#but hopefully getting back into the swing of interacting with content now that I’m steady on my meds again will fan the flames!

[peaches2217]

“I wanna come back when I’ve got some more fics done!” he says, then crawls back with absolutely nothing to show for her leave of absence

[ketchupqueenboiiii]

Young Justice

A/N: Some cursing and poorly written fight scene. I will be making this a multichap fic, reposting it to its own work. Also name is a WIP.

@maribat-2k20

Whoosh.

Thump.

Clank-Clunk.

Repeat.

Happy Harbor doesn't make her very happy. But it doesn't make her that sad either. No different than New York City. But at least her Mama was there. The mother-daughter duo had made amends and Audrey invited Chloe to live with her in the city. It was nice, until Chloe got antsy. She itched to get out there and fight. But New York wasn't her turf and there were no bad guys to battle. Chloe also wasn't too keen on going to school in New York.

She was completely fine with video calling her Mari-bug, thank you very much. But even Mari saw that she needed to get back into the game.

"Bee, you can't have your only interaction being with your over-worked butler, your work-acholic mother, and your ex in Tibet." Mari's voice was hoarse from being out of breathe.

"You're just phrasing it weird. You're my best friend more than my ex. And Jean-Paul is not over-worked. He has off on Wednesdays and Sundays." Chloe responded flippantly and continued to file her nails on her sofa, which was placed right in front of the 85 inch flat screen mounted the wall of her room. She had linked her phone to the screen and webcam so she had a good view of her friend.

Mari gave her a unimpressed look while drying her head. She wore a pink sleeveless workout shirt with red flower designs sewn in and matching capris. She was also bald now. A guardian-in-training thing, Chloe was told when she first got the frantic call with the news. Her clothing choice was impressive since she lives in a temple in the mountains. Surrounded by snow.

"Chloe, you're lonely and you miss Sabrina. I can feel it from here." The pink clad girl said, before taking a sip from her matching water bottle.

"I'm not lonely, I have those trainers I practice with and I talk to Felix every now-" Chloe argued. But then was interrupted by her friend.

"You know, I think you should go to Happy Harbor, Rhode Island. And use Pollen and Stompp." She smiled as she cut off Chloe, tilting her head to the side with a content look on her face.

What. Chloe thought, head turning so fast to the screen she should have gotten whiplash.

"You should go. My instincts tell me that your gonna find something there. And as a Guardian-in-training, my instinct is usually right." Apparently Chloe said that thought out loud.

"Mari, I can't just leave. Mama has work in the city-" Chloe tried.

"Stop with the excuses, Chlo. Audrey has a headquarters in Happy Harbor, so she could just move her work there." Damn her preparedness and reasoning. Chloe stayed silent as she glared at her friend, even though it hasn't had an effect on Mari since they were ten-year-olds.

"And lucky for you, I already called Audrey to confirm it and she agrees that it's a good idea." Mari does a little dance, smirking with a wiggle of her shoulders and eyebrows. Fucking dammit, Mari-bug.

"I'll give it a chance." Chloe grumbles, a little peeved.

"Then get packing, honeybee, 'cause your leaving in three days."

Sometimes Chloe can't believe she still listens to her Bug's crazy plans.

~

Running across the roof tops in the middle of town. How inconspicuous. Was Mari trying to get her captured?

Now Chloe just felt stupid. She opened the screen of her top and prepared to arrange for another call with Mari when she felt a shift in the air. Someone was approaching, but she couldn't see anyone there. That wouldn't mean much though, since she had experience with invisible enemies.

Enemies, really? Even in death, you show her no respect. Sabrina should have-

Opponents. Invisible opponents. Chloe steadied her breath and banished the thoughts for another time. Faking ignorance, she tapped randomly on her top's screen.

The invisible entity came closer. And closer. Just a little closer. Almost within reach.

She grabbed a horn from her headset that doubled as a weapon and swung at the mysterious invisible person in one smooth motion. She grinned in satisfaction when she felt it hit something and heard it yelp in surprise. Or pain. Either was good.

