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[angstysebfan]

I’m torn as to my feelings on Priya. Don’t know if I like her. But I’d rather we were with Bucky!!

3: COMPANY

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Bucky wants his best friends to get to know his girlfriend but a little voice makes him worry that there may be more going on between you and Steve.

Word count: 2.5k

Warning: miscommunications and Bucky Barnes being a colossal idiot (theme of this whole story)

Steve and Bucky walked down the corridor towards the large living room with the massive television screen. Their arms laden with drinks and snacks for themselves, you and Priya. Bucky wanted his best friends to get to know his girlfriend better and you'd begrudgingly agreed to a movie night, comforted by the knowledge that Steve would be present as a buffer for awkward questions.

Steve was smiling softly, happy to be able to relax with the people he cared most about without being interrupted to save the world. His self imposed responsibilities weighed heavily on his mind. Distractions where he could be Steve and not Captain America were hard to find. One of the things he loved about you and Bucky was that you both were his voice of reason, between the two of you, you would argue different sides of a point, until he was happy with the decision he had made. This was why seeing the two of you as a team made him so happy.

You had made yourself comfortable on yours and Bucky's favorite couch. It was just big enough for you and the beefy super soldier and in your mind, you imagined yourself and Bucky being comfortable under a throw blanket while you watched the movie. Your day dream was shattered as Priya dropped into the seat beside you.

"Oh gosh, this is so comfortable! Such a cuddle couch." She elbowed your side gently. "Hey, you think Bucky and I could sit here for the movie?"

It took every inch of your self control to stop a scowl from marring your features. "Sorry to be all Sheldon about this, but this is kinda my spot."

"Oh, yeah, I get it." She didn't, looking at you like she was indulging one of her young patients who was throwing a tantrum. “Do you mind if I sit until Jamie and Steve get back?”

"Sure." You tried to keep the sarcasm to a minimum. You had to play nice, for Bucky's sake.

"Hey Cricket, can I ask you something?" Priya’s voice was slightly hesitant.

"Course. What is it?" You replied. But you had a strong feeling you weren’t going to like what she was going to ask you and steeled yourself for it.

"Do you and Jamie have any history of being more than… just friends?"

"No." You suppressed a sigh. You had expected an annoying comment, as opposed to something that would break your heart all over again. "No, just friends. Why’d you ask?" You felt suspicious of her line of questioning.

"Oh, I was just curious. I know you're not his type and all, so I wasn't very worried about it, but I figured there's always a possibility." She shrugged.

"Bucky and I have never been anything more than friends." You confirmed through gritted teeth, and it was killing you.

"Okay," Priya smiled happily. "That makes me feel better. I really like him, and I just wanted to make sure there weren't any lingering feelings between you two."

"I'm happy for you," you lied through a smile.

"Thanks, Cricket. I appreciate that. And I'm glad we had this conversation, it's always good to clear the air."

"Absolutely."

"Thanks for being so understanding. You're a great friend, I’m glad that James and I have you."

Steve and Bucky as they paused momentarily, not wanting to interrupt your conversation, but at the same time, curious about what you were saying. They both felt a little awkward for eavesdropping but they didn’t feel comfortable making their presence known. Steve glanced over at Bucky, wondering what his reaction would be, but Bucky’s face was bathed in darkness and impossible to read.

When Priya said she was glad to have you as a friend, Steve nudged him gently. "Come on," he jerked his head, urging Bucky to follow. He walked into the lounge and deposited the snacks on the table in front of you and Priya.

"Thanks, Steve!" you reached forwards to grab a bowl of popcorn, but Bucky was blocking you. You swatted his legs playfully. "Buck! What’re you doing?"

"Cricket, can you move over a bit so I can sit with Priya?" Bucky looked at you with wide eyes and pouty lips. How could you say no?

Reluctantly, you got off the couch, Bucky giving you a questioning frown as you did so. You shuffled over and settled in next to Steve, feeling a stab of disappointment that Bucky had chosen to sit with Priya instead of you.

"Did you ladies pick a movie?" Steve asked.

You shook your head, but Priya volunteered a suggestion in a heartbeat. "You've Got Mail!"

Steve pulled up the film from Tony’s endless supply of media and hit play. As the movie started, you tried to focus on the screen, but your eyes kept gazing over to Priya and Bucky and how his arm was draped cozily over her shoulder. Your mind kept wandering back to the conversation you just had with Priya. You couldn’t help but wish that there had been more between you and your best friend. What made her think that you weren’t his type? You bristled at the thought. Bucky had never expressed his preferences to a woman’s appearance. Had he mentioned something to her?

Steve noticed your distraction and leaned over to whisper in your ear. "Are you okay?"

You nodded, trying to push aside your feelings of jealousy and insecurity. "I’m fine," you whispered back. "Just a little tired."

Steve gave you a knowing look, but didn’t press the issue. Instead he wrapped an arm around your shoulders, offering you comfort and support. As the movie played on, you found yourself leaning into Steve’s side, feeling safe and protected in his presence. You couldn’t help but wonder what could have been if things had been different between you and Bucky.

As you and Steve turned back to the movie, Priya leaned towards Bucky and whispered to him conspiratorially. "I think Cricket and Steve make such a cute couple, don't you think? They looked so cozy on their Coney Island date!"

Bucky looked down at her with surprise. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t feared that you and Steve might be more than friends, but it shocked him that other people considered it. As long as he was the only one to think it, he could have lived in denial, but having someone else voice it with such confidence made his skin crawl.

"Um, I don't know. They seem to get along well as friends."

"Oh come on, Jamie. I can see the way they look at each other. We should totally set them up! I mean look how he has his arm around her!" 

Bucky hummed with hesitation. "I don't think that's a good idea, Priya."

"Why not? They would be perfect together!"

"I just...I don't think it's the right time for them to start dating." Bucky answered, not avoiding eye contact, his eyes glued to Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

Priya was starting to sense that something was off. "Jamie, is there something you're not telling me?"

"Look, Steve doesn’t really talk to people about this, but he had a girl, back in the 40s, Peggy. He isn’t over her. It wouldn’t be fair to either of them to enter a relationship when Steve still has feelings for Peggy." Bucky winced internally, hating himself for using Steve’s past to cover for himself.

"Wow, I had no idea," Priya said softly, her eyes widening in surprise. "That must be really tough for him."

Bucky nodded, feeling a pang of guilt for using Steve’s past as an excuse. "Yeah, it’s been hard for him. He’s never really gotten over her."

Priya looked thoughtful for a moment before turning back to Bucky. "Well, I’m glad you told me. I wouldn’t want to cause any unnecessary drama. They're lucky to have you looking out for them."

Bucky gave her a terse smile, grateful that she understood. "No problem. I just want what’s best for both of them."

As the movie came to an end, you and Steve exchanged a look, both of you feeling a sense of contentment and comfort in each other’s presence. Despite the awkwardness and tension that had filled the room earlier, you were grateful for the friendship and support that you had in each other. Unfortunately for the two of you, your closeness did nothing to assuage the envy that burned deep inside Bucky.

As everyone got up to leave, Priya turned to you and Steve with a smile. "Thanks for the movie night, guys. I had a great time."

You and Steve both nodded, returning her smile. "Anytime," you said, feeling a sense of relief that the night had gone smoothly.

As you and Steve walked out of the living room together, you couldn’t help but feel a sense of gratitude for having him by your side. Maybe things weren’t meant to be with Bucky, but you knew that you had a true friend in Steve, someone who would always be there for you no matter what.

On the other hand, Bucky went to bed that night with Priya’s words burned on the back of his brain. Why did she think that there might have been something between him and you? She had worsened his fears about you and Steve. Would his oldest friend really betray his trust that way? Surely you would have mentioned that to him, wouldn’t you? The tiny voice in his head that sounded just like you, asked him why he would assume such a thing, since he had hidden his relationship for so long. 

*

Your voice of conscience in his mind did nothing to mitigate his turbulent thoughts. In fact they swirled around his brain until he found himself confronting you about them. This was becoming too common an occurrence. He blurted out the words while he found you training in the gym.

"You went to Coney Island with Steve." He tried to sound nonchalant as he spotted you with your weights.

You grunted your response, trying to stand up with the heavy weight balanced across your shoulders. Eyes screwed shut with the effort of pushing your knees apart to push yourself upright. You panted slightly, trying to recover your composure, but Bucky wasn’t ready to give up on his point.

"Why didn’t you tell me you were going?"

"Oh, I’m sorry," you attempted a shrug before going back into a squat. "It was Steve’s idea and honestly, I didn’t think it was a big deal since you were busy with Priya."

"It is a big deal! We promised we'd go together."

Your face dropped slightly as you stood up, remembering the promise you’d made almost a year ago. Things had been so chaotic and you’d forgotten about it. You put the barbell back on the rack before replying. "I know, and I was really looking forward to it." There was a sadness in your tone that you couldn’t hide. "But when you started dating Priya, I thought things had changed. I didn’t think you’d care."

"That doesn’t mean we can’t still hang out. You’re my best friend, too." Bucky leaned against the rack, as you busied yourself with unloading the bar.

"I know, and I’m sorry." You hid your face as you answered. "I just felt left out when you didn’t tell me about Priya."

"I’m sorry, I know I should’ve told you. But seeing you at Coney Island with Steve really hurt."

"Wait," you spun around with surprise. "You saw me at Coney Island?"

"Yeah…" Bucky’s anger abated slightly as he realized what he was saying to you.

You huffed. "You were there?"

Bucky had the decency to look ashamed.

"And you’re getting on my case? I mean Steve took me there as a surprise to cheer me up after I got sick. I didn’t decide to go there without you. And it’s not like Steve knew about our promise. What were you doing there, Bucky?"

Bucky sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I was there with Priya. We were on a date."

You felt a pang of jealousy and hurt, but you pushed it down but the aggression in your tone was unmistakable. "I see. Well, I’m sorry if I upset you by being there with Steve. But I'd like to point out that you didn't seem to have any issues going with Priya."

Bucky looked at you, his expression softening. "I’m sorry, Cricket. I should’ve told you about Priya - about Coney Island, about dating her. I didn’t want to hurt you. I just…"

You nodded, feeling a mix of emotions swirling inside you. "It’s okay, Bucky. Just…next time, can you please just be honest with me?"

"Yeah," Bucky nodded. "and hey, you'd tell me if you were, right? As in dating… someone."

"Yeah, I'll keep you apprised." You rolled your eyes and shook your head with a small laugh.

"Even if it was Steve?"

“Why do you keep asking me that? Are you trying to set me up with Steve? Because I don't have those kinds of feelings for him.”

“You don’t? Because Priya said-”

"Bucky, why don't you ask me about me instead of your girlfriend?" The irritation you'd felt about his indignation earlier rose inside you again, enough that you decided to walk away from it.

He caught up to you outside the gym, heart pounding in his chest. "Hey, Cricket," he called out, his voice filled with sincerity. "I’m sorry for how I acted back there. I was wrong, and I shouldn’t have let my jealousy get the best of me. Can we talk?"

You turned to face him, your expression guarded but curious. "What do you want to talk about, Bucky?"

Bucky took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. "I want to apologize for not being upfront with you. I value our friendship, and I don’t want to lose that because of my own insecurities. I’m sorry for hurting you… and I want to make things right."

You studied him for a moment, your eyes searching his handsome face for sincerity. The way he looked back at you softened your resolve and after a moment, you nodded. “I appreciate your apology, Bucky. Let’s move past this and focus on our friendship.”

Bucky nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders as he heard your words. "Of course. And hey, maybe we can still go to Coney Island together sometime. Just the two of us."

You smiled back, feeling a sense of relief wash over you. "I’d like that."

Bucky fell in step beside you, as you walked away from the gym, the tension between you slowly dissipating. He knew he had a lot of work to do to rebuild the trust between you, but he was willing to put in the effort. He was grateful for your forgiveness and determined to show you that he was a true friend, even if he couldn't have anything more.

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[angstysebfan]

They’re both idiots! I hope Steve’s plan works… whatever it is!!

2: UNWELCOME DISTANCE

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Dinner with Bucky didn't go as well as you planned and now you're suffering from the outcome of being ditched in an autumn thunderstorm.

Word count: 3.2k

Warning: feelings of betrayal, shitty communications skills, illness (upper respiratory tract infection) description, Coney Island and cotton candy, jealousy, Bucky... Barnes is a warning

The following morning, you woke up feeling a little worse for wear. You buried your face in your pillow willing the tickle in your throat and at the back of your nose to disappear. A small groan left your lips as your attempt to sleep in was thwarted by the aching throughout your body. Sitting up did little to make you feel better, other than shifting the balance of mucus in your sinuses, making you sneeze and worsening the scratchiness of your throat. You looked up at the clock, you’d missed the breakfast time that you were expected to attend, but there weren’t any messages on your phone expressing concern from your friends.

A throb of self pity and doubt flashed through your mind. Did any of them even care? You had lost Bucky to another woman, but clearly none of your other friends had noticed your absence. You weren’t special, you’d only been invited to join the Avengers Initiative because of your powers. The thoughts were just forming, your mind ready to spiral into a storm of insecurity, when there was a knock at your door. Each movement felt like wading through molasses, and even sitting up seemed like an insurmountable task.

"Cricket?" Steve’s voice permeated into the room.

"Coming!" At least that was what you tried to say, your voice coming out as a small croak. You padded over to the door barefoot and opened the door to find Steve’s kind face looking down at you.

His concern was etched across his features as he took in your disheveled appearance. Dark circles clung to your eyes, and your skin had lost its usual healthy hue.

"Hey there, sunshine," he greeted, his voice gentle. "How’re you feeling?"

There was only one word that would succinctly sum up your emotional and physical state in that moment. "Shit," you mumbled, sniffing at the fluid that was threatening to leak from your nose.

He reached out, his hand cool against your feverish skin. His touch was comforting, grounding you in the midst of your misery. "You definitely have a fever," he confirmed.

As if to affirm his observation, your body pitched forwards in a violent sneeze, which you barely had the time to catch with the inside of your elbow. You ended the outburst with a pained groan, as the back of your throat burned.

Steve’s concern deepened. "You need rest," he said firmly, steering you back into bed. "I’ll make you some tea."

You followed his instructions without protest, not having the energy to argue. It would be best for you to stay in bed, you’d get better quicker with rest, and it was a great excuse to avoid seeing your best friend and his girlfriend. The practical side of you would use the excuse that you didn’t want to expose anyone to your germs. At least Steve would be protected by the serum, so you didn’t need to worry about him hanging around. So with a clear conscience, you snuggled back under your covers to wait for Steve’s return.

As he disappeared towards the kitchen, you sank back into your pillows. Maybe losing Bucky wasn’t the end of the world. Maybe having a friend like Steve was enough—a warm presence in the midst of your feverish chaos. And as the wind whistled outside, you realized that sometimes, friendship was the best medicine of all.

Little did you know that on his way to the kitchen, Steve ran into Bucky as he was leaving your room.

"Steve?" Bucky called after his friend.

"Hey, Buck."

"What’re you doing?" The real question he wanted to ask was ‘why are you leaving Cricket’s room?’.

"Just grabbing some things for Cricket. She isn’t feeling very well."

"What?" Bucky’s eyebrows furrowed with concern. "She was fine yesterday!"

"Well if you hadn’t left her alone to get drenched in that storm, she probably wouldn’t be so miserable." Steve hadn’t meant to be so harsh with his words, but you had interrupted his beauty sleep the previous night and he was feeling rather disgruntled.

"What’re you trying to say, Steve?

"You shouldn’t have left it so long to tell her." Steve was referring to Priya and how long he'd kept his relationship with her private.

"That’s my decision, Steve." Bucky countered, defensively.

"I know. But maybe you should think about why you were so ready to tell me, but not Cricket."

Bucky clicked his tongue against the roof of mouth, dismissing Steve's comments. "I'm gonna go and see her."

Steve thought about objecting, but decided against it, opting to fetch the things he had promised you.

Bucky’s footsteps echoed down the narrow hallway, each one a heavy reminder of his own recklessness. The storm had raged outside, rain pelting against the window panes like a thousand tiny fists. But he hadn’t been there to shield you from it. Instead, he’d left you alone, vulnerable, and now guilt gnawed at him like a persistent rat.

Your room was dimly lit, the curtains drawn shut against the gray morning. Bucky hesitated at the threshold, his knuckles grazing the wooden doorframe. He’d never been good with words, especially when it came to matters of the heart. But he had to try.

"Cricket?" His voice was soft, almost tentative. He stepped inside, the floorboards creaking under his weight. There you were, cocooned in blankets, your face pale against the pillows. The storm had taken its toll on you, and he cursed himself for not being there.

You stirred, eyelashes fluttering open. "Bucky?" Your voice was a whisper, fragile like a spider’s silk. "What’re you doing here?"

He crossed the room in two strides, perching on the edge of your bed. "I… I heard you weren’t feeling well." His fingers brushed against your forehead, checking for fever. "Steve told me."

You managed a weak smile. "Steve’s a tattletale."

"He cares about you," Bucky said gruffly. "We both do."

"I feel bad for dragging him out of bed last night."

"Cricket, why didn't you tell me you didn't have any way to get back home. I would have brought a car instead of my bike."

You shrugged, “I didn’t think I had to.”

He had been so caught up in his plans to introduce you to Priya that he hadn’t even considered the possibility that you might need a ride home. He had assumed you would find your own way, and he was just starting to realize how selfish that had been. He should have been more attentive, more caring. He laid a hand on your arm, “I’m sorry, Cricket. I should have been more thoughtful. I wasn’t thinking.”

“Yeah, I got that.”

“Cricket, please, let me make it up to you. I was looking for you this morning. I made your favorite pancakes," Bucky continued. "Thought you could come and have breakfast with me and Priya, before I take her home."

"Sorry," you shrugged, hating this conversation more and more. Why was Steve taking so long to return?

"I was going to spend the day with her, but if you want, I can come back and we can watch some movies."

"Don't cancel your plans on my account." You rolled over, facing away from Bucky.

Your behavior stung, but he couldn't blame you for being angry. He swallowed hard, the lump in his throat threatening to choke him. "I’m sorry," he whispered. "For leaving you out there."

"See you later," you mumbled and Bucky knew he had been dismissed. 

Bucky couldn't shake the guilt that weighed heavily on his chest as he walked away. He had always been a good friend, someone who looked out for others and made sure they were taken care of. But in his excitement to introduce you to Priya, he had neglected to consider your needs.

As he walked away, Bucky couldn't stop replaying the conversation in his head. He had let you down, and he wanted to make things right.

Steve appeared a few moments after his departure, his arms laden with homely remedies and a bowl of soup which smelled incredible. Your stomach rumbled hungrily in response, making you blush.

"Here, take this first," Steve shoved a bottle of DayQuil under your nose.

Begrudgingly, you accepted the painkiller gratefully and then proceeded to slurp up the soup. "This is delicious," you hummed in approval.

"Hey, when you're feeling a bit better, I was thinking I could take you out somewhere… cheer you up a little." Steve stuttered towards the end as he saw surprise on your face. 

You swallowed your mouthful of soup before cracking a smile. “Steve, I'd like that.”

Steve smiled back at you. But suddenly, he reached out, grabbing the bowI in your hands, having noticed the slight hitch in your breath. A sneeze rocked your body forcefully and you groaned.

“Thanks,” you accepted the bowl back from Steve.

"No problem. Don't want to make a mess."

“No,” you sighed, finishing the soup in a sad silence.

“Want me to stay?”

“No, it's okay. I'm just going to go back to sleep.”

Steve took the empty dishes and kissed your forehead, glad that it didn't feel as warm as it had earlier. “Feel better, champ.”

You sure hoped you would.

*

A few days later, you were back in fighting form. But much to Bucky's chagrin, he could never seem to catch your attention for more than a passing nod or wave. He wanted to make things right with you. He missed you, he wasn’t used to being so close to you but not being able to talk to you properly. He had the sneaking suspicion that your distance might not just be ill-timed schedules. Were you avoiding him? He wondered if you were still angry at him for not giving you a ride back home after your dinner with Priya. A feeling of melancholy settled over him as he speculated on all the things he could have done that made you take a step away from him. Every reason under the sun spiraled through Bucky’s mind except the real reason for your withdrawal.

Bucky had hoped that meeting someone else, someone who was interested in him would help him push away the feelings he had for you. Closure. That’s what they called it in the movies these days. But this didn’t seem like it was going quite the way he had anticipated. In fact, rather than feeling happier, he felt more tortured than he had before. Maybe going out with Priya would take his mind off things, so he decided to give her a call and schedule a date, she had a way of soothing his turbulent thoughts. Not as well as you did, no one understood him quite like you did.

*

Steve was true to his word, and had whipped up a surprise plan for the two of you to spend the day together. He had chosen a Wednesday, explaining that it was a good time as the place would be less busy. He made sure you had dressed warmly, in spite of the sunny weather. 

"Don’t want you getting ill again," he smiled as you got into the car with him.

"Is that why we’re not taking the bike?"

Steve shook his head, knowing how much you loved riding motorcycles.

"So where are you taking me?" you asked. You’d been trying to get Steve to tell you for the last few days, but the tight lipped Captain had resisted all your wily techniques at information extraction.

"Coney Island."

"Ohh!" you exclaimed. "I haven’t been there for years!" You laughed before a thought popped into your head, a memory. "Are you sure you want to go there, Steve?"

"Why wouldn’t I want to go to Coney Island?"

"Well, I heard about… the… Cyclone Incident."

Steve blushed. "Bucky telling everyone that story, huh?"

"Afraid so." Your smile was soured slightly by the shadow casted by Bucky’s name and you turned to stare out of the window, letting Steve drive in silence.

Steve shook his head. He wanted nothing more than for both his best friends to be happy, and for the two of you to be happy together was the ultimate goal. He hoped that one day both of you would come to your senses, but until then, he would do his best to support you both.

The weather turned out to be fine and you had shed your top layer before even leaving the car.

"Oh come on! Stop being such a dad! We can always come back to the car if it gets chilly!" you responded to Steve’s disapproval.

"Come on then!"

It was a beautiful day filled with laughter and joy between you and Steve. He was glued to your side, treating you to all the rides, indulging you when you wanted to ride the Cyclone repeatedly. Every time you got to the end of the ride, you’d turn to him and make sure he wouldn’t spill his guts. Steve rolled his eyes dramatically as you laughed hysterically.

"What next?" Steve asked. "And don’t tell me we’re doing that again."

"Come on, the girl letting people in definitely has a crush on you! Why do you think we got on for free the last two times?"

Steve grabbed your wrist, "Come on!" He led you away from the rides, over to a cotton candy kiosk, dropping a few notes into the vendor's hand and selecting two cones. You took the liberty of grabbing the blue one from his hand and tucking into it before he had the chance to object.

"Bet I can eat this faster than you can!" Steve suggested slyly.

"Oh, bring it, Rogers!" You tore the stick out of the candy cloud and scrunched it up into a tiny ball, sticking it in your mouth and letting the sugar dissolve on its own.

Steve, who had taken several large bites, looked up in confusion and awe. He eyed your empty hands, then put his finger on your bottom lip, pushing it down and peering into your mouth. 

You indulged his disbelief, opening your mouth and sticking out your tongue. "See, all gone! I win!" you smile with glee.

"Wow!"

"You forget, I was the youngest of five! I had to learn to eat fast or I’d lose out." 

Steve chortled quietly at your story. "Fine, what do you want as your prize?" He waved around at all the game stalls, letting you pick your prize.

You gazed around, contemplating your options when you spotted a giant stuffed wolf. "That one!"

Steve was true to his word and threw every bean bag with perfect aim and you pointed at a white plushie which looked a little different to the others. 

"Why don’t you take this one?" the vendor tried to shove a dark gray wolf into your arms, but you declined.

"No thank you, I’d like that one please." You selected one which had been stuffed on a high shelf, away from the others of its kind.

"Honey, this one’s going in the garbage, look at him, white body with one gray leg. It’s a defective product, they made a mistake in the factory. Happens from time to time."

But you were adamant, you wanted the white wolf with the transplanted leg.

"Whatever you want, miss." The vendor handed you the soft toy, which you hugged to your chest. There was something about him that you wanted to keep safe.

Unbeknownst to you, you had been spotted by someone unexpected. Bucky had had a similar thought to Steve, he had brought Priya to the ‘island’ on a quiet weekday for some harmless fun.

"Jamie, look!" Priya tugged at his sleeve. "Isn't that Cricket and Steve?"

Bucky's head whipped around so fast, he almost had empathy for whiplash sufferers. He frowned, eye searching the crowd in the direction of Priya’s outstretched hand. He couldn't believe that you would come here with Steve. He had often suggested a trip to Coney Island to you, but you'd never managed to make the time for it. So seeing you here with Steve made his insides burn with jealousy. Another part of him, his guilt-ridden conscience told him that he didn't deserve you. Naturally, you'd choose the classical hero, Steve. He was the golden boy, even when they'd been kids, Steve was the trouble maker, but somehow Bucky was the one his parents mistrusted. 

"Yeah," he grumbled.

"Let's go over and say hi!"

"I'm sure they don't want us to interrupt them." Bucky vetoed the suggestion with a sulky expression.

"Fair, I mean I wouldn't want anyone interrupting our date either." Priya smiled, taking Bucky's hand, leading him away. Bucky stole one last glance at his two best friends, a deep ache settling inside him as Priya dragged him away from you. 

*

Over the next week, you and Bucky drifted through the compound, both longing for the other but not quite able to find it within yourselves to seek the other out. For you, it was a simple matter of avoidance. You'd made the mistake of touching the flame and now you suffered the burn. But for Bucky it was different. He couldn't understand your absence and he knew nothing of your pain.

He could feel the frustration building up inside him, until one day he caught you returning to your room. And every one of his thoughts and accusations came pouring out.

"What is it? Why’re you upset with me?" Bucky demanded.

"I’m not upset… it’s not- I’m hurt. You hurt me. It’s not that you did something wrong. In fact you haven’t done anything wrong. It’s just that I thought you’d share something big, like dating, with me. But you kept it secret. For four months! I thought we told each other everything. I … I just expected-" you shrugged. "And that’s the problem here. My expectations were wrong, and I’m ashamed. But you didn’t do anything wrong. You have nothing to apologize for. But somehow I feel like I’m going to lose you."

"You’ll never lose me, Cricket."

"But Buck, I already have. Like she said… she’s your best friend now." Bucky opened his mouth to interrupt, but you put your hand out to stop him talking. "I just need some time to deal with that. Is that okay?"

"I didn’t mean to hurt you," he mumbled. The sincerity evident in his tone and face.

"I know, Buck," you sighed. "I know. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel guilty. Please, I want you to be happy. I’m happy for you."

"Please, let me make this up to you." Bucky grabbed your wrist, desperately.

"You can do that by making sure you take care of yourself. I’m always going to be with you, on missions and stuff, partner," you patted his upper arm. "I just think that our friendship’s going to change a little… and I just need some time to get used to that."

"Is this because of Steve?"

"Steve?" you repeated after him, feeling confused by the change in topic. "What does Steve have to do with this?"

"Are you together?"

"What? No! Bucky, why would you think that?"

"I just…" He shrugged, not quite able to bring up seeing you at Coney Island, or the moment of closeness you had had with Steve the night he had introduced you to Priya.

Previous chapter < MASTERLIST > Next chapter

Tag list: @samodivaa @scoonsalicious @literaryavenger @noonespecial90 @browneyedgrli @vicmc624 @cjand10 @capswife @julvrs @ordelixx @sashaisready @sebastians-love @thealloveru2 @belleofthebooks

[angstysebfan]

Oh man so good already!

1: PRIYA & JAMIE

MASTERLIST > Next chapter

You love your best friend but you can't find the courage to tell him. It doesn't matter because things are perfect between you... until they aren't. Everything changes the day Bucky introduces you to his new girlfriend.

Word count: 3.1k

Warning: angsty feelings, jealousy, feelings of betrayal, Bucky... Barnes is a warning

Sticks and Stones was your favorite place. Not because of the amazing meals, or the roaring fireplace that made the winter evenings warmer, or even the stone oven that produced the most scrumptious pizzas. No, it was because once a month, you shared a meal with your best friend, James Buchanan Barnes. You jovially referred to it as date night, the one night you were guaranteed a time alone with your best pal.

