#bees 2.1k challenge

[jenscx]

BEST I EVER HAD — uchinaga aeri x f!reader

you’ve had enough of your cold and distant girlfriend. finally deciding to turn the tables on her, you hope she learns her lesson.

TAGS — angst but crack, fluff, popular!aeri, slight jealousy, aeri is lowk an attention whore ngl, cursing, mentions of drinking

WORDCOUNT — 2.1k

NOTE ; a celebratory fic for 900 followers, thank you for all the support you guys have given me ♡

aeri and giselle are two different people. giselle; yonsei’s queen bee, the exchange student from japan whose good looks and fiery personality attracts everyone. she’s someone that every student either has a crush on, or wants to be friends with. cold and indifferent, yet still manages to gain the interest of many. some see her as a challenge, others as eye candy for motivation.

you’ve experienced this very persona— her hateful glares, sharp tongue and harsh words. it’s almost a weekly tradition.

on the other hand, she could easily turn back into aeri. your aeri. the one you fell in love with; her kind gestures, sparkling childish eyes and puffy cheeks when she’s acting cute. you’ve experienced this too and you prefer aeri over giselle any day.

it’s unfortunate that giselle seems to be taking over aeri, and you have to say truthfully, that you’ve been disliking your girlfriend more and more.

“y/n,” she mutters, “i’m not doing this with you right now.”

your gaze hardens.

“then when should we do this?” you ask.

aeri— no, giselle scoffs, “we wouldn’t need to be standing out here, in pouring rain, if you would just keep quiet.”

you hate this. you hate her cold, almost frozen words. you hate her distant personality. you hate her unresponsiveness. you hate the disappointment that she makes you feel, the uncaring and unloving side of her.

you hate giselle.

“he was flirting with you. imagine if i wasn’t there, what would he do? put his hands on you? obviously i would say something. you wouldn’t like it if someone was flirting with me right? unnie, can you understand me?”

giselle frowns, “that doesn’t matter. you should have just kept quiet. now it’s gonna be awkward when i go back in.”

you can’t believe her words. you’re standing out in the rain, freezing cold, and she plans to go back into the bar to continue drinking with her friends? and that guy that keeps flirting with her? are his intentions not clear to your girlfriend?

“you’re gonna just go back in? don’t you understand how I’m feeling right now?”

“truthfully, i don’t.”

all you can feel is shame. no longer do you feel disappointment at her words. how could you be disappointed when you had no expectations? you feel ashamed. ashamed for letting yourself be willingly thrown aside for so long. ashamed for letting giselle treat you however she wanted. ashamed that you had such low standards for a partner.

“if you go back into that bar, i can’t promise you that your stuff at my place won’t be thrown out in the garbage.”

giselle widens her eyes— of course, it’s the first time you’ve said this. it’s the first time you’ve managed to fight back against her. you finally realise how much of a dog she’s been treating you.

“y/n, this… are you drunk?”

“no? i think you’re drunk, honestly. you can go back into that bar, it’s your choice. at least when our relationship is over, you’ll blame yourself, not me,” you say tiredly, tossing giselle’s jacket back to her, “you can keep this. i’ll just take public transport.”

your girlfriend, stunned, almost fails to catch her jacket. she’s rooted to the ground, jaw almost dislocated at how hard she’s gaping.

“unnie, go back into that bar, i don’t want to talk to you anymore.”

“hey wait,” her voice turns into a worried tone, one you’re painfully familiar with, “darling, are you being serious? you’ll fall sick. the walk back to your apartment isn’t sheltered.”

her eyes are filled with concern, contrast to the aloofness present in them a moment ago. you don’t dare to look at her any longer, for if you do, you might just forgive her too easily.

you turn away from her, only taking a few steps in the rain before getting pulled back.

“y/n, are you being for real? don’t walk in the rain, fuck.”

“when do you care about my well-being? go back to your friends, unnie. i’m tired.”

aeri rubs her neck nervously, her eyebrows furrowing.

“if you’re tired, shouldn’t i call a cab…?” her voice is shaking, wavering at every word that comes out. you take a good look at her.

huh, you think, she sobers up quick.

“unnie,” you finally say, “let’s take a break.”

“what?” she questions incredously.

you purse your lips together, not explaining further.

“i’ll get going now. text me when you reach home,” you say and swiftly jump into a random cab on the street. meanwhile, your girlfriend stands outside the bar, shocked and confused.

“what the fuck did she mean?” aeri cries, “a break? are we breaking up? did we break up?”

minjeong and jimin only exchange glances. yizhuo is the only one who replies, “you’re just too much for her, i guess.”

“her whole personality did a 180 though? and i was being a little stupid but she wants a break? does she not love me anymore?”

the eldest adds in, “maybe it’s a build up, y’know. slowly you just became unappealing to her.”

aeri looks a second away from crying.

“unappealing?!”

“i don’t think unnie meant it like that!” minjeong quickly reassures her, “i think y/n is just taking some time for herself. you were treating her a little unkindly…”

the japanese girl only wails in anguish. her current state was so pitiful that her friends felt bad. they were of course on your side, but aeri was just so depressed that they felt sympathy towards her. she constantly looked like a kicked puppy whenever you’d reject her skinship.

it’s only been a week since you left her at that bar but aeri was struggling hard.

“how do i fix this? she doesn’t even look upset without me…” aeri asks desperately. so desperately that her friends all wince.

“ah… maybe y/n is giving you the same treatment you gave her? i mean, throughout the relationship, she didn’t really complain much even though i think if you were my girlfriend, i would have slapped you already,” yizhuo supplies.

aeri’s head turns so suddenly and sharply that her friends are startled. originally, her face had been on the table, almost sobbing at her now girlfriend-less life. aeri had forced her friends meet her in some starbucks, saying that you and her would always come here.

“fuck,” she mutters, “was i a bad girlfriend?”

“not bad, just questionable.”

“i think you should really talk to y/n and apologise.”

“yeah you were an asshole.” aeri flops back onto the table with a resounding groan.

that’s how aeri ends up on the doorstep of your apartment, flowers in one hand, and takeout from your favourite sushi place in the other.

her heart was beating out of her chest, in fear of your rejection once more. since the day you left, you only replied to a third of her messages, which mostly consisted of her asking if you had eaten or whether you wanted to hang out. you had avoided every chance to see her, except for once when she had showed up at your apartment even after you said you were busy.

aeri didn’t believe that you didn’t miss her. after spending so long together, there wasn’t a chance where you wouldn’t miss your girlfriend, right? aeri was certain that you would have run back into her arms after being distant for a day.

she was terribly wrong.

your socials, story updates, everything, showed no sign of missing her. was this a break? or a break up?

her hands trembled as she reached for your door, knocking on it.

“y/n…” aeri mumbled, “it’s unnie…”

the door almost swung open instantly and aeri was greeted by the sight of you with bed hair, unkempt pyjamas and behind you, bottles of soju accompanied by one of your friends sleeping on the couch.

“aeri unnie? what are you doing here?” you ask.

you looked frazzled. why would she show up randomly? was she here to finally break things off? of course you had already come to terms with it. with the way she was acting, maybe she had already decided to stop caring.

“y/n, i miss you. when will this be over?”

her words shock you. when was your girlfriend ever this open with her affection during your relationship? was it your absence that finally allowed her to see what she was missing?

“i’m sorry unnie, i still need time for myself.”

that were your last words to aeri. the last time she had ever heard your voice in person. after that day, you seemed more determined to avoid her. sometimes even missing lessons that aeri would know of. you had heard from one of your classmates that aeri would stand outside the lecture hall, waiting for you to come out.

her actions seemed so strange to you then. how could your girlfriend suddenly turn into a different person? she was someone who cared deeply for her reputation, so why would she willingly turn into some whipped girlfriend?

maybe you were starting to become a sadist, because whenever your friends would tell you about aeri’s desperation, it only delighted you more.

to say that you were exhilarated to see aeri at your door once again, holding a bouquet of flowers with your favourite food, it was an understatement.

“unnie? what are you doing here?” you ask, grocery bags in your hand.

aeri’s eyes light up when she sees you, her lips twitching into a nervous smile.

“i came here to talk.”

talk? you think, unnie’s so strange. she’s never wanted to talk before.

“ah, you must have been waiting out here long, come in.”

aeri’s heart nearly leapt out of her chest when you invited her in. maybe she could finally beg for your forgiveness…

your apartment seems so refreshing to be in. aeri regrets not cherishing her time spent here enough. the walls are decorated with memories from your childhood to college years. from baby photos to photos with friends and aeri. the bookshelves are lined with books that you have collected from the past few years in yonsei, developing a love for reading after becoming friends with minjeong, who also was a bookworm.

plants that you have cared for surround the living room. everything in your apartment reminded aeri of you. while aeri admires the space, you finish putting away all the groceries and return to the living room, only to see aeri spacing out.

“unnie? are you okay?” you ask. aeri turns to you, teary.

“y/n,” she places the takeout on the coffee table and sits on the couch, eyes reddening, “i’m sorry.”

“huh?”

aeri chokes out, “i’m sorry for being such an asshole to you while we were dating. i don’t know what’s wrong with me. you should have been my first priority, not my reputation, not my friends.”

“unnie, your happiness is your top priority,” you say, sitting down on the couch as well.

“my happiness is you. i don’t know why that took me so long to realise but you’ve always been the one that made me the happiest,” aeri sobs, “i’m so sorry for treating you like that. you deserve way better than how i was. please don’t leave me. i’ll become better for you.”

your girlfriend starts crying into her hands. you start to tear up too, not from sadness but happiness, that she’s finally caring.

“do you want a hug?” you open your arms. aeri almost flies into your embrace, her face sniffling into your collarbone.

you pat her back gently, “all i’ve ever wanted was for you to care. i’m glad you want to be better for me. i won’t leave you.” you want to add an apology in there too, for making her suffer during this break, but it feels like you were going back to your old ways.

“i missed you so much.”

“i missed you too, unnie. i felt really hurt when you threw me aside.”

you can feel aeri’s lips forming a pout, “i’m sorry. i was crazy for throwing away the best thing i ever had. i’m gonna try my best to be the girlfriend that you deserve. if i ever treat you like that again, please slap me.”

“did yizhuo give you that idea?” you ask, amused. it sounded terribly like something the chinese girl would advise.

“how’d you know?”

you both share a laugh and you finally feel that you have aeri in your arms. not giselle. your girlfriend, uchinaga aeri.

[buckybarnesappreciationsociety]

“Broken Souls Made Whole” Part 1

Summary: This is for @amarvelouswritings​ 2.1K Challenge. Thank you for allowing me to participate. Hope you’re pleased!

Prompt #5: “You’re one of the most important things in my life”

Pairings: Bucky x Original Character of Color

Word Count: 2,018

Warnings: Brief mention of suicide, racial indifference, and a little sexual innuendo

A/N: Sorry I’m late!

The mind sometimes plays cruel tricks on you. James Buchanan Barnes knew this better than anyone.

Sure, he had lucid days when past demons ceased to exist and he actually formed a thought not laced with darkness.

Other days weren’t so pretty. Today, Bucky was off kilter.

After a night of fitful sleep, Bucky left the tower with his black baseball cap pulled down low, hands tucked in his stonewashed jean pockets.  

He stumbled upon a pond with ducks and ducklings. The ripples in the water reminded him of days gone by. Bucky made a mental note to bring bread to feed his quacking friends.

Sitting over to his left, a woman with empty cognac colored eyes, bronze complexion with braids woven into an intricate pattern, stared into the abyss of nothingness.

Her mind riddled with so many unsavory thoughts. She’d been dealt a shitty hand and wanted to throw in the towel.

Lately, the wheelchair had become her jailor. All she wanted was freedom to walk or run like the old days, before a drunk driver ran a red light, stripping away her independence.

Bucky didn’t know her story because it wasn’t his place to be rude and ask. All he knew she appeared to be broken. That’s one thing they had in common.

A week passed. The beleaguered super soldier stayed away from the park. Not only did the ducks miss their feeding, Aniyah missed him as well.

She knew who he was and about his past. It didn’t matter; they were two bookends on a rickety shelf, holding onto whatever normalcy they could.

Bucky resurfaced . While feeding the ducks, Aniyah took a chance and wheeled over to him.

“James Barnes right?. How are you?”

Clearly taken aback, Bucky responded. “H-hiya. How do  ya’know who I am?”

Chuckling, Aniyah mused, “That’s easy. Everyone knows the infamous James Barnes”

“SInce you know who I am, what’s your name dollface?”

“Please forgive my manners. I’m Aniyah. Pleased to meet you.”

Extending his flesh hand, Aniyah shook it and smiled.

“The ducks are happy you’re back. Did you go on vacation?”

Rubbing the back of his neck, “Naw, uh been locked away in m’room. Ain’t felt right,” Bucky tapped his head.

Aniyah nodded, understanding what Bucky felt because she was there now.

They sat in silence for awhile until Aniyah decided to break the  monotony.

“I know you won’t ask so let me unburden you. I was hit by a drunk driver over a year ago. Guess walking in the crosswalk doesn’t matter anymore. There’s been days when I wanted to end it all.”

Bucky didn’t say a word. He knew Aniyah needed to vent and he was more than glad to listen.

“Life sucks man. I used to dance with a modern dance troupe in Manhattan. Now, here I am. Stuck in this damn rolling contraption.” Tears trickled down her face.

Bucky pulled her wheelchair close to the bench he was sitting on and hugged Aniyah as she shed pinned up frustration in the form of tears.

“Hey hey doll. It’s alright. I got’cha. Shh.” Bucky understood better than anyone.

“Guess I’ve been holding that for awhile. Thanks for allowing me to mess up your shirt.”

Bucky shook his head, “S’okay. I didn’t mind. Listen, would’ya like to have dinner sometimes?”

“I’d like that Bucky. Hand me your phone.” Aniyah typed in her address and phone number.

At first, they’d meet at the park twice a week. Soon, they graduated her favorite coffee shop. Eventually, dinner evolved into a full blown relationship.

8 months passed, Aniyah and Bucky  couldn’t stand to be apart from each other. Her sister, Trinity, had trepidations about her baby sister’s new beau, but she kept any snarky comments to herself.

One night while out to dinner Bucky suggested Aniyah come to the compound and meet the team.

“Do you think that would be wise, Bucky? I mean, look at me.” He disliked the self-loathing that would befall Aniyah sometimes.

Placing his hand on her cheek, Bucky smiled, “They would love to meet you.  I talk about ya so much, Nat doesn’t believe you’re real.”

Laughing, Aniyah shook her head. “Well, we can’t have everyone thinking you have an imaginary friend, can we?”

“Great. Tomorrow is movie night at the compound. I’ll come pick’ya up at 6 p.m. You can hang out and meet everyone. One more thing. Ignore Tony and Sam; they’re real pains in the ass.”

“Alright Bucky. It’s a date. Goodnight.” Aniyah kissed Bucky lovingly on the lips.

“You’re gonna be the death of me woman. Goodnight”

MEETING THE “FAMILY”

Aniyah wore a button down white shirt, black tattered skinny jeans and simple black flats.

Bucky loved Aniyah’s braids. He found the criss cross pattern creative and beautiful the way they fell onto her delicate shoulders.

Looking at her reflection in the elevator glass, Aniyah adjusted her shirt and checked her modest make-up.

Noticing her nervous demeanor, Bucky pointed out, “You’re gorgeous babe. No need to fix anything.”

“You’re biased Sergeant.” Bucky gazed deep into Aniyah’s eyes and kissed her.

Unaware of their surroundings, Bucky and Aniyah were pulled out of their searing kiss by Steve clearing his throat.

“Uh, ‘cuse me lovebirds,” rubbing the back of his neck.

Obviously startled, Aniyah blushed. “H-hi. You must be Steve.” She extended her dainty hand.

Bucky wiped lipstick from his swollen lips. “This is Aniyah, Stevie.”

“Pleased to meet ya. Everyone’s waiting in the common room.”

Aniyah rolled her wheelchair into the room, as Nat and Wanda greeted her.

“Wow, you’re not Barnes’ imaginary friend,” Natasha quipped.

“Oh goodie. I’m so happy to finally meet you,” Wanda was absolutely giddy.

“Hello Nat and Wanda. Nice to finally meet you guys also.” Aniyah was pulled into a hug.

Sam just couldn’t resist. “Frosty said you were beautiful but to finally see you, he lied. You’re radiant.”

Bucky growled and slapped Sam’s hand away from Aniyah’s. “Back off Birdbrain. She’s spoken for.”

Tony made his way over. “So, you must be Manchurian Candidate’s love interest. I’m so sorry.”

Aniyah threw an insult of her own. “Why are you sorry Tony? I should give Ms. Potts my condolences. Dating you must be pure hell.”

Nat, Wanda, and Bucky couldn’t hold their snickering. “Barnes, she’s a keeper.” Nat mused, sipping a vodka and tonic.

The movie choice, “21 Jump Street”, didn’t appeal to Bucky. So, he suggested showing  Aniyah around the compound.

Bucky thought it would be a good idea to show his best girl the view from the rooftop deck.

“It’s so peaceful up here, Bucky. I could sit and star gaze all night.” Aniyah’s voice was laced with a touch of sadness.

“Shuga, what’s wrong? The smile has left your face and those bright eyes gone dim.” Bucky scooted next to her.

“Your friends treat me like a normal person baby. It’s so refreshing.Trinity means well, but she acts like I’m an invalid.” Aniyah’s voice trembled.

Taking a leap of faith, Bucky proposed Aniyah move in with him at the compound.

“Dollface, you have no idea how hard it is saying goodnight and leaving ya. I know ya love Trinity, but it’s time to enjoy life again. I’d love to wake up to your smiling face and go to sleep with ya wrapped in my arms. You’re one of the most important things in my life. Would ya do me the honor of moving in with me?

“James Buchanan Barnes you’re important to me as well. Thank you for taking a chance on us. And to answer your question, yes I’d love to move in with you!”

Bucky sealed the deal with a kiss. He loved Aniyah and wanted her with him all the time.

Aniyah broke the news to her sister. Trinity balked at the idea of her moving into the compound. “Are you crazy Niyah? You’ve known this man how long? 8 months! Use your head girl!”

Determined to take control of her life, Aniyah stated her case. “Look let’s lay our cards on the table. It’s not about how long I’ve known Bucky, is it? This goes deeper than that.”

Trinity whipped around, peering deep into Aniyah’s eyes. “Okay, I’ll spell it out for you. He’s an assassin and he ain’t a brother!”

Aniyah became enraged. “You’re prejudice! James is a former assassin and his skin color doesn’t matter! Sorry to burst your color blind bubble, but I’m moving in with him whether you like it or not.”

Snatching her phone from the bed, Aniyah called Nat. “Hey Nat. Are you busy?” Aniyah’s voice quivered.

“Aniyah? No I’m not. What’s up?”

“Would you mind helping me move my things? I don’t want to wait until James comes back.”

Wanda’s brows furrowed. “What’s wrong?”

“I dunno but we’re going to get Aniyah. She’s really upset.” Nat grabbed her car keys, pulling Wanda along to the garage.

Meanwhile, Trinity, against her better judgement, helped Aniyah pack. “I’m just looking out for you Niyah. It’s too soon.”

“Trinity, like it or not, I’m going. I hope you find it in your heart to accept my choices. If not, oh well. I’ll always love and miss you.”

The doorbell rang. Aniyah greeted Nat and Wanda. The female Avengers introduced themselves to Trinity. She feigned interest while helping her baby sister load luggage into the tinted window SUV.

Wanda put the last bag in the back. Aniyah reached out for her sister; Trinity simply waved good-bye walking back into the house.

It was a bittersweet moment as Nat and Wanda held Aniyah. Trinity’s blessing meant the world to her.

Nat carefully lifted her into the seat, folded the wheelchair and closed the door. As they drove away, Trinity peeped through the curtains, watching her baby sister leave.

MOVING IN

Tony was the official welcome person. “So, you decided to stay with Tin Man in our friendly asylum?”

“Yes Tony, I did. Figured one more crazy person wouldn’t hurt!” Aniyah laughed.

“Glad you’re here. Now Barnes can shut up about how much he missed you.” Tony sipped on scotch. “Wanda and Nat will be your tour guides. See ya!”

Aniyah waved, as Tony went back to his lab.

Helping her get settled, Wanda couldn’t help but feel Aniyah’s aura. “Are you alright?”

“Trinity and I had a fight. She still thinks of Bucky as his past. He’s a different man from the Winter Soldier. Hell, he can deactivate his metal arm and we’re talking about him getting a service dog.

Breathing deep, Aniyah poured her heart out.

“When I met James, life as I knew it was bleak. Truthfully, I’d considered ending it. Then one day, I built up the nerve to speak to him. The more we talked, we knew our meeting was kismet. Here you have two broken humans, coming together to make a whole person. I can honestly say I love him.” A tear escaped her eye.

Bucky stood in the doorway, listening to this fragile dove pour her heart out.

“Guess you couldn’t wait huh? Glad you’re here doll.”

Making grabby hands, Aniyah couldn’t wait to wrap her arms around the man she loved.

