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electrasev5nwrites · 1 year

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Ninja Daily: AIC 19

Aiko heard running in the hallway seconds before any of her students did.

Stupidly, her first thought was that someone in Konoha had heard the news that Kirigakure had announced there had been a change in leadership and that all burnt personnel were invited to return. But she'd only told Mei to take care of that yesterday… The information had probably been released in the afternoon or late morning. Konoha wouldn't know less than 4 hours after the fact.

Maybe they'd know tomorrow.

"Hikari-san! Hika-gah!"

'Oh. I should have predicted this.'

A scuffle ensued what seemed to be less than a meter from her hotel door. Someone yelped.

Keisuke and Yuusaku looked at each other, but Ryuusei just sighed and leaned back on his cushion.

There was a sound suspiciously like someone whispering furiously right outside the room.

Aiko closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head. This was an obvious set up. But Naruto wasn't aware of that. If she expressed her displeasure, she'd hurt his feelings. Fucking Konoha. "Yes, Naruto-kun?" she called.

The door to their hotel room slammed open triumphantly. Iruka still had Naruto by the collar, but that didn't appear to be dampening his enthusiasm. "I didn't know you were in Konoha!" He pointed at her accusingly. "Why didn't you tell me, ne? Ne?"'

"I thought that Hatake-san would tell you," Aiko passed the buck innocently. Kakashi didn't get enough shit from his team. He could use some more. "Hello, there. You're energetic today. I saw your match- congratulations on making it to the finals. Is this the jounin who is helping you train for the tournament?" She nodded towards Iruka.

The chuunin reddened. That was bizarre for a moment until she remembered that she was suddenly in his age group now. Being guessed a rank high by a foreign jounin could inspire mixed feelings, she supposed. Was he flattered or embarrassed about being outranked?

Naruto didn't seem to notice any of that. "Nah, this is Iruka-nii!" He dragged the young man into the room for show and tell.

The suffix hit her like a needle, sinking through her skin and scratching at the hard edges of her heart. That wasn't…

She kept her smile fastened on. "It's very good to meet you, Iruka-san. I'm flattered that you wanted to come visit."

"It's nice to meet you," Iruka said, a little stiff in his bow.

"She's my relative," Naruto told Iruka in a way that Aiko was absolutely certain meant that he'd already told Iruka that several times.

'This is not subtle at all. What are the odds that Naruto just happened to find out I'm in town on accident? Zero?'

The Hokage wouldn't risk her alone with Naruto. But if he'd let Naruto figure out she was in Konoha when he was with Iruka-san, then, well, there was no chance that Naruto would be alone with Aiko. The ANBU nearby were probably paying careful attention. If Iruka was too distressed, they'd be able o step in quickly.

She indicated that the guests should sit, because what the hell else could she do?

"Hey, who are these guys?" Naruto plopped down next to Yuusaku, as if he'd only just now noticed them as more than scenery.

"Her genin team," Yuusaku responded. His expression wasn't entirely friendly. "And you are?"

"My distant relative, Naruto-kun," Aiko said. She let just a bit of steel slip into her tone. "We're not sure of the relation. We met in Wave."

"You were a civilian then." Naruto frowned at her uniform. "I thought you didn't wear ninja stuff. How come you're in that now?"

Well. He wasn't entirely wrong, but the poorly hidden amusement on Keisuke's face could be a problem. "I prefer other clothing, but I'm currently representing Kirigakure," Aiko explained. "It's most appropriate to wear a variation on the uniform."

Naruto scrunched his nose, but he didn't contradict her.

"I've heard a little about how you met." Iruka had finished checking out the room and was seated just a little too close to Naruto, keeping himself between Aiko and the genin. His smile was slightly lopsided and wow, how had she never noticed that he was actually really cute? "Were you vacationing in Wave, then?"

There… there really was no good answer to that. She smiled back just as pleasantly. "I do love the country." Lie, a damned lie. The countryside could kiss her ass. She liked some nature, but nature that was more along the lines of gardens and parks. Not sunburn and bugs and the way a shirt stuck to your skin in muggy heat. Fake nature, basically. "How about you? What is your job, if you're not Naruto's teacher?"

"I was his teacher, actually." Iruka was still tense. "At the Acade-"

"Kakashi-sensei says that you're fast!" Naruto bounced on his zabuton. That was something of a feat since his legs were crossed and he was leaned over to clutch at his ankles. "How come you didn't help right in Wave? Sasuke-te-" here he glanced at Iruka "-Sasuke-san said that he thought you weren't strong enough. Are you strong? Do you like to fight? Can we spar sometime? Hey, there's this jutsu I could show you, I'm really-"

Iruka bopped Naruto on the head, expression long-suffering. "Naruto-kun, Hikari-san can only answer so many questions at once."

Aiko glanced at her genin team, who were spectacularly unamused. There was really no need for them to sit through this conversation, was there? Not least because Iruka was watching their reactions and they were not as subtle as they thought they were.

"It's Aiko, actually," she corrected. "Keisuke, Yuusaku, Ryuusei. Why don't you go entertain yourselves? You've had a long day."

Yuusaku and Keisuke stood up quickly, but Ryuusei took a moment to give the Konoha shinobi an unfriendly look.

She met his eye and raised an eyebrow.

"Would you like coffee?"

He directed his question to Iruka, the clever little bastard, so she couldn't tell him no.

The chuunin blinked, flustered. "Oh. That would be lovely, thank you." He glanced at Naruto. "But…"

"Apple juice for the short one," Ryuusei agreed. "I'll be back shortly, Konoha-san, genin-san, Sensei."

Aiko watched him go with grudging respect, because he was probably going to weasel his way into the conversation by bringing himself a drink too. That had been fairly well done, without any explicit disrespect or disobedience.

"Why is it Aiko?" Naruto's brow was furrowed.

She blinked. "Because that's what my parents named me?" Aiko said dumbly, before she realized what he meant. "Oh, Hikari is a childhood nickname," she lied. "Sorry, I mis-understoood what you were asking. Tsunami-chan prefers it. I use Aiko professionally, however."

Naruto nodded. "Hikari-san," he said firmly.

Which was sweet and well-intentioned. Damn. She wasn't going to be able to get him to use her real name without making him feel that she was telling him they weren't close enough for him to use 'Hikari'.

'I should take a vow of silence. How do I do talk myself into these corners again and again?'

"I didn't know that Naruto-kun had relatives," Iruka brought the conversation back on track, because he was a dog with a bone like that. "How is the rest of your family? Do they live in Kirigakure?"

There was a heartbeat where she realized that it was fairly logical to assume that she had come from another branch of the family tree and there was no particular reason to assume they were all dead.

She glanced at Naruto. The blunt, honest answer was, 'Everyone I've ever known is gone, with the exception of a distant relation (with whom my relationship is complicated and possibly antagonistic and involves more eyeballs than two people usually have),' but that was rather dark territory to get into. Plus it would require far too much exposition.

Naruto looked very interested in the answer.

She tried not to wince. "Ah…"

The genin seemed disappointed, but not surprised. Well. He hadn't expected to find one relative, so he was probably still counting his luck as good.

"I'm sorry, that was rude, wasn't it." Iruka rubbed at the back of his neck, looking sheepish. He wasn't, he'd gotten what he'd been digging for.

'Wait. It's Iruka, not Kakashi. He's looking to protect Naruto's well-being, but he's not out to fuck with me just to see where I'm sore. He probably does regret having to ask. He's only doing it because he cares.'

"Ne, Hikari-san, maybe you could train me too." Naruto's eyes were bright. "Iruka-nii is busy and Kakashi-sensei only cares about stupid Sasuke and the guy he found to train me is a real jerk. He's a loser and-"

Chakra roared on the table. Aiko grabbed Naruto's arm and pulled him backwards with her.

'Shit, shit, what is-'

"So you ditched your training to chase after a woman, huh? Maybe you've got some potential after all."

Naruto groaned before the smoke had parted enough to reveal Jiraiya posed dramatically on Aiko's low table.

Slowly, her eyes ran down, past his smug expression, wild hair, crossed arms, boldly spread legs, and landed on his sandals.

His sandals, which were on the table where she ate. His outdoor shoes. The shoes with which he walked. Outdoors.

"You!" Naruto pointed rudely. "No one wants you here. Leave!"

Unthinkingly, Aiko reached out and pushed Naruto's arm down.

Naruto might have glanced at her a moment for the correction of manners, but he was more invested in picking a fight with the Sannin.

"Show some respect, brat!"

Her stomach lurched. She was still looking at the shoes on her table. There was a dead bug on the side of his left shoe, dangerously close to touching Jiraiya's second to last toe.

'That's disgusting.'

"To a guy like you? No way!"

She let go of Naruto, and belatedly noticed that Jiraiya had already dismissed the summoned toad he'd used to reverse-summon into the room, like the drama king that he was.

"What could that mean? You don't know enough about how lucky you are to know me to even be grateful!"

She wanted, dearly, to reach out and pull his ankle so that he came toppling down in an undignified heap.

But she was a foreigner, and he was a very highly placed and decorated Konoha veteran. His godchild could scuffle with Jiraiya with impunity. But she had to be more careful.

"Ha!" Naruto scoffed. "For what, wasting my time and-"

Aiko looked up to try to catch Jiraiya's eyes. He just looked jovial, barely seeming to notice her while he bickered with Naruto.

"Shinobi-san," she said, and he focused on her too quickly to hide that he'd been paying attention already. "Would you mind taking off your sandals when you enter my hotel room?"

She sounded a lot calmer than she felt. Because she felt like breaking those shoes over his head.

Jiraiya blinked at her, nonplussed. "Eh?" He lifted a foot to look at it, as if he'd had no idea that he'd been so terribly rude. "Well, would you look at that?" He gave his shoe a vaguely betrayed expression. Then he seemed to shake it off, ignoring her request. "Hey, hey!" Jiraiya pointed at her and …hopped? "Don't you recognize the great Toad Sannin when you see him?"

He was just fucking with her.

In that moment, she knew what she had to do.

Aiko let her face convey only polite confusion. "I'm sorry. Who?"

His face fell, but only for a moment. "I see it's time for an introduction!" He clapped his hands and, oh god, how had she forgotten that he'd choreographed a dance while he introduced his accomplishments? "er of fine literature, master of fuinjutsu, lover of beautiful women, the fabulous, the unmatched, the only Jiraiya!" He finished, hovering in the air expectantly, leaned to the side.

She very deliberately fixed her face into mild confusion. "I've never heard of you," Aiko said apologetically. "That all sounds very nice, though. I hope that one day you'll be famous."

Jiraiya blinked. "What." He looked stricken.

"Good luck," Aiko said in her sincerest tone.

He was very quickly turning red.

"Naruto." The genin looked thrilled by the turn of events when she looked back at him. He was grinning toothily, rubbing at the fabric of his left sleeve with his right hand. "Is this the person who is training you?"

"The person who is training you," Jiraiya repeated numbly. "The person… who…. a genin…."

Naruto nodded, sparing Jiraiya only a glance. "Yeah!" He quit fiddling with his sleeve so that he could cross his arms. "I told you that he was terrible! And he's a huge per-" Naruto's squawk was cut off by Jiraiya lunging to put a hand over the genin's mouth.

"He's delirious," Jiraiya said apologetically. "Doesn't know what he's saying."

Naruto struggled, but she could hear that his rebuttal was high-pitched and furious.

"Is he," Aiko said doubtfully. "What are you teaching him, then?" She gave the older man a once-over that was brief, dismissive, barely interested. "You're… a taijutsu specialist?" She let her voice convey nothing but polite inquiry, which in itself was verging on an insult by virtue of how pointedly polite it was. He certainly did look like a taijutsu specialist…

Well. He looked like a bear, actually. He was so big and hairy.

He made a sound like a teakettle. "I'm a sage," Jiraiya stressed. "And a seal master. The best in the world!"

Her expression didn't waver, still fixed into not much of anything with a tiny hint of a smile. "Ah." She let her brow furrow slightly. "You're teaching him fuinjutsu, then?"

Jiraiya frowned. "Well, no," he said. When he moved to scratch at the back of his neck, Naruto escaped and loudly gasped in sweet, sweet air. "He's a bit young to teach anything that dangerous."

"Oh." And she finally smiled, sweetly and stupidly. "I'm afraid I wouldn't know. Seals seem kind of difficult, you know?" She brought a hand up to her mouth and made a deprecating shrug. "I don't think I could do it."

He bought it, puffing up with pride. "Well, you know…." Jiraiya smirked. "It takes a quick mind and years of study. It's incredibly difficult! But anyone could do it really, anyone could do it." He waved off the compliment vigorously, but he was basking in it.

'Holy shi- I can't believe he bought that. He really wants to believe that women will fawn over him, doesn't he?'

Option one: he would underestimate her long-term, giving her leverage in which to act without Konoha's knowledge of her abilities.

Option two: he would remember this conversation a month or so down the line and feel like the world's biggest, dumbest ass.

Both would bring her amusement in the coming months, so she hardly cared which.

She blinked, doe-eyed and sweet, pulling on the Hikari persona. "Can I see something?"

Naruto made a choking sound.

Jiraiya tossed his head back and laughed. "Well, now, I don't know about that!" He leered, and it was supposed to be sexy maybe but she felt like cackling. "You could be a quite an inspiration, but I'm afraid I don't know you quite well enough for that, sharing fuinjutsu is so personal. Maybe we could spend a little time together…"

"Okay, time for us to go." Iruka scooped up Naruto from behind like an errant puppy, flashing an exceptionally false smile. Naruto squawked as his feet came off the ground. When Iruka bowed, he brought Naruto with him like a surprised, life-sized doll.

It should have been adorable, but it actually made her skin crawl because, ew, she was thinking about puppets now and she didn't need that kind of negativity in her life.

"Well, how about what you're teaching Naruto-kun?" She tilted her head. "I'm very interested. I think he has a lot of potential."

Of course she hadn't said that just to see Naruto perk up. That would be ridiculous. She wasn't so sentimental.

Jiraiya's face fell a bit, but he seemed to think that wasn't enough to put him off. "You really like the kid, huh?" He leaned over and snatched Naruto by the collar and pulled him out of Iruka's grip before the chuunin could back away to safety. "Me too, we're very close, me and this kid. You know, we have a lot in common, you and I- I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name. Naruto, don't you know you're supposed to make introductions if you know a pretty girl?"

Naruto hissed. "I wouldn't introduce you to-"

When Jiraiya's hand clapped over his mouth again, this time, Naruto bit. Aiko could only tell because of the vaguely grossed-out look on the Sannin's face. His hand didn't so much as twitch.

'This is tiring. I know the idiot act works for him, but I'm not sure how long I'll be able to put up with it.'

"Uzumaki Aiko," she said. She bobbed into a bow. "It's good to meet you. I'm looking forward to seeing what you teach Naruto-kun." She made an apologetic face. "Unfortunately, I need to go find my students, so…"

Iruka, who knew perfectly well that she was lying, met her eyes and seemed relieved.

'God, did he think I was going to flirt with Jiraiya? He was worried about having to sit through that?'

Well.

'Maybe I did, but in a joking way. Let's face it, it's pretty funny to have Jiraiya fawn over me. He'll never know why that's fucked up and weird.'

"Of course!" Jiraiya gave a gallant bow, backing towards the – the window? He pushed it open with the hand that wasn't restraining Naruto. "Do you know the onsen on the west side of this district, it's very close, I was thinking that the boy could use some water-walking practice. Let's meet there at 9, don't forget to bring a swimsuit." He bowed again, grinning. "I'm sure that a lovely Kiri nin like yourself could have all sorts of useful pointers about the fine art of fighting on water that even this one can understand."

'Good god, that's condescending. Does he think before he talks?'

She resisted the urge to rub at her temples. A slow understanding of Tsunade's methods was beginning to wash over her. "Have a good night," Aiko said, instead of anything she wanted to say.

He crowed something back and leapt out the window. It was probably meant to be dramatic, but Naruto wailed protest when the Sannin dragged him with and that really killed any cool that might have been established.

