[A/N]: This is a follow-up to War-zone requested by @nea90sweetie and I hope you like it :). It kind of went off track halfway through and I played around with several scenarios in my head before I decided on this one.
Summary: The Avenger tries their hand at matchmaking but manages to push you just a bit too far. Bucky declares war and shit goes down.
Warning(s): Language, Violence, restraints(?), Fluff.
Looking around the corner suspiciously, you searched the floor for any of your fellow Avenger’s. The room was empty (thank god) and you wasted no time in flinging yourself onto the couch of the newly renovated rec-room. Two weeks had passed since the water disaster and during that time, you had been accosted, shoved, locked into closets and even had a completely unplanned dip in Stark’s pool.
These things wouldn’t normally bother you, nope, a little excitement was just part of everyday life when living with hyped-up superheroes. The man trailing after you was even less amused and you had yet to see him without a scowl since the first few incidents. Because, no, the avengers seemed to be targeting more than you this time. In fact, they seemed to be targeting the two of you together.
Usually, that wouldn’t be much of a problem, and whoever was targeted would be swift to respond with some kind of retaliation. However, this time, it wasn’t quite that easy given that Bucky was a hard person to pin down and while you had been forced to attune to his moods this past few weeks (to prevent unwarranted conflict) you were afraid he was about to reach his breaking point.
Then of course there was the small issue of you having a bit of a crush on the moody assassin and that kind of shit didn’t bode well for future teamwork.
Bucky sat down on the end of the couch you were sprawled on, absentmindedly lifting your shins to situate them in his lap. Shooting him a smile you hoped didn’t look too adoring, you sighed and threw your head back, lips pinched together tightly.
“Yeah nope, we’ve got to do something about this.” You muttered and barely caught Bucky’s nod as you sat up, hands supporting your upper body. His metal hand came up to curl around the sole of your foot, stroking absently. Shivering slightly at the sensation, you had to collect your mental faculties before you could even think about continuing. Who knew the moody assassin was so touchy-feely…?
Either way, you threw him a genuine smile and was just about to say something when Tony came swaggering in, duked out in complete Iron Man regalia, the helmet off and under his arm. You blinked and almost flinched away from the man, untangling your feet and sitting straight up in the couch to get a better look at what the hell was going on.
“Tony? Off for a mission?” You asked lightly, standing up just in case you were called as well but the billionaire simply shook his head and gripped your shoulder, pushing you down on the couch harshly. Gasping for the air you had lost at the sudden move, you felt Bucky’s growl more than heard it, his entire frame rattling with the force of his displeasure. “Nope, relax Y/N, sit down take a deep breath there’s nothing to worry about.” He answered cheerily.
“Stark.” Bucky hissed ominously but was completely ignored as Tony sat beside you, pushing your more fragile self into the friggin’ lap of the winter soldier. “What the hell, Stark!” You demanded, agitation growing when you merely received an unapologetic look and a shrug in return, the red and gold frame of his armor shining in the sunlight filtering through the huge windows of the tower.
“Oh, sorry, I was just trying out my new upgrades.” He told the two of you, taking in your tense bodies with a hint of glee reflected in his deep brown eyes. Maneuvering yourself upright, you planted your ass on Bucky’s powerful thigh and lunged forward to push the annoying tin-can off and away. You never noticed the hand steadying you by the small of your back.
“Then go do so somewhere else! I’m getting tired of your shit Stark and please forward that to the rest of the team as well.” You ground out when the armor didn’t budge a single inch, locked in place no doubt. When Tony seemed to be about to open his mouth and spew some self-righteous crap, Bucky twisted around you and shoved the menace away from the both of you, a metallic clang filling the air as his metal arm connected with the armor.
Tony was left grinning goofily on the floor, looking after you as Bucky dragged you out of the room by the wrist.
At this rate, he would win the bet.
