Archive of Our Own

“Who is that man you’re with?”

Your eyes widen and dart back to Bucky. “Right now?”

“No, honey! On Instagram? Who is that?”

Bucky sees the blood drain from your face. He squeezes your arm in concern. You look at him and mouth the word fuck. He mouths back everything okay?

“How did you find that, Mom?” You made sure long ago that your mother was blocked on all social media accounts to save you from conversations like these with a meddling mother like herself.

The photo in question was one you posted a week ago, a casual “announcement” that you and Bucky were dating. You had been together for a little over a month now -- your anniversary being that amazing Sunday which involved lots of making out and a Lord of the Rings marathon -- and had tried to keep your relationship private to most. Not that you were ashamed of dating him. Well, there were still many moments where you couldn’t believe that someone as gorgeous as Bucky was with a plus size woman such as yourself, and you still weren’t used to the scoffs you got from strangers who saw you cozying up while walking the streets of New York. No, those moments were hard, but they weren’t the main thing.

It was the whole dating an Avenger thing. A super soldier with a lot of enemies and very much in the public eye. He tried to remain unrecognizable as much as possible, usually wearing a leather jacket and gloves, or whatever he could to cover his metal arm. But still, you wanted to take things slow and be a bit more cautious than you might be if you weren’t dating an ex-assassin who was over 100 years old.

Then last week, you, Bucky, and Sam (aka Captain freaking America) hung out with your best friends Raina and Abby at Raina’s place. They had met Bucky shortly after the LOTR marathon, and even though they knew you were dating the former Winter Soldier and had tried to mentally prepare themselves as much as possible, they still gawked and fangirled at the sight of him, making you cringe. Bucky only laughed, shaking their hands and trying his best to ignore them making heart eyes at him.

Since then, the five of you had begun hanging out more. Bucky was slowly learning how to socialize and have friends again after being 70 years out of practice and you were a big help with that.

That particular night the gang had decided to play beer pong, interested to see what it would be like playing with two Avengers. Since Bucky had experience with being a sniper, it was you two on a team against the other three. Your team totally kicked ass.

Well, Bucky kicked ass.

On the last shot, he wrapped his left arm around you and pulled you in close. He leaned forward to place a chaste kiss to your lips, and while his eyes were still closed and his lips were still on yours he tossed the ball straight into the center cup. Had you not been so distracted by the intoxicating taste of Bucky’s lips, you would have heard Sam’s groan at the winning throw.

When Bucky pulled away, his lips hovered over yours for a second and the two of you smiled at each other like a couple of idiots.

“Thanks for being such a great partner,” Bucky whispered, his breath tickling your skin and sending shivers down your body.

“Oh, hell yes, I just got the cutest photo of you two,” Abby yelled, running over to you with her phone in your face.

Your gut reaction was to grimace. You hated how your double chin was showing and that you clearly had a muffin top peeking out of your shirt. But you fought the negative thoughts and focused on the other things. How perfectly his arm wrapped around you. How good you looked pressed flush against him, hand resting on his chest. How happy you both looked, mirrored smiles plastered on your faces.

It was a damn good photo.

“Send that to me, will ya?”

“Well since you hate me and don’t let me see your posts, I had to find out about it from Auntie Katie when she called me asking if you had a boyfriend!” Your mom’s accusatory voice snapped you back to the present. “Were you ever going to tell your father and I?”

“I’m sorry mom,” you groan, pinching the bridge of your nose. “It’s all very new. I was going to tell you and dad, obviously-”

“Who is he? What’s his name?”

You look back at Bucky, who appears to be no longer concerned. He had decided to be rude and use his super soldier hearing to eavesdrop on your conversation to find out what was going on. Now, he just has an amused look on his face.

“Bucky,” you bite out, glaring at him. “His name is Bucky.”

“What the hell is a Bucky?”

Bucky fights back a laugh and you whack his arm. “It’s a nickname, Mom. His first name is James.”

“How do you know him? Is he online? What’s his last name? Who is his family? What does he do for wor-”

“Mom please,” you cut her off. “This is why I didn’t want to tell you!” You start pacing along the aisle. “It’s nothing. I mean-” you wince, looking at Bucky’s now pained expression, “I mean, it’s not nothing, he is my boyfriend and everything. And he’s a good man. I just don’t want you to get all up in a tizzy because I have a boyf-”

“We want to meet him.”

You stop the pacing. “You...you want to-”

“You two are coming to visit. This weekend.”

“Mom, this is too last minute. I don’t think we can do-”

“Y/n Y/l/n, you are coming home this weekend and you are bringing this man with you. You can bring Willa too if you’d like. It’s not just that we want to meet this man. We miss you, sweetheart. It’s been too long. And your brother was coming to visit anyway so why not tag along? It’ll be fun.”

You look to Bucky, who’s still listening in on the conversation. He gives you a weak smile through tightly closed lips and nods. You sigh.

“Okay. We’ll be there.”

Even without his enhanced hearing, Bucky could have heard the squeal coming from the phone.

“Yay! Oh I’m so excited! We’ll see you Saturday afternoon? Try to get here before dinner. Here, talk to your father!”

You hear the shuffle of the phone and whispered conversations before a deep voice reaches your ears. “Hey Peanut.”

You smile. “Hey Pops. How’s your back?”

“Well, not broken yet so I’d call that a success. How you doing?”

“I’m good. Things are good.” You give Bucky a wink and he smiles. Seeing your demeanor change has him less on edge, so he continues to browse the cat toys, giving you more privacy.

“Good kiddo, I’m glad.” Dad clears his throat. “So...uh...there’s a fella? This is...new.”

“Dad, do you really want to talk about boys right now?” Bucky chuckles.

“Not really. Just want to make sure he treats you right, though. He and I will be having a talk this weekend.”

You roll your eyes, knowing your dad can’t see you. “You don’t need to worry about Bucky, Dad. He’s a good one. Plus, he loves Lord of the Rings.”

Dad laughs. “Hell yeah. Good to know he has taste.”

“Alright Dad,” you laugh out. “I gotta go. I’ll see you Saturday.”

“Okay Peanut. Love you.”

“Love you too, Dad.” You hang up your phone and look over at Bucky.

“Well, I guess you’re meeting my parents this weekend.” You bury your face in your hands.

Bucky walks over and gently pulls your hands away, taking them into his. “Are ya that ashamed of me, doll?” he asks jokingly.