Finally, Aiko let her posture slump and put her face in her hands. "That man," she began, and then didn't have anywhere to go with it.

The wind pulled on the curtains, a gentle rustling the only sound. After a moment, a socked foot made a whisper against the tatami.

"Yes," Iruka agreed, sounding tired. "That man."

They stood in silent empathy for a moment.

Iruka sighed. He fidgeted.

Aiko opened her eyes to see that he was still looking at the table ruefully.

The look that Iruka gave her was heavy with meaning.

"Yes," Aiko agreed. She shook her head. "I hope he doesn't teach Naruto those awful manners."

"Naruto's manners aren't great in the first place," Iruka said mournfully. "He doesn't stand a chance."

"He might improve, just to contrast with Jiraiya-sama," Aiko disagreed.

Iruka gave her a quizzical look. "I thought that you didn't-"

"Of course I do," Aiko said factually. "I have all his books. I've been to the last three film previews. I just choose not to encourage bad behavior."

He seemed to struggle with this information, mouth working over the words, 'bad behavior' disbelievingly. He gave her an incredulous look, as if he was about to point out some hypocrisy.

"I'm a grown woman," Aiko warned. "I hope that you're not about to imply-"

"No, of course not." Iruka held up his hands, because his parents hadn't raised a fool. "I would never." His face flushed pink.

She subsided. "Good."

There was a knock and the fusuma slid open. Ryuusei blinked at Naruto's absence, but he let himself in. "I brought the drinks," he said, holding coffee up as if to stave off Aiko's temper with it.

She stepped over and took two of the four drinks before he could set them on the table. "Thank you, you're such a thoughtful student."

Ryuusei paled at the smile she flashed him, which was a little weird. She was being nice. Watch her, being nice. She wasn't hitting anyone at all. That was an accomplishment.

"Anyway, here you are, Iruka-san." She put the coffee in his hands and ignored the 'erk' sound he made in surprise. "Oh, and you brought sugar too, how thoughtful." With her newly free hand, Aiko took the container from Ryuusei. She smiled brightly up at her too-tall-genin. "Thank you, but as you can see, Naruto-kun left. It'd be a shame to waste his drink- why don''t you go find your teammates and see if one of them wants it?"

He hesitated a moment, clearly on the verge of protesting. But Ryuusei took the order for what it was. "Yuusaku loves apple juice," he said. He gave Iruka a resentful stare. The expression made his narrow face look pointier than usual. "It was very nice to meet you."

Iruka made a sound of agreement that actually seemed incredibly dubious about the pleasure. His eyes darted between Aiko and the genin. He managed a weak smile.

"Goodbye," Ryuusei said, somehow imbuing the word with malice. "I hope you have a lovely evening."

Aiko stood a moment after he'd left, wondering.

"Ah." Iruka cleared his throat. "Your student is a little…. protective, then?"

"I'm not actually sure," she said thoughtfully. Aiko shook it off, because it didn't really matter right now. "Let's just-" She remembered that the table was defiled in time to head off that suggestion. She frowned, because she wasn't willing to risk the tatami and there weren't many places in the room where a spill wouldn't have expensive consequences. "We can sit on the futon and have our coffee."

He made a high, embarrassed sound.

"Just don't spill," Aiko ordered. She took the head of the mattress and gave him an imperious look while she sat the sugar container between her legs and opened the top carefully.

Gingerly, Iruka sat down as far from her as possible while still sitting on the bed. He was holding his coffee like it was a shield.

She eyed him, a little amused at how weird he was being. She put four spoonfuls in her coffee and then offered him the sugar.

Iruka declined with a headshake.

Her eyebrows shot up, but she didn't comment. She dumped in another spoonful of sugar and then sat the dish aside. They drank in silence for a moment. She glanced at the chuunin under her eyelashes… he was steeling his jaw, as if he was about to face terrible odds on a mission or go to a parent-teacher conference or something.

Aiko was starting to feel guilty about how powerfully uncomfortable he seemed to be. And a little insulted, but mostly guilty.

It was so bizarre- he'd never been intimidated by her before, and he'd known a lot more about how dangerous she was.

'Then again, he'd known me as a student. Even though my rank became higher than his, we still had that history. That makes a difference, I'm sure.'

"You can relax, you know," she offered after a moment. "I'm not about to leap over and ravage you just because we're alone in a room." Well. She considered that. "Unless you want to be ravaged? Because, actually, I was thinking earlier that you're good-looking. Do the kids keep you in that kind of shape, or do you also run missions?"

He gave her a trapped look and attempted to drown himself in his coffee.

"Alright." She held up her hands, one still holding her coffee. "I can take a hint. No ravaging."

Iruka finished in record time and practically leapt to his feet to awkwardly hover over her. "It was very nice to meet you." He bowed, holding the empty cup to his chest. "I've heard so much about you from Naruto-kun. I'm sure you understand why I wanted to come along."

She decided not to stand up as well. He might find it a bit intimidating, in the flustered mood he was clearly in.

"The same reason that someone made sure Jiraiya-sama tagged along?" Aiko asked dryly. She didn't indicate her Kiri headband. She didn't need to.

He gave an apologetic grimace, despite the fact that she was absolutely certain he'd had nothing to do with that. "Yes, well…" Iruka moved to fidget, and then stopped.

She took pity on him. "Yes, I understand." Aiko raised her eyebrows incrementally. "Thank you for your interest in making certain that Naruto-kun doesn't end up kidnapped or murdered by a strange foreigner."

Iruka turned bright red.

"I'm being serious," Aiko dismissed. "That kind of thing happens, and he really doesn't seem like he's wary enough. I don't plan on killing him, but he shouldn't be putting his hopes on the benevolence of someone he just met. It's good that you have his back." She did stand up then, so that she could give him a bow in thanks. "I don't have a lot of relatives, so it'd be a shame if his good nature ended up getting him in trouble."

Iruka was still red, but it was a different kind of embarrassment now. He glanced at his feet. "Well… I'm glad that you're so understanding, Aiko-san. I do worry about him. He doesn't have much family, either…."

"And his teacher is kind of…" She trailed off politely, because there was no where she could go with that statement without crossing into rudeness.

"Jiraiya-sama?" Iruka asked warily.

She shook her head. "Hatake."

Iruka winced. "Yes," he agreed wearily. "He is." He gave his empty cup a mournful look, and then seemed to look about for a place to set it. When she indicated the ruined table with a nod, he winced but complied. "Well, have a good night. I won't intrude any longer."

"Good luck teaching Naruto-kun manners," Aiko said, because she was newly invested in this. What kind of barbarian might he end up, in a world where she wasn't there for him? His role models were Kakashi and Jiraiya and that was just plain concerning.

Iruka sighed. "I do my best."

"If you can keep him off the furniture and using doors, you're doing good work," Aiko encouraged. She moved to open the door and stepped aside, letting him out. "It's very nice to meet you."

"Of course, of course." He moved past her, and bowed out the door. "The same."

She let the door shut on that awkwardly polite end to the chaos that had interrupted a rare team bonding moment.

'It feels premature to assume that I'm done being invaded for the night.' She gave her door a wary look. 'But… that's probably all. Konoha isn't a completely blunt instrument. Anything more than that would stretch incredulity that anything could have been a coincidence.'

She wasn't totally convinced that Konoha would live up to her prediction. But either way, she had to leave, and the sooner the better. Shizuka had asked for a day to go over their rough agreement with her advisers. That was completely reasonable, weighing both her need for caution and Aiko's need for haste.

'Of course, that urgency does mean that they know I'll be under pressure to agree to any changes, just because I need this done as soon as possible.'

Shizuka seemed a bit soft for that kind of power play against a more powerful country, but you never really knew about a person. And Aiko could see circumstances wherein she would take advantage of that sort of leverage, so she couldn't truly resent the possibility.

It just… made her nervous. That was all.

Despite wanting to just get it over with, she took her time getting ready. It wasn't too early, exactly, but it was better to run more on the 'punctual' than the 'early' side of the spectrum. Showing up as early as possible without being rude would make her seem desperate.

'No,' Aiko corrected. 'Being desperate makes me seem desperate. There's no point in playing these games- they know that I need their help.'

Her expression, caught in the middle of pulling her hair into a braid, was rueful. She scrunched her nose at her reflection and finished quickly. The only thing left- would it be better to wear shinobi gear or civilian? She gritted her teeth, weighing the rhetorical statement that different outfits would make. If they did make it to Iron, as she hoped, coming in armor might give an unintentionally hostile impression to her hosts. Or would it convey more power and authority?

"Ugh." She rolled her eyes and pulled the awful striped sweater over her head. She threw it on the floor. "I'm thinking too much about this. I'll pick something that I like."

She'd brought her entire wardrobe in seals- and why not, it wasn't heavy or anything- so she managed to find a kimono that should be suitable in short order. She went with red and gold motifs on blue fabric and paired it with a pink and red obi. Aiko took a step back to admire the effect. She frowned.

'This is either a really good outfit, or a really bad one.'

For a moment, she missed Karin like she would a rib. Karin would have an educated opinion. Or Naruto, actually, he'd always been better at this than she was. He probably hadn't had to learn that in this world- he'd had no sister who wanted to cheat on the stupid tests. Shame. Sakura was missing out- she could have used a second opinion too, her choices were always so painfully dull.

Well…

There were worse crimes than being bad at pairing kimono. At least she'd tried, and she didn't look intimidating. She shrugged it off and concentrated to find the gatehouse outside Nadeshiko where she was expected.

"Ah!" That was a voice she didn't know.

Aiko dodged the kunai on reflex, blinking at the person that she'd startled. Ah. Right. They were expecting her to walk up, probably. Walking was rather traditional. "My apologies." She nodded to the guard, noting that the young woman's brown eyes were wide. "That was a bit rude of me."

"I am so sorry," the guard breathed. Her hair was frizzing in the humidity. Oh, no, was that going to happen to Aiko, too? She should go somewhere less wet as soon as possible.

"No, no," Aiko waved off. "You reacted well. I wasn't thinking about how that would appear. Here you are." She leaned over to pry the kunai out of the wooden wall and hand it back to its owner. "I believe that I have an appointment?"

"Yes."

Both Aiko and the gate guard looked over. And then up.

She had already known perfectly well that Tokiwa was intimidatingly tall, but that somehow didn't diminish the effect.

"Good evening," Aiko said after a pause to process just how big the other woman was. "Will you be taking me to Shizuka-sama?"

Tokiwa nodded. "Please follow me," she said. "I'm afraid that you will be seeing her in a different location today."

That turned out to be a private residence fairly near the gates. Shizuka was dressed for travel, in the most workmanlike shoes Aiko had ever seen on a kunoichi and carrying a full set of gear.

Aiko and Shizuka took a moment to eye each other, caught in a mutual moment of slightly unpleasant surprise.

"We picked opposite strategies," Aiko said after a pause. She ran her fingers over her kimono. She hadn't brought weapons at all, hoping to present a peaceful front to the civilian. Mifune-sama was reasonable and intelligent, but he was not over-fond of shinobi.

Shizuka glanced down at her armor. "Perhaps I have overcompensated."

"No, no, I'm too casual," Aiko disagreed to be polite. She looked at the ax on Shizuka's back. She really, really wouldn't have expected that choice. "I feel under-prepared now."

Tokiwa sighed.

Shizuka startled. "Oh, yes. We made a few changes to the contract, as you'll see." Her fingers shook a little as she handed it over.

Wary, Aiko settled back to read through the wording, looking for any traps or tricks. The meat of the agreement all seemed to be there:

Kirigakure was offering their military and political protection to Nadeshiko, in exchange for economic contracts and humanitarian relief. Kirigakure would be bound to intervene in Nadeshiko's conflicts for the duration of the treaty, but Nadeshiko had no such obligation to Kirigakure if Kirigakure was facing another of Nadeshiko's allies. It was set to last for a year, at which time it would be formally revisited. The contract would compel Kirigakure to escort any civilian shipment of desired goods upon request for reduced rates, and import fees would be waived for the year.

Ah. They'd been reduced import rates before. Aiko looked up, raising an eyebrow.

Shizuka looked a little embarrassed.

Well. She would have agreed to worse.

"Let's sign this, then." Despite her words, Aiko carefully rolled the treaty up and tied it with the red ribbon that had been on top. "In front of Mifune-sama, I think. If that is acceptable?"

"That is reasonable," Shizuka said. "How, ah, if I may ask…"

"It's a transportation technique similar to Hiraishin," Aiko explained. That sounded like a lie, but it would be a stupid one to say right before offering to use it, so hopefully Shizuka would delay judgment a moment or two. But of course- "How would you like me to demonstrate proof, before I may escort you to Iron?"

Shizuka hesitated, glancing at Tokiwa. Her expression was mildly rebellious. "No demonstration but that will be needed."

"I will, of course, be accompanying you." Tokiwa interjected.

Shizuka's jaw clenched.

'There's something weird going on here and I need no part of it. Sticking my nose into other peoples' business only ends in tears and accidentally annexing a country. I have no idea what I would do with Nadeshiko. What is their economy like? Oh, god, I'm just not ready for that.'

For her sanity's sake, Aiko valiantly pretended not to notice any tension at all. "Alright then. I need to be in physical contact. And I'm afraid that this errand might take some time, since I haven't done more than send a letter to his office that I planned to come. I can't be certain that he found time in his schedule, but I hope that for a meeting involving emergency relief, he'll forgive the breach in protocol."

Shizuka blinked. "Oh." She seemed to rally. "I had wondered if you had managed to send word in such a time frame."

Well. Truthfully speaking, leaving a letter in an envelope marked 'Urgent: To Mifune-sama, From the Godaime Mizukage' on the gate guard's desk when he looked away was not any sort of proper protocol for arranging a meeting.

But it seemed a sort of middle ground from 'giving no notice at all before showing up' and 'leaving the letter in a more convenient but creepy location, like in his personal office'.

And it was the kind of letter that you would at least look at, because you were alarmed if nothing else. That had probably been an alarming experience for all involved. She was a little sorry.

The smile she gave Shizuka back was queasy. "Of course." To forestall any more awkward questions, she held out an arm. Shizuka delicately laid her soft palm on the back of Aiko's hand. She felt oddly like she was on a romantic walk.

Then Tokiwa stepped over and took Aiko's other hand before it could be offered. She wrapped her fingers around Aiko's wrist with just a little too much force.

That felt a little less romantic. It felt a little like a reminder that Tokiwa's hand could reach around Aiko's neck, too. She glanced up at the blonde woman dubiously.

The expression she got back was too blank for comfort.

'Right…'

She forced on a smile. "Let's go, then." Well. "We might have to duck," Aiko shared. "People are often twitchy when you just appear in a place. Be sure not to strike back on reflex, that only escalates the situation."

"That seems reasonable," Shizuka said, her words split between the entryway and the space outside of Iron's capital city where visitors could be received. She jerked in shock, pulling her arm back. Tokiwa squeezed Aiko's arm, and then let go as well.

The man sitting at the gate might have been the same one she'd seen yesterday. It was hard to tell- she'd only seem him from behind. But he didn't seem happy to see three shinobi appear, and it was the same shift, so, probably? "Nadeshiko, I assume?" He held up a sheet of paper.

"And Kirigakure," Aiko corrected, holding up her hand. She stepped away from the other two to make it clear that there were two groups. "Does that mean that Mifune-sama could find the time to meet with us?"

His eyes, deeply set under his brow and shadowed with lines, narrowed. "Yes." The samurai examined them all. "I'm afraid that any weapons must be left at the next check point."

Shizuka made a perturbed sound and touched the handle of her ax, but she didn't actually protest.

"Of course," Aiko agreed. She folded her hands in her sleeves. It was chilly in Iron, much colder than it had been in Nadeshiko. Snow was actually falling. "Is there anything else that we should keep in mind?"

"No." He waved them on. "You are expected at that building, with the red tiled roof."

Aiko craned to see the building he was pointing at. Ah. That should be easy enough.

"Your appointment is for 40 minutes from now." He continued sourly. "Please hurry. It is best to go through security and be at least ten minutes early to the waiting room."

