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our little secret - thunderbolt/new avenger!bucky x female!reader

Plot: Disapproving of the public shipping Bucky Barnes with The New Avengers' assistant Y/N, Valentina orders them to stay apart, determined to keep the focus on the group... and by extension, herself. Unbeknownst to everyone, however, Bucky and Y/N have already been secretly dating for over a year. Y/N longs to go public and tell the world how much they love each other, but understands Bucky's reservations. Yet, the more Valentina meddles in their relationship with no pushback from him... the more she wonders if he even wants to be with her at all. Pairing: Thunderbolt/New Avenger!Bucky x Female!Reader Warnings: 18+ only please! Mention of reader and Bucky having a quickie in the bathroom. It's not detailed and is more fade to black before anything happens, but still! Valentina being a manipulative boss and meddling with reader and Bucky's relationship, the press and paparazzi being intrusive and gross, mentions of the hate/threats The New Avengers are getting, possessive and protective Bucky... but he's also an idiot in this I fear, and mild mentions of alcohol. Also lots of angst (but with a happy ending of course!). As always, if I miss any triggers, please let me know! ...Also I'm not a fan of John Walker so he may be a bit of a dick in this, so sorry in advance to any fans of his. Notes: This fic took me FOREVER to write, but it's finally here. I hope you love it!! Divider by @firefly-graphics

The common room of The New Avengers Tower is a hub of activity and chatter. Yelena and Ava watch a movie, chatting about the plot, whilst Bob, John and Alexei play cards, the sound of a cheer or laugh occasionally filling the air. The door swings open, and Mel walks in, the sharp click of her heels echoing on the floor.

“Bucky,” she smiles, looking over at the super soldier who’s currently slumped on the couch and scrolling through his phone. “Valentina wants to see you in her office immediately, please.”

The room goes quiet. Valentina wanting to see you is never good news. And alone is even worse.

“What is this meeting? Valentina never told me about this?” Alexei frowns.

“Think it’s just for me, Alexei.” Bucky sighs wearily, pushing himself up.

“...And you too, please, Y/N.” Mel interrupts. Immediately, the New Avengers and Bob all turn their heads to stare at the two of them.

“Why? I’m not an Avenger-”

“You’re our assistant, though. Maybe you did something wrong-” John suggests, his familiar, condescending smirk playing on his lips. Thankfully, Yelena quickly whispers a:

“Shut the fuck up.” and Y/N shoots her a grateful look.

Valentina’s office is pristine, full of polished marble and velvet. Y/N has always hated it. It’s like she’s just waiting for people to screw up. Any mistake, any spill would be visible, no matter how tiny. Both in this office and in real life.

“Close the door. Please don’t scuff the floors, I just had those put in.” Valentina says, spinning around in her chair to face them. Y/N can’t help but wonder if Valentina knows how much she looks like a supervillain when she does that. Knowing her, she’d probably relish it. Valentina sips from a glass of champagne, her eyes narrowing as the two approach her.

“Hello, Valentina.” Y/N nods. Bucky already looks bored with this whole thing, but murmurs his own greeting. “You wanted to see us?”

“Care to explain this?” Valentina ignores their greeting, and slides an iPad across the desk. The image shows Y/N and Bucky attending a recent gala. The picture captures Y/N, her head thrown back in laughter at something Bucky is saying, and he’s grinning as he looks over at her. Y/N's smile grows as she looks at the picture, warmth spreading in her stomach from the happy memory.

“It’s a picture of Y/N and I from the last gala.” Bucky grunts.

“Yes, I know that,” Valentina replies with a dismissive tsk. “Mel, you were supposed to- whatever.” With an exasperated huff, she swipes to the next image. “I meant these.”

The screen is full of comments left on the post. Of course, Y/N’s seen most of them, considering her job as an assistant for The New Avengers.

However, these comments all focus on one specific thing.