Clint’s hanging from a rafter… Again. That was your first thought when you entered the dimly lit kitchen of the tower. Somehow, you had hoped to be alone for just a measly few minutes before you were inevitably disturbed by one of your tormentors. Prank sprees were not uncommon amongst the team but you didn’t really know what had you deserving of one. Of course, you weren’t innocent by any means (displacement of several items amongst other things proved that) but you couldn’t remember any recent transgression.
There was no time to think as a gunshot rang through the air, followed by a wet squelch as liquid fell to the floor around your feet. “What the fucking… BARTON!” You yelled, hair dripping water and a bruise already forming on your forehead. You grabbed a kitchen knife from its holder and threw the very sharp weapon at the fleeing hawk.
The knife bounced harmlessly off the far wall and you could hear the laughter ringing through the hallway Clint had disappeared into. Steve and Bucky was in the room seconds later, both searching for the origins of the sound. What they found however was not what they expected. Steve very nearly tripped on the knife imbedded in the floor and Bucky’s grin as he castigated the poor soldier about his expletives was golden.
It disappeared rather swiftly though when he found you crumpled on the floor, head buried in your hands, trying desperately to calm your breathing now that the adrenaline was gone. Tears were running down your cheeks unbidden and you felt pitiful in your current state, mentally berating yourself for being so affected by the team’s teasing.
And then arms were around you and the familiar, comforting, scent of your favorite assassin washed over you, even stronger than usual curtesy of the shower he had just taken. “Shh, Doll, breathe.” He asked, pulling you closer, settling your ear against his heart like he used to with Steve when the man was still prone to asthma attacks.
Gradually, you regained your senses enough to relax against the only person that didn’t seem to want you ill. “What happened, doll?” Bucky asked softly and you buried your head in his black t-shirt, hiding your face and hoping it would somehow help quell the copious amounts of embarrassment flooding through you.
“I-I, breakfast… He-Clint… Headshot…” You managed to choke out between your heavy pants. Thankfully, Bucky understood enough of it to piece together what happened. He knew they’d both been harassed by the rest of the team for several days now and his own temper was on the verge of snapping.
“Why are they doing this, James?” You asked, wide vulnerable eyes gazing up at him, glassy with tears.
The snap of the gun he’d been holding was audible and reflected his inner feelings rather well. The remains of the handgun fell to the floor, two pieces of a whole landing a few inches from the other. Steve, who had been watching the exchange with a concerned expression stepped up, his winter soldier senses tingling as Bucky rose painfully slowly from his crouch, dragging you up with him.
“Buck-“ Steve began but as harshly and violently cut off by his friend. Bucky’s metal hand was fisted in the fabric of Steve’s shirt holding him still while his other arm was wrapped securely around you. Convulsively, his flesh hand flexed on your hip as he attempted to regain his bearings.
“What.-“ He hissed, pausing only to tangle his fingers in your hair and press your head into his shoulder when you hiccupped. “-The hell is going on, huh, Stevie?” He didn’t ask rather than demand because the Winter Soldier asked for nothing, he took it. That he had retained some semblance of control was impressive if he did say so himself, especially when he could feel your tears through his nightshirt.
“Now wait a minute-“ Steve cut himself off when all he got in reply was a harsh glare that spoke more of the deadly assassin than his friend from the forties. Tensing, he backed up a step, Bucky letting go of his shirt when he did, the metal arm twitching for his thigh where Steve knew his friend kept a spare few kunai daggers. God help him, this was serious.
“Ok, ok. Just don’t flip out, alright.” He pleaded but Bucky’s lips just thinned at the plea, because if Steve asked that of him, whatever was going on had the potential to make him ‘flip out’, and that didn’t bode well for anyone involved. “The others made a bet on who could get the two of you together.” Steve’s words were meek an so completely not-him that you turned your head to the side to glance at him then up at Bucky whose eyes were shadowed by his bangs.
“So they decided to… abuse us?” He asked harshly, blue eyes glinting dangerously as they regarded Steve with an intensity that would make a lesser man run for the hills. Steve flinched at his tone and his phrasing, backing up another step, just in case his friend decided to get violent. The atmosphere around the three of you was frosty and tense, Bucky’s frame still as he waited for Steve’s answer.