Normally when you arrived, you'd find Bucky waiting patiently for you, having ordered his and your favorite drinks. But today, you'd been out in town, enjoying some time off from work and you'd arrived early. You were pleased that for once, you'd be able to return the favor.

"Darling!" Victor, your usual waiter greeted you. "You're here early! Beat Mr Bucky to the punch today! Want me to bring the usual?"

"Yes please, Victor! Thanks!"

You glanced around, making yourself comfortable as you waited for Bucky to arrive. Victor brought your drinks and you couldn't resist taking a sip of the fruity house wine that you always enjoyed. You savored the taste and tingly feeling of it slipping down your throat. There was an instant feel of comfort and familiarity in the setting and you smiled dreamily, lost in the moment.

The time you spent with Bucky was very special to you. When you weren't out risking your lives and watching each other's backs for S.H.I.E.L.D., the two of you tried to spend your free time together. Truth be told, you were harboring feelings of more than simple friendship for the super soldier. The bond you shared was tighter than any other relationship you'd had in the past. But you longed for more and during these ‘dates’ you could imagine that your feelings were reciprocated. It was a tap on your shoulder that brought you back to reality.

"Hey!" Bucky's smiling face popped into your visual field.

"Buck!" You smiled from ear to ear. It was always a comfort to see him. Jumping out of your seat, you wrapped your arms around his neck in a hug. Bucky's strong arms wound their way around your waist and your chin snuggled into the nook between his shoulder and neck. As he squeezed you tightly, you noticed someone standing awkwardly behind him.

Gently, you pulled out of your best friend's embrace, smiling at the gorgeous stranger in tight fitting jeans and a perfectly tailored red halter neck blouse. You were slightly star struck by her beauty, she was in appearance, everything you wished you were.

"Hi," you smiled at her. Even though you were impressed by her appearance, something about her presence didn't sit right with you.

"Oh Cricket, this is Priya. Doll, this is Y/N, but we call her Cricket."

Did he just call her Doll? You frowned slightly. That was his nickname for you. The discomfort you had felt intensified.

"Hey, Cricket. It's nice to meet you." Priya offered her hand, which you shook, more as a reflex. "Jamie here has told me so much about you."

"Jamie?" You frowned again, looking at Bucky.

He scratched the back of his head bashfully, chuckling slightly at her pet name for him. "Priya!" Bucky admonished jokingly.

Breathlessly, you watched as he pulled out a chair for this woman to sit down. He was a perfect gentleman. He waved Victor over and grabbed a chair from the table adjacent to you and sat down. "Why’re you still standing?" he asked you.

Wordlessly, you lowered yourself back into your chair, reaching out to your glass of wine and taking a larger than necessary mouthful. This time though there was a searing burning in your chest that was probably nothing to do with the alcohol trickling down your esophagus. 

"So, how do you two know each other?" The words were coming out of your mouth but you had no idea who was controlling it. You also knew that you didn't want to hear the answer.

"Priya’s my girlfriend." Bucky beamed, looking at Priya. He never smiled like this at anyone other than you.

"Jamie and I met four months ago. Right here! I saw him sitting here on his own and I just couldn't let such a handsome man be lonely." Priya ran her fingers through Bucky's hair.

Your mind was reeling at the information that had just been dropped on you and your world felt like it was spinning. You felt a pang of jealousy and sadness as you listened to Priya gush about how she met Bucky. How much alcohol had you drunk? Your mouth felt dry but your eyes burned. Your ears were ringing and everyone suddenly seemed very far away. You tried to smile and act happy for them, but it was hard to hide your true feelings. You wondered how Bucky could have kept this a secret from you for four months. Was he ashamed of you? Did he not trust you? Did he not care about you?

"I… I don't understand. What do you mean you met here?" You stuttered.

"Remember that time you were forced to cancel on me, ‘cause of the last minute mission Steve dragged you on?"

"Yea-" you whispered in answer.

"It was that day." Bucky looked at you.

"So what? You just found an instant replacement?" The words slipped out of your mouth with a lot more spite than you'd intended.

"Of course not, Cricket." Bucky frowned, he wasn't sure what he had expected but this was not the reaction he had imagined from you. "You're my best friend."

"Yeah," you sighed.

Under the table, you found yourself gripping the sides of your chair so tightly that your knuckles were turning white. Maybe if you had been given time to emotionally prepare yourself for this introduction, you would have reacted more gracefully than you were doing at this very moment. But the shock of being face to face with Bucky’s girlfriend was so far down on your list of expectations, that you didn’t seem to have any control over your brain or your mouth.

"Aww, Jamie, I thought I was your best friend now," Priya smiled at Bucky, batting her eyelids at him. She slipped her arms around his beefy bicep and leaned in for a kiss.

To your surprise, Bucky laughed and leaned in, engaging in a slow and gag-worthy kiss. You wanted to run, to scream, to cry, you wanted someone to pinch you, to shake you awake from the nightmare you seemed to be stuck in. A dream, that’s what it was, just a bad dream. If you played along, you’d wake up in your bed having fallen asleep beside your best friend watching bad movies all night because he had a nightmare. You didn’t want to be rude or cause a scene either. You also didn’t want to lose Bucky, even if he had already chosen someone else. You loved him too much to let him go.

You plastered a smile across your face, deciding to stay, enduring the torture of watching them be happy together. "Congratulations, Bucky. It’s good that you’ve found someone special." The words sounded forced, at least they did in your mind. Emotionless. You meant what you said, it was good that Bucky had found someone. You just wished that someone was you. He deserved happiness, you just wanted to be the one to give it to him.

You had known all along that you wouldn’t be that person. Every time he had put his arms around you, every time he came to you for comfort after a nightmare, every time you shared a meal, every time those brilliant blue eyes gazed into yours, he had had the opportunity to take things one step further. And as much as you longed for it, that step never came.

Bucky gave you a scrutinizing stare for what felt like an eternity before accepting your words. "Thank you," he smiled, breaking your heart all over again.

"So, Cricket! I assume that's not really your name. How did it come about?"

Bucky laughed, recalling the memory. "Cricket had only been with the team for two months, but she was immediately everyone's conscience. It was almost kinda annoying."

You scowled.

"Come on, Cricket, don't be like that." Bucky smiled at you and it melted the scowl off your face. "Natasha used to call her Jiminy Cricket and it's just stuck."

"And how long have you and James known each other?" Priya asked you.

"It’s been two years," you smiled, the first genuine one since you had seen them together. "But we've been partners for 18 months."

You felt the need to emphasize your closeness with Bucky.

"Wow, James said the two of you were close." She turned to Bucky, directing her question at him. "How come you never mentioned us to her?

Bucky had the decency to look uncomfortable, his eyes flitting between you and Priya but never maintaining eye contact with either of you. Your immediate instinct was to help him out, to ease his discomfort. But the little person inside your brain that often sat on your shoulder with horns on its head asked you why he deserved it. Why had he lied to you for the past four months? What was he trying to hide from you? He was really putting your little crickets through their paces. 

"I just wasn’t ready to share you with anyone else," Bucky answered in his most charming manner.

Priya giggled and you closed your eyes in an effort to keep them from seeing your exasperated eye roll.

"We should order before they close the kitchen. It’s getting late. What do you want?" Bucky asked Priya.

It almost felt like you didn’t exist.

"Want to share a pizza?" she responded.

"Sounds great, Doll!" He smiled at her. "What do you want, Cricket?" 

"Umm, I-" You had no idea what you wanted. Pizza with Bucky was your go to. It had been a while since you’d sampled anything from the menu. "I need to look." You picked up the faux-leather bound booklet with meal options, grateful to be able to hide your face behind it. The last thing you wanted was for Priya or Bucky to see your quivering lip or tear filled eyes.

You only emerged when Victor approached, placing a hand on your shoulder. "Miss Y/L/N. Would you and Mr Bucky like your usual?"

"No Victor, could I have the cajun pasta please?"

Priya gave hers and Bucky’s orders to Victor who walked away promising only a short wait for your meals. A silence settled over the tablet as you contemplated how Priya took charge of their order. It had taken you a long time to get Bucky to understand that he had autonomy and was allowed to voice his opinions. You always did your best to give Bucky the time to process his decisions and articulate them. You worried that he would lose that. However, Priya used silence as an opportunity to ask you a few more questions.

"So, Cricket. How did you end up joining S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

You shrugged. "Just kinda happened. Sometimes life has a way of pushing you into something unexpected, you just have to make the most of it." You had no desire to share the most painful events in your life with a complete stranger. "And what do you do, Priya?"

"My job isn’t as exciting as yours, I’m afraid. I’m a surgeon."

"She is being modest," Bucky interjected proudly, "She is a kid’s surgeon."

You felt like you were being punched in the gut. You had gone to medical school before you’d joined S.H.I.E.L.D., but life had different plans for you and you’d ended up being recruited to S.H.I.E.L.D. soon after your internship. 

You plastered a smile across your face and delivered the socially acceptable response. "Wow, pediatrics. That’s hard work." 

"Worth it though, when you see the smiles on the kids' faces when they walk out of the hospital."

"I’m impressed that you find the time to date. I can barely find time for myself. Feels like too much hard work!" You forced a laugh from your lips.

"Well, being with James isn’t work at all. In fact, he gives me a reason to leave the hospital."

Bucky blushed. "Thanks, Doll."

Luckily you were spared further awkward conversation by the arrival of your dinner.

"Eat up kids, we’re closing up soon!" Victor boomed.

The rest of the meal was eaten in relative silence, Bucky and Priya exchanging some small talk as you poked and prodded at the food on your plate. Their honeymoon phase was sickening and all you wanted was to leave.

Closing time came around eventually, although not as soon as you would have liked.

"Darling, what's the matter? You didn't like pasta?" Victor came to clear your plates and usher you out of the establishment.

"It was really good, just a bit spicy." You blushed while telling the lie, your inner cricket screaming at you. 

"Next time we'll make sure you can eat it all then." Victor smiled at you kindly. 

You felt terrible, but you didn't want anyone to see how upset you really were, especially Bucky. Not that he would notice, he was too busy draping his jacket over Priya’s shoulders. It didn’t mean very much to you at that moment, but the second you stepped outside, you realized that your evening wasn’t going to get any better. Bucky’s bike was parked right outside and you understood what that meant.

"Cricket, we’ll see you back at the compound!" Bucky smiled, leading his girlfriend to the bike with his hand at her back. "Don’t want to get caught in the rain."

You nodded mutely, watching them speed away. When you had asked Nat to drop you off in town, it had been with the intention that you would catch a ride back with Bucky, as you always did. You were left standing on the curb in a sundress and a light jacket. It had been a warm day for late October, but as the sun had set, thunder clouds had rolled in and Thor’s distant cousins were making a ruckus in the distance and seemed to be heading in your direction. The notion that you could walk home was something you entertained for a total of two seconds, as your heel got stuck in a grate on the sidewalk. You sighed heavily as a couple of raindrops splashed on your shoulder.

Pulling out your phone, you tapped on the local transportation apps, but there were no cabs to be seen. Not that anyone would be willing to drive you out into the country at this time in the evening. There was only one choice left, you needed to call one of your friends to pick you up. Resigned to an awkward conversation, you scrolled through your phone for someone to contact.

Nat… no, she wasn’t around. Sam… no answer. Steve… the phone rang a couple of times, before a sleepy voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Steve, were you sleeping?" you asked, anxiously.

"No," came his dishonest answer.

"I’m sorry, go back to sleep." You hated imposing on people and knowing that you had woken Steve from what was probably much needed slumber, made you felt terrible.

"What’s wrong?"

"Nothing, it’s okay, Steve." What were you thinking? Why were you not asking for a lift?

"Cricket."

"Could you please pick me up from town?" you asked, in a small voice.

Steve sat up in bed, your voice drowned out by a loud crack of thunder. "Wait, aren’t you with Bucky?"

"No, Buck-" you weren’t sure how much Steve knew about Bucky’s girlfriend. "I’m not with Bucky. He’s busy."

"With Priya?"

So Steve knew. Naturally. Steve was Bucky’s family, of course he would tell him before he told you. A tear dropped down from your eye as you nodded. "Yeah," you whispered, realizing that Steve couldn’t actually see you.

"I’m sorry. Give me half an hour, I’m coming."

"Thanks, Steve."

You hung up the phone and looked around. The street was deserted and everything felt so much darker than before. The rain, which had been falling lightly, started coming down more heavily, seeping into your thin clothes and making you shiver. The tears that were now pouring down your face were practically indistinguishable from the raindrops. This felt like the perfect ending for how you felt about your day.

True to his word, Steve arrived in twenty eight minutes. And you sunk into the passenger seat of his car looking like a bedraggled rat. He didn’t ask you any more questions, for which you were grateful. Wordlessly, he slipped off his hoodie and offered it to you. You took it, pulling the soft material over your head, thankful for the warmth it provided. The hood covered your eyes and you did nothing to move the wet strands of hair that were plastered across your face. It took all your self control to not start sobbing in the car with Steve. Luckily for you, Steve turned up the seat warmer on your seat and focused solely on the road as he started the journey back to the compound.

When he eventually pulled into the garage, Steve yanked up the parking brake, turned off the ignition and jumped out before you had the chance to unfasten your seat belt. He opened the door for you and you got out reluctantly. A feeling of dread washed over you. What if Bucky and Priya saw you like this? They were already here, you had immediately spotted Bucky's bike in the corner. You knew he had brought Priya back to the compound because Bucky hadn’t bothered to store his spare helmet, and he would have secured it if he had ridden home alone. A horrifying image of them having sex invaded your mind for a moment, but Steve’s voice distracted you.

"Come on, I'll walk you back to your room." Steve offered you a hand to help you out of the car.

"I'm sorry for making you come out to get me. I should have taken my car. I just thought-"

"It's okay. Let's go." Steve said kindly, wrapping his arm around you, offering his support and warmth. He stopped right outside your bedroom door. "Do you need anything?" he asked, brushing your hair out of your face.

You shook your head, wrapping your arms around his neck. "Thank you," you muttered in his ear.

Steve pressed a kiss to your forehead. "Good night."

Neither of you noticed Bucky returning from the kitchen with two glasses in his hands, watching you and Steve from the shadows.

MASTERLIST > Next chapter

[angstysebfan]

Another good one

MY BEST FRIEND'S GIRL

MASTERLIST

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Fem!reader

Summary: Bucky Barnes is in love with you, his best friend. But not in his wildest dreams can he imagine that his feelings are reciprocated. In a futile attempt at moving on, he finds himself a girlfriend, Priya. Unfortunately for you, her presence in Bucky's life comes as an unexpected and rather unpleasant surprise and you have to deal with the pain of losing the man you love to another woman.

Warnings: 18+ (minors DNI)

Word Count: 47k

General warnings & themes: angst, mutual pining, girlfriend!oc, aliens and arms dealers, canon-level violence, some explicit sexual content, mentions of sexual trauma.

I will add warnings to each chapter but please tell me if I've missed anything.

A/N: Shoutout to @samodivaa and @scoonsalicious for your valuable input and for listening to my crazy for the last month!

1: PRIYA & JAMIE

2: UNWELCOME DISTANCE

3: COMPANY

4: UNDERCOVER MISSION

5: EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

6: A FINE LINE

7: SPRING FLING

8: SURPRISE!

9: NEW DAWN

10: REVELATIONS

11: SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

12: MENDING FENCES

13: NEW BEGINNINGS

14: CRICKET & BUCKY

Posting schedule will be Tuesdays and Fridays around 7.30am ACT / 9.30pm BST / 4.30pm EST / 1.30pm PST

[angstysebfan]

Holy shit!

jealousy & flirtation

10: FLAMING JUNE

18+

You and Wren confront Juniper in a showdown, but some shocking truths are brought to light.

Content Warning: Frat!Bucky x Fem!Reader, mature themes, dark themes, violence, strangling, injury.

Series Masterlist

"You're really pretty when you're concentrating."

Thor looks up at Steve with narrow eyes. "Do you mind? I'm working under a time constraint, here," He says sternly.

"Oh, please, all you're doing is hooking a recorder up to a microphone," Steve says with an eye roll, before sitting down next to Thor on the bed and leaning in close. "Do you want me to do what I did to you in the car again?"

His jaw clenches, but Thor just lets out a sigh and utters, "Later."

Steve grins and squeezes Thor's bicep before getting up and leaving him alone with some peace. He walks into the living room where you and the girls are sitting around the coffee table.

"It makes sense for you to come with me," Wren is saying to you as Steve joins. "It'll probably scare Juniper even more to know we've joined forces."

You nod, but your mind is elsewhere. Sure, you want to give Juniper a taste of her own medicine, but you'd much rather explain yourself to Bucky instead. He's left you multiple voicemails since you left him at the diner, wanting to talk, but Wren told you to keep him on the back burner while you deal with his crazy best friend.

"I'll tell Juniper that I need to speak to her at the old student union building," Wanda suggests, taking out her phone. "She still doesn't know Steve and I are involved so she won't think anything of it, and the old union building is practically abandoned. There'll be no interruptions."

"Do we feel safe being alone with her there?" You wonder with a raised brow.

"We can take weapons," Wren suggests, causing everyone to give her a look before she lets out a dry laugh. "For self-defence."

While everyone else excitedly goes over the plan, sure that it can't go wrong, you can't help but feel off. There's a voice inside your head telling you to just call Bucky back and explain the truth to him yourself, but with everyone else so set on you and Wren tricking Juniper into admitting the truth, you don't have the heart to speak up and voice your reservations.

Yelena filled you in on everything Wren said. Knowing that all those years ago, Bucky proposed to Wren, you're feeling incredibly nervous about the future of your relationship with him. What if all those feelings come rushing back when he sees her? What if they decide to pick up where they left off and fucking elope?

"There's no way she'll see this mic," Thor claims as he places the small recorder in your pocket. "This is better than using a phone 'cause there's less chance of the file not saving or somehow getting deleted. Don't touch it; it's recording everything from this moment on."

"Okay," You breathe out, the nerves getting to you.

Thor places his hands on your shoulders. "Everything will be fine. By the end of the day, the truth will be out," He assures you. "You'll have Wren with you to back you up."

"Yeah, the cunt stands no chance against us," Wren says with a grin. "C'mon. We should get going."

While you and Wren prepare to leave, Yelena nudges Wanda's shoulder. "So, what do we do while we wait for them to collect their evidence?" Yelena wonders curiously.

Looking over at where Steve's mumbling something in Thor's ear with a smirk, Wanda raises a brow. "I have a feeling I know what they'll be doing," She says with a laugh before looking at Yelena. "I'm sure we can think of something to pass the time."

"Yep," Yelena squeaks, wondering if she's reading her tone wrong. "I- by that, do you- do you mean, like, similar to Thor and Steve, or-"

"I'll let you take me out for some lunch," Wanda cuts in, her eyes still forward and her face not doing much in the way of expressing her emotions.

Nodding quickly, Yelena decides it's best not to say anything in case she squanders her chance.

"Okay, we're ready," Wren announces to the group, squeezing your shoulder as a smile pulls at her lips. "Let's fucking do this."

The art studio in the old student union building is incredibly eerie now that it has sat unused for so many years. Half-painted canvases and dried paint pots litter the sides, dust covering every surface you can see. There's no power, so you're relying on the sunlight streaming in from one of the windows along the back wall, though that's doing little to illuminate the room.

"This is creepy, right?" Wren asks as she looks around. "Creepy enough to scare even a psycho?"

"Definitely," You answer with a nod. Juniper's yet to show up, but Wanda informed you that she agreed to meet her so she could show up at any moment.

Wren turns to you, an unreadable look on her face. "Do you think-"

She's cut off by the sound of your phone ringing. You quickly pull it out of your pocket, your stomach dropping when you see who it's from.

"Hang up," Wren says impatiently. "She could be here any second."

"It's Bucky," You tell her, eyes glued to your screen. "Maybe... maybe I should talk to him-"

"Are you crazy?" Wren spits with a frown. "No. You can't have any contact with him right now, not until we have proof. Hang up the phone."

Instinctively, your thumb goes to pick up the call, but you hang it up instead and put your phone down on one of the tables adjacent to you.

"We have to do this right. Juniper's smart," Wren reminds you, her tone a little softer now. "We cannot afford to mess up. Once this is over, you can talk to whoever you want. Okay?"

You nod, letting out a sigh. "Okay."

Another minute passes before you hear footsteps in the corridor. "That's her," Wren whispers, rushing over to hide behind a pillar. "Alright, good luck!" She hisses just before the door opens.

Juniper walks in, looking around with a grimace. "Why are we meeting in this dingy-" She stops when her eyes land on you. "What the fuck do you want? Where's Wanda?"

You take in a deep breath. "Hi, Juniper," You utter. "Wanda won't be joining us."

"Oh, my God, what have you done to her?" She asks, concern in her eyes.

"Calm down," You say with an eye-roll. "She's fine. But that's enough about her - I'm here to talk about you."

A scoff leaves her mouth as she folds her arms across her chest, walking further into the room. "Is this about me telling Jamie what you did? It was only a matter of time before he found out," She says with a bored tone. "Face it: he is so far out of your league, I'm surprised he even bothered to acknowledge your existence. You figured out a way to burrow under his skin like the parasite you are, but I'm the exterminator, bitch."

You can't help but laugh at her cheesy analogy, shaking your head. "Oh, shit. Y'know, you take yourself way too seriously, Junie," You tell her. "But you've had your fun, and now, it's over. Too many people have been hurt by you, and I'm sick of seeing you get the upper hand." Behind her, Wren slowly makes her way to the door.

Juniper tilts her head, eyes narrow. "You wouldn't touch me. Killing someone in self-defence as a teenager doesn't mean you have what it takes to actually murder someone in cold blood," She says. Nice to know what she truly thinks about you.

"I'm not going to hurt you," You tell her.

Wren slams the door shut, making Juniper jump. "But I might," Wren says coldly.

Juniper immediately stumbles away when she sees her, her eyes widening with pure fear. "You! I knew I wasn't seeing things, I-" She turns to you with a wild look. "You two are working together?"

"It's a temporary partnership while we take you down," Wren explains simply, walking closer to her. Juniper moves away with each step, making Wren grin. "Scared?"

"Fuck you," Juniper spits. "I'm calling the police-"

"Oh, no, you don't," Wren says, rushing over and snatching her phone from her hand and tossing it away. "This is between the three of us. We don't need anyone else joining."

Juniper closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths before opening them again. "Alright. What is this? What's the goal here? If you're gonna kill me, just get it over with," She says bluntly.

"I think we should at least talk, first," Wren says. "It's been a while. You look good."

Though you know the aim of this is to scare Juniper into a confession, you can't help but feel uneasy yourself.

"Of course I do. I maintain a healthy diet, run every day, and drink plenty of water," Juniper returns flatly. "Unlike you, I don't need to rely on plastic surgery and heaps of make-up for my appearance."

Wren snorts, shaking her head. "Oh, Juniper. Always a delight," She utters, before the smile drops. "I'll have you know, all I've had done are my lips - but you go on ahead with that internalized misogyny. Let's see how many girlfriends you maintain with that energy."

"I don't need girlfriends," Juniper points out. "Girls are way too much drama - literally, just look at what you're doing right now. This is why I get along much better with guys."

Inwardly cringing, you look down. When will this be over?

"Of course, how could I forget?" Wren asks with a laugh. "Junie and her precious boys."

"Alright," You interject, feeling like enough time has been wasted. "Juniper, you're a bad person. A very bad person. But I know you don't care about what I think - after all, I'm just another obstacle in your way of getting to Bucky, right?"

Her brow twitches but she maintains her cool. "I don't know what you're talking about," She spits.

"Oh, please," You say with an eye-roll. "You're in love with him, Juniper. There's no point lying about that to Wren and I; we've been the victims of your unrequited love."

"Victims?" Juniper repeats incredulously. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Bucky and I were going good - great, even, and you couldn't stand to see us together, so you did what you could to tear us apart," You remind her. "Lying about him showing you my pictures and messages. Digging into my past and using what you found to paint me into a villain. You went too far."

"I went too far?" She retorts. "Says the one working with that crazy bitch!"

"Fuck you," Wren snarls. "Why don't we take a trip down memory lane, hmm?"

"Be my fucking guest," Juniper retorts before turning to you while pointing at her. "Do you even know what she did?"

"Dared to take Bucky away from you?" You ask coldly.

Juniper's eyes narrow. "Wren is a deranged psycho," She claims. "Do you know what she did when I finally convinced Jamie to dump her? She stabbed me!"

With a sigh, you shake your head. "There's no need for the act, Juniper," You tell her woodenly. "We all know the truth here. You stabbed yourself that night and framed Wren."

Juniper looks utterly appalled at your words, her eyes and mouth wide. She slowly looks over at Wren before rushing over to you and grabbing your shoulders. "No," Juniper utters lowly. "Look, I admit it: I fucked with you. I've been purposely trying to sabotage your relationship with Jamie because I genuinely do not think you deserve him. I lied about the nudes and I've been doing my best to turn him against you. I hired my father's PI to look into your past, and left out the self-defence details and your age when I tried to expose that past to Jamie. I admit all of that. But I did not stab myself that night."

The look on her face is one you've never seen before. It's fearful, and stern, and as much as it terrifies you to admit it - it's honest.

You look past her to see Wren. Her face is blank. "Just quit the bullshit, Johnson," She spits.

A chill runs down your spine. Fuck. They're both crazy.

"I, uh... I think I need to go," You say, carefully peeling Juniper's hands off of you.

"Nobody is leaving until we figure this out," Wren decides firmly, standing in front of the door.

"Figure what out?" Juniper asks, turning to face her.

"Isn't it obvious?" Wren asks with a scoff. "Until we figure out which of us gets Bucky."

You and Juniper share a look. Something you never thought you'd do is be on her side, but right now, it seems that she's the best of a bad bunch.

"Hey, don't fall for her bullshit," Wren says to you with a frown. "You know better than most people what a good liar she is. Are you seriously gonna believe her over me?"

Juniper's eyes remain glued to yours. "Don't listen to her," She whispers shakily. "I swear, back then, she was the crazy one."

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

"Oh, please - you're the one who was insanely possessive over Bucky," Wren points out to her with a cold look in her eyes. "And you finally snapped at his birthday party. You lost your mind when you saw him proposing to me."

Juniper's jaw drops even further, a shaky breath leaving her mouth. Her eyes are so wide they're almost tearing up. "Holy fuck," She utters, looking back at you. "Is that what you think? You think Jamie proposed to her that night?"

You say nothing, not knowing what to believe anymore, and wishing you had told Yelena and Thor to come too.

"Jamie dumped her that night," Juniper claims. "I had finally proven to him that she wasn't worth his time-"

"You made me think he'd love a big party, you lying bitch!" Wren yells.

"Whatever!" Juniper snaps back. "I did what I had to, and as it turns out, I was right! He never should have dated you, and he finally realized it that night - and when he broke up with you, you begged him for another chance, but he left you there. And I came out to, admittedly, rub it in your face, but you grabbed a knife from the buffet table and stabbed me in the fucking side!"

Stunned, you take a step back. You watch Wren for a reaction, but her face remains blank. "You're lying," She mumbles. "She's lying, again!"

"Oh, brother," Juniper mutters before grabbing your arm. "I sure hope you didn't let her bring a knife to this party, otherwise it's lights out for both of us."

Slowly, so as not to alert Wren, you make your way to the table upon which lies your phone. She realizes what you're doing and immediately runs over, grabbing your phone and throwing it to the other side of the room.

"What the fuck is your problem?" You ask, your heart racing.

Without a word, Wren grabs the recorder from your pocket and drops it on the ground before stomping on it, destroying it and everything it's been recording.

"No!" You exclaim, absolutely terrified at this point. With no proof anymore of both Juniper and Wren's true colours, you might be about to die for no reason.

"You're being stupid," Wren says to you gravely. "Juniper is the bad guy. You remember that, right?"

"I'm starting to think the line between good and bad is blurred," You say, taking a few steps back. "Let's stop this, Wren. Let's just get out of here. You can talk to Bucky and explain your side. I'll make sure to keep Juniper away from him while you do."

Wren's eyes soften. "You- you'd do that for me?" She asks. "You don't want him to yourself?"