User 1: Y/N and Bucky are so cute together. They’d really be a great couple. Reply: Right?! The way he looks at her!!! User 2: Has anyone else noticed how much Bucky, the grumpy ex-assassin, smiles around Y/N??? IT’S SO CUUUUTE!!! User 3: WE WANT Y/N AND BUCKY!!! User 4: Anyone have any ship name ideas? User 5: They’re WAY more interesting than the Thunderbolts, or whatever they’re called now #sorrynotsorry

“Those aren't the only comments. And Mel has informed me that there are TikTok videos and fan accounts dedicated to you, too. It appears people are shipping you both.” Valentina's brow arches as she looks at them both. Bucky furrows his brow, a look of confusion crossing his face.

“Shipping us where?”

“Jesus Christ, how old are you?!" Valentina rubs her temple, irritated. “It means they want you two to be a couple. Mel told me that.” Y/N is about to call out the hypocrisy of her scolding Bucky for his own lack of understanding, but Valentina’s icy glare and Mel’s frantic head shake, warning her to stop, stop her. "Well?" She prompts, raising her brow as she looks at the pair expectantly.

“Well…what?” Bucky asks, his brow furrowed.

“What do you two have to say for yourselves?”

"Well, I didn’t know so many people see us that way..." Y/N explains. Even though she loves her job, she finds it incredibly jarring to realise how visible she is and how much Valentina and others scrutinise and try to dictate her every move.

“Sorry, why is this a bad thing?” Bucky asks. “They just want us to be together; it’s not like they’re sending us death threats or hate, like usual.”

“It doesn’t matter!” Valentina snaps. “The focus is supposed to be on the New Avengers as a group, not their dating lives. You saw it yourselves; someone said you two are way more interesting than the group! We’ve done so much, and yet the focus is always on you two.” She looks between them both, her eyes narrowed with suspicion. Y/N’s heart jumps into her throat. Whenever Valentina is in one of her moods, it’s best to steer clear. And she’s never seen her this frustrated before. “So.” She sips some more champagne, clearing her throat. “I want you two to stay apart from each other.”

“What?” Y/N gasps. “You can’t do that! My job is being an assistant for The New Avengers! It’s my job to be with him all the time!”

“I was going to say you stay away from him, aside from the bare minimum duties of your job, if you’d have let me finish.” Valentina hisses.

“That’s not fair, you can’t punish her for-” Bucky, always the hero, steps in.

“As your boss, I can and I will.” Valentina counters. “Now, I have to go to a meeting, so you two can talk amongst yourselves. I’m sure we’ll come to an understanding on this.” She smiles, her expression ice cold. “I trust you know the way out.” Y/N and Bucky take their cue to leave, the door slamming shut behind them.

“I can’t believe she’s done this.” Y/N murmurs, still in shock.

“I know.” Bucky hisses. His hand moves as if to comfort her, but he notices the cameras above them, quickly letting it fall back to his side. “Come on. Let’s…talk this out.” he urges, guiding her to another, more secluded room in the compound.

“Are you sure it’s alright in here? That there are no cameras?” Bucky laughs.

“Y/N, I’m an ex-assassin. I know how to spot a camera. This place is a total blackout, we’ll be undetectable.”

The door clicks shut, and their mouths immediately meet in an intense, passionate kiss. Bucky’s lips kiss down her neck, a playful smirk on his face. “God, you look so gorgeous today.” He whispers, his breath hot against her skin. “It’s so hard to keep my hands off ‌you. You know what you do to me, hm?”

“Watch out you don’t leave any hickeys. Then she really will get pissed at us.” Y/N says, and he laughs again, the sound warm and deep.

“Screw her.”

Y/N and Bucky’s secret relationship started long before that gala. Their relationship began when he joined the Thunderbolts. At first, Y/N found it so romantic and thrilling, that even though Valentina and the others want to know everything about each other, she and Bucky could have this one little thing to themselves, a fuck you to Valentina after all the demands and cruel words she's inflicted on them so far.

“We have to keep it a secret.” Bucky had said, kissing the top of her head as they laid on her couch on one of the first nights they spent together. “The last thing I want is Valentina interfering in our private lives.” And Y/N agreed. She thought it was a great idea, a moment of rebellion.

But now, she’s not so sure. Because it sure feels like Valentina is already messing with their private lives. And now Valentina’s aware of how people want them to be together, it could only get worse.

“Bucky, wait.” She says. Immediately, he stops, pulling away from her.

