This is the story of one James Buchanan Barnes, barely a man, never a human.
Summary: Bucky struggling with negative thoughts, 3rd person i guess,
Warnings: implied throw up, mentions of murder and blood, semi graphic depictions of blood, negative thoughts, intrusive thoughts, no beta, author is highkey going through it
A/N: hi so I dont even know tbh, I found out a couple of weeks ago shortly after morning dew chapter 2 that my friend passed away. I've been dealing with taht the way most people do, sadness, anger, guilt. And so i decided to touch on my beloved husband because of anyone can relate to loss its that man. ALSO this is not a part of morning dew, this takes place in between ca:tws and ca:cw in my mind but not explicitly stated.
The ache in which settles into your life at the loss of everything is standard. You learn to get used to it, its always there pressing into you like a bad bruise. You always feel it, you always suffer, always know youre in pain. Then there's the special cases, in which what you lost was nothing at all. Bucky barnes didnt lose anything, and lost everything. His sisters who he didnt know past the age of thirteen, his father, a man too stubborn and stuck in his ways to live. Steve, who he lost years before in more ways than one. And himself, but what does he count towards in the shattered glass of a vase when he himself couldnt even manage to be a cup. If he was a man he'd be a coward, the feelings he felt too big and beautiful to be considered righteous for a man. Can a man feel? The war, he fought against it, rather than in it. Spending most of his time tearing into the flesh of his comrades rather than his enemies. A mistake that he often makes. If he was a man he'd be more soldier than a man. That's what he was made for after all, machine of blood, bones, and newfound metal. The glaring red against his fingers often haunting him, he cant remember from when. The war, the soldier, or was it actually the hair of his mother that was caught between his fingers. Slipping away the same way lives did. James bucky barnes had no talents, no love to give or hold, no words to speak. The only thing that could be considered a talent was being a soldier, and he was pretty shit at that. Sometimes he gets a sick and twisted feeling in his gut, a desire to be the soldier again. He missed the strict guidelines and the rules, he missed the hunger and anger and fear he held, the feelings he held. He missed being told he was doing something, something good. But thats disgusting and delusional, his horror spilling from his lips in a sticky acid the same way blood spilled down a throat. If bucky barnes was a man he'd be a useless, disgusting, pitiful man. He'd be horrible at everything hes ever done, horrible son, horrible friend, horrible brother, horrible shot. Horrible. Horrible. Horrible. If bucky barnes was a man, he'd be the living equivalent to a circular condensation stain in a 700$ wooden table. He'd be ideal furniture, bad quality, horrible texture, surface level decent, but being held together by tiny pieces of metal. About as useful as a prayer. If James Buchanan barnes, was a man. He'd be a dead one.
Like a month ago I messaged a craft group about accessibility for wheelchairs and the answer I got was “there’s a lot of stairs but we have cute boys who can carry you”.
And it’s…not good. As a wheelchair bound person I largely depend on people when I want to go out and do *anything* so I’m used to it, I laugh it off, make an annoyed post about it and off I go. But I wanna just say a thing real quick.
Even if I wasn’t gay, wasn’t a survivor scared of men, getting help as a disabled person is just…Not a pleasant thing to us! Imagine for a sec how you’d feel being carried up a flight of stairs. You’re a grown person. You’re being touched in an awkward way. You’d rather do it yourself. You’re So Uncomfortable. It’s not where I look for the beginning of a romantic relationship.
So like…could abled people stop doing this thing where they think helping us in a condescending and infantilizing way is cute? Cause I’m real tired. Just get me a ramp or lift and I’m cool. I don’t need a dating service when I’m just trying to go about my day
Summary: Getting used to a life in the shadows of avengers wasn't easy, let's see if an Amazon haul and a brooding man fixes that!
Warnings: Post civil war, barely proof read, chaos, what's actually happening, 2nd pov, no use of y/n, fem reader, she/her pronouns, reader has hair, I dont believe in capitalism or capitalization, fuck spelling, plus sized reader woo!! We spend the fuck outta Tony's money
A/N: Took so long because tomadachi life came out and my editor and chief was fucking up their little game. Also fuck Amazon genuinely shoot Jeff bezos and Elon Musk into space and leave them there. Once again leave any advice comments or anything youd like lowkey, I'm open to suggestions
Word count: 4.2kish (sorry)
She had seen him about 4 times over the past week. One time she caught him with Steve in the living room talking about whatever supersoldiers talk about, another time she caught him in the kitchen at 4 am eating from a bowl of food she'd left in the microwave for him.
Despite the strange meeting she felt relief knowing he was actually eating the food she made him, every night. When she'd make dinner she would leave some in the microwave with a sticky note on the door so no one would eat it. She never found the food in the microwave the next day but there also wasn't any extra dishes for her to do either so she wasn't sure he was actually eating it and wasn't just throwing the food away. The other two times she didn't actually see him but she knew he was there.
The day after they had bumped in the kitchen, she had found herself going into the kitchen at the same time again. Daphne had been waking up hungry at 4 am the past few nights even though she had fed her before bed, she told this to bucky the last night when they saw each other explaining her reasoning for being up late but he didn't respond didn't even hum in acknowledgement so she assumed he just wasn't paying attention.
She was proven wrong because when she went into the kitchen the next night to make Daphne a bottle, she noticed a different colored sticky note on the microwave, so she opened the microwave and saw a pre-made bottle sitting in there for her.
The sticky note didn't say anything on it didn't even have a crease in it he must have just put it there cause he knew she would notice. The realization made her feel happy that he actually cared enough to not only listen but make things a little bit easier for her. The most recent time they had interacted was in a similar scenario, Daphne had been fussy all day and night due to gas and she hadn't eaten anything because of it.
When her tummy finally started feeling better she was quite hungry and made it well known at 3:27 A.M., waking her up to be fed. She took Daphne out to the livingroom not wanting to wake constance and started breastfeeding her on the couch. She used a blanket to cover herself and tucked a throw pillow into her side to keep herself sitting up. She tried to stay awake while feeding Daphne but she slowly fell asleep her head tipping back against the couch and the soothing sound of the air conditioning further lulling her into sleep.
She didn't even realize she had passed out until she was woken up by the sun shinning through the windows directly onto her face. She sat up gently holding Daphne close to her chest and looked around, not noting anything majorly wrong but she did notice a cup of water with ice sitting on the table beside her, and a sticky note next to it. She took a sip of the water before placing it back down and picking up the note which just had 7:45 printed nicely on the paper. Definitely not her handwriting, and she definitely didn't remember getting a glass of water for herself, to be fair she didn't remember laying down either but that doesn't seem too far fetched of sleepy her to do.
She carefully covered herself up under the blanket making sure not to wake Daphne up before standing quietly and walking her to their bedroom. She placed her quietly in her crib in the way too oversized closet, she shut the door behind her turning the knob to silence the click
She walked to the smaller closet in the bedroom picking out clothes to wear, kudos to Mr. Stark and his insufferable amount of money. She put on a light blue babydoll top and a pair of overall shorts, she loosely tied up her hair and walked back out to the livingroom.
She knew she had some packages coming in today for the Constance's bedroom, the tower also happened to be empty today, some type of plane meet up with a guy named Nick or whatever. She didnt get many details, just a polite text from Natasha. She was fine with them being gone, since she didn't really want to talk to them anyways.
No one other than Natasha and Tony had talked to her the week she had been here. Tony only talked to her about Constance's schooling, offering to hire a private teacher, which she turned down. Natasha would semi-regularly come up and just have a chat with her on the sofa, none of their conversations really meant anything it was more of just politely talking about everything except what mattered, a false form of peace. There had been a few others that came up to their floor but none that talked to her really, she'd text nat when she made dinner for everyone and they'd all come up, eat, discuss between eachother, then leave with polite words.
Everyone was there but just far enough away to not be reachable. Well, almost everyone. There was a certain specific person that wouldn't eat with the others, would rarely be seen, wouldn't speak to her, hell the only reason she knew he even existed was because of Steve talking about him. He interested her like a vet would be interested in a tiger in a zoo. She could tell he didnt really like all of the people frequenting their floor, she was going to slow down on making dinner for everyone, or maybe have them come one at a time and take their dinners back. She was unsure she just knew that he lived here too and he deserved to be comfortable, as comfortable as he could be anyways.
She was taken from her thoughts by the sound of a door clicking shut. Her head whipped around to look at her bedroom door but the door was shut, there was no sound of feet pattering on the floor, no movement from that side of the hall. He walked out from the hallway behind her, pausing and visibly tensing at the sight of her on the couch. She locked eyes with him and gave him a polite smile before going on her phone to hopefully make him feel more comfortable, she didnt like to be watched and she has lived a relatively normal life, if she was him the idea of being looked at in itself would make her nauseous. She noted the soft, barely there, sound of him moving as she checked the delivery times of the things she ordered. She checked the time noting that it was 8 am, constance had to be at school at 9 and it took about 30 minutes to get there.
She stood up and silently walked to her bedroom, quietly opening the door and grabbing her purse and wallet, she closed the door silently before walking back into the livingroom, noting he was in the kitchen, she wasn't sure what he was doing but that was none of her business.
"Hey," she called softly not wanting to startle him. He didn't look at her but the tensing of his shoulders told her all she needed to know, "I'm going to grab some donuts, do you want any? If so what kind?."
After a moment he finally turned to look at her, his eyes trailing over her as if she was an explosive that needed to be disarmed. She waited patiently for him to respond, not taking her attention off of him. His eyes locked with hers before he shook his head no slightly,
"no." She nodded and turned walking towards the elevator, as the doors closed behind and she started descending down her hands clutched at the handle bars. She forgot how deep his voice was, it made her feel like.. like she was prey that was just caught, despite him never making her feel even the slightest bit unsafe it still sent chills through her body. She swallowed down her nerves as the soft ding of the elevator hitting the bottom floor announced her arrival, she sped walked towards the spare black Honda that Tony gave her the keys to, driving off towards Constance's favorite donut shop hoping the drive would clear her mind.
---------------
He stood in the kitchen silently, watching as the doors to the elevator closed in front of her. He could tell she was rattled by him, which he didn't blame her for, he was dangerous, a monster, a soldier. What confused him was the fact she wasn't put off by his presence but by his voice, sure he's had people be horrified by just his voice, but that was mostly just people he the soldier had previously interacted with, even if the soldier didn't know them, they knew it.
He didn't remember ever having met her before, even though the memories where coming back slowly, the ones that where coming back where of people he was actively around. Steve on the bridge, the river, coney island, there was Natasha in the redroom, and Sam on the skyscraper, but he didnt remember her. He turned his attention back to the coffee pot that he was actively trying to figure out, staring at it as if that'll solve the problem of how the fuck to use it. After about two more minutes of him staring at the coffee pot he heard the soft sound of the elevator mechanics working and rising up.
Shit, he must've been here longer than he thought. Before he could start heading for his room the doors opened to her, curse those fast ass elevators, she stepped out of the elevator a box of donuts and two cups of coffee in hand, she smiled softly at him before heading towards the island in the kitchen. She set the box down and a coffee that looked like it had as much sugar as a whole cake in it before walking towards him, she stretched her hand out towards him a coffee wrapped tightly in her fingers.
"I got you a coffee, its black, we have the stuff to put in it here if you don't like black coffee, I also got you a chocolate donut." His gaze flickered from the coffee in her hands, to the kitchen counter, the soft warmth of sweetness and dough filling his senses. After a few moments of her standing awkwardly arm hand stretched out with a coffee, and him not making a move to take it, she just nodded in understanding and turned around. She placed the coffee on the counter, along with a chocolate glazed donut politely on the counter next to it. "Im going to wake up Constance for school."
He didnt know why she was telling him that, probably so he can leave, probably so she won't have to have her child around him, or be around him any longer. "I figured I'd give you a chance to escape the toddler energy, she's not too hectic in the morning but she doesnt see you alot so.. if you decide to stay expect a question or two" she finishes her statement then disappears down the hallway.
She comes back 10 minutes later, Constance dressed and ready, her curly hair sufficiently tamed, and the cute pink dress clashing with the bright red cowgirl boots she chose to wear. She immediately noticed the lack of bucky, an uncomfortable norm. She grabbed her coffee and Constances backpack, noticing the lack of extra coffee and donut on the counter. "Okay Constance, let's go honey its your first day back at school! Aren't you excited to see your friends and teachers again?" They walked into the elevator the soft mechanical whir announcing their descent.
"Mm, i guess so mommy, I think the anglers are way cooler though." She chuckled softly guiding Constance through the parking garage to the car. "It's avengers honey" she said softly buckling Constance in and handing her the donut. "Thank you momma" she said muffle due to a mouthful of red, white, and blue, sprinkled donut.
She started driving to Constances school, getting there faster than usual, traffic was surprisingly sparse. She parked in the parent pickup/drop off area. She grabbed the spare baby wipes in the center counsel before getting out and opening constances door. "Okay honey, let's get you out and get you cleaned off" she unbuckled constance and helped her out. "But mommy i didn't make a mess this time, look!" She excitedly showed her her hands turning them front and back to show the lack of icing. "You did such a good job my love! You did get some icing on your face though is it okay for me to wipe it off or do you want to try?" "You can do it mommy" "okay baby" she gently started wiping icing and sprinkles from her face, in reality, there was a lot.
She never really understood how toddlers managed to get all the sticky stuff up to their eyebrows when eating but its okay, nothing a loving hand can't fix. "All done!" She stuffed the babywipe in her back pocket, reaching her hand out for constance to grab. "Let's get you to class okay?" Constance grabbed her hand and nodded determined. She grabbed constances backpack, quickly shut the door and off they went to her school. When she let go of her daughters hand and watched her walk into school her heart pulled more than it did on the first day, she knew she would be fine, but the heart knows what it fears even if its unlikely.
She explained the fake story Natasha and Tony drilled into her to Constance's teacher, he seemed to understand and explained that he will pay close attention to Constance and if anything happened he'd immediately call her. Relief washed over her at his words and she walked back to her car, the drive back to the compound silent. She noticed a few packages with her name on them in the private lobby and hauled them into the elevator, she huffed as the elevator seemed to only give her 20 seconds of recovery time before stopping at her floor. She quickly shoved the boxes out leaving them beside the elevator door haphazardly, speed walking to her room and checking on Daphne, she sighed in relief at the sight of her sleeping infant.
She kept both of the doors open, choosing to wait till later to wake the infant, she made her way back to the living room and started moving furniture. She pushed the small glass dining table to the side, pressing it against the wall and pushing a few love seats and chairs to the side aswell before throwing a couch cushion on the ground and dragging the boxes in front of it. She opened the first package putting together what looks to be constances new bedframe, she was pretty good with building things, the instructions on the other hand.
She could mostly understand them, but some bars need to be placed specific ways, and of course, the drawing it gives her makes them all look fucking identical. She huffs to herself "fuckers just hate being upfront about things." She continued building in absolute silence slight soft curses leaving her lips occasionally before she heard a man's throat being cleared. She jolted suddenly dropping the metal it making clanking noise and her hand flying to her chest to calm down her heart. She looked up at.. Steve, apparently. "Fucking hell Steve you scared the shit out of me." Right as he went to say something, most likely about her language, wailing started sounding from her bedroom.
She was up and in her room faster than the supersoldier could keep track. She cooed softly to daphne as she bounced her in her arms, walking to the kitchen and making a bottle, heating up the milk in the microwave. "Whats up Steve, has the team come back yet?" Steve glanced around at the surroundings taking in what comstruction she had done. "Yeah, they should be getting here soon, I just got here a little early." She nodded in understanding, pulling the bottle out of the microwave at the beep and settling on the couch starting to feed Daphne.
"So, what can I do for you? Are you here to talk to bucky?" He shook his head no before walking over to the couch he sat on a cushion 2 spots away from her. "No actually wanted to talk to you, see how you're doing."
