#james is trying his best

[byhuenii]

YOU-ology

Pairing Bucky Barnes x Reader

Syonpsis Bucky has been trying to understand you—your habits, your silences, your smiles. You speak in gestures more than words, in shared glances and cups of coffee left just right.The problem? He doesn’t know what a “love language” is. It sounds like a literal dialect. So naturally, he puts on his reading glasses, makes a study binder, and asks Peter Parker to teach him Gen Z slang, but he knows one thing for sure: if loving you means learning everything—he’s ready to graduate with honors.

(Inspired by TXT 'Love Language')

Word Count 2.6k

Tags + Warning Soft misunderstanding / no angst, fluff overload, accidental confession via ASL, soft!bucky

— YOU-ology Researching you-ology, all about you, from A to Z

“I can’t read your mind,” he says, voice low. “But I want to.”

The sunlight hits just right in the Brooklyn apartment. You’re sitting on the windowsill, nursing your third cup of coffee, and Bucky’s leaning against the kitchen counter like the world isn’t tilting every time you look away from him.

You don’t speak right away. You’re used to silence. He’s learning that.

He watches as you stir your coffee absentmindedly. You always stir five times. Clockwise. Never more, never less.

He’s been keeping track of things like that.

Like how you always set out two mugs in the morning, even when he doesn’t sleep over. How you keep an extra blanket folded at the end of the couch even though he insists he doesn’t get cold. How you hand him a protein bar without asking if he’s eaten.

You don’t say much. But you do a lot.

And Bucky? Bucky’s trying to figure out if this—whatever this is—means what he hopes it does.

He’s never been great with feelings. Too many years pretending he didn’t have any. But with you, he wants to get it right.

“I think I might be speaking the wrong dialect of love,” he tells Peter Parker seriously. “Is there a Duolingo for romance?”

Bucky has fought in wars, survived brainwashing, outpaced death—and yet, nothing has confused him quite like you.

Well, you, and this strange thing Peter said over lunch the other day.

"Oh, love language? Yeah, it's like how people give and receive affection. You gotta know your partner's love language to really connect.”

Love language?

Bucky had blinked at Peter from behind his coffee, the words rattling around like marbles in a tin can. “There’s a language for that?”

Peter had shrugged like it was obvious. “Yeah, there are five. Physical touch, words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service, and gifts. You know… the usual.”

Bucky had nodded slowly, like he understood. He did not understand. He thought "acts of service" was a military term.

Back home, Bucky had pulled out his reading glasses (the ones Sam doesn’t know he owns) and Googled:

“What is love language.” “Love language translation.” “How to know if you’re good at love.”

Twenty tabs later, he had a headache, a notebook full of bullet points, and a tiny post-it with your name surrounded by little doodled hearts he definitely didn’t mean to draw.

STUDY NOTES:

☑ Quality time → you always wait for him after missions

☑ Acts of service → you make his tea how he likes it (2 sugar, no judgment)

☑ Physical touch → light shoulder pats, a knee against his under the table, casual-but-not-casual hand touches

☑ Gifts → brought him a vintage Captain America comic once. He almost cried.

☑ Words of affirmation → okay this one’s harder. You’re quiet. You show love, but don’t say it much. Still… he catches you looking. That means something.

He circles the last one twice.

—

One morning, Bucky shows up to your door with a homemade dictionary titled:

“You-ology: A Comprehensive Field Guide to Understanding You” (Vol. 1 — Beta Edition)

It’s leather-bound. Handwritten. Indexed.

There’s a doodle of you on page one that looks suspiciously like it was done by a man lying on his stomach with his feet up and his legs kicking.

You flip through it, trying not to grin. “You made me a… glossary?”

Bucky pushes his glasses up his nose. “I’ve been decoding your signals.”

“You’ve been—what?”

“You say things without saying them. And I figured maybe if I could learn your dialect, I could say things back.”

You’re stunned. Speechless. Warm all over.

“Bucky,” you say, “you’re literally learning a love language like it’s a spy code.”

He squints. “It’s not?”

Once Bucky learns that love languages aren’t actual dialects, he’s a little embarrassed. For five whole seconds.

