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mrsalwayswrite · 5 years ago

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Touch My Hands and Heal Me (BuckyxOFC & StevexOFC)

So just a fun one shot to help me get over some writer’s block. I’ve had this idea in mind for awhile so I’m excited to finally get it out.

Warnings: Some swearing, violence.

Words: 6k

Touch My Hands and Heal Me

This was the last place Steve wanted to be on a Thursday night. Nothing against the bar itself but it had been a hellish week and all he wanted to do was relax in his suite in the Tower and pretend for 5 minutes that he was an average guy.

Which is probably why Sam dragged his ass to this bar.

And of course, Bucky tagged along even though he was just as exhausted. Either from a self-induced guilt trip or his belief in Steve's inability to stay out of trouble, Bucky grumbled but tucked his head down and followed silently. Jerk.

Sam led them down the streets of NYC to a little hole in the wall sports bar an air force friend recommended.

It always amazed Steve how easily people failed to notice him without the suit and shield. Walking down the sidewalk with a vintage Brooklyn Dodgers baseball cap on and a brown leather jacket over jeans, no one looked at him twice. Or Bucky in a black hoodie. Or Sam in a gray Nike long sleeve and ball cap. It was nice that there was somewhat a sense of esoteric, that only on the rare occasion was he swarmed now, or perhaps people were used to him. What it truly made him realize was that most people only really saw and cared about Captain America and not Steve Rogers. No one cared about the little guy from Brooklyn anymore. All they wanted was the glorified icon of patriotism.

He pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment, willing the tension in his head and muscles to leave. Tony and him had a long meeting with Senator Thaddeus Ross today and when it finally concluded, he fled to the gym to make use of the weight bags. He probably would be receiving a bill from Tony because of all the busted bags he left behind. The man was a genius, you would think he would have reinforced them long ago.

Apparently he needed a drink- according to Sam.

He was pleasantly surprised when he walked through the door of the bar -The Old Guys Tavern- and found it calm. It was a smaller establishment, nestled between a BBQ restaurant and a sporting goods store on a back road. It was a sports bar with several TVs showing different games playing, framed pictures all over the walls of different famous athletes, a few framed mirrors, a jukebox in the back corner near 2 pool tables. A long bar took up half of one wall, across from it several booths and a few scattered tables near the pool tables. It was simple and felt reminiscent of how bars used to be. The lights were dim but instead of feeling like a club -no matter what Natasha said he was NOT doing that again- it gave an illusion of privacy.

He quickly noticed that among the 23 people already there, most were male and either middle aged or elderly, with the leaning towards those with gray hair.

"I thought you two would feel at home here amongst your age group." Sam quipped, scanning the bar with a smile on his face.

"Does that mean we need to find a kindergarten for you?" Bucky retorted.

Steve just shook his head as Sam laughed.

They settled into an open leather booth, a Minnesota Vikings versus Green Bay Packers football game played on the TV across from them.

"You dragged our asses out here, you got first round."

Sam narrowed his eyes at Bucky. "A'ight man, I see how it is. I try to help you have a social life and this is the thanks I get. See if I bring you out again, cyborg."

Steve watched Sam walk up to the bar before turning to his oldest friend, seated across from him. The dark rings under his eyes only confirming how the week had affected him too.

"I'm fine, Steve."

"Your face says otherwise."

The corners of Bucky's lips turned up for a moment. "I'll be fine. It's just…" He sighed heavily, running a hand through his long, dark hair.

"A reminder that we're in the wrong century?"

"Yeah...we shouldn't be here."

"I know, Buck. I know."

3 days ago they had attended Dum-Dum Dugan's funeral and it hit them both hard. He had been the last Howling Commando alive besides Steve and Bucky and it felt like a knife in the heart. They did not just lose a friend. It felt like the closing of a book. Another reminder of something they used to be a part of, something that they knew, was gone. Yet here they were, drowning in the murky waters of the 21st Century.

"Alright boys, here it is." Sam slid a glass bottle of Heineken to both of them while slipping next to Steve in the booth with his own. "You guys made plans for next week yet?"

"Clint said we could visit the farm. Natasha and Wanda will go, I'm certain." Steve said, idly rubbing the label as the condensation dampened his finger.

"Vision will go if Wanda goes." Bucky snorted, taking a sip of his beer.

"You sure it's alright if I leave? I can tell my family that something has come up. Can't promise they won't show up at the Tower with enough food to feed an army though." Sam smirked.

"No, you deserve to go see your family." Steve said, hoping to hide the pain in his voice. "Buck and I will figure out something." He hoped.

Next week was Thanksgiving, the first one Steve and Bucky would be together for since 1944. The one last year, Bucky had been in Wakanda, still working to get the trigger words out of his head. Thankfully Princess Shuri figured it out. Which reminded Steve to contact T'Challa soon to get an update -from his viewpoint- of the revisions of the Accords. Steve did not trust Senator Ross' update from earlier. That man had an agenda and clearly resented the need to keep the Avengers updated.

"I'll make sure to bring some of my mom's pumpkin pies back for you guys. Soon as I tell her the great Captain America ate the whole one last year, she will lose her mind."

Steve blushed and rubbed the back of his neck at the reminder. "I didn't realize it was to share. I thought Pepper bought it for the kitchen."

"Hey! Don't compare my momma's home-made, award-winning pumpkin pie to some cheap-ass, store-bought kind! I should kick your ass for that insult."

"Oh, I want to see that." Bucky deadpanned, keeping his eyes on the TV across from them.

Steve changed the subject before the bickering started. He knew it was mostly in good humor but sometimes it grated on his nerves. "Parker stopped by this morning to try out the new suit Tony made him."

"You still seriously considering using him on the field? He's a kid." Sam questioned.

"He took out both you and Buck at the airport."

"Alright, touché, but still. A damn kid."

"I told Tony if he keeps his grades up and practices hard with us, I won't fight it." Steve smirked. "But if he gets hurt, Tony has to deal with Aunt May."

That made them all chuckle. Once when Peter practiced with them, he had landed wrong and twisted his ankle. From what they heard, you would have thought Peter had lost a limb with how Aunt May berated Tony and fussed over her nephew. It had become a running joke amongst the team.

An hour passed, Steve and Bucky both having to take their turn buying the beers, as they chatted or just watched the games on the TVs. Everything had been going so well, which should have been a flashing beacon that something was going to happen. If this week had been any indication.

One of the guys who had been playing pool with a few others started their way. He was in his forties, slightly overweight, in business attire, looking like he got off work at an office and came out to grab a beer with friends. Steve had noticed him several times over the past hour glancing their way but paid no mind. No one else had approached them or even acknowledged them. Most likely someone trying to figure out how he recognized their faces.

He approached the table and stared at each of them before a toothy, crooked grin appeared. Looking back over his shoulder, he called over to his friends. "It is those goddamn Avenger shits. I knew it. Coming in here like they own the place."

"Hey, back off, man." Sam tried to keep his cool but Steve could see that the guy had gotten under his skin. "We are just here for a beer, minding our own business."

"You know, I bet all those stunts you pull, the "world-saving" and shit, it's all fake. You pretend, keep the masses happy and feeling protected while you just live like kings off government money. Yeah…I know the truth."

Before any of them could respond to the guy, about how very wrong he was, a new voice from the bar spoke up.

"Chuck, quit trying to start a fight. They could kick your ass without breaking a sweat."

The guy -apparently Chuck- glared over his shoulder at the speaker. "Shut up. No one asked you to get involved."

A woman probably mid twenties slid down off the bar stool she was sitting on and stalked their way. Steve can't help but watch her, feeling as if a hurricane was approaching. Her honey blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail, her hazel eyes stared defiantly at Chuck. She wore a loose white t-shirt with some kind of symbol on the front and black leggings that highlighted all her curves and showed off her long legs. Combat boots and a dark leather jacket completed the look.

"Just cause you're still pissed doesn't mean you gotta start shit. Now, leave them alone, you're bothering them."

"We will leave. We didn't come here to start trouble." Steve injected, glancing between the man and woman standing at the end of the table.

She turned slightly to pin him with a pointed look that had him regretting his words and shutting his mouth. She turned back to the guy -Chuck- and they glared at each other for several long, awkward, tense moments before he huffed and took a step back.

"Bitch," he muttered but glared at her still, "probably going to let them all fuck you like the whore you are."

As soon as the last word spewed out of his mouth, she hit him with a right hook that left him half sprawled on the table beside them.

"Dee, no fighting. God, girl, get out of here!" The bartender called over, clearly exasperated as he ran his hand through his white hair.

"Sorry, Ray." She shrugged unapologetically. Flexing the fingers on her right hand, she turned back to Steve, Bucky and Sam. "Have a good night, boys."

Steve watched her walk out of the bar. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Chuck get up, spitting blood on the floor, with the help of one of his friends. He looked like he wanted to say something but his friend quickly dragged him back to the pool tables.

Perfect. Steve was not in the mood for a fight.

"Think she's ok?" Bucky was staring at her retreating form also, even when she disappeared from view. He turned back slowly to meet their confused looks. "That hit...might have broken something."

They sat in silence for a second before sliding out of the booth and heading out.

The air had a winter's bite to it but not yet unbearable. Although it took a lot for Steve to feel really cold now. Those rare moments always brought up painful memories of icy waters and darkness. Something he prefered not to think about.

They managed to glimpse her before she turned down another street. Simultaneously they started to jog to catch up. Thankfully not too many people on the sidewalk stopped to stare at three huge guys casually jogging at 10pm at night in jeans.

"Hey yo! Dee!" Sam called out as they turned down the street.

She stopped, slowly turning around to watch them approach with a single eyebrow raised. "You boys lost?"

"Naw, we wanted to see if you're alright. That was quite a punch."

Thank God for Sam's ability to always talk. Steve never thought he would be glad for that one day but right now he was. Staring at her, he felt tongue-tied.

She smiled, holding her hand up and wiggling her fingers. "I'm fine. Not a big deal."

Steve could not help but notice her nails were painted a shimmery dark blue.

"Why did you do it?" They all looked at Bucky with his hands in his pockets as he spoke. "I mean, you didn't have to stand up for us. Hell, he has to weigh twice what you do. So...how come you got involved?"

"I don't like bullies."

"Ah shit, she's the female version of you, Steve." Bucky bemoaned, dragging a hand down his face.

She giggled, the sound rich and feminine, and Steve could not help but smile in response.

"I'll take that as a compliment, Sergeant Barnes."

"Call me Bucky, please."

"Ok, Bucky."

"I guess you already know Steve and I." Sam said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Your name Dee?"

She seemed to hesitate for a second, looking back over her shoulder. "Lydia."

"Nice to meet you, Lydia. Thanks for helping out back there."

"Oh believe me, it was my pleasure. I've been wanting to hit him for a while. I doubt Ray will let me back though."

"Cause you hit a rude customer? I'd think you're doing him a favor." Sam snorted.

"Ah no, I may have hit Chuck's cousin last week...broke his nose."

The three stared at her in varying degrees of amusement and shock.

"What? He was bad mouthing the New England Patriots. Tom Brady is my boy."

"Shit, doll, you're something else." Bucky laughed.

"Thank you. Now it's lovely to meet you all but I need to go. Tootles."

"Wait!" Steve was not sure why he stopped her except that some part of him was not ready to lose her yet. He took a step closer. "Where are you headed?"

She raised an eyebrow, clearly wondering what he was getting at. "Home."

"Let us walk you. It's the least we can do."

"It's not that far, I promise. I'm sure you superheroes have better things to do. I'll be fine."

"Come on, Lydia, we got you kicked out. Let us make sure you get home safe, yeah?" Sam joined the petition.

She chewed her bottom lip, eyes scanning between the three of them before letting out a sigh. "If it makes you feel better."

----------

When Bucky went to the bar with Steve and Sam, his expectations were to keep an eye on Steve, taunt Sam and just pretend that he had actually slept the past five days instead of pacing or staring at a wall all night.

Watching a beautiful dame punch a guy to defend them… this night got a whole lot more interesting.

The four of them walked down the sidewalk together, Steve and Bucky behind Sam and her...Lydia.

"So, you know who we are and what we do," Sam said casually, "tell us about you."

"Well I get into fights at bars and I watch football. I'm not that interesting."

Bucky could not help but snort. A shared glance with Steve confirmed his own amusement.

"Alright. Who taught you to fight? You got a mean swing that clearly shows some training." Sam continued.

"My brother." She shrugged. "What were you guys doing out? I would think you'd have booze at the Tower or be more likely to go to a high-class, expensive bar instead of Ray's little place."

"Naw, we just wanted somewhere quiet and out of the way. Besides, if we break out any booze, Tony always somehow senses it and magically appears."

She laughed, and Bucky felt his heart lighten at the sound.

"Maybe we were hoping to meet someone as beautiful as you, doll." Bucky was not sure where the words came from, but for a moment he felt like the Bucky from the 40s who knew how to charm and flirt. A forgotten piece of him buried beneath the decades of trauma endured under HYDRA'S thumb.

She spun around to look at him, still walking backwards with a smirk and teasing glint in her eyes. "I'm far from beautiful but I'm more than happy to pretend for you."

He chuckled, he could feel Steve's curious eyes on him but he paid no mind. It felt good to remember this piece of him, to remind himself he was more than a damaged person, even for only a minute. "Dollface, you just gave the best right hook I've ever seen a dame throw. I'm certain that is the sexiest thing I've seen in a long time."

Laughing, she paused momentarily to slide to his side and kiss his cheek. Her arm slipped through his and they continued walking like nothing had happened.

Except something had happened.

With her touch, it felt like all his senses tripled in intensity. Her kiss...such an innocent kiss yet it set his blood on fire and brought out a warmth in his bones that even HYDRA could not freeze out.

"You go around kissing strangers often?"

She winked at Steve. "Only the cute ones."

"She called you cute, man!" Sam laughed.

Bucky pretended to scoff. "Cute...I'm not cute. Take that back." He nudged her with his elbow, thankful she was on his right side.

"Would you prefer devilishly handsome?"

"Hey, if the shoe fits…" Bucky shrugged, trying to keep a straight face. Steve's chuckling almost broke it. His blue eyes met her hazel and he realized he was glad they had met. She was beautiful in a girl-next-door kind of way- Cupid's bow lips, button nose, soft features. She was tall for most women, about 5' 10" even in just combat boots. Yet it was the energy around and within her that made her stand out. She felt like joy...she radiated life...there was a sparkle in her eyes that had not been tainted by the evils of this world yet.

"Pain in the ass also fits." Steve muttered, walking on Lydia's other side.

"Punk."

"Jerk."

She slipped her other arm through Steve's. "I'm pretty sure 'trouble' is the best description."

"Now that I can attest to." Sam said, leading the group.