“Buck, I’m happy you’re home. I’ve missed you.”

“I know something happened ‘cause you’re here early. We won’t talk ‘bout it now. Tomorrow. Right now, m’gonna light some candles, drop one of them fancy bath bombs in the water and spend time with the  woman I love. First, I gotta rinse  all this shit off m’body from the mission.”

“Now that sounds like a good idea. Are you trying to get frisky with me?”

“Hell yeah woman. I’ll be back in a flash.”

Reaching for his flesh hand, Aniyah kissed his knuckles. “I love you too James Buchanan Barnes.”

They’d found each other under the weirdest of circumstances. Two halves coming together to make one whole person; one heart; one love.

TAGS: @omalleysgirl22 @erisjade @barnesvogue @love2rhyme@pegasusdragontiger @irene-rogue-adler @vampirephile @supersoldierslover@rebelslicious  @caplanbuckybarnes@this-kitty-has-claws @goodnightwife@buckybabybaby @writing-is-my-elixir-of-life @magellan-88@theimpossibleg1rl @sebstanfanma@magellan-88 @blackcaptainrogers @sgtjamesbuchananbarnes107th @captnbarnesrogers @sgtbxckybxrnes

[justreadingfics]

To Make a Soldier Blush: Part 1

Pairing: Bucky Barnes X Reader

Summary: You’re a new avenger and you have your own mission to accomplish: making Bucky Barnes blush everytime you see him.

Warnings: I don’t know, forward reader maybe?, shy Bucky, violence. 

Words Count: 2.8k (ish)

A/N: This is my submission for Bee’s 2.1k challenge from @amarvelouswritings (thank you for also being the beta for this Bee, I love you to death). I got prompt 14- “Well, geez, if you don’t like what I’m wearing, I can go and change.” English is not my first language, so excuse any mistakes.

 Part 2

It was hard for you to focus on the projected figure of a giant rotten alien grape that apparently was the one of the possible newest threats to the universe. The reason of your disregarded distraction? How fuckable the group of super-heroes sitting with you around the table was.

Being a shameless admirer of human beauty, that assemble was just a field day for you. When you were recruited to join forces with the Avengers for being one of the few enhanced agents of SHIELD with a healing ability, you didn’t expect to meet with a full cast of super models and be all hot and bothered on your first day on the job. Well, you kinda did, since they were everywhere on the mass media and you were very aware of their looks. But the real deal exceeded all your expectations.

Your hungry eyes danced around the table while you absentmindedly chewed the top of a pencil and swayed your body side to side on the swivel office chair you were sitting on.

There was Captain America, proudly standing and giving a lecture about the Thanos guy, you almost moaned to picture that newly grown beard scratching your inner thighs… The dude had to go and let a beard grow, like Steve Rogers wasn’t already distracting enough.

Sitting right next to him rested Sam Wilson, the Falcon, paying attention to the speech of his Captain. You sighed deeply remembering how that broad-shouldered Adonis had mischievously winked at you when you were introduced earlier.

Keeping your deep analyzes of the Avengers hot squad, your eyes fixated on the two goddesses of the group: Wanda Maximoff and Natasha Romanoff, sitting side by side across from you. Drawing out your tongue to moisture your lips, you thought that, being the only girls in the group, you could dedicate some especial attention to them. While you scrutinized the two gorgeous women, you saw the Black Widow directing an intense gaze towards you, smirking lightly, like she could read your dirty mind. Wasn’t Maximoff the psychic one? You cleared your throat and averted your eyes from hers. Better not mess with that one.

Then, you spotted what you decided to call the Sugar Daddies Trinity: Tony Stark, Colonel Rhodey and Clint Barton. Together or separately, it didn’t matter; you definitely could make them sweat a little. Your inner chuckle gave room to a roll of your eyes when you noticed that even the android or something, the Vision dude, had a fit physique.

Being hot was certainly a requirement to be part of that team.

Your sinful and very unprofessional line of thought was interrupted by the noise coming from the doors of the conference room opening abruptly. All the heads turned to see what had caused the sudden sound and Hot Damn if that wasn’t the Winter Soldier himself. Your eyebrows furrowed in curious interest when you noticed his eyes widening by the attention he had attracted and hanging his head low after he quietly nod his sorry to Steve. With his shoulders curving down, he proceeded to seat on the only spot available, which, for your delight, happened to be right next to yours.

The Captain nodded back and started speaking again making everyone just focused back on him. Everyone, except you, of course. You had a much more noteworthy task to engage on.

If you were enjoying the view so far it was only because you didn’t know what was yet to come. That man sitting beside you was absolutely trouble. You rotated the chair, positioning yourself to almost face his side, tapping the pencil on your hand to the table. Your gaze started exploring the thick thighs tightly detained inside the jeans, running up to the covered massive build of his arms and chest and then, his incredibly beautiful face. The extraordinarily sharpened stubbled jaw line, the grey blue eyes framed in long eyelashes, the succulent soft lips…        

Bucky Barnes was good enough to eat. In one single bite. You almost tasted blood in your inner lips from how tightly they were pressed between your teeth.  

But what really made you squeak inside was that you could see him glancing your unashamed scan by the corner of his eyes, and the fact that he kept scrambling with his hands on the table and his cheeks were almost purple forced your face to a wicked grin.

That was the first time you made Bucky Barnes blush and, from that moment on, you made it your personal mission to get him to do that again, and again, and again...

Being an avenger would be much more fun than you thought.

As the new recruit you had to move into the compound and do lot of training with every one of the team, so you didn’t face no shorter of opportunities to achieve your goal.

~~~

The second time you made Bucky Barnes blush happened during breakfast on the morning after the meeting. You were wearing your new tactical gear, perfect for sparring sessions, since training was the next thing you would do. You were pretty much aware of the effect the tight jumpsuit could have on your curves, so you decided it would be perfect to meet with your victim as well.

As soon as you entered the kitchen, you met the place already crowded with Avengers engaged in their morning meals. Your eyes rested on your clueless prey, who took a glance at you and quickly returned his gaze to his food, apparently trying to hide himself behind the mountain of pancakes in front of him.

He was sitting next to Natasha, who took in your appearance with a cocked eyebrow and switched her eyes from your form to Bucky, then back at you with a devilish smirk curling up her lips “Y/N, you can sit here dear, I’m finished.” she proposed with a taunting expression, getting up from the chair to give you room, even if there was plenty of empty seats around the table. You eyed her suspiciously before she turn around to put her mug and plate in the dishwasher. Damn this perceptive stunning spy. You smirked back and accepted the offer.

You made yourself comfortable beside a static Bucky, making sure to brush your legs lightly on his muscular ones while you did so, feeling his body flinching at the faint touch. You picked a clean mug from the table and filled it with coffee. When your eyes searched for the sugar bowl and found it lying on the table just right next to Bucky you simply couldn’t miss the opportunity.

“Hey Bucky,” You called in a nonchalantly voice, but made it lower and deeper to continue, “would you pour some sugar on me?”

Chokes, snickers and muffled chuckles were heard all around the table coming from the rest of the team.

Given the fact that he had been frozen for most parts of the last 70 years, you didn’t know if the expression would have the expected effect on him, but for your contentment he nearly spilled his own coffee and a rush of red crept up from his neck to his kissable cheeks, giving him away.

“What?” He looked at you, eyes bigger than ever, struggling to keep a trembling grip on his mug.

A child-like innocent smile graced up your features “My coffee… would you pour some sugar on my coffee, please?” you raised your mug up and signaled towards the sugar bowl, batting your eyelashes at him.

From that episode on, the whole team started to figure out your intentions and just played along with you, to the point that an unspoken rule was settled: you would always sit next to Bucky. Meals, movie nights, meetings; if anyone were already on his side when you arrived; they would get up for you to seat without even saying a word.

You used all the cheeky moves you knew: fake yawn to put your arms around his shoulders on the sofa, accidentally brush your hands on his under the table, rest your legs on his lap or your head on his shoulders during lazy movie nights...

Also, since you were enhanced with fast healing process and were an expert in hand-to-hand combat, it wasn’t rare that you would be paired up with him on sparring sessions. Of course, you used that in your advantage too, lingering the touches, forcing compromising fighting positions and even squeezing his delicious fleshy buttocks whenever you could.

With every single one of your approaches you were able to fluster the Super Soldier to bits, eliciting endearing physical reactions, blushing being your outright favorite.

However, despite how much you were fond of his shy manners, it was kind of frustrating that he would stick with his silent and brooding behavior, not responding directly to your advances, or engaging to any kind of deeper interactions, even if his physical state showed how much he was affected by you…

You wondered if your relationship would ever get to somewhere beyond light touches and teasing remarks…

~~~

During a specific morning, your horniness level kept coaxing Bucky’s burly and lustful image to occupy every corner of your mind, so you sat up your still awakening body on your bed and asked Friday where he was, being informed by the A.I. that the man was in the gym.

Bucky. Working Out. Muscles. Sweat. You didn’t need any more convincing to get up and swiftly make your way to the exercise room, not bothering to change the tank top and the very revealing pajama briefs for something that would be considered more suitable for the place you were heading to.

As soon as you got to the gym, you saw Natasha doing some core exercises and took a long and deep breath when you laid eyes upon the object of your growing desire, working his beefy arms and chest on the fly machine, wearing a white tank top that was probably at least two numbers smaller than him, drenched in sweat, along with grey sweatpants.  

“Good Morning, Sergeant.” You greeted while passing by him, stretching your arms, heading to the place where Nat was standing, which was on a mat a few steps in front of him. His gaze following the premeditated sashay of your hips didn’t go unnoticed by you, neither did the loud sound of the weights bumping together due a sudden drop, making you giggle to yourself.

You ignored the glare coming from the redhead beside you when you put on a show of stretching limbs.

“Seriously?” she howled, making you tilt your head to her with a faked clueless expression.

“What?” you asked, keeping a guiltless voice.

“Is this what you wear for working out?” she inquired waving her hand over your front.

You placed a hand on your chest and dropped your mouth in mocked outrage before retorting “Well, geez, if you don’t like what I’m wearing, I can go and change.”

“No!” the shout coming from where Bucky had been sitting motionless on the fly machine startled both of you, forcing your widened gazes back at him.

You pitied his ruffled state. His cheeks were instantly deliciously rosy and he had averted his eyes to his hands playing with the hem of his tank top. “I-I mean, y-you’re already here, you d-don’t have to g-go upstairs just to get change.” He quietly stuttered making you wonder how much more adorable that guy could be.   

You shrugged and snickered to a rolling eyes Nat before bending over to collect a pair of kettlebells that rested on the mat in front of you to start your exercise of choice: deadlift. With your almost bear rear facing Bucky, obviously.

The sounds of a gasp from the soldier and an impatient huff combined with annoyed unintelligible words from the Black Widow filled the place while she dashed out of the room with heavy feet.

You continued your mischievous activity while Bucky struggled to work on the weights. Between every other squat you turned your head slightly, pleased by discovering his stare continuously trained on your moving body and his jaw on a permanent clench.

But, since the Avengers life wasn’t all about training and cheeky teasing, a loud alarm echoed throughout the room, signalizing that the compound had been invaded with by enemy forces.

Fight or flight instinct kicked in instantaneously and you both rushed to the door, only to find out it was too late. Before having the chance to get out you heard the steps of a number of hostile agents already marching for the room, blocking your way out.  

Since neither you nor Bucky had any kind of weapons in hand you reached for a barbell that was nearby and positioned yourself on Bucky’s left side, half shielding yourself behind his back, so you could take advantage of his metal arm’s blocks.

You thanked the heavens for having trained with Bucky all those times, because you fought in flawless synchrony. As the first one crossed the door, Bucky blocked the bullets that were shot and, using the barbell, you were able to snatch the gun from the asshole, kicking it to Bucky so he could use it against the second agent coming in, knowing there was more to come.

The avid battle made it difficult for you to count how many of the intruders you had to fight against, but you and Bucky kept the team work and not much time had passed before they were all defeated down on the floor and the only sound in the room was your panted breathing matching Bucky’s who was standing a few feet away from you, planting a foot on the back of an agent sprawled on the floor.

You frowned noticing his gaze hooked on your waist and when you looked down you saw what was locking his attention: a bullet hole, blood spilling freely out of it. Apparently the adrenaline didn’t allow you to notice you had been hit.

A grimace contorted your features and you hissed at the sight. You were starting to become aware of the pain. “Shit, don’t worry Bucky, it’ll heal in a sec-” Your attentive to ease your partner was shut by the feeling of metal cupping the nape of your neck and soft, but demanding lips being pressed against yours. Distracted by the ugly wound on your hips, you missed the murderous strut that had driven Bucky to you.

The unexpected move drew the already scarce air out of your lungs in a gasp and you let the barbell you used to take down your enemies drop to the floor, causing a loud thud to resound around the room.  His lips moved in a desperate claiming way around yours, but the contrast with the velvet feeling made you moan and wrap your arms around his neck, melting under his kiss. Soon your tongues were franticly entangling each other, and a wave of heat washed over your core.

That was when you heard the tinkling of the bullet that had injured you falling on the floor, signalizing the healing process. Bucky broke the kiss, leaving you fighting to fill up your lungs. Your mind went blank when he dropped to his knees and started to ravish the recently restored part of your skin with feverish smooches, unaffected by the already dry blood surrounding the spot, his hands slightly skimming up your sides under your top, making it lift a little. The action drawing out your completely your capacity to move.  Who was this man? Was he the same shy silent guy that blushed to every small move from yours? You didn’t know how to respond that, and it was so hard to form coherent thoughts when you were trying to gather some strength to keep your numb legs steady when his lips was grazing the sensitive skin of your hips.

He stood up again, towering over you, keeping his hold on your waist. “Are you ok?” He asked you in sweet low voice and eyes full of concern, in a very divergent attitude from his previous wild ministrations.

“Huh?” That was all you could mumble, looking up at him dumbfounded even if you had heard him perfectly.

His worried demeanor softened and he chuckled a little. “Do you have any other injures, doll?” He insisted, looking intensively at you while drawing circles on your waist with his thumbs.

“Huh?” Huh? Really? Again? Have you suddenly become deaf? Or was it the sweet pet name that made you pathetically speechless? Or was it the hot and cold of his fingers brushing your skin making your mind lost in dizziness. Hard to decide.

The object of your distress grinned widely and by the movement of your mouth you guessed you did the same, like in a trance. You could only wonder how dull your eyes were when the heat invaded your cheeks.

“Just a little flustered, then?” He leaned down his face closer to yours and winked smugly, causing a shiver to run down your spine and your mouth to hypnotically navigate closer to his. He patted your sides before depriving you from any kind of touch “Let’s go doll, the team might be needing us upstairs.” He passed by you to the door, leaving your weak form with no choice but to follow his trail like a lost compliant puppy. Not a single saucy remark rolling off your tongue.   

 Part 2

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[sgtbxckybxrnes]

The Baby

A/N: This is my entry for @amarvelouswritings writing challenge. I hope you guys like it.

Prompt:

“I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1232

Bucky was never good at conveying his feelings. He was always worried someone would judge him.

That’s what pushed his fiancée, Lyn, away, or at least that was the reason she gave him when she called it off.

He was heartbroken, moping around the tower for months when he was told a guy was waiting outside and needed to speak to him.

He was hesitant but he went, curiosity getting the best of him. When he stepped outside, he noticed a guy who didn’t look older than 20, holding a car seat and gave Bucky a nervous smile.

“What can I help you with?” Bucky asked the man, glancing at the seat, wondering if it was empty or not.

“Well, Mr. Barnes uhm- well, this girl game up to me and told me to give this seat to you. Said she didn’t want it, and she told me to tell you not to look for her.” The guys said, handing the seat towards Bucky.

He took it and lifted the blanket, the face of a newborn baby staring back at him, wide eyed. It’s eyes matched his and when the baby saw him, it giggled, kicking its feet.

Bucky felt his heart melt, knowing without a doubt he would do anything for this baby, and he didn’t have to worry about the mom. He knew her well enough, she would never what this kid.

Looking up at the guy who was still nervous, Bucky gave him a smile.

“Thanks, kid. And thank you for bringing it to me, you could have left it anywhere.” Bucky said gratefully, he fished out a few bills and handed them to the guy.

“Get yourself something to eat.” Bucky said before walking back inside, and up to the lab. He knew Bruce wasn’t a medical doctor per say but, he could tell Bucky whether the baby was healthy or not.

When he was in the elevator, he looked at the baby once more, seeing a note tucked to the side that he didn’t se before.

Dear James,

I know you must hate me for leaving her, but I can’t do it. I don’t want to be a mom.

I haven’t named her, I figured you could. She is healthy, and below I have the birth certificate, and her details for you.

I’m sorry it worked out this way but we both know it’s for the best

x Lyn

Bucky sighed and ran his flesh hand across his face, before looking at the baby girl.

Reaching down, he grabbed her little hand and she gripped his finger as tightly as she could.

“I won’t let anyone hurt you.” Bucky whispered, already feeling a love for the small child that he couldn’t describe.

Noticing they we almost there, he stood up and picked up the seat as well, walking into the lab and setting her down on the table Bruce and Tony were at.

“I need your help. Lyn had a baby, I have no doubt she’s mine, could you help look over her?” he asked, directing his question towards Bruce before looking at Tony.

“Can you help me with her name? I have no idea how it all works, Lyn left the name up to me.” Bucky said to Tony who had already started looking at the best pediatricians for her and was getting ready to call the hospital to confirm all the paperwork.

Bucky couldn’t help but smile, the two men- who was wasn’t exactly close to, readily helping him and his baby girl.

It took a while but the three of them had everything fixed up.

Bucky had decided on the name Rebeca Winifred Barnes, after both his mom and sister.

Tony had it set up so a doctor would come and check on Rebeca at the compound and ordered a bunch of things to put in Bucky’s room for her. Once she was older, Bucky would move to a mini apartment in the compound that had a separate room for her.

Bucky introduced Rebeca to the team, Natasha wanting to find Lyn and give her a “talking to” for leaving her with a stranger.

The team loved her, and spoiled her. She had them all wrapped around her tiny fingers and she wasn’t even a month old.

Time flew by and Rebeca grew up faster than Bucky realized.

Rebeca was turning eight soon and Bucky wanted to take out for ice cream, just the two of them.

Rebeca loved the idea and ran to get ready, and grabbed her dads hand before the two of them made their way to the parlor.

The father and daughter duo made it there in close to 20 minutes, Rebeca bouncing in her seat from excitement.

As soon as Bucky opened her door, she shot out and ran to the door, pulling it open and holding it open for the couple that was leaving and her dad.

They walked up to the counter and ordered their frozen treat, and took it from the server with a smile before finding a table to sit at, Rebeca going on to tell Bucky about school and her friends.

Bucky was listening intently when Rebeca gasped in surprise and climbed out of her seat and to a girl that had just walked in, the girl laughing and picking up Rebeca and gave her a hug.

Rebeca said something to you that made you look towards him. You gave him a smile that made him lose his breath.

You were the prettiest person he had seen, but who were you?

You and Rebeca made your way to Bucky, Rebeca making you sit before climbing onto your lap causing you to laugh.

You held out your hand and introduced yourself.

“I’m Y/N. I’m Rebeca’s art teacher.” You said, smiling as Bucky gripped you hand, and gave it a firm shake.

“I’m Bucky, Rebeca’s dad.” He said in return, glancing at his daughter to see her looking back and forth between the two of you.

The three of you sat in the booth talking for close to an hour, the ice cream was long gone when you looked at your phone, noticing the time, you gave them a small smile.

“I have to go. I have a private session with a student in a bit so I need to go get my stuff. It was great talking to you Bucky.” You said before looking at Rebeca and giving her a hug.

“I’ll see you on Monday.” You said before standing up and heading towards the door when you heard Rebeca call out for you.

“Daddy and I are going to the park on Sunday, you want to come?” she asked you, looking at her dad as if was going to object.

You looked at Bucky and swore he looked as hopeful as Rebeca did.

Laughing, you reached into your bag and pulled out on of your business cards circled your cell number.

“Text me when and where.” You said with a smile as you handed the card to Bucky.

With one more look back at the pair, you waved and you were gone.

Bucky turned to his daughter with a playful glare.

“You’re going to be the death of me, kid.” He said, as his thought drifted to you, and he had no doubt that they would be there for a while to come.

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[lxdyred]

Our strange bond

Requests: Open!

A/N: This is for @amarvelouswritings 2.1k followers challenge. – English is not my maternal language, sorry if this has any grammatical errors.

Prompts:  6) Do I love you? Yes. Do I like you? That’s still up for debate.  15) If you think I don’t feel anything for you, then you are more stupid than I thought.  37) You’re stuck with me, like it or not.

Summary: A mission goes wrong and some avengers must make a difficult decision, while Bucky and Y/N must be honest with themselves about their strange relationship.

Fandom: MCU.

Genre: Angst, drama, friendship, romance and fluff (a little bit of both).

Warnings: Curse/Swearing, lots of blood, violence, death.

