Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Living across the hall from Captain America and Bucky Barnes was no different than how y'all were living at the tower, before realizing you wanted your own space away from constant chaos and alarms. Being in New York City, you felt much safer with them living across the hall in case of any kind of emergency. There had been a few times where someone random would move in to the other apartment on your shared floor, but the guys would be onto their shit before they could even set their boxes down. Sometimes they even had Natasha over to investigate.You didn’t talk to Bucky much, but anytime the two of you interacted he was very quiet and polite as could be. The poor guy was just so afraid of being triggered or embarrassed, especially since he lived in the tower with Tony for a few weeks when he first came back.

One weekend Steve was out of town for a mission, and he put you in charge of watching Bucky and making sure everything went smoothly without him there. Bucky was pretty independent, he didn’t ask for much except for when it came to cooking dinner and using various appliances, as well as how to work the tv.

Then the power went out.

At first, you didn’t even notice it really. Bucky and you were already mostly sitting in dark since it was 8pm, watching tv. Since it was night time, you were able to look outside and see if any other buildings had lights coming from the windows. It seemed it was a city wide power-out from the rough winter storm raging on, so you plopped back onto the couch with Bucky to your left. The quiet finally set in, and you could hear Bucky’s shuddered breaths beside you.

“You okay?” you asked, and he looked more tense than usual. Bucky had only ever freaked out once in front of you, but he immediately left and isolated himself. Here there weren’t many places he could go to isolate.

Bucky’s long hair was in his face as he leaned on one of his hands, “I don’t like the complete dark, it reminds me of bad places.” He spoke, and it was the first time you heard his voice above a whisper. A shiver ran down your spine as the apartment started to lose the little heat that it had, and you tried to suppress your chills until it was almost unbearable after a few minutes. There were blankets in the trunk at the end of your bed, so you told him that you’d be right back. But for some reason, he refused to let you go by yourself with all the power out. You held your hand out, hoping he’d take it, (not only as comfort for him, but for you) but he brushed it off and walked in front of you. Bucky didn’t necessarily like touching people, but he almost wanted to hold your hand which was a new feeling for him.

As he took strides to his front door, you had to take in how good he looked. Bucky was wearing a dark blue t-shirt that showed off his muscles, in both his human and metal arm. The grey sweatpants are every woman’s weakness, his were baggy, and you could still see his toned calf muscles and butt. He looked back at you, giving you the sign to follow him across the hall. Although you lived in New York for a fair share of time, and were used to people lurking in the alleys as you passed, he still felt the need to protect you crossing the hall.

The key to your apartment was in your right pocket, and you hastily pulled it out to unlock the door in front of you. You almost ran inside, retrieved 3 big, fluffy blankets, and then had Bucky grab some as well before heading back to his apartment. Your teeth were chattering against each other slightly, and out of the corner of your eye, you could see Bucky trying to decide what to do when the both of you were back on the couch once more. “You know, uh.” He figured this was the time to make up for not holding your hand, so he scratched the back of his neck and continued, “you can come sit closer to me, I normally give off more body heat than normal people..” Bucky coughed, to try and cover what he felt like his awkward taper at the end of his sentence.

He didn’t have to say anymore to convince you, you just shifted on the couch until you were leaning against him with your feet up on the couch, under the various blankets. His arm had already been draped on the top of the couch before you got there, so you were able to snuggle into his chest a little more. Steve had told you that sometimes with Bucky, you had to break a barrier for him to realize that what he was doing was perfectly fine. Little did you know, Bucky had a smile on his face, no one besides Steve had shown him any type of affection like hugging, or even offering a hand out for him to hold.

But Bucky wanted to be comfortable as well, so he awkwardly asked, “Can I put my legs up? You can still, uh sit here, though.” He wasn’t sure if he was going too fast with you, considering you were just close to him to get warm.

A giggle escaped before you turned to look at him, “So you want me to lay on your lap?” You paused, and then smiled once more, “Sure, put em up.”

-

You and Bucky must’ve fallen asleep shortly after you got comfy on the couch, because the next thing you knew you were waking up and the sun was glimmering off of the fallen snow on the balcony. Bucky was still flat on his back with your cheek resting on his chest, and the whole situation was too warm and comfortable to want to pull away. Little did you know, Steve had returned from the mission earlier that morning and was currently tiptoeing around the apartment to not wake the two of you up. You’d only realized he was there when you finally lifted your head from Bucky’s warmth, and caught a smile from Steve. Bucky’s eyes opened from the sudden movement from you, and he was trying to put the puzzle pieces together as to how the both of you were in such a position.

Steve then interrupted before Bucky could try and awkwardly explain how the two of you ended up there, and called out, “Breakfast is ready, love birds.”

Chapter Text

Running could be considered the worst thing in the world, but it helped keep you in shape for the demanding elements of your job. Being an Avenger wasn’t easy in the slightest, so being prepared to run a couple miles helped in dire situations. Being cramped up in the Avengers compound sucked big time, even though there were endless activities and gyms, you still craved fresh air and the blue sky above.

Just to be safe, you took the same route that you knew Cap did, through the thick trees on a small running path. After asking FRIDAY, you found out he hadn’t left for his morning run yet. Which usually meant he wasn’t going running, and was probably in the gym. After putting one earbud in, you started at a light jog. By light jog, you were actually doing the normal person’s sprint. After about a half hour of running, you decided to slow down and walk to enjoy the view.

But of course, that’s when it happened.

Your foot caught on the loose shoelace, that you had no idea was loose, and your ankle twisted in a sickening direction. The first word that came out of your mouth was definitely not appropriate for the few agents in training that happened to be strolling by. The dirt was slightly cold on your hands as you sat, and tried to rest for a second to think of your options. You made it look as if you were going down for a few stretches, but in reality you knew you were going to have to call someone.

Just as fate goes, Captain America came sprinting by but he slowed when he saw you on the ground. He took his headphones out and leaned down to the ground in front of you, with a look of genuine concern on his face. “Y/n, you okay?”

“No, I’m pretty sure my ankle is sprained,” Your face contorted in pain as you tried to stretch the pain out, “Can you call Tasha and tell her to come get me?” You whimpered a little as you spoke, so Steve decided to evaluate the situation. He started with rolling up your yoga pant off of the ankle, and up around your knee, and took off your shoe. All the avengers had some medical training, after it was made mandatory due to… well some things happened on a mission that no one was too proud of.

Steve then grimaced, “It’s pretty bad already, there’s a lot of swelling.” He also commented on the gnarly bruises that were forming as well, but he was only saying all this to make sure you didn’t try to stand up. “I will bring you home, I was almost at my turnaround point anyway.” Steve stood and then put his hands out for you to be helped up. You placed your smaller hands in his, and tried to lift yourself up, but your ankle wasn’t having it.

All of your weight went onto the left leg, and you muttered to Steve while putting your hood up, trying to balance, “I can’t.” You felt pathetic, after so many missions with him you had never been injured to the point of having to be carried to the jet. But the one time you walk in the woods alone, it takes you out.

His eyes scanned around, and then he did the most unexpected thing ever, his hands went to your hips and he lifted you right up into his arms. A little noise escaped your mouth, and then you quickly laughed to cover it up. Steve’s right arm went under your knees, and his left around your back. You let out a little giggle considering you weren’t the skinniest person on the team, not that it mattered in the slightest to the super soldier.

“You sure you’re okay to walk back?” You asked, eyebrows furrowed. Steve simply laughed as if it was his sole duty for the day.

-

Once you finally arrived back at the main floor to the medical wing, he calmly walked up to the nurse who was in charge of the wing for the day. She immediately saw that you needed a wheelchair, and Steve stayed with you until you had to go in for X-Rays. Before they wheeled you off, you grabbed onto his hand. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

“Its my pleasure, y/n.” He kissed the back of your hand, “Plus I would never let a lady limp all the way to medical from the woods.” He shrugged slightly, as if he did this every day.

Just as luck goes, Sam had come sauntering by to see the scene unfolding. “What did you two get married or something?” His eyebrows were furrowed trying to figure out the situation.

“You still on tinder with no luck, Sammy?” You bit back, you knew he had posted some selfies of him and Cap to get some more potential girls swiping right on him. After a huff about how he hated living there, he walked away leaving the two of you and the nurse alone once more.

“Thank you again, Steve.” You tugged his T-shirt so his face would come down and be level with yours, and you gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. “I owe you dinner one night this week.” The poor guy was so shocked by this he barely knew what to say, but the nurse began to wheel you away towards the room to get X-rays.

You heard him faintly stumble on his words something along the lines of, “It’s a date.”

Chapter Text

The metallic hallway floor was cold under your feet as you made your way to the shared kitchen of the Avengers, and you silently cursed Tony for not putting in heated floors for the cold New York winters. The sweatshirt you were wearing came down to your hips, just where the thick sweatpants started. Being comfortable was key for your mornings, since you were in charge of waking everyone up and making sure they got ready for the new day at hand. Training sessions never started before 8am, so it gave you time to eat a snack and wake up before going about the routine. There was one time when Thor had just gotten an iPhone and smashed it with Mjolnir the next morning when the buzzer started to go off. Then, the following morning, Natasha threw hers out the window, and on its way out Clint shot it with an arrow. The Avengers were really just a group of people who didn’t know what the hell to do with their phones.

Your first stop on the route was to Steve’s room, he was still not caught up at a decent enough pace to use an iPhone just yet. He lived on the same floor as you though, so he was the breakfast maker for everyone while you were off getting them to wake up. The door always had this creak whenever you opened it, and Steve learned to sleep through it. You walked to the side of the bed he was facing, and after a gentle nudge to his shoulder you whispered, “Hey Cap, good morning.” His eyes always opened slow as he got his bearings, and you took a moment to appreciate his ruffled hair and sleep eyes. Steve’s room was the cleanest out of all the Avengers, it even smelled decent. Steve rolled over on his back, and stretched for a moment before standing and finding a shirt to go into the kitchen with.

Next was Bucky, and you made sure that you took an extra deep breath before stepping into his room. In the past, you’ve walked into a completely nude Bucky who was also spread eagle on the bed. There’s been times where he's not even in the bed, and he's with his weapons by the closet. This time however, he was peacefully sleeping and stirred slightly at the sound of your feet padding across the carpet. You made a point to make yourself known as you came in with a little knock on the door. So he happily smiled and greeted you a good morning, in that wonderful husky voice. Bucky’s laugh made you smile as you made your way out of his room and towards the stairwell.

Clint’s room on the floor below was your next stop, and technically speaking it was Natasha’s room as well. They were easily woken up, considering all you had to do was open the door and yell, “Wake up time!” Those two shot up like there was a murderer at their door. A lot of the mornings you had to duck in case Clint was ‘sleep grabbing’ his bow the night before, and sometimes Tasha would sleep with a gun under her pillow after an unsettling mission. They had the blinds drawn in their room so there was no sunlight coming through. So it was difficult to see what you were walking into some times, let alone what time of day it was.

Down the hall from them was Thor’s room, and it was big enough to fit a king. He was also your favorite to wake up, other than Steve. Thor was the happiest to see you in the morning, and in general he was just the happiest one around the tower. Once you opened Thor’s door, you ran and leapt to the King size bed. “Good morning Thor!” You tickled his sides as he started to warm up and adjust to the light streaming in through the large windows.

“Oh lady y/n, you never fail to make me laugh in the morning!” Thor groggily spoke, and his voice was so deep it practically made the walls rumble. His laugh thundered on even as you walked out of his room, and you continued on with the routine.

Tony was next on occasion, but all he really needed was Pepper. However, she was out of town at that particular moment. So you hopped on the elevator, and rode to the top floor. The billionaire was already awake and moving by the time you’d reached his floor, so he took the opportunity to ride with you down to breakfast.

Everyone was sitting around the giant oak table, joking around and laughing about some of the older mission stories. The super soldiers were just now sitting down with everyone, and they still had their “dance around the kitchen” playlist going full blast. People were singing along, and being nice for once while sharing the pancakes that Steve had just made. You took a moment to appreciate the people sitting in front of you, when Thor interrupted your thoughts by putting his left arm over your shoulder, and announced, “We love you the most, lady y/n.”

“I love you guys too.”

Chapter Text

When they unfroze Steve, tony took the liberty to get all of his old stuff out of storage and hidden away units that the government saved for him after they gave him the serum. And since at that time Steve and Bucky were living together, there was quite a few of Bucky’s things (other than what he lost during the war) and Bucky didn’t really know how to react when he got to see the old pictures. Being so close with Bucky, he would normally come running to you whenever he had issues with things such as seeing his old family pictures, or just whenever he was tired of everyones questions. Many people didn't know that when he woke up from his nightmares, you were the only one that knew how to calm him down.

The whole team went to dinner one night, obviously to the schwarma joint down the road from the Avenger’s tower. The good thing about it being so close was that it took only a short walk, but in late October the wind was biting down hard on your bare skin during the walk. Although, the group did huddle together while you walked so it would minimize the chances of being recognized. Being so short, you were able to just stay in the middle of them with Bucky’s arm draped over your shoulder the whole way. The doors of the Avenger’s tower slid open as you approached, and greeted you with warm air even though most of you were just past the point of being cold.

The couch looked so nice to your tired body, and you planted yourself down while the others grabbed drinks from the bar adjacent to it. Everyone spread out to do their own thing, and Bucky came over to sit with you on the couch. You shifted so your head could be on his lap, and your eyes met with his. “Im still cold.” you whined to him, which made him giggle.

Bucky smiled as he responded, “You want me to get you a jacket or something?” After a nod from you, he got up and sauntered to his room. Wearing Bucky’s sweatshirts and jackets were one of your favorite things to do, especially since it had a scent that just put you to sleep. Bucky came back from his room, and he had one of his old belongings in tow.

“Is that a varsity jacket? I had no clue you played sports in highschool!” You smiled at him, thinking of all the stories he must have stored up in that head of his. He sat back next to you on the leather couch. The jacket in his hands gave off the same scent that all of Bucky’s clothes did, and it was very manly but in a comforting sense. So he draped it over your upper body that was to his left.

Steve walked by and sat on the recliner in front of both you and Bucky, “Star football player here.” It was funny seeing them both remember unanimously what their old days were like, before life got all complicated.

“Why did i never know about this?” You smiled up at Bucky above you, and he laughed and simply told you it was because you never asked. There was something in his smile that showed how comfortable he was around you, and Steve from across the room could even see it.

As you were wrapping the jacket around your body a little more tighter, Natasha sauntered to the two of you, “Are you guys officially dating yet or what? I mean, i always see you sneaking into each other’s rooms all the time.” She raised an eyebrow in your direction. Your heart almost beat right out of your chest being questioned about the late night sneaking, but it was for the better of the both of you to just be quiet and ignore her questioning.

Bucky, however, decided that he wanted to respond, “Yes, and she's pregnant too.” His wit made you cackle, and everyone else’s laughed joined in too. Except for Thor, who needed to be explained to that it was only a mere joke, in light of Tasha “pressing the new couple” in Tony’s words. Natasha accepted defeat, and she made her way to her room after a long day’s work.

Everyone else soon made their way to their rooms, which left you and Bucky to your lonesome. His sparkling blue eyes were staring into your own eyes when you looked up at him through a sleepy gaze. This was when you decided to sit up and face him so you could finally do what you had wanted to for all those weeks, you leaned in and met lips with Bucky. In his mind, fireworks were going off, and when the two of you finally separated, all he could muster up was, “Oh thank god you finally did it, I’ve been seriously thinking about kissing you for like 2 weeks.”

You giggled and kissed him again, and again…

Chapter Text

"Tony, get the rest of the fireworks." Bruce called to the billionaire as he lugged three boxes of rainbow fireworks and firecrackers galore.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Tony replied as he sped out to the balcony to continue setting up the display for the dozens upon dozens of fireworks that he had purchased.

You casually sat around, watching all of the Avengers carry in heavy boxes, all filled to the brim with various types of fireworks. There were even just random things that exploded and looked pretty when doing so mixed in with actual fireworks.

It was the Fourth of July, and you loved fireworks. So you insisted that Tony use the Avengers Tower for setting off a beautiful display of fireworks. Steve helped you convince him, too. You both argued that the people of New York would love to see an extra firework show, and he begrudgingly agreed, much to his own dismay.

"What are these objects?" Thor boomed as he carried six boxes outside to the balcony and set them in a pile next to the launching platform Tony was working on.

"They're called fireworks." Steve answered with a wide smile. You smiled at him, remembering one night when he told you how much he loved fireworks, especially on the Fourth of July. It was apparently his favorite holiday. That's when you officially decided that it was your favorite holiday as well. You had a major crush on Steve ever since you first saw him, when you were brought to the tower by Nick Fury as an extra hand for missions for the Avengers. Since then, you've grown quite fond of them all. Especially Steve.

"Launch pad is done." Tony stated as he stood up and started unloading the packages. Steve instantly rushed over and helped unpack them all and started placing them in patterns.

You watched as the two of them set all of them up into jumbles of various types.

"This is gonna be awesome." you said under your breath, softly smiling.

"I know!" Steve enthusiastically agreed as he came to stand right next to you.

"I've never seen anybody as excited over fireworks than you." you said. "Is this like your Christmas?"

"No- it's just, you know. Independence Day. And I'm Captain America. They were meant for each other."

"I guess that makes sense." you smiled at him. 'He's such a softie,' you thought to yourself. 'Maybe that's why I like him so much.'

----

Nightfall hit New York and people were already setting off smaller sets of fireworks. They looked like small specks of light all over town.

"Ready?" Steve asked you in anticipation. Tony had given you and Steve the honors of lighting them off, since you guys obviously liked fireworks more than everyone else.

"Hell yeah." You handed him a book of matches and a lighter. The sky was about to light up like a Christmas tree with the amount of fireworks Tony had bought.

You and Steve swiped your matches and started lighting them up, meeting in the middle.

When you looked up, the sky did indeed look like a Christmas tree. Bursts of color exploded and assaulted your ears, but the view was totally worth it.

Every color of the rainbow flared and fuzzed out, all in different shapes and sizes. Tony had managed to acquire fireworks that when lit, looked like Cap's shield, Tony's Iron Man helmet, and Mjolnir.

"Beautiful." you stared, open mouthed at the displays taking up half of the New York sky.

"I know." Steve came up behind you.

"How did Tony get fireworks like these? I mean, Thor's hammer?" you continued

"Oh, I wasn't talking about the fireworks."

You looked over at him and saw a smile found its way to his lips. You blushed instantly. Before you could even say anything about how smooth he was, he gently grabbed your cheek and guided your face to his. His lips were softer than you imagined as they moved with yours. You couldn't recall how many times you dreamed about those lips.

You didn't notice that Steve had lifted you up and brought you closer to him. He deepened the kiss as fireworks were still illuminating the sky. The steady booms of the fireworks were definitely helping the mood. Steve kissed you even harder as they intensified.

He pulled away from you just in time for the firework finale. No amount of fireworks could top the feeling you had from kissing Steve though, despite how much you adored them.

He cuddled you from behind and set his chin on your head. 'This is the best Fourth of July ever.' you thought to yourself as you lay down in his lap, him still cuddling you.

Chapter Text

Sweat beads dripped down your face and your neck as you shot your head up and let out a strained scream. Your latest nightmare was more vivid than the regular ones you were used to. With your breath coming out in short pants, you attempted to calm yourself down before you woke anyone up. Laying down was not going to help ease your mind into the state of calmness it once was resting at, so you quietly got out of bed to make a cup of tea. It seemed like a routine at this point; waking up at 2 in the morning, and having to calm yourself down into a false sense of security.

You didn’t even notice Loki, the God of Mischief, quietly reading a book on the couch under lamplight as you shuffled through the main room and into the kitchen. With your hands still shaking from panic, you opened the cabinet and grabbed the familiar pink mug. After setting it onto the marble counter, you began the works for the cup of tea. Putting a pot of water on the stovetop to boil, you leaned on the counter, and continued to take in short, choppy breaths.

“Are you alright, Lady Y/n?” A silky voice quietly asked, startling you. You turned to see Loki grinning at you over the pages of his book, and you smiled at his civilian appearance. He had a cat sweater on that Thor must’ve given him, and sweatpants.

"Mhm, just couldn’t sleep." You shrugged your shoulders, technically it wasn’t a lie. No one needed to know about the demons that plagued your sleep. You also wouldn’t be able to get more than four words out with his intense gaze locked on you. Something about Loki caught your eye in a special way, but you weren’t quite sure what.

Loki squinted, "Why are you lying to me about your well-being?" he pressed.

You snapped back, “I am not.” The water was boiling on the stove, so you took it as the perfect moment to break eye contact and get your tea together, and maybe even head back to your room. You poured the boiling water into the mug and hurried off past Loki and back down the hall. Before you were even in your room, he teleported in front of you and blocked the path to your room. Loki insisted once more that you were lying.

Instead of arguing with him any further, you tried to duck underneath his arm. He caught you, however, before you could even attempt and quickly swept one arm under your knees and the other cradling your back and picked you up. You couldn’t protest without waking up the rest of the Avengers, considering the two of you were smack dab in the middle of the hallway. It was a miracle you didn’t spill your cup of tea everywhere as he carefully held you against his chest and carried you to your room.

"Nightmares, I presume?" He whispered as he gently set you down back in your bed, took the cup of tea out of your hand and placed it on the bedside table. All you could do at the moment was nod tiredly and wonder in the back of your mind how he knew about your nightmares.

Loki, instead of returning to his book in the main room, moved to the other side of your bed and crawled in next to you, draping his arm around your waist. You were blushing like mad and tensed up a bit. He must have noticed, because he tightened his grip on you and buried his face in your hair. Loki snaked his other arm underneath of you, fully pulling you into a warm cuddle. You didn’t expect this type of treatment from someone as cynical as Loki, but fully welcomed it. His embrace finally started to sooth the fear from your nightmare. You felt safe wrapped up in his arms.

Chapter Text

Going on missions never ended without some sort of stupid injury. However, this time, you were on the wrong end of the stupid injury. Being shot in the right shoulder by a sniper that no one had seen wasn't exactly the most successful mission. But the Avengers definitely made up for it in their own ways. As soon as you reached the tower you went right into surgery to get the bullet out, and you pulled through with a lot of stitches and restrictions for a few weeks. But, the Avengers continued on, as much as it pained them not to have you and your skill set.

The next mission that they had to go on, they were too afraid to leave you alone at the compound by yourself with just the dumb interns down the hall. So, they left Bucky in charge. Considering he was only a couple rooms down from you, it seemed like a smart idea, and he could lift your full body weight god forbid anything happens. Natasha had been helping you shower and get dressed, and you weren't the type of person who could push off showering for more than 2 days. Of course the team had planned on being back in less than two days, but things never go the way they're planned in Avenger land.

You still had all the stitches in your shoulder and limited movement allowed or else they would all pop out. It was starting to get to the point that you felt greasier than a piece of bacon. So you finally took a little walk down the hallway. You and Bucky had obviously seen one another in the kitchen and living room just in passing, but he had been nice enough to text you every once in a while to make sure you were okay, and occasionally brought dinner down the hall.

Moving pretty slow, you walked over and sat down carefully next to Bucky on the couch in the common area. He paused the game he was playing on PS4 and looked over with concern, “Hey Doll, you okay?” The two of you had only interacted here and there before this situation, but he was always the most polite person on missions.

“Yeah I'm good,” you reassured him and sunk into the couch a little. “I do need a favor though, since Nat isn't back yet.” you blushed a little knowing where the request was going.

He smiled nervously, “Anything for you, doll.” Bucky’s voice was a little deeper than usual, which made your heart flutter a little.

“So remember how I had surgery on my shoulder? Well I can’t really function at all. I need help with taking a shower.” You bluntly said before you could ramble anymore. His eyes shifted nervously, and you quickly added to cut the tension, “Not like the first time you've seen a girl naked! C’mon Barnes.”

-

Once in your bathroom, you situated some things over by the shower to get ready when Bucky was back with the towels. He came in, and scratched the back of his neck nervously, “I don't know if I trust myself with this.” You laughed and told him to not be such a wuss, and enjoy the precious moments he has with you.

You pulled your bad arm into the shirt slowly, and his hands lightly tugged on the hem. Bucky gently pulled the shirt over your head, extra careful of the bad shoulder even though it was covered in gauze pretty well. You would've rather have been wearing a sports bra at that moment, but you were restricted to wearing regular ones. Once again Bucky shifted awkwardly behind you, after encouraging him to just try and undo it you glanced back at him. It was quite a sight to see; his eyebrows were furrowed and his tongue was poking out between his lips slightly. He was trying so hard to figure out how to unclasp your bra and finally after a little bit of assistance, he got it.

Luckily there was already a stool in the shower from before Nat left, and you sat down on it. “Okay, I can take it from here as for my shorts. I just need you to wash my hair and back.” You leaned over to turn the water on. It was cold at first, but

“Is this what I miss all the time at the end of this hall?” He made himself laugh but you brushed it off.

“Use that shampoo right there please!” You leaned your head back as he started to get the water on your head, and then both of his hands tangled into your hair. It was so soothing, having someone who is normally so scary and brooding, just sitting behind you washing your hair, being gentle as ever. You closed your eyes and let Bucky condition your hair too. After explaining to him that with curly hair you need to start with the ends first, he gently worked through the knots in your hair.

Next was the body wash, you pointed out the bottle from bath and body works, and he poured it onto the washcloth. Bucky started on your back and was sure to be gentle around the stitches. As he was working in circles down your back, the noise of the front door to your apartment cut through the slight noise of the water. At that point you were praying it was just Nat, maybe to save Bucky some embarrassment from sitting behind a naked you in the tub. Of course, just your luck, the avengers couldn't find either of you, so they were hunting the compound together.

The bathroom door swung open, meanwhile Bucky only had his basketball shorts on and was on his knees behind you, while you were butt naked on the stool in front of him. It was quite an interesting picture for the avengers who had sent the door flying. “Holy shit is this why Bucky didn't come with us?” Sam squeaked, and Steve was so red he had to turn around.

Natasha grinned at you, but cut the rest of them off, “Okay, everyone out. Shows over.” You silently thanked her for respecting your privacy, and luckily no one had seen any of your bits.

All you could do with Bucky was laugh.

Chapter Text

Being a part of the Avengers completely took up every minute of your time. The lot of you were always on missions and rarely had any time to just sit around and chill. But when you did, you always consulted your stash of books you kept in the closet of your room in Avengers Tower.

Reading was your favorite past time. You could finish a book or two within an hour if you liked it enough, and you usually did.

Tonight was one of those nights with chill time, so as soon as you and the rest of the Avengers returned to the tower, you bade everyone a quick goodnight and hurried to your room.

You rummaged through your stash of literature and pulled out your favorite, Romeo and Juliet. You've read it too many times to count and could pretty much recite the entire book from memory. You could recite most of Shakespeare, actually.

You grabbed it and walked out into the main room. The others had retired to their rooms, instantly becoming dead to the world.

Sinking into the couch cushions, you flipped open the book to the first page and started reading. Not even three sentences in, you felt yourself falling asleep.

"You didn't strike me as the type to read." a silky voice from the corner of the room startled you awake again. You recognized it as Loki, who happened to be a prisoner in Avengers Tower at the moment. Why he was left to wander around the tower as he pleased and not locked up in a closet somewhere was beyond you.

He reached over from the chaise he was lounging in, flicked on the lamp sitting in the end table and gazed at you. You didn't talk to him much while he was at the tower, only because you thought he was insanely attractive and would probably melt even if you so much as looked at him.

He didn't associate with anyone in the tower either, except when he was addressed by his brother, Thor. That wasn't often. So him voluntarily conversing with you was actually surprising.

"Um, yeah.. yeah I guess I do." you replied. Don't be awkward, you thought to yourself.

"May I ask whom you're reading?" he continued with that smooth voice. He could read grocery lists and you would still melt with every word.

"Shakespeare." you answered. You looked at him for a second and saw he was already staring at you. You quickly looked back down, avoiding his gaze.

He stood up and was behind you in seconds, leaning over your shoulder.

"May I?" he asked quietly as he motioned to the cushion beside you and sat down, not waiting for an answer.

Loki gently leaned against your shoulder and started to read with you. You felt your face warm up and prayed he didn't see or feel it.

You both kept that position for a few chapters before you felt yourself slipping away into sleep, again. You held the book open for Loki, but leaned back and closed your eyes.

Moments later, you felt the book being closed, a blanket being thrown over you, and a pair of arms pull you into a warm embrace. Loki was a cuddler apparently, a rather affectionate one. One arm was wrapped tightly around your waist and the other was resting under your chin with his thumb stroking your cheek. His arm snaked it's way underneath your shirt at one point, and you didn't stop it.

What seemed like a few hours later, you woke to Loki’s breath in the crook of your neck and legs entwined with each other. You tried to pull the blanket back on that had fallen off of you two and landed on the floor, but were stopped by his arms pulling you tightly against his chest. He lightly kissed the spot where his face was nuzzled in your neck and you buried your face in his chest. A small smile crept across your face as you really fell asleep this time.

Chapter Text

You loved art more than you loved life sometimes. You were fascinated by its ability to affect people in so many different ways, which is what made you volunteer to be a model for your best friend y/b/f/n's first portrait painting when the need arose. So now here you were, walking over to his condo three blocks from the famous Stark Tower, residence of Earth's mightiest heroes themselves, the Avengers. Y/b/f/n was good friends with Tony Stark, which shocked you. He even had a model Iron Man helmet on his table signed by Tony.

You caught yourself trying not to smile like an idiot thinking about Tony. You had only met him once, when you were a plus-one to a guest attending one of his wild parties at the Tower. You only needed to look at him once to retain his face and how attractive he was. When you reached y/b/f/n's building, you forced yourself to stop thinking about Mr. Stark because you were sure you were blushing and didn't want to explain why when your friend saw you. You knocked on his door and he answered instantly. He pushed his sunglasses up on to his head and hugged you, smiling.

"About time you showed up, y/n." he said to you, laughing.

