazement, he did — just like that. Trusting you with something so small, but so vulnerable.
You poured the shampoo into your hand and moved in close, brushing your fingers through his dark, damp hair. His eyes fluttered shut as your nails scratched lightly against his scalp, his head tipping back slightly into your touch.
It struck you, then — how often did he get to be taken care of? To let his guard down?
You weren’t sure. But you were damn sure going to make this count.
“Feels good,” he murmured.
You smiled. “Good. You deserve nice too, y’know.”
He opened one eye at that, and the look he gave you — equal parts grateful, adoring, and stunned — made your chest ache.
The bathwater shifted gently between you as you rinsed the soap from his hair, your hands lingering at the nape of his neck. Your noses brushed. His breath hitched.
And for one suspended moment, it felt like the world outside the bathroom simply... stopped.
The bathwater sloshed gently around you both, warmed by the glow of candlelight and the low hum of Bucky’s breathing behind you. His strong thighs bracketed yours, his arms wrapped loosely around your waist as you leaned back against his chest. It was quiet—soothing. His fingers trailed idle patterns on your stomach, up along your ribs, barely ghosting the underswell of your breasts.
“I could stay like this forever,” he murmured, voice thick with warmth and something else—something heavier, molten.
You turned your head slightly, catching the corner of his mouth with yours. He kissed you slow, tender. Lips parting like it was the first time all over again. When you gasped softly into his mouth, his hand drifted lower. Curious. Careful. He cupped your heat beneath the water, the gesture instinctual but full of restraint.
“Can I…?” he asked against your lips, his voice low, rough, reverent.
Your breath caught. You nodded. “Please.”
He kissed your neck as his fingers slipped between your thighs, parting you gently beneath the water. His other arm tightened around you, grounding you as he slowly slid one finger inside you. You gasped, your body tensing from the sudden stretch and the feel of him—so intimate, so close.
“Shh… you’re okay, sweetheart,” he whispered, lips brushing behind your ear. “Let me make you feel good.”
And he did.
Every movement was patient, controlled, worshipful. He curled his finger inside you just right, watching your face tilt up toward the ceiling, your mouth falling open in a soft moan. The bathwater rippled with each slow thrust of his hand, the tension building, his palm pressing against your clit in smooth, gentle circles that made your thighs twitch.
“Fuck,” you whimpered, your hips rocking involuntarily, pushing back against him, chasing the edge.
“You’re so wet for me,” he whispered. “So goddamn perfect.”
A second finger slid inside and your breath hitched. His metal hand cradled your hip as you writhed against him, water sloshing softly with each shift. He kissed the side of your throat, your shoulder, murmuring low praise into your skin.
“I’ve got you,” he promised. “You don’t have to do anything. Just feel.”
And you did. You fell apart in his arms with your hand clenched in his hair and your mouth on his shoulder, moaning his name like it meant salvation. He held you through it, rocked you through every tremble.
And even as the waves of pleasure faded, he didn’t let go.
He just whispered, “That’s my girl.”
You were still trembling in his arms when you felt the soft brush of his lips on your shoulder, lingering like a promise. Bucky cradled you tighter, one hand gently splayed across your stomach, his other still between your thighs, not moving—just resting there, keeping you open and warm in the aftermath.
"Still with me?" he murmured against your ear.
You nodded, eyes fluttering open. “Barely.”
He chuckled low, kissed your cheek. “Good. Because I’m not done showing you how good this can feel.”
You blinked at him, heart skipping.
He shifted behind you, the water sloshing softly as he reached for the detachable shower head hooked to the wall. You looked at him, wide-eyed.
“Trust me?” he asked, voice quiet but full of that same molten heat he always kept hidden behind a steel jaw.
You nodded again. “Always.”
He smiled—a soft, dark smile—and turned the dial. The shower head vibrated gently to life, the narrow stream of water hissing softly as he adjusted the setting. A low, teasing spray pulsed in rhythmic beats from the nozzle, and Bucky tested it against his palm before bringing it down between your thighs.
Your breath caught—your entire body going taut.
“Relax,” he whispered, letting your head rest against his shoulder again. “I’ve got you, doll.”
The first pass of the water was a gentle caress—just enough to make you gasp, your thighs instinctively pressing together. But Bucky’s hand was there again, metal and sure, keeping you open.
The second pass made you moan.
You felt your hips twitch forward, a low whimper falling from your lips as the spray focused directly on your clit. The pulsing rhythm from the nozzle hit your nerve endings like lightning. Bucky’s mouth was at your neck again, teeth grazing your skin, one hand stroking your stomach as the other expertly guided the water over your most sensitive spot.
"That's it," he murmured. "Look at you… fuck, you’re perfect like this.”
You whimpered his name and felt his arm tighten around your waist.
“Please,” you whispered, breathless.
“I know, baby. I know.”
You relaxed into him as the stream found your clit, and a soft moan spilled from your lips—unexpected, delicious, embarrassingly needy. He angled the water again and fuck, your hips jolted forward.
“That’s it,” he growled, his lips grazing your ear. “Feels good, doesn’t it? You like when I do that to you?”
You whimpered in response, legs trembling in the water.
“You ever touch yourself like this?” he asked, voice a little darker now—deeper. “In the bath? In the shower?”
Your lips parted, heart pounding. “…Back at the safe house,” you admitted softly. “That night we had to share the bed… I couldn’t stop thinking about you, in the other room, undressing. Had to pretend like— like I didn’t want you right there and then.”
Bucky groaned in your ear, the sound low and guttural. The water pulsed against you again, and he held you tighter, guiding your hips just slightly to ride the rhythm.
“Fuck, sweetheart,” he rasped. “If I had known that… things would have went a lot differently.”
You let out a shaky moan at his implication, your head falling back onto his shoulder.
“You wanna know what I did?” he whispered, mouth brushing your temple. “Every time I was alone in the shower… hand wrapped around my cock, water beating down on me… I was thinking about you. Your mouth. Your thighs. Your pretty little noises. Even when you hated me, I wanted you.”
You whimpered helplessly, pressing back against him.
“I’d picture you dripping for me,” he murmured. “Begging for me. Just like this.”
The confession was too much. Too vivid. Too filthy.
Your thighs tightened, a cry stuck in your throat.
“You gonna come for me again, baby?” he whispered, rotating the angle of the spray just right. “Come knowing I used to fuck my fist just thinking about making you fall apart?”
Your mouth dropped open in a breathless gasp as your entire body went taut, every nerve ending alight. The pleasure hit hard, slamming into you like a wave—your muscles tensing, water splashing over the edge of the tub as you cried out, hips grinding helplessly into the rhythm of the spray.
Bucky held you through it, his hand firm across your stomach, mouth on your shoulder.
“Good girl,” he breathed against your skin. “That’s it, baby. That’s it.”
You collapsed back into his chest, boneless and dazed, barely able to catch your breath. He pressed kisses along your shoulder, your jaw, your temple, grounding you through the aftershocks.
You let out a shaky laugh, your voice hoarse. “Jesus, Bucky…”
He chuckled, kissing your cheek again. “You’re somethin’ else, sweetheart.”
Your heart still thundered as he turned off the water and cradled you against him, both of you wrapped in warmth and silence for a long moment.
Your limbs felt boneless, melted from the pleasure still echoing through you like waves lapping the shore. The soft slosh of the bathwater was the only sound, save for your shallow breaths. You blinked slowly, dazed and spent, leaning into Bucky’s chest as the warm water began to cool.
“Hey,” he murmured against your temple, brushing your damp hair back. “C’mon, sweetheart. Let’s get you dried off now.”
His voice was so gentle, reverent. You barely managed a nod.
With slow, practiced strength, Bucky slipped his arms under your legs and back. You squeaked softly as he lifted you, and he chuckled—low, fond. Water dripped down your bodies, your skin slipping against his chest, your pulse skipping as you felt his heartbeat against your shoulder.
“Still with me?” he whispered, grinning as he held you tighter.
“Barely,” you murmured. “But I like it here.”
“Me too,” he said, and then he kissed your forehead.
He carried you effortlessly from the bathroom, cradling you like you were something precious, something breakable. The cool air kissed your wet skin, sending a shiver down your spine. Bucky noticed instantly.
“Hold on,” he said, setting you down gently at the edge of the bed. He grabbed one of the thick towels hanging near the bathroom and wrapped it around your frame with the utmost care, tucking the corners around your body like you were a gift he never thought he’d get to unwrap.
“You’re trembling,” he said, crouching before you. “Was it too much?”
You smiled softly, eyes glazed. “No. It was perfect. I just… I can’t believe you did that.”
His gaze flicked down briefly, watching the water drip from your collarbone down into the towel. His jaw clenched like he was holding something back.
You reached for him.
“Your turn,” you whispered.
Bucky rose slowly, water still glistening on his skin, and let the towel slip from your shoulders so he could wrap a new one around his own waist. As he stood, you caught sight of the unmistakable ridge straining against the terrycloth—hard and thick, barely contained.
Your breath hitched.
He followed your eyes and gave a lopsided, bashful smile. “Yeah,” he rasped. “That’s what happens when I watch you come like that.”
You stared. “You’re—”
“Hard as hell,” he finished for you, stepping close between your knees. “For you. Always for you.”
You reached up with both hands, dragging your fingers slowly down the plane of his abdomen, over the curve of his hips, the towel damp and warm beneath your touch. You looked up at him, wide-eyed and awestruck.
“I want you,” you whispered.
Bucky swallowed hard, chest rising.
“Then you have me,” he said, and bent down to scoop you up once more.
This time, he didn’t bother asking permission—he laid you down across the bed with something close to reverence, kissing your bare shoulder as he adjusted the towel around you again.
His hands roamed your body like he was learning scripture—slow, reverent, almost trembling with how much he needed to memorise the way your skin felt under his palms. He wasn’t just touching you; he was worshipping you. Like you were holy. Like he couldn’t believe you were real.
“You’re so goddamn beautiful,” Bucky murmured as his lips trailed down your neck, voice hoarse with wonder. “Every inch of you… you drive me fuckin’ crazy, you know that?”
You gasped when his hand slid between your thighs, his eyes drinking in your reaction like it was his only salvation. Your back arched instinctively, your body begging for more.
“I want you to feel good,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to the curve of your breast, then another just below your ribs. “Wanna take my time. Wanna taste you everywhere. Let me?”
“Please,” you breathed, and he smiled like a man ruined.
He kissed down your stomach with reverence, pulling your towel off your body slowly, like he was unwrapping the last good thing in his life. When he spread your legs and settled between them, the heat of his breath made you shudder.
But when he looked up at you, eyes dark and blown wide with hunger, he froze.
“You sure?” he asked, voice breaking just a little.
“I want you, Bucky. I want all of you,” you whispered, threading your fingers through his hair. “I always have.”
He groaned like the words hurt—like they healed something too.
When he finally pushed inside you, thick and aching and perfect, you bit down on his shoulder—just hard enough to make him hiss, just enough to leave your mark. His body jolted at the sting, a deep growl ripping from his throat, and he held you tighter.
“Fuck,” he moaned. “You’re so tight. So warm. I can feel you everywhere, baby. You feel like heaven.”
You barely had time to respond—your mind was already gone, lost in the way he filled you so perfectly, in how he whispered your name like it was a sacred thing. His metal hand held your hip like he was grounding himself, but the other caressed your face, thumbing over your cheek like you were fragile, like he couldn’t believe he was allowed to touch you like this.
“Gonna take care of you,” he promised between kisses. “Gonna fuck you slow so you feel it for days. Gonna make sure you know what you mean to me.”
You whimpered something unintelligible, overwhelmed with sensation and the way he made you feel so seen, so wanted. Your nails scratched down his back. Your teeth found his neck again.
“Mine,” you whispered against his skin.
That sent him over the edge—his rhythm faltered, his breath catching as he groaned your name again and again, buried so deep inside you it felt like the world disappeared around you.
And still he moved.
Slow, sweet thrusts. Words of worship between panting breaths. He kissed your temple. He kissed the corner of your mouth. He kissed you like you were the last good thing in the world.
“Oh my God, Bucky…”
“Shh… I’ve got you,” he murmured. “I’ve got you.”
His movements were deep, and steady thrusts that made you feel every part of him. His pace built gradually, like he was savouring every second, watching your face twist in pleasure, whispering how beautiful you looked, how good you felt, how long he’d waited for this.
Then it turned feral.
His hand locked under your knee, hitching your leg higher. His hips slammed into yours, faster now, rougher, but still full of so much feeling. His forehead rested against yours, his eyes never leaving you, every breath a moan.
“You’re mine,” he groaned. “Mine. You feel that?”
“Yes—Bucky—I—fuck, I feel you—”
“Come for me again, baby. I wanna feel you fall apart on my cock.”
His words undid you. You shattered again, legs quaking, crying out his name as he fucked you through it—his own release close behind, hips stuttering as he spilled inside you with a deep, broken growl.
He collapsed over you, panting, trembling, pressing kisses along your throat, your shoulder, your collarbone.
You held each other in silence, sweat cooling, hearts slowing, the smell of candle wax and sex thick in the air.
He looked at you like you were the stars.
Outside, the city buzzed with life.
But in here, wrapped in Bucky’s arms, with his warmth still inside you—you finally felt safe.
Your legs were still tangled with his when the silence settled. A soft, reverent kind of silence. Not the awkward kind that follows something rushed or uncertain — this was the kind that came after something real.
Your body was still buzzing from the aftershocks, but your heart… your heart felt raw and full all at once.
Bucky’s chest rose and fell beneath your cheek, his hand drawing slow, grounding circles over your back. You felt his lips brush the crown of your head like a vow. Like he didn’t quite know how to say what he was feeling yet — only that it mattered. That you mattered.
“You okay?” he murmured against your hair.
You nodded, dazed. “Yeah. Are you?”
His arm tightened around you. “Yeah. Just… overwhelmed.”
You lifted your head to look at him. “In a bad way?”
“No.” His eyes were so soft, so open, so bare. “In the best way.”
You smiled. Sleepy. Full of warmth. But you still noticed the faint furrow between his brows.
“Buck?” you asked gently, brushing a thumb over his cheek. “What is it?”
He exhaled through his nose, like he’d been holding something in. “Just didn’t expect that to feel like… that.”
You leaned forward and kissed his jaw. “Me neither.”
He sat up a little, just enough to shift beside you on the bed, pulling the sheets up to cover your body. He took his time — tucking them around you, pressing a soft kiss to your shoulder before he stood.
“Don’t go far,” you mumbled.
His chuckle was soft. “Just grabbing a clean towel, sweetheart.”
When he came back, he knelt beside the bed and gently started wiping between your legs — slow, careful, with more tenderness than you ever expected from a man with hands like his. You winced slightly, and he immediately stilled.
“Too much?” he asked.
You shook your head. “No. Just a little sore.”
His jaw flexed. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“No, Bucky.” You reached down, touching his cheek, guiding his gaze back to yours. “You were perfect.”
He nodded once, like he didn’t quite believe you — but he wanted to. Then he cleaned himself off, tossed the towel in the hamper, and crawled back into bed beside you. Not just beside you — into you. Curled around your back like he was built for it.
You felt his hand slide under the blanket, finding yours beneath the pillow, threading your fingers together.
“Don’t wanna let go of you,” he whispered.
“You don’t have to.”
The room was dark, but not cold. The covers were heavy but comforting. The sheets still smelled like him. Like you. Like this.
“Are you okay?” you asked after a minute.
He hummed. “I keep thinkin’ about how you looked. When I was inside you.”
Your cheeks flushed, and you twisted just enough to glance at him.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” His voice was barely a whisper. “You looked like… mine.”
A pause stretched between you.
“Do you want me to be?” you asked softly.
He didn’t hesitate.
“Yeah.”
You swallowed thickly and turned to face him fully, pressing your forehead against his. Your legs tangled again. Your hand found his chest.
“Then I’m yours.”
You felt him smile — and you knew, in that moment, that for all the chaos waiting beyond these walls, you had built something real here. Something that wouldn’t break.
Not easily.
Not ever.
────✪────
The room was still. Just the quiet hum of the city outside, the faint tick of the clock on the wall.
You lay curled in the sheets, your breathing slow and even against Bucky’s chest, your hand tangled with his beneath the blanket.
But Bucky was elsewhere.
His mind had drifted, tugged down by exhaustion and emotion, and when his eyes closed, the world around him changed.
The bed was gone. The warmth. The flickering candlelight.
Now it was dusk, and the Brooklyn pier stretched out before him—old wood creaking underfoot, the water lapping gently against rusted metal pylons.
He heard footsteps.
Turned.
And there he was.
Steve Rogers. Cap tilted back, blond hair catching the dying sunlight. He looked just like Bucky remembered him before the war: young, alive, untouched by the centuries of loss that followed.
Except his eyes weren’t soft.
They were steady. Knowing. Sad.
“You’re late,” Steve said, hands in his pockets.
Bucky froze. “Steve.”
“You haven’t talked to me in a while.”
“Maybe i’ve moved on,” Bucky said, a little sharper than he meant it.
Steve didn’t flinch. “And yet you’ve been burying yourself in guilt for it.”
Bucky exhaled shakily and looked away, out at the water. “I didn’t mean to dream about you.”
“You always do,” Steve said quietly. “Usually when something’s eating at you.”
Bucky’s shoulders tensed. “You left.”
“I had to.”
“You didn’t have to,” Bucky snapped, rounding on him. “You chose to. You handed off the shield, said goodbye like it was nothing, and you left me to clean it all up. Again.”
Steve took it. He didn’t argue. Just looked at Bucky with the weight of someone who had known him longer than anyone ever could.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
And somehow, that hurt worse than if he’d said nothing at all.
“I didn’t know what to do without you,” Bucky whispered. “I still don’t.”
Steve stepped closer. “Then why are you trying so hard to pretend like you’re fine?”
Bucky shook his head. “I’m not pretending. I’m just… trying to get over it.”
“With her?”
That stopped him.
Steve’s gaze softened. “You love her.”
Bucky’s throat worked around the words. “I… I don’t know.”
“Buck,” Steve said gently, “when you love someone, you should tell them. Because sometimes the chance doesn’t come again.”
“I’m scared,” Bucky admitted. “What if she wakes up one day and sees me for what I really am? Not just the parts I try to show her, but the broken stuff. The old war dog with blood on his hands. What then?”
Steve stepped up until they were face to face. His voice was low.
“She already sees you, Buck. And she’s still there.”
Bucky looked down, breathing hard. “I don’t know if I deserve her.”
“You’ve always deserved to be loved.”
Steve reached up, placed a hand on Bucky’s shoulder.
“I’m proud of you.”
The pier began to dissolve, light washing it all away in a slow blur.
“Don’t waste it,” Steve said, his voice distant now. “Let yourself be happy.”
Bucky gasped awake, chest rising fast, eyes wet.
The room was warm. Quiet. You were asleep against him, peaceful and soft, your cheek resting on his arm.
He looked down at you like you were the answer to a question he didn’t know how to ask.
She already sees you. And she’s still there.
He gently brushed your hair back and pressed a kiss to your temple.
“I think I love you,” he whispered, barely audible.
And you didn’t stir—but somehow, a tiny smile curled on your lips.
────✪────
It started with a faint vibration.
Subtle, at first—like the kind you’d feel when the subway rumbled deep beneath Manhattan, gentle and distant enough to be ignored.
But it didn’t stop.
Somewhere deep in Avengers Tower, a low hum began to build—power surging through reinforced circuits, cascading red alerts lighting up control panels, one by one.
Reed Richards was already awake when the tremors began. He hadn’t slept in days.
He stood over his lab’s main console, eyes glued to a flickering monitor, its screen flooded with lines of alien code, dimensional pulse readings, and quantum flux trails.
Then a single alert cut through all of it:
MULTIVERSAL SIGNATURE DETECTED DOOM // EARTH-9211 // COORDINATES LOCKED STATUS: BREACHED ATMOSPHERE
ESTIMATED IMPACT: INCOMING.
Reed's breath caught in his throat.
"No. No, no, no, no—he was three cycles out, he was—"
He spun around, fingers flying over the keyboard, scanning the waveforms, matching the signature.
But it wasn’t on the outer rim of the multiverse anymore.
It was here. Earth. Now.
The data didn't lie.
Victor Von Doom had just broken through the upper atmosphere.
────✪────
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mandoalorian · 2 days ago
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the russo brothers are out and rach barnes is in!
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mandoalorian · 3 days ago
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and if i am undone, let it be by you [bucky barnes x f!reader]
pairing: new avenger!bucky x f!reader
synopsis: with bob still missing and doom's arrival drawing near, the new avengers begin to fracture under the weight of uncertainty. as the team struggles to hold together, you delve deeper into the secrets of the multiverse… and sam calls in a favour from an old ally.
word count: 8000
rating/warnings: 18+ explicit content, mdni, unprotected p in v, fingering, intimate moment in the bath 🛁, bucky uses the shower head on you, biting, praise kink, lots of filth and dirty talk, yours and bucky’s first time (finally!), bucky shows a little insecurity, nightmares, more steve angst, canon typical action & jargon re the multiverse, cursing, avengers tower fic, the new avengers are breaking.
masterlist
previous part | current | next part [coming soon!]
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The doors hissed open, and John Walker stepped in like a storm in boots. “Please tell me someone’s got eyes on Bob.”
Silence.
Yelena didn’t even look up from the holomap. “If someone did, you’d have heard it already.”
“I’ve been out there for six hours,” John growled, tossing his taco shaped shield onto the table with a clang. “And I’ve seen nothing. Where the hell could he have gone?”
“I told you already,” Ava snapped, arms folded. “He’s not gone. He slipped into the void again. Or it slipped into him. Same difference.”
Alexei let out a low growl from across the room. “You speak of him like he is some… dark entity. He is a boy. A scared one.”
“He’s a threat!” Ava fired back, stepping toward him. “You didn’t see his eyes in that last fight. Something inside him is changing. He said so himself.”
“Something inside all of us is changing!” Alexei roared. “We went from fighting people, to fighting gods and monsters! You think we walk out the same as we walked in?”
“Hey, hey—” John stepped between them. “Don’t talk to her like that.”
Yelena snorted. “Oh please, don’t act like you’re the stable one here. I’ve watched you throw chairs for less.”
“I am stable,” John said, jabbing a finger at her. “I’m just tired of chasing ghosts while our strongest asset is out there, probably going nuclear.”
“Asset?” Yelena scoffed. “You call Bob an asset, like he’s some military experiment? No wonder you can’t connect with anyone.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot you’re the queen of emotional stability now,” John snapped. “Wasn’t it you who shoved a blade through a drone last week just because it beeped at you?”
“It startled me!” Yelena shouted.
“It was an espresso machine.” Ava sighed quietly,
“Enough!” Alexei bellowed, slamming his fists down on the edge of the table. The entire platform rattled. “We are wasting time. My son is out there!”
The room fell silent.
Even Ava flinched. “You think of him like he’s yours?”
Alexei turned, voice suddenly quiet and broken. “He looks at me like I’m his father. I didn’t ask for it. I didn’t earn it. But I feel it. Every time he calls me by my name. Not ‘Red Guardian’, but Alexei. Every time he asks me if I’m proud of him.”
Yelena’s mouth tightened.
Ava said nothing.
John looked away.
And then, Ava phased—literally. Her molecules flickered, and she sank into the floor, escaping before emotion could expose her.
The silence was loud now, hanging heavy in the air.
And then Bucky finally spoke. He’d been leaning against the far wall, arms crossed, watching them all unravel. “Ava, get back here. Now.”
The dark haired girl immediately reappeared, guilt and shame etched on her face. 
His voice cut like a wire snapping. “This is exactly what Doom wants.”
Eyes turned.
“You think he’s coming for Bob?” Bucky asked. “For Reed? For revenge? No. He’s coming because we’re fractured. Because he knows if he pushes hard enough, this team breaks.”
He stood tall now, stepping into the centre of the room. “We’ve all lost people. We’ve all watched universes end. The Blip. The Void. But that kid—Bob? He believed in us. Every single one of us. He saw something good here.”
He looked at John. “You saved his life. Remember that.”
Then at Ava. “You protected him like a sister, even when you pretended not to care.”
He met Yelena’s eyes. “You were the first to train him when he got here.”
And finally Alexei. “And you… you gave him something none of us could. A family.”
Bucky exhaled slowly. “We don’t give up on our family.”
There was a long pause.
“…So what do we do?” Yelena asked quietly.
“We plan,” Bucky said. “We get smart. We go back to his last steps, track every anomaly, every void echo. Ava’s gonna help me pull system scans. John, I want you on street patrol. Check every safehouse, every contact. Yelena—dig up anything Reed might’ve missed. Alexei, take the sublevels and tunnels.”
He took one final glance around the room.
“We’ve got three cycles before Doom shows up. We find Bob before then. No excuses. No egos. Just the mission.”
John stepped forward and grabbed his shield.
“…Yeah,” he said. “Alright.”
Yelena nodded, brushing a hand under her eyes.
Alexei cracked his knuckles. “Let’s bring him home.”
────✪────
The elevator ride to the sublevels was silent, save for the low drone of machinery humming beneath your feet. Down here, time felt warped—like every second stretched a little longer, wore a little heavier. It was colder, too. The kind of sterile cold that seeped into your bones and reminded you that this was the edge of something unnatural.
The whir of fluorescent lights overhead barely masked the buzz in your head as you stepped back into the lab.
Reed Richards stood alone in front of a levitating schematic, the blue light washing over his gaunt features. He didn’t even glance up when you stepped inside.
“Tell me you’ve got something,” you said.
He blinked slowly. “Define ‘something.’”
You walked closer, peering over the layers of holographic data. “Doom’s location?”
“Gone.”
Your pulse skipped. “What do you mean gone? Gone like our Johnny is gone?” Your patience was wearing thin. 
“I had a trace,” he said, voice clipped. “Three cycles out, stable and predictable. But sometime around 7pm, the energy signature dissipated. Phased out of spectrum or slipped through something I can’t yet detect. The signature we were monitoring—it blinked out. Cloaked. Or maybe moved dimensions. Or he’s… I don’t know. I’ve rerun every model. He’s vanished.”
You frowned. “So he’s still coming… we just don’t know how or where.”
“Correct. Best estimate still remains: three cycles. But I feel like I’m navigating the end of the world with a paper map and a flashlight.”
You let that hang in the air. The number tasted sour in your mouth. “We… really appreciate your help. Is there anything I can do for you? Maybe you need a break.”
“Doom is coming, I can’t make time for a break,” Reed scoffed, like your suggestion was crazy. 
“But I think that maybe—“ you started but Reed cut you off.
“I’m fine.” Reed finally looked at you, a flash of annoyance on his face. “Why are you here?”
You nodded. “Thought I should check in.”
“With Johnny?”
“Yeah,” you replied. “How’s he doing?”
He rubbed the back of his neck—nervously, which was rare for him. “Worse today. He doesn’t like confinement. Keeps igniting himself just to set off the sensors. I’m worried he’s going to fry the shielding.”
“Fuck,” you squeezed your eyes shut, wishing away all of this. What you’d give for things to go back to normal…
But then, you’d never have met Bucky.
Reed moved aside, allowing you to access the containment room console. “He’s starting to feel like a caged animal. I won’t be able to hold him here forever.”
You didn’t answer. Just keyed in the security code.
The door hissed open.
Johnny Storm sat cross-legged on the metal cot inside, tossing a ball of fire from palm to palm. He didn’t look at you when you entered.
“Ah, the babysitter returns! You should start charging me rent,” he muttered.
“You’ve been here less than 24 hours,” you sighed at his dramatics before approaching cautiously. “Wasn’t sure you’d still be here.”
“Oh, I tried leaving,” he said, still not looking. “Some pretty aggressive energy shielding kept me from burning through the wall. Not bad for a toaster scientist.”
You fought a smile. “Reed’s doing his best.”
“That makes one of us,” he snapped.
Silence hung between you.
Then he glanced up, expression unreadable. “So. You gonna tell me what’s really going on?”
You sat on the edge of the metal bench opposite him. “That depends. You ready to cooperate?”
“I’m not the one holding you in a room.”
You took a breath. “Fine. Doom’s arrival is accelerating. Reed says three cycles left. Maybe less.”
Johnny’s expression changed. “Doom? He’s back?”
“Back? He was never here in the first place,” you narrowed your eyes. 
“No but…” Johnny froze up.
“Wait, Johnny, do you know him?”
He laughed—a sharp, disbelieving sound. “Know him? I’ve fought him. Victor Von Doom—industrialist-turned-magic-wielding-megalomaniac? Yeah. We go way back.”
You stepped closer. “Then tell me everything.”
Johnny paused, watching you.
“You’re serious.”
“Dead serious. The Doom in your universe—did he ever talk about crossing dimensions?”
“He talked about dominating them. Said this world was soft. Idealistic. He always wanted to burn it down and start over.” He frowned. “Wait… you think it’s my Doom?”
“We don’t know. But this variant has Tony Stark’s face, and he’s already leveling cities off-world. We need any edge we can get.”
Johnny blinked. “Who the hell is Tony Stark?”
You stared.
“Wait—Iron Man? Genius, billionaire—?”
“Never heard of him,” Johnny said, brow furrowed. “That a comic book character?”
Your skin prickled and you figured you’d try your luck. “Okay. What about Captain America?”
Johnny shook his head. “Is that, like, a propaganda mascot?”
You inhaled sharply.
He noticed your expression shift. “Hey, what?”
“It’s nothing. Just… we’ve been assuming some shared universal constants. Clearly, that was naive. Do you have the Avengers?”
“I’m not even going to even ask what the Avengers is,” he said, “my universe has four overworked, underpaid cosmic disaster magnets trying to keep Doom from melting entire cities.”
“And you… you were one of them.”
“Yes!The Human Torch. Maybe you’ve heard of me?” He gave a cocky little smirk, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
You gave him a look. “You’re aware you’re currently stuck in a universe that thinks you’re a ghost.”
“Yeah, and apparently I look like your dead best friend or whatever?”
“He wasn’t mine,” you said quietly. “I didn’t know him. My brother idolised him when we were kids, but… I only ever saw him on a screen or in magazines or action figures.”
Johnny’s demeanour shifted.
“Still. That’s gotta be weird. Seeing me.”
“It’s… disorienting,” you admitted. “It’s like staring at a memory I never actually lived.”
He nodded slowly. “Well, for what it’s worth… I’m not him.”
“I know,” you said. “It’s everyone else I’m worried about.”
He tilted his head. “You mean Barnes… I overheard your conversation with Richards.”
You tensed. “You don’t need to say his name.”
“But that’s the real problem, isn’t it?” Johnny leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “You’re scared he’ll see me and unravel.”
“He’s been through enough.”
“So have I.”
That made you pause.
You studied him—closely, quietly. There was still heat radiating off him, but not like before. This was grief, frustration, confusion. The raw edges of someone pulled from his world and dropped into a foreign body. His aura.
“Do you miss your world?” you asked.
“Every minute,” he said. “But I miss my sister more.”
You blinked. “You have a sister?”
“Yeah. Sue. And Reed, Ben—my team.” He glanced at the door. “Even Doom, in some twisted way. At least he made sense.”
You swallowed. “We’ll get you home.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You promise?”
You tried to smile. “I’ll do my best.”
He stood then, walking toward you slowly. Not threatening—just steady.
“I’m sorry I lashed out before,” he said. “It’s been a mindfuck.”
“I get it.”
He stopped just inches away.
“I didn’t mean to scare you. Or remind you of someone you lost.”
Your voice was barely above a whisper. “It’s not your fault.”
Something in the air between you went still. He smelled faintly like ozone, like charged air after a storm.
“Three cycles,” you said. “That’s what we’ve got before Doom makes landfall. And Reed can’t track him anymore.”
Johnny let that sink in. “So we fight. Together.”
You nodded. “But for now… you stay here.”
He sighed, resigned but not bitter. “Fine. But someone better bring me food that doesn’t taste like chalk.”
You smirked. “I’ll see what I can do.”
As the door sealed behind you, your heart pounded.
Steve Rogers was long gone.
But his face was standing in a room behind you, glowing with cosmic fire.
────✪────
The rooftop was quiet, save for the distant hum of traffic below and the rhythmic pulse of helicopter blades somewhere far off. The wind tugged gently at your clothes, lifting your hair as you stepped out onto the open concrete. You found Sam sitting on the edge of the helipad, legs dangling over the side like he didn’t have a care in the world, though you knew better.
You walked over and sat beside him without saying a word. For a while, neither of you did.
The city stretched out endlessly below, lit like it was trying to mimic the stars above. It smelled faintly of ozone and jet fuel, familiar and oddly comforting.
“I figured I’d find you up here,” you said softly.
Sam didn’t look at you at first. He just sipped from the cup in his hands—probably black coffee, lukewarm by now—and tilted his head toward the skyline. “It’s the only place I can breathe lately.”
“Yeah,” you whispered. “Me too.”
You sat in silence for a moment longer. Then he turned to you, studying you like he could read your thoughts if he stared long enough.
