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saiilorstars · 4 months ago

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Curing the Brokenhearted

Bucky Barnes x ofc || One Shot Masterlist

Summary: Bucky can't stand seeing Chloe through another break-up and decides to fix things for her. He does everything except telling her the truth about his own feelings.

Taglist: @ocappreciationtag @arrthurpendragon @maaaaarveeeeel @stareyedplanet @gloryekaterina @lenonizi @averyhotchner @foxesandmagic @kmc1989 @caplanbuckybarnes

• Chloe’s Masterlist •

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Chloe was a terrible mess. She was a loud, sobbing mess. It was embarrassing and everyone in the compound could hear her. Later in the future, she would be absolutely mortified by this moment but for now, she didn't have a head for anything else. Her best friend Seren was doing everything she could to console her. She had boxes of tissue at the hand, her best comforting words and hugs available. As the hours ticked by, the tissues ultimately ran out, much like Chloe and her tears.

"I'm gonna get you something to eat," Seren decided, though Chloe explicitly declared she didn't have an appetite for anything. "You gotta eat something. It's not good for you!"

"What's not good for me is to keep trying at this relationship stuff," huffed Chloe. She grabbed one of the last tissues to blow her nose. "Look at how they all end? I can handle being stood up, being dumped, but to be cheated on? What is that?"

"It's awful," agreed Seren, "but he does not deserve any of your tears."

"This is what I get for lying to myself," Chloe muttered, tossing the used tissue to the floor. "For thinking that I could…that I could love someone else…"

"Oh, Chloe, don't do that to yourself," Seren said, trying to fix some of Chloe's hair away from her face. "This is definitely not the moment to think about that."

"I think it's the perfect moment considering this is my umpteenth failed relationship," Chloe retorted bitterly. "I'm tired of it, Seren."

Seren knew that she was. It couldn't be easy trying to hide your real feelings. "I'm going to get you something to eat," she insisted. "Don't move."

Chloe scoffed. "Not like I'm presentable enough to go anywhere but the four walls of my bedroom."

Seren left the room with the promise that she would come back with something that would make Chloe want to eat. On her way back with a dinner tray in her hands, she came across Bucky in the hallway. He seemed to be lingering close to the lounge room where Chloe was (hopefully) waiting.

"What's going on?" he asked Seren, his face filled with nothing but concern. "Why's Chloe so upset?"

Seren sighed and answered in a quiet voice. "Chloe went to see her boyfriend this morning."

Immediately, Bucky rolled his eyes. "That guy…"

"Yeah, 'that guy,'" Seren mimicked his tone, "wasn't exactly alone when Chloe surprised him in his apartment."

Bucky blinked with surprise. "Excuse me?" His eyes settled on the ginger in front of him. "What do you mean?"

"I think you know what I mean, Barnes," Seren said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

It was no secret to anyone that Bucky hated just about anyone who dared to date Chloe. It was also no secret to anyone why he hated them. It was an endless cycle; Chloe found someone new to date, Bucky would hate them, the relationship ended (sometimes good, sometimes bad), and then it would start all over again. However, none of these relationships' endings ever made Chloe this upset.

"What the hell did he do to her?" came the sharp demand from Bucky.

"Turns out you were actually right about this one," shrugged Seren. "He's an ass. He cheated on Chloe, what else? She went to surprise him this morning and she had a key to the apartment. He was busy. Got it now?"

Bucky's jaw clenched. "Got it," he muttered.

"He didn't even have the decency to apologize."

"He didn't?"

"No, but really what guy ever does? Poor Chloe, she's taking it really hard. It's definitely brought her confidence down."

"Where does this guy fucking live again?"

"Oh, I'm not gonna do that," Seren shook her head and went around Bucky to continue her way to Chloe. "You'll go over there, make a bigger mess, possibly murder the guy and then Chloe will cry all over again."

"You think she'd cry over him again?"

It was the way the stupid question was asked that made Seren spin around, nearly spilling Chloe's dinner. "Are you that dense? Why would she cry over someone she doesn't love?"

Bucky straightened up and stared at her. "She's crying right now…"

"And you think it's all gotta do with him?"

Bucky understood the question, but he didn't dare to answer. Answering it would mean nitpicking until the truth came out and to admit the truth out loud...well, he didn't want to cause a bigger mess.

Sensing his inner turmoil, Seren walked up to him and pushed the dinner tray into his arms. "You really want to help her? Get her to eat, and then get her to rest. I hate the guy as much as you do right now so let's make sure she gets over this fiasco already. While she's not crying about him, he still humiliated her in the worst way possible. Neither you nor I will stand for that. Do you understand?"

There was nothing else to say after that. Bucky gripped the sides of the tray and made his way towards the room.

When he entered, he found Chloe sitting on the couch, her legs tucked underneath her. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, her hair disheveled, gaze downcast until she heard him.

"Okay, I'm ready to be embarrassed now," she mumbled and began wiping some of the tears off her face. Her confidence took another dive when she started taking count of all the tissues she had around her.

"Hey Chlo, how you feeling?" Bucky gently spoke to her and approached her slowly.

She gave him a weak shrug. "I'm sure Seren told you about my…lovely morning…"

"She, um, she told me…" Bucky took a seat next to her on the couch, setting the tray on the table in front of them.

Chloe's shoulders slumped down as a sigh left her lips. "I don't understand. If he didn't want to be with me anymore, why didn't he just tell me?"

"Because he's a coward," Bucky didn't hesitate to say. "Because he's not a real man. A real man would say what he wants or doesn't want."