"Did nat send you up here to talk to me?" She asked curiously raising an eyebrow at him. He smiled widely, "no, Tony did actually, he wanted me to talk to you about your past with your husband." Her blood ran cold at the mention of him, her hand clenched the bottle a little tighter. "I know its a sensitive subject, tony told us all about the abuse you went through, the way he used his powers on you."
That wasn't in the police report. She knew that. she made sure they didn't put it in she didn't want people seeking her children to see if they carried his powers.
"He was a fucking asshole for doing that to you, and after everything that happened, you losing your home, he just wanted me to check on you." She nodded in understanding, faking a face of sympathy, this wasnt steve, she knew that, steve didn't curse, steve wouldn't know that, someone was pretending to be steve.
"Im okay," she smiled politely "I've been adjusting well being here, the kids are doing great, I'm hoping to get a job soon to get a new place to stay." Steve The man nodded, right as he went to say something daphne started crying. She quickly started to rock the baby, gently shushing her. "Im sorry I think her diaper needs to be changed i will be right back." She quickly stood and started walking towards the hallways, she resisted the urge to run, she tried her best to remain calm. She turned down the hallway and started to head to the room, her hand landed on the doorknob and she hesitated for a moment before opening the door stepping in and closing it behind her. She saw bucky on the floor he looked pissed that she just walked in his room but the fear in her eyes made him stop. "Bucky I need you to listen very closely, there is a man in the livingroom pretending to be steve."
She rocked daphne back and forth eagerly trying to quiet her down the fear causing her hands to shake around her daughters. "He looks like him, he sounds like him, but he knows things he shouldn't, none of the other team is here, he's targeting me, please.. please" she begged him, her jaw clenching as she contained herself. "Please help me, my daughters."
A loud pounding resounded from the door, "i know you're in there." Bucky locked eyes with her and pointed towards the bathroom door, she quickly rushed to the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her. She sat on the toilet softly rocking daphne on her lap as the pounding kept getting louder and louder. Right as the sound of the door being broken down a gunshot echoed, a loud choked gasp left her lips and daphne started wailing loudly.
A soft knock landed on the bathroom door causing her to jolt violently, buckys voice came through the door. "It's me, its okay its me." She stood and walked to the door, almost unlocking it but the thought hit her, what if it wasnt him? "Prove it" her voice trembled more than she would have liked.
Silence rested on the other side of the door for a few moments. The sudden sound of his voice, soft, strangely comforting, filtered through the door. "I found you on the couch earlier, asleep, I left you a water with a sticky note, 7:45 am." She huffed a soft breath of relief, she opened the door to him.
"Oh god I'm so glad its you bucky." She looked and saw Natasha standing behind him, gun in her hand. She quickly ran up to Natasha and wrapped her in a one armed hug, pulling the woman tightly to her but still being mindful of the little girl in her arms. She let go of Natasha and peered down to look at the, now green, creature on the floor. A shudder ran through her spine at the memory of her own victim, on the floor of a new York city back alley. Natasha rested a hand on her shoulder gently soothing her by rubbing it back and fourth. Natasha guided her back to the livingroom to sit down, bucky following after them both silently.
Neither of them commented on the ransacked livingroom but they noticed. "Sorry.. about the livingroom, I was building constances bedframe, oh god constance we-" "already on it steve and tony are picking her up right now." As if on cue her phone began to ring, "hello?" "Hello, sorry to bother Mrs. there are two men here to pick up Constance... they're um, avengers?"
She sighed with relief, "yes, yes I'm sorry i meant to call the school earlier and inform I give my consent to have them pick her up."
"Okay ma'am for future notices you have to have them on the registered guardian pickup."
"Okay, thank you I apologize for the inconvenience have a great day." Upon hanging up the phone she sighed with relief. She let herself take a minute to catch her breath and let the stress wash off of her. She turned to look at Natasha "how'd you know? How did you get here so fast?"
"Fury told us about these aliens.. they're called skrulls. They can replicate a human just by looking at them, down to their DNA, the only thing they cant replicate is their memories. We found out about this around 5 days ago, but the meeting with Fury was just confirmation." She nodded her head.
"so I killed a skrull? And whos fury?" Natasha paused for a moment, her eyes crinkling at the edges as a smile spread across her face. "Fury is nick, nick fury"
"oh." she paused for a moment, trying to think past all the adrenaline of the day. "So a skrull, got past the biometrics scanner, knew what floor i was staying on, knew when you guys weren't here, and knew personal details about me." She paused for a moment sitting with the information.
"What do you mean knew personal details about you?" She looked up at bucky completely forgetting he was even there, she felt kind of bad about that but she didn't have time to think about it. "He was asking me about my ex-husband, things he was saying was in the police report that I know for a fact weren't in there."
"What about your ex-husband?" Natasha asked. She shrugged "I don't know, as soon as I realized it wasnt cap i immediately left and went to bucky." The elevator doors opened with a chime, Tony, steve, constance, and Clint appearing. Constance rushed towards you, she shoved her face into her shoulder, still mindful enough to not hurt daphne.
"Mommy, why didn't you tell me the anglers where going to pick me up today?" She stroked her daughters hair gently a soft chuckle leaving her lips, "im sorry baby I forgot to tell you, I thought you might want to help me set up your new bedroom?"
"Oh! Yes!" Constance was instantly up and jumping around. "Okay but first honey can you go put your backpack in my room and take your shoes off?"
"Okay mommy!" Constance ran down the hallway and she locked eyes with tony. "We have to talk about it don't we?" Tony nodded. "Okay, but after yall will have to help me build this damn bed."
"Mommy! That word is only for when you drop eggs!" Constancs suddenly ran in from down the hallway, a laugh echoed through the room, alleviating some of the stress. "Okay Constance, momma needs to have a talk with the avengers, you're going to go with me but you can use headphones to watch my phone and once we are done we can start setting up your room." "Okay!" She gave Constance her phone and a pair of over the ear headphones, letting her sit and watch team umizoomi. "I hate just sitting her in front of a screen its so bad"
"at least its educational" Clint chimed in with a shrug. "You know team umizoomi?"
"Who doesn't??" They both smiled at eachother as if they both just shared a secret, tony cleared his throat. "Okay walk us through what happened" She told the same story she told Natasha, they all seemed to believe what she said. "Okay so now for the big question" steve chimed in, an almost wary feeling behind his words. "What about your ex-husband?"
I just found the most perfect photo that could have gone on the banner and it was in my fucking morning dew pinterest board I'm seething rn it was so damn cute too
Summary: Getting used to a life in the shadows of avengers wasn't easy, let's see if an Amazon haul and a brooding man fixes that!
Warnings: Post civil war, barely proof read, chaos, what's actually happening, 2nd pov, no use of y/n, fem reader, she/her pronouns, reader has hair, I dont believe in capitalism or capitalization, fuck spelling, plus sized reader woo!! We spend the fuck outta Tony's money
A/N: Took so long because tomadachi life came out and my editor and chief was fucking up their little game. Also fuck Amazon genuinely shoot Jeff bezos and Elon Musk into space and leave them there. Once again leave any advice comments or anything youd like lowkey, I'm open to suggestions
Word count: 4.2kish (sorry)
She had seen him about 4 times over the past week. One time she caught him with Steve in the living room talking about whatever supersoldiers talk about, another time she caught him in the kitchen at 4 am eating from a bowl of food she'd left in the microwave for him.
Despite the strange meeting she felt relief knowing he was actually eating the food she made him, every night. When she'd make dinner she would leave some in the microwave with a sticky note on the door so no one would eat it. She never found the food in the microwave the next day but there also wasn't any extra dishes for her to do either so she wasn't sure he was actually eating it and wasn't just throwing the food away. The other two times she didn't actually see him but she knew he was there.
The day after they had bumped in the kitchen, she had found herself going into the kitchen at the same time again. Daphne had been waking up hungry at 4 am the past few nights even though she had fed her before bed, she told this to bucky the last night when they saw each other explaining her reasoning for being up late but he didn't respond didn't even hum in acknowledgement so she assumed he just wasn't paying attention.
She was proven wrong because when she went into the kitchen the next night to make Daphne a bottle, she noticed a different colored sticky note on the microwave, so she opened the microwave and saw a pre-made bottle sitting in there for her.
The sticky note didn't say anything on it didn't even have a crease in it he must have just put it there cause he knew she would notice. The realization made her feel happy that he actually cared enough to not only listen but make things a little bit easier for her. The most recent time they had interacted was in a similar scenario, Daphne had been fussy all day and night due to gas and she hadn't eaten anything because of it.
When her tummy finally started feeling better she was quite hungry and made it well known at 3:27 A.M., waking her up to be fed. She took Daphne out to the livingroom not wanting to wake constance and started breastfeeding her on the couch. She used a blanket to cover herself and tucked a throw pillow into her side to keep herself sitting up. She tried to stay awake while feeding Daphne but she slowly fell asleep her head tipping back against the couch and the soothing sound of the air conditioning further lulling her into sleep.
She didn't even realize she had passed out until she was woken up by the sun shinning through the windows directly onto her face. She sat up gently holding Daphne close to her chest and looked around, not noting anything majorly wrong but she did notice a cup of water with ice sitting on the table beside her, and a sticky note next to it. She took a sip of the water before placing it back down and picking up the note which just had 7:45 printed nicely on the paper. Definitely not her handwriting, and she definitely didn't remember getting a glass of water for herself, to be fair she didn't remember laying down either but that doesn't seem too far fetched of sleepy her to do.
She carefully covered herself up under the blanket making sure not to wake Daphne up before standing quietly and walking her to their bedroom. She placed her quietly in her crib in the way too oversized closet, she shut the door behind her turning the knob to silence the click
She walked to the smaller closet in the bedroom picking out clothes to wear, kudos to Mr. Stark and his insufferable amount of money. She put on a light blue babydoll top and a pair of overall shorts, she loosely tied up her hair and walked back out to the livingroom.
She knew she had some packages coming in today for the Constance's bedroom, the tower also happened to be empty today, some type of plane meet up with a guy named Nick or whatever. She didnt get many details, just a polite text from Natasha. She was fine with them being gone, since she didn't really want to talk to them anyways.
No one other than Natasha and Tony had talked to her the week she had been here. Tony only talked to her about Constance's schooling, offering to hire a private teacher, which she turned down. Natasha would semi-regularly come up and just have a chat with her on the sofa, none of their conversations really meant anything it was more of just politely talking about everything except what mattered, a false form of peace. There had been a few others that came up to their floor but none that talked to her really, she'd text nat when she made dinner for everyone and they'd all come up, eat, discuss between eachother, then leave with polite words.
Everyone was there but just far enough away to not be reachable. Well, almost everyone. There was a certain specific person that wouldn't eat with the others, would rarely be seen, wouldn't speak to her, hell the only reason she knew he even existed was because of Steve talking about him. He interested her like a vet would be interested in a tiger in a zoo. She could tell he didnt really like all of the people frequenting their floor, she was going to slow down on making dinner for everyone, or maybe have them come one at a time and take their dinners back. She was unsure she just knew that he lived here too and he deserved to be comfortable, as comfortable as he could be anyways.
She was taken from her thoughts by the sound of a door clicking shut. Her head whipped around to look at her bedroom door but the door was shut, there was no sound of feet pattering on the floor, no movement from that side of the hall. He walked out from the hallway behind her, pausing and visibly tensing at the sight of her on the couch. She locked eyes with him and gave him a polite smile before going on her phone to hopefully make him feel more comfortable, she didnt like to be watched and she has lived a relatively normal life, if she was him the idea of being looked at in itself would make her nauseous. She noted the soft, barely there, sound of him moving as she checked the delivery times of the things she ordered. She checked the time noting that it was 8 am, constance had to be at school at 9 and it took about 30 minutes to get there.
She stood up and silently walked to her bedroom, quietly opening the door and grabbing her purse and wallet, she closed the door silently before walking back into the livingroom, noting he was in the kitchen, she wasn't sure what he was doing but that was none of her business.
"Hey," she called softly not wanting to startle him. He didn't look at her but the tensing of his shoulders told her all she needed to know, "I'm going to grab some donuts, do you want any? If so what kind?."
After a moment he finally turned to look at her, his eyes trailing over her as if she was an explosive that needed to be disarmed. She waited patiently for him to respond, not taking her attention off of him. His eyes locked with hers before he shook his head no slightly,
"no." She nodded and turned walking towards the elevator, as the doors closed behind and she started descending down her hands clutched at the handle bars. She forgot how deep his voice was, it made her feel like.. like she was prey that was just caught, despite him never making her feel even the slightest bit unsafe it still sent chills through her body. She swallowed down her nerves as the soft ding of the elevator hitting the bottom floor announced her arrival, she sped walked towards the spare black Honda that Tony gave her the keys to, driving off towards Constance's favorite donut shop hoping the drive would clear her mind.
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He stood in the kitchen silently, watching as the doors to the elevator closed in front of her. He could tell she was rattled by him, which he didn't blame her for, he was dangerous, a monster, a soldier. What confused him was the fact she wasn't put off by his presence but by his voice, sure he's had people be horrified by just his voice, but that was mostly just people he the soldier had previously interacted with, even if the soldier didn't know them, they knew it.
He didn't remember ever having met her before, even though the memories where coming back slowly, the ones that where coming back where of people he was actively around. Steve on the bridge, the river, coney island, there was Natasha in the redroom, and Sam on the skyscraper, but he didnt remember her. He turned his attention back to the coffee pot that he was actively trying to figure out, staring at it as if that'll solve the problem of how the fuck to use it. After about two more minutes of him staring at the coffee pot he heard the soft sound of the elevator mechanics working and rising up.
Shit, he must've been here longer than he thought. Before he could start heading for his room the doors opened to her, curse those fast ass elevators, she stepped out of the elevator a box of donuts and two cups of coffee in hand, she smiled softly at him before heading towards the island in the kitchen. She set the box down and a coffee that looked like it had as much sugar as a whole cake in it before walking towards him, she stretched her hand out towards him a coffee wrapped tightly in her fingers.
"I got you a coffee, its black, we have the stuff to put in it here if you don't like black coffee, I also got you a chocolate donut." His gaze flickered from the coffee in her hands, to the kitchen counter, the soft warmth of sweetness and dough filling his senses. After a few moments of her standing awkwardly arm hand stretched out with a coffee, and him not making a move to take it, she just nodded in understanding and turned around. She placed the coffee on the counter, along with a chocolate glazed donut politely on the counter next to it. "Im going to wake up Constance for school."
He didnt know why she was telling him that, probably so he can leave, probably so she won't have to have her child around him, or be around him any longer. "I figured I'd give you a chance to escape the toddler energy, she's not too hectic in the morning but she doesnt see you alot so.. if you decide to stay expect a question or two" she finishes her statement then disappears down the hallway.
She comes back 10 minutes later, Constance dressed and ready, her curly hair sufficiently tamed, and the cute pink dress clashing with the bright red cowgirl boots she chose to wear. She immediately noticed the lack of bucky, an uncomfortable norm. She grabbed her coffee and Constances backpack, noticing the lack of extra coffee and donut on the counter. "Okay Constance, let's go honey its your first day back at school! Aren't you excited to see your friends and teachers again?" They walked into the elevator the soft mechanical whir announcing their descent.
"Mm, i guess so mommy, I think the anglers are way cooler though." She chuckled softly guiding Constance through the parking garage to the car. "It's avengers honey" she said softly buckling Constance in and handing her the donut. "Thank you momma" she said muffle due to a mouthful of red, white, and blue, sprinkled donut.
She started driving to Constances school, getting there faster than usual, traffic was surprisingly sparse. She parked in the parent pickup/drop off area. She grabbed the spare baby wipes in the center counsel before getting out and opening constances door. "Okay honey, let's get you out and get you cleaned off" she unbuckled constance and helped her out. "But mommy i didn't make a mess this time, look!" She excitedly showed her her hands turning them front and back to show the lack of icing. "You did such a good job my love! You did get some icing on your face though is it okay for me to wipe it off or do you want to try?" "You can do it mommy" "okay baby" she gently started wiping icing and sprinkles from her face, in reality, there was a lot.