They walked another block in the same formation. Lydia between Steve and himself, her arms looped through theirs. They chatted, flirted and teased easily, like they had known each other their whole lives. It was odd but Bucky was not complaining. It felt good. He found himself hoping this was not the last time they would see her. The warmth infusing itself into him from her touch was addictive. Her laughter and smiles made the darkness in his mind slowly fade. If the shared looks between him and Steve just over her head meant anything, he knew Steve felt the same way.

"My apartment is just down the street. You don't have to walk me to the door."

"Trying to get rid of us?" Steve asked.

She just laughed and shook her head. "When did I become so lucky to have three such handsome gentlemen to escort me home?"

"When you slugged a guy to defend us." Bucky caught her eye and winked. "You're stuck with us now."

"I'm not complaining."

One moment they all are laughing and talking like the best of friends. In the next moment, everything changed.

A shot rang out.

Bucky could feel the bullet whizz between his and Lydia's head.

Shit.

In a split second all three guys went into defense mode. Steve grabbed Lydia, shielding her with his body as he pushed her against a brick wall in a side alley. Immediately, Bucky and Sam flanked him on either side. Without a word, Bucky pulled out a pistol for both Steve and Sam, handing them over, then retrieved one for himself. He knew after this, Steve would criticize the amount of weapons on him for just a run to the bar. Bucky did not plan on sharing about the amount of knives on him additionally. He did not want to worry Steve that much. The less he knew in this case, the better.

His eyes scanned the nearby rooftops. The trajectory of the bullet showed the shooter was somewhere above them. At least that narrowed his search. Somewhat. On the other hand, he doubted they acted alone. Why give away their position? Did the shooter just have terrible aim? Were their others? Why the hell did this have to happen now?

His breathing slowed, senses on high alert, eyes trained for any movement. He waited, listening intently for any sign of back-up. Quickly peeking around the corner, he noticed the side road they were on was deserted. It consisted of several closed stores on the side they had been walking on and across the street was apartment complexes. Logically there should have been someone walking around at this time. It was NYC, there was always someone awake. His eagle-eyes scanned around them, searching desperately for wherever that bullet originated from. Or for the others bound to be laying in wait somewhere around here.

He hated being shot at.

"Sniper, my ten o'clock. Apartment building, top floor, third window in." He reported, glancing behind him at the others after another peek around the side.

Sam faced the opposite way, keeping an eye on the other side of the alley, but nodded at Bucky's report.

Steve hovered over Lydia, who was crouched on the dirty ground. His eyes swept over the area and the switch from casual Steve Rogers to righteous Captain America was evident. Most likely wishing he had his shield.

"HYDRA?"

"Not sure." Bucky replied, grip tightening on his pistol. Of course when they were having a great time, those bastards would show up. Damn it. "You alright, doll?"

"Yea...yeah." She stuttered out, still crouched underneath Steve. Her eyes were wide but clear, breathing fast but manageable. His opinion of her increased. Although she seemed frightened, she was not panicking. A reaction most common in civilians being shot at for the first time.

Steve spoke to Bucky. "Think you can get him?"

"Not here."

"Go. We got your back."

Before he moved, a hand gripped his hoodie, surprising him. Following the hand that was holding him in place, he met her eyes.

"Be safe." She murmured, hazel eyes meeting his stormy blue in earnest.

"Just for you." With a wink, he slipped out the alley, keeping to the shadows and moved silently as a ghost.

It did not take long for him to get into position. He only wished he had his sniper rifle. Climbing some rickety, metal stairs attached to the back of a store, he swiftly placed himself across from the sniper on a rooftop. If he had more time, he would have preferred to go into the apartment and silently kill the sniper, but for some odd reason he felt like he was working against the clock.

Breath in.

Breath out.

Breath in.

Breath out.

Breathe in.

Bang.

Holding the smoking pistol in the direction of the apartment, he waited. There did not seem to be any further movement. He wondered if he should go investigate, just to confirm. God, if this was HYDRA, he did not want to leave any civilians without protection. With the gunshots fired, he figured someone would have called the cops by now. Hopefully they would be useful with the civilians.

Racing back across the rooftop, he flew down the stairs ready to confirm the sniper's death. It was then a new sound drifted to him…and he bolted towards it. Heart racing within his chest.

Please no. He begged silently.

He turned the corner to see where the fight really was. The sniper had only been a diversion. Something to force them into the intended alley.

They had played right into the enemy's hand.

Twelve guys in all black, faces covered, made the crowded alley even smaller. One was on the ground lying still, a pool of blood growing beneath his chest. Three were cornering Sam, taking turns attacking him with batons. Six were actively fighting Steve, trying to take him down using tasers, yet they were never able to subdue him fully. Two had Lydia between them, both gripping one of her arms each as she struggled and thrashed to escape looking like a wildcat.

Please no.

Bucky threw himself into the fight, fear and rage pouring into his blood to fuel him. He tackled one of the men cornering Sam, a knife slipping in between the man's helmet and Kevlar, blood spurting from his neck. Bucky rolled off him, and in two strides jabbed a knife into the back of the knees of one of Steve's attackers. The man dropped, howling and unable to stand. Another swipe and kick brought another man under his knife, blood oozing where a kidney was.

"Lydia!" Steve cried, throwing one of his attackers against the brick wall behind him.

The two men were trying to manhandle her into a doorway but her twisting, kicking and flailing made it difficult.

Bucky threw his bloodied knife into the thigh of one of them. The man stumbled, almost dropping Lydia, who cried out at the harsh treatment. Before the other man could raise his own pistol, Bucky grabbed it with his metal hand and crushed the end. Pure rage filled him at the thought of them trying to take her. He punched the man, now holding the useless gun, in the side of the head with his metal arm. The man dropped like a rock. The pistol bounced on the ground when it fell from his hand.

In a fluid motion, Bucky yanked the knife out of the other man's thigh and kicked him in the head. The man's head rocked back further than humanly possible with a cracking sound.

Silence hung over the alley after Steve and Sam knocked out or killed their attackers. Bucky stood there for a long moment, surveying the carnage around him, and trying to steady his breathing. His hands shook slightly. Blood was splattered on his black hoodie and jeans. It had been so easy -too easy- to take the lives of those men. Even though he did it to protect Steve, Sam and Lydia...his hands never felt clean. Would he ever be clean? Would he always be a monster?

"Bucky?"

His rage evaporated at the soft whimper of his name.

"It's ok, doll. I got you." He pulled her into his arms, away from the bodies of the men who tried to take her. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her face buried in his chest while his own arms held her close. She trembled but if it was from fear or fading adrenaline, he was unsure. Murmuring soothing words to her, he ran a hand up and down her back in comfort.

Why did this have to happen tonight?

He glanced back over to see the spread of bodies on the ground, all wearing black clothing that looked vaguely military. Nothing like what HYDRA usually wore. Sam was on the phone, probably calling the fellow Avengers for clean up and to scout the area. Steve was stepping over the downed men, coming to his side.

"Are you hurt?"

Bucky shook his head, his eyes scanning over his best friend. "You good?"

"Yeah, she ok?"

Lydia turned her head, reaching an hand out to place on his forearm. "I'm fine...thank you."

Steve patted her hand on his arm but did not remove it. He glanced around once more before meeting Bucky's eyes. "This doesn't...these men don't seem like HYDRA."

"I noticed. Wrong weapons and fighting tactics. More like mercenaries."

"Mmmm." He rubbed the back of his neck before looking at Lydia, still in Bucky's arms. "They seemed pretty intent on taking you. Any reason why?"

That question had itched at Bucky too. HYDRA would be more interested in taking himself and Steve. She had been the focus of this attack. He shuddered to think what would have happened if they let her walk home alone.

"No...no...I don't recognize them."

"It was a long shot. Well I think you should stay with…" suddenly Steve's eyes widened and he recoiled. A second later, blood soaked his white t-shirt in the middle of his chest.

Then the sound of a muffled shot rang out in the alley.

Bucky glanced over to see one of the downed men Steve had been fighting, on his knees, pistol extended. He staggered to his feet and took off back on the side road.

"Sam!" Bucky cried, pointing to the escaping man.

The Falcon did not hesitate. He raced after the man, a snarl on his face, eyes determined.

Turning back to his best friend, disbelief clouded his mind as he saw all the blood soaking Steve's shirt.

No.

NO!

Steve placed a hand on his chest, a dazed look on his face as he pulled it back and watched the blood drip off his skin. Ever so slowly, he dropped to his knees, still staring at his hand.

"No, no, no! Damn it, Steve! NO!" Bucky moved to his side, practically ripping the leather jacket off Steve's shoulders and tearing the t-shirt in two to see how extensive the injury was. The bullet had entered Steve's upper back, almost hitting his spine and exited the middle of his chest, leaving a gaping hole. Blood poured out, leaving trails of red on Steve’s torso.

"Sorry, Buck."

"No, no. Don't you start that shit. You'll be fine. Damn super soldier shit is good for something." He tried to staunch the blood flow with Steve's ripped shirt but the training in the back of his mind told him it was useless. His lungs would be filling with blood now. It would take a miracle to save him. Yet Bucky did not stop his first aid. He refused to let his best friend die. He couldn't...he could not live without Steve. They had only just found each other again. He couldn't...God, please no, not Steve...he had to live. Bucky was not ready to be alone again.

Lydia slipped to Steve's other side. Gently she took his bloody hand and clasped it between her own. Tears coated her cheeks as she watched.

"Buck…"

"No, stop talking. Everyone is on their way. Sam called them. It'll be fine."

"I need you to…"

"Nope, don't even start trying that speech."

Steve rolled his eyes, blood beginning to taint his lips. "Jerk."

"Punk."

"Steve, look at me." Lydia stated. Both soldiers watched her, her commanding tone unable to ignore. "You're going to be alright but you'll still need to rest for a while, ok?" She glanced over at Bucky, a fire burning in her eyes. "Hold him steady."

What?

He did not have time to question her before the strangest thing happened.

Lydia leaned forward and pressed her lips to Steve's bloodied ones. One of her hands cradled the back of his head, as her kiss deepened. Even on the brink of death, Steve had no problem reciprocating. His bloodied hand cupped her cheek, leaving behind a stain on her skin. Their lips moved as if they had done this before...no hesitation...no awkward fumbling… What started off as a soft caress was turning into something more heated.

Bucky momentarily felt like a voyeur and was beyond confused. Steve should be saving his breath, not exerting himself. Damn that looked like a great kiss though.

The kiss lasted only five seconds and when they separated, both were breathing heavy like it had been far longer. Her lips were tainted red now, but her eyes shone brighter like starlight caught in her irises.

She looked at Bucky, tears streaming down her cheeks unashamedly. "Take care of him." Quickly she leaned over Steve, grabbing a handful of Bucky’s hoodie, and gave him a hard kiss on the lips before standing up and dashing away.

"What….LYDIA!" Bucky yelled after her, watching her run down the alley and turn onto another street. Part of him wanted to chase after her and demand answers but a cough from Steve diverted his attention.

"Hey, it's ok. They will…."

"Look." Steve interrupted, motioning at Bucky's hand.

He glanced down to see scraped knuckles, probably from when he tackled one of the men. Not a big deal. The serum would heal them within a day. Yet they were healing...immediately...right before his eyes. Within seconds, they looked completely normal, only Steve's blood marred them.

What?

Immediately, Bucky pulled the torn shirt from Steve's chest, gaze locked onto the exit wound that would surely kill his best friend. A gush of blood should have resulted from the compact being removed from the wound, blood allowed to flow freely once again. Yet nothing happened. Dried blood caked his chest turning a dark red but there was nothing bright red...nothing fresh.

"Holy shit."

In the next moment, Bucky felt as if the world tilted off its axis.

The wound slowly began to heal. Muscle and skin grew and reattached. The once graying complexion that Steve wore was returning to a healthy pink. His breathing deepened, not short, rapid breaths of dying lungs. Steve's blue eyes stared at Bucky, mouth gaping open. Curious and a bit frantic, Bucky peeled the shirt off Steve's back to see the entry wound. Both holes, once profusely bleeding and killing his best friend now looked like they were weeks healed. Some redness around the sites and fresh skin sealing the holes but still tender.

WHAT?!?!

"Steve…." He did not know what else to say. His oldest friend, his best friend, his brother...he was dying...and Bucky could not save him. It was his worst nightmare come to pass. The very thing he dreaded most. Now though…

Steve stared back at him wide-eyed before turning his head to look down the alley where Lydia fled. "She healed me….she saved…" He looked back at Bucky. "Who is she?"

"I'm not sure…"

"We need to find her."

Steve started to get up but Bucky pushed him back down. "You were just shot, punk. She said to rest."

"We can't let her get away! What if more of these mercenaries find her?!"

"We'll look for her. Wait till the others get here. I'll go with Sam." Bucky held Steve's gaze until he relented, slumping back onto the unforgiving, concrete ground.

The sounds of the city enveloped the quiet of the alley- car horns, sirens blaring, someone singing loudly the next street over. The two sat there, waiting and thinking. Both of their minds struggling to fully comprehend what just happened but desperate to chase after her.

"You just want another kiss, huh?"

Steve chuckled, rubbing a hand over his chest and wincing. "That was some kiss. It felt like electricity going through my veins."

Bucky thought of his own quick peck and how it felt like a shock hitting him. "Yeah. That's some dame."

"Find her, Buck. I don't…" He sighed.. "It felt...no, she felt right."

All Bucky could do was nod. He prayed she stayed safe until they could find her. Something in his gut told him they needed her. He looked down the alley once more, wondering where she went and who she really was.

#marvel #marvel fanfiction #marvel fanfic #Bucky Barnes #bucky/ofc #steve rogers #steve/ofc #Sam Wilson #one shot #probably #mzwrites

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sarcasmoverlordxo · 6 years ago

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Stuck in the Middle: Chapter 12

The newest chapter of Stuck in the Middle is posted! You can read the newest chapter HERE

Series masterlist

Oneshot Masterlist

Read my AO3!

#marvel #mcu #avengers #steve rogers #captain america #bucky barnes #winter soldier #fanfiction #stevexbucky #stevexofc #buckyxofc #buckyxofcxreader #stevexofcxbucky #sarcasmoverlordxo

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fanfics-r-us-official · 4 years ago

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Steve Rogers List

Series:

One shots:

💙Convincing- SteveXOFC

💙Tag Teamed- SteveXBuckyXOFC

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fandomoniumflurry · 7 years ago

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Update

Currently in the works:

Shopping/trying on clothes fic for Fluff Bingo

Sam x Reader challenge piece

Random Sam x Nancy

I have two requests left: StevexOFC and Dean smut

#shelly writes #supernatural #spn #update #wip

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shadowsof-thenight · 5 years ago

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I was going to write a one shot for a challenge I entered, but the introduction alone is nearly 4.2 K. It might have to be a mini-series.

This is also the reason I’m not posting any new chapters to other stories...the deadline is may first and my goal was to have the entire thing written before that. Quite a bit of it is done already, but it still needs work and it slows down the other stories (even though i do work on those on the side)

Thanks for your patience!