Swallowing thickly, you shake your head. "I think the decision lies with him. Once he finds out the truth, he might want to get back with you, which I'd completely understand," You say, hoping she believes you. "I mean, technically, you're still his fiancé, right?"

Her face lights up. "Yeah. Yeah, I am," She says with a smile. "You're right. Ha. You hear that, Johnson? You cunt?"

"Fuck you," Juniper spits.

"No, fuck you!" Wren retorts. "Neither of you have the deep love that I have with him. Our relationship was more than just boyfriend and girlfriend - we were soulmates. We are soulmates. And if anyone tries to get between us again, I'll destroy them."

During her rant, Juniper moves closer to you and lowers her voice to a whisper. "We... we should kill her," She suggests.

"Oh, my God, shut up," You hiss back at her.

Wren seems to be in deep thought while you try to figure out an escape plan. She looks to be in good shape - could you simply outrun her? But what if she has a gun?

"I spent the last few years doing a lot of inward contemplation," Wren tells you both. "I worked on myself. My mental health. I got better. And then, your friends came and visited me. At first, I was going to tell them to leave me alone. I had healed, you know? I didn't want to open up old wounds."

You and Juniper listen closely, equally as fascinated with hearing her story as you are scared.

"But then they mentioned you," Wren says, her eyes on you. "A new girl in Bucky's life. A new flame for Juniper to put out. Sure, I felt it was my duty to protect you from her - but at the same time, I realized I never truly moved on from Bucky. Why should I have helped you get your happily ever after with him? Nobody ever tried to help me. Wanda and Steve knew what a pick-me cunt she was in freshman year, but they never said a word to Bucky. And now I'm supposed to make sure Juniper doesn't do the same to you? Why? Why you? Why do you get the happy ending?"

You let out a shaky breath, doing your best to keep calm. "I'm sorry, Wren. I didn't know," You say lowly. "If I could have helped you out back then, I would have."

"You make me sound like a monster," Juniper says with narrow eyes. "Both of you. All I've ever wanted is for Jamie to be happy. That's what I've wanted my whole life. He's had girlfriends; he's been heartbroken. He's a sensitive soul. I won't let some bitch walk all over him and take advantage of his kindness."

"When did you realize you were in love with him?" Wren asks her with a raised brow.

Juniper glares at her, but her gaze gradually softens as she gives in. "Middle school. He was just getting into classical art, and getting really good at painting. He would try to copy famous paintings as practice. Flaming June. That's what he used to call me when we were kids. It's a painting, if that wasn't obvious. He said I was his Flaming June. Before I even knew what love was, I was feeling it for him. He made me laugh. He looked out for me. He remembered things about me," She says wistfully. "He was my best friend. And I waited. God, did I wait. I waited and waited and waited for him to fall, too, but he just kept floating on that cloud called friendship. I figured that would be enough for me. After all, it was better than nothing. But he's a terrible judge of character - he always has been. It's been my job to remove the weeds from his life - to take out any threats. Not threats to me, threats to his happiness. Jamie's happiest when it's just him and I. He just needs to realize that."

Becoming acutely aware that you're stuck in an abandoned building with two of the most unhinged people you've ever met who are both after the guy you're dating, you suddenly feel sick to your stomach and decide it's best to keep quiet and hope they forget you're there.

"Nice story. Anyway, there's something I've been wanting to do for a long time," Wren says with a sordid smirk. "It would just be so satisfying."

Frowning, Juniper bites, "What?"

Wren's eyes narrow. "Beat the fuck out of you," She utters simply before launching herself at Juniper in an attack.

You jump back instinctively, your heart lurching when you see her punch Juniper square in the jaw. Sure, a part of you would like nothing more than to see Juniper get roughed up, but you feel nauseous and want it to stop immediately.

"Wren, get off her!" You call out, rushing over and trying to pull her off.

Wren shrugs you off before shoving Juniper backwards. Juniper loses her balance and falls backwards, her head hitting the side of a table on her way down. When she lands on the ground, she's unconscious.

"Shit!" You whisper tensely.

"Finally, some peace and quiet," Wren says casually, smoothing down her hair as she turns to you. "Now, where was I?"

Not wanting to set her off, you keep yourself calm. "I think we need to call an ambulance," You say. "She might have a concussion."

Wren's face twists up. "Who gives a fuck?" She asks you harshly. "This is the girl that has ruined our lives. I heard what she did to you. How do you have any sympathy for her?"

You casually take a step back. "That doesn't mean I want her to die," You tell her. "You could get in a lot of trouble, Wren, especially with your history."

"Oh, my God. You actually believe her," She says with a scoff. "You actually think I stabbed her?"

Shaking your head, you take another step back. "Of course not. I just mean, that's what Bucky thinks, right? You don't want to give him any more reason to think badly of you. I'll even say it was me who pushed her," You promise. "I'll say we got into a fight, and I pushed her. You won't get in any trouble, just please call an ambulance."

She tilts her head. "Are you scared?" She asks you with a confused look. "Do you - do you actually think I could hurt someone?"

You steal a glance at Juniper's unmoving body on the floor before looking back at Wren. "No. Of course not. I'm just concerned for her wellbeing," You tell her. "Bucky would want us to look out for her. She's still his best friend, after all."

"Not after he finds out the truth," Wren reminds you.

You take another look at Juniper and panic. What if she's bleeding internally? What if her head cracked open? What if she dies? You refuse to have another death on your hands. If there's even a small chance that waiting another minute means Juniper will die, you won't take it.

With a sharp intake of breath, you lunge at Wren, aiming for the phone sticking out of her pocket. Even if she attacks you afterwards, at least there'll be help on the way. "Get off me!" She cries.

"Just give me your phone!" You shout, trying to reach for it. With a huff, she pulls the phone out of her pocket and throws it with all her might at the wall. "You crazy fucking bitch!" You can't help but scream.

Her eyes darken and she grabs you by the hair, pulling your head down onto a nearby table with a slam. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted you!" She bellows. "You just want him to yourself, right? You want to save Juniper and make me out to be the bad guy, again, so you can get him to love you!"

"Not everything is about him!" You call out as you do your best to push her off you, ignoring your pounding headache.

"Of course it is!" Wren wails, wrapping her hand around your throat as she pushes you back down on the table. In any other situation, being choked out by a flaming-hot redhead wouldn't be so bad, but right now, it's not what you need.

"Stop," You manage to get out as you kick her legs and claw at her hands to no avail. Your vision blurs and you start to feel lightheaded. This can't be how it ends. Was he worth it?

Who are you kidding? Of course he was. You may not be insane - or maybe you are - but you achieved your college dream. You slept with Bucky Barnes. Who knew that that party would result in your death? Worth it? Bucky's more than worth it. You'd take on a hundred Wrens and Junipers if it meant you had a chance with him. Maybe you are insane. Maybe loving Bucky has made you insane. Loving him? You're in deeper than you thought.

Your energy is dropping. You can't fight back as hard anymore. But all you can think about is Bucky. His perfect smile. His big hands. His incredible dick.

So, this is it. You're dying, and your last thought will be a montage of Bucky railing you. Not bad.

Just as the dark spots in the corners of your vision start to get bigger, and you start to succumb to the darkness, you hear a distant thud. Suddenly, the pressure around your neck is gone. You suck in a sharp breath, filling your lungs with sweet air as you fall to the ground, blinking away the blurry darkness.

Breathing heavily, you slowly look up to see Juniper standing over Wren, who's lying on the floor with a canvas around her neck. Around her neck? It seems Juniper smashed it onto her head, causing Wren to rip through the paper.

"Now, can we kill her?" Juniper asks you with her hands on her hips.

You use the little energy you have to shake your head, your heart thudding in your chest. Juniper holds her hand out to you, but before you can attempt to reach up and take it, there are multiple voices in the corridor.

The door slams open to reveal Bucky, with Steve and Yelena on either side of him. Bucky's eyes fill with concern as he takes in the sight, before he shoots a glare at Juniper. "Get the fuck away from her," He says sternly, walking further into the room.

"Wha- Jamie?" Juniper whispers, shaking her head. "I wasn't- I was helping her."

He ignores her, running past Wren who's groaning on the ground and rushing to your side, taking your hand in his. "Are you with me, flora?" He asks, using his free hand to cup your cheek. "Are you okay?"

You nod slowly, your throat too sore for you to try and speak. Part of you wants to tell him that Juniper wasn't hurting you, but when you try to use your voice, all that comes out is a squeak.

"The police are on their way," Steve says, shooting Juniper a cold look. "I suggest you get your story straight."

While Bucky wraps his arms around you, you look up at Juniper, who looks back down at you with a terrified look on her face. "Please," She whispers to you.

You give her a nod.

i no longer have a taglist, follow @kinanabinksupdates and turn on notifications for updates.

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[angstysebfan]

Yea Bucky you tell her!! Fuck you Juniper!!

jealousy & flirtation

NINE: SAUDADE

18+

Juniper's threat looms in your mind, your time with Bucky slowly running out. An old face returns to campus, and she's looking for revenge.

Content Warning: Frat!Bucky x Fem!Reader, mature themes, blackmail, Juniper continues to be a horrific person, still a lot of angst but things are looking up I swear

Series Masterlist

"Saudade. The love that remains. A desire for that which cannot or no longer exists. Memories of the beach you played on as a child. A friend no longer living. A lost lover. Saudade."

Grant steps to the side after his short speech, revealing the finished painting to Professor Linum and the rest of the class. You sit firmly in your seat, trying to ignore Bucky's hand clasping yours.

The painting is beautiful, you have to admit. Something of a semi-abstract landscape of a cliff overlooking the ocean. In Maria's bottom right corner, an unused lighthouse. Grant's top left of the cliff shows a broken gravestone. Bucky's top right is a gorgeous blend of dull blues; the ocean with a wave reaching out to an empty beach. Your bottom left corner; a lonely dove in the foreground reaching out to nothing, though its white wing looks to be reaching for the blue waves.

The light applause from the class is accompanied by a small smile and nod from Linum. Knowing how hard he is to please, you know to take his reaction as a glowing review. That's one less thing to worry about as your final semester comes to a close.

"Hey, you with me?"

Bucky's words pull you from your thoughts, and you realize you're the last two left in the room. Looking up at him, you give him a small smile.

"Hungry?" He asks while packing up your bag for you. "Let me take you for lunch. It's about time I took you on a real date."

Though Happy's Diner isn't the epitome of fine dining, anywhere with Bucky would be the perfect date. You try to keep the echoes of Juniper's threat out of your head, but they keep creeping up in the back of your mind, reminding you that your time with him is limited.

"It's kinda crazy that it took until the end of our college careers for us to get together," Bucky says, taking the half-eaten onion ring from your outstretched hand. "I guess I should've grown some balls earlier, huh?"

Deciding to live in delusion, you pretend as though Juniper doesn't exist.

"I mean, it wasn't for my lack of trying," You admit. "I distinctly remember you rejecting me when I asked you out in freshman year."

Taken aback, Bucky casts his mind back. Your hair was wildly different back then, so it takes him a few seconds to recall the memory before it clicks. "Right. I did, didn't I?" He mutters, letting out a soft laugh. "But I had a good excuse. I was seeing someone."

This time, you have to cast your mind back. Though you were crushing on him hard, you didn't exactly keep tabs on his dating life, and assumed he was single for the past four years. Then, it springs into your mind. There was a girl he briefly dated - some red-head who just disappeared. Maybe Juniper killed her.

"I always thought you were cute," Bucky tells you honestly. "In fact, Steve had been pushing me to ask you out all year before we got together."

"That makes me feel slightly better," You tell him before lifting up your burger and taking a bite. Part of you wants to pry and find out how his last relationship ended - and whether Juniper was involved in its demise - but this could be your last meal with him, so you'd prefer to keep the topic off of his crazy best friend.

"But I'm glad we happened when we did," Bucky admits. "Otherwise, we might not be sitting here together right now. And that would suck. Want the last mozzarella stick?"

He's sweet. You can tell that he's a softie who'd never intentionally hurt you. If you told him the entire truth of your past, he'd surely understand why you did what you did. Then, you could tell him about Juniper blackmailing you with the information, and he'd realize she's crazy and the two of you could fly off to somewhere that isn't Cabo for the summer.

Right. Just do it. She'll probably tell him the truth whether you break up with him or not, so what's the harm?

"Bucky," You find yourself saying without thinking first. "Do you trust me?"

He blinks, surprised by your question. Though you haven't been seeing each other for very long, and there was the slight blip when you tore his heart out, Bucky likes to think he knows you well. He knows who you are. He sees the way you shy away from his compliments, no matter how confident you usually are. He notices the secret smile you try to hide from him after sex. How tightly you hold onto him when you're laying in bed. The kisses you give his cheek when you think he's asleep.

But he also remembers the way it hurt when you dropped him like it was nothing. He knows you like him the way he likes you, but does he truly believe you'll never leave him again like you did before? Especially when you leave college, and he's no longer a convenient option for you?

"I don't know," He finally admits, though it hurts him to say it.

You nod, knowing you deserve that. It isn't like you've been entirely truthful with him this whole time, so why should he trust you?

Taking in a deep breath, you prepare yourself to spill the truth. You're sick of lying and Juniper doesn't deserve to be protected. It's her fault he doesn't trust you, and it's about time he found out what she's really like.

"I need to tell you something, Bucky," You begin, reaching out to hold his hand. "I have to warn you, it's a lot. I'm not sure if you'll even believe me, but I want to tell you anyway. I understand if you don't wanna keep seeing me once you hear this."

Bucky feels his stomach churn. He has no idea where this is coming from or what you're talking about, but his mind races with a million different scenarios. Please, don't be breaking up with me again.

"It's about-"

"Juniper?"

You look up at him. "Actually, yes." You frown when you see him looking behind you and turn your head to see none other than Juniper rushing into the diner, a look of terror on her face.

"Jamie!" She calls out, running over. You expect her to give you a glare, but she doesn't even notice you sitting there. Whatever it is must be really scaring her.

"What's wrong?" Bucky asks her, concern on his face. "What is it?"

"It's her," Juniper says breathlessly. "She's back."

"Who?" He questions, utterly confused as he narrows his eyes.

"That crazy bitch!" She exclaims, her cheeks flushed. "Wren fucking Wragley!"

"Are you being serious?" Wanda asks, rage in her eyes.

"I couldn't help it; I wanted to visit the bakery," Wren explains sheepishly. "What were the chances that the cunt would be there and see me?"

Wanda turns her cold gaze to Yelena. "I told you to keep her here," She reminds her curtly. "You've fucked the whole plan up!"

A pang of hurt hits Yelena as she steps back, almost pouting. "It isn't my fault, I tried to make her stay-"

"Well, you failed," Wanda cuts in before rubbing her forehead. "Fuck's sake. She's gonna run straight to Bucky and tell him."

Yelena shrinks backwards, angry at herself for messing up. There's no way Wanda will be interested in her now. "Don't worry, Wan, I'm sure we can figure something out," Steve assures her from his seat on the couch. "We just need to alter the plan a little."

"Maybe Juniper will think she was hallucinating?" Thor offers.

"Yeah, right," Wanda mumbles.

"Wait," Yelena starts, determined to prove herself to Wanda. "We can still do this."

"How?" Wanda asks with a frown.

"Let's stop over complicating things and just do this the old-fashioned way," Yelena suggests. "Let's confront her."

"We've lost the weight of Wren's reveal, though, so she'll be prepared," Wanda points out. "She just witnessed her scoffing a powdered donut."

Wren wipes the corner of her mouth subconsciously while Yelena walks over to Wanda. "Look, Juniper ran off as soon as she saw Wren, right?" Yelena points out. "She's scared. Somewhere in her mind is the truth of what happened, and Juniper isn't a total sociopath - she must feel some guilt, somewhere in that twisted head of hers."

"You'd be surprised," Wren mutters bitterly.

"This is the girl who stabbed herself just so she could frame someone else," Thor reminds Yelena.

Wanda remains silent, frowning at Yelena with her arms folded across her chest.

"I know she's insane, but she's still human," Yelena insists. "Even if she doesn't feel guilt, it's safe to say she has enough emotions to be madly in love with Bucky. That means the thought of losing him would terrify her."

"That was our original plan - make her think Wren and Bucky are reuniting to scare her into doing something crazy in front of him," Wanda says bluntly. "A plan we can no longer do now that Juniper's seen Wren and is probably telling Bucky as we speak."

"You're right. We can't do the plan how we originally intended," Yelena says, a glint of excitement in her eyes. "But the truth is Juniper's worst enemy. And the truth always comes out."

Wanda still says nothing, her eyes firmly on Yelena, waiting for her to make sense. Praying that she doesn't let her down.

"Maybe in Disney movies," Steve mutters bitterly.

"Hold on, Yelena might be onto something," Wren says, folding her arms across her chest as a look of deep though grows on her face. "I should just talk to her. To Juniper. She was terrified when she saw me earlier, so she'll be on edge. People on the edge are more likely to mess up."

"More likely to admit the truth," Yelena adds with an excited smile. "And we can make sure someone's recording the entire thing."

Thor's face lights up. "Yes!"

"The old-fashioned, soap opera way," Steve says, nodding. "I like it."

Slowly, Wanda smiles. "Let's do it," She decides. "Let's destroy Juniper Johnson."

"Are you sure it was her?" Bucky asks Juniper, who is now sitting next to him.

"I saw her with my own eyes!" She exclaims, still on edge. "Her face is full of plastic now, but it was her. I know it was."

"And... who is she?" You wonder, admittedly enjoying seeing Juniper so out of sorts. Whoever this Wren is, you already respect the hell out of her.

Bucky looks over at you, a pained look in his eyes. "My ex," He tells you.

Ah. The red-head who disappeared.

Juniper glares at you. "Why the fuck are you still here?" She bursts, unable to stop herself.

"Watch it, Juniper," Bucky says sternly, giving her a glare.

Her face drops and she sinks down in her seat. "Sorry... I'm just stressed, Jamie," She says quietly, looking down.

He lets out a sigh, rubbing his forehead. "Look, whatever her reason is for being on campus, I'm sure it has nothing to do with us," He says. "It's been years, June. Maybe she decided to re-enroll, I don't know. How about you go home and relax, get some rest?"

Offended that he's basically telling her to fuck off, Juniper scoffs before turning her attention back to you. "You know, it's almost been a week since I last saw you," She tells you cryptically, but you know what she's implying. Your time's almost up.

Sick of her having the upper hand, you roll your eyes, which pisses her off even further.

"Jamie, do you know the truth about her?" She asks him suddenly.

Confused, Bucky frowns. "Uh... what? About Y/N?"

"She's a murderer," She spills, getting the attention of the people in the booth behind her. Your heart races and you feel nauseous.

Bucky just laughs, raising a brow. "Alright, I think you've been watching too many true crime documentaries," He says lightly. "Go home, Junie."

"No, it's true!" She cries before looking at you with a wild look in her eyes. "Tell him!"

Stunned, you say nothing.

"You're being crazy, Juniper," Bucky says curtly, losing his patience. "I think you should leave."

"I'm not the crazy one; she is!" She yells, lowering her voice when she receives a glare from a server. "Do you know what her first job was, Jamie? She was a runner for a drug dealer - and she killed someone she was selling to-"

"I dont know what the fuck is going on with you, Juniper, but we aren't doing this here," Bucky cuts her off coldly. "You need to calm down."

"It's true," You utter.

His head turns to you, his eyes softening but still tinged with confusion. "What?"

"It's all true," You confirm, feeling numb. "All of it."

With that, you stand up and run out, afraid you'll pass out if you stay there any longer. You want him to follow you out, your dove desperately reaching out for his waves to join you, but they don't.

"All we have to do is get Y/N up to speed," Yelena says, taking out her phone. "Let me find out where she is."

Just as she finds your name on her contact list, you yourself rush into the apartment, tears streaming down your face. You stop in your tracks when you see Thor and Steve sitting on the couch, Wanda standing behind them, Yelena by the coffee table, and is that-

"You're Bucky's ex," You say to the gorgeous redhead in the middle your living room. "What- what are you all doing here?"

A silence falls in the room as everyone waits for someone else to speak up. Thor stands up and slowly makes his way over to you, like a zookeeper cautiously approaching a hungry lion. "Hi," He begins softly. "Uh... there's a lot we need to tell you."

Wiping the tears from your face, you frown, utterly baffled at the situation. "Is this an intervention?" You wonder as they all stare at you.

"Hi. I'm Wren," The redhead introduces herself with a warm smile. "Um, you're right- I am Bucky's ex. Your friends here came to see me, and to bring me here to-"

"You brought Bucky's ex back to campus?" You ask Yelena, confused and slightly hurt that she's been doing God knows what behind your back. "Why?"

"It's not like that," Yelena quickly clarifies, rushing over to you. "She isn't here to get back with him."

"Well, we'll see," Wren mutters, causing everyone's heads to turn rapidly to her. "What?" She asks innocently. "I haven't seen him in a long time. It didn't end because either of us wanted it to - there may still be potential for-"

"Shut the fuck up," Yelena cuts her off coldly before turning back to you. "Ignore her - she isn't here for Bucky. She's here for Juniper."

The mention of her makes you roll your eyes. "I am so fucking sick of Juniper damn Johnson," You huff, running your hands through your hair.

"So are we," Wanda tells you as she walks over. "Which is why - and is only why - Wren's here. She dated Bucky back in freshman year, and Juniper fucked everything up because of how in love with him she was. Is."

Taken aback, you look over at Steve. "You... you guys know about Juniper?" You ask lowly. "You know what she's really like?"

"Yes," Wren says bitterly. "Unfortunately, yes. And from what I've heard, she's still just as deranged as she was back then, so I'm here to help make Bucky realize the truth. Juniper's had her fun, and now it's time for her to meet karma."

"This is a lot to process," You mumble, walking over to the couch and collapsing down onto it next to Steve. On one hand, it's a relief to hear that they've seen Juniper's true colors and plan to take her down, but on the other hand, you think you might have already lost Bucky, anyway. Sure, it would be nice to expose Juniper, but losing Bucky makes it all futile. You haven't even begun to think of the painfully gorgeous Wren - what if he wants her back? He doesn't even trust you, so it's likely he'd rather get back with her than stay with you. "This is too much," You mumble, hiding your face in your hands. "I- this is too much."

Thor rushes over to you and carefully peels one of your hands away from your face before holding it tight, giving you a nod, and pulling you up to your feet. He walks you into the kitchen, where he sits you down on a stool.

"What is happening, Thor?" You ask, fresh tears falling from your eyes. "I just want Bucky. Juniper's ruined everything."

"Shh, it's okay, darling," He assures you, hugging you tightly. "We're gonna sort this whole fucked up situation out, I promise."

"It's not just her," You whisper. "Him finding out that Juniper's evil won't fix it. He... knows about me."

Thor frowns, pulling back. "What do you mean?"

You sniffle, wiping your face. "Juniper found out about my childhood. About what happened when I was a teenager," You tell him, looking down. "She told Bucky. He knows what I am."

"What you are? Y/N, what happened when you were sixteen does not define who you are," Thor says sternly. "Does he know all the details? Huh? That it was self defence?"

"It doesn't matter," You cry. "He won't want to be with someone with such an ugly past. He's used to nice things, and I'm not. He went to fucking private school, and I had to sell drugs just so I could feed myself. We don't fit together, Thor. Maybe I was stupid for thinking I could pretend I was worth his time and hope he wouldn't figure out the truth. No. Even when this is all over, even when he finds out what Juniper's really like... it'll probably just make him want Wren again."

From the doorway, Yelena lets out a shaky sigh, tears threatening to fall from her own eyes. She always gets upset whenever your past is brought up, being such a sensitive soul. "How could you say that?" She asks you, her voice wavering. "You're so special, Y/N."

"Stop," You mumble, not in the mood to be cheered up.

"No, I won't," She says firmly, walking over to you. "You're such an amazing person. Despite everything you've been through, you're so beautiful and kind and lovely. Anyone else would be bitter and angry at the world, but you gave yourself a fresh start. You're smart, and funny, and if he can't see past the childhood you had no choice but to live through, then he doesn't deserve you."

By now, all three of you are crying, and Thor pulls you both in for a tight hug. He holds you for a few moments, gently rubbing your back.

"We have a plan," Yelena tells you lowly once you pull away. "We're gonna fix this."

You nod, sniffling, not entirely sure you believe that this is even fixable. "Okay."

"Juniper's gotten away with hurting people for too long," Thor states, squeezing your hand. "It's time we put an end to it."

Juniper stares at Bucky with her hand on his and her eyes wide. Neither of them say a word. They're still in the diner, and Bucky has a shell-shocked look on his face.

"I know it's a lot to take in, Jamie," Juniper says, her voice soft. "It sucks when the people you care about turn out to be complete frauds. I'm sorry."

Slowly, he turns to look at her, an unreadable expression on his face.

"I'm just glad I found out when I did," She says, stroking his hand. "I mean, can you imagine if you actually carried on dating her? Like, fell in love with her?"

Remaining silent, Bucky just stares back at her.

"Good thing you have me," She chirps, trying to lighten the mood. "And you'll always have me, Jamie."

Having had enough, Bucky pulls his hand out from under hers. He takes in a deep breath, collecting his thoughts before finally saying, "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Juniper's eyes widen. She recognizes his tone and the look in his face, but she is most definitely not familiar with it. Sure, there have been times when he's been annoyed at something she's said and done, but anger? That's an emotion he reserves for other people. People that aren't Juniper Johnson.

"What?" She squeaks, her heart thudding in her chest.

The cold look in his eyes doesn't get any warmer. "I don't even know where to begin," He utters lowly. "You did a background check on my girlfriend?"

"That was for your safety-"

"And then, when you found something traumatic she had been through, you don't ask her about it - which you shouldn't have done anyway as it's none of your business - you come and tell me - no, scream about it, right in front of her, when it's clearly a sensitive topic?" Bucky's speaking calmly, but there's an edge to his words. It's as though he's trying to figure it out - why Juniper would act so cruelly.

Stunned, Juniper lets out a quick breath. "Jamie, I was just worried about you," She claims, her voice much softer than when she was yelling about you being a murderer.

"No, Juniper, you were being a bully," He states firmly. "I saw the look on your face. You were enjoying it."

"Don't be so crude!" She exclaims, moving away from him. "I can't have you being around people like that, James. She's dangerous-"

"It would've happened before college, whatever it was. So she was a kid," Bucky says, his heart breaking for you even without knowing the full context of what you went through.

"I... I didn't think about that," Juniper says, quickly realizing she needs to change her tactics. "Oh, I'm sorry, Jamie. That... must've been really traumatizing for her. I didn't think."

"No, you didn't," He says, standing up.

"Where are you going?" She asks, concern in her eyes.

"I need to find her," Bucky tells her firmly. "Look, just go home. First you think you saw Wren, and now this... just get some rest, or something."

"Jamie, please!" Juniper begs while grabbing his arm, unable to let him walk away when he's upset with her. He's never upset with her. "I refuse to let her come between us - don't let her affect our friendship!"

Frustrated and at the end of his tether, he harshly pulls his arm out of her grip. "Leave me the fuck alone," He spits before storming out of the diner.

i no longer have a taglist, follow @kinanabinksupdates and turn on notifications for updates.

buy me a kofi <3

[angstysebfan]

Don’t listen to her!!!! Ahhh I want to destroy Juniper!!!

jealousy & flirtation

EIGHT: YOU'RE ONLY PLAYING DRESS-UP

18+

Thor, Steve, Yelena, and Wanda continue learning the truth about Wren's quick exit. Meanwhile, Juniper decides enough is enough and it's time to take you out of Bucky's life forever.

Content Warning: Frat!Bucky x F!Reader, mature themes, mention of self harm/violence/injury, mention of murder, angst, blackmail.

Series Masterlist

"I'm sorry - you said yes?" Wanda asks Wren incredulously. "After everything his best friend put you through, you said yes?"

Wren shrugs. "I guess I thought we'd elope and leave the world behind," She says, laughing dryly at her naivety. "I'm not claiming to have been smart back then. He was all I cared about, and I'd have put up with ten Junipers for him."

"Damn, his dick must be amazing," Yelena mutters, in disbelief that Bucky could be worth the hassle.