Then he decides:

“Fine. Then I’ll try all of them. Just in case.”

And he does. With alarming dedication.

Words of Affirmation: You wake up to a note on your fridge:

“You’re the smartest person I know. Even smarter than Banner. (Don’t tell him.) - B”

And another on your coffee cup:

“You deserve the world. But I brought you coffee instead. I hope that’s okay.”

When you turn around, he’s leaning on the counter, flushed red. “Too much?”

Acts of Service: You offhandedly mention your sink is dripping.

The next day it’s fixed. And your drawer doesn’t stick anymore. And your laptop’s updated. And your favorite hoodie that you thought you lost? Folded on your bed.

He salutes you on his way out like it’s a secret mission. “All in a day’s work, ma’am.”

Quality Time: He clears a Saturday. No missions. No distractions.

You watch four movies, eat terrible microwave popcorn, and fall asleep on his shoulder.

He doesn’t move. Not for hours. His arm goes numb. He doesn’t care.

He tells Sam later: “Best damn day I’ve had in decades.”

Gifts: He leaves a flower on your desk. Not a rose. A tiny forget-me-not. The tag says:

“This reminded me of your laugh. Kind of small. Kind of magic.”

You keep it in a book. He notices. Doesn’t say a word. Smiles so hard his cheeks hurt.

Physical Touch: He used to flinch. Now? He leans in.

You touch his hair once and he forgets how to breathe. Next day, he wears it slightly messy. Hopes you’ll do it again.

One day, you reach for his hand. He holds it like it’s fragile. Like you’re holding him. His thumb rubs soft circles into your palm.

“Just… letting you know I’m here,” he murmurs.

You squeeze back. “I know.”

Peter Parker ends up being his unofficial relationship coach.

“Wait—what’s a ‘green flag?’” “Peter, what does ‘simp’ mean?” “Is it normal to dream about their smile for six nights in a row or is that brain damage?” “Be honest. Am I down bad?”

Peter: “...You’re down astronomical, sir.”

—

One rainy night, you both get stuck in the Tower’s media room during a storm.

Bucky fidgets with the sleeves of his hoodie. You notice he’s scribbled something in the corner of his You-ology notebook.

You tilt your head. “What’s that?”

He doesn’t look up. Just says, “It’s… new vocabulary.”

He passes you the notebook.

 He wants to understand you like he’s memorizing a secret language only the two of you speak.

He clears his throat. “I’ve been… trying to study you. Is that weird?”

Your brows raise slightly in amusement. “Study me?”

“Yeah,” he says, running a hand through his short hair. “Like—figure out what you’re saying when you’re not actually saying anything.”

You look at him now, eyes softening. “You’ve been reading my… ‘you-ology?’”

He laughs. It’s a quiet, rusty thing. Rare. But so warm when it happens.

“I guess I have,” he murmurs, stepping closer. “I know you like your coffee sweet but pretend you don’t. I know you always hum when you’re nervous, and you’ll never ask for help, but you’ll stay up until 2 a.m. helping me.”

His metal hand flexes. Nervous.

“And I know you look at me like I mean something… but I don’t know if I’m reading it right.”

Your voice is soft. “And what if you are?”

He stops.

His heart stops.

The sun hits your cheek just right, your smile so shy it breaks something open in him.

“I don’t talk much,” you add, “because I never really had to. Not with the right people. But I make sure they’re warm. That they eat. That they know I’m there, even when I can’t say it out loud.”

He swallows hard.

“Then I guess,” Bucky says slowly, stepping into your space, “I’ve been speaking your love language this whole time.”

You smile, fingers brushing the inside of his wrist. You trace the edge where skin meets metal. He shivers.

“And you?” you whisper. “What’s your language?”

He thinks. He’s never been asked that.

Maybe it’s not words. Maybe it’s quiet, safe mornings and the way he remembers your favorite color. Maybe it’s standing between you and the crowd even when there’s no danger. Maybe it’s showing up. Not running.

“I think,” he says, “it’s time. Sitting with you. Watching dumb movies. Letting you talk or not talk. Just… being.”