#Personal #Writing update #It's stevexofc #and it's mostly fluff #cannot wait to share it with you!

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berjhawn · 9 years ago

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Fireball ~ Part 12 ~ Pity Party

Warnings: Pain, rejection, loss, sense of not being enough.

Pairings: Bucky Barnes X OFC X STEVE

Word Count: 2171

PArts:

Prologue

Part 1 ~ 1940′s

Part 2 ~ Behind Enemy Lines

Part 3 ~ Captain America

Part 4 ~ London Times

Part 5 ~ My Steve

Part 6 ~ What To Do

Part 7 ~ The Train

Part 8 ~ Ending The Tyranny

Part 9 ~ Girls Day

Part 10 ~ The Brotherhood

Part 11 ~ Hello Daddy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reader’s POV

I awake the next morning to the smell of eggs and bacon; and open my eyes to see that I was lying in my own bed. I blink a few times to see if I was imagining things but the scene stayed the same. “Happy Birthday Sunshine,” I hear my father say and I turn to see him carrying a tray of food into my room and I smile.

“Thank you, but since when do you bring people breakfast in bed?” I ask curiously.

“Only when I’m asking forgiveness.�� He says as he sits down the corner of the bed. I look at the bacon steaming off the plate and I feel myself start to drool.

“If you give me that bacon you’re forgiven for anything.” I say as I sit up.

“Then by all means,” He smirks as he hands the tray over to me. I gratefully take it from him and start to eat as he continues, “So Steve clued me into your recent…” He pauses to furrow his brow before clearing his throat and saying, “Adventures…”

“Hnn?” I say with a mouthful of bacon.

“It seems you helped out a lot back then kiddo. Although I am surprised I never saw you.”

“Different battlefields probably,” I reply as I grab my fork and start cutting my eggs.

“Jen,” He says making me stop in my tracks and look up at him.

“Yeah?”

“For whatever its worth, I am proud of you.”

“Even though I could have royally fucked up the future?”

“Yeah well shit happens.” He says chuckling and I join him. “Steve also told me about Barnes. Well what he could. I could see there’s more to the story but he wouldn’t elaborate.”

“Good, if he did you might have killed him.” I smile as I force a forkful of eggs into my mouth.

“Huh?” He asks not having caught my last words.

“Nothing,” I say setting the plate back on the tray and lean against my headboard. “So what’s the plan for today?”

“Tony has something planned for tonight; but until I know what Magneto wants I want you to stay in the tower, okay?” He says his tone more of an order than a question.

“Sure thing old man.” I reply as I stretch my arms over my head. As he goes to walk away I grab his arm and say, “Thanks again, Dad; for everything.” He smiles as he pats my hand before grabbing the plate and turning disappearing down the hall. I let out a heavy sigh as I reach up and scratch my head.

What the hell am I gonna do cooped up in the tower all day?

Climbing out of bed I mosey over to my bathroom and grab a quick shower before putting on an ACDC T-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. I slip my flips flops on and ruffling my hair walk out of my room and head toward the elevator. Climbing inside I lean against the back of it and say, “Tony’s floor please.”

“Right away Miss.” FRIDAY replies and I smirk as the birthday song plays out through the elevator speakers.

“FRIDAY, is this your way of wishing me a happy birthday?”

“It is,”

“Well thank you FRIDAY, that’s very kind of you.” I reply as the elevator doors open to the sound of people arguing over what type of music was appropriate for my party.

“Well clearly you just don’t understand Jen’s love for classic rock.”

That’s Tony.

“I agree she does like it but she’s not going to be the only one here.”

And there’s Steve.

“Are we having issues guys?” I ask as I walk around the corner.

“See point made right there,” Tony says pointing at my shirt.

“Tony, it’s okay. Just play something that’s not gonna give people a heart attack okay?”

“Fine…” He mopes as he walks over to his stereo system to play around with the setup. I shake my head as I turn to Steve who offers me a loving smile. Closing the distance between us I wrap my arms around his waist and hold tightly to him.

“Happy Birthday Jen,” Steve says as he gently rubs my back.

“Thank you Steve,” I say as I grip tighter to him. With a wrench in my chest I pull away and say, “Can we talk?” His eyes narrow slightly at me before he gently nods. Taking my hand in his he says to Tony, “Tony, you got it from here?”

“Yeah, go on,” Tony Replies as he shoos us away with a wave of his hand.

“Thanks,” Steve replies as he leads me from the room to the elevator and says, “To the roof FRIDAY.”

“Sure thing Captain Rogers.” She replies as the doors close behind us.

“So what did you want to talk about?” He asks after a few minutes of silence.

“What if he doesn’t show?” I ask the fear evident in my tone.

“He’ll be here Jen,”

“But what if he’s mad at me? What if he wants nothing to do with me anymore? I don’t think I can live without him Steve.”

“You’re just gonna have to wait and see for yourself.”

“When you fought, you know, you and the Winter Soldier, did he-”

“He seemed lost, Jen, like he didn’t know what was what or who to trust. I think if he does show up tonight, he’s gonna need you.”

“He doesn’t just need me Steve, he’ll need you too. They two of you have this bond that he and I will never have.” I pause as the elevator doors open to reveal the rooftop. Walking out onto it I turn back to Steve who was just now climbing off the elevator and sigh. “Steve, I hurt him in a way you never could. I lied to him.”

“You told me everything you ever told Bucky, grant it at the time I didn’t know why you couldn’t tell the truth but now,” He pauses as he reaches forward and grabs my hands, “I promise you Jen, Buck will understand. It may take some time but he will understand.” I nod and my mid drifts back to yesterday and the mysterious shooter that helped my father and me out.

“Steve, how much did they tell you about what happened yesterday?” I ask pulling away from him and staring out over the building tops.

“Just that you were attacked by the brotherhood; why, was there more?” He asks suddenly suspicious.

“All day yesterday I felt like someone was following me, watching me, and when my uncle attacked I figured it was one of them.”

“But?”

“But there was a shooter, someone high up. I never saw them and they never showed up to take credit after the fact. Do you think it could have been him?”

“There is always the possibility that it was him; but then if it was why are you worried about him not showing up?”

“Guess there’s always that chance, you know, I am a little paranoid.” I say chuckling. Looking back up into his blue eyes I let out a heavy sigh before shaking my head and saying, “This should turn out to be one hell of a party huh? My almost boyfriend, my ex-boyfriend, and possibly my future boyfriend are all going to be in one room together. I wonder if I should sell some tickets?” I ponder the last question when Steve’s voice pulls me from my thought.

“That kid is coming?!” He says angrily and I nod.

“I saw him yesterday, we talked and it’s okay.”

“You really think Johnny is gonna keep his head?”

“Probably not, but that’s what you’re there for.” I say smacking him on the back before heading back to the elevator with an grumpy Captain America following behind me voicing out all his reasons as to why Johnny shouldn’t be here.

Yup this is gonna be hell.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I grip tightly to the champagne glass in my hand as the night starts to surge on. All the guests had arrived and after a few hours everyone was bordering on drunk. My father was sitting with Thor, Cap, and all the other WW2 vets. Tony and Pepper were twirling each other around the dance floor. Bruce, Natasha, Clint, and Sam were all huddled by the poker tables while Wanda, Pietro, Vision, and I; were sitting quietly in a corner watching the room. Johnny and the rest of the Fantastic Four were mingling with the X-men and all the guests, which made me, relax slightly.

I glance at the clock to see the hours flying by. There was only one hour left and just as I had feared, he wasn’t here. Glancing over at Wanda I motion to the bar and she nods. I needed a stiff drink. I force a smile as I make my away through the chaotic room.

How many people had actually come? None that really mattered.

I suddenly found myself missing all my friends from the forties. Making it to the bar I wave the bartender over and order up a double shot of Jack. As he sets the drink down in front of my I raise it slightly and say to myself, “To those who are unable to be here tonight, I will never forget you.” As I down the shot the faces of my old friends fill my mind and I choke back a sob.

Nope, not gonna cry.

I silently wiped my eyes as I force the tears away. “You okay?” I hear a familiar voice ask and I nod as I turn to see Johnny standing next to me a worried expression on his handsome face.

“Yeah, just missing some people.” I reply as I order another shot.

“Someone from your recent time travels?” He asks and I cock an eyebrow at him in surprise. “Reed heard it from Tony. So you really went back in time?”

“Yup,” I reply downing another shot.

“What was it like?”

“Chaotic,” I pause as a soft smile covers my lips. “Warm, exciting, dangerous, erotic.” As I say the last word Johnny chokes on his drink and I chuckle. “Did I surprise you there?”

“A little yeah, I take it that’s where you met him?” Johnny asks and I already know who he is referring too.

“Yeah,” I reply feeling slightly awkward talking about Bucky with Johnny. “He saved my life, and literally gave me the clothes off his back.”

“What’s going on over here?” I hear Steve ask and I silently groan to myself. This wasn’t gonna be pretty.

“We’re just talking.” Johnny replies instantly and I nod.

“About?”

“Is that any of your business?”

“It kinda is,”

“Oh really?”

“OH OKAY THAT’S ENOUGH!” I yell out making the two of them turn to look at me. “This testosterone bullshit gives me a headache.” I am about to continue when the clook rings out signaling it is midnight and my heart drops.

He didn’t come. He’s not coming.

“Jen?!” I hear Steve’s concerned voice call out but it’s too late. My legs buckle underneath me and I tumble to the floor.

“He’s not coming,” I silently choke out through sobs. “He promised, and yet…” I bury my face in my hands as the tears continue to pour from my eyes.

“You know, before you call someone a liar you should really look around you.” I hear his voice say and my head snaps up to see him standing there a few feet away a soft smile on his lips. His face was ragged and his hair was greasy plus he looked like he could really use a shower but that didn’t matter to me. “It-it’s really you?” I ask and he nods closing the distance between us before he kneels down in front of me.

“Sorry I’m late, but I kinda had to retrieve something.” He says pulling a small box out of his jacket pocket. “Remember, we made a promise.” Handing me the box I open it to see the necklace my father had given me when I was born and I had given it to him that fateful day. “We promised that on July 17th 2015 that I would come to New York to find you.”

“And you did!” I cry out as I leap from the floor into his arms.

“I did.” He says as his arms grip tightly to me not daring to let me go.

“I just have one thing to say,” I say as I pull away and look up into his eyes, eyes I had dreamed about and craved to be seen by again.

“And that is?” He asks cocking an eyebrow.

“I love you Bucky!” I cry out as I grip tightly to the front of his jacket ad pull his lips to mine. It was like heaven. I had him. He was here and he was mine. I was never ever going to let him go again. Never.

Will Continue in ~ Testosterone

#berjhawn #fireball #original female character #stevexofc #bucky x oc #marvel fanfiction #Bucky Barnes #james bucky barnes #bucky barnes fanfiction #winter soldier fanfiction #Winter Soldier #johnny storm #time travel fanfiction

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sarcasmfics · 6 years ago

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Stuck in the Middle: Chapter 11

Summary: Sarah is a scholarship recipient for Stark Industries where she plans on doing her pre-thesis research. But when she falls, quite literally, into the lives of two super soldiers, are her butterflies just a crush? Or something more? And when her research is used for nefarious purposes, will she lose the trust of not only the Avengers, but the two men she’s fallen for?This story contains mostly fluff, eventual StevexOC and BuckyxOC (poly relationship). There are no content warnings in early chapters. They’ll be listed as necessary.

AO3 Masterlist

A/N: Thank you to everyone who’s been sticking around and being patient with me and my absolutely slow updates! Enjoy chapter 11 and some Recon Steve!

Chapter 11

They’d dropped him off in a public airport where he ducked into the massive crowd of tourists and travellers, tucking his baseball cap low over his face. He’d dyed his hair a dark brown on the way and his scalp still itched a bit from the intrusive chemical, but he suppressed the urge and flagged down a cab that would take him to the old motel two towns over. He tipped the driver and hoisted his rucksack over his shoulder. The woman at the front desk smiled briefly, but it didn’t reach her eyes. The fake name and ID were enough to get him a room for cash, and within a few hours of landing, he’d set up in the old hotel room.

Steve pulled off his cap and scratched at his scalp, cringing at the new color of his hair. He’d done it before, but he didn’t enjoy it very much. At least this one would wash out in the next few days, unlike the last time he’d unknowingly bought the permanent dye. The satellite phone Stark had made was thin and sat almost weightlessly in the pocket of his old jeans. He slid it out and refreshed the connection.

Arrived at base 0723

The message was answered shortly after:

Location confirmed. Daily updates required

10-4.

He tossed the phone onto the bed and began to unpack the rucksack, pulling out his backup weapons and recon gear. The room he’d requested had an ample view of the factory across the street, where intel had suggested the majority of the trafficking took place. The old folding chair across the room made for a decent seat beside the window which he covered with the old blinds. There was no movement outside, so he busied himself with checking his weapons, confirming each weapon was loaded (the safety on of course), and each knife was clean and smooth.

From a nearly hidden side pocket, he pulled out the picture he’d taken just weeks before, Bucky, Sarah, and him smiling with the costumed character. He’d hated to leave so soon, but when Fury had shown him the few photos they were able to get from their source, he knew he wouldn’t stand idly by. They were mostly women and children, most of them being sold into sex work while others were sold as servants to richer families. Steve shook his head, trying to focus on his mission and pushed the images out of his mind. Bodies thin from not eating, skin pale from lack of light. After everything that had happened, from the war he’d fought in, to the invasion of New York, he wondered how people could still justify such inhumane actions.

Movement caught his eye and he grabbed the long range camera, careful not to move the blinds as he snapped photos of a lone man entering the old factory. He couldn’t get anything except a small profile of his face, but it might be helpful later on. He itched to leap out, knock down the doors, and rescue everyone inside, but as Natasha said on the plane ride over, even if he saved one hundred people, the traffickers would just find another hub to work from. Their goal was to get as much information as possible. Trade routes and faces that the UN could prosecute and hopefully dismantle these organizations. He’d give them the locations and a specialized team would rescue the victims. After all, there was too much diplomatic red tape for them to go barging into a country and hunting down the wrongdoers. Steve still didn’t like the idea of having to wait, but that was the way the world worked these days.

There wasn’t any movement for a while, and Steve’s stomach started to growl in protest. Locking up his gear, he slid one of the knives into his boot before pushing the rucksack under his bed and locking the door. The evening had grown chilly and he pulled his hoodie closer to him, observing the old town. A few shops were scattered around, some down side streets, others on the main road. A few buildings had small apartments on the second floors where music and cigarette smoke drifted out of the open windows.

He settled on a bar, nodding to the bartender as he sat at a table against the wall. A woman, probably in her sixties, approached his table, depositing a beer before him.

“What are you eating tonight?” She asked in the local dialect. Steve recognized some of it, but he’d only studied the mainstream language.

“Uh… something hot.” He replied.