And yet as he spoke these words, Bucky felt like he himself was nowhere near a real man too. He loved Chloe, he had for a long time now, and he kept his mouth shut. Instead, he resorted to watching her go out with other men. It didn't matter if they treated her nice and made her happy, he despised them all. They got to do the things he would love to have with Chloe.

"I just don't understand!" Chloe's exclaim brought Bucky back to the present. "I don't think — I don't think I deserve this."

"No, you don't," Bucky agreed with her. "You deserve to be happy. You deserve to be with someone who can give you everything you want in life."

"Hm," Chloe smiled for the first time that day, "I fear nobody really gets me like you do, Bucky."

He half smiled at her. She looked so pretty when she smiled, how could any man want to take it away? Before his thoughts really got away from him, Bucky asked her — pleaded with her — to have some dinner.

"I'm not that hungry," she insisted.

"Please, for me?" Bucky held out the plate to her, putting his best smile to encourage her.

Little did he know, Chloe had given into his request because of his oh-so charming eyes. The way he looked at her when he was trying to persuade her to do something never failed, he just never realized it.

"Okay," she mumbled and took the plate from him.

Bucky made sure she ate everything, down to the vegetables she didn't like all that much. Chloe cursed him and his beautiful eyes.

"Can I interest you in a nice rest this evening?" he asked after he'd taken the dinner tray from her.

"You don't have to be that nice to me, Bucky," Chloe said with a sigh. "You don't have to walk on eggshells around me either."

"And you don't have to pretend like everything is okay," Bucky countered smoothly, but very quickly panicked when her gaze fell.

"I guess I really do look that awful then," she said miserably. She rubbed her cheeks as if there were still tears lingering there, then retried fixing her hair a bit.

"No, no, hey," Bucky reached for her hand tugging at her hair, "That's not it at all. Hey…" He gently squeezed her hand in his. "That's not it. I just think you should rest, you know? Don't give that guy another thought."

"It's harder than you think," Chloe admitted. "It's awful — knowing that someone cheated on you. It's like…it's like you weren't good enough…it's even worse knowing that I didn't even…"

But she stopped herself there. There was no reason to overshare with Bucky about how she didn't even love the guy; that she only went out with him in an effort to suppress her actual feelings for someone else…

"It's nothing but humiliating," she whispered, lowering her head. "He didn't even try to deny it. Kind of made it my fault, you know? Why was I in his apartment? Why didn't I treat him better?"

Bucky's blood boiled with anger. "He said that?"

"Said, shouted, it's all a blur," Chloe shrugged. "I mean…I know I'm not the best but…he could have just broken up. I didn't deserve that moment…"

"You didn't," Bucky said sternly. He stood up and without a warning, he pulled Chloe up as well.

"What are you—!?" she yelped as his arm swung behind her and she was picked up. "Bucky!? What are you doing!?"

"You're sleeping!" he declared. He held her bridal-style and walked to her bedroom with zero regrets.

Chloe knew better than to try and fight her way out of his arms. His strength was unmatched. And maybe…she didn't really want to fight anyways.

He brought her into her room and put her down on the bed.

"Can you stay for another moment?" She asked him as he backtracked from the bed.

Bucky had not been expecting the request and it showed. "Uh, are you sure?"

"I fear what my thoughts might turn into if I'm alone again," she admitted. "You know what they say…sometimes you are your worst enemy…"

Boy, did Bucky know that. He ultimately agreed and with her guidance (and more reassurance), he climbed into the bed with her until they were laying side by side.

"How pathetic," Chloe mumbled, then turned her head towards Bucky, "Isn't it Friday night?"

"Yup…" Bucky said, turning his head towards her.

A large smile spread across her face. "And we're here…so we're both pathetic?"

"I don't want to kick you when you're already down but—"

Chloe laughed and turned her head away. Sometimes, his blunt sass was the best medicine for her struggles.

"You should rest, Chlo. I'll come back and check in on you later."

"No!" Chloe had stopped him before he even moved a muscle. "I'm — you think you could stay for just another moment? I-I just need…someone here…" Had she been braver, she would have said he was the one she needed. "Unless…it's Friday night…" she closed her eyes and smiled, feeling very dumb for a second, "You have places you want to be at…of course…"

"No, no, no, what are you talking about?" Bucky touched her cheek before he thought of it. "I don't have anywhere else to be except here, I promise."

"Are you sure? Weren't you making plans with Sam or something to go out? I heard something about some dates…" She lied. She heard exactly about the dates. It had only been a few times that Bucky had been seeing some girl — Sam's friend or whatever — and while the girl was absolutely great, Chloe was not happy about it. It was actually right around the time she started going out with this guy…

"Nah," Bucky said without hesitation. "I didn't have any plans."

"Really?" Chloe couldn't ignore the little flutter in her heart at the news.

"Really," Bucky promised her again. "I'll be right here for you, it's okay."

"Thank you," Chloe said genuinely, then scooted closer to him. She appreciated him more than he knew. "Do you think I'm an idiot for not seeing the signs sooner?"

"What are you talking about, Chlo? Him cheating on you is not your fault." Bucky feared he would have to repeat that line at least another ten times before Chloe's hard head finally understood.

For now, she would be self-doubting until she fell asleep. It only infuriated Bucky more.

~0~

Seren was clearing up the kitchen when she saw Bucky striding past the doorway, and right behind him went Steve. She dropped everything and ran after them. "Hey!" she stopped them in the hallway. "How was Chloe? Did she—?"