“If it means anything, Banner, Vision and I took no part in the betting pool.” He grimaced and your lips thinned at the implications that everyone else was part of it. Taking a step away from the ex-assassin, you nodded in thanks to Steve before tugging on Bucky’s arm, hoping to distract him from the dark thoughts reflected in his eyes. “C’mon James, I think we have some covert-ops to plan, right?”
You glanced up to see the super-soldier staring at you softly, his lips tugging up into another one of those oh-my-god-he’s-smiling! Smiles, leaving you breathless for a scant second before you were ushered out of the room, trailing after the assassin as he led you to his room. Barnes stopped in the doorway, abruptly spinning on his heel, catching you around the waist when you very nearly tripped over yourself in your haste to stop your momentum and shot one last look at Steve (one decidedly less hostile).
“This means war.” He said coolly, scowling at nothing before continuing out the door, you having to jog to keep up with his long strides.
The speedster didn’t know what hit him as he was shot in the back with enough tranquilizer to keep an elephant out of it for a good few hours. Bucky didn’t want to take any chances when it came to the speedy man, he had successfully ‘walked off’ a dozen bullets through his vitals so there was no knowing how long the effects of the tranqs would last.
Given your proclivity for sniper rifles, he had situated you in a cozy spot just above the gym area, waiting in the shadows for you to strike. The firearm was (thankfully) silenced and the shot was made easily as the silver haired Sokovian took a water break from running (quite literally) tracks in the floor.
Bucky easily slung the body over his shoulder, taking it away from the scene of the crime.
Once Quicksilver was out of the way, the two of you had to act quickly, else Wanda notice something off with her brother. Their mental bond was strong and you had no doubt she knew what had happened to her brother the second Speedy Gonzales was out of the game.
Hesitatingly, you had let Bucky take care of her, the man not wanting you to be harmed in the inevitable crossfire. You listened to the battle from outside the room, standing guard in case any of the others would happen to want access to the pool.
Minutes later, Bucky strode out of the room with the witch carried over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. You had zero clue how he had managed to incapacitate the powerful avenger but you didn’t ask.
Natasha was next on your list and you were carefully armed with a new set of ICER guns for this particular fight. Sure Bucky knew he could take the Widow out, but by now, she would be expecting it. The redhead always seemed to know what was going on in the tower and you both suspected she knew what you were doing.
In the end, Bucky challenged Nat to a spar on the grounds that you could learn from watching two masters of the art go at it. You knew she was expecting something but being shot point blank in the back by you was not one of them.
Silently, you thanked Coulson and his team of nerds for their brilliant invention. At least this way, Natasha wouldn’t be too mad at you when she woke up.
The winged avenger was next and surprisingly, he would prove to be the most prepared of all of them. “Meh, I knew you would catch onto us sooner or later.” He told the two of you from the air where he was safely floating, smirking at you. You could practically hear the gears grinding in Bucky’s head as he planned the capture of the colored man.
In the end, he huffed and retreated inside, only to return less than a minute later with a long rope attached to a grappling hook. Sam took one look at the weapon before looping in the air and yelling something akin to: “No way in hell, man!” Only to be yanked out of the air after Bucky’s second throw of the hook.
“SHIT!” he cried as he hit the ground, losing consciousness as he fell flat on his face. You caught Bucky’s metal wrist as he moved to collect the incapacitated man, a stormy expression on his face.
“Four down, three to go, yeah?” You told him with a meek smile. His blue eyes softened and he leaned down to press his forehead to yours, chuckling slightly at your wince as he irritated the bruise on your head.
In the end, you got no reply, only the rumbling lion-like purr of the assassin washing over you.
It was strangely reassuring
The Asgardian prince was next, his hulking form easily secured as Bucky jabbed a specially made drug into his neck by syringe. When you asked what kind of formula could keep an Asgardian down, he simply shrugged and said; “Hydra has many secrets.”