Shizuka bowed gracefully. "Thank you. We will see ourselves out, then."

Aiko found herself trailing the other woman a moment, before she made an effort to keep up.

'How is it that I'm the one in a kimono, but she seems all delicate and princessy?' Aiko wondered. 'She has an ax as long as her arm.' She pursed her lips. 'Maybe I could have asked her about the obi. She seems like she might be better at that than I am.'

Next time, perhaps.

In contradiction to every experience she'd ever had with bureaucracy, Mifune-sama was early to the appointment.

She felt a tinge of guilt. Mei was expecting her in an hour. That probably wasn't going to happen.

"Good evening." He nodded to all three of them, gracious and formal. "I know your face. Nadeshiko no Shizuka-sama. I'm afraid that your companions are a pleasant mystery, however."

"Yes." Shizuka bowed low. "This is my assistant Tokiwa, a jounin of Nadeshiko. She completes my party." She gestured to Aiko. "I have the honor of introducing Kirigakure no Uzumaki Aiko, Godaime Mizukage."

Mifune didn't hide his surprise quite well enough.

'To be fair, he probably expected a famous Kiri-nin. People always do. Can't imagine why.'

"I see." He turned to Aiko fully and gave the same sort of bow he had given to Shizuka. "I had not heard of the change in administration. I admit that I am surprised."

Aiko bowed back. "It is a recent honor," she said delicately. "The announcement that the Godaime has been chosen was made this morning. However, my appointment is not yet public knowledge. Outside of Kirigakure, only those gathered here can claim knowledge."

Shizuka blinked twice quickly at that.

Mifune's eyes narrowed, but he seemed more puzzled than displeased. "I am honored." His mustache quivered as his mouth moved, looking for the perfect way to phrase the question. "Iron has had regrettably little to do with Kirigakure in past years. I confess to some surprise."

In other words, this was a very strange group and he wanted to know what the hell she was doing. Aiko liked him.

She smiled. "One of my first hopes is to establish good relations with Nadeshiko." She nodded to Shizuka. "Shizuka-sama has kindly agreed to a partnership to address Kirigakure's current situation and move towards a future relationship of a more stable nature."

Shizuka took over. "We were hoping to ask you to act as witness when we sign the preliminary agreement. Aiko-sama opined that Iron's oversight would provide international legitimacy and make clear to all that both parties intend to honor the treatise."

Mifune shifted his gaze to Aiko, considering the request. For a moment, he didn't speak. "May I see this agreement?"

"Of course." Aiko pulled it from her obi and held it out with both hands. He took it with a polite murmur and a small bow.

He gestured towards the table. "Might I-"

"Of course," Aiko repeated. A moment later, Shizuka added, "Please, do."

He gave them a look she couldn't interpret, but at least it wasn't hostile. "Please, have a seat." Mifune waited until they had before finally slipping off the ribbon and unrolling the scroll. His lips moved just a little as he read.

It was rather short, so far as these documents went, bare of legalese and layers of protective clauses. But it was, quite clearly, written to be a preliminary agreement. So that wasn't too unusual.

Aiko squirmed a little as his eyes clearly moved down the page. Mifune was clever enough to read between the lines and realize that the document was not what Kirigakure would have written if they were doing well. She knew he would have to be appraised of the current situation, to some extent, but it was still viscerally uncomfortable to knowingly reveal her country's weakness.

It felt like an eternity, but it was likely about four minutes before he set the paper down and returned his attention to his guests. "It all seems to be in order." Mifune looked at Aiko, hard. "What has happened in Kirigakure, if I might ask?"

She fought the urge to look away, or to close her eyes. "The Yondaime Mizukage saw fit to release the Sanbi within the village when he was challenged," Aiko explained. "We are in considerable distress due to infrastructural damage, interruption of normal operations, and the effects that my predecessor's policies had on our economic production."

Mifune nodded, drinking that in. "How are your hospitals?" he asked.

It seemed a bit of a non-sequitor, except for the part where Mist's healthcare was abominable. The recent struggles had given her a bit of a schooling in the many things they were not equipped to deal with. The injuries from damaged buildings or jutsu crossfire were on that list: the sheer scale would have overwhelmed them even if their personnel had been better-trained. And the fight had taken out powerlines, leaving much of the city without electricity at all, which compounded the problems facing the many households who could not access running water. Things would get worse before they got better as cleanliness went down and Kirigakure began to face the hottest parts of summer without electricity to cool buildings or store food safely.

And. Two weeks ago, a hospital generator had given out. Three infants on artificial respiration had died before it could be restored. She'd brought them back, but how many times could she do that? She couldn't revive everyone who should have survived Mist's hospitals.

Some of that might have shown in her eyes. Her answer was a more diplomatic, "I hope to make improvements to our facilities and begin training more medical personnel in the near future."

Which was honest, but not as honest as, 'I don't want to think about it because it's really terrible and there's not much to do until we stop the other ways the city is hemorrhaging. And I'm not qualified to do anything about it, anyway. I want Sasuke to come and fix my life but he's currently twelve and useless.'

Mifune seemed to have been expecting that answer. "I see, I see." He stared at her. "I do not know if you are aware, but Iron has fine schools and medicine."

Aiko blinked, considering what he might be implying, but he was already moving on.

"That is a discussion for another time, I suppose. Forgive an old man his digression." Mifune pressed the scroll flat. "I believe that I would not be hard-pressed to witness this agreement. I imagine that you are eager to begin the work at hand."

"Nadeshiko has begun some preparations in hope that this meeting would go well," Shizuka agreed. "We are eager to lend our assistance to an ally. We believe that an initial relief shipment might depart tomorrow, or the day after."

That was news to Aiko. Good news. She blinked off her surprise, feeling her stress begin to subside.

Mifune nodded approval. "Very well. Shall I call for a pen?"

They were patient for a moment as he did just that. His assistant returned quickly with the aforementioned pen, as well as a stamppad. Mifune thanked her with a bow. "Tea, I think," he said quietly. The woman nodded and left.

Well, then. When he looked at her, Aiko gestured politely towards the treaty.

Mifune's lips twitched. He shook his head. "You should go first, I believe."

Oh. Fair point. Aiko inked her name and title carefully. She took a moment to lift the pen tip, admiring the way "Godaime Mizukage" looked next to her name for the first time. It was surreal, but it looked good. She put down the pen and pulled out her inkan.

Mifune set down the little round stamp-pad quietly. It was red- she made the stamp in red and then drank in how it all looked together.

Before anyone could think she was being odd, Aiko bowed out of the way and set the pen down on the table. Shizuka took it up next. Mifune examined the signatures for a moment, checked the seals, and then left his own. He held it up for perusal, and then to let it dry. "If business is concluded, perhaps we might enjoy tea and then conclude this meeting?" he asked.

Aiko and Shizuka both agreed.

'I might actually make it to Mei on time. Or close to it. Mifune doesn't waste time, does he?'

They made pleasant conversation that none of them enjoyed, in all likelihood. But it was blissfully free of politics, so Aiko soaked it up. Mifune saw them out personally when they were done, wishing them both the best of luck in their endeavors and promising to send a notarized copy of the agreement.

Aiko took Shizuka and Tokiwa home, and thanked them for the success of the meeting and the efficacy of their relief efforts. Her watch was burning a hole in her pocket, but she was successful.

It was 9:28 when Aiko took herself to her office in Kirigakure and let Mei in. Mei was already waiting, of course, but at least Aiko had managed to be punctual.

The expression on Mei's face was grim enough that she might need to hold onto that small sense of accomplishment to help her get through the night, however.

"What do you have to report?" Aiko asked, fairly certain that she didn't want to know.

Mei sat down and crossed her legs at the knee. "Let's start with the good and work our way through the mundane to the worrisome, shall we?"

"I like that plan." Aiko agreed. "Please tell me good news, and I'll tell you mine."

"The foundation and first level of the first complex are completed." Mei managed a tired smile. "With the exception of plumbing and electrical wiring, of course, but they will be easy to add." She paused. "So far as these things go, in any case. It will still take quite some time."

Aiko nodded. "That makes sense. And Yamato-san is…?"

"Not as affected by his teammate's capture as we might have hoped." Mei's lips tightened.

"You think that he's managed to contact someone?" Aiko asked, feeling a line of stress appear in her forehead. This job was aging her like crazy.

Mei hesitated. "I do not believe so. However, it may well be that the second shinobi-"

"Raidou?" Aiko asked for clarity.

Mei blinked, unsure.

"That's the second Konoha shinobi we captured," Aiko explained. "That's who you mean, right?"

"Yes." Mei clearly decided not to ask why Aiko knew so many Konoha nin. "That one. Raidou-san may well have been able to send word before he was captured. We do not know what information he managed to gather, but I am fairly certain that your identity was not among it. Other nations may be aware of our weakened state, however."

"And the vultures will come." Aiko wrapped her ankles around one of the legs of her chair. "Nadeshiko signed the agreement tonight, with Iron no Mifune as signatory witness. We can expect an initial delivery within a week, although I do not yet know exactly what it might contain."

"That should provide some reason to at least consider the wisdom of assuming Kirigakure is weak enough to act against," Mei agreed. "Nadeshiko is not strong, but they are active. And Iron is fairly strong, as well as respected. Until it is clear that our relationship with them is minimal, others may be wary of upsetting Iron and risking an embargo or other repercussions."

Aiko smiled. It was tired, but it was genuine. "Any more good news?"

Mei shifted slightly in her seat. "Your contractors arrived on our outermost island this evening," she said. "From Wave- a master bridge-builder and a staff of ten."

"Ten?" Aiko tapped her fingers against the desk. "It's not as good as I hoped, but it's not as bad as I feared. If they're on the outermost island��" She tried to think of how long that would take civilians- a large group of foreign civilians who would need to pass layers of customs. "Not tomorrow, but the day after?" she said, half-asking.

"I believe so, yes." Mei's eyes narrowed in the way they did when she was moving on to the next topic. "The sewer mainline on the west district has been repaired to functionality."

"Thank god," Aiko said with feeling. That had not been an enjoyable supervisory visit. "A few buildings in the area were cleared for habitation once that had been addressed, right?"

Mei nodded.

Aiko searched a memory. "A few residences, a bank, and…" she trailed off, frowning.

"A convenience store," Mei prompted. "We'll see what can be done with that, perhaps they can help supplement the food distribution system."

Aiko nodded. "I look forward to seeing what you do with it, then. Oh, I have all that paperwork." She fished it out, but opened the folder instead of handing it over. "There was something strange- a Kida-san was mentioned in the office personnel-"

Mei hummed acknowledgment. "Yes, I transferred him to deal with the problem of finding housing and routes for the civilian contractors."

"Hm." Aiko frowned. "That wasn't what I intended, but.. that's fine, then." She laid the folder on the desk. "The new requests and reports, please." She blinked at the stack Mei handed over- mostly because she didn't hand it all over.

"This," Mei waived, "is our strange and concerning item. It was left in your office. No one admits to leaving it. And as you can see-" she flipped it around- "it is addressed with what might be considered inappropriate familiarity for a letter to the Mizukage's office," Mei finished dryly.

Aiko felt a headache coming on. She knew the handwriting, of course, but she didn't need to. There was only one person in the world who would write her a letter and draw little cartoon representations of them in the 'To' and 'From' spaces. Obito's face was a sworl, which Mei had probably interpreted as pointed anonymity and not an incredibly distinctive calling card.

"Whimsical." She felt like going to bed and never dealing with this.

Mei offered the envelope up.

She didn't want to take the envelope. She took it anyway and held it gingerly. "I'm going to be honest with you- I know who sent this, but I have no idea what they would want, or how hostile they are."

Mei frowned. "Leaving it in your office is an inherently hostile gesture," she said.

'That's what I thought when he met me in a park at night and sent flowers to my apartment and any number of weird things. And it never turned out to be accurate- sometimes the interaction was an absolute disaster because he's such a screwed-up person, but he wasn't intending to be hostile or intimidating.'

"No, not for him. Not necessarily." Aiko shook her head. "He has a long history of failing to understand boundaries like that. It's not necessarily malice."

Obito was just seven different kinds of fucked-up. It didn't mean he was safe, but it did often mean that he meant well. The problem was that what he thought was good and helpful was often bafflingly insane.

"So… You are good friends, then?" Mei ventured. She seemed disinterested, but she was probably wondering if she would get a clue as to where Aiko had actually come from.

Aiko winced. "We were," she hedged. "And as things are, we might be even so far as wronging each other goes. I'm not sure where we stand. I think that putting him in prison for three years and gouging out his eyes sort of balances the kidnapping and surgery, but he might feel differently. The last time we met, he wasn't…" she trailed off. "He wasn't as hostile as I had feared. Admittedly, I didn't give him much chance to demonstrate good or bad faith."

Mei actually rubbed at her temples. "That is probably for the best, when dealing with someone who might be holding that type of grudge," she agreed. "Those pictures were not drawn by a blind man, are they?"

'I appreciate that she doesn't sound certain about that. I like to think that I bring excitement into her life.'

"No." Aiko pursed her lips. "He's picked at least one eye up somewhere, which means- well, I think I know who did the surgery for him. He's more than capable enough, and they'd be in contact." She scowled, thinking of Zetsu. What a creep. "Well." She glanced at the envelope. "Might as well."

Mei leaned forward as Aiko ripped it open and pulled out the letter. It only took a moment to read.

"Thank you for fixing my window," Mei read aloud, because Aiko's voice had failed her completely. "Let's see a movie."

Frogs were calling outside the window, keeping the cicadas company. There were the only things that Aiko heard for a few minutes.

"It's some sort of code," Mei said. "Do you know-"

"Yes," Aiko agreed. It was better to let Mei think that was code. The inverse would involve far too much explanation. "I think I know what he means." She slid the letter back into the envelope and put it in the pile with her papers. "Thank you. Is there anything else that we should deal with?"

Mei gave Aiko a dark look, clearly unhappy about being left out of the loop. She was silent a long moment. "No." The older woman leaned back in her chair, flexing her ankle. "I don't believe that there is."

Mei's attitude left a bad taste in Aiko's mouth, but she chose not to comment. "Alright, then." She raised her eyebrows. "I won't be able to meet tomorrow until 11, I'll be taking care of something else before that- procuring more funds. Please pass this on to Utakata-san-" she laid out a sealed envelope- "and direct Chisato-san to make the arrangements I've outlined here for the Nadeshiko delegation that we're likely to see within four to six days. I'd like her to meet them at the outer gate, as you can see, so Ao-san will be supervising the interaction." A piece of stationary went on top of the envelope.

It felt like there should be something else. She took a moment to think- but no, there wasn't. Aiko sighed. "You may go. Thank you."

"Thank you," Mei echoed, gathering up her papers. "Have a pleasant evening."

"Of course, you as well." Aiko waited until her subordinate had left the room to begin to frown.

'Mei is starting to take liberties. I'm not certain that I like it.'

Something should be done, but not tonight.

'One thing I can do is limit her influence- I need to balance her out, promote someone trustworthy and competent and divide responsibilities. If Mei is starting to think she can make decisions without telling me, or that I need to tell her what I'll be doing…'

It just didn't bode well.

She blinked. "Wow," Aiko said. She frowned, examining her feelings. "I'm more worried about Mei than Obito. That's… that's a change in priorities."

To be fair, Obito had dropped off the map for a long time. He was unpredictable in many ways, but she was still fairly certain that he would have contacted her in a much more dignified, dramatic way if he had a fight in mind. Something like slipping out of the shadows when she brought Zabuza and Utakata to Kirigakure, for example. That was classic drama-king Obito. This?

She looked at the sketches again, mildly amused by the scowl on her own cartoon face. Obviously inaccurate, she had an incredibly sunny disposition, thank you very much.

He was communicating that he wanted a ceasefire. By thanking her for a favor she'd done him, and by calling on their shared recollection of fun times they'd spent together, he was invoking the best of their relationship.