You nod. “Then you’ve been speaking mine too.”

His hand curls around yours.

Chapter 6: When I’m With You, Everything Makes Sense

Coffee = comfort

Silence = trust

Laughter = home

You = safe

You = mine? (still unsure. researching.)

Your throat tightens. “You big dork.”

He glances up, hopeful. “But… like, a lovable dork?”

You kiss his cheek. “Fluently lovable.”

Weeks later, you hand him a little leather journal.

On the front:

“Bucky-ese: A Guide to Loving You Back (YOU-ology)”

He flips it open.

Page One:

“Your love language is: All of them. But especially being seen. And I see you.”

He presses the book to his chest like it’s holy.

Then: “You wanna watch that stupid baking show and drink tea out of mismatched mugs like we’re 80?”

He grins. “That’s my favorite dialect.”

There’s no grand declaration. No fiery kiss.

Just soft, sacred quiet.

But that’s the thing about love languages. You don’t always need to hear them. Sometimes, you just feel them.

And Bucky?

He feels you.

—

Lately, he’s gotten really into studying TikToks and music videos you like. You walk in one night and he’s watching TXT’s “Love Language” choreo on repeat.

He’s squinting at the screen, rewinding and mimicking one particular moment — where the members make the “I Love You” sign in ASL, fingers shaped just right.

He sees you enter and lights up like a puppy who just figured out how to sit.

“Hey! I think I cracked it. That hand thing—like, this?” He does it—thumb, index, pinky up. “It’s like, modern slang for love, right? Like Gen Z emoji but with your hands?”

You pause mid-step.

Your heart thuds.

“Bucky… do you know what that actually means?”

He blinks. “Yeah! It’s like, ‘you’re cool’ or something? Peter said it’s used in dances a lot. You know, like ‘🤟 vibes only.’”

You stare at him. He’s still holding it up—so proud, so casual—like he didn’t just set fire to your entire nervous system.

“James.”

Your voice is soft. He stops.

You step forward slowly, take his hand in both of yours, and gently lower it.

“That sign isn’t slang,” you whisper, eyes searching his face. “It’s American Sign Language. It means ‘I love you.’ Literally. Not ‘cool.’ Not ‘vibes.’ Love.”

Silence.

His eyes go huge.

His mouth parts—then shuts. Then opens. Then shuts again. He is rebooting.

“…Oh.”

Then—quiet panic.

“…Oh.”

He scrubs a hand down his face. “Wait. Wait, I’ve been doing that for, like, three days. To you. While you were making dinner. On the couch. That one time in the elevator—”

You nod, very calm. “Yes. You told me you loved me 17 times. And yes, I counted.”

He is bright red. Apocalyptic red. He looks like he might spontaneously combust.

“I—I didn’t know—*I mean I do, I mean not like—*I mean obviously I do—” He’s flustered and fumbling, hands waving.

You grab them. Hold them gently. Steady.

“You really do?”

His voice is barely a breath. “Yeah.”

Your smile cracks through the tension like sunrise.

“Then say it again.”

You release one of his hands. He looks at you—heart on his sleeve, nerves frayed.

And slowly, deliberately, he lifts his hand again.

Thumb, index finger, pinky.

I love you.

And this time—he knows exactly what it means.

BONUS:LATER THAT NIGHT!!

He flops onto your couch face-down and groans into a pillow. “I confessed on accident like some kind of boyband backup dancer.”

You’re sitting next to him, stroking his hair. “It was perfect.”

He peeks up. “You sure?”

You grin. “Fluently perfect.”

He groans again—but he’s smiling.

—

“You’re my safe place, and I think I just proposed to you using the wrong hand sign, oh my god—can we rewind time or am I gonna die here on this rug?”

Bucky has a Plan™️.

After accidentally telling you “I love you” 17 times in ASL (without realizing it) and then on purpose (with realization), he’s decided he wants to learn a full phrase.

Something simple. Something sweet.

Something like:

“I’m happy with you.” Or maybe: “You’re my home.”

So he goes to Peter. Again.