She never really understood how toddlers managed to get all the sticky stuff up to their eyebrows when eating but its okay, nothing a loving hand can't fix. "All done!" She stuffed the babywipe in her back pocket, reaching her hand out for constance to grab. "Let's get you to class okay?" Constance grabbed her hand and nodded determined. She grabbed constances backpack, quickly shut the door and off they went to her school. When she let go of her daughters hand and watched her walk into school her heart pulled more than it did on the first day, she knew she would be fine, but the heart knows what it fears even if its unlikely.
She explained the fake story Natasha and Tony drilled into her to Constance's teacher, he seemed to understand and explained that he will pay close attention to Constance and if anything happened he'd immediately call her. Relief washed over her at his words and she walked back to her car, the drive back to the compound silent. She noticed a few packages with her name on them in the private lobby and hauled them into the elevator, she huffed as the elevator seemed to only give her 20 seconds of recovery time before stopping at her floor. She quickly shoved the boxes out leaving them beside the elevator door haphazardly, speed walking to her room and checking on Daphne, she sighed in relief at the sight of her sleeping infant.
She kept both of the doors open, choosing to wait till later to wake the infant, she made her way back to the living room and started moving furniture. She pushed the small glass dining table to the side, pressing it against the wall and pushing a few love seats and chairs to the side aswell before throwing a couch cushion on the ground and dragging the boxes in front of it. She opened the first package putting together what looks to be constances new bedframe, she was pretty good with building things, the instructions on the other hand.
She could mostly understand them, but some bars need to be placed specific ways, and of course, the drawing it gives her makes them all look fucking identical. She huffs to herself "fuckers just hate being upfront about things." She continued building in absolute silence slight soft curses leaving her lips occasionally before she heard a man's throat being cleared. She jolted suddenly dropping the metal it making clanking noise and her hand flying to her chest to calm down her heart. She looked up at.. Steve, apparently. "Fucking hell Steve you scared the shit out of me." Right as he went to say something, most likely about her language, wailing started sounding from her bedroom.
She was up and in her room faster than the supersoldier could keep track. She cooed softly to daphne as she bounced her in her arms, walking to the kitchen and making a bottle, heating up the milk in the microwave. "Whats up Steve, has the team come back yet?" Steve glanced around at the surroundings taking in what comstruction she had done. "Yeah, they should be getting here soon, I just got here a little early." She nodded in understanding, pulling the bottle out of the microwave at the beep and settling on the couch starting to feed Daphne.
"So, what can I do for you? Are you here to talk to bucky?" He shook his head no before walking over to the couch he sat on a cushion 2 spots away from her. "No actually wanted to talk to you, see how you're doing."
"Did nat send you up here to talk to me?" She asked curiously raising an eyebrow at him. He smiled widely, "no, Tony did actually, he wanted me to talk to you about your past with your husband." Her blood ran cold at the mention of him, her hand clenched the bottle a little tighter. "I know its a sensitive subject, tony told us all about the abuse you went through, the way he used his powers on you."
That wasn't in the police report. She knew that. she made sure they didn't put it in she didn't want people seeking her children to see if they carried his powers.
"He was a fucking asshole for doing that to you, and after everything that happened, you losing your home, he just wanted me to check on you." She nodded in understanding, faking a face of sympathy, this wasnt steve, she knew that, steve didn't curse, steve wouldn't know that, someone was pretending to be steve.
"Im okay," she smiled politely "I've been adjusting well being here, the kids are doing great, I'm hoping to get a job soon to get a new place to stay." Steve The man nodded, right as he went to say something daphne started crying. She quickly started to rock the baby, gently shushing her. "Im sorry I think her diaper needs to be changed i will be right back." She quickly stood and started walking towards the hallways, she resisted the urge to run, she tried her best to remain calm. She turned down the hallway and started to head to the room, her hand landed on the doorknob and she hesitated for a moment before opening the door stepping in and closing it behind her. She saw bucky on the floor he looked pissed that she just walked in his room but the fear in her eyes made him stop. "Bucky I need you to listen very closely, there is a man in the livingroom pretending to be steve."
She rocked daphne back and forth eagerly trying to quiet her down the fear causing her hands to shake around her daughters. "He looks like him, he sounds like him, but he knows things he shouldn't, none of the other team is here, he's targeting me, please.. please" she begged him, her jaw clenching as she contained herself. "Please help me, my daughters."
A loud pounding resounded from the door, "i know you're in there." Bucky locked eyes with her and pointed towards the bathroom door, she quickly rushed to the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her. She sat on the toilet softly rocking daphne on her lap as the pounding kept getting louder and louder. Right as the sound of the door being broken down a gunshot echoed, a loud choked gasp left her lips and daphne started wailing loudly.
A soft knock landed on the bathroom door causing her to jolt violently, buckys voice came through the door. "It's me, its okay its me." She stood and walked to the door, almost unlocking it but the thought hit her, what if it wasnt him? "Prove it" her voice trembled more than she would have liked.
Silence rested on the other side of the door for a few moments. The sudden sound of his voice, soft, strangely comforting, filtered through the door. "I found you on the couch earlier, asleep, I left you a water with a sticky note, 7:45 am." She huffed a soft breath of relief, she opened the door to him.
"Oh god I'm so glad its you bucky." She looked and saw Natasha standing behind him, gun in her hand. She quickly ran up to Natasha and wrapped her in a one armed hug, pulling the woman tightly to her but still being mindful of the little girl in her arms. She let go of Natasha and peered down to look at the, now green, creature on the floor. A shudder ran through her spine at the memory of her own victim, on the floor of a new York city back alley. Natasha rested a hand on her shoulder gently soothing her by rubbing it back and fourth. Natasha guided her back to the livingroom to sit down, bucky following after them both silently.
Neither of them commented on the ransacked livingroom but they noticed. "Sorry.. about the livingroom, I was building constances bedframe, oh god constance we-" "already on it steve and tony are picking her up right now." As if on cue her phone began to ring, "hello?" "Hello, sorry to bother Mrs. there are two men here to pick up Constance... they're um, avengers?"
She sighed with relief, "yes, yes I'm sorry i meant to call the school earlier and inform I give my consent to have them pick her up."
"Okay ma'am for future notices you have to have them on the registered guardian pickup."
"Okay, thank you I apologize for the inconvenience have a great day." Upon hanging up the phone she sighed with relief. She let herself take a minute to catch her breath and let the stress wash off of her. She turned to look at Natasha "how'd you know? How did you get here so fast?"
"Fury told us about these aliens.. they're called skrulls. They can replicate a human just by looking at them, down to their DNA, the only thing they cant replicate is their memories. We found out about this around 5 days ago, but the meeting with Fury was just confirmation." She nodded her head.
"so I killed a skrull? And whos fury?" Natasha paused for a moment, her eyes crinkling at the edges as a smile spread across her face. "Fury is nick, nick fury"
"oh." she paused for a moment, trying to think past all the adrenaline of the day. "So a skrull, got past the biometrics scanner, knew what floor i was staying on, knew when you guys weren't here, and knew personal details about me." She paused for a moment sitting with the information.
"What do you mean knew personal details about you?" She looked up at bucky completely forgetting he was even there, she felt kind of bad about that but she didn't have time to think about it. "He was asking me about my ex-husband, things he was saying was in the police report that I know for a fact weren't in there."
"What about your ex-husband?" Natasha asked. She shrugged "I don't know, as soon as I realized it wasnt cap i immediately left and went to bucky." The elevator doors opened with a chime, Tony, steve, constance, and Clint appearing. Constance rushed towards you, she shoved her face into her shoulder, still mindful enough to not hurt daphne.
"Mommy, why didn't you tell me the anglers where going to pick me up today?" She stroked her daughters hair gently a soft chuckle leaving her lips, "im sorry baby I forgot to tell you, I thought you might want to help me set up your new bedroom?"
"Oh! Yes!" Constance was instantly up and jumping around. "Okay but first honey can you go put your backpack in my room and take your shoes off?"
"Okay mommy!" Constance ran down the hallway and she locked eyes with tony. "We have to talk about it don't we?" Tony nodded. "Okay, but after yall will have to help me build this damn bed."
"Mommy! That word is only for when you drop eggs!" Constancs suddenly ran in from down the hallway, a laugh echoed through the room, alleviating some of the stress. "Okay Constance, momma needs to have a talk with the avengers, you're going to go with me but you can use headphones to watch my phone and once we are done we can start setting up your room." "Okay!" She gave Constance her phone and a pair of over the ear headphones, letting her sit and watch team umizoomi. "I hate just sitting her in front of a screen its so bad"
"at least its educational" Clint chimed in with a shrug. "You know team umizoomi?"
"Who doesn't??" They both smiled at eachother as if they both just shared a secret, tony cleared his throat. "Okay walk us through what happened" She told the same story she told Natasha, they all seemed to believe what she said. "Okay so now for the big question" steve chimed in, an almost wary feeling behind his words. "What about your ex-husband?"
Summary: Getting used to a life in the shadows of avengers wasn't easy, let's see if an Amazon haul and a brooding man fixes that!
Warnings: Post civil war, barely proof read, chaos, what's actually happening, 2nd pov, no use of y/n, fem reader, she/her pronouns, reader has hair, I dont believe in capitalism or capitalization, fuck spelling, plus sized reader woo!! We spend the fuck outta Tony's money
A/N: Took so long because tomadachi life came out and my editor and chief was fucking up their little game. Also fuck Amazon genuinely shoot Jeff bezos and Elon Musk into space and leave them there. Once again leave any advice comments or anything youd like lowkey, I'm open to suggestions
Word count: 4.2kish (sorry)
She had seen him about 4 times over the past week. One time she caught him with Steve in the living room talking about whatever supersoldiers talk about, another time she caught him in the kitchen at 4 am eating from a bowl of food she'd left in the microwave for him.
Despite the strange meeting she felt relief knowing he was actually eating the food she made him, every night. When she'd make dinner she would leave some in the microwave with a sticky note on the door so no one would eat it. She never found the food in the microwave the next day but there also wasn't any extra dishes for her to do either so she wasn't sure he was actually eating it and wasn't just throwing the food away. The other two times she didn't actually see him but she knew he was there.
The day after they had bumped in the kitchen, she had found herself going into the kitchen at the same time again. Daphne had been waking up hungry at 4 am the past few nights even though she had fed her before bed, she told this to bucky the last night when they saw each other explaining her reasoning for being up late but he didn't respond didn't even hum in acknowledgement so she assumed he just wasn't paying attention.
She was proven wrong because when she went into the kitchen the next night to make Daphne a bottle, she noticed a different colored sticky note on the microwave, so she opened the microwave and saw a pre-made bottle sitting in there for her.
The sticky note didn't say anything on it didn't even have a crease in it he must have just put it there cause he knew she would notice. The realization made her feel happy that he actually cared enough to not only listen but make things a little bit easier for her. The most recent time they had interacted was in a similar scenario, Daphne had been fussy all day and night due to gas and she hadn't eaten anything because of it.
When her tummy finally started feeling better she was quite hungry and made it well known at 3:27 A.M., waking her up to be fed. She took Daphne out to the livingroom not wanting to wake constance and started breastfeeding her on the couch. She used a blanket to cover herself and tucked a throw pillow into her side to keep herself sitting up. She tried to stay awake while feeding Daphne but she slowly fell asleep her head tipping back against the couch and the soothing sound of the air conditioning further lulling her into sleep.
She didn't even realize she had passed out until she was woken up by the sun shinning through the windows directly onto her face. She sat up gently holding Daphne close to her chest and looked around, not noting anything majorly wrong but she did notice a cup of water with ice sitting on the table beside her, and a sticky note next to it. She took a sip of the water before placing it back down and picking up the note which just had 7:45 printed nicely on the paper. Definitely not her handwriting, and she definitely didn't remember getting a glass of water for herself, to be fair she didn't remember laying down either but that doesn't seem too far fetched of sleepy her to do.
She carefully covered herself up under the blanket making sure not to wake Daphne up before standing quietly and walking her to their bedroom. She placed her quietly in her crib in the way too oversized closet, she shut the door behind her turning the knob to silence the click
She walked to the smaller closet in the bedroom picking out clothes to wear, kudos to Mr. Stark and his insufferable amount of money. She put on a light blue babydoll top and a pair of overall shorts, she loosely tied up her hair and walked back out to the livingroom.
She knew she had some packages coming in today for the Constance's bedroom, the tower also happened to be empty today, some type of plane meet up with a guy named Nick or whatever. She didnt get many details, just a polite text from Natasha. She was fine with them being gone, since she didn't really want to talk to them anyways.
No one other than Natasha and Tony had talked to her the week she had been here. Tony only talked to her about Constance's schooling, offering to hire a private teacher, which she turned down. Natasha would semi-regularly come up and just have a chat with her on the sofa, none of their conversations really meant anything it was more of just politely talking about everything except what mattered, a false form of peace. There had been a few others that came up to their floor but none that talked to her really, she'd text nat when she made dinner for everyone and they'd all come up, eat, discuss between eachother, then leave with polite words.
Everyone was there but just far enough away to not be reachable. Well, almost everyone. There was a certain specific person that wouldn't eat with the others, would rarely be seen, wouldn't speak to her, hell the only reason she knew he even existed was because of Steve talking about him. He interested her like a vet would be interested in a tiger in a zoo. She could tell he didnt really like all of the people frequenting their floor, she was going to slow down on making dinner for everyone, or maybe have them come one at a time and take their dinners back. She was unsure she just knew that he lived here too and he deserved to be comfortable, as comfortable as he could be anyways.
She was taken from her thoughts by the sound of a door clicking shut. Her head whipped around to look at her bedroom door but the door was shut, there was no sound of feet pattering on the floor, no movement from that side of the hall. He walked out from the hallway behind her, pausing and visibly tensing at the sight of her on the couch. She locked eyes with him and gave him a polite smile before going on her phone to hopefully make him feel more comfortable, she didnt like to be watched and she has lived a relatively normal life, if she was him the idea of being looked at in itself would make her nauseous. She noted the soft, barely there, sound of him moving as she checked the delivery times of the things she ordered. She checked the time noting that it was 8 am, constance had to be at school at 9 and it took about 30 minutes to get there.
She stood up and silently walked to her bedroom, quietly opening the door and grabbing her purse and wallet, she closed the door silently before walking back into the livingroom, noting he was in the kitchen, she wasn't sure what he was doing but that was none of her business.
"Hey," she called softly not wanting to startle him. He didn't look at her but the tensing of his shoulders told her all she needed to know, "I'm going to grab some donuts, do you want any? If so what kind?."
After a moment he finally turned to look at her, his eyes trailing over her as if she was an explosive that needed to be disarmed. She waited patiently for him to respond, not taking her attention off of him. His eyes locked with hers before he shook his head no slightly,
"no." She nodded and turned walking towards the elevator, as the doors closed behind and she started descending down her hands clutched at the handle bars. She forgot how deep his voice was, it made her feel like.. like she was prey that was just caught, despite him never making her feel even the slightest bit unsafe it still sent chills through her body. She swallowed down her nerves as the soft ding of the elevator hitting the bottom floor announced her arrival, she sped walked towards the spare black Honda that Tony gave her the keys to, driving off towards Constance's favorite donut shop hoping the drive would clear her mind.
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He stood in the kitchen silently, watching as the doors to the elevator closed in front of her. He could tell she was rattled by him, which he didn't blame her for, he was dangerous, a monster, a soldier. What confused him was the fact she wasn't put off by his presence but by his voice, sure he's had people be horrified by just his voice, but that was mostly just people he the soldier had previously interacted with, even if the soldier didn't know them, they knew it.