“You look like hell.”
You laughed—quiet, tired. “Thanks.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
You shrugged. “There’s too much to say. Not enough time.”
Sam leaned back on his hands, the movement casual, but his voice was anything but. “You know you don’t have to carry all this alone, right? You got people.”
“I know,” you said. “It’s just hard to know what parts I can share.”
He gave you a side-eye. “Try me.”
You smiled softly. “Let’s just say… I’m learning there are more versions of this world than I ever imagined. And some of them? They bleed through. Even when you’re not ready.”
Sam was quiet a moment. “Multiverse.”
You nodded slowly. “Yeah. God. It would be so nice if there were someone who… specialised in that kind of thing. You know, someone who didn’t blink when the fabric of reality tore open in front of him.”
Sam chuckled under his breath. “I might know a guy.”
You blinked at him. “You’re kidding.”
He shook his head. “Nope. He’s eccentric. Kinda dramatic. Has a goatee that makes him look like he just stepped out of a Victorian funeral home.”
You laughed. “What does he do?”
“Magic,” Sam said simply. “Or… something that looks like it.”
You turned to face him. “You’re serious?”
“As a heart attack.”
You blinked. “Wait. You’re telling me you know a wizard?”
Sam grinned. “Yeah. A real one. Flies without wings. Opens portals with his hands. He lives in this big haunted-looking place in Greenwich Village.”
You squinted. “You’re not messing with me?”
“Not even a little.” Sam shifted his weight and nudged your shoulder gently. “He helped us during the Infinity mess. And again with… everything after. He doesn’t always pick up his magic phone, but when he does, he tends to solve problems the rest of us can’t even pronounce.”
You exhaled slowly. “Sounds like exactly who we need.”
Sam nodded. “I’ll reach out. Might take a little time, but I’ll do what I can.”
You turned your head toward him, touched. “Sam…”
He gave you a look—soft, protective. “You didn’t ask. I’m offering. Whatever this is? You’re not in it alone.”
You smiled, swallowing past the knot in your throat. “Thank you.”
The two of you sat there a little longer, letting the silence stretch again, not awkward this time but full of something warm and unspoken. The city below, the sky above, and a million unknowns in between.
Finally, just as he stood to leave, you asked, “What’s his name?”
Sam paused, looked back over his shoulder with a small smirk, and said—
“Stephen Strange.”
Then he was gone, leaving the night colder but your hope a little warmer.
────✪────
You closed the door to your bedroom behind you with a soft click, leaning your forehead against it for a second longer than necessary. The conversation with Sam replayed in your head—his promise, his quiet strength, the name Stephen Strange echoing through your thoughts like a bell rung too close to your ears. Your body was buzzing with exhaustion and tension all at once. The kind of pressure that lived in your chest and shoulders and wouldn’t let go.
You didn’t even notice Bucky at first.
He was sitting on the edge of your bed, elbows on his knees, head turned toward the window where the city lights poured in like liquid gold. His jacket was off, sleeves rolled up, dog tags glinting in the glow.
His eyes met yours the moment you moved. He read you instantly—because of course he did.
“You’re shaking,” he said softly, standing. “What happened?”
You forced a small smile, voice hoarse. “Just… was out on the rooftop. It was cold.” It was only a half-lie.
He crossed the room in three strides and was in front of you, his hands cupping your face before you could think. The way he looked at you—searching, tender, that quiet kind of worry he wore like armour—you nearly crumbled.
“You’re stressed,” he said, low and steady. He saw straight through you. “Let me take care of you tonight. Please.”
You blinked up at him. “Bucky, I don’t need—”
“I’m not talking about fixing the world,” he cut in gently. “I just want to help you breathe again.”
You swallowed hard.
“Come with me,” he said.
He took your hand and led you into the bathroom. You hadn’t even noticed him running the water, but the tub was nearly full, steam curling into the air like a warm fog. Candles flickered from the sink and windowsill. The scent of eucalyptus filled the room—soothing, clean.
“I figured…” he began, then paused. “You take care of everyone else. Let me do this for you.”
You stared at the water, at the candlelight reflecting off his eyes, and suddenly, something inside you cracked open.
You nodded.
“I’ll wait outside if you want privacy,” he offered.
But your fingers were already slipping into the hem of your shirt. “Stay.”
His throat bobbed. “Yeah?”
You met his gaze. “Join me.”
The water lapped softly against the porcelain as you leaned back, steam curling around your shoulders, calming the tension in your chest.
But when you looked up and saw him watching you from the doorway — jaw set, eyes unreadable — something inside you twisted tight with nervous anticipation.
“You sure?” he asked, voice low and almost hoarse. “You want me in there with you?”
You nodded. “Yeah. I do.”
He didn’t move right away. Just let his gaze linger on you for a second longer, as if committing the sight of you in the bath to memory. Then he reached for the hem of his shirt.
You tried not to stare. You really tried.
But when the fabric lifted and his chest came into view — all lean muscle, old scars, and the quiet strength of a man who’d survived more than anyone should — your breath hitched in your throat.
He stripped slowly, deliberately, like he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to rush. As if he were giving you a chance to look away. But you didn’t. You couldn’t.
His metal arm glinted faintly in the soft, golden light, catching on the rivulets of steam that curled through the room. You followed the line of his torso with your eyes, past the faint trail of hair down his stomach to the waistband of his boxers.
Bucky paused when he caught your stare.
“I’m not exactly… a pretty sight,” he muttered, eyes dipping to the water like he couldn’t bear to meet your gaze.
“Bucky,” you said softly, and he looked at you again — wary, like he was bracing for something that never came. “You’re beautiful.”
The words spilled out before you could second-guess them. And once they were out, you didn’t want to take them back.
He huffed a breath, something between a laugh and a scoff, and finally stepped out of the last layer between him and you. You caught the faint tremble in his hands as he did, the unspoken weight of vulnerability in every movement.
And then he was climbing in beside you, the water shifting and rising with his presence.
You made room for him, settling against the opposite side of the tub. Your knees brushed under the surface.
It was quiet for a moment. The kind of quiet that wasn’t awkward, but thick with something unspoken. Reverent. He didn’t look at you right away. Just leaned back and exhaled, the heat loosening the muscles in his shoulders, in his jaw. Like it was the first time in days — maybe years — he’d let himself relax.
And then his eyes found yours again, dark and unsure.
Then you reached for him — gently, slowly — and he came without hesitation, shifting so you could rest your back against his chest, his arms wrapping around your middle beneath the water. His lips brushed your temple.
You leaned back into his chest, your head resting beneath his chin, the heat from the water soaking into your bones — but it was him that made you feel warm. His presence, his arms around your waist, his breathing slowly falling in sync with yours.
Then, without a word, Bucky reached for the bath oil on the rim. Unscrewed the lid, poured a small pool into his hand. The floral scent mixed with steam, soft and soothing.
He brought his palms to your shoulders, slow and steady, and began to knead.
A sigh slipped out of you before you could catch it.
“Yeah?” he murmured near your ear, voice low and fond.
You nodded. “Yeah.”
His thumbs worked into the tension at the base of your neck, careful and steady, tracing the edges of your shoulder blades and easing the tightness you didn’t realise you’d been carrying. His metal hand stayed at your side, warm from the water, anchoring you there — holding you like you were something precious.
You melted under his touch, sinking further into him, into the way he treated your body like it deserved to be cherished.
“You’ve been holding the world on your back,” he said softly, pressing a kiss to your damp shoulder. “Let me carry it for a while.”
You didn’t say anything. Just turned your face into his neck and let yourself breathe.
His fingers drifted upward, threading gently through your hair.
“You mind?” he asked.
You shook your head. “Please.”
He reached for the shampoo with one hand while the other gently gathered your hair behind you. He was so careful — so tender — massaging your scalp in slow, circular motions, working the lather through each strand as if this moment were the only one that mattered. He cradled your head like it was the most natural thing in the world, rinsing the suds away with soft strokes and whispered reassurances.
“Feels nice,” you murmured.
His voice came next to your ear, low and warm. “Good. You deserve nice.”
You turned in his arms just enough to see his face — calm, almost bashful — and gently reached for the bottle yourself.
“My turn,” you said with a small smile.
He raised a brow. “You sure?”
You nodded. “Sit back.”
And to your quiet amazement, he did — just like that. Trusting you with something so small, but so vulnerable.
You poured the shampoo into your hand and moved in close, brushing your fingers through his dark, damp hair. His eyes fluttered shut as your nails scratched lightly against his scalp, his head tipping back slightly into your touch.
It struck you, then — how often did he get to be taken care of? To let his guard down?
You weren’t sure. But you were damn sure going to make this count.
“Feels good,” he murmured.
You smiled. “Good. You deserve nice too, y’know.”
He opened one eye at that, and the look he gave you — equal parts grateful, adoring, and stunned — made your chest ache.
The bathwater shifted gently between you as you rinsed the soap from his hair, your hands lingering at the nape of his neck. Your noses brushed. His breath hitched.
And for one suspended moment, it felt like the world outside the bathroom simply... stopped.
The bathwater sloshed gently around you both, warmed by the glow of candlelight and the low hum of Bucky’s breathing behind you. His strong thighs bracketed yours, his arms wrapped loosely around your waist as you leaned back against his chest. It was quiet—soothing. His fingers trailed idle patterns on your stomach, up along your ribs, barely ghosting the underswell of your breasts.
“I could stay like this forever,” he murmured, voice thick with warmth and something else—something heavier, molten.
You turned your head slightly, catching the corner of his mouth with yours. He kissed you slow, tender. Lips parting like it was the first time all over again. When you gasped softly into his mouth, his hand drifted lower. Curious. Careful. He cupped your heat beneath the water, the gesture instinctual but full of restraint.
“Can I…?” he asked against your lips, his voice low, rough, reverent.
Your breath caught. You nodded. “Please.”
He kissed your neck as his fingers slipped between your thighs, parting you gently beneath the water. His other arm tightened around you, grounding you as he slowly slid one finger inside you. You gasped, your body tensing from the sudden stretch and the feel of him—so intimate, so close.
“Shh… you’re okay, sweetheart,” he whispered, lips brushing behind your ear. “Let me make you feel good.”
And he did.
Every movement was patient, controlled, worshipful. He curled his finger inside you just right, watching your face tilt up toward the ceiling, your mouth falling open in a soft moan. The bathwater rippled with each slow thrust of his hand, the tension building, his palm pressing against your clit in smooth, gentle circles that made your thighs twitch.
“Fuck,” you whimpered, your hips rocking involuntarily, pushing back against him, chasing the edge.
“You’re so wet for me,” he whispered. “So goddamn perfect.”
A second finger slid inside and your breath hitched. His metal hand cradled your hip as you writhed against him, water sloshing softly with each shift. He kissed the side of your throat, your shoulder, murmuring low praise into your skin.
“I’ve got you,” he promised. “You don’t have to do anything. Just feel.”
And you did. You fell apart in his arms with your hand clenched in his hair and your mouth on his shoulder, moaning his name like it meant salvation. He held you through it, rocked you through every tremble.
And even as the waves of pleasure faded, he didn’t let go.
He just whispered, “That’s my girl.”
You were still trembling in his arms when you felt the soft brush of his lips on your shoulder, lingering like a promise. Bucky cradled you tighter, one hand gently splayed across your stomach, his other still between your thighs, not moving—just resting there, keeping you open and warm in the aftermath.
"Still with me?" he murmured against your ear.
You nodded, eyes fluttering open. “Barely.”
He chuckled low, kissed your cheek. “Good. Because I’m not done showing you how good this can feel.”
You blinked at him, heart skipping.
He shifted behind you, the water sloshing softly as he reached for the detachable shower head hooked to the wall. You looked at him, wide-eyed.
“Trust me?” he asked, voice quiet but full of that same molten heat he always kept hidden behind a steel jaw.
You nodded again. “Always.”
He smiled—a soft, dark smile—and turned the dial. The shower head vibrated gently to life, the narrow stream of water hissing softly as he adjusted the setting. A low, teasing spray pulsed in rhythmic beats from the nozzle, and Bucky tested it against his palm before bringing it down between your thighs.
Your breath caught—your entire body going taut.
“Relax,” he whispered, letting your head rest against his shoulder again. “I’ve got you, doll.”
The first pass of the water was a gentle caress—just enough to make you gasp, your thighs instinctively pressing together. But Bucky’s hand was there again, metal and sure, keeping you open.
The second pass made you moan.
You felt your hips twitch forward, a low whimper falling from your lips as the spray focused directly on your clit. The pulsing rhythm from the nozzle hit your nerve endings like lightning. Bucky’s mouth was at your neck again, teeth grazing your skin, one hand stroking your stomach as the other expertly guided the water over your most sensitive spot.
"That's it," he murmured. "Look at you… fuck, you’re perfect like this.”
You whimpered his name and felt his arm tighten around your waist.
“Please,” you whispered, breathless.
“I know, baby. I know.”
You relaxed into him as the stream found your clit, and a soft moan spilled from your lips—unexpected, delicious, embarrassingly needy. He angled the water again and fuck, your hips jolted forward.
“That’s it,” he growled, his lips grazing your ear. “Feels good, doesn’t it? You like when I do that to you?”
You whimpered in response, legs trembling in the water.
“You ever touch yourself like this?” he asked, voice a little darker now—deeper. “In the bath? In the shower?”
Your lips parted, heart pounding. “…Back at the safe house,” you admitted softly. “That night we had to share the bed… I couldn’t stop thinking about you, in the other room, undressing. Had to pretend like— like I didn’t want you right there and then.”
Bucky groaned in your ear, the sound low and guttural. The water pulsed against you again, and he held you tighter, guiding your hips just slightly to ride the rhythm.
“Fuck, sweetheart,” he rasped. “If I had known that… things would have went a lot differently.”
You let out a shaky moan at his implication, your head falling back onto his shoulder.
“You wanna know what I did?” he whispered, mouth brushing your temple. “Every time I was alone in the shower… hand wrapped around my cock, water beating down on me… I was thinking about you. Your mouth. Your thighs. Your pretty little noises. Even when you hated me, I wanted you.”
You whimpered helplessly, pressing back against him.
“I’d picture you dripping for me,” he murmured. “Begging for me. Just like this.”
The confession was too much. Too vivid. Too filthy.
Your thighs tightened, a cry stuck in your throat.
“You gonna come for me again, baby?” he whispered, rotating the angle of the spray just right. “Come knowing I used to fuck my fist just thinking about making you fall apart?”
Your mouth dropped open in a breathless gasp as your entire body went taut, every nerve ending alight. The pleasure hit hard, slamming into you like a wave—your muscles tensing, water splashing over the edge of the tub as you cried out, hips grinding helplessly into the rhythm of the spray.
Bucky held you through it, his hand firm across your stomach, mouth on your shoulder.
“Good girl,” he breathed against your skin. “That’s it, baby. That’s it.”
You collapsed back into his chest, boneless and dazed, barely able to catch your breath. He pressed kisses along your shoulder, your jaw, your temple, grounding you through the aftershocks.
You let out a shaky laugh, your voice hoarse. “Jesus, Bucky…”
He chuckled, kissing your cheek again. “You’re somethin’ else, sweetheart.”
Your heart still thundered as he turned off the water and cradled you against him, both of you wrapped in warmth and silence for a long moment.
Your limbs felt boneless, melted from the pleasure still echoing through you like waves lapping the shore. The soft slosh of the bathwater was the only sound, save for your shallow breaths. You blinked slowly, dazed and spent, leaning into Bucky’s chest as the warm water began to cool.
“Hey,” he murmured against your temple, brushing your damp hair back. “C’mon, sweetheart. Let’s get you dried off now.”
His voice was so gentle, reverent. You barely managed a nod.
With slow, practiced strength, Bucky slipped his arms under your legs and back. You squeaked softly as he lifted you, and he chuckled—low, fond. Water dripped down your bodies, your skin slipping against his chest, your pulse skipping as you felt his heartbeat against your shoulder.
“Still with me?” he whispered, grinning as he held you tighter.
“Barely,” you murmured. “But I like it here.”
“Me too,” he said, and then he kissed your forehead.
He carried you effortlessly from the bathroom, cradling you like you were something precious, something breakable. The cool air kissed your wet skin, sending a shiver down your spine. Bucky noticed instantly.
“Hold on,” he said, setting you down gently at the edge of the bed. He grabbed one of the thick towels hanging near the bathroom and wrapped it around your frame with the utmost care, tucking the corners around your body like you were a gift he never thought he’d get to unwrap.
“You’re trembling,” he said, crouching before you. “Was it too much?”
You smiled softly, eyes glazed. “No. It was perfect. I just… I can’t believe you did that.”
His gaze flicked down briefly, watching the water drip from your collarbone down into the towel. His jaw clenched like he was holding something back.
You reached for him.
“Your turn,” you whispered.
Bucky rose slowly, water still glistening on his skin, and let the towel slip from your shoulders so he could wrap a new one around his own waist. As he stood, you caught sight of the unmistakable ridge straining against the terrycloth—hard and thick, barely contained.
Your breath hitched.
He followed your eyes and gave a lopsided, bashful smile. “Yeah,” he rasped. “That’s what happens when I watch you come like that.”
You stared. “You’re—”
“Hard as hell,” he finished for you, stepping close between your knees. “For you. Always for you.”
You reached up with both hands, dragging your fingers slowly down the plane of his abdomen, over the curve of his hips, the towel damp and warm beneath your touch. You looked up at him, wide-eyed and awestruck.
“I want you,” you whispered.
Bucky swallowed hard, chest rising.
“Then you have me,” he said, and bent down to scoop you up once more.
This time, he didn’t bother asking permission—he laid you down across the bed with something close to reverence, kissing your bare shoulder as he adjusted the towel around you again.
His hands roamed your body like he was learning scripture—slow, reverent, almost trembling with how much he needed to memorise the way your skin felt under his palms. He wasn’t just touching you; he was worshipping you. Like you were holy. Like he couldn’t believe you were real.
“You’re so goddamn beautiful,” Bucky murmured as his lips trailed down your neck, voice hoarse with wonder. “Every inch of you… you drive me fuckin’ crazy, you know that?”
You gasped when his hand slid between your thighs, his eyes drinking in your reaction like it was his only salvation. Your back arched instinctively, your body begging for more.
“I want you to feel good,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to the curve of your breast, then another just below your ribs. “Wanna take my time. Wanna taste you everywhere. Let me?”
“Please,” you breathed, and he smiled like a man ruined.
He kissed down your stomach with reverence, pulling your towel off your body slowly, like he was unwrapping the last good thing in his life. When he spread your legs and settled between them, the heat of his breath made you shudder.
But when he looked up at you, eyes dark and blown wide with hunger, he froze.
“You sure?” he asked, voice breaking just a little.
“I want you, Bucky. I want all of you,” you whispered, threading your fingers through his hair. “I always have.”
He groaned like the words hurt—like they healed something too.
When he finally pushed inside you, thick and aching and perfect, you bit down on his shoulder—just hard enough to make him hiss, just enough to leave your mark. His body jolted at the sting, a deep growl ripping from his throat, and he held you tighter.
“Fuck,” he moaned. “You’re so tight. So warm. I can feel you everywhere, baby. You feel like heaven.”
You barely had time to respond—your mind was already gone, lost in the way he filled you so perfectly, in how he whispered your name like it was a sacred thing. His metal hand held your hip like he was grounding himself, but the other caressed your face, thumbing over your cheek like you were fragile, like he couldn’t believe he was allowed to touch you like this.
“Gonna take care of you,” he promised between kisses. “Gonna fuck you slow so you feel it for days. Gonna make sure you know what you mean to me.”
You whimpered something unintelligible, overwhelmed with sensation and the way he made you feel so seen, so wanted. Your nails scratched down his back. Your teeth found his neck again.
“Mine,” you whispered against his skin.
That sent him over the edge—his rhythm faltered, his breath catching as he groaned your name again and again, buried so deep inside you it felt like the world disappeared around you.
And still he moved.
Slow, sweet thrusts. Words of worship between panting breaths. He kissed your temple. He kissed the corner of your mouth. He kissed you like you were the last good thing in the world.
“Oh my God, Bucky…”
“Shh… I’ve got you,” he murmured. “I’ve got you.”
His movements were deep, and steady thrusts that made you feel every part of him. His pace built gradually, like he was savouring every second, watching your face twist in pleasure, whispering how beautiful you looked, how good you felt, how long he’d waited for this.
Then it turned feral.
His hand locked under your knee, hitching your leg higher. His hips slammed into yours, faster now, rougher, but still full of so much feeling. His forehead rested against yours, his eyes never leaving you, every breath a moan.
“You’re mine,” he groaned. “Mine. You feel that?”
“Yes—Bucky—I—fuck, I feel you—”
“Come for me again, baby. I wanna feel you fall apart on my cock.”
His words undid you. You shattered again, legs quaking, crying out his name as he fucked you through it—his own release close behind, hips stuttering as he spilled inside you with a deep, broken growl.
He collapsed over you, panting, trembling, pressing kisses along your throat, your shoulder, your collarbone.
You held each other in silence, sweat cooling, hearts slowing, the smell of candle wax and sex thick in the air.
He looked at you like you were the stars.
Outside, the city buzzed with life.
But in here, wrapped in Bucky’s arms, with his warmth still inside you—you finally felt safe.
Your legs were still tangled with his when the silence settled. A soft, reverent kind of silence. Not the awkward kind that follows something rushed or uncertain — this was the kind that came after something real.
Your body was still buzzing from the aftershocks, but your heart… your heart felt raw and full all at once.
Bucky’s chest rose and fell beneath your cheek, his hand drawing slow, grounding circles over your back. You felt his lips brush the crown of your head like a vow. Like he didn’t quite know how to say what he was feeling yet — only that it mattered. That you mattered.
“You okay?” he murmured against your hair.
You nodded, dazed. “Yeah. Are you?”
His arm tightened around you. “Yeah. Just… overwhelmed.”
You lifted your head to look at him. “In a bad way?”
“No.” His eyes were so soft, so open, so bare. “In the best way.”
You smiled. Sleepy. Full of warmth. But you still noticed the faint furrow between his brows.
“Buck?” you asked gently, brushing a thumb over his cheek. “What is it?”
He exhaled through his nose, like he’d been holding something in. “Just didn’t expect that to feel like… that.”
You leaned forward and kissed his jaw. “Me neither.”
He sat up a little, just enough to shift beside you on the bed, pulling the sheets up to cover your body. He took his time — tucking them around you, pressing a soft kiss to your shoulder before he stood.
“Don’t go far,” you mumbled.
His chuckle was soft. “Just grabbing a clean towel, sweetheart.”
When he came back, he knelt beside the bed and gently started wiping between your legs — slow, careful, with more tenderness than you ever expected from a man with hands like his. You winced slightly, and he immediately stilled.
“Too much?” he asked.
You shook your head. “No. Just a little sore.”
His jaw flexed. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“No, Bucky.” You reached down, touching his cheek, guiding his gaze back to yours. “You were perfect.”
He nodded once, like he didn’t quite believe you — but he wanted to. Then he cleaned himself off, tossed the towel in the hamper, and crawled back into bed beside you. Not just beside you — into you. Curled around your back like he was built for it.
You felt his hand slide under the blanket, finding yours beneath the pillow, threading your fingers together.
“Don’t wanna let go of you,” he whispered.
“You don’t have to.”
The room was dark, but not cold. The covers were heavy but comforting. The sheets still smelled like him. Like you. Like this.
“Are you okay?” you asked after a minute.
He hummed. “I keep thinkin’ about how you looked. When I was inside you.”
Your cheeks flushed, and you twisted just enough to glance at him.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” His voice was barely a whisper. “You looked like… mine.”
A pause stretched between you.
“Do you want me to be?” you asked softly.
He didn’t hesitate.
“Yeah.”
You swallowed thickly and turned to face him fully, pressing your forehead against his. Your legs tangled again. Your hand found his chest.
“Then I’m yours.”
You felt him smile — and you knew, in that moment, that for all the chaos waiting beyond these walls, you had built something real here. Something that wouldn’t break.
Not easily.
Not ever.
────✪────
The room was still. Just the quiet hum of the city outside, the faint tick of the clock on the wall.
You lay curled in the sheets, your breathing slow and even against Bucky’s chest, your hand tangled with his beneath the blanket.
But Bucky was elsewhere.
His mind had drifted, tugged down by exhaustion and emotion, and when his eyes closed, the world around him changed.
The bed was gone. The warmth. The flickering candlelight.
Now it was dusk, and the Brooklyn pier stretched out before him—old wood creaking underfoot, the water lapping gently against rusted metal pylons.
He heard footsteps.
Turned.
And there he was.
Steve Rogers. Cap tilted back, blond hair catching the dying sunlight. He looked just like Bucky remembered him before the war: young, alive, untouched by the centuries of loss that followed.
Except his eyes weren’t soft.
They were steady. Knowing. Sad.
“You’re late,” Steve said, hands in his pockets.
Bucky froze. “Steve.”
“You haven’t talked to me in a while.”
“Maybe i’ve moved on,” Bucky said, a little sharper than he meant it.
Steve didn’t flinch. “And yet you’ve been burying yourself in guilt for it.”
Bucky exhaled shakily and looked away, out at the water. “I didn’t mean to dream about you.”
“You always do,” Steve said quietly. “Usually when something’s eating at you.”
Bucky’s shoulders tensed. “You left.”
“I had to.”
“You didn’t have to,” Bucky snapped, rounding on him. “You chose to. You handed off the shield, said goodbye like it was nothing, and you left me to clean it all up. Again.”
Steve took it. He didn’t argue. Just looked at Bucky with the weight of someone who had known him longer than anyone ever could.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
And somehow, that hurt worse than if he’d said nothing at all.
“I didn’t know what to do without you,” Bucky whispered. “I still don’t.”
Steve stepped closer. “Then why are you trying so hard to pretend like you’re fine?”
Bucky shook his head. “I’m not pretending. I’m just… trying to get over it.”
“With her?”
That stopped him.
Steve’s gaze softened. “You love her.”
Bucky’s throat worked around the words. “I… I don’t know.”
“Buck,” Steve said gently, “when you love someone, you should tell them. Because sometimes the chance doesn’t come again.”
“I’m scared,” Bucky admitted. “What if she wakes up one day and sees me for what I really am? Not just the parts I try to show her, but the broken stuff. The old war dog with blood on his hands. What then?”
Steve stepped up until they were face to face. His voice was low.
“She already sees you, Buck. And she’s still there.”
Bucky looked down, breathing hard. “I don’t know if I deserve her.”
“You’ve always deserved to be loved.”
Steve reached up, placed a hand on Bucky’s shoulder.
“I’m proud of you.”
The pier began to dissolve, light washing it all away in a slow blur.
“Don’t waste it,” Steve said, his voice distant now. “Let yourself be happy.”
Bucky gasped awake, chest rising fast, eyes wet.
The room was warm. Quiet. You were asleep against him, peaceful and soft, your cheek resting on his arm.
He looked down at you like you were the answer to a question he didn’t know how to ask.
She already sees you. And she’s still there.
He gently brushed your hair back and pressed a kiss to your temple.
“I think I love you,” he whispered, barely audible.
And you didn’t stir—but somehow, a tiny smile curled on your lips.
────✪────
It started with a faint vibration.
Subtle, at first—like the kind you’d feel when the subway rumbled deep beneath Manhattan, gentle and distant enough to be ignored.
But it didn’t stop.
Somewhere deep in Avengers Tower, a low hum began to build—power surging through reinforced circuits, cascading red alerts lighting up control panels, one by one.
Reed Richards was already awake when the tremors began. He hadn’t slept in days.
He stood over his lab’s main console, eyes glued to a flickering monitor, its screen flooded with lines of alien code, dimensional pulse readings, and quantum flux trails.
Then a single alert cut through all of it:
MULTIVERSAL SIGNATURE DETECTED DOOM // EARTH-9211 // COORDINATES LOCKED STATUS: BREACHED ATMOSPHERE
ESTIMATED IMPACT: INCOMING.
Reed's breath caught in his throat.
"No. No, no, no, no—he was three cycles out, he was—"
He spun around, fingers flying over the keyboard, scanning the waveforms, matching the signature.
But it wasn’t on the outer rim of the multiverse anymore.
It was here. Earth. Now.
The data didn't lie.
Victor Von Doom had just broken through the upper atmosphere.
────✪────
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mandoalorian · 4 days ago
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hi 🥺🥺 i hope i can try update if this is war i surrender this monday or tuesday, im sorry it’s been a little longer than usual. ive been so swamped working on my master’s thesis and working full time, and trying to balance a social life/time for me. its been a lot to try and navigate so thank you for your patience.
i’ll also get round to answering any asks in my inbox on tuesday, most likely.
hope everyone has an amazing day <3
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mandoalorian · 5 days ago
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the night we stole the stars [bucky barnes x f!reader]
pairing: new avenger!bucky barnes x f!reader
synopsis: you and bucky chase the glow of a forgotten fairground, where soft kisses taste like memories in the making. beneath the boardwalk lights and scattered starlight, the night becomes yours—wild, sacred, and fleeting. but even as your hearts sync in stolen rhythm, something waits in the quiet edges of the multiverse, changing everything
word count: 7900
rating/warnings: 18+ explicit content, dry humping in public place, grinding, making out, plenty of sexual tension, angst in the making (sorry in advance), a little sambucky if you squint
masterlist
previous chapter | current | next chapter [coming soon]
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It was early. Not sunrise-early — city early. Horns honked like an orchestra warming up. A dog barked three times in a row. Somewhere, a jackhammer stuttered to life.
Bucky liked mornings like this. Loud enough to drown out memories. Soft enough that everything still felt... possible.
He waited outside the Tower with two coffees in hand, both black. No sugar, no nonsense. He knew Sam would complain. That was kind of the point.
When Sam stepped outside, hoodie pulled over his head, he squinted at the sky like it had personally offended him. His eyes landed on Bucky, then on the second coffee. He walked over wordlessly and took it.
“No sugar?” he asked, sipping anyway.
Bucky shrugged. “You’re sweet enough.”
Sam huffed. “You flirting with me, Barnes?”
“You wish.”
They started walking with no clear destination, boots hitting pavement in sync. The Tower loomed behind them, and Bucky felt a little lighter the farther they got from it.
“So,” Sam said after a beat. “I signed Valentina’s accords, we’re on the same team now, what’s all this about?”
Bucky winced. “Us.”
“Okay, now you’re definitely flirting.” Sam smirked and Bucky stifled a laugh.
“Outside all of this: Doom and the multiverse and… her,” Bucky stopped as he noticed Sam’s face soften. “I really miss you man,” he sighed, the revelation hard for him to admit. If only he had communicated better months ago. Then maybe the fallout wouldn’t have been so bad.
“I miss you too, Buck, but none of this has been easy. Abandoning me and teaming up with John Walker?” Sam replied, not angry but not amused either. “Seriously?”
Bucky thought ‘abandoned’ sounded harsh, but it wasn’t the time to mention it. He took a sip of his coffee. “I know, but the world really needs Captain America. I need Captain America. And I just want us to be okay again.”
“I want that too.” Sam sighed. “Come here.”
And in that moment, Captain America pulled the Winter Soldier in for a hug, solid and comforting, and for the first time in months, Bucky felt like he could breathe again.
“Now that we’re okay,” Sam said, pulling away but keeping his hands on Bucky’s shoulders. “You gotta tell me how the hell you ended up on a team with a literal black widow assassin, the Red Guardian, and Walker. And those billboards… damn Bucky, they had you overlooking New York City like you were some kind of God.”
Bucky looked down at his coffee. “Yeah. That wasn’t my idea.”
“Valentina?”
“Yup. She created this whole PR thing. Wheaties boxes and magazine covers and merchandise. Wanted Yelena and Walker to pretend to date each other, but like hell they would,” Bucky explained. “At the time, they couldn’t be in the same room as each other for longer than ten minutes. So she decided it would look good if me and her pursued this fake relationship. I think she thought the public would put more faith in her if they saw she was dating an Avenger.”
Sam slowed. “Buck… that’s fucking crazy.”
Bucky nodded. “Yeah. Wasn’t easy. But eventually the team started trusting each other. And because I was leading, it meant they were trusting me. And for once… I felt like I was actually doing something right.”
Sam took another long sip. “That’s not nothing.”
“I didn’t agree with the logistics,” Bucky said. “The secrecy, the contracts, the way Valentina tried to puppet us from behind the curtain. But when we were out there, actually fighting for people, it felt... good. Like I belonged somewhere.”
“You’ve always belonged somewhere.”
Bucky gave a quiet, humourless laugh. “You have to say that. You’re my friend.”
“I’m also the guy you iced out when I was trying to rebuild the Avengers. The real Avengers.”
That landed like a punch. Bucky rubbed the back of his neck.
“I thought you didn’t need me,” he admitted.
“Bullshit,” Sam said calmly. “We both know that’s not true. I needed you. I wanted you in it with me. You’re the one who stepped off to be with your Thunderbolt buddies.”