Peter, to his eternal regret, pulls out a basic ASL learning app and walks Bucky through the signs.

Problem is, Bucky’s fingers don’t cooperate yet. His muscle memory is stubborn. His brain is full of you and short-circuiting.

What he meant to learn was:

“You make me feel safe.” (“YOU — MAKE — ME — FEEL — SAFE”)

What he accidentally signs, in a combination of nervousness and fumbled syntax, is:

“YOU — MAKE — ME — YOUR — WIFE.”

He doesn’t realize it.

You, who actually knows ASL, absolutely do.

It’s a quiet afternoon in your apartment. Rain against the window. Music low.

Bucky has that look again—the one where he’s clearly been practicing something all day and is about to do it nervously but dramatically.

You’re curled up on the couch when he stands in front of you, face serious, eyes way too shiny.

He clears his throat.

“Okay. I’ve been learning more. ASL. Because I wanna speak it the way you do. With your hands. With your heart.”

You melt. Instantly. He’s fidgeting, biting his bottom lip. He looks like a storm in a sweater.

Then he signs.

Slowly. Carefully.

“YOU — MAKE — ME — YOUR — WIFE.”

You freeze.

Your eyes go wide. Your heart? Gone. Brain? Empty.

Bucky is beaming.

“Did I get it right?”

You blink. “Um. Almost.”

“Yeah?” He looks so proud. “I practiced for, like, six hours. I wanted to say you make me feel… y’know, safe. Like… like I’m home.”

There is a pause.

Then you start laughing.

Not a mean laugh—a breathless, overwhelmed, you-are-so-stupidly-perfect-how-is-this-my-life laugh.

Bucky’s face crumples. “Wait. Did I say something weird?”

You can barely get the words out. “James Buchanan Barnes—you just proposed to me.”

He freezes.

Like—winter soldier frozen mid-mission freezes.

“…Wait. I what?”

You take his hands gently and show him.

“WIFE.” You do the correct sign. “SAFE.” You show the actual one. “Different hand shape.”

Bucky looks between your hands and his own like they’ve betrayed him.

His mouth opens. Closes. Opens again.

“…Did I really just—?”

You nod, biting your lip.

“…Oh god.”

He immediately flops to his knees, hands in his hair, face in his palms. He’s red everywhere.

“I didn’t mean to propose. I can’t propose like that—there was no ring, no speech, no flowers—you were in socks—”

You blink. “Would it have been better if I wasn’t in socks?”

“YES. I mean NO. I mean—GOD.”

He’s pacing now. “Do we take it back? Is it binding? Is this like vampire rules where once you say it it’s done—I didn’t even kneel on purpose—”

You walk up to him.

Cup his cheeks.

He’s still spiraling.

“…Was it weird? Was it bad? Was it too soon? Do you wanna break up with me and then date me again so I can do it right?”

You shake your head, smiling.

“Bucky.”

He stops.

You lean in, press your forehead to his.

Then you sign, clear as day:

YES.

He freezes.

“Wait. Yes what?”

You say it out loud this time. Soft. Steady.

“Yes. I’ll be your wife.”

His breath leaves him like someone knocked it out with a hug.

“…Even though I proposed by accident?”

You kiss his nose.

“Especially because of that.”

Bucky buys a ring the very next day.

He still does the ASL sign for “I love you” every time you leave the room. You never get used to it.

And one day, he signs perfectly:

YOU — ARE — MY — SAFE — PLACE.

You tear up.

And then, just to mess with him, you sign back:

MAKE — ME — YOUR — HUSBAND.

He drops his drink.

You both laugh so hard you forget the world.

(You've got mail!) well well well..WELL WELL WELLLLLLLL. this has been fermenting in my drafts so uh hereee. its very fluffy and cute and so much grandpa barnes code. i whole heartily believe hes such a cutie like you can not convince me otherwise. stream txt love language tho! i rmbered i had this while i was kinda making a txt series avengers masterlist so uhhhh yeah! ALSO I HAD NO CLUE THAT HUENING KAI WAS TRYNA LEARN MY YOU-OLOGY IM BLUSHINGGG

Tag List (For Mr. James Buchanan Barnes is open)

@bbsbrina @herejustforbuckybarnes @barnesandbouquets

[somecluelessidiot]

Remus: Keep an eye on James today. He's going to say something stupid to Regulus and get punched.