"She's asleep," Bucky answered hastily, looking the part as well. "We gotta go."

"Go?" Seren scrunched her nose. "Where? It's like 10 o'clock in the night. What, a boy's night?" She was smiling jokingly until she saw the look on Steve's face, and the ire-filled one on Bucky. "What is going on? Where are you going?"

"Just out," said Bucky, shrugging.

"Where?"

"For a drink, what else, Seren?" Bucky said, clearly annoyed she was holding them up.

Seren's eyebrows couldn't go up any higher. "You guys know I'm not buying this for a second, right?" She looked more specifically at Steve. "Don't let him do anything stupid."

Steve gave her a mock salute. "I'll try my best." But he truly couldn't do anything except just go along with Bucky's idea, no matter how crazy it was. It was definitely some sort of payback for everything he put Bucky through back in the 40s.

Bucky had found the address of Chloe's ex with JARVIS' help and had the wonderful idea to pay him a visit. Steve's intervention only allowed for Bucky to just knock on the front door rather than destroy it. In five seconds flat, Bucky had slammed the guy face-first against the wall, hands pinned behind his back.

"Argh! What the hell!?" No matter how many times he fought, Bucky's grip wouldn't budge.

"Let's talk about your to-do list for tomorrow," Bucky said very matter-of-factly. "You're going to call Chloe tomorrow morning and apologize for being a complete ass."

"The hell I will!" snarled the guy until Bucky gripped one of his wrists so tight that he broke a bone. "AGH!"

"Bucky," Steve began to try and intervene again, "maybe you shouldn't—"

"Stay out of it, Steve," warned Bucky. He tilted his head at the guy. "So then — you'll call tomorrow morning?"

"Yes, yes, fine!"

"And you'll apologize—"

"Yes!"

"—and you'll send her a little gift—

"What!?"

Bucky twisted the man's already broken wrist and elicited quite a scream from him. Steve winced behind them but didn't try stopping Bucky anymore.

"A gift to apologize," Bucky reiterated loudly and slowly as if he were talking to a child. "Do you understand?"

"YES!" cried the guy.

"Good," Bucky grinned rather maniacally, "and don't you dare step foot anywhere near Chloe. You call and send the gift. And it better be good or I'll be back."

As soon as Bucky released him, the guy spun around and clutched his broken wrist.

"You're crazy!"

"I'm worse than that," Bucky promised him. "So you should try and follow along before I'm back without him," he made a gesture towards Steve. "Got it?"

As soon as he got the 'yes', Bucky was out of there.

"You don't think you overdid it a bit?" Steve asked him on their way out.

"What do you mean? I didn't even kill the guy," Bucky muttered. "She'll never hear a word about this, right?"

Steve bobbed his head, a smile coming to his face. "Yeah, Chloe's not the one I'm worried about."

~0~

Seren brought Chloe a nice breakfast in the morning and used it as an excuse to see how she was doing today.

"I haven't cried, I swear," Chloe said, eyeing the meal prepared for her. "I think I'm all done, you know? No more tears in these eyes."

"That's good…I think…" Seren said slowly, "But, really, you shouldn't be crying for that guy. He's not worth a single tear."

Chloe nodded fervently. She had told herself that all night. "Yeah, I know. It's just the…the shock, you know? I've had bad relationships before but no one's ever humiliated me like that. Like, I know it's my fault—"

"It's not your fault," Seren said flatly.

"No, no, listen," Chloe motioned for her to wait, "I'm not — I understand that, I do. But let's face it, you know my secret. You know that I never even really liked him in the first place…"

Seren sighed, but agreed.

"So…I really could have avoided all this if I hadn't gone out with him…"

"Well, I hope this is your wake-up call," Seren said, reaching for the fork next to the plate. "Get yourself ready, and just go talk to—"

Chloe's cell phone went off at that moment. She reached over for the night stand and picked it up, answering without checking to see who it was.

"Hello?" she took the fork from Seren.

"Chloe, I'm sorry."

Chloe dropped her fork on the meal tray. Seren raised an eyebrow at her.

"What are you doing?" Chloe frowned. "Calling me like this? What? You think I'm going to forgive you?"

"No! I — I'm just calling to say sorry. I'm sorry, okay? I-I shouldn't have—"

"Cheated? Well duh. That should have been obvious," Chloe rolled her eyes.

"Chloe listen to me, please, just…just know that I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

Chloe detected something off with his voice, but before she could ask about it, he hung up. "Huh…that was strange…"

"My thoughts exactly," Seren said. She had picked up Chloe's fork and eaten some of the food.

Chloe was thoughtful for a long moment.

"You okay?" Seren asked after a while.

"Yeah…I…I think I am…" Slowly, Chloe reached over and took her fork back. "I mean… I didn't really need this apology…"

"Yeah, you did," Seren nodded, "because you deserve that and more. Eat."

~0~

It was noon when Seren found Steve and Bucky in the training room sparring together.

"Who's winning?" she called, letting them know of her presence.

"I am!" They each said then shot each other the same looks.

Seren laughed lightly.

Steve gave up the sparring and went to Seren to greet her with a hug and a kiss. "Where've you been?"

"Just looking after Chloe," she said, then looked over at Bucky. He'd gone towards the weaponry for a change of training.

"How is she doing?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Oh, you know, better than yesterday." Seren cleared her throat before speaking again. "Funny thing, we were having a little chat in the morning having a chat and she got an interesting call." She felt the lightest little move of Steve's hand on her back.