Bucky took a breath. “Maybe. But now you know the truth. Not everything was so rosy. I think from this point forward, we phase Val out for good. We do this, together. We lead, together.”
“Doom’s coming,” Sam muttered, eyes scanning the skyline like he expected Victor to emerge from the clouds. “We both feel it. And now we’ve got all these pieces— The Fantastic Four, the Avengers, tech from a different world—and no time to get our footing.”
“We’ve got each other,” Bucky said. 
They walked another block in silence.
“I hated that billboard,” Sam finally said, like he couldn’t keep it in any longer. Bucky let out a snort.
“Me too.”
“I hated seeing you in it more.”
“That one hurts a little.”
Sam stopped walking and turned to him. “Because you’re mine, Barnes. My grumpy, murderous, 108-year-old sidekick.”
“Sidekick? You’re pushing it now,” Bucky smirked. “I prefer ‘combat veteran with emotional baggage.’”
Sam cracked a grin. “Same thing.”
There was a pause. Then Sam added, “I get it now, though. You felt useful. That matters.”
“It does,” Bucky said. “But it doesn’t matter more than you. More than this.”
They locked eyes. A shared history of battlefields and therapy chairs between them. A bond forged in grief, hammered into something solid by time.
“I’m still with you, Sam,” Bucky said. “Even when the world spins sideways.”
Sam nodded. “Alright, then. Let’s go clean this mess up together.”
They stood there another beat.
Then Sam extended a hand, and Bucky pulled him in for another hug instead—tight, firm, warm.
“I love you, buddy,” Sam murmured.
Bucky’s voice was rough. “Love you too.”
A car honked behind them. The city marched on.
But for the first time in weeks, something clicked back into place. Like the world might still be fixable after all.
────✪────
Sam had given the Fantastic Four a floor of their own in the Avengers tower, on the condition of their cooperation. 
The door to the secure living quarters slid open with a hiss.
Reed Richards stepped inside, eyes scanning the space with something between dread and longing. It wasn’t much—a makeshift living area hastily assembled—but within it stood three faces he thought he might never see again.
Sue was the first to spot him. Her posture stiffened instinctively, shielding mode kicking in before she even registered the emotion. Then her face cracked—just slightly—at the corners.
“Reed,” she said.
Johnny moved faster. “You look like hell.”
Reed blinked. “You look... exactly the same.”
Ben Grimm chuckled from the couch, deep and gravelly. “We had better lighting than you did, pal.”
Sue took a slow step forward. “I didn’t think they’d actually let us—”
“They didn’t,” you said, emerging from behind her, voice firm but not unkind. “I did.”
He turned. You leaned in the doorway with arms crossed, tired but steady. “I reminded Valentina that you’re not much use locked in a cage. Reed agreed that you would help. So now you help.”
Ben gave you a small, grateful nod. “And in return?”
“In return,” you said, “you get your family. But if you step out of line, or Reed, if you try to vanish into a black hole of your own genius—”
“Understood,” Reed said, lifting his hands in surrender. “No disappearing acts. No more secrets.”
Sue was still watching him. She didn’t smile. But she didn’t stop him when he crossed the room and touched her hand.
The silence stretched. Then Johnny cleared his throat loudly. “So, uh. Doom’s back?”
“Doom’s coming,” you corrected. “We’re not sure from where yet. But the tech that attacked the safe house... it wasn’t from here.”
Reed’s brow furrowed. “Alternate universe signatures?”
You nodded.
“That explains the Stark resemblance,” he muttered.
“Exactly,” you said. “We thought Doom was a myth or at least dormant. But if he's tied into a multiverse collapse, we’re going to need your expertise. You said before that you’ve studied this stuff—doppelgängers, alternate selves—what can you do now?”
Reed’s expression turned calculating. Focused. Alive.
“I need to run some tests. The multiverse... it’s like a shattered mirror. Some pieces reflect you exactly, others distort you beyond recognition. I want to start with Johnny.”
“Me?” Johnny blinked. “Why me?”
“Because you’re a perfect test subject. Young, genetically altered by cosmic radiation, and narcissistic enough that if another version of you existed, you’d want to find him immediately.”
“Aw, you do know me,” Johnny said, grinning.
Reed stepped away from the group, already talking to himself. “I’ll need quantum mapping. Multiversal scans. If I can trace even the smallest residue of variant DNA…”
“Reed,” you interrupted. “Focus.”
He blinked and looked at you. “Right. Yes. I’ll start with the scans now.”
As he swept out of the room, Sue sighed deeply. “Same Reed. Different apocalypse.”
Ben snorted. “At least we got him back.”
You watched him go, already lost in theory, hands moving like they were drawing math from the air. Something about it unsettled you—but also gave you hope.
You wandered back to the upper levels, catching the tail end of soft laughter in the training hall. Inside, Yelena was perched cross-legged on a bench, casually tossing a butterfly knife between her fingers. Her gaze lifted when she saw you.
“Was wondering when you’d check in,” she said.
You leaned on the wall beside her. “Reed’s reunited with his family. The science-freak reunion went about as expected.”
“Any theories yet?”
“He wants to test Johnny first. See if he’s got a doppelgänger. Maybe map how the multiverse is pulling apart.”
Yelena tilted her head. “You think that’s what this is? A multiversal pull?”
“I think it’s something worse. Doom doesn’t just appear without reason. And he doesn’t send attack drones for fun.”
Yelena sighed. “You have a point.”
You smiled faintly, then looked around. “Have you seen Bob?”
Her fingers paused over the knife. “No.”
“How long’s it been?”
She gave a small shrug, too casual. “He wasn’t at the morning check-in. I figured he was with Bucky. Or maybe passed out somewhere dramatic.”
You frowned. “I thought he might’ve come to see you.”
“Nope,” she said. “But now that you mention it...”
The two of you exchanged a look. Yelena tucked her knife away and stood up. “You think something’s wrong?”
“I think something’s different,” you said carefully. “He’s been... off. Ever since the void.”
Her brow furrowed. “He said he felt weird. More... powered.”
“Exactly,” you murmured. “Like something in him activated.”
You both stood in silence a moment longer.
“I’m gonna go look for him,” she announced.
“Want some help?” You offered, already tapping into your aura to scan the room for life. 
“It’s okay, he can’t have gone far. Besides, I want all the glory for finding him.” Yelena joked. 
When Yelena left the room, you paused for a moment, taking in the silence. It felt good to have a moment alone, away from the stress of John and Ava arguing, or Bob disappearing, or the upcoming potential multiversal collapse. You inhaled, your fingers starting to tingle and burn a pale lilac colour, sparkling like iridescent flecks of glitter as you tapped into your own aura. Your own feelings. 
Calmness. Wonder. Peace.
You felt relaxed. 
You exhaled and pinched your fingers together, shooting a burst of energy towards a punching bag. The power snapped the chain and the bag went flying into the wall, knocking over a stack of weights in the process. The loud clatter made you jump. How were you ever going to learn to control your powers, when there was no one who could teach you?
You stood and sauntered towards the weights, reaching out to put them back into place. You turned back toward the far end of the room, brushing a hand over your arm to dispel the unease. That’s when you felt it.
Arms wrapped gently around your waist from behind, pulling you into a solid chest.
You gasped, instincts kicking in before your mind caught up.
“Whoa,” came the familiar voice, rough and apologetic. “Too much?”
You exhaled, your heartbeat thudding against your ribs as you melted back into him. “No,” you said, breathless. “Not too much.”
Bucky let out a soft laugh behind you. His metal hand rested low on your stomach, while his warm one splayed across your ribs like he needed to hold you closer. “Sorry. I saw you and just... wanted to be close.”
You turned your head slightly, cheek brushing against his stubble. “Then don’t apologise.”
He leaned in, his lips grazing the shell of your ear. “You okay?”
You nodded. “Bob’s missing. Yelena’s out looking for him. We’ve got Reed researching but there is so much to do, and so little time. And the universe might just collapse in on itself in,” you checked your watch. “Six days,”
Bucky hummed quietly, acknowledging your concern. He dropped his hands to your hips, fingertips brushing skin. “What were you doing in here? Training?”
“I just needed some space to think, and uh— I was trying to understand my powers but I ended up just knocked over a punching bag. The chain snapped… we might need a new one.”
“Forget about the punching bag.” He gave you a gentle squeeze. “Your powers? We’ll figure it out. Besides, for now we just need to make sure we have reinforcements for when Doom comes. We plan for the worst.”
You smiled softly and turned in his arms. His eyes searched yours, his features soft in the training room’s dim light. He looked at you like you were something fragile and holy all at once.
“Bucky, I’m scared.”
He pressed his lips into the top of your head, letting them linger there. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
But that’s exactly what you were afraid of. You had seen just how protective Bucky was of you, even back when you hated him. He’d die for you. And you were too powerful… too chaotic and unruly. What if you hurt him?
You swallowed, and it cut like glass in your throat. Uncomfortable. Fear. Nearly impossible to repress. You tapped his chest lightly, trying to change the subject. “I had fun last night.”
“Me too, uh— I actually wanted to ask you if you’d maybe wanna come out on a date with me again, tonight? But a real date this time. I can show you how I did it in the 40s,”A pink blush appeared over his cheeks. Was Bucky Barnes nervous? When you didn’t reply, he stumbled over his words. “You can say no. I know we have a lot going on but I really think it might be a good distraction and I had this idea…”
Your hand stayed against his chest, feeling the steady thud of his heart beneath your palm. “Yes.”
“Yes?” Bucky’s voice softened. “Okay then. I’ll drop by your room at midnight.”
“That’s late. Where are you taking me?” You asked, looking up at Bucky with curious doe-eyes.
“That, doll, is classified information,” Bucky smirked before sinking to the floor and pulling you down with him, your bodies tangled together on a training mat.
The hush of the empty gym held the moment like a secret. Bucky leaned against the mirrored wall behind him, legs stretched out, and you leaned sideways into him. His arm rested loosely around your shoulders.
“You ever think about the past?” he asked softly. “The good bits, I mean. Not the nightmares.”
You glanced up at him. “Sometimes. I try to remember my brother like that.”
Bucky hummed. “What was he like?”
You smiled faintly, your fingers tracing idle shapes on your own knee. “He was funny. And so patient. He taught me how to ride a bike, you know? Held the seat the whole time until I was halfway down the street. Then I realised he’d let go, and I panicked, wiped out completely. Skinned knees. Total mess.”
Bucky chuckled gently. “Bet he ran straight to you.”
“He did.” Your voice softened with the memory. “Carried me back like I weighed nothing. Gave me the whole pep talk while Mom cleaned me up. Said, ‘you didn’t fall, you learned where the limits were.’” You paused. “He always believed in me, even when I didn’t.”
“You were close.”
You nodded. “He was my best friend. And when he died, I found myself searching for him in other people. I just wanted to feel protected again. Somehow I got caught up with Shane…”
There was a moment of reverent silence between you both. Bucky’s hand slipped from your shoulder to your back, running slow, comforting circles there.
“Shane wasn’t like him?” Bucky asked cautiously, voice almost a whisper, like he was afraid of breaking you.
You stiffened for a second, but then exhaled slowly, leaning a little harder against him. “No. Not even close. My brother protected me. Shane... hurt me. Controlled me. Made me feel like I wasn’t allowed to be myself.”
Bucky’s jaw tensed at that, but he said nothing. Just listened.
“You saw it,” you continued, your voice steadier now. “In the apartment. God Bucky, I’m so glad you came after me. I was a jerk to you and still, you kept coming after me. Saving me when I was in trouble.”
Bucky’s hand stopped moving for a moment. “Shane had a darkness in him,” he said, low. “I’ve seen a lot of monsters, but... the way he tied you up and looked at you—like he owned you—it made my blood boil.”
You swallowed, heart squeezing. “I used to think I’d never get away. And then one day... I did. I just ran. I didn’t even grab my coat.”
“And now look at you,” Bucky murmured, the faintest smile tugging at his lips. “Powerful. Brave. Still standing.”
You looked at him, heart caught in your throat.
“You were the one who showed me I could be more than what he made me believe I was,” you whispered.
He leaned his head down, brushing his forehead gently against yours. “And you showed me I’m more than what they made me.”
Your fingers curled in the fabric of his Henley. “We’re more than our pasts.”
“We are,” he agreed.
And for a long moment, neither of you said anything. You just sat there in the quiet, warmth shared between you, breathing steady, hearts beginning to heal—together.
Your breath mingled with his, both of you hovering on the edge of something that had been growing for days—weeks, maybe. The gravity of everything that had happened, the closeness, the confessions—it all pulled you closer.
Bucky’s hand gently cupped your cheek, his thumb brushing along your skin like he was afraid you’d vanish. His steel-blue eyes searched yours, his breath hitching.
“I want to kiss you,” he murmured, his voice rough and vulnerable. “Is that okay?”
You nodded, your voice caught in your throat. “Yes.”
He started leaning in, slowly—tentatively, reverently—like he was asking one last time. His nose brushed yours. His lips were just a breath away.
And then—
BZZZT.
Your comm crackled to life in your ear. Both of you froze.
“Sorry to interrupt,” came Reed Richards’ voice, clipped and urgent. “But I need you down in Lab 3. Now. I’ve found something. Something... important.”
You pulled back, blinking, heart pounding in a completely different rhythm now. Bucky sighed, his forehead dropping to your shoulder.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered.
You couldn’t help the small, exasperated laugh that escaped you. “Of all the times…”
He pulled away, clearly frustrated, but kissed your forehead in a soft, lingering motion. “We’ll come back to this.”
You nodded, already rising to your feet. “We better.”
────✪────
The lab was dimly lit, a low blue glow cast across the polished floor from the array of holographic panels circling Reed Richards like orbiting satellites. You stepped in quietly, the door hissing shut behind you. Reed didn’t even glance up at first — he was too focused, his hands weaving through data streams as if conducting invisible symphonies of code.
Only when you cleared your throat did he look up.
“Reed?” you called softly, drawing his attention.
He looked up, pale and drawn, like someone who had seen something they wished they could unsee. “You’re here. Good,” he said, his voice clipped, too fast. “I’ve made progress. Or maybe a mistake. I’m still deciding.”
You furrowed your brows and approached, arms crossed. “What kind of progress?”
Reed turned and gestured to the swirling portal behind him, a shimmering ring of translucent energy buzzing low. “Multiversal resonance,” he said, tapping rapidly on the console. “It’s more stable than I expected. I managed to create a soft tether. A gateway. Not just a window, but a bridge. I was able to bring something—someone—through.”
Your stomach dropped. “You brought someone here? From another universe?”
“Yes,” he said. “And that’s where it gets... complicated.”
You glanced at the portal. “Is this about the doppelgängers? Doom looking like Tony Stark?”
Reed nodded grimly. “Exactly. What we’re seeing—these strange overlaps in appearance—comes down to multiversal genetic convergence. Some universes don’t just echo ideas, they echo faces. Patterns of DNA that play out across timelines. It’s rare, but not impossible. You’ll see repeating archetypes, especially in people tied to strong cosmic forces. Heroes. Villains.”
“So this Doom, the one we saw,” you said slowly, “he looks like Tony not by coincidence.”
“No,” Reed said. “And... that brings me to what I have to show you.”
You stilled. Something in his voice changed. He wasn’t the overly confident, casually arrogant genius you were used to. He was nervous. Genuinely nervous. You had never seen Reed Richards unsure before, and it sent a chill through you.
He gestured for you to follow. You walked in silence through the back corridor, the tension thick as lead. When he paused at a reinforced door with a biometric scanner, your pulse quickened.
“Before I open this... I want to be clear,” Reed said, turning to face you. “I didn’t know this was going to happen. And I don’t know what to do with him.”
“Him?” you asked, confused. “Who is it?”
Reed looked at you, his eyes apologetic. Then he unlocked the door.
The lights inside were dimmed, but you saw him instantly.
Sitting on the edge of the cot was a man in a form-fitting fireproof suit, silver gauntlets hanging loosely from his hands, his posture relaxed but guarded. He turned as the door opened.
And your breath was punched out of you.
Blonde hair. Blue eyes. That face.
Steve Rogers' face.
No—not Steve. You knew that. Your brain knew that.
But your heart didn’t.
He stood slowly, confusion flickering in his gaze. “Hi,” he said cautiously. “I’m Johnny. Johnny Storm.”
You couldn’t speak. You couldn’t breathe. It was like your body had frozen solid, horror and heartbreak twisting in your gut. Steve had been gone for years—but this? Seeing that face, alive, familiar, animated with new inflection and different energy—it shattered something in you.
“I don’t know how he ended up like this,” Reed said quietly beside you. “In his universe, Johnny Storm looks like this. I tried to trace the genetic divergence, but the more I dug... the more I lost track of our Johnny.”
Your head whipped toward him. “Wait—what do you mean, you lost him?”
“I think I displaced him accidentally,” Reed admitted, rubbing his forehead. “I was tracing multiversal threads and he slipped through one of them. I don’t know where he ended up. But I brought this Johnny in before I realised. Now I don’t know what to do.”
You turned back to the man in the cell—this Johnny who smiled like Steve, tilted his head like Steve, and radiated warmth with that same impossible familiarity.
You saw Bucky’s face in your mind. His grief. His softness. The way his voice broke when he said Steve’s name.
No. He couldn’t see this.
You stepped forward and placed a hand on Reed’s chest. “You cannot tell anyone about this. Especially not Bucky.”
Reed blinked. “I don’t—why? He’s harmless.”
“No, Reed,” you said sharply. “He’s not. Not to him.”
You swallowed hard, forcing back the storm behind your eyes. “Bucky already saw Doom with Tony’s face. He’s still dealing with that. But Steve? That’s different. That was his brother. His anchor. You show this to Bucky and you break him.”
Reed was quiet for a long time. “So what do you want me to do?”
“Hide him,” you said. “No one can know. Not yet. Until we figure out what this means, and where our Johnny is, you keep him locked away. Please, Reed.”
He hesitated... and then nodded.
“I understand,” he said. “I’ll keep this between us.”
You exhaled softly, the tension in your shoulders loosening just a little.
“I’ll run deeper scans,” Reed added, his tone shifting back toward the scientific. “I want to study this version’s neurological data. If there’s even a trace of Steve’s consciousness—”
“Then we tell Bucky,” you said. “Together.”
He nodded again. “Agreed.”
You looked back at the projection one more time before turning away.
It wasn’t Steve. But it felt like him. Like a phantom echo. A mirage your heart wanted to chase — but couldn’t.
You turned away from the door before the man inside could speak again. Before he could smile and tear another hole in your chest.
As the door sealed shut behind you, your legs nearly gave out from beneath you. You caught yourself on the cold wall, heart racing.
Steve’s face was back in the world.
And you had no idea how long you could keep it secret.
────✪────
The tower was quieter at night — no footsteps in the halls, no voices echoing through the common areas, no alerts pinging from the comms. Just silence, heavy and still.
You were lying in bed, eyes on the ceiling, the room bathed in soft, warm light from the bedside lamp. You’d changed into something comfortable hours ago, ready for your date night, and were trying to relax beforehand. Process everything that had happened. But rest hadn’t come. Every time you closed your eyes, your mind dragged you back to the lab. To Reed.
To the way Johnny Storm’s variant looked like Steve Rogers.
It had been hours since you left the lab. You hadn’t told anyone — not Sam, not Yelena, and definitely not Bucky. You’d eaten half a protein bar, drank some tea, and curled into your bed, hoping for sleep. But instead, you were stuck inside your own head, spinning in circles of guilt and protective instinct.
You didn’t even hear the knock at first. Just a soft thunk thunk at the door.
You sat up slightly, blinking.
“Yeah?” your voice rasped.
“...It’s me,” came the muffled voice.
Your heart tugged in recognition.
You padded barefoot to the door and cracked it open to find Bucky standing in a loose shirt and sweatpants, hair tousled like he’d run his hand through it a hundred times. His eyes searched yours, worry etched into every line on his face.
“You didn’t come to dinner” he said softly. “You okay?”
Your lips parted, but for a second, you didn’t know what to say. You finally nodded, stepping aside to let him in.
“Just… a lot on my mind,” you murmured.
He stepped inside quietly. The door clicked shut behind him. He didn’t go far, just stood near the edge of your bed like he wasn’t sure if he should sit or stay.
You climbed back into the bed and looked over your shoulder at him. “You can lie down. If you want.”
That was all it took. Bucky crossed the room slowly, eased onto the bed, and lay facing you. It was quiet for a beat — the kind of quiet that presses into your ribs.
“What did Reed find?” he asked gently.
You hesitated. Then lied. “Just more data. Another anomaly he’s investigating. But nothing solid.”
His gaze lingered on yours for a long second. Maybe he knew you weren’t being fully honest. Maybe he just trusted you enough not to push.
“Mm,” he hummed. “Okay.”
You studied him. His face was shadowed but soft. Less guarded than usual. His shoulders weren’t quite so tense.
“How are you doing?” you asked, voice barely above a whisper.
He gave you a tired little smile. “I promised I’d stop lying when you ask me that, didn’t I?”
You nodded.
“I’m tired,” he said, exhaling slowly. “Not from the fighting. Not even from Doom or the mission. I’m just tired of feeling like I’m chasing ghosts. Of trying to make peace with who I was and not knowing if I deserve any of this.”
Your heart squeezed. You reached out without thinking, your fingers grazing his forearm.
“I’m glad you’re here,” you said.
A silence stretched, but this one was comfortable.
His hand found your hip beneath the blanket. Warm and gentle. He rested it there for a moment, like he was testing how close he could be without scaring you off.
You didn’t flinch.
“I like it,” you said softly, not looking away. “When you touch me.”
Bucky’s brows lifted slightly, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. “Yeah?”
You nodded. “I feel… safe.”
His thumb swept across your hip, tracing slow circles. “That’s all I ever wanted,” he murmured. “To make you feel safe.”
You swallowed, heart fluttering as he leaned in just a bit closer, their noses almost touching. You could feel his breath against your lips. His eyes searched yours, and then dropped briefly to your mouth, like he was weighing a decision.
“I had feelings for you,” he whispered, “even when you hated me.”
Your breath caught.
“I didn’t want to,” he added quickly. “You had every reason to hate me. And I told myself I didn’t deserve to want anything from you. But I’d watch you on missions. Hear you laugh in the hallway. See you stand your ground with Sam. And I couldn’t help it.”
A soft sound escaped your lips — a whimper somewhere between awe and disbelief.
“I didn’t hate you,” you whispered back. “Not really. I wanted to. But deep down… I think I was so afraid to come to terms with what I really felt. It was easier to fight with you than… the other thing.”
Your hand found his jaw and held it, thumb brushing across the stubble along his cheek.
“I think,” you added, ready to elaborate. “I was scared to forgive you, because if I did… I’d have to admit how badly I wanted you too.”
His breath stilled.
You leaned in closer, your foreheads almost touching.
“I wanted you when I thought I shouldn’t,” you said, lips barely brushing his. “And now… I just want you.”
Bucky closed the gap, but it wasn’t desperate — it was soft, sweet, tender. The kind of kiss that lingered. His hand slid up to your waist, holding you gently. Yours tangled in his hair.
And for a moment, the weight of everything — of multiversal threats, of ghosts in the shape of Steve and Tony — melted away.
It was just the two of you. Whispering warmth and safety into each other’s mouths.
And when the kiss broke, and Bucky tucked you against his chest, his arm curling around your back, you finally felt content. 
You were lying face to face with Bucky, your noses almost touching, the warmth of his palm still resting gently against your waist. You were both content to just be. To breathe each other in. To exist in the same sliver of peace.
His thumb made slow circles over your shirt, right above your hip. You’d long forgotten how to keep your heart from racing around him.
“As much as I love lying here with you, I did promise I’d take you out tonight.” He said, his voice low and husky from the hour. You hummed in response, eyes half-lidded, fingers absently brushing the seam of his sleeve.
He reached up and gently tucked a piece of hair behind your ear, fingertips barely skimming your skin. You shivered—not from the chill, but from the softness of it. From him.
“Oh, so you did.”
“Come sneak out with me,” he whispered, right against your temple.
You blinked, caught off guard. “What?”
His grin was slow and teasing. “Let’s get outta here. Just for a while.”
You stared at him, half laughing, half suspicious. “Bucky. It’s nearly one in the morning.”
“Exactly. Everyone’s asleep. No one will miss us.”
You raised a brow. “What are we, sixteen?”
“Not since the Great Depression,” he said with a smirk. “But I still know how to cause a little trouble.”
You shook your head, biting back a grin. “Where would we even go?”
“I told you earlier, it’s a surprise.”
You groaned. “I hate surprises.”
He tilted his head, eyes sparkling. “Do you trust me?”
The question hung there, weighty, gentle, honest.
Your smile faded, but in its place came something deeper—something vulnerable. You nodded, slow. “Yeah. I trust you.”
His smile softened. “Then come with me. I promise you’ll like it.”
You stared at him, your breath catching—completely and utterly gone for him.
“All right, James Barnes,” you whispered. “Let’s go break the rules.”
────✪────
The rusted gate creaked behind you as you both dropped onto the sand-dusted boardwalk, giggling like you were teenagers again—though Bucky technically had at least a century on that title. The whole place was draped in shadows, lit only by the flickering remnants of carnival lights left on for maintenance or nostalgia. The sea whispered behind you, and the wind tugged at your clothes as Bucky caught your hand and tugged you deeper in.
Coney Island was asleep, but somehow more alive than it had ever been.
"Okay, rules of the fair," Bucky said, voice low, full of mischief. "One: you have to let me win every game we don't actually play. Two: you must pretend to be utterly charmed when I twirl you. And three—most important—no phones, no mission talk, just you and me."
You held up three fingers like a scout. “Scout’s honor.”
“You were never a scout.”
“You were never charming.” You bit back, with a smile painting your face and stars in your eyes.
“Ouch,” he grinned, already pulling you toward the carousel. It sat still and silent, the hand-painted horses frozen in place. Most of the lights had been turned off, but the moonlight cast a silver sheen across the platform.
“I dare you to ride one,” he said, eyes glinting.
“You dare me?”
He nodded solemnly. “Ride it like a princess.”
“Oh, I see. And what does that make you?”
He stepped closer, voice dropping theatrically as he tugged on his jacket. “Your loyal knight in shining leather.”
You threw your head back and laughed. “God, you’re cheesy.”
“Excuse you, I’m gallant.”
Still laughing, you mounted the tallest horse, gripping the pole, dramatically tossing your hair. “Take me on my steed, knight!”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” he said with a faux-bow, pretending to draw an invisible sword. “I vow to protect your honour and steal your cotton candy.”
The wind whooshed around you as he stepped up onto the carousel and reached for your waist. With a playful grunt, he lifted you off the horse, spun you once in the air, and planted you gently back down—your laughter ringing loud in the night.
Your cheeks were hot, and your grin stretched ear to ear.
“I hate how strong you are,” you said breathlessly.
“You love it,” he teased, his hands not leaving your waist just yet.
“I’m not confirming or denying anything.”
Then, you noticed it—the Ferris wheel. Set a little ways off, mostly dark, except for one lone cabin light that blinked weakly every few seconds. The wheel wasn’t running, but it was gently rotating—just enough for someone to sneak a ride.
You glanced at Bucky.
He raised a brow. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Depends. You thinking felony trespassing?”
“I was thinking romance. But felony trespassing is a close second.”
You grabbed his hand. “Then let’s go commit a crime.”
He laughed all the way there, helping you climb into one of the cars. It creaked as it lifted, slow and lazy. You shivered from the chill, and Bucky immediately shrugged off his leather jacket and wrapped it around your shoulders.
“Look at that,” you said softly, curling into his side. “A gentleman and a criminal.”
“Only for you.”
You rested your head against his shoulder, your breath fogging slightly in the air.
“I used to bring girls here,” Bucky said after a long pause, voice low and nostalgic. “Back before the war. Before everything. It was always Coney Island.”
You sat up a little, narrowing your eyes. “Wow. I feel so special.”
He laughed quietly, the sound bittersweet. “Hey, I haven’t brought anyone here since, well... not for about ninety years.”
You blinked. “Seriously?”
He nodded. “Not since Steve and I shipped out.”
Your chest ached, but in the warm, aching way.
His hand found yours again, intertwining your fingers like it was the easiest thing in the world.
“I used to think what I felt for those girls was real,” he said. “Back then, everything felt real. But it wasn’t. Not like this.”
You turned to him slowly. “Like what?”
He looked at you—not just looked, saw you. In a way that made your skin warm beneath your clothes, even in the cold wind.
“Like this,” he whispered, brushing a thumb across your cheek. “This is different.”
Your breath hitched. “Yeah… it is.”
The Ferris wheel turned on, just enough to shift the car you were in, giving you a sweeping view of the empty boardwalk below. Everything quiet, timeless. Like the world had pressed pause and made space for just the two of you.
Bucky leaned in, his lips brushing yours with a softness that made your stomach flutter. When he kissed you, it wasn’t rushed. It was reverent. Like every part of him was savoring the moment.
When you pulled away, he pressed his forehead to yours.
“Best first date I’ve ever had,” you whispered.
He smiled, brushing your nose with his. “I’m not even done yet.”
You grinned. “What else is there?”
He nodded toward the beach. “Stars.”
────✪────
You kicked off your shoes the second your feet touched the sand, the grains still warm in patches from the sun earlier that day. Bucky followed, boots in hand, his rolled-up sleeves brushing against his forearms as the two of you wandered toward the tide. The moon hung low above the ocean like it was watching you, soft and golden.
You dropped onto the sand with a sigh, hugging your knees as the waves whispered their endless lullaby. Bucky sat beside you, then stretched out on his back with his arms behind his head. You glanced at him—his profile soft, more boyish in the moonlight than you'd ever seen him before.
“Lie down,” he murmured, patting the space beside him.
You did, your head on his shoulder, his jacket draped over you like a cocoon. He turned slightly, adjusting to cradle you better, one hand resting protectively over your waist, fingers splayed like he wanted to memorise every curve.
The stars were scattered across the sky like glitter tossed by a careless god.
“This was our favorite thing,” Bucky said after a while, voice quieter than the ocean. “Me and Steve. We'd come out here late, lay on the boardwalk or the roof of my building, and just… stare. No talking. No noise. Just… stars.”
You closed your eyes for a second, imagining that younger version of him. Smiling. Carefree. Unburdened by war or metal arms or trauma.
“I think he saw something up there I never did,” Bucky continued, “Hope. A future. Something good waiting.”
You swallowed hard, feeling the weight of the secret tucked behind your ribs. A Johnny Storm variant that looked just like Steve Rogers. Too much like him. The resemblance had sent ice down your spine. You touched Bucky’s chest lightly, feeling the slow, steady rhythm of his heart.
“He was right, though,” you whispered. “There is something good waiting.”
He looked down at you, his mouth twitching into the ghost of a smile. “Yeah?”
You nodded. “It’s this. Right here. You and me.”
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he tilted his head to kiss the top of yours, lingering for a beat too long, like he was scared the moment might vanish if he moved too quickly.
“I don’t know what I did to deserve this,” he said against your hair.
You tilted your head up toward him. “Maybe it’s not about what you did. Maybe it’s about what you do now.”
He stared at you. And there it was again—that open, wounded awe in his eyes, like he still couldn’t believe you were real. That you’d forgiven him. That you’d chosen him.
“Can I ask you something?” he murmured.
“Anything.”
His hand moved from your waist to your cheek. “Back there, in the tower… before this. When you said you like when I touch you—was that just a line? Or…”
You leaned in, kissing the corner of his mouth.
“Not a line,” you whispered. “It’s the truth.”
His smile was shy but electric. “Good. Because I don’t think I can stop.”
You laughed, the sound melting into the sound of the waves. “Then don’t.”
You closed the distance, pressing your lips to his in a slow, deliberate kiss that melted into something deeper. His breath hitched, and his hands moved—one sliding under your shirt, fingers grazing the bare skin of your side, the heat of his touch making you shiver.
Your hands found their way to the front of his shirt, fingers tracing the hard muscles beneath, before boldly slipping beneath the fabric to feel the warmth of his skin. 
The stars were wide and endless above you, a smattering of silver across the dark velvet sky. You lay together in the soft, cool sand at Coney Island, wrapped in the folds of Bucky’s worn leather jacket. The wind carried salt and sea and silence, but none of that mattered — not with the weight of him over you, his mouth locked on yours like he was starved for every taste.
And you kissed him back just as hungrily, gasping when his tongue swept against yours, when his hips shifted against yours, slow and searching.
You felt everything.
The rough denim of his jeans against your thighs. The warmth of his hands sliding beneath your jacket, fingers curling under the hem of your shirt. The press of his clothed thigh between your legs where you’d unconsciously slotted yourself against him.
“God,” he muttered against your mouth, voice strained, reverent. “You feel so good like this.”
Your breath hitched as he adjusted his thigh just right — and you instinctively moved, hips rocking forward, rubbing against the strong line of muscle. It was clothed, it was barely anything — but your body jolted, craving more.