“Are you okay? I’m sorry, did I go too far?” His blue eyes sweep over her, checking she’s okay. He’s so caring, so perfect in every way. How could she ever let him go? Stay away from him as if he means nothing, just because of Valentina?

“No, you’re great. You’re perfect, actually.” He raises a brow, taking her hands in his.

“What’s wrong, gorgeous?” her nickname. She always feels herself melting at that, and at how Bucky immediately knows something is wrong with her without her even having to say she isn’t feeling okay. “Is it because of what Valentina said?” He asks, and she nods.

“I just…she’s going to be more vigilant now, and if she finds out about us-”

“She’s not going to,” Bucky insists, shaking his head. “Sure, maybe we have to spend less time together in public, but this is really no different from how we usually act: being friendly to each other in public, and being together behind closed doors. And besides, we've been doing this for over ‌a year, haven't we?” He lifts her hands, kissing both her knuckles. “I hate it too, but I still get to see you and know you’re mine, and only mine.”

“I guess you’re right.” She murmurs. With a gentle smile, Bucky pecks her forehead.

“I promise you, everything will be alright.” He whispers, giving her hand a soft squeeze. Y/N nods, squeezing back… but she still doesn’t feel reassured.

A few weeks after Valentina’s demand, The New Avengers are at a press conference. Off to the side, Y/N scans the room, trying not to focus on Bucky for too long, even though it’s impossible to ignore him today. His curly hair is pulled back partway in a man bun, a few loose tendrils slipping out and framing his face. His suit flexes against his muscles and his metal arm, the material clinging to his biceps.

“God.” she thinks, feeling her throat going dry. “Valentina may be an insufferable bitch who’s interfering with my boyfriend and I’s relationship, but fuck me, she knows how to make him look good.” Y/N almost had a heart attack when she saw him for the first time today, and had to bite down hard on her tongue to compose herself. She feels herself automatically doing it now, as she pictures her and Bucky together, clinging to each other as they kiss, wanting to take things further right then and there. And then Bucky is unbuckling his belt and pulling his trousers down, even though they both know they shouldn’t be doing this….

And even though they had already done exactly that in the bathroom earlier. Fortunately, they’re both well accustomed to quickies in the bathroom and how to remain undetected.

As she scans the room, her eyes land on a member of the press. She’s crossed paths with him a few times. His name’s Tommy, and he’s the entertainment editor for some big gossip magazine. The New Avengers fill their pages a lot.

But that’s mainly because Valentina pays a lot for the privilege.

His eyes land on hers, and he gives her a smile. In response, she gives him a small nod back before going back to checking the room.

When she looks back, Tommy is still looking at her. Y/N suppresses the urge to grimace. She's met Tommy's type before: smooth-talking sleazeballs, eager to wine and dine you for a story, only to drop you the moment you’re no longer valuable. And Y/N refuses to be his next victim.

“Hey, Y/N, right?” He smiles, walking over to her as she gathers her notes at the end of the conference.

“I’ve literally met you like five times already, you ass. How do you not know my name?” She thinks, but plasters on a dazzling smile. “Yes, that’s me. So nice to see you again, Tommy.” she says, shaking his hand.

“You haven't changed your mind about that dinner offer yet?” He chuckles, and Y/N shakes her head, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes. Because of course he can’t be bothered to remember her name, yet he magically remembers all the gossip about The New Avengers and Valentina she must have.

“As I’ve told you before, if you want an interview, let Valentina know and we can schedule a time. I don’t do solo dinner dates with gossip columnists. That’s just asking for trouble.” She retorts, her tone politely joking, yet her words biting.

Even with her back turned, she can feel Bucky's intense gaze boring a hole into Tommy. She can also sense the tightness in his jaw and the stiffness of his posture.

Quickly, she glances back to Bucky. Sure enough, he’s trying to mask his anger. If looks could kill, Tommy would be a dead man. Thankfully, nobody seems to have picked up on Bucky’s anger, and Y/N gives him a quick: “Don’t.” look. Bucky doesn’t respond, but gives her a look of his own, one saying they’re definitely going to talk about this later.

“Speaking of, I have to go. Bye.” she says, turning on her heel and walking towards the others.