You glare at him. “Of course not, Buck. It’s them I’m nervous about. Dad will be fine. He’ll probably be more uncomfortable than you. It’s Mom I’m most nervous about. She’s a lot. Needs a lot of attention which has always been fun for my introverted ass. I love her, we just but heads a lot. And she’s going to be on a whole other level meeting you. I’ve never, uh- they’ve never met a boyfriend before? I mean, I’ve never really had a boyfriend for them to meet so this is kind of a big deal but not really you shouldn’t be concerned at all and Kevin will be there so hopefully he’ll do some little brother thing that distracts everyone from-”

“Sweetheart,” Bucky places his hands on your shoulders, “calm down. We’ll be fine. I’d love to meet your family.”

You take a deep breath in. “Really?”

No, I’m terrified.

Bucky forces a smile. “Yes.”

You also force a smile and nod. “Great. Can’t wait.”

-----

Before you knew it, Saturday had arrived.

Somehow, the lack of sleep from panicking and the anxious thoughts about introducing Bucky to your parents made time go by way faster than usual. It felt like Doctor Strange fucked up the timeline and made days pass at 2x’s speed or something.

Your phone buzzes.

Heading over now. Coffee?

You smile at Bucky’s text.

Yes please. Can you see if they’ll add a shot of tranquilizer to that?

How about a donut instead?

I don’t deserve you.

:) Be there in 10.

You pack up a few last things and do one last sweep of the apartment. Once satisfied, you grab your bag and Willa’s crate and head downstairs to your car. Bucky had offered to drive, but you wanted to have something to keep you grounded during the three-hour trip so that your brain didn’t continue to spiral. And you wanted Bucky to try to get some sleep if he could. He was up all night with Sam, trying to gather intel on what John Walker (the former fake Captain America) was currently up to. Apparently he had gone dark after being dishonorably discharged and they didn’t know where he was.

You’re putting your bag in the trunk when a pair of arms wrap around your middle from behind. You jump, whirling around to find a smiling Bucky, who quickly kisses you before you can scream.

“Bucky Barnes,” you say against his lips before pulling away, “I’m going to accidentally hit you one day if you keep sneaking up on me like that.”

His smile turns mischievous. “I’d like to see you try, sweetheart.” He pulls back and leans to the ground to pick up your coffee, extending it towards you. “Consider this a peace offering.”

You jokingly glare at him and grab the coffee, then lean forward for another kiss. “You are forgiven.”

“What a relief.” He puts his bag in the trunk and closes the door. “So, how ya feelin?”

“Like I’m gonna pass out. The usual feeling when it comes to visiting my parents.”

Bucky kisses your forehead. “Sure you don’t want me to drive?”

You shake your head. “The drive will keep me calm. Plus,” your thumb strokes the bags under Bucky’s right eye, “you need to rest, honey.”

Bucky nods. “Alright, let’s get this show on the road.”

“Prepare for terrible singing and not-great harmonizing, Barnes.”

“Oh, I cannot wait.”

It takes Willa about 20 minutes to stop crying and get settled in her crate. Bucky had smiled when he saw a green ball in there with her, which she seemed to enjoy playing with once she calmed down.

The two of you had an agreement for the road trip. Thirty minutes of your music, thirty of Bucky’s. Yours was a weird mix of indie/classic rock, musicals, and what you referred to as ‘sad girl in the woods’ music. Bucky requested 40s music and some Marvin Gaye. You kept your promise and sang loudly for most of the beginning of the journey.

“So, let’s get the rundown. Tell me about your family,” Bucky asks after hearing you belt half of the Wicked soundtrack.

“Well, it’s my parents and Kevin. Kev’s a few years younger than me. Plays guitar, works in construction, is both the most annoying and coolest person I know.” Bucky chuckles. “He jumps from one long-term monogamous relationship to the next. It’s exhausting. Right now he’s with a girl Tay who I’ve met, like, once. I think my parents have always been slightly relieved at my dating history, or lack thereof. They’ve only had to deal with drama from one of us.

“Dad is, like, my best friend. Not really, but he and I are the closest. He’s stupidly hard-working, and very selfless. He works in landscaping and cannot wait to retire. Loves birds, flowers, and is more of a nerd than he would ever admit. I’m pretty sure he’s watched Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter more than I have.

“Then, there’s my mom. I know I keep making her sound like the worst person on earth. She’s not. We’re just very different personalities. But also the same? I don’t know. Parents are weird. She’s the youngest of nine, and used to be a huge partier. Had a problem with drinking while I was growing up, but she’s been sober for about ten years now. She’s super smart and can make friends with just about anyone. But she’s also a huge part about why I feel...certain insecurities about things.” Bucky’s lips tighten and he gives you a single nod. “She’s been overweight most of her life and has always been very self-deprecating about her appearance. She has anxiety and depression which made everything she struggled with with drinking and feelings about her weight that much worse. When she stopped drinking she decided to get Gastric Bypass,” you look over at Bucky who gives you a confused look. “It’s a surgery where they make your stomach smaller so you lose weight.” His eyebrows furrow. “Yeah, it was intense. And I was super petty about it. I was running and trying to eat healthy and never lost more than five pounds, and here I am seeing my mother being praised for ‘looking amazing’ by friends and family after having major surgery.”

Tears prick your eyes and you feel a cool metal hand grab yours and hold it to his lap, thumb stroking your knuckles.

“It’s just...hard. I know she’s trying to be a good mom and she’s only human, and I’m trying to be a nicer daughter. She just pushes my buttons like no one else, then when I get annoyed dad gets mad at me, and it’s this annoying difficult game we play to see who can act the most passive-aggressive towards each other. And she’s going to be all over you with questions and comments about how amazing you are. And it’s going to make me super anxious.”

Bucky finally speaks up. “Y/n, we don’t have to go to your parents. We can turn around and go home. It’s okay. I really don’t mind.”

You give him a small smile and squeeze his hand. “Thanks, Buck. I know that. I’m an adult who can say no to her parents. But….” you pull his metal hand toward you and kiss it before moving it on your lap. “I do want them to meet you. You’re important to me. And I want to have you be a part of every aspect of my life until you get sick of me.”

Bucky smiles. “Impossible, sweetheart.”