“We’ve to get out of here!” a male voice screamed in the background. “This building won’t hold out any longer!” ordered that man, who seemed to be Steve.

“Captain, cover me!” asked Clint who fired his arrows in every possible direction to bring down all possible HYDRA agents. “The first bomb has detonated, it won’t be long before detonation of the second one.” he said as he finished annihilating the agents.

“Cap, we’re all out, only you are missing.” reported Tony from the outside.

“Well, come on now.” Steve said as he walked out the door. “I’m looking forward to end this mission.”

“Yeah, me too.” Clint said as the arch was placed in his back.

“Hey, Y/N, you’re very quiet.” Bucky said suddenly, who had just left by the other side of the building. “That’s odd, Are you not going to answer me? Did the joke before bother you so much?” Bucky kept asking in a joking tone.

“Y/N, I would kick frosty’s ass if I were you,” Nat defended her friend. “Y/N?”

“Friday.” Tony talked. “What happened to Y/N’s equipment?”

“This gives me a bad feeling.” murmured Clint, who just left the building with Steve.

Steve, Bucky, Nat, Tony and Clint were outside the building looking around for signs of their friend and companion, who wasn’t with them and wasn’t responding neither.

“Her equipment failed when the first explosive detomated, sir.” reported Friday about Y/N.

The faces of all present changed as they heard that.

“Fuck.” Bucky whispered with concern. “I’m coming in!” Bucky said as he headed for the collapsing building.

Steve stopped him. “It’s dangerous, Buck.”

“Friday, localize her.” Tony ordered with anguish.

“Before the detonation she was in the basement, next to the stairs, 20 meters from the bomb, sir.” Friday reported in the usual tone.

“Do you know if she’s alive?” Clint asked in fear of the answer.

“I’m afraid I don’t know what to say to that, Agent Barton.” said Friday. “But considering an explosion of that magnitude, anyone who’s been as close to the bomb as agent Y/L/N was… has no chance of survive.”

They all looked at each other with fear and sadness, the tragedy had taken someone important away from them again.

“Steve.” Bucky spoke to Captain America “Let me go,” ordered “I’m coming in.” he muttered.

Clint looked sadly at his partner “Barnes… There’s nothing we can do.” he said with tears in his eyes.

Bucky let go of his friend’s grip. “She’s our friend! We can’t abandon her! We can’t let her die!” he screamed with anger.

“Bucky…” Nat spoke. “Please don’t…”

“It’s Y/N, she’s my… She’s our friend! I’m not going to consider her dead, not without seeing her first.” Bucky said as he rushed toward the crumbling building.

“Bucky!” called Steve to his friend, but he didn’t stop “Shit.” said before he ran after his friend. “Guys, if you see that we don’t go out… Just leave.” ordered Captain America “And don’t even think about going in.”

Once they entered the building, the two men went straight to the basement and started calling their friend’s name, to find her and get out of there as soon as possible.

“Y/L/N!” cried bucky as loudly as possible “Where are you? Y/N!” he shouted as he approached the blast site.

“Y/N!” the captain called his friend “Y/N!” while he covered his face to not breathe the smoke

“Y-Y/L/N… Y/N!” Bucky kept screaming while he coughed.

A few meters from where the boys were, there was Y/N who was stunned by the explosion. She listened to her teammates shouting at her. They were desperate.

Y/N tried to get up, but a sharp pressure and pain stopped her from doing it. She looked up at her legs and saw she had several tons of debris on the right leg. She tried to free herself, but all she got was more weight to fall on her.

She looked at the rest of her body, she had several wounds and bruises on his arms, torn clothing and an ugly burn on her right side of the body. The burn came from the right side of the abdomen, what Y/N could see, to her trapped leg.

Suddenly she felt a liquid coming down her face, it was blood. She gasped for surprise and leaned back.

Everything started to get cloudy and twirled. Little by little she stopped listening to the voices of her friends, and the only thing she heard was an annoying beep. Suddenly she fainted.

“Barnes!” cried Y/N in desperation,“You’re a pain in the ass!”

Bucky approached her with a mocking laugh “Oh, come on! I just asked you if you’re dating Thor.” he said as he pretended to be innocent. “And you haven’t answered me, are you two dating?” he asked as he followed his companion and entered the common room.

“Ahhg!” Y/N exclaimed as she dropped on the couch “Leave me alone, Barnes!”

“What’s going on?” asked Sam from the other couch.

“Barnes is what’s going on, Sam.”

“What about Bucky?” Wanda who just walked into the room with Tony, Natasha and Bruce, asked.

“He’s always ignoring me when I talk to him, but when he gets bored, the only thing he does is annoys me.”

“I just asked you if you’re dating Thor.” Bucky spoke with a malevolent smile. “And you haven’t answered the question yet.”

“I don’t have to do it.” the girl folded her arms.

“She neither claims nor denies it.” said Tony, “Interesting.”

“Tony!”

“For me they are dating.” Sam commented.

“Naah…” said Natasha as she sat with Y/N on the couch. “Thor is not her type.” she winked at her.

Y/N and Natasha laughed at what the redhead meant.

“Oh, I get it then.” Tony pointed out to both of them. “So you two…”

The two women laughed even more.

“No, Tony.” said Bruce shyly. “They’re not together.”

“How do you know that?” asked Sam curiously.

“Well, because Natasha is dating…” Bruce said in a whisper. “We’re together, Nat’s dating me.”

Everyone was impressed, except Y/N who already knew.

“How quiet you were, you little monster.” said Tony gawking.

“So…” Bucky talked “who’s she dating?” he asked with a little bit of jealously.

“Me.” Steve said as he walked into the room.

Y/N winked at Captain America. He did the same thing.

Bucky was speechless.

Later that day, when Y/N left the training room, she was escorted to her room by Bucky, because he had also finished training. All the way to the rooms they were in silence.

The first room was the Super Soldier’s. He said goodbye to Y/N and set off for his own, but Bucky interrupted her.

“Y/N.” called the man and she turned around to see him.“I’m sorry.”

“Why?” she asked.

“For bothering you all day. For the stupid questions.” Bucky spoke as he opened his door.

“Barnes, it’s nonsense. Don’t worry.” she said with a smile. “Good night.” she said as she left.

“I’m glad you’re with Steve.” Bucky said as he saw his mate leaving. “He deserves to be happy.” he said as soon as he walked into his room.

Y/N turned around briefly and saw where the man had gone.

“You really are an idiot.” Y/N whispered before she went to her room. “When will he find out?”

“Y/N.” whispered Steve as he found his unconscious companion on the floor “Oh, my God…” he whispered as he saw how she was.

“Y/N, please…” Bucky said as he bent down to see if she was still alive.“She’s still alive, barely, but she is.”

“Help me remove the debris from her bod.” Steve asked his friend. “We don’t have to much time.”

Both men tried to lift the debris, to free Y/N but it was useless. As they tried again the girl regained consciousness and began to moan and scream because of the pain.

“Shhh…. Shhh…” Steve tried to calm the girl down.“Easy, calm down. Easy.” he said as she stroked her hair to calm her.

“You have to go” she whispered. “go away, please.” Y/N begged as tears streamed down her face.

“No!” Bucky said. “We’re not gonna leave you alone, you hear me?”

Steve looked at his friend and then he looked at Y/N and nodded “Let’s get you out of here.”

Bucky and Steve tried to pick up the debris again, but it was no worthy. Y/N only maoned for the pain that felt.

“It’s useless, please.” Y/N looked at Bucky as she was crying. “Go away, please.”

“We’re not leaving you! Fuck!” Bucky exclaimed desperate. “Don’t insist, please…” he whispered with tears in the eyes.

“There have to be some alternative.” Steve said. “But I can’t think of any one.”

They were silent for a few moments until Y/N came up with an idea.

“I do. I have one.” confessed the girl in fear. “But it won’t be nice.” she looked at Bucky’s knife.

Steve realized what she meant. “Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no, no,” he said immediately. “We can’t…”

“Steve,” Y/N called the captain.“It’s the only way I can get out of here, and if you can’t do it… Go. I don’t want you to die here.”

Steve looked at Bucky who was in shock for what they were going to do. There was no choice.

“Please, do it. It’s the only way we can get out of here. Please, Barnes, Steve.”

“All right.” said the captain as he put his hands on his head

“I will do it.” Bucky said with fear.

“No!” said Steve and Y/N at the same time.

“I’ll do it, Bucky.” Steve said decidedly.

Suddenly the building shuddered. The second bomb had detonated, and more debris thrilled to fall.

“Bucky, take my shield and give me your knife.” the blonde man ordered. “Let’s cover ourselves with the shield.”

The young woma look at her two companions who were mentally preparing for what was coming.

“This is not going to be very nice.” Steve said as he prepared. “It’s gonna hurt.”

“I know.” Y/N said as she breathed agitatedly. “I’ll scream.” she sighed. “Well I’ll scream loudly.”

Bucky took his partner’s hand and she squeezed it as she watched him “Squeeze whatever you want.” Sergeant Barnes offered and she nodded.

“Believe me, I will.” she said laughing at the nerves. “Please be quick.”

Steve nodded and wore the sweat off his forehead. “I’ll try.”

Steve made the first cut and the blood began to sprout violently from Y/N’s leg. Bucky closed his eyes trying not to see the terrifying image, but he could still imagine it while listening to his friend’s cries of pain and suffering.

“Barnes!” exclaimed Y/N as she saw her partner who was training with Clint “I need you, please is… Urgent” she said agitated.

“In what way do you need me?” he asked in a mischievous tone.

Clint was stunned to hear that from his friend. Did they ever been like that before?

“Always the same, Barnes.” said Y/N tiredly. “Clint, I need you…” she said, ignoring Bucky.

“I’m still here!” Bucky said bewildered to see that he had been ignored.

Clint laughed when he saw what had just happened “What do you need?” he asked.

“You see, you remember this cafeteria where they made pancakes and waffles?” asked Y/N to hawkeye, he nodded energetically.

“There’s a proposition!” said the young woman enthusiastically.

“A proposition?”

“Yes! And a very good one! If you pick up an escort, you have three desserts at the price of one, and if you bring an older person too… It’s free!” the woman spoke with emotion.

“Come on now!” Clint said as he left.

“Can I come too?” Bucky begged,“I’m old, I’m ninety-something years old!” he reported.

“We have got Steve!”

“See ya, Grandpa!” Clint laughed.

When they arrived at the cafeteria and found a place to sit, Clint began questioning Y/N about his relationship with Bucky. Their relationship was strange. Really strange.

“Be honest with me.” Clint told his friend. “Do you like Barnes? Do you have feelings for him?”

Steve looked curiously at Y/N who ate nervously trying to avoid the questions.

“No way!” exclaimed Clint, interpreting her partner’s nervousness as an answer.

“Since when?” Steve asked intrigued.

“I don’t like him,” Y/N said with her mouth full.

“Y/N?” both men asked at once, she gave up.

“Since a few months ago.” replied the girl after swallowing.

“You should tell him.” Clint suggested.

“Yeah! No! Have you lost your mind?”

“I’m serious. You just have to see each other to realize that you two have something,” Hawkeye said as he chewed.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full” Rogers told Barton.

“Yes, Mother.” Barton mocked to the Captain America. “Listen to me, Y/N/N.”

“I agree with him.” Steve said. “You should tell Bucky.”

“Guys, guys. Barnes has no feelings for me, and yet our relationship is very strange. So no. I’m not gonna ask him out. I don’t want things to get any weirder.”

“Okay, do whatever you want Y/N.” Clint said. “But at least be honest with yourself and what you really want.”

The building was practically collapsed and Clint, Tony and Natasha feared the worst.

“Shit.” Tony whispered in a broken voice.

Natasha looked away to not show her tears. Clint, on the other hand, fell to his knees as he looked at the image. No one could believe what had just happened. His companions had fallen. Bucky, Steve and Y/N, they were gone.

Silence reigned in the place, except for the noise of some debris that kept falling and the sobbing of Natasha, who collapsed from the pain.

“Tony!” they heard someone screaming not far from where they were. “We have to go now!” was Steve running to his team.

They all looked surprised and relieved to see Steve running toward them. Behind him was Bucky with Y/N in his arms.

“Fuck,” Clint said while approaching Bucky and watching Y/N.

They all looked at the youngest of the group, half-dead in Bucky’s arms, who was crying and trembling. They’ve never seen the sergeant like that before.

Clint had been right, about his bad feeling.

Once on the Quinjet, Bucky never separated from Y/N at any time. Everyone was watching the scene, as Bucky cried and took his partner’s hand. No one interrupted to give him some privacy. Everyone knew about the feelings of both of them.

No one said anything, the only thing that was heard was Bucky’s sobs. Suddenly the young woman clutched her partner’s hand, he looked at her with uncertainty.

“Y/N…” bucky said as he stroked her hair. “I’m so sorry… Everything that happened to you.”

She slightly denied and smiled at her partner, to calm him down. “Barnes, it’s okay,” she said before he coughed up blood.

Everyone was alarmed because of that, so they approached.

“Hey, what’s up?” Natasha spoke.

“I’m cold and sleepy…” murmured Y/N with a slight frown.

“Don’t even think about going to sleep!” demanded someone.

“Just… Just a few minutes. I’m very tired.” said Y/L/N without energy.

“Hey, Y/N, You’re stuck with me, like it or not.” Bucky said as he took both hands from his partner. “So don’t fall asleep, okay? Squeeze my hands, you hear me? Squeeze them.”

“Okay…” she whispered as she clenched Bucky’s hands.

Once they arrived to New York, the first thing they did was go to the best hospital in the city where they would take care of Y/N. Wanda and Vision arrived before, they were already waiting for the group to arrive.

“Wanda, I’m sure Y/N will come out of this. She always does.” Vision said, putting her hand on her lover’s shoulder.

“I’m afraid. I don’t want to lose another person I care about. She’s like my sister.” said Scarlett Witch.

Vision hugged her and she hid her face in his neck.

“You know? She’s managed to be like the sister I never had. In some way she reminds me of Pietro.” Wanda spoke as she cried and still hugging Vision.

A few moments later the team reached there with a serious and sad look.

“How’s Y/N?” Vision asked when he saw his companions.

“She was in cardiorespiratory arrest.” Clint said.

“And his wounds? What does she have?” Wanda asked.

“She’s got a burn all over his right part of the body, from the abdomen to… to…” Natasha was trying to inform.

“To the stump” ended up saying Tony. “The only way to save her and get her out of the building was to cut her leg off.” he said with impotence. “The rest are bruises.”

Nobody said anything after that. Silence reigned in the place, again.

“We’re drunk.” admitted Wanda.

“And a lot.” Y/N said with a silly smile.

“Hey… have they noticed we’re missing?” Wanda asked with laughter.

“Naaah. Besides, we’re well hidden…”

“In Tony’s closet.”

“I thought we were in the pantry.”

“We’re very drunk.”

“And disoriented” Y/N gave a drink to the bottle, then she laughed.

“You look like a pig when you laugh like that!” said Scarlett Witch.

“I found them!” Clint shouted after discover the two ladys.

“Wanda grab the bottle and run!” Y/N yelled while throwing a shoe to Clint.

“Hey!” he said as Wanda and Y/N escaped.

Y/N and Wanda split up after leaving Tony’s room. Y/N ran quietly so none of her companions would find her. Everything was fine until she didn’t know how, Bucky was carrying her on his shoulder.

“Friday warns the others that I already have Y/N.” Bucky said as he tried to put up his friend who kept trying to escape.“Tell them I’m taking her to bed.”

“What!? No!” complained Y/N “Don’t be a spoilsport! I was having fun with Wanda!”

“The fun is over for today, miss.” Bucky commented with a smile.

“You’re a killjoy, Barnes! You don’t know what fun is” the young woman protested.

At that moment they arrived to Y/N’s room.

Bucky released Y/N on the bed and gave her a seductive but playful look. “Oh, Doll, I know what fun is. And I know how to have a good time.” he winked.

She blushed. “Barnes…” she said as approached him.

“Y/N…” he imitated her.

“I have something to tell you.” Y/N confessed as she looked his friend in the eye.

“Tell me.” he said as he approached her.

“I… I’d like to know if…” Y/L/N was trying to talk while she finished bridging the gap between them.

Bucky rested his forehead on Y/N’s, who looked at his face attentively. Bucky looked at his companion’s lips and kissed them before he knew it.

The kiss was short but sweet and passionate, with a taste of cake and alcohol.

“I’m sorry…” Bucky said when he broke the kiss. “I shouldn’t have done that. You’ re…”

“Barnes” murmured Y/N. “It’s… Okay, really. It’s Okay.”

“But you and…”

“I love you” Y/N snapped.

“What?” asked the Sergeant with his eyes open for the surprise “You love me?”

“Yeah!” she admitted. “Do I love you? Yes. Do I like you? That’s still up for debate.” she said playfully as he hugged Bucky.

“Y/N, but you and-”

“Y/N,” Steve said after he showed up.

Bucky looked at his friend and then at Y/N with whom he was hugging. He nodded his head and looked at the young woman. He kissed her on the forehead and went to Steve’s.

“You should put her to bed. She drank.” he said as he looked at Y/N before leaving “Good night,” and Winter Soldier left.

“What happened?” asked Steve approaching Y/N, who was now sitting in her bed.

“He kissed me.” she said. “And I’ve told him I love him.”

“He kissed you?”

“Yes, Captain.”

“And you told him you loved him?”

“Yes, Captain.”

“You’re drunk.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Stop saying that.”

She nodded clumsily. “Yes, Captain.” she said as she was laying down. “Oh captain, my captain.”

“Bucky…” Steve called his friend who was sitting in the hospital hallway. “You should go home and get some rest.”

“It’s my fault,” the brunette man said with a lost stare.

“What are you talking about?” asked the blonde man.

“That she… It’s my fault what happened to her, Steve.”

Steve sat next to him “Of course it’s not, Buck.”

“I made a joke that bothered her. I told her that she couldn’t have us both. She looked at me confused and went to the bomb, unknowingly. Then it detonated.”

Steve squeezed his friend’s shoulder as a sign of support.

“I kissed her, the other night.” Bucky broke the silence.

“I know,” confessed Steve. “She told me.”

“I kissed your girlfriend, Steve,” she said,“I’m… In love with her. I’m in love with your girlfriend.”

Steve hugged his friend tightly. “She’s not my girlfriend, she never was.”

“What? But… you said…”

“It was a joke of ours.”

Bucky laughed a little.

“She may die. Y/N may die.”

“She won’t. She always manages to come back to us.” Steve spoke.

“This better be it. Because I have to tell her something.” Bucky said in tears.

“That you love her?” asked Steve looking at his friend.

“Yeah, that I love her.” Bucky whispered.

Y/N woke up agitated, like she did every night. all she could feel was a little pain. She was very dazed and dizzy from the medication she was taking for pain and healing the wounds.

It’s been two weeks since the altercation.

As she remembered the mission again, a chill invaded her entire body. She remembered the explosion, being trapped and… Asking Steve to cut her leg off.

She lifted up the sheets and was able to confirm that it wasn’t a nightmare. Everything had happened. Everything was real. Very real.

Y/N took her hand to the stump and felt incomplete. A huge emptiness possessed her, but she immediately felt grateful to be alive.

“Y/N?” she heard a male voice calling her.

“Steve…” she said in tears. He ran to hug her.

Steve started crying. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

“You can’t sleep, can you?”

“No, actually. I can only think of that mission, Y/N.” he replied as he sat on his friend’s bed.

“It’s not your fault. You did what you had to do. You saved me, Steve.” said Y/N with tears in her eyes. “You saved me.”

“Your leg…”

“I can live without it. I’ll manage to do it.”

“You won’t be able to…”

“To be an Avenger?” asked the young woman to her friend. “I know. But hey.” she took Steve’s face.

“Yes?” asked Captain America with a look of guilt.

“I’d rather not be an Avenger than be dead.”

“Being an Avenger was your dream.” Steve spoke.

“Yeah, it was. But don’t you think it’s about time I fulfilled my other dreams too?” asked Y/N with a smile.

“Like what?” asked Steve calmly.

“I don’t know. Maybe settle down? Adopt a cat? Travelling?” Y/N said with bright eyes as she saw what the future might hold.

“You can do that with… Bucky?” said innocent Steve.

“With Barnes! Steve… He doesn’t feel the same way, he never felt–”

“If you think I don’t feel anything for you, then you’re more stupid than I thought” Bucky said from the bedroom door.

“Oh, my God. You’ve heard everything. Steve, Barnes heard us.” said Y/N with her hands on her face, dead in shame.

The silence reigned for a few moments.

“I think it’s about time you two talked things over.” Steve said as he walked out the door. “I’ll leave you two alone.” he said before he patted Bucky on the shoulder and then left.

“Hey.” Bucky said as he went to his friend’s bed.

“Hi.” Y/N said shy. “I’m sorry about this. What you’ve heard. Steve just…” she spoke as she looked at Bucky who kept going to her.

Bucky shortened the distance between them and before Y/N could speak he kissed her gently.

“Why?” asked Y/N confused after the kiss.