"It's pretty good," Wanda confirms, to which everyone frowns at her. "What? After Steve, I wanted to make double sure that I was a lesbian and not just disgusted by him. Turned out I am a lesbian, but Bucky's a little less disgusting."

"Mean," Steve says with narrow eyes. "My dick's just as good as his."

"Anyway," Thor interjects pointedly. "How did the fight start between you and Juniper?"

"Bucky proposed," Wren repeats. "No ring or anything. He was just being dramatic and romantic. The cunt watched the whole thing. I'm surprised she didn't just waltz over and push me off the boat - but like I said, she's smart. She waited until Bucky had gone to the bar or bathroom or somewhere that wasn't with me, and then approached me. She said one of my friends was vomiting in one of the cabins, so I followed her. Little did I know she had overheard my plans to run away to Vegas with Bucky and get married by a shitty Elvis impersonator."

"Romantic," Steve mutters dryly.

"Mhm," Wren says with a snort. "She took me out to the top of the yacht where nobody else was. The same spot he proposed. Immediately blew up at me. She said I was stealing him from her, that I didn't deserve him, that he was hers and he'd never leave her."

"Did she push you off the boat?" Yelena asks, shock in her eyes.

"I wish," Wren says flatly. "I'd had enough, so I fought back. Told her she was crazy and that if Bucky wanted her, he'd be dating her. I guess I struck a nerve. She had a knife on her."

"What?" Wanda gasps, not expecting those words to leave Wren's mouth. "She fucking stabbed you?"

"Worse," Wren says darkly. "She stabbed herself."

Making up for lost time with Bucky, you took him back to your place after painting and screwed him three more times for good measure.

"I'm starving," He grumbles from where he's lying on top of you.

"Go make us some food, then," You reply weakly, your voice muffled against the pillow.

Slowly, he peels his sweaty body away from yours and lies on his back next to you. "How about you go make me a sandwich, woman?" He utters, smirking when you slap his stomach.

"For that, you can order us food," You say sternly. "I want Chinese."

While you shower, Bucky sits on the toilet.

"Don't forget the egg rolls," You remind him as steam fills the air.

"Yeah, yeah. Okay, it's on it's way," He says before pulling the shower curtain back.

"Can I help you?" You ask while rubbing soap over your body.

It looks as though he plans to make a sly comment, but when he sees your tits covered in suds, his eyes darken and his mouth runs dry. You immediately recognize the look on his face.

"Again?" You ask as his dick hardens.

He nods. "Again."

After a steamy shower and yet another round of dangerous, slippery sex, you both lie on your fresh bed sheets. You're in your purple dressing gown, and he's stretching out your pink one, the two of you snuggling together while a shitty movie plays on the TV. Empty Chinese food cartons sit in a pile on the floor.

"Ah, shit, I forgot about that," Bucky mutters to himself while looking down at his phone.

"What is it?" You ask, looking over.

"I've mentioned the annual Cabo trip that Juniper plans, right?" He asks you.

"The one her parents go on, too?" You question.

"That's the one," He confirms. "They've been going since she was born, and I started tagging along when we were teenagers. When we came to college, she invited all our friends, too. She just texted me about it; it's in a month. Straight after finals."

"Shit, really?" You turn to him with a frown.

"I couldn't go last year and she almost killed me. I had an internship I couldn't turn down," He explains. "So, she's extra sensitive about it this year. Can't miss it."

"So, I won't see you all summer?" You wonder.

"We'll only be there a couple of weeks," He says, before looking down at you. "Come with us."

Taken aback, you raise a brow. Juniper would most definitely not be happy about you infiltrating their annual trip - but maybe that's exactly what she deserves.

"Okay," You agree with a smile.

"Yeah? You'll come?" Bucky asks, pleasantly surprised.

"Of course. Spending two weeks in Cabo with Bucky Barnes?" You lean in closer, giving him a soft kiss. "I can't think of anything better."

He kisses you again, smiling against your lips. "It's great up there," He tells you. "We'll have a lot of fun."

"I'm sure we will," You reply before curiosity gets the best of you. "So, you and Juniper have been best friends for, like, ever, right?"

Bucky nods while tugging on a loose string on your dressing gown. "Since we were six years old," He tells you.

"I'm all for men and women being able to be friends without there being feelings involved," You preface carefully. "But has there ever been anything between you? More than friends, I mean?"

Surprised by your question, Bucky lets out a laugh. "No. Never," Is his firm answer. "Our parents were always rooting for us to get together, but we never did."

"How come?" You wonder. "I mean, she's pretty hot, and you're alright. You're telling me you never crushed on her? You were never attracted to her?"

"Flora, I've known her since we were babies," He reminds you. "We grew up together. Went through every part of life together - she's practically my sister."

Though his words make you happy, you do well to keep that off your face. "Right," You mumble.

"She's a beautiful girl, I'm not saying she isn't," Bucky says, resting his hand on your leg. "I love her. But I've never looked at her in that way. I couldn't."

You hum, fiddling with his fingers. "And she's never had a crush on you?" You ask.

Your question makes him laugh heartily. "Of course not," He says. "She sees me like a brother. It would be way too weird for anything like that. Why are you asking, anyway?"

Shrugging, you wrap your arms around him. "Just curious, is all," You tell him. "Neither of you are exactly known for dating other people. The past few years at college, it's almost like you guys have been dating each other. You know, without the kissing."

His nose crinkles at your revelation. "Is that really what people think?" He asks with a frown. "I guess we spend a lot of time together, but it's not like that. I've dated other girls... granted, Juniper's not exactly the kind to date, but that isn't because of me."

Oh, it most definitely is.

"Fair enough," You say, smiling up at him.

He smiles back down at you, cupping your face in his hands. "Anyway, enough about me - why don't you tell me about yourself?" He asks. "Did you have a lot of boyfriends in high school?"

You snort, shaking your head. "Absolutely not," You tell him. "I know I'm dream girl material now, but I was a late bloomer."

With a grin, Bucky squeezes your hip. "I bet I'd have liked you," He theorizes. "What were you like?"

High school - and your childhood in general - wasn't the best time for you, so while Bucky's hoping for some wholesome nostalgic stories, you have little more than trauma to dump on him from that period. "Uh, just boring, to be honest," You say. "Focused on school. Stayed in the art room until the cleaners kicked me out every evening."

"Cute," He mumbles with a smile. "I definitely would've liked you."

"Don't be so sure," You whisper, before rushing to change the topic. "Shouldn't we start studying soon? We have Visual Analysis tomorrow afternoon."

"So we do," He replies, stretching his arms out. "Just think - in a few weeks, we'll officially be free from the clutches of education."

You let out a sigh of relief at his words, hoping that Juniper is merciful enough to allow you to have a pleasant summer with Bucky.

"Mom, it's all going wrong!" Juniper cries over the phone as she paces up and down her bedroom floor.

"What's going on, Joopy?" Elizabeth Johnson replies with a concerned tone. "Is everything alright?"

"No!" Juniper all but screams, throwing open her wardrobe door. "Everything is ruined!"

"Oh, baby, whatever it is, we can fix it," Elizabeth replies soothingly, used to her daughter's melodramatics. "We always fix it."

"The only way it can be fixed is if that bitch drops dead," Juniper spits, pulling out items of clothes and tossing them onto the ground.

Elizabeth hums, guessing, "Does James have a new girlfriend?"

"The stupid bitch invited herself to Cabo!" Juniper all but screams. "That's my trip! How dare she?"

"Oh, honey, if you don't want her there, just tell her not to come," Elizabeth suggests diplomatically. "It is our trip, after all."

"Jamie wants her to come," Juniper says with a pout. "If I uninvite her, he'll be angry with me. I thought they had broken up, but she found a way to worm back into our lives. Ugh!"

"The Juniper I know would find a way to get what she wants, no matter what," Elizabeth says. "Remember when you were in high school, and James was asked to the prom by Karen Sinclair? You spent five minutes talking to her and managed to get her to cancel the plans with James, leaving him to take you instead. I've never been prouder."

Raising a brow, Juniper slowly closes her wardrobe door. "I remember that," She mumbles, her mind racing with ideas. "I gotta go, Mom. I have something to do."

"Atta girl. Call me tomorrow and we can plan Cabo. I love you," Elizabeth says cheerily before hanging up.

Putting down her phone, Juniper lets out a breath before a smile slowly starts to grow on her lips.

It's time to take back what's hers.

"Understandably, Bucky thought I did it," Wren recalls, looking down at her twiddling thumbs. "I mean, he walked up to see his best friend bleeding on the floor and his girlfriend - no, fiance - standing over her, holding the knife. I was too numb with shock to even try and tell him the truth. He didn't say a single word to me. Just picked her up and took her to the hospital. I ran home, packed my things, and skipped town, expecting the cops to be on my tail. I ran for three months before realizing she hadn't filed a report against me."

The four sitting opposite her sit in silence, each of them as appalled as the other. It takes a couple of minutes to pass before Yelena speaks up. "Yeah, we need to take that bitch down," She decides firmly.

"You make it sound easy," Wren mutters bitterly.

"Surely if we go to Bucky and tell him all of this, he'll have no choice but to believe us," Thor argues with a frown. "There's strength in numbers, isn't there?"

A dry laugh leaves Wren's mouth. "It wouldn't be enough to just tell him. Don't you see? The cunt's spent almost two decades cultivating her perfect angel persona, and he's never had a reason to think otherwise," She tells him. "We can't just tell him. We have to show him."

"How?" Wanda asks, shaking her head. "We set her up?"

"Easier said than done," Steve grumbles. "Thor and I have been trying to get Bucky and Y/N back together for the past week and even that's proven to be impossible. How do we out-play the player?"

"Juniper may be smart, but she's still human," Yelena reminds them. "She's bound to mess up eventually. Heck, it's finals season; she'll be distracted and stressed out, and it might be easier to attack."

"But what do we do?" Wanda asks, frowning. "How do we prove to Bucky, once and for all, that Juniper's an evil bitch who's been sabotaging his relationships his entire life? Now that him and Y/N are over, she has no reason to do anything crazy."

Wren stands up and begins pacing around the room. "We need to trigger her," She decides. "Make her think there's someone new in Bucky's life. She'd be tempted to do what she always does; try and sabotage it, and we can make sure we're there to catch her red-handed."

"I like it," Wanda says with a nod.

"But where do we find someone new for Bucky to be involved with?" Thor wonders.

"Does it have to be someone new?" Yelena asks, before turning her attention to Wren. "Or, would she be even more triggered if she thought it was someone from his past?"

Wren's brow flies up and she's taken aback for a few seconds before she grins. "That's fucking brilliant."

Yelena

T and I drove to Brooklyn for food but it got late so we stayed in a hotel last night. Should be back later today x

If it wasn't a regular occurence for Thor and Yelena to spontaneously take a road trip just to check out a new restaurant, you'd be suspicious, but you're just slightly jealous you weren't invited. But you think sex with Bucky might be a little better than birria tacos.

After a long day of studying yesterday and the exam today, Bucky went home, leaving you to your own devices. You're grateful for the peace and quiet, and plan to head to the gym until you see the heavy rain outside.

"Fuck that," You mumble before collapsing down onto the couch and reaching for the remote control before your phone buzzes again. Assuming it's Yelena again, you pick it up and glance at the screen, but sit up when you see it's an Instagram message from none other than Juniper. "The fuck do you want?" You mutter bitterly. "Probably warning me to stay away from Cabo. Yeah, right."

Opening up the message, you see that it's shorter than you were expecting.

juniper_

We need to talk. Meet me at the statue by the lake.

Looking up at the window and seeing that the rain still hasn't let up, you scoff.

You

in this weather? no thanks. what do you need to say?

juniper_

If you care about Bucky, you'll come. I'm waiting.

Don't bite. Don't bite. Don't bite.

Damn. You can't help but be curious about what it is she needs to say. Deciding it might be good to hash it out with her, you agree to meet, seeing it as a chance to tell her to back off.

Twelve minutes later, you're standing in the pouring rain by the tall statue of some old philosopher behind campus. Juniper's tossing pebbles into the lake, clad in a heavy, black coat.

"Hey," You call out, your voice almost drowned out by the rain.

She turns around, her hood hiding her eyes. "I'm glad you came," She says. "That was a smart choice."

Rolling your eyes, you sigh and reply, "Can we make this quick? I'm freezing."

Juniper walks closer to you, an oddly calm look on her face as the rain batters down on you both. "I think I'll take my sweet time, actually," She says. "I'd like to savor this moment."

"I know you were lying," You tell her firmly. "About him showing you my nudes. I asked him."

A flash of fear shoots across her eyes, but she does well to remain calm.

"Don't worry; I didn't mention your name," You say with a scoff. "But the next time you try something like that, I will not hesitate to throw you under the bus. I've had enough of you trying to fuck things up - he likes me, Juniper. A lot. And I like him. There's nothing you can do to change that."

She listens to your rant with a bored look on her face. You aren't sure if you're imagining a slight smugness start to bloom. "Are you done?" She asks, not bothering to wait for your answer before continuing. "As you can tell, I'm very protective over Jamie," She begins.

Yeah, no shit.

"I like to keep him safe," She goes on to claim. "I like to know that the people he spends time with are good people. People who won't hurt him or put him in danger."

Your eyes narrow into a glare. "What the fuck are you getting at, Johnson?" You ask her curtly, sick of standing in the rain and listening to her riddles.

"It's my duty, as his best friend, to look out for him," She says, making you cringe. "I have a right to know who he's spending time with. So, I decided to check up on you."

You raise a brow at her words. "Check up on me?"

"You made my job pretty hard, I have to admit," She says with a dry laugh. "But that only motivated me more because a hidden past usually means there's something worth hiding. At least, that's what my father's private investigator believes."

Your stomach flips. Surely not. "I don't know what-"

"Shut the fuck up," Juniper cuts you off coldly, all warmth leaving her face. "My PI did a deep dive on you, Y/N. You poor little thing, growing up in poverty. Probably went to sleep hungry more than once. Never given any toys for Christmas. Ignored on birthdays."

"You have no fucking idea what you're talking about, Juniper," You tell her firmly, clenching your hands into fists.

"Oh, but I do," She says smugly. "See, Jamie and I grew up on the right side of the tracks. We had it good. Jamie's used to a certain level of quality. He likes nice things. Expensive art. Luxury. All the things you've never known. You may know a little about art, but you'll never emulate the natural refinement and elegance that comes with lifelong wealth."

Refined and elegant are hardly how you'd describe her.

"You think he gives a fuck that I grew up poor, you pompous bitch?" You ask her, shaking your head. "I thought you knew him better than that. He isn't shallow."

"I agree. It's possible that he could look past that stuff," She suggests with a shrug before a smirk pulls at her lips. "But do you think he could look past the things you did to make money? To look past the man you killed?"

Your heart drops. She's bluffing. She has to be bluffing.

"Poor old David Rust," She says with a faux pout. "Yet another lost soul succumbing to a foul addiction, murdered. In cold blood."

"There's more to it than that," You find yourself explaining to her, hating that you feel so weak. "I was sixteen. I wasn't even convicted."

"You think any of that matters?" Juniper scoffs. "You're a crackwhore murderer. When Bucky finds out... he'll be disgusted."

The rain continues beating down on you, but it does little to distract you from the horrific feeling of dread pooling in your stomach. It's weighing you down, making you want to drop to the floor.

She takes another step closer to you. "But, he doesn't have to find out," She offers. "As long as you stay the fuck away from him, I won't tell him about your ugly past. Break up with him, and nobody but you and I have to live with the truth."

What a fucking bitch. You consider telling Bucky yourself - explaining the entire truth - but what if she's right? Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he wouldn't understand being pushed to the edge. Being made to do the worst things just to make ends meet. Just to make sure you didn't starve. He may be polite enough not to tell you to his face, but he'd as disgusted with you as you are with yourself.

"Let's face it," She utters. "You don't deserve him. You were born and raised in the gutters. That's where you belong, and it's where you'll always belong. You can pretend you have it all with your makeup and your skirts and your art degree, but you're only playing dress-up. The trash you are on the inside will always be there, rotting, festering, until everyone around you can smell it. Wouldn't you rather end it with him before it gets to that point?"

You look up at her, wanting to scream, wanting to hit her and call her names and pull her hair, but you don't have the energy. She's not far from right - you and Bucky are worlds apart. You've been ignoring it up until now, but there's only so long you can go before he starts asking you about your childhood. Maybe she has a point. Maybe it would be easier to end it before he finds out the truth. At least that way, he'd only think you're cruel rather than a murderer.

"I'll let you think about it," Juniper says, giving you one last sneer. "You have a week to make your decision."

i no longer have a taglist, follow @kinanabinksupdates and turn on notifications for updates.

buy me a kofi <3

[angstysebfan]

Nothing like an earthquake in NJ to start the weekend!! Earthquake started only 30 miles from my house. Strong motherfucker! Thankfully short.

Any other northeast people feel this?

[angstysebfan]

jealousy & flirtation

SEVEN: SHE'S CRAZIER THAN I THOUGHT

18+

No matter how much you may hate him right now, Bucky reminds you of all the reasons you were so attracted to him in the first place. Steve and Thor go on a road trip, unknowingly joined by two others with similar motives.

Content Warning: Frat!Bucky x F!Reader, mature themes, sexual tension, smut, penetrative sex, dom!bucky, degredation kink, angst, crying, insecurities, self-doubt, hurt/comfort, softdom!bucky, aftercare.

Series Masterlist

Grant places the fourth glass of red wine on the coffee table with a clink, standing up proudly with his hands on his hips as he grins at you, Maria, and Bucky. The three of you sitting on the couch in that order, looking up at Grant expectantly.

"There's nothing quite like a Sauvignon to awaken the artist," He claims, picking up one of the glasses and taking a sip before closing his eyes and sighing. "Mm." When nobody says anything, he opens his eyes again and smiles. "Don't be shy, have some!"

Bucky's the first to bite. He takes one of the glasses and has a sip, Maria following suit soon after. Not wanting to be the odd one out, you take the last glass left.

"Now, we're ready to create," Grant decides. "We only have two weeks left before the deadline, so I'd prefer for us to have most of it done by this Sunday. The final week can be for minor tweaks."

"Who put him in charge?" Maria mutters bitterly.

"Maria- you and I are at opposite corners, so we'll go first," Grant says. "Let's go to my atelier."

"Why do we have to do this together?" Maria asks with a groan. "Couldn't we just each have the canvas for a couple of days?"

Grant looks appalled at her words. "This is an artistic collaboration. If we aren't in sync, there will be no meaning to this piece. We may be painting individually, but there needs to be synergy," He explains.

"Alright, alright," She mumbles, standing up with her tools and walking out of the room with him, leaving you on the couch with Bucky.

The silence lasts for a full five minutes before you finally get bored enough to swallow your pride and speak first.

"If we're gonna be painting together, we may as well talk to each other," You say, keeping your face forward. Out of the corner of your eye, you can see his head twitch towards you.

"I'm good."

Baffled by his attitude, you turn to face him with a scoff. "Excuse me?"

There's no clear emotion on his face as he replies, "I said I'm good. I prefer to paint in silence, anyway."

Not only are you confused by his obvious anger at you, you're annoyed. He's the one who showed his best friend your nudes - how dare he act like you're the one who hurt him?

You think back to the events over the past week. The last time you spoke to him was a pleasant interaction, so why has he reverted back to being cold? But then, you remember that he saw you making out with Tony. Is he seriously pissed off because of that?

"You really need to get your shit together," You utter bluntly before taking another long sip of wine. Admittedly, the alcohol is loosening your lips. "We've been over for weeks. Did you not think I'd eventually get with someone else?"

"I'm not a child," Bucky replies lowly. "I guess I just thought you had raised your standards since dating Tony."

With a roll of your eyes, you stand up, not wanting to spend another second in his toxic presence. "I thought so too, but you turned out to be an even bigger asshole than him," You spit.

He stands up too, narrowing his eyes into a glare. "I'm the asshole?"

"Yes!" You double down. "You put on the good boy act, but you're just another heartless sack of shit."

Bucky has no idea where this is coming from, but he's too pissed off to ask for clarification. "I can't believe I ever wasted my time on you," He says coldly.

"Why don't you go cry about it to your best friend, you prick?" You say childishly.

"Shut the fuck up," Bucky spits.

"Make me," You dare him, hoping he's intimidated.

With his jaw clenched, Bucky says nothing in response. Instead, he drops his glass of wine and grabs your arms before pulling you closer and crashing his lips onto yours.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Yelena asks with a frown as she looks up at the red brick house.

Wanda shrugs. "This is the address her old friends gave me," She says as the pair cross the street. Wanda's ready to make her way through the small pathway and up to the impressive house to knock, but Yelena stops in her tracks.

"What the fuck?" She mutters under her breath.

"What is it?" Wanda asks, following her eyes to a grey car.

"That's- I'm so sure that's Thor's car," Yelena says with narrow eyes, shaking her head.

"Thor Odinson?" Wanda asks with a frown. "Why would he be four hours away from campus during the week?"

"I have no fucking idea," Yelena replies. "But I'm sure that's his car."

"Maybe one of the letters in the license plate is different," Wanda suggests. "Y'know, maybe that D is actually a zero on Thor's car."

Deciding she must not know Thor's car as well as she does, Yelena shrugs. It's next to impossible that Thor would be on the same street as them right now, so she turns away from the car and rejoins Wanda in walking over to the house.

"Wait," It's Wanda's turn to stop. "Do you hear that?"

Yelena's ears perk up. The sound of two men scuffling between the two houses in front of men. "None of our business," She states firmly, not wanting to get involved an unrelated fight when they have a clear mission.

"Hold on," Wanda insists. "I'm sure I recognize that voice..."

Yelena's about to argue that they shouldn't start a side mission and that there's no way the voice belongs to someone she actually knows, but when Wanda takes her hand to lead her to the alleyway, her mouth clamps shut. Yes, ma'am. Anything, ma'am.

When they round the corner, it seems the men have stopped arguing and instead have started making out. It's Wanda's instinct to look away to give them privacy - until she realizes she does recognize them.

"Steve?" She asks, utterly appalled.

"Thor?" Yelena echoes, her eyes wide.

The two men pull away from the kiss and turn to the women, the looks on their faces a mixture of confusion and oh fuck, we've been caught. Instantly, Thor pushes Steve off of him. Steve is too busy staring at Wanda, baffled, to be offended.

The four of them, looking between each other, only have one question on each of their lips, which they chorus: "What the fuck are you doing here?"

Bucky's hands are all over you, making you realize just how much you missed him. Even a quickie against the wall with him gives you more passion and pleasure than a night with any other man, making you forget that you hate him right now.

"Look at you, getting all quiet on me now," He mutters as he rubs his cock against your soaking pussy. "This all I have to do to get you to shut your mouth?"

"Fuck you," You spit, digging your nails into his shoulder. "Just... Just put it in, Bucky."

He smirks, teasing you as he brings it to your entrance and pushes the tip in, only to slowly pull it back out. "Say please, flora," He whispers.

You should tell him to get off you for what he did - but in this moment, you can't even remember what it was you were angry about. What did he do again? Something that pissed you off... but what?

"I'm not a very patient man," He warns you. "You gonna show some manners for me?"

Afraid he isn't bluffing and will leave you high and dry if you don't do as he says, you lock your eyes onto his. "Please fuck me," You say quietly.

Bucky tuts, shaking his head. "Not good enough," He says. "Louder."

It doesn't matter to you that you're in someone else's home. It doesn't matter that that someone else is currently in their home. All that matters is Bucky being inside you.

"Please, Bucky," You whine, wrapping your arms around him. "Please fuck me. Use me."

"Use you?" He repeats, his eyes lighting up. "Yeah, you want me to use you?"

"Yeah," You whimper, pressing your forehead to his. "Use me like a fucktoy."

Holding back his groans, Bucky slowly sinks his cock into you. "That's it, take it all," He mutters. "Fuck. Almost forgot how good this pussy feels."

You throw your head back as he starts fucking you, fitting inside you perfectly. The wall keeps you firmly in place as he pounds into you, his eyes fluttering shut as his head falls into your neck. He lets out low grunts into your ear, each one sending a shiver down your spine.

Your legs are wrapped tightly around his waist as he snaps his hips, fucking you harder. The expensive painting on the wall next to your head thumps with each thrust, threatening to fall off. Neither of you care enough to-

"Wait, hold on," Bucky mutters, slowing down as he reaches out to pull the painting off the wall and carefully places it on the couch. "That's a Dumas. Can't harm it."

You let out a soft laugh, agreeing with his reasoning but eager for him to finish what he started. Without wasting much more time, Bucky tightly holds your hips in place and continues slamming in and out of you. He brings one of his thumbs to your clit and rubs it, stealing the air from your lungs.

"Bucky, don't stop," You cry, tugging on his hair. "I'm almost there."

He keeps going at the same pace, his other hand rubbing your neck, making your stomach flip. "Cum for me, fucktoy," He mutters lowly. "Show me what a good little slut you can be."

With a loud moan, you finally meet sweet release, your heart racing as your body shudders.

"That's it," Bucky grumbles, his thrusts becoming sloppy as he reaches his end, filling you with him cum. "Look at you; such a dirty slut for me. Fuck."

Whimpers escape your mouth as you slowly catch your breath, your mind gradually coming back to you. Bucky gently puts you down, and you stumble back to the couch, a sudden dread forming in your stomach. It all comes back to you, along with your common sense - why you were angry at him. Because he betrayed your trust and showed off your nudes as if you're nothing but an object to him. No, a fucktoy. And you've just played right into his hands again.

Before you know it, you're tearing up, disgusted with yourself. How could you give in to him again? Hot tears fall down your cheeks and you cover your mouth, not wanting him to hear you.

"You okay, flora?" Bucky asks from behind you while zipping up his jeans. The sound makes you cringe, and an uncontrollable sob escapes your throat. Immediately, Bucky walks over to you, placing a hand on your shoulder as concern floods his features. "What's wrong?"

You shake your head, blinking away the tears and sniffling. You've never felt this horrific after sex, and you want the ground to swallow you up. Everything that usually turns you on - his degrading words, rough treatment - has you feeling utterly worthless now.

"Come here, baby," He mumbles, wrapping his arms around you. You try to fight against him, wanting to be as far away from him as possible, but he doesn't let you go.

Your breaths are shaky, your words barely recognizable. "I'm not a slut," You manage to utter, feeling pathetic after the sentence leaves your mouth. Yeah, right. You just let a man who exposed your intimate pictures to someone else fuck you against the wall of your classmate's apartment. What else are you if not a slut?

Bucky holds you tighter, stroking your hair. He isn't completely sure how to navigate this situation - nobody's ever cried after he's had sex with them, admittedly - but he knows he wants to make you feel better. "You know I didn't mean that," He states lowly.

"It's true, though," You whisper against his chest, his shirt wet with your tears.

"No, it's not," Bucky assures you, cupping your face and tilting your head upwards so you're forced to look up at him. "You're a good girl, flora."

Your stomach flips, but you still can't bring yourself to believe him. "I sent you nudes and we weren't even dating," You say, your words echoing Juniper's harsh insults outside the library.

Bucky frowns, wondering where this is coming from. "And I sent you nudes back," He reminds you. "Does that make me a slut, too?"

"But... you showed them..." Your voice trails off as you wince.

"What?" He asks with furrowed brows.

"Did you show them to anyone?" You question him quietly. "My pictures?"

Bucky feels his blood run cold - do you really think he could do that to you? To anyone? He guesses that you regret sending him those pictures, possibly concerned that he'd show someone else.

"Flora," He begins, doing his best to remain calm. "What happens between us stays here. I wouldn't- fuck. I'm not like that. You know me better than that. Don't you?"

You hiccup.

His thumbs rub soft circles on your cheeks. "I wouldn't do that to you, baby. Not when you're so good for me," He mumbles, his lips brushing against yours.

"Promise?" You whisper.

"I swear to you," Bucky says gravely. "Never. Nobody else gets to you see you like that. Your perfect body gift wrapped in that pretty lingerie... nobody else gets that. Nobody but me."

Your heart soars and you hope to God you aren't being a fool by believing him. This means Juniper was lying. She was either bluffing about the colour of your bra, or she went through Bucky's phone without him knowing. Either way, you have a newfound rage towards her and a burning desire to beat her ass.