Bucky dozes off shortly after that, and you put on an episode of My Brother, My Brother, and Me. Bucky isn’t a huge fan of the three brothers and their podcast, so you listen along and chuckle to yourself while he sleeps, hoping that his subconscious will learn to truly appreciate the McElroy brothers.

You start growing a little more twitchy once you cross the border into Massachusetts. Your hands grip the steering wheel a bit tighter, your eyes look over to the GPS more frequently as the number of minutes until your arrival grows smaller and smaller.

Ten minutes left.

“Hey,” you gently shake Bucky awake. He yawns and smiles over at you and you smile back, immediately feeling more relaxed. “Can you text my mom from my phone and tell her we’re ten minutes out?” He nods, grabbing your phone.

You start giving him a mini tour of your hometown. Places you used to work, where you went to high school, where your best friend Kim used to live, the road teenagers would drive down to have a nighttime car hookup. Bucky raises his eyebrows at the last one, then gives you a wry grin.

You giggled. “We’ll circle back to that one another time.”

Then you were on your street. Half a mile later, you were pulling into the driveway of a yellow house with black shutters. Bucky smiles when you park, taking in the home that you grew up in. The yard is huge, and there’s woods surrounding the property on three sides. Beautiful flowers and shrubs surround the patio in the front.

Standing by the garage are your parents, both smiling and waving at you. Mom is running over to the car and you feel a pit forming in your stomach.

“Well,” you mutter, glancing over at Bucky, “here goes nothing.” He gives you an encouraging smile and squeezes your hand one last time before you both exit the car.

“Kitten,” your mom exclaims, pulling you in for a tight hug. You wince at the nickname as you wrap your arms around her.

“Hi Mom. Good to see you.”

“You look amazing, sweetheart! Have you lost weight? That shirt is such a good color on you.”

You feel your body go rigid as you nod at her. You know she’s being nice and giving you a compliment, but just mentioning your weight puts you on edge. Your eyes move to your dad and you grin, walking over to hug him.

“Hi Dad,” you murmur softly.

“Hey Peanut,” he says, rubbing your back. “Good to see you, stranger.” He gives you a tight squeeze before pulling away.

Welp, here goes nothing. You turn to Bucky, who is smiling at you all, nervously. You extend your arm out to him and he walks over to you, giving you his left hand.

“Mom. Dad. This is Bucky,” you look to your parents and then to Bucky, smiling, “my boyfriend. Bucky, these are my parents.”

Bucky extends his right hand out to your dad and shakes it. “Pleasure to meet you, sir.” He moves his hand to your mom. “Ma’am.”

“Oh please, call me Julie.”

“And I’m Chris,” your dad says. “Nice to meet you, Bucky.”

Bucky nods. “Thank you so much for having us over. Y/n doesn’t know this, but I’m secretly just here to find her embarrassing baby photos.” He looks over to you and winks as you groan.

“Oh you’re in for a treat then, Bucky,” Mom says, jumping up and down. “We have home videos and everything.”

Bucky’s smile widens. “Oh, excellent.”

“Hey,” you scoff, “jokes on you, pal. I was a super cute baby.”

He squeezes your hand and laughs. “I believe it, doll. Still, I’m sure there’s some dirt in there that I can make fun of you for.”

“There definitely is,” Dad chimes in, chuckling. “Did Y/n ever tell you about the time she was five years old and played a dad bunny in the musical, ‘Get Hoppin?’”

You groan. “Well, this was a fun trip guys, but Bucky and I have to head back to New York now-”

“Ayyyyyyyyy Y/n!” You hear a familiar deep voice from the front door and look up to see Kevin running down the steps toward you. “What up, sis?”

You smile, running over to him and wrapping your arms around his neck. “Hey Kevy!” He picks you up off the ground and you squeal before he lets you down. “How’s my giant little brother doing?” You reach up to the top of your 6’1” brother and rustle his hair and he tries to swipe your arm away, laughing.

“Good. Pumped as hell that you’re here. And that you’ve brought someone.” Kevin’s eyes land on Bucky and you see him puff his chest out as he walks over to the super soldier. “You must be Bucky.” You almost laugh at how he made his voice deeper on that last line. Apparently Kevin was going to go for the overprotective brother act? This was going to be...interesting.

Bucky smiles back at Kevin and raises his right hand toward him. “That’s me. Nice to meet you, Kevin.” Kev takes Bucky’s hand in his and pulls him in for one of those cute bro hugs. “Y/n said that you’re one of the coolest people she knows.”

Kevin barks out a laugh. “She’s not wrong, man. But that’s also ‘cause she’s a freaking nerd and only hangs out with fellow nerds.” You scowl and give your brother a shove.

“Isn’t this just adorable? Let’s take a picture!” Mom reaches into her pocket and grabs her phone as you, Kevin, and dad let out a simultaneous groan.

“Mom, can’t we just get settled? Bucky and I just got here and we’re tired.”

Mom gives you a glare (almost as intense as yours, but you inherited your iconic Glare from your grandmother, not your mom. Still, it’s unsettling). “We’re letting you stay in our home and eat our food, Y/n. Also, we have never met a boyfriend of yours so let me have this moment.”

You purse your lips and look at Bucky apologetically. He gives you a soft smile and shrugs. “Fine,” you mutter, walking in between Bucky and Kevin.

“Say cheese!”

None of you say cheese. You just smile. Bucky’s hand tickles your waist and you choke out a laugh, and when Mom shows you the photo (which is a little blurry because her pictures always are), you find yourself not hating it. She managed to get one while the three of you were in mid-laugh at your reaction to being tickled.

“Can you send that to me, Mom?”

She grins. “Of course! I’m sharing it with everyone. My family, facebook, instagram, you name it! I wonder if we should get it framed….”

You roll your eyes. “Alright, Mom, we get it.”

Dad walks over to your car and grabs Willa. “Julie, let’s let the kids come inside and get settled in. I was thinking of starting the fire pit and letting us crack open a few beers and catch up before dinner.”

“That sounds fun! Not me, though. I don’t drink,” she smiles over at Bucky. “I used to have a bit of an issue with consuming too much-”

“Hey Bucky, why don’t I give you a tour of the house?” You run to the trunk and grab your bags, throwing one of them at Bucky. His eyes are wide from the info dump he was just saved from and he gives you a small nod before reaching over and taking the other bag from you. “We’ll meet you all outside in a few?”

“Sounds good,” Dad says, giving your mother a side-eye. You take the crate from him and quickly walk into the house, Bucky in tow.