Chloe looked over in time to see a green-skinned red-head girl lying on the ground, clearly disoriented by her surprise attack. Chloe's smile fell a bit when she envisioned a different red-head in her place, one much more familiar, thought only for a moment.

A memory of her faults and another thing that she lost.

She was quickly thrown out of her spiral when she saw two boys fall from out of a random place in the sky. Her instinct was to catch them and moved to do so before she saw the insignias on their chests.

"M'gann!" They yelled, probably because of the girl on the ground. Also, ever heard of code names?

Both boys wore a different emblem on their chests. After focusing on them, she recognized them to be the ones worn by the Superman and the Flash. So they must be their sidekick squad. The girl was probably Martian Manhunter's apprentice, since green skin and invisibility.

The boy with the Superman logo glared at her as a red and yellow blur came at her. The Flash's sidekick probably. And damn did whatever he did to her stomach sting.

Good thing she's an expert on stings. Her inner Adrikins was beside themselves laughing while every other part of her wanted to shake her head in exasperation.

Fighting a speedster was like fighting blind. Not something she particularly excelled at. All she could do was dodge as best as she could, which meant getting hit every eighth strike.

Chloe planted her feet and recalled everything Mari had told her during her probation and training period. Mari may not have been properly trained then, but she learned the ropes fast enough to teach everyone else;

"Every team's bound to have some variation of these core members. You need to be able to identify them. The heavy-hitter.

Probably Super-kid. For her, sometimes it was Adrien and others it was Rose using Stompp.

The strategist.

Redhead One or Redhead Two? Definitely not. Speedy over their just ran up to her and kept whooping her, it didn't seem like he had any other objective. And Mari, duh.

The one light on their feet.

Redhead Flash, obviously.

With the power of subjection, you must incapacitate the biggest threat. To you, the people, a team member, or the entire mission.

Looks like Redhead Flash is getting stung today. Serves him right, that hit was gonna bruise.

"Venom." She thinks, and thrusting her stinger-armed hand into where she predicted the boy would be. And she's right he comes to a complete stop, and, to her amusement, the momentum of his running caused him to face plant into the ground with a crack. His wrist probably, since a venom kept you from intentionally moving but allows movement by external forces.

Namely gravity and the concrete of the rooftop.

"Kid!" Exclaimed a young voice, probably from the figure falling from where the Redhead Flash and Super-kid fell from.

Super-kid helped up Redhead One and turned back to glare at Chloe again. She just smirked and armed herself with a top in her left hand and a horn in the other. To be honest, it look like an escrima stick.

A silent challenge hung in the air, each daring the other to move first. Though it actually gave her time to think up a plan. The most practical thing would be to jump off the side of the building, making it look like a retreat and then swing in to take him from behind. Yeah, that should work.

Chloe made a scene of contemplating fighting and running away, narrowing her eyes in thought. She ran to the edge of the roof top and jumped, briefly loosing herself to the nostalgia. Of the wind in her face and the adrenaline in her veins. It's been way too long since the last time she felt felt them.

She threw her top at the ledge of the roof, willing it to change into a grapple and swung her legs routinely. After doing this exact maneuver countless times before, she instinctively moved with just the right amount of force at just the right time. They used to call it the 'Mari Go Round', named after the girl who taught her the tact and the American nickname for a carrousel. Also because the swing takes you in a full circle.

Chloe straightened her legs in preparation to slam into his back, hopefully pushing him of the side of the building or at least give him some kind of injury with her heels. But he turned at the last minute and smacked her out of the air with his forearm. The bruise forming on her leg tells her that he has both super strength and invulnerability, since normal human strength wouldn't have sent so far and normal human arms would have broken if they tried to pull that trick.

The newest guest started throwing stuff at her. So Chloe quickly rose and jumped to the next building. She needed time to think.