"Look at me," Bucky whispers. "You're my good girl, aren't you?"

You nod, once again feeling safe in his arms. "I don't want Tony," You tell him. "I want you."

"I know, baby," He says before kissing you softly. "You're all mine. Tell me."

"I'm yours," You reply, clutching onto his shirt. "All yours. I don't want anybody else."

"And all I want is you," He promises, wrapping his arms around you and squeezing your ass. "You're mine, flora. Nobody else gets you. Nobody."

With that, he kisses you again, both of you ignoring the sound of Grant and Maria entering the room.

"What the fuck?" Grant spits, appalled. "What happened to my Dumas?"

Yelena stirs two sugar cubes into her tea, keeping her eyes on the dark, swirling liquid. The room is silent, and she doesn't feel brave enough to be the first to speak.

"So," Wanda begins, slapping her hands on her thighs. "Shall we start at the beginning?"

God, Yelena thinks to herself. She's so sexy when she takes charge.

Wren Wragley is sitting on a green armchair opposite her four guests. She looks different from how Steve and Wanda remember her. Her ginger hair is longer with blonde streaks in it, her top lip is fuller than it used to be, and she got better at doing makeup. All in all, she looks like she's doing well for herself. If Thor wasn't here, Steve thinks he'd definitely be trying to get into her pants right now.

"Look, I have shit to do," She says, marking another difference - she curses a lot more now. "I could spend hours talking about that cunt. What's in it for me?"

The four guests look amongst each other, each of them silently willing the others to pipe up. With a soft sigh, Yelena decides it's time for her to be brave. "I know going over what happened in the past isn't going to be fun for you," She begins. "But we need to know the truth before Juniper ruins another girl's life. My best friend made the mistake of getting involved with Bucky, and now Juniper's doing the same thing to her that she did to you."

Wren's brow twitches at Yelena's words.

Steve sits forward. "You know what Bucky's like, Wren. You know he's a good guy - his only bad trait is how naive he is when it comes to Juniper," He says softly, attempting to pull at her heartstrings. "He was happy with Y/N. Really happy. Juniper's already managed to come between them, but if you help us, we can fix things for them and expose Juniper's true colors to Bucky. He needs to know what she's been doing behind his back all these years - that she's the reason he's been so unlucky in love."

"This is your chance to get revenge," Thor chimes in, using a different angle. "Help us take Juniper down. She's been in power for far too long, and it's about time she gets knocked down a peg."

Wren raises a brow at Wanda, waiting for her input.

Wanda sighs, shrugging her shoulders. "If you come back with us, I promise I won't hold you back from beating the shit out of her," She offers.

"Alright," Wren says. "I'll tell you what happened - but we need a plan. A good plan. As much as I hate the cunt, she's smart and manipulative. We need Bucky to see her for what she is, completely, so she has no space to wriggle through and get his forgiveness."

"Deal," Yelena chirps.

A long sigh leaves Wren's mouth and she sinks back into her chair. "Fuck. Where to even begin?" She mumbles to herself before sitting up again. "I'll make this quick. I met Bucky at a party, first week of college. The party was at my sorority house. He was cute, and nice, so we exchanged numbers. I texted him a couple days later, but he didn't respond. I must've really liked him, 'cause I texted him multiple times, and finally got the hint after two weeks that he didn't like me."

Wanda raises a brow. "I remember that party. Steve, that's when you and I hooked up," She says, making Thor scoff softly.

"You two hooked up?" He asks casually.

"I remember because it was the night I realized I was a full-blown lesbian," Wanda continues, to which Steve inwardly cringes while Thor laughs heartily. Looking back at Wren, Wanda goes on to say, "Bucky was glued to your side all night and Juniper was pissed. No way he would have ghosted you if he knew you were texting him."

"If he knew I was texting him," Wren repeats with a sordid smirk. "I didn't know at the time, but the cunt was deleting all my messages before he had a chance to read them."

"Fucking hell," Yelena mutters. "She's crazier than I thought."

"Oh, wait for it," Wren sings. "I started working at that bakery opposite campus - is that still there? - and one morning, Bucky came in. At first, I tried to avoid him, but it became clear he was still interested. Instead of texting him, I'd just wait for him to come in every morning, and we'd share a Danish while talking about video games."

"Cute," Yelena can't help but swoon, causing Wanda to nudge her in the stomach.

"I met the cunt about a month later," Wren says. "She immediately disliked me, and made that clear to Bucky, but he'd just laugh off her concern."

"Then he's dumb," Wren states bluntly, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, we carry on dating, and eventually, he asks me to be his girlfriend. That's when the cunt really kicked things up a notch. She'd tell him that I was flirting with other guys at parties, that I didn't seem as into Bucky as he was into me, that he needed someone he could trust. But none of it worked. He just ignored her."

"He's always just thought she's over protective," Steve says, shaking his head. "That she's just looking out for him."

"We saw the report she made," Wanda says. "About Professor Derrick?"

"Professor Derrickson," Wren confirms with a nod, her jaw clenching at the memory. "A sweet, old man. Taught me Sociology. Actually, he taught me and the cunt. She made up some bullshit about me trying to sleep with him for better grades."

"Seriously?" Steve asks, taken aback.

"Yep," Wren says with a nod. "But after their investigation, they eventually figured out that the cunt was lying. Well, she claimed she misheard, so she got away with it. Professor Derrickson, however, assumed it was me that complained about his conduct, so he asked for me to be removed from his class. I didn't blame him."

"That's horrible," Thor mutters with a frown. "She took it way too far."

"Oh, I'm not done," Wren tells him with a dry laugh. "And neither was the cunt. After that, she dropped the act around me. I guess I was afraid Bucky wouldn't believe me, so I didn't say anything. I didn't wanna lose him, so I just put up with the cunt's bullshit, no matter how far she took it. There's so much she did, I can hardly remember it all. She contacted my parents at one point and told them I was a drug addict and that they should convince me to drop out of college and go home, where I'd be safe from temptation."

"Holy shit," Wanda mutters, in disbelief that this is the same Juniper she's been living with for the past two years.

"Thankfully, my parents eventually believed me and let me stay at college," Wren says. "That was the first time I told Bucky about what a cunt the cunt was. He was confused, naturally, and told me he had to talk to her about it. I d'know, I guess she broke down in tears and convinced him she was a perfect angel. He told me I must've had it wrong. That someone else must've been the one who spoke to my parents."

"Dumbass," Wands mutters under her breath, hoping Bucky isn't still as naive as he was back then.

"I kept quiet after that. Despite the cunt's attempts, things were going really well between Bucky and I. Then came his birthday," Wren's tone darkens as her eyes glaze over. "He wasn't used to having a big celebration, but the cunt convinced me it was what he wanted. For some reason, I believed her, and planned a huge party. Hired a fucking yacht, and all. He hated it, all the attention, but assured me he was thankful."

"That was a crazy party," Steve says, looking down.

"Yeah. It was crazy," Wren agrees, a nervous look in her eyes as she looks up at her guests. "Uh, I'm not sure how much Bucky's told you about that night..."

"Not much," Wanda tells her. "All I've heard is that... you had a breakdown, fought with Juniper, and nobody ever saw you again."

A small smile pulls at Wren's lips. In a way, she's proud of the mysterious legacy she's left behind. "The night started off well. I... I really did love Bucky a lot, and he loved me," She says, unable to look any of them in the eyes as she speaks. "Our relationship moved really fast. Too fast. We were probably more infatuated with the idea of each other rather than in love. Our first relationship as adults, we thought we were the only people in the world who felt as intensely as we did." Wren looks around the room, her stomach flipping as she continues her story. "So, when he proposed to me that night, I didn't hesitate in saying yes."

so sorry so so sorry for the cliffhanger but part 8 is almost ready so you won't have to wait long !!

i no longer have a taglist, follow @kinanabinksupdates and turn on notifications for updates.

if you'd like to support me you can buy me a kofi <3

[angstysebfan]

Welp if you want to cry here you go

Almost

Bucky Barnes x FemReader!

Angst, heartbreak, longing, unrequited love

Hello! It’s been a while, but here is my Bucky fic that I promised from my poll!

The night air was cool and crisp against your skin. The wind was blowing slightly, not enough to be uncomfortable, but enough to cause stray pieces of your hair to swirl into the night as you leaned on the balcony of the Avenger’s tower. You could hear the music from the party inside, its rhythmic beat softly booming from within. It was Steve’s birthday party and it was a lively event that you, Nat, Sam, Bucky, and surprisingly Tony, had spent weeks planning. The guardians had flown in for the occasion, as well as Carol and Thor, who had Loki in tow with him. The night started off simple enough with a nice dinner at a fancy restaurant. It was just Steve, Bucky, Nat, Sam, and yourself at dinner while Tony was busy finishing the party preparations with Bruce.

You had wondered if dinner would be awkward at all. It had been 10 months since Bucky and Nat had broken up, and it had been a strenuous ordeal for the whole team. Nat had broken it off with Bucky, for personal reasons she had told you in confidence. You knew they had had problems during their relationship, problems mostly stemming from their mutual inability to be there for each other emotionally. It was a tough reality to face, for both of them. You often felt like the bridge between the two of them, being the one that both parties were able to confide in. It was hard to be impartial to either side.

On one hand, Natasha was your best friend. She had been ever since you joined the team. She had been dating Bucky when you first joined the team, and your friendship only seemed to strengthen once they broke up. You loved Nat, and treasured her friendship more than anything in the world. You were very surprised when she told you that she started seeing Bruce Banner a few months ago. Even though Bruce seemed like the opposite of Bucky, in all accounts she seemed very happy with him. And you were happy that she was happy…

But on the other hand, there was Bucky. He had been devastated by the breakup. He had wanted nothing more than to drown away his sorrows in booze and fill his nights with endless distractions. You had been very surprised when he had called you one night, asking if you wanted to hang out with him and Steve. Nat had been out with Banner that night, and the tower felt lonelier than usual, so you agreed.

The three of you had spent the night drinking and playing darts. It had been a fun night of laughter and jokes. You were almost glad to see Bucky as he once was, happy and carefree, but as the night wore on, and Steve tapped out around 4 am, it was just the two of you left at the bar. The two of you just sat at the bar, sipping the last of your drinks when you asked him how he was doing.

His facade had slipped away, the smile he had forced all night was gone, and instead he put his head down and let out violent sobs of anguish. “I miss her, god, she was…everything.”

It broke your heart to see him so miserable. You never knew he was in such a poor state. It had been 7 months since they had broken up at that point, and as far as you or Nat knew, he hadn’t seemed like he was upset about it. Why he decided to be so open in front of you… you couldn’t understand. But you comforted him, as best as you could. You stayed with him all night, agreed to take a walk with him and let him vent to you until the sun came up. When he finally passed out on your couch at the avengers tower, he woke up hours later and left without a word.

You thought that was the end of it. That it was just one drunk night that had him so emotional, but then he called again. And again. And again. Hanging out with Bucky started to become a normal part of your routine. Half of the time it was always with Steve, the three of you hanging out. But then Bucky would want to hang out with just you. Mostly you both would talk, sometimes drink, sometimes watch a movie or even sing some karaoke once the liquor started to hit. It was…nice.

You had made sure it was okay with Nat, of course. Asking her if she was bothered by you hanging out with her ex, but Nat seemed undisturbed.

“It seems like he needs a friend, and I know I haven’t been around for you a lot lately either. I’m okay with this, really. Whatever it is— and whatever it becomes.”

Despite your many assurances that nothing was going to happen between you and Bucky, Nat just brushed it off and teased you further about it. She was in a really good place with Banner and she seemed genuinely thrilled with the idea of you and Bucky becoming an item.

The idea had crossed your mind a time or two. Mostly when you were very intoxicated and alone with Bucky. It was hard not to be drawn in by the beauty of him. You’ve caught yourself staring at his arms when he was throwing darts more times than you’d care to admit, and whenever he would throw his arm around you in a fit of laughter, you couldn’t help but feel your stomach flutter.

Getting to know him on a deeper level made the idea of not wanting him even harder to deny. He was still very much hung up on Nat, that was clear, but whenever he let himself be vulnerable and he talked about his past and the things that haunted him, you couldn’t help but feel connected to him in a way that you hadn’t felt with others. Everything about him seemed to be drawing you in. It was a maddening cycle trying to stop yourself from catching feelings, but it was one you fought for the longest time.

Until tonight. The party had been the biggest eye opener to you since you started being friends with Bucky. Dinner was not an awkward affair, much to your surprise. Nat and Bucky were cordial with each other at the dinner table, even sharing a few laughs as you sat between them.

“How have you been James?” Nat asked. Bucky gave her a small smile. “I’ve been alright. I heard about you and Banner, congrats by the way.” Banner had proposed to Nat a few weeks ago. To your surprise Bucky had taken it rather well.

“Thank you, we are very happy,” Nat beamed. She gave you a quick glance and smiled. “Have you seen anyone Buck?” You opened your mouth to protest to Nat, but Bucky just laughed.

“I have been talking to someone for a little while now.”

You felt your heart drop to your stomach. This was the first you had heard of this. You kept a steady grin on your face as he continued talking. You thought you saw Nat flash you a Quick Look, but it was so fast you could have thought you had imagined it.

“Well, that’s awesome. I’m happy for you Buck,” Natasha smiled.

“Yeah, we’ve only been on a few dates but so far it’s been going well.”

The rest of the dinner felt like a strange blur. You remember sitting there, you remember eating, and you remember getting into the car to head back to the tower where the surprise party was, but any other detail of the night faded away into nothing.

Why did it bother you so much? You had no right to lay claim to all of Bucky’s attention. The two of you were friends, and nothing more. You had set that boundary yourself, for yourself to stop yourself from getting hurt. But then again, you had never gotten as close to anyone as you had with Bucky. There had been people in the past, those you thought had the potential to hold your heart, but nothing ever worked out with them.

When the party returned to the tower, an uneasiness settled deep into your stomach as people began to arrive. You tried your best to distract yourself with trivial tasks such as handing out drinks, messing with decorations, or just following Sam around and letting him talk your ear off. But as the party grew, so did the uneasy feeling in your stomach.

Who was this girl? Would she be here tonight? Would you be able to handle it if she was?

As these thoughts were swirling around your head, you decided that maybe it was time to talk to Nat about your feelings. You searched around wildly for any sign of her or Banner but came up empty. You saw Bucky momentarily, he was talking with Steve and your eyes met for a single moment but you quickly looked away. You needed air.

So, that’s when you stepped out of the party and had been hiding ever since. You sent a text to Nat to meet you outside whenever she could. You stood there a bit, swirling the drink in your hand and enjoying the breeze on your flushed cheeks. You heard the sliding door open and you turned expecting to see Nat.

“I need to talk to— oh, hey,” you caught yourself and pitched your voice higher as Bucky closed the door behind him.

“Hey, doll,” He said, his usual playful tone was a bit strained, “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” you replied quickly, a bit too quickly, “I, uh, just needed some air.”

You moved a bit from your spot as he came to stand beside you. The smell of his cologne hit your nose as he sidled up next to you on the balcony, the leather of his jacket brushing against your arm momentarily. Your chest felt like it was contracting, being so close to him. As if the proximity alone was enough to unravel your whole being.

“How are you enjoying the party?” You choke out, refusing to look him in the eye, focusing instead on the city skyline below.

“It’s fine,” he began cautiously. It seemed, “It would be better if you would talk to me though.”

Your back stiffened at his words. You said nothing and yet he continued. “You’ve hardly said a word since dinner and we both know that isn’t normal. You didn’t even laugh when Sam made fun of Banner’s bowtie in the car.”

“Yes I did,” you said weakly.

“If you’re gonna lie to me, can you at least look me in the eyes?”

It was the brokenness in Bucky’s voice that made you turn to face him finally. His eyes were searching yours, trying to read every detail from your face. You bit your lip to keep it from trembling.

“Please, just tell me what’s wrong,” he begged quietly.

You opened your mouth, wanting to answer him, wanting to take away his discomfort at this moment, but the aching of your heart prevented words from coming out.

A choked out noise came from your lips just as the sliding door opened.

“—and I told him, I said—- oh hey!” Scott Lang said in a slur of words, having some unfamiliar guy in tow behind him.

“This are my buddies! Barnes and—“

“Leave Lang. Now.” Bucky said with icy venom.

You didn’t have to look to know that Bucky’s cold tone was enough to do the job as the door slammed shut again.

You wished you could follow Scott out of the situation, but you couldn’t. You took a deep breath, summoned your courage, and downed your drink in one fell swoop.

You shut your eyes right and clenched your jaw a moment as the liquor burned down your throat.

“I’m in love with you.”

The silence that followed there after was deafening. You opened your eyes and looked at Bucky. His expression was soft, his eyes a bit wide with the information, but there wasn’t any hint of anger or disgust.

“I…” he began, “I don’t deserve that.”

His eyes finally looked away from you, as if it was his turn to be embarrassed. His turn to feel ashamed.

“Look, you’ve been everything to me lately. You’ve put up with me when other people wouldn’t— when other people haven’t. You’ve cared for me, truly cared… and it’s lit a fire in my soul again. A fire I thought would forever be extinguished when Nat—- when we broke up.”

His eyes flickered towards you for a moment here and there. You held a steady gaze out towards the balcony, letting his words sink in as you felt your heart shudder at each word.

“I owe you more than I could ever pay back, and that’s why I know— I know I don’t deserve you.”

Suddenly your felt his bare fingers under your chin, his hand gently tilting you gaze to him. Tears fell down silently and touched his hand.

“Listen to me, okay, please,” he begged, his voice catching slightly, “I love you. Okay? I love you, I do. But you deserve more than me. You deserve someone whole, someone who has all the love you give them in turn equally back to you, and then some. I want what’s best for you, and I know deep down that I am not that.”

You did everything in your power to not turn into a whimpering mess, you held his gaze, ignoring the tears. You took a ragged breath and moved your chin enough for him to drop his hand.

“Tell me about her.”

Bucky sighed and put his hands in his pocket.

“She’s nice. Has her own issues, but she’s more like me. Broken like me.”

You nodded, wiping at your face in vain. The tears kept coming, even if you didn’t feel sad. Even though you were pissed.

“I’m happy for you,” you said as happily as possible. You took a step towards the door but he moved in front of you, gently placing his hands on your shoulders.

“Wait, please.”

You didn’t fight him. You met his gaze in defiance and you swore you could have seen a smile creep on his lips.

“There she is,” he murmured.

You couldn’t help but smile a bit at him. Even though a million emotions were running through your mind at the moment, the idea staying mad with him never stuck for long. Even now.

“I need you to know how much I care about you. I need you to understand that. If you hate me for it afterward then I can live with it,” you opened your mouth to tell him you could never hate him but he kept going as if to purposefully stop you.

“I would still be in a very dark place if it wasn’t for you. I value your life significantly more than mine. I would die for you, I would kill for you. You are everything to me and more and I am so honored to be loved by you. I treasure you, I adore you, but I am no good for you. Please understand that. You deserve so much more than I have to offer. And I would hate myself if I broke your heart. And I would. I already have. And I hate myself.”

Suprisingling the tears stopped. You looked at Bucky and studied his face. He was sincere. He was broken, that you already knew. He had more ghosts than anyone else could ever imagine, and past that haunted him daily. But he was Bucky. And he was kind and he was gentle, and he was fierce and loyal.

And you loved him.

That feeling would not easily go away, no matter how much Bucky might wish for it to. But you decided then that you would hold onto that feeling for now. Even though he warned you, had told you he did not want anything further. It would be harsh. It would be devastating. It would be soul crushing.

But it would be yours.

“I think I need some time.”

That was all you said further. His hands dropped from your shoulders and you walked back into the fray of the party. You could feel his eyes on you as you walked through the lobby. People were dancing and drinking and laughing and having a blast. You walked past them all, not paying them any mind. Nat found you, tried to talk to you but you just brushed her off as you found the elevator.

You held yourself straight. Composed. Even when the door to the elevator closed and you were alone. Even when you walked down your corridor and found your way into your dark apartment. It wasn’t until you changed from your party clothes into your sleepwear, curled up in your bed, alone in the dark, that you began to cry.

[angstysebfan]

Seriously let’s just take turns smacking Juniper!!

jealousy and flirtation

6: INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED

18+

After being told by Juniper about Bucky's betrayal, you do everything in your power to distract yourself. Wanda makes a discovery, and Steve and Thor realize they need to up their ante if they're ever going to fix things.

Content Warning: Frat!Bucky x F!Reader, mature themes, angst, mention of sex, mention of hard drug usage, reader is self-destructive.

Series Masterlist

His hands are all over you, but you can barely feel them. You're too lost in the kiss to know which parts of your body he's groping, but you do know it feels good to be focusing on something physical rather than floating in your mind. "Shall we head back to my place?" He mumbles, pulling his lips away from yours for just enough time to spill out the question.

You pull his head down, resuming the kiss and ignoring his query. It isn't until someone clears their throat beside you and bursts your bubble that you finally pull away. Turning your head to the side, you see Thor, semi-healed bruises adorning his chin and cheek, and he doesn't look happy.

"What are you doing?" Thor asks, shooting a cold look at the man who still has his hands on your ass.

"What?" You respond blankly, shrugging your shoulders.

"We're in public, you know," Thor says lowly, glancing around the diner. "And that's Tony. You know, your ex? The asshole you swore never to go back to, ever again?"

With an eye-roll, you take your hands off of Tony's shoulders and take a step towards Thor. "Chill out, T," You say casually. "It's nothing serious. Not like we're dating, or anything."

"For now," Tony says with a lazy smirk, slinging his arm around your shoulder. "What's wrong, Odinson? She finally realized she misses my dick. Nothing wrong with that."

You grimace at his words, but do nothing to push him off of you. That would take more energy than you have right now.

Suddenly, Thor's eyes narrow as he stares at your face. "What are you on?" He asks accusatorily.

With a dry laugh, you look away from him. "Oh, my God. What are you, my father?" You ask with a scoff. "Just leave me alone, T, I'm fine."

"Yeah, T, she's fine," Tony repeats slyly, pulling you closer into him.

You give Thor a pointed look, silently telling him that he needs to back off. Thankfully, he both understands and complies, clenching his jaw as he turns and leaves.

"Thank fuck he's gone," Tony mutters. "Was totally killing my buzz. You want another pill?"

You know what the right answer is - no. You should sober up and head home, and get a grip of yourself. But that means you have to think about things, and you don't want to have to think about Bucky. A cold layer of embarrassment coats your skin as you're reminded of the conversation you had with Juniper a few days ago, and immediately you decide this bender isn't over yet. "Yes," You reply to Tony, who gives you an eager grin in response.

Juniper is having a great day.

After waking up in Bucky's bed, knowing that there's no other girl threatening to take that place anymore, how could today be anything less than great? She was a little worried there when you came into the picture - the girl who Juniper was sure was the one Bucky would sometimes talk to Steve about. He found you pretty, stunning was the word he'd often use, but apparently he never had a reason to talk to you, so you just ended up being conversation fodder when he needed to fill a silence or when Steve asked him if he was interested in anyone.

But then, you approached him.

Juniper didn't see you as a threat until that party. You were everything she wasn't; girly, flirty, and the type to spend an hour doing your makeup. You were the ultimate antithesis of her, which is what she found the most frustrating. Bucky knew he enjoyed spending time with Juniper - he got along with her better than anyone else - so why would he go for someone that was so... not her?

But none of that mattered anymore because as swiftly as you entered Bucky's life, you chose to exit it again. He was heartbroken, but Juniper knew he'd get over it. As long as you stopped trying to get back with him, that was.

"I think you should try dating apps," Wanda suggests as she digs her fork into the spaghetti Steve made last night. "There's no misunderstanding on dating apps. You know exactly what you're there for, and what they're there for."

Juniper's eyes narrow at Wanda, but the redhead simply ignores her. She's known Juniper for far too long and knows her far too well to be intimidated by her.

"I don't know," Bucky grumbles, nursing his iced coffee as he rests his arms on the marble island. "I tried in freshman year, but-"

"What?" Juniper cuts in with wide eyes. "What are you talking about?"

He lets out a half-laugh, shaking his head. "It was nothing serious. I had Tinder for a little while, but-"

"Jamie, how could you not have told me that!" She exclaims, grabbing his arm. "I never saw that app on your phone?"

Bucky raises a brow. "Uh, yeah, like I said, I didn't have it for long. Realized it wasn't for me," He explains, looking back to Wanda who has an amused look on her face. "I need to know there's a spark in person, you know what I mean? I dont wanna spend weeks or months talking just to find out that we don't click in real life."

Realizing she's dealing with a hopeless romantic rather than a typical frat boy, Wanda nods. "Understood," She mumbles, before frowning. "You should put yourself out there in other ways, then. When's the last time you had a girlfriend? Was it that Wren girl?"

Juniper stiffens. If she was glaring at Wanda before, she's now shooting a death stare her way. "We don't say that name in this house," She says gravely.

Bucky chuckles, nudging her arm. "It's fine, Junie, it was three years ago," He says casually, before nodding at Wanda. "Uh, yeah. Nothing serious since then." Bucky couldn't help but wonder if he was the problem. He wasn't a typical frat boy who was only after sex - he wanted more. He wanted the relationship, and the anniversaries, and the intense arguments that only happened when two people really cared for each other. But maybe there was something missing in him. Something that made him unsuitable for a healthy relationship.

"Why'd that end, again?" Wanda inquires, enjoying the way that the topic is making Juniper squirm.

"She turned out to be a crazy bitch, and was jealous of my relationship with Jamie," Juniper says bitterly. "She tried to come between us and turn him against me. She was insane!"

"It came out of nowhere. And then, she just ghosted me," Bucky mumbles with a shrug, realizing it's still a slight sore spot. "Dropped out."

"That's weird," Wanda mutters with suspicious eyes. "What exactly was she saying to turn you against Juniper?"

"Do we really have to go over this?" Juniper interjects with her hands folded across her chest. "You were there, Maximoff. You know what happened."

"I don't remember the details," Wanda counters. "Just that there was a huge argument at Bucky's birthday party. Didn't you have a fight with her?"

"I don't wanna talk about it," Juniper snaps before closing her eyes and letting out a long sigh. "Like I said, she was crazy, and tried to make me out to be the crazy one. I hate girls that can't handle it when their boyfriend is friends with a female - like, how insecure can you get?"

Bucky, having been lost in his thoughts before Juniper's last comment, sits up. "There was a lot she was accusing Junie of, but it's been three years. We were practically still kids at that point," He says simply. "I'm sure she has her own explanation for whatever happened, wherever she is."

"Right," Wanda mumbles almost inaudibly.

"Anyway," Juniper says, clapping her hands together. "Enough about dating. Jamie - what you need is some time with your number one girl. Let's go out and do something fun!"

While Bucky and Juniper make plans for their day, Wanda is reserved. Something doesn't feel right to her, and she isn't the type to be able to forget and move on.

So, when Bucky and Juniper leave to go to the movies, Wanda makes her way to the Student Services building.

It's a small building connected to the library, but it's exactly what she needs. As she walks in, she sees that it's almost empty except for the blond at the reception desk. She's wearing a white polo neck with the college's logo on the right side, and on the left is a nametag that reads YELENA.

Yelena looks up from the steamy book she's reading to see none other than the girl she's been daydreaming about standing before her. She quickly pinches herself to make sure she isn't still daydreaming, holding back a wince when it smarts. Could this be a weed-induced hallucination?

"Hi, Stu- welcome to Student Services," Yelena says, stumbling over the phrase she's been saying every day for the past year. "What can I help you with today?"

Wanda rests her upper body on the counter, leaning forward. The sight of her cleavage makes Yelena stir in her seat. "Hi. Is this the right place for student records?" Wanda asks, looking at the copious filing cabinets behind the desk.

In a daze, Yelena just stares up at Wanda with parted lips. How could one human being hold so much sex appeal?

"Hello?" Wanda cuts in, furrowing her brows. "You okay?"

Snapping out of it, Yelena blinks quickly. "Yes. I'm sorry, I just-"

"Don't worry about it," Wanda says coolly, noticing the way her words make Yelena's cheeks flush. "I was just wondering about student records?"