You open the front door for Bucky and follow him in. Once the door is shut behind you, your whole demeanor deflates as you let out a big sigh.

Your eyes look up to Bucky and you give him a sympathetic smile. “Still happy we came?”

He chuckles and leans in to press a kiss to your forehead. “Always happy when I’m with you, doll.”

“So you’re not debating taking your bags, stealing my car to head home never seeing me again?”

“Well, not until I see those home videos of you as a rabbit.” You tilt your head up to the ceiling and groan before lowering Willa’s crate and letting her out. She quickly sniffs the air and then darts into the living room under the couch.

You laugh. “She’ll come out eventually. Her and my parent’s cat Bandit are besties so she’ll be excited to find her.”

As if on cue, a large white and tabby cat descends down the stairs and walks over to you and Bucky. You lower your hand for her to sniff it and once she recognizes you, Bandit basically falls against your legs, exposing her belly for some much-needed rubs.

“Hey, pretty girl,” you coo, giving her some belly rubs before standing straight. Bucky leans down to try to join in on the fun, but Bandit spooks and runs over to the living room with Willa. You laugh at Bucky’s frown. “Don’t take it personally. She’s shy around new people.”

Bucky looks out in front of him with an expression of pure determination. “Challenge accepted.” He looks back at you and smiles at your giggle.

You look around the entryway. “Well, Buck, welcome to my home.”

Bucky follows your gaze, taking in the space. It’s the textbook definition of suburbia. High ceilings in the entryway with stairs that lead to the second floor right when you walk in. A dining room to your left, living room to the right, and kitchen straight ahead. The walls are covered with family photos and those kitchy wooden signs with inspirational quotes.

“It’s the epitome of the nuclear family American dream, a beautiful house with a pool in the backyard, riddled with pent up aggression toward your loved ones.”

Bucky nods. “‘All because two hearts fell in love.,’” he says, and you furrow your brows at him. He points to the sign to your right and you groan.

“If you’re going to spend this whole time referencing these corny as hell quotes I’m making you walk back to New York.”

“If only I had access to government transportation, like a Quinjet or something,” Bucky winks at you. “Doll, you gotta stop rolling your eyes so much. They’re gonna get stuck like that, someday.”

“Alright, smartass. Let’s get our bags upstairs.”

He follows you up the stairs, pausing in the middle to inspect a photo on the wall. It’s of you when you were four or five, standing on the very step Bucky was on now. You were wearing a red dress, sunglasses, and most likely every piece of fake jewelry you owned. The smile on your face was absolutely adorable, and Bucky couldn’t help but feel the joy radiating from the younger you and smile back.

“You comin, Buck?”

He looks back up at you and runs up the rest of the stairs. “Right behind ya.”

You open the door to your room and yelp, quickly closing it and turning back to Bucky covering the door with your whole body, a look of panic painted over your face.

Bucky immediately goes into protection mode, trying to push past you to open the door and identify the danger. “What’s wrong, Y/n?”

“Nothing,” you choke out, wide-eyed. “Why don’t you find Willa and I’ll bring the bags inside?”

Bucky tilts his head to the side. “Is everything okay in there?”

You nod. “Yep! Nothing to see or worry about!”

Bucky’s gaze turns from concerned to suspicious. “Are you hiding something from me, doll?”

You let out a pained groan and your head falls. “Someone, I assume Kevin, is pulling a very mean prank on me.”

Bucky nods, reaching past you to the door handle. Your arms shoots out to his arm and his eyes lock onto yours.

“Please know that I care for you very very much and I hope you’ll still want to be with me after this.”

This time it’s Bucky’s turn to roll his eyes at you as he turns the handle and opens the door to your room. He looks over your shoulder and freezes.

Then, he bursts out laughing.

“Oh. My. Fucking. God.”

Standing in the middle of your bedroom is a life-size cardboard cut-out of Captain America, aka his best friend, Steve Rogers. It’s a picture of him from the 40s in his Howling Commandos uniform. The Captain America outfit peaking through his brown leather jacket, helmet with a star painted in the middle on top of his head, shield held in his left arm. A serious look of determination on his face.

You run over and lift it up, preparing to dispose of it. “It was in the attic! It hasn’t been in here for years, I swear!”

Bucky can feel tears streaming down his face from laughing so hard. “I can’t believe you’re a Cap girl.”

“I’m not. I mean, not anymore! It was a phase! I’m 100% a Bucky girl, now.” You try to move past Bucky through the doorway but he grabs hold of both you and Cardboard Cap, further inspecting this gift he has been given.

“Don’t worry, doll. Were he not married and, like, over a hundred years old I would probably be more jealous. Besides, you two look cute together.”

You shake your head in horror. “I hate this. Just leave me here to die. Actually, no. Let me kill Kevin first and then let me die.”

“Before all of that,” Bucky pulls out his phone and holds it up over the three of you, “I gotta show this to Sam and the girls.” He smiles for the photo as you grimace.

“I hate you,” you mutter.

“You love me,” Bucky responds without thinking, and his eyes go wide in horror. You mirror his expression.

Fuck.

You haven’t said that to each other yet. And now Bucky is basically forcing your hand and making you uncomfortable in a situation that should be sweet and exciting and he was going to do something special to tell you.

Way to go, asshole.

Then, a savior appears in the form of a baritone voice at the bottom of the stairs.

“Did you like the welcome home gift?” Kevin asked, giving you his classic mischievous grin.

“Kevin I’m about to kick your ass two ways to Sunday.”

Kevin cackles. “What? I wanted Bucky to know who his competition was. You should have seen her, man. Sometimes I’d catch her taking selfies with that thing and talking to it and kissi-”

The only thing louder than Bucky’s laughter in this moment is your anguished scream telling your brother to shut up.

----

Once things settled and you tucked Cardboard Cap back in the attic, everyone met outside to sit by the fire pit and catch up, and you found yourself able to relax for the first time since arriving.

Your family loved Bucky, obviously. He was respectful and charming and knew the right things to say to your parents.

They didn’t know too much about his past, which was Bucky’s request for you, and you had given your parents some basic information before you had arrived to let them know what they could or could not talk about. They knew he worked for the Avengers and had served in the army (you didn’t disclose which war he fought in, and you said that Bucky didn’t like to talk about it), and had lost his arm then. His work for the Avengers was more logistics and gathering intel, which was kind of true. He did do those things, he just also used the information he gathered to go fight the bad guys.

