It's truly impossible to decide which version of Bucky Barnes (post being TWS) I love the most. Every time I think brooding, angry, would-burn-the-world-to-the-ground-for-the-people-he-loves Bucky has my heart ...
(Yes... please show me all that leverage, James.)
... he gets all sassy and grumpy and smart-mouthed.
... and because that's just not enough, he goes and smiles and turns into *Soft Bucky*, and I just cannot handle it.
Summary : You stumble upon an old house while seeking shelter, but what you find makes you question having left your poor conditions in the first place.
The cold had long since leached away from your weary body, letting some semblance of warmth to be felt as your spirit started to stir. Like something inside you was being pulled by the soft twang of the music drifting through the air.
Each attempt to open your tired eyes drew different images. It would start with a flash of the old gray room with its peeled wallpaper and torn wood, only to blur into a light bright yellow and beige.
The soft light seeping in through only the windows was a soft yellow instead of its original dull white. You would blink, and the old shabby interior was back in sight, but only for a moment. Each time you let your eyes drift closed before forcing them open, the room shifted further and further from its original form. The music started to shift as well, growing a little louder each time.
Before your very eyes everything started to morph into a bright beautiful home. Old paintings long since blackened, were growing back their color. Furniture originally reduced to pieces were once again whole as they decorated the area around you. You pushed yourself up as if to get closer to it, and to your surprise you did so with ease.
The kitchen was nothing like it had been before. The walls were painted a soft shade of yellow, almost like buttermilk or a dull daffodil.
The wooden cabinets were stained in a fine light brown with polished handles. There was a still-standing icebox and an unrusted stove.
Everything was in perfect condition.
It was like the clearest of dreams. Feeling as real as the music still playing throughout the house. The soft sound of a bow moving along the strings of its violin drifted slowly through the doorway of the room.
It was like a melodic trail leading you out of the kitchen and into a beautifully laid foyer. The fire was burning big as it flooded the whole room with warmth. A temporary distraction from the song that still pulled you towards a fine wooden staircase. It was ornately carved from banisters to the sides of each step, nothing like the partial glimpse of broken and rotted boards you’d thought you’d seen. The memory was so faded now, but it was hard to recall what anything around here used to look like.
The steps held your weight sturdily. Not even a subtle creak as your boots pressed into the wood and you ascended the stairs, following the lull of the sweet melody.
The stars led to a thin hall with similar wallpaper as the foyer. You didn’t pay much kind to its elegance, nor did you stop to look at the flowerful little paintings that adorned the walls. Your focus lay solely with the hum of the string instrument being played as it pulled you to the open door at the end of the hall.
The warm light seeping out of the room flickered like the flame of a candle, causing the orange hue to dance along the wall and floor. The little pictures of it were mesmerizing as it seemed to work in time with the music.
Your hand reached out to the door of its own accord, and as it opened slowly, the music came to an abrupt stop. In contrast to the graceful flow the violin once maintained, the player's bow skidded to an ear piercing stop.
“Who's there?!” The voice that called out was deep but wracked with shock as the once buzzing room was dead silent.
Only your little hand in view of the violinist for now. When you inched closer until the top of your head and little beaming eyes became visible to him. He was sitting at the edge of a small armchair bow and instrument, still in mid-arco.
His face paled and his eyes had blown out wide. A face of utter shock as he looked at the opening door. It didn’t really occur to you that there would be an actual occupant as you wandered all the way up here. What were you doing in someone else’s house?
It was this stark realization that had you staring back at him with equal astonishment. There was no use hiding behind the door, and you slowly walked into the room with your hands held up by your chest to show you weren’t an armed intruder. In the moment all your little voice could squeak out was “…uhh..I-I’m so sorry. I..I didn’t..”
He continued to look at you like a ghost having blown through his window, even as he set his violin to the side. “How did you..get here?”
That was a good question. Yet, you no longer had any good answers. How did you get here? You remember waking up in the kitchen and traversing through the house, but everything leading to that didn’t really add up. All you can recall is how cold everything seemed to be before.
“I-I don’t know.” It was all the information you had left to give. After not waking up on your straw bed at the textile factory, you would have guessed you’d stumbled into heaven. but as you began to panic over the gap in your memory, you couldn’t stop the tears when they started to spill over.
His face softened as he set his bow aside and lifted from his seat. He walked right up to you, an absolute stranger, and steadied you with his hands as he took ahold of each of your upper arms.
“Woah, it’s alright.” He pulled you closer towards his chest and you nearly drowned in his warmth. “No..no. I’m so sorry. I don’t..I trespassed into your home.” It was impossible to deny the predicament you’d put yourself in. It made the beauty surrounding you spin into something horrifying.
“Hey! Look here.” His hands found the side of your face and pushed their way into your hairline as he pulled your attention to him.