He ushered you inside the condo into the impressive main room which had a window directly ahead that overlooked the city. The view distracted you, which is why you didn't realize that the other model had entered the room. You turned around and caught sight of the other model, his back turned to you. "Okay, so let me get everything ready..." y/b/f/n trailed off as he leaned into the hallway closet and pulled out a canvas.

That's when the other model turned around and you almost dropped your jaw all the way to the floor. It was Tony. Tony Stark. Iron Man, in the flesh, was standing right in front of you. The. Tony Stark.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot. Y/n, this is Tony. Tony, y/n. You guys are going to be in each other's arms, kind of like you're only focused on each other. Like your in love, basically. That's the feeling I'm trying to capture. And you're going to stay like that for a while." y/b/f/n concluded.

He ushered you and Tony to the middle of the room and sat you on the leather couch. 'I didn't sign up for this,' you thought to yourself. But you couldn't back out now. You didn't have time to process the fact that you were going to be in the arms of Tony for probably hours, which was probably a good thing considering you were already madly blushing being so close to him anyway. As y/b/f/n rushed around the flat getting paintbrushes and setting up the canvas and easel and mixing paint, you and Tony started discussing the most comfortable position to be in for a few hours.

"I think we should just sit." Tony said to you, flashing his trademark smirk.

"Yeah, okay. Sounds good." you agreed. You were going to lay there and let him adjust his position around you, but he swept you off your feet and sat right in the middle, still holding you. He put one of his hands on the small of your back and the other on the back of your neck, cradling it.

"We have to sell it, right?" he locked eyes with you, smiling a genuine smile.

Y/b/f/n had returned from rushing around and held a paintbrush and palette with blobs of various shades of black and white. "This won't take too long, I only need the outlines of you two. When I got that down, you can.." he trailed off, looked up, and spotted the two of you in modeling positions. "Oh. I see you're already comfortable with each other. Good, less work for me." he smiled and started mixing paint. "Don't move. No smiling, talking or shifting."

He went to work starting a light outline on his canvas, but you hardly noticed. Tony hadn't taken his eyes off of you since your friend had ordered you not to move. It didn't mean anything. He was just following orders, right?

About an hour into posing, you could feel yourself getting restless. You desperately wanted to move; your legs were falling asleep and your back was sore. Tony must have sensed this, because he started gently massaging the spot on your back where his hand was. Ever so gently, he pressed into your back, relieving your back of its soreness. You obviously couldn't voice your thanks, so you smiled slightly.

This went on for about another hour, until y/b/f/n was finished. He put down his paintbrush and stepped backwards. As he was admiring his work, you let out a groan because your legs had fallen asleep. Tony had taken that as a sign that he could finally move, so he carefully stood up with you still in his arms, bridal-style, and set you back down on the couch and took his seat next to you. "This better be a damn masterpiece for how much pain I'm in right now." you said jokingly as you sat up, clutching your legs.

"Can we see this unfinished portrait, Picasso?" Tony asked sarcastically as he gestured to the canvas.

"When it's finished." Y/b/f/n flashed a grin and you rolled your eyes. "And it won't be finished any time soon." You shot him a glare as you tried to stand, your legs were a little better now.

"I think I'm gonna head out and get something to eat. And sleep." you said to y/b/f/n as you grabbed your bag and walked towards the door.

"Later, y/n. Thanks for your help, even though it was apparently painful." he shot you a smile and you glared at him yet again. You gave Tony a polite wave, and he returned it as you shut the door. You reached the outside and the cool air hit you instantly. You hadn't even made it three feet away from the condo when you heard Tony calling your name. You whipped around and he was inches away from you already.

"Do you wanna go get dinner sometime?" he asked before you could get any words out. He had that smug grin and confident tone that most likely got him a 'yes' every time. This instance was no different.

"Yeah, that sounds good." you tripped over your words and looked down at your shoes and blushed yet again. You looked up and his grin was replaced with another genuine smile, which made you smile more than you already were. He pulled out a pen and wrote his number on the palm of your hand. His hand holding yours was surprisingly soft. He kept your hand in his for a few seconds after he finished and gazed at you. He kept his eyes on yours as he handed you his pen.

"I should probably get yours, too, you know." he still was holding your hand, now stroking it with his thumb. You flipped it over and scribbled your number on his palm, which is when he finally let it go, so you turned around to head home.

"See you later," he called after you. You turned back around and gave him a thumbs up. He grinned like an idiot and presumably headed back to y/b/f/n's. You smiled all the way back to your own condo.

Chapter Text

You tossed and turned in your bed, unable to fall asleep. Your stomach grumbled for the third time in the past half hour. "I'm not gonna get to sleep if I don't eat something, right now." you thought. You quietly stepped out of your bed. You didn’t have any dinner because all of your sister’s friends had already filled their stomachs with Jell-O shots and vodka and didn’t require any food, so none was made. You couldn’t even make it out of your bedroom without being smushed up against the hallway wall by the overflow of party guests, anyway. So you opted to wait until the party subsided to venture out into the sea of drunken people for food.

Your parents had rented a fancy hotel room for the weekend, which meant that your sister had thrown a party and invited, like, everybody she knew. Some brought plus-ones, and others brought close to plus-tens. You could have invited a few people yourself, since you and your sister were only a grade apart. But then there would have been entirely too many people than there ended up being. A bunch of seniors in high school and a boatload of liquor don’t mix well, so a good portion of the party crowd couldn’t make it back to their homes, and proceeded to crash in various places throughout yours.

You made this discovery as you quietly tiptoed through the upstairs hallway, down the steps and into the kitchen and passed at least 30 people slumped over each other in pairs or resting upright against the walls. A few people were at the foot of the stairs, and a few more were crowding the two love seats in your family room.

"Jeez, how many people were here?" you whispered as you almost tripped over a pair of neon pink stilettos that were conveniently placed in the middle of the kitchen doorway, then made your way over to the fridge and looked to see what food was left.

"Jelly and bread. Awesome." you grumbled quietly as you pulled two pieces of bread out of the bag and opened the jar of jelly.

As you were going for a butter knife, you glanced at a tall figure in the doorway of the kitchen out of the corner of your eye. You jumped and dropped the butter knife you were holding, making quite a bit of noise.

"Oh, um, did I- did I wake you up?" you stuttered a bit.

"Nah, I just woke up." You recognized that voice. It was soft.. and attractive.

"Bucky?" You asked. When the hell did he get here? Your sister must’ve invited him. She knew you have a serious crush on him. It was really serious. You’ve liked him since you saw him; on your first day of high school. He was so, dreamy. When he noticed you staring, he actually waved. He was nice, too. Apparently. God, he was the whole package.

'What are you doing? Stop it, Y/n.' you mentally scolded yourself. 'You are totally gonna embarrass yourself. Chill.'

"Yeah. Y/n , right?" you think you saw him smile when he asked.

'He's so attractive when he smiles. He's so attractive anyway..' you thought. You really needed to stop doing that.

"Yeah, um, hey." you tried your hardest to seem nonchalant while preparing to attempt to hold a conversation with him as long as possible. "Whatcha doin’ in here?"

"Well, it’s a party, and I figured you’d be here." The corners of his mouth turned up.

It took a lot for you not to stutter, so luckily, the beats of ambient house music that were slowly fading away helped cover it up.

The next song that came on was Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton. Without thinking, you mindlessly started tapping your foot against the wood flooring while you continued slathering jelly on pieces of bread.

"Since when do you listen to Eric Clapton?" Bucky asked, stepping forward.

You looked at him out of the corner of your eye. “Since, well, forever. This just happens to be my favorite song, too.”

"Me too." he whispered.

You leaned your head down to shield your mad blushing from him. You were also smiling like an idiot, and you didn’t need him seeing that, either. Finishing fixing your jelly sandwiches, you turned around from the counter and ran right into something firm and vaguely smelling of cologne and liquor. You realized it was Bucky when his arms wrapped around your waist and started to gently sway you back and forth.

He twirled you around a bit and stepped around the kitchen, with you still pressed firmly against his chest.

'What is happening right now,' you thought to yourself. 'What do I do, do I grab him back? Do I dance?' you started panicking. You had absolutely no idea how to dance.

But apparently Bucky did. He answered your thoughts by releasing one arm from your waist and grabbing your hand with it. He maneuvered around the island and guided you to the other side of the kitchen. As the music swelled, he twirled you around and picked you up, bridal style all in one swift, graceful motion. You swore he could be a ballerina or something.

He dropped your legs and stood you up once more. As the song faded out, he gently cupped your face and grinned. He didn’t take his eyes off of you as you still stood there in his surprisingly warm embrace, shocked.

You both just stood there, speechless for a moment. You couldn’t stop yourself from glancing at his lips, then back to his face. If you weren’t leaning your head down yet again to avoid Bucky’s intense gaze that was still making you a blushing mess, then you probably would have noticed him cup your cheek again and bring your face to meet his. This obviously made you blush even harder.

Next thing you knew, he was kissing you. It wasn’t a short little peck, either. He was his-lips-were-moving-with-yours kissing you. And you were totally melting into him.

He gripped your waist, picked you up, and planted you on the counter, still kissing you. His hands held you still by your hips. Just as it was getting intense, someone drunkenly stumbled into the kitchen.

"Bucky," someone slurred. "Is that you over-hic-there…" It was your sister, hiccuping her way through the house.

"Yeah," he said as he slowly pulled away from your face.

"Who’re you making out with over-hic-there?" She slurred yet again. She was totally drunk off of her ass.

"Uh," Bucky stuttered.

"Is tha-hic, is that y/n? Oh yeeeeah, y/n, he loo-hic-ooves you. I forgot to mention that. You two have-hic-fuuuun, now…" she continued to slur her words together as she walked out of the kitchen.

Chapter Text

The intensity of the summer sun and the gentle sway of the waves instantly set your mind at ease, so it was needless to say the beach was your favorite place to be. As a child, your memories of going to the beach with your family felt like the greatest time in your life. The only thing preventing you from going every weekend was that you didn’t particularly like the idea of showing yourself off in a bathing suit. Especially when you were with the earth’s mightiest and most beautiful heroes. You were completely self conscious about whether the people around you were silently judging your body, or even being compared to the beautiful people you were surrounded with. It didn't matter how many times you told yourself, or how many times your best friend Natasha told you that you looked amazing. Nothing stopped the constant stream of horrid thoughts about yourself as you had a bathing suit on.

So when your "housemates", also known as the Avengers, announced that they were all spending the day at the beach and insisted that you come along, you panicked. There was a full blown anxiety attack was on the horizon, but you managed to calm down a little bit by the time you walked to your room. Hoping the weather would turn sour did not do anything, since it was beautiful outside and not a cloud could be seen in the sky for miles. Maybe some outrageous villain from the depths of nowhere would magically start terrorizing the city immediately and the Avengers would need to assemble. You kept hoping and hoping for a way out of this, but within the hour your phone was buzzing with messages from Nat saying she was headed toward your room.

“Nat, I'm not sure I can do this,” you whined as she entered your room. For as self centered as she seemed to everyone who didn't know her, she was one of the most understanding people that you ever knew. Nat had her own scars and personal issues that she didn't want on display for everyone to see. But she found her own ways to cope, you just wish that they had worked for you.

“Y/N, relax.” Nat put her hand on your shoulder, “I'll let you borrow one of my suits, and I’ll make sure you look more than just hot.” She attempted to reassure you once more once she saw you staring at the floor, “C’mon, I promise it’ll be fun.” You followed her to her room and sat on her bed while she pulled out a pile of mismatched bikini tops, bottoms, and swim shorts from the bottom drawer of her dresser. Natasha started separating the bottoms from the tops and laying them out, “Any of these cute to you?”

The pile was daunting, considering most of the stuff looked like it would only fit Natasha, and maybe a barbie doll. However, there was a turquoise top with gold beads at the ends of the string straps that caught your eye, and without saying a word you grabbed it and picked out the matching bottoms. With a heavy sigh, you shuffled into the bathroom and prayed that the bathing suit would bring some sort of magical solution to help put your mind to ease.

-

Natasha parked as close as possible to the wooden boards that made up the path to the beach, and the two of you waited in the air conditioning for everyone else to arrive as well. Slowly, but surely, the Avengers showed up in their various cars. The sun beat down on you as you got out, and you pulled your black shades over your eyes. The cover-up you chose came down to your ankles, and you were happy since your stomach and legs weren't your favorite body parts to just be showing off. You pouted at the thought of taking off the cover up.

“Lady Y/n!” Thor bellowed as he marched up to you, he then proceeded to throw you over his shoulder. “You needn't be sad! We shall build sand castles and swim in the waves!” He must’ve seen the panicky look on your face, and you laughed loudly as he stomped his whole way to the sand. The team simply laughed and let Thor continue on with his loud self. After hearing most of the team yelp in surprise at how hot the sand was, you were glad to be over Thor’s shoulder and not getting blisters all over the bottom of your feet. You lifted your head up and squinted to see who had come along, and your heart skipped a beat when you saw Bucky in a loose white t shirt, and swim trunks with a red and black pattern.

Natasha’s voice caught your attention, “Did anyone grab umbrellas and chairs?” A smile tugged at your cheeks from her motherly tone while talking to the group.

“Got em'!” Steve exclaimed, he was super excited because it was the first time he had been to the beach since he was a kid. Bucky was right with him in that department, since it was rare he ever did anything outside the forced missions from Hydra. An overwhelming feeling of gratefulness for this bunch of idiots came over you. But still you couldn't get over the nagging feeling in your gut that you were the odd one out in the bunch of super soldiers, a god, and some amazing assassins.

Natasha and Clint set their stuff down so fast, and practically sprinted down to the water. Their feet had been burning so bad, it pushed them to run it out. Soon enough they were splashing each other in the clear blue water and Thor was getting ready to join them. You found yourself wandering around the team’s little area, but then you saw a certain someone sitting under a very rainbow umbrella.

You didn’t even feel that you were staring at him, but Bucky’s voice cut through your trance, “You don't like the sun either, Y/n?” He pointed to your ankle-length cover up.

With a shrug and a short walk, you joined him in the shade, “Just don't like what's under the cover up.” Bucky looked genuinely surprised and looked you over. You figured it was best to stop him before he even tried, “I don't know, I just-”

"Y/n." Bucky looked at you and flashed a million dollar smile, then shifted his eyes back to the waves. “You’re actually stunning, you know that right?” He wasn’t sure what it was that made him say that, but his gut told him it was time to use a little charm that he had bottled up for so long.

No matter how sweaty and hot you already were, your cheeks still flared up at his comment. “That's nice of you, just something to get rid of the complaining girl?” You let out a breathy laugh. It wasn’t usual for you to receive compliments from such a handsome man, so you were dying inside from your awkward response. No one had said anything that nice to you since the last time you went on a date before you joined the Avengers.

Bucky’s eyes returned to your face, he was a little confused at your comment. Why would he want to get rid of you? “No, I genuinely think that you are amazing.” The signature playboy smile lit up his face once more, “I don't know why you're hiding your body when it's perfect to me, and everyone else here.”

After scooting a little closer to him in the sand, your eyes shifted from his eyes to his lips, and luckily he made the first move. Bucky's lips met with yours for a brief but passionate kiss that lasted shorter than you would have liked. He gave you a smirk that set your face on fire even more than it already was. You wiped it off with another kiss, slowly climbing on top of him and pressing his head into the sand. Bucky slowly reached his hand up and cupped your cheek, softly stroking it while he deepened the kiss. When you were finally out of breath, you pulled away from him and instantly hid your blushing face behind your hands. Though it didn't really matter because you had just made out with him on the sand, so he knew how you really feel about him.

“Did that prove my point that you're amazing?” he whispered in your ear.

You smiled and pulled your hands away from your cheeks and laughed, “Yeah, I guess so.”

The rest of the day consisted of sitting in the shade with Bucky listening to old embarrassing stories about Steve as a kid, which lead to Steve trying to run up and defend himself but ultimately going back to the water. It was beyond nice in the shade, not getting sunburnt, and sharing a kiss with Bucky every once in a while. But of course all good things couldn't last without shenanigans, considering the group you were with.

Natasha had finally noticed the two of you hanging pretty close under the umbrella, and she made a point to come up and pay a visit. “If you guys are gonna bang can you at least do it out of sight?” You and Buck couldn't help but laugh. You kissed one more time before heading down to the water to swim with the team, cover up free.

Chapter Text

The foliage was all around and crunching under everyone's feet as they milled around the small outdoor shop selling pumpkins and other small decorations for Halloween that was just around the corner. You were just making a short trip to the shop to get a pumpkin for your nieces to carve when they came over for you to baby sit that evening, so you figured maybe get more than one. You had the little cart they provided you with at the opening of the gates, and you wheeled it around behind you. After you picked up a few random things, you entered the vast section with difference sizes and shapes of pumpkins all over tables.

At that point in the day, no one was really around since it was cloudy and the jaws of fall had finally bit down making it freezing out. You searched and got two medium sized pumpkins, but then you saw the biggest pumpkin you've ever seen in your life. You knew immediately that the girls would love it, but how the hell would you be able to lift that into the cart, into the car, then into the house? You decided that you would try and lift it anyway, you are an independent woman who made it this far. Even though you were able to lift it up, there was no way you could get it onto the cart or into the car. With a little squeak you set it back down on the wooden table. "Damn," you mumbled, you really wanted the pumpkin for your nieces to carve. 

"Ma'am, uh, would you like some help?" A shaky, but deep, voice came from your right, and you looked to see a tall man all bundled up from the weather just like you, and you had the nagging feeling you knew who he was.

You smiled politely, "I want to say no, but we both know damn well I'm not getting that pumpkin anywhere." The man let out a giggle, it was so much better than you expected. He picked up the huge pumpkin and put it in the cart for you, "Wait, Steve? Didn't we go on a few dates?" You giggled, and his face lit up, he must've been waiting for you to recognize him.

"Yeah, y/n, right?" He smiled and picked up the pumpkin, then put it in your cart that was sitting in front of you.

For a second, you lost your breath in surprise, but then you had to regain your composure to make sure you wouldn't lose the possibility to get another date with him, "Oh in that case, you've gotta come meet my nieces and help them carve. " He was about to protest, "It's little kids, they'll love you!!" Steve finally nodded, and continued to walk with you to the counter where the cashier was standing. You were able to check out quick, and then Steve helped you with the pumpkins to the car. "Can you please, make me look like the coolest aunt?" You smiled and put some of the smaller purchases in the back seat, meanwhile Steve put the pumpkins in the trunk of your car. "They are going to go nuts when they see you!"

-

You and Steve got back to your house right as your sister dropped off her kids. All of you walked up to your front door, and the youngest niece, Olivia, tugged on Steve's sweatshirt asking him who he was. He smiled down at the two, a little nervous considering he hadn't been around kids except for the ones at events who had been kept at a safe distance. "Can you keep a secret?" He asked, and the girls squealed like there was no tomorrow as all of you walked into the house once you unlocked the door. "I'm captain America, kids!" He smiled and took off his hood and hat. 

You smiled and set down some of the things you bought on the counter and kitchen table. Steve went to go put the giant pumpkin and the two smaller ones on your back porch. "Okay kids," you pulled out the little ponchos for them, "Time to carve some pumpkins!" 

-

Steve wasn't wearing anything fancy, luckily. The girls were throwing bits and pieces of the pumpkin insides and it was going everywhere but the bowls you had designated for them. He looked at you when you finally came down the back porch steps, "I'm sorry they didn't, uh listen." You just gave him a smile and helped the girls draw in sharpie the outline of where they needed to use the safety knife to cut out little faces on the smaller pumpkins, ones they would put out front. Once they were done that, they were ready for the humongous pumpkin. Steve helped set it up on the sturdy back porch table while you went and got more aprons for the girls. You both stepped back as the girls started on the pumpkin.

“You know, this is the first time I've hung out with little kids since when i was a teen and used to babysit. Other than that its just been meeting random ones.” Steve smiled at you from the chair to your left, you both decided that it was best to let the girls choose the design, but Steve was going to have to carve since the pumpkin was about as dense as his body. So once your nieces came over to tug on your aprons, you worked as a team and finished the big pumpkin in a record 45 minutes. After that, it was a team effort to get the pumpkin to the front yard so all passer-bys could see it. Although it seemed that a few pedestrians happen to take note of Captain America in your yard.

With that, the kids went into the house but you and Steve stood for a moment on the lawn together. He shifted a little bit over towards you, and slowly crept his arm around your waist. You picked up the hint and leaned your head on his shoulder, a smile forming on your face. “This feels a little high school, but i think it means good things.” Steve looked down at you, “maybe we can go on another date some time?”
-
A little over a year later you and Steve stand in upper state New York, beautiful pumpkins and foliage all around your wedding guests and your soon to be husband standing in front of you. The Avengers and your family were all in attendance in the small ceremony, and all of them looked amazing. Your two nieces were the lovely little flower girls in beautiful dresses from Asgard that Thor bought. Your dress closely resembled Steve’s mothers, which moved him to tears as you came down the isle on the chilly October day.

Who would've thought that a few dates and some pumpkins could bring you to where you were now?

Chapter Text

Showering after training was the best thing, also followed by a long nap before dinner time. You hummed to yourself a little as you walked down the hallway of your shared floor in the Avengers compound, and you had your two towels for the shower under your left arm. As you approached the door to the bathroom, you heard the water already running. You assumed Steve was in there, but he never took too long. The kitchen smelled like fresh brewed coffee, so chances are Steve made it, and you didn't have a second thought about grabbing a cup and sitting at the counter to wait. Sitting still for a few minutes made you renumber that you had to go to lunch with a new agent, Fury called it a ‘welcome warning’ - a way to scare new people into keeping their mouth shut and doing their job diligently.

10 minutes had gone by of mindless scrolling on your phone and you decided to go back to the bathroom, you assumed they had to have been done by then, and there wasn't anymore noise coming from behind the bathroom door. So you turned the knob, and just walked right in as steam poured out into the hallway behind you. First you were pissed cause he didn't bother to turn the fan on, so once you flicked that on the steam cleared almost instantly.

Bucky stood there, butt ass naked. You had to cover your mouth so you didn't scream and alert anyone else of the awkward situation unfolding, then you threw another hand up to cover your eyes. The poor guy didn't even have time to grab a towel, he just stumbled backwards and fell into the shower.

“Im sorry!” you mumbled through your hand, and ran out of there, slamming the door behind you. Your face was completely flushed, and you were so flustered that you ran directly into the opposite person you could ever want to after that scene. Steve. To make it worse, he wasn't wearing a shirt, “Why cant you damn super soldiers put any clothes on?!”

Living with Steve and Bucky, you'd seen them shirtless a lot, you were just so freaked out that your first reaction was to go down the hall to Natasha’s room. Luckily she was home from her independent mission, and was lounging on the couch with Clint watching Myth Busters. Instead of knocking, you just walked in like you always do. “Hey we could’ve been-“ Nat started to scold.

“I’ve already seen someone naked this morning, nothing else can scare me.” You rubbed your forehead in an attempt to calm yourself down before you could talk about it anymore. Throwing yourself down on the couch next to Clint, Nat’s questions started to flood in.

“Who? Did you get drunk last night and sleep with Steve? I knew it was going to happen soon.” She finished rambling before you could get a word in edge wise, and Clint was laughing his ass off. You went on to calmly explain what had unfolded that morning. Much to your surprise, they didn't find it as strange. To make you feel a little better, they started telling the stories of how they've walked in on some weird shit the other avengers had done in the past, and it was all just too much but you ended up laughing so hard that your sides hurt.

“How about that time we walked in on Sam talking to the bagel he was eating at 4am?” Natasha had recounted when she came home from a mission so quietly that he didn't hear the door slide open, and he had a whole conversation with ‘Miss Bagel’ before he turned around and screamed at the realization that someone had been there the whole time.

After cheering you up, Clint suggested you just take a shower in his bathroom before you had to go to a lunch arrangement. You agreed and grabbed a bath robe of Nat’s and headed into the bathroom. The luxurious showers at the Avengers Tower are something that you could be in forever and never want to leave, but then you suddenly remembered you did need to be ready to go to lunch with a new recruit. You managed to pull yourself from the water, and get out of the shower.

Your senses kicked in, and you knew someone else was in the giant bathroom with you. Luckily you had remembered to turn on the fan so there wasn’t any steam to hide behind. Instead of logically thinking, you walked around the corner of the bathroom into the sink area without a towel on, and fucking Bucky Barnes was standing there with a shit grin on his face. “Now we’re even!” He yelled and sprinted out of there before you could find a knife to throw at him.

No one bothered to even look when you finally got the robe on and started chasing him with a large kitchen knife.

Chapter Text

Being around the avengers constantly, whom were all perfect specimens, was a struggle of who looked the hottest that day. And you felt that you were never in the running. Natasha pretty much looked stunning every day, even in training, but you cant forget the super soldiers running around without shirts and being little shit heads like they are back in the day. Bucky specifically caught your eye all the time, his long hair always fell mishappenly into his face while he was working out (and even in battle) and he had the annoying habit of just sliding it out of his face. You decided to take action the next morning at training.

-

Training started at exactly 7 am, you and Steve were always the earliest and had some nice chats while watching the sunrise and the miserable avengers mill into the mat filled room. Natasha and Clint were alway awake and ready, not jumpy, but they were ready to train and be ass kicking machines. Thor was bubbly, and enjoyed greeting everyone.He asked them how they slept, and it was what all of you needed, some positivity. Tony came in whenever he wanted, considering he doesn't need much physical training since he had the suit.

Bucky strolled in like he owned the damn place, once he was back with Steve, he regained that swagger from back in the days. And damn did he win over you heart. His shaggy hair was down in his face once again, and you had remembered to put an extra hair tie on your wrist that morning. You strolled over to him while everyone was setting up their sections, waiting for some agents to come in as well. He picked up his head to acknowledge you walking over to him, and you smiled, “Sit down in front of me real quick.”

He furrowed his brows, but followed through with your command anyway. Once he was sitting flat on the floor, you moved forward and his body was just at the right height for your short self to gather up all his brown hair that was still fresh from his shower last night. Only a few people took notice of what was going on in that corner of the gym, and you continued to push all the strands together. Bucky just laughed at whatever you were doing, and you finally tied it all up into a nice man bun.

After Bucky stood back up, he lifted his right arm up to feel whatever you had done to his hair. To your surprise, he actually smiled and thanked you, “Hopefully this will help with the hair in my face, i didn't know who to ask about that.” Bucky smiled nervously, and you walked away successfully before anything got awkward. Natasha came over and gave a sly smile to say she saw what was going on.

Everyone was adults though, and went about their business.

-

The next morning, the usual routine ensued, you and Steve were watching the sunrise and everyone came moping in. Instead this time, Bucky came walking over to you, and Thor too. “Y/n, can you put our hair up? Thor needs it too.” Bucky smiled, and handed over two hair ties. You could see some glances from around the gym again, hella confused at what was going on. So you just nodded and went with it.

“Sit in front of me, both of you.” You ordered, and they listened. Both cross legged, and ready to go. Bucky's hair, you had mastered already after a day, and went up super easy. Thor’s hair was a little more of a struggle, since it was longer there were pieces sticking out every which way, no matter how you put it up. “Alright, well this is the best i can do boys.” You shrugged and they stood in front of you. Bucky smiled, and then did the most unexpected thing.

He leaned in and kissed you on your cheek.

Then Thor followed suit.

What are they putting in the water at the Avengers tower?

Chapter Text

Sleeping habits on the quinjets after particularly stressful missions were something you always found interesting. It all started after all of you were panting and running aboard to try and make it home without dying on the way back. Everyone was incredibly tired from preparing and then following through with the missions to take down the remaining hydra agents and bases. Bucky had been scooped up on one of the missions, and not everyone was too happy about him joining the team at first. But, he quickly grew to become the person he was before all of the shit happened, and sometimes even sweeter.

Steve never slept, he was the watch dog over everyone while they slept or went off and did their own thing on the plane. He made sure everyone got medical attention if they needed it, and got properly clothed before they got back to the tower. Steve and Bucky were normally the most clean after missions, so you almost always went and leaned your head on either of their shoulders. Unless of course Thor was there, that man would cuddle with anyone on the team, and didn’t mind one bit on the way back from missions either.

Thor was however, the funniest. He would take off whatever top garments he had and find a spot big enough to spread his whole body out. Whether it be on the floor or taking up a whole bench with his godly body, mjolnir was of course right at his side in case he needed to jump into action. (shirtless Thor in battle is a rare and beautiful thing to witness) Occasionally in Thor’s sleep, he would snore so hard that he would cause a lightning strike outside the quinjet. Bruce managed to get the best noise canceling headphones that way he could have quiet moments before the team got back to the tower, where Tony would inevitably ask him a million questions.

Bucky was a sitting-up, sloucher. He had his head hung back, and his mouth was slightly agape. Although it was a little tough to ‘cuddle’ since he still had his machine gun in the grip of his metal arm almost 95% of the time. You and Steve made a habit of trying to get him to make sure the weapons were off of him before he went to sleep, it wouldn't exactly be good if he rolled over and unpinned a grenade in his sleep. Rarely would he talk in his sleep, which would be random things from the mission over and over again. Anything from “duck” to “take down that damn robot”. There was actually a pool of bets on how wild the talk would get, and Steve won a lot of money from the secret bets.

Natasha and Clint rarely slept unless they didn’t get much sleep the night before, but when they finally did nap, they took turns resting their heads in each others laps, while the other stayed up and kept watch on the radar with Steve. When the twins joined the team, they did something similar, considering they did that growing up in Sokovia. Pietro began to trust old man Barton more and more, so he got more sleep when Clint watched over them on the way home from missions. Ever since Pietro and Wanda hung out with the Barton family, and the kids especially, they looked at Clint in a fatherly way. Which also made everything easier in the tower, since Pietro would spend half of his time flying around and pranking people that pissed him off, and Clint was too

Tony either flew back with Vision, or when they did stay on board, Tony’s sole purpose was to tease everyone until the loosened up from the mission. Whether it was getting Deadpool on FaceTime or playing some Whitney Houston, everyone was up and laughing as soon as you got on and were heading home. At the end of the day, you all had each others back, and being able to laugh in such serious situations made it all easier, especially when you all have to worry about Steve jumping out of planes without parachutes.