"She did?" Bucky turned around with a staff in his hand.

"Yeah, apparently, her cheating ex-boyfriend had a change of heart this morning…"

"He did?"

"Mhm," nodded Seren, looking up at Steve innocently, "He called to apologize to Chloe, can you believe that?"

"That's…that's great," Steve smiled, as did Seren.

"Yeah," she agreed with a light chuckle before meeting Bucky's gaze, "Who would have thought, right? I mean yesterday he was the world's biggest jerk and now today he grew a conscience? If only all guys were like that…the world would be a much better place."

"It would," Bucky agreed, walking over to them. "Good for Chloe."

"Mhm…" Seren made a point to look between the two men for a dramatic minute. "You guys understand that I'm not buying this, right? Like not even close."

Steve snuck a glance at Bucky with a 'what do we do now?' look.

Bucky remained absolutely cool. "I don't understand."

Steve almost punched him on the spot.

Seren's face fell flat. "You know, being an ass to the best friend of the girl you're in love with isn't really the way to her heart."

"I didn't do anything, Seren. If the guy grew a conscience, who cares. It's the least Chloe deserved, right?"

"Right," agreed Seren casually, "oh, and by the way, next time you guys want to lie with a shred of credibility, you might want to go with a better line. It's hard to believe you went out for drinks when neither of you" — she looked between them again — "can get drunk. You guys are shitty liars."

"She used bad language," Bucky pointed at Steve, the latter rolling his eyes.

"He likes it," said Seren nonchalantly. "But my point stands."

"I didn't do anything," Bucky insisted. Not even Steve was willing to continue with the lie.

"Buck, c'mon…"

"This was dropped off," Seren declared and pulled a small box from her jacket's inside pocket. "For Chloe…so strange, right?"

"I don't know how you take her stupid smirk," Bucky muttered to Steve.

"I think she's trying to make a point," he told Bucky.

"I am," confirmed Seren with a fervent nod. "What I'm trying to say is, instead of going behind Chloe's back to do all these things for her, why don't you just face her and tell her the truth? That you love her. That you don't want anyone to hurt her the way that this guy" — she made a gesture to the present in her hands — "did. I think that's good, right honey?" She gave a light whack on Steve's arm.

"Perfect, actually," he agreed.

Seren pushed the present into Bucky's hands. "Don't think Chloe's going to want this, by the way."

"That wasn't the idea," Bucky said, earning identical smiles from the pair. He rolled his eyes at them. "You guys are annoying, you know that?"

"We think we're alright," Steve shrugged, and Seren chuckled as Bucky took off.

~0~

Chloe was humming a little tune under her breath while she finished the last bit of her make-up in front of her mirror. Her spirits were a lot better than yesterday, and she even felt a little motivated to go outside. Someone knocked on her door and she shouted that it was unlocked. If she moved now, her eyeliner would be ruined. From the corner of her eye, she saw the door open and Bucky standing on the other side.

"Hey sergeant," she greeted politely, "what's up?"

"Uuh, things…" Bucky replied slowly, gazing at her fondly. She looked a lot better than last night. "What are…what are you up to over there?"

Chloe smiled at her reflection. "Well, not that you needed to know but I got up and I felt like showering, taking care of myself, you know?"

"I can see…does that mean you're feeling better then?"

"Yup!" Chloe popped the 'p' in her answer and turned around with a dazzling smile that soon became a confused one. "What are those?"

Bucky was holding a bouquet of flowers in his hands. "Oh, you know…" he cleared his throat, his miserable attempt at being casual was actually killing him on the inside, "I thought…maybe, uh…you'd like 'em?"

Chloe's smile returned, although the confusion did not waver. "Seriously?" Bucky nodded, clearing his throat again. "I mean…they're beautiful, Bucky. I can smell them from here!" She also wondered if he could hear how fast her heart was going right now. That's embarrassing. "What's the occasion?"

"You," Bucky said without skipping a beat. He saw a faint blush across Chloe's face in the next second and relaxed.

"Me?" Chloe pointed at herself.

"Yeah," Bucky looked her over once, and then twice. She was in a very pretty dress and the light make up on her face was perfection. She was perfection. "With you, there's always an occasion for flowers, don't you think?"

"Well, if my confidence was off the charts, sure…" Chloe chuckled nervously, "Is this your way of cheering me up from last night?"

"Before I answer, how are you doing, Chloe? Really?"

Chloe's eyebrows raised at the question. "Interestingly enough, I do feel better. Honest. I, um, I got a call from him, actually."

"Oh, really?" Bucky feigned surprise.

"Mhm," nodded Chloe, "He apologized, can you believe it?"

Bucky raised his eyebrows as he fully committed to the role of someone in the dark. "Wow, no, uh…I'd never expect him to do that."

"Yeah…" Chloe crossed her arms, her lips spreading into a very, very wide smile.

It took Bucky a moment to realize she was staring at him with purpose. "What?"

"You know that I know you're lying through your teeth, right?" Chloe tilted her head at him, waiting for him to unravel from his obvious lie.

"Wh-what!? Why would — what are you talking about, Chlo?" As much as his best friend loved Seren, he was going to kill her for telling Chloe everything.

"James," Chloe's gaze sharpened, "if you know what's good for you, don't make me government name you right now."

"Government name me?" Bucky laughed nervously. "What's that even mean?"

"Cut the bullshit! I know you had something to do with that call!" Chloe inched towards him and pointed with a sharp finger at him. "You can be the honest sergeant I know you are and just own up to it. I think…it was pretty sweet of you."

