A New Team Member (b.barnes)
Summary: Bucky’s peaceful day off is interrupted by Tony dragging him out of bed to meet a new teammate.
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader
Warnings: mentions of depression and social anxiety, “Steve’s a virgin” joke, fluff with hints of angst, tony and bucky have a complicated relationship and language probably. oh and my shitty writing
Author’s note: do you guys want a part 2?? not a whole lot happens in this but i kinda like it but im always up for a part 2 :)
Bucky had a troubled past, no one could deny it. Individually, each Avenger has either opposed him physically, or has had former emotional altercations with him. All of them held a grudge, no matter how silent or disregarded, it was still present. Therefore, despite how much time has passed since his Winter Soldier days, Bucky still felt the accusing stares on his back and he still heard the distinctly tense words spoken to him. He didn’t take it poorly, quite the opposite really; he willingly endured the resentment and hostility, owing to the fact that the greatest animosity against him was his own.
It was perfectly reasonable, he thought. It was almost poetic; their hate could never hurt me, for I hate myself more than they ever could. He carried no blame against them, only understanding. How could he forgive himself when their bodies were covered in scars he’d adorned them with, their minds holding reflections and recollections of his terroristic past?
He stayed out of the way of everybody, only emerging from the safety of his bedroom for missions. He chose to eat his meals in his room, washing the plates and silverware in his bathroom sink, covertly sneaking into the kitchen during the late hours of the night to return them to their rightful place. He didn’t want to be a burden, no more than he already was.
The worst part was he owed them so much. Particularly, Tony; he had offered him a room in the tower, weekly therapy with one of New York’s most trusted psychologists, and most importantly, freedom. Tony had commissioned a statement to the press in regards towards his acquittal status, affirming that ‘James Buchanan Barnes is innocent of all crimes that he was coerced into executing while under the control of the infamous terrorist organization HYDRA. As the longest standing POW in history, he shall be esteemed as a strong hero to this country and a brave soldier.’
The words, however kind, were insincere. Tony hated him, loathed him. That’s why, regardless of how grateful he was, Bucky never initiated any thanks or any apology to him. He found it formidable to even be in the same room as Tony, the contempt gleaming in his eyes hurting Bucky more than he’d care to admit. But, yet again, Bucky was very understanding.
Hence, he was awfully bewildered and dazed when Tony burst through his bedroom door around lunchtime one sunny afternoon. Bucky was laying on his bed, taking comfort in the serenity and solitude around him, only for it to be shattered to pieces by the slamming of his door and the vaguely irritating voice of the self-proclaimed genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.
“What are you doing in here?” Tony demanded crassly, strutting into the room, and draping himself leisurely over the chair facing the window that presented an unparalleled view of Midtown Manhattan. “Nevermind, I don’t wanna know. Listen, Bourne Identity, you gotta come downstairs, there’s someone you need to meet. You don’t have to stay long, just make an appearance and leave.”
His words were spoken so fast that Bucky had a hard time wrapping his head around them. He didn’t bother asking what the Bourne Identity was, he was now accustomed to Tony’s incessant pop-culture references. And he also didn’t bother acknowledging the man’s spiteful parlance because, truth be told, he didn’t feel the need to socialize.
“Who am I meeting?” Bucky questioned, still laying on his soft mattress. In the beginning, he had found it incredibly difficult to sleep at night, the malleable cushion enveloping him, feeling foreign after having spent 70 years sleeping on scratchy cots or rough stone floors. For the first few months, he had slept on the ground.
“A new team member. Now up. Up!” Tony seized Bucky’s right arm, struggling to drag him out of his bed. The ingenious scientist let out an annoyed huff when the assassin barely moved an inch. He dropped his arm abruptly, crossing his arms in an exasperated manner. Bucky expelled a sigh, grudgingly standing up, not wanting to cause any more trouble with Stark.
As the two superheroes made their way down in the elevator in awkward silence, Bucky was becoming gradually more nervous. A new team member? Another person to deal with and attempt to initiate a friendship? Maybe if he was fortunate enough the new colleague would be as indifferent to him as he was to them.
The doors to the elevator opened smoothly, and Tony once again grasped his arm and walked forward, but his hold wasn’t as rough as earlier. It held an almost reassuring touch, Tony pushed him ahead, the hand on his shoulder blades comforting.
“It’s okay,” he mumbled gruffly, his hand still resting on Bucky’s back. “You don’t have to talk for long. Just introduce yourself; she probably knows who you are already.”
She? Perhaps she was an assassin like Natasha, or maybe an enhanced like Wanda. A SHIELD agent like Sharon? Hopefully, they had no antecedent encounter, nothing to hold against him.
Bucky tensely nodded at Tony’s consolation, knowing it was brief and would soon pass. Any validation Tony extended to him was gladly welcomed, he wished nothing but acceptance from this man, nothing but forgiveness. After everything he’d done…
As they walked in the common room, Bucky took notice of the assemblage of superheroes present in the large quarters. Immediately, he walked swiftly in Steve’s direction, purposefully slamming shoulders with Sam. He glared at Bucky as he passed, and Bucky gave him a sardonic smirk. Out of all of the Avengers (besides Steve) Sam was his favorite, though he would never admit it. The man was rarely friendly to him and forever throwing juvenile insults his way; however, he always had Bucky’s back and was fiercely protective of him on the field. Bucky loved the jabs, it had been a while since anyone had teased him. Everyone was too scared of him.
“Who are we meeting?” he asked yet again. With any luck, Steve would be a little more eager to share the details.
“You’ll see.” Apparently not.