He didn't remember ever having met her before, even though the memories where coming back slowly, the ones that where coming back where of people he was actively around. Steve on the bridge, the river, coney island, there was Natasha in the redroom, and Sam on the skyscraper, but he didnt remember her. He turned his attention back to the coffee pot that he was actively trying to figure out, staring at it as if that'll solve the problem of how the fuck to use it. After about two more minutes of him staring at the coffee pot he heard the soft sound of the elevator mechanics working and rising up.
Shit, he must've been here longer than he thought. Before he could start heading for his room the doors opened to her, curse those fast ass elevators, she stepped out of the elevator a box of donuts and two cups of coffee in hand, she smiled softly at him before heading towards the island in the kitchen. She set the box down and a coffee that looked like it had as much sugar as a whole cake in it before walking towards him, she stretched her hand out towards him a coffee wrapped tightly in her fingers.
"I got you a coffee, its black, we have the stuff to put in it here if you don't like black coffee, I also got you a chocolate donut." His gaze flickered from the coffee in her hands, to the kitchen counter, the soft warmth of sweetness and dough filling his senses. After a few moments of her standing awkwardly arm hand stretched out with a coffee, and him not making a move to take it, she just nodded in understanding and turned around. She placed the coffee on the counter, along with a chocolate glazed donut politely on the counter next to it. "Im going to wake up Constance for school."
He didnt know why she was telling him that, probably so he can leave, probably so she won't have to have her child around him, or be around him any longer. "I figured I'd give you a chance to escape the toddler energy, she's not too hectic in the morning but she doesnt see you alot so.. if you decide to stay expect a question or two" she finishes her statement then disappears down the hallway.
She comes back 10 minutes later, Constance dressed and ready, her curly hair sufficiently tamed, and the cute pink dress clashing with the bright red cowgirl boots she chose to wear. She immediately noticed the lack of bucky, an uncomfortable norm. She grabbed her coffee and Constances backpack, noticing the lack of extra coffee and donut on the counter. "Okay Constance, let's go honey its your first day back at school! Aren't you excited to see your friends and teachers again?" They walked into the elevator the soft mechanical whir announcing their descent.
"Mm, i guess so mommy, I think the anglers are way cooler though." She chuckled softly guiding Constance through the parking garage to the car. "It's avengers honey" she said softly buckling Constance in and handing her the donut. "Thank you momma" she said muffle due to a mouthful of red, white, and blue, sprinkled donut.
She started driving to Constances school, getting there faster than usual, traffic was surprisingly sparse. She parked in the parent pickup/drop off area. She grabbed the spare baby wipes in the center counsel before getting out and opening constances door. "Okay honey, let's get you out and get you cleaned off" she unbuckled constance and helped her out. "But mommy i didn't make a mess this time, look!" She excitedly showed her her hands turning them front and back to show the lack of icing. "You did such a good job my love! You did get some icing on your face though is it okay for me to wipe it off or do you want to try?" "You can do it mommy" "okay baby" she gently started wiping icing and sprinkles from her face, in reality, there was a lot.
She never really understood how toddlers managed to get all the sticky stuff up to their eyebrows when eating but its okay, nothing a loving hand can't fix. "All done!" She stuffed the babywipe in her back pocket, reaching her hand out for constance to grab. "Let's get you to class okay?" Constance grabbed her hand and nodded determined. She grabbed constances backpack, quickly shut the door and off they went to her school. When she let go of her daughters hand and watched her walk into school her heart pulled more than it did on the first day, she knew she would be fine, but the heart knows what it fears even if its unlikely.
She explained the fake story Natasha and Tony drilled into her to Constance's teacher, he seemed to understand and explained that he will pay close attention to Constance and if anything happened he'd immediately call her. Relief washed over her at his words and she walked back to her car, the drive back to the compound silent. She noticed a few packages with her name on them in the private lobby and hauled them into the elevator, she huffed as the elevator seemed to only give her 20 seconds of recovery time before stopping at her floor. She quickly shoved the boxes out leaving them beside the elevator door haphazardly, speed walking to her room and checking on Daphne, she sighed in relief at the sight of her sleeping infant.
She kept both of the doors open, choosing to wait till later to wake the infant, she made her way back to the living room and started moving furniture. She pushed the small glass dining table to the side, pressing it against the wall and pushing a few love seats and chairs to the side aswell before throwing a couch cushion on the ground and dragging the boxes in front of it. She opened the first package putting together what looks to be constances new bedframe, she was pretty good with building things, the instructions on the other hand.
She could mostly understand them, but some bars need to be placed specific ways, and of course, the drawing it gives her makes them all look fucking identical. She huffs to herself "fuckers just hate being upfront about things." She continued building in absolute silence slight soft curses leaving her lips occasionally before she heard a man's throat being cleared. She jolted suddenly dropping the metal it making clanking noise and her hand flying to her chest to calm down her heart. She looked up at.. Steve, apparently. "Fucking hell Steve you scared the shit out of me." Right as he went to say something, most likely about her language, wailing started sounding from her bedroom.
She was up and in her room faster than the supersoldier could keep track. She cooed softly to daphne as she bounced her in her arms, walking to the kitchen and making a bottle, heating up the milk in the microwave. "Whats up Steve, has the team come back yet?" Steve glanced around at the surroundings taking in what comstruction she had done. "Yeah, they should be getting here soon, I just got here a little early." She nodded in understanding, pulling the bottle out of the microwave at the beep and settling on the couch starting to feed Daphne.
"So, what can I do for you? Are you here to talk to bucky?" He shook his head no before walking over to the couch he sat on a cushion 2 spots away from her. "No actually wanted to talk to you, see how you're doing."
"Did nat send you up here to talk to me?" She asked curiously raising an eyebrow at him. He smiled widely, "no, Tony did actually, he wanted me to talk to you about your past with your husband." Her blood ran cold at the mention of him, her hand clenched the bottle a little tighter. "I know its a sensitive subject, tony told us all about the abuse you went through, the way he used his powers on you."
That wasn't in the police report. She knew that. she made sure they didn't put it in she didn't want people seeking her children to see if they carried his powers.
"He was a fucking asshole for doing that to you, and after everything that happened, you losing your home, he just wanted me to check on you." She nodded in understanding, faking a face of sympathy, this wasnt steve, she knew that, steve didn't curse, steve wouldn't know that, someone was pretending to be steve.
"Im okay," she smiled politely "I've been adjusting well being here, the kids are doing great, I'm hoping to get a job soon to get a new place to stay." Steve The man nodded, right as he went to say something daphne started crying. She quickly started to rock the baby, gently shushing her. "Im sorry I think her diaper needs to be changed i will be right back." She quickly stood and started walking towards the hallways, she resisted the urge to run, she tried her best to remain calm. She turned down the hallway and started to head to the room, her hand landed on the doorknob and she hesitated for a moment before opening the door stepping in and closing it behind her. She saw bucky on the floor he looked pissed that she just walked in his room but the fear in her eyes made him stop. "Bucky I need you to listen very closely, there is a man in the livingroom pretending to be steve."
She rocked daphne back and forth eagerly trying to quiet her down the fear causing her hands to shake around her daughters. "He looks like him, he sounds like him, but he knows things he shouldn't, none of the other team is here, he's targeting me, please.. please" she begged him, her jaw clenching as she contained herself. "Please help me, my daughters."
A loud pounding resounded from the door, "i know you're in there." Bucky locked eyes with her and pointed towards the bathroom door, she quickly rushed to the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her. She sat on the toilet softly rocking daphne on her lap as the pounding kept getting louder and louder. Right as the sound of the door being broken down a gunshot echoed, a loud choked gasp left her lips and daphne started wailing loudly.
A soft knock landed on the bathroom door causing her to jolt violently, buckys voice came through the door. "It's me, its okay its me." She stood and walked to the door, almost unlocking it but the thought hit her, what if it wasnt him? "Prove it" her voice trembled more than she would have liked.
Silence rested on the other side of the door for a few moments. The sudden sound of his voice, soft, strangely comforting, filtered through the door. "I found you on the couch earlier, asleep, I left you a water with a sticky note, 7:45 am." She huffed a soft breath of relief, she opened the door to him.
"Oh god I'm so glad its you bucky." She looked and saw Natasha standing behind him, gun in her hand. She quickly ran up to Natasha and wrapped her in a one armed hug, pulling the woman tightly to her but still being mindful of the little girl in her arms. She let go of Natasha and peered down to look at the, now green, creature on the floor. A shudder ran through her spine at the memory of her own victim, on the floor of a new York city back alley. Natasha rested a hand on her shoulder gently soothing her by rubbing it back and fourth. Natasha guided her back to the livingroom to sit down, bucky following after them both silently.
Neither of them commented on the ransacked livingroom but they noticed. "Sorry.. about the livingroom, I was building constances bedframe, oh god constance we-" "already on it steve and tony are picking her up right now." As if on cue her phone began to ring, "hello?" "Hello, sorry to bother Mrs. there are two men here to pick up Constance... they're um, avengers?"
She sighed with relief, "yes, yes I'm sorry i meant to call the school earlier and inform I give my consent to have them pick her up."
"Okay ma'am for future notices you have to have them on the registered guardian pickup."
"Okay, thank you I apologize for the inconvenience have a great day." Upon hanging up the phone she sighed with relief. She let herself take a minute to catch her breath and let the stress wash off of her. She turned to look at Natasha "how'd you know? How did you get here so fast?"
"Fury told us about these aliens.. they're called skrulls. They can replicate a human just by looking at them, down to their DNA, the only thing they cant replicate is their memories. We found out about this around 5 days ago, but the meeting with Fury was just confirmation." She nodded her head.
"so I killed a skrull? And whos fury?" Natasha paused for a moment, her eyes crinkling at the edges as a smile spread across her face. "Fury is nick, nick fury"
"oh." she paused for a moment, trying to think past all the adrenaline of the day. "So a skrull, got past the biometrics scanner, knew what floor i was staying on, knew when you guys weren't here, and knew personal details about me." She paused for a moment sitting with the information.
"What do you mean knew personal details about you?" She looked up at bucky completely forgetting he was even there, she felt kind of bad about that but she didn't have time to think about it. "He was asking me about my ex-husband, things he was saying was in the police report that I know for a fact weren't in there."
"What about your ex-husband?" Natasha asked. She shrugged "I don't know, as soon as I realized it wasnt cap i immediately left and went to bucky." The elevator doors opened with a chime, Tony, steve, constance, and Clint appearing. Constance rushed towards you, she shoved her face into her shoulder, still mindful enough to not hurt daphne.
"Mommy, why didn't you tell me the anglers where going to pick me up today?" She stroked her daughters hair gently a soft chuckle leaving her lips, "im sorry baby I forgot to tell you, I thought you might want to help me set up your new bedroom?"
"Oh! Yes!" Constance was instantly up and jumping around. "Okay but first honey can you go put your backpack in my room and take your shoes off?"
"Okay mommy!" Constance ran down the hallway and she locked eyes with tony. "We have to talk about it don't we?" Tony nodded. "Okay, but after yall will have to help me build this damn bed."
"Mommy! That word is only for when you drop eggs!" Constancs suddenly ran in from down the hallway, a laugh echoed through the room, alleviating some of the stress. "Okay Constance, momma needs to have a talk with the avengers, you're going to go with me but you can use headphones to watch my phone and once we are done we can start setting up your room." "Okay!" She gave Constance her phone and a pair of over the ear headphones, letting her sit and watch team umizoomi. "I hate just sitting her in front of a screen its so bad"
"at least its educational" Clint chimed in with a shrug. "You know team umizoomi?"
"Who doesn't??" They both smiled at eachother as if they both just shared a secret, tony cleared his throat. "Okay walk us through what happened" She told the same story she told Natasha, they all seemed to believe what she said. "Okay so now for the big question" steve chimed in, an almost wary feeling behind his words. "What about your ex-husband?"
Summary: Another attack on new york another life effected. This time it just happens to be yours.
Warnings: post civil war, chaos, this is written very poorly, everyone is a bit of a dick including you, first ever fanfic be prepared, 2nd pov, no use of y/n, fem reader, she/her pronouns, capitalization is a suggestion, so is spelling, reader is mentioned to having hair and being able to wear earrings, not mentioned in this chapter but reader is plus sized
A/N: happy birthday bucky!! um, so like this is probably horrible, please read. I plan on making this a series but idk? feel free to leave criticism, i tried really hard not to describe reader or her kids but people make mistakes, that being said i hope you enjoy!! if you dont thats okay, please comment any tips or suggestions or literally anything PLEASE.
Word count: 5k-ish
it was a beautiful morning, she had woken up 15 minutes earlier than usual giving her time to appreciate soft huffs of breath coming from her newborns bed and the streaming sunlight filtering through her curtains. after a few moments, she got up making sure to not wake her sleeping infant. her feet padded softly against the wooden flooring as she walked into the kitchen, she grabbed eggs and bacon, turning the stove on to start cooking. as she waited for the food to cook, she started preparing her diaper bag. prepping bottles, bringing extra diapers, wipes, and snacks. she finished packing right as the food finished. she makes two plates and sets them down on the dinning table a smaller paw patrol themed plate and a larger white one.
she heads back down the hallway to a door right next to hers she walks in and sits on the edge of her daughters bed her hands tucking loose curls behind her daughters ear. "Constance its time to wake up honey.. youve got school" she whispered the words, hoping to not startle her daughter. a soft smile spread across her face as her daughter grumbled and stretched before opening her eyes "hi momma". "hi sweetheart good morning, lets go brush our teeth then we can eat breakfast okay?" constance nods before sitting up and slowly slidding off the bed her movements slow and luggish due to sleep. she follows after her, her movements slowing as her daughter grabs her hand gently holding on to it as they walked to the bathroom. she reddies their tooth brushes handing the toddler her spiderman toothbrush before picking up her own. her daughter grabs her hand again as she slowly brushed her teeth, she ended up brushing her teeth with her non-dominant hand so she wouldnt have to break her daughters hold. once they finished they started walking to the dinning room she helped her daughter up into her chair before heading to the kitchen.
"do you want a smoothie or chocolate milk with breakfast?" she asked softly from the kitchen "mm.. chocolate milk" "perfect" she said pulling the jug out of the fridge to pour two glasses. "mommy?" "yes sweetheart?" "can i have it in my unicorn cup?" a soft smile crossed her features "yes of course".
she already had the cup made for her, walking back to the dinning room she set the glass infront of her daughter before sitting down to eat. she got about halfway through her plate before she heard crying coming from her room she instantly got up and walked down the hall to her bedroom, picking up the small wailing bundle, she rocked her slowly till her wails turned into a soft whimper. She walked back to the dinning room sitting back down in her chair now a little further from the table to give herself some room to breastfeed. "mommy?" "yes sweetheart?" "does daphne like chocolate milk?" a soft startled chuckle left her lips "im sure she probably will in the future but right now the only thing she can eat or drink is milk" "but chocolate milk is milk? its just.. chocolate" she let out another chuckle watching the confusion pass over her daughters face. "youre right chocolate milk is milk but its cows milk and daphne needs my milk" constance seems to think for a long while or whats considered a long while for a four year old before nodding a look of understanding on her face. "okay mommy i understand" they continue eating once they both where done she stood up arm under daphne as she was still attached to her breast. she helped her daughter down before gathering the plates "okay go get some clothes on ill do your hair" she could hear the patter of constances feet running off to get clothes on as she put the dishes into the sink before going back to her room and dressing her and daphne.
they all walked out of the house constance and daphne matching per constances request. constance was in a pink, yellow, and blue stripped short sleeve shirt and overalls that had a cute butterfly embroidered on them, her hair had matching butterfly clips in it. daphne was in a pink onesie with a white, butterfly patterened blanket wrapped around her. she was wearing a wrap that held daphne to her chest. she was dressed in modest, easy to clean clothes. a pair of baggy paint stained jeans and a sage green babydoll shapped top with loose sleeves. her hair was pulled up and she had small gold studs in. they started walking to school they only lived about 25 minutes away, and a good breath of fresh air always helps to make the day easier.