Making sure to focus on Wanda's words rather than the way her lips move when she says them, Yelena nods. "Uh, would you like to see your file?" She asks, assuming Wanda's here for the same reason as plenty of other students.

"Not exactly," Wanda says slowly, standing up straight. "I need to see someone else's."

Yelena's eyebrows fly up. "Oh. Um... that isn't... you can't actually... that would be a data breach-"

"I hate this stuff," Wanda cuts in, tapping the perspex board between them with her knuckle. "Feels suffocating. Is it okay if I come around to talk to you?"

Stunned, Yelena just stares at her wide-eyed. Deciding to take her silence as permission, Wanda walks through the door on the right and enters the office, looking at the filing cabinets before making her way over to where Yelena is sitting. Wanda sits on the desk while Yelena tries to remember how to breathe.

"It's just one person's record I really need to see," Wanda says lowly. "Really, really bad."

The smell of Wanda's strawberry scented shampoo is all Yelena can focus on. And when Wanda reaches out to tuck a piece of Yelena's hair behind her ear, Yelena's a goner. "Yeah," She breathes out weakly. "Anything you want."

Wanda beams down at her. "I don't know her last name, but there was a student called Wren who dropped out in freshman year. Three years ago, now. Can you find her file?" She asks sweetly.

"We destroy all data on drop-outs a year after they leave," Yelena says with a slight frown, wondering how she can help the angel in front of her. "But..."

"But?" Wanda repeats with a hopeful look.

"Do you know why she left? If there was some kind of issue, bigger than just the fact that she didn't like it here, there may be records in Paladin; our safeguarding database," Yelena says.

"I'm not sure why she left," Wanda admits. "But it might be worth a try."

"If she made any complaint at all, about a staff member or fellow student, it'll be on Paladin," Yelena says as she pulls up the website on her computer. "Legally, we have to keep that data for, like, ever."

"Makes sense," Wanda mumbles, getting off the desk and instead sitting on the arm of Yelena's chair. Yelena's breath hitches in her throat but she does her best to remain calm, swallowing thickly as the website loads up.

"What did you say her name was, again?" Yelena asks, trying to keep her eyes on the screen. It takes some time to find her, but thankfully there aren't many Wrens on record, and only one who was a freshman three years ago. "That's odd," Yelena mutters.

"What is it?" Wanda asks, her heart racing.

"There's a complaint here, but it wasn't written by Wren," Yelena says with a frown. "It was written about her."

Wanda and Yelena share a quick look before Yelena quickly clicks onto it, and Wanda begins to read it aloud. "Wren Wragley needs to be reprimanded for her conduct. It is disgusting what she has gotten away with. Professor Derrickson is a respectable man and she took advantage of his kindness, offering him sexual favors in return for high grades. I overheard this myself after class had ended. She is a threat to the reputation of this college and needs to be dealt with accordingly," Wanda reads, shaking her head. Her eyes lower until she sees who the complaint was written by. "Juniper Ann Johnson."

"No fucking way," Yelena whispers, eyes wide.

"What does that mean at the bottom?" Wanda asks, pointing to a box with red text in it that reads, Investigation launched. Unfounded.

"It means they looked into it but didn't find any proof," Yelena explains. "That's a serious accusation - I assume they'd have asked Derrickson and Wren for their side, maybe interviewed Juniper for more details regarding the date and time, and checked the CCTV footage of whenever she said it happened."

"So, she lied," Wanda whispers, her stomach flipping. She knows Juniper has a cruel streak and can be protective over Bucky, but she never thought Juniper could take it this far. "What's her surname, again? Wragley?"

"Yep," Yelena answers. "Sorry there aren't more details."

"No, it's fine; I can find her on socials," Wanda says before turning back to Yelena. "Thank you so much. I really appreciate this." With that, she leans down and places a soft kiss to Yelena's cheek.

Knowing she can't squander this opportunity, Yelena says, "You seem a little shaken. Wanna smoke?"

Wanda raises a brow. "You have weed?"

Yelena lets out a scoff, sitting back on her chair. "Only the best on campus," She says arrogantly.

"Yeah," Wanda breathes out, running a hand through her hair. She needs to process the information she just learned and she can't do it sober. "Fuck it."

"What is this?" You ask as you look around campus which is busier than it usually is on a Tuesday evening. There's music playing and some stalls set up along with the smell of smoky food, but you can't tell what the event is.

"I don't know, but I'm feeling this music," Tony mumbles with his arm around your hip. He walks you closer to the large speakers where there's a big crowd. Some people are dancing and singing along, but you're too high to make out the words. "What the fuck is going on?" Tony asks with a laugh, his eyes bright.

You look around, stopping when your eyes land on Bucky. He's by the barbecue and Juniper's got her arms wrapped around him. Immediately, you feel sick to your stomach. Bucky's eyes flicker around until they meet yours, and you quickly look away, unable to maintain eye contact with him after learning what a bastard he is.

"Tony," You whisper, pulling on his arm.

"Yeah, babe?" He asks, looking down at you.

You place your hands on his face and pull him down for a kiss, half wanting a distraction and half wanting to piss Bucky off. That is, if he even cares about you - but even if he doesn't, you're sure the primal side of him will hate that his enemy is sleeping with who used to be his girl. Maybe he'll feel some sort of possessiveness and it'll make him sick to see Tony grabbing your ass - that thought keeps you going.

"Hey," A deep voice calls out from next to you, and a part of you thinks it's Bucky. You pull away from the kiss and look up to see Thor who doesn't look happy at all.

"What's up?" You ask him while Tony continues sucking on your neck.

"I've had enough," Thor booms. "This is over. You're coming with me."

"Excuse me?" You scoff. "You're not my dad. Leave me alone."

Thor sighs, his eyes narrow. "I let you off last time, but this is going too far. I don't wanna see you with this fucking asshole," He says, glaring at Tony who pulls back and glares right back at him.

"Loosen up, Odinson, we're just having some fun," Tony utters in a bored tone. "You can have her back when I'm done. 'Kay?"

Having had enough, Thor shoves Tony back before grabbing you by the wrist and marching you away, ignoring your protests. You claw at his hand in an effort to get him to release his grip but there's no use; he's a strong man with a clear goal in mind, and you have no chance against that.

"What the fuck are you doing?" You yell as he drags you across campus, causing a few people to give you strange looks - including Bucky, who has an unreadable expression on his face. "Get off me, you're being insane!"

"I'm being insane?" Thor asks, taking you back towards the dorms. "You were making out with Stark! He's the last man you'd ever want to make out with!"

You let out a loud sigh, giving up on trying to escape and letting him drag you to your apartment building. "I said that over a year ago. Minds can change, you know," You say with a bored tone.

"Not yours, and not about Stark," He says gruffly, using his key card to get into the building. It isn't until he gets you in the elevator that he speaks again, his voice a little calmer. "What's going on, huh? You've been off since Friday. Did something happen?"

You keep your mouth shut, leaning your back against the mirror and watching the small screen as it slowly reaches 7. Once the doors open up, you walk out and make your way to your shared apartment with Yelena. Thor lives two floors up, but follows you into your place.

"There you are!" Yelena exclaims with wide eyes from where she's sitting cross-legged on her yellow yoga mat, arms outstretched upwards and hands clasped together in a fist above her head. "You've been gone for days, I was worried sick!"

"Days?" Thor repeats, narrowing his eyes at you.

"I texted you," You say to Yelena, ignoring Thor.

"Yeah, once on Saturday morning and then nothing for the past four days," Yelena says with a raised brow as she lowers her arms. "Where you been?"

"You should ask her who she's been with," Thor grumbles, folding his arms across his chest. "That's what's concerning me."

"Concerning you?" Yelena asks with a frown as she slowly stands up. "Why? Who were you with?"

You kick off your shoes and push them against the wall beside the door before making your way to the kitchen, deciding you can't be bothered to receive a lecture from Yelena. She watches you, baffled, as you walk into the kitchen and shut the door behind you. While you pour yourself some orange juice from the refrigerator, you hear Thor's muffled voice before Yelena lets out a loud, shrill, "What?"

Groaning inwardly, you lean back against the refrigerator, waiting for the chaos to unfold. The door to the kitchen is slammed open and Yelena storms in, followed by Thor. There's a wild look on her face as she stares wide-eyed at you. "Tell me he's kidding," She says gravely.

A long sigh escapes your mouth. It would probably be good to explain yourself, but you're starting to come down from your high, and talking doesn't seem appealing right now.

"Tell me what's going on," Yelena demands firmly. "You can't just go off the deep end and expect me not to drag you back up. Explain. Now."

With a groan, you push past her and Thor and walk back into the main room, slumping down onto the couch with a huff. Thor stays in the kitchen, and Yelena joins you on the couch.

"What's up, buddy?" She asks, her voice softer than before.

You shake your head, looking down at your hands which you rest on your stomach. "Nothing. I just... wanted a fun weekend, and Tony happened to message me at the right time," You say. "I'm not getting back with him. Promise."

She slumps down so her head's at the same level as yours. "If all you wanted was a fun weekend, you would've told me to bake my special brownies," She states flatly. "This isn't the first time you've wanted to have fun, but it's the first time you've gone back to Tony."

Wincing, you know you can't keep the truth from her for too long. "He's not terrible in bed," You claim. "And... he has more than weed."

Her face drops. "What have you been doing with him?" She asks, and you know it's taking every iota of strength she has not to blow up at you.

You shrug and honestly admit, "I'm not really sure. Mostly just pills, but there might have been a tab on Sunday, I think."

She purses her lips together, and now you can tell she's really trying hard not to scream. But, as angry as she is, she remains calm and lets out a deep sigh. "What's going on? And be honest with me; I know you aren't doing all this just for fun," She says sternly.

In all honesty, you didn't have any intentions of having a drug-fuelled sexcapade with Tony. All you wanted was to have a one night stand in the hope that it would take your mind off Bucky, but Tony has a way of sinking his claws in you once he's got you in his sights.

Deciding it's best to be honest, as Yelena would know if you were lying anyway, you turn to face her. "I was upset," You say bluntly. "I knew Tony would be able to distract me completely."

"Upset about what?" Yelena asks, being careful not to come across as too pushy.

"Last Friday... Juniper cornered me at the library," You begin. "I knew she was a bitch; I don't care about the insults, but it's what she said about Bucky. I think... during our fling, or whatever it was, he was showing her everything. The texts, the... pictures. Even if he wasn't laughing at me like she says, the fact he showed her at all..."

Yelena takes in your words, her eyes narrowing. "Hmm," She replies simply, before raising a brow. "It is very, very likely that she was lying, buddy. Don't ask me how I know this, but she isn't the most truthful person in the world."

You shake your head, ignoring her cryptic words as you don't have the energy to wonder what she means. "No, she wasn't lying," You say. "She knew a detail about one of the pictures. Didn't seem like a lucky guess."

A huff leaves Yelena's mouth. "Shit. Seriously?" She asks, the anger slowly building inside her. "That asshole showed her?"

"And if he showed her, who's to say he didn't show his other friends?" You question, your guts churning at the thought. "And if he's the type to do that, he probably said what Juniper claimed he did. That I was just an easy fuck he was using until he got bored."

"He doesn't seem like that type of guy," Yelena mumbles.

"They never do," You argue, looking down. "I just... I thought it was just her who was the problem. But now that I think about it, what does it say about him that she's his best friend? Maybe he isn't as nice as I thought."

Yelena comforts you with a hug, holding you tight. For some reason, something feels off to her. Taking out her phone, she finds Wanda's Instagram account and sends her a message.

anditwasall_yelena: Hey, weird question, but do you by any chance need any help looking into this whole Juniper-Wren thing?

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Thor's texting Steve.

Steven

Wait, what??

No, Buck would never, ever do that. He doesn't even tell us details about dates he goes on, he would never talk about intimate shit like that, let alone show nudes

I'd beat the shit out of him if he did

Thor💋💋

Not even to Juniper?

Steven

They might be close but not that close. He's very reserved when it comes to talking about sex

Thor💋💋

You could learn a thing or two from him

Steven

Shut up. You love it.

Thor💋💋

What I love is my friend and I want her to be happy. We need to fix this before she does something she regrets more than going back to Tony

Steven

We need proof that Juniper's crazy

Thor💋💋

And where do we get that from??

Steven

I've been thinking recently about this girl Bucky was dating back in freshman yr

Wren Wragley. She had a bust up with Juniper and ended up dropping out

Thor💋💋

So what?

Steven

She said some stuff about Juniper, at the time nobody believed her. But now that I think about it, with this shit Juniper's said about nudes, I think Wren might have been telling the truth

Thor💋💋

Do you know where she is now?

Steven

No, but I remember who she used to be friends with. I can find out where she is now and we can pay her a visit

Thor💋💋

Sounds like a plan

Steven

You're driving

Thor💋💋

Why?

Steven

Easier for me to give you road head.

Thor💋💋

I'm regretting this already.

sorry for the lack of bucky x reader content in this series lately but i'll do my best to give them plenty of interaction in part 7 🙈

i do not have a tag list - follow @kinanabinksupdates and turn on notifs.

buy me a kofi <3

[angstysebfan]

Oh fuck you Juniper! Slut shaming someone because she had what you’ve always wanted but will never have. Man I can’t wait till she gets what’s coming to her!

jealousy & flirtation • 5

FIVE: OPERATION DISTRACT JUNIPER JOHNSON II

18+

Thor and Steve make a start on their plan to reunite you and Bucky, and Juniper decides it's time you and her had a talk.

Content Warning: Frat!Bucky x F!Reader, mature themes, college au, angst, Thor x Steve, toxic girl best friend, Juniper continues to be the worst.

Series Masterlist

Dragonhead Woods is usually a place where low-level criminals meet up, acting out their low-level crimes far away from the eyes of the law. Though its name suggests majesty and awe, it isn't as cool as it sounds, and it is simply a woods at the edge of town with tall trees and minimal wildlife.

And tonight, it's hosting Tony Stark's birthday rager.

"All I wanna do tonight is get fucked, fuck shit up, and fuck!" Tony yells wildly before gulping from the bottle of whiskey in his hands while a crowd of people cheer around him.

"Can't believe you ever let him go," Yelena says dryly, to which you snort. She grabs two beers from one of the ice buckets and hands you one.

Though you wouldn't usually accept Tony's invite to a party, his birthday is always a big event and missing out is social suicide. You also know there's a big chance you'll see Bucky tonight, and as desperate as it is, you'll use any excuse to be in the same vicinity as him. He may hate you, but he's still nice to look at.

"Where's Thor gone?" Yelena asks you as she looks around, trying to find the blond giant amongst all her peers but failing. "He said he was going for a piss like, ten minutes ago."

"Maybe he's been eaten by a bear," You suggest, to which she swats your shoulder.

"Don't say stuff like that, it'll come true," She warns you. "Let's hope, wherever he is, he isn't being attacked by a bear."

"Will you leave me alone?" Thor asks Steve who's seemingly glued to his side as they traipse through the trees and back towards the party.

Steve just grins up at him, invading his personal space without second thought as he wraps his arm around Thor's shoulder. "Don't be so mean. I was only kidding when I offered to hold it for you while you pee," He says playfully, before lowering his voice. "We need to conduct part one of our plan!"

"Tonight?" Thor asks with a frown. He was hoping to kick back and chill out tonight, not meddle in his best friend's relationship with his annoying ex.

"Of course, it's the perfect opportunity!" Steve exclaims. "Operation Distract Juniper Johnson is a go."

With a sigh, Thor stops in his tracks, causing Steve to bump against him. "And what, exactly, does this operation entail?" Thor asks, not sure he wants to know the answer and slightly regretting that he ever agreed to work with Steve.

"Nothing crazy - we just need to get Juniper away from Bucky for a little while and force him to talk to Y/N," Steve explains as his lips curl upwards. "Simple."

Thor, on the other hand, does not see the simplicity in the plan at all. "How do you suppose we get her off him?" Thor asks with a frown as they rejoin the party.

"That, my darling, is up to you," Steve answers.

"What? Me?" Thor sputters. "You're her friend; I have absolutely nothing in common with her."

Steve lets out a huff, his hands on his hips. "She... Juniper isn't exactly my biggest fan," He admits with a wince, as though it physically pains him to say someone doesn't like him.

Thor's confused. "How could someone not like you?" He finds himself wondering, quickly regretting it when he sees Steve's face light up. "I just mean, you have a way of forcing yourself into people's lives. I didn't think it was a matter of choice to be your friend."

"She is my friend," Steve assures him, still reeling from Thor's comment about how hard it is to dislike him. "But we aren't best friends. Juniper thinks I flirt with everyone too much."

Thor shrugs at that. "I mean, she isn't wrong."

"I can't help it; it's who I am!" Steve claims. "The world needs people like me to keep things interesting!"

"If you say so," Thor grumbles.

Steve nudges his arm, moving closer to him. "C'mon, just turn on that Odinson charm and distract her," He says in a softer voice. "While you're doing that, I'll figure out a way to get Bucky and Y/N to talk. And hopefully kiss and make up."

Thor says nothing, only letting out a grunt.

"Now look, Juniper's talking to Wanda. See? That's how good my idea was - it ran itself!" Steve says with a chuckle as he pats Thor's shoulder.

"Uh, I think we have a problem," Thor says, slightly concerned as he spots Juniper making a beeline straight back over to Bucky.

"Shit! Quick, Thor, go!" Steve exclaims, pushing him forward. "Now!"

Flustered, Thor rushes out to the crowd of people, grabbing a half-empty solo cup from someone's outstretched hand and yelling an apology to them while striding over to cut Juniper's journey short. With no idea what else to do, he stumbles into her and spills the contents of the cup onto her shirt.

Juniper immediately lets out a yelp, recoiling backwards as the cool liquid soaks through to her skin. "Oh, my God!" She cries, looking down at her wet blouse before looking back up at Thor with a glare on her face. "What is wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry!" Thor says, holding his hands up as he drops the now empty cup onto the ground. "I didn't see you there."

"You're a fucking idiot!" She hisses with a glare. "This is a vintage football jersey, and worth more money than you have in your bank account."

He raises a brow, taking a step back. "That's pretty presumptive - you don't know how much money I-"

"I know it's not $12,000!" She cuts him off, cheeks flushed and eyes wide. "Jerry Rice himself played in this jersey- do you even know who that is?"

Though Steve was planning on watching his plan take place from afar, when he sees Juniper screaming at Thor, he knows he has to intervene. Thor isn't exactly being charming, and Juniper looks like she's half a second away from hitting him. With an inward groan, he walks over to them and stands in between them. "What's going on here?" He asks Juniper with furrowed brows.

She scoffs, pointing at Thor. "This klutz ruined my jersey- my authentic, vintage jersey!" She says with frustration on her face.

Slowly nodding, Steve turns to face Thor. Not knowing what else to do, Steve glares at him. "What the fuck is your problem, man?" He asks lowly.

Taken aback, Thor tilts his head. "Excuse me?" He questions Steve, wanting to make sure he's reading this right.

"I asked you a question," Steve utters, before pushing Thor back with a shove. "Gonna answer it, or keep staring at me?"

Thor's eyes narrow as he realizes what Steve is doing, but admittedly it would feel great to take out some anger on him. "And who the fuck do you think you are, Rogers?"

Meanwhile, blissfully unaware of the chaos about to ensue, you're staring at Bucky longingly while Yelena rolls her eyes. "Just go and talk to him, already," She says with a tone of disgust. "Worst he can do is tell you to fuck off."

Your lips part in slight shock. "If he said that to me, I think I'd cry," You admit. "No. I'll just watch him from afar and wait for him to realize how much he misses me."

"I can't believe how quickly you've folded," She groans, rubbing her palm against her forehead. "I thought he wasn't worth the drama? Now you want him back?"

"It's just... he handled it pretty well, you know?" You say, watching as he laughs at something Sam's saying to him. "I thought he'd be like Tony and get all asshole on me for ending it, but he's being... nonchalant. As if I have no effect on him at all. Like he doesn't want me anymore. And that makes me want him more."

"Oh, brother," Yelena groans, before hitting your shoulder. "You're an idiot, you know that?"

"Yes, I do," You say with a sigh, about to spout some more bullshit before a crowd gets your attention. "What's going on over there?"

"No idea," Yelena mutters with a frown. "Maybe Tony's doing something stupid."

Suddenly, the crowd's shouts make it clear that there's a fight happening. Usually, you'd steer clear of it - but when you recognize the man getting punched, you gasp. "Is that-?" You begin before you look at Yelena and the both of you say in unison, "Thor?"

Steve's got him in a headlock when you arrive, but Thor quickly wriggles free before slamming Steve onto the ground.

"Thor, what are you doing?" Yelena yells at him.

You look up across the crowd and your eyes meet Juniper's. She looks indifferent; as if she couldn't care less about the outcome of this fight, but her eyes sharpen into a slight glare when she sees you.

When you hear Thor's grunt of pain, you decide you can't stand by and watch anymore. With a deep breath, you push through the handful of people in front of you and lean down, grabbing Thor's shoulder and trying to pull him back.

"Oh, yeah - now this is how you get a party started!" Tony announces from the sidelines with a sordid grin on his face. "Anyone taking bets? My money's on the giant."

"Thor, get off him!" You hiss, failing to pull him even an inch backwards. Steve grabs Thor by the head before pulling him down and spinning him onto his back, and with your hand still firmly on Thor's shoulder, you find yourself being pulled down with him.

Neither of the men acknowledge your presence as they continue to scuffle, but you get an odd elbow to your ribs and knee to your groin as you try your best to stand up. Soon, someone grabs you by the waist and hoists you up, and you're glad to have escaped the chaos. He places you firmly on the ground, and it isn't until you move your hair out of your face that you see it was Bucky who helped you out.

"Thanks," You say between heavy breaths.

He gives you a cold look on return. "What were you thinking?" He snaps, not bothering to wait for your response before he turns back to the boys and grabs Steve, yanking him off of Thor and pushing him back.

Yelena grabs your hand and asks if you're okay while you wave to Thor. "Get over here, right now!" You shout, and he reluctantly trudges over to you. "What was that?"

He only groans, shaking his head. "Don't ask."

"That's not like you at all, T," Yelena says with a frown. "Who started it?"

Thor looks back to where Steve's giving him a strange look you can't decipher. He doesn't look angry, and almost looks like he's holding back a smile. Weird.

"I think this party's over," Yelena decides. "At least for us."

Just as the three of you begin to make your way out of the woods, Steve comes over, holding his hands up in surrender. "I just wanna apologise," He claims, to which you and Yelena share a flat look before walking away.

"What the fuck was that?" Thor hisses, looking at the cuts and slowly forming bruises on Steve's face.

"It was all I could think of," Steve replies back with a whisper, keeping his face straight as he looks around at the dispersing crowd. "Didn't you see it? Bucky totally white-knighted Y/N - that's bound to be some sort of progress."

"He was helping her not get punched by one of us," Thor grumbles. "That was a complete failure. We did all that for nothing."

A small smile plays at Steve's lips as he looks Thor up and down. "Is it weird that it gave me a boner?" He asks.

"For fuck's sake," Thor mutters before taking a step back. "Your next plan needs to be better. Much better." And with that, he leaves, refusing to admit that the boner is mutual.

You stare at the blank canvas, hoping to find some inspiration in the crisp whiteness, but failing. It's split into four sections, Grant having decided the best thing to do being for your group members to each paint their own interpretation of saudade.

Maria, Grant, and Bucky are sitting at the table behind you, each of them lost in their own world as they draft up their ideas on paper. Though you love art, and dabble in creating it, painting isn't your chosen method and you're worried you'll ruin the piece if your section is weaker than everyone else's.

Sitting cross legged on the floor in front of the canvas, you continue to stare at it, hoping something will suddenly pop into your mind. You hear a slight shuffle before you feel the presence of someone next to you. Assuming it's Grant, you're shocked when you hear Bucky's voice instead. "Can't decide on what to do?" He asks you lowly.

You glance back at Grant and Maria who are engrossed in their drafts before letting out a sigh. "Decide suggests there's ideas I need to choose between," You say flatly. "I got nothing."

He hums, placing his paper on the ground on the other side of him where you can't see it. "Do you paint?" He wonders.

"Rarely," You reply with a dry laugh. "I sculpt, and do a little wood carving, but painting isn't my go-to."

Bucky tilts his head. "I didn't know that," He says, a slight hint of surprise in his tone. "You never showed me any of your work."

With a shrug, you look down and fiddle with a loose string on your pants. "I don't really show anyone," You admit.

"What kind of things do you sculpt?" Bucky asks you.

You're surprised he's giving you the time of day, but you assume it's only because you're in his group and he doesn't want to fail this project because of you. "Uh, animals," You answer him. "Mostly birds. It's hard to get their wing texture right sometimes, but that's why I like making them."

"You like the challenge," Bucky utters, before frowning. "I can't believe I never asked you about your art." He almost sounds disappointed in himself.

Letting out a laugh, you shake your head. "I hardly ever make anything. I'm nowhere near as talented as you," You assure him. "Even if you asked, I probably wouldn't have shown you."

He rests his hands on the ground behind him, leaning on them. "Why not?"

"Like I said, I don't show anyone," You reiterate.

"I would've asked for a hand-sculpted keyring," He says lightly, a hint of a smile on his lips, before he nods towards the canvas. "Why not do some birds?"

You frown, thinking about his suggestion. "Do they link to saudade?" You ask.

"I don't know, flora," Bucky says blankly. "Do they?"

With that, he gets up and walks back over to the table, leaving you with your thoughts. Once again, you stare up at the white canvas, though this time you're feeling a little less lost.

An hour later, the rest of the group decides it's time to call it a day. Maria and Grant say their goodbyes, Maria instructing you to keep the canvas safe before they both leave. Bucky's ready to leave too, but he stops at the door of the small room.

"Don't stay too late," He says. "Give me a call if you need a hand moving the canvas."

"I won't, and I will," You answer, giving him a nod as he leaves. While the air between you is still off, it's nowhere near as tense as it was before, which you're grateful for. You doubt he'll be running into your arms anytime soon but it seems he doesn't despise you, which is good.

You stay in the library for a couple more hours as you flesh out your plan before finally leaving. Thankfully, you're excited about your idea, but you hope the rest of the group likes it. The last thing you want is for Bucky to be disappointed in your artistic skills, being so talented himself, so you know this has to be perfect.

On your way out, lugging the canvas under your arm, you stop at the main doors as Juniper walks in. She's holding a pile of books and her face drops instantly when she sees you. You continue walking and there's a moment of silence, but just as you're about to step foot outside, she calls your name.

"Hang on," She says, waiting for you to turn around before continuing. "I think we should talk."

The words fill you with dread, but you keep your composure. "Okay," You reply. "About what?"

She rolls her eyes at your question. "Don't get cute with me," She says curtly. "We need to talk about Jamie."

"Do we?" You wonder, frowning at her. "What's there to talk about?"

An impatient huff leaves her mouth. "You're gonna keep beating around the bush and I don't have time for that, so I'm just gonna say it how it is," Juniper decides. "I want you to stay away from him. I know about your stupid project, but outside of that, there's no need for you to speak to him."

Aghast, you open your mouth. "I-"

"I'm not done," She cuts you off harshly. "You had your chance with him, and you blew it. But it's not like he'll take you back, anyway - the way he speaks about you, it's clear that the chance of anything happening between you is zero."

You swallow thickly. "The way he speaks about me," You repeat lowly, your stomach flipping.

She scoffs, a smirk pulling at the corner of her lips. "You were just an easy lay. Something to pass the time. If you hadn't ended it, he would've at some point. Once he got bored of you," She says coldly. "You were nothing special."

"Given by how quickly you slept with him, you have no self-respect, so how can you expect anyone else to respect you?" She asks with a shrug, looking you up and down. "And the pictures you'd send him? When you weren't even dating him?"

Utterly surprised by how openly cruel she's being, you let out a huff of air that's almost a laugh. "And you're a bitch, Juniper," You say bluntly. You refuse to believe Bucky speaks about you in that way; she's just trying to get in your head.

Your blood runs cold at her words. Surely not. There's no way in hell Bucky would show her those pictures. Is there?

"Red lingerie is a little tacky, don't you think?" Juniper says smugly. "It was annoying when his phone kept going off during movie night, but to see your pathetic attempts at turning him on was worth it."

That fucking asshole.