“You are not from this town?” She changed to English, smiling at his relief.

“No,” Steve shook his head as he opened the beer. “My mother is. I’ve just come from seeing her.”

“Ah. Why did you leave?”

“She always said I was a traveller,” he shrugged, drawing a laugh from the woman.

“I’ll get you something hot to eat.” As she disappeared behind the bar, she shouted something in the local dialect that sounded a lot like foreigner wants stew, but he couldn’t be too sure. He didn’t have many options, but whatever was cooking in the back smelled good, even to his growling stomach. While he waited, he surveyed the bar, wondering if any of the traffickers came by. If there was anything he knew about men in business, it was that they liked to talk about it over alcohol. Not unlike Tony, he thought to himself, chuckling quietly as he sipped his beer.

It was bitter, and he knew Bucky would hate it. Part of him wished it was Bucky on this mission, especially with the language barrier, but he knew it would be too risky. He was still fairly well known, and the metal arm, though black and easier to conceal, would still be noticeable. Besides, he worried it would hit too close to home for him.

“Something hot,” the woman said, appearing beside him with a steaming bowl that smelled too good for how the place looked.

“Thanks,” he nodded and she disappeared back behind the bar, calling out a hello as two others entered. Steve blew on the hot stew in his spoon and took stock of the new people. Two males, one dark haired and stocky, the other bald and average height. At first, he thought they were just neighbors, but when the bald man began flipping through a large wad of cash, he had a feeling they were more than just neighbors. Careful not to draw attention to himself, he slid the phone out of his pocket and feigned a text, angling the camera to snap a few pictures of the two men. He’d gotten the bald man’s face, but not the dark haired man.

The group chatted in a mixture of the main language and local dialect for a few minutes, the conversation moving between the health of family members, the profits of the business, and the weather until they paused, asking the woman about Steve.

“Here to see his mother,” she shrugged. “Sounds American.” Steve took the opportunity to snap another picture as the turned around to eye him up. Steve only nodded toward them, noticing their stair and greeted them in the broken language.

“Good evening.” The duo chuckled and responded the same, apparently deeming him unthreatening. The stew was good and filling with beef, or maybe another meat, potatoes, and vegetables. He enjoyed the taste, taking in the old photographs on the walls as the men chatted at the bar. He picked up a couple of keywords, though they were spoken quietly; at least there was one benefit of the super soldier serum.

“Large shipment… midnight… three weeks…”

“How soon… sell… merchandise?”

“Business… coming… day after.”

“Good.” With the business aside, they accepted the same stew and turned to other unimportant matters. Apparently they were soccer fans.

Steve finished his stew and approached the bar, handing the woman cash which she pocketed and thanked him in English. As he left, he felt two sets of eyes burn into his back.

Back in the hotel room, he pulled the satellite phone from his pocket and set a message.

Shipment said to arrive in three weeks. Potential buyer day after. Advise.

Steve sat back in the chair, watching the quiet building through the curtains and waited for an answer.

Thank you for reading! I can’t wait to do some more updates! I have some fun plans for the next few chapters!

#Steve Rogers #Bucky Barnes #StevexBucky #stevexofc #buckyxofc #polyamory #avengers #mcu #marvel mcu #stevexofcxbucky #ofc

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sarcasmfics · 6 years ago

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Stuck In The Middle: Chapter 10

Chapter 10 of Stuck In The Middle is up! Enjoy!!

Summary: Sarah is a scholarship recipient working at Stark Industries. Her job? To break the super-serum! But when she falls, literally, into the arms of those super soldiers, will she lose their trust when her work is stolen? At this point, it’s PG (some swearing), smut to follow, but mostly fluff and some angst (AO3 link here) (Tumblr list here) BuckyxOFCxSteve, BuckyxSteve, OFC, OFC!scientist, poly relationship

Steve had been gone for two days, and I wasn’t handling it well. Bucky, however, seemed pretty calm. I knew I couldn’t ask him for details, but he’d reassured me when I was nervous and told me that Steve would be reporting with information on a daily basis and that he was okay.

“I can practically hear you thinking,” Bucky had said over lunch. The cafeteria was pretty loud that day and I was stuck in my own head.

“I’m a scientist,” I teased. “I’m supposed to be thinking a lot.”

“That’s the problem. Baby, I told you he was okay. I saw a report this morning and he’s fine. There’s just some more information than he’d originally anticipated so we all decided to expand the mission.”

“You’d tell me if anything happened, right?” Reaching across the table, he took my hand in his and smiled, one side of his lips tilting upward.

“You know I would. I promise.”

“Okay,” I nodded, but he watched me and shook his head.

“It’s not a bad thing to be worried.” He began. “Sometimes, I can’t sleep if I’m not out there with him.”

“But you look so calm,” I countered. “And you guys have been together longer. I feel like I should be the one to comfort you!”

“We’ve been together, even if we didn’t really know it, since before the war. But that doesn’t mean that I still don’t get worried every time he leaves. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve known someone. If you’re this worried, then it shows us that you really do care.”

“I’m sorry.” I sighed, pushing my food around my plate. “I just… this is the first serious relationship I’ve been in since college.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Bucky replied. “Listen, I can’t tell you everything, but… I can tell you a little. Just don’t mention that I said anything, okay?” I nodded and leaned in as he began quietly. “I can tell you that he’s in Europe and that he’s observing a potential human trafficking ring we caught wind of a few weeks ago. He’s found what he thinks is their base of operations, but finding their travel routes is a bit of a challenge. That’s why it’s taking him so long to come back. They keep changing their routes and it’s hard to decipher their system. I can promise you that he’s not in any danger; it’s purely observation. He has no orders to interfere.”

“What about the people?” I asked.

“Trust me. We’re tracking each shipment and we have teams out to grab them before anything can happen. That’s really all I can tell you. The logistics are boring and the location has to be kept secret.”

“Thank you for telling me.” I took his hand across the table as he sat back in his seat. “I really appreciate it. I didn’t doubt you when you said he was safe, it’s just that I tend to worry a little too much sometimes.”

“Trust me, doll. In our line of work, it’s always good to be extra worried.”

***

It had to be a fluke; Bruce was actually joining me for lunch. When he poked his head into the lab, I’d expected him to check on my progress. Instead, he suggested I take a break and visit the cafeteria with him. It was a bit earlier than I’d gotten used to, but I knew Wanda and Sam would be there soon to join. As Bruce and I took a spot by the window, I glanced around, searching for my usual lunch-mates.

“Where’s Renee?” I asked and he shrugged.

“She’s got a department meeting today. Something about a new piece of equipment they got in. Even though we work for Stark, we still have to go with the regular OSHA standards.” I nodded, glancing over to the entrance where Sam and Wanda were searching. I waved them over with a smile.

“What are you guys working on? Other than her help with the decoding, I mean.”

“Basically, she’s helping me engineer some flexible armour and clothes for me. I’ve destroyed more clothes and shoes than I’d like to. Besides, I want something that I can wear even when I’m not the Hulk, just in case.” We greeted Sam and Wanda who’d finally joined us with their own food. “We’re using some of the nano-bots that Tony made and integrating them with hyper flexible fabric.”

“So Hulk gets a super-suit?” Sam asked and Bruce nodded. “Tony and I were talking about implementing them in my wings in case they’re broken. Those things are awesome.”

It was nice having Bruce back for lunch; I enjoyed Renee’s company, but watching him with the others was more fun. Wanda and Sam caught us up on the new recruits, sharing a few mishaps they’d run into during combat training.

“We definitely have an enhanced recruit,” Wanda added. “I’m trying to figure out who, but it’s a bit hard.”

“Do you know their power yet?” I asked and she shook her head. “How can you tell?”

“There’s a different sort of energy field around when we’re with the group; it almost feels like instinct to know they’re there. We’ve only been able to split them into smaller groups. I don’t want to force them out, but I’d like to know what skills we’re working with. Who knows, they may have something unique to add to the group.” With a sigh, she turned back to Sam.

“You haven’t noticed anything yet, have you?” Sam shook his head.

“I don’t think it’s a strength thing. Everyone is working as hard as they can. Same for injuries; we’ve seen normal reactions to blows, even if they’re not extremely tough. I think it may be something in the psychic way.”

Wanda nodded. “I think so too. I don’t like to probe into people's’ minds or else I’d find out who it is faster, but I feel that would destroy all trust they have in us.”

“So it’s a waiting game, then?” I asked and Wanda nodded. “What kind of training do you guys do?”

Sam shrugged. “We do physical training, so strength, dexterity, speed. We do combat too- hand to hand, basic weapons. Once we feel they’re ready, we bring in some tactical skills like analysing hostile situations, how to approach entering a building. That sort of thing.”

Wanda continued: “Once they pass us, we send them over to Steve and Bucky who determine what their ultimate duties will be, whether that be tech or ground support.”

“Oh God,” I chuckled, “I’d never make it as an agent here.”

“Oh come on,” Sam answered, nudging me in the ribs. “I’m sure you’d do great.”

“I have zero strength, zero coordination, and FRIDAY scares the crap out of me half the time. I think I’ll stay in the lab.”

Wanda waived my concern away. “You’ve got your power up here,” she motioned to her brain. “And you’ve got us.”

“If you ever want to learn how to throw a punch, I’ll be here.” I smiled in thanks to them and watched as they continued their theorizing.

Thank you so much for sticking by and reading! I really appreciate everyone who reads, likes, reblogs, and comments! And a special thanks to the love of my life who deals with me blabbing about this story all the time!!

#avengers #marvel #marvel mcu #steve rogers #bucky barnes #stevexbucky #stevexofc #buckyxofc

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sarcasmfics · 6 years ago

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Stuck In The Middle: Chapter 9

Summary: Sarah is a scholarship recipient working at Stark Industries. Her job? To break the super-serum! But when she falls, literally, into the arms of those super soldiers, will she lose their trust when her work is stolen? At this point, it’s PG (some swearing), smut to follow, but mostly fluff and some anxiety(AO3 link here) BuckyxOFCxSteve, BuckyxSteve, OFC, OFC!scientist, poly relationship

CW: Nothing really, just a lot of fluff and some good ol’ 1940s dancing!

Chapter 9:

The boutique was a pleasant reprieve from the busy Manhattan streets that Wanda had led me through earlier. I’d received my first paycheck from Stark and wanted to find something cute to wear for mine and Steve’s date.

“Dinner and maybe dancing?” He’d asked and I paused. Steve didn’t seem like the club type of guy, but I agreed. When I went to Wanda for help, she smiled and laughed a bit.

“Trust me, Sarah,” she said, smoothing out her red dress, “he’s not taking you to a modern club. You’ll be dancing, but not at a bar.”

“So where are we going?” I replied.

“I’m not going to tell you that!” Then, she paused. “Do you have any dresses?”

We wandered through the boutique, the third one so far, picking out a few dresses and found the dressing rooms. The first two didn’t fit- apparently the store didn’t sell clothing over a certain size, but that was fine; the dresses weren’t my favorite. The third, however, fit perfectly. Wanda zipped me up and I stepped out to look in the full length mirror.

“I like this one,” I smiled, smoothing out the A-line skirt. It reached down to just above my knees, the skirt hugging the curves of my waist. The top was accentuated by a sweetheart neckline, cinched in the middle, and short sleeves. “You don’t think the color is too boring?” The solid dark blue was accentuated with white finishes across the bodice, waistline, and hems.

“Not at all.” She shook her head and the store clerk agreed. “Do you have shoes?”

“Flats,” I replied.

“Then you’re set?” I nodded, smiling at my reflection. How long had it been since I’d dressed up?

Later that afternoon, I sat with my mirror at my desk, carefully applying a thin line of eyeliner across the tops of my eyes. Thankfully, I’d brought a bit of makeup with me. Pinning my hair half back, I slid my flats on just as there was a knock at my door. I opened it, stepping back to let Steve in, who held a bouquet of colorful daisies in his hand.

“Hey,” I smiled, feeling a blush spread up my cheeks as he took in my appearance.

“Hey,” he replied, finally leaning in for a kiss. “You look beautiful.”

“Thanks!”

“These are for you,” he held the flowers out, watching with a smile as I smelled them.

“They’re so pretty! Thank you, Steve!” I grabbed the now empty vase and filled it with water, depositing my new flowers back into the windowsill. “So dinner and dancing?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “I uh… thought you’d like that?”

“I didn’t peg you as the club type of guy.” I said, collecting my phone and purse.

“Don’t worry, we’re not going to a club. It’s… well it’s nice. How’s that?”

“It sounds nice,” I smiled. “Ready?”

“Yes ma’am.” I couldn’t help but giggle at his response. I locked up and followed him to the elevator.

As we approached the doors, he offered his arm and I accepted. It was so much different than holding hands; it felt so much more intimate, but gave me enough room to walk comfortably beside him. The city streets were busy as usual, but he steered us through the crowds easily.

After a little while we arrived at a small restaurant. The host immediately recognized Steve, shaking his hand with a big smile. Something told me, however, that he wasn’t recognized for his superhero status, but as a regular. As we followed him into the restaurant, I immediately understood- tables surrounded an open dance floor in a horseshoe shape with a small stage completing the circle. On the stage, a band played an old swing song. A few couples populated the dance floor, moving perfectly in sync with each other.

Ever the gentleman, Steve pulled out my chair and tucked me in, taking a seat opposite me. “What do you think?”

“Wow!” I turned toward him, feeling my cheeks strain with a huge smile. “I’m glad Wanda took me shopping.”

“You look beautiful,” Steve replied. “And I’m glad you like it.”

“How did you find this place?”

“Actually,” he smiled, rubbing the back of his neck, “I knew his father when he owned it. Back before the war.”

“Seriously?” He nodded.

“His dad helped me out a few times,” he began, but paused when the waiter came by to take our drink orders. When he left, we glanced down at the menu.

“What do you recommend?” I asked, eyeing the lemon chicken.

“I usually go for the pasta with meat sauce,” he replied, “but their food is great. What are you thinking?”

“That lemon chicken looks good,” I smiled. “I’ve been dying for some lately.” When the waiter returned, we placed our food orders.

On the stage, the band switched to a slower song, and Steve looked up at me, smiling bashfully. Slowly, he came to my side of the table and held out his hand. “Would you like to dance?”

I could feel the blush spreading up my neck as I nodded and took his hand following him to the dance floor where he took my hand in his, the other resting just above my waist. We were an awkward distance away from each other, and I stepped toward him, hoping I wasn’t invading him too much, but he only smiled down at me to pull me almost flush against him. “I don’t dance much,” I began, chuckling. “I’ve actually never danced like this before.”

“I’ve got you,” he replied, a warm smile tugging at his lips. “Just let me take the lead and you’ll be fine.”

“I think I can do that.” We danced in content quiet, enjoying the music as he swayed us gently side to side. After a little while, he shifted his weight, guiding me around, but not without my feet getting tangled a few times.