In the limo back to the tower, Ava chuckles, raising her brow. “What happened with you and that reporter guy, Y/N? He was making eyes at you again.”

“Ach! Yes, it was very distracting. The attention is supposed to be on us!” Alexei says disapprovingly.

“He’s not a reporter, Ava.” Y/N scoffs. “He just wants to stir up trouble and gossip, which he’s not going to get. And nobody could ever steal the attention away from you, Alexei.” Y/N reassures. Bucky still hasn’t taken his eyes off ‌her.

“Good.” he nods. “Mister Soldier!” Alexei turns his attention to Bucky, clapping him on the shoulder. “You are very quiet, you know, it’s unnerving me a little. What do you think about the conference?”

“We all know what he thinks.” John smirks, his eyes flickering to Y/N, and the girls chuckle. Y/N clears her throat, swallowing hard.

“Shut up, John.” Bucky hisses. Thankfully, before they can say anything else, the limo pulls back up at the tower. Everyone hurries out, eager to relax and be out of the spotlight for a while.

“Wait...What does he think?” Alexei frowns, trailing behind.

Later that evening, as Y/N walks back to her office, Bucky appears from a secluded hallway, pulling her down it. “Jeez, you need to be more subtle with these things.” she jokes. Bucky doesn’t laugh.

“The way that asshole looked at you today. It makes me sick.” he says, his voice deep, and angry. “He looks at you like you’re nothing more than a piece of meat. God, I hate him.”

“Yeah, I could tell. Bucky, you need to be more careful, we both do! I already think John and the girls suspect something is up with us.”

“You’re my girlfriend, not his.” Bucky hisses, kissing her. But instead of kissing back, Y/N pulls away.

“I want to be yours. In public.” She says, and Bucky frowns.

“But we can’t, remember? If Valentina-”

“Are you even listening to me, Bucky? People are already suspecting us. People we see every day! Maybe…we should work out a way to tell people. Not everyone, just people we trust.”

“And you trust people in this tower?” He raises a brow. “Do you really trust someone like Alexei to keep our secret?”

“I trust Mel! She helped you, remember?” Y/N points out. “And I’ve had enough cocktails and gossip sessions with her, I’m sure she’d keep our secret. Hell, she probably understands us, too!” Seeing the look on Bucky’s face, Y/N sighs. “Bucky, please. I don’t want to live like this forever, wondering if I can hold your hand… if I can go outside with you, on a date, not just a work thing. Can you at least consider it?”

Bucky shakes his head. Seeing the hurt look on her face, Bucky’s eyes widen. “No. Shit, sorry. Not no, because I don’t want to go public with you, because I do.” He rambles, fidgeting with his hair. “Just…n-not yet, at least. I want to show you off, too. So, so badly. But I know what Valentina’s like, we both do. And I can’t lose you, or let her keep us apart.”

“Even though she already is?” Y/N murmurs. He sighs, softly kissing her forehead.

“I’m sorry, gorgeous. I do want to show you off, fuck, I wanna scream from the rooftops that I’m dating someone as incredible as you, but we just need to find the right time to say it.” He squeezes her hand, kissing her lips just as softly, continuing until he hits just the right spot. “I promise, we’ll go public soon.” he whispers, kissing her again.

Yet… even as she melts into his kiss, deep down, part of Y/N still doesn’t believe him.

Sure enough, the more the weeks go on, the longer Bucky keeps their secret relationship going. And the more Y/N considers cutting her losses and leaving. She loves Bucky, of course she does. She loves him more than anything in the world. But there’s only so many times you can see other couples holding hands, hugging, kissing and saying sweet things to each other in public whilst your own boyfriend keeps telling you he can’t do that with you before you think it’s something that you’re doing.

And their need to keep apart from each other for Valentina isn’t working either. In fact, the fans are clamouring for them even more, causing Valentina to keep driving the wedge further and further between them, like sending Bucky on remote solo missions, or keeping Y/N buried under a mound of paperwork in her office.

And yet, Bucky still isn’t doing anything about it. Not that Y/N is either, but ironically, it seems Valentina is the most invested person in their relationship, even when she’s trying to keep them apart.