“Bucky…” you whispered, dizzy.
He kissed you again, slower this time, almost tentative. But his hands were not — one slid up the length of your back to hold you close, the other trailing down, past your waist to where your leggings hugged tight to your hips.
“Can I?” he asked, voice hoarse, palm resting at the curve between your thighs. “I won’t go any further unless you want—”
You nodded before he could even finish.
“I want,” you breathed. “Please, I want—”
That was all it took.
His hand moved over you, warm and steady, rubbing slow circles over the heat that pulsed between your legs. The pressure sent a jolt through your spine. Your hands clawed at his back through his shirt, needing something to anchor yourself as your hips rutted against him, desperate for friction.
“Jesus,” Bucky groaned, voice muffled against your throat. “Watching you like this — grinding on me — you’re gonna kill me.”
You whimpered when he pressed harder, a precise, perfect drag of his fingers over your leggings, right where you needed him most. Your body was trembling now, breath catching with each stroke.
And then — his thigh shifted again beneath you, and you found yourself rocking against it while he kept his fingers working you through your leggings. A filthy, delicious rhythm.
You gasped his name.
His mouth crashed to yours, swallowing your sounds as he pressed into you with equal urgency — the thick line of his erection clearly outlined through his jeans now, grinding against your hip.
“Fuck, baby,” he whispered, forehead pressed to yours. “You’re drivin’ me crazy. You feel that?”
You nodded, dazed. “You’re hard…”
“For you,” he said, his voice nearly breaking. “Been hard since you kissed me on that damn carousel.”
You shifted then, adjusting your angle — straddling one of his jean-clad thighs while reaching down between you, just bold enough now to cup him through his jeans. He choked out a groan and buried his face in your shoulder.
“Oh fuck—don’t do that unless you wanna see me lose it right here,” he growled, laughing breathlessly.
“I do,” you whispered with a smirk, rolling your hips down against him.
The air around you turned hot and thick, full of panting and groans and need. You rubbed against his thigh, hips rocking, slick and desperate beneath your clothes. And Bucky — Bucky met your rhythm, hands on your ass, pressing you down against him as he thrust up into the crook of your thigh.
The moment was messy, wild, completely clothed — but somehow more vulnerable than anything you’d ever felt.
“I’m close,” you gasped, shaking.
“Me too,” he rasped, voice wrecked. “Let go for me. Wanna feel you come on me like this.”
And you did — with a broken cry muffled against his lips, your body wracked with waves of pleasure as your hips stuttered against his thigh.
Moments later, Bucky came too, groaning into your shoulder, holding you tight as his body trembled. The press of his cock against you went rigid, twitching through his jeans as he spilled into his boxers, panting like he’d just gone ten rounds in the ring.
Silence followed — just the crashing of waves and the sound of both your hearts hammering out of sync.
Then Bucky laughed softly, breathless and warm. “First date, huh?”
You buried your face in his neck. “Best one I’ve ever had.”
“Don’t tell the carousel horse,” he teased. “It’ll be jealous.”
You giggled, tightening your hold on him.
And neither of you moved — not right away. The stars shone down, and for now, the weight of the multiverse didn’t exist.
Just him. Just you. And the soft, sweet echo of everything you were becoming together.
────✪────
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mandoalorian · 9 days ago
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a poet??? 😭😭😭 this means everything to me, coming from someone as talented as yourself. 💞💞💞
i love you sunny 🫶🏻
let down and hanging around
an introspective study of bucky barnes’ depression
now playing: let down by radiohead
ᯓ★ bucky barnes masterlist
set pre-tfatws
warnings for descriptions of emptiness and depression. i write how i feel & this one feels very private to me, but i share in the hope that it reaches the people who maybe need it; for the people who might feel less alone knowing bucky has felt the same. ༊*·˚
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The Brooklyn apartment was too small for the weight it held.
Bucky sat on a thin purple blanket he’d picked up from a market, elbows on knees, staring at the floorboards like they might split open and swallow him. The wood was scuffed, worn by decades of other lives, other stories. He envied their ghosts—people who’d lived here, loved here, left marks without carrying a century of blood on their hands. The room smelled of dust and faintly of the coffee he’d brewed hours ago, now cold in a chipped mug on the counter. Outside, the city hummed, alive and indifferent. He was a stranger in its pulse.
Loneliness wasn’t new. It had been his shadow since the trenches of war, since the fall from the train when the world fractured into steel and ice. But this was a different breed—slow, gnawing, less a guest than a permanent resident. It clung to him in Wakanda’s peace, in the brief camaraderie of battle, and now here, in this borrowed life he didn’t know how to live.
Steve was gone. Not dead, but gone—chasing a life Bucky couldn’t follow. The choice hadn’t been a betrayal, not really, but it cut all the same. Steve had found his home. Bucky was still drifting, untethered, a man out of time in a world that didn’t need him.
He stood, metal arm catching the dim light from the window, and crossed to the sink. The dishes were clean—had been for days. He washed them anyway, scrubbing at nothing, because the motion was something to do. His reflection in the faucet’s curve was warped, a smear of dark hair and hollow eyes. He didn’t look long. Mirrors were cruel, showing a face too young for its memories. Ninety years of violence, of being unmade and remade, and yet the world saw only a man in his thirties, tired but unremarkable. He wondered if that was worse—being invisible in his pain.
Depression wasn’t a word he used. It felt modern, clinical, like something from the therapist he’d been dodging. But it fit, the way it settled in his bones, heavy as the vibranium in his shoulder. It wasn’t just sadness. Sadness had edges, a beginning and end. This was vast, formless, a fog that blurred the days into one long twilight. He woke, he breathed, he moved through the world, but it was like wading through water—every step deliberate, every thought sluggish. He’d fought gods and monsters, but this quiet enemy was harder to face. It didn’t bleed. It didn’t die.
He’d tried to fill the void. He’d bought a notebook, leather-bound, thinking he’d write down memories to anchor himself. But the pages stayed blank. The good memories—Steve’s laugh, his mother’s voice, Coney Island’s lights—were faded, fragile things, like photographs left in the sun. The bad ones were sharper: screams, gunfire, the cold bite of cryo. He’d torn the first page out, crumpled it, and hadn’t touched the book since. It sat on the shelf, mocking him, next to a plant he kept forgetting to water. The leaves were yellowing, curling inward. He didn’t throw it out. Killing something else felt too final.
Nights were the worst. Sleep was a battlefield, dreams stitching together fragments of lives he’d lived and lives he’d taken. He woke gasping, sweat-soaked, the phantom weight of a rifle in his hands. He stopped trying to sleep most nights, choosing the TV’s flicker instead. Old sitcoms, news, documentaries—it didn’t matter. The noise was a tether, proof the world was still turning. He’d sit on the floor, back against the couch, knees drawn up, and let the voices wash over him. Sometimes he’d catch himself almost smiling at a joke, then the guilt would crash in. What right did he have to joy when his ledger was so red?
He thought about reaching out. Sam’s number was in his phone, a lifeline he couldn’t bring himself to pull. Sam was good, steady, but Bucky didn’t know how to talk without breaking. He’d spent decades as a weapon, words stripped away, and now they felt clumsy, inadequate. What could he say?
I’m drowning in my own head. I don’t know who I am without a fight. I’m scared I’ll never feel human again.
Sam would listen, maybe even understand, but Bucky couldn’t burden him with that. He’d carried enough for others.
The city outside kept moving. Kids shouted in the street, horns blared, life spun on. Bucky watched it from his window, a spectator to a world he couldn’t join. He’d walk sometimes, hood up, hands in pockets, blending into the crowd. But even surrounded by people, the loneliness was suffocating. They had lives—friends, families, futures. He had a past that wouldn’t let go and a present that felt like limbo. He’d pass couples laughing, kids chasing pigeons, and feel a pang so sharp it stole his breath. Not jealousy, but grief—for the man he might’ve been if the world hadn’t broken him.
He sat back on the blanket, the material scrunching up under his weight. The clock read 2:17 AM. Another night bleeding into dawn. He closed his eyes, not to sleep but to shut out the room, the city, the weight of being alive. In the dark, he could almost pretend he was nothing—just a shadow, weightless, free. But the morning would come, and with it, the fight to keep going. Not for himself, not yet, but because giving up would mean letting the Winter Soldier win. And Bucky Barnes, fractured as he was, wasn’t ready to lose that war.
————⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅————
Sebastian Stan taglist: @notreallythatlost @houseofaegon @bunnyfella @sunday-bug @wintrsoldrluvr @maryevm @mcira @monsteraddicts-world @positivenergy @cherriesnmango @navs-bhat @hits-different-cause-its-you @avivarougestan
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mandoalorian · 9 days ago
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i know everyone talks about the stereotypical “avengers tower fic” with clint in the vents, y/n having purple chaos magic, messy buns, a love affair between y/n, bucky and loki, but can anyone recommend me one with some of these tropes? idc that they’re meant to be notoriously bad i really wanna indulge in one but i can’t find them!
i only use ao3 and tumblr , thank you!
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mandoalorian · 10 days ago
Text
let down and hanging around
an introspective study of bucky barnes’ depression
now playing: let down by radiohead
ᯓ★ bucky barnes masterlist
set pre-tfatws
warnings for descriptions of emptiness and depression. i write how i feel & this one feels very private to me, but i share in the hope that it reaches the people who maybe need it; for the people who might feel less alone knowing bucky has felt the same. ༊*·˚
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The Brooklyn apartment was too small for the weight it held.
Bucky sat on a thin purple blanket he’d picked up from a market, elbows on knees, staring at the floorboards like they might split open and swallow him. The wood was scuffed, worn by decades of other lives, other stories. He envied their ghosts—people who’d lived here, loved here, left marks without carrying a century of blood on their hands. The room smelled of dust and faintly of the coffee he’d brewed hours ago, now cold in a chipped mug on the counter. Outside, the city hummed, alive and indifferent. He was a stranger in its pulse.
Loneliness wasn’t new. It had been his shadow since the trenches of war, since the fall from the train when the world fractured into steel and ice. But this was a different breed—slow, gnawing, less a guest than a permanent resident. It clung to him in Wakanda’s peace, in the brief camaraderie of battle, and now here, in this borrowed life he didn’t know how to live.
Steve was gone. Not dead, but gone—chasing a life Bucky couldn’t follow. The choice hadn’t been a betrayal, not really, but it cut all the same. Steve had found his home. Bucky was still drifting, untethered, a man out of time in a world that didn’t need him.
He stood, metal arm catching the dim light from the window, and crossed to the sink. The dishes were clean—had been for days. He washed them anyway, scrubbing at nothing, because the motion was something to do. His reflection in the faucet’s curve was warped, a smear of dark hair and hollow eyes. He didn’t look long. Mirrors were cruel, showing a face too young for its memories. Ninety years of violence, of being unmade and remade, and yet the world saw only a man in his thirties, tired but unremarkable. He wondered if that was worse—being invisible in his pain.
Depression wasn’t a word he used. It felt modern, clinical, like something from the therapist he’d been dodging. But it fit, the way it settled in his bones, heavy as the vibranium in his shoulder. It wasn’t just sadness. Sadness had edges, a beginning and end. This was vast, formless, a fog that blurred the days into one long twilight. He woke, he breathed, he moved through the world, but it was like wading through water—every step deliberate, every thought sluggish. He’d fought gods and monsters, but this quiet enemy was harder to face. It didn’t bleed. It didn’t die.
He’d tried to fill the void. He’d bought a notebook, leather-bound, thinking he’d write down memories to anchor himself. But the pages stayed blank. The good memories—Steve’s laugh, his mother’s voice, Coney Island’s lights—were faded, fragile things, like photographs left in the sun. The bad ones were sharper: screams, gunfire, the cold bite of cryo. He’d torn the first page out, crumpled it, and hadn’t touched the book since. It sat on the shelf, mocking him, next to a plant he kept forgetting to water. The leaves were yellowing, curling inward. He didn’t throw it out. Killing something else felt too final.
Nights were the worst. Sleep was a battlefield, dreams stitching together fragments of lives he’d lived and lives he’d taken. He woke gasping, sweat-soaked, the phantom weight of a rifle in his hands. He stopped trying to sleep most nights, choosing the TV’s flicker instead. Old sitcoms, news, documentaries—it didn’t matter. The noise was a tether, proof the world was still turning. He’d sit on the floor, back against the couch, knees drawn up, and let the voices wash over him. Sometimes he’d catch himself almost smiling at a joke, then the guilt would crash in. What right did he have to joy when his ledger was so red?
He thought about reaching out. Sam’s number was in his phone, a lifeline he couldn’t bring himself to pull. Sam was good, steady, but Bucky didn’t know how to talk without breaking. He’d spent decades as a weapon, words stripped away, and now they felt clumsy, inadequate. What could he say?
I’m drowning in my own head. I don’t know who I am without a fight. I’m scared I’ll never feel human again.
Sam would listen, maybe even understand, but Bucky couldn’t burden him with that. He’d carried enough for others.
The city outside kept moving. Kids shouted in the street, horns blared, life spun on. Bucky watched it from his window, a spectator to a world he couldn’t join. He’d walk sometimes, hood up, hands in pockets, blending into the crowd. But even surrounded by people, the loneliness was suffocating. They had lives—friends, families, futures. He had a past that wouldn’t let go and a present that felt like limbo. He’d pass couples laughing, kids chasing pigeons, and feel a pang so sharp it stole his breath. Not jealousy, but grief—for the man he might’ve been if the world hadn’t broken him.
He sat back on the blanket, the material scrunching up under his weight. The clock read 2:17 AM. Another night bleeding into dawn. He closed his eyes, not to sleep but to shut out the room, the city, the weight of being alive. In the dark, he could almost pretend he was nothing—just a shadow, weightless, free. But the morning would come, and with it, the fight to keep going. Not for himself, not yet, but because giving up would mean letting the Winter Soldier win. And Bucky Barnes, fractured as he was, wasn’t ready to lose that war.
————⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅————
Sebastian Stan taglist: @notreallythatlost @houseofaegon @bunnyfella @sunday-bug @wintrsoldrluvr @maryevm @mcira @monsteraddicts-world @positivenergy @cherriesnmango @navs-bhat @hits-different-cause-its-you @avivarougestan
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mandoalorian · 12 days ago
Text
sweet like plums [bucky barnes x reader]
Pairing: Civil War!Bucky Barnes x F!Reader
Synopsis: In the heart of Bucharest, a quiet fruit stall holds the key to Bucky Barnes’ fragile peace. Beneath the surface of his daily visits, a connection begins to form with the stall’s owner, someone who unknowingly becomes his anchor. But when danger strikes, Bucky’s protective instincts—and a hunger deeper than he realises—unleash.
Word Count: 4000
Tags/warnings: 18+ explicit content, p in v, f recieving oral, overstimulation, Bucky is rough and touch-starved, Bucky goes between speaking English and Russian (but everything is translated), canon-typical violence, set pre-Civil War.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥Masterlist
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The city always woke before you did.
Vendors lifted their tarps with cold-stiff fingers, breath curling in clouds as they arranged their wares — crates of oranges gleaming under dusted frost, tomatoes nestled in cloth, fish still slick from the morning catch. The scent of bread from the bakery down the street mixed with the tang of damp stone and cigarette smoke. Voices echoed off the crumbling concrete of apartment blocks, and the sound of passing trams rumbled like thunder in the distance. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was yours.
You arranged your fruit with care, lining up the apples and pears, brushing each plum until it gleamed like glass in the weak morning light. You were halfway through stacking crates when you felt him.
Same as always.
He never made a sound, but you knew the moment he arrived.
He kept to the edges. You didn’t know his name. Didn’t know anything about him, really—except that he came nearly every morning, sometimes twice, always quiet, always alone.
He wore the same outfits most days. Black cargos or muddy, worn-in jeans or sometimes grey sweatpants that looked just a bit too small on him. Today he was wearing a red henley under a gray coat, the sleeves pushed up just enough to expose the edges of a glove on his left hand. His hair was dark and long, tucked under a black cap, and his jaw was always dusted with stubble, like shaving wasn’t worth the trouble. He looked tired, but strong. Solid.
He always stood a few paces away from your stall at first, like he needed to ease into it.
Like he was afraid.
You offered him a smile, same as you did every day. Not too much—just enough to show you noticed him. That you didn’t mind.
“Morning,” you said softly.
He gave a single nod in return.
That was how it always started.
He never asked for anything. Just hovered near the plums until you held out a paper bag filled with the best ones. You always made sure to pick them just right—ripe but firm, slightly cool from the early air.
You held the bag out to him now. “First of the season. They’re a little tart still.”
He took the bag from your hand with surprising care, his fingers brushing yours for the briefest moment.
You felt it.
So did he.
“They help me remember things,” he said quietly, almost like it slipped out before he could catch it.
You looked up at him. That was the most he’d ever said to you.
“Plums do?” you asked gently.
He nodded, not meeting your eyes. “Sometimes.”
It was something about the sugar, the juice, the bite — they grounded him. Sometimes they sparked a memory. A flash of summer at Coney Island. His sister grinning with purple juice staining her chin. A paper bag splitting down the middle and the laughter that followed. He held onto moments like that the way a drowning man held onto rope.
You wanted to ask more, but something about the way he stood—shoulders tense, jaw clenched—made you hold your tongue. This wasn’t a man used to being asked questions. This was a man used to disappearing.
Still, you offered him a real smile. “Then I’ll make sure I keep the good ones aside for you.”
His gaze flicked up to yours, just for a second.
“Thank you,” he said, voice rough.
You watched as he turned away, crossing the square. He didn’t leave, though. Not completely. He stopped near the edge of a tall stone pillar, pretending to study the tram schedule posted beside it.
But you knew better.
He was watching you.
He always did that. Stuck around just long enough to make it obvious. Long enough to make your skin prickle and your heart beat a little faster.
And still—he never said more. Never lingered at your stall. Never asked your name.
Sometimes you wondered if he even knew how to.
It had been a quiet morning. You had greeted a few of your regulars and started making a shipment list to your supplier. The sun was golden and you basked in the warmth. You were open to spring-time heat, especially coming out of one of the coldest winters. 
You were organising a box of apples when the shouting started.
A loud bang. The scrape of boots against pavement. Then a voice—sharp and angry.
“Hey! Open the drawer!”
You looked up just in time to see three men rush your stall. One of them slammed a hand against the side of the table, knocking over a box of fruit. Another pulled a gun.
People screamed. Someone ran. Your chest locked up.
One of them grabbed your wrist.
And then—
He was there.
The man in the red henley.
Moving so fast, he didn’t seem human.
The man’s fingers dug into your wrist, nails scraping over your glove as he yanked you forward, hard enough to send your hip crashing into the stall. Apples and plums spilled onto the pavement, rolling beneath boots. The crate hit the ground with a loud crack, and your breath hitched.
“Open the drawer,” he snapped, his accent thick. He shoved the barrel of the gun toward your ribs. “Now.”
Your heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might crack your ribs from the inside.
You barely even noticed the crowd disappearing. They always did. The moment a weapon came out, people vanished like smoke, like survival instinct was stronger than loyalty. You didn’t blame them.
But you didn’t expect him to stay.
He had been watching the whole time.
The moment the first shout pierced the air, his body reacted faster than his mind. Muscle memory. Instinct. Violence uncoiling in his blood like something old and familiar.
He saw the way the man gripped your arm.
Saw the flash of fear in your eyes.
That was enough.
The paper bag hit the ground, forgotten.
He moved without thinking. Quiet as a ghost.
The first robber never saw him coming.
His shoulder slammed into the thief from the side, knocking the gun clean from his hand. It skittered across the stone. Before the others could react, the man had already turned, grabbing the second one by the front of his coat and lifting him off his feet.
He didn’t punch him.
He threw him.
Straight into a fruit cart.
Wood splintered. Oranges scattered.
The last one came at him with a knife.
The man caught his wrist, twisted—something popped—and the thief screamed. The knife clattered to the ground.
“Run,” He growled.
The thief didn’t need to be told twice. He scrambled away, limping, clutching his wrist. The others followed, leaving behind the wreckage of your stall and a trail of bruises.
You stood frozen.
The gun was still lying on the pavement, a few feet from your boot.
The man in the red henley stood there, chest heaving, shoulders squared like he was still in the middle of a fight. His eyes were wild—too blue, too sharp—and his gloved hand was clenched tight at his side.
For a moment, he didn’t look like the quiet man who bought plums.
He looked like something else entirely.
Something dangerous.
But then he looked at you—really looked—and his expression cracked.
“Are you hurt?” he asked, voice rough.
You blinked. It took a second for your body to catch up. Your heart was still racing.
“No,” you said quietly. “You—” Your voice caught. “You saved me.”
His gaze dropped to your arm, the one the man had grabbed. “He hurt you.”
“Just bruises,” you said. “I’m okay.”
He stepped back, jaw tight like he wasn’t sure what to do now. Like maybe he’d scared you.
“Wait,” you said, reaching out before you could stop yourself. Your fingers brushed his sleeve. “Are you hurt?”
He shook his head, silent.
Of course he wasn’t.
Of course nothing touched him.
He’d fought like a soldier. Like someone who’d done this before. A hundred times.
You glanced down at the mess—fruit everywhere, your crate broken, the drawer yanked open and empty.
“What’s your name?” You asked, stepping closer to the man, breaking the distance. The empty streets began to fill again, with people who had only just bolted away. The man looked away from you shyly. You offered him your name, and you saw the tension leave his body.
“My name is James, but people used to call me Bucky.” He said slowly, like he really had to think about it.
“Can I call you Bucky?” You asked softly, tilting your head to catch his gaze again. The man nodded ‘yes’. “Let me thank you,” you said, quieter now. “Come upstairs. I have something to drink. It’s the least I can do.”
He hesitated.
For a long moment, he didn’t speak. You could see the war behind his eyes—this wasn’t something he was used to. Being invited. Being wanted.
But finally, he gave a slow, stiff nod.
“Okay.”
°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:・°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:・
The hallway was narrow and cold, the steps creaking under your boots as you led him up to the second floor. The whole building smelled faintly of metal and cigarette smoke—old plumbing, older neighbors. You’d lived here long enough not to notice anymore.
Bucky followed you silently, his footsteps slow and heavy like he was waiting for something—like maybe this was a trap. Like at any moment, someone might step out from behind a door and drag him back into the shadows.
You unlocked your door and stepped inside first.
“It’s small,” you said over your shoulder. “But it’s safe.”
He paused on the threshold, his frame tense, wide shoulders filling the doorway. His eyes moved across the space—your tiny kitchenette, the sofa with the fraying throw blanket, the open window letting in cool air. His gaze lingered on the plum-scented candle flickering on the table.
He stepped in.
You closed the door behind him with a soft click.
“Sit,” you said gently, pointing to the couch. “Please.”
He didn’t sit right away. He stood near the window, head turning just slightly as if listening for footsteps in the street below. The war hadn’t left him, not really. You could see it in every twitch of his jaw.
You moved into the kitchen, filling two mismatched glasses—one with water, the other with a little vodka you kept stashed behind the tea tins. You handed the latter to him.
“Strong stuff,” you warned.
He took it from you without a word. His fingers brushed yours again—just barely—but it still made your breath catch.
Bucky sat down slowly, his massive frame sinking into the couch like he didn’t trust it to hold him. He kept the glass in both hands, staring at the clear liquid for a moment before finally taking a small sip.
“Not poisoned,” you joked softly.
A flicker of something—maybe a smile, maybe just relief—touched the corners of his mouth.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” you said after a beat.
His head turned sharply. “What?”
“Back there. With the men.”
His brows pulled together, like he was expecting a reprimand. A punishment. 
You crossed your arms and leaned against the wall. “You could’ve been shot.”
“I’ve had worse,” he muttered, almost to himself.
You believed that. God, did you believe that.
“But still,” you said. “It means something. That you helped me.”
He didn’t answer. Just stared down into his glass again, his expression unreadable.
“Why did you help me?”
A long pause.
Finally, in a voice so quiet you almost missed it: “Because it felt like the right thing to do.”
“Oh, Bucky.”
He glanced up. There was something in his eyes now—wary, but soft. Open. Like hearing his name in your voice cracked something loose in his chest.
You moved slowly toward the couch, sitting beside him. Not too close.
Not yet.
“You always came for plums,” you said. “Every day. Sometimes twice.”
He nodded.
“They really help your memory?”
“Sometimes,” he said again. A quiet, familiar echo.
“But that’s not why you came.”
It wasn’t a question.
His breath caught—just a little.
“I saw you,” you said, voice low. “I saw how you looked at me. You don’t talk much, but... I’m not blind.”
Silence stretched between you, heavy and intimate.
His voice came out rough. “I didn’t want to scare you.”
“You didn’t,” you said.
His eyes searched yours. Deep blue, guarded, hungry.
“You don’t scare me, Bucky.”
He blinked like he didn’t quite believe you.
Your hand brushed his arm, deliberate this time. He didn’t pull away. His breath hitched. His grip on the glass tightened. You saw the muscles in his throat work as he swallowed hard.
You leaned in.
“Tell me if you want me to stop,” you whispered.
He didn’t say anything.
But his eyes dropped to your mouth—and stayed there.
You didn’t kiss him first. You just leaned in, lips parting slightly, waiting—offering.
Bucky froze.
His breathing changed—deeper, more ragged. His eyes flicked from your mouth to your eyes, searching for hesitation. For regret.
There wasn’t any.
So he kissed you.
It wasn’t tentative.
It wasn’t careful.
His mouth crashed into yours like a dam breaking. Like something inside him had snapped free and couldn’t be held back anymore.
He kissed you like it hurt not to.
And God, he was hungry.
His hand came up to cup your jaw, fingers shaking just barely. You felt the cool press of his metal palm at your waist—gentle, hesitant—like he was afraid you might flinch. But you didn’t. You leaned into him, into the kiss, into the heat of him.
He groaned softly, like the sound escaped without permission. Like he didn’t know what to do with it.
You could taste the vodka on his tongue—sharp and clean—and something else. Something lonely.
When you pulled back to breathe, his eyes were wild. He looked stricken, almost.
“Bucky,” you whispered.
His jaw flexed. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”
You tilted your head. “Then tell me.”
He kissed you again. Slower this time, but no less intense.
“I haven’t—” he started, voice breaking. He swallowed hard. “It’s been a long time.”
You cupped his face. His stubble scratched your palm. “Then let me take care of you.”
His eyes closed, lashes dark against his cheek. And then—barely audible—he whispered, “Ты моя.”
Your heart stuttered.
“What does that mean?”
He opened his eyes. “You’re mine.”
A beat.
Then—
“Скажи мне, что это не мечта.” (“Tell me this isn’t a dream.”)
You kissed him again instead of answering. You pressed closer, climbed onto his lap without thinking. He gasped when you straddled him, hands automatically finding your hips. His metal one clenched like he didn’t trust it—like it might break you.
“I’m real,” you said softly. “I’m here.”
He rested his forehead against yours, breathing hard.
“Позволь мне.” he whispered. (“Let me.”)
Then his hands gripped you tight, dragging you against him. And there was nothing hesitant about it now.
He moved like a man starved.
Like someone who hadn’t touched softness in years, who didn’t know if he deserved it. And yet couldn’t stop taking it.
Your shirt was the first to go—lifted over your head and tossed somewhere to the floor. His mouth found your neck, trailing kisses like worship, like apology, like punishment.
You felt the bite of teeth. The graze of stubble. The hiss of air between his lips.
“Такая мягкая.” he groaned into your skin. (“So soft.”)
He tugged his red henley over his head with one sharp pull, revealing the scarred expanse of muscle and shadow. The sight of him—strong, beautiful, broken—took your breath away.
You ran your hands over his chest, pausing over the star near his shoulder. He flinched.
“Do you want me to stop?” you asked.
His voice cracked. “No. Don’t stop. Please.”
That please—it ruined you.
You kissed down his chest, tracing the scars, the stories he couldn’t say aloud. And when you reached his belt buckle, he let out a sound so low and wrecked it barely sounded human.
Then he said your name like a prayer.
Like a warning.
Like he wouldn’t survive this and didn’t care.
Bucky stood up and let you pull down his jeans, kicking off his shoes haphazardly and letting his discarded clothes pool on the floor, along with yours. His mouth was on yours in the next heartbeat, and you barely remembered backing toward the bed. You felt the firm weight of him, the unrelenting heat of his body as he walked you down until the backs of your knees hit the mattress. His fingers curled under your thighs, and he lifted you—lifted you like you weighed nothing—settling you in the centre of the bed as if you were something precious.
He stood above you for a moment, chest rising and falling like he’d been holding back for years. His hair was a mess from your fingers, lips kiss-swollen and parted.
“Ждал этого…” he murmured. (“I’ve waited for this…”)
Then he dropped to his knees at the edge of the bed.
Your breath caught. “What are you doing—?”
He dragged your pants and underwear down in one motion, slow but hungry, eyes never leaving yours.
“Let me taste you,” he rasped. He wasn’t asking.
Your heart stuttered. And then—
His mouth was on you.
He moaned into it, like he’d found salvation between your thighs. His tongue was unrelenting—broad strokes, then precise flicks that made your back arch and your fists twist in the sheets.
“Fuck—Bucky!”
He groaned, like the sound of his name on your lips made him even hungrier. His metal hand pinned your hips in place, holding you exactly where he wanted you while his other hand slid up your stomach, across your ribs, between your breasts.
“Такая сладкая…” (“So sweet…”)
Your legs trembled, your thighs clenching around his head, and he loved it—let you grind against his face like it was the only purpose he’d ever had.
You came hard—stars bursting behind your eyes, your hands tangled in his hair, thighs shaking around him.
But he didn’t stop.
“Too much,” you whimpered.
He looked up, eyes dark, pupils blown wide. “No. Not yet.”
And then he climbed up your body, kissing every inch—your stomach, the underside of your breast, your neck, your jaw—until he reached your mouth again.
You could taste yourself on his tongue, and the filthy thrill of it made your head spin.
“Bucky,” you whispered like it was a plea. “I need you. Now.”
He tugged his boxers down, and your breath caught at the sight of him—thick, flushed, aching.
He paused, forehead pressed to yours, chest heaving.
“It’s been so long,” he admitted, voice rough and raw. “I don’t know if I can—if I’ll be gentle.”
You reached down, stroking him softly. “Then don’t be.”
That snapped something in him.
He hooked your legs over his arms and buried himself inside you in one long, unrelenting thrust.
You gasped—he was so big, and the stretch was almost too much, but your body opened around him like it was made to.
“Fuck, you’re tight,” he groaned, jaw clenched. “Squeeze me just right…”
He started to move—slow at first, then deeper, faster, harder.
Your bodies slapped together in a filthy rhythm, the bed creaking beneath you, the sounds of your moans filling the room.
“You feel so good,” you whimpered. “So fucking good—”
He growled low in your ear, his voice guttural.
“Я буду разрушать тебя каждую ночь…” (“I’ll ruin you every night…”)
You whimpered, clinging to him, your nails digging into his back.
“Please—don’t stop—”
“Никогда.” he groaned. (“Never.”)
He shifted your legs higher, hitting a new angle that made your vision go white.
You cried out, and he grunted, eyes wild. “That’s it. That’s the spot. Take it, Звезда моя…” (“My star…”)
You were both close—you could feel it, the way he trembled, the way your core clenched around him with every thrust.
“I want you to come with me,” he whispered, burying his face in your neck. “Come with me, baby. I need to feel you—please—”
You shattered.
Your whole body arched off the bed, your orgasm crashing through you like a wave. Bucky followed with a loud, broken moan, burying himself deep, shaking with the force of it.
He collapsed against you, both of you panting, sweat-slick and trembling, tangled in each other like there was nothing else in the world but this.
He didn’t move for a long time.
Just lay there, half on top of you, breath slowing, arms trembling as they wrapped around your waist. His cheek rested on your chest. You felt his heart pounding—still erratic. Like he couldn’t quite believe any of it was real.
You carded your fingers through his hair, slow and steady. He shivered under your touch.
Neither of you said anything.
Not at first.
Then, after several minutes, he finally spoke—voice low, muffled.
“Did I hurt you?”
You blinked down at him. “What? No. Bucky, you—”
He shifted just enough to look at you. His eyes were glassy. Open in a way you hadn’t seen before. Vulnerable. Frightened, even.
“I’ve never… done that. Not since—before.”
Before Hydra. Before the Winter Soldier. Before everything.
Your chest ached. You pulled him closer. “You didn’t hurt me. You were gentle. You were perfect.”
He breathed out slowly like you’d just released some tension he’d been holding onto for years.
Still, his eyes searched your face. “It was too much. I was too—”
“You were human,” you said firmly. “You needed it. I needed it too.”
He stared at you for a beat, then nodded—barely. His gaze dropped to your bare chest, his fingers brushing your side with careful reverence.
You pulled the blanket up and over both of you. He shifted to lie beside you, pulling you into his chest like it was instinct like he needed to. You felt the soft press of his lips to your forehead.