Chloe wasn't here to fight the heroes, she here because Mari told she'd find something here. Maybe a lost miraculous, or guardian artifact. Or maybe someone-

"Boo." The young voice happily said, followed by giggles.

"Merde!" She shrieked, throwing one of her own boomerang weapons at the voice. Her eyebrows furrowed when she heard the unsatisfying noise of them imbedding themselves in the concrete.

She heard a fwuop and whoosh noise from the sidekick squad's direction, directly behind her. Not a good move on her part. She turned her head to see a net and inch from her face, leaving no room or time for escape.  She hit the ground with a thud, unable to get up due to the weight of the net. It likely was made for non-human threats. Not that Chloe wasn't human, but she was magically enhanced and that made her a lot stronger than one.

She felt hands pick her up and set her into a kneeling position, unknowingly giving her an  advantage. She quickly broke off the heel of her boot and hid it in her hand. They surrounded her, but were weirdly silent. They made faces at each other, like one would to convey emotion into words.

Redhead One tried to touch her forehead, and Chloe definitely wasn't having that. She summersaulted backwards into Super-kid, successfully knocking him down and allowing her to cut some of the net with the sharp side of her heel. Her legs were free now, and as she multi-tasked cutting the rest of the net, and dodging what ever the new guy was throwing at her and the now flying Redhead One, she ran and jumped as safely as she could.

Who was she trying to kid, that's what she'd tell Mari when this was over. Literally none of the stuff she does is safe.

Chloe landed on a roof top the one they fought on and she was so close to  getting the stupid weighted-net off her. As she finished cutting the last bit of the net and she reached for her top, she was bound again. This time by a... rope? Something like her weapon, just it was without a top or yoyo at the end and was... gold.

Oh, fuck.

[crushedbyhyperbole]

Snowballs in Summer

Summary:  Your day goes from bad to worse when Snowball escapes.  Luckily for you, retired war hero and newly minted firefighter, Bucky Barnes is on hand to rescue a damsel in distress.  

Words:  3.5k

Warnings:  Nothing much, just a little bit of sexual tension, a whole bunch of fluff and some vicious cat antics.

A/N:  Firefighter cliché - Snowball is a demon cat, Bucky is a babe.  Written for @marvelfulxbabes​ writing challenge, filling the prompt of Firefighter AU.  Thank you to @sassy-pelican​, @overlordintraining​ and @s-trawberryv-eins​ for reading this through for me to make sure I’m not ‘tarding hard

 “Come down from there, this instant!”  You commanded with a stern tone, more irritated than you had ever been with the white ball of fur that was currently the bane of your existence.  “Snowball?!”

The late morning sun filtered through the foliage of the sycamore tree, dappling the shaded grass with a myriad of dancing sunbeams.  On any other day you might admire them and take inspiration, but not today. Today it was easily 95 degrees out and you had a job interview at a coffee shop in the city which you were going to miss because of that stupid cat.

You paced the lawn in your heels, pencil skirt and white blouse, the latter had already begun to stick to the damp skin of your lower back on account of the heat; you felt uncomfortable and it added to your annoyance.  Curse that damn cat.

Snowball was your sister’s cat, and you were minding her while your sister was away on a month-long vacation.  Something about a sabbatical from work, seeing the world, once in a life-time opportunity, yadda yadda yadda. Of course you’d look after her cat.  The trouble was that your sister lived up state and you couldn’t be away from your studio, which was essentially your garage, so Snowball had moved in.

You were on day five of being a cat mamma and Snowball had already made you her bitch.  She slept on your bed and scratched any unprotected piece of skin if you so much as thought of infringing upon her space.  Whatever chair you were on she wanted to be on, when you ate she’d attack your plate, invade your privacy when you peed (yes she could open doors), there were ladders in all of your stockings, white hairs on all of your clothes, she’d even peed in your favourite sneakers.

So, there you were, stood under the tree at the end of your front yard, covered in scratches and fur, begging the vindictive demon of a cat to take pity on you so you could please please attend this job interview before you were so broke you couldn’t make your mortgage payment.