Chapter Text

It seemed that Tony had to have a party, no matter where he was. Even if that meant having a bonfire with the Avengers and their significant others at the vacation home in Maine. Waves could be heard crashing on the beach that was only a short walk away. Everyone was sitting on the white lawn chairs around the giant fire that Steve and Bucky had started. Vision and Wanda were sitting rather close to each other, neither of them were drinking, nor understood the concept of it. It was peculiar watching those two grow close together, but Wanda seemed to enjoy working through their relationship.

Clint and Laura finally could go back to drinking since the kids were back at home being babysat by Director Fury. Which as entertaining as it was to watch, the two parents were very happy to be relaxed with their best friends in the world. Another cozy couple was Tony and Pepper. They hadn’t had any kids, yet, so they were still in the honeymoon phase of just lovingly looking into one another eyes and that was the whole world for them. Then there was Natasha and Steve, no way in hell were they dating. Both of them had been the closest things to siblings for each other in years, and they clicked and had one anothers’ back. Thor and Jane were by the fire as well, and had been very cozy after their wedding in Asgard. Jane looked relieved to be in sweatpants finally after having to wear Asgardian clothing for almost a month.

Once Bucky was rescued, the two of you instantaneously meshed together. There was something in him that reminded you of yourself, especially since you both had been in Hydra’s grip for some time. Only you had been rescued a year earlier, and you had worked with the Winter Soldier on a few missions during your time in Hydra. You were a big part of his recovery, and from that point on you both had just been…one. Every Avengers mission you both were strategically placed together and worked when the other was down. That was what made everyone just smile when they were around you both. Your current situation was sitting on Bucky’s lap with a beer in hand, he had one as well. Although he couldn’t get drunk, he realized that apple beer was the way to go. The lawn chair you shared was closest to the fire since the breeze and the chilly Maine air had you all bundled up.

Bucky was talking to the group about something related to one of the recent missions, and it gave you a minute to sit and reflect on the people around you. It was almost like a dream; surrounded by Earth’s mightiest heroes and you were considered one, with the love of your life. Someone had a speaker going that was playing nice slow bonfire music over on a table, low enough that everyone could hear each other when they were speaking. The stars were out, shining fully on all of you around the fire. Bucky asked to get up, so you stood and then took his seat when he went to talk to Steve on the path to the beach. It was normal for the two of them to take walks, just to have time to themselves to talk about whatever best friends do.

After a few minutes passed by, the two of them came walking back up the wooden pathway from the beach. Both had smiles on their faces as they came back to where they had been sitting. Bucky seemed like he was getting ready to ask you to get up, but he did just the opposite and motioned for you to just stay seated.

Then he got down on one knee in front of you, and pulled a little velvet box out of his pocket.

Immediately your heart was racing a million miles per hour, and everyone’s mouths fell open with a few gasps. You were completely unprepared for this moment, wearing sweatpants and hair up in a bun. But Bucky opened his mouth, and the little box containing a gorgeous ring, before you could continue going through crazy things in your head, “Y/n, I need you to know that you are the only one for me. Not only have we been through hell and back, you’ve brought me to heaven and here.” He bit back tears, “It would be an honor, for you to be my wife.”

You struggled to even form words, so you squealed a “Yes!” and after he slid the ring on your finger, you jumped up to kiss him. You wrapped your arms around him, and his arms went around your waist and you could hear everyone taking their phones out and taking pictures to announce the happy news later. Nothing could’ve been more perfect than that moment, that was until your wedding day.

-

Natasha helped zip up the top of your wedding dress, and then she took a step back to marvel at you. “I cannot believe that a year ago he proposed to you at that fire pit outside, and now here you are, getting married on the beach.” She paused to compose herself, then continued rambling about how your first child better be named Natasha or she’ll get revenge on Bucky. But as much as she went on, you could only think about the love of your life standing and waiting for you to walk down the aisle, waiting to be married in front of your closest friends and remaining family.

Nat, Pepper, Wanda, Jane, and Laura were chosen to be your bridesmaids, and they fulfilled everything they needed to do. Once they finished walking down the aisle, you realized it was finally your turn. Steve and your father came from around the corner of the downstairs to the beach house, and they both gave you a smile. This made you giggle a little, mainly from the nerves. They held out their arms for you to link in between them, and you all walked towards the glass doors that were leading to the rest of your life. The Barton kids opened them to a yard full of family, friends, and other heroes. Taking a shuddering breath, you looked down the aisle to see the sight you truly wanted to. Bucky was standing there, almost in tears at how beautiful you looked. He never in a million years thought that he was going to be getting married to you, and having you be walked down the aisle by his best friend.

The two men by your sides started to walk with you, and everyone rose from their seats. No matter what, you couldn’t take your eyes off of Bucky. He just looked so…radiant. You were able to quickly get a glimpse at who was attending your wedding. All of the Avengers, the Guardians, some of the ‘Defenders’ (Jessica Jones and Matt Murdock to be specific), and your family. Your family looked a little out of place next to some of the out of worldly people. Focused back now on Bucky, you reached the altar. Your dad & Steve gave you a kiss on each cheek, and you proceeded forward, and grabbed onto Bucky’s hands. Coincidentally enough, Bruce was the one officiating your wedding, and he looked so sweet standing up there in a gray suit. He gave both of you a smile, and began.

It felt like it all came and went like a breeze, and quick enough you were dancing with Peter Quill to ‘Ain’t no Mountain High Enough’ during the reception. Your cheeks were hurting from all the smiling you’d done that day, and the night was flowing on by. Soon enough you were sitting on Bucky’s lap by the same fire he proposed to you by, and he said the four little magical words.

“I love you, doll.”

Chapter Text

A typical day in the avengers tower wasn't like anyone else’s day in the world, you had a front row view of all the madness. Steve and Bucky woke up first, and they seemed to know how to work the speaker in the kitchen well enough to play their “new-found” music to help them get up and get moving. You thoroughly enjoyed seeing them prance around the kitchen, and just having fun being best friends. Those two caused so much mayhem, and surprisingly it was Steve who caused it the most. Bucky just seemed to give him the ideas, but Steve followed through with the pranks.

Everyone else had their own agendas, like Natasha. That woman got up at 4 am, you never knew if it was because she couldn't sleep, or she just enjoyed the routine at this point. Every morning she was down in that training room, kicking those dummie’s asses. Sometimes Fury would assign her new trainees for them to become agents, and boy was it entertaining to see the scared look on their faces when Natasha came at them with freshly sharpened knives. After she was done kicking ass and taking names, you would occasionally have her help you with stamina for battle. It was a lot of fun competing with the other heroes in sparring, and seeing what skills everyone brought to the table against each other.

Once you were done there, it was time to go to the mission room to see if there were any possible new threats that came in over night. Tony was always in there, combing through security footage from the compound over night, he took it very seriously whenever somebody new came through without being checked out. Hydra agents could be anywhere at anytime, and he didn't want to be the reason one got in and took back Steve’s best friend. Although it had been a rough road for the three of them, they got along way better now. Fury also helped Stark go through files and such in the mornings, security was at an all time high.

The whole security room was no fun at all, so you moved on back to the kitchen to see if anyone else was awake. Normally by this time, if Thor was in town, he was in the kitchen gobbling up anything he could find. Thor was such a sweetheart, in the mornings he would greet everyone by hugging them, and almost squeezing the life outta them. He hadn't seen you yet since he came in over night, and before you could tell him not to squeeze you, he was already lifting you off the ground with his huge arms. The boys were laughing their asses off by the sink, and all you could do was tell Thor how excited you were to see him as well.

Bruce was in the lab, and you left him to do his thing. Sometimes if one person on the team was in a mood, it was best to just let them be and have their own day. Clint was the only avenger that wasn't there, he was helping Laura with the baby. You knew they would bring him down some day so Thor would shut up about the “Tiny child with the face of the bird man”. So once you finished your own thing, you were able to sit and have breakfast with the boys. Bucky always seemed to have a story about Steve that he remembered the night before, which was good since that meant his full memory was on its way to being back.

Sam always added to the shenanigans, he seemed to thrive off of an opportunity to joke. You always tried to beat him to making a joke, and sometimes it ended with some minor wrestling in the living room. The twins trained on their own during the day, but they were slowly becoming a part of the fun. Pietro’s favorite thing was to speedily come through the kitchen and take a pancake of various people’s plates.

Now if only you could find where the hell Scott Lang was, then it was gonna be a good day.

Chapter Text

Without even opening your eyes, you groaned, “Oh fuck, my head.” You blinked hard at the ceiling, and brought your hand up to rub the hangover out of your eyes. Your head was throbbing due to the amount of vodka you didn’t remember consuming the night before. The bed underneath you felt slightly more fluffy than you remember your own, but you figured that your sore muscles just made it seem that way. Sitting up slowly, you took a look around to assess any of the damage you might have caused. Before you could even get your eyes to focus on the room, you quickly became aware that there was another person in your bed. A stream of curses left your mouth as you tried to scoot away, and this caused the person to stir.

Even though the man was lying on his stomach, you could tell who it was from a mile away. From the specific scars on his back, to the small flower tattoo he had on his left rib. The man in bed with you was Steve Rogers, and you weren’t sure whether to be happy or to throw up. His blond hair was still in its rigid form as usual, which was relieving in itself since he didn’t have a shirt on next to you. A sigh of utter relief left your mouth as you looked down and realized that you still had the same sweatpants and tee shirt on that you had on when you had walked to the bar in the lounge area. All you could remember was walking upstairs to the bar, and it was blank after that.

Although you wanted to ask questions, you couldn’t shake the feeling of vomit coming up in the back of your throat. Despite your attempt at sneaking quietly into the hall, there were already people roaming around the floor. No matter how fast you ran across that hall into the bathroom, one of them still managed to catch a glimpse of your hungover self. After locking the door, you hung yourself over the porcelain toilet.

Natasha leaned on the metal door outside, “Y/n, you good?” Meanwhile all the avengers were being nosey from the kitchen trying to figure out what was going on. Clint and Sam were already looking around to see who was missing from the breakfast lineup.

After a deep breath, you whined, “Why did you guys let me drink so much?” You flushed the toilet, and moved to the sink to wash your face before opening the door to your best friend. Making eye contact with her was even hard, so you went back to the sink and luckily your toothbrush was in the bathroom. After making yourself smell like mangos, you exited the bathroom and did a certain walk of shame down the hall. Thor was already there, kissing you on the cheek as he passed to retrieve something from his room. The kitchen wasn’t that far away, so you put the hood of your sweatshirt up and sat next to birdbrains.

Natasha brought some advil to where you were seated, and then raised an eyebrow, “Coming out of Cap’s room, I see.” Despite her effort to frazzle you, you remained calm and explained the fact that you had no fucking clue how you got there. Most nights at the tower bar were spent having drinking competitions that most of the time you were involved in.

Clint took a deep breath and then started, “Well, seeing as you were absolutely shit-faced around 10pm, Steve just threw you over his shoulder and made you sleep in his room.” He chuckled, “Plus, we all know you like to walk, and float around when you’re drunk and by yourself.” This made Bucky and Sam giggle from across the table, and Clint took a sip of his coffee.

Oh how Steve was such a good man, “I think I might actually get back in bed after hearing that.” You grabbed a water bottle, and headed back towards Steve’s room again. The light was now shining through the blinds and it bounced off his blonde hairs poking up everywhere, and now that he was slightly awake and stretching. Your feet quietly padded across the tan carpet in his room and then you flopped back onto his bed, “Thank you for making sure my drunken self didn’t fly off the building.”

Steve laughed and then held his arms out, so you rolled over into his outstretched arms. With his arms wrapped around you, you rested your head on his bare chest and it was the best kind of pillow for your raging migraine. Steve’s room smelled so nice, and it made your tumbling stomach settle. So for the rest of that day, you spent it wrapped in Steve’s arms and getting Thor to deliver you pancakes.

Chapter Text

For a week straight, the fire alarm went off in the apartment building that you were unfortunately living in. 2:12 Am, it was like god damned clockwork. When you first moved in, your landlord made it clear that if you don't evacuate with any alarm sounding, he could technically sue you. Being that this was your first real apartment you were living in by yourself, you decided to listen. Also, you had no money to deal with a stupid landlord suing you. So, you simply prepared for the nightly routine. Making sure that you went to bed with comfy sweatpants and a hoodie on ensured that you wouldn't be outside freezing your ass off in the chilly fall air. Being that you were living in upstate New York, it pretty much felt like winter already. In the 15 miles surrounding, you only had a freeway and a target nearby.

2:12 AM rolled around, and sure enough the blaring alarm jolted you from your slumber. It was already half way through fall, so the leaves were scattered all around the parking lot and crunching under peoples boots as they descended the outdoor stairs. You’d thought you'd seen it all in this life of yours. Nothing could've prepared you for the moment that the hot guy from apartment 4b came down the steps in only his underwear and a red sweater. His long black hair was blowing all over the place in the wind that was whipping through the complex, and you couldn't help but stare. Just as your luck goes, he makes a beeline for you since you had a flannel blanket wrapped around your shoulders.

Before he was even a few feet in front of you, the blanket had come down from your shoulders and you were handing it off to him to wrap around his waist. Once 4b mystery man finally got over to you, he wrapped the blanket around his waist with a thank you. That’s when you noticed the metal hand reaching for the blanket, it must’ve been from some sort of accident, and you thought no mind of it.

“Thank you, I did not want to be in my apartment when the firemen came around.” His smile was simply gorgeous, “I’m Bucky, by the way.” He held his flesh hand out for you to shake, and it was warm despite the frigid air.

You smiled back, “I’m y/n, nice to meet you Bucky.” You couldn't tell if it was the cold tinge in the air making your cheeks pink or if it was Bucky. Hoping he wouldn't notice, you looked back at the building. From the time your mind started to roam, people were starting to shuffle back into the building. And there went Bucky with your favorite blanket, bouncing up the stairs in front of you.

When the two of you reached the top of the stairs, Bucky made a realization. “Shit, my keys are on the table in the living room.” The frigid air was becoming too much for you to handle as you shuffled into your apartment, so you quickly offered for him to come in. “Seriously? Thank you so much.” Bucky smiled and shivered slightly as he walked over the threshold into your apartment. His eyes wandered around, taking in the living room that was branched off the kitchen. Then he took it upon himself to get comfy on the couch while you grabbed a snack from the fridge.

“So, you have a spare key anywhere?” You asked and sat on the love-seat adjacent to the couch he was occupying. His face looked oddly familiar but you couldn't place him, maybe just from seeing him in the parking lot outside?

Bucky ignored your question, and looked at you through squinted eyes, “Why haven't we met before, doll?” This man had a grin that pulled you in, in a way that you couldn't explain. His beautiful blue eyes just gave the impression that you could trust his presence, plus you had an inkling of an idea of who he was.

Something told you to play along, “Well I had seen you from afar, but you seemed a little too bachelor to approach.” Then your eyes drifted to his metal arm that was resting on his left thigh. “You have a war story?” You figured that you'd get this question out of the way before some wild story came out later on in the relationship you were planning in your head.

Bucky’s eyes dropped for a moment, “You wouldn’t….Wait, how'd you know it was a war story?” His head quickly rose and turned to the side, and eyed you up.

“You think that I haven't seen Captain America running out of your apartment every Saturday? I was going to pop over one afternoon, but seeing as you guys need some bestie time, I figured I shouldn’t.” A smile spread across your face as you explained, and Bucky couldn't help himself but smile as well. He thought to himself that you were growing on him, more and more by each passing minute. It had been a while since he’d had these feelings for anyone, so he wanted to make a move on it.

Bucky decided to be bold, “Let me make you dinner tomorrow, I’ll even wash your blanket and return it.”

Your smile said it all.

-

7 MONTHS LATER

“What if they don't like me?” You whined out loud, and pushed a stray piece of hair behind your ear. The sticky air of May was not kind to any hair, and this only added to your list of worries for the night.

Bucky laced his fingers through yours, and gave a little squeeze, “Baby, it’ll be fine. The family is going to love you, because I love you” He placed a small kiss to your temple before turning the knob to the living room door. Behind it was all of the Earth’s mightiest heroes. You had yet to meet all of them, you’d been pushing it off for a long time in hopes that they’d forget about it. But once they had heard that tin-man had a girlfriend, they were dying to meet you.

After taking a deep breath, you walked into the room with Bucky’s arm wrapped around your waist. The conversations immediately ceased, and you smiled brightly while you waved to everyone. One by one, they greeted you. Before you even knew it, dinner time had arrived and the many chefs brought out the various dishes. The designated dinner table was huge, you wondered how many heroes have sat at the table once before.

Everyone continued with their conversations, but then Tony Stark decided to make his point loud enough for everyone to listen in. “Y/n, did you know that I'm the one that technically set you and our dear Bucky up?” He grinned with a tilted head, and took a bite of steak.

You furrowed your brows, “How so?”

Tony smiled and made eye contact with the infamous Black Widow sitting across from you, “Remember that fire alarm that mysteriously went off every night?” Tony smiled nonchalantly as he continued, “And it suddenly stopped after you and Bucky decided to go on a date?” He laughed, and it did indeed make you laugh as well. Tony went on to explain that Bucky had mentioned you before, and that he just simply wanted to ‘nudge’ the two of you together.

And little did you know, Tony would tell the same story at you and Bucky’s wedding a year later.

Chapter Text

“Baby,” you mumbled, and desperately tried to wiggle your toes under Steve’s legs, “I can’t get comfy.” The thermostat must’ve been broken once again, and you were suffering a great loss of sleep because of it. Steve finally woke at the sound of your voice, and from your cold toes brushing on his warm legs. So he rolled over on his side to face you, stuck his arms out and allowed you to curl up against his bare chest. This wasn’t the first time the thermostat had broken, so he already knew how you got when the room dropped below 60 degrees. The more you thought about it though, you weren't sure if you were cold from the room or… your little secret. Today was the day you were going to tell your husband, but there was no way you could do so with Stark ears everywhere.

The next hour rolled around, and you woke up practically on top of Steve. You kissed his cheek and mumbled a ‘sorry’ before hopping off the bed. The clock on your dresser read that it was 5:17 am, and you shut off the pending alarm that Steve had set. You knew that you weren’t going to get any more sleep, and figured let him get a little more sleep before his entire life changed. One of his sweatshirts were laying on the end of the bed, and you threw it on as you walked out into the living room. When he finally did wake up, he plopped down on the couch with you before getting ready for his morning run.

“I’m gonna come with you today, I'm not running but I’d like to be a cheerleader.” You smiled nonchalantly at him, and explained, “You’re always there for me, I want to be there for you too.” Little did Steve know, you had a big surprise for him that had to wait until you were sure that you were out of the ears of Stark. Steve and you had been married for a little over a year now, and you weren't exactly an avenger. You were one of the trainers for the new agents that came in, and Natasha helped you out a lot. (including getting you and Steve together) Although, you had taken a few weeks off the job for personal reasons. The thoughts in your head were running rampant as you and Steve made your way to the elevator, hand in hand.

-

The sunrise was absolutely stunning as you and Steve approached a bench in one of the various parks near the Avengers tower, and the two of you sat to people watch before talking about anything. There had been a few times where Stark sent Natasha in disguise to follow the two of you to make sure you weren't doing anything shady, like moving out. “So,” you started, “I have some news for you that I didn't want Stark to hear just yet.” you inhaled deeply, and you could see your husband turn to look at you from the left. Before he could ask any questions, you jumped in, “Baby, I'm pregnant.”

Steve inhaled sharply, but then he leapt up into the air full of excitement. His blonde hair was shining in the sun since his hood had fallen, and his eyes were glistening with tears. “We’re gonna be parents?” Steve knelt down in front of you and took your small hands in his much larger ones, his smile seemed like it was going to rip right through his face.

“Yes baby, we are gonna be parents.” You giggled, and had a tear streaming down your face out of happiness. “I wanted to tell you, before I tell the rest of the team today.” Steve was too excited to even think about running, he only ran if he couldn't go back to sleep. So he wanted to head back to the tower as soon as possible, to tell his best friends. There were so many things racing through both of your minds as you stood and made your way back to the avengers tower.

-

The tower was teeming with people when you and Steve reached the front doors on the way back, it was prime time for agents signing in and receptionists taking calls. Security knew you and Steve well enough just to allow the two of you past, and it was good since you didn't exactly look the best for any photos. Your heart was racing a million miles per hour, today was the day that you were officially telling the avengers family you were pregnant. The elevator ride up was under 10 seconds, and then you were face to face with the team in the kitchen.

The avengers were chattering about their days at the table as everyone was stuffing their faces, and everyone gave a kind smile to the two of you as you approached the table. Once Nat was done her story, the group fell into a comfortable silence, which you interrupted. “Well, not to top your story Nat but I do have some exciting news for everyone.”

Everyone’s eyes shot up, and spoons clattered around the table. Of course Tony had to get a joke in, “Yeah, we know you and Cap are together, I payed for the wedding.” He rolled his eyes and took another sip of coffee.

You sighed, and quickly spoke the two words that were weighing on your mind, “I’m pregnant.”

Natasha dropped her fork, and covered her face so nobody could see her crying tears of happiness. Clint was beaming, he had his own kids so he knew the joy that it would bring you and Steve. Bucky was already up and hugging Steve, as well as Thor. Tony for once, was actually speechless. There were faint squeals coming from the room, and it was just all around happiness. Sam finally interrupted with “Can we just talk about how crazy beautiful this kid is going to be?” You were too busy being squeezed by Nat to make a comment, but everyone agreed.

Tony interrupted, “I guess this means I have to find someone else to train the new dumb-asses coming in?”

It was going to be a fun 9 months.

-

7 MONTHS LATER

The faint coos from baby girl Rogers were coming from Natasha’s arms across the room, her and Bucky were fawning over the newborn. You were so incredibly lucky to live in a high-tech building where there was even a maternity wing off the medical floor, that Tony just so happened to put in once you made the announcement 7 months prior. Sam had already made a visit, and commented about how stunning you looked despite the whole child-birth screeching. Bucky and Natasha were outside the room the whole time you were in labor, they were the greatest godparents any person in the whole world could hope for.

Natasha looked over at you and Steve who were sitting on the hospital bed together, “Have any name ideas?”

Steve looked at his best friend, and spoke up for the both of you, “Rebecca Natalia Rogers.” you had suggested the middle name be something related to Natasha’s true side, and Steve explained that him and Bucky made a pact to name their kids after one another's' families. Bucky’s sister’s name was Rebecca, and the mention of it made Bucky’s head shoot up. The two happy men went to have a talk outside the room when you motioned for Nat to bring Rebecca to you. There was something in her eyes that you hadn't seen in quite a while, and it was just pure love for the newborn.

You had to bite back tears seeing your best friend so happy, so you lightened the mood, “She has to be at least 5 before you teach her any of your Widow moves.”

Chapter Text

Your palms were sweating inside your boxing gloves as you steadily pounded on a brand new punching bag. You punched away, letting all of your pent up anger loose. "You're hitting the punching bag like it hurt your family or something," a voice stated from behind you. Pivoting around, you saw it was Steve.

"Nah, I'd be hitting it even harder." you joked back. You continued your steady pattern, throwing in an occasional kick at the base to get it to sway back and forth. You used that motion to maneuver around it and started throwing punches again. You treated the bag like it was everyone who had ever made you angry, or upset or whatever the circumstance. It was a way to vent your anger. And you absolutely loved it.

"Why don't we have a friendly boxing match?" Steve said with a grin as he pulled a pair of boxing gloves from the duffel bag on his shoulder.

You looked him over. "Are you sure, Rogers?" The last time you both had a friendly boxing session with each other, you caught Steve off guard and gave him a black eye by accident.

He chuckled. "That won't happen again, y/l/n." he assured you. You were still skeptical, but decided to go for it anyway. He was ready this time. You got in position, but before Steve could, a scream rang through the training rooms. Steve stopped and painted a look of confusion on his face. Then, just as sudden as the mystery scream, his turned utterly worried.

"Steve?" You said to him, trying to get him to snap out of the trance, “Steve."
He instantly bolted out of the room and yelled "Bucky" as he disappeared. So it was Bucky, you thought. Now you were worried, as well. Bucky had still been getting flashbacks at the most random times, and they still terrified him. This also gave him panic attacks and anxiety attacks, and his reaction was screaming. You couldn't blame him though. If you were him, you would have panic attacks too.
You walked into Bucky's training room down the hallway to see him curled up in the corner with a wild and terrified look in his eyes. His face was shiny with sweat and his hair was drenched.

"Hey, Buck. Listen to me. You're safe, okay?" Steve kept trying to calm him down, but to no avail. You approached them slowly, careful not to make any sudden movements, afraid it'll set him off on a rampage.

"Steve," you started. You had a little experience with anxiety attacks. You had been the only one to calm Bucky down the first and time he had an attack. "I got this.” Steve looked at you hopefully, stood up and slowly walked out into the hallway. "Bucky," you said to him, as he slowly rocked back and forth and tightly squeezed his eyes shut. A very weak stream of tears started forming under his eyelids. "Bucky it's okay. Nobody's coming for you, you're safe. You're safe.” He stopped rocking and started to slowly uncurl himself. He was still tense, but you were getting somewhere.

"Bucky, listen to me. Please. You're in the safest building in the country right now. Nobody here is going to let anybody get to you, okay? If someone happens to find you, they'll be dead before they enter the building." You took off your boxing gloves that you had forgotten to remove and slowly touched your hand to his cheek. He winced at your touch, but then relaxed into it. His eyes opened slightly, and you moved his hair out of his face. He slowly unclenched his fists and finally started to relax, and his short breaths became regular. You could feel the tension melt away as you held his face. You decided to move over and lay next to him, and switched holding his human arm instead of his face.

"Y/n," he whispered, and he kept his eyes hooded. From outside the room you both were in, you hadn't noticed the avengers gather by the door in case Bucky went back to Winter Soldier ways with you. But they all seemed calm as you looked back and nodded.

"Bucky, do you want to go to your room? I can bring you there." You mumbled to him, and his eyes met yours for a brief second before he nodded his head like a child. You waved your hand behind your back to make the other members of the Avengers leave, and they scattered like bugs when they saw Bucky get up and hold onto you like you were his savior.

You ordered Bucky to lay down and get comfortable when you walked into his room. He obeyed you with a look like a wounded puppy. You did really feel terrible for him. He was brutally tortured by people for years and basically had his rights of being human revoked. They turned him into a machine. It was pretty awful. Plus, now he lives with constant flashbacks, causing him to panic and give himself anxiety. You really, desperately wanted to give him a hug and cuddle him forever. And not just because of his mistreatment. You had been secretly crushing on him since Steve brought him to the tower and could never keep your eyes off of him whenever he entered the room. He was always guarded and quiet, so you never really had the chance to talk to him, until you were the only one who claimed his first panic attack.

You decided to crawl in next to Bucky once he got comfortable, and looked less tense. He looked at you with confusion, but then quickly changed it into a look of content. You reached over and started twirling a loose strand of hair hanging in his face. You stayed like that for who knows how long, and felt your eyes dropping from exhaustion.

You didn't realize that you fell asleep on him until you opened your eyes what felt like hours later, wrapped up in his arms and his slow breath in the crook of your neck.

His metal arm was hooked around your waist and he had you totally cocooned into his chest. You had to admit, you hadn't felt this secure with someone before. It made your cheeks heat up and your heart start pounding. Bucky stirred and released his grip on you. He rolled over, and hugged the edge of his bed.

'He looks so kissable when he sleeps,' you thought to yourself. You almost wanted to just reach over and kiss him right then, but you refrained. You instead just rolled over the opposite direction and tried to go back to sleep. Your eyelids were just starting to droop again when Bucky's and grabbed your arm and flipped you over to face him.

"Bucky, what's wr-" you were cut off by a soft kiss and his hand stroking the back of your neck. You wanted to question his sudden change in attitude towards interaction with people, but his kiss shoved the thoughts out of your mind, soon to be completely forgotten. He kept deepening the kiss with more and more passion. He cupped both of his hands around your thighs and lifted you up, setting you in his lap while propping himself up on the headboard, all the while still exploring your mouth with his delightful tongue.

When you needed to come up for air, Bucky released your thighs that had then turned a deep shade of red from him clutching them and instead roamed the rest of your legs with his hands. He set you back in your original spot and returned to laying down in his sleeping position, like the whole previous make out session didn't happen.

You were too shocked to even question anything about what had just happened, but still felt content with the fact that you just made out with him. That was enough for you to go back to sleep with, anyway. But you still leaned over and kissed him lightly on the cheek and whispered a goodnight to him. His response was to lean over yet again and wrap both of his arms around your midsection, and rest his chin on your shoulder, and sighing in content.

Chapter Text

Every night, it was the same god damned routine. The married couple that lived directly above you argued every single night when they arrived home from work. They also had a pit bull that would bark along with their yelling and general clattering from them slamming shit around while passively aggressively doing the dishes. You felt bad for the dog, and almost wanted to adopt the thing. There was also the stomping, and just all around general shittiness of the situation. You wondered how the neighbors that were next to them must’ve felt about the situation at hand. It had been going on for months, and you’d even tried throwing things against the roof, yelling back, but nothing worked. Until one Friday night after a long week you thought maybe they had finally gotten divorced, because it was all too quiet. But, an hour off schedule, their anger flared up again.

This was the final straw. You grabbed a sweatshirt, and actually threw on some pants as fast as possible. You stomped across the hall to your favorite neighbors to see if they would help you out. Not even bothering knocking, you barged in on them. Steve and Bucky sitting on the couches, shirtless and neck deep in whatever video game they were playing. Both of them took one glance at you, and figured you were just coming to get a beer considering your attire looked like you wanted to lounge around. It was a normal thing for you to walk in with an angry stride, and plop down between the two of them only to start ranting about something.