Sirius: Sure, I'd love to see James get punched.

Remus: Try again.

Sirius: I... will stop James from getting punched.

Remus: There you go.

[mischievous-thunder]

How to say "me too" by James Logan Howlett:

Your face betrays your carefully chosen words, Logie Badger!

[thestarlotus]

Obsessed with the degrees to which james wilson is a messy bitch. Primps and preens himself whenever he realises his boy best friend is stalking / sabotaging / psychological-warfare-ing him. Slept with his terminal patient. Immedicable people pleaser. Chronic adulterer. Three ex wives. PROPOSED TO HIS GIRLFRIEND AT SOMEONE ELSE'S WEDDING? Fuck you doin in the oncology wing my boy. Psychiatric ward is on the left corner

[daddiesdrarryy]

Remus: Okay, Wormtail, you’ll be checking the perimeter for the professors

Remus: Prongs, you’ll be the first to initiate the plan

Remus: Pads, I want you to just stand next to me and say “yes, Remus”

Sirius: Okay, Moony!

Remus: Come on, love!

[amethystroselily]

I started watching House md, and I already knew about the medical malpractice and the romantic undertones of House and Wilson’s relationship, but I was not prepared for how insane the dynamic between the 6 main characters is and just how much medical malpractice they are committing (however much you’re expecting, it’s more).

Like House says the most offensive shit to Foreman and Cameron. Foreman clearly hates him (he deserves to punch House at least once) and Cameron is like vaguely uncomfortable, but Chase seems to not have any real problems with House (so far. Im only on ep3), bc he’s actually MORE privileged than him so he can’t really get in any microaggressions, so Chase acts like the other two are exaggerating. (Actually kind of an interesting look into, like, oppression in the workplace, but maybe questionable execution).

Anyways, HORRIBLE work environment. Those three always run around in a pack, they’re either doing absolutely nothing or scrambling around the hospital doing the work of the entire medical field (WHERE are the nurses???? Lab technicians????). They’re using lab equipment all willynilly. House refuses to do his job and Cuddy is constantly like five minutes away from firing him, but doesn’t????? And then he tries to convince her she’s the one who isn’t doing her job. Hell, to make it worse, she’s micro-aggressing HIM half of the time. Wilson doesn’t even actually fucking work with these people, he’s in an entirely different department, so he’s really just here to beg House to take cases and to gossip with him on his luchbreak, and yet he remains like way too involved.

Absolute mess, Im kind of endeared by it.

[ecstarry]

thinking about reg’s first mexican christmas standing confused outside the house with james’ half of the family as they sing for posada while james is inside laughing because reg cannot keep up with the song but he’s trying to at least hum along to the melody

[wyrm-mlm]

I had the most ridiculous idea. For this idea you need to know some bits of context

In the Xmen prequels Erik is framed for killing JFK while actually trying to save him

In the MCU, Bucky as the Winter Soldier was the one to actually kill JFK

And in Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Bucky has a list of people he had hurt as The Winter Soldier and he is trying to make amends to.

I’m thinking about Bucky going to the Mansion(because in this idea Erik is happily married to Charles and I’m not delusional you are) to talk with Erik and apologize for getting him stuck for 10 years under the pentagon.

Erik then uses his metal arm to send him flying across the grounds while Charles is trying to convince him to behave.

Bucky lands in some bushes, and groans out a “yeah I deserved that.”

Charles then invites him in for tea and they have a somewhat civil conversation.