'A movie, huh… Icha Icha's not out at the moment, but I bet that if I looked, I'd find one of those ghastly princess movies playing at the theater in Iwa that he likes. That's where he'll be watching for me.'

It was too late tonight, and she was too busy tomorrow. But the day after- she could give that a try.

"I'll see what he wants, at least." Aiko held the paper out, giving it one last look. Then she thought back to the feeling of fire, how it coursed through her blood when she used the Rinnegan. She gave it a try, breathing out a simple lick of katon on memory and without a handsign. It caught the paper aflame, but sputtered and died in her mouth too easily.

Well. She spat water out before her fingers could get singed and dropped the smoking, dripping remains of paper into the bin.

"I'll practice that."

Aiko stretched. Involuntarily, she yawned.

Oddly, she didn't want to leave. The office wasn't luxurious, but it was fairly comfortable. And no one was attempting to spy on her here. She didn't have to pretend to be someone else. It was exhausting, dull, and frustrating, frankly.

"I'd better get back to Konoha," she told herself, hoping that would somehow make getting up easier. "I've got to arrange a break in training the boys for me to spy on Jiraiya. And maybe get a swimsuit- he's going to get me wet if he can. And he probably can." Aiko sat expectantly for a moment, waiting for the urge to be productive to wash over her. It didn't come. "Ugh." She tilted her head back. "Okay, I sit for two minutes. Then I go back to Konoha."

#vapors #uzumaki aiko #electrasev5n #ninja daily #fanfiction #naruto fanfiction #clarity #AIC #Aiko in Canon

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wikiangela-fanfics · 2 years

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Fictober22 - 25. You know I'd do anything

Fandom: 911

Ship: Buck x Eddie

Summary: Eddie's asleep, Buck accidentally tells him how he feels.

Ao3

Words: 759

***

Eddie’s nodding off, his head leaned back against the back of the couch, the beer in his hand swaying dangerously, so Buck gently takes it and puts it on the table, then lowers the volume on the TV. He knows that he’d have to wake him up soon, to get him to go to bed. Sleeping on this couch, especially in this position, will result only in his body aching the following day.

For now, though, Buck takes this opportunity to just stare and fully appreciate Eddie – it might be a bit creepy, observing him while he sleeps, but he doesn’t care. It’s one of those moments when he doesn’t have to be sneaky, steal glances, and be careful. And it is very hard, because Eddie is just magnetic. He can always catch your eye, even in the most crowded room. It’s impossible not to just stare adoringly. At least in Buck’s case. It’s difficult not to notice Eddie, and it’s even more difficult to divert your attention to something else. It’s okay when they’re on a call, all of Buck’s focus on the job, but when they’re done? His eyes just automatically find Eddie all the time, and he has to force himself to act like he’s not totally in love with his best friend.

Right now, Buck can’t suppress a soft smile, as Eddie sleeps, looking so peaceful and calm, and so, so beautiful. His head is still leaned back, his lips parted a bit, and his arms folded loosely. Trying to be as quiet as possible, Buck drapes a blanket over him. He doesn’t have a heart to wake him, not yet. He can’t resist, and before he moves away, runs his fingers delicately through Eddie’s amazing hair, and it’s as nice and soft as Buck imagined. Eddie smiles in his sleep, and Buck just melts. God, he loves this man so much, he’d give anything to see this smile permanently on his face.

“You know,” he whispers, barely even aware of it. He has no idea why he even says anything out loud, maybe the feelings have built up so much he has to finally say something, even if the object of his affection won’t hear them – or especially then. “I’d do anything for you. I love you so much, you can’t even imagine. I wish I could tell you.” he finishes quietly, and sadly, knowing it’s gonna take a while before he gathers the courage to actually tell him.

Then he decides it’s time to stop being creepy. He goes to the kitchen to clean up after dinner, which they were supposed to do before, but, well, Eddie fell asleep.

When he gets back to the living room, he sits there for a second and considers just leaving Eddie like that, not disturbing him. Before he can decide though, Eddie shifts, leaning his head on Buck’s shoulder.

“Hey, Buck.” he says sleepily, his voice a bit hoarse. His eyes are still closed.

“Yeah?” he glances at him.

“I love you, too.” Eddie murmurs quietly, but there’s a huge smile spreading across his face. Buck’s stunned for a second. What the hell?

“You heard that?” he asks, terrified, Eddie’s words not yet fully registering.

“Uh-huh. Been half-asleep, I think. Heard everything.” he says, so calmly and sleepily, Buck’s half-convinced Eddie’s still asleep. But then he lifts his head up, opens his eyes, and drowsily looks at Buck. “I love you.” he repeats casually. “As in, in love. And, God, I hope you meant it like that, too.” he chuckles quietly.

“Of course. I- yeah. I’m so in love with you, I couldn’t even keep it to myself anymore, apparently.” he smiles shyly. Eddie yawns. “You should get to bed, Eds. We can talk in the morning.”

“Nah, I can talk.” he shakes his head, but Buck can see that he struggles to keep his eyes open. “I wanna talk. I wanna tell you how much you mean to me, and exactly how I feel-”

“Eddie.” Buck says softly. “Tomorrow. We have all the time in the world now, okay?”

“Mhm, okay.” he gets up, shakily, and then lets Buck lead him to the bedroom. As Buck helps him lay down, Eddie grabs his hand and doesn’t want to let go. So, Buck lays down next to him. It’s dark, but he can still see Eddie, and as he also falls asleep, he keeps looking at Eddie, wondering how on earth he got so lucky to get this beautiful and amazing man to love him back.

#fictober22 #fictober #fictober 2022 #buddie fic #buddie #buddie fanfic #buddie ficlet #buck and eddie #fanfic #my writing #wikiangela writes #911 #911 fox #fictober prompts #911 fic #fluff #accidental love confessions

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hime-memes · 2 years

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• Hunting Sentence Starters •

As someone who lives in a place where we hunt for food during the winter months, I figured I’d compile a list of things I’ve heard / said while hunting - or - things that have been told to me by other hunters.

As always: These have not been changed much from when they were said to now, but feel free to modify for cohesive and sensical use. Feel free to change anything within these that you see fit to make it work for your muse & the receiver’s muse !

Recommended For: Any muses/plots/timelines.

Trigger Warnings For: Swearing, slight innuendo, gun mentions, violence, animal death.

“ I repeat: Do. Not. Drink. That. It’s concentrated deer piss. “ “ Remember: hold your breath while you aim & pull the trigger. Helps keep your aim true. “ “ [ Name ], don’t you ever point a gun in my direction unless you intend to shoot. Even then, you’d better hope you kill me because if I get back up -- there’s gonna be holy hell to pay. “ “ Yeah - I don’t trust you with a crossbow ... take the compound instead. “ “ Hopin’ those horny boys are out this evening ... no, there ain’t nothin’ sexual ‘bout it. “ “ Dude, please -- they're called antlers; Not horns. You gotta stop this before it gets real weird. “ “ Nah. We’re gonna double back ‘round in another hour or so. I ain’t seen nothing today worth wasting ammo on. “ “ If you fall out this tree stand, I’m gonna laugh. If you break something ... I’ll laugh to myself, but probably haul ya back to the truck. “ “ Quit asking me if I brought the right ammo, okay ? I brought the ... well, shit ! “ “ I swear to God, if [ Name ] starts up with that Sasquatch bullshit only two of us are leaving these woods alive. “ “ [ Name ], you have to be careful ! I almost shot you ! Announce yourself next time ! “ “ Hush, I heard something ... “ “ That’s a huge buck -- look at those antlers ! “ “ Hell yeah we got cougars around these parts ! ... and no, I’m not counting your mom. “ “ Oh come on -- hunting is a great excuse to take a nap in nature ! “ “ Please do not tell the ‘ squirrel brains for breakfast ‘ story. I’ll be sick. “ “ What is that ?! “ “ If I come nose - to - nose with a bear -- I’m hauling ass out these woods like there’s no tomorrow ! “ “ Nah, I just wanna catch one big ol’ deer. That’ll last us a good while. “ “ We use all the parts ‘round here -- waste not; want not, you heard that before - right ? “ “ Don’t worry, the dogs’ll be back in a while ... “ “ Leave the damn opossum alone ! He ain’t botherin ... Oh hell ! He’s hissing ! Run ! “ “ Yeah, we ended up running from Master Splinter’s vagrant cousin. It wasn’t a great day for us either. “ “ Would you quit being so jumpy ? That scream you heard wasn’t a woman ... it was either a fox or a bobcat or a mountain lion. Either way, no -- we ain’t investigating ! “ “ We aren’t staying here until after dark. I’m too superstitious for that. No tellin’ what the hell’s out here when we’re all supposed to be tucked up in bed ... “ “ I keep telling him, ‘ no - you can’t take the chihuahua for protection. Yeah, he’s mean enough -- but that’s my baby ! ‘. “ “ [ Name ], you want some coffee ? It’ll put hair on your chest -- it’s good stuff. “ “ You read your book - take a nap, and let me handle the shooting and such. “ “ You better have your hunting permit on you. “ “ Being out in the woods like this makes you real ... uh, what’s the word ? You know, you start thinking a whole lot and having big ideas ... it’s nice. “ “ I’m out here just to get away from the house for a bit - We all needed to get out from on top of each other, you know ? “ “ Nice shot ! “ “ No - we aren’t taking any pictures with our deer: It ain’t in good taste. Just enjoy being able to have deer roast this fall. That should be enough ... “ “ Yeah, weirdly enough - I brought the last of the deer jerky I made as a snack. We got a pound of it, so make it count. “ “ Yes, I cleared the garage so we can start the draining / butchering process as soon as we get back. “ “ I got bit by something -- probably a spider, but damn does it hurt ! Must have got in my jacket. “ “ Please check yourself and the dogs for ticks ! “ “ I ain’t using that damned old deer shampoo - pheromone - crap. I don’t want no deer humpin’ my leg ! “ “ That’s not how pheromone-based enticers work ... but, like, suit yourself. “ “ Do I look like a shit detective to you ? I don’t know what animal made that crap ! Maybe a deer, maybe a rabbit ? I don’t know - quit asking me ! “ “ Nah - I ain’t camping out here. I’ll come back tomorrow. I’m not fighting raccoons over some beanie weenies. I ain’t doing it. “ “ I shouldn’t have had that coffee; ‘cause I’m not squattin’ for God an’ everyone to see in these woods ! “ “ These are the conversations I recount to my therapist and I can tell: she actively wants to ask me what the fuck is wrong with you and me when we’re together. “ “ You’re going after the dogs if they go off trail, right ? “ “ I’m directionally challenged, you knew this ! Besides, I think this makes things more interesting: Will we end up lost ? Dead ? Finding the truck again ? Stay tuned ! “ “ I’m giving the dogs a break, so it’s just me and my rifle today. “ “ I’m not worried about being shot -- I’m worried about being eaten by nature ! “ “ We do not have wild hogs out here ! Hold on, ... ‘ Hey Siri - ‘ ! “ “ You’re not going alone, right ? “ “ Why’d you ask me to come if we can’t talk ? We haven’t seen anything all day ! “ “ We’re leaving real early, so please be ready when we roll up to get you ! “

#rp meme #original rp meme #roleplay meme #sentence starter meme

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yknati · 2 years

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Y/N moved to Daegu to start over after the death of her mother. Unfortunately, a randomly observed murder thwarted her plans. Kidnapped by the mafia, she also reunites with her old high school friend, Min Yoongi. But shortly after their union, he has to fight with a new group of unknown assassins who will soon make his life hell....

Black Swans Heart Pt. 3

Yoongi POV:

Flashback:

With a deep sigh I got out of the seat. My driver opened the door for me, I took my bag and got out. I wanted to get back in and drive home.

"Have fun at school Mr. Min", the driver bowed, got back in the car and drove away. School...more like torture...being tied to a chair for 6 hours and being bombarded with technical terms can probably be hardly fun.

Plus it wouldn't do me any good anyway. Because my future has already been decided. I, Min Yoongi, should be Black Swan's next mafia boss. I was only 20. I still wanted to enjoy my life now...but I couldn't...every day I had shot training, self-defense, torture methods and all the other things that a mafia boss needs to be able to do. And then school?! I didn't even have any fun here, and that was already my second year. I still had three years ahead of me.

Although there was one.

Her name was Y/N and she was in parallel class. We did a few subjects together and even did a presentation together. She was the only reason I somehow wanted to go to school. Slowly I made my way forward. A lot of other students walked past me but no one paid any attention to me.

'If they knew I could have them all killed...' I kept thinking that to myself.

With a bang I opened the front door. Small groups lined the hallways, but some were alone, like me. I made my way to my locker before a slight giggle stopped me. Turning, it said Y/N.

Again and again I had to admire her for how well her school uniform suited her. My gaze lingered on her face. In the two years we've known each other I've never seen her sad or crying. And today was no different.

"Tell me, didn't you even notice me? I've been following you since you walked through the door," she bucked my arm slightly.

,,Sorry, I was thinking...is there anything today? You're kind of glowing even more than usual," I smiled slightly when she looked at me.

"Nah, I'm just happy to see you," then she hugged me. Just like that. My pulse was racing. I was afraid she heard my heart beating as she pulled away from me.

"Come on, let's go, the first lesson is about to start and we still have our shoes on...", she happily hopped past me to her locker, which was very close to mine.

Y/N POY:

Lunch break:

I quickly said goodbye to my friends because I wanted to sit down with Yoongi again today and tell him something important. I went to the playground with my lunch. Yoongi was sitting on a bench at the edge of the basketball field. As always, he wore headphones.

I marched towards him, heart pounding, but gave no sign. At least I hoped so. When I sat down next to him, he opened his eyes and turned off the music.

"Hey, with me again today? How did I deserve this honor?" he grinned at me so sweetly that I felt my heart melt.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be with you on break all week. It's just...Kimmy just broke up with her boyfriend and of course we were all there for her," he helped himself to some of my snack as, as always, he didn't have any himself. He just gave a slight nod itself.

'Ok Y/N, now... tell him, come on.... dare... just say: Yoongi I've fallen in love with you.... that's easy!!!' I was so busy that I didn't hear Yoongi.

"Hey Y/N? Are you okay?" He gently held my forearm.

'OH GOD I'M GOING TO PASS OUT!'

"Yes-yes...all good. I was just thinking about which girl would suit you," I smiled awkwardly at him.

'WHY DID I SAAAAAAY THAT??!!!'

"Hmmmm...I think you're the only girl who wants anything to do with me. So I would say you" he looked at me thoughtfully.

Omg did he really just say that?

,,W-because we're talking about stuff like that........Yoon..Yoongi...I...I like you...a lot....maybe I love you too..... "I narrowed my eyes as the last sentence slipped from my lips.

Yoongi POV:

I was speechless...that's exactly what I always wanted. Then why can I move more and tell her I like her too.

But then it came: "Y/N...me...well I...I like you too....a lot...well actually since we did the project together last six months..."

I must have been red now, but at least she looked me in the eye again.

"Really?" Touched, she clutched her chest. After nodding, I hugged her again. But this time I hugged back. She smelled so good. The school bell rang and everyone headed back to class. But we stayed seated.

"I love you sooooo much," Y/N pulls away from me only to kiss my cheek afterwards. My body responded naturally as I leaned forward and kissed her on the mouth.

Her lips were so soft. They fitted mine like a key to a lock. When we pulled away from each other, we just looked into each other's eyes.

We didn't care that we were now missing class.

We just enjoyed each other's company.