"At first, I found it funny, how desperate you are," She goes on to say, before pouting. "But now I just find it sad. You should speak to a therapist. Get those daddy issues fixed up, and maybe then you'll be normal enough to be in a proper relationship and not just someone's sex toy."

With that, she shoves past you and walks into the library, her footsteps slowly getting quieter behind you. Still in shock, you're frozen in place, clutching the canvas as your sight blurs.

Feeling sick to your stomach as you imagine him showing her all your texts, all the photos, you begin to stumble home, trying your best to keep the tears at bay until you're in your bedroom but failing.

After spending all this time feeling guilty about the way you dropped Bucky, it turns out he betrayed you long before the end.

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[angstysebfan]

Team Theve!!! Though they have an interesting history I can’t wait to explore… I’m happy they’re going to help!!! I don’t want Bucky or reader to be sad!!😞

jealousy & flirtation • 4

FOUR: MR. BITTER

18+

After bringing your situationship with Bucky to an end, you soon meet his petty side - but surely you aren't jealous, are you?

Content Warning: Frat!Bucky x F!Reader, mature themes, jealous!reader, angst.

Series Masterlist

Digging the spoon back into the tub, Bucky stuffs another bite of chocolate ice cream into his mouth. He's sprawled out on the couch, thick blanket covering his body while an old rom-com plays on the TV.

Meanwhile, Steve and Wanda watch from the doorway. Steve looks on with concern, while Wanda's gaze is more one of morbid curiosity. "He's been like this all week," Steve mumbles, shaking his head.

"That girl really did a number on him," Wanda says with a raised brow. "Why'd she end it, anyway?"

"No fucking idea," Steve replies. "Bucky won't tell me anything. Just that she didn't wanna see him anymore."

"You know I can hear you guys, right?" Bucky suddenly calls out from the couch, turning his head to them. "And the reason I didn't tell you anything is 'cause she didn't tell me anything."

"Huh?" Steve asks as he and Wanda walk into the room. "What do you mean?"

Bucky sinks lower into the couch with a shrug. "I don't wanna talk about it," He says lowly, keeping his eyes on his ice cream.

Wanda rests a knee on the end of the couch. "She didn't give you a reason?" She asks, tilting her head. "That's weird."

"I know," Bucky says bitterly, digging his spoon back into the tub before looking up at both of them. "I'd like to make it clear to you both that I am great in bed, before you make assumptions."

"We weren't assuming anything like that, Buck," Steve says with a soft chuckle, before that look of concern returns to his face. "I wanna talk to her-"

"Absolutely not!" Bucky exclaims. "She's gonna think I sent you to beg her to give me another chance- I'll be damned before I let her think I'm just moping around, hoping she comes back."

Sharing an awkward look, Wanda and Steve wordlessly decide amongst themselves not to point out the fact that Bucky is clearly moping around, hoping you come back.

"Alright, I won't," Steve swears, though he has no intention to keep that promise.

Somehow, Bucky's even hotter now that you've ended things.

He's left his hair a little scruffy and he's wearing the vintage, dark brown YSL hoodie you tried to steal from him multiple times. Not only that, but he's also visibly pissed off every time you meet his eyes - no sweet smile like usual, instead a clenched jaw and seemingly unbothered, blank stare.

And it's such a turn on.

"Hello?" You're nudged harshly, pulling you from your stalker-level staring.

"Huh?" You mumble, turning your face to Thor. "Oh. Sorry."

"You need to get a grip," He tells you sternly. "It was your choice to end it, so now you have to deal with it."

"Why are you being so mean?" You ask him, grabbing the kettle bell from the ground.

"I'm mean? You broke an innocent man's heart!" He retorts. "All because he's friends with a girl."

With a scoff, you glare at him. "You don't understand, T. It wasn't that he was friends with a girl, it's about..." You find it hard to explain it out loud, especially to someone who you know wouldn't see your point.

"You didn't even have an honest conversation with him about it," Thor goes on to say with his hands on his hips. "I'm very disappointed in you."

Doing your best to ignore the pang in your chest, you begin lifting the weight, using your pain as motivation. "It's complicated. I can't just tell the guy that I don't like his best friend - that would piss him off," You say, stealing another quick glance at Bucky who's running on a treadmill on the other side of the gym.

"Yeah, he'd be understandably pissed off because that isn't a valid reason to end it," Thor says curtly.

"She was putting me down in front of him," You tell him, exasperated. "Juniper didn't like that I was seeing him. He's never had a girlfriend, and there's a reason for that. Why would I put myself in a position where I could get hurt, just for a man?"

A gorgeous, funny, sweet man. Stop it.

You and Thor continue in the free weights section while you sneak glances up at Bucky. Eventually, you see him shake Steve's hand before he leaves the gym, and you feel a slight magnetic pull as you do your best not to follow him out.

Just as you put your kettle bell away, you feel a tap on your shoulder. Assuming it's Thor, you turn around with a raised brow, but you're taken aback when you see that it's not Thor.

"Steve?" You utter, confused. "What's up?"

He pulls out an airpod from his right ear before nodding backwards. "Spot me?"

Surprised that he's asking you, you slowly nod. "Sure," You reply, giving Thor a shrug as you follow Steve over to a bench.

He grabs a barbell and lays down on the bench while you stand behind him. For his first few reps, neither of you say a word, and you assume he honestly only wanted you to spot him - but once he hits 5 reps, he speaks up.

"Bucky told me what happened between you," He says bluntly, making your guts churn. "That was pretty cold of you, Y/N."

Wanting to be anywhere but here, you squirm where you stand. "Oh," Is all you say.

"I thought you guys were going well," Steve continues. "Things seemed good between you - what changed?"

Shaking your head, you feel yourself begin to panic. "I- I don't know what to tell you, Steve," You tell him honestly.

With a huff, he slams the barbell onto the ground and stands up, facing you with a glare. "How about the truth?" He says harshly.

"Everything okay here?" Thor interjects as he appears next to you, placing his hand firmly on your shoulder as he frowns at Steve. "Can I help you, Rogers?"

There's a tension between them you've never noticed before. Looking up at the glaring blond, you gently nudge his stomach. "It's okay, T," You say.

Unsatisfied, Thor continues concentrating his cold gaze on Steve. "If you have a problem, you can take it up with me," He says sternly.

"It's nothing to do with you, Odinson," Steve hits back at him, an equally weighted look of bitterness in his eyes.

"And Bucky's love life is anything to do with you?" Thor asks with a scoff. Though he made it clear to you that he disagreed with the way you ended things with Bucky, Thor will be damned if anyone else tries to take a shot at you.

"He's my best friend," Steve reminds him.

"And Y/N is mine," Thor replies. "You don't see me interrogating Barnes, do you?"

"Because he's not in the wrong here," Steve hisses, making you wince as he takes a step closer.

Thor subtly pulls you behind him while moving even closer to Steve. "Get off your high horse, Rogers. Who was in the wrong in freshman year?"

That throws you for a loop. "What?" You utter with a frown.

Steve lets out a laugh. "Wow. You're really gonna bring that shit back up? It was fucking years ago!"

"The principal is the same," Thor snaps. "None of us are saints. How is what you did to me any different to what Y/N did to Bucky?"

What Steve did to Thor?

With an eye roll, Steve pulls out his airpod from his pocket and sticks it back into his ear. "Get over it," He grumbles while storming off.

"I will when you will!" Thor calls out after him.

Once Steve's out of sight, you stare up at Thor, lips parted in shock. "Since fucking when were you and Steve Rogers a thing?" You ask him, utterly baffled.

He sighs, running a hand through his hair. "It was nothing. Happened before you and I became friends, wasn't a big enough deal to mention," He says casually.

"And what, he broke your heart?" You ask as the two of you make your way to the exit.

"He wishes," Thor says bitterly. "It wasn't serious. Same as you and Barnes, to be honest. We hooked up a few times, then he ghosted me."

Processing that information as you leave the gym, you shake your head. Never in a million years would you have thought Thor had history with Steve, but now that you know, it does make complete sense. You even go so far as to think they would make an awfully attractive couple.

"Stop," He growls as you cross the road back onto campus. "I know what you're thinking."

"Thor, he is super hot," You say with a laugh. "I mean, if I were you, I'd forgive the whole ghosting thing."

Maybe you only feel that way because you'd like to think Bucky would be able to forgive you.

"Shut your trap," Thor says sternly. "It's obviously clear that our friendship groups should never collide. Only ends with someone getting hurt."

As you both make your way back to the apartment, you begin to understand why Thor was so disappointed in the way you treated Bucky - it's because that's the way he was treated by Steve. Dropped like he meant nothing, made to feel worthless. As if you could feel any more guilty.

"Stop thinking about it, sweetheart," Thor says with a much softer tone, recognizing the remorse on your face. "You did what was best for you. It's not like you completely ghosted him - you at least had a conversation with him. That's more than a lot of people can say. More than Steve could say, at least."

You try to agree with him, but you can't. The memory of the pure look of heartbreak on Bucky's face when you told him you didn't wanna see him anymore is etched onto your mind. Did you do the right thing, or is Thor just trying to make you feel better? You suddenly have the awful thought that you threw away your chance to have a beautiful relationship with Bucky. Would you have made a good couple? Could you have fallen in love with him, eventually? What if he was your soulmate?

Class has been awkward recently. For a brief period of time, it served as an arena for you and Bucky to eye-fuck each other while competing with one another for who could send the dirtiest text to make the other crack. And now, it's back to how it was before the night of the fateful party where you first slept with him - only worse, because now you're left with the memories of the tryst that was over all too soon.

Instead of shooting you coy winks and drawing dicks on your notebook whenever he walks by, Bucky's avoiding your gaze and acting as though you don't exist. It hurts, but you know you deserve it.

"This project is worth 15% of your overall grade, so please don't treat it like a free-for-all," Professor Linum says to the class. "You'll be in groups of four, and I expect the workload to be divided equally amongst you. This is about artistic and creative collaboration. Now, I gave you all a color as you walked in today. Each table has a sheet with one of those colors written on it - find the table with your assigned color and sit on it. These will be your groups."

A buzz breaks out as your classmates start making their way to their groups. You stand up and look for your color, walking to the other side of the room before you find the word Green and place your things on the table. As you do, you hear a deep voice grumble, "You've gotta be fucking kidding me."

Looking up, you see Bucky sitting on the opposite side of the table. Of course. Inwardly wincing, you sit down, wanting the ground to swallow you whole. Maria Hill is sitting next to Bucky and a few moments of awkward silence later, Grant Ward sits next to you.

"Everyone happy with their groups?" Professor Linum asks.

Nobody speaks up, but Bucky's lip twitches. You're half-surprised he isn't bothering to ask if he can change his group.

"Fantastic. Your task is simple," Professor Linum continues. "Pick an emotion - something complex. I don't want any happys or sads. Give me nostalgia. Bittersweet. Resignation. You have two minutes to discuss with your groups and come to a decision. No two groups can have the same emotion - the quicker you can decide on one, the higher your chances of bagging it."

The room bursts into a cacophony of conversations as everyone gets their ideas out. Though you appreciate art and love studying it, you've never been much of an artist yourself besides the odd piece here and there, so you don't really mind what your group settle on, so long as it's interesting.

"Jealousy," Maria is first to throw her suggestion out onto the table. "I mean, we are the Green group. It's only right."

"Nah, that's boring," Grant says with a face as though he's just smelt something bad. "I want something sad. Sad paintings always have the most to say."

"I disagree. I think pieces exploring sex are the most interesting," Maria counters, before giving Bucky a sly wink.

His face is blank for half a second, then he quickly breaks out into a smirk as he moves closer to her. "I'm inclined to agree," He replies in a sultry tone, one which makes your throat burn.

Is he seriously trying to make you jealous right now?

"Blue Team are the first to confirm their emotion!" Professor Linum announces suddenly. "They'll be creating art that explores the theme of jealousy."

"Aw, that sucks," Grant says, but he doesn't sound at all regretful as he leans forward with his hands clasped together. "Saudade."

The three of you look at him, equally confused looks on your faces as you silently ask him to elaborate.

"It's a Portuguese word that doesn't really have an English translation," He says, the look on his face telling you he's incredibly excited to be the one telling you this, though he's doing his best to act nonchalant. "It's a deep longing for something or someone, linked with nostalgia and melancholy. Like, a sense of emptiness, a longing for that which you've lost."

"...Right," Maria says with an unimpressed look on her face. "That sounds depressing as fuck."

Grant glares at her. "It is."

God, he's petty.

"How about resentment?" Bucky says, and you don't miss the quick glance he shoots your way.

"Time's up!" Linum calls out with a clap of his hands. "Green Team - you're the only ones who haven't yet decided. What's it gonna be?"

Grant's the first to speak up, much to Maria's dismay. "Saudade," He announces proudly, his chin up high.

Not surprised at his student's pretentious answer, Linum nods. "Fine," He approves bluntly. "Now you've all got your emotion, here comes the hard part - I want you, in your groups, to create a piece of art together which explores your chosen emotion. The medium is up to you. At the end of this semester, you'll each present your work to the class."

He continues explaining the stipulations while you sink in your seat, feeling utter dread at the thought of having to work with Bucky. It's bad enough that he hates you from afar, but speaking to him every week? This is going to be a nightmare.

"Bucky," You call him back when the class ends and everyone's filing out of the room. He almost looks as though he's about to continue walking away, but with a clenched jaw, he turns back to you.

"What?" He asks curtly, none of the usual softness or flirtation in his tone that you became used to. It's a jarring change.

You watch as a few more people leave, waiting for it to quieten down before you speak. "Are you mad at me?" You ask, doing your best to be firm but not harsh with your tone. It's a dumb question - of course he's mad at you for prematurely ending what could've been a fun relationship - but maybe you just want a reason to speak to him.

Bucky looks as though he wants to argue with you for a split second, but the emotion on his face quickly dissipates as he changes his mind. "I'm not mad," He utters coolly, a blank stare on his face.

If it was anyone else, you'd believe them, but you know better. He's punishing you for cutting him off by being distant, and you can't blame him for it. But damn if it doesn't hurt. "We can still be... civil," You go on to say, holding back a wince.

His face remains void of emotion as he replies, "Okay."

This sucks. You'd rather he yell at you - in fact, a part of you wants him to yell at you, just so he's at least putting some effort into this conversation. You want him to be angry because that would mean he cares. That would mean he still thinks about you the way you think about him, and as much as you're a terrible and selfish person for it, you want to be taking up space in his mind. As toxic as that sounds.

"Bucky," You say, bordering on whining as you take a step closer to him. "Don't be like this." Yell. Call me names. Say you hate me. Are you purposely being annoying to piss him off?

"What do you want from me?" He asks you, allowing a slight confusion to twitch at his brows. "You said it yourself: we're done."

Your chest pangs and you immediately regret ending it. If you knew it would feel like this, you never would have done it. Screw Juniper, let her try and sabotage things, it's not worth losing Bucky.

"I'm sorry," You find yourself saying, not knowing what else to say. "I didn't want to hurt you. But there's no need to flirt with other girls in front of me."

That earns another eyebrow twitch. "Flirt with other girls," He repeats flatly.

"Yes," You say, not caring how immature or downright crazy you sound. "That whole... thing with Maria. What, are you trying to make me jealous, or something?"

His brow flies up. "You're jealous?" He asks, not allowing his tone to give away how he's feeling.

"Of course not," You immediately answer. "But it's pretty obvious, what you're trying to do."

"I'm not trying to do anything," He corrects you bluntly. "Maria's a pretty girl. I'm a warm-blooded man. I'm within my rights to flirt with her."

You stare up at him, silently willing him to give up the aloof act. You don't deserve him to be nice to you, or give you any of his energy at all, but you want it so badly. You want him to understand, without you having to say it, that you didn't want to end things with him and you still want him just as much as you always have. It feels surreal to know that it's your fault the man you've been pining after for so many years isn't with you anymore. He wanted you, and you rejected him. God, you suck.

"There you are Jamie, I've been waiting for you for ages!" Juniper herself suddenly calls out as she swoops into the room. "What are you still doing in class? We agreed to meet at- oh." Her face drops when she sees you, and she stops a few tables away. Folding her arms across her chest, she narrows her eyes. "What's going on?"

"Sorry, Junie, I got held up," Bucky mutters, not even sparing you a final look as he turns and walks over to her. She shoots you a cold glare over his shoulder as if to say stay away before she links her arm with his and the two of them exit the room.

"This sucks," Yelena complains as she looks around the bar. It's a typical Friday night at Swirl. The place is packed with students and the music isn't too loud, but Yelena isn't talking about the bar itself. She's talking about your low mood. Her eyes focus back on you as she takes a sip of her Cosmo while you rest your head on your fist, your Pornstar Martini untouched. "You really liked him, huh?" She asks with a pained look. "I don't think I've ever seen you this messed up over a guy. Not even Tony."

You let out a huff of air, no energy to try and deny it. The truth is, you're more upset than you thought possible, and you were more attached to Bucky than you initially claimed. Though your time with him was short, he was everything you look for in a partner, and you're sorely missing the gap he's left in your life - a gap you yourself carved out. Idiot.

Your response is something between a grunt and a whine, and Yelena gives up with a sigh.

"You don't wanna dance?" Yelena asks, though she already knows the answer. "Don't wanna maybe talk to someone else? There's plenty more fish in the sea, you know. Fish that don't have possessive best friends."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Thor's glaring at the man who just paid for his drink. "What do you think you're doing?" He asks Steve, who pulls his phone away from the card reader with a casual look on his face.

"What? I can't buy an old friend a drink, now?" Steve asks, resting an arm on the bar as he looks Thor up and down.

"Old friend?" Thor repeats with a scoff. "Please."

Steve places a hand on his chest with a pout on his lips. "You wound me, baby," He says, moving closer to him. "I just wanna share a drink. Nothing more. Unless you want more."

Utterly baffled by Steve's audacity, Thor only narrows his eyes.

"If you want more, I can give you more," Steve continues with a playful smirk as he moves even closer, lowering his voice as much as he can to remain audible over the music. "I can give you a lot, big guy."

"Don't call me that - what the fuck is going on with you, Rogers?" Thor spits. "What's your angle?"

"No angle!" Steve claims, holding his hands up, his eyes wide. After a second, he relaxes again, resuming with the sultry look. "Talking to you the other day... it was nice. Made me think of old times."

With a dry laugh, Thor shakes his head. "You're a fucking dick, Rogers," He utters. "Thanks for the drink, but I'd rather have it alone."

"Where's the fun in that?" Steve asks, leaning against the bar while facing Thor, a mischievous look in his eyes. "If I recall correctly, you said I was the best you ever had."

Thor snorts. "Yeah, when I was 18," He points out bluntly. "Don't fool yourself into believing I still think about you, Rogers."

"Ouch," Steve mutters as the bartender slides across Thor's beer.

Glancing over at him, Thor raises a brow. "How, uh, how's Barnes doing?" He can't help but ask, knowing what a mess you are and wondering if Bucky's the same.

Steve shrugs, hand clasped around his own beer. "Not great. Your girl really fucked him over," He says. "No warning, no reason. Must've took a leaf out of my book."

Thor takes a long sip of beer, doing his best to keep quiet but unable to stop himself. "There was a reason," He finds himself saying. "Just one that Barnes wouldn't have accepted."

"What do you mean?" Steve asks with a frown. "What was it? I know it wouldn't have been anything Bucky did."

"It wasn't," Thor confirms before sighing. "You ever wonder how Juniper really feels about him?"

Taken aback by his mention of someone who Steve didn't think had anything to do with it, he furrows his brows together. "Uh... what?"

Thor takes another sip before elaborating. "It's clear she feels strongly about him. Everyone knows that," He states.

"Oh, yeah," Steve agrees with a nod. "They're best friends. So, what?"

"So, Juniper loves her best friend a little too much to allow him to ever have a normal relationship with another girl," Thor spills out, immediately regretting his words.

Steve is baffled, his eyes wide. "Did- did she tell Y/N to end it?" He asks, shocked.

"No, not explicitly," Thor clears up. "But it was made clear that she'd make it difficult for them to progress in any way. Y/N figured it wasn't worth the heartbreak, so she quit before things got too deep."

It takes Steve a few moments to process Thor's words. Though at first, he's confused, he slowly pieces it together and things begin to make a lot of sense. "Oh, shit," He whispers to himself. "Wren. She was right..."

"What?" It's Thor's turn to be confused.

Shaking his head, Steve meets his eyes. "Nothing, never mind. So, Y/N ended things with Bucky because of Juniper's... closeness to him?" He asks.

"Pretty much," Thor says with a shrug. He's said too much now so he may as well say it all. "She doesn't mind that his best friend is a girl, heck, I'm one of her best friends so that would be hypocritical. It's just that Juniper can be pretty obvious when she doesn't like someone, and I'm sure she's a big reason that Bucky's always single."

Steve drums his fingers on the counter, shaking his head. "Wow," He mumbles. "I didn't even... wow."

"You okay?" Thor asks before having another drink of his beer.

Nodding, Steve turns to him. "Yeah, I just... it sucks that it had to end like that. I mean, Bucky was really into her, and he was so much happier," He says wistfully. "As much as Juniper probably doesn't want him to, Bucky's always wanted a proper girlfriend. He's lonely, and he's always thought it's his fault he wasn't able to develop anything with anyone he dated. He takes it really personally when things end, you know? Deep down, he's a sensitive guy. And Y/N seems like a great girl. It's a shame..."

"If only we could get Juniper away from him long enough for them to reconcile and get together," Thor says with a sigh.

"If only..." Steve trails off before his eyes light up. "I mean, we could."

Frowning, Thor puts his beer down. "We could what?"

"Get them back together," Steve says brightly. "All we have to do is make sure Juniper doesn't get the chance to come between them."

"That's a pretty big task, Rogers," Thor says. "Who's to say Bucky will even forgive Y/N?"

"He's too into her to pass up the chance of getting back with her," Steve claims. "His ego is hurt right now, but if he knew how much she likes him and that the reason she ended things was 'cause of Juniper, he'd be more than willing to give things a second chance."

"What makes you think he'd believe Juniper was the reason? I mean, haven't they been best friends since they were born?" Thor asks incredulously.

Steve nods, a determined look growing on his face. "It won't be easy, but together, you and I can make him see her true colors," He says, giving Thor a smile. "What do you say? Prepared to do what it takes to make our best friends happy again?"

Reluctant to agree to spend time with Steve, Thor hesitates. But when he looks to the other side of the room and sees you hunched over your drink looking utterly distraught, he knows he can't sit back and let you remain hurt when he has the power to change that. Turning back to Steve, he shakes his outstretched hand. "Fine. Let's do it," He agrees. "But if you think this puts you in with a chance to get back into my pants, you're dead wrong, Rogers."

With a smirk, Steve tightens his grip on his hand. "Whatever you say, big guy."

eeek exciting 🫶

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[angstysebfan]

Does anyone remember a college Bucky fic from a few years ago where he was a player but develops a crush on Natasha (who he doesn’t know well) and asks the reader to teach him how to be in a relationship. Along the way he realizes he’s in love with the reader? I can’t think of the name or who wrote it… HELP!!

[angstysebfan]

Loving this!!

Not Meant to be

Bucky Barnes x Fem!reader (soulmate AU)

Summary: Everyone is born with a soulmate mark on their body, a unique image that you and your soulmate share. When you discover the other half of your mark printed on your best friend, you’re elated- until the universe decides to make things complicated. Will you and Bucky find a way back to each other, or will you fall apart?

Warnings: Angst, allusions to smut (nothing explicit), heartbreak, unrequited feelings (assumed), fluff

A/N: Welcome to my first series! it's an angsty one. The plan is to update weekly. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it :)

PS. for fun, lets pretend that the compound never blew up, and Nat and Tony are still alive :)

Chapter one

Chapter two

Chapter three

Epilogue

[angstysebfan]

My Roommates Boyfriend - Fin

Pairings: Bucky x Female Reader AU: Modern

Chapter Summary: And they all lived.... Chapter Warnings: Fluff and maybe cursing cause ya know... lol, also several flashbacks

Flashbacks in italics

Series Masterlist

--

2 years later

You’re pacing around the room trying to get your emotions in check. Today was the day your life will change forever. Nat walked in, wearing her navy blue tea length dress. 

“Y/N, you've gotta calm down and get dressed already!” she scolded.

You take a deep breath and look at the floor length mirror. Your hair and makeup were done to perfection and you were standing in your white silk robe.

“What if we're not meant to be? What if this is all a huge mistake?” you say, panic evident in your voice.

It was the day after you and Bucky finally talked it out. He planned on taking you out on a proper date this time. He told you he would pick you up at 7, and at exactly 7, you heard the buzzer.

You were running around like a chicken with your head cut off because you'd gotten out of work late, which never happens. You buzz him in and quickly run into your room to slip your dress on.

You heard the knock on the door and started to panic because your hair was a disaster and you didn’t have time to reapply your makeup. You run to the door, looking slightly disheveled. You open it to see Bucky looking as handsome as ever.

Bucky furrowed his brows seeing the panic on your face.

“You okay, baby?” he asks.

You shake your head as tears start to form. “I-I got out of work late, and so I haven’t had time to fix my hair or my makeup and you planned this whole night and now I’m ruining it!” you said, choking on a sob.

Bucky quickly embraced you and kissed the top of your head. “Y/N, I don’t care where our first date is. I just want to be with you. If we miss our dinner reservation, we can go to the diner or get pizza. It's ok. Please don't cry. And by the way... you already look amazing.”

You look at him for a moment before you pull him close and kiss him deeply. Bucky was taken aback at first, but then wrapped his arms around you. When you pulled back you looked at him with determination.

“Give me 10 minutes, and I’ll be ready,” you said softly before going into your room.

You knew at that point that Bucky was the one for you. Always and forever.

Nat took both your hands and made you look at her. “Do you love him?” she asks. You nod. “Do you want to be with him for the rest of your life?” she asks, and again you nod. “Then shut up with the stupid questions and get your ass dressed! You need to be walking down that aisle to your man in 10 minutes!” Nat said with authority. She pushed you toward your dress and smacked your ass.

Once you were in your white strapless floor length gown, that showed all your curves perfectly, you felt slightly more confident. Your mom and dad walked in and gushed over how beautiful you looked. Your mom gave you a hug and left the room with Natasha to get ready to start the ceremony. Your dad offered his arm and led you out of the room.

Bucky was waiting at the end of the aisle with Sam and his other best friend Steve. When you entered the room with your dad, he couldn’t help but watch you walk toward him in awe. He can’t believe you were finally going to be his forever.

You'd been dating for a year, and it honestly was the best year of your life. Bucky had moved into your apartment, especially after you gave him a key again, after a month of dating. You both were the happiest you had ever been.

You were planning your next visit out to Nat in Seattle in the next month or so. You both cuddled together on the couch looking at the computer to purchase plane tickets. Bucky has his arm wrapped around you, and every few minutes kisses you temple, cheek and grabbing your chin he kissed your lips.

What started out as innocent, turned into a full blown make out session and then passionate love making. Your plane tickets forgotten. As you both lay on the couch, calming down from your exertion, Bucky turns your face to him.

“Marry me?” he asks softly, as he brushes the hair stuck to your face from sweat.

You smile and tears come your your eyes. “Oh my god! Bucky, yes of course I'll marry you!” you shout as you wrap your arms around his neck.

Bucky smiles and kisses you softly. “I was going to wait until Seattle, but I just couldn’t wait anymore. I love you, Y/N. You're everything to me. We were truly meant to be from the moment we saw each other, and I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you.”

You can’t help crying tears of happiness. “I love you too, Bucky, so fucking much. I can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together!” You say as you bring him in for another kiss.

Bucky and you were more then lovers, you were best friends. You told each other everything and anything. You barely fought anymore, though there was the occasional disagreement. You both swore to never go to bed angry, and that also pushed you to settle your quarrels quickly. Plus you couldn’t stand to be away from each other. 

Nat was your cheerleader all the way through your relationship, which is why she is proudly standing by you as your maid of honor. She met her current boyfriend Bruce at work, and the two have been together for a year. She's never been so happy.

You and Bucky make frequent trips to Seattle to see Nat, and she visits New York with Bruce often. You’re so glad that the distance didn’t change your friendship. You know none of this would have been possible without her.