And then, softly—
“I didn’t come back for the plums.”
You blinked up at him. “What?”
His lips twitched, barely a smile. “At the market. I kept saying I needed plums. That I liked them. But…”
“But?”
He hesitated, then whispered, “They help with memory. That part’s true. But I came back because of you.”
Your breath caught.
“I didn’t know how to talk to you. I didn’t think I should. But you were kind. And soft. And every time I saw you smile at me… I felt like I wasn’t a monster.”
You reached up, cupping his face. His metal arm tensed at your waist, then softened.
“You’re not,” you whispered. “You’re not, Bucky.”
He closed his eyes like he didn’t believe it, but wanted to.
You laid there for a long time, tangled together, the city quiet around you. His breathing slowed. So did yours. Eventually, he fell asleep—arm heavy around you, face pressed into your neck like he didn’t want to let go even in his dreams.
The morning came in again, soft and gold, light slipping through the sheer curtain beside your bed.
You were still tangled up in him—his leg hooked around yours, his arms holding you like a shield against the world. His hair was messy, his face unguarded in sleep.
You just stared.
Because somehow, this man—this ghost, this soldier, this stranger—had carved a space into your life overnight. And you weren’t sure you wanted him to leave.
He stirred a little when you shifted.
His voice came, low and rough. “Still here?”
You smiled. “Yeah. Still here.”
He blinked at you, barely awake, and for the first time, he looked peaceful.
“Good,” he said.
Then he kissed you—soft and slow this time, without hunger. Just need.
°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:・°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:・
Taglist: @notreallythatlost @houseofaegon @bunnyfella
If you want to be tagged in all my future Bucky/Sebastian works, let me know. <3
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mandoalorian · 12 days ago
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my face reading this rb:
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i am so glad you’re enjoying it, your words really made me so happy. 🥹🥹🫶🏻🫶🏻 yes you totally understand the sambucky dynamic i was going for! no matter what, they’ll figure things out. they have to, it’s them 💞
the night we stole the stars [bucky barnes x f!reader]
pairing: new avenger!bucky barnes x f!reader
synopsis: you and bucky chase the glow of a forgotten fairground, where soft kisses taste like memories in the making. beneath the boardwalk lights and scattered starlight, the night becomes yours—wild, sacred, and fleeting. but even as your hearts sync in stolen rhythm, something waits in the quiet edges of the multiverse, changing everything
word count: 7900
rating/warnings: 18+ explicit content, dry humping in public place, grinding, making out, plenty of sexual tension, angst in the making (sorry in advance), a little sambucky if you squint
masterlist
previous chapter | current | next chapter [coming soon]
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It was early. Not sunrise-early — city early. Horns honked like an orchestra warming up. A dog barked three times in a row. Somewhere, a jackhammer stuttered to life.
Bucky liked mornings like this. Loud enough to drown out memories. Soft enough that everything still felt... possible.
He waited outside the Tower with two coffees in hand, both black. No sugar, no nonsense. He knew Sam would complain. That was kind of the point.
When Sam stepped outside, hoodie pulled over his head, he squinted at the sky like it had personally offended him. His eyes landed on Bucky, then on the second coffee. He walked over wordlessly and took it.
“No sugar?” he asked, sipping anyway.
Bucky shrugged. “You’re sweet enough.”
Sam huffed. “You flirting with me, Barnes?”
“You wish.”
They started walking with no clear destination, boots hitting pavement in sync. The Tower loomed behind them, and Bucky felt a little lighter the farther they got from it.
“So,” Sam said after a beat. “I signed Valentina’s accords, we’re on the same team now, what’s all this about?”
Bucky winced. “Us.”
“Okay, now you’re definitely flirting.” Sam smirked and Bucky stifled a laugh.
“Outside all of this: Doom and the multiverse and… her,” Bucky stopped as he noticed Sam’s face soften. “I really miss you man,” he sighed, the revelation hard for him to admit. If only he had communicated better months ago. Then maybe the fallout wouldn’t have been so bad.
“I miss you too, Buck, but none of this has been easy. Abandoning me and teaming up with John Walker?” Sam replied, not angry but not amused either. “Seriously?”
Bucky thought ‘abandoned’ sounded harsh, but it wasn’t the time to mention it. He took a sip of his coffee. “I know, but the world really needs Captain America. I need Captain America. And I just want us to be okay again.”
“I want that too.” Sam sighed. “Come here.”
And in that moment, Captain America pulled the Winter Soldier in for a hug, solid and comforting, and for the first time in months, Bucky felt like he could breathe again.
“Now that we’re okay,” Sam said, pulling away but keeping his hands on Bucky’s shoulders. “You gotta tell me how the hell you ended up on a team with a literal black widow assassin, the Red Guardian, and Walker. And those billboards… damn Bucky, they had you overlooking New York City like you were some kind of God.”
Bucky looked down at his coffee. “Yeah. That wasn’t my idea.”
“Valentina?”
“Yup. She created this whole PR thing. Wheaties boxes and magazine covers and merchandise. Wanted Yelena and Walker to pretend to date each other, but like hell they would,” Bucky explained. “At the time, they couldn’t be in the same room as each other for longer than ten minutes. So she decided it would look good if me and her pursued this fake relationship. I think she thought the public would put more faith in her if they saw she was dating an Avenger.”
Sam slowed. “Buck… that’s fucking crazy.”
Bucky nodded. “Yeah. Wasn’t easy. But eventually the team started trusting each other. And because I was leading, it meant they were trusting me. And for once… I felt like I was actually doing something right.”
Sam took another long sip. “That’s not nothing.”
“I didn’t agree with the logistics,” Bucky said. “The secrecy, the contracts, the way Valentina tried to puppet us from behind the curtain. But when we were out there, actually fighting for people, it felt... good. Like I belonged somewhere.”
“You’ve always belonged somewhere.”
Bucky gave a quiet, humourless laugh. “You have to say that. You’re my friend.”
“I’m also the guy you iced out when I was trying to rebuild the Avengers. The real Avengers.”
That landed like a punch. Bucky rubbed the back of his neck.
“I thought you didn’t need me,” he admitted.
“Bullshit,” Sam said calmly. “We both know that’s not true. I needed you. I wanted you in it with me. You’re the one who stepped off to be with your Thunderbolt buddies.”
Bucky took a breath. “Maybe. But now you know the truth. Not everything was so rosy. I think from this point forward, we phase Val out for good. We do this, together. We lead, together.”
“Doom’s coming,” Sam muttered, eyes scanning the skyline like he expected Victor to emerge from the clouds. “We both feel it. And now we’ve got all these pieces— The Fantastic Four, the Avengers, tech from a different world—and no time to get our footing.”
“We’ve got each other,” Bucky said. 
They walked another block in silence.
“I hated that billboard,” Sam finally said, like he couldn’t keep it in any longer. Bucky let out a snort.
“Me too.”
“I hated seeing you in it more.”
“That one hurts a little.”
Sam stopped walking and turned to him. “Because you’re mine, Barnes. My grumpy, murderous, 108-year-old sidekick.”
“Sidekick? You’re pushing it now,” Bucky smirked. “I prefer ‘combat veteran with emotional baggage.’”
Sam cracked a grin. “Same thing.”
There was a pause. Then Sam added, “I get it now, though. You felt useful. That matters.”
“It does,” Bucky said. “But it doesn’t matter more than you. More than this.”
They locked eyes. A shared history of battlefields and therapy chairs between them. A bond forged in grief, hammered into something solid by time.
“I’m still with you, Sam,” Bucky said. “Even when the world spins sideways.”
Sam nodded. “Alright, then. Let’s go clean this mess up together.”
They stood there another beat.
Then Sam extended a hand, and Bucky pulled him in for another hug instead—tight, firm, warm.
“I love you, buddy,” Sam murmured.
Bucky’s voice was rough. “Love you too.”
A car honked behind them. The city marched on.
But for the first time in weeks, something clicked back into place. Like the world might still be fixable after all.
────✪────
Sam had given the Fantastic Four a floor of their own in the Avengers tower, on the condition of their cooperation. 
The door to the secure living quarters slid open with a hiss.
Reed Richards stepped inside, eyes scanning the space with something between dread and longing. It wasn’t much—a makeshift living area hastily assembled—but within it stood three faces he thought he might never see again.
Sue was the first to spot him. Her posture stiffened instinctively, shielding mode kicking in before she even registered the emotion. Then her face cracked—just slightly—at the corners.
“Reed,” she said.
Johnny moved faster. “You look like hell.”
Reed blinked. “You look... exactly the same.”
Ben Grimm chuckled from the couch, deep and gravelly. “We had better lighting than you did, pal.”
Sue took a slow step forward. “I didn’t think they’d actually let us—”
“They didn’t,” you said, emerging from behind her, voice firm but not unkind. “I did.”
He turned. You leaned in the doorway with arms crossed, tired but steady. “I reminded Valentina that you’re not much use locked in a cage. Reed agreed that you would help. So now you help.”
Ben gave you a small, grateful nod. “And in return?”
“In return,” you said, “you get your family. But if you step out of line, or Reed, if you try to vanish into a black hole of your own genius—”
“Understood,” Reed said, lifting his hands in surrender. “No disappearing acts. No more secrets.”
Sue was still watching him. She didn’t smile. But she didn’t stop him when he crossed the room and touched her hand.
The silence stretched. Then Johnny cleared his throat loudly. “So, uh. Doom’s back?”
“Doom’s coming,” you corrected. “We’re not sure from where yet. But the tech that attacked the safe house... it wasn’t from here.”
Reed’s brow furrowed. “Alternate universe signatures?”
You nodded.
“That explains the Stark resemblance,” he muttered.
“Exactly,” you said. “We thought Doom was a myth or at least dormant. But if he's tied into a multiverse collapse, we’re going to need your expertise. You said before that you’ve studied this stuff—doppelgängers, alternate selves—what can you do now?”
Reed’s expression turned calculating. Focused. Alive.
“I need to run some tests. The multiverse... it’s like a shattered mirror. Some pieces reflect you exactly, others distort you beyond recognition. I want to start with Johnny.”
“Me?” Johnny blinked. “Why me?”
“Because you’re a perfect test subject. Young, genetically altered by cosmic radiation, and narcissistic enough that if another version of you existed, you’d want to find him immediately.”
“Aw, you do know me,” Johnny said, grinning.
Reed stepped away from the group, already talking to himself. “I’ll need quantum mapping. Multiversal scans. If I can trace even the smallest residue of variant DNA…”
“Reed,” you interrupted. “Focus.”
He blinked and looked at you. “Right. Yes. I’ll start with the scans now.”
As he swept out of the room, Sue sighed deeply. “Same Reed. Different apocalypse.”
Ben snorted. “At least we got him back.”
You watched him go, already lost in theory, hands moving like they were drawing math from the air. Something about it unsettled you—but also gave you hope.
You wandered back to the upper levels, catching the tail end of soft laughter in the training hall. Inside, Yelena was perched cross-legged on a bench, casually tossing a butterfly knife between her fingers. Her gaze lifted when she saw you.
“Was wondering when you’d check in,” she said.
You leaned on the wall beside her. “Reed’s reunited with his family. The science-freak reunion went about as expected.”
“Any theories yet?”
“He wants to test Johnny first. See if he’s got a doppelgänger. Maybe map how the multiverse is pulling apart.”
Yelena tilted her head. “You think that’s what this is? A multiversal pull?”
“I think it’s something worse. Doom doesn’t just appear without reason. And he doesn’t send attack drones for fun.”
Yelena sighed. “You have a point.”
You smiled faintly, then looked around. “Have you seen Bob?”
Her fingers paused over the knife. “No.”
“How long’s it been?”
She gave a small shrug, too casual. “He wasn’t at the morning check-in. I figured he was with Bucky. Or maybe passed out somewhere dramatic.”
You frowned. “I thought he might’ve come to see you.”
“Nope,” she said. “But now that you mention it...”
The two of you exchanged a look. Yelena tucked her knife away and stood up. “You think something’s wrong?”
“I think something’s different,” you said carefully. “He’s been... off. Ever since the void.”
Her brow furrowed. “He said he felt weird. More... powered.”
“Exactly,” you murmured. “Like something in him activated.”
You both stood in silence a moment longer.
“I’m gonna go look for him,” she announced.
“Want some help?” You offered, already tapping into your aura to scan the room for life. 
“It’s okay, he can’t have gone far. Besides, I want all the glory for finding him.” Yelena joked. 
When Yelena left the room, you paused for a moment, taking in the silence. It felt good to have a moment alone, away from the stress of John and Ava arguing, or Bob disappearing, or the upcoming potential multiversal collapse. You inhaled, your fingers starting to tingle and burn a pale lilac colour, sparkling like iridescent flecks of glitter as you tapped into your own aura. Your own feelings. 
Calmness. Wonder. Peace.
You felt relaxed. 
You exhaled and pinched your fingers together, shooting a burst of energy towards a punching bag. The power snapped the chain and the bag went flying into the wall, knocking over a stack of weights in the process. The loud clatter made you jump. How were you ever going to learn to control your powers, when there was no one who could teach you?
You stood and sauntered towards the weights, reaching out to put them back into place. You turned back toward the far end of the room, brushing a hand over your arm to dispel the unease. That’s when you felt it.
Arms wrapped gently around your waist from behind, pulling you into a solid chest.
You gasped, instincts kicking in before your mind caught up.
“Whoa,” came the familiar voice, rough and apologetic. “Too much?”
You exhaled, your heartbeat thudding against your ribs as you melted back into him. “No,” you said, breathless. “Not too much.”
Bucky let out a soft laugh behind you. His metal hand rested low on your stomach, while his warm one splayed across your ribs like he needed to hold you closer. “Sorry. I saw you and just... wanted to be close.”
You turned your head slightly, cheek brushing against his stubble. “Then don’t apologise.”
He leaned in, his lips grazing the shell of your ear. “You okay?”
You nodded. “Bob’s missing. Yelena’s out looking for him. We’ve got Reed researching but there is so much to do, and so little time. And the universe might just collapse in on itself in,” you checked your watch. “Six days,”
Bucky hummed quietly, acknowledging your concern. He dropped his hands to your hips, fingertips brushing skin. “What were you doing in here? Training?”
“I just needed some space to think, and uh— I was trying to understand my powers but I ended up just knocked over a punching bag. The chain snapped… we might need a new one.”
“Forget about the punching bag.” He gave you a gentle squeeze. “Your powers? We’ll figure it out. Besides, for now we just need to make sure we have reinforcements for when Doom comes. We plan for the worst.”
You smiled softly and turned in his arms. His eyes searched yours, his features soft in the training room’s dim light. He looked at you like you were something fragile and holy all at once.
“Bucky, I’m scared.”
He pressed his lips into the top of your head, letting them linger there. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
But that’s exactly what you were afraid of. You had seen just how protective Bucky was of you, even back when you hated him. He’d die for you. And you were too powerful… too chaotic and unruly. What if you hurt him?
You swallowed, and it cut like glass in your throat. Uncomfortable. Fear. Nearly impossible to repress. You tapped his chest lightly, trying to change the subject. “I had fun last night.”
“Me too, uh— I actually wanted to ask you if you’d maybe wanna come out on a date with me again, tonight? But a real date this time. I can show you how I did it in the 40s,”A pink blush appeared over his cheeks. Was Bucky Barnes nervous? When you didn’t reply, he stumbled over his words. “You can say no. I know we have a lot going on but I really think it might be a good distraction and I had this idea…”
Your hand stayed against his chest, feeling the steady thud of his heart beneath your palm. “Yes.”
“Yes?” Bucky’s voice softened. “Okay then. I’ll drop by your room at midnight.”
“That’s late. Where are you taking me?” You asked, looking up at Bucky with curious doe-eyes.
“That, doll, is classified information,” Bucky smirked before sinking to the floor and pulling you down with him, your bodies tangled together on a training mat.
The hush of the empty gym held the moment like a secret. Bucky leaned against the mirrored wall behind him, legs stretched out, and you leaned sideways into him. His arm rested loosely around your shoulders.
“You ever think about the past?” he asked softly. “The good bits, I mean. Not the nightmares.”
You glanced up at him. “Sometimes. I try to remember my brother like that.”
Bucky hummed. “What was he like?”
You smiled faintly, your fingers tracing idle shapes on your own knee. “He was funny. And so patient. He taught me how to ride a bike, you know? Held the seat the whole time until I was halfway down the street. Then I realised he’d let go, and I panicked, wiped out completely. Skinned knees. Total mess.”
Bucky chuckled gently. “Bet he ran straight to you.”
“He did.” Your voice softened with the memory. “Carried me back like I weighed nothing. Gave me the whole pep talk while Mom cleaned me up. Said, ‘you didn’t fall, you learned where the limits were.’” You paused. “He always believed in me, even when I didn’t.”
“You were close.”
You nodded. “He was my best friend. And when he died, I found myself searching for him in other people. I just wanted to feel protected again. Somehow I got caught up with Shane…”
There was a moment of reverent silence between you both. Bucky’s hand slipped from your shoulder to your back, running slow, comforting circles there.
“Shane wasn’t like him?” Bucky asked cautiously, voice almost a whisper, like he was afraid of breaking you.
You stiffened for a second, but then exhaled slowly, leaning a little harder against him. “No. Not even close. My brother protected me. Shane... hurt me. Controlled me. Made me feel like I wasn’t allowed to be myself.”
Bucky’s jaw tensed at that, but he said nothing. Just listened.
“You saw it,” you continued, your voice steadier now. “In the apartment. God Bucky, I’m so glad you came after me. I was a jerk to you and still, you kept coming after me. Saving me when I was in trouble.”
Bucky’s hand stopped moving for a moment. “Shane had a darkness in him,” he said, low. “I’ve seen a lot of monsters, but... the way he tied you up and looked at you—like he owned you—it made my blood boil.”
You swallowed, heart squeezing. “I used to think I’d never get away. And then one day... I did. I just ran. I didn’t even grab my coat.”
“And now look at you,” Bucky murmured, the faintest smile tugging at his lips. “Powerful. Brave. Still standing.”
You looked at him, heart caught in your throat.
“You were the one who showed me I could be more than what he made me believe I was,” you whispered.
He leaned his head down, brushing his forehead gently against yours. “And you showed me I’m more than what they made me.”
Your fingers curled in the fabric of his Henley. “We’re more than our pasts.”
“We are,” he agreed.
And for a long moment, neither of you said anything. You just sat there in the quiet, warmth shared between you, breathing steady, hearts beginning to heal—together.
Your breath mingled with his, both of you hovering on the edge of something that had been growing for days—weeks, maybe. The gravity of everything that had happened, the closeness, the confessions—it all pulled you closer.
Bucky’s hand gently cupped your cheek, his thumb brushing along your skin like he was afraid you’d vanish. His steel-blue eyes searched yours, his breath hitching.
“I want to kiss you,” he murmured, his voice rough and vulnerable. “Is that okay?”
You nodded, your voice caught in your throat. “Yes.”
He started leaning in, slowly—tentatively, reverently—like he was asking one last time. His nose brushed yours. His lips were just a breath away.
And then—
BZZZT.
Your comm crackled to life in your ear. Both of you froze.
“Sorry to interrupt,” came Reed Richards’ voice, clipped and urgent. “But I need you down in Lab 3. Now. I’ve found something. Something... important.”
You pulled back, blinking, heart pounding in a completely different rhythm now. Bucky sighed, his forehead dropping to your shoulder.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered.
You couldn’t help the small, exasperated laugh that escaped you. “Of all the times…”
He pulled away, clearly frustrated, but kissed your forehead in a soft, lingering motion. “We’ll come back to this.”
You nodded, already rising to your feet. “We better.”
────✪────
The lab was dimly lit, a low blue glow cast across the polished floor from the array of holographic panels circling Reed Richards like orbiting satellites. You stepped in quietly, the door hissing shut behind you. Reed didn’t even glance up at first — he was too focused, his hands weaving through data streams as if conducting invisible symphonies of code.
Only when you cleared your throat did he look up.
“Reed?” you called softly, drawing his attention.
He looked up, pale and drawn, like someone who had seen something they wished they could unsee. “You’re here. Good,” he said, his voice clipped, too fast. “I’ve made progress. Or maybe a mistake. I’m still deciding.”
You furrowed your brows and approached, arms crossed. “What kind of progress?”
Reed turned and gestured to the swirling portal behind him, a shimmering ring of translucent energy buzzing low. “Multiversal resonance,” he said, tapping rapidly on the console. “It’s more stable than I expected. I managed to create a soft tether. A gateway. Not just a window, but a bridge. I was able to bring something—someone—through.”
Your stomach dropped. “You brought someone here? From another universe?”
“Yes,” he said. “And that’s where it gets... complicated.”
You glanced at the portal. “Is this about the doppelgängers? Doom looking like Tony Stark?”
Reed nodded grimly. “Exactly. What we’re seeing—these strange overlaps in appearance—comes down to multiversal genetic convergence. Some universes don’t just echo ideas, they echo faces. Patterns of DNA that play out across timelines. It’s rare, but not impossible. You’ll see repeating archetypes, especially in people tied to strong cosmic forces. Heroes. Villains.”
“So this Doom, the one we saw,” you said slowly, “he looks like Tony not by coincidence.”
“No,” Reed said. “And... that brings me to what I have to show you.”
You stilled. Something in his voice changed. He wasn’t the overly confident, casually arrogant genius you were used to. He was nervous. Genuinely nervous. You had never seen Reed Richards unsure before, and it sent a chill through you.
He gestured for you to follow. You walked in silence through the back corridor, the tension thick as lead. When he paused at a reinforced door with a biometric scanner, your pulse quickened.
“Before I open this... I want to be clear,” Reed said, turning to face you. “I didn’t know this was going to happen. And I don’t know what to do with him.”
“Him?” you asked, confused. “Who is it?”
Reed looked at you, his eyes apologetic. Then he unlocked the door.
The lights inside were dimmed, but you saw him instantly.
Sitting on the edge of the cot was a man in a form-fitting fireproof suit, silver gauntlets hanging loosely from his hands, his posture relaxed but guarded. He turned as the door opened.
And your breath was punched out of you.
Blonde hair. Blue eyes. That face.
Steve Rogers' face.
No—not Steve. You knew that. Your brain knew that.
But your heart didn’t.
He stood slowly, confusion flickering in his gaze. “Hi,” he said cautiously. “I’m Johnny. Johnny Storm.”
You couldn’t speak. You couldn’t breathe. It was like your body had frozen solid, horror and heartbreak twisting in your gut. Steve had been gone for years—but this? Seeing that face, alive, familiar, animated with new inflection and different energy—it shattered something in you.
“I don’t know how he ended up like this,” Reed said quietly beside you. “In his universe, Johnny Storm looks like this. I tried to trace the genetic divergence, but the more I dug... the more I lost track of our Johnny.”
Your head whipped toward him. “Wait—what do you mean, you lost him?”
“I think I displaced him accidentally,” Reed admitted, rubbing his forehead. “I was tracing multiversal threads and he slipped through one of them. I don’t know where he ended up. But I brought this Johnny in before I realised. Now I don’t know what to do.”
You turned back to the man in the cell—this Johnny who smiled like Steve, tilted his head like Steve, and radiated warmth with that same impossible familiarity.
You saw Bucky’s face in your mind. His grief. His softness. The way his voice broke when he said Steve’s name.
No. He couldn’t see this.
You stepped forward and placed a hand on Reed’s chest. “You cannot tell anyone about this. Especially not Bucky.”
Reed blinked. “I don’t—why? He’s harmless.”
“No, Reed,” you said sharply. “He’s not. Not to him.”
You swallowed hard, forcing back the storm behind your eyes. “Bucky already saw Doom with Tony’s face. He’s still dealing with that. But Steve? That’s different. That was his brother. His anchor. You show this to Bucky and you break him.”
Reed was quiet for a long time. “So what do you want me to do?”
“Hide him,” you said. “No one can know. Not yet. Until we figure out what this means, and where our Johnny is, you keep him locked away. Please, Reed.”
He hesitated... and then nodded.
“I understand,” he said. “I’ll keep this between us.”
You exhaled softly, the tension in your shoulders loosening just a little.
“I’ll run deeper scans,” Reed added, his tone shifting back toward the scientific. “I want to study this version’s neurological data. If there’s even a trace of Steve’s consciousness—”
“Then we tell Bucky,” you said. “Together.”
He nodded again. “Agreed.”
You looked back at the projection one more time before turning away.
It wasn’t Steve. But it felt like him. Like a phantom echo. A mirage your heart wanted to chase — but couldn’t.
You turned away from the door before the man inside could speak again. Before he could smile and tear another hole in your chest.
As the door sealed shut behind you, your legs nearly gave out from beneath you. You caught yourself on the cold wall, heart racing.
Steve’s face was back in the world.
And you had no idea how long you could keep it secret.
────✪────
The tower was quieter at night — no footsteps in the halls, no voices echoing through the common areas, no alerts pinging from the comms. Just silence, heavy and still.
You were lying in bed, eyes on the ceiling, the room bathed in soft, warm light from the bedside lamp. You’d changed into something comfortable hours ago, ready for your date night, and were trying to relax beforehand. Process everything that had happened. But rest hadn’t come. Every time you closed your eyes, your mind dragged you back to the lab. To Reed.
To the way Johnny Storm’s variant looked like Steve Rogers.
It had been hours since you left the lab. You hadn’t told anyone — not Sam, not Yelena, and definitely not Bucky. You’d eaten half a protein bar, drank some tea, and curled into your bed, hoping for sleep. But instead, you were stuck inside your own head, spinning in circles of guilt and protective instinct.
You didn’t even hear the knock at first. Just a soft thunk thunk at the door.
You sat up slightly, blinking.
“Yeah?” your voice rasped.
“...It’s me,” came the muffled voice.
Your heart tugged in recognition.
You padded barefoot to the door and cracked it open to find Bucky standing in a loose shirt and sweatpants, hair tousled like he’d run his hand through it a hundred times. His eyes searched yours, worry etched into every line on his face.
“You didn’t come to dinner” he said softly. “You okay?”
Your lips parted, but for a second, you didn’t know what to say. You finally nodded, stepping aside to let him in.
“Just… a lot on my mind,” you murmured.
He stepped inside quietly. The door clicked shut behind him. He didn’t go far, just stood near the edge of your bed like he wasn’t sure if he should sit or stay.
You climbed back into the bed and looked over your shoulder at him. “You can lie down. If you want.”
That was all it took. Bucky crossed the room slowly, eased onto the bed, and lay facing you. It was quiet for a beat — the kind of quiet that presses into your ribs.
“What did Reed find?” he asked gently.
You hesitated. Then lied. “Just more data. Another anomaly he’s investigating. But nothing solid.”
His gaze lingered on yours for a long second. Maybe he knew you weren’t being fully honest. Maybe he just trusted you enough not to push.
“Mm,” he hummed. “Okay.”
You studied him. His face was shadowed but soft. Less guarded than usual. His shoulders weren’t quite so tense.
“How are you doing?” you asked, voice barely above a whisper.
He gave you a tired little smile. “I promised I’d stop lying when you ask me that, didn’t I?”
You nodded.
“I’m tired,” he said, exhaling slowly. “Not from the fighting. Not even from Doom or the mission. I’m just tired of feeling like I’m chasing ghosts. Of trying to make peace with who I was and not knowing if I deserve any of this.”
Your heart squeezed. You reached out without thinking, your fingers grazing his forearm.
“I’m glad you’re here,” you said.
A silence stretched, but this one was comfortable.
His hand found your hip beneath the blanket. Warm and gentle. He rested it there for a moment, like he was testing how close he could be without scaring you off.
You didn’t flinch.
“I like it,” you said softly, not looking away. “When you touch me.”
Bucky’s brows lifted slightly, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. “Yeah?”
You nodded. “I feel… safe.”
His thumb swept across your hip, tracing slow circles. “That’s all I ever wanted,” he murmured. “To make you feel safe.”
You swallowed, heart fluttering as he leaned in just a bit closer, their noses almost touching. You could feel his breath against your lips. His eyes searched yours, and then dropped briefly to your mouth, like he was weighing a decision.
“I had feelings for you,” he whispered, “even when you hated me.”
Your breath caught.
“I didn’t want to,” he added quickly. “You had every reason to hate me. And I told myself I didn’t deserve to want anything from you. But I’d watch you on missions. Hear you laugh in the hallway. See you stand your ground with Sam. And I couldn’t help it.”
A soft sound escaped your lips — a whimper somewhere between awe and disbelief.
“I didn’t hate you,” you whispered back. “Not really. I wanted to. But deep down… I think I was so afraid to come to terms with what I really felt. It was easier to fight with you than… the other thing.”
Your hand found his jaw and held it, thumb brushing across the stubble along his cheek.
“I think,” you added, ready to elaborate. “I was scared to forgive you, because if I did… I’d have to admit how badly I wanted you too.”
His breath stilled.
You leaned in closer, your foreheads almost touching.
“I wanted you when I thought I shouldn’t,” you said, lips barely brushing his. “And now… I just want you.”
Bucky closed the gap, but it wasn’t desperate — it was soft, sweet, tender. The kind of kiss that lingered. His hand slid up to your waist, holding you gently. Yours tangled in his hair.
And for a moment, the weight of everything — of multiversal threats, of ghosts in the shape of Steve and Tony — melted away.
It was just the two of you. Whispering warmth and safety into each other’s mouths.
And when the kiss broke, and Bucky tucked you against his chest, his arm curling around your back, you finally felt content. 
You were lying face to face with Bucky, your noses almost touching, the warmth of his palm still resting gently against your waist. You were both content to just be. To breathe each other in. To exist in the same sliver of peace.
His thumb made slow circles over your shirt, right above your hip. You’d long forgotten how to keep your heart from racing around him.
“As much as I love lying here with you, I did promise I’d take you out tonight.” He said, his voice low and husky from the hour. You hummed in response, eyes half-lidded, fingers absently brushing the seam of his sleeve.
He reached up and gently tucked a piece of hair behind your ear, fingertips barely skimming your skin. You shivered—not from the chill, but from the softness of it. From him.
“Oh, so you did.”
“Come sneak out with me,” he whispered, right against your temple.
You blinked, caught off guard. “What?”
His grin was slow and teasing. “Let’s get outta here. Just for a while.”
You stared at him, half laughing, half suspicious. “Bucky. It’s nearly one in the morning.”
“Exactly. Everyone’s asleep. No one will miss us.”
You raised a brow. “What are we, sixteen?”
“Not since the Great Depression,” he said with a smirk. “But I still know how to cause a little trouble.”
You shook your head, biting back a grin. “Where would we even go?”
“I told you earlier, it’s a surprise.”
You groaned. “I hate surprises.”
He tilted his head, eyes sparkling. “Do you trust me?”
The question hung there, weighty, gentle, honest.
Your smile faded, but in its place came something deeper—something vulnerable. You nodded, slow. “Yeah. I trust you.”
His smile softened. “Then come with me. I promise you’ll like it.”
You stared at him, your breath catching—completely and utterly gone for him.
“All right, James Barnes,” you whispered. “Let’s go break the rules.”
────✪────
The rusted gate creaked behind you as you both dropped onto the sand-dusted boardwalk, giggling like you were teenagers again—though Bucky technically had at least a century on that title. The whole place was draped in shadows, lit only by the flickering remnants of carnival lights left on for maintenance or nostalgia. The sea whispered behind you, and the wind tugged at your clothes as Bucky caught your hand and tugged you deeper in.
Coney Island was asleep, but somehow more alive than it had ever been.
"Okay, rules of the fair," Bucky said, voice low, full of mischief. "One: you have to let me win every game we don't actually play. Two: you must pretend to be utterly charmed when I twirl you. And three—most important—no phones, no mission talk, just you and me."
You held up three fingers like a scout. “Scout’s honor.”
“You were never a scout.”
“You were never charming.” You bit back, with a smile painting your face and stars in your eyes.
“Ouch,” he grinned, already pulling you toward the carousel. It sat still and silent, the hand-painted horses frozen in place. Most of the lights had been turned off, but the moonlight cast a silver sheen across the platform.
“I dare you to ride one,” he said, eyes glinting.
“You dare me?”
He nodded solemnly. “Ride it like a princess.”
“Oh, I see. And what does that make you?”
He stepped closer, voice dropping theatrically as he tugged on his jacket. “Your loyal knight in shining leather.”
You threw your head back and laughed. “God, you’re cheesy.”
“Excuse you, I’m gallant.”
Still laughing, you mounted the tallest horse, gripping the pole, dramatically tossing your hair. “Take me on my steed, knight!”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” he said with a faux-bow, pretending to draw an invisible sword. “I vow to protect your honour and steal your cotton candy.”
The wind whooshed around you as he stepped up onto the carousel and reached for your waist. With a playful grunt, he lifted you off the horse, spun you once in the air, and planted you gently back down—your laughter ringing loud in the night.
Your cheeks were hot, and your grin stretched ear to ear.
“I hate how strong you are,” you said breathlessly.