You wondered absently if you should be worried.
This time, it was your turn to attempt a strike. Not because Bucky was incapable, no (besides, you had a hard time thinking Bucky was incapable of most anything), but because Tony had been proven to let down his guard more easily around women. Well, women that weren’t Natasha.
All it took on your part was a flirtatious wink and a grin for Tony’s smile to become predatory as he watched you watching him working on his suits. It was an unfamiliar game you didn’t know and it took no time before you found yourself pinned to one of his work tables, face flushed beetroot red as Tony caged you with his arms playfully.
The genius stiffened above you then, the barrel of a gun pressed tightly to his temple. And of course, in his usual suaveness, he greeted the assassin glaring at him with a mischievous smile and a deliberate “Howdy, cowboy.” The statement really didn’t fit the situation.
He was shot on the spot, Bucky scowling down at the unconscious body.
For lack of better options, you had to wait with the hawk for last because the man was nearly impossible to find. After his little stunt that morning, he had been a ghost, retreating to one of his secret hideouts in the ventilation systems.
Had it not been for a stroke of genius, the chances of either of you finding him would’ve been pretty slim. Luckily, FRIDAY gleefully told you his location, her cackling catching you off guard. Who knew Tony had the balls to create a sadistic AI?
The hawk was done in by a point blank headshot curtesy of a grinning Bucky and the expression the super-soldier wore the moment he extracted your revenge for you would forever be imprinted in your memory.
Not to mention that he did it with an ICER arrow from the hawk’s own stash.
You sat snuggled up to your sergeant on the couch of the living area, eyes intent on the wide flat-screen of the TV, fingers laced with his metal ones in his lap. The famous theme song of Titanic played softly through the room as you watched the credits roll with a sigh.
Leaning your head to the side, you chanced a glance up at your partner in crime only to find him staring down at you with an adoring tilt of his lips. “What?” You asked, cheeks coloring as your mind flew through some rather colorful imaginations on what that look might mean. “Hmm?” He raised an eyebrow in a ‘what do you mean’ gesture. Used to his less vocal ways of communicating, you poked him in the chest. “What’s that look?” You pursed your lips slightly, missing how his eyes flickered down to watch the movement.
“What look.” You crinkled your nose at him when he bumped your foreheads together, it was a gesture that had become more and more familiar to you the past couple of weeks and you were secretly thrilled by the intimacy of it. His eyes were intent on your own and you poked him again, a smile tugging at the corner of your lips. The action was mirrored by Bucky and his hand rose to trail patterns on your collarbones. “That look.” You answered breathlessly, all too aware of how close he was.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” Oh, that was so obviously the Bucky Barnes from the forties and you had little time to think before he pressed his lips to yours softly. The kiss was short and sweet, the assassin catching your bottom lip between his as he pulled away, tugging slightly at it with his teeth.
A breathless ‘oh’ escaped you as he pulled you close, shifting on the couch to lay down comfortably on his back, you draped on top of him. Both of his arms came up to wind around you waist to stop you from moving around too much, not that you would.
Contently, you laid your cheek on his chest and let sleep take you away, not giving a second thought to your absent teammates.
Bucky watched you for a few minutes before laying back with a smile.
Victory had never tasted sweeter.
In the basement level of the tower, a bulletproof and hulk-secure glass cylinder sat innocently in the center of an otherwise abandoned floor. In it sat seven dazed superheroes, hog-tied together AND individually with extra reinforced rope Bucky had somehow pulled out of his ass.
Steve watched them come to with a faintly amused expression on his face.
“To be fair, I did warn you about Buck’s overprotective tendencies.” He laughed at the raging faces of his teammates, and he was sure, had it not been for the gags decorating their faces, they would be quite vocal in their outrage.
Turning from the four superheroes, he grinned at the grey concrete wall, careful not the let them see it.
Best let them cool off a bit before letting them loose. Coincidentally letting you and Bucky rest a bit before you hauled ass out of the tower and away on a vacation faaar away from the rage radiating from the basement.