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trashbins-stuff · 2 years

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freesmart incorrect quote bc they're my favorites <3 (maybe ooc)

ice cube: *standing at the top of the stairs* What are y'all doing at the bottom of the staircase? match: I accidentally fell down. book: RUBY PUSHED ME down the stairs because I refuse to pay THEIR part of our rent! bubble: match bet me fifty bucks that I couldn't reach the bottom of the stairs faster than she did falling down it, so I slide down the banister to get my money. pencil: I don't know how I got here. One moment, I was sleeping in my bed, three floors up, and then suddenly I was waking up here, just in time to get crushed by bubble.

book: I typed "bitch" into my GPS and guess what? I'm in your driveway. match: book: Vroom vroom, come out already.

bubble: How would you like your pancakes? match: Plain. pencil: With sprinkles! book: Chocolate chips. ruby: Potatoes. *match, pencil, and book look at ruby* ruby: What? They're good.

pencil: She's the girl of my dreams! ruby: You say every girl is the girl of your dreams. pencil: I have a lot of dreams.

bubble: I’m so excited! book: We’re gonna have the best costumes, get the most candy... bubble: And have the biggest stomach aches ever! book: Yeah!

ice cube: Hey, can we stay in your dorm tonight? book: Why? ice cube: pencil fiddled with an ouija board and cursed ours. bubble: ruby doesn't know how to banish spirits, so it just throw salt at them and yell "DOES THIS LOOK LIKE A HOTEL TO YOU?!"

ruby: There's nothing to do.... ice cube: You can wash the dishes you promised to wash about a week ago. ruby: *pulls out her phone* Nevermind.

match: Dearly Beloved, we are here today to remember ice cube, taken from us in the prime of life; when she was crushed by a runaway semi, driven by the Incredible Hulk. ice cube: Aww, you knew my favorite cause of death.

book: ruby... ruby: Oh no, 'ruby' in B flat. ruby: You're disappointed.

bubble: I really like Eminem. book: I prefer skittles. ruby: She's talking about the rapper. book: Why would they eat the wrapper?

match: I’m telling you, my alliance is competent. ice cube, rushing in: match! ruby tried to make pasta in the coffee pot and now it's broken!

match, skipping rocks on a lake with pencil: It’s such a beautiful evening. pencil: Yeah, it is. pencil: *whispering* Take that you fucking lake.

ice cube: *dies* pencil: Timer starts now! When is he coming back? I say two months! ruby: Bullshit. One month. bubble: Nah, half a month. book, sobbing: WHAT ARE YOU DOING? ICE CUBE JUST DIED! match, scratching chin in thought: One week

pencil: Get in, loser, we’re committing vehicular manslaughter!

ruby: What the fuck. ruby: ESPN is showing 2003 national jump rope championship. ruby: Who the hell watches jump rope competiti- ooh bouncy.

pencil: I never tell people off the bat that I'm gay. I wait. I wait until they say some homophobic shit and then I laugh and am like "you know I'm gay right?" and watch the look of terror on their face. book: book: I like you.

ice cube: Though I admit I don’t know much about you, I am feeling pretty confident in my assessment that you are probably some sort of sick deadly fuck. ruby: Who told you my secret?

ice cube: You were wise to seek help from the world's most deadly weapon. ice cube: It's me.

ruby: Vegetable oil is made from vegetables, coconut oil is made from coconuts, so BABY OIL- match: CAN'T WE JUST HAVE A NICE ALLIANCE DINNER FOR ONCE?!

bubble, about ice cube: They're covered in blood again. Why is it they're always covered in blood? ruby: Well, it looks like it's her own blood this time.

ruby, when book walks in: Oh, hey, I'm just making pizza. ruby: *accidentally smacks pencil in the face with the baking sheet*

book: So, ruby and ice cube is no longer allowed to take the trash out at night. pencil: Why? book: Because I've caught them trying to train raccoons to fight five times in a row. ruby, arms crossed and pouting: You'll be thanking me when the third raccoon battalion saves your ass.

#freesmart #incorrect quotes #btw i headcanon match and bubble uses she/they #ruby uses they/it/she and ice cube uses she/he/they #pencil and book still uses she/her

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sophsicle · 3 years

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can you describe the life james wanted with regulus bc i need it for my mental health

It was a little something like this... It's late when James gets home from practice, the flat dark. He closes the door quietly behind him, kicking his shoes off and leaving them in the front hall. He knows he'll get hell for that in the morning but he can't quite bring himself to care. His whole body is sore, worn through. They've been on a losing streak recently so coach is working them overtime. As brutal as it's been, James actually does think it's working. Which is good, because he's tired of losing. "Meow."

An orange tabby cat hops up onto the arm of the sofa to greet him, sticking her little nose out, clearly hoping for a pet. Well, and a treat. Regulus is always accusing James of spoiling her. Honestly, it's less of an accusation and more just a statement of fact. James is pretty shameless, Regulus rolling his eyes every time he sees him pulling out the treat bag.

"Hey Gee," he says, scratching behind her ears before he bends down and gives her little head a kiss. "Where's Sal huh?" he looks over at the cat bed where, if he squints, he thinks he can just make out the the lump of black cat curled up in it.

"Meow," Gee says, clearly answering his question.

"Shh, we gotta be quiet okay? We don't want to wake them." She purrs when he scratches under her chin before pulling away.

The door to the bedroom is left slightly ajar, James squeezing in and quickly stripping down to his boxers, before he slides under the covers, fitting himself against Regulus's back.

"You're late," Regulus murmurs.

"Sorry, practice went long," he kisses the freckle behind Regulus's ear. He's a little obsessed with it.

"Is Buchanan finally covering his left side?" Regulus asks, and James can't help but laugh, trying to muffle the noise against Regulus's shoulder.

"Half-asleep and you're still giving game notes?"

Regulus makes an indignant "hmrf" noise. "He's clearly the weakest link. And it's such a stupid mistake. Imbécile."

"Well," James says amused, kissing him again. "I'll be sure to tell him that."

"I hope you do." James just hums, nosing at his hair, pulling Regulus closer.

"I mean it."

"I know you do baby."

"UGH," Regulus makes a disgusted noise, turning around in James's arms, now fully awake, James doing his best to hold back his laughter. Even in the dark he can see Regulus glaring.

"Call me baby again and I swear I will end you."

James is openly grinning. "Aw c'mon bab-" the word doesn't even make it out of his mouth before he gets Regulus's pillow in his face. A second later Regulus has rolled them over, straddling James's hips and beating him mercilessly.

"I," smack, "hate," smack, "you!"

James is laughing, eventually pulling the pillow away from Regulus and bucking his hips, causing the other boy to tip forward, catching himself with his hands on either side of James's head, their noses almost brushing.

For a moment they just stay like that, Regulus slightly out of breath. And then James reaches up and tucks one of his curls behind his ear.

"Nah," he whispers. "I don't think you do."

Regulus shakes his head, but a moment later he's kissing James. Body heavy and comfortable on top of him. They stay that way for a long time until Regulus is pliant and sleepy again, slipping off of James and letting him curl around him.

Just before he drifts off to sleep James finds that freckle again, giving it another kiss for good measure. Smiling against Regulus's skin. "I'm your's you know," he says, maybe a little nonsensically. Sleep pulling at his thoughts.

"I know," Regulus whispers back, just as sleepy. "My dickhead."

James laughs.

#choices #soph rambles #jegulus

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cjsinkythoughts · 3 years

Text

The Conversation

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Reader

Word Count: 7661 (Don’t come at me - you guys asked for it)

Warnings: !FATWS Spoilers!, Cursing, Fluff, Feelings, I Dunno What Else, This One’s Pretty Chill, Except The Ending, But You’ll See When You Get There

A/N: Here it is! I was hesitant about posting it because that means we’re getting closer to the end and I’m such a nostalgic bitch! I’m definitely gonna cry next week when the last episode comes out! Anyways, I’ve got a few things to talk about:

I think this is one of the most important chapters I’ve written and I’m excited to see your reactions to it. It is longer, but you guys asked for that, so you got it! Also, I’m loving the Asks, Comments, and Reblogs. I try to respond to all of them. I have work in a little bit, so I won’t be able to until after, but I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Ask me anything; about my series, the show, any of the movies, personal stuff, I really don’t care. If you’re not comfortable, that’s totally fine! Every like means so much to me!

I know it’s not the end yet - we’ve got one more episode and a list of One Shots to get through - but there’s a definite feeling of this series coming to an end, and I just want to thank you all for the support and love you’ve been giving it! I’ve really enjoyed writing these characters and this story! It’s very, very special to me and I’m glad I’ve been able to share it with you lovely people!

On that note, be kind to yourselves and others! Thank you again for reading! Excuse any mistakes - this isn’t beta’d! Enjoy and stay tuned!

FATWS Masterlist

cjsinkythoughts Masterlist

!SPOILERS UNDER CUT! (Sorry for the gifs I just love them so much and he’s so pretty and this part is technically two parts so...you get four!)

“Louisiana.” Bucky hummed, looking around the airport.

You rolled your eyes. “You’re not gonna find anything interesting about Louisiana in here, doofus. Let’s call an Uber.”

“An Ooper? What the hell is an Ooper?”

You giggled, shaking your head and grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the luggage carousel. “Uber. It’s like…a taxi service. But there’s an app on your phone to get a driver instead of waiting for one on the street.”

“Oh.” He blinked, tilting his head. “That’s…helpful.”

You laughed again, stopping in front of Carousel 3, where your flight from New York was assigned. You went back to New York to grab a bag with clean clothes and other necessities, along with taking a real shower for once. It was nice to be back in the States, as much as you loved traveling. It’d been a crazy few weeks and you were ready to just relax.

“Do you think there were any problems with Sammy’s present?”

Bucky shook his head. “Nah. Especially considering they know who we are.”

You snickered at his slight grumble. They had had…problems at the other two airports - first the one in Sokovia then JFK in New York - considering Bucky’s entire arm was metal. It’d taken a full hour before they actually let you go, and by that time they had to give you a new plane because yours had left.

“Seriously. Who else has a fucking metal arm and has 1917 listed as their birth year on their Driver’s License?” You giggled again. That was also true. They thought he was messing with them. It wasn’t until you stepped in a few minutes after they asked Bucky to step to the side, seeing Bucky get frustrated, that they realized Bucky wasn’t pulling their legs.

“Well, we’re here now and that’s all that matters.”

He nodded in agreement, watching for your bags, his hand finding yours when he realized how many people there were. “Do you know where he lives? I didn’t even think about it.”

“Yeah, don’t worry. He invited me over once. I declined, but I saved the address.”

“He…invited you over?” Bucky frowned.

You gave him a look. “I’m sure he invited you, too. You just never checked his texts.”

He licked his lips, tilting his head. “Yeah, no, I know, but I mean…why didn’t you go? Weren’t you two just talking about how you wanted to meet his nephews the other day?”

“Yeah, but I had gotten a tip on Wanda at the time and I didn’t want to miss the chance that she was there. He told me it was fine. I still felt really bad. I could tell he was a bit disappointed. I think it was one of the boys’ birthdays. Or something. I don’t remember. Is that bad? Yeah, probably. I really should remember. Maybe I should keep track of birthdays on my calendar or something.”

“Doll.” You looked up to find him giving you a magnificent smile, teeth and all. “You’re rambling.”

“Oh. Am I? Sorry. I didn’t realize.”

He shook his head quickly, squeezing your hand. “Don’t apologize. It’s cute. I’m just not used to you talking so much. You kinda did on the phone sometimes.”

You shrugged, pushing down the heat crawling up your neck at his words. “I rambled a lot to Steve.”

“Oh.”

His face fell, making you scrunch your eyebrows up in confusion, nudging him slightly to grin at him. “It’s nice to have someone to ramble to again, though.” There was that smile again. You were stopped from saying anything more when you noticed some kids pointing and chattering excitedly at a gleaming silver box coming around the corner on the conveyor belt. “There it is.”

He looked over his shoulder, dropping your hand and stepping over to grab it, lifting it effortlessly. You didn’t know what was in it or how heavy it was, but you were sure it felt like a feather to him.

“Alright. Got our bag, sweetheart?” You lifted up the duffle in answer and he jerked his head towards the doors. “Let’s get outta here, then. Call that Booper or whatever.”

“U-B-E-R! Ub-er!” You threw your hands up, following him as he started walking towards the exit. “What’s so hard about it?!”

He just gave you a little smirk over his shoulder.

***************

Bucky kept asking the Uber driver questions about his job. The guy was super nice and patient the whole time, a thick southern accent lacing his answers. Southern hospitality was no joke and apparently had no limit as Bucky asked about his experiences, listening intently and telling him his own stories of taxi drivers in NYC.

When you got to Sam’s sister’s house, Bucky, being Bucky, tipped the driver half of what you paid for the ride, thanking him for his time and energy, before getting out.

“You’re so adorable, you know that?” You teased him as you stepped up the porch stairs and knocked on the door.

He rolled his eyes, a tint of pink dusting across his cheeks. “He was nice.”

You hummed at his defense, the smile never leaving your features. After a moment, Bucky raised his fist to knock again. “Jesus Christ! Don’t fucking knock their door down!” You grabbed his wrist and lowered it.

“Sorry. I forget sometimes.” Bucky informed you absentmindedly, tilting his head to peek in the window. “I don’t think anyone’s home.”

“They’re probably at the docks, then.”

Bucky raised an eyebrow. “The docks?”

You nodded, gesturing for him to follow you. “Yeah. They have a boat, remember? He talked about it last week.”

“Oh right. The one he’s trying to convince his sister not to sell.”

“Yeah.” You confirmed. “I’m pretty sure it’s that way. I don’t know how far, but we can call the Uber back-”

Bucky scrunched up his face and shook his head. “Nah. I don’t wanna bother him again. We can walk.”

You gave him an incredulous look. “It’s literally his job to drive people around.”

“Well, yeah, but what if he’s got other people to drive?”

You lifted his metal knuckles to your lips. “Trust me, Buck, I’m sure he’d rather drive you than anyone else.”

“Thank you?”

Swinging your now linked hands, you gave a firm nod, letting him know it was, in fact, a compliment. “You are so very welcome.”

The walk was a lot longer than you thought it was, and you ended up on Bucky’s back after he kept complaining about how you “shouldn’t be walking this long” and you were “injured” and you “needed rest’”. You’re not sure how a shoulder wound affected your ability to walk, but you relented and let him carry you the rest of the way to stop his whining.

“You forget, you did pull your thigh.”

“That was, like, three weeks ago! Yeesh!”

You finally got to the docks, which were bustling with people. Bucky set you down and raised an eyebrow which you shrugged in reply to, before heading over to where you spotted Sam with a few other older men.

“How do we get it off the truck?” You heard Sam ask, pointing to a large boat engine part in the bed of a beaten up truck. Scoffing as Bucky lifted it up without breaking a sweat, you leaned against the truck. Bucky grunted and set it down, looking at Sam.

“You’re welcome.” What a punk. “Just dropping this off.” Bucky lifted the case and set it where the engine was previously, Sam coming to stand on the opposite side of the truck as you. “You can sign for it and I’ll go.” You snorted, shaking your head, making Bucky shove your shoulder - the uninjured one - playfully. “I called in a favor from the Wakandans.”

Sam looked at you curiously. You shrugged and shook your head. “Don’t look at me, Sammy. He wouldn’t tell me what it is. He’s all hushy hushy about it until you say so.”

Before Sam could reply, there was a squeak and hissing over at the boat where steam was coming from a few pipes.

“Sam!” You knew that was Sarah from pictures Sam showed you. You stayed up by the truck, pulling yourself onto the bed while Sam tried fixing the pipe, Bucky butting in to show him how to do it properly.

“Why didn’t you use the metal arm?”

You saw Bucky lift up said metallic limb. “Well…I don’t always think of it immediately. I’m-I’m right handed.” Letting out a laugh, Bucky turned around and scowled teasingly at you. “And what’re you laughing at?!”

“Nothing!”

“Well then get your ass over here!”

You rolled your eyes, hopping down from the truck as Bucky asked if Sam wanted help with the boat. You leaned against a wooden post, grinning when Sam looked at you.

“I don’t have any plans.”

Sam gave a small smile, jerking his head back. “Yeah.”

You jumped down onto the boat to follow him, looking over your shoulder and stopping with an amused eyebrow raised as Bucky introduced himself to Sarah. “I’m Bucky.”

“Ah…Sarah.”

“Sarah.” Bucky repeated her name, before walking towards you, a grin still on his lips.

“Careful, Barnes. That playboy Steve warned me about is coming out.” You nudged him with a smirk, ignoring the feeling of your stomach dropping.