“Boys!” You were still standing by the door, waiting for them to pause the game. They nervously looked at each other, then up at you, and finally they took their headsets off. “The assholes upstairs are still banging around like it’s nothing.” You had told them about the few times you went up to politely tell them to quiet down, and the couple pretended that they had no idea what you were even talking about. Even the guys didn't know what the hell they could be fighting about anymore, considering it had been going on every single night.

Steve took a sip of his drink, then looked at you, “I mean, what do you want us to do?” The two super soldiers looked a little skeptical of why you were in their apartment, it’s not like they had the power to do anything. Plus, Tony would have a shit fit if he found out that people from the team were off fighting with random civilians.

You smiled cynically, “We are gonna go scare the shit out of them.” The idea popped into your head as you were aggressively walking across the hall to their apartment, “But we gotta wait to do it until tomorrow,” you shrugged your shoulders and Bucky raised an eyebrow in question, “Game of Thrones is on now.” You explained. They laughed, and offered for you to stay on their couch until the morning when they planned to go ‘talk’ to them. You denied the offer and made your way back to your own bed, where you attempted to watch Game of Thrones until the banging became too much, so you went to sleep.

-

The next day after work, you waited until it was the normal 5pm initiation of arguments. As usual, the front door slammed upstairs and the yelling ensued. You texted the boys that you would be over in a few, since you still had to get dressed from your shower. So you threw on your black jeans and black t-shirt, and walked right into Steve and Bucky’s apartment. Steve was over by the stove making frozen pizza, and Bucky wasn't in sight. “Where’s Buck?” you flopped on the couch waiting for an answer. Steve explained he was showering, and that he'd be out in a few minutes for them to go up. Just moments later, he emerged from the bathroom with a towel clinging to his hips.

“Hey, doll.” Bucky called from the hall, and waved as he went into his room to get dressed. You yelled to him to wear his winter soldier gear, and you also looked at Steve to tell him to be spangly pants. Steve was bent over laughing at your little nickname, but sure enough he went into his room to get decked out. It only took them a few minutes to emerge from their rooms, looking prepared for battle. Bucky even had his boots and face mask on, which was terrifying to anyone who didn't know him. It took a moment to realize he was smiling at you from under the black mask.

You stood and slipped your uggs on, “Let’s go boys.”

The elevator dinged, and you stepped off in front of the two super soldiers. There was a man in the hall who had just put his key in the slot to get into his apartment in front of you. As soon as he saw the group of you, he nearly dropped his keys in fear. There were only 4 apartments on the floor, and you knew exactly which one was on top of yours. The door even looked shoddy as you approached, and rapped three times on the door. You could literally hear them yelling from outside, so Steve and Bucky took their positions. Steve was to your left, with his arms folded and head forward. Bucky was to your right, and he also had his arms crossed, but he had the mask on, which covered any form of expression he had. The door handle jiggled, and the door swung open.

As soon as the husband opened the door to you and the boys, he starting sputtering to find his words. The wife came up behind him and was just as shocked. “Let’s cut to the chase, shall we?” you hissed, and tilted your head at the couple, “Stop fucking arguing every night. Get divorced.” The husband looked shakily ready to cut you off, and Bucky stepped forward. His eyes darted to Bucky’s metal arm, and he backed off. “You slam anymore shit, the next thing that will happen is both of your heads being slammed on your floor by me. Not them, me.” You pointed at the wife and husband, who looked to the point of shitting themselves.

“We will get counseling, I promise.” The wife was shaking, and apologizing, “I’m sorry for any inconveniences.” They fake smiled, which was your cue to walk away and the boys to follow. Bucky whispered something in Russian, which was the last straw for their fear, and they quietly closed the door behind your group.

Once all three of you got in the elevator, and the doors closed, you all bursted into laughter. Bucky took off his mask and immediately was bent over laughing, and Steve was grabbing his chest from laughing so hard. It took everything to speak as you began walking off the elevator, “Those two idiots shouldn't be making anymore noise.” You were wheezing from laughing so hard, and all the laughter subsided slowly as all of you walked to the boys apartment.

Steve passed out beers for everyone as you gathered around the little table on their balcony, it had a gorgeous view of the city below. The faint glow of the avengers tower was in the distance, and this was when you started to wonder what it would be like to live there. Bucky decided it was time to celebrate the victory of suppressing the loud neighbors finally, and all of you held your drinks up in cheers, “Here’s to the peaceful nights to come!” A chorus of cheers rang out, and then Bucky added onto his speech, “Also let’s take this time to appreciate how badass Y/n is!” Another cheer rang out, and you all smiled and took a sip of the beer.

Chapter Text

“If anyone asks, I’ve been here the whole time.” Bucky had his back pressed against the wooden door that led into your apartment. He was panting and his hair was slightly pressed to his forehead, despite it being fall and quite chilly out. Never in your life had you seen Bucky pant this way, or Steve for that matter from their super soldier serum perks. The current scene in your bedroom was you in your usual Saturday night attire, and a glass of wine on your bed side table. It’s not like you lived in the tower either, but down the road and around the corner. Of course all of your teammates knew where you lived, it was luxury apartment (payed for by Tony) and you occasionally had dinner at your place. But this wasn't a night you had dinner at your apartment, and here Bucky was, after letting himself in apparently.

You pushed yourself up into a sitting position on the bed, and asked, “What the hell are you doing here?” Bucky wasn't exactly “close” with you, but the two of you had a grand old time doing nothing during training, while pretending you were. Steve was more of a closer friend, so you guessed this is why Bucky felt like coming to you with his issue, “Also, how did you get into my apartment?” You furrowed your brows at him after asking with a bite. While asking, he began walking into your bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Instead of responding, he flipped the light off and started to make his way toward your bed. Bucky quickly jumped under the sheets with you, “No time to ask questions, make your hair frizzy.” After he rushed that sentence out, he threw his shirt across the room to make it look like some extra curricular activities were going on. It took an extra minute for you to realize what was happening, but by then he had pulled you to his chest and let out a sigh. The sound of your front door aggressively swinging open and smacking the wall next to it made your skin crawl, but having Bucky right next to you did ease the thought for a moment.

“What did you do?” you asked in a hushed whisper, nervous about the answer that was practically hanging out of Bucky’s mouth.

Before he could get a fake answer out, your bedroom door swung open as well. A very angry, panting Natasha Romanoff was standing in the doorway taking in the scene in front of her. Her hair was dripping wet onto her shoulders, and her shirt seemed to be soaking up the moisture all the way down her back. There was something wild in her eyes that you knew no one could tame, so you decided to wait for her to speak. Her chest was heaving, and she finally growled, “Barnes, I’m going to kill you.” That was never a sentence you wanted to hear with your name tagged on the end of it, that you knew for sure. Natasha was one of the scariest people you had ever come across, but so was the Winter Soldier who just so happened to be laying in the bed next to you.

Bucky took a deep breath as if he was about to respond, and you cut him off, “Listen, we were just about to…fondue…so if you could give us a little privacy.” Bucky had his arms around you in a very lover-like embrace, which was new for you. Your cheeks tugged upwards into a fake smile in attempt to convince the black widow.

Nat wasn't going to leave that easy, she wasn't born yesterday. “Why does y/n have her reading glasses on if you guys are about to do it?” She leaned her head to the left, and squinted her eyes just to show how much she was onto your shit. Natasha’s wrath was not something you wanted to be in the middle of, so you kept your mouth shut and let Bucky do the talking.

“She likes to see the details on my face.” Bucky said, and had that damn smirk on his face. It seemed like an eternity before anything else changed, maybe it was the fact that Bucky had his warm body pressed against your back that made everything go in slow motion. Just as you were thinking this, Nat contorted her face in disgust, decided that it was time for her to go, and stomped her way out the door.

However, Bucky stayed right where he was. You rolled over on your side to face the man beside you, “Don’t you have somewhere to be, Buck?”

The shit-eating grin returned to his face, “Nope.” It was the first time you had been really close to Bucky, and you had to admit that his blue eyes were more welcoming than you’d imagined. “Plus, I don’t want Widow killing me in my sleep back at the tower.” His hands were still on your hips, and you couldn't say it out loud, but you didn't mind it as much as you thought you would in the beginning.

“Fine, you can stay here, but you're taking me to lunch tomorrow.” A smile graced your face as well, “Ya’ know, for covering for you.” You tapped his nose with your pointer finger, and rolled back over to plug your phone in and take another sip of wine.

Bucky got himself comfortable by taking over half of the bed, and before finally drifting off to sleep he said, “It’ll be my pleasure, doll.”

Chapter Text

Bartending all night, every night at the most well-known club in the entirety of New York City makes for absolutely fantastic experiences, exactly how it should be. Alcohol plus stupid ideas equals gut-bustingly hilarious incidents. What makes that even better is when people who are regarded as celebrities are the ones who have the stupid ideas. There already had been a few encounters with celebrities that you were graced with, but they weren't the a-list ones you could tell great stories about.

Until one Tuesday night, you saw the door open. In walked a very distraught looking Tony Stark, with burn holes in his white shirt, and no shoes on. Everything about this scene looked to you like some serious shit was about to happen, but he simply limped over to where you were standing behind the bar. He pulled a stool out for himself, and plopped down before resting on his elbows on the bar. People obviously knew who he was, but luckily it wasn't that packed since it was only Tuesday. There was only one of the other bartenders on shift that night, and she was nowhere to be seen.

So, you were all by your lonesome when you had to decide whether to approach the Avenger or not. “Sir,” you started, “Can I help y-”

“I need a chocolate volcano with a pile of whipped cream and an extra splash of brandy. Please.” he cut you off, and threw a wad of bills down on the counter next to you. Tony shut his eyes, and dropped his head hard onto the bar.

Your eyes widened for a second, and then narrowed in confusion, “Uh, hey. Hey, man.” You softly tapped Tony on his shoulder, trying to get his attention. The scents of smoke and alcohol emanating from him were overwhelming. Tapping proved ineffective, so you resorted to gently smacking him instead.

The thought of violently shaking him crossed your mind, that was until he snapped his head up and looked around, eyes landing on you, "Didn't I order a chocolate volcano?" It was Tony's turn to narrow his eyes in confusion.

"Um, yeah. Yeah you did. But here's the thing," you started. "I have no idea what a chocolate volcano is, I think you got the wrong bar in mind." you shrugged, smacking him on the shoulder and turned to walk away and serve a more lucid customer that had just walked in. It wasn't abnormal to turn down customers who were way past their limit, but this was just strange.

Tony reached his hand out and grazed your arm, "Wait, wait." This caused you to shoot your customer across the bar an apologetic grin, silently promising to come soon. You turned on your heel, yet again, and faced him. "Can I just have the tallest glass you can find full of whiskey, then?" his big, brown, puppy dog eyes looked directly into yours, making you melt a little inside. They were weirdly hypnotizing. It took a moment, but you were brought out of your brief trance by the overwhelming scent of alcohol, coming from Tony.

"You know, I think you've had enough alcohol tonight, Mr. Stark." you crossed your arms and smirked. "Can I get you anything else? Like a soda, or some bread-"

"You know," Tony cynically said those two words, and cocked his head to the side to read your name tag. "Y/n, I don't think you should worry about how much alcohol I've had tonight." He copied your smirk and made intense eye contact with you for a solid minute, there was something more than drunken stupor to them than he was letting on.

It was your turn to fire back, "Well, it’s apart of my job to worry. How about a burger? Or, I don't know, anything that isn't alcohol?"

Tony still hadn't taken his eyes off of you. It was starting to make you blush, so you shuffled around behind the bar, looking at anything but Tony. But he was too quick, and caught your attempt to look away, "Why don't we make it a date?" he said, catching you completely off guard. You slowly leaned on the bar, thinking you must have misheard him.

"I'm sorry?" you froze. He didn't just ask you on a date, did he?

Tony shrugged. "Why don't you come get something non-alcoholic with me?" he shot you a flirty smirk, his trademark it seemed. This was the first time you had been in first hand contact with Stark, and it was going better than you ever could've imagined it.

A blush crept into your cheeks as you thought about the possibility of a date, which then led to you having to suppress a giggle too. "Only because the offer is so appealing." you gave Tony a side glance, noting the fumes of alcohol radiating off of him, the various holes of his white t-shirt, and lack of shoes. Honestly, he was an attractive man. That wasn't a secret to anybody, which is why you accepted the offer. "When would said date be, exactly?"

"Whenever, I’m always free when someone as attractive as you calls me." Tony nonchalantly lowered his gaze and smiled to himself, then looked hopefully back up at you. He shoved his hand into his jean pocket and pulled out a tattered business card that read 'Stark Industries', scribbled a phone number on it, and handed it to you. "Call me when you feel like taking me up on that."

"Sure thing." you stopped trying to hide your blushing and wide smile and Tony began walking out of the bar. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed the wad of cash Tony had pulled out earlier in the evening still resting in the bar-top. You tried to yell to him to let him know that he left it, but he had a simple response.

"Keep it. It's your tip for being such a fantastic bartender." Tony shot you a genuine smile as he stood up from the bar, and started limping away. As you pocketed the cash, you rolled your eyes and turned away, beaming. That smile would stay like that for the rest of your shift, and all the way through your date the next day.

Chapter Text

It was like clockwork every night, the person in the apartment next door would take a long shower at 3 am and drop everything they possibly could. You didn't know if they were just a class A klutz, or if they were purposely trying to wake everyone up in the damn building. Occasionally you could hear them singing along to whatever music was playing in their bathroom as well. Although you hadn't met the man living there, you saw the luxurious furniture the movers brought in just a few months prior when he first moved there. You were lucky enough that your parents owned the apartment before you did, or else the rent would have been through the roof. Being pretty close to times square, you knew it could be anyone from a college student with rich parents or a celebrity that had moved in next door.

So instead out out-right confronting the person next door in fear of whoever it was living there; you tried everything from banging on the wall while they were showering, to dropping your own things while they were doing the same next door. Nothing worked. But you were damned if you let this 3 am shower thing go on for any longer. So instead of making yourself look decent, you stomped right over to your neighbor's apartment once you heard the shower shut off. Considering the fact that it was the middle of the night, you didn’t bother changing from your tee shirt and workout shorts. So it was an interesting picture of you angrily walking towards your neighbor's front door, and with the messiest hair possible.

After a few sturdy raps on the wooden door, it swung open. As soon as you saw your neighbor standing there, you regretted coming over looking as crazy as you did.

Steve Rogers stood there, towel clinging onto his hips for dear life, and nothing else on him but droplets of water from the shower. He had a few scrapes on his chest, and a small bruise on the left side of his face. It took a moment to remember why you were there in the first place, but then you hardened your face, “Listen, I think it’s great you’re an avenger, but you need to stop showering at 3 am.” You said and pretended to rub your face from being sleepy, but you were really trying not to look at his abs. He seemed shocked that you were standing in front of him, but it quickly turned to laughter from the man in front of you. “Why are you laughing?” You practically growled back at him.

“Sorry,” Steve had just a smile left on his face, “I’ve never actually had anyone besides the team tell me what to do, everyone just tiptoes.” He paused for a moment, “Do you want to come in, and maybe have some tea? I can explain all the noise while we’re at it.” Something about the offer from Steve Rogers was too good to ever turn down.

You hesitated for a moment out of politeness, but it was not like you were going to be able to get any more sleep once you returned to your own apartment. So you nodded, “Sure.” Steve let you in, and you sat on the leather couch in the front while you waited for him to get dressed. As you waited, you looked around at the simplistic apartment that he lived in. Everything was dark mahogany wood apart from the TV and kitchen appliances, and it seemed to fit him for some odd reason. Steve reappeared rather fast, and was now wearing basketball shorts and a loose tank-top. You had to admit, all you could think about was how hot he looked when he came and sat down next to you on the couch.

“So what is the problem, Miss neighbor?” Steve asked with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, which seemed like a rare thing for spangly-pants Captain America. You’d only ever seen interviews of his on tv, and it kind of felt like a dream sitting in front of him in his own apartment at that moment. But you were still there for a purpose.

You sat up straight and hugged your knees to your chest, attempting to get comfortable, “Well, I enjoy my sleep and you tend to always wake me up.” You paused, and tilted your head, “Do you even know how much stuff you drop?”

Steve let out a hearty laugh once again, which made you smile as well. He lifted his head back up, “I’m sorry I’m little shaky when I get home from training, Natasha tends to kick my ass full size. Our training tends to run a little late when we have a mission coming up.” You yawned while you nodded, letting him know you were listening. “I’ve seen you around here, why haven’t you said anything before?”

You perked up, “Well I had been trying other methods but they didn't really work, but I’ve been a little curious as to who lived over here.” You said with a faint smile still on your face. It was good that you got your thoughts out, and you hoped that Steve would chill with the late showers now. You couldn't help but notice how similar the layout of Steve’s apartment was to yours, except his was way more cleaner than yours. It also made you wonder why he didn't have his apartment in the avengers tower like the rest of them. But, you didn’t want to stay past your welcome, “I think it’s past my bedtime, it was nice meeting you Steve.”

So with those thoughts in mind you made your way towards the front door, but Steve’s hand caught your elbow before you could leave, “Hey, maybe I can take you to dinner to make up for all the times I disturbed your sleep,” he stuttered for a moment, “Or maybe even to meet the Avengers.” Steve looked at you with hope in his eyes. It was rare for him to ever ask anyone out, and you knew this was his special way of doing so.

“That’d be nice, Steve Rogers.” You did a mock salute, which earned a hearty laugh from him. Turning away on your heel, you headed back to your own apartment, but before you got inside you yelled out, “I can’t wait to meet Black Widow!”

Chapter Text

The sunlight was warm on your face as you stepped out of the car that your husband had been driving, and you could hear the waves not far off in the distance. Steve was on the other side of the car getting the bags and chairs for the beach, and you were grabbing the baby and putting the red, white and blue hat on her. Even though it was his birthday, he still insisted on getting everything while you took care of the baby and her stuff. It was one of the best beach days you and the team could hope for, considering it was July 4th and only low 80s. The slightly cooler weather also meant less people on the beach to be creepy with the whole team there. A few other black SUVs pulled up on either sides of your car, and you recognized your teammates getting out. All of them were wearing their patriotic gear for the celebration of not only the Fourth of July, but your husband's birthday.

Natasha was radiating beautifully as she and Bucky got out of their car, and gathered their things. You held your baby girl in your arms and became grateful for Steve having already put sunscreen on her back at home, since it would’ve been a fuss at the beach. She looked so cute in her little strawberry colored one piece, and her blonde hair looked just like Steve’s in the bright sun. By the time you were done putting her hat on and gathering your things from the front seat, everyone and their families were ready to walk onto the beach. You made sure that you grabbed Steve’s present from the glovebox and put it in the diaper bag to give to him later.

It hadn’t been long since you had the baby, only a few months. But the team hadn’t all been together in a few weeks since a much needed vacation was in the works, so it was nice to see all their smiling faces again. Nat was walking right beside you in the sand, chatting about how she and Bucky went to Alaska for 2 weeks. It was sweet to see the two of them finally happy again, and relaxing to the best of their ability. Nat had become your best friend when you moved into the tower after Steve came to the conclusion it was safer for you to live with him. She remained by your side when you got married to Steve, and then again when you had your child.

Steve was a little bit behind the group with the two beach chairs over his right shoulder, and umbrella in his left hand. Tony was already ahead of the group with Pepper, scoping out the beach with Clint and his clan. Everyone was setting up their beach chairs once they reached the mid point to the water and from the dunes. Steve smiled as he approached, albeit a minute behind since he was trying to get everything from the car. The umbrella came in handy since the baby couldn’t be out in too much sun, and it provided nice shade for you to be able to watch everyone come in and out of the water.

It was heaven on earth; all of your best friends and their families playing so happily right in front of you. Steve sat down in the beach chair next to yours, and you could see that he was taking in the people around him. It was a force of habit to scan the area, and now especially since he had you as his beautiful wife with your beautiful daughter.

“Baby, why don’t you relax? It’s your birthday,” After leaning over and kissing his cheek, you continued, “Plus I think that group of people down there-” You pointed at the group of out of place looking men standing by the concession stand, “Are shield agents, Tony probably hired them knowing you were going to be all uptight.” Steve smiled at your realization, and let out a laugh that made a smile come to your face.

You figured it would be a good time to grab his birthday present from the diaper bag, since you had a few moments alone with him before any more of the celebrations that night. The small box covered in patriotic wrapping paper made Steve smile, and he gratefully started to open it. It was a medium sized box which contained a vintage camera, and a sketch pad. Steve opened it, disposing of the wrapping in the extra bag you’d brought for trash before digging into the present.

Immediately his face lit up at the two presents that were in the box, all he had talked about for the past few months was wanting to get a sketchbook so he could finally start drawing again. “Thank you, honey.” Steve kissed your lips for a moment, and the both of you took in the moment. There was nothing in the world like being with the love of your life, your child, and family all at the same time, it made your heart overflow with love. But the moment was cut off by a call from down in the water, Bucky was calling Steve to come and swim for a bit. Steve kissed your lips once more and made his way down the beach.

That night, Tony had a big celebration at his beach house. This festival of sorts included a beautifully made family dinner, a bonfire, lots of drinking, and Tony the dumbass lighting off fireworks. Despite the illegality of it all, the neighbors all came out of their own giant houses to watch the show. All the girls stayed inside with you and the baby while the drunk idiots were playing with explosives outside, but you were still able to see the colorful fireworks through the many windows of the mansion. Pepper kept running outside every few minutes to make sure no one blew their fingers or their faces off, and she would return with a new story each time. They all took turns holding the baby, and your daughter was loving every second of attention.

Everyone finally settled down at midnight, and you had put the baby to bed an hour prior. Steve was more than happy to get in bed with you, and just hold you in his arms, and the two of you smelled like firewood from the bonfire that went on for way too long. Being pressed against his chest with his arms around you always felt like home. It was quiet for a long time, and you thought that maybe he fell asleep, but he finally shifted a little bit and kissed the top of your head. Steve’s also whispered in a low tone hoping not to wake up the baby, “Thank you for an amazing birthday, I love you baby.”

You smiled up at your husband in the dark room, and whispered back, “I love you more.”

Chapter Text

A buzz from your phone was what woke you from the most perfect nap, and it was already a shitty start to the rest of the day. The screen was entirely too bright for your fresh eyes, and it took a moment to adjust to the iphone in front of you. There was a text from Natasha about a half hour prior to your findings, that said they all had went out to dinner and that she’d bring back a burger. They all knew waking you up from your nap after training was a horrible idea ever since the one time you punched Clint for waking you up. So you smiled knowing you’d have the whole floor to yourself, and decided to make a drink and sit on the balcony. Being out there while the sun was setting was spiritual, and you were happy to have a few minutes alone.

The kitchen was dimly lit, and you could see someone’s shadow cast across the tile floor as you approached from the hall. “Hello?” you called out, and you could see the person’s shadow jump. As you rounded the corner you came to notice it was just Bucky, the fairly new person to the team. It’s not like you had an issue with him, but you hadn’t really clicked with him yet. The only reason the two of you had to speak was from missions, other than that he kept to himself. You knew it was only since he was terrified of messing up his clean record with the team, so he only hung out with Steve.

Bucky turned around and smiled in your direction, “Looks like they left us, were you asleep too?” He asked, and pulled himself up to sit on the island. The dim light really made his beautiful blue eyes stand out, and you stared at him for a moment before moving towards the fridge.

You laughed in hopes of covering up your slight staring, “Yeah Natasha kicked my ass this morning, I showered and got in bed.” There were a few beers left in the fridge from the little party the avengers had the previous week, which you grabbed with a smile on your face. Bucky also had a beer in his hand, and you had found out at the party that despite not being able to get drunk he still liked to knock a few beers back.

“That is her specialty,” Bucky laughed once more, and then continued, “Well, uh, I know we haven’t really been formally introduced. But I’m sure you know who I really am.” He had a hint of sadness in his voice, but he was right about you knowing him. Everyone in the tower was aware when he first arrived not only because he was the winter soldier, but because the doctors hadn’t cleared his mental check until a few days prior. The doctors also realized it was better for him to be with the group then separated.

After taking a sip of your beer, you asked, “Why don’t we go sit on the patio, and get to know each other a little better than just names?” Bucky nodded his head, and the two of you walked to the glass doors that led out to the patio. You noticed he was such a quiet walker while he was behind you, it was almost as if he wasn’t even there. But you chalked it up to the whole stealthy assassin training, Natasha was the exact same way. There was a couch and a few cushioned chairs to choose from, and you decided on the couch after Bucky pulled a chair up next to it. The sun was an hour from fully descending down past the horizon, so it was the perfect time to be out there. You initiated the conversation by asking Bucky what his favorite part of living in the tower was, and he had quite the answer.

“The thing about this tower is that everyone here is family, and everyone welcomed me with open arms. Sure I was terrifying at first, but everyone didn’t treat me like a hurt puppy.” Bucky squinted a little bit as he was talking, but he maintained eye contact. “This group of people brought me in and helped me become the person I want to be and have wanted to be for years now, which is free.” Those last few words held a certain weight, and it hung in the air for a few moments. You nodded slowly at him, showing you understood. After a few minutes, you explained your own story, which was that you had been recruited for accidentally showing your powers in public. This made Bucky laugh, especially since it was ironic that you were just trying to help an old lady across the street when your powers had popped up. “What do you like about living here?” He finally asked.

You took another sip of your beer, and leaned back into the couch, “The training and the missions, it just really makes me feel like I have a purpose in the world.” It’s true, you felt like you were lost ever since you graduated college and went on with a waitressing job for a few years. But then the team came in like the saviors they are, and here you were in the most expensive building in New York. “Plus, it’s not bad seeing the guys shirtless every once in awhile.” You paused, then decided to be bold, “You’re not too bad on the eyes, Barnes.”

Bucky laughed, “Neither are you, y/n.” A blush settled on your cheeks, and you smiled in his direction. There was a comfortable silence between the two of you for a few minutes, and you realized that you left your phone inside. But the only people who would be texting is the team and you were sure they would be enjoying some down time. Bucky’s voice cut through the silence, “Y’know, your prank on Steve would’ve went better if you had only closed the door a little more. He only knew something was up because he makes sure he closes his door in the morning before training.” He remembered back to the week before when you had attempted to get Steve back for his antics, which made you laugh and agree with his new method.

“We should come up with a better plan, maybe we can meet up sometime this week after training?” You absentmindedly took a sip of your drink as you awaited an answer from the man sitting next to you. A slight nod from his head was enough confirmation for your evil meeting sometime in the upcoming week. The sun was now set in the distance, and a slight breeze had picked up. The two of you knew it was coming time to go inside, but something kept the two of you out there just chatting away.

Bucky suddenly stood up from his seat, and held a hand out for you as he spoke, “Since the team left us, I say we go on an adventure.” A smirk played on your lips, and you set down the half finished bottle of beer on the glass table. Nothing in the world sounded better than an adventure with Bucky Barnes.

“Where to first?”

Chapter Text

Bucky glanced back over his shoulder as he reached the door handle, but he rested his metal hand against the wood as he heard your feet patter down the hallway. You immediately noticed his other hand was shaking at his right side, something which was very unusual for the normally cool demeanored assassin. His eyes were cast down at the floor in front of where you were standing with your arms across your chest, and a grimace splayed on your face. The shirt you “borrowed” from him came down to your mid thighs, but it was crinkled up from how tightly you were holding your arms against your body. The ringing in your ears was roaring, it was louder than the pain ebbing in your heart.

Finally his rough voice cut through the deafening silence, “You only know what I want you to.” He took a shaky breath after the statement, as if it explained everything. The past 24 hours had been a whirlwind, you had thought at one point that the two of you were going to conquer the world together. But it all changed when he realized who he was. To you, it didn't matter what he had done in his past life, you knew he was meant to be with you no matter what he had done.

“Bucky-” you called out from your spot in the kitchen of your apartment, “I already know how this is going, but you can’t just walk away when things get tough.” Your voice came out as a plea almost - a plea for him to stay. But it’s not like you were going to reach out anymore, he was beginning to become the poison.

But your love was the wine.

“It’s no secret that your hands can heal,” You thought back to when the both of you met the first time, and now it was like a sappy movie gone wrong. “And your hands can bruise.” You whispered, “Bucky you can't just leave like this, I know you’re confused-”

Bucky had heard enough, and began to turn the doorknob on the way out of your life. Having no love and no life for over 50 years damaged his heart beyond repair. Bucky didn't know whether to stay with you and risk everything, or just flee and let you live life to the fullest. What he didn't understand was that your take on living to the fullest was living life with him, through thick and thin. After taking a step over the threshold, Bucky spoke once more, “I don't have a choice, but I'd still choose you.”

It was like he ripped your heart out and shot it into a million pieces, but there was nothing that could be done. All that was left was a small plea from you. “I don’t love you,” your voice caught in your throat, tears finally spilling down your cheeks, “But I always will.”

But he was already gone.

Chapter Text

The lamp next to your bed flicked on, which caused you to stir under the warmth of your sheets. Carpet could be heard under shuffling feet, and it was all too familiar as you opened your sleep coated eyes. “Pack yourself a toothbrush, baby.” A gentle smile on Bucky’s face, and you brought a pillow over your head. “C’mon, if we don't leave this town, we might never make it out.” Bucky crouched down next to your bed, and brushed his thumbs over your cheeks. This motion made your eyes open with finality, you already knew how this was going. With a deep sigh, you sat up and stretched your tired joints.

It seemed this movement was enough to tell Bucky you would go with him on his midnight adventure, once again.