[creatureprofessor]

as much as i love the post-rescue AUs where fitzjames settles with crozier ever so in love and a bit worse for wear, i think that had he survived, he would have repressed-regressed to square one, for a good while at least. he bared his soul to another man and was on the brink of death, so he forcibly chalks it all up to hallucination and delusion, and the second the court martials are over (hickey & the mutineers, absent as they are (still in the arctic), get all the blame along w silna - no matter the few protesting voices about her involvement. no mention of the tuunbaq, as agreed upon.) he requests to be sent to somewhere warm. don't ask where his new teeth or wig came from. he is continuing that rep grind for posterity and employs a ghostwriter for his biography bc he is psychically unable to talk abt the expedition besides superficial anecdotes. then he dies years later in some nautical freak accident or in a battle, mourned by the remaining expedition members, but after the funeral they realize they don't have much to talk about anymore or they cannot find the words to. his letters to crozier, aside from a few formal ones, remain unsent and it's up to dundy to burn them or not.

[anghraine]

It's been awhile, but a conversation with my housemates inspired a very silly poll about the problematic fave of TOS episodes:

I'm guessing the censorship logic for the first of these is that Shatner-as-Janice seductively using her feminine wiles to lure a man into committing murder isn't gay, because Janice is a woman who stole Kirk's body and thus it's straight, even though what we're seeing is Shatner doing this in classically campy style.

But the logic of the second is, presumably, that Kirk trapped in Janice's body telling Spock he's closer to him than anyone in the universe and Spock knows his thoughts -> Spock melding with him to confirm his identity -> the two of them running off with Spock holding Kirk's hand/wrist through multiple scene cuts for 25 seconds onscreen (and who knows how long in-story) isn't gay because Kirk is played by a woman at the time.

But personally, I feel you can have "it's not gay if the characters are a man and a woman even if the actors are the same gender" or you can have "it's not gay if the actors are a man and a woman but the characters are the same gender" but not both!

[mischievous-thunder]

Give your man some time to get used to your extreme clinginess, Wade!

[vomits0cutely]

It would have worked, but the person he’s trying to flirt with isn’t catching on..

[ezkel]

Wolfstar + jegulus Au where prongsfoot met in uni and neither of them know who each other's boyfriends are (moonwater are best friends who both go to Oxford on scholarship) and they decide to do a double date to meet each other's boyfriends.

But both Regulus and Sirius are trans but haven’t seen each other in years and so they don’t know about each other. And whenever James or Remus says their boyfriends names neither of them realise, because that's not the name they knew their sibling by. 

Sirius still ran away when he was 16, Regulus ran away when he got his scholarship to Oxford, Walburga and Orion wanted him to go to Cambridge to Study law like Orion did but Regulus wanted to study english literature. 

So Regulus and Remus get to the cafe early and are just sitting there shittalking the faculty at Oxford. And James and Sirius walk in, five minutes late and both Sirius and Regulus immediately get the feeling they know each other. Once they're all sat at the table they are both subtly trying to scope each other out when Sirius says something about his ‘sister’ and Regulus immediately clocks it and they get into an argument. Remus and James are trying to figure out what happened and calm their boyfriends and their best friends. 

Anyway the double date ends up being Sirius and Regulus catching up and their respective boyfriends trying to recover from the whiplash. 

They do end up having another double date a few days after the initial one, this one goes slightly better. Of course after Regulus and Sirius have grilled their best friends for dating their brothers without telling them.

[benoits-neckerchieves]

i love this boy so much

“You let him have it cause he’s real cute” yes, yes he is

Knives Out Q&A, 14/11/2019

Also there’s a part where the interviewer says he should do a full version of that Sondheim song he sings in the car and he goes “nobody wants to hear that” and i would just like to say that everybody very much wants to hear that

[glacierberries]

muggle college au where snirius is already a thing, and sirius doesn't answer james' texts as quickly as he used to and for the first time, james realises that he isn't sirius' first priority. so he's like, "you'd text snivellus first, but not Me??" and sirius is like, "yeah man im literally dating him. you literally did the same thing to me when you started dating lily?" and james crashes out because No, he thinks it's not the same, but how is he going to explain that to sirius.

[risetherivermoon]

james, walking past: "oh hey barty!"

barty: "you look like an unwashed weasel with its head inside its ass, you unnecessarily sweet, sexy bitch with stupid loving eyes."

james: 🧍 "oh.. thank you? i think?"

barty, internal monologue: "good job barty, you played that off well, James has no idea you're in love with him."