They did not know he was the Winter Soldier, did not know he was over 100 years old. To them, he was just a somewhat average guy who was ridiculously handsome (according to Mom), worked for the government, and was dating their daughter.

You talked about work, showed them your favorite photos of Willa, and asked about how things at home were going. How your extended family was, the hot neighborhood gossip, if they needed any help running errands while you were visiting. You shared stories with Bucky about the shenanigans you and your family experienced, and all of the mischief you and Kevin would get into.

When it was time for dinner, Bucky offered to help Dad grill the steaks and he respectfully declined, telling him to sit back and relax because he was our guest.

Instead, he joined you and Kevin with shucking corn in the kitchen. Your mom decided at that moment to put on her favorite Broadway playlist and sang loudly throughout the house. You groaned.

“Mom, can we do this some other time? In a situation where I won’t die from embarrassment?”

“Oh, lighten up, Y/n. Stop being so mean to your mom,” Mom whines at you.

Bucky felt you tense up next to him. It was amazing how often that happened with your mom. Even in the couple of hours you had been here, he had seen the way your whole body went rigid whenever your mom made a comment that made you uncomfortable. It was as if you were creating a shield around your skin.

It wasn’t like she was saying anything horrible, although he wished he could tell her to stop talking about dieting or weight loss every five minutes without sounding rude. Bucky was familiar with this shield, though. It was one he relied on for years after he escaped Hydra. Sometimes it felt like putting a wall up at the slightest bit of hostility or discomfort made you feel safe from potential catastrophe.

It was years of trauma built up into a million little defense mechanisms, and it broke his heart to see how frequently you felt you needed those mechanisms around your mom. He wanted to jump at your defense, but also didn’t want to add to the already tense environment and bring you more discomfort.

But shortly after you tensed up, you would settle by laughing at one of Kevin’s stories about him and his buddies wreaking havoc at work, or feigning horror at one of your dad’s awful puns. You learned how to quickly move past the discomfort and shove it deep down in some corner of your mind.

The closest Bucky got to saying something was when your mom came into the dining room while you and Bucky set the table, holding a red blouse out to you.

“Kitten, do you want this? It doesn’t fit me.”

You glanced at the shirt and froze. You knew just by looking at it that it was too small for you. “No thanks, Mom.”

“Why not? The color would look amazing on you?”

“I don’t need more clothes, Mom,” your voice was tense. You weren’t looking at the shirt anymore. Instead, you put all of your focus on the place setting in front of you.

“Honey, why don’t you at least try it on?”

“Because it won’t fit me, Mom,” you snapped, tears pooling in your eyes. Bucky clenched his jaw.

“Dinner’s ready,” Dad called out, walking inside with the plate of steaks.

Mom went into the kitchen to gather the rest of the food, leaving you and Bucky alone. He walked over and gave you a small side hug.

“You okay?”

You blinked back your tears and looked at him, a forced smile plastered on your face. “Yep. I’m good. Sorry about that, Buck.”

He frowned and kissed your forehead, not wanting to press you further.

Dinner went by relatively smoothly. The food was delicious, but Mom declined steak and instead went for a bowl of cereal and an apple with peanut butter. “It’s a good source of protein,” she said about five different times. Bucky caught you and Kevin secretly rolling your eyes at each other every time she said it, as if it was a years-long inside joke between the two of you. Maybe it was.

After dinner, you and Bucky cleared the table and he helped you with dishes. He may or may not have started a mini dish war with you when he flicked water into your face and you responded by shooting him with the sink sprayer, giggling at each other until Dad grumbled at the two of you asking what was going on. You both immediately stopped and stood up straight, yelling “nothing” in unison and fighting back smiles.

Once you cleaned up, everyone sat in the living room to watch Jeopardy, which had apparently been part of your family’s evening routine since you and Kevin were kids. You sat in the middle of the couch leaning against Bucky as he wrapped his arm around you, Willa laying on your lap. Kevin had left after dinner to hang out with some of his old friends.

You were currently kicking everyone’s ass at Jeopardy.

“Okay, you are officially banned from this house, Peanut,” Dad groaned after you yelled out another correct answer.

You smirked. “Jealous, old man?”

“A little.”

“Remind me never to bring up Jeopardy when we’re back in New York,” Bucky mutters to you, and you smile.

“This is so fun! I’m just so happy right now,” Mom squeals from her chair, looking around at everyone with a big smile on her face. She turns her face back to the screen at the contestants. The woman in the middle had just gotten the Daily Double. “Ugh, poor thing.”

You groan. Mom always said that when she meant that someone was ‘homely’ as she puts it. “Mom, can we not?”

She scoffs at you. “What? I’m just saying…she could have dressed in something less baggy or done something with her hair. And it must be uncomfortable standing next to that gorgeous woman to her right- ”

“So what,” you sit up, annoyed and embarrassed, “you think she’s too ugly to be on television? She looks fine, Mom.” Willa jumps off of your lap and under the couch.

“Y/n, cut it out,” Dad mumbles, not looking you in the eye.

“I just don’t understand why it has to be such a big deal? Or that she has to be labeled ‘poor thing,’ like there’s something wrong with her.’” Bucky squeezes your shoulder and you look over at him before settling down.

You look back at your mom and see tears falling down her face. “W-why do you hate me so much, Y/n?”

The shield shoots back up as Bucky feels your whole body go still. “Mom, I don’t hate you…” you whisper out.

Mom sniffles, and tries to discreetly wipe away her tears. “I get it. I’m a bad mother. Guess I’ll have to live with that.” Suddenly her whole demeanor shifts, and she gives an overly enthusiastic smile and stands up, giggling. “I’m gonna go to bed. Goodnight, everyone!” She heads out of the room and up the stairs.

Dad looks over at you, annoyed. “Can’t you at least try to get along with her?”

You clench your jaw, fighting back tears. “Sorry, Dad.” You sound like a kid again. These moments were always hard, but having Bucky here to witness it makes it all even more horrifying.

Bucky feels helpless. He’s beyond pissed to see you look so defeated, trying so hard to hold in your pain to be ‘less of a problem’ for your family. But he doesn’t want to make it worse.

Still, he can’t bear looking at you like this without saying anything.

“No disrespect, sir, but I don’t think Y/n was that harsh. She was just expressing how she felt.” He tries to keep his tone as cool and even as possible.