By now, he knew the drill when you finally moved your tired body out of the comfort of your bed. You sleepily walked to the bathroom to go pee, and grab the necessities out of there. Bucky went on to grab you whatever clothes were needed from your drawers for his new trip that he had planned out in his head. The bond you had between each other was unbreakable, and this meant he could even pick your underwear out for you. Although it wasn't an “official” relationship, everyone knew that you were together in every way possible. Labeling only made Bucky scared of what could be taken from him, so you complied with his comfort zone. When you were finally done packing the toiletries, Bucky was already through with packing your clothes and he had a shit grin on his face. “Leave a note on your bed,” He then added with a chuckle, “Let Steve know we’re safe.”

With a smile on your own face, you scribbled onto a stray piece of paper from your nightstand about the little adventure you were about to embark in. It was at this time you finally looked at the clock to see what time it was this trip around, and it was only 2 am. Bucky had already brought you along on a few other trips, but none were this early. The reasons were always different, whether he had found new bars in Virginia, or a little log cabin in Vermont that he simply wanted to be at with you, and only you. But this time, it seemed like he just wanted to get out of town. Lately he had been having a hard time with new agents giving him a hard time about his past, not like he cared about their opinion, but memories flooded back awfully fast. So you were his remedy, and leaving town was his way of gaining access to that remedy.

So as the two of you rode the elevator down to the parking garage, Bucky’s right hand found it’s way into your left hand, and a blush crept up into your cheeks. It was funny how he still made you feel like there was a million butterflies in your stomach, even with his small romantic gestures. This thought drifted through your mind as you walked hand in hand with Bucky to his car, only to let go when you climbed into the passenger's seat. You still weren't sure as to why he decided on such an early trip, but you know deep inside that Bucky would do anything for you so waking up early wasn't that big of a deal. The back of the car contained the both your’s and Bucky’s bags, plus some snacks that he must’ve packed for the long trip ahead.

-

Thankfully, you were able to fall asleep for a few more hours with the exception of waking up from Bucky’s loud singing to the radio. Those were the moments you lived for, seeing Bucky at his happiest, with no fears and all heart. His long black hair was tucked behind his ears, and eyes focused on the road ahead despite his mind being on the lyrics of the Donna Summer song coming through the speakers. With a smile on your face, you looked back out the window to try and recognize where you were at. You couldn’t even see the sky, it was pitch black except the headlights illuminating the paved road ahead of the car. Although it made your heart jump into your throat, you decided it was best to go back to sleep and let the rest of the trip go wherever Bucky wanted it to go.

A few more hours went by, and your eyes fluttered open once more. The car was parked on the side of a road that wasn't too busy, and Bucky was leaning against the front of the car watching the sun rise over the mountains in the distance. The view made you gasp, it was more stunning than anywhere you had been on a mission with the avengers. Slowly but surely, you unbuckled your seatbelt and opened the door to join Bucky at the front of the car. You kept the blanket tight around your shoulders as the chilly fall air whipped your hair around. Bucky had turned around to see the sight of you getting out of the car like the damn nook of the north. The handsome man held his right arm up for you to slide underneath of, and a smiled crossed your face at the gesture. You looked back up at the sunrise ahead, the sky was streaked with purples and pinks so vibrant it made you squint.

“Bucky, decide on me,” You mumbled, wrapping your arms around Bucky’s torso, “Decide on us.” Something about being there with Bucky in this far off place made your heart want more than just a “thing” with him. You wanted him to be yours and only yours, and you also knew that was what Bucky deserved. The two of you had been through more than any regular person could survive, it was time you got what you wanted.

After a few moments of silence and eyes being glued to the horizon, Bucky spoke up, “Baby, I want to let you know something.” You turned to look him in the eye, and he kept his focused ahead, “I love you more than anything in this world, and if you want to go steady with me, then-”

A laugh had bubbled up into your throat, and Bucky looked at you shocked, “I-I’m sorry, but you don't have to say ‘going steady’ anymore,” You continued to giggle, “Just say I'm your girlfriend, you old man.”

He continued to look pensively off into the distance for what felt like years, and you kept your smiling eyes on him. Then Bucky cracked the biggest smile that seemed like it was going to tear his face into two, he turned his gaze to you. “Fine. You're my girlfriend, and I love you more than anything in this world.”

Chapter Text

The intensity of the summer sun and the gentle sway of the waves instantly set your mind at ease, so it was needless to say the beach was your favorite place to be. As a child, your memories of going to the beach with your family felt like the greatest time in your life. The only thing preventing you from going every weekend was that you didn’t particularly like showing yourself off in a bathing suit. Especially when you were with the earth’s mightiest and most beautiful heroes. You were completely self conscious about whether the people around you were silently judging your body, or even being compared to the beautiful people you were surrounded with. It didn't matter how many times you told yourself, or how many times your best friend Natasha told you that you looked amazing. Nothing stopped the constant stream of horrid thoughts about yourself as you had a bathing suit on.

So when your "housemates", also known as the Avengers, announced that they were all spending the day at the beach and insisted you come along, you panicked. There was a full blown anxiety attack was on the horizon, but you managed to calm down a little bit by the time you walked to your room. Hoping the weather would turn sour did not do anything, since it was beautiful outside a not a cloud could be seen in the sky for miles. Maybe some outrageous villain from the depths of nowhere would magically start terrorizing the city immediately and the Avengers would need to assemble. You kept hoping and hoping for a way out of this, but within the hour your phone was buzzing with messages from Nat saying she was headed toward your room.

"Nat, I'm not sure I can do this," an almost whine came out of your mouth as she entered your room. She seemed to understand your worries, since Nat had scars of her own that she didn't like to have on display for any and everyone to see. But she found her own ways to cope, you just wished they worked for you.

"Relax, Y/n.” Nat put her hand on your shoulder, “I'll let you borrow one of my suits, and I’ll make sure you look more than just hot." She attempted to reassure you once more, “C’mon, I promise it’ll be fun.” You followed her to her room and sat on her bed while she pulled out a pile of mismatched bikini tops, bottoms, and swim shorts from the bottom drawer of her dresser.

Natasha started separating the bottoms from the tops and laying them out, “Any of these cute to you?” The pile was daunting, considering most of the stuff looked like it would only fit Natasha, and maybe a barbie doll. However, there was a turquoise top with gold beads at the ends of the string straps that caught your eye, and without saying a word you grabbed it and picked out the matching bottoms.

With a heavy sigh, you shuffled into the bathroom and prayed that the bathing suit would bring some sort of magical solution to help put your mind to ease.

-

Natasha parked as close as possible to the wooden boards that made up the path to the beach, and the two of you waited in the air conditioning for everyone else to arrive as well. Slowly, but surely, the Avengers showed up in their various cars. The sun beat down on you as you got out, and you pulled your black shades over your eyes. The cover-up you chose came down to your ankles, and you were happy since your stomach and legs weren't your favorite body parts to just be showing off. You pouted at the thought of taking off the cover up.

"Lady Y/n!" Thor bellowed as he marched up to you, he then proceeded to throw you over his shoulder. "You needn't be sad! We shall build sand castles and swim in the waves!" He must’ve seen the look on your face, and you laughed loudly as he stomped his whole way to the sand. The team simply laughed and let Thor continue on with his loud self. It turned out that the sand was hot as hell, so you were glad to be over Thor’s shoulder and not getting blisters all over the bottom of your feet. You lifted your head up and squinted to see who had come along, and your heart skipped a beat when you saw Bucky in a loose white t shirt, and swim trunks with a red and black pattern.

Natasha’s voice caught your attention, “Did anyone grab umbrellas and chairs?” A smile tugged at your cheeks from her motherly tone while talking to the group.

"Got em'!" Steve exclaimed, he was super excited because it was the first time he had been to the beach since he was a kid. Bucky was right with him in that department, since it was rare he ever did anything outside the forced missions from Hydra. An overwhelming feeling of gratefulness for this bunch of idiots came over you. But still you couldn't get over the nagging feeling in your gut that you were the odd one out in the bunch of super soldiers, a god, and some amazing assassins.

Natasha and Clint set their stuff down so fast, and practically sprinted down to the water. Their feet had been burning so bad, it pushed them to run it out. Soon enough they were splashing each other in the clear blue water and Thor was getting ready to join them. You found yourself wandering around the team’s little area, but then you saw a certain someone sitting under a very rainbow umbrella.

You didn’t even feel that you were staring at him, but Bucky’s voice cut through your trance, “You don't like the sun either, Y/n?” He pointed to your ankle-length cover up.

With a shrug and a short walk, you joined him in the shade, “Just don't like what's under the cover up.” Bucky looked genuinely surprised and looked you over. You figured it was best to stop him before he even tried, “I don't know, I just-”

"Y/n." Bucky looked at you and flashed a million dollar smile, then shifted his eyes back to the waves. “You’re actually stunning, you know that right?”

No matter how sweaty and hot you already were, your cheeks still flared up at his comment. “That's nice of you, just something to get rid of the complaining girl?" You let out a breathy laugh. It wasn’t usual for you to receive compliments from such a handsome man, so you were dying inside from your awkward response. No one had said anything that nice to you since the last time you went on a date before you joined the Avengers.

Bucky’s eyes returned to your face, "No, I genuinely think that you are amazing.” The signature playboy smile lit up his face once more, “I don't know why you're hiding your body when it's perfect to me, and everyone else here.”

After scooting a little closer to him in the sand, your eyes shifted from his eyes to his lips, and luckily he made the first move. Bucky's lips met with yours for a brief but passionate kiss that lasted shorter than you would have liked. He gave you a smirk that set your face on fire even more than it already was. You wiped it off with another kiss, slowly climbing on top of him and pressing his head into the sand. Bucky slowly reached his hand up and cupped your cheek, softly stroking it while he deepened the kiss. When you were finally out of breath, you pulled away from him and instantly hid your blushing face behind your hands. Though it didn't really matter because you had just made out with him on the sand, so he knew how you really feel about him.

"Did that prove my point that you're amazing?" he whispered in your ear.

You smiled and pulled your hands away from your cheeks and laughed, “Yeah, I guess so.” The rest of the day consisted of sitting on Bucky’s lap, kissing him, and listening to him telling you that you were beautiful every five minutes. Not to mention the fact that he started telling you stories from when he was a kid. But of course all good things couldn't last without shenanigans, considering the group you were with.

Natasha had finally noticed the two of you being together, and shouted from the water, "If you guys are gonna bang can you at least do it out of sight?” You and Buck couldn't help but laugh. You kissed one more time before heading down to the water to swim with the team, cover up free.

Chapter Text

The shared living room of the Avengers was an absolute wreck, and the stench of old food was intruding your nose before you even made it halfway down the hallway. Empty beer bottles were littered around the tables, not to mention all the clothes that were thrown over the couches. Sunlight was bouncing off of all the glass tables and bottles, making you squint as you turned to the kitchen where someone was already up and making food. It was one of the super soldiers, you could tell from the hoodie and stance at the coffee pot.

Once he turned around, Steve smiled at you and put his coffee to his lips before asking, “How ya feeling?” Of course he’d be the one to ask this, considering he could drink as much as he wanted at functions and never face the repercussions.

A sarcastic laugh escaped you, “Let’s just say I’m taking the day off from training, and I think everyone else is too by the looks of it.” You took another glance at the common room where the Avengers party occurred the previous night. Some events were flooding back to your mind, like the strip poker, body shots off of Thor, and even karaoke with Bucky. But there were some fuzzy spots that you were trying to ignore. “Can you help me with cleaning this shit? It smells like something died in here.” It was only 6AM, and you figured it would be better to clean now, then let everyone crawl their way to the couches. Steve nodded his head and set his coffee on the counter while he walked towards the mess with you.

There was a comfortable silence for a few minutes while you threw all the trash you could find into the bag you were holding, a few silent laughs were shared between the both of you over the contents of the trash you were finding. Then you noticed Steve staring at the coffee table, and you spoke up, “How come you didn’t just lift Mjolnir last night? I know you can.” He gently laughed, and then continued with throwing clothes into a laundry basket.

“How do you even know that? Besides, I didn’t want to hear Tony throw a fit about ‘how come Capsicle can lift it but not me’”? Steve shook his head, and continued to mumble under his breath general complaints about Tony’s attitude. It was true though, anything Cap could do made Tony feel like he had to be bigger, better, and faster.

Continuing to pick up empty wrappers that were stuck to the table, you explained, “I know because I am aware of your history, you’re more than worthy of picking it up.” You stopped and scrunched your face up, “Who the hell would just leave their dirty socks on the table? Probably Tony…” You trailed off once more, in fear that Steve was uncomfortable with the mighty hammer talk.

Steve plopped himself down on the couch, happy that it was now uncovered. He let out a breathy laugh, “I bet you could lift it if you tried, y/n,” He pointed, “Plus there’s a wrapper sticking out from underneath it.” The way he said it was almost a challenge, and you were never one to back down from challenges.

Sure everyone at the party last night dared you to, but that didn’t mean you were going to ruin Thor’s ego. But now that the only other person than Thor who could lift it dared you to, there was no way you were going to back down from the challenge. You stepped toward the end of the coffee table where Mjolnir was perched on top of magazines and trash. With your hand firmly wrapped around the handle, you gathered the courage to lift.

Mjolnir came up indeed, and your eyes widened at the hammer in your hand. For about 20 seconds fear ran through your body, until the hilarious thoughts began to race into your mind. Without even saying anything to Cap, you quickly shuffled over to the fridge and tied the leather handle of Mjolnir around the door handles, preventing anything from going in or out. Just the thought of all the hungover people expecting to get their snacks and gatorade, then being stopped by the magical hammer made you laugh as you wrapped the leather around the handles.

The two of you went about, and continued to clean in anticipation of the first victim making their way toward the kitchen. But when you saw the red hair poking out of a hoodie, your stomach dropped. Natasha was the last person in the compound you’d voluntarily prank since you knew how stern she was with getting to her food. So instead of saying anything, you got more into cleaning to avoid looking any type of suspicious. Natasha groaned when the sunlight finally hit her eyes, and she lightly padded over to the sink to fill a glass of water. Without even noticing the hammer, she then tried to pull the doors open.

“What the hell is going on with this fridge?” Natasha sounded more hostile than confused, until she stopped and tilted her head down to see Mjolnir placed around the handles. “Why the fuck is Thor's hammer stuck on the fridge?” she practically screamed.

Being nearly doubled over in laughter, Steve tried to avoid looking at you so he wouldn’t join in on the laughing fit. Natasha was too busy trying to move Mjolnir to even notice the two of you laughing, though. So when she finally did give up, she stormed over to the both of you and asked if you knew who did it.

“Go ask Clint, he might know considering he was the only one still awake past 3AM.” Steve motioned over his shoulder, and Nat quickly stomped away to go investigate. Doors could be heard slamming in the distance and you knew that there was going to be hell to pay.

While she went to figure out who was responsible for the nonsense, both you and Steve ran back to the fridge to move Mjolnir. You giggled as you lifted it and tried to decide the next hiding spot. Steve nodded his head toward the hallway, and you followed him before he pointed at the door handle for the bathroom. It was perfect since the handle was the type that had to be lifted up to open, so you quickly slipped the leather handle around the metal and scurried down the hall before anyone caught the both of you. So you plopped down onto the couch, legs propped onto Steve’s lap, and the both of you waited for the next round of chaos to ensue.

Chapter Text

“You’re my hallelujah.” Bucky slowly whispered, almost too quiet for you to hear. The moment that you were living in was drowning out any noise that came to your ears. Even the 6 AM news playing on the TV was just background noise. Your cheek was pressed against Bucky’s chest, and the rest of your body splayed on top of him. The rainy, lazy, sunday ritual was in full swing. There was no where else in the world that you would rather be, than in your brooklyn apartment, wearing your favorite sweats, and laying on top of your husband, James Barnes. Plus, he wasn’t too bad on the eyes.

You lifted your head up and looked at him with a crooked glance, “What was that?” Bucky had a tendency to talk quiet when he was thinking something through, but you just weren’t sure if you heard him right. Speaking his thoughts out loud was something of trouble to him, and you were more than happy to help him properly express what he was thinking.
His chuckle shook your body, and then he continued, “You got me touching heaven, baby.” Bucky moved his hand to rest on your cheek now, and was brushing his thumb over your cheekbone. A blush had risen to your cheeks, all while you were wondering where he got that phrase from. Thunder began rumbling in the distance, which only made you snuggle even closer to Bucky. The both of you were just hoping to get some more sleep before-

The peace was abruptly cut off by your bedroom door creaking open.

Over to your right, your 4 year old daughter began tugging on your shirt. “Mama, breakfast?” Her dark brown curls were all over the place, and you couldn’t help but laugh as you pulled her into bed with you. Now that you rolled the opposite side of the bed from Bucky, your daughter placed herself directly in the middle of you two. You could tell she was about to talk up a storm with the crazy look she had in her eyes, “Why is it so rainy outside?” She spoke up again, and was getting ready to start playing with Bucky’s hair.

“C’mere, babe, don’t pull on your dad’s hair.” You started to move out of bed, and grabbed your daughter’s hand so she wouldn’t start the day off on a bad foot.

But in a turn of events, Bucky groaned about the both of you getting out of bed way too early. So instead of going any further, the both of you plopped back down. “How about we lay in bed and watch cartoons all day?” Bucky smiled at the both of you, and pulled you both closer to his side while he picked up the remote.

You laughed and snuggled closer to your daughter, “Sounds good to me.”

Chapter Text

A scream ripped through your throat, and you knew that you had to have woken someone up in the Avengers compound. Sweat was causing your shirt to stick to your back, and hair to your forehead. But more than anything, you were happy to have escaped the nightmare that had you trapped for what felt like forever. As you stood up from your bed, you could feel yourself slightly wheezing. As usual, you found yourself walking towards the kitchen for a glass of water.

The stainless-steel filled kitchen was silent, with only the small light near the sink on.

Quiet footsteps approached from behind you, and with a quick glance you saw who it was tip-toeing down the dark hall. Your eyes met with Bucky’s, “Hey, Buck, why are you up?” You smiled politely, trying to hide the fact you were just crying.

“I was just about to ask you the same.” Bucky tilted his head as he asked, you noticed his hair was out of its usual bun.

You had to admit, he did look hot with only a tank top and some boxer shorts on. “I, uh, I had a bad nightmare, it’s been happening since we went and got you from Hydra. That mission was absolutely awful, but we got you out and that’s all that matters.” You murmured, and looked at the floor as you turned the faucet off.

Bucky took a second before he walked any closer to you, but then he took a few long strides and was very suddenly in front of you. His arms wrapped around you in the warmest embrace, that even your mother’s hugs couldn’t beat. Your forehead was resting on the middle of his warm chest, and his arms resting around your body. With how much taller he was compared to you, it was like a weight being taken off your shoulders during the hug. With your arms now around him, you let out a slow sigh that you’d been holding in.

“I get nightmares too, y/n,” Bucky whispered with his head now down on your shoulder. “Sometimes you just have to open up about them and have someone with you.” Bucky had Steve and Natasha, so it was easy for him to have a lot of people to open up to. You were still a newbie so you only rarely hung out with the group, but they were super friendly whenever there was ‘family bonding time’. Bucky and you stood there for a few moments, before he finally lifted his head, “Cmon, let’s get some sleep.”

His right hand took your much tinier one, and you shuffled behind him to your room. Bucky didn’t even bother flipping the light switch on, all the rooms in the Avengers tower were the same. It took a few seconds for him to navigate around the clothes you had laying on the floor, and you rolled onto your side of the bed. Bucky laid down next to you in your muddle of blankets, and he shifted before putting his arms around you. You didn’t hesitate at all before cuddling right up alongside of him.

-

“Where the hell is Bucky? Please don’t tell me something happened? Did you check the security cameras?” Steve was pacing in the shared living room of the Avengers. It had only been 2 months since the rescue mission that finally brought his best friend back, so it wouldn’t be out of scope for Hydra to have planned a mission for them to come get the winter soldier back. The other avengers were also worried, for their safety more than his, especially since Bucky had so many of their secrets now.

Natasha was sitting on the couch, “Well we can hear y/n snoring from out here, so maybe if we wake her up she can help us find him.” She got up from her spot on the couch and sauntered toward your door. Natasha jiggled the door handle, and took a step in to your room. It took her a second to register the picture of Bucky’s arms wrapped around your body, which was faced toward him and snuggled into his embrace. “Holy shit, no way!” she yelled, which caused you to stir.

All of the avengers came rushing over, in fear of a homicide that had happened while they were sleeping, but no such luck. Just Bucky and you snoring your asses off. Natasha and Clint took some pictures before they snuck off, and closed the door quieter than when she entered. After they tip-toed out, Bucky opened his eyes to make sure you were still asleep, and he took in your beautiful sleeping form. Happy with his discovery, he pulled you closer and went back to sleep.

Chapter Text

The smell of breakfast in the oven drifted in the air all throughout the Avenger’s compound, and it brought a smile to your face as you rounded the corner to the communal living room. But a blast of cold air brought you out of your bliss, and your eyes darted to the back door which was wide open on this winter’s morning. After pulling your sweatshirt sleeves over your hands, you were about to run to shut it, until you saw Bucky’s smiling face approaching from the woods, he was helping carry the stump of the tree that they had apparently just cut down. Behind him was Steve, who was carrying the fluffy part of the fir tree on his right shoulder. Of course, Tony was behind them not helping at all, and just yelling out commands as Cap approached the back door.

Luckily the door frames and ceilings were relatively high in the living room, because they just walked right inside with the tree and began setting it up. You finally closed the door for them and walked over to see what was really going on. After a few moments of watching Steve fluff it, and Bucky set up the stand for the stump, it finally clicked in your head, “Is this our family Christmas tree?” Everyone had been talking about getting one for weeks, and now that it was Christmas Eve, you figured they finally decided to get one from out back of the compound.

Tony’s face lit up, “Absolutely sweet-heart, blondie over here made sure we got the best of the best for the family.” He pointed at Steve, who was currently admiring the tall, beautifully green tree that was standing in front of him. You could tell that they’d spent quite a bit of time looking for the right tree, since even the super soldiers noses were red from the frosty air.

Finally having the Christmas tree in the compound was a present in itself, but then you got to thinking. After a few more moments of looking it up and down, you wondered out loud, “How the hell are we going to decorate the top of the tree?” The fir had to be at least 12 feet tall, and you weren’t going to be the one getting on the ladder. As the rest of the team began to wake up and join you in the living room, there was also chatter about how the decorating would occur. Until Vision came freely floating from the wall to his room, and the idea struck you like lightening. “Vision!” you were practically jumping up and down.

He turned his head and made a calculating glance at you, “Yes, Miss y/n?” For the next 10 minutes you went on about how you wanted him to decorate the tree. Everyone was thoroughly impressed with your plans, and you even showed him some pictures of your friends trees, which then he said, “Y/n, I am the internet, I’ve seen quite a few Christmas trees.” And with that laugh from everyone, he was off to the races.
-
With the tree finally done, you knew there was something that you all were forgetting to do. But you had to push it to the back of your mind as you went to the gym, to get that last workout in before you went on full vacation for the week. Bucky and Peter were both on the treadmills when you walked into the gym, and it brought a smile to your face seeing them hang out. Peter rarely got to be with the team because of school, so it was like he was always texting in the group chat but never really there except missions. It only made it harder that he saw Bucky and Steve as his older brothers. “Hey boys!” They both slowed down on the machines, and hopped off to come meet you near the weights. “What did you guys ask Tony for this year?”

The big joke around the compound was treating Tony like santa, considering he was the one with all the money. Peter lit up with excitement, and he started to ramble on about all the new features that he asked for in his updated suit. Plus he did ask for a shit ton of new video games, and a new computer. Bucky was more angry than happy about Christmas, considering Sam’s only gift to him was going to be WD40 for his metal arm. He didn’t ask for much from Tony, other than a new TV for his room. There may have been an incident when Sam snuck into Bucky’s room and tried to scare him, and Sam was thrown through the wall and TV.

So instead of wasting anymore time chit chatting, you got to working out with them and enjoying the afternoon before the real shenanigans began.

Chapter Text

Whenever new mission prospects came in, the Avengers took careful consideration of picking the right people for the specific needs of the mission. Fury set up large meetings for the team to discuss who would go on them, and the plans for when you got there. It took certain skill sets for a job, and you were lucky enough to be needed on almost every mission since you were the eyes from above. The previous job you had of being a sniper for the CIA had gotten Fury’s attention, which then lead Natasha to come recruit you while you were on the job. There had been some rumors that you worked with the Winter Soldier at some point, but you weren’t going to comment on that without Bucky’s permission. However, you were a key part in his rescue mission, which then lead to you becoming best friends with Steve and Bucky.

A few months after the successful mission in which the Winter Soldier was brought ‘home’, he began training with the team on a normal basis. Slowly but surely, he started joining everyone at meal time, and even coming to team parties. Although he was still relatively quiet, everyone noticed that he talked the most and worked the best when it was only you and Steve interacting with him. Everyone also noticed that Bucky had a certain glimmer in his eyes whenever you walked into the room, but that was left unsaid. After a few missions with just the three of you, the people on the news and on social media called the three of you “The A-team”, much like the tv show. It was pretty badass, considering the boys felt you were the leader of the small group when put on missions together. They knew and respected the fact that you were the one watching their backs from above, and coming up with backup plans if all hell broke loose. When it was smaller missions, you followed up the group and watched everyone’s backs.

This was all swirling in your mind as you sat down at the dining table to have lunch with the team. Natasha was telling stories about the times she pranked Clint, and how he attempted to get her back but he only fell deeper into her traps once again. The previous 2 weeks were pretty bland since there were no missions, and everyone was going borderline stir crazy. But you knew that down time always came to an abrupt end, and this was proven true when Tony came running into the room which made the happy chatter cease. He told you, Bucky, and Steve to suit up and be on the quinjet within 10 minutes, there was a small Hydra base that didn’t protect their coordinates while they were trying to hack into the secure servers at the Avengers Compound. As much as you wanted to sit there and eat your chicken sandwich, you had work to do with the team.

-

The uniform that was made for you was bulletproof and sleek, it was sort of like Black Widow’s except yours covered all the way up to your neck instead of zipping down in the front. Steve delivered the mission folder with all the details to read on your walk to the quinjet, and this time it was just a simple gut and sweep. So you got your basic things for sniping from the trees, considering there were no hills to be perched on. It was a good idea that only the A-Team would be going, this way if there was another emergency back at the compound everyone was still available for that. Plus, a gut and sweep was something that the three of you had mastered over the previous year. With over 50 successful missions, this one was the most simple of all, or so you thought.

Night had fallen by the time you reached Virginia, and it was especially dark in the woods that you were sent to. Being perched in a tree with a night scope did help though, compared to the boys having to run around on the ground pretty much blind. Although, it was pretty easy to see when someone was running at you, hell bent on killing. You had already taken out the personnel on the rooftop, and gave them the go ahead on the ground. The file said that there were only about 40 people left working at this particular base, 10 of which were on the roof. Bucky normally handled the initial quick fight getting into the building, and then Steve cleared them out on the inside.

At first, you were surprised to see Steve join in on the action outside, but then you realized why. Being severely outnumbered on a mission is alarming in multiple different ways, especially in the sense that the backup was hundreds of miles away. But there was no time for you to have any other reaction to the situation at hands. You started to shoot faster than you ever had in battle, especially when you took out the AR-15. Over the gunshots, you could hear the guys panting into the comm. There was no time to think of yourself in the fight, it was all about getting your guys out safe. You knew no one was watching your back in the midst of the chaos, but you went climbed down the tree as fast as possible. Your feet hit the ground with a thump, and you were off to the races.

As many hydra agents you took down, you managed to miss the one standing directly behind you. A shot rang out and a bullet sank into your lower back, and you spun on your heel to shoot him before doing anything else. “Shit, I got hit.” You gritted your teeth as you yelled, and continued to shoot from your spot with your back pressed to a tree. Your heartbeat was pounding in your ears while you tried to focus on the situation at hand. There seemed to be about 60 agents left, and you knew the guys could handle it on their own.

Steve continued to take them down with his shield and kicks to the head, “We’re leaving now, Bucky is coming to pick you up.”

This was when you decided to play dead, this way if anyone that wasn’t from your side happened to run by they wouldn’t try to shoot you anymore. Your vision was becoming blurry because of the blood loss, but it certainly wasn’t the first time you’d been shot. The area around you seemed to be clear, so you ripped a piece of your t-shirt off to hold pressure to the wound. Once Bucky actually arrived to where you were, you saw a look on his face that was unfamiliar; fear. The fear of him losing you again was showing on his face as he leaned down, “It’s gonna be okay,” Bucky whispered as he grabbed you, it was more for himself than you at the moment. He picked you up bridal style, with his metal arm across the top of your back.

The one thing that you kept a secret from everyone was that Hydra had captured you once already, and you had been in close quarters with the Winter Soldier. When you had met once more on the rescue mission, it was like a breath of fresh air seeing him still alive and breathing. You kept trying to think of happy memories with him while Bucky was running back to the quinjet, but you were still getting terrible flashbacks to Hydra. “Breath, Y/n.” Bucky could see the agony on your face that wasn’t just from being shot, and his voice was cutting through the bad memories while you tried to focus on his face. This was also when you thought back to the time you denied having any previous contact with the Winter Soldier, what would have been the harm in it?

While you were having droopy thoughts from blood loss, you’d forgotten that Natasha had been on the quinjet waiting for word on the siege. You knew you were going to kick yourself for forgetting about her later, but all you could focus on was Bucky’s hands on your body. Apparently her comm hadn’t been working properly so she didn’t know of the situation at hand. You couldn’t concentrate for much longer, between the flashbacks and the amount of blood pouring out of the bullet wound. Once you had reached the helicarrier in Bucky’s arms, Natasha got the bullet out and started to stitch you up immediately. You remained in Bucky’s lap, staring up at him while he put his hands on either side of your face. Bucky looked so sad seeing you in this much pain, “C’mon baby, fight through it. You’re safe here with us.” He continued to speak as Steve ran in through the open gate, then shut it as he came in. The quinjet took off, but you were losing consciousness throughout it all. However, you were aware of Bucky staying close to you and keeping pressure on the wound.