Thats when it happened. her eldest daughters hand clutched in hers, diaper bag on her back, newborn held close to her chest, just another normal day. till it wasnt, till a building was crumbling infront of them, she picked up constance and started running as fast as possible the opposite direction towards her house but just as suddenly as she started running, a fucking spacecraft fell onto her house causing it to blow up. she shielded her daughters gaze away a hand coming up to cover her face from debris and the horrible picture of their home in flames. she spun around in a circle stupidly looking for somewhere to go, adrenaline pumping in her veins, both of her daughters crying against her, but where could she go? a fucking building just collapsed infront of her, her house exploded, she just needed a moment a single moment but it wasnt coming. thats when she saw them, the avengers, iron man, the hulk, black widow, captain america, hawkeye, and thor. the whole fucking gang apparently. she wanted to run to them but they where running to the fight so shes back where we started, looking like a desperate lost sheep with children, a liability. she finally made a decision deciding anywhere but here sounded pretty good. she started sprinting down the alley unaware of the presence following her.
she ran for 10 minutes her chest heaving and feet aching with every step but she couldnt stop she couldnt stop she couldnt- a green alien looking thing landed directly infront of her causing her to jerk to a halt. they had a weird stand off situation going on him just looking at her, cataloging wether she was a threat or not. that was fine she could deal with that but as if with a mind of its own her hand slowly slid into the side pocket of the diaperbag, a shock ran through her as it curled around the cold steel. then its eyes flicked to the two children cradled close to her, and it lunged. she shot it, not even realizing shed switched the safety off, not even realizing shed moved, she held the steaming gun in her hand her head quickly turning to her daughters making sure neither of them saw that. they didnt. her body shook with the overwhelming feeling of adrenaline and emotion and the noise of her poor babies sobs and hiccups as they tried to breathe. she fell to her knees the hand that held the gun trembling as she set it down directly next to her. she was panting, getting into her head, her heart was beating too fast, she was going to have a panic attack. a hand came in contact with her shoulder she reflexively grabbed the gun and shoved it into the abdomen of the offender finger on the trigger but not shooting. she turned her head and looked up finding none other than black widow, a shuddering breath of relief left her lips as her arm fell loosely down at her side, her hand releasing the gun at the womans feet. they sat in silence for a moment as she caught her breath and her childrens crying quieted. black widow- natasha, her name suddenly came to her, natasha reached her hand out to her offering to help her up, she takes it gratefully still supporting most of her weight and her kids weight but still thankful for the help. natashas eyes lock onto her for a few moments before flicking down to her children. Her body immediately tenses which natasha notices but doesnt acknowledge, her attention goes back to you.
"theres a place in the tower for people to.. adjust before going back home if youd like?" she stays silent for a moment before muttering out softly, "we dont have a home anymore.." natasha just stood there her lips drawn into a tight line before she nods once "weve got a place for that too" she nods silently before following natasha back into the chaos. it wasnt active chaos anymore, it was that destructive chaos that always happens after, the silence, the weariness, the unsteadiness that everyone experiences, the threat that still lingers. she sees the avengers, quiet and torn up, bleeding, but still standing, she couldnt help the smile of relief that covered her face. she walked after natasha, steve and tony instantly clocking her following after the widow, instead of taking them to the big truck they where hauling injured people into, she walked her to the avengers, she stood awkwardly just outside the circle. "whats up with peggy bundy?" tony asked natasha a peeved expression crossing her face at the comment. "shes coming to the tower" natasha said matter of fact. tony shrugged "yeah so is everyone else who was effected?" "shes moving in" natasha said bluntly causing a shocked look to cover her face tonys and steves who was apparently evesdropping.
"the ship that fell hit her house, shes got nothing but the clothes on her back, that backpack, and her kids, tony." she winced slightly at the mention of her now lack of house. tony stood quietly for a moment before nodding, and before she knew it she was in the most expensive car shes ever seen her little girls sleeping against her, staring up at the avengers tower from her seat. her heart pounded as they pulled into the driveway, despite there being four other people in the car with her it was absolutely silent which made her anxiety cling to her even worse. finally bruce speaks up when natasha parked the car. "i dont know if i missed a memo or something but.. whats up with the mom and kids back here?" he asked the question but he wasnt even looking at her which kind of pissed her off, but ultimately she understand the avengers where who shed ask in his position too. "she needs a place to stay" natasha answered not harshly but firm like it wasnt up for questioning. steve opened his door causing everyone else to open their doors. she got out of the car daphne still strapped to her chest. she carefully picked up constance resting her on her hip so she wouldnt wake up. she carefully leaned over and with her spare hand grabbed the diaperbag before finally closing the door with her foot. she looked up and noticed clint, natasha, and steve, standing there watching her. a flush of emberrassment crawls up her neck. "sorry.." she muttered softly before walking to follow them to the elevator.
wordlessly clint grabbed her diaperbag from ger hand and threw it over his shoulder flashing her a polite smile. they all walked into the elevator natasha hitting button 88 as she squeezed herself into a corner. she hated elevators the lurch of the rise and stop of it has never sat right in her stomach since having constance. they sat in silence as the elevator moved till about level 60, she cleared her throat nervously before speaking. "so.. how long am i allowed to stay here, i dont want to be a nuisance but it might take me a while to find a place to live seeing as i dont have a job or anything.." she trailed off, she felt like she sounded absolutely rediculous but she needed a time frame so she didnt accidentally overstep. "stay as long as you need" steve finally spoke, his voice threw her off a little bit. it was tired, and had more baritone than shed heard on tv. she didnt respond to him not sure of how to take it instead sitting in silence and letting her brain run through the steps of what she needs to do to get back on track. finally the elevator dings with its arrival to level 88.
She stepped out to follow the group onto the floor, most of her trust was placed in natasha as of currently but she still wasnt comfortable with any of them. she looked up from her shoes finally paying attention to the fact that they where leading her to a boardroom of some sorts everyone who was on the mission was in there except the black panther. She shyly followed behind them natasha sat down in a chair and gestured to the one beside her for you to sit. She nervously took the hint and sat next to her, clint rested her diaperbag against the wall behind her. Once everyone sat down it was a few moments before tony started going over the debriefing as normal, deciding that she probably shouldnt be listening to this she opted for zoning out. She doesnt know how long its been or what they where talking about but she felt a hand softly rest on her shoulder causing her to flinch harshly. Her head whipped around to look at who was touching her and her breath caught, her ex-husband, she blinked rapidly before the image of him dissapeared and was replaced by natashas face.
"Are you okay?" she nods quickly, not pausing to take in or think about the question. Her head turned to look at everyone else at the table but they where all already looking at her making her feel small. "Can you tell us your name" natasha said making her feel a bit less nervous. She tells them her name before looking down at her daughters. "this is daphne" she emphasized by resting a hand on her back. "And this is constance" she rested her cheek againt her head. She spoke softly about her daughters as if thatll keep them safe and protected. She heard tony hum from the end of the table before speaking "so whatd you do to make nat decide to have you live with us?" She gulped before turning around in her chair and pulling the gun from her diaperbag and setting it on the table infront of her. An eerie silence fell over the room.
“I killed one of those alien things." she said it with no emotion the fact she killed something not having hit her system yet. She grabbed the gun and unloaded it showing them that at the very least she trusts them enough to not kill them. "Impressive earth woman" thor spoke up. She looked up at him but didnt make a move to thank him. The room fell into a silence again. "Can you tell us what your life is like and what happened?" tony had asked. He didnt specify why but she knew he was asking to make sure she wasnt a threat. "uh.. yeah, i dont have a job, im a widow, i have my two daughters, constance is 4, and daphne is 4 months, im 30. thats basically it" she ends with a sad chuckle. "Why do you cary a gun?" steve asked. "Its new york, im not walking my daughters around new york without some form of protection". "No car?" tony asked. She shook her head no in response. "So you have a fully owned and paid off house, but not a car? and not only do you own a gun but you know how to operate it, and operate it good enough to catch the blackwidow by surprise?" She didnt tell him that, so natasha must have, ah, thats what this is, theyre fact checking. they wont trust her till she tells the whole truth.
"Well, Mr stark. since you seem to know everything, look up police reccords under my name" her tone changed no longer understanding of their take on the situation everyone caught onto it but no one said anything. Tony pulled up police reports under her name and his face slowly dropped as he read on. He cleared his throat before looking up at her. "Sorry" he muttered out. she stood up from her chair grabbing her diaperbag and throwing it over her unoccupied shoulder balancing constance on her hip. "Your apologies mean nothing to me Mr Stark, it shouldnt take me having to tell you my history for you to recognize a woman running. what floor is my room on?" "Uh seven but-" she cuts natasha off "thanks." She walks out of the boardroom heading to the elevator and basically punching the button for floor number 7 sitting silently in the elevator as it speeds down.
She stepped off the elevator when it hit floor number 7 it was silent and clean, almost sterile, okay they gave her a whole floor to herself she can live with that. She walked around memorizing the layout. Directly infront of the elevator was the livingroom and the open kitchen, both humongus, on either side there was a hallway one with soft lighting and the other pitch black, she opted for the one with lighting. She opened the bedroom door that was closest to the elevator it was clean. She sat her diaperbag down on the couch directly to the left of the door. She walked in and laid constance down on the bed, taking off her shoes before tucking her in, she laid daphne down next to her making a pillow wall on the otherside of her and below her feet so she wouldnt roll off the bed. She doesnt move much when shes sleeping but better to be safe than sorry. She walked around the bedroom, across from the bed was a dresser with a tv on top of it, in the corner where the wall with the tv and the wall with the couch met there was a door, she opened it revealing a beautiful bathroom. Green tiling on the walls, a huge bathtub and outside of it a seperate shower with glass walls. This has to be the most expensive bathroom ever, She left the bathroom leaving the light on and cracking the door a bit leaving it as a nightlight for constance. She walked to the other side of the room opening another door to a closet the size of a bedroom. "if thats a closet what the fuck is that.." She muttered quietly to herself walking down to a pair of double doors that was on the same wall as the closet, She opened the door and it was just another closet but smaller. She shook her head with the rediculous prospect before closing the doors and sitting down on the couch, going online and ordering a bassinet, diapers, and clothes for her daughters. She sits on the couch for a while hoping for sleep to take her. She finally sighs standing up and leaving the room leaving a crack in her bedroom door to listen for her daughters. As she stepped out of her room she saw steve step out of the elevator with natasha, she makes eye contact with the both of them. She inhaled deeply letting the tension release from her shoulders before walking down the hallway and turning into the kitchen. Natasha turns to look at steve, both of them nod in understanding her turning to walk towards you and steve walking down the dark hallway. She starts pulling stuff out of the fridge which is surprisingly full, why would they stock an empty floor? Tony must have had someone do it when he got to the tower. She choose to ignore natashas presence as she sits at the kitchen island. She pulls out hamburger meat lettuce tomato bacon and eggs. She starts looking in the cabinets for burger buns finally finding them. "Hey, uh just so you know, someone else is going to be sharing the floor with you". Her movements pause before continuing cooking. "who?"
"Well its-" natasha starts to say before she gets cut off. She turns to look at her noticing her sudden silence. Her eyes flick from natasha towards steve whos walking down the hallway she looks back at natasha. "natasha just tell me who it is makes no sense to keep it from me" before natasha could even respond she saw him, following shortly behind steve, the winter soldier, james bucchanan barnes. "oh" She said stupidly as steve comes to stand next to natasha at the kitchen island and the man with the shining silver arm stands about 20 feet away hesitantly. She turns to look back at steve and natasha "get tony up here tell him im making burgers for dinner". She continued cooking silently over the coarse of an 30 minutes waiting patiently for tony to arrive. She finally finished about 10 minutes after tong sat on the couch. She turned the stove off and turned around leaning against the kitchen island noticing everyone sitting nervously which was funny since theyre the fucking avengers. "Okay foods ready two burgers for everyone we got lettuce tomato and every damn condiment you could possibly want, theres also sweet tea and coke on the fridge if you want water youre boring but the sinks there." She turns and walks out heading to her room as she heard people start to get up and make food. She rubbed constances back gently waking her up "constance i made dinner, its your favorite". constance groaned before sitting up she picked her up and tucked her against her chest gently walking down the hallway. "theres some cool people in our living room sweetheart if you want you can ask them questions". constance muttered sleepily "cool people?" "yeah hun the avengers" constance was instantly awake and giddy. "the avengers?!" a soft chuckle left her lips as she walked into the kitchen making her a plate as shes perched on her hip.
"Yeah the avengers" "even iron man?!" "especially ironman hes letting us stay in his tower for a little bit". A loud gasp left constances lips as she walked to the living room she used her foot to push an empty chair closer to the table for her to sit. She set her daughter down in the chair and put the plate infront of her but she just started at the superheros infront of her mouth agape. She turned to walk to the kitchen to make herr plate before she grabbed the edge of her shirt, she stopped and turned to look at her daughter almost laughing at the very serious look on her face. "mommy are you friends with the avengers?" She whispered ultra serious to you. A soft chuckle left her lips and a few others. "uh.. yeah?" she didnt seem to pick up on the uncertainty in her tone. She just smiled big and bright looking like she was glowing at the information. she let go of her shirt before rattling off questions to the avengers. She gave them all a look of "be nice or ill hurt you." before walking into the kitchen and making herself a plate and two cups of tea one for herself one for her.
She set her cup infront of her sitting on her knees next to her placing her plate next to her. most everyone had already eaten or where on their second burger, she let her daughter finish with their questions before asking her own. She looked around hoping to catch site of the metal armed man once again, she found him almost hidden completely in a corner next to steves chair, his ability to blend in so easily makes her a little wary. Constance finally finished her questions taking a big sip of tea to quenche her apparent thirst. "okay my turn," everyone subconsciously tensed "are you safe?" she asked the question directly to the winter soldier but steve jumped in to respond. "i assure you he wouldnt do anything to hurt you or your kids." She sat silent for a moment before a soft sigh left her lips. "thats nice and all but i asked him" She paused locking eyes with him the cold storm blue sending a shiver up her spine. "are you safe?" she asked again waiting patiently for him to respond. He keeps eye contact with her and she refused to break it he gives her a single curt nod to which she let out a sigh of relief. Still not completely relaxed but much calmer. Her daughter who seemed to have noticed her anxiety rested a hand on her shoulder causing her to turn her head and look at her.
"Mommy i finished can i go read a book" she paused for a moment, she completely forgot to pack her books. "im sorry sweetheart i forgot to pack your books, um if youd like you can watch bluey on the tv quietly? daphnes still sleeping". She nodded excitedly before hopping up taking her dishes to the sink having to stand up on her tiptoes to put them in and ran off to the bedroom. She sighed softly in relief before sitting in the chair her daughter was just in, crossing one leg over the other. "Okay seeing as not all of you got the debrief and i have a flatmate that has no clue who i am im going to redo my debrief". She sighed softly rolling her neck a soft crack releasing pent up tension that was in her shoulders. "that was my daughter constance, shes 4, i have another daughter daphne, shes 4 months, im 30 and a widow, i shot an alien to end up in here and almost shot natasha. uh what else." she pauses for a moment to think. "i dont have superpowers, im not immortal, im not special in any way, my daughters on the otherhand, they may have powers in the future". this was new information for everyone including tony who had taken a deep dive into her history after she left the boardroom. "my ex he was a mutant, he had the ability to heal, my daughters might grow to develop that or something similar im unsure". everyone sat in silence taking in her words "that being said, i hoped you enjoyed dinner. ill probably be making dinner from now on so if you have a request just write on a sticky note and put it on the fridge, or ask me or something i dont know" she shrugged before standing and putting her dishes in the sink. she rinsed off the dishes silently not paying attention to the soft muttering in the livingroom, she started loading the dishwasher thanking whatever being there is for dishwashers. she knew someone was standing behind her watching her but she didnt have the energy to deal with that right now, so she continued filling up the dishwasher and once it was full she moved to putting up the food. after about 10 minutes of the imposing presence standing behind her and her choosing to ignore it, she finally finished putting up the food giving her nothing to focus on. she sighed softly before turning around and locking eyes with the metal armed man. she knew who he was, what hes done, what he used to be, but she couldnt bring herself to blame him for that. she knew he was no longer the winter soldier, she knew he wasnt james anymore either, she didnt know what to call him. "what do you want?" she finally asked pulling herself out of her own mind. she watched him stand uncomfortably, switching which foot he was leaning on before he spoke up. "are you sure you want to share a floor with me? i can room with steve if you want?". his voice threw her off it was deep and rough and unused from the sound of it.