“You love it,” he teased, his hands not leaving your waist just yet.
“I’m not confirming or denying anything.”
Then, you noticed it—the Ferris wheel. Set a little ways off, mostly dark, except for one lone cabin light that blinked weakly every few seconds. The wheel wasn’t running, but it was gently rotating—just enough for someone to sneak a ride.
You glanced at Bucky.
He raised a brow. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Depends. You thinking felony trespassing?”
“I was thinking romance. But felony trespassing is a close second.”
You grabbed his hand. “Then let’s go commit a crime.”
He laughed all the way there, helping you climb into one of the cars. It creaked as it lifted, slow and lazy. You shivered from the chill, and Bucky immediately shrugged off his leather jacket and wrapped it around your shoulders.
“Look at that,” you said softly, curling into his side. “A gentleman and a criminal.”
“Only for you.”
You rested your head against his shoulder, your breath fogging slightly in the air.
“I used to bring girls here,” Bucky said after a long pause, voice low and nostalgic. “Back before the war. Before everything. It was always Coney Island.”
You sat up a little, narrowing your eyes. “Wow. I feel so special.”
He laughed quietly, the sound bittersweet. “Hey, I haven’t brought anyone here since, well... not for about ninety years.”
You blinked. “Seriously?”
He nodded. “Not since Steve and I shipped out.”
Your chest ached, but in the warm, aching way.
His hand found yours again, intertwining your fingers like it was the easiest thing in the world.
“I used to think what I felt for those girls was real,” he said. “Back then, everything felt real. But it wasn’t. Not like this.”
You turned to him slowly. “Like what?”
He looked at you—not just looked, saw you. In a way that made your skin warm beneath your clothes, even in the cold wind.
“Like this,” he whispered, brushing a thumb across your cheek. “This is different.”
Your breath hitched. “Yeah… it is.”
The Ferris wheel turned on, just enough to shift the car you were in, giving you a sweeping view of the empty boardwalk below. Everything quiet, timeless. Like the world had pressed pause and made space for just the two of you.
Bucky leaned in, his lips brushing yours with a softness that made your stomach flutter. When he kissed you, it wasn’t rushed. It was reverent. Like every part of him was savoring the moment.
When you pulled away, he pressed his forehead to yours.
“Best first date I’ve ever had,” you whispered.
He smiled, brushing your nose with his. “I’m not even done yet.”
You grinned. “What else is there?”
He nodded toward the beach. “Stars.”
────✪────
You kicked off your shoes the second your feet touched the sand, the grains still warm in patches from the sun earlier that day. Bucky followed, boots in hand, his rolled-up sleeves brushing against his forearms as the two of you wandered toward the tide. The moon hung low above the ocean like it was watching you, soft and golden.
You dropped onto the sand with a sigh, hugging your knees as the waves whispered their endless lullaby. Bucky sat beside you, then stretched out on his back with his arms behind his head. You glanced at him—his profile soft, more boyish in the moonlight than you'd ever seen him before.
“Lie down,” he murmured, patting the space beside him.
You did, your head on his shoulder, his jacket draped over you like a cocoon. He turned slightly, adjusting to cradle you better, one hand resting protectively over your waist, fingers splayed like he wanted to memorise every curve.
The stars were scattered across the sky like glitter tossed by a careless god.
“This was our favorite thing,” Bucky said after a while, voice quieter than the ocean. “Me and Steve. We'd come out here late, lay on the boardwalk or the roof of my building, and just… stare. No talking. No noise. Just… stars.”
You closed your eyes for a second, imagining that younger version of him. Smiling. Carefree. Unburdened by war or metal arms or trauma.
“I think he saw something up there I never did,” Bucky continued, “Hope. A future. Something good waiting.”
You swallowed hard, feeling the weight of the secret tucked behind your ribs. A Johnny Storm variant that looked just like Steve Rogers. Too much like him. The resemblance had sent ice down your spine. You touched Bucky’s chest lightly, feeling the slow, steady rhythm of his heart.
“He was right, though,” you whispered. “There is something good waiting.”
He looked down at you, his mouth twitching into the ghost of a smile. “Yeah?”
You nodded. “It’s this. Right here. You and me.”
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he tilted his head to kiss the top of yours, lingering for a beat too long, like he was scared the moment might vanish if he moved too quickly.
“I don’t know what I did to deserve this,” he said against your hair.
You tilted your head up toward him. “Maybe it’s not about what you did. Maybe it’s about what you do now.”
He stared at you. And there it was again—that open, wounded awe in his eyes, like he still couldn’t believe you were real. That you’d forgiven him. That you’d chosen him.
“Can I ask you something?” he murmured.
“Anything.”
His hand moved from your waist to your cheek. “Back there, in the tower… before this. When you said you like when I touch you—was that just a line? Or…”
You leaned in, kissing the corner of his mouth.
“Not a line,” you whispered. “It’s the truth.”
His smile was shy but electric. “Good. Because I don’t think I can stop.”
You laughed, the sound melting into the sound of the waves. “Then don’t.”
You closed the distance, pressing your lips to his in a slow, deliberate kiss that melted into something deeper. His breath hitched, and his hands moved—one sliding under your shirt, fingers grazing the bare skin of your side, the heat of his touch making you shiver.
Your hands found their way to the front of his shirt, fingers tracing the hard muscles beneath, before boldly slipping beneath the fabric to feel the warmth of his skin. 
The stars were wide and endless above you, a smattering of silver across the dark velvet sky. You lay together in the soft, cool sand at Coney Island, wrapped in the folds of Bucky’s worn leather jacket. The wind carried salt and sea and silence, but none of that mattered — not with the weight of him over you, his mouth locked on yours like he was starved for every taste.
And you kissed him back just as hungrily, gasping when his tongue swept against yours, when his hips shifted against yours, slow and searching.
You felt everything.
The rough denim of his jeans against your thighs. The warmth of his hands sliding beneath your jacket, fingers curling under the hem of your shirt. The press of his clothed thigh between your legs where you’d unconsciously slotted yourself against him.
“God,” he muttered against your mouth, voice strained, reverent. “You feel so good like this.”
Your breath hitched as he adjusted his thigh just right — and you instinctively moved, hips rocking forward, rubbing against the strong line of muscle. It was clothed, it was barely anything — but your body jolted, craving more.
“Bucky…” you whispered, dizzy.
He kissed you again, slower this time, almost tentative. But his hands were not — one slid up the length of your back to hold you close, the other trailing down, past your waist to where your leggings hugged tight to your hips.
“Can I?” he asked, voice hoarse, palm resting at the curve between your thighs. “I won’t go any further unless you want—”
You nodded before he could even finish.
“I want,” you breathed. “Please, I want—”
That was all it took.
His hand moved over you, warm and steady, rubbing slow circles over the heat that pulsed between your legs. The pressure sent a jolt through your spine. Your hands clawed at his back through his shirt, needing something to anchor yourself as your hips rutted against him, desperate for friction.
“Jesus,” Bucky groaned, voice muffled against your throat. “Watching you like this — grinding on me — you’re gonna kill me.”
You whimpered when he pressed harder, a precise, perfect drag of his fingers over your leggings, right where you needed him most. Your body was trembling now, breath catching with each stroke.
And then — his thigh shifted again beneath you, and you found yourself rocking against it while he kept his fingers working you through your leggings. A filthy, delicious rhythm.
You gasped his name.
His mouth crashed to yours, swallowing your sounds as he pressed into you with equal urgency — the thick line of his erection clearly outlined through his jeans now, grinding against your hip.
“Fuck, baby,” he whispered, forehead pressed to yours. “You’re drivin’ me crazy. You feel that?”
You nodded, dazed. “You’re hard…”
“For you,” he said, his voice nearly breaking. “Been hard since you kissed me on that damn carousel.”
You shifted then, adjusting your angle — straddling one of his jean-clad thighs while reaching down between you, just bold enough now to cup him through his jeans. He choked out a groan and buried his face in your shoulder.
“Oh fuck—don’t do that unless you wanna see me lose it right here,” he growled, laughing breathlessly.
“I do,” you whispered with a smirk, rolling your hips down against him.
The air around you turned hot and thick, full of panting and groans and need. You rubbed against his thigh, hips rocking, slick and desperate beneath your clothes. And Bucky — Bucky met your rhythm, hands on your ass, pressing you down against him as he thrust up into the crook of your thigh.
The moment was messy, wild, completely clothed — but somehow more vulnerable than anything you’d ever felt.
“I’m close,” you gasped, shaking.
“Me too,” he rasped, voice wrecked. “Let go for me. Wanna feel you come on me like this.”
And you did — with a broken cry muffled against his lips, your body wracked with waves of pleasure as your hips stuttered against his thigh.
Moments later, Bucky came too, groaning into your shoulder, holding you tight as his body trembled. The press of his cock against you went rigid, twitching through his jeans as he spilled into his boxers, panting like he’d just gone ten rounds in the ring.
Silence followed — just the crashing of waves and the sound of both your hearts hammering out of sync.
Then Bucky laughed softly, breathless and warm. “First date, huh?”
You buried your face in his neck. “Best one I’ve ever had.”
“Don’t tell the carousel horse,” he teased. “It’ll be jealous.”
You giggled, tightening your hold on him.
And neither of you moved — not right away. The stars shone down, and for now, the weight of the multiverse didn’t exist.
Just him. Just you. And the soft, sweet echo of everything you were becoming together.
────✪────
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mandoalorian · 13 days ago
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Oh my god Rach the latest chapter of If This Is War…
Is Bucky going to come face to face with “Steve” ?????? When Reed introduced reader to him, my heart dropped. I understand her wanting to protect Bucky from even more hurt but somehow I think it’s gonna end up bad 🥺
YUUUUUPPPP i am not saying anything , but all will be revealed in the next few chapters!!!! hope you’re enjoying the drama so far 😬😬it’s only about to get crazier
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mandoalorian · 13 days ago
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the night we stole the stars [bucky barnes x f!reader]
pairing: new avenger!bucky barnes x f!reader
synopsis: you and bucky chase the glow of a forgotten fairground, where soft kisses taste like memories in the making. beneath the boardwalk lights and scattered starlight, the night becomes yours—wild, sacred, and fleeting. but even as your hearts sync in stolen rhythm, something waits in the quiet edges of the multiverse, changing everything
word count: 7900
rating/warnings: 18+ explicit content, dry humping in public place, grinding, making out, plenty of sexual tension, angst in the making (sorry in advance), a little sambucky if you squint
masterlist
previous chapter | current | next chapter [coming soon]
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It was early. Not sunrise-early — city early. Horns honked like an orchestra warming up. A dog barked three times in a row. Somewhere, a jackhammer stuttered to life.
Bucky liked mornings like this. Loud enough to drown out memories. Soft enough that everything still felt... possible.
He waited outside the Tower with two coffees in hand, both black. No sugar, no nonsense. He knew Sam would complain. That was kind of the point.
When Sam stepped outside, hoodie pulled over his head, he squinted at the sky like it had personally offended him. His eyes landed on Bucky, then on the second coffee. He walked over wordlessly and took it.
“No sugar?” he asked, sipping anyway.
Bucky shrugged. “You’re sweet enough.”
Sam huffed. “You flirting with me, Barnes?”
“You wish.”
They started walking with no clear destination, boots hitting pavement in sync. The Tower loomed behind them, and Bucky felt a little lighter the farther they got from it.
“So,” Sam said after a beat. “I signed Valentina’s accords, we’re on the same team now, what’s all this about?”
Bucky winced. “Us.”
“Okay, now you’re definitely flirting.” Sam smirked and Bucky stifled a laugh.
“Outside all of this: Doom and the multiverse and… her,” Bucky stopped as he noticed Sam’s face soften. “I really miss you man,” he sighed, the revelation hard for him to admit. If only he had communicated better months ago. Then maybe the fallout wouldn’t have been so bad.
“I miss you too, Buck, but none of this has been easy. Abandoning me and teaming up with John Walker?” Sam replied, not angry but not amused either. “Seriously?”
Bucky thought ‘abandoned’ sounded harsh, but it wasn’t the time to mention it. He took a sip of his coffee. “I know, but the world really needs Captain America. I need Captain America. And I just want us to be okay again.”
“I want that too.” Sam sighed. “Come here.”
And in that moment, Captain America pulled the Winter Soldier in for a hug, solid and comforting, and for the first time in months, Bucky felt like he could breathe again.
“Now that we’re okay,” Sam said, pulling away but keeping his hands on Bucky’s shoulders. “You gotta tell me how the hell you ended up on a team with a literal black widow assassin, the Red Guardian, and Walker. And those billboards… damn Bucky, they had you overlooking New York City like you were some kind of God.”
Bucky looked down at his coffee. “Yeah. That wasn’t my idea.”
“Valentina?”
“Yup. She created this whole PR thing. Wheaties boxes and magazine covers and merchandise. Wanted Yelena and Walker to pretend to date each other, but like hell they would,” Bucky explained. “At the time, they couldn’t be in the same room as each other for longer than ten minutes. So she decided it would look good if me and her pursued this fake relationship. I think she thought the public would put more faith in her if they saw she was dating an Avenger.”
Sam slowed. “Buck… that’s fucking crazy.”
Bucky nodded. “Yeah. Wasn’t easy. But eventually the team started trusting each other. And because I was leading, it meant they were trusting me. And for once… I felt like I was actually doing something right.”
Sam took another long sip. “That’s not nothing.”
“I didn’t agree with the logistics,” Bucky said. “The secrecy, the contracts, the way Valentina tried to puppet us from behind the curtain. But when we were out there, actually fighting for people, it felt... good. Like I belonged somewhere.”
“You’ve always belonged somewhere.”
Bucky gave a quiet, humourless laugh. “You have to say that. You’re my friend.”
“I’m also the guy you iced out when I was trying to rebuild the Avengers. The real Avengers.”
That landed like a punch. Bucky rubbed the back of his neck.
“I thought you didn’t need me,” he admitted.
“Bullshit,” Sam said calmly. “We both know that’s not true. I needed you. I wanted you in it with me. You’re the one who stepped off to be with your Thunderbolt buddies.”
Bucky took a breath. “Maybe. But now you know the truth. Not everything was so rosy. I think from this point forward, we phase Val out for good. We do this, together. We lead, together.”
“Doom’s coming,” Sam muttered, eyes scanning the skyline like he expected Victor to emerge from the clouds. “We both feel it. And now we’ve got all these pieces— The Fantastic Four, the Avengers, tech from a different world—and no time to get our footing.”
“We’ve got each other,” Bucky said. 
They walked another block in silence.
“I hated that billboard,” Sam finally said, like he couldn’t keep it in any longer. Bucky let out a snort.
“Me too.”
“I hated seeing you in it more.”
“That one hurts a little.”
Sam stopped walking and turned to him. “Because you’re mine, Barnes. My grumpy, murderous, 108-year-old sidekick.”
“Sidekick? You’re pushing it now,” Bucky smirked. “I prefer ‘combat veteran with emotional baggage.’”
Sam cracked a grin. “Same thing.”
There was a pause. Then Sam added, “I get it now, though. You felt useful. That matters.”
“It does,” Bucky said. “But it doesn’t matter more than you. More than this.”
They locked eyes. A shared history of battlefields and therapy chairs between them. A bond forged in grief, hammered into something solid by time.
“I’m still with you, Sam,” Bucky said. “Even when the world spins sideways.”
Sam nodded. “Alright, then. Let’s go clean this mess up together.”
They stood there another beat.
Then Sam extended a hand, and Bucky pulled him in for another hug instead—tight, firm, warm.
“I love you, buddy,” Sam murmured.
Bucky’s voice was rough. “Love you too.”
A car honked behind them. The city marched on.
But for the first time in weeks, something clicked back into place. Like the world might still be fixable after all.
────✪────
Sam had given the Fantastic Four a floor of their own in the Avengers tower, on the condition of their cooperation. 
The door to the secure living quarters slid open with a hiss.
Reed Richards stepped inside, eyes scanning the space with something between dread and longing. It wasn’t much—a makeshift living area hastily assembled—but within it stood three faces he thought he might never see again.
Sue was the first to spot him. Her posture stiffened instinctively, shielding mode kicking in before she even registered the emotion. Then her face cracked—just slightly—at the corners.
“Reed,” she said.
Johnny moved faster. “You look like hell.”
Reed blinked. “You look... exactly the same.”
Ben Grimm chuckled from the couch, deep and gravelly. “We had better lighting than you did, pal.”
Sue took a slow step forward. “I didn’t think they’d actually let us—”
“They didn’t,” you said, emerging from behind her, voice firm but not unkind. “I did.”
He turned. You leaned in the doorway with arms crossed, tired but steady. “I reminded Valentina that you’re not much use locked in a cage. Reed agreed that you would help. So now you help.”
Ben gave you a small, grateful nod. “And in return?”
“In return,” you said, “you get your family. But if you step out of line, or Reed, if you try to vanish into a black hole of your own genius—”
“Understood,” Reed said, lifting his hands in surrender. “No disappearing acts. No more secrets.”
Sue was still watching him. She didn’t smile. But she didn’t stop him when he crossed the room and touched her hand.
The silence stretched. Then Johnny cleared his throat loudly. “So, uh. Doom’s back?”
“Doom’s coming,” you corrected. “We’re not sure from where yet. But the tech that attacked the safe house... it wasn’t from here.”
Reed’s brow furrowed. “Alternate universe signatures?”
You nodded.
“That explains the Stark resemblance,” he muttered.
“Exactly,” you said. “We thought Doom was a myth or at least dormant. But if he's tied into a multiverse collapse, we’re going to need your expertise. You said before that you’ve studied this stuff—doppelgängers, alternate selves—what can you do now?”
Reed’s expression turned calculating. Focused. Alive.
“I need to run some tests. The multiverse... it’s like a shattered mirror. Some pieces reflect you exactly, others distort you beyond recognition. I want to start with Johnny.”
“Me?” Johnny blinked. “Why me?”
“Because you’re a perfect test subject. Young, genetically altered by cosmic radiation, and narcissistic enough that if another version of you existed, you’d want to find him immediately.”
“Aw, you do know me,” Johnny said, grinning.
Reed stepped away from the group, already talking to himself. “I’ll need quantum mapping. Multiversal scans. If I can trace even the smallest residue of variant DNA…”
“Reed,” you interrupted. “Focus.”
He blinked and looked at you. “Right. Yes. I’ll start with the scans now.”
As he swept out of the room, Sue sighed deeply. “Same Reed. Different apocalypse.”
Ben snorted. “At least we got him back.”
You watched him go, already lost in theory, hands moving like they were drawing math from the air. Something about it unsettled you—but also gave you hope.
You wandered back to the upper levels, catching the tail end of soft laughter in the training hall. Inside, Yelena was perched cross-legged on a bench, casually tossing a butterfly knife between her fingers. Her gaze lifted when she saw you.
“Was wondering when you’d check in,” she said.
You leaned on the wall beside her. “Reed’s reunited with his family. The science-freak reunion went about as expected.”
“Any theories yet?”
“He wants to test Johnny first. See if he’s got a doppelgänger. Maybe map how the multiverse is pulling apart.”
Yelena tilted her head. “You think that’s what this is? A multiversal pull?”
“I think it’s something worse. Doom doesn’t just appear without reason. And he doesn’t send attack drones for fun.”
Yelena sighed. “You have a point.”
You smiled faintly, then looked around. “Have you seen Bob?”
Her fingers paused over the knife. “No.”
“How long’s it been?”
She gave a small shrug, too casual. “He wasn’t at the morning check-in. I figured he was with Bucky. Or maybe passed out somewhere dramatic.”
You frowned. “I thought he might’ve come to see you.”
“Nope,” she said. “But now that you mention it...”
The two of you exchanged a look. Yelena tucked her knife away and stood up. “You think something’s wrong?”
“I think something’s different,” you said carefully. “He’s been... off. Ever since the void.”
Her brow furrowed. “He said he felt weird. More... powered.”
“Exactly,” you murmured. “Like something in him activated.”
You both stood in silence a moment longer.
“I’m gonna go look for him,” she announced.
“Want some help?” You offered, already tapping into your aura to scan the room for life. 
“It’s okay, he can’t have gone far. Besides, I want all the glory for finding him.” Yelena joked. 
When Yelena left the room, you paused for a moment, taking in the silence. It felt good to have a moment alone, away from the stress of John and Ava arguing, or Bob disappearing, or the upcoming potential multiversal collapse. You inhaled, your fingers starting to tingle and burn a pale lilac colour, sparkling like iridescent flecks of glitter as you tapped into your own aura. Your own feelings. 
Calmness. Wonder. Peace.
You felt relaxed. 
You exhaled and pinched your fingers together, shooting a burst of energy towards a punching bag. The power snapped the chain and the bag went flying into the wall, knocking over a stack of weights in the process. The loud clatter made you jump. How were you ever going to learn to control your powers, when there was no one who could teach you?
You stood and sauntered towards the weights, reaching out to put them back into place. You turned back toward the far end of the room, brushing a hand over your arm to dispel the unease. That’s when you felt it.
Arms wrapped gently around your waist from behind, pulling you into a solid chest.
You gasped, instincts kicking in before your mind caught up.
“Whoa,” came the familiar voice, rough and apologetic. “Too much?”
You exhaled, your heartbeat thudding against your ribs as you melted back into him. “No,” you said, breathless. “Not too much.”
Bucky let out a soft laugh behind you. His metal hand rested low on your stomach, while his warm one splayed across your ribs like he needed to hold you closer. “Sorry. I saw you and just... wanted to be close.”
You turned your head slightly, cheek brushing against his stubble. “Then don’t apologise.”
He leaned in, his lips grazing the shell of your ear. “You okay?”
You nodded. “Bob’s missing. Yelena’s out looking for him. We’ve got Reed researching but there is so much to do, and so little time. And the universe might just collapse in on itself in,” you checked your watch. “Six days,”
Bucky hummed quietly, acknowledging your concern. He dropped his hands to your hips, fingertips brushing skin. “What were you doing in here? Training?”
“I just needed some space to think, and uh— I was trying to understand my powers but I ended up just knocked over a punching bag. The chain snapped… we might need a new one.”
“Forget about the punching bag.” He gave you a gentle squeeze. “Your powers? We’ll figure it out. Besides, for now we just need to make sure we have reinforcements for when Doom comes. We plan for the worst.”
You smiled softly and turned in his arms. His eyes searched yours, his features soft in the training room’s dim light. He looked at you like you were something fragile and holy all at once.
“Bucky, I’m scared.”
He pressed his lips into the top of your head, letting them linger there. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
But that’s exactly what you were afraid of. You had seen just how protective Bucky was of you, even back when you hated him. He’d die for you. And you were too powerful… too chaotic and unruly. What if you hurt him?
You swallowed, and it cut like glass in your throat. Uncomfortable. Fear. Nearly impossible to repress. You tapped his chest lightly, trying to change the subject. “I had fun last night.”
“Me too, uh— I actually wanted to ask you if you’d maybe wanna come out on a date with me again, tonight? But a real date this time. I can show you how I did it in the 40s,”A pink blush appeared over his cheeks. Was Bucky Barnes nervous? When you didn’t reply, he stumbled over his words. “You can say no. I know we have a lot going on but I really think it might be a good distraction and I had this idea…”
Your hand stayed against his chest, feeling the steady thud of his heart beneath your palm. “Yes.”
“Yes?” Bucky’s voice softened. “Okay then. I’ll drop by your room at midnight.”
“That’s late. Where are you taking me?” You asked, looking up at Bucky with curious doe-eyes.
“That, doll, is classified information,” Bucky smirked before sinking to the floor and pulling you down with him, your bodies tangled together on a training mat.
The hush of the empty gym held the moment like a secret. Bucky leaned against the mirrored wall behind him, legs stretched out, and you leaned sideways into him. His arm rested loosely around your shoulders.
“You ever think about the past?” he asked softly. “The good bits, I mean. Not the nightmares.”
You glanced up at him. “Sometimes. I try to remember my brother like that.”
Bucky hummed. “What was he like?”
You smiled faintly, your fingers tracing idle shapes on your own knee. “He was funny. And so patient. He taught me how to ride a bike, you know? Held the seat the whole time until I was halfway down the street. Then I realised he’d let go, and I panicked, wiped out completely. Skinned knees. Total mess.”
Bucky chuckled gently. “Bet he ran straight to you.”
“He did.” Your voice softened with the memory. “Carried me back like I weighed nothing. Gave me the whole pep talk while Mom cleaned me up. Said, ‘you didn’t fall, you learned where the limits were.’” You paused. “He always believed in me, even when I didn’t.”
“You were close.”
You nodded. “He was my best friend. And when he died, I found myself searching for him in other people. I just wanted to feel protected again. Somehow I got caught up with Shane…”
There was a moment of reverent silence between you both. Bucky’s hand slipped from your shoulder to your back, running slow, comforting circles there.
“Shane wasn’t like him?” Bucky asked cautiously, voice almost a whisper, like he was afraid of breaking you.
You stiffened for a second, but then exhaled slowly, leaning a little harder against him. “No. Not even close. My brother protected me. Shane... hurt me. Controlled me. Made me feel like I wasn’t allowed to be myself.”
Bucky’s jaw tensed at that, but he said nothing. Just listened.
“You saw it,” you continued, your voice steadier now. “In the apartment. God Bucky, I’m so glad you came after me. I was a jerk to you and still, you kept coming after me. Saving me when I was in trouble.”
Bucky’s hand stopped moving for a moment. “Shane had a darkness in him,” he said, low. “I’ve seen a lot of monsters, but... the way he tied you up and looked at you—like he owned you—it made my blood boil.”
You swallowed, heart squeezing. “I used to think I’d never get away. And then one day... I did. I just ran. I didn’t even grab my coat.”
“And now look at you,” Bucky murmured, the faintest smile tugging at his lips. “Powerful. Brave. Still standing.”
You looked at him, heart caught in your throat.
“You were the one who showed me I could be more than what he made me believe I was,” you whispered.
He leaned his head down, brushing his forehead gently against yours. “And you showed me I’m more than what they made me.”
Your fingers curled in the fabric of his Henley. “We’re more than our pasts.”
“We are,” he agreed.
And for a long moment, neither of you said anything. You just sat there in the quiet, warmth shared between you, breathing steady, hearts beginning to heal—together.
Your breath mingled with his, both of you hovering on the edge of something that had been growing for days—weeks, maybe. The gravity of everything that had happened, the closeness, the confessions—it all pulled you closer.
Bucky’s hand gently cupped your cheek, his thumb brushing along your skin like he was afraid you’d vanish. His steel-blue eyes searched yours, his breath hitching.
“I want to kiss you,” he murmured, his voice rough and vulnerable. “Is that okay?”
You nodded, your voice caught in your throat. “Yes.”
He started leaning in, slowly—tentatively, reverently—like he was asking one last time. His nose brushed yours. His lips were just a breath away.
And then—
BZZZT.
Your comm crackled to life in your ear. Both of you froze.
“Sorry to interrupt,” came Reed Richards’ voice, clipped and urgent. “But I need you down in Lab 3. Now. I’ve found something. Something... important.”
You pulled back, blinking, heart pounding in a completely different rhythm now. Bucky sighed, his forehead dropping to your shoulder.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered.
You couldn’t help the small, exasperated laugh that escaped you. “Of all the times…”
He pulled away, clearly frustrated, but kissed your forehead in a soft, lingering motion. “We’ll come back to this.”
You nodded, already rising to your feet. “We better.”
────✪────
The lab was dimly lit, a low blue glow cast across the polished floor from the array of holographic panels circling Reed Richards like orbiting satellites. You stepped in quietly, the door hissing shut behind you. Reed didn’t even glance up at first — he was too focused, his hands weaving through data streams as if conducting invisible symphonies of code.
Only when you cleared your throat did he look up.
“Reed?” you called softly, drawing his attention.
He looked up, pale and drawn, like someone who had seen something they wished they could unsee. “You’re here. Good,” he said, his voice clipped, too fast. “I’ve made progress. Or maybe a mistake. I’m still deciding.”
You furrowed your brows and approached, arms crossed. “What kind of progress?”
Reed turned and gestured to the swirling portal behind him, a shimmering ring of translucent energy buzzing low. “Multiversal resonance,” he said, tapping rapidly on the console. “It’s more stable than I expected. I managed to create a soft tether. A gateway. Not just a window, but a bridge. I was able to bring something—someone—through.”
Your stomach dropped. “You brought someone here? From another universe?”
“Yes,” he said. “And that’s where it gets... complicated.”
You glanced at the portal. “Is this about the doppelgängers? Doom looking like Tony Stark?”
Reed nodded grimly. “Exactly. What we’re seeing—these strange overlaps in appearance—comes down to multiversal genetic convergence. Some universes don’t just echo ideas, they echo faces. Patterns of DNA that play out across timelines. It’s rare, but not impossible. You’ll see repeating archetypes, especially in people tied to strong cosmic forces. Heroes. Villains.”
“So this Doom, the one we saw,” you said slowly, “he looks like Tony not by coincidence.”
“No,” Reed said. “And... that brings me to what I have to show you.”
You stilled. Something in his voice changed. He wasn’t the overly confident, casually arrogant genius you were used to. He was nervous. Genuinely nervous. You had never seen Reed Richards unsure before, and it sent a chill through you.
He gestured for you to follow. You walked in silence through the back corridor, the tension thick as lead. When he paused at a reinforced door with a biometric scanner, your pulse quickened.
“Before I open this... I want to be clear,” Reed said, turning to face you. “I didn’t know this was going to happen. And I don’t know what to do with him.”
“Him?” you asked, confused. “Who is it?”
Reed looked at you, his eyes apologetic. Then he unlocked the door.
The lights inside were dimmed, but you saw him instantly.
Sitting on the edge of the cot was a man in a form-fitting fireproof suit, silver gauntlets hanging loosely from his hands, his posture relaxed but guarded. He turned as the door opened.
And your breath was punched out of you.
Blonde hair. Blue eyes. That face.
Steve Rogers' face.
No—not Steve. You knew that. Your brain knew that.
But your heart didn’t.
He stood slowly, confusion flickering in his gaze. “Hi,” he said cautiously. “I’m Johnny. Johnny Storm.”
You couldn’t speak. You couldn’t breathe. It was like your body had frozen solid, horror and heartbreak twisting in your gut. Steve had been gone for years—but this? Seeing that face, alive, familiar, animated with new inflection and different energy—it shattered something in you.
“I don’t know how he ended up like this,” Reed said quietly beside you. “In his universe, Johnny Storm looks like this. I tried to trace the genetic divergence, but the more I dug... the more I lost track of our Johnny.”
Your head whipped toward him. “Wait—what do you mean, you lost him?”
“I think I displaced him accidentally,” Reed admitted, rubbing his forehead. “I was tracing multiversal threads and he slipped through one of them. I don’t know where he ended up. But I brought this Johnny in before I realised. Now I don’t know what to do.”
You turned back to the man in the cell—this Johnny who smiled like Steve, tilted his head like Steve, and radiated warmth with that same impossible familiarity.
You saw Bucky’s face in your mind. His grief. His softness. The way his voice broke when he said Steve’s name.
No. He couldn’t see this.
You stepped forward and placed a hand on Reed’s chest. “You cannot tell anyone about this. Especially not Bucky.”
Reed blinked. “I don’t—why? He’s harmless.”
“No, Reed,” you said sharply. “He’s not. Not to him.”
You swallowed hard, forcing back the storm behind your eyes. “Bucky already saw Doom with Tony’s face. He’s still dealing with that. But Steve? That’s different. That was his brother. His anchor. You show this to Bucky and you break him.”
Reed was quiet for a long time. “So what do you want me to do?”
“Hide him,” you said. “No one can know. Not yet. Until we figure out what this means, and where our Johnny is, you keep him locked away. Please, Reed.”
He hesitated... and then nodded.
“I understand,” he said. “I’ll keep this between us.”
You exhaled softly, the tension in your shoulders loosening just a little.
“I’ll run deeper scans,” Reed added, his tone shifting back toward the scientific. “I want to study this version’s neurological data. If there’s even a trace of Steve’s consciousness—”
“Then we tell Bucky,” you said. “Together.”
He nodded again. “Agreed.”
You looked back at the projection one more time before turning away.
It wasn’t Steve. But it felt like him. Like a phantom echo. A mirage your heart wanted to chase — but couldn’t.
You turned away from the door before the man inside could speak again. Before he could smile and tear another hole in your chest.
As the door sealed shut behind you, your legs nearly gave out from beneath you. You caught yourself on the cold wall, heart racing.
Steve’s face was back in the world.
And you had no idea how long you could keep it secret.
────✪────
The tower was quieter at night — no footsteps in the halls, no voices echoing through the common areas, no alerts pinging from the comms. Just silence, heavy and still.
You were lying in bed, eyes on the ceiling, the room bathed in soft, warm light from the bedside lamp. You’d changed into something comfortable hours ago, ready for your date night, and were trying to relax beforehand. Process everything that had happened. But rest hadn’t come. Every time you closed your eyes, your mind dragged you back to the lab. To Reed.