You give Bucky’s leg a gentle squeeze. “It’s okay Bucky. Don’t worry about it.” Your voice is hollow.

Dad shakes his head and gets out of his seat. “It was unnecessary. And now everyone is upset.”

Now Bucky is less willing to hide the anger in his voice. “So because Y/n mentioned something her mom said that made her upset, she’s the villain now?”

Dad glares at Bucky, but then when his eyes travel to you and sees how visibly upset you are, he softens.

“I’m sorry, Peanut,” he sighs, shrugging at you. “You know how it is. How she gets.”

You force a small smile and nod at him.

Dad turns to make his way upstairs. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow. Goodnight.”

Then it’s just you and Bucky sitting on the couch. You lean forward, elbows resting on your knees as you continue to fight back tears and fail, a single one falling down your cheek. Bucky reaches over to wipe it away.

“Hey.” He grabs your chin and slowly pulls your face to look at him. His heart breaks at the sight of you, still trying to force a smile and act like everything is fine. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Your eyes flutter and another tear falls down your cheek. “It’s fine, Buck. I’m used to this happening. Just sorry you had to witness it.” You reach up and wrap your hand around his wrist. “Thank you for trying to defend my honor, though.” You let out a weak laugh that sounds more like a sob.

Keep it together, Y/n.

Keep it….together.

But Bucky’s eyes are filled with such concern and something that might be love but you still haven’t used that word and you’re not really sure. Still, it’s enough to break your shield and your face crumples.

Bucky immediately pulls you against his chest and holds you as you cry. He places gentle kisses to your forehead, whispering that he’s there. That you’re okay.

“I just feel like, no matter what I do, I’ll never win,” you say between your quiet sobs. “I hate the way she affects me and that she gets away with saying these passive aggressive hurtful things, but if I open up about it she becomes the victim. And I have to be the bigger person and ‘get over it.’ It’s so fucking exhausting. And I don’t want you to think less of me because I’m being such an asshole to my parents-”

“Hey, hey,” Bucky cuts you off, “that’s not it at all, sweetheart. If anything, I feel like the asshole for not sticking up for you more.” He sighs.

You smile into his shirt. “No one has ever stuck up for me like that, Buck. You have no idea how much it meant. How validating it was.”

“Thanks, doll, but that doesn’t make me feel any better. You shouldn’t have to be defending yourself like that to your parents. Shouldn’t have to put a wall up and ‘be the bigger person.’ They’re your parents, Y/n. It’s their job to do that.”

You nod. “I know. But this feels easier somehow.”

The two of you stay there in silence for a few moments before you speak up again.

“Is it weird to say that I still love them? Even with all this shit?”

Bucky pauses to think about it. “No, I don’t think so. They’re your family. And I know that you have your issues, but I can see that you love them and they love you. Just...don’t be too mad at me when I start fighting back for you in the future.”

You look up at him, shocked. “You mean, you’re open to the idea of seeing them again after this?”

He chuckles. “Of course, doll. They’re your family, and I don’t plan on separating myself from any part of your life, as long as you’ll have me.”

For the first time in what feels like a long time, you give Bucky a genuine smile, and he melts at the sight of it. The way it makes your eyes sparkle. He could look into this face forever if he could.

“God I love you,” you breathe out without thinking. And then that same panicked look from this afternoon returns.

Bucky’s heart stops. His eyes widen. His mouth drops open slightly.

Shit.

You lean back from him.

“Shit, I’m sorry Bucky. I didn’t mean, well obviously, I meant it. But I didn’t mean to like, spring it on you like this. You don’t have to say it back, obviously. I don’t want you to feel pressured I mean here I am a blubbering mess-”

“I love you, too,” Bucky cuts you off. You look up at him and see a grin on his face spread from ear to ear. Are those tears clouding his eyes?

“You do?”

Bucky chuckles. “Yeah. I have for a while now.”

Your smile returns, and it feels like there are a million butterflies in your stomach. “Me, too.”

“Nice.”

You let out a soft laugh and nod. “Yeah. Very nice.”

Bucky leans forwards and kisses you, and the butterflies in your stomach flutter throughout the rest of your body. You’re pretty sure you’ll never get over the feeling of kissing Bucky. The dizziness it brings, the tingles it sends down every inch of your skin. The way it feels all-consuming and yet not nearly enough.

Bucky would think the same way if his mind would let him think about anything else besides the feeling of your lips on his. It’s the only thing his brain can comprehend and he’s pretty sure it’s honestly all he needs to survive.

But then a single thought manages to enter his mind and Bucky chuckles into your kiss. Your brows furrow.

“What?”

Bucky responds in between kisses. “Oh nothing, just wondering who’s going to break the news to Cap that you’ve officially moved on.”

You groan and pull away, leaning your head against his chest, feeling the rumble of Bucky’s laugh.

“As soon as Kevin gets home, I’m killing him.”

------

Bucky has always been an early riser. He debates laying in bed by your side to watch you sleep for a few hours, but then he looks out the window to your room and notices the sun is about to rise. He doesn’t get to see a lot of sunrises outside of the city, and he doesn’t dare to wake you up to face the wrath of you being awake this early. Instead, he quietly gets out of bed and puts on his workout clothes and heads outside for a run.

The first thing he notices is the quiet. No matter what time of day, there is always noise in New York City. Here, there are no cars, no people, just silence.

The second thing is the fresh air. He feels like he’s never breathed in air like this before.

The last thing that catches him off guard is the way his mind wanders during this run. How after each house he passes, he imagines them belonging to the two of you. He thinks about how much he would love that. To move here someday to the quiet, fresh-aired world of the suburbs. With you. It was a terrifying thought.

But also really fucking exciting.

As he heads back to your house, he catches your dad sitting on the porch, newspaper and coffee in hand. He lowers the paper when he sees Bucky approach and gives him a single nod.

“Morning, Bucky.”

“Morning, sir.”

“Please, call me Chris.”

Bucky smiles. “Morning, Chris.”

Chris nods again and gestures to the chair next to him. “Have a seat, Bucky.”

Bucky all of a sudden feels….nervous? Yes, this was him feeling nervous. He clears his throat and sits down, resting his elbows on his knees and looking out at the front yard. Chris lifts the paper back up and continues reading.

“Do you want coffee, Bucky?” He shakes his head. “Water?”

“No sir-Chris. Thanks.”

