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onceuponastory · 20 hours

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something sweet - bucky barnes x reader. chapter one: new beginnings

Plot: Bucky meets his new neighbour Y/N, who has just moved to New York after inheriting her aunt’s coffee shop. He offers to help out whenever he can, but both are apprehensive about getting closer to one another, especially because of their pasts. Yet, as always, life has other plans. Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader (soon) Warnings: Mentions of death, implied previous abusive/toxic relationship, reader doubting herself and mentions of Bucky’s past as The Winter Soldier and how he wasn’t in control. I also wanted to mention that in this, reader has a good relationship with her parents and family, since I know it can be a tough subject for some. As always if I miss any triggers, let me know. Notes: This is a series I’ve had planned for the longest time, and I’m so excited to finally be writing it. I hope you all love it as much as I do. This is not beta’d, so all mistakes are my own. Divider made by @staticscreenwriting / @astartothemoon

Heading up the stairs to his apartment, Bucky hums a little tune to himself. He isn’t expecting much from today, just another laid back day. Honestly, he still isn’t used to having these kinds of days, ones where he’s in control of himself and what he does, and he can choose to just do nothing. In all honesty, Bucky thinks he’ll never be used to that. Or at least, not any time soon.

However, when he rounds the corner, Bucky sees a sight he wasn’t expecting at the end of the hallway - a woman lifting box after box, and taking them into an apartment. His previous neighbour moved out a few weeks ago so she could move in with her boyfriend, meaning this must be his new neighbour. As the woman continues to move everything into her apartment, Bucky watches her, smiling a little. She seems nice, and he’d be lying if he said if he didn’t find her pretty cute.

And he’s staring at her like a weirdo without even offering her his help. Way to be a hero, Bucky.

“Hey, do you need some help lifting those?” He offers. The woman looks up. When she makes eye contact with Bucky, she smiles.

“Uh no, actually. I should be okay. Thanks though.” She holds out a hand, which Bucky shakes. “My name’s Y/N. I just moved here.”

“Nice to meet you, Y/N. I’m Bucky. I’m one of your new neighbours. Sure you don’t need any help?” She shakes her head again.

“No, honestly I’m okay.” Her words are a little quicker and sharper than Bucky expected, and when Y/N realises, she sighs. “God, sorry. That didn’t come out right.”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. You were just trying to help. Sorry Bucky.” Even though he still doesn’t think she has to apologise, Bucky accepts her apology. “It’s just these last two, anyway.”

“Well, okay. If you need any help, I’m just at the end of the hall in number 212.” He gestures down the hall, and she nods. And with that, Bucky turns and goes back to his apartment. Y/N watches him go. As soon as he’s out of sight, she groans, massaging her temples.

“Fuck. Why did I do that?!” she hisses. “Way to mess it up with your cute neighbour before you even know him, Y/N.” Sighing Y/N glances back down the hallway, right at Bucky’s door. He seems really sweet, but the last thing she wants is to get too close to someone and end up getting hurt or hurting them. Especially after her most recent heartbreak. With another sigh, Y/N grabs the last of her boxes and opens the door to her apartment.

The next time the new neighbours see each other is a few days later, when Bucky is just back from the supermarket, laden down with various bags of food. When he reaches his floor, he glances down the hallway and sees Y/N balancing various books in her arms, her keys dangling from her mouth. Suddenly, a book slips out of her grasp, thudding against the floor. “Shit.” She hisses. Before she can even bend down to pick it up, Bucky has all but abandoned his bags and is rushing over to help her.

“Let me get that.” He says, picking up the book. He takes a quick glance at the cover: “How to Run a Business for Dummies.”

“Thanks.” Y/N murmurs.

“And I guess you need help to get inside, too?” Bucky chuckles.

“Is it that obvious?” Bucky gently takes the keys from her mouth and opens her door, holding it open for her. Y/N dumps her enormous stack of books on her counter, breathing a sigh of relief. “Thanks for that, Bucky. Can I, um… get you some tea, coffee or anything?” She offers. Bucky takes a moment to think it over. Sure, he’d like to get to know his new neighbour better, but he hasn’t really been close to anyone since being pardoned.

Of course, there’s the other Avengers, but other than Steve and Sam, they’re more his colleagues than anything else. Since returning to his normal life… or whatever ‘normal’ is for him now, Bucky hasn’t done the little things like this, like having a cup of tea with a friend, or having a discussion about non-Avengers stuff. Despite his overextended life, Bucky is woefully inexperienced at this sort of thing.

But then, he looks over at Y/N, and her slightly nervous smile, obviously wondering if it’s really that bad to just have some tea with her. And in order to get out there and make amends, to be seen as something other than the Winter Soldier… Bucky knows that he has to take the first step. And tea with his new neighbour sounds like the perfect start to that.

“Yeah, I’d love some, thanks.” He takes a seat at her kitchen counter, watching as Y/N roots through her cupboards to find some mugs.