To the way Johnny Storm’s variant looked like Steve Rogers.
It had been hours since you left the lab. You hadn’t told anyone — not Sam, not Yelena, and definitely not Bucky. You’d eaten half a protein bar, drank some tea, and curled into your bed, hoping for sleep. But instead, you were stuck inside your own head, spinning in circles of guilt and protective instinct.
You didn’t even hear the knock at first. Just a soft thunk thunk at the door.
You sat up slightly, blinking.
“Yeah?” your voice rasped.
“...It’s me,” came the muffled voice.
Your heart tugged in recognition.
You padded barefoot to the door and cracked it open to find Bucky standing in a loose shirt and sweatpants, hair tousled like he’d run his hand through it a hundred times. His eyes searched yours, worry etched into every line on his face.
“You didn’t come to dinner” he said softly. “You okay?”
Your lips parted, but for a second, you didn’t know what to say. You finally nodded, stepping aside to let him in.
“Just… a lot on my mind,” you murmured.
He stepped inside quietly. The door clicked shut behind him. He didn’t go far, just stood near the edge of your bed like he wasn’t sure if he should sit or stay.
You climbed back into the bed and looked over your shoulder at him. “You can lie down. If you want.”
That was all it took. Bucky crossed the room slowly, eased onto the bed, and lay facing you. It was quiet for a beat — the kind of quiet that presses into your ribs.
“What did Reed find?” he asked gently.
You hesitated. Then lied. “Just more data. Another anomaly he’s investigating. But nothing solid.”
His gaze lingered on yours for a long second. Maybe he knew you weren’t being fully honest. Maybe he just trusted you enough not to push.
“Mm,” he hummed. “Okay.”
You studied him. His face was shadowed but soft. Less guarded than usual. His shoulders weren’t quite so tense.
“How are you doing?” you asked, voice barely above a whisper.
He gave you a tired little smile. “I promised I’d stop lying when you ask me that, didn’t I?”
You nodded.
“I’m tired,” he said, exhaling slowly. “Not from the fighting. Not even from Doom or the mission. I’m just tired of feeling like I’m chasing ghosts. Of trying to make peace with who I was and not knowing if I deserve any of this.”
Your heart squeezed. You reached out without thinking, your fingers grazing his forearm.
“I’m glad you’re here,” you said.
A silence stretched, but this one was comfortable.
His hand found your hip beneath the blanket. Warm and gentle. He rested it there for a moment, like he was testing how close he could be without scaring you off.
You didn’t flinch.
“I like it,” you said softly, not looking away. “When you touch me.”
Bucky’s brows lifted slightly, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. “Yeah?”
You nodded. “I feel… safe.”
His thumb swept across your hip, tracing slow circles. “That’s all I ever wanted,” he murmured. “To make you feel safe.”
You swallowed, heart fluttering as he leaned in just a bit closer, their noses almost touching. You could feel his breath against your lips. His eyes searched yours, and then dropped briefly to your mouth, like he was weighing a decision.
“I had feelings for you,” he whispered, “even when you hated me.”
Your breath caught.
“I didn’t want to,” he added quickly. “You had every reason to hate me. And I told myself I didn’t deserve to want anything from you. But I’d watch you on missions. Hear you laugh in the hallway. See you stand your ground with Sam. And I couldn’t help it.”
A soft sound escaped your lips — a whimper somewhere between awe and disbelief.
“I didn’t hate you,” you whispered back. “Not really. I wanted to. But deep down… I think I was so afraid to come to terms with what I really felt. It was easier to fight with you than… the other thing.”
Your hand found his jaw and held it, thumb brushing across the stubble along his cheek.
“I think,” you added, ready to elaborate. “I was scared to forgive you, because if I did… I’d have to admit how badly I wanted you too.”
His breath stilled.
You leaned in closer, your foreheads almost touching.
“I wanted you when I thought I shouldn’t,” you said, lips barely brushing his. “And now… I just want you.”
Bucky closed the gap, but it wasn’t desperate — it was soft, sweet, tender. The kind of kiss that lingered. His hand slid up to your waist, holding you gently. Yours tangled in his hair.
And for a moment, the weight of everything — of multiversal threats, of ghosts in the shape of Steve and Tony — melted away.
It was just the two of you. Whispering warmth and safety into each other’s mouths.
And when the kiss broke, and Bucky tucked you against his chest, his arm curling around your back, you finally felt content. 
You were lying face to face with Bucky, your noses almost touching, the warmth of his palm still resting gently against your waist. You were both content to just be. To breathe each other in. To exist in the same sliver of peace.
His thumb made slow circles over your shirt, right above your hip. You’d long forgotten how to keep your heart from racing around him.
“As much as I love lying here with you, I did promise I’d take you out tonight.” He said, his voice low and husky from the hour. You hummed in response, eyes half-lidded, fingers absently brushing the seam of his sleeve.
He reached up and gently tucked a piece of hair behind your ear, fingertips barely skimming your skin. You shivered—not from the chill, but from the softness of it. From him.
“Oh, so you did.”
“Come sneak out with me,” he whispered, right against your temple.
You blinked, caught off guard. “What?”
His grin was slow and teasing. “Let’s get outta here. Just for a while.”
You stared at him, half laughing, half suspicious. “Bucky. It’s nearly one in the morning.”
“Exactly. Everyone’s asleep. No one will miss us.”
You raised a brow. “What are we, sixteen?”
“Not since the Great Depression,” he said with a smirk. “But I still know how to cause a little trouble.”
You shook your head, biting back a grin. “Where would we even go?”
“I told you earlier, it’s a surprise.”
You groaned. “I hate surprises.”
He tilted his head, eyes sparkling. “Do you trust me?”
The question hung there, weighty, gentle, honest.
Your smile faded, but in its place came something deeper—something vulnerable. You nodded, slow. “Yeah. I trust you.”
His smile softened. “Then come with me. I promise you’ll like it.”
You stared at him, your breath catching—completely and utterly gone for him.
“All right, James Barnes,” you whispered. “Let’s go break the rules.”
────✪────
The rusted gate creaked behind you as you both dropped onto the sand-dusted boardwalk, giggling like you were teenagers again—though Bucky technically had at least a century on that title. The whole place was draped in shadows, lit only by the flickering remnants of carnival lights left on for maintenance or nostalgia. The sea whispered behind you, and the wind tugged at your clothes as Bucky caught your hand and tugged you deeper in.
Coney Island was asleep, but somehow more alive than it had ever been.
"Okay, rules of the fair," Bucky said, voice low, full of mischief. "One: you have to let me win every game we don't actually play. Two: you must pretend to be utterly charmed when I twirl you. And three—most important—no phones, no mission talk, just you and me."
You held up three fingers like a scout. “Scout’s honor.”
“You were never a scout.”
“You were never charming.” You bit back, with a smile painting your face and stars in your eyes.
“Ouch,” he grinned, already pulling you toward the carousel. It sat still and silent, the hand-painted horses frozen in place. Most of the lights had been turned off, but the moonlight cast a silver sheen across the platform.
“I dare you to ride one,” he said, eyes glinting.
“You dare me?”
He nodded solemnly. “Ride it like a princess.”
“Oh, I see. And what does that make you?”
He stepped closer, voice dropping theatrically as he tugged on his jacket. “Your loyal knight in shining leather.”
You threw your head back and laughed. “God, you’re cheesy.”
“Excuse you, I’m gallant.”
Still laughing, you mounted the tallest horse, gripping the pole, dramatically tossing your hair. “Take me on my steed, knight!”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” he said with a faux-bow, pretending to draw an invisible sword. “I vow to protect your honour and steal your cotton candy.”
The wind whooshed around you as he stepped up onto the carousel and reached for your waist. With a playful grunt, he lifted you off the horse, spun you once in the air, and planted you gently back down—your laughter ringing loud in the night.
Your cheeks were hot, and your grin stretched ear to ear.
“I hate how strong you are,” you said breathlessly.
“You love it,” he teased, his hands not leaving your waist just yet.
“I’m not confirming or denying anything.”
Then, you noticed it—the Ferris wheel. Set a little ways off, mostly dark, except for one lone cabin light that blinked weakly every few seconds. The wheel wasn’t running, but it was gently rotating—just enough for someone to sneak a ride.
You glanced at Bucky.
He raised a brow. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Depends. You thinking felony trespassing?”
“I was thinking romance. But felony trespassing is a close second.”
You grabbed his hand. “Then let’s go commit a crime.”
He laughed all the way there, helping you climb into one of the cars. It creaked as it lifted, slow and lazy. You shivered from the chill, and Bucky immediately shrugged off his leather jacket and wrapped it around your shoulders.
“Look at that,” you said softly, curling into his side. “A gentleman and a criminal.”
“Only for you.”
You rested your head against his shoulder, your breath fogging slightly in the air.
“I used to bring girls here,” Bucky said after a long pause, voice low and nostalgic. “Back before the war. Before everything. It was always Coney Island.”
You sat up a little, narrowing your eyes. “Wow. I feel so special.”
He laughed quietly, the sound bittersweet. “Hey, I haven’t brought anyone here since, well... not for about ninety years.”
You blinked. “Seriously?”
He nodded. “Not since Steve and I shipped out.”
Your chest ached, but in the warm, aching way.
His hand found yours again, intertwining your fingers like it was the easiest thing in the world.
“I used to think what I felt for those girls was real,” he said. “Back then, everything felt real. But it wasn’t. Not like this.”
You turned to him slowly. “Like what?”
He looked at you—not just looked, saw you. In a way that made your skin warm beneath your clothes, even in the cold wind.
“Like this,” he whispered, brushing a thumb across your cheek. “This is different.”
Your breath hitched. “Yeah… it is.”
The Ferris wheel turned on, just enough to shift the car you were in, giving you a sweeping view of the empty boardwalk below. Everything quiet, timeless. Like the world had pressed pause and made space for just the two of you.
Bucky leaned in, his lips brushing yours with a softness that made your stomach flutter. When he kissed you, it wasn’t rushed. It was reverent. Like every part of him was savoring the moment.
When you pulled away, he pressed his forehead to yours.
“Best first date I’ve ever had,” you whispered.
He smiled, brushing your nose with his. “I’m not even done yet.”
You grinned. “What else is there?”
He nodded toward the beach. “Stars.”
────✪────
You kicked off your shoes the second your feet touched the sand, the grains still warm in patches from the sun earlier that day. Bucky followed, boots in hand, his rolled-up sleeves brushing against his forearms as the two of you wandered toward the tide. The moon hung low above the ocean like it was watching you, soft and golden.
You dropped onto the sand with a sigh, hugging your knees as the waves whispered their endless lullaby. Bucky sat beside you, then stretched out on his back with his arms behind his head. You glanced at him—his profile soft, more boyish in the moonlight than you'd ever seen him before.
“Lie down,” he murmured, patting the space beside him.
You did, your head on his shoulder, his jacket draped over you like a cocoon. He turned slightly, adjusting to cradle you better, one hand resting protectively over your waist, fingers splayed like he wanted to memorise every curve.
The stars were scattered across the sky like glitter tossed by a careless god.
“This was our favorite thing,” Bucky said after a while, voice quieter than the ocean. “Me and Steve. We'd come out here late, lay on the boardwalk or the roof of my building, and just… stare. No talking. No noise. Just… stars.”
You closed your eyes for a second, imagining that younger version of him. Smiling. Carefree. Unburdened by war or metal arms or trauma.
“I think he saw something up there I never did,” Bucky continued, “Hope. A future. Something good waiting.”
You swallowed hard, feeling the weight of the secret tucked behind your ribs. A Johnny Storm variant that looked just like Steve Rogers. Too much like him. The resemblance had sent ice down your spine. You touched Bucky’s chest lightly, feeling the slow, steady rhythm of his heart.
“He was right, though,” you whispered. “There is something good waiting.”
He looked down at you, his mouth twitching into the ghost of a smile. “Yeah?”
You nodded. “It’s this. Right here. You and me.”
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he tilted his head to kiss the top of yours, lingering for a beat too long, like he was scared the moment might vanish if he moved too quickly.
“I don’t know what I did to deserve this,” he said against your hair.
You tilted your head up toward him. “Maybe it’s not about what you did. Maybe it’s about what you do now.”
He stared at you. And there it was again—that open, wounded awe in his eyes, like he still couldn’t believe you were real. That you’d forgiven him. That you’d chosen him.
“Can I ask you something?” he murmured.
“Anything.”
His hand moved from your waist to your cheek. “Back there, in the tower… before this. When you said you like when I touch you—was that just a line? Or…”
You leaned in, kissing the corner of his mouth.
“Not a line,” you whispered. “It’s the truth.”
His smile was shy but electric. “Good. Because I don’t think I can stop.”
You laughed, the sound melting into the sound of the waves. “Then don’t.”
You closed the distance, pressing your lips to his in a slow, deliberate kiss that melted into something deeper. His breath hitched, and his hands moved—one sliding under your shirt, fingers grazing the bare skin of your side, the heat of his touch making you shiver.
Your hands found their way to the front of his shirt, fingers tracing the hard muscles beneath, before boldly slipping beneath the fabric to feel the warmth of his skin. 
The stars were wide and endless above you, a smattering of silver across the dark velvet sky. You lay together in the soft, cool sand at Coney Island, wrapped in the folds of Bucky’s worn leather jacket. The wind carried salt and sea and silence, but none of that mattered — not with the weight of him over you, his mouth locked on yours like he was starved for every taste.
And you kissed him back just as hungrily, gasping when his tongue swept against yours, when his hips shifted against yours, slow and searching.
You felt everything.
The rough denim of his jeans against your thighs. The warmth of his hands sliding beneath your jacket, fingers curling under the hem of your shirt. The press of his clothed thigh between your legs where you’d unconsciously slotted yourself against him.
“God,” he muttered against your mouth, voice strained, reverent. “You feel so good like this.”
Your breath hitched as he adjusted his thigh just right — and you instinctively moved, hips rocking forward, rubbing against the strong line of muscle. It was clothed, it was barely anything — but your body jolted, craving more.
“Bucky…” you whispered, dizzy.
He kissed you again, slower this time, almost tentative. But his hands were not — one slid up the length of your back to hold you close, the other trailing down, past your waist to where your leggings hugged tight to your hips.
“Can I?” he asked, voice hoarse, palm resting at the curve between your thighs. “I won’t go any further unless you want—”
You nodded before he could even finish.
“I want,” you breathed. “Please, I want—”
That was all it took.
His hand moved over you, warm and steady, rubbing slow circles over the heat that pulsed between your legs. The pressure sent a jolt through your spine. Your hands clawed at his back through his shirt, needing something to anchor yourself as your hips rutted against him, desperate for friction.
“Jesus,” Bucky groaned, voice muffled against your throat. “Watching you like this — grinding on me — you’re gonna kill me.”
You whimpered when he pressed harder, a precise, perfect drag of his fingers over your leggings, right where you needed him most. Your body was trembling now, breath catching with each stroke.
And then — his thigh shifted again beneath you, and you found yourself rocking against it while he kept his fingers working you through your leggings. A filthy, delicious rhythm.
You gasped his name.
His mouth crashed to yours, swallowing your sounds as he pressed into you with equal urgency — the thick line of his erection clearly outlined through his jeans now, grinding against your hip.
“Fuck, baby,” he whispered, forehead pressed to yours. “You’re drivin’ me crazy. You feel that?”
You nodded, dazed. “You’re hard…”
“For you,” he said, his voice nearly breaking. “Been hard since you kissed me on that damn carousel.”
You shifted then, adjusting your angle — straddling one of his jean-clad thighs while reaching down between you, just bold enough now to cup him through his jeans. He choked out a groan and buried his face in your shoulder.
“Oh fuck—don’t do that unless you wanna see me lose it right here,” he growled, laughing breathlessly.
“I do,” you whispered with a smirk, rolling your hips down against him.
The air around you turned hot and thick, full of panting and groans and need. You rubbed against his thigh, hips rocking, slick and desperate beneath your clothes. And Bucky — Bucky met your rhythm, hands on your ass, pressing you down against him as he thrust up into the crook of your thigh.
The moment was messy, wild, completely clothed — but somehow more vulnerable than anything you’d ever felt.
“I’m close,” you gasped, shaking.
“Me too,” he rasped, voice wrecked. “Let go for me. Wanna feel you come on me like this.”
And you did — with a broken cry muffled against his lips, your body wracked with waves of pleasure as your hips stuttered against his thigh.
Moments later, Bucky came too, groaning into your shoulder, holding you tight as his body trembled. The press of his cock against you went rigid, twitching through his jeans as he spilled into his boxers, panting like he’d just gone ten rounds in the ring.
Silence followed — just the crashing of waves and the sound of both your hearts hammering out of sync.
Then Bucky laughed softly, breathless and warm. “First date, huh?”
You buried your face in his neck. “Best one I’ve ever had.”
“Don’t tell the carousel horse,” he teased. “It’ll be jealous.”
You giggled, tightening your hold on him.
And neither of you moved — not right away. The stars shone down, and for now, the weight of the multiverse didn’t exist.
Just him. Just you. And the soft, sweet echo of everything you were becoming together.
────✪────
Sebastian Stan taglist: @notreallythatlost @houseofaegon @bunnyfella @sunday-bug @wintrsoldrluvr @maryevm @mcira @monsteraddicts-world @positivenergy @cherriesnmango @navs-bhat @hits-different-cause-its-you @avivarougestan
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mandoalorian · 14 days ago
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Uhhhhm rach.. Hymns of Hunger was *delicious*. yes come over to the dark side, it wa such a nice surprise to see you write for Bob. please write a part two! you can’t just leave us with a cliffhanger like that!
Also, would you ever write a bob x reader series? even just a miniseries. I feel like i have read everything out there for bob atm and I am dying for new content. 😌
I have lots of ideas if you are taking requests!
Thank you 💐💐💐🥹🥹🥹 i’d actually received so many requests for Bob in the past month or so, I figured I’d shoot my shot at it, but I wanted to start with writing something on my own terms. I don’t plan on writing a series for Bob or even opening requests for him at the moment, not until I feel more confident writing for him. But the feedback on the fic so far has been so lovely and encouraging so never say never
If you have Bucky requests though… send them my way! Thoughts/feelings/literally anything. I wanna hear it.
I say it all the time but I recommend @ava-starrs-girlfriend ‘s multi chapter werewolf Bob AU which you can read here , it’s actually what made me fall for Bob. Like sure i thought he was cute in the movie but lance’s story made me actually yearn for him soooooo
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mandoalorian · 14 days ago
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the night we stole the stars [bucky barnes x f!reader]
pairing: new avenger!bucky barnes x f!reader
synopsis: you and bucky chase the glow of a forgotten fairground, where soft kisses taste like memories in the making. beneath the boardwalk lights and scattered starlight, the night becomes yours—wild, sacred, and fleeting. but even as your hearts sync in stolen rhythm, something waits in the quiet edges of the multiverse, changing everything
word count: 7900
rating/warnings: 18+ explicit content, dry humping in public place, grinding, making out, plenty of sexual tension, angst in the making (sorry in advance), a little sambucky if you squint
masterlist
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It was early. Not sunrise-early — city early. Horns honked like an orchestra warming up. A dog barked three times in a row. Somewhere, a jackhammer stuttered to life.
Bucky liked mornings like this. Loud enough to drown out memories. Soft enough that everything still felt... possible.
He waited outside the Tower with two coffees in hand, both black. No sugar, no nonsense. He knew Sam would complain. That was kind of the point.
When Sam stepped outside, hoodie pulled over his head, he squinted at the sky like it had personally offended him. His eyes landed on Bucky, then on the second coffee. He walked over wordlessly and took it.
“No sugar?” he asked, sipping anyway.
Bucky shrugged. “You’re sweet enough.”
Sam huffed. “You flirting with me, Barnes?”
“You wish.”
They started walking with no clear destination, boots hitting pavement in sync. The Tower loomed behind them, and Bucky felt a little lighter the farther they got from it.
“So,” Sam said after a beat. “I signed Valentina’s accords, we’re on the same team now, what’s all this about?”
Bucky winced. “Us.”
“Okay, now you’re definitely flirting.” Sam smirked and Bucky stifled a laugh.
“Outside all of this: Doom and the multiverse and… her,” Bucky stopped as he noticed Sam’s face soften. “I really miss you man,” he sighed, the revelation hard for him to admit. If only he had communicated better months ago. Then maybe the fallout wouldn’t have been so bad.
“I miss you too, Buck, but none of this has been easy. Abandoning me and teaming up with John Walker?” Sam replied, not angry but not amused either. “Seriously?”
Bucky thought ‘abandoned’ sounded harsh, but it wasn’t the time to mention it. He took a sip of his coffee. “I know, but the world really needs Captain America. I need Captain America. And I just want us to be okay again.”
“I want that too.” Sam sighed. “Come here.”
And in that moment, Captain America pulled the Winter Soldier in for a hug, solid and comforting, and for the first time in months, Bucky felt like he could breathe again.
“Now that we’re okay,” Sam said, pulling away but keeping his hands on Bucky’s shoulders. “You gotta tell me how the hell you ended up on a team with a literal black widow assassin, the Red Guardian, and Walker. And those billboards… damn Bucky, they had you overlooking New York City like you were some kind of God.”
Bucky looked down at his coffee. “Yeah. That wasn’t my idea.”
“Valentina?”
“Yup. She created this whole PR thing. Wheaties boxes and magazine covers and merchandise. Wanted Yelena and Walker to pretend to date each other, but like hell they would,” Bucky explained. “At the time, they couldn’t be in the same room as each other for longer than ten minutes. So she decided it would look good if me and her pursued this fake relationship. I think she thought the public would put more faith in her if they saw she was dating an Avenger.”
Sam slowed. “Buck… that’s fucking crazy.”
Bucky nodded. “Yeah. Wasn’t easy. But eventually the team started trusting each other. And because I was leading, it meant they were trusting me. And for once… I felt like I was actually doing something right.”
Sam took another long sip. “That’s not nothing.”
“I didn’t agree with the logistics,” Bucky said. “The secrecy, the contracts, the way Valentina tried to puppet us from behind the curtain. But when we were out there, actually fighting for people, it felt... good. Like I belonged somewhere.”
“You’ve always belonged somewhere.”
Bucky gave a quiet, humourless laugh. “You have to say that. You’re my friend.”
“I’m also the guy you iced out when I was trying to rebuild the Avengers. The real Avengers.”
That landed like a punch. Bucky rubbed the back of his neck.
“I thought you didn’t need me,” he admitted.
“Bullshit,” Sam said calmly. “We both know that’s not true. I needed you. I wanted you in it with me. You’re the one who stepped off to be with your Thunderbolt buddies.”
Bucky took a breath. “Maybe. But now you know the truth. Not everything was so rosy. I think from this point forward, we phase Val out for good. We do this, together. We lead, together.”
“Doom’s coming,” Sam muttered, eyes scanning the skyline like he expected Victor to emerge from the clouds. “We both feel it. And now we’ve got all these pieces— The Fantastic Four, the Avengers, tech from a different world—and no time to get our footing.”
“We’ve got each other,” Bucky said. 
They walked another block in silence.
“I hated that billboard,” Sam finally said, like he couldn’t keep it in any longer. Bucky let out a snort.
“Me too.”
“I hated seeing you in it more.”
“That one hurts a little.”
Sam stopped walking and turned to him. “Because you’re mine, Barnes. My grumpy, murderous, 108-year-old sidekick.”
“Sidekick? You’re pushing it now,” Bucky smirked. “I prefer ‘combat veteran with emotional baggage.’”
Sam cracked a grin. “Same thing.”
There was a pause. Then Sam added, “I get it now, though. You felt useful. That matters.”
“It does,” Bucky said. “But it doesn’t matter more than you. More than this.”
They locked eyes. A shared history of battlefields and therapy chairs between them. A bond forged in grief, hammered into something solid by time.
“I’m still with you, Sam,” Bucky said. “Even when the world spins sideways.”
Sam nodded. “Alright, then. Let’s go clean this mess up together.”
They stood there another beat.
Then Sam extended a hand, and Bucky pulled him in for another hug instead—tight, firm, warm.
“I love you, buddy,” Sam murmured.
Bucky’s voice was rough. “Love you too.”
A car honked behind them. The city marched on.
But for the first time in weeks, something clicked back into place. Like the world might still be fixable after all.
────✪────
Sam had given the Fantastic Four a floor of their own in the Avengers tower, on the condition of their cooperation. 
The door to the secure living quarters slid open with a hiss.
Reed Richards stepped inside, eyes scanning the space with something between dread and longing. It wasn’t much—a makeshift living area hastily assembled—but within it stood three faces he thought he might never see again.
Sue was the first to spot him. Her posture stiffened instinctively, shielding mode kicking in before she even registered the emotion. Then her face cracked—just slightly—at the corners.
“Reed,” she said.
Johnny moved faster. “You look like hell.”
Reed blinked. “You look... exactly the same.”
Ben Grimm chuckled from the couch, deep and gravelly. “We had better lighting than you did, pal.”
Sue took a slow step forward. “I didn’t think they’d actually let us—”
“They didn’t,” you said, emerging from behind her, voice firm but not unkind. “I did.”
He turned. You leaned in the doorway with arms crossed, tired but steady. “I reminded Valentina that you’re not much use locked in a cage. Reed agreed that you would help. So now you help.”
Ben gave you a small, grateful nod. “And in return?”
“In return,” you said, “you get your family. But if you step out of line, or Reed, if you try to vanish into a black hole of your own genius—”
“Understood,” Reed said, lifting his hands in surrender. “No disappearing acts. No more secrets.”
Sue was still watching him. She didn’t smile. But she didn’t stop him when he crossed the room and touched her hand.
The silence stretched. Then Johnny cleared his throat loudly. “So, uh. Doom’s back?”
“Doom’s coming,” you corrected. “We’re not sure from where yet. But the tech that attacked the safe house... it wasn’t from here.”
Reed’s brow furrowed. “Alternate universe signatures?”
You nodded.
“That explains the Stark resemblance,” he muttered.
“Exactly,” you said. “We thought Doom was a myth or at least dormant. But if he's tied into a multiverse collapse, we’re going to need your expertise. You said before that you’ve studied this stuff—doppelgängers, alternate selves—what can you do now?”
Reed’s expression turned calculating. Focused. Alive.
“I need to run some tests. The multiverse... it’s like a shattered mirror. Some pieces reflect you exactly, others distort you beyond recognition. I want to start with Johnny.”
“Me?” Johnny blinked. “Why me?”
“Because you’re a perfect test subject. Young, genetically altered by cosmic radiation, and narcissistic enough that if another version of you existed, you’d want to find him immediately.”
“Aw, you do know me,” Johnny said, grinning.
Reed stepped away from the group, already talking to himself. “I’ll need quantum mapping. Multiversal scans. If I can trace even the smallest residue of variant DNA…”
“Reed,” you interrupted. “Focus.”
He blinked and looked at you. “Right. Yes. I’ll start with the scans now.”
As he swept out of the room, Sue sighed deeply. “Same Reed. Different apocalypse.”
Ben snorted. “At least we got him back.”
You watched him go, already lost in theory, hands moving like they were drawing math from the air. Something about it unsettled you—but also gave you hope.
You wandered back to the upper levels, catching the tail end of soft laughter in the training hall. Inside, Yelena was perched cross-legged on a bench, casually tossing a butterfly knife between her fingers. Her gaze lifted when she saw you.
“Was wondering when you’d check in,” she said.
You leaned on the wall beside her. “Reed’s reunited with his family. The science-freak reunion went about as expected.”
“Any theories yet?”
“He wants to test Johnny first. See if he’s got a doppelgänger. Maybe map how the multiverse is pulling apart.”
Yelena tilted her head. “You think that’s what this is? A multiversal pull?”
“I think it’s something worse. Doom doesn’t just appear without reason. And he doesn’t send attack drones for fun.”
Yelena sighed. “You have a point.”
You smiled faintly, then looked around. “Have you seen Bob?”
Her fingers paused over the knife. “No.”
“How long’s it been?”
She gave a small shrug, too casual. “He wasn’t at the morning check-in. I figured he was with Bucky. Or maybe passed out somewhere dramatic.”
You frowned. “I thought he might’ve come to see you.”
“Nope,” she said. “But now that you mention it...”
The two of you exchanged a look. Yelena tucked her knife away and stood up. “You think something’s wrong?”
“I think something’s different,” you said carefully. “He’s been... off. Ever since the void.”
Her brow furrowed. “He said he felt weird. More... powered.”
“Exactly,” you murmured. “Like something in him activated.”
You both stood in silence a moment longer.
“I’m gonna go look for him,” she announced.
“Want some help?” You offered, already tapping into your aura to scan the room for life. 
“It’s okay, he can’t have gone far. Besides, I want all the glory for finding him.” Yelena joked. 
When Yelena left the room, you paused for a moment, taking in the silence. It felt good to have a moment alone, away from the stress of John and Ava arguing, or Bob disappearing, or the upcoming potential multiversal collapse. You inhaled, your fingers starting to tingle and burn a pale lilac colour, sparkling like iridescent flecks of glitter as you tapped into your own aura. Your own feelings. 
Calmness. Wonder. Peace.
You felt relaxed. 
You exhaled and pinched your fingers together, shooting a burst of energy towards a punching bag. The power snapped the chain and the bag went flying into the wall, knocking over a stack of weights in the process. The loud clatter made you jump. How were you ever going to learn to control your powers, when there was no one who could teach you?
You stood and sauntered towards the weights, reaching out to put them back into place. You turned back toward the far end of the room, brushing a hand over your arm to dispel the unease. That’s when you felt it.
Arms wrapped gently around your waist from behind, pulling you into a solid chest.
You gasped, instincts kicking in before your mind caught up.
“Whoa,” came the familiar voice, rough and apologetic. “Too much?”
You exhaled, your heartbeat thudding against your ribs as you melted back into him. “No,” you said, breathless. “Not too much.”
Bucky let out a soft laugh behind you. His metal hand rested low on your stomach, while his warm one splayed across your ribs like he needed to hold you closer. “Sorry. I saw you and just... wanted to be close.”
You turned your head slightly, cheek brushing against his stubble. “Then don’t apologise.”
He leaned in, his lips grazing the shell of your ear. “You okay?”
You nodded. “Bob’s missing. Yelena’s out looking for him. We’ve got Reed researching but there is so much to do, and so little time. And the universe might just collapse in on itself in,” you checked your watch. “Six days,”
Bucky hummed quietly, acknowledging your concern. He dropped his hands to your hips, fingertips brushing skin. “What were you doing in here? Training?”
“I just needed some space to think, and uh— I was trying to understand my powers but I ended up just knocked over a punching bag. The chain snapped… we might need a new one.”
“Forget about the punching bag.” He gave you a gentle squeeze. “Your powers? We’ll figure it out. Besides, for now we just need to make sure we have reinforcements for when Doom comes. We plan for the worst.”
You smiled softly and turned in his arms. His eyes searched yours, his features soft in the training room’s dim light. He looked at you like you were something fragile and holy all at once.
“Bucky, I’m scared.”
He pressed his lips into the top of your head, letting them linger there. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
But that’s exactly what you were afraid of. You had seen just how protective Bucky was of you, even back when you hated him. He’d die for you. And you were too powerful… too chaotic and unruly. What if you hurt him?
You swallowed, and it cut like glass in your throat. Uncomfortable. Fear. Nearly impossible to repress. You tapped his chest lightly, trying to change the subject. “I had fun last night.”
“Me too, uh— I actually wanted to ask you if you’d maybe wanna come out on a date with me again, tonight? But a real date this time. I can show you how I did it in the 40s,”A pink blush appeared over his cheeks. Was Bucky Barnes nervous? When you didn’t reply, he stumbled over his words. “You can say no. I know we have a lot going on but I really think it might be a good distraction and I had this idea…”
Your hand stayed against his chest, feeling the steady thud of his heart beneath your palm. “Yes.”
“Yes?” Bucky’s voice softened. “Okay then. I’ll drop by your room at midnight.”
“That’s late. Where are you taking me?” You asked, looking up at Bucky with curious doe-eyes.
“That, doll, is classified information,” Bucky smirked before sinking to the floor and pulling you down with him, your bodies tangled together on a training mat.
The hush of the empty gym held the moment like a secret. Bucky leaned against the mirrored wall behind him, legs stretched out, and you leaned sideways into him. His arm rested loosely around your shoulders.
“You ever think about the past?” he asked softly. “The good bits, I mean. Not the nightmares.”
You glanced up at him. “Sometimes. I try to remember my brother like that.”
Bucky hummed. “What was he like?”
You smiled faintly, your fingers tracing idle shapes on your own knee. “He was funny. And so patient. He taught me how to ride a bike, you know? Held the seat the whole time until I was halfway down the street. Then I realised he’d let go, and I panicked, wiped out completely. Skinned knees. Total mess.”
Bucky chuckled gently. “Bet he ran straight to you.”