“You’re just lost. You’ll find your way soon” he cooed to you as if he was rocking an overwhelmed infant to sleep.
“Here.” He pulled you to the chair he had occupied and sat you down. “Sit. Get calm and then we can figure this out, alright?”
You nodded back to him meekly. This man was too pure to be catering to the emotions of the woman who broke into his house. Every ounce of concern could be seen in the quiver of his bright blue eyes as they tried to steady themselves on you.
He watched as you tried to settle yourself down before asking you some more questions, hopefully with better results. “Do you know who you are?”
You coughed out a laugh before complying. “Yes!..yes.” Your name rolled right out of your mouth with ease. A warm smile spread along his bearded lips as he continued. “Didn’t expect you to tell me your name, but..it suits you.”
“Thank you” your voice was soft and barely audible as you tried to hide your smile by looking at your shoes.
“Is there anything else you can remember?”
“I..work in a factory. We make fabrics..and..and I left. I found a door at the back of the main building, and I slipped out.”
A lot was coming back now, not everything, but still a good bit. “It was night. Instead of going to bed, I took what little I had and just…left..and..I ended up here.”
For years you had longed to escape the workhouse, but it was always too far from the cities to just walk away. Especially during the winter, this would have been the worst time to run, but you’d made it. Somehow you made it far away from that horrible place and into the home of a warm and caring person. You suppose you really were just lost.
You slumped into the chair with half a smile trying to curl up on your face as you rubbed your old worn shoes together.
“There aren’t any textile factories near here. You must have been traveling for days.” He took a seat on the bed as he spoke to you.
There’s no way you would have forgotten a journey like that, and you shook your head slowly with a soft “no.”
“Aren’t you upset?” He was being awfully understanding.
He sighs with another smile. “Not very, no. I’ve been lost before, and I know how scary it can be.”
He pushed off of the bed only after sitting for a second and reapproached you, this time taking your hand in his. “By the sounds of it, you don’t have anywhere left to go and you must be more than tired. How about for now I draw you a bath and you can settle in until you find where you need to go.”
Your breath nearly caught in your throat at his generosity to offer a complete stranger shelter in his beautiful home. You thought you’d start to cry again. “That is too kind..” “nonsense. You’ve come to my home, the least I can do is exercise my hospitality. Lord knows it’s been a while.”
You almost didn’t want him to let your hand go as he walked over to a closed door at the edge of the room. He opened it up to show a pristine water closet with a clawfoot tub.
At the back of the porcelain beauty were a set of shining faucets. A luxury not often afforded to country homes. He reached for one of the handles, and as he turned it, steaming water poured from the delicate pipe. Hot water, just the twist of a wrist away, had you mesmerized as you watched him pull some linens from a nearby cupboard. The wood was painted a delicate green as it matched the paneling within the water closet.
The water level of the tub just continued to go higher and higher. More water than you would have had to drink in your whole lifetime, just filling almost the entirety of the tub. He turned the handle back to stop the flow of water and you just watched the bath as it steamed.
“Here” he’d left the little room and held a soft towel out to you. You stared at it, almost dumbfounded until your little fingers reached out to curl around the cloth to take it from him.
“Thank you. I’ll make sure to be quick.”
“Nonsense. Take as much time as you like.” His smile was still so warm as if it were a sweet breath of heat from a calm hearth.
You lifted up from the chair and crossed into the small water closet, closing the door behind you for some modesty as you pulled at your shabby clothes. It gave you some time to really take in how badly worn they all were. From the holes left in your ill fitting trousers to the holes in the coat that wasn’t even yours. No doubt whoever you’d stolen it from would wake up in quite a tizzy to find what little warmth they had was gone.
Survival of the fittest or at least the quick handed in your case. As you stripped away your poor attire you heard his music pick up again. Just as melodic as before.
The water was perfectly heated as you dipped a dingy toe in. Soon you lowered your whole body into the bath and let the warm water wash over you. Everything about this circumstance was too perfect to be believed; but as the heat of the water breathed much needed warmth into your cold body, you were more than glad it wasn’t an illusion.
You didn’t dare count the minutes you spent in that tub as you lathered your dusty skin with a bar of purple soap. It was shaped like a little rabbit and it smelled beautifully.
You’d never gotten to see very many fresh flowers, let alone smell them. Often when some girls were lucky enough to catch ‘favor’ of the management in exchange for simple trinkets, if not more food, they were often gifted little bottles of perfume. They’d leave the women smelling pungent and flowery, and nowhere near as divine as the soap provided here. This had to have been what true luxury felt like; and you let it take you as the lull of his bow and strings carried away your thoughts as they had done before.
When the water started to cool, you took that as your cue to leave and dry off. The water was left murky as if your body had stained it with its filth. There would be no point in saving it for another bath and you hoped he wouldn’t scold you for wasting the water as you reached back in and pulled the drain plug. You watched as the cloudy pool disappeared into a whirlpool.