A few moments pass.

“So,” Chris starts, still reading the paper, “you and my daughter must be pretty serious. I don’t know if she said anything, but you’re the first man she’s introduced us to. The first man we’ve ever known about being in her life.”

Bucky nods. “I’m honored that she felt comfortable enough to take that step. Y/n is an amazing woman, and I’ll gladly be involved in as much of her life as she allows.”

Chris puts the paper back down at that, and looks at Bucky with a raised brow. “So your intentions are serious?”

“Very much so.”

Chris locks eyes with Bucky and for a few seconds Bucky wants to look away, uncomfortable by the intensity of it. But he holds his gaze, trying his best to convey how much he loves you with that one look.

Which was impossible due to the sheer magnitude of his feelings for you. But still, he tries.

And it seems to be enough for Chris, because after a moment he gives Bucky a small smile. “Good.” His smile turns into a frown and he looks out to the yard. “I also want to apologize for last night. How things ended. I know it may not have seemed like it, but I appreciated you defending Y/n like that.”

Bucky nods as he continues.

“I love my family with everything I have. I love my kids, I love my wife, but that doesn’t mean that we’re perfect and that they don’t drive me crazy. And sometimes it feels like I have to choose between my wife and my daughter when it gets like that. And every time, I feel like I made the wrong choice. I’m not a perfect man, but I do my best. And I hope you can understand that.”

Bucky nods again. “Y/n is a strong woman, Chris. But it’s obvious she needs support every once in a while. It doesn’t make me happy to see her upset like that, so I won’t shy away from stepping in to defend her when I feel she needs the support. Or even if she doesn’t need it. I hope you can understand that.”

Chris looks back to Bucky and nods. “I can. And even if I can’t always say it, know that I’ll be thankful every time you do.”

Bucky smiles and stands. “Yessir.” Chris extends his hand out to Bucky and he shakes it.

“You’re welcome here anytime, Buck.”

“I hope Y/n feels the same.”

Chris chuckles. “Oh I’m sure she does. It’s gross the way she looks at you with those heart eyes. My daughter is absolutely smitten with you, son.”

Bucky chuckles, both at the idea of you being smitten and the fact that a man Bucky was technically twice the age of called him ‘son.’

“Well, if I’m being honest, I’m pretty smitten with her as well.”

Chris gives Bucky the warmest smile he’s seen from the man this whole weekend, but it disappears quickly as he grunts and returns to his paper. Bucky takes that as his cue and heads back inside and to your room.

To no surprise, you’re still sleeping soundly, your hair almost totally out of the bun you had put it in last night and there are pillow marks on your cheek, yet Bucky in this moment still thinks you’re the most beautiful woman in the world.

He leans down and presses a kiss to your temple, causing you to stir. He kisses the tip of your nose, and your hand swats at him as you groan.

“Five more minutes,” you grumble. At the sound of your voice, Willa jumps up on the bed and stands on your chest, licking your face to force you awake. You groan even louder.

“Sorry, doll,” Bucky chuckles. “Didn’t mean to unleash the big guns on you.”

“I hate you.”

“You love me.”

Your lips curve into a smile. “Yeah. I guess I do.” Your eyes open and you look up at him, noticing his current attire. “Wait, did you go for a run?” Bucky nods. “Do you ever get gross and sweaty, Bucky Barnes?” You inhale. “God, you even still smell amazing.”

Bucky flashes his most dazzling grin at you. “Gotta make sure I always look my best for my girl.”

Your hand moves to the bird’s nest that is currently your hair. “Wish I could say the same.”

“You look gorgeous, doll.”

“I’m about to smack you again, Bucko.”

Bucky laughs. “Alright, alright,” he picks Willa up as he stands. “I’m going to shower and change. Your dad made coffee downstairs.” You perk up at the mention of caffeine being available. “I’ll meet you there?”

You sit up, hands moving to try to tame the mane on top of your head as you nod at him. Bucky grabs a change of clothes and heads to the bathroom down the hall. You stretch your arms and yawn before heading downstairs to the kitchen.

Mom is sitting at the island, coffee and a yogurt in front of her as she plays Candy Crush on her iPad. She looks up as you walk in and gives you a hesitant smile.

“Morning, kitten.”

“Morning, Mom.” You give her a small nod and walk over to the cabinet to grab a mug.

“Sleep okay?”

“Yep.”

“Good.”

There’s an awkward silence as you putter around the kitchen getting your coffee ready. Once settled, you lean against the counter and take a sip.

“I’m sorry about last night,” Mom says suddenly, and you almost choke. “You were right, it was rude of me to comment on that woman’s appearance like that.”

You pause, slightly hesitant to say anything and possibly triggering another meltdown. “Thanks. I’m sorry I snapped.”

Mom smiles and nods at you, then looks back down at her iPad. The silence resumes. You take a few more sips of your coffee.

“I don’t hate you.”

Mom looks up. “I know.”

“It’s just hard, sometimes. I feel like all you care about is appearance. Yours. Mine. Everyone else’s. And I’m finally starting to not hate mine. To accept that someone like Bucky would like- love the way I look. It’s such a fragile feeling, and I’m terrified of going back to that dark place and losing this really good thing I have.”

You see tears forming in Mom’s eyes and you panic, anticipating another ugly situation to unravel like last night. Instead, she slowly nods.

“Would you believe me if I said I never thought of it that way? That I’ve always thought you were beautiful, Y/n? It makes me sick to think that I ever made you feel otherwise. That you weren’t worthy of such a handsome man. I guess all this time I’ve been doing the same thing your grandmother always did to me when I was growing up, even when I was an adult with kids of my own. Always so focused on appearance. And her mother was the same with her. I thought I could be different, but I was so depressed and hated the way I looked. It totally consumed me. I never want that for you. Never.”

You feel a tear sliding down your cheek and quickly wipe it away. “I know you’d never mean to, Mom. It’s just hard to remind myself that sometimes. And I don’t want to be another loop in that cycle. I want to do better for myself. For my kids, someday.”

“I want that, too.”

It’s the most heartfelt conversation you’ve ever had with your mom. The most you’ve ever opened up to her about all of this. And, to be honest, it still doesn’t fix everything. It doesn’t take away the years of pain and frustration.

But it’s a start.

Bucky appears a few minutes later and a groggy/slightly hungover Kevin follows suit. You offer to make breakfast for everyone as Bucky sits with Mom and Kevin to look at the baby photos your mom pulled out.