It all comes to a head one day when Y/N is picking up coffee. As soon as she enters the coffee shop, she’s immediately aware of all the couples around her. Giggles, hand-holding, gazing into each other's eyes… everything she can’t do with Bucky. Bitterness swirls in her stomach, an acidic, destructive force which she tries to push down, but after so long pushing it down, it’s refusing to stay buried. To take her mind off things, she flicks through the stack of magazines beside the counter whilst she waits for the coffee. But then, a headline catches her eye, causing her eyes to widen in surprise. There, bold and right in her face, are the words:

“The dating life of superhero James Buchanan ‘Bucky’ Barnes. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine comments!”

The article is mostly guesswork, implying that Bucky may have something with random women he’s photographed with, whether they’re women he saved or people he met on the street. Most of the article is dedicated to Y/N herself, with a large paragraph and multiple photos describing her and Bucky’s chemistry and potential relationship. But as promised, there’s also a paragraph from Valentina, where she comments on the rumours and seems to imply there may be more to things than meets the eye. Y/N clenches the magazine in a vice-like grip, the bitterness, rage, and hurt building and growing, creating a dangerous Molotov cocktail ready to explode.

“Can I take this?” she asks the barista, practically through gritted teeth. “...Please?” The barista nods, slightly unnerved by the look of pure rage on Y/N’s face.

Back in the tower, Y/N dumps the coffee in the common room without another word, turning on her heel and storming out without so much as a hello.

“...What the hell’s her problem?” John frowns.

Y/N storms down the hallway, her fists clenched. Mel’s eyes widen as she sees her approaching, noticing the fire in her eyes.

“Y/N, Valentina’s about to leave, can you do this later? She has to-”

“Oh, she’ll make time for me.” Y/N snaps, opening the door and letting it bang against the wall. Valentina peers up from her desk, her brow raised.

“Good morning to you, too.” Y/N slams the magazine down onto the desk, the pages still open on the article.

“What the hell is this? Why wasn’t I consulted on this?”

“Now, come Y/N, you must know this is an inevitable part of celebrity life.” She chuckles condescendingly, only pissing Y/N off more.

“You told us to stay apart, because you didn’t want the press to focus on their personal lives!” she’s shaking now, grinding her teeth to dust. “But you yourself are more than happy to go to… Tommy and give your side?!”

“Well, he called me, said you weren’t giving him anything useful. What else was I supposed to do?”

“Because you-” she hisses, stopping herself before she breaks something. “You told me you wanted to control the narrative and focus only on their missions!”

“Well, what do you expect? I am controlling the narrative.” She smirks. “Don’t be so upset, you have the biggest paragraph, and I made sure you looked good.”

Y/N scoffs. Of course. Of fucking course she’s only thinking about herself. She always is, even at the expense of everyone else.

And Y/N’s had enough.

“I’m done with this. I quit.” She says. Valentina splutters, choking on her drink, shocked. “Effective immediately.”

“Excuse me? You can’t-”

“I can, and I will.” Y/N retorts.

“I must say, this is a really inconvenient time to quit, especially with the gala coming up this week.” Valentina points out, and Y/N rolls her eyes, no longer concerned about offending her.

“I’ve done most of the work for it, anyway. Like usual.”

“And you want to let all that work go to waste?” Valentina stammers, clearly grasping at straws to get her to stay. Seeing how sure Y/N is about this, she sighs. “Okay, fine. At least stay till the gala and help run it, please? After that, you’re free to go wherever you want.”

“Fine.” Y/N nods. “And you’ll write me a glowing reference. Deal?”

“...Deal.” Y/N smiles, nodding. She’s glad to see Valentina like this - bending to her every whim for once.

But as she turns to leave, Valentina can’t help but stab the knife in her back… and twist it for good measure. “And this way, you have time to say goodbye to everyone. Especially Bucky.”

Y/N sighs, not even turning to face her, refusing to give her the satisfaction of seeing her pain. Even though she can already feel herself about to crumble.

“Eat shit, Valentina.”

Meanwhile, Bucky is in the gym, completely unaware of everything going on. He unleashes a flurry of kicks and punches on the punching bag, sending it flying. He’s focused, absorbed in his own world. That is, however, until he takes a break for some water and finds Yelena standing right behind him.