“Here, step like this.” Slowly, at first, he guided my steps until I got the simple ones down, and he pulled me back against him, guiding me a bit more smoothly this time. This was dancing. This was intimate, romantic, but not too pushy. Sure, we were nearly pressed against each other, but our movements were in sync, and being so close to him allowed a whole new version of intimacy I’d never experienced before. The music was loud enough to carry through the restaurant, but not so loud that we had to shout. Instead, the closeness was good, as he could tilt his head just a bit and speak to me with ease. When the song ended, we separated just a bit to applaud the band. “What do you say, want to try another?”

“Sure,” I replied, and he brought me back to him as the band began a more upbeat song.

“Follow my lead and step like this,” he said, demonstrating. After a few tries, I got the basic steps down and he guided me across the floor, pushing me out to spin, then pulling me back against him. I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped me; this was definitely a new experience. The song finished with minimal foot injury, and he lead me back to the table where our food was waiting.

“Steve, thank you so much! I’ve never done anything like this before!” Across the table, a light blush spread across his cheeks.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it,” he replied. “I was worried you wouldn’t at first.”

“Why? Steve if this is something that you love to do, then I want to learn as much as I can about it. Besides, why did people stop dancing like this?”

“Thanks. That really means a lot,” he replied. “And I agree. I’m still trying to figure out why people don’t like this!”

Like Steve promised, the food was amazing. I made sure to get a box to take the rest back, especially since I knew I wanted to dance some more. When we’d finished, Steve asked for another dance and I was happy oblige. It was another upbeat one, but he kept his movements simple, spinning me every so often and laughing as as I laughed.

When another slow song began, we moved closer, and I laid my head on his chest, smiling contently. We swayed side to side, his cheek resting gently on my head. We were wrapped up in each other, the restaurant just background noise. When he pressed a kiss to my head, I looked up and he pressed his lips against mine. In that moment, I realized two things: one, I was definitely falling hard for Steve, and two, modern dating had officially been ruined for me.

“What are you thinking about?” He asked, searching my face.

“You never finished your story,” I replied. “You were telling me how you knew the owner?”

“Oh yeah,” he said, glancing behind me for a moment to take in the room. “Yeah, I knew his dad. He gave me a job a few times to help with the rent. My ma and I weren’t very well off and I was working some odd jobs to help out. I used to bus, or sweep up at night. I’d check in with him a few times a week and he’d always find something for me to do.” He chuckled to himself, remembering something. “Buck and I used to come here all the time. He used to tear this place up; there was always a line of girls waiting to dance with him. Sarah, if you want to really learn how to dance, you’ll ask Buck.”

“Really?” I asked and he nodded. “He never seemed like the dancing type to me.” Steve shook his head.

“He wasn’t for a while, especially after… everything. But one night, I was cleaning up at home and playing some music when he grabbed me and we just danced. Even after the music was over, we stayed together. It wasn’t like the old days when he’d taught me a few steps in my apartment. It was different, like Bucky had really come back to me.”

“You love him so much.” Steve nodded, trying to hide the bashful smile on his face. “Why are you embarrassed?”

“We’re on a date and I’m talking about Buck,” he shrugged. “Feels wrong.”

“I like hearing the stories you guys have,” I replied. “And you… I don’t know.”

“What is it?”

“You just get this look on your face when you talk about him,” I shrugged, staring at his chest. “I don’t know. It’s just… I can tell how much you love him, and how much he means to you. And I think it’s really amazing to love someone as much as you love him. So I don’t mind you talking about him; he’s part of this whole ‘us’ thing.”

He tipped my chin up, bringing my gaze to him and kissed me, longer this time, his lips moving against mine in a way that he hadn’t before. When he finally pulled away, he looked down at me and sighed. “You’re really special, Sarah.” After a pause, he added: “Did I tell you how beautiful you look?”

“Only about a dozen times,” I chuckled. “But I’m not complaining.”

We finished two more upbeat dances before heading out, Steve shaking the owner’s hand again. On the street, he took my arm once more and guided me through the city. Even though we weren’t in one of the busier areas, as Steve assured me, I was still amazed at the sheer volume of people and the noise and lights of the city. I’d seen it on TV, but experiencing it was completely different.

“What kind of ice cream do you like?” He asked, glancing down at me.

“Cookies and cream. All the way.” I replied. “You?”

“Swirl,” he replied. “Want to get some?” We crossed the street and made our way up to the window, Steve placing the order as I turned around, looking up at the ridiculously tall buildings. After a bit of walking, we found a place to sit and eat our dessert.

It was late by the time we made it back to the tower, and my feet were aching from all the walking and dancing, but I didn’t mind. As we made our way up the elevator, Steve glanced down at his phone and sighed.

“What’s wrong?”

“Briefing tomorrow morning,” he replied, sliding the phone back into his pocket. “I’ve got a recon mission. I’ll probably be gone for a few days.” The elevator doors opened and we made our way toward my door.

“Is it dangerous?” I asked and he shook his head.

“Nah,” he shrugged. “I’m just going to check some things out, look around, see what I can see. Routine kind of thing. I’m just going to miss you, that’s all.”

“I’ll be here when you get back,” I replied. “Just promise me something?”

“Of course.”

“Be safe.”

“I always am,” he replied, but I laughed. “What?”

“From what Bucky tells me, you’re not.” Steve rolled his eyes and I playfully smacked his arm. “Come on, promise me you’ll be safe.”

“I will, I promise,” he finally nodded. “I had a really nice time tonight.”

“Me too,” I replied. “I’ve never been on a date like that before. Thank you for taking me.”

“Thank you for coming out.” Gently, he pulled me toward him and pressed his lips against mine once more, one hand holding my arm, the other coming up to cup my face, his fingers running through my hair. I did the same, feeling the light stubble on his jaw against my palms. After a bit, he pulled away, but not before giving me one last kiss. “Good night, Sarah.”

“Good night,” I replied. “Be safe.”

“I will.”

---

OK, if there’s a way to my heart, it’s through dancing. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Steve’s on a mission and things are going to get a bit more serious!!

#steve rogers #bucky barnes #avengers #mcu #marvel mcu #stevexbucky #stevexofc #buckyxofc

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sarcasmfics · 6 years ago

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Stuck In The Middle: Chapter 6

Summary: Sarah is a scholarship recipient working at Stark Industries. Her job? To break the super-serum! But when she falls, literally, into the arms of those super soldiers, will she lose their trust when her work is stolen? At this point, it’s PG (some swearing), smut to follow, but mostly fluff and some anxiety(AO3 link here) BuckyxOFCxSteve, BuckyxSteve, OFC, OFC!scientist, poly relationship

Chapter 6:

The first month went fairly quickly. Between getting back into the swing of working in a lab, learning Bruce’s quirks, and taking in the overwhelming amount of new information I was learning, I was exhausted. I caught lunch with Bruce sometimes, but he seemed to meet with Renee quite frequently. After running into Bucky in the cafeteria, either him or Steve would just happen to be there, even though they had a fully functional kitchen in their apartments. I didn’t mind though; hanging out with them helped me get to know a few others, and I was really feeling at home.

I’d spoken with Nat a few times, but Wanda seemed to be a bit more open and friendly. Nat usually hung to the side while giving witty commentary; she knew how to make everyone laugh and everyone blush too. Wanda greeted me with a big hug when we met, offering to show me around the nearby shops and to visit her apartment any time. We chatted for a bit and she laughed when I showed her the picture of Bucky, Steve, and me with the Captain America impersonator. It was quickly passed around and soon it became everyone’s favorite story.

By Thursday, I was so tired, that by the time I made it to my room, all I wanted to do was sleep, but I was that weird kind of tired where no matter how long I shut my eyes, I couldn’t sleep. My phone ping’d a few times and I sat up, yawning as I opened the chat.

Steve: hey sweetheart, are you coming up tonight?

Bucky: I found some movies at Tony’s we can watch

I sighed, running my hands through my hair (which really needed to be washed). I wanted to see them, but I knew that the second I sat on that couch, I’d pass out. Not to mention I’d gotten a bit grumpy at the end of the day; we’d spent the afternoon solving a few problems, and mine didn’t seem to want to work out.

Me: sorry guys long day at the lab I’m beat

Bucky: you’re no fun :P

Steve: can we do anything for you?

Me: nah, I’m kinda grumpy rn think I’ll stay in

Bucky: okay, well call us if you need anything doll

I smiled down at my phone before forcing myself out of bed to take a shower. I knew that if I took a quick nap, I’d never get up. As I climbed beneath the warm water, I shut my eyes, wondering what was going on at home. Home, I’d had such a hard time calling it that, but as much as we disagreed, they were still my family. I only spoke to my parents during the holidays when I’d call for the obligatory ‘Merry Christmas’ conversation. Otherwise, my brother kept me updated, mostly through text. Although he moved out of the house, he still stayed local, working at the town’s small school district doing custodial work while coaching baseball.

He didn’t agree with everything they believed in, but he’d fallen in love with his high school sweetheart, and she was adamant that they stay close to the family, citing that it was a great place to bring up children. He didn’t have the heart to disagree, so they moved out (after the wedding, of course). Last I spoke to him, they were still trying for their first kid. I still had one unread text from him on my phone; I’d been avoiding it since I moved into Stark Tower. I’m sure he knew.

But it wasn’t just his text message I was avoiding. The red notification of a voicemail reminded me that I needed to make a decision. I’d looked into it before, but I’d never been to therapy. My doctor, who prescribed the anti-anxiety meds I was on had suggested it when he heard I was moving to New York for this job. I was way out of my comfort zone, he’d said, and he couldn’t have been more right. I knew Stark had a whole medical ward that employees could use, but I didn’t want anyone to know about this or my meds. They’d think differently of me and I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to look weak or incompetent. No, I’d do this by myself, but finding a way to hide it from Steve and Bucky would be tricky. The decision was made; I’d call tomorrow.

By the time I finished my shower, I put on my pyjamas and cleaned up a bit, tossing my laundry into the basket and straightening out the mess of papers on my desk from earlier today. Bring the work back, I’d thought, you’ll definitely think better later! Maybe I was shooting too high at this point. Once my desk was straightened up, I turned on the tv and climbed into bed. Before I knew it, I had fallen into a deep sleep.

***

What was that annoying noise? Slowly, I turned over, burying my face into my pillow until consciousness fully hit me; my alarm was going off. When I glanced up at the clock, I realized that I’d overslept, being in such a deep sleep that my alarm didn’t wake me until now. I had enough time, thankfully, and got dressed and ready fairly quickly. Before heading out, I grabbed a protein bar from my stash and headed up to the lab.

“Happy Friday,” Bruce greeted as I made my way into his office.

“Happy Friday,” I replied, holding back a yawn.

“Late night?”

“No,” I shrugged. “I’m just a lot more tired than usual. I didn’t do so much high level work in my previous classes, so I guess I’m getting a bit fried quicker than usual.”

“Yeah, that’ll happen sometimes. Did you take those home yesterday?” he asked, nodding toward the notes in my hands.

“They came back with me, but they didn’t get looked at. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. Sometimes the answers elude us. What do you say we get started?”

Bruce and I worked together on the some of the tougher work, explaining a few new concepts to me as I took vigorous notes. After, he helped me through the problems I couldn’t solve the day before, naturally taking a pedantic stance in front of the white board. Once I’d had my ‘ah-ha’ moment, we moved on to the work left over. If I felt intimidated by the work at this point, how was I going to make it through my dissertation?

As usual, Bruce took his lunch with Renee and I made my way down to the cafeteria, seeking out a cup of coffee. Just as I placed the ceramic mug beneath the karaffe, it was snatched away by a random hand. “Hey!” I practically growled, turning to find Bucky behind me, holding the mug above me with a smirk on his face.

“Hey back,” he winked.

“Buck, come on, I need my coffee.”

“Kiss first?”

“Fine,” I sighed, and pecked him on the cheek. “Now coffee.” He handed the mug back to me and, once I had filled it, followed me to a quiet table in the corner.

***

I’d left lunch a few minutes early on the guise of wanting to get some extra stuff done before Bruce returned. He hadn’t gotten back yet from his daily lunch appointment with Renee, so I closed the lab door and made the phone call. Ten minutes later, my first appointment was set for next Wednesday.

---

Thanks for reading!! <3

#steve rogers #bucky barnes #avenger #avengers #mcu #stevexofc #buckyxofc #stevexbucky #polyamourous

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sarcasmfics · 6 years ago

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Stuck In The Middle: Chapter 4

Summary: Sarah is a scholarship recipient working at Stark Industries. Her job? To break the super-serum! But when she falls, literally, into the arms of those super soldiers, will she lose their trust when her work is stolen? At this point, it’s PG (some swearing), smut to follow, but mostly fluff and some anxiety(AO3 link here) BuckyxOFCxSteve, BuckyxSteve, OFC, OFC!scientist, poly relationship

Chapter 4

They walked me to the lab, each giving me a kiss on the cheek before I swiped my ID and entered the facility. It was relatively quiet as I walked down the long hallway, passing small offices and rooms with large windows where people in lab coats worked at microscopes or computers. About halfway down, I found Dr. Banner’s office and knocked. However, the door opened on its own, and I came face to face with Tony.

“Hey!” He smiled. “Looking for Bruce?”

“Yeah, thanks,” I replied. Behind him, Bruce called to invite me in. I watched as Tony shut the door behind me and took a seat.

“OK, Sarah,” Bruce began, “I know from our previous discussion that you’re sick and tired of safety protocols, but if I don’t show you everything and have you sign these safety documents, Tony will have my head.” The safety tour Bruce took me on ended up being more fun and interesting than I thought. Not only did I get a full tour of the lab, at least the one floor, I got to peak into a few other departments, taking in all of the newest technology possible. There were machines I’d never even heard of that Tony had acquired; if he didn’t seem eccentric before, he certainly did now. But I knew that his work did good things; Bruce walked me by a small conference room where a group of people argued over a diagram on a hologram projector. In another, two people worked on a calculation that was mostly strange symbols on a whiteboard.

Bruce’s lab had the obligatory chemical wash, eye wash, fire extinguisher, and every other precaution you could think of. He showed me his own research and where I’d be working and where I could keep my notes and other things that I wanted to bring. By the end of the tour, and many pauses as he went on tangents, it was time for lunch.

We joined a few others from the lab in the elevator to make our way to the cafeteria, Bruce saying a few shy “hello’s” as we passed. I followed him to a table in a quiet corner of the cafeteria with a plate of hot food. We ate in mutual silence, my mind still reeling from the amazing tour he’d given me. It didn’t feel awkward; Bruce definitely seemed like the kind of person who wouldn’t mind sitting in content quiet. Halfway through our lunch, a vaguely familiar face approached, seating herself beside Bruce. She was pretty with long, blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail.

“Hey, I thought we had lunch plans!” She said playfully. “Who’s your friend?” It took a moment for Bruce to process her presence, but when he did, he covered his mouth.