The next thing you knew, light was flooding into your eyes from the medical wing’s windows.

Bucky’s quiet snores caught your attention to the right, and through squinted eyes you could see the scrapes on his face from the previous night. The way he was sprawled out on the lounge chair next to your bed brought back a very particular memory, one that made you blush a little as it came to your mind. While you attempted to sit up, the bed creaked causing Bucky to abruptly jolt out of his sleep. He got up fast and came to sit on the edge of the bed, keeping you from sitting all the way up.

The pain in your back ceased to exist when you looked into Bucky’s eyes and took his hands in yours. You’d seen this look on his face before, when the both of you were in Hydra’s grasp. “Y/n, I thought I was going to lose you again.” Tears were welling up in his eyes, and you remembered the look on his face on the day you finally got saved from Hydra. He sacrificed himself so that you could be free, and you thought about this when you brought his knuckles up to your lips. “Let’s try again, this time we’re free.” Bucky was looking deep into your eyes, awaiting a response.

“I see we still love each other,” A faint smile played on your face as you took a deep breath, a blush was creeping up on Bucky’s face.

Bucky chuckled, “I guess we do, doll.”

Chapter Text

Pretty much anytime Sam was in the same room as you, you could read his mind and figure out whatever shitty plan he had going on. So as soon as he graced you with his presence in the kitchen, you turned on your heel to look at him. In his hands was a jumbo bottle of barbecue sauce, and a stupid grin painted across his face. He stalked over to the island where you had been leaning on when he walked in, and slammed the bottle down in front of you onto the marble counter. A solid minute went by of squinting your eyes at one another before either of you could gain the strength to as what was about to happen. Sam continued to smirk as you opened your mouth and couldn’t find the words to come out. This wasn’t the first time he had come up to you with some weird shit. Matter of fact, it was common for the two of you to make crazy bets. The whole team knew about the both of you being shit heads all the time, considering you even made bets on the battlefield. Fights over who could kill more hydra agents, or silly shit like who could make it back to the quinjet faster.

Finally, you shook your head, "You're being awfully suspicious, Sam."

That seemed to be his queue. Sam squinted his eyes at you and whispered in a menacing tone, "Bet you can't drink this whole bottle of barbecue sauce."

Sometimes he really came out of left field with his ideas, like the time he made a bet with Bucky to get him to drink a whole bottle of hot sauce. That ended with Sam in the medical wing when Bucky smashed the bottle over Sam’s head because he wouldn’t stop trying to get him to drink it. "Are you serious?" You scoffed, and started to walk toward the hallway to get away from his nonsense; you weren’t in the mood.

But Sam bit back before you could move any farther away from him, "Very." He must have mistaken your challenging glare for a silent opposition, because he continued on teasing you. "You know, I'd completely understand if you forfeit considering it is a little bit too much for you." Sam could barely keep a straight face as he went on, trying to get you riled up. This only made you even more determined to wipe that winning smirk off his face.

You did just that when you grabbed the bottle, popped the lid off, and just started chugging. The bittersweetness practically burning your throat was the least of your worries at this point; your only concern was keeping your reputation intact. There was no way in hell that you were gonna let Sam Wilson win the unspoken competition that had blossomed between you two since the first day you’d met. You concentrated on Sam's steadily dropping smile, which turned into more of a grimace as you neared the halfway mark, and ended at a concerned frown when you finished it off with a tap to the bottom of the bottle.

"Competition flows in my blood, Sam, I thought you knew this." You slammed the empty bottle on the table and shot him that same smirk he had given you when he first proposed this ridiculous bet. All Sam could do was scoff and slowly nod his head, virtually speechless. Ignoring the uncomfortable bubbling sensation that was now taking place in your stomach, you basked in his defeat. One of the highlights of your life at the compound was making these sort of childish bets with Sam, and you practically glowed when you consistently took him on.

While you were trying really hard to focus on that feeling, you couldn’t ignore the sick one that was steadily rising into your throat and threatening to ruin your day. Apparently a whole bottle of barbecue sauce doesn't sit well in a stomach right after training, because you couldn't keep it down any longer. You pretty much sprinted down the hallway and luckily made it in front of the toilet before the contents of your stomach came flying out. Sam appeared in the doorway as you finally stopped vomiting, "Hey, you okay?" He rushed to your side and started rubbing your back in attempts to soothe your ragged breathing. You started to cough, and lurched forward with your hands on the side of the toilet bowl once more.

He stood up from the floor and got you a wash cloth to clean your face, which was just what you needed in that moment. The joy of victory had gone already, and you just felt ashamed to be puking in front of one of your closest friends. “C’mon, you should get in bed.” Sam knew he had to take care of you, considering that it was his fault that you were now puking like crazy. After you cleaned up a bit and washed your face, he took it upon himself to haul you into his arms and carefully walk you into your room only a few doors down. Sam placed his hands on both sides of your face before he got up from your bed. The disappearing warmth made you groan, but a few moments later he returned with a bottle of water, and sat down on the edge of your bed again.

You took a sip and shook your head, "Don't ever let me do that again."

Sam laughed, “Honey, you’ve proved yourself.” He rolled over onto the other side of your bed and got comfy under the sheets, “I think I’m gonna lay here until I’m sure you’re okay.” Something in his tone gave it away that he knew all you wanted to do was cuddle.

A blush rose into your cheeks, and you laid on your side to face him, “That sure is a good idea, Sam.”

Chapter Text

“You’re gonna leave, it ain’t gonna break my heart,” It was all happening too fast for you to think it through, and a sad laugh bubbled up into your chest, “I’ve never seen nobody quite like you,” As you realized how the situation was truly going to end, you plopped down onto the bed that was currently covered by Peter’s clothing and a suitcase. You sat with your legs crossed to make sure you didn’t get in his way, considering there was no stopping the Peter train. Maybe it was because of the way he wouldn’t look you in the eye, or the way he dropped his shoulders almost as if to shield his face from your view; you already knew how this was going to go.

Peter continued to pack, but then he slowed for a moment to finally make eye contact with you, “And if you ever change your tune, the world’s got the best of you.” He sadly smiled. It was a reminder of how you first met, Peter was the one to remind you to stay true to yourself when you’d hit a rough patch after joining the Avengers. The joy he brought you after that encounter was immeasurable, and the two of you were inseparable at the compound and in battle. Both of you had your share of bad days, but this time it all came to a head.

“I woulda gave all of my best to you, my love.” A single tear rolled down your cheek, and it felt like the whole world was closing in on you as Peter began to walk toward the bedroom door with all of his belongings in tow.

But, he turned on his heel and began walking towards you.

In a split second he was on his knees in front of you, hands on your cheeks and thumb brushing away your tears. “You’ve given me everything I never knew I needed, but…” He took a shuddering breath, “I need to go.” Peter ran a hand over his own face in attempt to hide the obvious tears forming in his own eyes, and he strode out the bedroom door. You quickly followed him to the front door in hopes of a last minute decision change on his part. He was already over the threshold and about to close the door when he looked you in the eyes again.

You smiled, and spoke confidently, “When your fairy tale is through, and you’re looking for someone new,”

Both you and Peter spoke at the same time, “You can always find me where the skies are blue.”

Chapter Text

“It is three AM, Steven Grant Rogers, what could you possibly want?” You growled as Steve poked your side during your deep slumber after a long mission. Cap couldn’t sleep for some reason and decided instead of getting up to get a snack, he wanted to wake you up. When you could finally open your eyes to look at him, his shirtless body glowed from the moonlight and his eyes were so puppy-like you wanted to stare at him forever. Steve laughed a little bit as he saw your eyes go up and down his torso that was oh-so close to your own. There were scars scattered about his body, you could remember some of the missions when you really thought he was a goner from how deep the slices were. But there he was, in all his glory, still alive and breathing right in front of you.

Instead of sitting in silence for any longer, since it was clear neither of you was getting back to sleep soon, you started talking about some of your favorite memories with the team. “One time, there was a dodgeball game and it was going really great. Then, Clint pegged Natalia directly on the left side of her head.” You giggled as you recalled the picture in your head, “Nat’s neck and head didn’t even move, she just stared at him. Bucky was the only one left on her side, and managed to get Clint out when he was standing waiting for his doom. That whole afternoon he sat in one of the interrogation rooms, and he locked himself in.” Steve laughed now, and you continued on with the story, “Little did he know, Nat sat on the other side of the mirror and watched the anxiety eat at him.” You sighed when you finished the story, and peeked over at the clock sitting on the dresser.

Steve then recalled one of his favorite memories, meeting you. He grasped your much smaller hand under the sheet as he spoke, “The day I was told we had a new recruit that had been through the same super soldier stuff as Bucky and I, I figured it was going to be some guy who believed he was on top of the world. When I got into the interrogation room, and saw you sitting there, my breath was taken away.” Steve smiled so bright it could have illuminated that dark room, right then and there. So, he continued, “You had this look on your face like you knew you were hot shit, and for some reason I was drawn to you. Bucky gave me a look from across the room like he already knew what was already going through my head.” He chuckled at the thought of his friend.

Oh, how Steve made you blush.

“When we met, I hated you.” You shrugged your shoulders, and let out a laugh as Steve’s eyebrows furrowed together. Steve was so cute just laying there next to you, and you laughed again as you spoke, “There was something about the Captain America hip swing when you walked that I just fell in love with, eventually. Then you saved me on our first mission, and I knew it was all over then, I fell in love” The memory was still as fresh in your mind as it was when you woke up in the hospital. For some reason the team had been outnumbered severely, and even the hulk was cornered. Being the newbie you felt that you had a duty to show you were worthy of being on the team, and you were quickly (and literally) shot down. Steve was the first to your side, and he shielded your body with his when enemy fire was flying over both of your heads. Steve blinked hard at the memory, he remembered being terrified of losing you like he once did with Bucky.
“Remember the time I got shot straight through the hand?” Steve whispered, remembering the initial pain. Of course you remembered, Captain America (your boyfriend, no less) getting shot through the hand doesn’t happen every day. There was also a scar left over to commemorate that day; it was the shape of a quarter made out of thick, pink scar tissue on the middle of his hand. The scars were what made up the story of your relationship, especially since the two of you had become a team with Bucky on Hydra base ops. “That was the mission in Russia that Nat thought I was kidding since I was so calm about it on the comm.” Steve chuckled at the memory.

Then came your thought about one of the many road trips the team has taken, “Remember when I was still new, and the road trip to Clint’s farm everyone had their assigned seats that I knew nothing about?” You were the newbie, and also the last to get into the car. Clint was driving, hence Natasha was in the passenger seat. The middle row consisted of Tony, Thor, and Bruce, leaving the super soldiers to go in the back. There was no way in hell you were going to fit into the back row, so you climbed over Tony and sat on Steve’s lap sideways so your legs sprawled over Bucky’s lap as well. This was before you and Steve became a “thing”, keep in mind. It was like a pack of sardines in the back of the car, but you enjoyed every second of that ride. Especially seeing Steve’s scrunched up face when the car would bump, and you would wiggle around on his lap. After you finished recounting the story, the both of you were almost out of breath from laughing, then came the comfortable silence.

The more you sat there in the rare silence of the tower, you grew to be tired once more. Steve was just laying there on his side, intently looking at you as you told stories that he could listen to all day coming from your voice. He then shifted his left hand up, and brushed his thumb over your left cheek. It felt like home to be laying next to him, and just talking about the past times. He never really opened up about his life before the ice, but you were fine with that. You knew it was hard for him and also knew that it was best for him if he just focused on his life in this era. Before you could speak up again, you realized Steve’s eyes were closed and his breathing evened out. (With his hand still on your cheek) You placed a kiss on his nose and snuggled up to his chest before going to sleep yourself.

Chapter Text

Saturday nights out with your friends were the highlights of the week for you, and you wished that every night could be like it. But of course there’s always that one weekend after everyone had a shitty week, and you all want to get outright plastered at that one bar down the street. Under normal circumstances, you were the friend who stayed sober for the night. Making sure everyone got home safe felt like a job to you, and you took it very seriously since you knew how creepy guys in the city could be. But you’d been fired from your job on Wednesday, and it wasn’t looking too good from there on out. So, alcohol.

Before you knew it, 2 am had rolled around and everyone was scattering into the cabs like roaches after the last call. All your friends had their dates and you were walking up the stairs to your apartment alone, as usual. Your wobbly legs could barely keep up with how fast your mind wanted to go up the stairs, since the bed was calling your name. The key ring that was attached to your purse was swaying in front of your eyes, but you were determined to get the correct key into the slot. You kept mumbling to yourself the mantra of getting home, “Third floor, three doors on the right.”

With drunken determination and bambi legs, you were sure you found your door.

After fumbling for fifteen minutes and trying every key on the ring without success, the door handle began to jiggle from the other side. Not having any roommates, you began to panic as to why someone was in your apartment. Being shit-faced drunk didn’t help the matter, especially when Steve Roger’s concerned face appeared in front of yours. You tried your best to lean on the door frame and look as normal as possible, but your slouched eyes and lazy smile was enough for Steve to tell you were drunk. You’d only seen him around a few times, but saying ‘Hey’ here and there allowed him to see that you were a pretty normal person.

It looked like he was doing cartwheels in front of you, but you forced a sentence out, “Hey, why are you-” hiccup, “In my apartment, Stevey?” You dragged out the ‘y’ at the end of his name, and smiled at your neighbor. The drunken stupor made you want to remind him how handsome he is, but the thought slipped your mind at the moment.

Steve chuckled, and his shoulders shook with his laugh, “Y/n, this is my apartment.” He looked like he was trying to determine if you were really drunk, and then a wave of your vodka tainted breath hit him. You protested back at him, which made him respond once more, “No, honey, this is my apartment.” He took another glance at you, “C’mon I’ll walk you home.”

“Don’t treat me like-” hiccup, “I’m totally not ‘duruuunk’.” You were proud of how well you got that sentence out in your head, but you only succeeded in making Steve laugh more at you. He grabbed his key so he wouldn’t get locked out, and closed the door behind him. Steve put his arm behind your back, and you leaned into him before turning the motor on and walking down the hall. “You’re warm.” A giggle passed through your lips while you held onto his arm and pushed forward.

He continued to hold his arm behind you, holding you up from falling, “Okay, which key is it?” Steve took the key-ring from your hand and started to inspect it, when he noticed the little word ‘home’ scribbled on one of them. “That’s cute,” he mumbled to himself, and you misheard him.

“Don’t hit on me when I’m drunk, I cannot be cute right now.” You sniffled, and watched him unlock the door to your apartment. The familiar smell of your apartment made you straighten up, and wander to your bed. Steve looked around at your apartment, it was similar layout to his but smelled like fresh laundry. Steve’s cheeks tugged up in a smile when he saw you flop down on the couch, which you thought was your bed. So he quickly dropped the keys on the little table by the front door, and decided it was time to go. But his absence quickly caught your attention, and before he closed the door, you yelled, “Stevey, come back!”

Steve’s head poked back into the apartment, “Yes, y/n?”

You managed to get yourself to sit up on the couch, “C’mere, I want to cuddle.” Putting your arms out in front of you, and motioning for him to come over was a brilliant drunken idea. Steve sighed, and walked back into your apartment. He came and sat down next to you on the couch, and you moved over to put your head on his lap. “You are so handsome, d'y'know that?” You slurred all the words together, and it left a smile on your face that you were finally able to tell him that. After adjusting so you were facing away from him, you quickly faded into an alcohol sleep trance. Steve didn’t know what to do with himself, so he decided on his next best plan.

The snores escaping your mouth became more even, so Steve knew he could move you to your bed without you waking. So he did just that, and put his arms under your body and carried you bridal style to your bedroom. He gently tapped your bedroom door open with his toe of his boot, and you stirred against him only to snuggle more into his chest. Steve laughed lightly to himself as moved he tucked you into your bed, and he walked as quietly as he could out into the living room. Steve looked back over his shoulder before locking the door and walking out of your apartment.

-

The next morning you awoke with a raging hangover, which was unusual since you weren’t ever a big drinker on the nights out. But somehow you were in your bed, and that was when the previous night’s activities flooded into your head. You desperately hoped that you did not confess anything to Steve, since he barely even knew you. After a quick (and cold) shower, you decided to take the walk down the hall and pay for any damages you caused. Most of it was a blur, but you do remember telling him to come back into the apartment and to cuddle.

Finally, you made yourself knock on the door and hope he wasn’t awake yet. But to no avail, the sound of footsteps came from behind Steve’s door. He swung open the door fast, and smiled down at you, “How ya feeling?”

“I’m fine, I just wanted to stop by and,” Your words got caught up in your throat, “I wanted to say thank you for taking care of me last night, I was a mess.” It had been a long time since someone cared for you like that, and you wanted to make sure he knew that you appreciated it.

“It was no problem, plus you were pretty funny.” Steve laughed, “I honestly thought someone was trying to break in when you kept trying keys in the door.” This made you laugh along, it did sound pretty nonsensical to the outside, non-drunk eye.

He offered for you to come into his apartment for breakfast, but you simply said, “Listen, I say we go out on a date tonight, and my treat since you put up with me last night.” You smiled up at the handsome blonde in front of you. There was something in his stance that you could tell he was trying to look cool, but he ended up just looking like a cute dork to you.

Steve grinned, “It’s a date then.”

Chapter Text

Friday had finally come to a close, and you were relieved to be able to take your shoes off by the front door of your apartment. The clock under the tv read that it was only 9:20 pm, so you decided to have a glass of wine before settling in bed. It didn’t take long for you to down the whole glass, especially since your day consisted of your boss making rude remarks and low-tipping customers. Your eyes began to droop, and you decided it was time to find your way under the sheets. But low and behold, the moment you were finally comfy your bladder decided it was party time. After a few curses, you got up from the little burrow you’d made in the bed. You flicked on the bathroom light, and squinted momentarily.

A giant black spot on the wall made you stop in your tracks. You grimaced as you recognized the spot to be a spider, and it seemed to be staring back at you with it’s many eyes. Putting a hand on your mouth, you attempted to prevent a scream from ringing out across the apartment complex.

Being an independant woman was something you were used to from living in the city for so long, but your nerves were shot as of late. There was no way you were getting close to that damn thing, not just because spiders are gross, but you didn’t know if it was venomous or how fast it would be. The idea of running to a neighbor seemed childish, however, your neighbor wasn’t just some random citizen of New York. You’d only seen him in the hall a few times, and he was nice enough to ask you how your day was going, and even bring you a few misplaced packages. Maybe he’d help you in this dire situation of getting that damn spider off the wall. Not only that, but he would probably get a kick out of it as well. After practically running out of the apartment you called home, you knocked on the door across the hall from yours.

A deep voice rumbled from behind the door with a slight accent, “Who is it?”

You coughed, trying to rid your voice of any shakiness, “It’s your neighbor, Y/n,” The man was silent behind the door, “I need some help with a slight emergency.” There was a few moments of silence, and then you heard the chain being dragged away from the lock behind your neighbors door. The man who opened the door had an unfamiliar face, and he squinted his eyes at you. You’d only ever seen Steve going into the apartment, so you were about to walk away in fear him not being home.

Then, he quickly yelled over his shoulder but still managed to keep his eyes on you, “Steve, some short girl is here!” You smiled at the light jab, since it was obvious he was playing around. While he stood in front of you waiting for Steve, he pulled his long brown hair into a loose bun.

Captain America came into view from one of the rooms down the hall, and the man with long hair moved out of the way, “Can I help you?” He looked down at you with worry, and you knew you were in good hands. Even with a look of concern on his face, Steve looked as handsome as could be.

Instead of explaining how stressful of a week you had, you cut straight to the point, “I know you don’t really know me, but I have a really big spider in my bathroom.” You pleaded, “Can you please kill it for me?” A pathetic smile lifted your cheeks. Who else could say they asked Captain America to kill a spider for them? But it’s not like you were being dramatic considering the arachnid was bigger than your fist.

Steve bit back a laugh and nodded his head, “Sure, show me the way.” He took a step out of his apartment, and then added, “Oh, and please call me Steve.” The man with long hair was right behind him the whole time Steve was speaking to you at the front door, and finally waved the two of you off as you walked back across the hall. The whole situation made you giggle, you’d never spoken to Steve before, but here you are asking him to kill a spider in your apartment. Walking into your apartment you suddenly realized that it was a hot mess, so you immediately jumped to apologize and tried to explain that you were barely ever home. Steve just laughed and said, “Don’t worry, Bucky makes more of a mess than you do.”

You pointed through your room, with a shaky grin, “Okay, the bathroom is to the left, and the spider should be on the wall straight ahead when you walk in.”

Steve took a few quick strides towards the bathroom, and not even a half of a minute later you heard the toilet flushing. He came back out of your room, and smiled as he entered the living room, “The threat is gone.” His hands rested at his hips.

With a little shake of your head, you sighed, “Thank you Steve, hopefully I can sleep tonight and then enjoy my day off Sunday from this crappy place.” You could tell Steve was trying to look you up and down with each nod of his head, so you simply explained that you were a waitress and that your boss had been a dick as of late.

“Maybe I’ll stop in one day, shake your boss up a little.” Steve charmingly smiled, “If you need anything else or want to go get coffee or something, here's my number.” He grabbed a marker, and wrote on the mini whiteboard on your fridge. Your heart was pounding a million miles every second as he closed your apartment door on the way back to his own. It felt like you’d just been thrown for a loop, but for some reason you were undeniably excited.

This was only the beginning for you and Captain America.

Chapter Text

The wind was already beginning to howl, and you peeked out the front window to catch a flash of lightning streaking across the sky. Everything on the island was temporarily illuminated by the flash, and you saw a car approaching the front of your house. There were a few other houses on the block, but they were the same size as your little beach abode. You and the house had survived a few hurricanes together already, so this was nothing. What sounded like a car door out front alerted you, but you couldn’t tell if it was something hitting the house or an actual door. Before you could wonder any longer, there were three solid raps on the wooden front door. All you could think about was the fact that no one should’ve been out in the storm, so your heart skipped a beat when you turned the knob to see who was behind the door.

A shivering Steve Rogers stood on your doorstep, “Ma'am, can I please come in?”

There wasn’t a bone in your body that could say no to this man, he’s Captain America! So you ushered him inside quickly before the storm could take anymore of a toll on him, and closed the door behind him. You were shocked more than anything, and you couldn’t keep your thoughts straight as you went over to the closet that held the towels. After retrieving some of your softer towels, you walked back over to Steve who was awkwardly standing on the mat by the front door. Never in your life did you think that you would meet any of the Avengers, let alone Captain Spangle Pants himself.

“You can take off your shoes and get comfy, you’re going to be here for a while.” You handed over the towel and introduced yourself, “I am y/n by the way, it’s nice to meet you.”

“I’m Steve, judging by the look on your face when you opened the door you already know that.” He chuckled, and explained why he was there, “I was down here for the afternoon, since Stark has a house a couple blocks down.” Steve continued on, and said that once the rain started the island became a maze. Your house was one of the few that still had lights on, so he came running to your doorstep. Out of curiosity, you asked him about where the hell Stark’s mansion was. When he explained how he normally got there from the mainland, you realized that it was on the mansion side of the island. You rarely ever ventured over there unless a friend was throwing a party, but you knew that Iron Man would fit right in over there.

Steve made himself comfortable on the couch, and he seemed to have warmed up some. The cold rain was still pouring down outside, and you did another round of the house to make sure it wasn’t coming in any of the windows. You looked at the clock under the tv, it was already 10:03 pm. Despite being as tired as a dog from working all day long, there was something inside telling you to stay up and to just have this experience.

After plopping down onto the love-seat next to the couch where Cap was seated, you leaned on your hand and smiled, “So, tell me about yourself, Mr. Rogers.”

He seemed surprised you asked him, but he looked at the ceiling as he answered, “There’s not much that isn’t on the news anymore-” His voice was a little sad as he spoke those words, but it was true to the fullest extent.

“I mean what are your interests, what are your friends like… Stuff I wouldn’t hear from a tv ‘Steve Rogers’.” You cut him off, and he smiled with intrigue. The experience of having an Avenger seeking refuge in your house wasn’t ever going to happen again, and you figured you would take advantage of it.

He wasn’t used to people genuinely seeing him and not just the hero they play him up to be on the tv. Steve pulled the towel a little tighter around his shoulders, and said softly, “I love to paint and draw, plus getting to design the new suits is always fun.” Another smile. “How about you, Y/n?” The way your name sounded on Steve’s lips was like music to your ears.

Through the next two hours, both of you talked about your pasts, and what you wanted for your futures. Steve talked a lot about his super friends, and they all seemed like amazing people. The storm was still raging on into the midnight hours, but you were so into the conversation with him that you couldn’t tear your eyes or ears away from the blonde. You had gotten up a few times to get some snacks, and another towel for Steve and then the conversations carried on. Soon enough the sun was beginning to shine through the window facing the ocean, and it caught your eye.

“Shit, I have work!” you exclaimed, the clock under the tv showed it was 6:04 AM. Immediately you were on your feet, looking out the windows on the front of the house. The storm must’ve stopped a while before, but you and Steve had been so into talking and watching tv that you didn’t notice the wind and rain stop. He was already on his feet, stretching and getting ready to leave your house. It was a shame that it was over, but your job wouldn’t allow you to take anymore time off. You scribbled your number down on a small piece of paper, and put it into Steve’s hand. “Call me if you’re ever in the area again, or just want to chat.” Steve couldn’t help but blush as you handed him your number, and the two of you quickly made your way out of the house.

-

Work sucked, but what sucked even more was coming home to no Steve Rogers. It was around 7pm, and you were trying to find busy work by cleaning to distract you from thinking about the super soldier. You knew that it was a once in a lifetime thing, so why were you so upset about him being gone? Although you’d given him your number, he hadn’t texted or anything, so it was just something you had decided to accept. The sun was finally all the way down past the horizon, and you decided it was time to settle in for the night. There were a few things left on your dvr and you got to work on them. About 20 minutes into your shows, there was a knock at the front door. Nobody was supposed to be dropping by, so you were on your feet and at the door in a second. You opened the door cautiously since nobody was expected that night.

Steve Rogers was standing there, hands in his pockets and a smile on his face. “I know this is sudden,” he scratched the back of his neck, “But would you like to go on a date with me? I feel like I owe you that, considering I kept you up all night and ate all your snacks.” He started to ramble on, which made him look even more cute to you in that surprising moment.

Your heart nearly leapt out of your chest, and you nodded your head as you cut him off, “I would love to.”

Chapter Text

The gentle pitter patter of rain against the glass windows behind the headboard of your bed were the first to come into your ears as you began to wake. A grumble came from a warm body that was latched to your side, and you knew that Bucky was also beginning to come to consciousness as you stirred in your shared bed. The sheets were tightly wrapped around both of your bodies, and both of you were clad in Bucky’s old sweatshirts. Your room had to be cold for Bucky to sleep so you compromised by stealing all of his old hoodies, and basketball shorts. With a small reach, you pressed the button for the curtains to slightly open so you could see what kind of rain was going on outside.

It was indeed pouring, which meant the Rainy Day Accords were in effect.

There was a new rule that the team made up when the big move to the compound was made; if it was monsooning outside, everyone had a day off from training and any cleaning duties. Now that it was early in the spring, everyone was getting some well deserved time off from having the weight of the world on their shoulders. Peter had come up with the rule, since he hated walking in the rain to the training building on the east lawn. Of course, Toenail Stark had tried to build a covered breezeway to the building, but no one was having it. This was finally the one thing that everyone on the team could agree with, so it was decreed that rainy days were days off.

More importantly, you got to cuddle with your soon to be husband. Bucky wasn’t that much of a cuddler when you first met him, for obvious reasons. Quickly, he realized that laying on your plush body was everything he needed to soothe him into a good night’s sleep. The poor man still had nightmares, and having your arms wrapped around his torso was all the reassurance he needed when he woke up shaking from what he’d seen behind his closed eyelids. Rainy days were also rough for him, the dark clouds looming reminded him of horrible nights sniping in the hills. All you could do was have your arms around him, and guide him through the day with the family surrounding him.

Another part of the Rainy Day Accords was that Sam and Steve had to make breakfast for everyone, and that everyone included whoever was staying at the compound plus their families. You and Bucky made your way out to the dining room, and found your seats among the awake members from the team. Clint was at home with his whole family, so the compound was more quiet than usual since there were no kids running around. More members of the team shuffled down the hall with smiles on their faces, and gave you warm hugs as they came and found their seats around the large wooden table. Steve had made chocolate chip pancakes, over 100 at that, which was another one of the things the entire team could agree upon. Sam had made some sort of hash browns and he always bragged about his own twist on them, even though everyone knew he just added a little garlic.

By the time everyone was sitting there chomping down, the rain had ceased and the ground began to dry. The conversations continued and the coffee flowed, so no one paid any attention to the rainy day flying by. After 2 hours of spending family time with one another, everyone simply agreed to go back to their rooms and not say a word of training for the day. Of course Tony was wandering around, so all of you locked your doors too.

Chapter Text

The window next to your bed quietly slid open, and being on the 30th floor in your apartment building, that only meant one thing. Being half awake, all your body could manage to do was scoot over a little for whenever Peter decided to get in bed. He knew the rules, he had to take a shower and put fresh pajamas on before getting in bed and trying to cuddle with you. Peter had a bad habit of trying to get in bed as soon as he got home, and that ended terribly when he had New York City gunk on his suit.

After getting himself a snack and shuffling all around the apartment, you finally heard the shower turn on and you were able to doze back off knowing he was home and safe. Another 15 minutes later you heard the drawers opening and closing in your bedroom, and before you knew it the bed dipped to the right of you as Peter slid under the covers. All it took was the smell of his cologne for you to be in absolute heaven. You slid right into his arms, and pressed yourself against his chest. It was rare for him to be home now, with him living at the Avengers compound and trying to defend the city at night.