You brought the soft linen to your skin as you looked at your clothes still laying on the floor. It soured your upturned mood to think about putting them back on after getting yourself so clean, and you just stared at them as you dried your skin. The music even seemed to stop as the man called out to you.
“Is everything alright in there?”
“Um..yes, of course. I just..my clothes are dirtier than I thought and..” you don’t know what you could say; you certainly could walk back out as you were.
“I'm afraid not many of mine would fit you. Let me see if there is a nightshirt you could borrow.”
“Oh, no. You shouldn’t have to sacrifice your clothes for me.”
“Would you prefer to sit in my bedroom naked? I know I wouldn’t mind.” The line was delivered smoothly, with just a drip of sarcasm. It left you speechless as you pulled the towel tighter around yourself.
“A nightshirt will do just fine, thank you.” You squeak out as quickly as the words form in your head while you stare at the door.
The next minute the knob turns slowly, and when the door is ajar his hand slips in the small opening holding the white clothing folded up in his hand. You take it from him and give him another small “thank you” before the door closes again to give you the privacy to change into the large nightshirt.
It was far too big for you, to the point that the collar hung past your left shoulder, exposing it entirely. It was either that or leave it to show off the entirety of your breasts. A display that would either amuse him or shock him even further. It wasn’t a risk you were willing to take, and your shoulder remained in view as the hem of the long shirt tickled the heels of your feet.
You twisted the handle of the door gingerly as you carefully stepped out of the washroom. He’s waiting in his chair for you to return, as his bow dangles from his fingers and his instrument is laid in his lap. Now that he had an audience to hear him play, he wanted to make the most of it. He even smiled at the odd fit of the nightshirt as you tiptoed back into the room.
He gestured to the bed with his bow and whispered “sit”. You obliged and crossed the room over to the bed and sat down on the plush mattress. You swear you could sink right into it like a cloud. You couldn’t help but giggle at the extravagance.
“What’s so funny?” This sweet pool of blue flicked back up at you as you amused yourself with his bed.
“You truly live a life of luxury.” This house was more beautiful than anything you’ve seen in old drawings torn from advertisements. You couldn’t even dream of a more beautiful place than this.
He didn’t really respond, only giving you a sort of half smile and a soft nod. It was somewhat out of character. If you had a house like this you’d never want to leave, but for a wealthy lord such as himself it was like living in a shabby dollhouse.
A small thought swam past the back of your mind as you met his gaze. “What’s your name? Or would you rather be addressed as the lord of the house?”
He scoffed with a wide smile as he picked his violin and bow back up. “You needn’t be so formal. You can call me Bucky.”
“Bucky?” Didn’t sound like any high bred name you’ve ever heard of.
He used his bow to smack the top of your knee before he brought it back to the strings. “My name is James Buchanan Barnes, but I’ve always preferred Bucky?”
“Who came up with that?” You asked as you sat up.
“An old friend. Try it, I think you’ll like how it rolls off the tongue.” He spoke in that smooth manner that made sparks ignite in your belly and you tried to hide the way it made your dimples visible as you smiled.
“Alright..Bucky.”
“Better,” he said as he brought the bow back to his instrument and struck a note. His once white skin had long since shifted back to a tanned pink and nearly glowed as he lazily played his violin.
You couldn’t help but lay back and watch him as he plucked for inspiration. You tried to fight your eyelids as they grew heavy, but exhaustion one out as you drifted away to the lullaby he played. He let you stay there as he didn’t want to wake you, and for the rest of the night he just stayed in his chair as you slept.
He watched you stir and hum in your sleep. He didn’t mind you taking the bed as sleep wasn’t a necessity to him anymore. Soon it wouldn’t be for you either, but he wanted you to enjoy the illusion while it lasted.
Summary: “The magnitudes of the rocks and trees and streams are so delicately harmonized, they are mostly hidden.” John Muir
Characters: Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, original gender neutral character (reader)
Relationship(s): Established poly relationship.
Warnings: Anxiety attacks, stress, someone with a news-watching trigger. Story is meant to comfort, not trigger.
Author’s Note: Huge Thanks to @glassjacket for helping me develop the story, flailing all over the place, unflagging support, and letting me know what to edit, but in story and out. I and my writing are better because of you. Love you, my dude.
Many loves and hugs to @there-must-be-a-lock for reading over and making SO MANY great suggests and edits. Dude, seriously, you elevated this story.