“Sorry, I haven’t fully settled in yet, so a few things are still strewn around.” She chuckles. Bucky looks around her apartment. Pictures of Y/N with her family and friends cover her walls, the sight making Bucky smile. Y/N is clearly surrounded by love. Although, it does also cause a pang in his heart. Sometimes, he wishes his family were still around, and that he had more of a connection to his past. And especially because he knows that because of him, a lot of people won’t have family moments like this, birthdays and Christmases spent together, full of love and laughter. Even though he knows that it wasn’t his fault, Bucky still feels horrendously guilty about what he’s done. Hopefully, one day he’ll be able to forgive himself… even though he doubts it. “You alright?” Y/N asks, passing a mug over to him and snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Oh! Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks.” He lies. Y/N can tell there’s something more to it, but she decides not to ask. After all, she and Bucky barely know one another. She can’t just expect him to dump everything on her at once. As they drink their tea, Bucky glances over at the big stack of books on the counter. They’re all business related, causing him to raise a brow. “That’s some… light reading material.” He jokes.

“Well, I’m going to be taking some business night classes, so figured I’d get started early.”

“Is this all your reading material?” Bucky’s eyes widen. “It looks like you brought home half of the library.”

“No… I just like being prepared, I guess.” She shrugs, knowing Bucky probably thinks she’s a nerd. To her surprise, though, he nods.

“Well, good for you. So, are you planning to open a business, or is this just a hobby?” Bucky regrets his question as soon as it leaves his lips. “Who the fuck studies business as a hobby? Idiot.”

Thankfully, if Y/N thinks his question is stupid, she doesn’t mention it. “Well, yeah, sort of. My aunt used to run a coffee shop nearby, and when I was a kid, I used to help out whenever I could. I loved it, and my aunt used to say I was a natural.” She points to a picture on the wall, one presumably of her and her aunt. They’re baking together, with big smiles on their faces and flour dusting their palms. “I loved that place and wanted to help out as much as I could. I probably spent every weekend there.”

As she reminisces on the memory, Y/N smiles, one of those huge smiles that almost overtakes your face and is as bright as sunshine. And the sight makes Bucky smile too, a smile wider than he’s used to. But then she sighs, and her face falls. “As I got older, I was focused on other things, and didn’t help out as much as I used to. My aunt died a few months ago, and well… it turns out she left the coffee shop to me in her will. I still bake, but I don’t know the first thing about actually running a business, so at first I considered just letting someone else take it over. But when I thought about it and remembered how much I loved helping my aunt, I realised how much I love that place, and my aunt too much to let it fall into someone else’s hands, so here I am.” She explains, gesturing to her stack of books.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Bucky tells her, and she nods, wiping at her eyes a little. “For what it’s worth, I think you’ll be great, and I’m sure it’ll be easier than you think.”

“Do you know anything about running a business?”

“...No.” He admits, his cheeks flushing slightly pink. Technically, he knows someone who does, but maybe bringing someone as intense as Tony Stark over will stress her out even more. “But, I’m here to help if you need me… I don’t know what I could help with, but the offer’s there.” Y/N giggles then, a happy burst of laughter. And once again, Bucky finds himself smiling.

“Well, thank you Bucky. Maybe when I’m up and running, you can be my first customer?”

“I’d like that, thanks.” He holds up his mug, clinking it with hers. “To new beginnings.”

“To new beginnings.” Although, neither could possibly know just how apprehensive the other is about letting them get too close, mainly because of their pasts. Or that they even feel the same way as they do. Especially how, deep down, they’d love to be closer to each other.

Thankfully for them both, after that day both Y/N and Bucky are pretty busy, Y/N with her new classes and Bucky with Avengers stuff. Yet, they still say hi to one another when they pass each other in the hallway, or have a quick discussion about how things are going in their life before one of them has to dash off. And for the next few weeks, that’s how things go, until….

One night, one when Bucky is glad to be inside because the rain is pouring and the wind is howling, he receives a call. One with Y/N’s name flashing up on the caller ID. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Look, I’m really sorry to do this….” She trails off, and Bucky raises a brow. “But are you busy? My night classes ran longer than expected, so I got out late and now none of the buses are running.” In an instant, Bucky is up and putting his jacket on.

“Where are you? I’ll come get you.”

“You sure? Look Bucky, I don’t want you coming out in this storm if you don’t have to, I can just call a taxi if any are going.” She insists. “I don’t want to cause any trouble.”

“Y/N.” He stresses. “It’s no trouble at all. And I am not leaving you stranded on a night like this. Now text me your location and I’ll come get you.” After a few more insistences that she’s fine and will just try to find a taxi, and some more from Bucky telling her to just wait on him, Y/N does as he asks, and Bucky is soon in his car and on his way.