“She doesn’t look very sympathetic to your plight.”  A deep but soft voice startled you so much you squeaked.

“Holyfuckingshit!”  Your mouth ran as you panicked, hand splayed on your chest.

“Sorry.”  The tall brunette with electric blue eyes stepped forward to steady you with a hand on your elbow.  “I didn’t mean to scare you.” Breathless and sweaty from running, he looked at you with concern.

He was gorgeous, muscular, lean and fit.  Lightly tanned skin on display under a tight white wife beater and some grey jersey shorts.  The Polynesian tattoo sleeve that adorned his left arm practically had you panting. You laughed nervously and swayed on your feet, heels digging into the lawn; you’d been on your tiptoes so as not to get your stilettos snagged in the grass.  Who wore stilettos to an interview at a coffee shop anyway?

“Can I help at all?”  He offered, face softening from worry to the cutest smile you’d ever seen.

“If by some miracle you’re a cat whisperer then, yeah.”  You looked up at the demon in question, innocently looking down from high up in the branches.  “I don’t rate your chances though, she’s pure evil.”

The man laughed a soft chortle and extended his hand.  “Name’s James.” He took your hand but rather than shake it he dipped into a slight bow, pressing his lips to your knuckles softly.  “James the cat whisperer, at your service milady.”

You simpered despite your best efforts not to.  Sure, James was charming but he’d just walked up to you on the street and you didn’t know him from Adam.  What if he was a serial killer or something? He didn’t look like a serial killer though. But then again, they say that neither did Ted Bundy.

You sighed and told him your name, curtseying as well as you could in your tight skirt, keeping up the precedence he had set with his old-world chivalry.  “And this is Snowball, bane of my hall and hearth, wound maker, stealer of beds, destroyer of hosiery.”

“Oh no!”  James laughed so hard he held his stomach.  “I hope you keep your best stockings locked in an iron casket.  We can’t have such a beast destroying a good lady’s pretties.”

“Alas they are all gone, fallen prey to claw and callousness.”  You feign to swoon and instinctively James grabs your arm, blushing when he realised you weren’t really going to fall.  “Seriously though, if you can work some magic and get her down then I might still be able to make my interview,” you glance down at your watch, “scratch that, I’m already late.”  

“Give them a call, they might reschedule.”  He said as he emptied his pockets onto the grass and unstrapped his phone that was in a running holder on his bicep.  “I’ll get your cat down and hopefully you can make the next one.”

You grinned.  “You’re a life-saver.”

With a shrug and a smile that said don’t mention it, James looked up into the branches, squinting a little as the dappled light caught his eye.  Snowball was alert and deceptively passive as she looked down at her would-be rescuer. You knew different – she was plotting his demise.

The manager of Java Joes wasn’t as understanding as you’d hoped.  He said his recruitment team would get back in touch, but you didn’t hold out much hope.  You were put out but couldn’t be mad, it was your fault that Snowball had escaped after all.  You’d just have to keep looking for work until you could sell some of your artwork.

James was under the tree, eyeing up the lower branches when you returned.  He’d been trying to coax Snowball down when you’d been on the phone but that had been about as much use as a chocolate fireguard.

“Stand back.”  He said without waiting to find out the verdict from your phone call, and ushers you away from the trunk.  “If I fall and crush you then tyrant cats will be the least of your worries.” He licks his lips nervously and readies himself.

“If you fall?  What-”

His cheeky wink silenced you right before he bounded towards the tree like he was about to do the high jump.  He got two steps up the trunk and rebounded up towards the lowest branch some fifteen feet off the ground. One-handed he latched on swinging precariously but his grip was firm, tendons and muscles corded tight.  He took the opportunity to look down at you with a grin before he positioned his right hand and inched towards the thicker end of the branch to pull himself up.