Word Count: 735
Part One: 5 Things You Can See
Part Two: 4 Things You Can Touch
Part Three: 3 Things You Can Hear
ItMightHaveBeenIntentional’s Masterlist
Part 4
“The magnitudes of the rocks and trees and streams are so delicately harmonized, they are mostly hidden.” John Muir
2 Things You Can Smell
For some reason, things you often thought of as triggers for people who have seen combat don’t always affect Bucky. Loud noises will startle him, but they don’t send him spiraling as they used to. Violent movies and television are easily avoidable but not usually triggering.
No, for Bucky, scent is the worst trigger. Conversely, it’s also the step in his routine that brings him back to the present as little else can.
You’re reaching for your drink orders when your phone buzzes a distinctive pattern, and your stomach drops.
Having already paid, you feel only a little rude when you snatch the drinks and tray from the startled barista and high-tail it out the door. The park sits across the street, and your eyes track across the open field. You spot Steve and Bucky on a bench just across the way, and though you move as quickly as you’re able, they’ve already gone through sight, touch, and sound by the time you reach them.
Steve reaches out, deftly slipping the coffee from your hands just before you drop the tray as you reach for Bucky. He pulls you down across his lap, burying his face in your hair without a word. He inhales as deep as he’s able, holds his breath for a five count, then lets it out slowly.
You circle his shoulders as best you can, letting him repeat his ritual as many times as he needs.
You bought this conditioner accidentally once, months ago. You’d meant to grab the bottle next to it, something green and clean smelling, but you’d grabbed apple blossom instead.
Though you never really cared for smelling like any sort of food or flower, you didn’t want to incur one of Steve’s lectures on being wasteful, so you figured you’d give it a try, and if you hated it, you could always sneak it out of the apartment when he wasn’t paying attention.
But the look on Bucky’s face that first night, his eyes wide and glassy, made you second-guess your decision, Steve’s frugal wrath be damned. You worried you’d triggered him somehow, but he shook his head, pulled you onto his lap (much like now), and inhaled until his lungs couldn’t hold anymore.
“Useta go up to my uncle’s orchard outside of the city a couple of times a year,” he murmured, his lips tickling the sensitive spot just behind your ear. “The smell on the blossoms in the air was always what I thought heaven would smell like.”
He nuzzled his face against your neck, and you’d leaned in, wrapping your arms tightly. Your hair fell around the two of you in a warm curtain.
“Heaven,” he said again, his lungs expanding with another inhale. “You smell like heaven.”
He’d made a show of sniffing you over after that, sending both of you into fits of giggles that had eventually enticed Steve from the living room to see “what the ruckus” was all about. The idea of changing conditioners never again crossed your mind.
“I smell heaven,” Bucky says, pressing his face against the side of your neck. Beside you, Steve pops the lid from your chai tea and apple cider.
“They get the caramel sauce right this time?” he asks you. “What else, Buck?”
You untangle gently from Bucky’s grasp and slide down to the bench next to him, still pressed against his side. The fall afternoon is growing cooler, and he wraps his arm around you, accepting the cup from Steve. He holds it under his nose, letting the steam drift and curl around his face as your drink perfumes the safe space the three of you have created.
“Fall Drink,” he breathes out, carefully handing the cup over. Even on the final tremors of his anxiety, he still remembers how you feel about first sips. Your smile as you nudge the cup back towards him mirrors the one beginning to curl at the corners of his lips.
“Thanks, babe,” he murmurs, taking a long drink of the scalding liquid. He closes his eyes, and you can imagine the soothing rush of warmth spreading down his chest. He exhales slowly, and you can’t help but smooth your thumb over the fragile skin beneath his eyes, smudged dark and tired.
Steve watches carefully, his arm circling Bucky’s broad back beneath yours, his free hand resting on Bucky’s knee.
Summary: You’re the type of woman who is headstrong and fiercely independent. Heiress to a fortune and one of the most brilliant minds of the 21st century. Until you’re forced into witness protection. Your “Protection” turns out to be 220 pounds of dreamy, sassy, delightful Bucky Barnes. Whatever could go wrong?
Warnings: Swearing, if that's a warning these days.
A/N: Oh man, all the love for chapter one made me scream! I hope you like part 2, here’s Bucky being bossy, an annoyed reader and a little sassy humor for everyone! if ya wanna be kind and throw me a pretty comment and a reblog? I’ll love you forever.
This was generously Beta’d by my beta @suz-123 without whom I will never have any good ideas! thank you buddy!
Tags: Hit me up in my ASK box!
Links are being an asshole so you can find other chapters of this fic in my WIP masterlist in my bio!
“Think you can handle this?” Sam asked as he handed Bucky one of his handguns, watching his friend strap on his bulletproof vest. Bucky didn’t need it but it was better to be safe than sorry in this case, especially when Hydra was involved they probably had ways of bringing the Winter Soldier down.
“Yes, what do I look like? An amateur?” Bucky responded rolling his eyes at Sam’s incredulous question, taking the gun from his hand and holstering it to his hip.