“you said you’re safe right?" he nodded in response. "then i dont mind" he sighed out a soft puff of air his shoulders relaxing just a fraction. "what do you want me to call you?" he looked confused by the question like he was just as unsure as she was. "bucky, buckys fine." she nodded "its nice to meet you bucky". he grunted in response both of them standing there in silence for a few moments before he muttered something that sounded like "thank you for dinner". she smiled softly "youre welcome i was worried you didnt eat any, im glad you enjoyed it". he stood there for another moment looking like he physicallg had to restrict himself from running away, he suddenly turned and walked down the hall back to his room. a soft chuckle left her lips, what the hell was her life. she sat and chatted with the rest of the avengers, waiting as they slowly left the floor, she felt a lot better now. tony had pulled her to the side and told her hed pay for anything she needed for her daughters which she was definitely going to take him up on. the last people to leave where natasha and steve, "are you sure youre okay?" natasha asked a hand on her forearm, her form of comfort she assumed. "yeah im good". "if you need anything just call, im sure he will help to if you ask" steve had said those words like they where the easiest things to say, but asking for help was so foreign to her, she didnt have help with either of her daughters, no family, no partner present. she nodded in response instead of speaking scared of the words that would leave her lips. they both turned around and went into the elevator. She sighed as the doors closed, it felt like a weight was taken off her shoulders. time for bed. she walked to her room, both her girls where passed out. she took off her jeans and bra before laying down in bed next to her girls, not bothering to turn off bluey, she pulled them close to her chest and dozed off the grief of the day finally settling into her bones.
Warnings: 18+ only. Dehumanization. Description of non-human genitalia. Masturbation.
Summary: She brings home a cynical hybrid no one wanted: a missing limb, a brutal past, and zero interest in making things easy. He didn't ask to be rescued, doesn't want her pity or her stubborn refusal to back down. What begins as an act of conscience becomes a tense dance of boundaries, old instincts, and... unexpected connection.
Word Count: 6.1k.
note: Since some readers haven't seen the art I posted and often tell me they can't picture this Bucky, he looks more or less like this.
Previous Chapter - Masterlist
Three days passed without incident.
No police. No complaints filed. No angry man showing up at the shop demanding retribution.
The guy had apparently decided his bruised throat and ego weren't worth the paperwork.
She'd stopped jumping every time the bell above the shop door dinged.
But something had changed.
Bucky had started spending more time downstairs. Not just during their evening pottery sessions, but throughout the day. He'd appear in the workshop while she was wedging clay, or sit quietly in the corner of the shop while she helped customers. When she needed to run errands, he came with her without being asked.
She told herself it was because he was getting more comfortable. More confident being out in the world.
But there was something about the way he stayed close -always within arm's reach, his presence a constant warmth at her periphery- that felt like something else entirely.
----
The podcast was tomorrow, and she was trying not to think about it. Instead, she focused on the bowl taking shape on the wheel in front of her, the clay cool and slick beneath her fingers.
Bucky was at the worktable behind her, and she could hear the soft scrape of his tools and the occasional frustrated exhale.
After a few minutes, the sounds stopped.
"I need help," he said quietly.
She glanced over her shoulder. He was staring down at what looked like the beginnings of a small vase. Narrow-necked, delicate. The kind of thing that required two hands to shape properly.
"What's wrong?"
"Can't get the neck right." He gestured with his hand. "Need someone to hold the base steady while I shape it. Tried using my foot, but it's throwing the whole thing off-center."
She wiped her hands on a rag and stood. "Okay. Let me see."
She moved behind him, leaning over his shoulder to assess the piece. It was good work, better than she'd expected for something this intricate.
"You're going to need to support it from the inside while I hold the outside," she said. "Otherwise it'll collapse."
He nodded.
She pulled a stool closer and sat beside him -close enough that their knees almost touched- and reached for the vase.
The scent of his shampoo hit her first. Pine and something citrus-sharp. The one he'd picked out at the grocery store last week after she'd told him to choose whatever he wanted, as long as he stopped complaining about "smelling like a woman." He'd spent five minutes sniffing different bottles before settling on this one.
And now it was all she could smell.
She slid her hands around the base of the vase, steadying it, while he moved his hand to the neck, dipping his fingers into the wet opening to support the clay from within.
Their hands brushed.
Once. Twice.
The clay was slick between them, warm from the friction of shaping, and every time his fingers moved, hers had to adjust to match.
----
Bucky tried to focus on the clay.
He really did.
But she was right there, close enough that he could feel the warmth of her body, smell the faint scent of her soap mixing with the earthy smell of wet clay.
This wasn't like the rabbits. They'd pressed close deliberately, touched him with clear intent, and his body had responded on autopilot.
But she wasn't trying to get a reaction out of him. Wasn't flirting or testing boundaries, she was just... there. Helping him.
And somehow that made it worse.
Made it harder to concentrate on the damn vase taking shape between them. Her knuckles brushed his again -slick with clay and water- and he had to force himself not to react.
Focus. The neck needs to be even.
But all he could think about was how close she was. How, if he leaned to the side just slightly, their bodies would touch.
----
"Little more pressure on the left," she murmured, her voice lower than she intended.
He shifted, and his knuckles grazed hers again.
She swallowed.
His body heat was distracting. Solid and warm beside her, his breathing steady and controlled in that way that meant he was concentrating hard.
They worked in silence for a few minutes, their movements falling into rhythm. His hand inside, hers outside, both of them shaping the clay together in a way that felt strangely intimate.
"Okay," she said finally, leaning back slightly to check the shape. "I think that's-"
She looked up-
He'd turned his head at the same time, probably to ask her something, and now they were face-to-face.
Inches apart.
Close enough that she could see the faint, almost faded scar along his jaw. The way his pupils dilated slightly. The exact shade of blue in his eyes, darker around the edges, lighter near the center.
He dropped his gaze to her lips.
Just for a second.
But she saw it.
His hand was still inside the vase. Hers was still wrapped around the outside. Both slick with clay and water, and neither of them was moving.
She should pull back, say something.
Do literally anything other than stare at his mouth and wonder what it would feel like-
He leaned in slowly. Deliberately.
Her breath hitched, her lips parting slightly on instinct.
But instead of her mouth, he dipped lower, brushing his nose against the side of her neck. Then he inhaled -slow, deep- and she felt the warmth of his breath against her skin.
Oh.
Her heart was pounding so hard she was sure he could hear it.
He dragged his nose upward slightly, tracing the line of her throat, and she felt her eyes flutter closed despite herself.
This was-
The phone rang. Loud. Shrill. Cutting through the silence like a knife.
She jerked back, slipping her hands off the vase, and it wobbled dangerously before Bucky caught it with his hand.
"Shit," she breathed, flicking her gaze to the phone vibrating on the worktable near them. She could see the screen from here. The name lit up: Jordan - Podcast.
Damn it.
"I have to get that," she said, reaching for the phone. "It's- it's the podcast people."
She grabbed it, wiping her clay-covered fingers hastily on her jeans before answering.
"Hello?"
"Hi, this is Jordan… from the podcast? Just wanted to confirm a few things about tomorrow."
"Oh, y- yeah. Of course." She turned slightly in her seat, trying to force her breathing to even out. "What do you need?"
Behind her, she heard the scrape of Bucky's stool.
He stood, wiping his hand on a rag, and headed for the stairs without a word.
Not because he particularly wanted to be up there. But staying downstairs, pretending to work on pottery while replaying what had almost happened, felt impossible.
He'd been so close.
Dragging his nose up the line of her throat, her scent filling his lungs, the small catch in her breath that told him she wasn't pulling away…
And then the phone had rung, shattering the moment completely, and just like that, it was over. He dragged a hand through his hair, staring out at the street below without really seeing it.
If that call had come thirty seconds later-
He cut the thought off.
Tomorrow was the podcast, and he should be thinking about that. Preparing himself for cameras and questions, and people staring at him.
Instead, all he could think about was how she'd smelled. The warmth of her skin. That soft sound she'd made when his breath hit her neck.
He exhaled slowly.
He'd have to go back down eventually. Face her. Pretend everything was normal.
He just needed a few more minutes.
----
She finished the call with Jordan, confirmed all the details for tomorrow, and set the phone down with more force than necessary.
Her hands were still shaking slightly.
From the clay. From the proximity. From the fact that for one brief, breathless moment, she'd thought he was going to kiss her.
And she'd wanted him to.
She stared at the vase they'd been working on together, their handprints still visible in the soft clay.
This was getting complicated.
Supposedly, she was helping him. That's all this was.
But somewhere along the line, it had become something else, and she didn't know what to do with that.
By the time she headed upstairs to start dinner, Bucky still hadn't come back down.
----
She was chopping vegetables for dinner when she heard his footsteps on the stairs.
She didn't look up. Just kept her eyes on the cutting board, the rhythmic thunk of the knife giving her something to focus on that wasn't the memory of his breath against her neck.
"Hey," he said from the doorway.
"Hey." She glanced at him briefly, then back down. "Hungry?"
"Yeah."
Silence.
She could feel him hovering there, and she wondered if he was going to say something. Address what had happened. Or-
"Can I-" He paused. "Can I smell you?"
She stilled her hand on the knife.
She looked up.
He was standing near the table, shoving his hand in his pocket, his posture casual in a way that felt deliberate.
"Remember the dog thing?" he added quickly. "Helps me with... tomorrow. And earlier I didn't get to finish, so-"
The excuse was transparent.
Painfully so.
Because earlier, he hadn't needed permission. He'd just leaned in and done it, pulled by want or whatever he'd been feeling in that moment.
And it hadn't been about calming his nerves for the podcast.
But now he was framing it as pack behavior. As preparation for tomorrow. As anything other than what it actually was.
She should call him on it.
Should say something like "that's not what that was" or "we both know what almost happened."
But she didn't.
Because the truth was, she wanted the excuse too.
Wanted to let him close without having to define what it meant. Without having to acknowledge the way her heart had kicked when he'd leaned in, or how disappointed she felt when the phone rang.
If he wanted to pretend this was just a hybrid thing, fine.
She'd let him.
"Okay," she said quietly, setting the knife down.
He moved toward her slowly, and she turned to face him, leaning back slightly against the counter.
He stopped just in front of her, close, but not as close as before in the workshop.
Cautious. Giving her space to change her mind.
But she didn't move. Just watched him, her pulse picking up as he leaned in.
He brushed his nose against the side of her neck, right where it met her shoulder, and she felt her breath hitch.
He inhaled -slow, deliberate- and she could feel the warmth of it against her skin.
She brought her hands up instinctively, hovering near his sides, unsure where to land. She settled for gripping the edge of the counter behind her instead.
He made a low sound in his chest. Not quite a growl. Something softer. Almost… content. Then he dragged his nose upward, tracing the same path he'd started earlier, from the hollow of her throat toward her jaw.
She let her eyes flutter closed.
"Better?" she managed, her voice barely above a whisper.
He didn't answer right away. Just stayed there, coming to rest his forehead against the side of her head, his breath warm against her ear.
"Yeah," he said finally, his voice rough. "Better."
But he didn't pull away.
And she didn't ask him to.
They stayed like that for a long moment, him breathing her in, her trying to remember how to breathe at all, before he finally, slowly, stepped back.
He dragged his hand through his hair, and he wouldn't quite meet her eyes.
"Thanks," he muttered.
She nodded, not trusting her voice yet.
He cleared his throat. "I'll, uh. Set the table."
"Okay."
He moved past her toward the cabinet, and she turned back to the cutting board, picking up the knife with hands that were decidedly less steady than before.
Neither of them mentioned it, but the air between them felt different now.
Charged.
Like something had shifted, even if neither of them was ready to name it yet.
----
Neither of them had slept well.
She'd lain awake replaying the moment in the kitchen, the warmth of his breath against her neck, the low sound he'd made, the way he'd lingered even after he'd gotten what he'd supposedly needed.
When she finally dragged herself out of bed the next morning, she could hear him moving around in his room. Already awake. Probably had been for hours.
The podcast crew was set to arrive at ten.
After exiting the bathroom, she found him in the kitchen, nursing a cup of coffee, his hair still damp from the shower.
"Morning," she said.
He glanced up. "Morning."
There were shadows under his eyes. He looked about as well-rested as she felt.
She poured herself coffee, and they stood there in silence for a moment, the memory of last night hanging between them like something tangible.
Finally, she cleared her throat. "Did you pick out which shirt you're wearing?"
"Yeah. The red and black one."
She nodded. "Good choice."
Another beat of silence.
He shifted his weight, dropping his gaze to his coffee. "I'm gonna need help," he said quietly. "With the jeans. And the belt."
She looked at him.
He clenched his jaw, and he still wasn't quite meeting her eyes.
It cost him something to ask. She could tell.
"That's fine," she said, keeping her voice even. "Just get dressed as far as you can, and I'll help with the rest."
He nodded once and headed back toward his room.
She exhaled slowly, setting her mug down.
This was fine. They were both adults. He just needed help getting dressed because of his disability. It was completely normal.
The fact that she'd spent half the night thinking about his mouth on her was irrelevant.
----
She changed into jeans and a simple T-shirt, layering a soft cardigan over it. No buttons, just an open front that she could adjust as needed. Casual but put-together. Appropriate for being on camera without looking like she was trying too hard.
She was smoothing it into place when she heard the knock on her bedroom door.
She took a breath. Steeled herself.
Then opened it.
Bucky stood there in the unbuttoned flannel shirt, hanging open over a white T-shirt, and the jeans pulled up but not fastened. The button was undone, the zipper only halfway up.
He had boxers on.
Thank god.
She tried not to think about how long it must've taken him to get them on. To maneuver his tail through the opening in the back with only one hand.
"Okay," she said, her voice steadier than she felt. "Let's get you sorted."
She stepped closer, going with her hands to the waistband of his jeans.
He went very still.
She lifted de fabric a little and tugged the two sides of the denim together, aligning the button with the buttonhole, and pushed it through.
Her knuckles brushed against his lower stomach.
He sucked in a breath.
"Sorry," she murmured, not looking up. "My hands are cold."
"It's fine."
She reached for the zipper next, pulling it up slowly until it was fully closed. Her hands lingered at his waist for just a second too long before she stepped back.
"Belt," she said.
He handed it to her, the leather one they'd bought, simple and sturdy.
She threaded it through the loops, trying very hard not to notice how close she was standing. How she could smell his shampoo again. How every time she glanced up, his eyes were on her face.
On her lips.
She'd caught him looking. More than once.
And she couldn't stop doing the same thing, flicking her gaze to his mouth every time he spoke, every time he shifted his weight.
She buckled the belt and stepped back, letting her eyes go to the empty sleeve hanging at his side.
"Do you want me to..." She gestured toward it. "Pin it? Like I do with the henleys?"
He followed her gaze and felt something tight in his chest.