He rolled his eyes, kissing your head as he passed you and Sam to go where Sam was gesturing. “Don’t worry, Y/N. You’re still my doll.”

Sam raised an eyebrow, falling into step besides you and lowering his voice. “Conversation?”

“Hasn’t happened.” You informed him through clenched teeth as he groaned.

Sam gave you a list of chores that needed to be done to clean up the boat, giving you a quick tour and letting you know where all the tools needed where. You set to work immediately.

Sanding down, replacing old parts, cleaning, polishing and painting over the things that didn’t need replacing. They didn’t let you do any heavy lifting because of your stupid shoulder, but you were still able to help.

Sam had turned on some music for you to listen to, so you danced around the boat while cleaning. Turning your head when you felt a pair of eyes on you, you smiled when Bucky snapped his head back down to the wood he was sanding down.

“Gonna dance, Barnes?”

He looked back over, shaking his head. “Nah. I’m good watching you.”

Rolling your eyes, you got back to work, continuing to bop to the music, fully aware that he was watching you now.

A little while later, you were repainting the edges of the boat orange, when you looked over and noticed Bucky playing around with a paint scraper…sitting right on the edge that you had just finished repainting a few minutes ago.

“Buck!”

He looked over, eyebrows raised. “Yeah?”

You bit your lip, trying to hold back your mischievous grin. Shaking your head, you waved dismissively. “Never mind!”

He gave you a confused sort of pout, before shrugging and continuing to fidget with the tool. It wasn’t until later when he got up to help Sam tear the metal plating off the edge that it came to light with Sam chuckling and raising an eyebrow.

“Sit in something there, Barnes?”

“What?”

Bucky craned his neck back, eyes widening when he saw the orange paint on his ass, contrasting with his jeans. You let out a cackle and he whipped towards you, pointing at you accusingly, although the small uptick of his lips let you know he wasn’t really mad.

“Y/N!”

“No, no, no!” You laughed, sprinting across the deck, shrieking when he grabbed your waist and spun you around. You gasped when he grabbed a paint brush and painted an orange stripe right down the front of your shirt. “James!”

“Justice, sweetheart.” He breathed in your ear with a chuckle.

You shook your head, wiggling out of his hold. “This is a nice shirt!”

“You should’ve thought about that before.” He smirked, crossing his arms. Your eyes caught sight of Sam behind him, who raised an eyebrow and the bucket of paint he was holding. You nodded with a little giggle, making Bucky’s eyes narrow. “What’s so funny over there, do - holy shit!

You guffawed as orange paint dripped down his head, Sam standing innocently behind him with the now empty bucket behind his back. “Samuel!”

“Oops?”

“I’m gonna kill you!”

“Try me old man!”

“Fuck!

“Doll!”

“Oh my God!”

Paint, orange and white since those were the only cans they had out, flew across the deck, paint brushes being used like fencing swords.

You found out too late that wet paint was a little bit slippery and you slid on a huge puddle, sending you, not onto the ground below, but over the side of the edge into the water.

“Doll!”

“Cher, you good?!”

The three of you looked at each other, stunned for a moment, before bursting into fits of laughter and you nodded. “I’m good!”

The boys helped you get back up onto the dock, Sarah appearing with towels she conjured up out of thin air. “Let’s get you into dry clothes. Do you have-?”

“We’ve got some. We got a bag.” You told her with a grin, facing the guys. “You two should clean up some, too. Sammy, you’ve got a little something right there.” You pointed to your cheek, his own having a giant white splotch from his temple to his jaw. “And Buck?” You sniggered, gesturing to the whole of him. “You’ve got a lotta something right there.”

“Ha. Ha.” He looked down. His top was practically tiger print, drenched in orange with white here and there, and his ass still orange as well. His hair, which had been plastered to his forehead, was starting to dry now, and it only made you laugh some more thinking about what a pain it’d be to get it out. For him, at least.

“God. Can’t even have a relaxing day on the boat with you two.” Sam jested once you finished up and joined him and Bucky, who had just finished dumping out some water buckets. Bucky had changed his shirt and it looked like they tried wiping their faces, but Sam still had small lines of white down his face. “How ‘bout a couple of drinks? Surely you can’t ruin that too.”

“Ruin?” You gasped in mock offence. “Sammy! I just made the day more…interesting.”

Sam chuckled, ruffling Bucky’s hair, which still had orange streaks in it. “Let’s go get some beers.”

************

You chatted for a bit, mainly you and Sam with you asking how Sarah and the boys were while Bucky with your legs in his lap, just listening to you two and sipping at his bottle. You had his hand in your own lap, wiping it down with a rag due to the paint that got on it.

“You’re lucky this is vibranium, you know.” You commented off handedly. “If it was your other one, it’d definitely get stained.”

“And who’s fault is that?” Bucky shot back with a teasing grin.

“Sammy’s.”

Sam spluttered. “Wh-what?! You started it!” You laughed, shaking your head.

Falling into a comfortable silence with just the water and birds chirping as your soundtrack, you downed the rest of your drink, which Bucky took as finished. “Well,” you moved your legs to let him stand up. He leaned forwards to clink his bottle against Sam’s and you stood up and stretched. “Gotta catch our flight tomorrow. Get a hotel room for the night.” Sam gave you a look to which you rolled your eyes at as Bucky set down his bottle and grabbed his jacket. “Crash, you know?”

“So you’re just gonna set me up like that, huh?”

“Well I don’t wanna make it weird for your family.”

“Just stay here.” You laughed as Sam babbled on about how nice the people were here, grabbing the jacket Bucky handed to you. It was getting a bit chilly from the breeze on the water and the sun going down. Plus, that water was cold.

“But don’t flirt with my sister.”

You cackled at Bucky’s face, that turned serious, his head shaking. “No.”

“‘Cause if you do I’ll have Carlos cut you up and feed you to the fish.”

“Can’t hold back the dog, Wilson. It’s been stuck in a kennel too long.”

Bucky turned to you, grabbing your jaw and squishing your cheeks together. “You know what? You need to shush. You’ve been snippy all day.”

You just smiled as innocently as you could with your lips being held by his metal fingers. “You’re too fun to mess with.”

He pecked your nose. “As long as I’m the only one you’re messing with. I’ll be right back.” He let you go and spun around, maneuvering around the boat in a way only a trained assassin could do.

“Oh my God, please! Please just put me out of my fucking misery! You’re killing me, cher.”

“What?” You gaped at him.

“Don’t act innocent!” Sam huffed, giving you a pointed look. “If I have to watch you two make googly eyes at you one more fucking day with neither of you doing anything about it-”

You rolled your eyes. “Oh come on, Sammy-”

“Don’t ‘come on, Sammy’ me! And don’t come at me with that ‘he doesn’t like me back’ bullshit. If you think for a second that boy wouldn’t follow you to the depths of the fucking ocean, you’re blind as a bat, woman.”

You shrugged, pushing up the sleeves of Bucky’s too big jacket. “It just…hasn’t come up.”

He deadpanned, shaking his head and standing up. “That’s it. I’m done. You two are driving me insane. I’m gonna lock you in a room until you have the conversation that needs to be had the next time either of you does something stupid.”

“Yikes. That’s gonna be quick.” At his look, your smile dropped and you nodded. “Okay, okay. I’ll…I’ll bring it up later.”

“Tomorrow or nothing.”

“Sam-”

Sam tilted his head, brow creasing. “Is it still Steve? Is that what this is still about? Because he’s gone, and he’s been gone and you need to get over it-”

“No. It’s not…” You sighed. “It clicked the other day. When we were hanging out. Steve left and, yeah, I might always love him, but Bucky…God…I love Bucky, Sam.”

The man grinned proudly. “I’m glad to finally hear you admit it. So what’s the problem?”

“It’s still complicated, right? I mean…he’s his best friend and I’ve never dealt with stuff like this before and-”

Sam’s smile dropped and he groaned again. “Imma head out. I can’t take this. Dumbass and dumberass. I swear to God.” You sniggered a bit as he grumbled, walking towards the ramp to climb off the boat, just as Bucky reappeared.

“Hey-”

“Nope! Not right now, Barnes! I can’t handle it! I can’t!”

Bucky gave you a weird look. “What’d you do?”

You chuckled, shaking your head. “Nothing.”

“Well, c’mon, doll. Sarah said she’s gonna make gumbo for us, whatever that is.” He held out his hand as you walked over.

“You’re such a city boy.” You teased lightly, taking his hand and letting him help you pull you onto the dock. You shoved the sleeves of his jackets up again since they slipped from the first time. “Let’s go get some dinner. I’m starving.”

******************

“We have the couch and a mattress we can pull out, I just have to make Sam get it from the attic-”

“That’s alright. The couch is fine.” Bucky waved dismissively while you nodded in agreement.

Sarah raised an eyebrow at you two. “For both of you?”

You blinked, exchanging a look with Bucky, before shrugging and turning back to her. “Yeah.”

“Don’t fight it, Sarah.” Sam peeked out from the hall. “They’ve got a weird relationship.” You stuck your tongue out at the man while Bucky rolled his eyes, dropping your duffle bag by the couch. “How mature, Y/N.” Sam mimicked your action.

“Uhm…okay. Let me set up the couch for you then.”

Once everything was set up, you and Bucky thanking her for dinner - delicious and you’d never seen Bucky smile so much, the boys having kept him highly entertained throughout the meal - and for letting you crash, Sam and Sarah headed to their rooms, the boys already having been tucked in for the night.

“Are you gonna sleep on the floor?” You asked quietly, sitting down on the couch and doing the things for your night routine you didn’t already do in the bathroom.

“I think I’ll be okay.” He sat besides you. “I’ve been doing fine the past week or so.”

You smiled at him. “That’s good. Alright.” You stood up and stretched. “Let me just make sure everything’s in the bag and ready-”

You yelped when his arm wrapped around your waist, pulling you into his chest, shifting down to lay against the couch’s arm. “Do it in the morning.” He yawned, looking up at you tiredly. “I wanna go to sleep.”

“Then go to sleep, Buck. I’ll be right back.” He shook his head, his hold tightening as he sunk deeper into the couch.

“No. I fall asleep better with you.”

You rolled your eyes but grinned, settling down with your legs between his, your chin resting on his sternum so you could still look at him. He beamed, but you could see the exhaustion settling in, and he grabbed the blanket Sarah left over the back of the couch and draped it across your back, over both of your legs, before his arms crossed snugly under the covers at the small of your back.

“Dinner was nice tonight. I haven’t had a meal cooked like that in ages.” You hummed.

He nodded in agreement. “I think that’s the first time I’ve sat around a table with a family since the 40′s.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Did you like it?”

“Yeah...kinda makes me wish I had my own.”

“Your own what?”

“Family.”

You bit your lip, shyly avoiding his gaze. “You’re my family, Buck.”

A light kiss was pressed to your forehead, his fingers bringing your gaze back to his. “There’s no one else I’d rather have.” The room lapsed into silence again, the clock ticking on the wall, the low sound of crickets outside.

“You have really pretty eyes.” You mumbled, tilting your head slightly as you studied them. They always held so much emotion in them, especially in contrast to when you first met him as Soldat. They matched the water you fell in, and you wouldn’t mind falling over and over into them.

“Yeah, well, you’re just really pretty inside and out, so I think you’ve got me beat, doll.” He whispered back.

“You know who else is pretty? Sarah.”

He nodded with a hum. “That’s true. But I meant what I said. You’ll always be my doll.”

“So you’re not gonna ask her out?”

He gave you a weird look as you traced his sharp jawline absentmindedly. “Nah, sweetheart. It’s just…some harmless flirting. Except on Sam’s part.”

You gave a soft huff of laughter. “Yeah…he’s gonna strangle you. It is nice to see you like that, though. Flirty. Relaxed. Happy.”

“You make me happy, sweetheart.” He hummed, nosing your temple. “The road trip helped. I’m learning everything from you. Maybe not the flirting, but the carefree part.”

You blinked at him, finger stopping for a moment as you thought. “Oh…”

You felt his fingers dance up your spine, making you shiver slightly. “What I would give to know what’s goin’ on inside that pretty lil’ head’a yours, doll.”

“I just think it’s funny you’re learning how to be carefree from me…when I just started learning how to do it myself.”

“Oh yeah?”

You nodded, your finger continuing its path down his jaw. “I think it started with the goats.”

“The goats?”

You nodded again, resting your cheek on his chest, watching your finger move up from his chin. Once you got to the end of his jaw, you lightly scratched his scruff. “In Wakanda. Our goats.” You weren’t looking at him, so you didn’t see the way he physically melted at your words, his eyes going soft, his lips turning up slightly.

“Our goats, huh?”

But your tired brain wasn’t really processing what he said, instead focusing on the features your finger was now tracing - over his lips, up his nose. “You’re pretty too, Buck. Did you know that? Inside and out.”

He craned his neck to kiss your forehead. “Go to sleep, cuddle bug.”

Nodding, you nuzzled into his chest, finger feeling over the bumps and indents on the dog tags resting near your head. You tried going to sleep, but you kept shifting, your mind not shutting off.

“Hey, sleepyhead, I’m trying to, you know, sleep.”

“Sorry.” You apologized meekly. “I just…I dunno. I can’t.”

“Are you comfortable?” He peeked open and eye to look at you questioningly. You nodded. “Is it too hot? We can take the blanket off. I know I’m a walking furnace-”

You shook your head. “No. I don’t know why. I just can’t sleep.”

He licked his lips thoughtfully, before cradling your head and guiding you back down to his chest. “Lay down, sweetheart. Relax.” He stroked your hair, moving his head down to rub circles in your back muscles, pressing down harder when he felt knots.

You hummed, your eyes closing. “That feels good.”

“Shshsh. Just go to sleep.” His lips pressed against your head once more, lingering a bit longer than they usually do, as you felt yourself drift off. You cuddled his side, throwing a leg over his waist, before nodding off, only barely hearing his words. “Attagirl. There we are.”

******************

“Doll?” You felt a shift underneath you and groaned, your eyes barely cracking open. “Hey, sleepyhead…it’s okay. I’m just gonna slip out from under ya, alright? Gonna go help Sammy with somethin’.”

You raised an eyebrow, letting him move you against the cushions as he sat up on the edge of the couch. “Sammy?”

“Yeah.” He bent over and kissed your cheek. You stretched out your limbs, about to rub your eyes, when he stopped you, kissing the inside of your wrists. “No. Not you, doll. Go back to sleep.”

“Bu’...’m gonna help.” You slurred out, looking at him with confused, squinty eyes.

He chuckled, shaking his head. “It’s okay. Rest. You can help when you wake up again. Okay?” You mumbled out an “okay”, bringing the covers up to your chin and snuggling deeper into the cushions. “There ya go, cuddle bug. Good girl.” There was another kiss, one to your temple this time, before you slipped back into unconsciousness.

******************

The next time you woke up was because of a clatter in the kitchen. You yawned and sat up, stretching, eyebrows furrowing when you realized Bucky wasn’t with you. It took you a moment to remember your conversation, which you half thought you dreamt.

“Boys!”

“Sorry!”

You chuckled at the shouts, rubbing your eyes. “I am so sorry!” Sarah apologized, looking over at you from the stove. Trying to make the boys breakfast before school. Do you want anything? Eggs? Cereal? Toast?”

“Uh, cereal’s fine.” You stretched out your back again, before throwing back the covers and standing up, a little shakily.

“You wouldn’t happen to know where Sam went, would you?”

You raised an eyebrow. “Uh, I think him and Bucky went to fix something on the boat. I don’t for sure, though.”

Sarah groaned. “He probably went to fix the stupid water pump which doens’t need fixing. Dumbass.”

You chuckled, padding over into the kitchen. “Yeah. I just work with him. I can’t imagine growing up with him.”

“Trust me; some days you want to throw him in a box and send him out to sea. Bowls are in that cupboard.”

You snickered, moving over to grab a bowl from the cupboard she pointed to. “That’s how I feel with Bucky. Sam is less often, but when those two get together…it’s a full zoo.”