“You know that’s not what I mean.” Sam shoved Bucky’s shoulder slightly.
“I know, I’ll fine. It’ll be fine,” He gives Sam a reassuring smile. The pair were an odd couple but had become the support the other needed in hard times. It was weird sharing this unbreakable bond of friendship because of Steve, but it was a comfort to both of them knowing each had the others back. When they weren’t bickering incessantly with each other Sam and Bucky were a formidable force.
“What time is the meeting set for?” Sam gives Bucky the black box with the comms in them and waited as he placed it in his ear.
“Steve and I are meeting at the new apartment in an hour, I have to escort her there.”
“And she’s fine with moving apartments?”
“What do you think?” Bucky’s tone dripping with sarcasm,
Sam laughed and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, gripping it lightly. “That woman is going to eat you alive buddy,”
“Nah, women love me, it’ll be a walk in the park.”
Sam nods, “Well, good luck out there, man. This might not be President Ellis but she sure as shit is more important to us, right now.”
“Don’t need luck,” Bucky grinned at him as the two of them walked out of the weapons vault, he strutted a few feet in front of Sam before turning around to face him, “I am the fucking Winter Soldier.” He spreads his arms cockily as if he were showing off his grandeur.
This response makes Sam chortle with laughter, and shake his head at Bucky’s arrogance. He wasn’t wrong though, Bucky Barnes was part The Winter Soldier and part Avenger, he was a fucking machine.
~~~
It was barely seven in the morning when you hear the door to the safe house open, the rather shitty safe house that Nick Fury and his squad of morons had forced you to live in the past four days.
The soft creak of the wooden floors as their footfalls hit the hardwood. The alarm bells in your head going off and, immediately, you shot up out of the double bed and to your feet, ready to fight whoever was walking towards the bedroom door, not that you were any kind of fighter but if worst comes to worst, you’d be ready to get scrappy about it.
To say you were a little on edge because of the briefing yesterday wouldn’t be a lie. You were putting on this sarcastic brave face, but in fact, you had spent the entire night tossing and turning too afraid that if you close your eyes you wouldn't wake up the next morning.
So, when the bedroom door was flung open, it was only natural in your tired, sleep deprived state that you let out a scream of terror, only to come face to face with James Buchanan Barnes.
“Well good morning to you, too.” He said amusement in his eyes as he took in your cowering figure which was now in a pathetic defensive stance.
“What the fucking fuck?!” You exclaimed at him, straightening up, trying to pick up the modicum of dignity you had left after that scream.
“I was testing you.” He shrugged.
“What the fuck kind of test was that?!”
“To see how quick your reflexes are in a panicked situation.”
You stared open mouthed at him for a moment, a million insults hurling through your mind which you wanted to shout at him, but, instead, you snap your mouth shut and glower at him. Folding your arms over your chest, you realized you were barely clad in a t-shirt and scanty shorts that had been given to you by some shield task force member, as you hadn’t been allowed to your apartment yet to get any of your clothes.
“Get dressed, we’re moving you to a secure location today.” He ordered completely ignoring the fact that you were giving him a death stare.
“Wait, what, when do I get to go home?” You rebutted, but Bucky doesn’t listen to you. He whirled around and marched out the bedroom shutting the door in your face. Once again, you are left stunned at just how rude this asshole was, you stared at the door open-mouthed and blinked rapidly, never in your life had you ever been ordered around and it was infuriating you.
You took a slow deep breath and clenched your fists at your side,
“Deep breaths,” You muttered to yourself, “You can’t kill him, he’s the reason you’re going to live through this shit show.”
One. Two. Three.
You exhaled deeply and opened your eyes, “You can kill him after.”
This thought seemed to make you gleeful, and suddenly you had an idea. If the Winter Soldier was going to be your bodyguard and make your life hard, you were going pull the exact same shit with him. Then and there you decided to be the most painful version of yourself just to see how far you could push your limits with him before he quit.
Grinning to yourself at your plan you made your way to the bathroom to get dressed.
~~~
Twenty minutes later, you stood in front of your protection detail. The Winter Soldier stands a few feet closer to you than the rest of them, he hands you a little ID with your picture printed on it, a watch that has a small sleek black screen on it and what looked like a phone.
“ID to get you in and out of the tower without hassle,” He pointed to it, “The watch is programmed with a tracking device and is connected to Stark servers as well as FRIDAY the Avengers personal AI, there’s a heart monitor, for proof of life and should your heartbeat drop or become erratic in any way it will alert your protection detail. Anything you need, touch your finger to the screen and it will assist you, like a personal assistant. Should I not be with you, there is a panic button and it will alert us of your danger.”
“Proof of life, like I’m a hostage. How fun.” You retorted. You waited as he slid the watch onto your wrist, and the screen flashed to life.