Most of the time, he didn't think about his arm, or the lack of it. It was just... part of him now. Had been for years.
But moments like this, he felt the absence.
The shame of needing help with things that should be simple. The anger, buried but never quite gone, at what had been taken from him. Not in a fight he'd chosen, but in someone else's affairs.
And now, with her standing this close, he felt something else too.
Doubt.
The rabbits had been interested, sure. But they spent all day in a house with an older woman, hardly any visitors their age. He could've been anyone.
But she had options. She went out into the world all the time. Saw people. Whole people.
He was strong. He knew that. You didn't survive the underground with one arm unless you were. But strong wasn't the same as desirable. And being good at violence didn't make him interesting.
Or enough.
"Yeah," he said finally, his voice rougher than he intended. "Pin it."
She moved closer again, her fingers gentle as she started folding the fabric up toward his shoulder.
He forced himself to stay still. To not think about how close she was. How careful her touch was.
How much he wanted her to see him as something other than broken.
She smoothed the fold once, twice, getting it even, then stepped back toward her nightstand.
"Hold that for a sec?" she asked.
He pressed his hand against the folded fabric, keeping it in place. She opened the drawer and pulled out a safety pin. But not the plain silver ones she usually used.
This one had a star at the head. Decorative. Almost... pretty.
"I saw this the other day," she said, biting her lip slightly. "Thought it was nice. You can use it if you want. Or I can just grab a regular one. Whatever you prefer."
He stared at it.
His first instinct was to say no. To brush it off. A regular pin was fine.
Because the alternative -accepting something decorative, something she'd picked out specifically for him- felt too close to acknowledging that she'd been thinking about him. About the small details of his existence.
But.
She hadn't bought it out of pity. Hadn't tried to make the missing arm less obvious or more palatable, she'd just... seen something and thought of him. Not only because it served a function, but because it was nice. And maybe he deserved nice things.
Thought he might like it.
"Yeah," he found himself saying quietly. "I'll use it."
She smiled and moved back toward him.
"Okay. Hold still."
She secured the pin through the folded fabric, and the star caught the light when she stepped back.
"There," she said softly. "Looks good."
He glanced down at it.
It did look good.
----
Twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang.
She took a breath, smoothed her cardigan one last time, and opened the door.
Two men stood on the step. One was younger, maybe late twenties, with a friendly smile and a messenger bag slung over his shoulder. The other was older, quieter, holding a professional-grade camera.
"Hi! You must be-" The younger one extended his hand. "I'm Jordan. We spoke on the phone. This is Marcus, our camera guy."
She shook both their hands, smiling. "Come in. Thanks for coming out."
"Of course! We're excited to be here." Jordan shifted his gaze past her, landing on Bucky, who was standing near the workshop door. "And you must be Bucky."
Bucky nodded once. Didn't smile. Didn't move.
Just watched them with that flat, assessing stare he'd perfected over years of deciding whether someone was a threat.
Jordan's smile faltered slightly, but he recovered quickly. "Great. So, we were thinking we'd start in the workshop, as we discussed? Get some footage of the space, maybe you working on a piece, and then we can do the interview portion there before moving to the storefront."
"Sounds good," she said, gesturing toward the back. "Workshop's this way."
As they moved past her, she caught Bucky's eye and leaned in just slightly, her voice low enough that only he would hear.
"I'm not asking you to smile," she murmured. "But maybe stop staring at them like you're deciding where to bury the bodies."
One ear flickered toward her, the only indication he'd heard.
But he did shift his gaze -just slightly- no longer locked quite so intensely on Jordan's back.
Small victories.
She straightened and followed the crew into the workshop, Bucky falling into step beside her.
His hand brushed hers once as they walked.
Whether it was intentional or not, she couldn't tell.
But the contact steadied her anyway.
----
Marcus started setting up his camera while Jordan pulled out a small notebook, flipping through pages of notes.
"Okay, so," Jordan said, glancing around the workshop. "We were thinking we'd start with some B-roll. You know, footage of you working. Just act natural, pretend we're not here. Maybe shape something or-"
"Pretend you're not here," Bucky repeated curtly.
Jordan blinked. "Yeah. Just... do what you'd normally do."
Bucky stared at him for a long moment. "While you film me."
Jordan's smile went a little strained. "It's just- it helps the footage look more authentic if you're not, you know, posing or looking at the camera."
"So you want me to lie."
"I- what?"
"You're here. You're filming. But you want me to act like you're not."
She saw Jordan's throat bob as he swallowed, clearly unsure how to respond to that.
"It's more like-"
"Like what?" Bucky's gaze was steady, unblinking. Not aggressive, exactly. But not budging either.
Jordan glanced at her, a silent plea for help.
She stepped forward, her voice light but firm. "Bucky. Just sit at the table and work on something. They'll film it. That's it."
He slid his gaze to hers, and for a second, she saw the challenge there. The same look he'd given her a hundred times when he was testing boundaries.
But then he flicked his ears back slightly, and he shrugged. "Fine."
He moved toward the table, his movements deliberate, unhurried. Pulled a stool over. Sat down.
Jordan exhaled quietly, relief flickering across his face.
Marcus raised the camera. "Whenever you're ready."
Bucky reached for a lump of clay, set it on the table, and started shaping it with his hand.
For about thirty seconds, it was fine.
Then Jordan spoke again. "Hey, do you think you could- maybe… angle your body a little more toward the camera? Just so we can see your face better?"
Bucky stopped.
Looked up.
"No."
Jordan blinked. "Sorry?"
"You said act natural," Bucky said. His tone was perfectly even. "This is how I sit."
"Right, but for the shot-"
"You want me to sit differently so it looks better for you."
"Well... yeah."
"So not natural, then."
Jordan opened his mouth. Closed it. Looked at her again.
She could feel a headache coming.
"Bucky," she said, keeping her voice calm. "Turn a little to the left. Please."
He held her gaze for a beat.
Then, slowly, he shifted. Maybe fifteen degrees. Barely enough to make a difference.
But technically, he'd complied.
Jordan seemed to realize he wasn't going to get more than that. "Great. That's... that's good. Thanks."
Bucky went back to the clay, his expression unchanged.
She caught his eye for just a second and gave him a look.
Behave.
One ear twitched.
The corner of his mouth didn't move, but she could've sworn she saw the ghost of smugness in his eyes.
He was fucking with them. And enjoying it.
----
After they got enough footage of Bucky -begrudgingly cooperating with the bare minimum of direction- Jordan shifted his attention to her.
"Could we get some shots of you working, too? Maybe painting something?"
"Sure," she said, grateful for something to do with her hands.
She settled at the worktable, pulled over a bisque-fired bowl, and started applying glaze with careful strokes. Marcus filmed from different angles while Jordan took notes, and she tried very hard not to think about the camera pointed at her face.
Bucky watched from across the room, his posture deceptively relaxed.
After a few minutes, Jordan seemed satisfied. "Great. I think we've got what we need for B-roll. Should we move on to the interview portion?"
"Sounds good." She set the brush down and wiped her hands on a rag.
Jordan pulled out a folding chair from his bag and set it up near the larger worktable, gesturing for her to sit. Marcus adjusted the camera angle, checking the lighting.
She glanced at Bucky, then at Jordan.
"Oh my god," she said suddenly. "I'm so rude. I didn't even offer you guys anything to drink. Water? Coffee?"
Jordan waved her off with a smile. "Water's fine. We're good."
"Same," Marcus said from behind the camera.
"Okay. Let me just grab some." She turned toward Bucky, who was still leaning against the counter. "Bucky, do me a favor? Come help me grab the drinks?"
He raised an eyebrow. "It's two glasses of water."
She held his gaze. "And the pitcher."
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
He knew exactly why she was asking him to come with her.
For a moment, she thought he might refuse just to be difficult.
But then he pushed off the counter. "Fine."
----
They headed upstairs in silence.
She pulled glasses from the cabinet while he grabbed the pitcher from the fridge.
"Try to behave," she said quietly, not looking at him.
"They're idiots."
"Those idiots," she said, turning to face him, "came here because Richard is doing me a favor. To help promote the shop. To try to boost sales. You remember sales, right? The thing that keeps us fed?"
He huffed, setting the pitcher down on the counter with more force than necessary.
She crossed her arms. "Why did you agree to do this in the first place if you were just going to act like this?"
He stared at her for a beat, clenching his jaw.
"I didn't know they were going to ask me to do stupid shit."
"It's not stupid. It's how these things work."
"Then how these things work is stupid."
She exhaled slowly, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Bucky. Please. Just... answer their questions. Don't make this harder than it has to be."
He looked away, flicking his tail once in irritation.
She set the glasses down on the counter with a soft clink, her shoulders dropping slightly.
"I can't believe I'm doing this again," she muttered, more to herself than to him.
Then, straightening: "Look. If you behave down there, we'll go to the butcher shop after. You can pick whatever you want."
He turned his head toward her slowly, and the look on his face made her stomach drop.
"Really?" His voice was flat. Cold.
She blinked. "What?"
"You're bribing me. Again." He set the pitcher down, gripping the edge of the counter with his hand. "Like I'm a fucking kid who needs a treat for good behavior."
"Then stop acting like one," she snapped back, her own frustration bubbling over.
He clenched his jaw, a muscle jumping beneath the skin.
"You know what? fine. No meat, then. But act like an adult," she shot back.
He leaned closer, dropping his voice low. "If I acted like an adult, I'd break his face for the way he keeps staring at your chest."
She froze, one hand still on the glasses, her breath catching. "What?"
"You didn't notice?" He tilted his head slightly, his gaze steady and unyielding. "Every time you lean forward. Every time you move. He looks."
Her mouth opened. Closed. She felt heat crawl up her neck. Anger or embarrassment, she wasn't sure which.
"You're seeing things that aren't there," she said finally, her voice tight. "Jordan is... he's harmless, like a golden retriever. And for the record, I think he's gay, for god's sake."
Bucky's expression didn't change.
"And I'm wearing a cardigan," she continued, gesturing sharply at herself. "What exactly is he supposed to be staring at?"
He didn't answer. Just held her gaze, unflinching, like he was daring her to keep defending the guy.
She exhaled hard through her nose, closing her hands to fists at her sides.
Then she forced herself to breathe. To unclench her hands.
"Bucky." Her voice came out softer now. Quieter. "Please. Just... try. For me. Give this your best shot."
His ears twitched forward slightly, and something in his expression shifted.
Guilt.
She was right, and he knew it.
Things had been tight since he'd arrived. Customers steering clear of the shop, and students leaving. Her canceling subscriptions, trying to make it work.
And now he was about to sabotage the one thing that might actually help them.
He swept his tail once, slow and low.
"Fine," he said quietly, his voice losing its edge.
She nodded, her shoulders relaxing just a fraction. "Thank you."
She picked up the glasses. He grabbed the pitcher.
And they headed back downstairs in silence.
----
They settled back at the worktable, her and Bucky on one side, Jordan across from them with his notes, Marcus adjusting the camera angle one last time.
All things considered, the interview was going better than she'd expected.
Jordan kept his questions light. Surface-level. Exactly what they'd agreed on.
"So, how did you two end up working together?" he asked, pen poised over his notebook.
She glanced at Bucky, then back at Jordan. "A friend of mine -Richard, he runs a nonprofit- connected us. Bucky needed a place, and I needed help around the shop. It worked out."
Jordan nodded, jotting something down. "And Bucky, how are you finding the pottery work? Is it something you'd done before?"
Bucky clenched his jaw slightly, but he answered. "No. First time."
"But you're enjoying it?"
A pause. "Yeah."
Jordan smiled. "That's great. And you've picked it up pretty quickly, from what I understand?"
Bucky shrugged. "She's a good teacher."
She felt a small flicker of relief. He was cooperating. Barely, but enough.
Jordan flipped a page in his notebook, and his expression shifted -just slightly-into something more earnest. More intent.
"I think what really resonates with people," he said, leaning forward slightly, "is the human element of these stories. The collaboration. So, Bucky- what does it feel like? To be given a second chance like this? To be allowed to express yourself?"
The air went cold.
Bucky went completely still.
Not the kind of still that meant he was thinking.
He flattened his ears against his head.
She felt her stomach drop.
"I-" Jordan seemed to notice the shift, his smile faltering. "I just mean, you know, having this opportunity to-"
"We agreed," she cut in, her voice calm but firm, "that we wouldn't get into personal stuff. Just the work. Remember?"
Jordan blinked, his face flushing slightly. "Right. Yeah. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine," she said, even though it wasn't. "Let's just stick to the shop and the pottery."
"Of course. Absolutely." He cleared his throat, flipping back through his notes. "So, uh- what's been the most challenging piece you've worked on so far?"
The question hung in the air.
Bucky didn't answer.
Didn't move.
Just sat there, staring at a spot somewhere past Jordan's shoulder, his expression blank.
She reached under the table and brushed her fingers lightly against his knee.
Nothing.
"Bucky probably finds the narrow-necked pieces trickiest," she said, stepping in smoothly. "They require a lot of precision, and working with one hand makes it harder to stabilize the clay from the inside. But he's been figuring out workarounds."
Jordan nodded, scribbling quickly. "That's impressive. And do you think-"
The rest of the interview continued like that.
Jordan asking questions, and she answering most of them. Bucky sitting beside her like a statue, offering the occasional one-word response when directly addressed, but otherwise completely checked out.
By the time Jordan thanked them and started packing up, she felt exhausted.
They had usable footage.
----
The door closed behind Marcus and Jordan, and the sudden quiet felt almost oppressive.
She turned back toward the workshop.
Bucky was still sitting at the worktable, clenching his jaw, pinning his ears flat against his head. He was staring at the spot where Jordan had been sitting, as he could still see him there.
She moved closer, "Hey," she said quietly. "They're gone."
He didn't respond. Didn't even look at her.
She pulled out the chair Jordan had vacated and sat down across from him.
"That sucked," she said. "I'm sorry. That one question was completely out of line."
He clenched his jaw tighter.
"But you did really well," she continued, her voice gentle. "You stayed. You answered what you could. And I know how hard that must've been."
Still nothing.
She leaned forward slightly, trying to catch his eye. "Bucky. Thank you. For sticking it out. For not walking away when I know you wanted to. That... meant a lot."
Finally, he shifted his gaze to hers.
There was something raw in his expression. Anger, yeah. But underneath it… hurt.
"'Allowed,'" he said, his voice low and rough. "Like I'm a fucking dog that gets to play fetch if I'm good."
Her chest tightened. "I know. It was condescending as hell. He didn't mean it that way, but-"
"I don't care what he meant." He closed his hand into a fist on the table. "That's what he said."
She nodded slowly. "You're right. But you got through it. And now they're gone."
He exhaled hard through his nose, his shoulders still rigid with tension.
"Come on," she said softly. "Let's go upstairs. I'll make us some coffee. Or something stronger, if you want."
He didn't move.
Just sat there, staring at nothing, working his jaw like he was chewing on words he couldn't spit out.
She hesitated, then made a decision.
Words weren't working. They hadn't been working all day. But, physical reassurance, -touch, presence- that was something he understood.
She moved around the table and stepped close, intending to pull him into another hug. To ground him the way she had before.
But as she leaned down, he looked up.
And suddenly they were face-to-face.
Inches apart.
Again.
He locked his blue eyes on hers, searching for something she didn't have a name for.
Then he dropped his gaze to her mouth.
She felt her breath catch.
He didn't hesitate this time, didn't second-guess.
He brought his hand up, sliding it around the back of her neck, and he pulled her down.
Their lips met, and it wasn't gentle. Or tentative or questioning.
It was need and frustration and all the tension that had been building between them for weeks, finally snapping.
She made a small sound -surprise or relief, she wasn't sure- and she brought her hands up instinctively, one gripping his shoulder, the other bracing against the table to keep her balance.