“I love you too.” Bucky whispered against his friend’s lips.

“I never told you that.” whispered Y/N as she rested her forehead against Bucky’s.

“You did it. I kissed you and then you told me.” Bucky confessed.

“When?”

“One night, after one of Tony’s parties. You and Wanda hid in his closet and got drunk. I took you to your room, and well, it happened.” Bucky explained with a smile as he remembered that night. “I thought you and Steve were dating and that’s why I didn’t…”

Y/N kissed Bucky this time. Bucky hugged the young woman tightly. They had finally cleared things up.

“Y/N…” the man called her in a whisper.

“Yeah, Bucky?” Y/N questioned as she looked into the man’s eyes.

“This is the first time you’ve ever called me that.” Winter Soldier was surprised, and he smiled at her. “I like it.”

“What were you going to tell me?”

“Well, I was going to ask you.” the sergeant spoke. “I was going to ask you… If you would like to be my best girl?”

Y/N nodded. “I would love to be your best girl, Barnes.”

“Where is the ‘Bucky’ thing?” Bucky asked, pretending to be annoying.

“Hush…” she whispered as she hugged her now boyfriend tightly.

“By the way, Y/N.” Bucky spoke softly.

“Yes? Tell me…”

“I think your dreams of traveling, adopting a cat… They’ll have to wait.“

“Why do you say that?” she asked confusedly.

“Because your dream of being an avenger is not over yet.” Bucky explained to his girlfriend.

“But I do not…”

“I met with T'Challa and he offered to create a new leg for you.” Bucky told her.

Y/N began to cry with emotion. “What? Really?”

“Really.” Bucky kissed her forehead. “He says he owes you for saving him in Vienna.”

“My God…” Both avengers hugged. “I love you.”

“I know. I love you, too.”

“It’s official, they’re together!” Vision said as he passed the wall and walked away.

“What the hell?” Bucky muttered.

“I knew it!” they both heard someone screaming. Clint. “They said ‘I love you’! They’re a couple! They’re really dating!” the Hawkeye exclaimed. “They’re in love!”

“Tony! Tony! Take out the champagne!” cried Sam in somewhere in the compound.

“Damn you, Vision!” Bucky whispered.

“Damn it! Now everyone knows!”

Y/N said leaning her head against Bucky’s shoulder.

The both of them laughed.

[inklingofinspiration]

a gradum ad lumen - part 1 .

decided to post the first chapter to the Maze Runner fanfic I discussed earlier, I thought it would be a good way to ease back into things after my prolonged absence.  hope you all enjoy, please contact me if you have any specific requests for the series and let me know what you think!  ending is also a bit rushed, because i was super excited to get this posted for you guys, but i already have the second chapter in the works.

___

Word count: 2.1k!

Warnings : general TMR TWS; blood, slight gore, disturbing ideas / images, and depicted injuries.

Pronouns used: they/them – gender-neutral.

Prompt(s) used: “Who knows.  Maybe we’ve actually made it out of this hellhole after all.”

Pairing: TMR x GN!Reader.

A/N: just one; i imagined reader had a slight british accent when writing this, but feel free to think otherwise!!  this is also open to any skin tones, body sizes, etc.  i believe in inclusion to the fullest, and plan to make a few fanfics w/ a practising muslim reader in the future; lmk if you have any ideas! 

___

Staying out in the Maze was likely a dumb idea, especially with the ever-present thought of the fact that the Doors were bound to close at any minute pounding at the back of your head.

Nevertheless, your eyes were fixated on the sight in front of you, hands on your hips as e/c irises took in the thick vines that were rooted into the cracks lining the stone floor and stretched as far as the eye could see up the surrounding walls.  Your hand reached up to thread through h/c coloured tresses, thoughts bumbling about your head in an analytical manner. 

E/c coloured eyes moved after the beetle-blade, the metal, bug-like machine chittering as its red-light flicked across the wall it was scampering along before pausing.  Almost as though it sensed your presence, the thing’s head turned to you, camera staring right back at you as it focused on the stationary Glader.  You took a challenging stride toward it, surprised by the fact that it didn’t even move, the step bearing an experimental trial as well as it encouraged them onward.  You were quick to take advantage of the situation, leaping after the machine and closing the few metres of distance between you and the beetle blade in the process.  

Unfortunately, the sudden movement on your end had sent the beetle-blade shooting further along the wall, bee-lining it straight for a crack in the stone that it would just barely manage to fit into.  However, after months of trying to catch one of the blasted things, you’d come to learn a trick or two.  You kicked off the ground, clearly determined to finally get your hands on one of the rutting machines even if it meant having to risk the slight detour from heading back to the Glade.  

You swiftly scaled among the vines, arm shooting above head as your fingertips came to wrap around one of its legs just as the machine made to disappear.  Triumph shot through you as you were about to yank the thing back and disarm it, focused solely on the task at hand when a swift shout that consisted purely of  your name halted everything and sent them tumbling backwards when your single-handed grip on the vines jerked loose in surprise.

Your ankle, however, was more reluctant to follow, remaining  entangled amongst the vines, a sharp jerk sending jolts of pain through your leg the minute your back slammed against the hard, unforgiving floor.  The pain flared, your vision swaying as your eyes flicked to the shoes of the now approaching figure, clearly not pleased with the situation in the slightest as a frustrated and slightly pained groan drew past your lips.  Your thoughts of irritated agony echoed the emotion vividly as you practically felt  the bruises forming along your ankle, only to be interrupted by the same person who had caused you to lose your balance in the first place, a teasing lilt now lacing the newcomer’s voice, which you could easily pinpoint as Minho, 

“Man, I knew you liked me, but I didn’t realise you’d be throwing yourself at my feet the minute you heard me.  Not that I can blame you, I am pretty hot,”  Came his playful words, causing you to set your  jaw in an exasperated grimace before snapping a response. 

“Slim it, before it’s your ankle getting broken, shank,”  You growled, accent heavy and thick in their unpleasant predicament.  You took note of the airy laugh their running partner allowed to bubble past him before crouching beside you and gently unwinding the shrubbery the held them captive, leaving you to wince as your leg dropped to the floor alongside your other leg with a harsh ‘thump’.  “Bloody hell, that hurts like a fucking–,”

“Woah there, you think Newt’d approve of that kind of language?”  Minho snickered from somewhere behind you, the volume of his laughter only rising as you tilted your head back to shoot him the best glare you could muster from the ground.  After a few beats, he finally stifled the rest of his bemused sounds, eyes flicking from your haphazard position and back to your eyes that strained to keep pace with his own before he rolled his eyes and crouched down to offer you a hand up. 

You were rolling onto your stomach in an instant, gingerly twisting your aching leg a moment later with great care as to not let it snag in the chipped concrete floor before you flung your hand into Minho’s outstretched one while huffing a begrudging sigh.  His grip was cold and assuaging in contrast to your heated and unpleasant grasp from being pressed against the Maze’s floor, you noted in the fleeting moment in which your eyes met once more, only for you to bite back a bark of pain as you attempted to settle a sliver of weight onto your leg.  Had it not been for the Keeper’s firm grasp on you, you would have stumbled right back to the ground and likely been left there had he not shown up in the first place, but he offered a teasing scoff instead and slung your hand that was already in his own gloved one across his shoulders.  You obliged with his actions gratefully, almost gasping in relief as you felt the crushing weight alleviated from your injured leg, and began stumbling alongside Minho as he set a rather swift pace that you struggled to keep up with, considering you were only left with only one good leg.  

“Keep up or we might as well roll out a picnic blanket and wait for the Grievers to come and enjoy the quick meal we’d make for them,”  He managed after you stumbled for the nth time, his breathing clearly heavy, and the signs of strain obvious, but he didn’t so much as falter as he continued practically dragging you in the direction of the East Doors.  You couldn’t help but cast a partially distressed glance in his direction, feeling nothing but sorrow at the unnecessary weight you were forcing him to bear, but you knew that he would only tighten his grip on you if you tried to manage without him, so it was a losing game either way.  You cast a final glance his way, but he seemed to catch notice of your lingering stare in his peripheral vision, not even fully turning his head as his mahogany irises focused on the twisting corner wreathed with thickly woven vines just up ahead.  “What’re you lookin’ at, shank?”

You pushed off the ground with your good leg, springing forward and stumbling a few steps as Minho matched strides with you, huffing your response between focused breaths and sighs,  “Nothing.  Uh –,”  you panted softly, sweat beading on your forehead as you continued to manage single steps in the time Minho made three paced strides.  “ – anything planned for tonight?” 

The two of you rounded the corner and you could practically feel your running partner quaver in relief, his response breathless but audible as the two of you attempted to hurry through the homestretch. 

“A big plate of whatever crap Frypan has cooked and a warm shower to rest my weary bones.”

You were about to scoff a laugh the moment you cleared the Doors, already shouldering him with an eye roll and a witty quip soon to follow, when someone called out to you and Minho.  Both your heads turned in unison, your steady steps pausing as his arm fell to your waist to hold you steady, and a beaming smile instantly made way through your exasperated frown as you caught sight of Chuck ambling straight for you, Newt trotting not far behind.  

“What happened?  You guys were out for like, two hours longer than usual!”  The younger boy exclaimed as he approached, finally taking in the sight of you leaning against Minho and his arm around your form before he gagged and darted away.  “Get a room!”

You choked a surprised laugh at the suddenness of Chuck’s joke, watching his retreating figure stick out his tongue at Minho’s irritated expression, which made him look as though he was about to go after him had it not been for Newt’s prompt arrival.  You greeted him with a soft “hey” and the same smile that had been present for the short period of time you had to talk to Chuck, which the blonde seemed to eagerly return, nodding at Minho and taking in the closeness between the two of you.   

“You two had an eventful evening, huh?”  There was no malice in his voice, merely just an amusingly intrigued tone to his words as he gestured to Minho’s gentle hold on your waist, which made you fumble over your words momentarily, rapidly moving to explain the situation as your hands flicked subconsciously along with your rushed train of thought.

“Oh, uh, Minho distracted me whilst I was trying to grab a beetle-blade, and I ended up falling.  Blew my bloody ankle, it seems,”  You gesticulated to the obviously sparse pressure you were putting on your leg with a slightly nervous laugh as Newt cracked into a brighter grin.  

“It was your fault,”  Came Minho’s facetious remark before he cursed under his breath suddenly and knocked your shoulder.  “Since you’re too busy chattin’ up a storm, I’m gonna have to do the maps, aren’t I.” 

It was the second in command’s turn to scoff lightly  and wave a dismissive hand in the Asian’s direction. 

“Consider it an order.” 

“The things I do for you shanks.” 

“Yeah, a bloody hard life you have, shank,”  Newt mused, his smile never once faltering before his eyes finally strayed back to you.  “I’ll get Jack or Clint over, see what they can do in the meanwhile.  Probably just needs to keep off it for a while, take it easy.”  

“Ay, ay,”  He quipped, a lazy, two fingered salute his makeshift form of a farewell, quick to turn on his heel after his fingertips tapped your shoulder in a reassuring manner before he jogged off in the direction of the Map Room, leaving you and Newt to your devices.  

The two of you immediately fell into a bout of comfortable silence as he slowly edged toward you, taking Minho’s place at your side and slipping an arm across your shoulders before looking to you for silent confirmation to begin guiding you to the Medjack hut.  You nodded easily, instantly finding a compromised speed to limp alongside Newt, your own arm settled just under his shoulder blades as you both made your way across the Glade with the sun fully beginning to set behind you.  

“So,”  He began after a moment, doe eyes fixated wholly on you as you carefully navigated through the swishing grass.  Gladers were bustling about the expansive courtyard, some carrying plates loaded with food while Builders wrapped up the day, Gally’s shouting fit heard even from the distance you and Newt were as he ordered the others around.  “You ready for tomorrow?” 

Your head perked up in curiosity, brow furrowing as you called upon even the slightest memory to recall what was supposed to be taking place the next day, finding rather quickly that you wouldn’t be able to.  You offered te blonde a confused look as you continued to keep pace with him as best you could, only stumbling every few feet or so now that you were walking across the even terrain of the grass-laden field.  “What’s going on tomorrow?” 

The second in command chuckled, the sound more akin to the shard of a melody plucked out of a long-since-forgotten song, ancient and rich and beautiful as the golden rays of the dissipating light hit the panes of his face and sent the amber tones to his eyes sparking.  It was truly a peaceful moment, one that you found yourself eager to meld into as you laughed alongside him. 

“Greenie day.  I’m surprised you didn’t remember though, you’re usually more on top of it than I am.” 

You hummed.  It was odd, how something so big followed by the most looked forward to night of the month followed right after slipped your mind, but you figured that in combination to the surge of new Runners and having to train them alongside Minho had proved to be a bigger distraction than you had originally though.  So you shrugged, a content sigh tugging at your lips as you leaned into Newt with a nod.

“‘spose so.  Let’s just hope they aren’t another nutjob like Gally.”

[flowerpot101]

There For You

Tony Stark x Reader

Prompt: #7: “You didn’t have to do this, you know.”

Summary: Reader helps Tony after Steve leaves with Bucky after their fight. Reader takes care of him, helps him rebuild his suit, just helps him with everything she can.

Word Count: 1433

A/N: This is my submission for @amarvelouswritings Bee’s 2.1k Challenge 

It had been months since everything had fallen apart, nothing was the same anymore. Ever since the events of the Civil War, no one acted the same not even Tony. In the past, he was always able to cover up his guilt and pain but this time; you could see it clear as day. He was worst this time around compared to any of the past events; Civil War was just built on top of the guilt from New York and Sokovia.

Pepper was there every day just as Y/n was; however, Pepper soon left with no longer being able to handle what Tony was going through. His actions and attitude were starting to affect her negatively and Pepper knew it was time to get out before it ended badly. Y/n didn’t leave, no matter how bad it had gotten, she never once left his side.

She was one of the few that were left from the original Avengers; Y/n didn’t know what exactly had happened since she was on a long term mission during the time when the events had taken place. The only thing she did know was that Tony was being pulled apart when she had arrived at the old Hydra base to take him back home; he was just sitting there, watching where he had watched Steve leave with Bucky in his arms, looking at the shield with sorrow and guilt. Y/n knew what would happen once they returned back to the compound. Tony would soon go down to his lab, never coming up but only for coffee, maybe food if he remembered, then sleep would become nonexistent as he would be fearful of the nightmares that would be there when he would close his eyes. She knew it was bound to happen and it was her job to make sure he didn’t plummet down that darkness again.

And of course she was right, once everything had began to settle down, Tony was instantly in his lab working on god knows what. New inventions were popping all over the cold lab, tools were scattered everywhere, coffee mug after coffee mug were placed in random parts of the room, and it was a holy grail of a mess. It wasn’t long before Y/n found herself in the lab at ungodly hours in the morning, helping Tony with fixing his suit, she didn’t know exactly what she was doing but Y/n knew it had relieved some of the stress when he didn’t have to repeatedly give instructions towards Dum-E on what to do. She always watched in amazement as he worked, a part of her was envious of how creative he was and she made sure to tell him that every day when given the chance.

Every night she made dinner for him, making sure he ate the food that she sat in front of him before she ate her own food. Y/n even made sure that he would get at least an hour nap or break before he began working again. She even had to make sure he had gotten into the shower to clean himself for there were far too many times where she walked up to him and he reeked. For the first two months, Tony hadn’t exactly realized what she was doing but the day when she hadn’t showed up, everything became crystal clear to him. All the things he had done that day had fallen apart, stress levels were at a high peak but then the next day when she returned, everything felt fine and normal.

Tony instantly began to focus more on you as days, weeks and months past. He watched you as you carried a platter full of food and coffee for him when it was time to eat the three important meals of the day. Even if it was creepy, he found himself watching you as you slept on one of the many couches. He thought when it hit ten months of your care, you would finally go back to your own normal routine but you didn’t. Then he knew why, it was only two months away for it to be a year since the events that had made the team separate. That day, that night was the worst thing he could have ever experience. Even by your side, he was having constant nightmares leading up to the day and constantly begging him to eat had gotten you nowhere like the other days had. Right then and there, Stark knew he would need you in his life just a little bit longer for he knew if you weren’t there, he wouldn’t know where he would be standing.

Y/n was walking to the common area where the living room and kitchen resided, it was time to make dinner and you were feeling like making something big and delicious. The halls were silent, only hearing the pitter-patter of her steps. It usually was buzzing about this time, everyone heading for the door to head home to their families or going and grabbing dinner before they went back to their stations.  Tonight was different, no one was walking out the doors or grabbing their dinner, there was no one in sight. As she got closer to the doors of the common area, she could hear the sound of classical music playing. Her face contorted into confusion, no one really ever listened to classical for AC DC was always playing.

Stepping through the entranceway as the door slid open for her automatically, she was meant with a beautiful sight. The lights were dimmed while candles were placed all about the room; the table was set with a crimson red cloth with golden plates atop. A giant boutique of over a dozen white roses sat in the middle with Tony Stark himself standing right behind it. His face was lifted into a bright smile showing of his perfect teeth, looking fresher than ever, his arms were folded behind him as he rocked on the bottom of his heels. He oozed confidence, something Y/n hadn’t seen in a long time. She couldn’t form words, shock was settling in the pit of her stomach while her face was full of confusion.

Blinking her eyes wildly, she finally spoke, “What is all of this? I’m not stepping in on a date, am I?”

“Nope.” He said as he popped the p, “All of this,” moving his hands out in front of him, “Is all for you.”

“For me?” Eyebrows furrowing downwards, “Why?” She asked as her head did a little shake.

Stepping around the table and walking towards you as he stood in front of you, his hands came up to squeeze your shoulders gently, “Because, you deserve after what you’ve done for me. I mean, you took care of me when no one else would for over a year.”

Looking at him with bewilderment, she sputtered out, “A simple thank you is enough, but this… You didn’t have to do this, you know.” She looked around at the table, spotting all of her favorites, “I took care of you because I care for you, you’re like family to me Tony and you always take care of your family, no matter what,” she sternly but gently said.

Tony’s arms instantly wrapped around her form, hugging her tightly against his chest, whispering out a small, “Thank you.”

Pulling away from you, tugging you towards one of the seats that lined the table, he excitedly yelled out, “Let’s eat!”

Laughing as he said it in a deeper voice, sitting by one another as he began scooping up all sorts of food until it was piled high like a mountain. The two of you sat and talked, eating and drinking the fine glass of wine that he wouldn’t stop pouring. Neither stress nor worry were to be seen that night, the only thing was pure happiness and joy. You two knew all of this wasn’t going to last so you made sure you took the time and made it count. Who knew when the next attack would be on earth, who knew before any danger was going to show up; if you didn’t make it count now then it never would.

That night was something that you two would never forget, it felt like nothing bad had ever happened or there was any guilt. It felt normal, like there was nothing special about the two of you. There were no nightmares that night as you two slept and there weren’t any for the upcoming months. Everything for once and for all was at peace.

@dekahg

[arawynn]

Blind Dates

A/N: My submission for Bee’s 2.1k challenge by @amarvelouswritings – A Bucky X Reader fanfic for prompt 21 “They’re wrong about you.”

Summary: After a gone wrong blind date your best friend Bucky Barnes comes to you for consolation.

Warnings: Heartache, Sadness, little bit swearing, Fluff, Happy Ending

It was almost 11 pm when you heard a faint knock at the door of your apartment. You had expected and kind of feared it equally. Internally preparing for the worst, you got up to open the door. On the other side stood Bucky Barnes, your best friend. He looked even worse than you had expected. It made your heart clench.

The knot of his tie was untied. His broad shoulders slumped down. The first two buttons of his shirt were open. His neat man bun no more existent. The glove on his left hand was gone. He held his head so low, that even you were unable to see his face properly. Even though he was noticeable taller than you.

When Bucky raised his head, you could see his tear-stained cheeks and the puffy, reddened eyes. He had never looked this defeated and near the point of breaking. Not even after horrible missions. “Hey Y/N. Sorry I disturbed you but…I just couldn’t…I…” He opened and closed his mouth a few times, but no further word passed his lips. After a few seconds, his shoulders slumped even more down. “Maybe I should just go home and leave you alone.”, he sighed.

You gently grasped his human hand before he could actually leave. “You are always welcome, Buck. Come in.”, you said softly and tugged at his hand. The dark-haired soldier followed you and closed the door. “How about you change into something more comfortable? I’ve washed some clothes and one of your pyjamas was among them. They might be still warm. I’ll get some ice-cream meanwhile.”, you suggested.

A small smile appeared at Bucky’s face. He loved to dress in pyjamas that came straight out of the dryer. Especially when he was feeling down. He knew that you knew this as well and that you had washed his clothes this evening very deliberately. But the soldier didn’t mind it – au contraire. It warmed his heart to have a friend like you. Who cared for him whatever happened and who didn’t care about his past.

While Bucky changed his clothes, you stood in front of your freezer and tried to pick a flavour of ice-cream. Your friends knew that you were a sucker for it, no matter the flavour. Or the season of year. You loved them all and rarely a day passed where you didn’t eat at last a spoonful of the frozen treat. Even in the coldest winter.