“Very impressive.”  You flirted. “Not only are you a cat whisperer but part monkey as well.  Is there any end to your talents, sir?”

“Apparently I make crap coffee.”  He snorted, remaining focused on his footing as he manoeuvred to the next branch up.

James seemed a little too bulky for parkour, you thought, but he was more agile than any man his size you had seen before (including firefighter Steve, your neighbour on the right).  James was strong and pretty; definitely a panty dampener.  Your neighbour on the left (divorcee Denise) was already out pretending to trim her bushes, ogling James as he flexed and climbed; that woman had banged her way around the neighbourhood since her husband left her for his secretary.  You frowned, already possessive of what little interaction you’ve shared with this hot stranger.

“If you get her down, I’ll make you a cup of the good stuff.”  You promised. After all, your morning and afternoon were now devoid of plans.

“If?”  He scoffed, scandalised.  “I’m offended you doubt my cat rescuing skills.”  His sentence was punctuated with a grunt as he jumped for another branch which was precariously far away.  Rather than climb through a cluster of smaller, weaker branches, he’d elected to go around. It was more dangerous and with your heart in your throat you watched him leap the distance.

“Please don’t hurt yourself.”  You called, fear breaking your voice.  You weren’t ready to deal with broken bones, or worse, if he fell.

Up in the tree, Snowball began to back away as James neared just below.  She hissed and growled, spat and clawed at him as he reached for her. While her attention was focused on one hand, he snaked his other underneath and grabbed her from behind.

Carnage ensued and the white ball of fur became a dervish of twisting limbs and threatening screeches.  At first you thought James would let her go to spare himself from her claws, but he gripped her close, enduring scratches to his neck and chest.  When she calmed enough for him to secure her with one hand, he cautiously began the climb down. Your heart was hammering in your chest. How would he get down with one arm rendered useless?

He inched his way awkwardly through the snagging twigs and branches he’d avoided on the way up, which yielded more scratches, picking his way ever so carefully so as not to jostle his passenger.  She seemed content enough with the blood she’d drawn and lay still against his chest; the only evidence of her annoyance was the swish of her tail.

“I can’t believe you got her.”  You puffed out a relieved breath when James was finally sat on the lowest branch.  It was still fifteen feet off the ground, but he could drop the cat down to you and jump down safely.

“If there’s one thing I’m good for, it’s helping a damsel in distress.  Right, Snowball?” He petted her and she grumbled. “Though it is pretty cliché.”  He muttered almost too quietly for you to hear.

“Here,” you stepped underneath him, your eyes tracing the line of tanned muscle up under the hem of his shorts, his thigh looked smooth and strong, and you swallowed dryly.  “I’ll catch her.”

“It’s ok.”  He smiled softly.  “I got her.” He swung his leg over the branch, holding on with his left hand and letting his legs dangle.  Slowly he lowered himself in a reverse one-arm pull-up, until his arm was fully extended. He paused there as Snowball began to struggle once more, pushing and scratching at him to be set free.  He dropped, landing with a slight stumble on a tree root or maybe a patch of uneven grass, but he was safe and so was Snowball.

“You stupid moggy.  I’m definitely taking my bed back after this, you ungrateful little shit.”  You chastise the feline as James handed her over to you, his hands brushed parts of you that you could only dream of him touching otherwise.  He seemed to notice and offered an apologetic wince.

“She’s a stubborn little lady, isn’t she?”  He said with a wry smile.

“You could say that.”  You sighed and he chuckled, bright and warm.

“They say pets take on the personality traits of their owners.”  He teased with a cheeky smile. Suddenly the heat of the day was forgotten, the stifling sheen of sweat on your skin a thing of no consequence, damp clothes and discomfort a thought from the past.  Now all you felt was a warmth in your gut that tingled, and an effervescent thrill in your chest. The man was stunning, beautiful even. The urge to capture his essence on canvas was almost painful, the urge to touch him was harder still to resist.

You swallow dryly.  “If that’s the case then my sister is the right-hand-man of Beelzebub himself.”  You deadpanned.