“Good morning, Sergeant Barnes.” A female voice with an Irish lilt rang through the receiver of the watch startling you, slightly.
“Hi FRIDAY, configure the watch. It is on the subject, lock in the location and secure Astro mode.”
“Astro mode?” You piped up looking at Bucky.
“Highest security level.” He responded not looking at you, his gaze is fixed on the watch as he waited for it to configure.
“Configuration complete.” FRIDAY states and Bucky nodded.
Then he pointed to the sleek black phone like object in your hand, “Stark tech, no incoming call or text can get through without going through the security checks at the Avengers tower. All your contacts have been programmed in there and no one can trace the IP or caller ID on your phone. The only people with this number is myself, Steve Rogers and Director Fury, for safety reasons, of course, no one but me will call you.”
“Wait, why do I have to give up my phone? That is stupid.” You began to protest but the look Bucky gives you shuts you up instantly. Clearly, he isn’t in the mood for your shit, well, at least not yet.
He ignores your little outburst and then almost robotically turned away from you towards the three men that stood behind him, patiently waiting for him to finish giving you instructions.
“These three are handpicked by me for this assignment, each one of them has gone through stringent tests and background searches before being assigned to protect you. Should I not be around, the highest ranking officer will step in and take over protection detail.”
“Why wouldn’t you be around, I thought you were supposed to hover like an annoying shadow?” You interjected, sarcastically.
Bucky gives you a deadpan look and ignores your comment again, “For safety reasons, they will only be known to you by their code names.” He pointed to the blonde on the far right, he looked like he deadlifted buildings, “Agent 27; codename Achilles,”
Then pointed to the brunette with blue eyes and a grim face, “Agent 12; code name Arcas,”
Lastly, he pointed to the tallest of them all, broad-shouldered with a hard face, he looked like he never smiled. “Agent 8; codename Dionysus.”
“What’s with the Greek codenames?” You asked, genuinely curious why all their codenames were that of Greek mythology.
Before Bucky could answer you, however, his phone rang and he quickly answered it. A curt conversation over the line indicated to you that whoever was on the other end was telling him to hurry up because he muttered something along the lines of ‘Have some fucking patience’, before cutting the call.
“Let’s move.” He nodded curtly to the rest of the agents, they immediately dispersed and headed for the exit. You waited a moment before Bucky turned towards you, his expression is stoic and hard, and you sense an immediate shift in his attitude.
It was time to get to work.
“I have three golden rules, three rules for you to follow and we will be fine in every situation.” Bucky’s voice almost steely and robotic as he spoke, “Number one, I move, you move, doesn’t matter when or where, you listen to every instruction I give you, no arguments. You stay behind me at all times, there isn’t a moment when you’re ahead of me, unless, I specifically instruct you to be so. I am your human shield, you got it?”
“Oh good, a human shield. This should be fun.” Your snide answer goes unanswered by him as he continued.
“Number two, I am not here to fuck around, I’m not a pretty boy for you to show off to your high society friends, I am not in the field of playing games and entertaining your bullshit. My number one priority is keeping you alive, and if you act like an idiot, you die and I don’t need that on my resume.”
“You think you’re a pretty boy?” You barked out a laugh
“The prettiest,” He bit back before continuing, again, “Number three. Wherever you are, I am. You do not go anywhere without me. You have to piss? I am standing at the door. You have a check-up at the doctor? I am there. You need to blow your nose? I give you the tissue. Do you understand?”
“I mean this is a little excessive don’t you thi-”
“Do you understand.” He cuts you off in a demanding voice, your defiant eyes meet his and you glared at him.
The instructions seemed simple enough but the fact that he was going to control every aspect of your life was suddenly annoying you. He was right, everything you did he was going to have to be there for it and that didn’t sit well with you.
“I have a life you know, I can’t have you hovering around me when I go on dates and out with friends.”
“Well, in the interest of keeping you alive, you’re going to have to suck it up and deal with me hovering, sweetheart.” Bucky moved closer towards you, his steely eyes piercing into yours and as much as you want to fight his every command at that moment, the sensible side of your brain is telling you to shut up and listen to him, “Besides, you won’t be going on many dates in the coming months, believe me.”
“I mean you can try and stop me from living my life, but good luck with that,” You jeered back at him, folding your arms over your chest in defiance.
A look of shock skittered across his face for a moment before he reigns his emotions in, and that stoic expression settled over his face again. Bucky is about to say something to you but changes his mind and just shakes his head.
“Follow my every instruction when we leave,” He ordered you and you felt your nerves prickle at the demanding tone he used with you, but you remained silent, “I move, you move? Got it.”
“Yes Soldier, I got it. Relax.”
Bucky clenched his jaw at your response but chooses to ignore your sarcasm again, clearly, his resolve was resolute because you would have at least expected some kind of chirp back with all the sass you were giving him.