You heard the door of your bathroom being opened and soft footsteps that headed towards your living room. “Bowl or package, Buck?”, you called in his direction. “Package, please. And a tablespoon for me.”, the brunette answered. You contorted your face. If Bucky asked for a package and a tablespoon, it was even worse than you had assumed yet.

Deciding to adopt drastic measures, you picked the chocolate ice-cream with grated white and dark chocolate for Bucky. It was his and your favourite one, but only sometimes purchasable. Because of this, you would eat it only at special occasions. Well, the current state of your best friend was the best reason to eat it. You even wouldn’t mind Bucky eating it all by himself if it helped him.

You grabbed some vanilla and caramel ice-cream for yourself along with two spoons and headed towards your living room. Bucky was already sitting on his usual spot on the sofa. The sadness in his eyes ceased when you entered the room. He even gave you a quick peck on the cheek when you handed him the ice-cream and the tablespoon.

You turned your head away to hide the blush that spread on your face. You had a crush on your best friend for quite some time now, but never had nerve enough to make a move. Especially not after Bucky had started dating – even though they had been threaded by Steve and Sam. And until now none of the dates had led to anything more.

While the two of you ate your ice-cream in silence, you glanced to your best friend every now and then. Sometimes he would only pick at his food and a second later, he shoved amounts in his mouth that you wondered how he didn’t get brain freeze. But the picking at the ice-cream got more and more until you couldn’t stand it anymore.

You snatched the package of ice-cream from his hands. The brunette let out a surprised huff but looked at you like a beaten puppy at the very same time. “I can’t stand how you mistreat this poor, innocent ice-cream. I will save it from you.”, you said with a teasing fake-serious tone. A mischievous smile appeared on Bucky’s face. “Really?”, he asked dangerously calm.

A second later, you were buried under his large body while he tried to snatch the package back from your hands. Somehow, you managed to keep it away from him with one hand. The other hand started meanwhile to tickle the super-soldier. He froze almost instantly and narrowed his eyes to slits.

You barely accomplished to set the ice-cream on the table before Bucky started to tickle you relentless. You squirmed and cried with laugher because the brunette knew the spots where you were particularly ticklish and used them against you. He didn’t stop until you were out of breath and had tears streaming down your face.

Only then he had mercy with you and laid his head gently on your stomach. You started to comb your hands through his hair. Bucky’s arms sneaked around your back. “You dork.”, you sighed with conjugal affection and returned the hug. “I’m okay with being your best friend dork.”, he answered with a soft smile.

A few moments later, the smile disappeared again and Bucky buried his face a little deeper in your stomach. You knew at once what had caused this sudden change of demeanour. The soldier had thought about his date and now the sadness returned. “Tell me what’s in your mind?”, you asked quietly.

“My date.”, Bucky asked brusquely. You remained silent and continued to play with his hair. Sooner or later, Bucky would talk. He always did. But it didn’t help to pressure him. You knew better. The next couple of minutes went by in complete silence. The only sound came from your hands that kept playing with the soft brown strands.

“It started really good. Like…we had some sort of special connection at once.”, Bucky started quietly. It made your heart clench. You were kind of jealous of this woman and the connection between her and Bucky. That he regarded her as potential girlfriend. And at the same time there was this sadness because you knew this story had no happy end.

“Well, it went well until we left the restaurant. She was curious about what might be hidden under the glove and tried to snatch it away from me. Somehow, she got hold of it. It didn’t take long for her to spot who I am. Or was. And then she screamed bloody murder. As if I was about to kill her right then and there. She…she called me a monster. Just like the other women I dated who found it out.”, he continued. At the end, Bucky was sobbing in your shirt.

You rubbed his back and gently combed his hair with your fingers in order to sooth him. To show your best friend that he wasn’t alone. That you were there for him. For quite a while, the silent sobs were the only sound in your apartment. Eventually, Bucky’s tears dried and he simply lay on top of you.

“Listen to me, Buck.”, you said gently. He raised his head. A silent sign that he did listen. “They’re wrong about you. All those people who call you a monster are so wrong. They don’t know you. You are one of the most gentle, compassionate, loyal, caring and loving people I’ve ever met. And after everything you’ve been through it’s even more amazing. So don’t let yourself be belittled and don’t belittle yourself anymore.”

The dark-haired soldier stared at you. Adoration and awe was written all over his face. “How did I never…”, he mumbled and sat up. You copied his motion. Bucky’s blue eyes didn’t leave yours for a second. The two of you were sitting close just like you had done so often. But this time, it was different. There was a tension in the air you couldn’t quite place.

When Bucky cupped your cheek with his flesh hand, you instinctively leaned into the gentle touch. “It…it sounds so stupid but…I just understood that I’ve fallen in love with you.”, he mumbled while a blush dusted his cheeks. Your eyes snapped open. This had to be a dream. No way James Buchanan Barnes would ever even consider to fall in love with you. You were the best-friend-type, not the girlfriend-type of girl.

But the look on his face and the feelings in his eyes were so damn real. “Why me?”, you asked. It sounded as if somebody was choking you. Bucky smiled gently. “You’re always there for me when I need something. No matter if it’s a warm pyjama and ice-cream after a bad date or hugs or just someone who is willing to listen. You’ve never condemned me for my past. Around you, I can be simply Bucky. You are gentle, compassionate, loyal, caring and loving.”

You chuckled a bit when the soldier recited exactly those traits you had used as well. His human hand still gently caressed your face. “I’ve been in love with you for quite some time already. But I wasn’t brave enough to make a move. Partly because our friendship is so important to me and I know how badly you needed someone beside Steve.”, you admitted.

Bucky inched carefully closer. His metal hand cupped your other cheek. “Can we try it, doll?”, he whispered. His lips were only a few inches away from yours. Your heart skipped a beat. He had never called you doll or anything like that. Those terms of endearment had always been saved for his dates. One more reason you had been convinced he would never see you that way. As answer, you pressed your lips against his.

A kiss had never felt this good. The brunette sighed gently and pulled you closer. The love in it made you almost swoon. Bucky was soft and gentle, as if he feared to hurt you. When you finally broke the kiss in need of air you noticed that your hands had woven themselves into Bucky’s soft hair. The smile on his face was unlike any you had ever seen. Peaceful and calm, but beaming from happiness and love. To see him like this made you weak in the knees.

“Can I invite you for dinner tomorrow? As a thank you for everything and as first actual date?”, Bucky asked gently. “Yes.”, you answered smiling. His smile became radiant. Your yawn destroyed the mood. Bucky chuckled while you grinned sheepishly. “We should go to bed. I kept you up way to long.”, the soldier told you. His smile had become softer. You simply nodded and lead him to your bedroom.

That night, the two of you slept in each other’s arms. Happy and peaceful.

[awkwardtickleetoo]

My Masterpost

☆ last updated -> 7/22/24 (most recent fic)

☆ all my writing in one place -> cals writing

☆ concepts (mine + other's) -> concepts / ideas

☆ my favorites tag -> here

☆ cal’s favs of other people’s fics -> here

☆ primarily write for the dream team (dream, george, sapnap), but I may write for others, such as XD, larray, karl, sylvee, gia, HD, 4K (among others on occasion, in no particular order, changes quite often)

☆ I also write for the heartstopper series on occasion!! so most of the main group I would be willing to write :)

☆ any fic title with a star next to it (like these bullet points) -> a personal favorite of mine

IRL

Belated Birthday Surprise - lee!dream, ler!sapnap, 2.6k words

Wake-Up Call - lee!dream, ler!sapnap, ler!george, 1.4k words

George's Favorite Birthday Tradition - lee!george, ler!sapnap, ler!dream, 4k words

☆ The American Experience - lee!george, ler!dream, 2.6k words

Bedtime for Dream - lee!dream, ler!sapnap, 2.4k words

Sapnap's Taste of Revenge - lee!sapnap, ler!dream, ler!george, 2.1k words

Birthday Raspberries: The Origin Story - lee!dream, ler!sapnap, 3.1k words

Shaking the Jitters Out - lee!dream, ler!sapnap, feat. partially ler!george, 2k words

☆ One Sided Tickle Fight - lee!george, ler!sapnap, ler!dream, 2.6k words

☆ Sleepy Kitten - lee!george, ler!karl, feat. partially ler!dreamnap, 4k words

☆ Cosquillas, Cosquillas - lee!dream, ler!george, 5.7k words

☆ Timed Challenge!! - switch!dream, switch!sapnap, 4.4k words

Blind Spot - lee!dream, ler!hannah, ler!sylvee, 1.6k words

Sharing is Caring - switch!hannah, switch!sapnap, feat. george and sylvee, 1.7k words

☆ Sweet Like Maple Syrup - lee!dream, ler!sapnap, 5k words

☆ Water Works - lee!george, ler!larray, 2.2k words

☆ All Tied Up - lee!george, ler!sapnap, feat. dream, 6.4k words

☆ Pretty Kitty - lee!george, ler!dream, 4.8k words, romantic dnf!!

Double Trouble - lee!george, lee!dream, ler!sapnap, 6.5k words

Love Me Knot - lee!dream, ler!george, ler!sapnap, 2.9k words

SMP/In MC

Tickling 101 (Guide My Hand) - lee!dreamxd, ler!george, 3.3k words

-> Tickling 404 (Decision Making) - lee!george, ler!dreamxd, 2.6k words

Busy Giggle Bee - lee!dream, ler!george, 1.5k words

☆ The Importance of Eye Contact - lee!george, ler!karl, 2k words

Warden's Wrath - lee!george + lee!dream, feat. sapnap and bbh, 3.3k words

-> Warden’s Revenge - lee!bad + lee!sapnap, feat. george and dream, 3.9k words

No Out-Tickling the Tickle God - lee!george, ler!dreamxd, 2.9k words

Invisible Instigators - lee!georgehd, ler!dreamxd, 2.4k words

FNAF x DNF

an ongoing series that I have about dream and george hanging out (read: having tickly adventures) with different fnaf security breach characters!

☆ Laugh for Us, Superstar - lee!dream, ler!freddy, ft. george, 3k words

-> ☆ The Very Squirmy Superstar - lee!george, ler!freddy, ft. dream, 4k words

Lee!George Week

brought to you from mushie's post here !! go check it out if you're interested in participating/reading, and with this tag or this post you can see other people's writings as well :)

day 1 - soft tickles - lee!george, ler!dream, 2.6k words

day 2 - ribs - lee!george, ler!dream, ler!sapnap, 2.1k words

day 3 - in MC - lee!george, ler!dreamxd, 3.3k words

day 5 - thighs - lee!george, ler!dream, ler!sapnap, 5.6k words

☆ day 6 - intense tickles - lee!george, ler!dream, 12k words

-> day 6 part 2 (coming soon) - lee!dream, ler!george,

-> day 6 part 3 (coming soon) - lee!sapnap, ler!dream, ler!george,

-> day 6, part 4 (coming soon) - lee!george, ler!dream,

day 7 - free day - lee!george, ler!karl, 3.8k words

Lee!George Summer

brought to you by this post from summer!! make sure you check out the post or this tag for more info and fics from the event :)

day 3 - minecraft, but… - lee!george, ler!dream, semi-ler!sapnap, 3.1k words

day 4/5 - ship day/worst spot - lee!george, ler!sapnap, 2.3k words

day 6 - free day - lee!george, ler!badboyhalo, 2k words

Ler!Sapnap Week

brought to you from this post by sleepy!! make sure you check it out if you’re interested, and make sure you send your support to sleepy for all her hard work and her fics, as well as to anyone else who wrote for this week :D

day 1 - antsy - lee!dream, ler!sapnap, 1.3k words

day 2/3 - gym/bet - lee!george, ler!sapnap, 1.7k words

day 5 - tease/ghost tickles - lee!dream, ler!sapnap, 1.8k words

Lee!Dream Month

brought to you from this post from llama!! please go check it out if these interest you, and with this tag you can see a ton of other people's writings as well :)

day 1 - tummy tickles - 796 // day 2 - first meetup/stream - 2k // day 3 - mask - 810 // day 4 - tickle hugs - 1.4k // day 5 - scars - 1.9k

Ask Box Prompts/Ficlets (anything under 1k)

"This is not what we agreed on!" - lee!george, ler!dream, 1.3k words

☆ "I'm gonna tickle you until you cry" + "All you have to do is ask" - lee!george, ler!dream, ~1k words

"Put the book down and pay attention to me!" + "Don't tell me I've found another tickle spot" - lee!george, ler!dream, ~550 words

"How bad does it tickle on a scale from 1-10?" - lee!punz, ler!sapnap, ~500 words

☆ sapnap thigh blurbs - lee!sapnap, ler!george, ler!karl, ler!dream

Heartstopper

Payback - lee!nick, ler!charlie, 3k words

[anakin-danvers]

Software Update

x

Steve Rogers x fem!reader

For Bee's 2.1k challenge @amarvelouswritings Congratulations Bee!

prompts: 24 - “I never want you to feel like you’re not good enough.” 28 - “If I kissed you right now, what would you do?” Warnings: angst, low self esteem, mention of slight violence, language, alcohol drinking, fluffy as hell, slow burn (as slow as it can be in a one shot), ~ 5.4k word count (idk how it got to be this long) A/N: Hey y’all! So this is my submission for Bee’s 2.1k challenge. Congrats to her, I know she deserves it because her work is so amazing!! Also, this happens to be my first fic on here. I hope y’all like it too because I really enjoyed writing this, I smiled so much throughout. Enjoy! --- You looked at yourself in the mirror for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning. You convinced yourself again that your wardrobe choice was fine and that the appointment you had should be short and to the point so there was really nothing to fret.