“Jesus. You always sneak up on people like that?”

“You’re one to talk.”

“Fair.” he chuckles, wiping the sweat from his brow.

“Okay, spill.” Yelena orders.

“I’d rather not,” Bucky responds with a teasing grin, sipping his water.

“Ha ha.” she says flatly. “I meant about you and Y/N.”

“What about us?”

“Oh, come on, Bucky. You’re really not subtle. It’s obvious, really.” When he ignores her, she rolls her eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh. “Did Mel tell you Y/N’s quitting?”

That gets his attention. Bucky jolts, sending his water flying everywhere. “Fuck-wait, w-what did you just say?”

“You heard me. Mel told me earlier. Y/N went to Valentina and said she quit.”

“If I swear, you’re lying to me, Yel-”

“Why the fuck would I lie about that?” Yelena raises a brow.

“But why would-”

“Maybe it’s because she’s madly in love with you, but you’ve been letting Valentina mess with your relationship and treat the two of you like a doormat?” Bucky doesn’t respond, bolting out of the room in search of Y/N. He feels his entire world collapsing beneath him. His chest constricts, and he blinks rapidly, trying to make sense of it all, or fight back the tears.

He finds Y/N in her office, meticulously packing her things away. “You’re leaving?” He asks, his mind still reeling.

“Yes. I am,” she responds, not even looking at him. “My last night is the gala on Friday.”

“But why?” he asks, stepping closer. “I thought things were good between us, that we were happy.”

“You were.” She answers with a biting remark. She still hasn’t looked at him, even though she's breaking his heart. Pain and anger build within Bucky, the mixture swirling in his gut.

“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”

“Have you seen this?” she pushes the magazine over to him. Bucky scans the page, his eyes narrowing when he realises what it says.

“Oh my- what the fuck is wrong with her?”

“Yup. God forbid she’s not the one controlling the narrative.” She scoffs, rolling her eyes. She still hasn’t looked at him.

“...So you’re leaving because of that? A gossip article?”

“No, Bucky, I’m not leaving just because of that. That,” she spits out, her voice laced with resentment. “Is just the tip of a fucking iceberg.” Bucky’s brow furrows. He’s still hurt - hurt that she’s leaving, hurt that he had to find out from Yelena of all people, hurt that his strong, beautiful girlfriend would be so upset by a fucking gossip tabloid. But most of all, hurt that she still won’t fucking look at him.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I’ve told you multiple times how unhappy I was with all of this.” she retorts.

“I meant that you’re leaving!” he bites back. “You know, not even telling me, or even thinking about how I feel is pretty selfish.” he snaps.

“I’M the one being selfish?!” she scoffs, finally looking at him. Her eyes blaze with a fury and pain he’s never seen before. “I’m selfish because I want to hold hands with you in public? Because I want to tell everyone you’re my boyfriend, regardless of what Valentina says?” she scoffs. “Because I’m fucking tired of people, of you,” she spits, her voice breaking. “Letting Valentina control us?” And finally, Bucky understands. And it breaks his damn heart.

“Y/N, I…” he murmurs. He doesn’t even know what to say.

“I love you, Bucky, and it feels like you never want to show it. Like you love the secret part of our relationship more than you love me.”

“That’s not true, you know it’s not.” He insists, his own voice breaking. He steps closer, reaching out for her.

“Don’t I? Then why won’t you tell me in public? O-Or stand up to Valentina?”

“...It’s not that easy, she’s my boss, and-”

“That’s what I thought.” she sniffles, picking up her box of things and walking to the door.

Bucky wants to stop her. To pull her into his arms and kiss her. To tell her he’s sorry, that he’s being an asshole. Because of course, he loves her. Of course he wants to show her off to the world.

But he just… can’t.

So, he just lets her go.

Later, Bucky sits alone at the table, his head in his hands as the weight of everything presses down on him. The other New Avengers watch him, not wanting to say anything, or unsure of what to say.

“Stop looking at me like I’m fragile.” he grunts, breaking the silence. “You all know about Y/N and me, and that she quit.”

“And she dumped you.” Ava chimes in. “Because you were being an ass.”