He tilted his head, deepening the kiss, and she felt the world narrow down to this, the warmth of his mouth, the pressure of his palm against her neck, the way he was holding her like she might disappear if he let go.
The angle was awkward, so she bent over him, him craning up to meet her.
Without thinking -without letting herself overthink- she shifted.
She brought her knee up onto the chair beside his thigh, then the other, and settled into his lap, straddling him, and suddenly everything aligned.
He slid his hand from her neck to her waist, pulling her closer, and she felt the solid warmth of his body beneath and against her.
The kiss broke for just a second -both of them breathing hard- before he captured her mouth again.
Hungrier this time.
More certain.
She found his face with her hands, his jaw, the back of his neck, as he wrapped his arm tighter against her.
When they finally pulled apart -just enough to breathe- she stayed where she was.
"Bucky," she whispered, though she had no idea what she was going to say after that.
He flexed his hand against her waist, holding her close.
"I'm done pretending," he muttered, his voice rough. Low. "That this is just... whatever excuse we've been using."
He leaned in again, but this time his mouth bypassed hers.
"I just need-" he murmured against her skin, not finishing the thought.
He traced his nose along the line of her throat, inhaling deeply, parting his lips against her skin.
This was what he'd wanted before. What the phone call had interrupted.
a/n: wasn't really planing on this fic having mutiple parts when i wrote it at first by the love for Robby has taken over once again
You’d thought about bringing it in your backpack, had even neatly folded it so it would fit with the rest of your things. But then, just as you were about to step out of your door, something tugged at you.
You stood there for a moment, one hand on the doorknob, one foot out the door, your bottom lip tugged between your teeth.
You dropped your bag on the floor, crouching so you could open it easier. You tugged the jacket out, hands moving over the logo embroidered on the front, a soft smile spreading across your lips as Robby’s words echoed in your mind.
With a soft shake you unfolded the jacket, fingers moving to open the zipper before slipping it on. You shut your bag, standing up to your full height before tugging it over your shoulder.
You let out a sigh, steadying yourself as Robby’s scent engulfed you once again. With a small nod, you reached for the door, closing it behind you. People were already talking, and they would continue doing so no matter what you did. Robby wasn’t bothered by it, so why should you be?
“Fuck it,” you thought. “Let them talk.”
The whole way to the hospital, you held your head high. No one in the streets batted an eye at you. You were just another person making their way through Pittsburgh. It was only when you saw the hospital—the big EMERGENCY sign flashing brightly under the sun—that your confidence wavered a bit. But you forced the fear down, hand moving to hold the strap of your backpack tighter as you started walking again.
It was shocking how immediately you felt people’s eyes on you. You’d barely walked into the ED and you could already feel it—the attention slipping from whatever they were doing so they could look at you. Or maybe you were just a nervous wreck and every quick glance someone gave you was made a thousand times worse because of your anxiety. Whatever the case, there was no backing down now. You’d made a choice. Now you’d deal with it.
You moved over to your desk, sitting down and getting to work immediately. Your eyes traced over the patient info from the night shift when you sensed someone in front of you. You lifted your gaze, finding Langdon. He leaned on the counter, a sly smile glued to his face.
“Good morning,” you said, trying to be polite but already anticipating he was going to either give you shit or tease you.
“Morning.” His smile widened. “New look?”
You were not going to let him make you flustered. You were not going to react the way you knew he wanted you to. Today, you would not be a coward.
“Something like that,” you answered confidently.
You saw Langdon’s expression twitch, clearly not expecting your unbothered response. It made your mouth twitch into a smile. He cleared his throat, eyes shifting from you to the board above your head. His gaze scanned over the words as you continued watching him. And when his eyes returned to yours, you didn’t break eye contact.
I will not be intimidated—that’s what your look said.
Or at least you hoped it did.
“I’m gonna get to work,” Langdon said, clearly disappointed he hadn’t gotten to you.
“Yeah, you do that.”
You shifted your focus back to your monitor as he pushed off the counter and headed toward his patients. Dana walked by you, a soft “mornin’” leaving her lips as she greeted the rest of the nurses at the center station. Then her eyes fell on you, noticing that you were still wearing Robby’s jacket, and she let out a low laugh. You turned to look at her, your eyes catching on her smile.
“Ballsy move, kid.”
You bit your lip, trying not to smile.
“No idea what you’re talking about.”
“Sure you don’t,” she said, head shaking softly as she settled into her seat.
Dana had just settled in when you heard a hesitant knock on the edge of your desk — soft, polite. You turned, already knowing who it would be.
Dennis stood there, eyes darting around, shoulders slightly hunched like he wasn’t sure if he was interrupting. His cheeks were a little flushed, and he gave you a quick, nervous smile.
“Hey,” he said quietly. “Sorry, uh… are you busy?”
You shook your head. “Just charting. What’s up?”
He glanced over his shoulder toward the row of rooms, then leaned in a little, lowering his voice like he didn’t want anyone else hearing him.
“I’ve gotta draw blood in Room 7, and the patient says he’s ‘fine’ with needles but he’s gone pale twice just from me talking about it.”
You tried — really tried — not to smile. “Need moral support?”
Dennis huffed out a breath that was half-laugh, half-defeat. “Honestly? Yeah. Or… just someone to talk to him while I do it, so he doesn’t pass out on me. Again.”
You blinked. “Again?”
He winced. “He swayed. Hard. I caught him, but I don’t want a round two.”
Your expression softened. For all his nerves, Dennis was a damn good doctor — he just hadn’t learned yet that asking for help wasn’t a flaw. And you weren’t about to tease him for it.
“Alright,” you said, standing up and grabbing a pair of gloves. “I’ll come with you. I’ll distract him while you draw.”
Relief washed over his entire face, shoulders dropping from his ears.
“Thank you. Seriously.”
You nudged him with your elbow as you started down the hall.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got a whole routine for needle-phobes.”
Dennis walked beside you, still a little pink but smiling now — the kind of smile he only got when he knew he wasn’t being judged. Which would always be the case with you. It had taken him a while to realize it, but with every interaction you had, he noticed more and more that he could trust you to be in his corner when needed.
“Good,” he murmured. “Because if he goes down again, I’m going with him.”
You laughed, and Dennis ducked his head, but he was grinning too. Together, you headed for Room 7.
The draw went smoother than either of you expected. You kept the patient talking — about his dog, his favorite sports team, anything that kept his eyes off the needle — while Dennis worked with quick, steady hands. By the time he was pressing gauze to the guy’s arm, the worst was over. You stepped out of the room together, the curtain swaying closed behind you.
You’d barely made it halfway back to the nurses’ station when you spotted Santos leaning against the counter, arms crossed, watching you approach like she was waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Which, apparently, was now.
“So,” she said loudly enough for three nearby nurses to look over, “you fucking Dr. Robby or what?”
You stopped dead, blinking. “Santos— what—?”
She lifted a hand. “No, seriously. I’ve heard like four different versions of the story already. Figured I’d just ask the source instead of listening to Karen-from-registration’s fanfiction.”
You stared at her, caught off guard for maybe half a second — then your brain snapped back into place.
“No,” you said, leveling her with a flat look. “I’m not.”
Santos squinted at you like she was trying to detect lies with her eyeballs.
“Huh.” She shifted her weight, unimpressed. “Well, that’s what everyone’s saying.”
“Yeah, well,” you shot back, crossing your own arms to mirror her, “just because people say it doesn’t mean it’s true.”
Santos let out a short, sharp laugh — more of a scoff, really. “Please. Since when do facts stop people in this place?”
You rolled your eyes. “Exactly.”
She eyed the jacket you were wearing — Robby’s jacket — but didn’t comment. For once. She just huffed out a breath and shrugged.
“Whatever. Your life. But if anyone asks me, I’m telling them you said no.”
“Thanks, I guess,” you muttered.
She pushed off the counter, already walking away. “Don’t thank me. I’m only doing it so I don’t have to hear another ten-minute conspiracy theory about who’s screwing who at morning rounds.”
“Santos,” you called after her, “you’re heartless.”
Without turning, she threw her hand up in a lazy wave. “Love you too.”
You couldn’t help but smile as you watched her back retreat. Despite what most people thought about her, she wasn’t as cold-hearted as she seemed. Sure, she was a little prickly at times, but when it mattered, you knew you could depend on her. The new pool of med students kept you on your toes, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Good morning.”
The familiar husky voice pulled your attention to the side, your eyes landing on Robby’s frame. Your gaze drifted over him—catching on the glasses perched on his nose before trailing lower, taking in the long sleeves he wore under his scrubs.
Robby watched you look him over, a subtle smile tugging at his lips as his own gaze skimmed over you in return. A flicker of guilt tightened your chest. Were you wearing the only jacket he had? Is that why he’d gone with long sleeves today?
“Do you want your jacket back?”
The question seemed to catch him off guard. His eyes flicked up from wherever he’d been letting them rest on you, shifting fully to meet your face.
“You’re not gonna be cold? The air conditioner seems worse today.”
“I actually came prepared this time — my jacket’s in my locker.”
Robby’s brows furrowed.
If you’d brought your own jacket, then why were you wearing his?
He wasn’t going to figure it out on his own, but he really did want to know — so he asked you outright.
“Then why are you wearing mine?”
Heat crept up your neck at the question, your brain scrambling. Why were you wearing his?
Because you liked the feeling of the fleece against your skin.
Because you liked the way his scent settled around you the second you slipped it on.
Because you liked the thought of walking around in his clothes, your scent slowly seeping into them the longer you kept them on.
Because a part of you — this slightly perverted part you knew was wrong — liked the thought of people making up rumors. Of people thinking you’d managed to get Robby for yourself.
It was obvious a lot of people had a thing for him. He was the morning-shift resident pretty boy, after all. And you liked the thought of people believing that you, of all people, actually had a chance with him.
But you didn’t tell him any of that. You just shrugged gently, leaning in enough that only he would hear you.
“I don’t know… I guess I just wanted you to see me in it one last time.”
The words hit Robby like a blow to the chest. He blinked, just once, but it was enough to give him away. His shoulders went still, the easy morning confidence he usually wore slipping for something quieter… almost vulnerable.
“One last time?” he echoed, voice low, rougher than before.
You nodded, trying to keep the smile on your lips casual even though your heart was thudding so loud you were sure he could hear it.
“I mean… you’ll want it back eventually, right?” you said, trying to play it off with a light laugh. “Can’t have you freezing to death just because I like borrowing your stuff.”
His eyes dragged over your face, lingering a little too long, like he was memorizing something he wasn’t supposed to admit he noticed.
When he spoke again, it was softer.
“You can keep it a little longer,” he said. “If you want.”
That wasn’t what you expected. At all. Your breath caught, just slightly.
“Robby—”
He shifted his weight, glancing toward the hallway where staff buzzed about, then back at you. A small smile tugged at his lips — not the cocky smirk everyone else got, but the one reserved for quiet moments, too honest to hide behind.
“I like seeing you in it,” he admitted.
Heat curled up the back of your neck so fast you were sure he saw it. Before you could even think of a reply, Dana called your name from across the department, snapping the moment in half.
Robby stepped back, clearing his throat like he needed the space to breathe again.
“You should… go,” he murmured, eyes flicking to the jacket one more time. “Before she comes over here and starts asking why you’re making me look like that.”
You huffed a small laugh, trying not to stare at him the way he’d just stared at you.You lowered your voice without meaning to, the words coming out softer than you expected.
“How about I give it back to you at the end of the shift?”
For a moment he didn’t answer. He just watched you — really watched you — something warm and unguarded flickering in his eyes. Then he nodded, the movement subtle, almost reluctant.
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “End of the shift.”
You hadn’t expected the way the words would land. Heavy. Charged. Like he was agreeing to far more than the return of a jacket. You turned before you could melt on the spot, pulse racing as you headed toward Dana — knowing he was still watching you go.
By the time your shift finally ended, the sun outside had dipped low, that late-evening Pittsburgh golden haze bleeding through the front windows.
You’d already grabbed your backpack, fingers moving over your computer as you logged in the last detail before handing everything over to the night shift. You pushed your backpack strap up your shoulder, stopping it from falling down and stepped out from behind the nurses’ station — only to find Santos and Whitaker hovering nearby.
You raised your brows at them, a quiet question in your expression.
“We’re going to the bar, you know—grab a nightcap. And we wanted to know if you wanted to come with,” Santos explained.
You opened your mouth to answer her when your eyes caught on Robby’s back as he made his way toward his locker. He glanced over his shoulder, eyes drifting across the ED before they landed on you. His expression shifted instantly — eyes lighting up, a soft smile curving his features and lingering for a moment longer than it should have.
“I’ll be right back,” you said quickly, already stepping past them.
Both Santos and Whitaker followed your path with their eyes, then looked at each other — the same slow, knowing expression settling over their faces.
Santos let out a low whistle.
“Oh yeah,” she muttered. “She’s not coming back.”
Dennis nodded, wide-eyed. “Nope. Definitely not.”
But you barely heard them.
When you made it outside, Robby was standing in the same spot he had been the other night — but this time, instead of facing the road, he had his back to it, eyes trailing over the emergency sign like he was waiting for something. For someone. For you.
He straightened when he saw you, a tiny smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“You heading out?” he asked softly.
You nodded, slipping one hand under the strap of your backpack — and the other to the zipper of his jacket.
“I should, uh… give this back.”
You slipped your bag off, placing it between your legs as you moved to remove Robby’s jacket. The chill in the air hit your skin immediately, making you miss the warmth it had given you. You held the jacket out to him. He lifted his hand to take it, and your fingers brushed — just a glancing touch, but enough to send a spark up your arm.
You expected him to pull away, to take his jacket and walk off like nothing had happened. But he didn’t. He didn’t move at all. He let the moment linger, both of you staring at each other like you were daring the other to break first.
“Thanks for letting me borrow it,” you whispered.
His hand tightened slightly on the fabric, fingertips grazing yours again — deliberate this time.
“You looked good in it,” he murmured, voice low. “Really good.”
Your breath caught. He was doing it again — letting that ambiguous, electric tension bloom between you. Making you wonder if he was just being polite or if this was actually something. And yet it felt like an opening. An invitation. A line you could finally step over.
You stepped closer — close enough to feel the warmth radiating from him. His eyes widened just a fraction, lips parting like he hadn’t expected you to actually move.
“Robby,” you whispered.
“Yeah?” he breathed.
If people were going to talk anyway…
Might as well give them something real to talk about.
You leaned in, pressing your lips to his. The kiss was soft at first, tentative, as you waited for his reaction — for him to pull away or lean in.
He chose the latter.
With a soft, startled curse against your mouth, he cupped the back of your neck and kissed you back like he’d been waiting all damn day. You sighed into his mouth, your free hand moving to rest on his chest.
When you finally pulled away, his forehead rested against yours, both of you breathing hard, the jacket still hanging between your hands.
“…people are definitely gonna talk now,” he murmured.
Your smile was unstoppable. “Let them.”
And before he could react, you let go of the jacket entirely, your arms sliding up around his neck as you pulled him into another kiss. Robby accepted immediately, his hand moving to grip your hip as if to keep you close.
When you finally eased back again, your noses brushed, both of you breathing each other in like you weren’t ready to let go just yet. His hand stayed on your hip, thumb still stroking a slow, absent circle against your scrubs like he hadn’t realized he was doing it.
Robby swallowed, eyes flicking from your lips to your eyes and back again, like he wasn’t sure if he were to look.
“So…” he breathed, the faintest smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, “do you—maybe—wanna get dinner sometime?”
For a second, you just stared at him, stunned by his question. Then you smiled — soft, real, a little shaky from everything you were feeling.
“Yeah,” you whispered. “I’d like that.”
His exhale was almost a laugh, almost a sigh of relief, warm against your cheek.
“Good,” he murmured, brushing one more quick, gentle kiss to the corner of your mouth like he couldn’t quite help himself.
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