She laughed at that, nodding as she got out the milk and a few boxes of cereal for you to choose from, handing you a spoon. “That I believe.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course.”

You started pouring your cereal, watching in slight amusement as she got the boys ready for school. “Bus is here! Get out the door! Bye! Love you! Make sure you take those extra lunches to-!”

“Yeah, mom! We know! Love you too!”

You gave a slight smirk as she huffed, looking around the kitchen at the pans and dishes left out. “Kids, huh?”

She gave you a smile. “Yeah. They’re a handful, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything. How about you? Any thoughts of kids?”

“Me?” Your eyes widened, nearly choking on your food. “Oh God no. Not right now, at least. I don’t even have a solid house right now. My life’s too off the walls for that.”

“And Bucky?”

You raised an eyebrow as she leaned on the counter. “Bucky? What about Bucky?”

“Does he want kids?”

“Uh…I dunno.” You shrugged, clearing your throat as you remembered your talk last night. “Kinda makes me wish I had my own.” You quickly pushed his words aside. “He hasn’t told me.”

“Wait, wait. You two…aren’t together then?”

You blinked, your eyes widening again. “Together? Me and Bucky? No…why? Did Sam say something?”

Her expression morphed into one of disbelief, crossing her arms. “Sam didn’t say anything. You guys did. Are you seriously expecting me to believe you aren’t together?”

“We’re not! I mean - he was flirting with you yesterday-”

“Right, okay. Honey, that’s flirting. And it’s harmless. The way he follows you like a puppy and you look at him like he hung the stars? That’s feelings. And that’s a lot more impactful than flirting.”

You frowned in contemplation. It was really that obvious? You were really that blind? This whole time? You knew Sam knew - but you just figured that’s because he’s been there since it started. And Sharon knew for the same reason. But Sarah? The woman you just met the day prior and had barely had a conversation with?

“It’s, uh…” You chewed on your cheek, swirling your cereal around. “It’s complicated.”

Sarah didn’t look impressed. “Do you like him?”

“I’m kinda in love with him-”

She shrugged, not letting you finish your bashful statement. “Then I don’t see what’s complicated about it.”

And that was that. She turned to clean up breakfast, leaving you alone with your thoughts.

You thought it was more complicated than that. I mean…you were in love with your best friend. Who left you. With the guy you had feelings for who just so happened to be your best friend/crush’s best friend. And now you were completely in love with your best friend’s best friend, but your best friend still had a piece of your heart.

But…you loved Bucky. And he was here. And Steve was not. And when you put it that way…you guess it wasn’t so complicated after all.

******************

You snickered as you walked up behind Sarah, the woman berating the men for not leaving the water pump along like she asked.

“Hi, Sarah.”

Sam shot Bucky a warning look, who grinned, but you were surprised to see Sarah ignore him, sending you a knowing glance instead, before turning back to Sam. “I told you specifically that the water pump was not the problem, and yet, here you are.”

“Yep, Samuel.”

You chuckled, Bucky shooting you a wink. “Yeah, Samuel.”

Sam narrowed his eyes at you, turning to Sarah. “In our defense, you were supposed to be done long before you woke up.”

You nearly facepalmed at his “defensive” and you were trying so hard to hold back laughing as she told Sam off, sending them away.

“I don’t wanna hear a peep from you.” Sam pointed at you, but that only made your chortles come out, and you didn’t even bother hiding them. “She’s a very mean person.”

“It’s tough love.”

You giggled as they started arguing, slipping an arm around their waists, their arms instinctually coming up to your shoulders.

“Oh my God. A prowess?”

“Yes, Y/N. A prowess.”

“You know, maybe if you someone let me help-”

“Hey, woah! You were tired! I let you sleep! I was being nice!”

“Too late now. I’ll be lucky if Sarah lets me within a hundred feet of it!”

“She got you so good, Sammy!”

“I agree with Buck for once! You’re too snippy right now! And c’mon man! Stop flirting with my sister!”

“It’s my natural charm.”

“Charm? What charm?”

“Ouch, doll! That one hurt!”

****************

“Okay.” You stepped out of the bathroom, walking over to the couch and setting the bag down on it. “I’ve got everything packed. We’ve got a little over an hour until we need to head out which gives you two time to go set something up for Sammy and maybe even a bit or training before we leave.”

Bucky frowned. “You’re not gonna come out?”

“I will in a bit. I just got a phone call I need to take.”

Sam narrowed his eyes. “Government call?”

You gave a mocking smile. “Can you guess what they want to talk about? It’s okay. I’ll survive. It’s only a phone call, so I can always hang up. Pretend I didn’t have good service. I do it all the time.”

“I’m sure you do.” Sam chuckled. “In that case, I’m gonna go grab some stuff and get the shield.” As he walked out, he made sure to mouth at you behind Bucky’s back ‘conversation’ making you swallow thickly. You were planning on talking to Bucky anyways, and with Sam’s insistence…

“Okay, so, I was thinking when we get back-”

“Can I talk to you?”

Bucky stopped digging through the bag, blinking at you in surprise at your sudden burst. “Uh…well, we already are, so yes.” He chuckled, straightening and crossing his arms.

“I wanna have the conversation.”

He was left stunned, once again, his mouth opening and closing and his weight shifting form one foot to the other. “Like…that conversation? R-right now? Are you sure?”

You winced at her nervousness. “Sorry, sorry. I know it’s kinda…I just…I need to talk about it. Now.”

“Okay, okay. No, that’s fine. Don’t apologize. I just wasn’t expecting it.” Bucky cleared his throat. “That’s all.”

“Okay…” You breathed with a small nod. You opened your mouth, but Bucky shook his head.

“I hafta say this first; I didn’t mean to hurt you by telling you about Steve. I-I dunno what I thought. That it’d give you closure or something. I dunno. But it hurt you and I’m sorry. That wasn’t my intention.”

“Buck-”

“I was jealous. And guilty. And mad. And upset. I still am. Kinda. I guess. I dunno.” Bucky shook his head, running his hand through his hair and all you could do was gape at him as he started confessing to you. “Remember when we danced? In Madripoor? Doll…I don’t wanna dance ever again if it’s not with you. I fucking love you, Y/N. And not in the way we’ve said it before. I’m in love with you. I have been for-for a while now. I just - you were Steve’s. Steve loved you and you loved Steve and that was that and I was just the broken childhood best friend. But Steve left and he told me to take care of you and I didn’t know what to do with that, because you still love Steve. I think. I dunno. And I didn’t want to break what we have because you’re all I have left of him. You and that stupid shield. You’re my family. My home. I really meant it when I told you that. And that’s why I couldn’t tell you. Because it means too much for me to break what we have because I fell in love with my best friend’s girl. You know?”

He looked at you with pleading eyes, begging you to understand, but your brain was still trying to process what he was telling you.

“Oh God…” He groaned. “And now I just told you everything and you’re looking at me like that wasn’t what you wanted to hear and now I’m thinking this wasn’t the conversation you were thinking it was going to be-”

You were moving across the room before you could stop yourself, pulling him by the teal Henley you knew was comfortable having worn it to bed before when you visited him in New York, and slanting your lips over his.

His breathing hitched and he froze, and for a hot second you thought you made everything worse, but then he was kissing you back and his hands were on your hips and he was pulling you closer and it felt so fucking good you didn’t want to pull back for air.

“Shut up.” You muttered when you finally did pull back, your forehead against his, your eyes clenched shut. “Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up.” You pulled back to look up at him, chests heaving against each other, your eyes prickling. “I’m not good at this. I’m not good at opening up. I only ever was good at it with Steve but Bucky…I’ve been doing it with you. This whole time and I didn’t even realize it until the conversation in the car.”

He reached up to cup your cheeks, wiping away the relieved tears that were falling from the weight you were finally getting off your chest.

“I love you. I’m in love with you. How could I not be? After all that time in Wakanda? I was never Steve’s girl, Bucky. I wanted to be. Dammit, did I wanna be, but I wasn’t. Not really. And he’s gone. But you’re not. And I don’t know why it took me so long to see that. That you’re the one in front of me. You’re the one who held me when I needed it once he left. You’re the one that would listen to my rambles that I’m just realizing was most of our phone calls. You’re not just the broken childhood friend. Don’t ever think that. I don’t pick up the phone at five in the morning after searching for a friend until two for just anyone. Even Steve’s best friend. And I’m such an idiot because I’ve been pushing away my feelings all these years for Steve and then I let them out with you at the wrong time, because I love Steve, Bucky, but I’m not in love with him. Not since I fell in love with you. And I know it doesn’t make sense, but Steve was the first one I cared about and that’s just how I feel and I can try to explain, but-”

His lips crashed onto yours again and you could taste the salty tears that were pouring down your cheeks, but you didn’t care. He was holding you and he was kissing you and it was even more perfect than you thought it’d be.

“You’re adorable when you ramble, but Jesus Christ, shuddup, doll.” He breathed. “Just tell me you love me. Tell me you love me just a fraction of how much I love you.”

You looked up into those ocean eyes, your own shining with earnest affection. “James Buchanan Barnes. I love you.”

“That’s all I need to know.” He murmured against your lips, holding your head against his, still wiping away your tears. It felt like with each one that fell, you felt lighter and lighter. Like they were taking away every fear and anxiety you held within you for the past six months.

“Alright! I was thinking we could just set up in these trees out here - holy shit! Is it done? Did you do it? Did I miss it? Has the conversation been had?”

Bucky chuckled as you giggled. “He has the worst timing.” The last two words were loud enough so Sam could hear, although the man heard the whole sentence.

“I’m gonna take that as a yes!” Sam cheered. “Halle-fucking-lujah! Finally! I was that close to locking you two in the attic.”

You shook your head at Sam’s personal celebration, drowning the rest of his words out as you looked at Bucky, who swept his thumb over your cheek catching one last tear, before pecking your lips.

“I finally get to kiss where I really want to.” He spoke softly, kissing your lips again. “Are you mine, doll?”

“I thought you said I’d always be your doll.” You answered cheekily. He grinned, kissing you again, pulling you against him by the hips.

“Okay, okay! That’s enough! We get it! You’re in love, finally, but I don’t wanna see it anymore! Now will you come help me with this shit?”

Bucky left one more lingering kiss on your lips, before you pushed him away reluctantly. “I’ll be right out.”

He nodded, moving over to help Sam carry the things he’d gathered.

You watched them put it all up from the window, gnawing on your cheek as you spun your phone in your hands. Coming to a decision, you tossed your phone in the duffle bag and walked out with it just as the boys finished.

“That was a quick phone call.” Sam raised an eyebrow.

You shrugged. “Didn’t call them. If they really need me, they’ll find me.”

Bucky grinned as you set the bag down under a tree, pecking your lips when you got close enough for him to grab by the waist to hold you against him. You rolled your eyes, shoving him playfully away and giggling as Sam let out a groan.

“Alright. Let’s see what you’ve got, Sammy.”

><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

Bucky knew he needed the tough love talk Sam was giving him. He needed to hear it. Because, deep down, he had known it all along, he just refused to believe it. He tried doing it. Making amends. He knew he wasn’t though. And of course he knew immediately who that one person would be.

“And hey.” Bucky looked at him. “Let me tell you what. Telling my girl all that you told her? That’s a good start. I’m proud of you. Both of you. You’re already happier. I can see it in your eyes.”

Bucky chuckled, shaking his head as he thought of the gorgeous woman he nearly let slip through his fingers. He looked over to the house, where she was inside somewhere getting ready after suddenly deciding she needed to shower before they left. “I was stupid.”

“Yeah you were. You both were. I’m so relieved it’s over.” Sam nudged him. “Treat her right, Buck. She deserves it.”

“I know…I just hope I can.”

Sam shook his head. “Uh-uh. Don’t do that. You were just starting to use that cyborg brain of yours! She chose you. And before you say anything,” Sam cut Bucky off from speaking as he opened his mouth to object. “She chose you before Steve left. It just took her dumbass this long to realize it.”

Bucky nodded, a small smile on his face. “Yeah…okay…” Before he could say anything, the goddess herself stepped out, jogging over, looking absolutely amazing in her jeans and his t-shirt. “Good talk.”

Sam laughed at his quick ending of the conversation as she came up besides them. “Talking about me?” She asked cheekily, eyes shining. Bucky couldn’t help but take her under his arm, pecking her lips. Now that he could, he didn’t think he could stop. He was addicted to say the least.

Throwing Bucky a wink, Sam shrugged. “Just all the things that get on our nerves.”

“Ha ha.” She rolled her eyes. “We better get going.”

Bucky and Sam clapped hands. “You know Karli won’t quit.”

Bucky smiled. “Ah. You call us when you have a lead and we’ll be there.”

Y/N stepped forwards to give Sam a hug. “Anytime, Sammy.”

“Eh. Anytime between noon and midnight.” Bucky corrected. “Or noon and ten. Noon and five…you better just call at noon to be safe.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Sure, sure.”

“Not necessarily as a team.” Bucky continued, grabbing the bag, getting Y/N back in her spot at his side under his arm.

“Nope!”

“We’re not that good.”

“Definitely not.”

“We’re professionals.”

“Definitely.”

“And, uh, we’re partners.”

Sam snapped, pointing at him. “Coworkers.”

“But we’re also a couple of guys with a couple mutual friends.”

“Ones now gone and you’re dating the other.”

“So we’re a couple of guys…with a badass to help out.”

“I can live with that.”

“Perfect.”

“Oh my God.” Y/N let out that laugh Bucky could never get enough of, shaking her head at the two of them. “You forgot dumbasses.”

Sam shook his head. “Nuh-uh. That’s your couple name.”

“Dumbasses?”

“Oh yeah.” The three of them came to a stop, Bucky and his girl - God he loved confirming it now - facing Sam. “Thanks for the help, guys. Meant a lot.”

Bucky patted his shoulder. “Of course.”

Y/N shot him a wink. “Until we meet again, Sammy.”

“Until then, cher.”

Bucky couldn’t stop his grin as she wrapped her arms around his waist, the two of them starting to walk to the main road where she already ordered an Uber. He looked down at her, kissing her lips for the nth time in the past hour.

“I wish I didn’t wait so long,” he told her seriously. “But I’d wait a thousands more centuries if it meant I get to call you mine.”

She giggled, shaking her head. “You’re such a sap! But…” she moved up to kiss him and his heart stuttered. He knew he had a goofy grin on when she pulled back, but he couldn’t help it. Especially when she laughed again. “I have to agree with you on that, Buckaroo.”

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dreamwritesimagines · 3 years

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Burn The Witch 18 - Sleepless Night [Bucky Barnes x Reader]

A.N: Thank you so much for your wonderful support and feedback my loves ! ❤ Here’s the next chapter, I hope you like it as well and please let me know what you think! ❤ Thank you! ❤❤❤

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Warnings: Enemies to lovers, fake dating, mentions of blood, sex, violence, death, manipulation, language, guns, knives.

Summary: Midnight texts make things complicated.

Series Masterlist

Okay.

Everything considered, maybe you shouldn’t have barged in guns blazing to your fake boyfriend’s mission.

Especially because the said fake boyfriend thought you were a sweet civilian but as long as you kept your ski mask on, you figured you would be fine.

Even if it felt a lot like pushing your luck.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he asked and you looked around the hall to check whether there was anyone else, then shrugged your shoulders.

“I was in the area,” you said, “So, who else are we killing?”

“We’re not killing.”

“Speak for yourself, I just killed that guy over there.” You pointed over your shoulder “Killed him hard. HYDRA?”

“Aren’t you a sniper?”

“I can be whoever you want me to be,” you said with a grin and Bucky blinked a couple of times, shifting his weight.

“Why aren’t you on some rooftop if you’re a sniper?”

“Change of scenery. How do you know my alias?”

“Why would you help me?”

“I’m a nice person—“ you started but as soon as you saw someone lunging out of the shadows you pointed your gun and pulled the trigger, sending the guy to the ground.

“Most of the time,” you completed your sentence and Bucky raised his brows.

“Right.”

“You’re still taken?” you asked and he stared at you as if he was at loss for words, then pulled himself together and walked past you.