Bucky stopped completely. "Really?"

Chloe chuckled at him. He looked adorable (well, more than usual anyways). "Mhm…so…if it was you…"

"No, it was," Bucky said instantly, eliciting another laugh from Chloe. Bucky exhaled deeply and apologized for his interference. "I just couldn't take what he did and the fact that he blamed you for it? He's lucky I didn't punch him with this," he raised his vibranium hand.

"Yeah, it'd be hard to thank you if you were in prison," Chloe remarked then went back to smiling. "Thank you, if it wasn't obvious. You know you didn't have to do any of that for me, right?"

"I know," Bucky shrugged, "but it doesn't mean I shouldn't have. Nobody should have the right to hurt you. How did you know it was me? Did Seren tell you?"

"No," Chloe shook her head, "Although I'm very shocked that she let you interfere with this."

"Oh no, she didn't. I'm actually very annoyed with her for trying to stop me in the first place."

Chloe laughed lightly.

"C'mon, tell me how you knew!"

"It was just obvious," Chloe shrugged. "He would've never called me and the only way he ever would is if someone made him do it. Seren wouldn't do something like that and I just know you can be scary on purpose."

"Smart girl," said Bucky proudly. "So what if I told you that I also made him buy you something?"

"What?" laughed Chloe again, and even more when she saw him pull out a small black box. "Oh my God, you didn't!"

"I did," nodded Bucky. "Think it's a necklace or something." He opened the box for her to see and sure enough, tucked inside was a simple but nice necklace.

"Ha, you're unbelievable!" Chloe exclaimed.

"So, what do you want to do with it?"

"Honestly?" Chloe set her flowers on her dresser and took the jewelry box into her hands. "I want to return it for store credit and get myself something I actually want."

Bucky smirked. "Now how did I know you were going to do that in the end?"

Chloe raised an eyebrow at him. He was too good. "Because you know I can be diabolical?"

"You can be many things but 'diabolical' is definitely not one of them."

"Watch me make the exchange and then get back to me!" Chloe snapped shut the jewelry box and set it on her dresser next to her flowers. She looked at them both; the lengths that Bucky went to make these things happen to her made her very special. How could she not? Would he do that for someone else?

"…are you still seeing that girl?" the question slipped through her lips. It was probably more prudent as an inside thought but it was out there now and she couldn't take it back.

"What?" Bucky looked at her oddly when she turned to face him.

"Sam…he paired you up with one of his friends, I heard it," Chloe said so that he wouldn't try to deny it. "Are you going out with her? I know you went on dates with her…"

"Ah, Chloe, we don't have to talk about it—"

"No, we do! We-we really do because…it's important…" Chloe looked visibly nervous now, bringing Bucky to full attention. "Please, are you still seeing her?"

"No," Bucky replied without having to think about it. Truth is he had left that nonsense very early on because there just wasn't any point to it. "I didn't like her…"

"Me neither," Chloe said automatically and it made Bucky chuckle. She flushed and stuttered as she tried fixing her words. She didn't mean for it to come out like that. In reality, there was nothing wrong with the girl…except for the fact she was (at the time) dating Bucky. "I'm sorry, I — she was a very nice girl. Unlike me, apparently…"

Bucky continued to laugh and stepped closer to her. "Nah, I think you're funny…"

She scoffed. "Don't you think I've been humiliated enough already?"

"This is different."

"Oh?" Chloe's face was in a full scowl until Bucky touched her cheek and suddenly she was nervous all over again. "H-how's it different?" Her voice was feeble.

"It's funny watching you trip over the same words I wanted to ask you every single time you went out with those idiots in the past," Bucky said. He was actually very impressed with himself that he'd gotten all his words out in one go without sounding as nervous as he truly was.

"Excuse me?" Chloe's eyebrows furrowed together.

Bucky let out a deep exhale. "I should have said it sooner and I'm sorry that I didn't. When I said that a real man always says what he wants, I clearly wasn't talking about myself. I never told you that the only thing I wanted was you."

Many things ran through Chloe's head but for some reason the biggest urge she had at the moment was to smack him. "…you are so incredibly stupid, James."

"O-kay…definitely not the reaction I was going for…" Bucky cleared his throat and pulled his hand off her cheek. In retrospect, he probably deserved it.

"If you had told me before, we would've been on hundreds of dates already and—" she jabbed her finger on his shoulder, "—I wouldn't have gone through this hellhole of a breakup."

"What!?"

"Okay, that last one was more on me than you but my point stands!"

"Chloe," Bucky looked at her sharply, "what are you talking about?"

"You really never saw how much I liked you?" Chloe asked him with disbelief. "Seren told me I was so obvious!"

"I just thought…I mean…you know…I have a lot of baggage," Bucky said, lifting his vibranium arm to make his point.

"And I don't? We're screwed up, yeah in different ways, but still screwed up nonetheless."

"You are not," Bucky flashed her a warm smile, "You're so unbelievingly perfect."

Even though Chloe scoffed, there was a bright red blush on her face a second later. She glanced at her dresser and eyed the jewelry box again. "I've got an idea…" She picked up the box and looked at Bucky with a wide grin on her face. "Why don't we go pawn this thing and go out somewhere?" Bucky chuckled at her and for a moment, she thought he was laughing at the idea. "It's crazy, isn't it?"

"It's…diabolical…" He mimicked her and reached out to her, gently pulling her to him. "I love it."