“He did.” Your voice softened with the memory. “Carried me back like I weighed nothing. Gave me the whole pep talk while Mom cleaned me up. Said, ‘you didn’t fall, you learned where the limits were.’” You paused. “He always believed in me, even when I didn’t.”
“You were close.”
You nodded. “He was my best friend. And when he died, I found myself searching for him in other people. I just wanted to feel protected again. Somehow I got caught up with Shane…”
There was a moment of reverent silence between you both. Bucky’s hand slipped from your shoulder to your back, running slow, comforting circles there.
“Shane wasn’t like him?” Bucky asked cautiously, voice almost a whisper, like he was afraid of breaking you.
You stiffened for a second, but then exhaled slowly, leaning a little harder against him. “No. Not even close. My brother protected me. Shane... hurt me. Controlled me. Made me feel like I wasn’t allowed to be myself.”
Bucky’s jaw tensed at that, but he said nothing. Just listened.
“You saw it,” you continued, your voice steadier now. “In the apartment. God Bucky, I’m so glad you came after me. I was a jerk to you and still, you kept coming after me. Saving me when I was in trouble.”
Bucky’s hand stopped moving for a moment. “Shane had a darkness in him,” he said, low. “I’ve seen a lot of monsters, but... the way he tied you up and looked at you—like he owned you—it made my blood boil.”
You swallowed, heart squeezing. “I used to think I’d never get away. And then one day... I did. I just ran. I didn’t even grab my coat.”
“And now look at you,” Bucky murmured, the faintest smile tugging at his lips. “Powerful. Brave. Still standing.”
You looked at him, heart caught in your throat.
“You were the one who showed me I could be more than what he made me believe I was,” you whispered.
He leaned his head down, brushing his forehead gently against yours. “And you showed me I’m more than what they made me.”
Your fingers curled in the fabric of his Henley. “We’re more than our pasts.”
“We are,” he agreed.
And for a long moment, neither of you said anything. You just sat there in the quiet, warmth shared between you, breathing steady, hearts beginning to heal—together.
Your breath mingled with his, both of you hovering on the edge of something that had been growing for days—weeks, maybe. The gravity of everything that had happened, the closeness, the confessions—it all pulled you closer.
Bucky’s hand gently cupped your cheek, his thumb brushing along your skin like he was afraid you’d vanish. His steel-blue eyes searched yours, his breath hitching.
“I want to kiss you,” he murmured, his voice rough and vulnerable. “Is that okay?”
You nodded, your voice caught in your throat. “Yes.”
He started leaning in, slowly—tentatively, reverently—like he was asking one last time. His nose brushed yours. His lips were just a breath away.
And then—
BZZZT.
Your comm crackled to life in your ear. Both of you froze.
“Sorry to interrupt,” came Reed Richards’ voice, clipped and urgent. “But I need you down in Lab 3. Now. I’ve found something. Something... important.”
You pulled back, blinking, heart pounding in a completely different rhythm now. Bucky sighed, his forehead dropping to your shoulder.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered.
You couldn’t help the small, exasperated laugh that escaped you. “Of all the times…”
He pulled away, clearly frustrated, but kissed your forehead in a soft, lingering motion. “We’ll come back to this.”
You nodded, already rising to your feet. “We better.”
────✪────
The lab was dimly lit, a low blue glow cast across the polished floor from the array of holographic panels circling Reed Richards like orbiting satellites. You stepped in quietly, the door hissing shut behind you. Reed didn’t even glance up at first — he was too focused, his hands weaving through data streams as if conducting invisible symphonies of code.
Only when you cleared your throat did he look up.
“Reed?” you called softly, drawing his attention.
He looked up, pale and drawn, like someone who had seen something they wished they could unsee. “You’re here. Good,” he said, his voice clipped, too fast. “I’ve made progress. Or maybe a mistake. I’m still deciding.”
You furrowed your brows and approached, arms crossed. “What kind of progress?”
Reed turned and gestured to the swirling portal behind him, a shimmering ring of translucent energy buzzing low. “Multiversal resonance,” he said, tapping rapidly on the console. “It’s more stable than I expected. I managed to create a soft tether. A gateway. Not just a window, but a bridge. I was able to bring something—someone—through.”
Your stomach dropped. “You brought someone here? From another universe?”
“Yes,” he said. “And that’s where it gets... complicated.”
You glanced at the portal. “Is this about the doppelgängers? Doom looking like Tony Stark?”
Reed nodded grimly. “Exactly. What we’re seeing—these strange overlaps in appearance—comes down to multiversal genetic convergence. Some universes don’t just echo ideas, they echo faces. Patterns of DNA that play out across timelines. It’s rare, but not impossible. You’ll see repeating archetypes, especially in people tied to strong cosmic forces. Heroes. Villains.”
“So this Doom, the one we saw,” you said slowly, “he looks like Tony not by coincidence.”
“No,” Reed said. “And... that brings me to what I have to show you.”
You stilled. Something in his voice changed. He wasn’t the overly confident, casually arrogant genius you were used to. He was nervous. Genuinely nervous. You had never seen Reed Richards unsure before, and it sent a chill through you.
He gestured for you to follow. You walked in silence through the back corridor, the tension thick as lead. When he paused at a reinforced door with a biometric scanner, your pulse quickened.
“Before I open this... I want to be clear,” Reed said, turning to face you. “I didn’t know this was going to happen. And I don’t know what to do with him.”
“Him?” you asked, confused. “Who is it?”
Reed looked at you, his eyes apologetic. Then he unlocked the door.
The lights inside were dimmed, but you saw him instantly.
Sitting on the edge of the cot was a man in a form-fitting fireproof suit, silver gauntlets hanging loosely from his hands, his posture relaxed but guarded. He turned as the door opened.
And your breath was punched out of you.
Blonde hair. Blue eyes. That face.
Steve Rogers' face.
No—not Steve. You knew that. Your brain knew that.
But your heart didn’t.
He stood slowly, confusion flickering in his gaze. “Hi,” he said cautiously. “I’m Johnny. Johnny Storm.”
You couldn’t speak. You couldn’t breathe. It was like your body had frozen solid, horror and heartbreak twisting in your gut. Steve had been gone for years—but this? Seeing that face, alive, familiar, animated with new inflection and different energy—it shattered something in you.
“I don’t know how he ended up like this,” Reed said quietly beside you. “In his universe, Johnny Storm looks like this. I tried to trace the genetic divergence, but the more I dug... the more I lost track of our Johnny.”
Your head whipped toward him. “Wait—what do you mean, you lost him?”
“I think I displaced him accidentally,” Reed admitted, rubbing his forehead. “I was tracing multiversal threads and he slipped through one of them. I don’t know where he ended up. But I brought this Johnny in before I realised. Now I don’t know what to do.”
You turned back to the man in the cell—this Johnny who smiled like Steve, tilted his head like Steve, and radiated warmth with that same impossible familiarity.
You saw Bucky’s face in your mind. His grief. His softness. The way his voice broke when he said Steve’s name.
No. He couldn’t see this.
You stepped forward and placed a hand on Reed’s chest. “You cannot tell anyone about this. Especially not Bucky.”
Reed blinked. “I don’t—why? He’s harmless.”
“No, Reed,” you said sharply. “He’s not. Not to him.”
You swallowed hard, forcing back the storm behind your eyes. “Bucky already saw Doom with Tony’s face. He’s still dealing with that. But Steve? That’s different. That was his brother. His anchor. You show this to Bucky and you break him.”
Reed was quiet for a long time. “So what do you want me to do?”
“Hide him,” you said. “No one can know. Not yet. Until we figure out what this means, and where our Johnny is, you keep him locked away. Please, Reed.”
He hesitated... and then nodded.
“I understand,” he said. “I’ll keep this between us.”
You exhaled softly, the tension in your shoulders loosening just a little.
“I’ll run deeper scans,” Reed added, his tone shifting back toward the scientific. “I want to study this version’s neurological data. If there’s even a trace of Steve’s consciousness—”
“Then we tell Bucky,” you said. “Together.”
He nodded again. “Agreed.”
You looked back at the projection one more time before turning away.
It wasn’t Steve. But it felt like him. Like a phantom echo. A mirage your heart wanted to chase — but couldn’t.
You turned away from the door before the man inside could speak again. Before he could smile and tear another hole in your chest.
As the door sealed shut behind you, your legs nearly gave out from beneath you. You caught yourself on the cold wall, heart racing.
Steve’s face was back in the world.
And you had no idea how long you could keep it secret.
────✪────
The tower was quieter at night — no footsteps in the halls, no voices echoing through the common areas, no alerts pinging from the comms. Just silence, heavy and still.
You were lying in bed, eyes on the ceiling, the room bathed in soft, warm light from the bedside lamp. You’d changed into something comfortable hours ago, ready for your date night, and were trying to relax beforehand. Process everything that had happened. But rest hadn’t come. Every time you closed your eyes, your mind dragged you back to the lab. To Reed.
To the way Johnny Storm’s variant looked like Steve Rogers.
It had been hours since you left the lab. You hadn’t told anyone — not Sam, not Yelena, and definitely not Bucky. You’d eaten half a protein bar, drank some tea, and curled into your bed, hoping for sleep. But instead, you were stuck inside your own head, spinning in circles of guilt and protective instinct.
You didn’t even hear the knock at first. Just a soft thunk thunk at the door.
You sat up slightly, blinking.
“Yeah?” your voice rasped.
“...It’s me,” came the muffled voice.
Your heart tugged in recognition.
You padded barefoot to the door and cracked it open to find Bucky standing in a loose shirt and sweatpants, hair tousled like he’d run his hand through it a hundred times. His eyes searched yours, worry etched into every line on his face.
“You didn’t come to dinner” he said softly. “You okay?”
Your lips parted, but for a second, you didn’t know what to say. You finally nodded, stepping aside to let him in.
“Just… a lot on my mind,” you murmured.
He stepped inside quietly. The door clicked shut behind him. He didn’t go far, just stood near the edge of your bed like he wasn’t sure if he should sit or stay.
You climbed back into the bed and looked over your shoulder at him. “You can lie down. If you want.”
That was all it took. Bucky crossed the room slowly, eased onto the bed, and lay facing you. It was quiet for a beat — the kind of quiet that presses into your ribs.
“What did Reed find?” he asked gently.
You hesitated. Then lied. “Just more data. Another anomaly he’s investigating. But nothing solid.”
His gaze lingered on yours for a long second. Maybe he knew you weren’t being fully honest. Maybe he just trusted you enough not to push.
“Mm,” he hummed. “Okay.”
You studied him. His face was shadowed but soft. Less guarded than usual. His shoulders weren’t quite so tense.
“How are you doing?” you asked, voice barely above a whisper.
He gave you a tired little smile. “I promised I’d stop lying when you ask me that, didn’t I?”
You nodded.
“I’m tired,” he said, exhaling slowly. “Not from the fighting. Not even from Doom or the mission. I’m just tired of feeling like I’m chasing ghosts. Of trying to make peace with who I was and not knowing if I deserve any of this.”
Your heart squeezed. You reached out without thinking, your fingers grazing his forearm.
“I’m glad you’re here,” you said.
A silence stretched, but this one was comfortable.
His hand found your hip beneath the blanket. Warm and gentle. He rested it there for a moment, like he was testing how close he could be without scaring you off.
You didn’t flinch.
“I like it,” you said softly, not looking away. “When you touch me.”
Bucky’s brows lifted slightly, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. “Yeah?”
You nodded. “I feel… safe.”
His thumb swept across your hip, tracing slow circles. “That’s all I ever wanted,” he murmured. “To make you feel safe.”
You swallowed, heart fluttering as he leaned in just a bit closer, their noses almost touching. You could feel his breath against your lips. His eyes searched yours, and then dropped briefly to your mouth, like he was weighing a decision.
“I had feelings for you,” he whispered, “even when you hated me.”
Your breath caught.
“I didn’t want to,” he added quickly. “You had every reason to hate me. And I told myself I didn’t deserve to want anything from you. But I’d watch you on missions. Hear you laugh in the hallway. See you stand your ground with Sam. And I couldn’t help it.”
A soft sound escaped your lips — a whimper somewhere between awe and disbelief.
“I didn’t hate you,” you whispered back. “Not really. I wanted to. But deep down… I think I was so afraid to come to terms with what I really felt. It was easier to fight with you than… the other thing.”
Your hand found his jaw and held it, thumb brushing across the stubble along his cheek.
“I think,” you added, ready to elaborate. “I was scared to forgive you, because if I did… I’d have to admit how badly I wanted you too.”
His breath stilled.
You leaned in closer, your foreheads almost touching.
“I wanted you when I thought I shouldn’t,” you said, lips barely brushing his. “And now… I just want you.”
Bucky closed the gap, but it wasn’t desperate — it was soft, sweet, tender. The kind of kiss that lingered. His hand slid up to your waist, holding you gently. Yours tangled in his hair.
And for a moment, the weight of everything — of multiversal threats, of ghosts in the shape of Steve and Tony — melted away.
It was just the two of you. Whispering warmth and safety into each other’s mouths.
And when the kiss broke, and Bucky tucked you against his chest, his arm curling around your back, you finally felt content. 
You were lying face to face with Bucky, your noses almost touching, the warmth of his palm still resting gently against your waist. You were both content to just be. To breathe each other in. To exist in the same sliver of peace.
His thumb made slow circles over your shirt, right above your hip. You’d long forgotten how to keep your heart from racing around him.
“As much as I love lying here with you, I did promise I’d take you out tonight.” He said, his voice low and husky from the hour. You hummed in response, eyes half-lidded, fingers absently brushing the seam of his sleeve.
He reached up and gently tucked a piece of hair behind your ear, fingertips barely skimming your skin. You shivered—not from the chill, but from the softness of it. From him.
“Oh, so you did.”
“Come sneak out with me,” he whispered, right against your temple.
You blinked, caught off guard. “What?”
His grin was slow and teasing. “Let’s get outta here. Just for a while.”
You stared at him, half laughing, half suspicious. “Bucky. It’s nearly one in the morning.”
“Exactly. Everyone’s asleep. No one will miss us.”
You raised a brow. “What are we, sixteen?”
“Not since the Great Depression,” he said with a smirk. “But I still know how to cause a little trouble.”
You shook your head, biting back a grin. “Where would we even go?”
“I told you earlier, it’s a surprise.”
You groaned. “I hate surprises.”
He tilted his head, eyes sparkling. “Do you trust me?”
The question hung there, weighty, gentle, honest.
Your smile faded, but in its place came something deeper—something vulnerable. You nodded, slow. “Yeah. I trust you.”
His smile softened. “Then come with me. I promise you’ll like it.”
You stared at him, your breath catching—completely and utterly gone for him.
“All right, James Barnes,” you whispered. “Let’s go break the rules.”
────✪────
The rusted gate creaked behind you as you both dropped onto the sand-dusted boardwalk, giggling like you were teenagers again—though Bucky technically had at least a century on that title. The whole place was draped in shadows, lit only by the flickering remnants of carnival lights left on for maintenance or nostalgia. The sea whispered behind you, and the wind tugged at your clothes as Bucky caught your hand and tugged you deeper in.
Coney Island was asleep, but somehow more alive than it had ever been.
"Okay, rules of the fair," Bucky said, voice low, full of mischief. "One: you have to let me win every game we don't actually play. Two: you must pretend to be utterly charmed when I twirl you. And three—most important—no phones, no mission talk, just you and me."
You held up three fingers like a scout. “Scout’s honor.”
“You were never a scout.”
“You were never charming.” You bit back, with a smile painting your face and stars in your eyes.
“Ouch,” he grinned, already pulling you toward the carousel. It sat still and silent, the hand-painted horses frozen in place. Most of the lights had been turned off, but the moonlight cast a silver sheen across the platform.
“I dare you to ride one,” he said, eyes glinting.
“You dare me?”
He nodded solemnly. “Ride it like a princess.”
“Oh, I see. And what does that make you?”
He stepped closer, voice dropping theatrically as he tugged on his jacket. “Your loyal knight in shining leather.”
You threw your head back and laughed. “God, you’re cheesy.”
“Excuse you, I’m gallant.”
Still laughing, you mounted the tallest horse, gripping the pole, dramatically tossing your hair. “Take me on my steed, knight!”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” he said with a faux-bow, pretending to draw an invisible sword. “I vow to protect your honour and steal your cotton candy.”
The wind whooshed around you as he stepped up onto the carousel and reached for your waist. With a playful grunt, he lifted you off the horse, spun you once in the air, and planted you gently back down—your laughter ringing loud in the night.
Your cheeks were hot, and your grin stretched ear to ear.
“I hate how strong you are,” you said breathlessly.
“You love it,” he teased, his hands not leaving your waist just yet.
“I’m not confirming or denying anything.”
Then, you noticed it—the Ferris wheel. Set a little ways off, mostly dark, except for one lone cabin light that blinked weakly every few seconds. The wheel wasn’t running, but it was gently rotating—just enough for someone to sneak a ride.
You glanced at Bucky.
He raised a brow. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Depends. You thinking felony trespassing?”
“I was thinking romance. But felony trespassing is a close second.”
You grabbed his hand. “Then let’s go commit a crime.”
He laughed all the way there, helping you climb into one of the cars. It creaked as it lifted, slow and lazy. You shivered from the chill, and Bucky immediately shrugged off his leather jacket and wrapped it around your shoulders.
“Look at that,” you said softly, curling into his side. “A gentleman and a criminal.”
“Only for you.”
You rested your head against his shoulder, your breath fogging slightly in the air.
“I used to bring girls here,” Bucky said after a long pause, voice low and nostalgic. “Back before the war. Before everything. It was always Coney Island.”
You sat up a little, narrowing your eyes. “Wow. I feel so special.”
He laughed quietly, the sound bittersweet. “Hey, I haven’t brought anyone here since, well... not for about ninety years.”
You blinked. “Seriously?”
He nodded. “Not since Steve and I shipped out.”
Your chest ached, but in the warm, aching way.
His hand found yours again, intertwining your fingers like it was the easiest thing in the world.
“I used to think what I felt for those girls was real,” he said. “Back then, everything felt real. But it wasn’t. Not like this.”
You turned to him slowly. “Like what?”
He looked at you—not just looked, saw you. In a way that made your skin warm beneath your clothes, even in the cold wind.
“Like this,” he whispered, brushing a thumb across your cheek. “This is different.”
Your breath hitched. “Yeah… it is.”
The Ferris wheel turned on, just enough to shift the car you were in, giving you a sweeping view of the empty boardwalk below. Everything quiet, timeless. Like the world had pressed pause and made space for just the two of you.
Bucky leaned in, his lips brushing yours with a softness that made your stomach flutter. When he kissed you, it wasn’t rushed. It was reverent. Like every part of him was savoring the moment.
When you pulled away, he pressed his forehead to yours.
“Best first date I’ve ever had,” you whispered.
He smiled, brushing your nose with his. “I’m not even done yet.”
You grinned. “What else is there?”
He nodded toward the beach. “Stars.”
────✪────
You kicked off your shoes the second your feet touched the sand, the grains still warm in patches from the sun earlier that day. Bucky followed, boots in hand, his rolled-up sleeves brushing against his forearms as the two of you wandered toward the tide. The moon hung low above the ocean like it was watching you, soft and golden.
You dropped onto the sand with a sigh, hugging your knees as the waves whispered their endless lullaby. Bucky sat beside you, then stretched out on his back with his arms behind his head. You glanced at him—his profile soft, more boyish in the moonlight than you'd ever seen him before.
“Lie down,” he murmured, patting the space beside him.
You did, your head on his shoulder, his jacket draped over you like a cocoon. He turned slightly, adjusting to cradle you better, one hand resting protectively over your waist, fingers splayed like he wanted to memorise every curve.
The stars were scattered across the sky like glitter tossed by a careless god.
“This was our favorite thing,” Bucky said after a while, voice quieter than the ocean. “Me and Steve. We'd come out here late, lay on the boardwalk or the roof of my building, and just… stare. No talking. No noise. Just… stars.”
You closed your eyes for a second, imagining that younger version of him. Smiling. Carefree. Unburdened by war or metal arms or trauma.
“I think he saw something up there I never did,” Bucky continued, “Hope. A future. Something good waiting.”
You swallowed hard, feeling the weight of the secret tucked behind your ribs. A Johnny Storm variant that looked just like Steve Rogers. Too much like him. The resemblance had sent ice down your spine. You touched Bucky’s chest lightly, feeling the slow, steady rhythm of his heart.
“He was right, though,” you whispered. “There is something good waiting.”
He looked down at you, his mouth twitching into the ghost of a smile. “Yeah?”
You nodded. “It’s this. Right here. You and me.”
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he tilted his head to kiss the top of yours, lingering for a beat too long, like he was scared the moment might vanish if he moved too quickly.
“I don’t know what I did to deserve this,” he said against your hair.
You tilted your head up toward him. “Maybe it’s not about what you did. Maybe it’s about what you do now.”
He stared at you. And there it was again—that open, wounded awe in his eyes, like he still couldn’t believe you were real. That you’d forgiven him. That you’d chosen him.
“Can I ask you something?” he murmured.
“Anything.”
His hand moved from your waist to your cheek. “Back there, in the tower… before this. When you said you like when I touch you—was that just a line? Or…”
You leaned in, kissing the corner of his mouth.
“Not a line,” you whispered. “It’s the truth.”
His smile was shy but electric. “Good. Because I don’t think I can stop.”
You laughed, the sound melting into the sound of the waves. “Then don’t.”
You closed the distance, pressing your lips to his in a slow, deliberate kiss that melted into something deeper. His breath hitched, and his hands moved—one sliding under your shirt, fingers grazing the bare skin of your side, the heat of his touch making you shiver.
Your hands found their way to the front of his shirt, fingers tracing the hard muscles beneath, before boldly slipping beneath the fabric to feel the warmth of his skin. 
The stars were wide and endless above you, a smattering of silver across the dark velvet sky. You lay together in the soft, cool sand at Coney Island, wrapped in the folds of Bucky’s worn leather jacket. The wind carried salt and sea and silence, but none of that mattered — not with the weight of him over you, his mouth locked on yours like he was starved for every taste.
And you kissed him back just as hungrily, gasping when his tongue swept against yours, when his hips shifted against yours, slow and searching.
You felt everything.
The rough denim of his jeans against your thighs. The warmth of his hands sliding beneath your jacket, fingers curling under the hem of your shirt. The press of his clothed thigh between your legs where you’d unconsciously slotted yourself against him.
“God,” he muttered against your mouth, voice strained, reverent. “You feel so good like this.”
Your breath hitched as he adjusted his thigh just right — and you instinctively moved, hips rocking forward, rubbing against the strong line of muscle. It was clothed, it was barely anything — but your body jolted, craving more.
“Bucky…” you whispered, dizzy.
He kissed you again, slower this time, almost tentative. But his hands were not — one slid up the length of your back to hold you close, the other trailing down, past your waist to where your leggings hugged tight to your hips.
“Can I?” he asked, voice hoarse, palm resting at the curve between your thighs. “I won’t go any further unless you want—”
You nodded before he could even finish.
“I want,” you breathed. “Please, I want—”
That was all it took.
His hand moved over you, warm and steady, rubbing slow circles over the heat that pulsed between your legs. The pressure sent a jolt through your spine. Your hands clawed at his back through his shirt, needing something to anchor yourself as your hips rutted against him, desperate for friction.
“Jesus,” Bucky groaned, voice muffled against your throat. “Watching you like this — grinding on me — you’re gonna kill me.”
You whimpered when he pressed harder, a precise, perfect drag of his fingers over your leggings, right where you needed him most. Your body was trembling now, breath catching with each stroke.
And then — his thigh shifted again beneath you, and you found yourself rocking against it while he kept his fingers working you through your leggings. A filthy, delicious rhythm.
You gasped his name.
His mouth crashed to yours, swallowing your sounds as he pressed into you with equal urgency — the thick line of his erection clearly outlined through his jeans now, grinding against your hip.
“Fuck, baby,” he whispered, forehead pressed to yours. “You’re drivin’ me crazy. You feel that?”
You nodded, dazed. “You’re hard…”
“For you,” he said, his voice nearly breaking. “Been hard since you kissed me on that damn carousel.”
You shifted then, adjusting your angle — straddling one of his jean-clad thighs while reaching down between you, just bold enough now to cup him through his jeans. He choked out a groan and buried his face in your shoulder.
“Oh fuck—don’t do that unless you wanna see me lose it right here,” he growled, laughing breathlessly.
“I do,” you whispered with a smirk, rolling your hips down against him.
The air around you turned hot and thick, full of panting and groans and need. You rubbed against his thigh, hips rocking, slick and desperate beneath your clothes. And Bucky — Bucky met your rhythm, hands on your ass, pressing you down against him as he thrust up into the crook of your thigh.
The moment was messy, wild, completely clothed — but somehow more vulnerable than anything you’d ever felt.
“I’m close,” you gasped, shaking.
“Me too,” he rasped, voice wrecked. “Let go for me. Wanna feel you come on me like this.”
And you did — with a broken cry muffled against his lips, your body wracked with waves of pleasure as your hips stuttered against his thigh.
Moments later, Bucky came too, groaning into your shoulder, holding you tight as his body trembled. The press of his cock against you went rigid, twitching through his jeans as he spilled into his boxers, panting like he’d just gone ten rounds in the ring.
Silence followed — just the crashing of waves and the sound of both your hearts hammering out of sync.
Then Bucky laughed softly, breathless and warm. “First date, huh?”
You buried your face in his neck. “Best one I’ve ever had.”
“Don’t tell the carousel horse,” he teased. “It’ll be jealous.”
You giggled, tightening your hold on him.
And neither of you moved — not right away. The stars shone down, and for now, the weight of the multiverse didn’t exist.
Just him. Just you. And the soft, sweet echo of everything you were becoming together.
────✪────
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mandoalorian · 15 days ago
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hymns of hunger [bob reynolds x f!reader]
synopsis: training with bob turns into something more.
warnings: 18+ explicit content, mdni, unprotected p in v, riding, f recieving oral, m recieving oral, sub!bob, he's super needy lol, reader is defo kinda more on the dom side, bob is inexperienced ig?, praise kink, porn with no plot, oh and a certain someone walks in on them...
masterlist ⋆✴︎˚。⋆
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The New Avengers Tower training room was a ghost town at 2 a.m., the mirrors catching the city’s neon pulse like a silent dare. Bob Reynolds stood on the mats, looking like a kicked puppy in his worn tee and loose sweatpants, hair a sweaty mess. Bucky had thrown him a lifeline—a shot at the New Avengers if he could prove himself—and you were tasked with moulding him into something more than just a washed-up Sentry.
Leaning against the wall in a tight tank top and leggings, you smirked, all confidence. “Ready to sweat, Reynolds? Or you just here to stare?”
Bob’s blue eyes flicked up, nervous but burning with something raw. “I don’t know if I’m good enough, but I’ll try,” he mumbled, voice rough, laced with that self-loathing that made your chest ache.
Once a god, now just Bob, he was a tangle of guilt and grit, and fuck if his effort didn’t pull you in. Bucky saw potential; but you saw a man who needed to be wanted.
You started with drills—jabs, dodges, footwork. Bob was clumsy, all elbows and heart, but his determination was hot as hell. “Eyes on me, rookie,” you snapped, ducking his sloppy punch. 
He landed one, grinning like a kid, and your “Not bad, Bob” made him flush, a needy edge in his eyes that hit you low. An hour in, sweat soaked his shirt, clinging to every lean inch of him, and you called for a spar, stepping close, hips cocked. “Show me what you got.”
He lunged, all eagerness, no finesse, and you grabbed his wrist, twisting until you had him pinned, his back to the mat, your thighs straddling his hips. “Down already?” you teased,  smirking. His chest heaved, eyes dark, locked on your lips.
“I’m fucked,” he rasped, voice low, trembling with want, and that whimpering tone sent a jolt straight to your core. The air crackled, the city’s glow painting you both in electric hues.
“You’re not fucked,” you purred, leaning closer, your breath hot against his ear. “Not yet.” 
His whine was desperate, hips shifting under you, the hard press of him through his sweatpants betraying his need. “Please,” he breathed, voice cracking, and that plea—raw, unguarded—lit you up.
“Bucky wants you ready,” you said, trailing a finger down his chest, “but I want you mine first.”
You kissed him, hard and claiming, swallowing his soft moan as his tongue fumbled against yours, eager but unsure. “Slow down, needy,” you murmured, tugging his hair, guiding him. 
He whimpered, hands shaking as they hovered over your hips. “Good boy,” you whispered, yanking your tank top off, baring yourself.
His eyes widened, reverent, and he whined, “Fuck, you’re perfect.” You grinned, guiding his hands to your breasts, teaching him how to touch, his thumbs circling your nipples until you gasped, heat pooling between your thighs.
“Want to make me feel good?” you asked, voice low, commanding. He nodded, frantic, a soft “Yes, please” spilling out. You slid up, peeling off your leggings, and his breath hitched, eyes locked on you, desperate. “On your knees,” you ordered, and he scrambled to obey, kneeling on the mat, hands gripping your thighs like a lifeline. You tangled your fingers in his hair, guiding him to your core. “Lick,” you said, and he dove in, tongue tentative at first, then eager, lapping at you with sloppy, needy devotion.
“Fuck, Bob,” you moaned, thighs trembling as his tongue found your clit, circling with growing confidence as you coached him. “Just like that—yes, you’re so good.” His whimpers vibrated against you, his hands clutching your hips, pulling you closer as he devoured you, eyes flicking up for approval.
The sight of him—sweaty, flushed, desperate to please—pushed you closer to the edge, your moans echoing in the empty room. “Don’t stop,” you gasped, grinding against his mouth, and he groaned, the sound sending you spiralling, your climax hitting hard, leaving you shaking as he lapped up every drop.
You pulled him up, kissing him, tasting yourself on his lips. “My turn to drive,” you purred, shoving his sweatpants down, freeing his aching cock, hard and leaking. He whined, hips bucking as you stroked him, slow and teasing.
“Please, I need—” he stammered, voice wrecked, and you smirked, pushing him onto his back.
“I know what you need,” you said, straddling him, sinking down onto him in one smooth motion.
The stretch was perfect, his thick length filling you as you both groaned. “Fuck,” he whimpered, hands clutching your hips, eyes wide with awe. You rode him, slow at first, then harder, setting a rhythm that had him gasping, his hips jerking up to meet you.
“Follow my lead,” you said, guiding his hands to your clit, showing him how to touch, your moans spurring him on.
“Yes, ma’am,” he panted, voice trembling, and you laughed, grinding down, chasing the heat building between you.
The mirrors caught it all—your bodies slick with sweat, his desperate whimpers, your commanding gaze. “Tell me you’re mine,” you ordered, nails raking his chest, and he moaned, “I’m yours, fuck, all yours.” The words, raw and needy, pushed you over, your second climax crashing through you as you clenched around him. He followed, a broken cry of your name as he came, hot and shuddering, his hands gripping you like you were his anchor.
You collapsed against him, panting, his arms wrapping around you, soft and clingy. “Holy shit,” he mumbled, voice hoarse, a shy smile breaking through. You kissed his jaw, tracing his scars. “You’re gonna kill it with the Avengers.”
Then—thud. The door swung open, and Bucky Barnes leaned against the frame, metal arm glinting, a wicked grin spreading across his face. “Well, fuck me,” he drawled, eyes raking over you both—Bob, flushed and wrecked, still tangled in you. “Training’s lookin’ real intense, huh?”
Bob froze, a mortified whimper escaping, but you just smirked, still straddling him. “Jealous, Barnes? Wanna join next time?”
Bucky’s laugh was low, dangerous, his gaze lingering a beat too long. “Keep that up, and I just might, doll.” He winked, stepping back, leaving the door cracked. “Clean up before John sees this shitshow.” The door clicked shut, but his words hung in the air, a promise that sent a new spark through you.
Bob groaned, hiding his face in your shoulder. “I’m dead.”
You grinned, ruffling his hair.
“Nah, you’re just getting started—and next time, we might have company.”
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mandoalorian · 15 days ago
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about me
✎ hey! and welcome to my blog.
my name is rach and i am an aspiring writer from uk. i have been writing on this blog, on and off, since 2020. feel free to stop by and indulge, and ask me anything!
day-to-day i am a university student and i work a part-time job whilst studying. when i have a little spare time, or feel inspired, i like to bring it here and share it with the world. i love star wars, dc, and marvel. i like to read and watch television; my favourite tv show is friends. i also love video games, whether it be resident evil, silent hill, the last of us, or red dead redemption; my playstation is where i go to escape. you can find me nearly always with my airpods in, listening to taylor swift. my favourite albums are evermore, red and midnights. i am esfp and also a taurus.
i love to chat so please feel free to send me a message! if you like my writing and want to support me further, you can find my ko-fi here. i am open to requests, but i can’t promise to do every one. if i feel a particular way about one, i would love to try and write it for you. 
hope you have fun exploring! ₊˚ෆ
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