Closing your eyes, you took a deep breath. "You got this, Y/N. It'll just be a simple software update for Stark's computer system. It's not your first time there." It was something he could do himself or have any other staff member do, you thought. You grabbed your keys and your laptop bag, shaking the thought out of your mind. These appointments were, in your eyes, unnecessary, but you were thankful for the opportunity nonetheless. It brought in much needed extra cash and allowed you to interact and even form a friendship with some of Earth's mightiest heroes. You left your apartment and called down a cab. Jumping in, you looked through your bag to make sure you had everything. Sure enough, you did. In reality, it was obvious you'd have everything. You'd prepared for today since last night. And you'd checked to see if you'd had everything at least three times this morning, just like every time you had these appointments. Soon, you were dropped off in front of the Avengers building. You paid for the cab and walked into the building. The receptionist greeted you with a smile. "Good morning Miss Y/L/N." "Good morning Lucy. I'm here for Mr. Stark." She nodded and grabbed a badge for you. You thanked her and headed to the elevator. The confidence you'd had in your outfit choice, well it'd diminished. In the lobby you'd seen some other women, thinner women, beautiful women, in nice skirts and dresses. Maybe you should've opted for something like that instead of your usual slacks. "Can't back out now, Y/N," you mumbled to yourself. "Plus, there's no one you're trying to impress, is there?" It seemed as if your question had been answered as soon as the doors to the floor Tony always had you go to, the common floor where most of the Avengers were usually lounging around, opened. There, standing in all his glory and all his red, white, and blue was Steve Rogers himself. He had his back to you and he was wearing his uniform, minus his helmet. Standing with him was Tony, and it seemed as if whatever they were talking about had their full attention. You internally sighed as you stepped out of the elevator and into the floor, or at least you thought you'd sighed internally. You could feel your face turn red at the realization that you'd actually sighed out loud. Steve turned, catching your eye and giving you a warm smile. Gosh, that smile really wasn't helping you get your composure together. "Good morning, Y/N." "H-hello Steve." "Y/N! So glad to see you today!" Thankfully enough, Tony noticed you as well. He went over  to engulf you in a hug, one you hoped would give you some relief to get rid of your current tomato face. "Nice to see you too, Tony," you said laughing lightly. Tony stepped back and slung an arm around your shoulders. Out of all the Avengers, Tony was the one you knew the most. Your dad had worked in the janitorial service for the tower back when it was just starting off as Stark tower. Although he was now retired, it was because of the good relationship that your father had with Tony that you were able to have these appointments in the first place. Your dad would always tell Tony about his daughter who was studying computer science, and when you'd finished college you'd gotten many offers from Tony about joining his personal team for the behind the scenes Avengers, as he'd called it. You'd thought about it many times, but honestly you were afraid you weren't up to par and you didn't want to be offered a job just because of your parents, and you'd explained that to Tony many times. He said time and time again that he'd offered you the job because of your work from school, but you weren't convinced. "Steve here just got back from a mission and he was giving me a quick run down." "Oh, well I don't want to interrupt," you said. “I can make my way to the computer room and be done quickly." "Hey what happened to your cheek?" It seemed as if Tony had taken notice of your slightly bruised left cheek. His question made Steve take a closer look at your face, and a small frown etched itself on his face. "Oh-umm there was this small altercation I had with a man on the subway. Nothing big, really," you explained. The man seemed to have been drunk and to be honest, your defense skills weren't the best. "Want me to track him down? What'd he look like? Friday, get me the footage of the subway cameras–" "No, Tony, really. I'm fine. It was a week ago. It's okay." "Hmmm. Well weren't you getting training from Nat and Wanda?" "I haven't seen you around the gym with them for some weeks now," it was the first words Steve had said since his greeting, making your eyes glance at his face for a second. "Yea, umm, I got a bit busy with work. I did learn a couple things and I was going to put them into use but I just kind of...freaked out." You laughed in an attempt to make the conversation more light hearted. "You should try to make some time. I mean, your safety is priority." You felt Steve's eyes on you and you looked over to see him looking at you with a worried expression and crossed arms. "I will. I just let it slip is all." "I still think you should come and work with me. I'm telling you, Y/N, you could have your own sleeping quarters here and everything. It'll be better than your apartment. You'll be safe, no matter what time of day you get home." Tony tightened his grip on your shoulders and you looked back at him, giving him a smile. "I'll think about it. Now I really should get to the computers." ~~ "Fuck," you cursed as another error page popped onto the screen of your laptop. You looked at the time and let the word slip from your lips again. It had been an hour since you'd started the system update. It should've taken you 15 minutes but instead here you were, an hour in and no closer to an updated system. "This is why I can't work for you, Tony," you mumbled to the empty room. Concentrating back on the laptop, you let your fingers attack the keyboard as you entered another system of code. The opening of the office door took you out of your trance, and you heard the voice before you'd turned around. "Hey you," Natasha's smooth voice filled your ears and you couldn't help but smile. Your smile only widened as you noticed that Wanda was trailing behind her. "Hi guys," you said, standing up to greet them each with a hug. "Tony told us you were in here. We came looking for you right away," Wanda said. The three of you walked back to the desk you had been sitting at for the past hour. You took a seat while Wanda and Nat stood at either side of you. "Honestly I don't even know what I'm doing here." "Aww come on Y/N," Nat said, taking a grip of you shoulder as you proceeded to put your face in your hands. "You were born to do this sort of thing. Hell, I'd even say you're better at all this computer stuff than me." You shook your head, giving Nat a look of disbelief. "You're just saying that." "She's not just saying that. You know she never just says things." Wanda said. "Wanda's right. So keep going at it. I'm sure you can get it done in no time." "We'll see. This thing was supposed to take me 15 minutes to install. It's been an hour." "Don't give up, Y/N. I let you give up the training sessions, but not this." "I didn't give up on that, Wanda. I just...got busy." Natasha scoffed. "Got busy trying to avoid a certain Mr. America." You could feel the red return to your face as you vigorously shook your head. "You don't know what he does to me, Nat. If he talks to me or even glances at me, I feel like I'm going to pass out. And it's so stupid because, well, we've actually hung out a handful of times and those times we'd never really been alone. The only time we're alone is whenever I'd bump into him in the corridors and trust me, I couldn't handle doing that anymore. Plus, I really did get busy. My bills don't pay themselves, you know." "Yes I understand but last I remember, you kept postponing until you just avoided the subject all together," Nat said. "You know, Y/N, maybe you should let him know how you feel." "Are you kidding me, Wanda? What good can come out of that?" "Oh I don't know," Nat said. "Maybe he'll let you know that he's just as head over heels for you as you are for him." "I can't believe you can lie so easily, Nat." "She's not lying, Y/N. He asked a lot about you when you stopped coming to our training sessions." Wanda's words threatened to cloud over your concentration, but you continued to focus on the task ahead, your fingers jumping around the keyboard. "You girls are delusional," you mumbled. The two gave small laughs but decided to drop the subject. You continued to type away, your brow coming down as you felt the end of the process come near. You typed the final digits in and waited as the bar loaded. Soon, you were met with a window with the green words 'software update installed' on it. "Fuck yea. I did it. I'm done. Finally." "See? We told you you'd do it." Nat gave you a small smirk and you grinned back at her. "It took me forever though. Friday, can you call Tony down here and tell him the software update is complete?" "Right away, Ms. Y/L/N," the artificial voice responded back. Within a few minutes, Tony walked into the office, a huge smile plastered on his face. Coming in behind him was Steve, this time out of his uniform. He was sporting some dark sweatpants that hung low on his hips along with a gray shirt that hugged his chest nicely. He looked over at you and gave you a small nod and smile. You smiled back, trying to keep the redness from you cheeks at bay but failing, once again. "You're a genius, Y/N!" Tony grabbed you by the shoulders and shook you, smiling at you with the same huge smile he'd entered with. "Uh I'd hardly say that. The system update took me forever. I should have done it in 15 minutes, not a whole hour." "No, Y/N. I changed the system. The update should've taken at least 7 hours to complete, and that's if I were doing the update." "What?" "I changed the system to one that looked to be exactly the same one that you'd installed. The way I designed it, system updates are supposed to take a long time, a process of a day or two for regular people. You did this in an hour. You're a genius, Y/N, just accept it. Now, since you passed the test, I want to offer you a job on the team again. What do you say?" You were shocked. For one, you felt sort of confused about the fact that you hadn't noticed the system change. But greater than that, you were utterly surprised at what you'd done. Suddenly, you felt like you could do this. Maybe you were capable of being an effective asset to the Avengers. "Cmon, Y/N. You did an amazing job, and I know you'll be able to do even more amazing work with us," Wanda's words brought you back to reality and Tony's awaiting eyes. "I-uh," you stopped, taking a breath to collect your words. "I'd love to." Tony shouted in excitement and pulled you in for a hug, causing you to laugh. When he let you go, Wanda and Natasha both have you big smiles and a small hug in congratulations. "I'll get the room fixed up for you. You can move in as early as tomorrow," Tony said. "I think I'll need more time than that. I need to let my other job know and move my things." Tony agreed and gave you another hug before leaving to attend some business. Nat and Wanda excused themselves, saying they needed to go read over a mission briefing they were assigned to, leaving you alone with Steve. You watched them all exit the offices, then your eyes darted to Steve, who was already looking at you. "Congratulations, Y/N. I know Tony wanted you to take the job for a while now. I'm glad you did." "Thank you, Steve," you said. A small smile tugged at the corner of Steve's mouth and he looked down at his shoes. "Since you're going to be in the tower more often now, I guess you'll have time for training?" "Oh. Yes, definitely. I'm sure Tony will be a nice boss." He laughed. "I'm sure he will be." Steve looked up at you and caught your eyes. Looking at his blue eyes, you couldn't help the smile that jumped on your face. Steve smiled in response and his eyes began to look over your face. As they moved over to your left cheek, the smile on his face dropped and instead his beautiful face homed a frown. You knew he was frowning at your bruised cheek, and you wished you'd covered it up better. Steve took a step closer to you, making your breathing quicken. His hand came up to cup your chin, his thumb grazing your bruised skin. You couldn't stop yourself from closing your eyes at the feeling of his skin. It was so warm, so welcoming, so right. "I'm going to train you." Steve's voice caused you to open your eyes and find him looking at you with a soft gaze. He dropped his hand from your face, to your disappointment, but his eyes stayed focused on you. "What?" "I mean, if you're okay with it, I'd like to train you myself. We can start as soon as you want. I just...I need to know that you'll be able to defend yourself and prevent this from ever happening again." His voice was soft, causing a warm feeling to make its way to your stomach, adding to the feelings of butterflies already present. "Yes. That'd be great." "Great." You blinked, bringing yourself out of the daze that Steve seemed to always put you in. You dropped your gaze to your shoes and then moved to grab your laptop and bag. "I, uh, I should get going," you said, closing your laptop and putting it in the bag while also grabbing your cell and putting it in your pocket. "Oh, before you go, I wanted to ask you something." You slipped the bag on your shoulder and turned to look at Steve. "Yes?" "Tony, he's holding a party tomorrow. I'm not sure what it's for, something about some donors and, well, I can bring a guest. So I was wondering, would you want to come with me? It's at 8 and I understand it's last minute but I just got back from a mission and found out and I understand if you can't go–" "I'd love to, Steve," you said, smiling as you saw his eyes brighten. He smiled at you, a smile that reached his eyes. "Okay, great. I'll pick you up tomorrow then. Is 7:30 fine?" "7:30 is perfect. Thank you, Steve." "No, thank you," he said and gave a small laugh. "I guess I'll walk you out then." You walked together out the office and to the elevator. You pressed the button and waited for the elevator, though there wasn't much waiting to do. The door opened and Steve put his hand on the door to keep it open while you walked in. "It was nice seeing you, Y/N. And I'm glad I'll be seeing you around more. I'll see you tomorrow, then." "Likewise, Steve. See you tomorrow." You gave each other one last smile before he stepped back and let the elevator door shut. ~~ "I don't know why I agreed to going. What am I going to do in a Stark party?" You were walking about your room, looking for the mascara that should have been with the rest of your makeup. "You said yes because Steve asked you." You'd called your best friend, Alex, to have her talk to you while you finished getting ready. You already had your dress on. You'd chosen a black A-line dress that reached your knees. It had lace scallops on the sleeves. You were sure the flaring bottom added unnecessary volume to your figure, but then again anything else seemed to hug places you wanted to hide. For your hair, you'd put it up in a low bun. This way, you'd have it out of the way during the night. Your makeup was about to be done. You'd chosen one of your go to looks, paying extra attention to your disappearing bruise. It seemed as if you used it for every party, but it was easy for you to do and was more glam than your everyday routine, so you'd decided to play it safe. All you needed was that damn mascara you were looking for. "Okay, but I still don't know why he did. Maybe he felt like he had to because of the whole job thing." You looked through a purse you'd taken out a few days before and, thankfully, found the small tube. You rushed over to the mirror and began to apply it. "From what you talked to me about, he seemed pretty interested, Y/N." Alex continued to voice her thoughts through the speaker of your phone. You rolled your eyes, even though she couldn't see. "I doubt that's the case." "Well, I'm just saying this based off the facts. Plus, didn't you tell me he texted you last night?" "Yes, but just to confirm at what time he'd pick me up today and to ask for my address. Oh, and to say that it was good to see me." "I can't believe how blind you're being right now. Why can't you see what's happening?" "Because, Alex, he could have any intelligent, beautiful, experienced woman he wants. I don't see why he'd want me." You closed the mascara and made sure you hadn't left any black marks around your eyes. "Y/N! You are beautiful and intelligent and absolutely amazing. He'd be lucky to have you." You shook your head, again, unnecessarily due to the fact that she couldn't see you. "I think he's seeing someone, or at least intends to. I heard the mentioning of a Sharon around the tower. Somebody he met while he was in D.C." You grabbed your phone at the sound that you'd received a text. "Hey, Alex, Steve just texted me to let me know he's outside. I'll call you tomorrow, yes?" "Okay, okay," she said, excitement clear in her voice. "Have fun, Y/N! Call me tomorrow to let me know how everything went!!" You bid yourselves goodbye as you sent Steve a quick text to let him know you'd be down in a second. You grabbed your clutch and phone before slipping your heels on. Closing up your apartment, you made your way down to meet Steve, the butterflies in your stomach becoming violently present. Walking out into the street, you looked around and caught Steve leaning on a black Suburban. Seeing him, you couldn't help but bite your lip. He looked gorgeous. He was wearing black pants and a blue button up shirt that flattered him beyond words. He looked over and saw you, a smile appearing on his face. He started to walk over to you, and you did the same, trying to focus on your walking, seeing as how his presence made your legs feel like jello. "Hey, Y/N. You look," he blinked and shook his head, opening his arms as he motioned to you. "You look gorgeous." "Thank you, Steve. You look great, as well." Your heart was beating really fast, so much so that you felt as if you kept talking it's jump out of your throat. "Shall we head over to the tower then?" he asked and stuck his arm out for you. You nodded and slipped your arm with his, a warm feeling coming to settle on the pit of your stomach. God, he smelled so amazing. The drive to the tower was nice. There was mostly comfortable small talk, accompanied by much laughter from both of you. Once you'd arrived, you opened the door to your side of the vehicle in order to get off, but Steve was by your side before you could step foot onto the sidewalk. He took your hand and helped you off, closing the door after you. He offered you his arm, and when you linked your arm with his, his other hand came to pat you. You smiled to yourself, you eyes focusing on your shoes in an attempt to hide your blush. The two of you made your way into the tower and into the party. Once stepping inside, you felt yourself start to feel uneasy. This seemed to happen a lot. You'd always have confidence in your appearance until you arrived to the event you'd gotten ready for. Today was not an exception. A lot of the other women in the party looked stunning. They'd mostly opted for tighter dresses that enhanced their curves, as well as floor length gowns with seductive slits. You instinctively tried to stay back from the crowd, not realizing you were still holding onto Steve and therefore keeping him back as well. Steve looked down to you, a concerned expression on his face. "Is everything okay, Y/N?" You closed your eyes briefly before opening them and smiling at Steve. "Yes, I'm fine." Before he could interrogate you any further, Bucky and Sam found you two. They approached you with excitement radiating from them. "Hey, Cap," Sam said, taking in Steve for a hug. You stood in the side, holding your clutch. "And hello, Y/N! You are such a beauty." He took you in for a hug as well, and you hugged him back, happy to see your good friend. "Hi Sam, it's good to see you," you said. "Hey now, where's my hug?" Bucky went over to you after having greeted Steve. You laughed and leaned into him to hug him as well. "Hello, Buck." "How would you two lovebirds want a drink?" Sam asked. You blinked in embarrassment at his choice of words, hoping Steve didn't put too much attention at his words. "Would you like something?" Steve asked you, in a lower tone. You nodded. "Yes, please. Some whiskey." "I'll be right back," he said, heading over to the bar with Sam and Bucky trailing behind him. "Y/N!" You turned to see Wanda rushing over to you with Natasha. They looked so amazing and you were so relieved to see your friends. "Hey guys!" "When did you get here?" Wanda asked. "Um we just got here a little bit ago." "We?" Nat asked, an eyebrow raised. "Yeah. Steve and I..." "Together?" You nodded. "Oh my gosh, Y/N. why didn't you tell us?" Wanda was beaming with excitement and you turned to see if Steve was still at the bar. He was. "He asked me yesterday after you two conveniently left," you said, in a somewhat accusative tone. "Ah, then you should be thanking us," Nat said. "Maybe he was waiting to catch you alone." "I guess so–" "There she is! Y/N, come here and meet Mr. and Mrs. Haas. They're interested in our work and I was just telling them about the new addition to the team," Tony took your arm in his and took you to an older couple who he'd been talking to. You turned to send an apologetic smile to Nat and Wanda and they nodded in understanding. "Hi, I'm Y/N Y/L/N, nice to meet you," you said, introducing yourself. The four of you continued to talk for a while, and your eyes scanned the crowd to see where Steve had stayed. You'd see him hopping around from Sam and Bucky to Bruce and Vision. After some time, you'd thought you'd embarrassed yourself enough with the couple. You were never great at holding conversation with people of importance, and though Tony kept helping you out, you had enough for the night. You walked away from them, looking around again to see if you could find Steve. To be honest, he was easy to spot, seeing as to how much he stood out for you. You spotted him at the bar again, only not alone. Next to him was a tall, blonde. She had a bright smile on her face, one that was replicated on Steve's own face. You were sure she was Sharon. Feeling the air leave your lungs a bit, you pushed yourself through the crowd and made your way out to the balcony. Great. Just fucking great. Now you were embarrassed from the talk with the Haas couple and alone for the night. After setting down your clutch on a small table next to you, your hands took a hold of the balcony rail and closed your eyes, feeling the wind hit you. It was what you needed, fresh air and time away from everybody. Only you weren't able to enjoy it for too long. You heard steps come up behind you and instinctively tenses up. You didn't turn until you felt the person come up next to you. "Hey. I, uh, brought you your drink. I had it earlier but you were busy with Tony." You turned to see Steve handing you your glass of whiskey. Taking it, you smiled at him in gratitude. You took a sip of the liquid, the burning sensation on your throat being a welcome feeling. "How'd it go with donors?" You could feel Steve's eyes on you, but you kept your eyes fixed on the glass in your hands.

You frowned slightly, thinking about the way you’d most likely embarrassed yourself in front of the couple. “I don’t think it went too well,” you mumbled as you set your glass next to your clutch on the table.

“Why do you say that?”

Sighing, you shook your head then moved your eyes to focus on the view from the balcony. Thousands of lights twinkled back back at you, as the city below you beamed with life. “I don’t know. I can usually do a decent job in talking to people in a formal matter, but just right now...I guess I was distracted, or nervous because of the new role I’d be taking in this job. Whatever the case, I’m sure I blew it.”

Steve let out a small chuckle. “I’d beg to differ, Y/N. I bumped into Tony before heading out here and he was beaming to me about how you’d blown them away.”

Taken aback by Steve’s words, you turned to look at him. You felt your face scrunch up in confusion. “Really?”

He smiled at your surprise and nodded. “He said that once you left they’d asked him where he’d find such a talented young woman as yourself.”

“I can’t believe they said that,” you said, your voice drifting off.

“Why is this so surprising to you? This was the reason Tony wanted you on the job, you know.”

You shrugged and sighed. “Honestly, I thought he’d kept offering me the job because of the way he got along with my dad. I never really felt capable or good enough for the position.”

“That’s nonsense. You’re one of the brightest minds I know.”

You scoffed, shaking your head in protest. “I doubt that’s the case, Steve.”

“You don’t believe me?” At your silence, it was Steve’s turn to shake his head. “Y/N, I need you to see yourself the way I see you.” He moved closer to you, taking your breath away with the diminishing distance between you two. “You are an impeccable human being, Y/N. You’re brilliant, nice, beautiful-”

“Steve...”

“Please, Y/N, let me finish,” he said, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “I never want you to feel like you’re not good enough. You’re so much more than good enough, and I need you to see that.” By now, he’d taken a hold of your hands, pulling them close to his chest, making your heart beat quicken.

“Why are you so good to me?” you mumbled, looking at his hands wrapped around your own and not throwing out the thought that maybe it wasn’t just your imagination yelling at you that Steve’s hands fit so perfectly around your own.

He chuckled, and the sound brought a warm feeling within you. “You know, I could be asking you the same question.”

You tried to organize your thoughts, and Wanda’s words from the day before came back to your mind. And maybe it was the alcohol-induced courage, but you proceeded to ask Steve, “I heard you were asking for me...during my absence from the tower.”

“I was.”

“Why?”

Steve sighed, prompting you to look up to look at his eyes, the beautiful orbs of blue with hints of green already looking at you with so much emotion. He broke the eye contact for a second, facing the city below you and placing his eyes back on your own, the same smile from earlier tugging at his lips.

“Isn’t it pretty obvious?”

“I mean, I’m asking aren’t I?”

He nodded in acknowledgment, then looked at you with a more serious expression. “You just have me so crazy about you.”

“I-I do?”

“You do.”

“But Steve, you could have anyone. A beautiful girl who can make you so happy. What about-what about Sharon? She’s so stunning, and smart, and strong. I can’t compete with that.” You began to feel overwhelmed as you mentally compared yourself to her, spotting things she had that you didn’t.

“You don’t have to.”

“I just don’t understand, Steve. Me? I have you crazy? This is like some sort of dream.” You bit your lip and brought your hands to your face as you closed your eyes.

Again, Steve’s chuckle filled your ears, making you open your eyes and take you out of your mental overdrive. “This is very real, Y/N.”

“I can’t believe this…”

“If I kissed you right now, what would you do?”

“Excuse me?” You asked, though it wasn’t due to lack of hearing.

“What would you do?”

“I don’t know. What kind of question is that, anyways? I wouldn’t say no, I-”

Your rambling was cut short at the feeling of Steve’s lips on your own. Almost instinctively, your eyes fluttered close and you grabbed his shirt, bringing him closer to you. His hands held your waist tightly, and they too pulled you close to him, closing the small distance left between you two. He kissed you gently yet hungrily, and all the doubts you had on his words about you and your beauty melted away. Your mind only focused on the way your lips and his molded into each other, moving in perfect synchronization. One of your hands let go of his shirt and traveled up his shirt until it reached his hair, your fingers combing through his soft hair, pulling him even closer to try and deepen the kiss. His tongue traced your bottom lip, and you eagerly granted him access.

Too soon, for your liking, you had to break for air. You opened your eyes and smiled, looking to see your Steve already giving you his knee weakening smile.

“So that’s what you’d do.” Steve’s voice was low, and you could practically hear his smile.

“Yes, that’s exactly what’d I do.”

“Would you be willing to show me again?”

“Without a doubt.”

[mcu-padawan]

Talking to the Moon

Prompt: (2) “I just want you to know that I love you. A lot. Never forget that.”

              (13) “Tell me what you’re thinking right now.”

              (16) “There’s nothing to be scared of, okay? I’m right here.”

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: angst (lots lol), fluff, language (probably), violence

Word Count: 5.2K

A/N: So I wrote this for Bee’s 2.1K challenge ( @amarvelouswritings ) and I am so excited for you guys to read it! When I first saw the prompts these that I chose are the ones which stood out to me the most. And once I decided on them, I knew that Bucky was the one for me -- I mean you, the reader -- I mean for the story lol! Well, I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Looking back, you never would have thought that taking a different route to work on that fateful day would have resulted in so much heartbreak. Yes, you knew that with adulthood came a series of events that would test your strength. And you also knew that your parents raised you to be as strong as anyone could make you. But the moment you saw those troubled blue eyes, you knew that any barrier you'd built up would soon crumble down.

The man you met in the subway was named James Barnes, and boy did he steal your heart. Growing up, you were a hopeless romantic, but you knew that that's not how the real world worked. And after countless failed relationships, your faith in true love started diminishing little by little. But James was different, somehow. He was polite, in a way that nobody in this generation seemed to be. And he was beautiful. You'd never thought you'd hear yourself describe a man as beautiful, and you never in a million years would have thought you'd make the first move. And yet here you were, introducing yourself to the most beautiful man you'd ever set eyes on.

“Train’s a little crowded today isn’t it?”

The man looked up and gave you a small smile.

“This train’s usually busy,” he said. “This your first time taking it?”

You nodded. “I usually take another train to work, but it seems the railway has an issue, so I had to take an unexpected detour. I’m Y/N by the way.” You stuck out your hand for him to shake and he took it, firmly shaking your hand.

“I’m James.”

After talking a bit with James (and nearly missing your stop) you left, expecting to never see him again. But to both of your surprises, you saw each other again one week later when he was waiting in the lobby of the building you worked in. As chance would have it, you were running late that day, your usual alarm malfunctioning this morning. So rushing through the front doors of the Brooklyn College Center, you could have easily missed the man in the dark clothes and baseball cap. But the moment you heard his voice, all thoughts of being late to work (and potentially getting fired) left your mind. "Y/N?" You looked up and met the blue eyes that had been keeping you awake for the past week. A smile started pulling at your lips, and while you tried to pull yourself together, your heart had other plans, beating at a thousand miles per hour, unaffected by the idea of James hearing it and realizing how much of an effect he had on you. "James," you breathed. "Hi. Uhm, what are you doing here?" Working at a non-profit college center in the heart of Brooklyn, you were used to having lost teenagers waiting in the lobby for you, or the occasional white collared donor, but James didn't fit either of those categories. "I… we wanted to uh… you work here?" You nodded. "Yes, I work here. Is there anything I can help you with?" In that moment you noticed another man approaching the two of you. He had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a warm smile on his face. "Hi," he greeted you, shaking your hand. "I'm Steve, Bucky's friend. And you are?" "Y/N, I'm the financial advisor here at Brooklyn College Center," you replied, smiling back at Steve, partially grateful that he'd interrupted the conversation before you said something stupid. Like that you couldn't stop thinking of James, who you'd only met once. (In the train, you had had courage because you thought you'd never see James again, but now that courage was starting to slip away.) "Hey, that's great! Bucky and I actually came here in hopes of helping out the center. We grew up in Brooklyn and now that we're better off, I guess you could say, we wanted to give back to our city." So they called him Bucky huh? You tucked that bit of information in your mind for future reference and smiled at the two men. "Then you've come to the right person! Follow me." And with that, you led Steve and James — Bucky — to your office. ... After the donations were issued (including a hefty amount of Stark gear and technology that you weren't exactly sure how they'd gotten their hands on), you led Steve and Bucky back to the lobby. Steve made his way out of the building, telling Bucky he'd bring the car up front while he finished talking to you, leaving you two alone in the lobby. "So… Bucky?" you grinned. "How does James translate to Bucky?" He chuckled, reaching to scratch the back of his neck, a slight pink hue brushing his cheeks. "Well my full name's James Buchanan Barnes, but yes, Bucky is what I'm usually called." You nodded looking down at the portfolio you still had clutched in your arms. You were slightly embarrassed; usually, you knew how to talk to people. All kinds of wealthy — and not so wealthy — donors visited the college center so you wouldn't say you felt out of place when talking to them. But Bucky was different. "Look doll, I'm not going to beat around the bush here so let me just tell you." You looked up to meet his eyes, immediately feeling a warmth travel up the back of your neck when you were met with a playful smirk. "I haven't stopped thinking about you, and I don't wanna stop thinking about you. So how about I take you out sometime, properly, and not just on a train?" You were sure you looked as red as a tomato now, you were unused to someone so directly telling you they were interested. But you didn't hesitate in your response, and slowly nodded, a full grin on your face now. "Great," he smiled. "I promise you won't regret it."

x

You sighed as you looked at yourself in the mirror, smoothing the nonexistent wrinkles on your dress and fidgeting around with your necklace. 