They all stood in silence for a few minutes and I that time, Bucky’s mind started to wander. He imagined what this new woman would look like, how she would fight, how well she could hold her own…his knowledge on modern day women was thin and scarce and he wasn’t sure how he felt of meeting another one.
“Ms. (Y/L/N) has arrived,” chimed FRIDAY throughout the room.
“Let her in,” said Tony, standing in front of everyone, staring intently at the door. After a few seconds, the metal door was pushed open, revealing a young woman with (Y/H/C) hair in a high ponytail and (Y/E/C) eyes that swept quickly over everyone in the room, analyzing them.
She seemed a bit surprised with the team welcome. Perhaps she had been anticipating only Tony or maybe Pepper. Nonetheless, she smiled brightly at everyone and Bucky was sure that his heart would give out.
She was beautiful. Bucky had never seen someone with such a calming yet intelligent aura surrounding them. Her ponytail swished gently and smoothly back and forth, the (Y/H/C) locks shining underneath the room’s florescent light. Her (Y/S/C) skin was smooth and healthy, it held a warm glow to it that drew him in. Her dark jeans hugged her thighs and bottom exquisitely, her red, flowy shirt tentatively embracing the curves of her body, the dip of her neckline was modest but inviting. She wasn’t just beautiful, she was ethereal.
She walked towards the group, graciously accepting Tony’s welcoming handshake.
“How do you do? I’m Tony but you already know that. You’re (Y/N), correct?” Tony’s mischievous grin was actually quite comforting. She smiled back at him, nodding her head. When she spoke, Bucky was sure that he had transcended to the gates of heaven, his heart beating wildly against his ribcage.
“Nice to meet you, Tony. Gotta say, your company cars are real fucking slow, took me an hour and a half to get here. Woulda expected better from a billionaire.” Tony looked positively delighted at her unrefined teasing. Her words, though harsh, held no animosity and only expelled humor and amity.
“Can’t control everything,” he stated, shaking her hand still. He let go and placed a gentle hand on the dip of her back, displaying her for the rest of the team to see. He pointed to each Avenger individually.
“That’s Steve, he’s a virgin if you were wondering.” Steve turned red. “That’s Natasha, she’ll kill you in your sleep.” Nat rolled her eyes. “Bruce is the one in the purple shirt, you’ll probably work with him the most.” Bruce waved awkwardly, tugging on his purple shirt insecurely. “Don’t worry Bruce, it’s a good color on you. That’s Sam, he’s fun just don’t start talking about Earth, Wind and Fire or else he gets real annoying.” Sam glared. “And that’s Bucky, he’s actually kinda soft under his five layers of depression, insecurities and social anxiety.” Bucky attempted a smile, but it likely looked more like a grimace. “Clint’s not here right now, but you’ll meet him tomorrow. He’s spending time with his family. What an asshole.”
(Y/N) giggled at Tony’s antics and smiled at everyone one by one. When her eyes landed on Bucky, she must’ve noticed how tense he was. She flourished her hand discreetly at him in what could be interpreted at a clumsy wave. He tried harder to make his smile look more natural.
“I’m (Y/N), I’ll be your field analyst. My job is to calculate and observe the correct tactics that you need to use when you’re on missions,” she addressed the whole room now. She spoke loosely and casually though her even voice still oozed intelligence. Everything about her was perfect.
“Well, you could have fooled me. I thought for sure that you were a model,” Sam flirted next to him. Bucky fought the strong urge he had to elbow Sam in the gut, his flirtations putting him off extremely.
“And I thought for sure that you were relevant. Guess we were both wrong,” she smiled back tightly, her words said in good fun. Sam raised his eyebrows impressively, giving her an appreciative look. She smiled back, another short giggle escaping her. Bucky had never wanted to punch Sam more.
“You’ll be staying at the tower, then?” intervened Steve who had finally stopped flushing red from Tony’s previous comment.
“Yes, Captain. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Steve, please. And of course not, but even if I did, it’s Tony’s tower,” he replied kindly.
“It’s our tower, Cap. I just pay for everything and take care of everything and make everyone look cooler. Do you want me to go on?” interjected Tony sarcastically. The only answer he received was a short glare from the Captain.
Steve now spoke to (Y/N) again, “I’m afraid that I can’t give you the tour, I have important business with Director Fury and Agent Hill. You’ll meet them later if you haven’t already, but in the meantime someone else can show you around.”
“I can,” stated Bucky abruptly. All eyes turned to him and his mind scrambled for an explanation to his sudden interest in the new teammate. “I don’t have anything to do today and I just got the tour not that long ago so everything’s pretty fresh in my mind.”
Steve threw a hesitant glance in (Y/N)’s direction, anticipating a polite decline to the brooding Winter Soldier. Afterall, out of all the Avengers, Bucky had the reputation of being coarse and blunt and frankly, asshole-ish. But instead of a cautious rejection, she gave him a bright smile and stepped towards him, tugging the strap of her purse higher over her shoulder as she neared him. She stood to his left and waited expectantly for him to lead her around the tower. Her bare arm brushed sensuously against his metal one and instead of panic and restlessness, a wave of calm and trust washed over him as his hard muscles relaxed, and he felt a sudden urge to firmly grasp her small hand in his large metal fingers.
Instead, he placed his metal hand on her back and eased her into the direction of the hallway he’d just walked through, peering behind him, and catching Sam’s eye, who then gave him a thumbs up and a flirty wink. Bucky rolled his blue eye’s and turned forward, beginning their journey.
(please reblog to spread the story and comments are greatly appreciated <3)
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