James’s laugh burst forth, the first splutter developing into a slightly goofy chortle that was both genuine and contagious.  “Well that explains a lot.” He calmed himself with a sigh. “You didn’t strike me as the virgin sacrificing kind.”

“Can’t think of a better use for them.”  You were too distracted by the way his smile transforms his face that you just replied automatically, saying something you’d say to a close friend.  “They’re no good for sex, and if it means there’ll be no more pussy problem then I’m game.”

There was a moment where you weren’t sure what had him laughing so hard but the you snorted and let the contagious laughter take over.  Snowball’s struggles against your breast were forgotten in the giddy thrill of the moment. It was several minutes until you were both calm enough to talk.

The heat of the day, now unbearable, reasserted its presence.  James used the hem of his shirt to mop his brow, displaying toned planes of perfect musculature and smooth skin now adorned by multitudes of angry red scratches.

Guilt flooded in.  “I’m so sorry.” You felt terrible.  “What a mess.”

“It’s fine.  I’ve survived worse.”  His smile was meant to be reassuring but there was something sad about it and you felt it too, there was no reason for him to linger, except…

“I owe you a coffee at least, sir cat whisperer.”  You bowed your head slightly, resuming the dynamic you’d previously shared.  “Will you let me to patch you up? It’s the least I can do.”

“I don’t want to impose,” he seemed unsure, “what about your interview?”

You shook your head with a weary thin-lipped smile.  No words were needed, you knew you wouldn’t hear from them so it was back to the drawing board on the job front.

“Sorry about that.  I should have been quicker.”  He picked his things up from the grass, keys and wallet stuffed back into the pockets of his now slightly grubby shorts, and phone in hand.

“Pfft, the damage was already done thanks to this one.”  You gave Snowball’s head a rub and she yowled at you in disgust.  There would be tantrums later but she sure as hell wasn’t getting cooked chicken breast for her supper tonight, she was getting regular cat food after that little stunt.

“All right, lead the way.”

==========

The air in your home was so much cooler in contrast to outside that you broke out into goosebumps instantly.  James followed you, silently looking around like a tourist. If he was surprised by the eclectic mix of décor he didn’t show it.  Instead he wore a pleased smile as you lead him to the kitchen.

With Snowball deposited on the floor, you got your first aid kit out and set the espresso jug on the gas ring to brew later.  You didn’t often drink espresso but an americano made with good espresso was infinitely better than the crap that comes out of a jar or standard filter coffee.  James watched you as you worked, eyes following you intermittently as he wrote a quick text on his phone.

Hands washed and supplies at the ready; you regarded him, sat on one of your breakfast stools looking delicious if completely scratched up.

“Can I…?”  You gestured to his wounds, asking permission to touch him.

“Oh!  Sure.”  He hesitated for only a moment before stripping his top away, leaving your jaw hanging while you practically eye-fucked him.

This man… God damn!

You focused on cleaning and disinfecting the collection of slashes and gouges on his neck, chest and arms.  Stood between his spread knees, you delicately drew the antiseptic soaked cotton ball over each scratch, wiping away the dried blood.  You took your time, ensuring each one, even those he could see himself, were cleaned. What better excuse for you to have your hands all over this gorgeous man who you would probably never see again afterwards.

The tension in the air was reflected in the heavy blush on your cheeks as you swab a particularly deep scratch on his throat.  He swallowed, Adam’s apple bobbing under your touch and when your eyes lifted to meet his you found him staring and breathing hard.  You were both so close, inches apart but the divide of unfamiliarity too wide to cross.

The more you touched him the warmer you became until you couldn’t meet his gaze for fear of what he might see.   You were never very good at hiding your emotions, never able to lie and this would be no different, you wore your attraction to him like a badge.  A shamefully red badge all over your face.

His hands twitched on his knees; a stifled urge to touch you, perhaps, or to relieve you of your duty.  That moment of unsurety had him searching your downturned face in the silence that lay between you, which was bursting with electricity.