“Did you ever wear a shirt, doll?” Bucky chuckles as he lifts up the fourth photo in a row of you just in your underwear.

“I was a free spirit, Buck. I couldn’t be tied down by clothes.”

“She basically either wore the same dress every single day or nothing at all. Made laundry very easy for us,” Mom recalls fondly. “Oh! Here’s one of Y/n in preschool with her first boyfriend, Brendan! Those two were inseparable.”

Bucky scoffs. “Who is this Brendan? And where does he live?” His voice is dripping in an overly-dramatic sense of jealousy that you can’t help but laugh at.

“You don’t need to worry about him, Bucky. He’s happily married to a lovely man named Kyle.” You turn to him, eyebrows raised. Bucky beams.

“Fair enough. Just as long as he doesn’t get handsy with you moving forward.”

“I’ll be sure to warn him.”

Dad comes inside once he smells the bacon, grumbling that it better be burnt to a crisp as he likes it. He walks over to you and places a hand on your shoulder and you look at him, eyes apologetic.

“Sorry about last night, kiddo,” he says softly enough so that only you (and Bucky) can hear.

You wrap an arm around his waist and give him a side hug. “Thanks, Pops.”

“You’re a good kid.” He pulls back and grabs a piece of bacon, popping it into his mouth and nodding in approval. “I’ve taught you well.”

You roll your eyes. “Love you too, Dad.”

He smiles. “Love you, Peanut.”

You all settle in at the island for breakfast, and you’re relieved that it’s light-hearted and fun with no cringe-worthy comments made by anyone. You notice Bucky sneakily grab a piece of bacon and lean down while no one else is paying attention. You lean over and catch him feeding it to Bandit and scoff. His eyes dart to you and he shrugs, giving you a grin that you can’t help but return.

You spend the rest of the day giving Bucky a more in-depth tour of your hometown, grabbing sandwiches at your favorite deli that’s had the same owners since you were five and eating them by a pond walking distance away where you used to sit and read for hours.

Then, of course, you took him to the bookstore you worked at in high school.

“You cannot seriously be thinking about buying more books, doll.”

You scowl at him, holding your arms protectively over the stack of books in your hands. “It’s like you don’t even know me, Buck.”

You only buy two books, “Beach Read” by Emily Henry and “The Chosen Ones” by Veronica Roth. Bucky ignores your raised eyebrows when he buys one for himself.

“Is that a graphic novel, Bucky?”

“What? I like the pictures,” he mutters.

You laugh. “Oh man, had I known sooner! This just added, like, twenty books to my rec list. We’ll have to consult my library when we get back to New York.”

The two of you head back to the house and start packing up your stuff to leave. At one point, Bandit makes her way into your room and rubs up against Bucky’s legs. When he leans down to pet her, she lays on her back for belly rubs.

Bucky looks up at you with a shit-eating grin and you narrow your eyes.

“See? No cat can resist my charm.”

“Charm? Or promise of bacon?”

“I’ll take the victories where I can, love.”

Your heart flutters at the new nickname. “Fair enough.”

Mom, Dad, and Kevin walk you and Bucky to the car to say goodbye.

Kevin hugs you and once again lifts you up in the air. “Love ya, sis. Stay outta trouble, okay?” He lowers you to the ground.

“Right back atcha bro. Try to come to New York soon, okay? And bring your girl Tay.”

Kevin nods and turns to Bucky, and surprisingly pulls him in for a giant bear hug. “Great meeting you, Bucky.”

Bucky hugs him back, smiling at the gesture. “You too, man.”

When they pull away, Kevin’s face is serious. “If you hurt my sister, I’ll kill you. Kay?”

Bucky nods. “Not planning on it, but if I do, you have my full permission to do so.”

Next is Dad, who kisses the crown of your head during your hug.

“Love you, Peanut.”

“Love you too, Dad.”

He pulls away and extends his hand to Bucky, who shakes it. Then, surprising everyone, he pulls Bucky in for a quick hug.

“Don’t be a stranger, Bucky.”

Bucky beams. “You got it, Chris.”

You and Mom stand in front of each other, sharing a look of hesitancy. Finally, she steps forwards and hugs you.

“Love you, Y/n/n,” she whispers in your ear.

Tears prick your eyes and you attempt to blink them away. “Love you too, Mom.” She kisses your cheek and immediately goes to hug Bucky.

“Bucky, you are welcome anytime,” she says excitedly.

“Thanks, Julie. I’m hoping I’ll be back, as long as Y/n let’s me.” He shoots a glance at you.

“Oh, she will. I can already hear wedding bells ringing for the two of you.”

Bucky chokes on literally nothing. Your face goes beet red. Dad groans. Kevin cackles.

“Mommm,” you groan.

She giggles, pulling away from Bucky. “What? Mother’s intuition.”

“On that note,” you put Willa’s crate in the back seat and head to the passenger’s side, waving at everyone. “Bye, guys.”

Bucky follows suit and opens the door to the driver’s side, mumbling a final goodbye.

As soon as both car doors close, you and Bucky simultaneously let out a loud sigh. You look at each other and burst out laughing.

“Well, that’s my family.”

He reaches over and grabs your hand. “I like ‘em.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, they seem to be pretty big fans of you, too. I’m impressed, Buck. You did good.”

He smiles. “Thanks, love.” He removes his hand from yours and starts the car. He’s about to put the car in reverse but stops himself. “Shit, almost forgot something.” He pulls out his phone. You furrow your brows at him questioningly when all of a sudden, your phone dings. You pick it up to see a new group message and growl.

“I hate you.”

“You love me.”

-----

Group Chat: Bucky, Sam, Raina, Abby, Y/n

B: *Image*

Looks like I have some competition.

*Raina emphasized an image*

*Sam laughed at an image*

*Abby emphasized an image*

A: IS THAT A CARDBOARD CUTOUT OF CAPTAIN AMERICA?

R: Omg this is amazing. I need it.

*You disliked and image*

B: Don’t worry, I snuck it into the trunk.

We’ll have a photo shoot when we get back.

*You disliked Bucky’s message*

S: Does this mean Y/n is still a Cap girl? Should we get her a new cardboard cutout with me on it? ;)

*Bucky disliked Sam’s message*

B: Fuck off, Sam.

*You laughed at Bucky’s message*