“Thanks.” Bucky huffs, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “I was though, you’re right.”

“So, what are you going to do?” Yelena asks.

“...I just don’t know,” he lets out a resigned sigh. “I love her so much. She’s my whole damn world, and I’ve really screwed up. I’ll see her at the gala on Friday, but god knows if she’ll even want to see me.” But then, he has an idea. “Guys… I need your help.”

That Friday, the gala is in full swing. The room, decorated with expensive chandeliers and opulent floral arrangements, is full of laughter, chatter and music. Y/N stands alone in the corner, sipping ‌her drink. This whole situation with Bucky has really brought to her attention how alone she feels in these places, always on the outside looking in.

Y/N’s eyes drift to the other side of the room, locking eyes with Bucky. Her breath hitches in her throat. He looks so good, dressed to the nines in a sharp, fitted suit, exuding charm and sophistication. And god, she misses him so fucking badly.

He makes his way over to her, giving her a soft smile. “Hi.” Somehow, he looks even better up close. He even smells sophisticated.

“Hey Bucky.”

“You look…” he chuckles softly, breathless. “Fucking incredible.” A faint smile graces her lips, and she even gives him a little twirl.

“Thanks. You look great too.”

“Y/N, I’m so sorry for what happened. I messed up, and you’re right-”

“Well, hello you two.” Valentina says, and Bucky huffs. Valentina walks up to them both, her smile as cold as ice. “Almost time for your speech, Bucky.” she smiles.

“You’re doing a speech?” Y/N’s brow furrows. “Nobody told me-”

“He sure is.” Valentina cuts in, placing a hand on his arm and giving Y/N a look that seems to say ‘I win.’ “And he better go.” Bucky gives Y/N one last look, then walks off. Y/N’s heart sinks.

“Glad to see you came.” Valentina smiles. “Although I’m not sure why you’re surprised nobody told you about Bucky’s speech. You did quit last minute.”

“I said I would come.” Y/N retorts, refusing to take the bait Valentina’s dangling in front of her. If she confronts her here, Valentina can easily twist the narrative against her, and she refuses to let her have any hold over her anymore.

“Sure you don’t want to come back? You planned an excellent party, I must admit. Didn’t realise you had it in you.” She’s a master at that. Of making compliments feel like poison.

“I’m sure.” Valentina opens her mouth, but before she can say anything, Bucky clears his throat, and his voice fills the air.

“Good evening, all. Thank you for coming.” His eyes scan the room again, landing on Y/N and Valentina. “This night wouldn’t be possible without the incredible woman who organised it all,” Valentina’s smile grows, and Y/N rolls her eyes. “My girlfriend, Y/N.” The room goes silent, save for Valentina sputtering on her wine.

“What?!” she demands.

“What?” Y/N gasps.

“You may have seen an article in a magazine a few days ago about my dating life, one Y/N and I were never consulted about. But Valentina was.” His eyes narrow. “And I’ve decided that I’m tired of letting this woman control my life, and coming between Y/N and I.”

The entire room turns to look at them both. Valentina goes bright red, stammering as she tries to form a coherent sentence. Y/N can’t say anything, still in shock. She considers pinching herself to see if she’s dreaming, but can’t even muster the strength to do that, either. “Y/N.” Bucky sighs. “I’m so, so sorry I let Valentina come between us, and didn’t tell the entire world that I love you, like you deserve. So…” he smiles. “I love you, Y/N. So, so much. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, and I want to show you off to the world and do everything with you, too. In public, because I want everyone to know how happy I am. And it’s all because of you. I’ve been such an asshole, and you deserve so much better. And again, I’m so, so sorry. I totally understand if you never want to see me again, or take me back. But will you please consider giving me another chance?”

In response, Y/N walks over to him, pulling him into a kiss. The room descends into chaos, and she registers cameras flashing around them, but she and Bucky don’t care. “Of course I will.” she whispers, pecking his lips. “...I didn’t expect this public, though.” She giggles softly. Bucky smiles.

“It’s the least you deserve.”

“God, I love you.”

“I love you too.” He kisses her again, and the press go wild. “Now, come on.” He takes her hand, interlocking their fingers. “We’ve got a lot of time to make up for.”

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