“Renee, I’m so sorry!” He gasped. “I totally forgot! This is Sarah. She’s my new lab assistant.” Gesturing to his friend, he continued: “Sarah, this is Renee. She’s in the engineering lab. And apparently I got a bit carried away with my tour this morning that I completely forgot I’d meet her for lunch!”

“It’s nice to meet you,” I smiled, reaching my hand across to shake hers.

“Likewise.” Renee replied. “So you’re his new lab assistant?” I nodded. “Well, if I could give you some advice? This guy can remember dozens of complicated formulas, but can’t remember meeting dates and times to save his life. Keep a calendar.” Bruce shrugged, pushing the food on his plate around in a sad attempt at hiding his blush.

“That’s not fair,” Bruce laughed, but Renee shrugged. “It’s accurate though… Let me finish real quick and we can go back up to your office.” Then, turning to me: “Do you mind? I completely forgot…”

“Not at all. I’ll make it back up in a bit.” I replied. “It was really nice meeting you, Renee.”

“Same!” Bruce finished the last of his lunch and they disappeared into the crowded cafeteria. She seemed nice, and she worked in engineering. I vaguely wondered if she ever worked on any of the Iron Man suits until I saw a familiar figure cross the room. I watched as Bucky’s solid shoulders maneuvered around the tables filled with employees. At first, I’d been hit with butterflies from Steve, but I found myself in the same situation with Bucky, now that I’d seen past his more angsty antics. His figure was intimidating, and he carried himself with a relaxed confidence, as if he knew his own strength, but didn’t care if anyone else did. To him, he seemed just like any other person in the room.

He sat at a table with a few of the other Avengers and began spooning ice cream into his mouth. For some reason, I wasn’t surprised; he seemed like the type of guy to have a sweet tooth. I felt like a silly teenager again, sitting across the room while watching my crush who was unknowingly the subject of my admiration. He laughed at something and the corner of his mouth tilted into a smile. Then he turned, and his eyes locked onto mine, and his smile grew playful. I’d been caught staring and felt the heat rise to my face. He nudged his head, asking me silently to join him.

Part of me didn’t want to- he seemed so relaxed and happy with them. And I wasn’t a part of that group- I was an outsider. But when I shook my head, he flashed me his puppy-dog eyes and I caved. I guess I’d have to overcome that fear eventually… I discarded my empty plate and wound my way through the tables until I found him. I desperately wanted to stand behind him and run my fingers through his hair, but that would be so weird, especially in front of everyone… I tucked that thought away in the back of my mind for later and took a seat beside him.

“Hey, doll.” He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. “Why were you by yourself?”

“I was with Bruce earlier,” I shrugged, “he had a lunch meeting.” Then, turning to the others at the table, I greeted them.

“How’s your first day in the lab?” Nat asked, sipping a cup of tea.

“Pretty good,” I replied. “Bruce gave me the safety tour- the long version.” Across the table, another man laughed.

“We all know Bruce and his lab safety,” Nat laughed. “This is Sam, by the way.”

“Sarah,” I replied. “You’re…”

“Falcon,” he nodded. “I heard you guys went to karaoke without me this weekend?”

Nat shrugged. “I did no such thing.” Sam’s gaze moved to Bucky who also shrugged, then to me.

“I plead the fifth,” I laughed, wiping my sweaty hands on my pants.

“Well next time, ya’ll are inviting me.”

“We’ll try to remember.” Sam glared over at Nat who smirked behind her tea. Sam laughed and turned to Bucky, asking him about a recent mission he’d taken with Steve. Bucky’s arm rested across the back of my chair and I desperately wanted to stay there. I was excited about starting in the lab, and since the safety tour was over, I’d definitely be doing something. But there was that lingering insecurity that I couldn’t kick out. I picked nervously at my nails, trying my best to pay attention to what they were talking about, but I didn’t understand anything. Glancing down at my phone, I saw that it was almost time to head back up. Bucky must have noticed too, as he lifted his arm as I moved to stand.

“I have to get going,” I said, tucking my phone into my pocket. “I’ll see you guys later.”

“Bye, doll,” Bucky smiled, pecking me on the cheek. “I’ll see you tonight?”

“It’s a date.”

#steve rogers #bucky barnes #avengers #mcu #stevexbucky #stevexofc #buckyxofc #polyamory

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sarcasmfics · 6 years ago

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Stuck In The Middle: Chapter 2

Summary: Sarah is a scholarship recipient working at Stark Industries. Her job? To break the super-serum! But when she falls, literally, into the arms of those super soldiers, will she lose their trust when her work is stolen? At this point, it’s PG (some swearing), smut to follow, but mostly fluff and some anxiety(AO3 link here) BuckyxOFCxSteve, BuckyxSteve, OFC, OFC!scientist, poly relationship

The first thing I felt was a warm touch on my cheek. It was nice and though it woke me, I didn’t want to wake up. “Sarah…” Slowly I blinked awake, focusing on Bucky’s face, his warm smile greeting me. “Hey, sweetheart.” Then, it hit me: I had fallen asleep. In Bucky’s apartment. On Steve.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry!” I sat up, pushing a blanket away. Where’d that come from?

Don’t be sorry,” he chuckled, moving to sit beside me.

“I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” Yawning, I rubbed my eyes. “What time is it?”

“A little after 5.”

“Crap.” I really hope I didn’t drool on Steve.

“Don’t worry,” Bucky smiled, placing his hand on my knee. “We all fell asleep.” Admittedly, it made me feel a bit better, but I was still embarrassed. A bit more awake, I stood, stretching my arms.

“Thanks again,” I smiled. “I had more fun today than I’ve had in a while.” This seemed to please him, and he smiled down at me, genuinely happy. There was no mischief, no flirting.

“Same here.” He followed me to the door. “Do you want me to walk you to your room?”

“I think I can make it,” I replied.

Back in my room, I jumped in the shower to get ready for the evening. When I was hired as a researcher, I never expected to meet anyone outside of the lab, and I definitely didn’t expect to be hanging out with the Avengers. I replayed the day in my head- Steve’s arm around my shoulder, the way he’d guided me through the busy sidewalks of Manhattan as if we’d known each other forever. But there was no way he could be flirting with me. Why else would he invite Bucky to our outing? And why did it look like they lived together? The slight tinge of disappointment stung, but I decided that I’d enjoy it while it lasted. Besides, he was already a good friend, and I hoped the Avengers would be the same.

Thankfully, Bucky had woken me up with enough time to blow out my hair, and when I was done, I faced my closet. There wasn’t much, but I settled for a pair of black leggings with a dark red tunic top and a thin, black belt. I threw on some black flats with a few minutes left to spare. I had a feeling we’d be out late, so I logged onto my laptop and finished up some last minute things. Not long after, there was a knock at my door.

Steve stood in the doorway, a small bouquet of flowers in a pretty glass vase cradled in his arms. “Hi!” He said, a bashful smile spreading across his lips. “These are for you.”

“Oh, Steve,” I gasped, taking the beautiful arrangement from him. The flowers were fresh and smelled beautiful. “Thank you so much!” Steve followed me into the room as I placed the flowers on my windowsill. “They’re so beautiful, Steve. Thank you!”

“I’m glad you like them,” he replied, accepting my small hug. When I pulled back, he kept his hands on my arms, gazing down at me. After a moment, he stepped back, clearing his throat awkwardly. “So… everyone will be in the lobby in a few minutes.”

“Great, let me just grab my things.” I tucked my phone and key into my wristlet and followed Steve through the hall.

He wasn’t lying when he said everyone. I recognized everyone there, so the fear of learning new names dissipated; I’d only need to figure out how to talk to everyone. Steve gave a general introduction to everyone before taking my hand and following the group out onto the sidewalk. Mr. Stark, who insisted that I call him Tony, led us to an Americana restaurant where the maitre’d led us back to a private room where cell phones couldn’t reach us. Ever the gentleman, Steve pulled a chair out for me, settling beside me once I was seated. Bucky sat on my opposite side, talking with Nat in hushed… Russian? Dr. Banner sat across from me, and Tony, Wanda, and Clint settled in the other seats. Drinks were ordered and friendly banter bubbled up across the table.

“So Sarah,” Dr. Banner began, “Steve tells me that you’re starting in one of our labs on Monday?”

“Yeah, I’ll be working with the microbiology research department,” I replied.

“Immunity?” He asked and I nodded.

Across the table, Tony interjected: “Is she the scholarship recipient?”

“That’s me,”I laughed, wiping the nervous sweat from my hands which Steve took in his.

“Scholarship?” He asked and I nodded. “You never mentioned a scholarship. That’s cool!”

“Thanks,” I replied; I could feel everyone’s eyes on me and shifted nervously. “Yeah, they hired me as a lab assistant while I work on my dissertation. That’s the scholarship part.” Bucky whispered a quiet, wow as Dr. Banner added:

“That means you’ll be working with me.”

I froze, staring at the doctor in hopes that I heard him correctly. “Wait… I’m working with you?” He nodded. “Oh my god, Dr. Banner I’m so excited!”

“Bruce,” he reminded me, chuckling at my response.

“Right, Bruce, sorry,” I mirrored, swallowing the excited giggles that threatened to pour out. “Sorry, I’m just so excited.” The table resumed their small conversations as Dr. Banner- Bruce, and I began to talk shop. My thesis was inspired by some of his own research on not just Steve and Bucky’s, but his own genetic alterations. And working with such an experienced scientist would not only help me in my own research, but in my lab experience. Most of my theory was researched based; my state school didn’t have a complicated lab, but my professors made sure that I had access to any research I could possibly need. As we spoke, Steve broke away, apparently confused by our topic, but his hand still held mine, his thumb gently running across my knuckles every so often.

When the food came, he let go, but glanced over every so often with a small smile on his face. Tony’s voice carried through the room as he made a dirty joke and as I looked over, I noticed Bucky’s stare, piercing through me. He looked mad, like he’d been hurt. Nat whispered something in his ear and he broke his stare, glancing down at his food, refusing to meet my gaze. When the waiter came back, Tony handed him his credit card, and shortly after we returned outside.

“Karaoke!” Tony announced and we followed along. I stuck next to Bruce, chatting about nothing in particular, and Steve stayed, holding my hand as we walked. I could feel Bucky’s stare and turned to make sure I wasn’t imagining it. He walked by himself, trailing behind until we reached the karaoke bar. Tony acquired a few tables and we filed in, a few people perusing the drink menus. Hesitantly, I approached Tony who looked up at the cash in my hand. “What’s this?”

“For my dinner?” I replied and he scoffed, waving my hand away.

“Nope, your money’s no good here.”

“Are you sure?” I asked, but Nat answered:

“He won’t take it, Sarah, just give up.”

“Thank you,” I replied and wandered toward the bar. The bartender handed me a beer and I slid her a few dollars in return. I watched the group in the mirror behind the bar; they were talking, laughing, and looked so happy. I saw Bucky as he approached, flagging the bartender down for a beer.

“How’s it going?” He asked.

“Good.” I shrugged. “Bucky, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, doll. Why?”

“You seemed upset when you were talking to Nat.” He shook his head, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.

“Nah, just some mission stuff,” he replied.

“Alright,” I shrugged. “If you say so.” With that, I made my way back to the table where Steve waited, draping his arm across the back of my chair.

“Everything okay?” Steve asked and I nodded. Bucky followed at the next table, his stare boring into my side. Then it hit me- I was coming between them. There was obviously something I was missing. I sipped my beer, watching a few songs before I couldn’t take it anymore. I felt so wrong, so out of place. “I’m gonna head out,” I said, “Thanks again for tonight.”

“Sarah, wait-” Steve called, but I wound through the tables until I reached the door, but his hand on my shoulder stopped me. “Wait! What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I replied. “I’m just going to head back. I’m tired.”

“Let me walk you back.” He opened the door, leading me outside where it was much quieter.

“I’ll take a cab.”

“Sarah, wait-” I paused, feeling so guilty as I looked up at him. “I thought, I don’t know… that we’d really… hit it off?”

“It’s just,” I sighed, rubbing my arm. “I just don’t want to come between you and Bucky. I don’t break friendships, Steve, it’s not who I am.” He watched me, confusion wrinkling his forehead. “Listen, don’t be mad at Bucky, okay? Friendships are more important.”

“Sarah-” we paused; Bucky had followed us outside. “It’s not like that.”

“Wait… are you two…” The glanced at each other, guilt written across their faces. “Wait, you’re together? Why didn’t you say something?”

“Sarah-” Steve reached out to touch me, but I shook his hand away.

“No, Steve, you don’t get to do that.” I moved around him, hailing a cab, but they all drove past.

“Just listen for a minute,” Bucky said, taking my outstretched hand which I pulled back.

“No! You led me on, Steve. And you’re not so innocent either, Bucky. That’s not okay!” Tears of embarrassment burned at my eyes and I tried to push them away. It was just before.

“Please, just listen for a minute,” Steve said. He looked so hurt, as did Bucky, and I felt terrible, though why I wasn’t sure; it’s not like it was my fault! “We’ve been trying to figure out how to tell you.”

“So saying sorry, Sarah, but we’re a thing is hard to figure out?” I spat.

“No, it’s not like that,” Steve replied. “Can we?” He motioned back toward the bar and I complied, folding my arms across my chest. “Bucky and I, we are a thing, but it’s a bit different.”

“I don’t do open relationships.” I stated.

“That’s not what he means,” Bucky added. “We are together, but we both really like you. I know you like Steve and I think you like me too.”

“So…?”

“We want you to be with us.” I glanced back and forth from Steve to Bucky, trying to process it.

“So I’ll be your girlfriend while also being your girlfriend?” I asked.

“And we’ll both be your boyfriends.” Bucky nodded. “It’s not an open relationship. We’re committed to each other and we were hoping you’d be willing to try it with us.” My mind was racing- I’d only ever been in monogamous relationships before, but I did really like them both. And they seemed so happy with each other.

“So it’ll just be the three of us?” I asked and they nodded. “No one else? No adding or sharing?”

“Well we’ll be sharing each other, but no one else.” Steve confirmed. “I’m sorry if we made you think otherwise.”

“But why were you glaring at me, Bucky?” He ran his flesh hand through his hair, sighing.

“I was jealous,” he replied. “It was stupid, but I was jealous that Steve was getting all of the attention and worried that you’d say no.”

“Buck, did you think I’d leave you if she said no?” Steve reached out, taking Bucky’s hand in his, but he only shrugged. “You know I’d never do that.” He pulled Bucky closer and wrapped his arms around him. “Come on, you know I’d never hurt you like that. I love you.” As I watched them embrace, I could see how they really did love each other, and it made me feel even more affectionate toward them. When Bucky pulled away, he turned to me.

“I’m sorry I acted like that,” he said, and I smiled.

“It’s so obvious that you love each other.” I replied. “Are you sure you want this?” Bucky nodded.