He turned away from you and began to make his way out of the safehouse with you following closely behind him. It’s a quick trip down the elevator and into the lobby of the building where your usual car was waiting for you. You were a little relieved that not everything had changed, you still had the same driver and the same car.
Small victories. You thought.
For a moment you forgot that you were under supervision and walked a little faster, cutting in front of Bucky in an attempt to get to the car before him. It’s an innocent mistake on your part as you neared the freedom of being in a car and not cooped up in that safe house, but that moment of freedom is suddenly wrenched away as quickly as it arrived.
Bucky hand closes around your arm halting you just seconds before your hand touches the door to the lobby entrance. Whether he intended to or not, the force with which he stopped you from exiting startled you and you gasped in shock.
“What the-” You began to say but he cuts you off.
“Stay behind me, I said I move, you move. How am I supposed to protect you if you’re in front of me?” He snapped at you letting go of your arm.
“God fucking damn it, it’s like two meters to the car!” You exclaimed.
Bucky took a deep breath and steadied his temper. He was about two seconds away from yelling at you in the middle of the lobby, but he knew he couldn't, or Steve would punch the lights out of him for embarrassing the team and being unprofessional, also not with these many witnesses around. He stepped around you and pushed open the door, the cool morning air hitting his skin as it gusted into the lobby.
His eyes scanned the area from the entrance to the car, he takes in every detail he can, the pedestrians walking past, the other guests at the hotel moving around, talking to each other walking in and out, his eyes move like a hawk across the rooftops of the building for any signs of danger then when he was satisfied he stepped aside and gestured for you to start walking again.
You rolled your eyes at him and rather caustically walked out the lobby raising your hands in surrender as you approached the car. A hint of amusement hits him as he watched you walk over to the car and throw him a belligerent look before getting in loudly calling out to him,
“Oh, look, whatever shall I do, I made it to the car by myself.” You rolled your eyes at him so hard, Bucky could have sworn he heard them roll.
He shook his head and followed you, biting back the sudden smile that wanted to appear on his face from that display you had just put on.
Man, you weren’t going to make this easy for him.
~~~
Bucky stood in the massive living room of your penthouse apartment in Manhattan, his eyes moving across the living space with quiet amazement. He had been around technological advances and Stark’s fancy lifestyle long enough to know luxury but this, this place was phenomenal.
The entire space looked like it belongs in a magazine, from the beige tones throughout the room, accented by creams and golds to the marble flooring and pillars that stood at the entrances to it.
There wasn’t a thing out of place, not a speck of dust anywhere. For a home, Bucky found it surprisingly cold, but the problem with it was there was too much open space which was like an invitation for anyone trying to get to you.
There were staff that worked for you, chefs, cleaning staff, a driver, people who picked up your clothes, bought them for you, your personal assistant, too many people and too many eyes for his liking.
He didn’t have time to screen every single person in your life, so he made an executive decision right then. The team would have to move you to a different safe house or keep you at the one you were at. It was just safer that way, and if push came to shove he would have Steve run background on everyone in your life before bringing you back here.
Of course, he knew this wasn’t going to sit well with you and a small part of him felt amused by the fact that you were probably going to throw a shitfit about it.
“Sergeant Barnes?” A voice brings his attention back to the people in front of him and he looked up at the person, it was one of the STRIKE members they’d brought here to fit in a new security system.
“What is it?” He replied,
“We are done setting up the system, would you like us to show her how it works?” The agent asked,
Bucky shook his head and took the tablet from his outstretched hand, “No, I’ll run through that with my team. Thanks.”
The agent gave him a polite nod before he walked away once more. Bucky scrolled through the system they’d installed throughout your apartment, it was one of Stark’s best security systems linked directly to FRIDAY. It was biometric so only the pre-approved list of persons could come and go without him knowing about it, but he still didn’t like this place.
Just then you walked into the living room and looked around for a moment before your eyes met his and you crossed your arms at the sight of him. Bucky smirked,
He annoyed you, good.
“So are they done wreaking havoc around my home?” You asked annoyance thick in your tone,
“Yes they are but don’t get comfortable yet, we’re going back to the safe house.”
“Wait what, why?”
“Because I have decided you won’t be staying here,”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re excused, go pack your shit up.”
Bucky watched as your face turned from shocked to completely enraged, he was full well expecting a tantrum from you and that is exactly what he received. Amusement rippled through him as he watched you defiantly fold your arms over your chest and start yelling obscenities at him.
“Absofuckinglutely not! I refused to stay one more night in that crappy apartment in Brooklyn, I would much rather Hydra kill me then stay one more night in that hell hole.” You exclaimed dramatically, “I was promised protection not uprooting my entire fucking life to go live in Brooklyn for this trial, I will not leave, I refuse. You can go to hell,”
You were breathing heavily from anger when you were finally done yelling at him, all while Bucky just looked at you with a bored expression on his face.