"Yeah?" Chloe said, unable to focus completely when she could feel his arms wrapping around her waist. She swallowed hard as he neared her face to where their noses bumped with each other.

"Yeah, let this date be on that guy — it's about the only good use he's going to have…"

Chloe nodded slowly. She was transfixed with him and his touch. If she tilted her head just the right angle, she could kiss him. And why can't you? He just told you he likes you and you're going out tonight.

She tossed the jewelry box to the side and closed the little gap between them. Kissing Bucky was the perfect medicine to cure all her pain. His arms were already around her waist and little by little split so that one roamed her back and the other subtly traveled down her side.

"What do you say?" Bucky murmured against her lips, pressing a kiss between his questions. "Want to go out tonight?" He felt Chloe's smile against him.

"Absolutely…"

But for the moment, she was much more interested in finishing what they had started.

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jackiequick · 2 years ago

Text

— What If Jason stayed with House Stark? [ Agent Carter Fic]

Pairing: Howard Stark & Jason Underwood, Jason Underwood & Maria Stark, Howard Stark x Maria Stark

Characters mentioned: Tony Stark, Edwin Jarvis, Pepper Potts, James Rhodes, Nick Fury, Ana Jarvis, Peggy Carter and Darcy Lewis

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Agent Carter

Summary: Jason and Howard had a falling out, both wanting different things and never getting to apologize for their actions. In result, it broke down the family they created for themselves, but what if they didn’t? What if they were able to see Tony grow up and continue work at SHIELD?

Setting: Post-Agent Carter, Pre Iron Man and during the first Iron Man

Warning: Fluff, Angst, and hinting to future MCU projects down the line

Click here to see the previous work

——

It hurts. The painful thing about that agreement was there it felt like a little thread was snapped off. They say a break up between you and a girlfriend is hard, but of a friendship? That feels like worsening a open wound.

It’s been days now.

He was at Jarvis’s house in a guest room unpacking up his things and on the phone with his nephew, Tony, to make sure they were still up for a ride to the park. Even if Howard nor himself didn’t want to see each other’s face, still didn’t mean he wasn’t going to speak with his friend and nephew.

He felt bad lying to his kid, saying that he was just going on a break from the house and a small mission afterwards. But he knew he was saving young Tony from heartbreak, hoping things can return back to the way it was.

“So buddy, what else did you do today?” Jason asked into the phone, with a loopy grin hearing his voice.

“Ohh! Me and mommy went to the beach! I made a sandcastle.” Tony said with so much enthusiasm in his voice.

~~~

Downstairs in the workshop center stood two chairs, one empty and the other being occupied by the man of the house. He was tinkering on an old set of equipment and replacing a few tapes from earlier that week.

His mind was running miles a minute, chewing the lower edge of his lips and running a hand across his hair. He couldn’t focused.

He hate to admit but he felt like a missing piece wasn’t clear.

“Howard?”

A voice called out his name. Looking up from his spot at the desk to glance over at the voice. There stood in the doorway listening was his wife. Her blonde curls looked more like waves, as her eyes gently lightened by shiny lights from the hallway.

“Hm?” He responded back, waving for her to come over.

She sat down gently on his lap, running a finger underneath his deep chocolate brown curls.

“Are you coming to bed anytime soon?” Asked Maria with a soften smile.

“Ohhh. Oh um, yeah sure…just trying to crack this..” Howard replies softly with a sad smile that he couldn’t hide from his wife.

“The equation or JJ?”

“What about JJ?”

“Don’t play dumb, Howard..”

He sighed, “…what do you want me to say? Admit that i was harsh on him? That he was right?”

“I think you know the answer to that, honey.” Maria simply replies.

Howard knew that he missed up. They both did. But he’s too much of a mess, to point out the narrative of the situation. He let his friend walk out that door after saying he doesn’t want to ever see him again. To get out of his life. He should’ve stopped him before he left the house.

Jason will always be there for him. But will he forgive him after this?

“I should’ve stopped him..” Howard admitted softly, it came out as a whisper.

“Why didn’t you?” Maria questioned his actions, already knowing the response.

“..I couldn’t admit that he was right. I knew he wouldn’t listen after what i said…”

“You will figure it out.”

“Where is he now?”

“At Jarvis’s house. Be told me he will be moving back to New York soon…”

~~~~

That same weekend, the pair kept crossing over one another at work. Neither one said a word, only a short simple nod to acknowledge one another’s presence in the room. It felt like a headache was coming, this pinging reminder of what happened.

Jason didn’t bother looking at Howard most of the day, finding himself walking away to speak to others about a concept or bumping into Jarvis outside the building. He sighed, rubbing his face in annoyance.

Howard stayed in his office when he wasn’t chatting with his colleagues or having lunch with his friends, such as Hank Pym. Every single time he saw his old friend walk past his side of the floor, he sighed deeply and loudly at the sight.

It felt like a break up where might’ve screwed up their reputations within the group.

As much as their friends didn’t say anything, they felt like something was off in the air. Yeah sure their little group has always been until the end in agreements and tried to make calls to fix things. Plenty of times, Howard fought with Hank Pym where chairs would be thrown across the room.

Some things just couldn’t be fixed but Peggy Carter wasn’t having it today.

She stormed into the room knocking some scene with Jason and Howard, dragging both adult men into a large office to speak together. She would’ve brought bigger guns to the playing field but she didn’t want to bring half of the group into this. Not today.