Y/N stands inside her college, watching as the rain pours. Absent-mindedly, she fiddles with her fingers. She still feels terrible for calling Bucky out from the warmth of his apartment to come get her on a night like this. Although, she is glad she’s not out there, walking home or waiting on a taxi that’s never going to come. Despite how apprehensive she is about getting closer to her new neighbour, she and Bucky do get on really well, and she’s glad to have him there to help her if she needs it. Besides, it’s only a relationship that she doesn’t want right now. Surely just being friends with Bucky wouldn’t be so bad?

Although she can’t ignore how much her heart sinks at the thought of not getting too close to Bucky. Yet, she does what she’s done ever since she left her hometown to move here… bury her feelings so nobody else gets ruined by her fucked up life. Bucky pulls up outside then, waving at her through the window. And despite how much he wants to help…hiding her feelings from everyone includes Bucky. With a sigh, Y/N goes outside to meet him.

It’s not an ideal coping mechanism, but it’s what she has to do.

“Thanks.” She gasps, wiping the rain off her face as she gets in and quickly shuts the door. “I owe you one.”

“Y/N, you don’t owe me anything. I mean, we live in the same building. And like I said, I’m not leaving a pretty girl like you stranded.” She swears her heart almost stops at his words. That definitely wasn’t what she expected him to say. Although, she won’t lie that his words make her cheeks heat up a little. After all, who wouldn’t after being called pretty by someone as good looking as Bucky?

Meanwhile, Bucky’s heart pounds, and his mind feels like it’s going a million miles a minute. “Why the fuck did I say that? Way to ruin things with her before it even started, Bucky. And it’s not like I can apologise either, because then she’ll think I’m apologising for calling her cute, which is not what I want to do.” He turns his head, watching as Y/N looks out of the window. He sighs. Hopefully he hasn’t completely ruined things. Even though they only met a few weeks ago, Y/N is a sweet woman, and he’d like to remain friends with her if possible.

They sit in silence for a while after that, both unsure of what to say after something like that. “It’s awful out there.” Y/N states, finally breaking the silence, much to Bucky’s relief.

“I know. Luckily I didn’t bring my motorbike, huh?” Y/N turns to him then, wide eyed.

“You have a motorbike?” She gasps, and he nods.

“Yup. This is safer, though. And better when the weather is like this.” They nod, chuckling slightly. As Bucky comes to a stop at a pair of traffic lights, Y/N pipes up again.

“Hey, my aunt’s coffee shop is down that street.” She points out. “Well, I guess my coffee shop, now. Do you want to see it? If all else fails, at least you know where to find me.”

He does, he really does. Obviously, this means a lot to Y/N, and the fact she’s including him in this, such a huge and key moment of her life, makes his stomach flutter and his heart soar. It makes him feel like a human again, and finally appreciated, especially after spending so long as a super serum powered assassin. Y/N has no idea how much this means to him. And so, Bucky grins.

“I’d love to.”

“I haven’t fully decided what I’m gonna do with it yet. I mean, obviously it could do with a lick of paint and some new furniture.” Y/N explains, walking around and pointing out little bits she can see that need changed. As she does, Bucky takes a look around. The coffee shop is small, yet he can tell that it oozes warmth and a welcoming atmosphere. Bucky can easily see the space full to the brim with paying customers, just like Y/N deserves. “Ugh, there’s so much work to do.” She groans, holding her head in her hands. “I just hope it goes well, and that I’m actually cut out for this.” Despite how much her family and friends reassured her, she still can’t get rid of the one doubting voice in her head. The one that drowns everyone else out, and the one she doesn’t want to ever think about again… but just can’t seem to get rid of.

“Of course you are!” Bucky reassures her. “You’re going to be incredible.”

“I don’t know, Bucky. You really think so?” She asks, and he nods.

“I know so. And besides, I’ll help out as much as I can. Like I said, I’m right at the end of the hall if you need me.” Y/N manages a small smile at that. Even though she might not fully believe his words yet, she’s still glad she met Bucky and at least has someone like him there to help when her family and loved ones are so many miles away.

“Thanks Bucky.”

Some time later, Y/N has said goodnight to Bucky (after thanking him another few times), and is back in her apartment. As she dumps her things in her bedroom and starts to get ready for bed, she bumps into another of her cardboard boxes, spilling some of its contents out. “Ugh.” She huffs, bending down to pick them up. However, right away, she sees something she wishes she hadn’t. A picture of her with her ex, arm and arm and laughing at a family party. As she glances down at the picture, remembering that day, Y/N’s stomach twists, and she has to suppress a shudder.

In all honesty, she has no idea how that picture ended up in the box of things to bring. Maybe she just shoved it in without much thought. Because that part of her life is definitely not something she wants to remember. Opening the frame, Y/N grabs the picture, ripping it straight down the middle. Once the picture is fully destroyed, she throws it into the bin. “Asshole.”

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