“I’m so happy you’re home.” You mumbled, after working a full day you desperately wanted sleep. But the rare quiet moments between the two of you had to be taken in. With a quick glance at the clock, you see that it's almost 2AM.

He lightly laughed, “Baby, I had such a crazy night.” Peter rubbed a hand down his face, and you nudged farther into his arms trying to get extra comfy. His hand went to your back and started tracing up and down. “For starters someone tried to taze me even though I told him I was there to get his cat out of a tree, and how does that even happen anymore?” You could tell he was all fired up about his night, especially since his voice was starting to rise into that annoyance level. “Then I thought someone was robbing a corner store, but they were really paying for everything they bought, their phone was just in their hand at a weird angle so I thought it was a gun-”

With one swift motion, you rolled over to sit on top of his hips. You placed your hands on either sides of his head and spoke softly, “Honey, I love you, but we both need some sleep.” You kissed him on the nose, “Promise me you’ll take a day off tomorrow so we can catch up?” His eyes were wide at the sudden shift, but a hint of a smile played on his lips.

“How am I supposed to sleep now?” Peter whined as you rolled back over and got comfy once again, and after hearing your breathing even out, he kissed the back of your head. “Goodnight, Baby.”

Chapter Text

Being an Avenger meant so much more than just kicking ass and taking names; it was presenting yourself to a world that wasn’t ready for super heroes. You quickly learned this reality when you were recruited to the team, and now with an upcoming gala you were losing your mind. As much as you didn’t want something as small as an outfit to stress you out, it still did.

The men were lucky, they had their suits all fitted for them with nothing else to do other than show up. Natasha was well seasoned with this sort of thing, so she had a beautiful lace dress with heels ready in the back of her closet. Let’s not forget her skills with hair and makeup. You weren't even sure what this gala was for, you just knew it was black tie. Despite being new, you got along with everyone really well and always went to Tony’s parties in the tower. But now you were at a standstill in front of your closet, all you had were dresses from summer. Natasha is a lot smaller than you, so you decided to just have her help you find one in the days leading up to the gala.

The elevator dinged as you stepped off and onto the floor of Natasha and Clint’s shared apartment. Clint was in his normal spot, perched on the island in the kitchen eating some strawberries. “Hey, y/n! What brings you here?” He smiled and slid off the counter.

“I’m actually looking for Nat, she's gotta help me with gala shit for tomorrow.” You shook your head slightly at the idea of looking for dresses, but it was kind of exciting getting all dressed up.

He crossed his arms over his chest, “Don’t worry about them too much, it's mostly just annoying press questions that matter. But you really won't have to answer much since you're new.” Clint shrugged his shoulders, “Oh and Natasha is in the weapons room.” He continued with a smirk on his face, and went over to the fridge as you left.
You waved goodbye and walked down the hall to the weapons room on their floor. The security pad was already lit up, so you dialed in the code and saw Nat polishing her guns at the table in the center of the room. Natasha was only wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants and somehow she still made you feel like shit, but it's not like she meant to.

“I have a serious issue.” You stated as you sat on the bench across from her.

“Well, you've come to the right place.” She happily motioned to the various weapons around her. There were some serious weapons in there, nothing to be played with.

After making an awkward scrunched up face, you quickly said, “No, I meant like I don't have anything to wear to the gala this week, I can't go in jeans either.” She looked up from her weapon and nodded as you spoke.

“Honey, why didn't you come to me before?” Nat laughed, and then stood, “Come to my room and we’ll look online. You have Tony’s credit card number yet?”
—
The day of the gala came, and you were more nervous than you cared to admit. It was the first time you had to be formal around the world’s mightiest heroes. The gala started at 7pm, so Natasha told you to be at her room around 5 to help you get ready. Of course, she already looked amazing by the time you'd arrived. With her red hair curled and tight dress already on, and of course she looked ready to kill as well. She had picked out a stunning blue dress that came down to your ankles, and paired it with black studded heels. Normally, your natural hair couldn't be tamed, but somehow Natasha managed to get it all flat and she only applied light makeup.

“You ready?” she smiled at you like a proud mother, and you nodded.

Everyone had separate cars, which was probably the best thing. If Tony and Steve were in the same car, there was no way that both of them would show up in one piece, plus people had their dates. This was when you learned that since you were new, you couldn't just show up alone. Even Natasha was paired with Steve at this point, so you were informed by Jarvis that Bucky was making his way downstairs and would join you in your limo in a few moments. Bucky looked handsome in his black suit, and his long hair was tied in a bun on the back of his head.

“Well, hello doll.” Bucky purred as the two of you slid into the limo out front of the Avengers tower. It made you blush, but you had just a short ride to the event to really get it together. “I can tell you're nervous, but don't worry I like to talk to the reporters.” He cracked his knuckles, as if that was going to help him prepare for the press. You and Bucky were the last to show up since you weren't the ‘opening show’ so to speak, but it was still all a rush once you exited the limo. Even though you were new to the Avengers, you were still bombarded with paparazzi.

After a nervous smile to the crowd, you made your way onto the carpet and looped an arm through Bucky’s. “I have no clue where I'm going, please help.” you laughed, which made him smile brilliantly. For some reason you thought that this event wouldn't have a red carpet like the events you saw on tv, but no such luck. The cameras were flashing and reporters asked questions like crazy, Bucky handled them like a pro. While posing for pictures, you turned and looked at him to tell him how handsome he looked with a suit on.

“You say that like I'm not handsome all the time,” he joked back, which made you laugh. With that laugh escaping you, and his gaze down towards you, it sent the photographers into a frenzy.

This was also when you noticed the fact that his suit was a deep blue, almost black. It almost looked like it was coordinated as if the two of you were indeed a couple. You and Bucky made your way a little further down the carpet, then you noticed there was some tv station there, with their blonde reporter who looked all too excited when you walked up to her with Bucky on your arm. She seemed to be bouncing around as she introduced herself, and you were too zoned out to really take in what she was saying. “So, are you two the new hottest Avenger couple?”

Bucky luckily was paying attention, and quickly responded, “Well, I hope so, soon.” The blonde squealed in delight as you just smiled and nodded, it was bizarre just being there. The two other events that you had attended was with Nat, and she obviously took over then as well. The lady continued asking questions, and you decided to zone into it and maybe answer some things.

“So, what it like being an Avenger?” she smiled, her teeth having been freshly whitened for this event.

You met eyes with Bucky, and it was a ‘be a troll’ look, so you spoke, “It has lots of perks!” the reporter almost leaned in, anticipating a decent answer, “There’s lots of free yogurt, we get schwarma every Friday, and Thor likes to walk around naked every Thursday.” A giggle escaped your mouth as her face turned into a deep blush, and she quickly cut off the rest of your sentence to let you and Bucky move onto the next reporter that was standing there. She must’ve been so embarrassed that that was going to be her only interview with an Avenger for the night.

The lady at the end of the carpet motioned for the both of you to come off the carpet which you were happy to. You stepped into a light filled room where all the Avengers were at the bar already, waiting for you. Clint was the first to walk to you with his arms open wide, “Look who's not in sweatpants!” he hugged you as he continued, “You should straighten your hair more often!”

Steve finally turned around from sipping his drink as well, and he finally caught sight of you, “Whoa, I've seen you with bed head and I thought you were adorable, look at you now!” He gave a quick hug, and then you continued down the row of avengers. Thor was with Jane, and they looked absolutely adorable, and Thor nearly squeezed the life out of you as he hugged and congratulated you on your first gala as an Avenger.

Bucky brushed on the side of your arm, and then he leaned in to whisper in your ear, “Want to go walk around? Your face is the color of a tomato.” you giggled at him, and took his and as you walked away from the bar area. There were various areas of the building, it was designed much like a winter wonderland theme. The blue light was gorgeous and complimented your dress, and it made Bucky’s eyes sparkle. There was a table reserved for you and Bucky, next to various ones for the rest of the Avengers as well. He pulled a chair out for you, and then you sat across from him. “So, you catch their little question about us being the new hot shit?”

You busted out laughing, and it felt like you had a weight lifted off your shoulders. But you felt like there was something you needed to tell him, “Maybe we can be the new hot shit?”

Bucky raised an eyebrow, “This wasn't how I expected tonight to go, but it's a lot better than the way I thought it would.” He slowly sipped his drink, “How about we dip, and go get some pizza?” The thought of sneaking out the back door of the event made you giggle, but you nodded your head. Bucky chuckled and held out his hand for you to take, “Let’s go doll.”

Chapter Text

You stared at the floor of your apartment with tears in your eyes that threatening to spill onto your cheeks. After a deep inhale, the tears finally spilled and you found yourself wiping them away as quick as they came. The ground was covered in scattered clothes, and Peter’s boots that he had kicked off before storming out. Everything that was said the previous night, you regretted immensely. The whole argument was just over the fact that he’s the least protected out of everyone in the avengers, with only a suit made of some fabric that you didn’t fully understand. Everyone else had shields and weapons, but Peter just had his abilities to save his own ass. But of course, Peter took this as your way of saying that you didn’t like members of the team. How he had even conjured that thought up just made you mad, and both of you dropped to petty levels of insults.

All of it was a giant misunderstanding, but with the mission looming over his head, Peter was a wreck. This was the fourth or fifth mission that he was going on with the team now, but each time you still had this ache in your stomach that only grew as the days passed. Both of you were much younger than most of the members of the Avengers, but you still had your fair share of years together. Now that Peter was out of high school and attending college classes, and splitting his time at the compound, both of you spent as much time together as you could. Every couple has their fights, but this one really stung.

Now, you sat at the end of your bed in your apartment, crying and waiting for Peter to come home. The mission was supposed to be over by Thursday, and it was only Tuesday, so the waiting game began.

-

Saturday morning rolled around after a long, sad, week of work. There was no word from anyone on the team, so you took it upon yourself to take a drive to the compound, which was only a half hour from your apartment in the city. It was normal for missions to run a few hours over, and for them to show up a day late, but two days after was a little unusual. Tony had given you the code to the gate, since he knew that you would be in and out quite often whenever Peter had to attend training there. New agents were jogging around the perimeter with whoever their trainer was that morning, and you gave a friendly wave as they passed in front of your car.

After parking outside of the avengers housing, you took a deep breath and exited your car. The reflective glass didn’t allow you to see inside the living room area, and your heart was racing; wondering if they were back and just waiting to contact you. You tapped on the keypad and it beeped, the door slid open and tears filled your eyes.

No one was home.

You decided to set up camp in Peter’s spare room there, since you had some extra clothes there from the previous weekend, and there was still food in the communal fridge. You made sure to tell Friday to notify the team that you were there, waiting, so there were no weird surprises when they arrived. Another waiting game began.

-

The sound of doors opening and heavy footsteps woke you from your sleep, and with a quick glance at the clock you realized it was 4 in the morning. You sat up quickly, and found a pair of shorts to put on before walking in the hall considering it would be a little weird if you just walked out to see the entire team in your underwear. It seemed like every light was on in the compound, and you squinted as you tried to find your way to the kitchen, since everyone normally flocks there when they got back from missions. Sure enough, Natasha, Sam and Steve were drinking water like there was no tomorrow, and you gave them each a huge hug; grateful they were all alive.

Then, you saw him. Peter was standing by the sink, with a giant bouquet of red roses, sadly smiling at you.

Everything that you had fought about was all out the window, you damn near dropped your phone out of your hand because you were so excited to see him. There were bruises on his face, and you couldn’t even imagine what the rest of his body looked like. Everyone else looked like hell too. Peter was still in his spiderman suit since he had to swing by the florist right after they had landed in the city before coming all the way back to the compound, and he set the flowers down on the counter as you took off in a full run to jump in his arms. His forearms supported your thighs as you wrapped your arms around his shoulders, and kissed every inch of his face, not even minding the dirt.

“I’m sorry, baby.” Peter whispered between the kisses, and you muttered it back. Steve was about to say something fatherly, but he realized that the two of you needed the moment, and he made his way out of the kitchen with Sam and Nat. “I knew we should’ve talked it out before I left.”

You got down from his arms, and stood on your tiptoes to kiss his nose once more, “I’m sorry too, can we please agree to never fight before you go away again?” You shook your head, “My stomach was in knots since Tuesday morning.” Peter nodded. The two of you stood in silence for a few moments, leaning your foreheads against each others.

Suddenly, Peter scooped you up into his arms once more. You let out a squeal and laughed as he threw you over his shoulder. He walked past the team in the living room on the way to your shared room with you still on his shoulder, and everyone had their eyebrows raised. Everyone was too tired to even bother saying anything.

It was time for the two of you to have some make-up time together.

Chapter Text

Steve had been yammering on all afternoon about how he hopes everyone finds a true love in their life to help them through whatever obstacles they face, and Bucky knew that it was directed at him. It was true, having someone there at his side to love and protect would help him shift into a more normal slot in the world, but the thought of having someone that he could lose again just broke his heart. So Bucky let his hair cascade around his face, hiding the sadness in his eyes as Steve tried to cheer him up from the other side of the room.

Finally, he had to snap. “I’m never finding love again, Steve.” Bucky went on about how he had his family of the avengers team, and that’s all that mattered to him. Sam even knew it was time for Bucky to find a person to ground him, no matter who they were, he needed it. So with this pushing him over the edge, Bucky got up from his spot on the couch and sulked off towards his room.

With this, Steve and Sam exchanged looks, and silently agreed that it was time to go through with the plan.

-

It’s hard to turn down an invitation to an Avengers party, and that’s how you found yourself in the crowded living room of the compound. The party was already pouring out onto the patios that were just outside of the gargantuan living room, in which you were just beginning to take in all the new additions since you had been there last. Most of the faces in the crowd were strangers, and you weren’t even sure how they had gotten into the party in the first place. This wasn’t your first time at the Avengers compound, being friends with Sam meant being there for any event. But mostly everyone on the team was home visiting family, and there were very few Avengers at the compound.

You spotted Steve off in the distance as he was mingling; it seemed as if he knew every person passing by him. When he finally made it to you, he stopped in his tracks. He wrapped you in a giant bear hug, asking how things were going for you. It’s always pleasant talking to him, and you know that he always has your best interest in mind while speaking to you. After a few minutes of catching up, Steve grinned, “You should stop by the bar and see my friend, James.” Your brows furrowed, “He is new around here, and I think the two of you would really hit it off.”

A light bulb went off in your head, you’d heard Sam talk about someone named James, and most of it was brotherly trash talk. You figured that was the reason why you got a text to come to this party instead of the usual lavish invitation that Tony sent out. Parties at the Avengers Compound were known to be legendary, not only because of the attendees but the activities that took place. There had been times that parties were thrown just so everyone could see the new trick that Thor learned with Mjolnir, and when Tony unveiled a new suit. This one, however, seemed to have a different kind of vibe and you couldn’t quite put your finger on it.

The people were all unfamiliar, but then you laid eyes on a handsome man that was leaning on the bar.

The red henley he was wearing looked as if it was going to burst at the seams on his thick arms as he shook people’s hands as they passed by him. Something in his smile gave away his uneasiness, but there was still a pleasant aura about him. The power of curiosity sent your feet moving towards the stranger, and before you knew it you were sitting on the bar stool directly next to him. Being that close to him, you recognized that he was the man that Steve had told you about. Who could ignore the news of the Winter Soldier that was plastered everywhere?

“Steve set this party up just for us,” His deep voice rumbled from beside you, “He set this whole god damn thing up to get us together.” A blush rose to your neck and cheeks, and you turned to look at him with a surprised grin on your face. James took a deep look at your face, and seemed to be scanning it for anything he could find. You knew that there was more to this man than what came across your screen during the 11pm news.

“That’s nice of him,” You smiled, and looked up at Bucky. “But I figured I would come over here not to introduce myself, but to save you from talking to anyone else.” The bartender brought you over a shot of tequila, and you took a healthy swig and passed the glass back. “C’mon, let’s get out of this stuffy room.” You looped your arm through James’ elbow, and he followed your lead out to the patio with a small smile on his face.

The sky was more clear than you could ever see in the city, and you took a moment to appreciate the stars before continuing on your conversation with the man you had brought out. “So, James-”

“Please, just call me Bucky.”

“Okay, Bucky,” You smiled at the nickname, “Tell me about yourself.”

He took a shuddering breath in, and took a sip of the whiskey that was in his right hand, “What don’t you already know?” Bucky knew that everyone at the party would only talk to him out of fear, but you gave a different vibe to him for some reason. He remembered seeing you around the compound before, that’s how he knew you when you were approaching him just a few moments before. Most of the time you were there working on some kind of a project for your work, or just being a shit head with Sam in the common room.

“Your favorite color, how about that?” You smirked, and took the whiskey from his hand and took a sip for yourself, before handing it back to him. Unsure of how he would take this flirtatious behavior, you squinted your eyes while waiting for his response.

Before Bucky could stop himself, he muttered, “Same color as my comforter on my bed.”

You raised both of your eyebrows, “Is that an invitation?”

Bucky leaned in close, and brushed his lips over your jaw, and then whispered in your ear, “It is if you want it to be.”

Steve could be heard squealing in the distance as the two of you raced toward Bucky’s room, hand in hand.

Chapter Text

The first time it happened, you and the rest of the Avengers were on a mission in France. The team was scattered amongst the plaza that was bustling with people, all in their various incognito spots. A smile played on your face as you looked over at Thor; he had squeezed into one of Steve’s old shirts, and he was practically bursting out of the seams. Bucky and Steve were both sitting at a table with you outside a little cafe that was close to where the Hydra was supposedly still operating in secret. Natasha was also pretending to be on a date with Clint at the same restaurant, just a few tables over to your right. It had already been about an hour and a half of just sitting and observing, and everyone knew that you could wait for about 5 minutes more before you began to look suspicious.

Steve finally whispered into the comm, “Alright, we’ll try again tomorrow. Tony and Thor go first, Nat and Clint, then us three will.” He took a sip of his coffee and looked around. Tony left a large tip for the young waitress, and Thor joined him on the walk back. Nat and Clint went a few moments later, hand in hand. Bucky decided it was best to wait about 20 minutes before leaving, since he saw someone walk into the front of the supposed Hydra building. You were beyond ready to go back to your room and take a shower, so you motioned for Steve to come with you. However, Bucky stayed behind for a few minutes to monitor the situation at hand. Everyone knew it was best to let him have a few moments to himself sometimes.

It seemed like the streets were now flooding with even more people since lunch-time was quickly approaching, and you were making sure you stayed close to Steve. You had no idea where the hotel even was, all you knew was that it was North of where you were staking out. Although he was quite tall, you were astoundingly short, so losing him was an easy task. Looking at all the people that were on every side of you was anxiety inducing…Until Steve did something surprising.

Steve entwined his fingers with yours while the both of you were still walking, he’d seen the look of panic on your face when all the people started to come from the various shops on the route back to the hotel. To make it even better, your much smaller hand fit in his perfectly, and it brought a smile to your face as you quickened your footsteps to match his long strides. Although it caught you off guard at first, you went with it happily, and continued walking with Steve to the hotel, hand in hand.

-

The second time it happened, the two of you were walking home from dinner with all of the Avengers. Tony had paid for an extravagant meal of dive bar pizza from a place that was down a few blocks and around the corner from the tower. Most of your teammates had their own person they found to talk to on the walk back, and your person happened to be Steve. He’s one of the best people in the world to talk to; when you talked he looked at you as if you put the stars in the night sky. You had to admit, it made your heart skip a beat when he turned his head to look at you in the midst of conversation. Throngs of people were walking amongst the New York Streets on a busy Friday night, and you bumped your arm into Steve’s as people pushed past the two of you in the back of the group. Something in this subtle movement struck a chord in Steve, and he put his plan into action.

First he moved to your left side, making you shift towards the inside of the sidewalk so you were away from traffic and passerby's. After this, he laced his fingers into yours securing your place next to him on the sidewalk. There were a few pauses in the conversations that had been taking place next to you, but you brushed them off and continued talking to Steve about a funny memory from a mission. By the time the two of you were back at the tower, you didn't realize your hands were still linked. Steve followed along towards your room, not even noticing his foot path while chatting away with you.

The team stood in the kitchen, stunned at what had just unfolded. But they knew it was just the beginning of what was to come from your budding relationship.

-

By the third time, the two of you knew that you each had feelings of love for one another. But with what felt like a million missions going on at once, neither of you had time to act upon your feelings. Especially since everyone had just made the big move from the tower to the compound, you were all out of sorts. All of the avengers were luckily housed in one big area with a kitchen and other amenities, but the training facilities were on the other side of the compound with a maze of halls in between. You swore that Tony designed the place just to confuse people.

Steve was in the kitchen getting his coffee ready before heading over to the training room, just as you were. You were thankful he was there, this meant you would have someone with much better directional skills walking with you to the other side of the earth. The two of you took your time walking, since you had some stuff to catch up on from you both being on seperate missions for a week. You bumped into his shoulder on accident from an agent walking a little too close for comfort, and you brushed your left hand against the back of Steve’s. He took this as an invitation to link his fingers with yours, and you didn’t mind one bit. Your cheeks flushed lightly, but you carried on the conversation about the new annoying pranks that Sam came up with during the 12 hour flight home.

The glass doors slid open as the two of you approached, and many members of the team were already waiting for you to get there to begin with whatever needed to be focused on that morning. Many averted their eyes after taking a quick glance down at your entwined hands, all silently agreeing to not pry and get their asses kicked by you and Captain America.

One day the two of you will get a normal thing going, but you were happy just having a little arm candy for now.

Chapter Text

With your eyelids tightly closed, you attempted to pretend not to see the green light that glowed at the foot of your bed. But you knew that eventually you would have to get up, and check on the man who was sitting there with his shoulders hanging low. It’s not that you didn’t care, but whenever he showed up in the middle of the night he tended to be more dramatic. Loki sighed, and you could feel his shadow looming over your bed now, preparing to leave without uttering a word. Your eyes fluttered open, and Loki stopped in his tracks. He hadn’t seen you in a few weeks, and he knew he was wrong for it. This wasn’t new for you, and with Loki you knew that there would be times he would go off and brood without opening up to anyone or anything for an undisclosed amount of time.

“Come to bed.” You mumbled with sleep still in your voice, hoping that it would work this time. There was no way you were going to get a decent conversation out without a few more hours of sleep, so you hoped he would join you.

Loki took in a deep breath, and decided to fight against what was calling out inside of him. He took his coat off and then slipped his shoes under the bed. With one swoop he found himself under the covers and face to face with you, his one true love. There was nothing he hated more than being the reason you had sadness on your face, but he knew that he was back for good this time. Loki never wanted to subject you to his weird spells in his life, but with him and Thor being in a good place now, he knew it was time to settle down and stop being a jerk.

The next morning you were more than happy to be in his arms when the sun started to shine through the curtains. Your hands were tucked into his sweatshirt pocket, and your cheek was pressed against his chest. The smell of whatever shampoo he had used was evident, and you took a deep inhale before you stretched and rolled your way out of bed. You looked at Loki who was also beginning to wake up, and he had a light smile on his face. Over the past weeks you had missed the small details about him, like the light curl in his hair, and the way he smiled at you everytime you walked in the room.

“When are we going to talk about where you’ve been?” You tilted your head. Loki sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, and started to stretch as well. There were clothes strewn all over the room from the past few days since you had been on a few different missions. A loud silence fell over the room before he spoke.

“I had to go and deal with a few of my demons, but I’m back, and I’m back for good.” Loki shook his head with his words, and you desperately wanted to believe them but you knew deep down that it would only be a matter of time before he left again. “I’d rather focus on the better things between us right now.” He was almost pleading, and you looked down at your feet.

“You have to promise me,” You suddenly looked back up, and walked over in front of Loki while he was still sitting on the edge of the bed. With your pointer finger under his chin, his brilliant eyes gazed into yours. “Promise me you’re around for the long haul this time.”

Everything about your tone was dead serious, and Loki recognized this. He stood and towered over you, eyes searching your face for any trace of doubt. Loki knew that he had put you through hell but that was done with now. After a quick kiss, he whispered, “I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”

Your heart fluttered with hope, and you couldn’t wait to start this new chapter with him.

Chapter Text

Evenings at the compound are pretty uneventful, much to new member’s surprise. Most people are in the medical wing doing little physical therapy routines, or in their rooms watching movies; enjoying peace and quiet. Sam could always be found in the living room area, telling shitty jokes to whoever would listen. When you first joined the team you immediately fell for that smile he had whenever he was about to pull you in for a talk about his good ol days in the air force. He realized how crazy intelligent and fast you were on missions shortly after and fell head over heels in love with you. Then it was easy for him to talk to the guys about you, and all they could do was tease him about it.

On this night however, he was chatting away about whatever was on the tv with Steve and Bucky. Arguing with Bucky was like a sport to him, and the more he could get you involved to either defend Bucky or join the jokes was extra points. But Sam knew you could dish it right back to him, and there had been a few occasions that you had gotten a little crazy when he pushed just enough of your buttons. But this only happened in your own room of course, you couldn’t let the team in on your crazy side. It was all fun and games until the roast session began.

You were in the training room putting a few extra miles on the treadmill before going to bed, this way you would have the next day completely off from doing anything other than getting food. After finally finishing, you grabbed your small gym bag and started wiping the sweat that was dripping with the towel you had. Rounding the many metallic corners of the compound was something that was comforting to you, this place had really grown on everyone and no one really had another home to go to.

Voices could be heard from down the hall, and you knew it was Steve yelling at the tv for whatever reason and then Sam butting in and mentioning your name. You stopped in your tracks, just out of curiosity of what was to come in the conversation. The voices quieted down, and you presumed it was because they were all taking sips of their beer before continuing the conversation.

Steve started, “So Buck, how are things with Nat?” You smiled, those two made the scariest, most perfect pair in the compound. Ever since they got together they also were way happier individuals, and enjoyed being social for once. Bucky just laughed, and told them that things were going great, other than Natasha being a scary lady. The guys all let out a loud chuckle, and then that’s when things got interesting for you.

“How about y/n?” Steve’s voice got lower, and you knew he had his eyebrows raised like he already knew the answer.

Sam blew air out of his nose in a short laugh, and simply stated, “She’s crazy, and just when you think you’ve reached the bottom of her craziness, there’s an underground crazy garage.” The guys were silent for a moment, and then bursted out into laughter. This wasn’t like them, to talk shit behind someone's back on the team. Moreso, someones loving girlfriend who would gladly beat their ass without batting an eyelash. Your eyes widened, and you got this defensive adrenaline rush that almost sent you flying through the remaining walls.

But then Sam’s voice cut through your rage, and stopped your angry steps. “But I don’t know where I would be without her, I love her crazy ass, I really do.” Your heart melted a little, but you still had a little bit of murder rage in you. Both of the guys mumbled agreement, as Bucky knew exactly where he was coming from. At this point you continued your walk into the room, and the guys had to hide the shock on their faces. Bucky choked on his beer a little bit, because the sheer thought of talking shit about Nat with her around the corner would end with him in a grave.

“Hey baby-” Sam started. He had figured you were going to be in the gym a little longer than usual, and even then, most of the time you walk around with headphones in to be able to ignore the new agents on the floor.

Before he could even start to cover his own ass, you butted in, “I heard what you said,” He began to bite his lips in anticipation for the hell he was going to be put through, “But we all know I can’t stay mad at you and that cute face.” You plopped down on the couch next to him, and you could see relief on his face. Steve and Bucky said hello and silently wondered how much trouble they were in.

Sam still had a nervous smile on his face, he wasn’t falling for it.

You quickly used your arm that had slipped behind him to flip him off the couch, and to his luck the glass table that’s normally there was moved a couple feet over. You leaned down to his form that was now laying on the carpet, confused as to what just happened, and whispered something he could only hear, “Love you baby.” After that little showdown, you sauntered down the hall to your room and slammed the door.

Sam quickly got up, brushed off the imaginary dirt and looked at his friends for the silent agreement to never speak of that again.

Chapter Text

With your toes burrowed into the sand, and small waves lapping at your feet, you gazed out at the sunset. Your head tilted slightly to the right with a plethora of thoughts playing out in your mind, many about your husband and some about the friends that he had lost. You knew that this whole thing was much worse on him, with every sad drop of those full shoulders that had saved the world more than once. With a pivot of your heel, you headed back into the beach house that the two of you had been “hiding” in. One of the many houses that were acquired by the avengers before the fall of half the population. There was nothing left to hide from, except Steve thought that people would be too mad at him for him to even show his face in public.

Once inside the grandiose beach house, you saw that all the lights were off once more. Steve was still awake when you had went out for your quick walk, but this most likely meant that he was in bed trying to pretend he was asleep, but instead thinking of his old companions. It had been months since the snap happened, sure there was more food for most of the population, but that also meant the depression rates went up because everyone lost a loved one, and most of the world couldn’t leave their houses because of it. That happened to include your husband, who felt responsible for what happened. As much as you told Steve that he did everything he possibly could have, it didn’t change the sadness shimmering in his once lively eyes.

You went around and turned on all the lights of the floor that the two of you were residing in, and started to rummage around in the pantry to figure out what was to be had for dinner. The evening was the worst, not only was it hard to keep Steve out of bed, but you saw how dim the whole island was. Very few homeowners there had been spared by Thanos’ snap. A small shuffle caught your attention, and you whipped around to see Thor standing behind you. You jolted back for a moment, then only to leap forward into his arms. It had been so long since you had seen him and Rocket, they had been out looking for any possible answer with the surviving gods and anyone in the realms of outer space.

The three of you caught up for a while, mostly about what things Thor had learned on his trips all over the galaxies. He seemed to be holding back when talking about the new things that he had learned and what they meant, but he normally had a reason for holding back around you. There had been a few times where you had been at the compound during emergency meetings and they all shared the same look of “she shouldn’t hear the risks of this mission”. It was something you were used to, but quite frankly it was the most annoying shit ever. Your husband is an avenger for christ’s sake, you knew the risks that came with it.