She stood in the room with her arms crossed, “You two better pull your head out of your asses! I’m sick of this. I’ve seen you fight before plenty of times where you walked out of the bloody building but this?! It’s incredible!��

“Peg—” Howard spoke up but was cut off.

“Ah! I don’t want to hear it. I don’t know what exactly happened here but you two are going to fix it or so god help me.”

“And what else is there to say huh? Peg—” Jason add but this time was cut off by the women.

“OHH! This is much more to say. You will will resolve this bloody issue soon, if it’s the thing you do today.”

Before both men can say an word, Peggy Carter walked out closing the door behind her. Jason rushed to try and open it, but he was too late. Howard sighed muttering something to himself, with his hands on his hips.

Neither said a word to one another, pacing around the room and just sipping on glasses of water that were set in place. There was dead silence that engulfed the area they sat in.

Until a laugh was heard.

It was Howard snickering and scoffing, shaking his head at the situation. Jason gave him a odd looking muttering to himself at the moment.

“What’s so funny?” He asked with a soft glare, not realizing this was the first word he has spoken to the man in days.

“This.” Howard simply said, waving his hand around to emphasize the meaning of his word, “Peg, trapped us here and we’re acting like complete morons to her.”

“Well can you blame her? I’ve not been in the best mood lately…you know why.”

“Let’s just try to get out, okay?”

“No. She wants to talk and we will..i hope.”

“What is there to talk about?”

“Howard…”

He felt a headache coming on from just the way he said it. Jason stayed silent, taking another sip of his drink and lightly chuckled at the cheesy ridiculousness of the situation.

“You see it! It’s funny.” Howard exclaimed with a half smile, pointing out the chuckle he just heard and sighed, “…look. I’m not good at this time, alright?”

Jason scoffed jokingly adding a small, “You know that’s right..sorry go on.”

“Uhhhh! Ok here it goes! I-i why is this so hard to say?!”

“Say it with your chest.”

“Do i have to?”

“Do you want to get out of here or not?”

“Oh god, fine! But you have to say your truth then!..uh i screwed up…”

“Look who’s learning!..and?”

“What do you want me to say? That i screwed up and you were right this whole time?”

“I think you just admitted it..”

“I did not!”

“Oh yes you did!”

“Jason!”

“Howard.”

Both men sent glares to one another however they couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. Sure they were pissed off, fumbling and fuming over the agreement with one another. There’s pride and ego always get the best of them.

It was hard for Howard to admit when he’s greatly wrong about something and it’s hard for Jason to admit when he clearly hears something then overstepped.

“Uh, look man, i’m sorry..i messed up, I didn’t mean everything i said in the lab, okay?” Jason said, rubbing a hand across his face with such seriousness and sincerity in his eyes.

“You called you a huge jerk, JJ! You said I was practically a poor excuse of a parent and I didn’t think of anything but my work!” Howard exclaimed taking a seat across from the table, feeling defensive.

“Because you don’t! I work just as much as you do, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have time to spend with our family and friends. I’ve seen the man you’ve become and I don’t like it. I overstepped when I mentioned it earlier..”

“You’re not getting it. I’m doing the right thing here!”

“No, I get it! I do understand it, but you don’t.”

“Everything I do is for our family, you know that! Not once have I thought I’m not giving you, Maria or Tony the best life I could. It’s why always i fight and invest time in my experiments.”

“Answer me this then. When was the last time you’ve gotten caught up watching a film with us? Or shown Tony the lab?”

“He’s not allowed in there. And I’m too busy for that, ask Peg she can tell you. I don’t have time for that.”

“That’s my point. You don’t make time for anyone else but yourself.”

“Uh, excuse me?!”

“I said once I say again, your mind is one of the most incredible things about you, and it has been transferred over to Tony. He’s a smart kid. He just wants to spend some time with you. Me and Peggy want to spend some time with you!”

“I don’t have—”

Howard cut himself off greatly with a sigh and placed his head in his hands. He grumbles underneath his breath, hating to admit when he’s wrong but he knew that he is. He’s not the same man he once was all those years ago and doesn’t intend to go backwards to fix it all.

Both men went slapping insults, excuses and explanations, back and forth like it was a battlefield. One would’ve laughed if they weren’t trying to make a point to one another, wanting to leave this room.

Howard felt like he couldn’t breathe as he huffed, “What do you want me to do? I’m not changing who i am now, JJ. I just started watching the world change and i want to be there to see it.”

“I’m..uhh, i don’t know, I don’t expect you to change anything. But i do know one thing. You’re a good man and a smart one, you’ll figure out. I just believe that i screw up and we need to fix this..” Jason admitted with a sigh, rubbing his temple.

“How?”

“Take it from someone who knows time is special and should be well spent, I think you need a break. Take some time off…”

“I don’t know if i can..and I don’t want to fight anymore. I’ve haven’t slept in days or ate well either thinking about the times I’ve lied to make myself feel better..”

Jason scoffed, “I’ve barely had a chance to process everything i said that day..I can’t sleep. I couldn’t remember the last time i ate well..I’m tired of not feeling good…”

“I’m sorry i let you walk out..I shouldn’t have said that you should leave, because I didn’t think you would..”

“It’s alright. I think the best course of action is to reevaluate our relationship..”

“It’s gonna take time.”

“I have all the time in the world.”

Howard chuckled, “Ain’t that right.”

Each took their turns talking about what happened, how they left horrible and hoping to try to path up their issues. It felt like a long talk, 45 minutes of silence with a mix chatter between both sides. But there was still so much to talk about later on...