“Oh my god!!” Nat screamed as she saw your ring! She ran up and gave you the biggest hug, squeezing you so tight. “I can’t believe you guys are getting married!” She said as she hugged Bucky.

“Nat, none of this would have happened if you hadn’t pushed us to stop being stupid. So… will you be my maid of honor?” you ask. Nat jumped up and down screaming YES!

You look at Bucky as you get closer to him, and you can’t help your wide cheesy smile. God you loved this man and you can’t imagine what life would be like without him. You don’t even remember what life was like without him. As you finally make it to Bucky, your father shook his hand and gave you away.

After your vows were said, you finally heard the words you were waiting for, “You may kiss the bride”. Bucky pulled you to him and crashed his lips into yours. To say you were the happiest people in the world would be an understatement. 

After a fun reception, you said goodbye to your family and friends and went up to the honeymoon suite of the hotel. You both had to be up early to catch your flight to Bora Bora, but you spent the entire night entwined in each other. Bucky showed you how much he loved you over and over. 

Six months later you get another surprise. You’re pregnant! Bucky was beyond happy, and you both decided that it was time to start looking for a house and leave the city. You found the perfect home in the suburbs that was still close enough to the city for work and your friends. 

“Bucky? Are you home?” you shout from the bathroom in your apartment.

“Yeah baby, I'm in the kitchen. You okay?” Bucky called as he walks toward the bathroom.

You take a deep breath and hand him the stick. He looks confused at first, but then, slowly, a huge smile appears on his face. “You’re pregnant?” he asks in disbelief. You nod.

Bucky shouts with joy as he sweeps you off your feet and spins you around. You both are laughing as he stops and just holds you.

“I can’t believe I’m going to be a daddy.” He says.

You smile. “I know! And I’m going to be a mommy!”

Bucky kisses you softly. “Well, I think we need to move out of the city. I want my kids to have a big backyard with a pool and swing set.” Bucky says as he walks over to grab his laptop.

Shortly after the move you gave birth to your son, Matthew James Barnes. He was the spitting image of his father, and you hoped he would turn out just like him. After an easy birth, you and Bucky sit on your bed holding your son. Bucky continues to kiss you head and thanking you for his son.

You look up at Bucky with tears in your eyes. You think back to that terrible first year of knowing each other, and then the terrible drive to Seattle. You can’t help but laugh to yourself that all of that craziness led you to the best thing in your life. Your loving husband and son. You wouldn’t want it any other way.

--

Chapter 9

And thats that... Thank you for reading!

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[angstysebfan]

Fucking Juniper being a pick me and ruining this!! I wish Bucky would have fought for this but I get he’s pissed too. Can’t wait till the next chapter!

jealousy & flirtation • 3

THREE: THE END

18+

You make a difficult decision when you realize you aren't willing to take on the drama that comes with trying to steal Juniper's best friend.

Content Warning: Frat!Bucky x F!Reader, mature themes, Juniper continues to be a jealous pick-me, mention of weeed, Tony is a dickhead, drag racing (not the rupaul kind unfortunately), implication of driving under the influence, angst, sad and mad bucky, arguing.

Series Masterlist

DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE

His nostrils flare ever so slightly with every breath he lets out as you scan his face, taking in all the features you've never before noticed. You've always known he was gorgeous, but you haven't had the chance to truly take in every bit of him. The freckle on his chin you can just about make out through his stubble. The way one of his eyelashes curls the opposite way to the rest. His lips, pinker and puffier than usual.

"Stop staring at me," He suddenly grumbles, making you gasp.

"How did you know?" You ask him, having thought he was fast asleep.

"Can feel your eyes," He answers, eyes still closed as he grabs your wrist. "Wanna make me breakfast?"

You let out a scoff, pulling out of his grip. "In your dreams," You reply snarkily. "I need to leave soon."

His eyes shoot open at your words. "What? No, you don't," He counters stubbornly. "Stay."

After stretching out your arms, you swing your legs off the bed and stand up. He doesn't even try to hide the way he's ogling your naked body as he reaches out for your hand.

"Stay," He repeats with a slight whine.

You grab his shirt from the floor and pull it on, and you're glad you did as not even a second later, his bedroom door swings open.

"Wake up, Jamie!" Juniper sings as she runs into the room, stopping in her tracks when she sees you as her face drops. "Oh."

"What the fuck, Junie? Ever heard of knocking?" Bucky asks her with a glare.

"I never knock, you weirdo," She replies innocently, looking you up and down.

Feeling incredibly awkward under her gaze, you collect your clothes from the ground and begin to walk backwards. "Uh, I'm gonna go wash up," You mumble awkwardly before rushing into the bathroom and shutting the door behind you.

"You can't just barge into my room like that - especially not when I have company," Bucky scolds her.

"I didn't realize she was here," She claims as she takes a seat on his bed.

He feels uncomfortable as he moves his legs out from under her. He never feels uncomfortable around Juniper, but having her sitting on the bed he just spent all night fucking you on is creeping him out.

"The game's starting soon!" She reminds him excitedly as she jumps up and down. "Come on, get up!"

He groans, rubbing his face. "I'll be down in a sec," He grumbles.

"You always say that and then you take, like, an hour!" She retorts with frustration as she grabs his arm and pulls on it. "C'mon, Jamie."

Returning from the bathroom, you have to hold back an eye roll at the sight.

"Do you mind letting me at least get dressed?" Bucky asks her, exasperated.

"Nothing I haven't seen before," She says slyly as she stands up and makes her way towards the door.

You cringe at her comment, looking anywhere but at either of them as you suddenly feel out of place.

"Go," He orders her sternly, and she quickly complies - but not before shooting you a quick, blank look.

Once she's gone, Bucky lifts off the covers from his body and goes to lock his door. You avert your gaze away from his soft cock, pursing your lips so as to stop yourself from laughing.

"Really?" He asks with a raised brow as he walks over to you. "You're fine to be naked around me, but can't handle seeing my cock?"

You can't help but snort as you meet his eyes, shaking your head. "Shut up and put some clothes on, slut," You retort, subconsciously taking a step back. "I'm gonna leave in a minute."

He only moves closer to you, making you laugh nervously. "You're not really going, are you?" He asks softly, placing his hands on your hips. His dick brushes against the hem of your dress as he pulls you closer. "Don't go."

Swallowing hard, you look away. "I have plans. And so do you," You remind him. "You're gonna miss the game."

"Come watch it with us," Bucky invites you, stroking his fingers further up your thigh. "Don't leave me, flora."

Your body betrays you and you're unable to do anything but allow him to touch you, slipping his hand into your panties, rubbing his fingers in circles over your clit. Shaky breaths are all that leave your mouth as you feel his begin to harden against your stomach.

"If you stay," He begins, uttering the words in your ear. "I'll let you cum." With that, he pulls his fingers out of your panties, making you cry out.

"What the fuck?" You whimper, hitting his chest. "You're so mean."

"Tell me you'll stay," He says lowly, leaning his forehead against yours.

You take his hand and put it back between your legs. "I'll stay," You reply.

He rubs his fingers over your panties, making you shiver. "Promise me," He doubles down.

"Fuck," You whisper, digging your nails into his shoulders. "I promise, Bucky."

"That's a good girl," He whispers, continuing to rub your clit through your panties. "Cum for me." With a strangled moan, you feel yourself burst, feeling a rush of pleasure that lasts a few short moments. Bucky lets out a soft laugh and spanks your ass lightly before kissing your cheek. "Now, how about that breakfast?"

An hour later, you're sitting on the couch between Bucky and Wanda and trying to focus on the game while the others shout over it. Sam and Steve are debating on who the best player of all time is while Juniper's providing commentary of the game. You're wearing a pair of Bucky's sweatpants along with one of his hoodies, which Juniper wasn't awfully happy about when she saw you walk in. She couldn't help but make a comment about how that hoodie of Jamie's is so comfy, you're lucky he let you wear it.

"It's obvious he's past his prime," She says bluntly from where she's sitting on the armchair to Bucky's left as she gestures to the TV. "I don't understand why he hasn't been benched yet."

You take some popcorn from the bowl on Bucky's lap and simply nod along, having no idea what the fuck she's talking about. You'd much rather be alone with Bucky, but it seems like he wants you to get to know his friends. A small part of you is worried that your situation is getting a little deeper than just sex, but would that really be so terrible? Bucky's an amazing person - he'd be perfect if it weren't for the green-eyed devil on his shoulder.

"Do you even like football?" Juniper suddenly asks you, making you stop mid-chew.

You look over to her and tilt your head. "I catch a couple of games when I go home," You tell her honestly. "If my brothers are watching."

"Wait - who's your favorite player?" She asks with a tone of excitement as she turns her body to face you. One of her hands reaches out and taps Bucky's shoulder. "Remember what I said to you earlier?" She whispers.

Feeling slightly left out, you rub the back of your neck and shrug your shoulders. "Uh, probably Fennick?" You offer, naming the first one you think of. You don't want to give her the satisfaction of showing you up for having no knowledge, but by the look of her reaction, it seems you've said exactly what she wanted you to.

"I told you!" She claims, hitting Bucky's shoulder again. "That's what all girls say, just because they find him hot."

Bucky rests his arm around your shoulder as he shrugs. "He's an attractive man," He defends.

"That doesn't make him good at football," Juniper points out curtly, before focusing her attention back on you. "Can you even name two other players? Without looking at the screen?"

"You're being annoying, Junie," Bucky warns her. "Not everyone is as into the game as you."

She just sighs and looks back at the TV, while you hold back your irritation. One thing is made clear to you: you could never be in a relationship with Bucky. Not while he's in one with her.

"Seriously? Ugh, she sounds worse than I thought!" Yelena yells from the bathroom. "Why was she trying to show you up like that?"

You lay back on her bed and sigh, staring up at the ceiling. "Because she's desperately in love with Bucky and doesn't want any other girl stealing him away," You answer her simply. After a rough day having to witness Juniper trying to prove just how close her and Bucky are, and just what a typical girl you are, you're mentally exhausted.

Yelena walks into the bedroom with a frown on her face as she dries her hands on a towel. "I don't get it. She's known him for so long; if you're that into him, just ask him out?" She says, her face crinkling up in slight disgust.

"That's what I'm saying!" You exclaim, sitting up. "But she would never admit it. I think that, deep down, she knows he doesn't reciprocate her feelings, and she'd rather just keep him as a friend than risk losing him."

She lets out a low whistle before tossing the damp towel into the laundry basket and joining you on the bed. "That's a messy situation to get yourself into," She utters, fiddling with your anklet. "Are you gonna keep seeing him?"

Another sigh leaves your mouth as you shake your head. "I don't know. I mean, he's easily the best sex I've ever had, and he's really sweet and funny. But... she's a huge part of his life," You say, dejected. "I can already see the drama that would unfold if I were to actually date him. And besides, she'd probably ruin my chances of having something real with him, anyway."

"So...?" Yelena trails off with a raised brow.

"So, it's done," You decide, as hard as it is. "I've achieved my goal. I wanted to fuck him, and I did. If I keep seeing him, it'll just make it harder when it ends."

"You're gonna end it?" She whispers with a wince.

You rub your face, groaning at the prospect of having to tell him you don't want to see him anymore, even though you do. "I'll just let it fizzle out by itself," You say, taking the coward's way out. "Next time he texts me, I'll just take longer to reply. I'm sure he'll get bored of it himself soon enough."

Just then, your phone chimes out. No way.

"Is that him?" Yelena asks you with wide eyes.

You lift up your phone, cringing inwardly when you see that it's indeed Bucky.

Bucky

What are you doing tonight, flora?

Letting out a muffled squeal of frustration into your hand, you lay back down. "Why is this my life?" You whine.

"Are you gonna reply?" Yelena wonders, hugging her knees.

You drop your phone onto the mattress and fold your arms across your chest. "No. Not yet, anyway. I just... it's gonna get too messy," You explain, hating that you have to be so sensible. "I'm gonna end up really liking him, then that fucking Juniper is gonna ruin it and I'll be left heartbroken. I'm not doing that to myself."

Pouting, Yelena reaches out for your hand. "I'm sorry, baby," She offers softly. "But you're doing the right thing. I'm proud of you."

Your stomach churns as you stare at Bucky's message, but you do your best to stay strong. With a quick movement, you turn the screen off, trying not to think about what you're missing out on.

"How about we go out tonight to take your mind off it?" Yelena suggests. "There's a costume party at Maria's sorority house tonight. She isn't friends with any of those guys, so you don't have to worry about him being there."

Taking in her words, you slowly nod. If you stay in tonight, you know you'll only end up overthinking everything and probably end up texting Bucky back. Being around people is your best bet to staying strong and not giving in, so with a heavy heart, you agree.

You're not sure how, but mere moments into entering the booming sorority house, you lose Yelena. There's a thick crowd of people congregating near the entrance that you slowly make your way through, and the second you make it out, your arm is grabbed by someone.

"That is the greatest, most intelligent, well-thought out, original costume I've seen all night," Wade tells you with a grin as he looks you up and down.

You raise a brow and snort. "Sexy cat?"

"Absolutely," He says with a nod before taking a sip of beer and sneaking a look at your cleavage.

Looking around, you smile and narrow your eyes. "I've already spotted, like, six others-"

"No, not as good as yours," He claims, resting his hand on the wall behind you. "Hey, do you have a boyfriend, perchance?"

"I think you're drunk, Wade," You point out, patting his shoulder before taking in his costume. "The fuck are you supposed to be?"

"You can't tell?" He asks you, slightly offended. "I'm Human Shrek - Fiona should be around here somewhere. You seen Logan?"

"I just got here," You remind him with a shrug.

"Right, so nobody else has had a chance with you yet," Wade says with a smirk. "What was the answer to the boyfriend question, again?"

"There was no answer; I avoided it," You tell him honestly. "No boyfriend, though."

His eyes light up, and he moves a little closer. Your back's against the wall, and though you weren't looking for anything besides a little drinking and dancing tonight, a little attention from Wade Wilson is always nice.

"That mean you're happy for me to fuck your brains out tonight?" He asks you bluntly, but you're not surprised by his brash demeanor. You've known him since your first day at college, and over the years, you've grown used to his frank nature. You had a short thing with him, slept with him a few times, but it burnt out pretty quickly. Not that he hasn't tried since then.

You shrug, glancing behind him to see Steve and Wanda dancing, dressed as Barbie and Ken. You take that to mean Bucky can't be too far, which makes your stomach flip. Immediately, you feel like running and hiding.

"Is that a shrug of consent?" Wade questions you with a frown. "Or am I gonna have to keep telling you how intelligent and original your costume is before you give me a chance, pretty girl?" The nickname admittedly makes your chest flutter, and a surprised laugh leaves your mouth. Wade grins, taking that as a win and daring to place his hand on your waist. "Come on, sexy cat, let's dance," He says, before dragging you over to the middle of the room into the crowd.

Wade turns you around, strategically making it so your ass is against his crotch, and the two of you start swaying to the music. You do your best to get Bucky out of your head, telling yourself it was just a fling that's over now, and you need to move on by getting under someone else. He might not even be here.

Just as you begin to grind on Wade, your eyes flicker to across the room where you see, of course, Bucky fucking Barnes. Shit. He's sipping a beer, dressed as Woody from Toy Story, and he looks so fucking good. You immediately take Wade's hand and drag him into the kitchen, claiming that you need a drink.

The kitchen's busy, which you're grateful for. Wade helps himself to a beer from the fridge while you rest your palms on the marble counter, trying to ignore the part of you that wants to go back out there and dance with Bucky.

"And she rides like a dream," A familiar voice says from opposite you. You look up to see Tony Stark with a Ghostface mask pulled up on his head standing on the other side of the counter bragging to a few guys stood around him. "Smoothest you've ever driven. Worth every fucking penny."

You hold back your eye roll as you take the red solo cup from Wade's outstretched hand, not bothering to ask what's in it before taking a long swig. Tony's obsession with cars is off-putting, to say the least. It's the reason you couldn't date him longer than a couple of months last year, and even now you wonder how you lasted that long.

"Wanna head back out there?" Wade asks as he places his hand on your lower back. "You owe me a dance."

Going back out there is the last thing you want to do right now. As annoying as Tony's car talk is, you'd much rather suffer through it than have to see Bucky, knowing you can't allow yourself to talk to him. Then again, maybe that's what you need to do - dance with someone else in front of him. Show him that the fling is over - you had fun, but that's all it was, and now it's over.

Reluctantly, you take Wade's hand and allow him to lead you back out to the living room. You don't spot Bucky immediately, which brings you some relief as you walk through the crowd. There's a wannabe DJ in the corner butchering a Britney song and Wade's getting a little handsy, and those two things combined with your stress as you scan the dark room for Bucky has you on edge.

A few songs play and you actually start to relax, dancing with your back to Wade's front as you sing along. The strong drink he made you is allowing you to let loose, and you actually start to have fun - until you see Bucky again. He's dancing with a Buzz Lightyear costume-wearing Juniper, of course, and he smiles a little when he sees you which makes your heart drop.

You purse your lips together and place your hands on top of Wade's which are resting on your hips. Bucky pulls Juniper in front of him, and though she's taken aback, she says nothing as he starts dancing with her. You know she's feeling special, when in actuality, she's just the closest person he could grab. You should feel bad, but seeing as it's her, you don't.

You can tell Bucky isn't happy with seeing Wade all over you, but he's doing his best to remain strong. Bucky squeezes Juniper's hips subconsciously, not realizing that her mind is racing right now. In her head, he's finally realized how badly he wants her, and he can no longer hold back. Tonight's the night. She's absolutely delighted, and more than ready for this - she's been waiting for this day her whole life. You, on the other hand, feel sick. You can tell by the look on Bucky's face that he thinks this is just a game; that you're only teasing him by dancing with Wade.

When Wade slips a hand further up and cups your boob, Bucky's demeanor changes. What was once just a fun game is now pissing him off, and he's had enough of seeing you with another man. He takes his hands off Juniper and stops dancing, his face stern.

"Jamie, what's wrong?" Juniper asks him with a frown. She follows his eyeline and when she sees you, she can't help but scoff and nudge Wanda as she mumbles, "Of course she's dressed like a slutty cat. How typical."

Before Wanda can give her a snarky response, Bucky leaves. Juniper can only watch on with wide eyes and parted lips - did he really just walk away from her without a word? After dancing with her like that?

"Maybe you should've dressed like a slutty animal, instead," Wanda says lowly with a coy smile. "Seems to be his type."

Juniper huffs and rolls her eyes. "Ugh, that is so not me. Sexy costumes are so basic, and just begging for attention," She mutters bitterly. "I guess I'm just not like normal girls. I mean, look at me - I'm dressed like a cartoon character! A male one, at that. I don't care what guys think of me. I mean, if I did, I'd have spent three hours putting makeup on like every other girl here. No offence, Wan."

Having zoned out of Juniper's speech three words in, Wanda simply nods. "Mhm."

Knowing Bucky is likely about to walk over to you, you spin around and grab Wade's hand. "Do you have any weed?" You ask him desperately.

He looks taken aback, but nods. "Yeah. You wanna smoke?"

You all but drag him outside, dropping your half-empty solo cup on the way out, hoping it isn't too obvious to Bucky that you're literally running away from him.

With the fresh air, you feel less suffocated. Wade lights up a joint while you stare out at the night sky, wondering if you're doing the right thing. Sure, Juniper is hard to deal with, but is that a good enough reason to throw away what you have with Bucky? You and him get along better than you did with any of your exes, and you know without a doubt he'd be a great boyfriend.

But you can't ignore the Juniper-shaped elephant in the room. Bucky's perpetually single for a reason, and she's already proven that she dislikes you. Is there even a point in trying to start something with him?

You smoke on the patio with Wade for a few minutes while you think. His arm's around you, and he presses kisses to your cheek and neck every so often, but you barely even register his existence. If it was Bucky kissing and grabbing you, you wouldn't be able to think straight. You'd be all-consumed by him, wanting more and more of him, begging him to find an empty bathroom or storage closet and to fuck you then and there.

A loud horn pulls you from your thoughts.

"Check her out, peasants!" Tony yells from his cherry-red Ferrari.

He gets some attention from the other people standing outside, and you inwardly cringe. Compared to Bucky, Wade and Tony are nothing. They can't make you feel the way he does with just one look. They could only dream of having such an intense effect on you without ever having to touch you. Yet here you are, hanging out with them instead of him. All because of Juniper fucking Johnson.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

You look to the right to see Yelena with a glare on her face.

"I told you - you only smoke my weed!" She scolds you, slapping the joint out of your hand.

"Hey, that was good shit!" Wade yells.

She scoffs in his face, "I highly doubt that, Wilson. Everything you touch turns to shit."

"Fuck you, Yelena!" He cries.

"Fuck you!" She fires back.

"You wanna fuck me so bad!" He retorts, to which you take a step back.

"I'm gonna leave you guys to it," You utter before walking down the patio stairs and onto the sidewalk.

"Hey, baby," Tony whistles from his car with his arm hanging out the window. "Wanna go for a spin? She's factory fresh. Just got her this morning."

Folding your arms across your chest, you let out a sigh. "No, thank you, T," You reply. "Haven't you been drinking?"

"Sober as a nun!" He claims, beeping the horn again when you turn around. "Damn. How'd I let you go with an ass like that?"

Just as you begin to walk back towards the house, you spot Bucky and his friends leaving. With a wince, not wanting to have to blank him directly to his face, you spin on your heel and immediately rush over to Tony's car, getting into the passenger side.

"I knew you'd eventually come crawling back," He says slyly, starting the engine. "Where to?"

"Yo, Tone!" Steve suddenly yells, making you sink down in your seat. Shit. "Nice wheels!"

"Thanks, man!" Tony replies, before letting out a pretentious laugh. "Better than that shitbox Barnes drives, ain't it?"

"Oh, God," You mumble under your breath, wanting the concrete to open up and swallow you whole, car included.

"I don't know, man," Steve says with a shrug. "I bet Buck's shitbox is faster. Modded it myself."

"Wanna bet?" Tony goads while you keep your eyes down. "C'mon, Barnes. Let's do it. Winner gets ten grand."

You're not surprised by Tony's words- in fact, you're only surprised he didn't go higher. What does shock you, though, is Bucky agreeing.

"Alright," Bucky says, making his way to his own car parked on the opposite side of the road. "I'm down."

"Jamie, don't!" Juniper cries, running after him. "It's not safe!"

"Listen to your girlfriend, dude," Tony says with a warning tone. "You're not winning this."

Unable to stop yourself, you turn your head to the right and your eyes immediately meet Bucky's. You can't tell what he's thinking or feeling, but you know he isn't happy. The tension makes your skin burn, and you almost want him to just grab you by the arm and pull you out from Tony's pretentious convertible and tell you to never try something stupid like that again - but he doesn't.

"Let's make this quick, boys," Steve calls out from the sidewalk. "First to go round the Green Island and back wins."

Your heart races and you place your hand on the door handle, in half a mind to leave, but Tony locks the doors before you have a chance.

"You're not going anywhere, baby," He says as he starts the engine. "I need my good luck charm."

You feel sick to your stomach, not just because of Tony's sleazy comment but because of what's about to happen. You've never been in a race before, but you know what to expect: high testosterone arguments as they each claim to have won. Looking on the bright side, maybe Bucky will do something that turns you off him, making your life a lot easier.

"Alright, on your marks!" Steve begins, taking his place in between both cars.

"Hey, Barnes!" Tony shouts over to him. "I got another idea!"

"Get set!"

"How about this?" Tony continues over your head. "Winner gets Y/N!"

"Go!"

Immediately, you feel your stomach lurch into your throat as Tony steps on the gas. You're too busy trying to take in deep breaths to figure out who's winning, more focused on the fact you could be about to die.

"Wooohoo!" Tony screams madly.

Looking over at him with a glare, you feel your rage bubble. "Fuck you, Stark!" You yell at him. "How could you say that?"

"Calm down!" He shouts back, zooming through the empty streets. "It was a joke!"

"Not a funny one," You say with a huff. "Fucking prick."

You already felt like shit for avoiding Bucky all night, and now you feel like you're rubbing it in his face. He probably hates you right now, and with good reason. If he had done the same to you - ignored you and dance with some other girl - you'd be utterly distraught. Shit.

You cling tightly to your seatbelt and the door handle, the harsh wind whipping past your face. Every now and then you spot Bucky's car shoot by, and you can tell it's a close race. Hopefully, Bucky will win, and Tony will finally shut up about his car.

Thankfully, the Green Island isn't far, and Tony quickly spins around before rushing back to the house. Bucky catches up, the two cars level with each other as they race down the street. Mere metres from the finish line, Bucky gets the edge, coming to a squealing stop by Steve two seconds before Tony.

"Shit!" Tony yells, slamming his hand on the wheel. "Fuck's sake."

You can't help but smile, glad he's been put down a peg.

Juniper stumbles out of Bucky's car with a grin. "Yes! We won! Fuck you guys!" She yells, and you can tell she's loving being able to cuss you out.

Bucky gets out of his car and shakes Steve's outstretched hand before looking over at you and Tony. "You've got my Venmo, Stark," He calls out.

"Yeah, yeah," Tony huffs, before smirking. "Hey, I was kidding earlier - winner doesn't get Y/N. Loser does." With that, he places his hand on your chin and plants his lips on yours in a kiss, one you immediately end as quickly as it starts.

"What the fuck, Tony?" You scoff, pushing him away.

"What? You aren't gonna console me?" He whines. "I just lost ten racks!"

"I'm glad!" You shout as you leave his car, slamming the door behind you. By the time you're out, Bucky has disappeared, making you deflate.

"Never, and I mean never," Yelena says as she storms down the patio stairs. "Ever do that again! What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Shaking your head, you ignore her words. "Where'd Bucky go?" You ask.

She sighs before nodding towards the house. "What are you gonna do?"

Though it pains you, you know you have no choice. Dragging this on and playing mind games will only make it worse. "End it," You tell her bluntly, before making your way back into the house.

He isn't on the dance floor with Wanda and Juniper, and he isn't in the kitchen with Steve. Just as you give up, you see a glimpse of familiar brown hair through a window. You quickly walk out into the backyard to see him smoking with his back against the garden wall.

Without a word, you join him, and he hands the joint over to you. You take a puff before handing it back to him. The two of you continue like that for a few minutes, neither of you saying a single word until he finally speaks up.

"Fuck's going on with you?" He asks.

"Nothing," Is your instinctive response.

"Bullshit," He retorts. "You haven't spoken to me all night. You avoiding me, or something?"

"I'm not avoiding you," You lie, hoping he doesn't notice the wobble in your voice.

"You ignored my text," He points out.

You shrug, hating everything about this conversation but trying to seem casual. "I get a lot of texts. Didn't see it," You say simply.

"Did I do something? Piss you off, or something?" He wonders. "Why are you being so standoffish?"

Finally, you meet his eyes, which makes this even harder. "I'm not purposely avoiding you. I just... don't really have anything to say to you," You explain. "I mean, it's not like we were dating, is it? We had a little fun together, that's all."

"That's all?" He repeats, taken aback. "Really?"

"Yeah," You double down, taking a step back. "What do you want me to say? I mean, it was fun while it lasted, right? What more is there to it?"

Bucky's visibly confused as he looks away from you, frowning. "So, you don't wanna see me anymore?" He asks.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

You've done your fair share of heartbreaking. You've broken up with guys before, and it's always felt shitty. But this? Cutting Bucky off when you haven't even given him a chance hurts differently. But you have to protect yourself.

"Does what we did even count as seeing each other?" You question. "I mean, a few quickies?"

"They weren't all quick," He reminds you with a bitter mumble.

This is bad. It seems he's in deeper than you thought he was. You thought he'd forget about you and move onto the next one night stand in a few days, but it almost seems like he's actually got feelings for you, and you feel like the worst person in the world.

You hand the joint back to him.

"You can't just drop someone like that, okay?" He says lowly. looking down. "It's not nice."

With a wince, you step closer to him. "Bucky, I-"

"Whatever," He cuts you off coldly, the softness leaving his eyes as he drops the joint to the ground and stamps it out. "We're done, yeah?"

Speechless, you simply look up at him.

"See you around, flora," He says before walking away from you, leaving you there alone.

Which is exactly what you deserve.

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