Through the mirror, you watched Bucky make his way towards you, his warmth enveloping you and making you instantly relax. You leaned your head on his shoulder, looking over his smartly dressed reflection. He was wearing dress pants and a button up shirt. His tie was hanging untied around his neck. You turned and reached for it, your fingers slowly making the crosses and turns that came with tying a tie. Bucky's arms were on your hips, and you felt him looking at you. His metal arm moves to your chin, pulling it up until your eyes meet his. Bucky and you had been dating for five months now, and today was the day that he would finally be meeting your family. Thanksgiving with your family was a huge deal. Everybody, and you mean everybody, from your family attended. Job promotions were announced, baby showers were announced, but most importantly, boyfriends were introduced. So to say you'd been dreading the coming of Thanksgiving would be the understatement of the century. It's not that you were embarrassed by Bucky; no, you were always proud to have him by your side. And you weren't embarrassed by your family; you loved them with all your heart and you usually enjoyed going to reunions such as these. No, what you were afraid of was Bucky and your family together. You were afraid they weren't going to like him. Your family weren't bad people, but they wanted the very best for you, so much so that they might not see that you did have the very best right by your side. "Tell me what you're thinking right now." (13) "I'm thinking that you're great to me Bucky, and I really don't want my family to fuck this up." Bucky looked at you with a playful smirk, but his eyes told you he was being serious. "Everything's going to be okay doll. They'll like me; what's not to like?" You chuckled. This was Bucky, your Bucky, the one man who could get you calm even though he was just as nervous (if not more nervous) than you. You noticed how this family visit was affecting him, even if he didn't show you directly. "I hope so Buck. Just remember that I love you, okay? And while I love them, and I value their opinion in many other aspects of my life, I don't need it when it comes to you." Bucky cupped your face and kissed your nose. "I know doll. But I also know how much you want them to like me. They're important to you, I get it. Just don't work yourself up about it doll, it'll all be great." ... Bucky and you stepped onto your parents' porch and you rang the doorbell. You could hear the party the moment you turned into your parents' street, and after about ten minutes of circling the block, you finally found a parking spot and made your way to your family reunion. Bucky was surprised at how full your house seemed to be, but this was just another Thanksgiving reunion for you. The door to your childhood home opened and you were greeted with your younger brother’s grin. Your face quickly pulled itself into a similar smile as he engulfed you in a bone crushing hug. Even though he was three years your minor, people would always confuse you for the younger sibling.

“Jason, you’re crushing me,” you groaned.

Your brother released you but continued to hold onto your shoulders. “You need to stop doing this to us Y/N. Six months without coming to visit! Is Rochester so bad?”

You laughed. “You know it’s not that Jason. I’ve just been super busy with work and…”

“And I see you’ve been busy with something other than your job too.” You knew Jason was referring to Bucky, even before you noticed him looking straight at Bucky. Your brother was always the protective type, even though he was your younger brother, not older. He was openly looking at Bucky, but Bucky didn’t seem bothered by it. In fact, he looked much more composed than you.

“Hi. I’m James Barnes, Y/N’s boyfriend,” Bucky said as he shook Jason’s hand.

“I’m Jason.”

“Pleasure to meet you.”

There were a few moments of silence before Jason broke out into a full grin again. “I’m just messing with you two. Come on in guys, everyone’s been dying to see you.”

You released a sigh you had been holding in, instantly relaxing when you realized that Jason approved of Bucky. You slipped your hand into Bucky’s and made your way into the (now not-so-scary) house.

…

Thanksgiving dinner had been a success, with your mom instantly falling for Bucky’s manners and old charm, and with your dad instantly connecting with Bucky on the topic of baseball. All in all, the night was a success, and you couldn’t have been happier.

“That wasn’t so bad now was it doll?” Bucky said as he wrapped his arms around your waist from behind.

“That was great Bucky. You were great. I love you.” You closed your eyes and leaned back into his warmth.

“I love you too doll.”

Being in a relationship with an Avenger wasn’t easy. You knew that going into the relationship, and just like Bucky supported you through any of your career choices, you supported him when it came to him being gone on missions. You knew that missions were unpredictable. The team could be gone for a couple of days or a couple of weeks. The missions could be simple information extraction, or it could be super high-risk. You knew the risk that Bucky, along with all the other Avengers, were taking when going on those missions, and you knew that there was always a chance that they wouldn’t come back.

So with that in mind, you hugged Bucky tightly, trying to make the hug last as long as possible before he had to leave. Steve, Natasha, Sam, and Bucky were going on a month long mission to Bulgaria. You weren’t entirely sure of the details of the mission (Bucky always said that the less you knew, the less you’d worry, although that was totally untrue), but you knew it had something to do with tracking down some Hydra aficionados before they got out of hand.

In the eleven months that you had been dating Bucky, you had never once cried when he left on a mission. No, Bucky needed to be strong, and having your sadness on his mind would only distract him. But today was different. You felt it. Bucky felt it. So he hugged you back just as hard while burying his face into your neck.

"I just want to let you know that I love you. A lot. Never forget that,” he mumbled. (2)

“I love you too Buck.” You released him from the embrace and held his face in your hands. “I’ll see you soon okay?”

Bucky nodded and gave you a kiss on your forehead. “I’ll be back soon doll.”

Soon…

The mini team had been gone for three weeks now, and while Bucky and you had been keeping contact over phone calls and video calls, they were rare, the high-risk mission leading to more caution on phone usage.

From what Bucky had told you, mostly everything was going according to plan, and there was even a chance the mission could be finished within the coming week. You hoped it would be done soon because while this wasn’t the first time Bucky had left for a month, it was the uneasiest you had ever been on a mission. At first, you thought that you were pregnant, trying to find a source to your over emotional state. But after taking a pregnancy test, you confirmed that you weren’t pregnant, and while that was a relief, you started to worry even more about the mission.

The news, however, didn’t reach you until the weekend. You hadn’t heard from Bucky in three days, and while you tried not to overthink it, the uneasy feeling you’d been experiencing was coming back in full force.

Tony and Wanda had invited you to the Avengers facility for a “weekend getaway,” or at least that’s the term that they used when convincing you to drop work for the weekend and spend it with them. You obliged, thinking that a vacation was what you needed after so much work and in order to get your mind off of the entire mission. Plus, they might have had some new information on the team.

You made your way into the compound, going to the ground floor where most of the socializing was held. But instead of finding Wanda and Tony with a movie ready like you had planned, you were surprised to find Vision and Clint in the room as well. And instead of relaxed expressions, the four Avengers all had solemn looks on their faces.

“Y/N…” Wanda started as she slowly made her way towards you.

“What’s wrong?” The uneasiness in your stomach returned tenfold.

“It’s…” Wanda shook her head but didn't continue.

“Wanda, what is it?”

She looked at you with tears in her eyes but didn’t say another word.

“Wanda! What is it? Whats happening?” You took her shoulders and slightly shook her, trying to get her to tell you what was wrong.

“It’s Bucky Y/N,” Tony spoke from across the room.

His words made your blood run cold. You dropped your hold of Wanda and took a step back, looking at Tony now.

“Don’t say it,” you whispered, tears starting to blur your vision.

“We’re afraid Hydra’s got a hold of Mr. Barnes Y/N,” Vision said.

“When?”

Wanda took your hand. “Y/N—”

“Tell me when!”

“We’ve known for three days now,” Tony said.

“What?! Why didn't you tell me?!”

“We needed to gather as much information as we could before —”

“No Tony! You can’t give me that bullshit right now! Hydra took Bucky three days ago and you only now tell me?!”

Clint took a turn speaking to you now. “Y/N, you need to understand. We didn’t want to tell you something as big as this without at least forming a plan on how we can get him back.”

Your breathing was hard and fast, the tears now falling freely down your cheeks. It was getting harder and harder to breathe, most probably because of the combination of the shock and your asthma problems. “And have you? Have you formed a plan? When are we going to get him?”

None of the Avengers answered you.

No no this can’t be happening they can’t have Bucky again no he had to be SAFE he couldn’t be…

“NO! THEY CAN'T HAVE HIM! HE HAS TO COME HOME!”

“Y/N!” You suddenly felt Wanda’s arms around you, but you couldn't see her. Your vision was blurry and you felt as if the room was spinning. You were leaning against Wanda, trying to keep your legs still but you couldn’t.

Wanda’s arms were replaced by stronger ones, and you suddenly felt Tony pick you up bridal-style. But you didn't know where it is he took you because soon darkness consumed you.

…

You awoke what felt like a few minutes later with a massive headache. One look at your phone, however, informed you that it was the next morning and that last night actually had happened. And while your crushed heart made you want to stay in bed all day, all week, you knew you wouldn’t be able to do that. Why? Because your parents had raised you to be strong and face problems head on. And while last night had taken you by surprise, you knew that Bucky needed you strong and able to help him. If he was going to get home, you needed to help the team.

So you got up, fixed your clothes up, re-gathered your hair, and made your way to the main room of the facility. There, you found the Avengers already awake and moving. Natasha and Sam (you assumed the team had returned while you were sleeping) instantly looked at you, but you wished they hadn’t. Their eyes looked tired, but most of all, they looked… hopeless. If you were going to find Bucky and get him back safely, you couldn’t lose hope.

But they weren’t who you were looking for. No, the one person you were looking for was across the room, his back to you and his eyes looking out the window. His shoulders were tense, and honestly, you were surprised to even see him here. When Steve turned around, his eyes locked on yours, and you saw your own pain reciprocated in them. But — and you almost didn’t notice — you also saw the guilt in his eyes. You could only begin to imagine what Steve was going through, having recovered Bucky (after much resistance from many sides) only to lose him again on a mission.

Steve started making his way to you, instantly engulfing you in his strong embrace. And while others might have taken Steve as a shoulder to cry on, you forced yourself not to cry, reminding yourself that you had to be strong for Bucky, and for Steve.

Steve pulled back but kept his hands on your shoulders, taking a deep breath before speaking.

“We’re working on a plan to get him back Y/N. And I might not be able to tell you when we’ll get him home again, but I can reassure you that we will,” Steve said.

You nodded, completely trusting that Steve was doing everything in his power to get his friend, your friend and partner, back home.

“How did it happen?” You didn’t want to ask. You really didn’t want to ask, but you had to know.

Steve didn’t answer you, instead, Natasha started to speak.

“This part of the mission was standard procedure Y/N. A simple extraction of information. But the people we were going after… they had an informant, a good one. They got word that the Winter Soldier —”

“Bucky,” you corrected.

“— Bucky was in the city. I guess they put two and two together and started following us. Nobody thought our cover would be blown, but they found him, and they said the words and…”

“They got to him Y/N,” Steve said. “Even if we get him back, his recovery might take a while…”

You nodded, taking in a deep breath in order to avoid breaking down in front of the entire team. You noticed that Tony was the only one out of the room, but soon heard him entering as he was ending a call on the phone.

“Lang and Bruner are on their way. I tried getting contact of the god, but he didn’t necessarily leave a contact number,” he mumbled the last part.

You knew Bucky's disappearance was affecting him, even if he didn’t say anything. While Tony always tried to act tough in front of the team (you knew from Pepper that this wasn’t just with the team, Tony always made everyone think he didn’t care about anything really), Bucky’s addition to the Avengers had helped bring the whole team together after their break up. And knowing how much Tony cared about the team, you knew that he was grateful for Bucky.

“Thank you, Tony,” you said, sending him a sad smile. He returned it and nodded.

Three weeks had gone by since Bucky’s disappearance and there was no trace of him yet. It was as if he had disappeared from the face of the earth, like a ghost.

You visited the Avengers facility as often as you could, but on the days you couldn't make it because of work or family problems, Steve called to give you a recap of what they had done in efforts of recuperating Bucky.

Today was one of the days that you knew you couldn’t make it to the compound. You had just gotten off of work and were making your way home. Two trains and 20 minutes of your time was usually what it took to get home, but on later nights the time to get home almost doubled.

Finally stepping out of the train (and regaining your phone service after being underground for so long) you noticed your phone began to ring. Steve’s name popped up on your screen, but quickly disappeared before you could slide the phone open. You quickly rushed down the last couple of streets to your apartment before calling Steve back.

You waited anxiously for Steve to answer, your phone pressed between your shoulder and your ear as you were unlocking the door to your apartment.

“Y/N.” Steve didn’t have to say anything other than your name in order for you to know that they found something.

“What is it Steve? I’m sorry I didn’t answer, the train was taking a while and--”

“We found him Y/N.” “What?”

“We found out where they’re keeping Bucky. We’re going to go get him.”

Your breathing was getting heavy again, but you tried hard to control it. “Who’s going?”

“Sam, Tony, Natasha, Wanda, Scott, and I will be going. Clint, Rhodey, Bruce and Vision will be staying behind just in case.”

“When will you be leaving?” While talking to Steve you moved to pack yourself a bag with clothes for a couple of days.

“We’re leaving right now Y/N, I tried calling you before but you wouldn’t answer.”

“I’m sorry Steve, I wasn’t able to pick up the phone. Do you think Tony can send a car to come pick me up?”

“Pick you up? Why?”

“I need to go to the compound, Steve. I might not be qualified to go on the mission, but I want to be there for anything you guys need. Plus, I won’t be alone. I’ll have Bruce, Vision, Rhodey, and Clint to keep me company.”

You hear Steve sigh, but you knew he couldn’t say no to you. Over the past months that you had been with Bucky, Steve had turned into that older brother you never had.

“Fine. The car will be there in fifteen minutes.”

“Thanks Steve.”

…

You sat outside in the balcony of the Avengers compound, the chilly breeze and clear night sky your only companions.

Being without Bucky these last couple of months had been difficult, to say the least. You weren’t the kind of girl who couldn’t survive without a man. No, you always told yourself that you were independent and strong. But Bucky was more than just your partner. He was your best friend, your lover, your boyfriend, and quite honestly, the love of your life. So being without him, not knowing if he was okay, was killing you.

“Where are you Bucky?” you asked out to the moon. It clearly didn’t have an answer for you, but you thought about how the same moon you were currently looking at was the same one Bucky could be watching. And for some reason, that made you feel closer to him, even though you had no idea where he could possibly be.

Tears started rolling down your cheeks, and suddenly all of the emotions you had been holding in for the past few weeks since you’d found out Bucky had gone missing came pouring out.

“Come back to me Bucky. Please.”

…

Your heart stopped beating two days later.

Bucky was back, and while he wasn’t under total mind control, he wasn’t completely okay.

“He’s going to need some time to re-adjust to everything Y/N,” Steve told you.

“I know Steve. I just, I have to see him.”

Steve nodded and led you into Bucky’s bedroom at the compound. Before he had gone missing, Bucky would spend most of his time at your apartment, so most of his clothes and personal items were there. So seeing Bucky sitting on his bed, looking around his mostly bare room, it broke your heart.

Steve cleared his throat, catching Bucky’s attention. Bucky’s eyes landed on you, and you felt your eyes start to well up with tears.

“Y/N’s here to see you Buck.” Steve patted your shoulder before making his way to leave the room. “I’ll leave you to alone. I’ll be in the main room if you guys need anything.”

Steve left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

“H-hey Bucky. It’s me, Y/N,” you said, speaking barely above a whisper, but knowing perfectly well Bucky heard you.

Bucky blinked a couple of times before standing up and slowly making his way towards you. He stopped when he was standing directly in front of you, taking your right hand in his metal one. You looked down to see your hands together, a few tears escaping your eyes when you felt his thumb rub against your palm.

“Hi.” It was a simple word, but it was one you were waiting to hear for weeks.

You hugged Bucky, wrapping your arms around his shoulders as you buried your face in his chest, his arms moving to hold your waist and back, pulling you closer to him. You were crying openly into his chest, quiet sobs escaping from you as you held tighter onto him.

“There’s nothing to be scared of, okay? I’m right here.” (16)

And you knew that he was right. Because the worst thing that could happen had happened, but the two of you were back together. Bucky was okay and he was back.

x

Bucky had been staying in your apartment every day since the day he got back, which was almost a week ago, and tonight was no different. After explaining to your boss that you had a family emergency, she had given you a couple of weeks off of work.

Bucky was taking a shower in your bathroom when you received a call from your brother. Jason didn’t usually call this late in the day, so you decided to answer in order to make sure everything was okay.

“Hello?”

“Y/N hey!” your brother sounded worried.

“Hey Jason what’s up?”

“Y/N, Wanda explained what happened with Bucky.” Wanda and your brother got along well, so it was no surprise to hear that she had informed Jason of the reason (or at least part of the reason) you hadn’t called home in almost a month. “We were just worried and wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I’m fine Jason, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Mom and dad and I were talking, and we think you should stay away from James for a bit.”

Now this took you by surprise. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s just, he was away for a while, and you don’t know what those people did to him. Look Y/N, I’m not telling you to break up with the guy, but maybe take some time away from him you know? At least until everyone is sure he’s alright.”

“Okay, first of all, neither you or mom and dad would be able to convince me to break up with Bucky. Even if you guys had set your minds on not having me with him, I wouldn’t break up with him. You can’t tell me when I can and can’t see him Jason.”

“Look Y/N, don’t take it in a bad way, we’re just concerned that —”

“There’s nothing to be concerned about Jason. How do you think I felt the entire time that he was missing? I was devastated! I felt like if a part of me had been ripped away because it had been. Bucky needs me, and I need him, so I won’t just ‘take some time away from him’ only because you and mom and dad think it’s dangerous for me.”

And with that, you hung up the phone.

“He’s right you know.”

You turned to see Bucky standing in the doorway that led from the bathroom into your room. His hair was still wet and he was only wearing sweatpants, his arms crossed across his bare chest.

“How much of that did you hear?”

“Enough to know that your family is right. I’m a danger waiting to happen.”

You made your way to Bucky, uncrossing his arms and grabbing his hands in yours.

“There’s something that they, and apparently you, don’t understand Buck. You’ve become someone irreplaceable in my life. And just like I would help them if they were in this situation, I’m going to help you. You’ve been here for me for many occasions: every time work became too much, every time my family issues got out of hand, and anytime my anxiety got the best of me. And I honestly have no way to pay you back for that.”

“You don’t have to pay me back Y/N, you know I do that because I love you.” Bucky gripped your hands tighter, smiling at you.

“And I love you,” you whispered. “So let me help you.”

Bucky pressed a kiss to your forehead, leaning his face into your hair.

“You’re the best thing that’s happened to me doll.”

x

[c4pricornc4ts]

The Minors Lunch Club (MLC for short.)

This is a Valentines day one-shot for intruxx <3

Characters: Tommy, Ranboo, Sam, Tubbo

Catagory: Fluff 

Words:2.1k 

For a MCYT writing challenge, join the writer’s block discord here!

----------------------------------------------- It’s a very on-brand thing for Tommy to do- leave getting his friend a gift the day before Valentine’s day. He kept putting it off because he wasn’t sure what to get Ranboo. He has hybrid friends, but Tubbo was easy. He and Sam had taken a break from the hotel to make the boy a small bee necklace that he knew he’d love. 

Endermen were a whole new category. What did enderman hybrids even like? He hadn’t talked to Ranboo much unlike Tubbo. So he was really at a loss for ideas. Are there items that are offensive to give an enderman? He hopes Sam will know. Otherwise, he’s going to have to ask Tubbo and he really doesn’t want to get laughed at. 

Sam doesn’t laugh, even if Tommy knew the question was ridiculous. He wasn’t used to that. 

“What do endermen like?” He’s gathering more wood for the hotel, Sam somewhere behind him. 

“What are you setting up some kind of… enderman trap?” 

He throws his axe down, splitting another log. Trying to keep his focus on his work, embarrassed to admit the truth to Sam. 

“No- I don’t know what to get Ranboo for tomorrow. And I don’t think he’d appreciate me trapping his cousins.” 

“Yeah you’re right, don’t tell him about Philza’s hardcore world then.” Tommy hears Sam shudder, his tail making a slight sound as it puffs out. 

“Didn’t plan on it Big S.” Tommy laughs and cuts through another trunk. 

“Just get him something he likes, we hybrids aren’t that different you know.” 

“That’s the problem! I don’t know what he likes. We barely talk, but Tubbo went and invited the guy to our lunch and now I need to find him something.” He tosses the logs into their wheelbarrow and pushes it towards Sam’s pile to collect his as well. 

“Okay then, get him a grass block or something. Better yet, let him pick. Y’know?” 

“Your ideas are shit, Sam.” He hopes Sam can somehow hear a “thank you” in that insult. Because Tommy just got the best idea ever. “I’ll drop all this off, then I’m off to build something else. I’ll see you tonight yeah?” 

“See you then, good luck with Ranboo. The only way you could mess this up is by giving him water so just- don’t do that.” The creeper hybrid goes back to the rest of the trees as Tommy pulls out his silk touch shovel and gets to work collecting grass blocks and a few other blocks just in case Ranboo likes variety. 