“We’ve been talking about finding another person,” Steve answered. “So what do you think?” It was such a foreign thought to me- having two committed partners. Realistically, I’d only known them for two days, not even! But I was attracted to both of them. “If you want to think on it, that’s fine.”

“I think I will,” I replied. “But I want to talk to you guys about it, like really talk about it.”

“Of course,” Bucky added. “Tomorrow. We’ll talk about everything tomorrow. Is that ok?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Steve’s hand rested on my arm.

“Do you still want to go back?” I looked up at his kind, blue eyes, then over to Bucky’s soft brown ones.

“Let’s stay.” We shuffled back into the bar and returned to our abandoned seats, Bucky pulling a chair up beside me. Tony and Bruce were on stage, singing a very poor version of Livin’ on a Prayer. After their song finished, and the roaring applause died down, I pushed my chair back to get up.

“Where are you going?” Bucky asked, gently taking my hand.

“I’m getting another beer,” I replied. “Do you want anything?” Steve turned, waiving the waiter over to our table.

“Can we get three beers?” The waiter disappeared and I sat back down.

“Steve, I could have gone,” I argued.

“You’re not buying our beers, sweetheart,” he replied. “Besides, Stark has a strict Avengers policy that none of our money is good with him.”

“Doesn’t that break some sort of employer/employee rule?” Bucky nudged my shoulder with his, leaning into my ear:

“Come on, live a little. Besides, Stark takes it personally.”

Steve added: “And it’s not like he’s hurting for it.” They were right, so I shrugged and followed suit, enjoying the fresh beer and fries that came to our table. It didn’t take long for Bucky to take Steve’s place with his arm over my shoulder while Steve’s hand rested on my knee. It definitely felt weird, but I liked it; if they loved each other so much that they had enough love to share for someone else, then who was I to judge? I lay my hand over Steve’s and leaned into Bucky and decided that I’d take it one day at a time.

Not long after, and a few beers later, Steve was dragging me on stage. When the music came on, I immediately started laughing, watching as Steve started rapping to Nicki Minaj. We sang along, getting tongue tied and stammering through the song until the painful minutes finally passed and we made our way back to the table. The rest of the night passed by filled with laughter and even more good food. I switched to water shortly after, which Tony scolded me for, but we laughed it off at my expense.

“Do you want to head back?” Bucky asked, leaning close. I nodded, trying to hide yet another yawn. Steve noticed too and we said our goodbyes, waving to the others as we headed out.

“Mind if we walk home?” Steve asked, taking my hand in his.

“Not at all,” I replied, and took Bucky’s hand too. It wasn’t a far walk, but we didn’t rush, taking our time as they pointed out how things used to look. It was weird not to be able to see the stars, or to feel that the world had gone to sleep; the city was always awake, it seemed. Back at Stark Tower, Steve scanned his small key chain ID, unlocking the door and the elevator. The ride up was quiet, but not in an awkward way; we were all tired, and though I didn’t want to leave them, I had a lot to think about. They walked me to my room, although I told them that I could make it myself.

“Thanks for hearing us out,” Bucky said, kissing me on the cheek.

“And thanks for coming with us,” Steve added, doing the same.

“Thank you for being so welcoming,” I replied. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow then?”

They didn’t leave until I’d closed and locked my door; I peeked through the peep-hole to see if they’d gone before turning back, fumbling into pajamas, and slipping into sleep.

---

Thanks so much for reading!!

#steve rogers #bucky barnes #avengers #mcu #stevexbucky #stevexofc #buckyxofc #polyamory

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sarcasmfics · 6 years ago

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Stuck In The Middle:Chapter 5

Summary: Sarah is a scholarship recipient working at Stark Industries. Her job? To break the super-serum! But when she falls, literally, into the arms of those super soldiers, will she lose their trust when her work is stolen? At this point, it’s PG (some swearing), smut to follow, but mostly fluff and some anxiety(AO3 link here) BuckyxOFCxSteve, BuckyxSteve, OFC, OFC!scientist, poly relationship

Chapter 5

By the time Bruce and I had finished for the day, I was exhausted. Swiping out of the lab, I checked my phone to see a few texts from the guys asking that I come up to Bucky’s room when I got out. I wanted to see them, but I wanted to shower and sleep first. I took the elevator up to Bucky’s room and knocked. It took longer than usual for someone to answer the door, but when they did, it was Steve, smiling down at me.

“Honey, I’m home,” I called, following him into the apartment. From across the room, Bucky laughed.

“Hey sweetheart.” Steve pulled me into a tight hug and kissed my cheek. “Buck’s in the kitchen. He said you came down at lunch today?”

“Hm? Yeah.” I followed Steve to find Bucky peeking into the window of the oven. “Hey doll! Give me a second. I think these are done…”

“What are you making?” I asked, standing behind him to sniff. There were two pots on the stove as well, one large, one small, and their dining room table was set with three place settings. “What’s all this?”

“We’re making you dinner,” Steve replied.

“Wait, what? Why?” Bucky laughed at my confusion as he stirred something in the large pot.

“Because it was your first day and we wanted to surprise you.” He held the wooden spoon out to Steve who plucked the piece of pasta off and tossed it into his mouth.

“Perfect,” he nodded.

“Is there anything I can do?” I asked and they both shook their heads.

“You might want to move though.” Steve said, shifting me out of the way. “Wouldn’t want you get burned.” I did as he asked and watched the two of them work together, straining the pasta and mixing in the sauce. I cringed, however, as Bucky reached into the oven with his metal hand to retrieve the biscuits, but he only winked; I guess it didn’t hurt him. When they’d finished, I followed them to the table where they filled the plates and handed out beers. They each sat on opposite sides of the table, leaving the middle seat for me.

“Guys, you didn’t have to do this, really!” I said as Bucky spooned some pasta onto my plate.

“We don’t have to do anything we don’t want to, Sarah.” Steve smiled at me over his beer. “Besides, you didn’t eat much this morning and I have a feeling you didn’t eat much at lunch either.”

“I was nervous,” I shrugged.

“So how was it?” Bucky asked, digging in. The pasta smelled so good and I dumped some mozzarella cheese on top of my plate before taking a bite.

“Guys, this is so good!” I said, covering my full mouth. “Thank you so much!”

“You’re very welcome,” Steve replied. “How was your first day?”

“Honestly? It was a bit overwhelming,” I began, “but Bruce is really nice and really passionate about his work. I think once I get used to the layout of the lab and his methods, I’ll be a bit more comfortable.”

“Passionate isn’t the word for Bruce,” Bucky laughed. “It sounds like you enjoyed it though. And he’s a good guy. He’ll help you out.”

“I can tell it’s going to be a really great experience. Oh- and have you seen half the equipment in the labs? It’s insane!”

“Doll, I’m still getting over half the new technology I’ve missed,” Bucky laughed. “But yeah, Bruce has brought us in there a few times. We’ve given him some blood and tissue samples to help with his research.”

“Tony really doesn’t cut corners, does he?” I laughed.

“Tony’s not the kind of guy to buy discount,” Steve nodded. “But he’s a good guy when we wants to be.”

“So how was your guys day?” Bucky and Steve shrugged. “Come on, what do you guys do during your day?”

“We train,” Bucky shrugged. “That, and when there’s a mission to complete, we go. But otherwise, we train and help train the new SHIELD agents.”

“SHIELD is still being rebuilt,” Steve added, “We work with Directory Fury on most of that, but Stark puts us up here since most of our equipment is stored safely here. In case of emergency, we can just suit up and run out from here.”

“What kind of missions do you guys do?” Steve and Bucky exchanged nervous glances. “Just like general stuff? I know you can’t really discuss any super secret things.”

Steve answered: “Sometimes we do reconnaissance, gather information on potentially dangerous groups, or check on the progress of humanitarian aid.”

“I was out a few weeks ago to help escort some aid workers through a pretty dangerous place.” Bucky shook his head. “I don’t get it. They’re killing each other and harming people who are just trying to live their lives. And the aid workers are risking theirs to try to help people stuck in the middle of all this.” His grip on his fork tightened, and I reached out, laying my hand over his.

“I’m sorry, Buck. I didn’t mean to upset you.” After a moment, he relaxed and placed the fork beside his plate. “Hey, you’re doing some amazing things. Look, you protected those aid workers. And you helped get supplies to those people in need. Yeah, it’s terrible that people are fighting, but you made a difference to those people who need help. And you gave them hope, which is stronger than any weapon.” The room fell silent, Steve watching us intently before Bucky took a deep breath and opened his eyes. I was so scared that I’d said something stupid and upset him more, but when he wrapped his metal hand around mine, I felt better. It was a touchy topic for him, and judging by the way Steve now sat rigid in his seat, it was the same for him too. I made a mental note to keep the work talk to a minimum. I wanted desperately to ask if he was okay, to wrap my arms around him and make him feel better, but the way he held my hand made me pause.

“Buck?” Steve asked, his voice quiet as he appraised his friend.

“I’m okay,” Bucky replied. “Sorry-”

“Please don’t apologize,” I interjected, wrapping both my hands around his. “I didn’t think.”

“It’s alright, Sarah,” Bucky offered a small smile before returning to his dinner. I kept one hand on his, which he seemed okay with, and resumed eating, glancing over at Steve for approval. We ate in silence for a few minutes until Bucky spoke up. “Did he tell you what he did today?” I paused, anxious for his next words, but Steve sighed across the table, and Bucky laughed.

“No?”

“Come on, Buck-” Steve wined playfully.

“Got into a fight with a self-checkout at the grocery store.” Bucky answered. It took me a second to process his words, but when I glanced over at Steve, I couldn’t hold back the my laughter. It wasn’t the story, or how he’d made a fool of himself against a machine. It was the way he blushed and how Bucky seemed to laugh a bit more genuinely as the night went on.

“There was nothing in the bagging area!” Steve sighed, exasperated. “I don’t think I can go back to that store ever again.”

“So what did you do?” I asked, watching as Steve glared over at Bucky.

“Well this one just stood there and laughed,” he shook his head. “But I kept having to ask the girl to come over and swipe her card thing.”

“Ask him how many times this happened,” Bucky offered, leaning closer to me. I looked over at Steve who hid his face in his hands, but when he didn’t answer, Bucky did. “Three. He had to ask her to fix it three times.”

“I hate technology!”

“Steve,” I said, trying to hold back my laughter. “Those things hate everyone. If it makes you feel better, I’ve actually shouted at one of them… and there actually was something in the bagging area I’d forgotten about.” Bucky’s eyes widened at my confession and offered a genuine stomach laugh, leaning back in his chair. Steve met my gaze, and I couldn’t help but smile at each of them.

The rest of dinner was filled with good conversation, them asking about my college days, which were nothing really to talk about, and my asking them about life before everything. They fought me when I moved to wash the dishes, but gave in when I refused to relent. It wasn’t long before we’d finished and settled onto the couch, our arms and hands intertwined with each other. Steve pulled my legs onto his lap as Bucky settled me against his chest. It felt so natural as I relaxed against him and drew lazy patterns onto the back of Steve’s hand. Bucky did the same, his fingers drawing across my arm, enticing a yawn from deep within me. It was almost 8:30 by then, and I was so torn between dozing off right where I was and doing the responsible thing- going back to my apartment to shower and sleep. Steve seemed to notice my internal battle, because he picked my hand up and pressed it to his lips.

“Come on, you look exhausted.”

“I’m fine,” I argued, but another giant yawn gave me away.

“Come on, doll,” Bucky’s voice rumbled in my ear and I sighed.

“Alright.” Slowly, I stood, stretching until I heard a few cracks and pops. Bucky and Steve walked me to the door where I turned, ready to say good night, but Steve paused.

“I’m walking you back.”

“I think I can make it,” I replied, but he insisted. Maybe it was his old fashioned way, but I couldn’t help but like it, even just a little. Bucky gave me a tight hug and pressed his lips to mine, gently and just for a moment. It was quick, but it made my stomach quiver nervously and I smiled up at him. “Thanks so much for dinner. I mean it, you guys are the best.”

“It’s our pleasure, doll,” Bucky replied with a tired smile. Steve took my hand and lead me down the hallway and into the elevator. I leaned against the back railing, watching the number above the door descend. I could see it in his body language that he wanted to say something, but when he stayed silent, I took the first step.

“I screwed that up. I’m sorry.” Steve turned to face me, his face a mixture of guilt and sadness.

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong.” The elevator doors opened and we walked quietly toward my room. I lead him inside and he sat beside me on the couch.

“I didn’t mean to upset you guys.”

“Sarah, you didn’t know. You wouldn’t have known.” Steve replied. “Me and Buck, we’ve been through a lot together. He’s doing better than he was before, but both of us still have our moments.” He paused for a moment, weighing his next words. “PTSS is… tough. At first, both me and him knew how obvious it was that we were so shaken up. We’ve both had a lot of help, both from our friends and with each other. It’s just… it’s not something that’s easy to see, especially now that we’ve gotten a bit better at coping.”

“It’s an invisible illness,” I nodded. “I know.”

“That’s what everyone is calling it.” Steve nodded. “There are good days, and there are not so good days, and Buck’s been having more good than not so good lately.”

“Is this… are we going to make things worse?”

“Not at all. If anything, it’ll help. If this were a few years back, then maybe things wouldn’t be so good. But he’s gotten better. And having someone who can be sympathetic to that helps, especially since that someone’s sympathy is genuine. He really likes you. I really like you. I just wanted you to know that sometimes, things get hard.”

“Steve… I’m not going anywhere. You guys mean so much to me. I never thought I’d say that to someone, especially two someones so quickly, but there’s something about you guys that just clicks with me. You guys feel like home to me. So if there’s ever anything I can do, tell me.”

Steve smiled down at me and pressed a gentle kiss against my lips, just as Bucky did. “Sarah, we’re both sweet on you. And I appreciate what you said, and how you handled everything at dinner. We’re here too. And we’ve got you, just as you’ve got us. Okay?”

“Yeah.” Steve gave me one last kiss before heading out, leaving me to fall asleep before I could process anything else. But one thing passed through my mind before I drifted off: I was caught up with them, and I had a feeling my crush was just the beginning.

---

Thanks so much for sticking with me! Comments and reblogs are appreciated and celebrated!!

#avengers #the winter soldier #steve rogers #bucky barnes #stevexofc #buckyofc #stevexbucky #polyamory

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sarcasmfics · 6 years ago

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Stuck In The Middle: Chapter 3

Summary: Sarah is a scholarship recipient working at Stark Industries. Her job? To break the super-serum! But when she falls, literally, into the arms of those super soldiers, will she lose their trust when her work is stolen? At this point, it’s PG (some swearing), smut to follow, but mostly fluff and some anxiety(AO3 link here) BuckyxOFCxSteve, BuckyxSteve, OFC, OFC!scientist, poly relationship

Chapter 3:

I wasn’t sure if I was awake; my dimly glowing alarm clock showed that it was 3am, but it didn’t feel real. I could see him clearly, stuttering through a half-assed apology as he broke my heart. It’s been hard for me, can’t you understand? The painful betrayal that he’d caused was still so fresh. Everyone knew, and everyone said that it had to be my fault- that he’d been just fine before me. I knew that wasn’t true; I shouted it soundlessly at their voices until I sat up in bed, the room eerily silent, and my alarm clock showing an illuminated 4am. I buried my face in my pillow and willed myself to go back to sleep.