Steve finally came shuffling out from the bedroom now that he heard more than one voice. A crack of a relieved smile appeared on his bearded face, just hugging Thor brought some life back into him. The two men hugged for longer than usual, and Steve even scratched the top of Rocket’s furry head. (which earned a huff from the racoon) An evening with a familiar face other than yours was exactly what Steve needed, and since Thor was on some crazy sleep schedule, the three of them (well, rocket fell asleep on your couch an hour after arriving) chatted away until almost 4 in the morning. Steve crawled back into bed around that time, and slid right in behind you. With his arms wrapped around you and a couple small kisses to your cheek and forehead, he squeezed you in a bear hug before going to sleep. There was something more in this little night time squeeze, and you knew exactly what it meant.

-

The next day you woke up to a more sunny morning than usual, and a cold spot in the bed next to you. Which was unusual since the two of you would spend all morning in bed, watching the news and talking out issues. It was the time of the day that you would get the most talking out of Steve actually, it was before the world could take its daily toll on him. After wandering out into the kitchen you found Steve watching the sunrise from the glass doors that led out to the porch, sipping a cup of coffee.

“Thor talked about more than just old stories last night, didn’t he?” You folded your arms across your chest, knowing how this conversation was about to go. It was just like when you had learned the name Thanos, and how your heart sank to your knees when you realized what it truly meant.

Steve inhaled deeply before turning to face you, “They have a plan.” His shoulders dropped lightly as he walked toward you. “We can go back in time, somehow him and Tony made a few devices-”

You raised a hand to stop him, “You know I want you to help the world as much as you can, but what will going back in time do? Have you relive that over again?” A much worse reality was going through your head, but you couldn’t bare to think of it that way.

“Baby, this is the only option. This is the endgame and there’s tons of loose ends that we can tie up to reverse this.” Steve rested his forehead against yours, and you had tears brimming over by this point. “You know what this means, but to save everyone else on earth from feeling this way, I would do anything.” You took a step back, feeling betrayed. He tried to reach out for you but you kept moving backwards, eventually running into a wall. There wasn’t any argument about this, it was more of Steve saying he was going to sacrifice either himself or Tony to reverse what the mad titan had done.

Steve leaned in and pressed a firm kiss to your lips. A plethora of memories flooded in all at once. The first date the two of you ever went on in the city, when he was all paranoid about the creepy people who flocked the sidewalks, and with some wine in your system you were loudly chattering the whole walk home to the sketchy people. When you first met the avengers and also got food poisoning that night from something you ate at the compound, and he held your hair up while you puked your guts up, rubbed your back, and made sure you got IV fluids that night while laying in his bed. Then the wedding, that happened right at the beach house. It was the most beautiful day filled with the most beautiful people, and you thought that the kiss that the two of you shared had ended the world’s problems.

But it didn’t.

And here you were, saying goodbye to your husband, so he could save the world one last time.

Chapter Text

The beach always held a special place in your heart, so on stressful days you found yourself making that half hour drive just to dig your toes in the sand and sip on a beer while the sun settled into the western coast behind you. Finally, you had a day off from work to get there before the crowds, and to have a couple drinks from the bar before they closed. You settled into your worn in beach chair, the rainbow colors only slightly faded from the years of use. The chair had been passed onto you from your aunt, and even though it was a dinky little thing, it held a special place in your heart.

The cupholder to your right currently held your vodka cran, and you sipped it occasionally as you people watched from under your umbrella. There was a whole shit show going on to your left, as you saw a few of the Avengers unpacking their things for the afternoon. You recognized Captain America and his best friend Bucky, and even the woman you knew as Black Widow was with them. There were 2 others there but you weren’t sure exactly who they were in that entourage. You laughed a little to yourself as you saw little kids streaming up to get pictures and autographs, and then they were finally able to settle into their own chairs. A lot of the adults on the beach couldn’t stop glancing at the crew, but you were indifferent. They were just regular people to you, trying to enjoy their afternoon like everyone else.

After a while of drinking your cheeks began to get more red from the alcohol, and also the temperature outside. You figured it was time to take a dip in the ocean just to cool off, and with the Avengers 10 feet away you knew your stuff was safe. With a quick motion, your cover up was off and you were making your way to float in the water. It only took a couple minutes to cool back down, and you slowly walked back to find your little area different. The umbrella and your purse remained, but your rainbow chair seemed to have vanished. With a quick glance around, you noticed that good ole Bucky Barnes was sitting on a beach chair eerily similar to your missing one.

Somehow stomping on the sand, the Avengers all looked up at you as you angrily approached their little camp. On top of looking ridiculous approaching the avengers wanting to yell at them, your hair was dripping wet and your bathing suit was clinging your form. “Can I help you, miss?” Captain America could tell something was going on. His stance was a little more aggressive than usual.

“Yeah, you can help me by giving me my chair back, Barnes.” You raised an eyebrow at the soldier. He was taken back by your attitude, and couldn’t help when a laugh bubbled up through his chest. No one ever talks to him like that, they all walk on eggshells around him. “Something funny? Because I’ll fight you right here.” Now you had a certified attitude laced through your voice. Bucky stood up from the chair, and you realized how much taller this man was compared to you. Sure, you might be barking up the wrong tree, but it was too late to stop this attitude train now.

Bucky took a step towards you, “This isn’t your chair, my darling. I was sitting down already when you went to go take a dip.” He tilted his head a little to the side to match your stance. You put your hands on your hips and immediately he followed suit, which made your steely gaze break slightly because you couldn’t help but laugh. “Maybe someone took it?”

“How are you guys earth’s mightiest heroes if you let someone, who obviously wasn’t me, steal my fucking beach chair?” Your attitude came back, and you could hear some of them snickering behind your little standoff with Bucky. “Cause it sure wasn’t a seagull who came down and swooped my beach chair away.” Sure, the couple vodka crans made you a little more loud and upfront than usual, but you’d have approached them even if you didn’t have alcohol in your system.

Bucky took another step closer to you, and you could pretty much feel him breathing down your neck. “I did happen to see where your chair went, and I think I could help get it back. If you even want my help, Miss…?” He was waiting for your name, and you told him with some hesitation, but he smiled and repeated it back, and it sounded like heaven in his voice. “I happened to see a little kid come waddle by and drag it off, and I think I know where he went.”

After about a 10 minute walk down the beach, Bucky spotted the little brat who made off with your chair, and you just about ran up to his parents to scold them. But before you could open your mouth, Bucky mumbled something about the fact that it’s his girlfriend’s chair, and while they went to grab a drink Bucky saw him run off with it. They laughed, and thanked you for not being too mad at him. With your chair back in your arms, the two of you walked off with a fake smile on your faces. “Don’t you think it’s a little early in our relationship to have a label?” You laughed and smacked his arm. “Thanks for helping me get this back, you didn’t really have to help me, I was being kind of a jackass.” You still had another few minutes left in your walk before you made it back to where they had set up camp for the day.

Bucky kept glancing over at you, “Trust me, I had to get to know you, considering you marched up to the Avengers with an attitude that I’ve never seen, and you’re at least a foot shorter than anyone standing there.” You both laughed, and you punched his arm again for making fun of your height. “But seriously, we should get a drink sometime.” You agreed and chatted for a few more minutes until you met back up with his group.

“Well, I am going to sit my ass back down over there and then we can meet up later for that drink, yeah?” You winked at him and walked back to your little area, and happily plopped back down onto your chair.

-
1 year later

Life was flying at a different speed as of late, it seemed like time was going faster and faster whenever you saw Bucky in between missions. But this time, he was home for a while, and you couldn’t be happier. Your anniversary was coming up, so you had plans on staying at the compound for an extended period of time. Plans for a big family dinner were also in the works, but everyone abandoned the talk of dinner once they quinjet landed. Hugs and kisses were exchanged, and everyone went to their own areas of the compound for a couple hours to be with their loved one who just came back.

Dinner time arrived, and Bucky decided to give a little speech before everyone dug in. (Albeit, it was pretty hard since Clint’s kids were there, and hungry) “Our anniversary is coming up, and I still can’t believe how fast this time has gone. My mind is still blown by the intelligence and attitude on this one,” He pointed at you and there wasn’t one person in that room not laughing, “And to think this all started over a rainbow beach chair going missing, that might I add was Nat’s idea.” Your mouth fell open, this was the first time you were hearing this.

Turns out, Bucky had seen you at the beach a couple weeks before that and mentioned your description in passing, and Natasha knew she had to set the two of you up. She’d seen you get shitty with someone at the beach bar for trying to stand a little too close for comfort, and knew you were the one for him. So, Clint’s son “stole” your chair, and Natasha had come up with the idea for Bucky to sit in an identical chair to see what you would do to get it back. The plan had went the best way possible when you came up with the utmost confidence, ready to fight the Avengers for your little beach chair. Who would’ve guessed that your rainbow chair would lead to something as amazing as Bucky being your forever life partner?

Chapter Text

It all happened so fast; the snap. Almost everyone in your apartment building was gone, the city seemed to be on fire for days, and then it was just dark. The few friends you had heard from had grim things to report. The dark sky was hanging low over New York City, and you were watching people scrounge for whatever was left of the bodegas. Only three days went by before you heard a knock at your door, and it almost made you jump out of your skin. You had forgotten what it was like - human interaction. Who the hell could it be? But before you could tear your eyes away from the scene unfolding outside of your window, Carol let herself in. She was praying that you’d be on the other side of that door, and thankfully, you were.

Carol spoke just above a whisper as she came to stand next to you, “What the fuck happened?” You could only shake your head, you had no answers. The power was out across the world, your phone was minutes from dying, you only knew that people were turning into ash as their loved ones looked on. “Fury paged me, I knew it had to be bad but this looks worse than anything I’ve ever seen.” You leaned on her shoulder, and took in the full weight of what she had said. Carol knew the Avengers, but they didn’t know her. She also knew that if Fury had paged her it meant that they had finally met their match.

“It might be time to go introduce yourself, baby.” You lifted your head and looked at her, you could tell she had flown here faster than usual because her suit had all kinds of burn marks from entering the atmosphere. As always, Carol’s hair still had its signature spunk and blonde wisps framed her beautiful face. With a small, sad smile she wrapped her arms around you and all you could do was bury your face in her chest. Carol always had this smell to her that you called “outerspace perfume”, you laughed for the first time in days when that thought came to mind.

She smiled when you finally lifted your head again, and gave you a quick peck on your forehead before she walked off to take a seat on the couch. Letting out a sigh, she scratched her forehead and mumbled something like, “Time to teach the avengers how to kick some real ass.”

-

“Where is Fury?” Carol stood tall behind the Avengers, they all whipped around like someone had shot at them. You, however, were sitting at the table behind this little meetup to watch how it all went down. The leather chairs surrounding the glass table were more comfortable than your own bed, so you sunk right down. Most of their faces were familiar from all the news of what they had been up to the past couple of years, but you could see how much this has taken a toll on them. They all looked like they needed a hug. Carol had remembered where the new compound was because Fury updated her every time they moved around, you simply grabbed onto her when she flew off your balcony.

“Who the hell are you?!” The man you recognized as Captain America was taken aback by Carol, he looked at her suit and he seemed to relax his shoulders a little bit. “How do you know Fury?” You remained in one of the chairs far off from the scene that was unfolding, you knew they wouldn’t fight with her but would be curious who she was and how the two of you got in there.

“I’m Carol Danvers, the one who Fury was trying to reach.” She pointed at the symbol on her chest, “The screen probably looked like this?” They all were wary of her, rightfully so. She had just flown down from the sky and landed in their safe zone.

Black Widow took a cautious step toward her, “Why are you here? We lost.” Natasha’s eyes were fierce, and you didn’t catch yourself tilting your head while watching the interaction. Powerful women meeting other powerful women was always a mystery to you, they tend to act like they had nothing left to lose. But not Carol, she walked back towards you and sat down in a chair next to yours. They all eyed her with caution, but gathered around the table as well.

“I am here to find a solution to this problem, maybe even reverse it.”

-

Once the Avengers had heard Carol out, they convened without the two of you in the room and decided it wouldn’t hurt to try adding a new member to the crew. Carol went over her credentials in a blase manner, but most of them had their mouths hanging open when she talked about her powers coming from the tesseract. The amount of times she had already stopped disasters from happening to the entire galaxy single handed had all of them shocked. You had a smile on your face, that’s why you loved her, she wanted to help but didn’t understand how much she had really done to help people all over the galaxy. Carol had slowly worked her hand into yours over the time she had been talking, and rubbed her thumb over the top of your hand.

“And who’s this with you?” The question made your head snap up, and it had come from Captain America.

A red blush came over your cheeks as you introduced yourself, followed by “Captain Marvel’s girlfriend.” A few nods from around the table, despite society being where it’s at, the two of you still got some weird looks while out in public. But the Avengers all seemed to take it in like it was nothing out of the ordinary, which was refreshing. “I’m human, and I don’t have any special tricks up my sleeve.” A small laugh from around the table, the tension was eased slightly.

“Is there any way she could stay here while we figure things out?” Carol furrowed her brows as she looked at Tony Stark. It was one of the few places on earth with power still, mostly because they ran on an independent grid and also because it’s the avengers. “She can also offer counseling services, which I know you guys might benefit from..” Carol squeezed your hand under the table, and you nodded in agreement. Before either of you could continue on, they all started to speak from around the room about how it would be no problem for you to stay there.

-

A few weeks had passed, Natasha had found Clint and brought him home to help deal with the damage. There was a plan in the works and it looked like every hand needed to be on deck. The avengers were looking to kick up some serious dust. You were invited to the meetings where they discussed the overall action plan. So for a couple of the meetings you went, but things were starting to get quite dicey. Holding onto Carol’s hand and thinking positive thoughts were the only way through those meetings.

The night before they were leaving had finally rolled around, and after a big dinner with the whole team you found yourself in bed with Carol. The two of you chit chatted about who you were most friendly with, and who could probably beat Carol in combat (none of them). Once you shut the lights off in your room, you crawled back under the sheets and got as close as you could to Carol. This was the first time you had ever been truly worried about her safety, unlike her small missions to other parts of the galaxy where she knew she was top dog. Wordless, the two of you shared worries about the mission ahead. It seemed like a fool’s errand; going back up against Thanos. But you knew that this was the only way to get everyone’s loved ones back, not just on earth either.

Legs tangled with Carol’s, her hand was making lazy circles on your lower back. Sometimes you thought she had sparks coming out of her fingertips, which is possible, but her touch just had a way of soothing your soul while getting your heart racing at the same time. You just wished that the two of you could be in a happy bubble away from trouble just a little while longer. After a while you finally looked up to meet Carol’s eyes, peering into your own. “Don’t come home a stranger.” You spoke just above a whisper. You’d seen her come home from missions before devastated and unable to get out of bed over all the people she couldn’t save. After placing a few feather-light kisses on her cheeks, you whispered, “By that I mean don’t come home so sad you can’t do karaoke.”

Carol let out a bubbly laugh, and pulled you closer to her, “Never, baby.”

Chapter Text

2020

The hot sun beats down, beads of sweat begin to form on your forehead. With a swish of your hand you wipe away the droplets that drip down your forehead. Pruning and planting the different crops for spring always took time, but that was all you had to do on your little island. That, and think about the love of your life and the hands that planted this garden in the early fall time. Thinking of the memory of your butt planted in a beach chair while watching his bent over frame in the garden boxes, planting strawberries and various greens.

A slight buzz in your beach bag catches your attention and you think nothing of it; most likely a news notification regarding the recent breakout. After hearing another ping, something in your gut tells you to check it. Walking through the thick sand surrounding your house, you bend over to retrieve your cell phone and realize that the buzzing continues from the second pocket. The emergency phone that hasn’t gone off in a few months is now alive with sound, and with your stomach dropping into your toes; you answer.

“Need any groceries?” Natalia’s familiar tone gives you friendly butterflies in your stomach, as she is one of your longest friends. You hadn’t heard her voice since Thanos had ruined the planet with the snap of his fingers. It was almost a relief to hear her raspy tone. Even then she didn’t want to bother you, or more likely find out if you had survived the initial snap (Which you did).

Without missing a beat, “Just pickles,” The familiar code for ‘the coast is clear’, “Maybe some vodka if you’re stopping.” You added with a smile. Nat happily said she would bring you a couple bottles, and with that she hung up the phone. After taking a shuddering breath, you tossed the phone back in your bag. This meant you had to make some rounds and change sheets in the different guest bedrooms, and actually wash the dishes in your sink. Your lab would be beyond happy to have some different but familiar faces around the little compound.

-

Seeing the familiar tiny red boat pull ashore that afternoon to your island always brought a smile to your face, along with the red head manning the small vessel. For the first time you noticed a few beefy men in tow, which made your eyebrows rise in surprise. Nat climbed ashore with a couple of manly hands held out to aid her. Then with the small boat anchored, the few men climbed ashore. Of course you knew who they all were, who wouldn’t? At least she managed to bring some of the most well mannered men on the planet; all of which extended their hands in sync once reaching you on the shore. Steve introduced himself first, and he even kissed your cheek with a red hue on his own. Sam was a little more cocky in his introduction, but thanked you immensely for letting him stay there. Bucky was the last, and he was much more quiet and distant in his introduction than the rest. He took your hands in his, and then mimicked Steve and placed the gentlest kiss upon your cheek that made Sam and Nat furrow their brows. However, they didn’t say anything in fear for their lives.

After a moment of awkward silence, Natasha cut in. “We needed a safe house, desperately.” You nodded, almost prying for more. “There’s a little too much going on in the world…Virus and all. Tony got worried with all of us in New York or in the same Safe House at that.” She tucked her hands in her pocket, which was a cue for her that she was done talking. For as long as you had known her, it was almost impossible to get her to a point of being uncomfortable that she couldn’t talk anymore. So this situation had to be dire.

With the warmest smile you could offer up, you spoke to the group, “I understand, and you’re welcome here for as long as you need.” They all joined in a chorus of ‘thank yous’ but you interrupted with “As long as you’re willing to go to the grocery store for or with me.” In response Nat quickly walked back over to the boat, and grabbed a handful of reusable bags that contained at least $300 worth of groceries. “Well then, I’ll show you to your rooms.”

Throwing a dinner together for your guests was pretty easy since they all would eat anything you put on the plate in front of them. Steve was the one to strike up a conversation more than anybody else; asking how you came to get this land and when the house was built. Nat was just exhausted from navigating most of the way, and Sam must’ve been exhausted from nagging the whole time. Bucky, however, kept a cool distance from you across the dinner table. But he was the one who stayed to clean up dishes once everyone else went to bed, and even suggested you go to bed while he finished up downstairs. A smile graced your face and with a small wink you climbed the three flights of stairs to your master bedroom.

5:45 AM rolled around, and your alarm went off to get up and get ready for your 6 AM run around the island. The sunrise always brought a fresh breath of life to your lungs and soul. The island that you were lucky enough to live on, clocked in at around 4 miles round which was just the perfect running/walking mixture for your exercise credentials. Being on your own gave you a certain sense of freedom and happiness with the few trips to the grocery store that you made. While tying your sneakers, another person joined your presence downstairs in the island farmhouse. Bucky Barnes stood on the landing of the staircase, hair in a bun at the nape of his neck. He had a long sleeve shirt on that covered up to his wrists, leaving the metal arm to glimmer in the faint morning light. You had a sly smile on your lips with the thought of Nat teaching him how to tie his hair up in a small bun.

“What?” Bucky was also tying up his shoelaces, but caught a glimpse of your smile playing on your lips. The two of you were creatures of habit, and that meant getting up early in the day to work out so you had time for important stuff in the afternoon, like drinking. “Is there something wrong with my hair?” Bucky self consciously ran his flesh hand over his head.

You quickly jumped in, “Not at all! I could just tell Nat taught you to do that.” You grabbed the handle for the front door and looked at Bucky with a sympathetic look in your eyes, “Gonna run the same pace as me or outrun me today?” He laughed and agreed to keep pace with you. He was over a foot taller than you, which made you doubt his abilities to go your pace given the leg difference between the two of you.

The sun was only beginning to create a color show over the various mountains and islands surrounding your private island. Purple hues took over the sky and your heart. It always made you incredibly happy that you were able to reach this point in your life that you were able to live the life you had always dreamed of; quiet, and no one bothering you unless the situations were dire. Bucky’s strides were slower than normal to your left and even you could tell that, he wasn’t out of breath even when you were. Towards the end you always walked just to cool down and take in the cool morning breeze. Your black Labrador also joined during this morning ritual, which helped him settle during your afternoon activities.

After finishing the lap around the island, you sat down on one of the blue adirondack chairs you had perched on the beach. The paint was slightly peeling but every couple of years you repainted right over it, good as new. It was probably getting close to the time that required some more paint on the old, trusty chairs. Bucky carefully lowered himself into the chair next to you. With a slight sigh, he whispers as if to not disturb the sunrise still occuring. “Do you think Natalia knows about us?”

A laugh bubbles up into your chest as your hand reaches over and interlaces your fingers with Bucky’s. “I don’t think so baby.”

This had been occurring for the past 2 years, unbeknownst to the rest of the team. Neither of you really cared whether the rest of the team knew, maybe just Sam. The first time Nat had brought everyone to the island (By everyone, that means the WHOLE team and their significant others) over 2 years ago. There were so many dogs barking and beds squeaking that nobody had noticed you and Bucky on the front porch having a drink and learning everything about one another. He came to visit quite often after that, and no one really bothered to ask him where he was going.

The chairs in the sand were so close together that even if someone was to look out their bedroom windows and spot the two of you holding hands, you couldn’t quite tell what was happening. Steve was the only one with a bedroom that had a view over towards the sunrise, and you did that on purpose because you knew he wouldn’t say anything, and if he did it would have just been to Bucky. You adjusted in your chair so you could lean your head on his right shoulder, since his forearm was resting comfortably on your thigh. Bucky moved his head slightly just to kiss your sweaty forehead, and you could feel the smile on his lips. Bucky always smelled like eucalyptus and the scent stayed around your house even after he returned to his normal routine at the Avengers Compound. Your dog laid at both of your feet on the sand, comfortable as ever.

“I think we have to tell Tony eventually, especially since you wanna move here sometime in the near future.” You barely spoke above a whisper to him as you brought the back of his hand to your lips for a small kiss.

Bucky rested his cheek on the top of your head, watching the finishing sunrise. “I know, let this pandemic finish first before he realizes that he has to find another Avenger.” He giggled a little, and it brought a bubble of laughter up to your chest. “I just want to enjoy our privacy for now, before Sam realizes.” You nodded in agreement.

-

2019

Bucky had been introduced to you the year before, and somehow he managed to show up at your doorstep once a month. He claimed that it was his “vacation time”, even in the dead of winter, with snow piling up on your porch and an icy lake all around. The smile he donned melted a path right into your heart and you knew there was no way of falling out of love with Bucky Barnes. Most of the team was still under the impression that he was half psychotic; willing to snap at any time. But he was just the opposite. He was the most caring person you’d ever met in your life.

Bucky spent most of his time on your island helping with various projects that needed completing, whether it was fixing broken floor boards or sealing the shed against snow. You watched him get bundled up in overalls, glove only on his flesh hand and a fuzzy hat that he didn’t realize had cat ears on top, and trek outside to shovel a pathway to the shed that contained a few important items. Not to mention the chilly nights you spent with the window cracked, bundled up and a shirtless Bucky sleeping in the kingsize bed next to you.

Everytime he showed up on the porch, he claimed he took a leave of absence for some quiet time. But the time he spent on your island was anything but quiet. Making meals required any kind of music playing and hips swaying. His thumbs made impressions on your hips while you leaned to grab different seasonings from the spice rack, and a deep blush would form on your cheeks.

Late in the evenings it would just be the sound of snow falling outside and both of your breaths, ragged and slowing down. Legs tangled together, and not a care in the world. Bucky spent time tracing his fingers along the various tattoos that were painted over your arms and body. It made your heart warm to see Bucky this vulnerable. You finally had to ask what brought him here after all this time.

“You.” Was all Bucky wanted to offer at the time, and after some pandering he continued. “It’s peaceful here, you bring me unconstituted peace and so does this island.” Bucky was speaking the truth, it had been a long time since he had felt safe and content enough to be this open with someone. All it took were 4 sides of water for him to finally feel safe.

-

2020

You let out a little sigh before you spoke again, “I’d kiss you right now, but I have a feeling there’s a pair of eyes on us.” Closing your eyes, you felt Bucky stretch to turn around next to you. Sure enough, Nat was already up and sipping her coffee on the porch. She knew how much your privacy meant to you and Bucky, so she simply raised her mug in a cheering motion, and went back to bed.

Everyone had an inkling of an idea about the two of you, since Bucky didn’t know how to shut off the tracking on his iphone. But Natalia had reminded them of your spy past and how you once decapitated a man with your bare hands. Needless to say they kept their mouths shut until everyone was invited to the wedding/Bucky’s retirement party on the island.

Chapter Text

Being a new Shield agent was more nerve-wracking than it sounds, you have to be precise with everything you say and do. So when you were offered a spot on the list for new trainees, you were more than happy, but also slightly terrified. Even as you approached the building for the first time, you were intimidated. There were heroes scattered about the various floors, and many of which you looked up to for a while now. You had received an ID in the mail, this way you could bypass the sign-in line and go straight to security to be scanned before getting on the elevator. The letter had been weighing on your mind, it said to dress like you were going to a nice dinner, but be ready to get your “ass handed to you.” It must’ve been the famous Tony Stark responsible for that charismatic letter.

There were a few other people in suits as you stepped onto the elevator, which made you feel underdressed in your black stretch pants and cardigan. Although, you had your gym bag with you in case they wanted to do any sort of training. You didn't even know who or what to expect, all you knew was that you’d received a letter from the Stark tower about becoming a new agent and that you should take the opportunity while you could. So many thoughts were floating through your head as you stepped off the elevator onto floor 28, and you blindly followed the electronic signs that pointed to the glass walls that encased the training room you were trying to find. But instead of paying attention to where you were actually walking, you were mesmerized by the Black Widow taking down one of her teammates as a warm up. There was something so graceful as her movements when she was planning an attack. She had a smirk on her face even while she leapt up into the air and swung herself onto Hawkeye’s shoulders.

You continued to walk without paying attention to your path, which was a mistake, and you ran directly into what felt like a brick wall. The red bag that was slung over your shoulder toppled to the ground, and out came the bottles of water and your training clothes. You nearly fell before a pair of strong arms grasped you. It took a moment to regain balance, but you finally looked around to take in the situation. Steve Rogers was intently looking at you, and with his arms around you he finally asked, “I take it you're a new recruit?” He dropped his arms, and then as if it wasn't already embarrassing enough, the both of you bumped heads as you went down to reach for the bag and its contents. It took everything not to cry on the spot, but Steve just chuckled before continuing his earlier point with a much redder face now, “You’ll get used to it, Natasha I mean, after she kicks your ass a few times the novelty will wear off.” He laughed and then took a minute to look at your face closer.

You held your hand out, “I’m y/n, I’m sorry for running into you.” After a breathy laugh from you, he shook your hand back. You took in how tall he was compared to you, and found it hilarious that he didn’t see you as the two of you were walking before colliding.

“And I'm sorry for making you drop all your stuff, it’s nice to meet you, do you want to walk in with me? I’ll make sure you don't run into the glass door,” Steve’s face got more red as he joked with you, and it also made you blush in return. You giggled your way over to the doorway, and Steve opened it when you got there. There were a few avengers lingering, and they seemed to be staring at you and Steve as you walked in, but avoided eye contact when you looked over their way.

The bag over your shoulder swung around as you strode into the room confidently, seeing as there were already a few other agent recruits there, “I feel bad for stopping your whole morning routine, Captain Rogers.” You looked up at him as the two of you made your way toward the benches so you could set your things down and sort it all out.

“I was headed in here, actually.” Steve started to explain, he and Natasha were the people in training that day. He also said how much Nat hated being there to welcome new people, but that she would probably like you. This was also when you scanned the room, and saw the person you knew to be the Winter Soldier doing one-armed push ups in the corner. Before you could ask any questions, he had looked up, and started to make his way over to you and Steve with a towel over his shoulder. Despite this being the first time you were ever in the Avengers Tower, they acted as if they've known you for their whole lives.

Tall, dark and handsome, Bucky strode over towards you, “Hey, Doll.” he greeted you before turning and looking at his best friend, “I’m staying for the meeting with the newbie today.”

“Newbie? As in I’m the only one?” You put your hands on your hips as you asked the man who just approached, “By the way I’m y/n,” you stuck out your right hand for him to shake.

Instead of shaking your hand, he leaned in and kissed you on the cheek, “I’m James, you can call me Bucky.” There was something almost flirtatious in his words, and he ignored your question as he continued, “This meeting is your basic, ‘Don’t tell anyone what you learn here or we can have you jailed forever!’” Bucky laughed a little bit, “You seem to be the perfect fit for us, with how much ass you’ve kicked this past year.”

You completely ignored his flirting, and was taken back for a moment by his words, “‘On the team’? I thought this was just the orientation to be an agent?” That might’ve been the twist that they were going to announce at the meeting, judging on the side-eye that Steve gave him. It was also at this time that you noticed some of the other avengers standing on the balcony that overlooked the whole gym.

“Well, why would we play our card and scare you away?” Bucky smirked at you, and walked away to go find Natasha again. His words struck a chord in you, which led you to go on a question rampage on Steve.

The letter never said anything about being with the actual avengers, but it made sense that they didn’t want to scare you away and prevent you from showing up on the first day. Maybe bumping into Steve in the hall was a sign for you to go through with taking the job as an avengers. Albeit early, who knew what could come from the two of you being together? Steve simply tilted his head with a smile at you, letting you fire away with the questions while your mind wandered. For some reason he knew in his heart that you would be a perfect fit with the team, especially with the way you reacted to Nat as you first approached. Even with the way you ignored Bucky’s antics, he knew you were perfect.

So Steve finally cut you off with a gentle hand to the shoulder, “Welcome to the team, your first day of training starts now.”