They stood up shaking hands, ready to get out of the room before Jason pulled him in for a hug. Howard hesitated to return the hug but for what’s it’s worth, he felt good hugging his friend back.

Howard hugged him like it’s his last day on earth and stayed there in his best friends arms with a smile as Jason returns the hug with a matching smile.

They missed each other deeply. It was sorta hilarious, how much time they spent without seeing another and the complaints from one each other about it. But it was simple really, they’re friends.

No matter what happens. Things stayed true for the pair. Respect, care, loyalty and a basic sense of love.

Despite everything they love each other like brothers, treat one another like a good friend and always respect their relationship like a pair of lovers.

The two left the room, decided to have lunch together and head back home. Howard was supposed to drive him back home to his house but took a short detour. He drove up to his house with a smile and his friend gave him an odd look, recognizing what he meant.

The moment they enter the house, Maria greeted both of her boys with loving arms gently kisses both their faces. The trio talked about their current living conditions and where they stand, until the pattern footsteps of the little man of the house came into view.

Little Tony Stark was wearing his NASA shirt and jeans, holding up his toy hammer with a smile climbing into his mama’s lap. She showered him in kisses.

His eye lighten up after seeing his second favorite person in the room, climbing out of his mother’s lap into his uncles. Jason smiled at the sight. Howard chuckled ruffled his son’s hair seeing the pure smile on his face, then leaned down to kiss his wife.

“Ewwww!!” Tony squeals covering his eyes.

—//—

Years went on, arguments came and went, simple small adjustment were made by their families rules and regulations came across to how everyone acted. Howard became a little comfortable and softer with his son letting him learn more from his father. Jason worked between units of SHIELD and other jobs, being care to watch his mouth every now and then. Or else Peggy would’ve smacked the living hell out of them.

Sadly Maria and Howard died, leaving their son in the care of his godmother Peggy Carter and uncle Jason Underwood. Along with Jarvis and his lovely wife Ana. So he was cared for, but still annoyed with his father. Something Tony would never let down is proving himself to be good or even greater than his father.

Peggy stayed in and out of SHIELD work meanwhile Jason retired from his office. He still kept tabs on the organization but decided to stay away after a few incidents resulting in his responses or concerns being blown over his head.

~~~~

Currently he road up to the Stark Mansion, stepping out of his black cherry sports car and pulling out his sunglasses to see the beauty of the sight, after being gone for too long. He half smiled at the redesigns he added to the front of the house.

He greeted Pepper at the door, giving him a small hug and a kind kiss on the cheek. He handed her a bag of donuts and a freshly made cup of coffee he ordered just for her.

“You didn’t need to get me anything, J.” She replied with a smile, looking into the bag to see her favorite set of donuts.

“You deserve a sweet treat every once in a while, doll.” He added, chuckling looking over his shoulder at the small mess.

“Oh I’m sorry about the confusion and mess..”

“Oh no, it’s fine honey. Just didn’t expect this house to be so quiet at this time and hour…?”

“Ah, well you know where he is. Hasn’t come out of his lab since yesterday and I’m scared to check.”

“That’s what I’m here for. Go ahead and enjoy the coffee before it gets cold.”

Pepper thanked him, grateful to have him in her life and feeling lucky to see him around the house again. She left to the kitchen counter to enjoy her donuts and coffee in peace, she knew Tony was tinkering down there and it possibly involves some kind of new crazy investment of technological enhancements. Building a suitable way to help the people, according to him.

Jason step down the stairs being greeted by their A.I. Jarvis, who announced his presence to the center of the lab, which he thanked him for. Once he landed on the final step and stood underneath the doorframe his jaw dropped drastically.

“What the hell?!” He yelled seeing the sight.

There stood Tony Stark removing himself from a set of metal plates and holding a helmet in his hands, having DUMMY hold up a few more items for him. Next to the man in place was a human size action figure looking suit, in deep golden yellow and hot rod red.

The room was filled with metallic gray plates, tools left and right, a diagram model of suits and thrown out gloves. As well plenty of other things just landed across the lab.

Tony looked up with a soft smile and shrug, “Let’s face it, this isn’t the worse thing you caught me doing.”

“What the hell are you doing?” He asked walking into the lab, his eyes wondering over to the suit looking very confused.

“I’m building a suit, isn’t it obvious?”

“Tony.”

“After everything that happened lately and seeing what my weapons have accomplished, I don’t like it. So I figured I’d do something about it.”

“And a iron suit is your answer? I’m sorry son, but I need a better explanation. Please.”

“This suit will help me save civilians and undo the damage I’ve caused. My weapons and the way the world is becoming, I think it needs a change. Help people..”

“A heroic path?”

“Yeah. Or that’s at least what I’m trying to do.”

“..okay.”

“Okay?”

“Is Jarvis in the suit? And it fully charged with sensors to brace for impact?”

Tony smirked and nodded.

Jason was scared out of his mind about this idea, fearing he might get himself hurt, but he knew he couldn’t stop him from doing this. The least he can do is make sure he was safe.

Little did he know that this would be the start of Iron Man becoming a new hero, his possible return to SHIELD with Agent Coulson showing up and his way to enforcing his placement back into the new world. He wasn’t ready for the new faces he would met along the way either.

—//—

Thanks for reading! What did you think?

Pls like, comment and reblog!

I could do a follow up with him being in Iron Man 2 and or Thor, which is where he meets Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis (+ a young Melissa Wallace) if you like? Whatever movie is up for grabs!

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