It was late when I finally rolled out of bed, my dreams rotating between a comfortable nothingness and the judging faces of the people back home. Anxiety coiled and settled in my stomach, weighing it down like I’d swallowed stones. I hated my anxiety. It was a burden and a pain, especially when it really made itself known. Would they care?

After dressing, I made my way down to the cafeteria, collecting some eggs, toast, and coffee. I chose a table in the corner where I could sit quietly and attempt to gather my thoughts. I didn’t see them, but Bucky had a kitchen in his apartment. As I ate, I flipped through my phone, returning to the picture we took in Times Square. I had fun that day, but that was when I thought Steve was pursuing me. Now, I had them both to think of. Was that something I could handle? Truthfully, I wasn’t sure I could even handle myself at this point, but I felt a connection with them that I hadn’t before in my few previous relationships. But what if things went south? I wanted to believe that they’d be okay, and we could be friends, but everyone says that and no one really follows through with it. And if I was going to keep working here after my dissertation, which was months away…

I had months until my dissertation was finished. What harm could be done if we tried this new relationship out for a few weeks? Truthfully, I was nervous, and not just because it was one more person than I was used to, but because I feared their rejection. And that told me everything; if I was nervous about them leaving, then maybe I really did want this. My phone lit up, pulling me from my thoughts.

Steve: Hey, are you up yet?

Me: Yeah, just finishing breakfast.

Steve: Do you want to come up when you’re done?

Me: Sure. Be up soon.

I took a few more minutes, finishing my last bits of cold toast before I was in the elevator heading up to Bucky’s room. I’d barely knocked on the door once before it opened, Bucky meeting me with a warm smile that pushed all of my doubt and anxiety away.

I was doomed.

Steve was already there, sitting with his feet up as he sipped some coffee, but he stood as I came in, wrapping me in a big hug after Bucky did the same. They led me to the kitchen where I took a seat at the breakfast bar, my hands wrapped around a fresh cup of coffee. This time, the silence was awkward. I felt so comfortable around them, but I still had that nagging weight in my stomach that wouldn’t go away.

“Can someone say something?” Bucky asked, glancing between me and Steve.

“Yeah, please,” I laughed, and Steve cleared his throat.

“So I guess you have some questions?” I nodded.

“I just…” Sighing, I rubbed my sweaty hands across my jeans. “I need to know that this is real. That you guys aren’t doing this to cover anything up, or… I just need to know why you guys want this.”

Bucky glanced at Steve who nodded for him to answer. “Sarah, Steve and I love each other, we have for years. And even with that love, we feel like something, or someone, has been missing from our life together. We’ve been talking about maybe bringing someone into our relationship for about a year now and since we both really like you, and it seems that you like us, we wanted to ask you to join us.” When I didn’t reply, Steve continued:

“If you’re thinking that we want you around to cover up our relationship, there couldn’t be anything farther from the truth. We’re pretty open about it with everyone we know. We don’t go around broadcasting our private business, but our friends know and that’s all that really matters. We’re both new to the idea of having a poly relationship, so we’d take it a day at a time.” Gently placing his hand on mine, he continued. “The three of us would have to be comfortable with everything. There’s always going to be compromise and communication, but the most important part is that we are all comfortable with the relationship.”

“What is it that’s making you so nervous?” Bucky asked. I knew this would come up. Well, I might as well get it out of the way now.

“I lived in a really conservative area.” I began. “You know, the whole pray the gay away bull. And I dated this guy in high school and through most of college. I thought that we would have a life together. We were committed, and I respected his wanting to wait until we got married to be physical. That’s how I was raised, at least, but I never understood the obsession with someone’s sexuality. Anyway… one day on summer break, we meet up for some lunch in town.” I could feel the heat rising to my face and tried to push it away, taking my hand back from Steve. “He told me that he’d been using me to lie to his family. That he’d known he was gay since he was a kid. In the beginning, he said that he needed to make sure that he wasn’t suspected, but once he was in college, he didn’t know how to break it off with me. Once he’d found some freedom away from his family, he was able to meet someone. I asked him why he didn’t just tell me from the start and he said that he was afraid of what I’d think. I mean… we’d talked about this kind of stuff all the time when we were together; I was always a supporter, though I had to keep it quiet from my family, and he knew this.

“He used me for years, took advantage of my affection for him. He was my best friend, and when it came out, and he left the college to move out of state with his partner, my whole community, and even my parents blamed me. It was like I’d given him some illness or that something was wrong with me. I was shunned, my parents were shunned. I mean, I’m happy he found someone. And I’m happy he can be true to himself, but to use me for all of those years.” I scoffed, cupping the coffee mug in my hands. “He could have asked; I’d have done anything for him. But since then, I’ve had a hard time really having relationships because I don’t know what’s true and what’s not.

“I went on a few dates after that, but nothing felt right. After college, I started working on my post-grad and met a really nice guy. I thought that finally I found someone I could stay with, at least for a while. But he took advantage of me- he cheated on me and played me to the point that it was my fault for his infidelity because I was a virgin and honestly nervous about being intimate. So honestly, I’m really scared that it’ll happen again. I’ve already lost my family’s support for my research; they have this ridiculous notion that it’s ‘playing God’ even though I’ve explained it so many times. So that’s it. The whole thing. That’s why I’m really hesitant. Not because I think that who you are is wrong, or what you want is wrong, but because I’ve been hurt so many times, I don’t think I can handle it again.”

I didn’t want to look at them; I knew that after all that, they’d probably call off the whole thing. We could be friends, god knows I really liked them both and enjoyed their company, but would they look at me the same way? I didn’t realize I was crying until I felt a hand on my back, guiding me to rest my head on a strong shoulder.

“Doll,” Bucky began, “we lived during that. And we know how that kid must have felt, but there was no reason for him to lie to you. Look at me?” Slowly I lifted my eyes to him and he smiled. “I promise that I will never lie to you. And I promise that this isn’t some ruse and that we won’t pressure you in to anything you don’t want. All I want is someone to share my love with.”

“Same here, sweetheart,” Steve added, leaning against the counter beside me. “We both love each other, and we want to share our love with someone special. We’re not asking you to dive into this blindly. And we’re not asking you to do anything that you’re not comfortable with. If you want to try this, then we can. And if not, or if it doesn’t feel right, then we’ll stay friends. Because we both really like you.”

“I feel like such an idiot,” I sighed, covering my face. “I can’t believe I said all that out loud. I don’t think I’ve ever really told anyone the whole story.”

“Don’t say that,” Steve replied, “You’re not an idiot. You were hurt, and you were taken advantage of. I promise that we won’t do that. That’s not who we are.”

“Captain Good-Guy over here,” Bucky laughed, nudging me playfully. “He’d never hurt anyone.”

“And you guys? This won’t separate you?” I asked and they shook their heads.

“Nah,” Bucky replied. “We’ll work out the kinks. What do you say? Want to try?”

“I do,” I nodded. “So where do we start?” Bucky released me, just a bit, taking the seat beside me to keep his arm around my shoulders.

“Well, maybe we should go on some dates? Hang out some more?” Steve replied.

“And they don’t always have be all of us together,” Bucky added. “Sometimes we’ll go out, or you and Stevie’ll go out, and maybe I’ll take him.”

“That sounds fair. But I have one request.” I said. “No lies. No hiding anything, no omitting anything, nothing like that. I want honesty.”

“Sounds fair to me.” Steve nodded and Bucky agreed. “So what do you say? Want to stay here and watch some tv?”

“Maybe take a nap?” Bucky teased, but I nudged him back.

***

At first, it did feel a bit weird. I was raised on heterosexual monogamy, so finding myself not only having a crush on, but being with two guys (who also loved each other) was a new experience. They were so comfortable with each other that they always seemed to ease my anxiety. And I was wanted, not by someone who’d take advantage of me, but by two people who cared greatly for me. We were nowhere near the L word, but I knew that I really did care for them more than I’d cared for anyone in the past.

When Monday rolled around, I was out of bed insanely early, showered, dressed, and pacing. I knew I should get downstairs to eat something, but my stomach didn’t want to hold anything except the ten ton rock of nerves that currently weighed me down. I was taken by surprise when there was a knock at my door, and when I peeked through the peephole, I saw that it was my guys. Why were they up so early?

“Morning,” I smiled, kissing them each on the cheek as they shuffled into my room. “Why are you up this early?”

“We came to make sure you ate something before going up to meet Bruce,” Bucky replied, leaning against the doorframe.

“You guys don’t have to do that,” I replied. “I’m fine.”

“Did you eat?”

“Um…” Steve shook his head.

“Come on. Food. Now.”

Bucky pushed away from the wall and took my hand. “Come on, he won’t take no for an answer.” Gathering my things, I followed them out and into the hall. I was so antsy that Bucky began to rub my back, soothing my worry.

“I don’t know if it’s excitement or nervousness.” I sighed.

“Well you’ve met Bruce,” Steve added, “and you watched all those videos, and it sounded like you two discussed your research on Saturday, so I think you’re excited.”

“It’s hard to tell the difference sometimes,” I replied. “But yeah it’s probably excitement.” The elevator doors opened and we made our way into the cafeteria where I filled my plate with some eggs and toast. But when I went to get coffee, Bucky pushed me toward the decaf, whispering:

“You’re already antsy enough. Let’s not do caffeine, huh?” I laughed and complied. Honestly, maybe he was right. They kept me distracted with talks about recent sparring matches and stories from their time back before the war; I loved watching them interact, the way their eyes traced each other’s faces with such love that I almost envied them. They had been through so much, and to keep their love for each other through it all was amazing.

“Right, Sarah?” I snapped out of my thoughts to find them waiting on my response.

“Oh… uh…”

“I told you she was spacing out,” Bucky chuckled, nudging Steve. “All those old war stories put people to sleep!”

“No, I’m sorry! I was just… thinking.”

“Anything good?” Bucky winked and I blushed.

“Not really,” I shrugged. “I really should be going though. It’s getting late and I do not want to be late on my first day!”

---

Thanks so much for sticking with me! Feedback is always welcome and definitely celebrated!!

#steve rogers #bucky barnes #stevexofc #buckyxofc #stevexbucky #polyamory #mcu #avengers #captain america #winter soldier

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sarcasmoverlordxo · 7 years ago

Text

Stuck in the Middle- Chapter 5!

Fic Summary: Sarah is a scholarship recipient for Stark Industries where she plans on doing her pre-thesis research. But when she falls, quite literally, into the lives of two super soldiers, are her butterflies just a crush? Or something more? And when her research is used against the Avengers, will she lose their trust?

Warnings: none in the first few chapters. Fluff, StevexOFCxBucky, Poly relationship, eventual angst, eventual action (I’ll tag)

You can find my masterlist here and you can read this on AO3 here!

Chapter 5

“Honey, I’m home,” I called, following him into the apartment. From across the room, Bucky laughed.

“Hey sweetheart.” Steve pulled me into a tight hug and kissed my cheek. “Buck’s in the kitchen. He said you came down at lunch today?”

“Hm? Yeah.” I followed Steve to find Bucky peeking into the window of the oven. “Hey doll! Give me a second. I think these are done…”

“We’re making you dinner,” Steve replied.

“Wait, what? Why?” Bucky laughed at my confusion as he stirred something in the large pot.

“Because it was your first day and we wanted to surprise you.” He held the wooden spoon out to Steve who plucked the piece of pasta off and tossed it into his mouth.

“Perfect,” he nodded.

“Is there anything I can do?” I asked and they both shook their heads.

“Guys, you didn’t have to do this, really!” I said as Bucky spooned some pasta onto my plate.

“I was nervous,” I shrugged.

“So how was it?” Bucky asked, digging in. The pasta smelled so good and I dumped some mozzarella cheese on top of my plate before taking a bite.

“Guys, this is so good!” I said, covering my full mouth. “Thank you so much!”

“You’re very welcome,” Steve replied. “How was your first day?”

“Passionate isn’t the word for Bruce,” Bucky laughed. “It sounds like you enjoyed it though. And he’s a good guy. He’ll help you out.”

“I can tell it’s going to be a really great experience. Oh- and have you seen half the equipment in the labs? It’s insane!”

“Tony really doesn’t cut corners, does he?” I laughed.

“Tony’s not the kind of guy to buy discount,” Steve nodded. “But he’s a good guy when we wants to be.”

“So how was your guys day?” Bucky and Steve shrugged. “Come on, what do you guys do during your day?”

“We train,” Bucky shrugged. “That, and when there’s a mission to complete, we go. But otherwise, we train and help train the new SHIELD agents.”

“What kind of missions do you guys do?” Steve and Bucky exchanged nervous glances. “Just like general stuff? I know you can’t really discuss any super secret things.”

Steve answered: “Sometimes we do reconnaissance, gather information on potentially dangerous groups, or check on the progress of humanitarian aid.”

“Buck?” Steve asked, his voice quiet as he appraised his friend.

“I’m okay,” Bucky replied. “Sorry-”

“Please don’t apologize,” I interjected, wrapping both my hands around his. “I didn’t think.”

“No?”

“Come on, Buck-” Steve wined playfully.

“There was nothing in the bagging area!” Steve sighed, exasperated. “I don’t think I can go back to that store ever again.”

“So what did you do?” I asked, watching as Steve glared over at Bucky.

“Well this one just stood there and laughed,” he shook his head. “But I kept having to ask the girl to come over and swipe her card thing.”

“I hate technology!”

“Come on, you look exhausted.”

“I’m fine,” I argued, but another giant yawn gave me away.

“Come on, doll,” Bucky’s voice rumbled in my ear and I sighed.

“Alright.” Slowly, I stood, stretching until I heard a few cracks and pops. Bucky and Steve walked me to the door where I turned, ready to say good night, but Steve paused.

“I’m walking you back.”

“I screwed that up. I’m sorry.” Steve turned to face me, his face a mixture of guilt and sadness.

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong.” The elevator doors opened and we walked quietly toward my room. I lead him inside and he sat beside me on the couch.

“I didn’t mean to upset you guys.”

“It’s an invisible illness,” I nodded. “I know.”

“That’s what everyone is calling it.” Steve nodded. “There are good days, and there are not so good days, and Buck’s been having more good than not so good lately.”

“Is this… are we going to make things worse?”

---

Thank you so much for reading!

#stuck in the middle #buckyxofc #stevexofc #stevexofcxbucky #avengers #bucy barnes #steve rogers #marvel #fanfiction

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