“Oh come on, I just saved your ass.”

“I had it under control.”

“No you didn’t,” you rushed to catch up with him, “And you didn’t answer my question. You still got a girl at home?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“I’m just curious. Is she pretty?”

“Do you always flirt with people you don’t know?”

You opened your mouth to retort but before you could, you heard a voice behind you.

“Buck, what the hell man?”

You looked over your shoulder to see Sam gawking at you and Bucky cleared his throat.

“Um….Sam, Shrike.”

“Okay, what is she doing here?”

“Beats me.”

“I was around,” you answered helpfully, “So who are we killing?”

“We’re not killing!” Bucky and Sam said at the same time and you held up your hands.

“Jesus, fine. Who are we maiming?”

“Did you tell her—“

“I didn’t tell her anything.” Bucky cut him off, looking uncomfortable for some reason. You hummed, clicking your tongue.

“I’m just here to help.”

“Why?” Sam asked and you shrugged your shoulders.

“I’m a huge fan?”

“Try again.”

“I’m hoping he’ll get with me.” You pointed at Bucky with your thumb, making him shake his head. Sam raised his brows, a grin pulling at his lips.

“Oh is that right?”

“Don’t.” Bucky said while you heaved a sigh.

“Listen guys, not that I don’t enjoy this but this is basically a HYDRA building, so you might want to make it fast, whatever it is you’re doing.”

“Can you wait at the door while I get—the thing?” Sam asked Bucky and he nodded.

“Yeah.”

“Great!”

“I didn’t say you could come.” Bucky said and you scoffed.

“I gotta tell you, I was hoping you would say that to me in a completely different context.”

Sam let out a chuckle, “Oh she’s good.”

“Unbelievable.”

“I don’t even want to know what you’re trying to get, okay?” you asked, “I just want to make sure no one dies.”

“Because you’re a nice person?” Bucky asked, his voice full of doubt and you thought for a moment.

“Eh, I have my reasons.”

“But she has a point, we need to make it fast.” Sam said, “Let’s go.”

“Seriously?!” Bucky groaned but rushed after him with you following his lead. After you all reached the end of the hall, Sam kicked the door open and you quickly peeked inside to see a computer in the middle of the office.

Ah.

They were after some sort of a file.

“Don’t let anyone in,” Sam said and closed the door behind him. You leaned your back to the wall, flipping a knife in your hand and Bucky stole a look at you.

“Why Shrike?”

You turned your head, “Hm?”

“Why do they call you Shrike?”

You clicked your tongue, “Oh you wouldn’t get it,” you said and he tilted his head.

“Try me,” he said, “Looks like we’ll be here for a while.”

I kicked a target out of the window and he fell on top of a steel spike from a construction site.

“I like knives better than guns,” you lied and Bucky scoffed.

“You’re a sniper.”

“So were you, but look me in the eye and tell me you don’t have a favorite knife.”

“I can’t look you in the eye, your mask has goggles,” Bucky retorted, making you smile.

“My turn,” you said, “Is your girlfriend pretty?”

“The prettiest,” Bucky said without even hesitation and you had to hold back your aww.

“Does that mean I don’t have a shot?”

“That’s exactly what it means.”

“Maybe I’m prettier,” you taunted and he shook his head.

“Impossible.”

You couldn’t help the smile on your face under the mask, “Loyal type, aren’t you?”

“Not a cheater at least.”

You heaved a dramatic sigh, “Well that’s a shame,” you said, “Lucky girl.”

“Nah, I’m the lucky one.”

“Maybe I should—“ you started but stopped talking when you saw a shadow by the hall.

“I call dibs,” you said before Bucky could even object, then grabbed and pulled the figure around the corner. He almost punched you but you dodged it, sending him back with a kick on the chest.

“No killing,” Bucky called out calmly and you groaned, dodging another punch as you did a backflip, then grabbed your opponent by the hair and slammed his head in the wall, making him pass out.

“Don’t be so vanilla, Barnes.” You commented as you made your way back to him, and tilted your head when you saw the way he was looking at you, almost—

Impressed?

No it wasn’t it, it was something else.

“Huh?” he asked, then tried to pull himself together, “Wh— I’m not even going to ask.”

“I’m just saying, there’s nothing wrong with liking it a little rough,” you grinned, “On the missions, that is.”

He scoffed a laugh, shaking his head.

“You can kill someone and flirt with someone else within minutes?”

“What can I say, I’m the whole package,” you stated, “I mean, not that it works on you, Mr I’m-in-a-relationship. So are you in love then?”

“Forgive me if I don’t want to share any details of my relationship with a homicidal maniac who apparently has a thing for bad pick-up lines.”

“How rude,” you pouted, “I think they’re really good pick-up lines.”

You could see the way he was trying to suppress a smile and you flipped the knife in your hand again, his eyes automatically following your movements.

“You won’t take off that mask, will you?” he asked after a beat and you shook your head.

“Trust me, you wouldn’t like the consequences if you saw my face.”

“Will you tell me who you work for?”

“Nope,” you said, “I don’t want to end up dead. My superiors have a strange idea of discipline.”

“Why are you helping us?” he asked again but before you could come up with an excuse, the door opened.

“It’s done, let’s go.” Sam said and you pushed yourself off the wall.

“We should do this again sometime,” you said and nodded at Sam “Captain.”

Sam smiled slightly. “Thanks for the help.”

“No problem,” you said and turned to look at Bucky.

“Until next time, soldier,” you said and walked away from them, smirking to yourself.

***

So maybe that was a heat of the moment decision, and maybe Chloe was going to kill you if she ever found out about what had happened but good news was that your cover wasn’t blown.

And Bucky was fine.

You turned the vacuum cleaner off, wiping at your brow and put your hands on your hips, looking around the apartment.

“What the hell are you doing?”

You let out a squeal and turned around to see Keith standing by the doorframe.

“Keith, what the fuck?!”

“What are you doing?”

“How did you get in?”

“I’m a spy. I heard vacuum cleaner and I thought someone broke into your apartment, so I had to check.”

“You thought someone broke into my apartment to clean it?”

“Someone’s gotta,” he commented, making you glare at him before you unplugged the vacuum cleaner. “I’ve literally never seen you clean, what is happening?”

You flung yourself on the couch so that he could sit beside you. “No wonder I don’t do this shit, it’s boring.”

“But why are you doing it?”

You shrugged your shoulders, “I’ll invite Bucky over.”

“So what?”

“I can’t have the apartment look like this,” you motioned around, “The guy grew up in the…. Everyone’s apartment must be spotless era.”

“He’s been here before though—“ Keith started but then covered his mouth, “Oh shit, now I get it. You’re gonna jump on his bones.”

You rolled your eyes at him, “Not even a word, Keith.”

“I have lots of words,” he said, “Number one, you do realize guys don’t care about the apartment, right? I have never once gone to a girl’s apartment and walked out because she hadn’t vacuumed the place.”

“Jesus.”

“Also, if you’re trying to go all wife material—“

“Shut the fuck up, I’m not.”

“I’d like to remind you that it’s a fake relationship,” he grinned, “Are you going to dress up like a Stepford Wife too?”

“I hate the day I decided to become your friend.”

“You love me,” he shot back and you slipped a little on the couch, “But hey, do you actually want to?”

“Want to do what?”

“To sleep with him?” he asked, “Or is it just the mission?”

You tried to keep your expression stable, excitement filling you at the thought of sleeping with Bucky.

Tonight.

Oh God, you felt like a lovesick girl instead of a serious spy.

“It’ll help the mission,” you lied through your teeth, “That’s all I’m focused on right now.”

“Aren’t you a little curious about how the most ruthless assassin of the century is in bed though?”

You let a grin pull at your lips, “Maybe?”

“Ha! I knew it!” he said triumphantly, “So how detailed will your report be, exactly? Asking for a friend.”

You threw a pillow at him, “You’re terrible.”

“Mm hm,” he checked his watch, “Ugh, I gotta go to base. But if I don’t see you before tonight, just…”

“I don’t want any gross advice, Keith.”

“Remember,” he said, “You have a cover to maintain.”

You pulled your brows together, “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means your cover probably likes missionary and soul gazing and stuff in bed. Complete opposite of you, so don’t be like yourself.”

“How do you even-?”

“I have it on good authority that you like knife play, Y/N,” he said, making your jaw drop, “And your cover is a sweet small town girl.”

“Did you talk to Julian?!” you exclaimed and he made a face.

“No,” he said, “You have a knife collection, you idiot. It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out.”

“Bullshit, who told you—“

“Ryan,” he said, “The agent you slept with and dumped, before Julian.”

“He was boring.”

“It’s beyond me why you thought it was a good idea to sleep with him,” he shook his head, “Anyways, I’m out.”

“Why do you have to go to the base, exactly?”

“I have to brief the General,” he said as he walked to the door, “I was supposed to do that yesterday but he was busy with Julian. I think those two are planning something.”

You frowned, deep in thought.

“Tell Chloe I said hi!” you called out and he saluted you, then left your apartment. You pursed your lips and stood up, looking around.

“I should probably dust the place,” you mumbled to yourself, “Where the fuck do I get one of those feather dusters?”

***

Unfortunately, Tara needed you to cover her shift that day so you had to change plans. Normally you were supposed to meet Bucky for your date, but when Tara told you there was an emergency, you couldn’t say no to her.

Keeping yourself busy at work, even if it was just a cover, helped you to get your mind off the nervousness you were feeling about tonight.

You had never been this nervous before, which came as a shock for you. Bucky was just a target, and you knew better than anyone how to manipulate targets but—

You really, really wanted this. Regardless of it being a part of the mission or not.

So you had just finished with the inventory and closed the cash register when the wind bell chimed by the door and you turned your head, a big smile lighting up your face.

“Hi!” you rushed to throw yourself into Bucky’s arms and he caught you, lifting you a little to kiss you on the lips.

“Hi darling.”

“I’m almost done.”

“No worries, I can wait,” he said and you went behind the counter to hurriedly place the jars on the shelves so that when Tara came back tomorrow morning they would be all ready.

“Sorry about falling asleep last night,” you said, an image of you killing that HYDRA agent in front of Bucky flashing in your mind, “Did you stay up late?”

“Just a little,” he said and you bit down on a smile, he really wasn’t a good liar.

“Oh? What did you do after I went to sleep?”

He waved a hand in the air, as if looking for words, “Um—I—I was with Sam.”

“Sounds fun.”

He took a deep breath and cleared his throat.

“Actually I went on a mission,” he said after a beat and you turned to him, raising your brows.

“A dangerous one?”

“Not really,” he said, “But I wanted you to know, because…”

You stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.

“I don’t really know about the relationship rules so I figured honesty is the best way to go,” he said, making your heart skip a beat, “I think I accidentally flirted with someone last night.”

The words “No you didn’t.” were at the tip of your tongue but you managed to control yourself and tilted your head.

“…Oh,” you ended up saying, “With who?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, “Remember how I told you there was this spy I kept running into?”

You really needed to control your expression.

“Yeah?”

“I mean she flirted with me, I don’t actually think I flirted back but I wanted you to know just in case.”

You smiled slightly, “Bucky, it happens.”

He let out a relieved breath, “Okay,” he said, “Okay, good.”

“I mean as long as you don’t have a crush on her or anything.”

His hesitation lasted only for a second, maybe even less than that but it was there. Your heart skipped a beat and you frowned before he spoke.

“Of course not,” he said quickly, “Not at all, I don’t even know her.”

Was that possible? Could he be attracted to your real self as well as your cover?

Or maybe even more than your cover?

“Alright then,” you said with a smile, “I just don’t like competition.”

“There’s no competition, I promise,” he assured you and you shifted your weight, then placed the last jar on the shelf and turned to him.

“So then,” you said as you both left the shop and he threw an arm over your shoulder, pulling you closer. “Did you know she would be there?”

“I had no idea,” he said while you approached the motorcycle, “She ended up helping us but I don’t know what she’s playing at.”

“I think I have an idea what she’s playing at, if she flirted with you.”

Bucky chuckled and pressed a kiss on top of your head, then tilted your chin up.

“Darling….”

“What? I’m pretty sure flirting existed back in the 40s, and you know what it means.”

“What happened to it happens again?” he asked you with a grin and you shot him a look, then grabbed the helmet from him.

The road to your place was pretty short, especially with the way Bucky was riding his motorcycle. Soon enough, he pulled over in front of the building and you tried to ignore how excited you were, it—

It was finally happening.

Who were you kidding? This had nothing to do with the mission, you really, really wanted him. Your heart felt like it would break your ribcage and you took a deep breath, then got off the motorcycle and placed the helmet in its place.

“So,” you said as he got off the motorcycle as well, then pulled you closer, “Any plans for tonight?”

“Nope.”

“Any accidental meetings with hot spies?”

“Mmm, I don’t know any,” he taunted you, making you smile.

“Yeah? You sure?”

“Oh totally. Besides, I’m happily going steady with the prettiest dame in the world, remember?”

You thought you would melt right then and there, and stepped closer to him before standing up on your tiptoes.

“Right answer,” you muttered after kissing him on the lips, and tugged him by the hand. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?”

“Upstairs,” you said, leading him into the building and he followed you as if he was hypnotized. You grinned when you got to your door, adrenaline rushing through you and you opened the door, then pulled him inside by the shirt, locking lips with him. He easily lifted you up, making you wrap your legs around his waist as he kicked the door shut and you pulled back to giggle.

“Bedroom,” you pointed at the room at the end of the hall and he pulled you into a kiss, walking there, still carrying you. You let out a squeak when he dropped you to the bed but then sat up when the thought hit you.

“Oh God damn it—“ you pushed him slightly to get off the bed and he looked up at you as you stumbled to the drawer.

“Is everything okay?”

“More than okay,” you grabbed the lingerie set from the drawer, then turned to him, “Just— close your eyes and don’t go anywhere, alright?”

“…Okay but are you sure—“

“I’ll be back in a second,” you said, running to the bathroom with the lingerie set clutched in your arms and you let out a breath, looking yourself in the mirror.

Even your eyes were shiny with excitement.

You shook your head at yourself and quickly shed your clothes to get into the lingerie set. You tilted your head, checking the garter belts and the corset, then pressed a hand over your chest to calm yourself down and walked out of the bathroom.

“Are your eyes closed?” you asked with a smile as you got to the bedroom and he nodded, holding a hand over his eyes.

“Cross my heart.”

You let out a small laugh and pulled at your hand so that he could open his eyes. As soon as he did, he blinked up at you, his jaw slightly agape.

For a second, there was absolute silence in the room.

“Is this a good silence or a bad silence?” you asked, for the first time in your life you were insecure about how you looked half naked in front of a partner, “Because I’m—“

You didn’t get to finish your sentence when he grabbed you by the waist to get you under him, making you squeal.

“You’re perfect,” he breathed out and you pulled him into a kiss, wrapping your arms around his neck.

***

You had no idea why you woke up. In fact, considering how peaceful you felt, it was a wonder how you woke up in the middle of the night.

You could almost feel the warmth surrounding you as you leaned in to press a small kiss on his bare chest, then grabbed his shirt in the dark and put it on to walk to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Surprisingly he didn’t wake up, instead he mumbled something under his breath, his dog tags shining under dim light coming from outside.

You felt like you could lie there and just lose yourself in the bliss, and the mission— no, everything else could wait.

You pushed your hair behind your ear after putting your phone on the counter, then you went to the sink to fill yourself a glass of water, and finished it in three big gulps, a smile which was impossible to stop pulling at your lips.

No one, target or a boyfriend, had ever made you feel this way.

Maybe you could just tell him. After tonight, after absolute happiness, you could just tell him and maybe he would understand, maybe you two could have a future, maybe—

Your phone vibrated on the counter, interrupting your thoughts and you frowned slightly, then touched the screen to open the text.

From: Julian

We may have found something. Good thing you didn’t get too attached.

The smile was wiped off of your lips in a second and your stomach dropped as you stared at the text message.

“Fuck.”

Chapter 19

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #tfatws #the falcon and the winter soldier #bucky barnes imagine

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