He tucks his new blocks away into his inventory and goes towards the main path of the SMP. 

With how far everything has gone, can he even call this the main path anymore?

He goes into the abandoned Walmart that Tommy for the life of him can’t remember who built it and starts arranging the mostly grass blocks into different piles and sections. Adding a small pile of sand and some smooth stone he mined with a silk touch pick for a little variety. He can’t have a store that only sold one thing, it was bad for the economy. He reasons. 

Once he was finished he went to Sam’s house to find something to make for dinner. He and the creeper hybrid had a deal, he does dinners and Sam lets him stay in the spare room while the hotel is being built. Though he knows Sam doesn’t actually care if he does it, he just wants Tommy to feel like he’s earning his stay. 

He appreciates it. He’ll never say it out loud but he appreciates all the little things Sam does for him. Maybe he’ll try being nicer to the man tomorrow. 

Probably not. 

He tears into his baked potato after wrapping Sam’s in some tin foil before running up the stairs to his room. Tomorrow he would drag a hopefully excited Ranboo to an abandoned Walmart and make the best second impression ever. 

------------------------------------------------

Once he’s dressed and double-checks he has Tubbo’s gift in his inventory he pulls out his communicator to message Ranboo. Leaning against the front door. 

You whisper to Ranboo: Hey, meet me outside Sam’s house, I want to show you something. :)

Ranboo whispers to you: Alright, I’ll be there by the time you read this message. 

Tommy reads the message again, trying to understand what it meant when he hears a small vwhoop and jumps a bit when he looks up to see a slightly disoriented 6’6” enderman hybrid standing on his front porch surrounded by purple particles. 

“I hate teleporting. But Philza says I need to do it more so here I am.” 

Tommy regains his composure as Ranboo straightens out his suit that Tommy can only assume got ruffled in the process. 

“You know, that whole teleporting thing would’ve been useful back when we were fighting for L’manberg.” Referring to L’manberg so lightly with anyone else would be impossible, but Ranboo’s absence from those days made it easier to joke about with. “What were you doing before you came here anyway?” 

“I don’t remember.” Ranboo looks away, Tommy silently berates himself for asking. He really didn’t want Ranboo to hate him. 

“That’s okay tall man! You’re here now and I’m stupid for asking.” He starts walking towards the Walmart hoping Ranboo would just follow. 

He does. “You’re not stupid, most people would remember. I just have beef with memories y’know?” 

“Beef with memories…? You’re gonna have to tell me about whatever that means later. But for now I gotta show you your gift.” 

“My gift?”

Tommy stops and turns to him. “Your valentine’s day gift! I thought you knew, why else would you just teleport to me no questions asked?” 

“I must’ve-” 

“Forgotten. Right. It’s no big deal, but what I’m about to show you inside of this broken down Walmart is.” He takes Ranboo to the entrance which is just the 2x2 opening not surrounded by broken glass. “Welcome to the enderman store! I made it myself because I am just so cool.” 

Ranboo immediately ducks under the doorway and starts moving the blocks around. “You aren’t very cool but this makes you at least 20% cooler.” 

“Does that mean you like it?” Tommy asks as he goes to stand behind the makeshift counter. 

“Of course I do! It’s like- like a block playground.” Ranboo teleports around the store and Tommy looks down because the sight of him appearing and disappearing was making his head hurt. 

“You pick one yet?” He plants his elbow on the counter and tries to give his friend a good impression of an underpaid cashier. 

“Pick one for what?” 

“As your gift.” He says it like it was the most obvious thing in the world but with the way Ranboo stands confused he supposes it wasn’t. “I mean, the whole store is your gift actually. But you gotta like, pick your favorite block or something.”

“That’s kinda stupid.” 

“Whatever, at least I’m not 6’6”, now pick your favorite grass block so we can go to Tubbo’s and show him how cool I am.” 

“Okay, I like…” He carefully considers the dirt for what? Tommy doesn’t know. Maybe endermen have a block grading system. 

He finally picks one of the many grass blocks in the corner and places it in front of Tommy. 

Tommy uses his communicator as a scanner and pretends to ring up the block. Ranboo just seems even more confused. 

“What? This is a store roleplay. I’m just keeping things realistic.” He pushes the grass block back to Ranboo who takes it and immediately holds it out in front of him. “The cost is teleporting Tommy to Tubbos because he’s lazy and doesn’t want to walk.” 

The taller laughs and Tommy climbs over the counter and clings to Ranboo’s arm bracing for the sudden movement. He closes his eyes and stumbles forward a bit when the hybrid brings them to Tubbo’s in under a second. 

He lets go of Ranboo once he’s sure he won’t trip and goes up to Tubbo’s door, instead of knocking he just let’s himself in. Rather he announces he’s here by shouting, “Big T! We’re here for lunch and I brought a very tall man with me. I think his name is Rainbow, not sure though.”

“Tommy it’s-” Ranboo is interrupted by Tubbo appearing from the kitchen, the fur coat he is usually buried in abandoned for a cheesy heart covered apron. 

“Ranboo! Tommy!” He runs up to them both with excitement, but he quickly tilts his head at the grass block Ranboo had brought in that was no doubt ruining his floor. Tubbo runs back into the kitchen and orders the boys to, “Stay there!” and when he returns he is carrying a planter pot with a little note attached that says, “To: Ranboo, From: Me :)”

“This is perfect, you can fill my gift with… wait did Tommy really give you fuckin dirt?” 

“No! I gave him a whole store of dirt you dickhead!” 

“I liked it.” Ranboo adds, trying to help Tommy’s case. 

“See Tubbo? He loves my gift, you are just a hater.” 

“Whatever.” Tubbo rolls his eyes and turns around, leading the other two into his kitchen. 

They take a seat and Tubbo places a basket of bread in the middle of the small wooden table. Tommy runs his hands under it to where he can feel the carvings of his and Tubbo’s name. They had built the table together, hell they had built most of the furniture in this house together.

Tubbo sits down next to Ranboo and places a jar of honey, no doubt from his own bees on the table.

“You know we should invite Purpled next time, then we can call it the MLC.”

“Call it the what?” 

“Y’know the minor lunch club! All the teenagers in one place, hopefully shit-talking the adults.”

“Tubbo can you-” Ranboo is interrupted by Tubbo, who was focused on what Tommy just said.

“We are not naming anything ‘Lunch Club’ ever, pick another name.”

“What? Why not?” He whined. 

Ranboo reaches over the table to grab the honey, knocking over the vase of flowers in the middle of the table. Tubbo pauses, he’s stood up, preparing to lean over and hit Tommy. 

“Tubbo I’m so sorry I’ll-I’ll clean it up.” Ranboo starts to go grab a towel when Tubbo tackles him and pretends to be mad. Tommy just sighs at the scene and goes to actually grab a towel before the water could ruin the table. 

“It’s valentine’s day and you’re fighting.” 

“It’s play fighting, it's a hybrid thing you wouldn’t get it.” 

Tubbo knew what he was doing, get Tommy mad so he’ll come over there and join them too. 

It works, Tubbo giggling as Tommy pushes him off Ranboo and shakes him gently. 

Tubbo headbutts him gently, careful not to actually hurt him. (It had happened once, Philza was not happy.) 

Tommy wraps his arms around the deer and refuses to stop hugging him, Ranboo takes the opportunity to get up and actually wipe down the table before going back to where Tommy was sitting against the door laughing holding a faux annoyed Tubbo. 

“Let me go Tommyyyy.” Tubbo whines, it’s muffled by the blond’s shirt. 

“No, you were mean to me and now I’m sad.” 

Ranboo sits down next to them and whispers “Clingyinnit.” causing Tubbo to laugh and Tommy to let him go opting to go mess with the enderman instead. 

“I am not clingy!” 

“He says, as he clings to Ranboo. His newest victim.” 

They finally get up, dusting themselves off, and go to exchange the rest of their gifts. Tubbo giving Tommy earrings with two purple disks on them. Tommy hands him the bee necklace and then Ranboo gives both of them a pig spawner. 

They go out and help Sam with the hotel for the rest of the day and when it’s dark outside they say their goodbyes and promise to come back tomorrow to see Tubbo’s new ‘project’ which the two no doubt means more nukes. 

It’s almost midnight by the time Tommy works up the courage to give Sam his gift. Walking up to his bedroom door and knocking gently. Fiddling with the letter he had made. He had no reason to be nervous, it was just a card to thank Sam for everything. He owed the man so much more. 

He had avoided giving Sam the card all day, but there was no turning back now. He supposes he could just run back to his room, pretend to be asleep when Sam goes to ask if he knocked. 

“Tommy?” Sam opens the door, yawning. Tommy had clearly woken him up.

He shoves the card towards the creeper hybrid and looks away as he reads it. 

Tommy can tell when he’s done because Sam murmurs an “Oh, Tommy…” before going to hug the blond. Who happily accepts it. 

“Your gift idea wasn’t shit, he loved it actually.”

“I know, I never have bad ideas.” Tommy can imagine the grin on Sam’s face as he says that and it’s enough to make him laugh softly. For the first time in a long time, Tommy finally takes a deep breath. Holding onto Sam a little tighter than maybe he should. Tommy’s tired of letting go. 

Neither of them ever want to let go. 

[lightsaroundyourvanity]

bee season is in full swing! they’re exchanging soft looks and blushing and laughing at each other’s corny jokes. taking selfies and canonically glued to each other’s sides!! so of course good fics are in bloom!! here’s some of my  recent faves~

the beating of our hearts is (the only sound) by @nevervalentines [M, 18.1k, 2/3]: literally kick my ass this is a perfect fake dating au. when it updated this week everyone in my discord lost their minds. blake and yang are so flirtatious, so in love, so fun and in i-like-you-and-love-you in this fic. the found family team rwby dynamic is also through the ROOF in this one.

when the sun shines we shine together by danyard [T, 14.6k, 4/?]: i CHALLENGE you to read this and not get umbrella irrevocably stuck in your head. this is a neighbours au. a college au. a meet cute. and it’s very cute, quirky and heartfelt, a solid dose of bee pining. can’t wait to see where it goes!! 

the stablehand by @calicojackson576 [G, 2.1k, 1/1]: princess blake and stablehand yang (nice)! there’s such a lovely, folktale quality to the voice of this one. op has more medieval bees published and in the works which i’m now rushing towards.  

ring of fire by @shimanamii [T, 37.1k, 10/?]: i’m so wild for this fic! a southern gothic au where yang is back in town after a scandal and gets hired to work on the garden’s of blake belladonna, local recluse with a haunted past. it’s all terribly romantic and poetic and aesthetic. plus bonus schneekos!

[yoon-kooks]

My Flower Academia

Pairing: Yoongi x Reader

Genre: College!AU, Badboy/Flowerboy!Yoongi, Fluff

Summary: In the midst of avoiding social interactions with classmates, you discover a pink garden of hidden secrets, including one kept by the bad boy in your botany class.

Word Count: 2.1k

A/N: day 3 of myg fluff week! happy birthday to the softest honey boy around!!🌼🌼🌼

“I’ll see you all tomorrow morning for my lecture on butterflies, bees, and other pollinators,” your professor says as people begin filing out of the classroom. You shove your laptop into your bag, bending the pages of the notebook already in there. Once your bag is zipped, you attempt to blend in with the sea of people leaving.

“Y/N, Y/N! Wait up!” But of course your attempt at sneaking out doesn’t go unnoticed. You roll your eyes just before putting on a brave smile.

“Hey what’s up?” You turn around and face Taehyung and Jimin, two local frat boys who chat with you from time to time.

“Are you busy tonight?” Jimin asks. And before you can even give an answer, Taehuyng continues, “We’re having a party later and wanted to know if you-”

“No one wants to waste time with you losers.” A challenger appears from across the now empty classroom. Seokjin, along with a couple of other friends from a rival fraternity, steps between you and the other two boys. “Besides, I’m sure Y/N would rather hang out with me, Hoseok, and Namjoon. Right, Y/N?” Suddenly you have five pairs of eyes staring at you, waiting for a response.

“Actually, I’m kind of busy tonight,” you attempt to back out of the conversation, but you’re bothered with yet another question.

“Busy with what?” Hoseok frowns.

“A date,” you lie through your teeth with 100% confidence.

“See? I told you guys, Y/N’s out of our league,” Namjoon face-palms in the background.

“Right,” you chuckle, “But let’s all hang out another time, yeah?” Waving bye, you slip out of the classroom as the two fraternities continue arguing over who’s better and more deserving of your time.

It’s not that you dislike them or have something against frat boys. In fact, there have been plenty of times when you’ve genuinely had fun hanging out with them. It’s just that you sometimes want time to yourself. Sometimes you'd rather stay home and binge your favorite anime. But somehow, you don’t feel like that’s a valid excuse to forgo social interactions. So you lie. To everyone.

As you exit through the back of the building, you think the coast is clear—a rookie mistake.

“Y/N, hey!” A wild Jungkook appears. You want to pretend like you never heard him, but the good person in you waves hi and that only encourages him to start a conversation with you. “How’s the botany class going?”

“Jungkook, you’re in that class too…” You don’t know whether to laugh or feel concerned for the boy.

“Yeah, but we both know I always cut class,” he shrugs. “By the way, do you have notes for the upcoming midterm?” He gives you big bunny eyes in hopes that you’ll help save his grade.

“Oh sorry, I really have to go…” You point your thumb in a random direction. “I have a date soon.”

“With who?” Jungkook asks the one question you aren’t prepared for.

“It’s uh… you know, that, uh, one guy in our class?” Maybe Jungkook will just let it go since he probably doesn’t know many other people in your class.

“Oh, you mean Min Yoongi?” You aren’t even sure how Jungkook pulled that name out of his ass based on your vague description, but you suppose you’ll just roll with it. “The dude who almost cuts class as much as me?”

“Yeah, that one,” you nod. There’s not much that you know about Yoongi, other than the fact that he skips class a lot and falls asleep when he does show up. You’ve also heard that he doesn’t have the best reputation out there, but surely this fib won’t come back to bite you.

After the close call with Jungkook, you decide to take extra precaution in sneaking off campus without encountering anyone else who might want something out of you. So, just until campus clears of the students who just got out of class, you’ll look for a place to hide where no one else would think to go.

You stray not too far from the botany building when you catch something fluttering in the corner of your eye. A rather tiny swallowtail greets you with its colorful wings before flying off down a flowery path.

Tempted with curiosity, you follow the butterfly down the path until a small pink garden comes into view. You’d heard that garden had been abandoned by the Botany Club due to low funding, but by the looks of all the blossoming and thriving plants, you can only assume someone’s been taking good care of it.

Passing through the pink sea of sakura and azalea, you take a seat at the white wooden bench shaded by the trees. Aside from the slight breeze and rustling of leaves, you’re surrounded by the silence and solitude you had sought. Finally—some peace to yourself.

You let out a much needed groan and lean your face into your hands for a solid minute to de-stress. The sounds of the garden become more vibrant while your eyes are closed. The rustling of leaves become more intense, and a new sound joins in—the trickling of water? Perhaps it’s the automatic sprinklers, but if you didn’t know any better, you’d think someone else was there watering plants.

When you rub your eyes and finally open them back up, you find a surprise staring back at you with a watering can in hand. A boy in all black stands in the garden, amongst the pink flowers. You wonder how long he’s been there, and if he’d caught you in your moment of de-stressing, when you had been most vulnerable. When you thought no one was looking.

“Um… How long have you been there?” You blink at the boy. If he’s who you think he is, you’d never expect to find him in a garden in the first place.

“Longer than you.” He says nothing more and goes back to watering his plants. You watch the water trickle down into the soil, waiting to see if he would ask you to leave. But he doesn’t.

“We’re in the same botany class, aren’t we?” You know your question catches the boy’s attention because he turns away from his flowers and towards you. At a closer glance, his face is somehow gentle, as oppose to intimidating like you’d assumed from someone with a bad reputation. “You’re Yoongi, right?”

He nods, “And you’re the one I’m supposedly on a date with, right?” You have no clue how he keeps such a straight face when he says this, but personally, you freak out a little. He isn’t supposed to know. No one is supposed to know about your little fib.

“W-where did you hear that from?” You fidget around with your fingers.

“I overheard my name being mentioned by some girls passing by.” He refills the watering can and resumes watering his flowers once again. Somehow he remains unbothered by the fact that his name’s been dragged into a nasty rumor spreading like wildfire. At the same time, you still feel obligated to explain yourself.

“It’s just a dumb excuse I made up to get out of something… because I wanted to be left alone,” you confess. “I didn’t intend for it to become a dating rumor, so I apologize for dragging your name into my own problem. If you want, I’ll clear the air so people don’t think you and I are-”

“I don’t particularly mind about things like that…. social obligations and the like.” He shakes his head, and you’re just happy he isn’t too upset about the situation. But he is interested in something else. “So that’s why you’re here too? Because you wanted to be left alone from social obligations.”

“I feel terrible for saying it, but yeah,” you chuckle. “As much as I have fun around others, it’s also exhausting having to always put on a smile in front of them.”

“Sometimes it’s nice to get away. There’s nothing wrong with that, you know.” He passes you the water can and grabs the hose for himself. You suppose he speaks from experience. Maybe he resurrected the pink garden as his place of refuge and solitude. Maybe that’s what had drawn you to the garden in the first place. And maybe that’s why it’s easy to talk to the boy. Because he gets you.

“Is this where you go when you skip class?” You join him in watering the garden. It’s oddly therapeutic.

Yoongi nods, “I prefer interacting with flowers over people because flowers don’t judge or give a shit about you. Same with small animals.” A friendly butterfly lands on the rim of the boy’s bucket hat. He tries to look up at the little critter but shows pouty lips when it flies away. He’s much softer than you’d originally thought, and you regret assuming things based on the bad reputation you’d only heard about. “It’s just peaceful.”

“I would’ve never thought you’d choose here. But that makes you a flower boy, doesn’t it?” you tease him a little bit.

“I guess that’s a secret only you and I know,” he presses his index finger to his lips to keep you from sharing the secret with others—not that you would. After all, you’re also guilty of hiding sides of yourself that you’d always been too ashamed to show.

“Well what if my real reason for wanting to be left alone is so I can laze around and binge anime all night?” you let a smile slip. Normally you wouldn’t tell anyone about your secret anime obsession. But it just felt like an appropriate time to share the news. “Would that be a valid reason?”

“Depends on which anime we’re talking about.” The weeb jumped out real quick. “Boku no Hana Academia?”

“That’s the one!” your eyes light up. Leave it up to the flower boy to know your favorite anime about talking flowers who fight off human noses with their pollen powers and critter companions. “Do you watch it too?”

“Of course I do. Is that even a question?” he shrugs. “I guess that makes us both secret weebs for botany and anime. Good to know.”

You nod. “And it was refreshing watering plants and talking with someone like you.”

“Someone like me? You mean a bad boy, flower boy, or weeb?” He points at himself.

“All of the above,” you giggle, “but also someone who I don’t have to put up a front with. It’s a relief that I finally have a buddy to watch Boku no Hana with.”

“Hey, I never said I’d watch Boku no Hana with you,” he crosses his arms as if he has something to be proud of. “I’ve already seen all 427 episodes so far. But it sounds like you’re lagging behind if your plan was to binge a bunch of episodes tonight.”

“Well what if I get caught up to the most recent episode?”

“Then we’ll talk,” he unfolds his arms and softens his expression. “But until then, you’re free to stop by here whenever you’re trying to avoid people.”

“Really? You don’t mind?” You give him big puppy eyes just to make sure he doesn’t change his mind.

“It’s fine,” he assures you, not even a little flustered by your adorable puppy eyes. “You and I aren’t all that different, so I don’t find you that annoying to be around.”

“Umm, thanks??” You suppose you should take the comment as a compliment, especially coming from a boy who usually closes himself off from the world.

“Besides, this garden could use an extra pair of hands to tend to it now that it’s in full bloom.” Yoongi points to the watering can in your hand, motioning for you to stop standing around and get back to watering.

Rather than sprinkling the plants with water, however, you splash the boy next to you with a few drips from the nearly empty watering can. You point and laugh at the tiny wet dots on his black shirt. The way he frowns down at the wet spots and threatens to spray you with the hose somehow reminds you of an angry wet kitten. A cute kitten.

But before he gets the chance to get back at you, you hold the empty watering can out in front of him as innocently as possible. “Can you refill my watering can, pretty please?”

“Dump water on me again, and I’ll spoil all 427 episodes of Boku no Hana for you,” he hisses with an arched back. At the same time, though, he sticks the end of the hose into your watering can until it’s heavy and full again.

“Thanks, Yoongi,” you look up at him, just long enough to see a subtle upward curve in those soft kitten lips of his. Then you resume watering the flowers, side by side with the boy in all black, in a pink garden of secrets and solitude.

A/N: did anyone catch the boku no hero / my hero academia references?? also hana means both flower & nose in japanese so that’s where that obscure anime synopsis came from afhjsdakl;