“Y/n?”  He said softly and your eyes snapped up to his face.  In that moment you saw something in him that spun your world around: adulation.

James laid one hand on your hip tentatively and drew you forward.  Forgotten were the scratches and the antiseptic swabs. Forgotten were the thoughts that you were strangers to each other.  Forgotten was your hesitancy as you leaned towards him, eyes flitting between his plush lips and his brilliant blue eyes. He reached up to thread his fingers into the hair at your nape-

A knock at the back door startled you both and you jumped back.  Your neighbour, Steve, was stood outside peering in through the glass with a goofy smirk on his face.

“I hope you don’t mind,” James said in a rush, “I texted Steve to let him know I was here.”

“You know my neighbour?”  You gestured for Steve to come in as James nodded.  How had you never seen this man before if he was a friend of Steve and Sharon?

“Hey, y/n.”  Steve was always chipper but today he seemed so much more so.  “Thanks for keeping this one occupied.” The tall blonde smirked at the state of his friend, topless and scratched up.  “What happened to you, huh?”

Was that a micro wink you saw just then?

“I did the cliché firefighter thing.”  James said, rolling his eyes at the suggestive nature of Steve’s comment.  “I was jogging ‘round the block waiting for you to show up and y/n needed some help with Snowball.”

“First week on the job and you’re rescuing cats.”  Steve laughed. He knew all about Snowball, having been there that first day and helped you bring all of her cat ‘furniture’ in from your car.  “You’re a brave man.”

“So, you two are good friends?”

“We’ve been inseparable since we were kids.  Bucky and me, we-”

“Wait!  This is Bucky?”  You’d heard all about Army hero Bucky Barnes.  Stories from Steve about his childhood, stories from Sharon about Steve’s bachelor party, and other events where the myth of Bucky Barnes was woven into the legend of the perfect friend.  Steve loved this man like his own brother, but he was only ever a fable until now. “You’re the guy who made Steve puke all over himself on a rollercoaster? The guy who fell from a moving train and broke his arm to save Steve’s life?  The guy who Sharon’s Grandma Maggie wouldn’t stop talking about-”

“Oh god!”  Bucky groaned and fixed Steve with a warning stare.  “We agreed never to talk about the Maggie thing.”

“I might have told y/n.”  Steve winced. “It’s not that bad.”

“Well, I gotta tell you,” you cocked a brow, “the Grandma Maggie story was…hot!”  Fanning yourself salaciously, you smirked at him.

Bucky groaned but it wasn’t long before he was laughing and all the tension between you had seeped away.  The way his whole face lit up when he smiled, the endearing but nervous swipe of his tongue across his lips when he tried to regain control, and the shining blue fire in his eyes.  All of it had you wishing you could see him like this every single day from now on.

The conversation flowed so naturally between you, Steve and his life-long friend, you were sad when you finally finished cleaning up all of James’s cuts and talk turned to their afternoon gym plans.  Steve finally excused himself and James trailed after him, dawdling behind to offer you an apologetic smile, but he was still leaving. You panicked.

“So, fireman Bucky?”  You called and he turned in the doorway, the sun illuminating his perfect form.  “Will I see you again?”

You could just make out his surprise before it was overtaken by his most brilliant smile.  “Well, you do owe me that coffee.”

“How about tomorrow?”  Your heart was hammering in your chest.  Be brave, you told yourself.  “I’d love to hear the story of how Sir James tamed vicious Grandma Maggie.”

“How about tonight instead?”  His smile tugged at your heart, curling the corners of his mouth coquettishly.  “I’d hate to deprive you of my most embarrassing tale.” He picked up the flirt so effortlessly, your selfless knight in topless glory.

“Come by around six?”

James grinned big and, with a chivalrous bow, disappeared in Steve’s wake.

You began to prepare Snowball an early supper; chicken breast.  She deserved a big reward after all.