“Are you done?” He asked,
“Not even close,”
“Okay well, then you can continue to yell at me once we’re in the car, let’s go.”
And before you could even say anything further, Bucky gripped your arm firmly but gently and began to haul you towards your bedroom to collect your things.
~~~
It was supposed to be business as usual but it felt like the furthest thing from it. You walked into your lab on Friday morning and were met with the sight of Bucky Barnes leaning against the wall, sunglasses on, one hand in the pocket of his black jeans and the other holding his phone in the other. Dark hair falling into his eyes as he frowned down at his phone.
“Why the fuck are you here?” You sighed walking up to him not bothering to say good morning or any other pleasantries for that matter.
Bucky looked up from his phone, an amused smile on his face, he tucked his dark hair behind his ear on one side and shoved his phone into his pocket.
“Why, good morning sunshine.” He replied smoothly, amusement ripe in his voice.
“Again, why are you here?”
“I feel like you seem to be forgetting my instructions.” Bucky said pulling off his sunglasses and revealing those ridiculously blue eyes, “I said, I move, you move, but somehow this morning I show up to move you and, whaddya know? You’ve already left for the day, care to explain?”
There is clear sarcasm in his tone but also a hint of demand. He’s upset with you but isn’t showing it or trying not to at this point. You didn’t want to be escorted to work, not after the shit show last night when you had to run through the entire layout of your penthouse home with them only to have Bucky tell you that you will no longer be allowed to live there because there were too many entrance points.
Needless to say, you threw a shit fit, and stormed off, but, alas, were followed by the Winter Soldier who wordlessly put you in your car and drove you right back to the safehouse, kicking and screaming.
So this morning, you awoke earlier than usual, got dressed and slipped out of the safehouse, without any of the agents noticing. It actually amazed you how easily you got past them, clearly, they weren’t very good at their jobs.
Your whole life you had the freedom to come and go as you pleased and now that you had to hand over the reins of your life to someone else, it was frustrating you. Your every move was going to be monitored and someone beside you at all times, this wasn't the life you were used to.
“Jesus H. Christ, I just needed to feel normal for two seconds, okay. I can get myself to work safely.” You said irritably rubbing your forehead with your hand.
“No, you can’t.”
“Excuse me?”
“You can’t get yourself to work safely because you don’t know what threats there are out there. I, on the other hand, do and seeing as it’s my job to get you places safely, I would appreciate a modicum of agreement here.”
“So would I.” You retorted stubbornly, “You have me cooped up in that shitty safehouse in Brooklyn, when my gorgeous Manhattan apartment is going to waste, deserted and dying without me in it.”
You watched him sigh and clench his jaw again, becoming frustrated with your defiance. Bucky ran his fingers through his hair and looked down at you, a scowl on his handsome face, now.
“I am really trying to be patient here,” He said exasperatedly, “but you’re not making this easy, can you please just follow my instructions?”
“Fucking fuck, fine. But can I at least move out of that shitty apartment and into my home again? I hate that fucking place.”
Bucky lets out an exhale, the exasperation clear all over his face. “Fine, We will move you to a different location not your place but one better than what you’re at, also I take you to work and get you home every day, end of story.”
You rolled your eyes and brushed past him, walking into your lab. Bucky followed you, you watched as his eyes sweep the entirety of it before they settled back on you.
“I really don’t think you need to be here 24/7,” You sighed, “This whole situation is being made such a big deal of, I can take care of myself, you know.”
“This is not a game.” He replied moving to lean against one of the metal lab tables.
“I didn't say it was but I know what I have gotten myself into and I can handle it!”
“No one is saying you can’t, but, you need to take this seriously-”
“I am taking this seriously! You think I don’t know what’s at stake here?!” You were suddenly shouting at him, “I am uprooting my entire life for this god damn cause, I am going against my family for this cause, I know the seriousness of it all!”
“Then stop acting like a child and listen to me!” He shouts back and you fell silent. You weren't expecting him to yell back at you, and it kind of scared you. Bucky suddenly stood taller and his figure seemed to double in size as if he rose to his full height, and it was dominating.
“Get out, I need to work.” You muttered turning away from him so he wouldn’t see the sudden tears in your eyes. It was frustration and fear building up inside you and he wasn’t helping.
Bucky took a deep breath and reigned his anger in, he shouldn’t have yelled at you, but he doesn’t care right now. All he knows is he needs to keep you safe and if you are a belligerent asshole the entire time, it’s going to end up costing someone their life and he’d rather it was not you.
“I will be outside,” Bucky said in a steely voice before he turned sharply and marched out of your lab once more, leaving you alone with the silence, your thoughts and the panic now rising in your chest.
~~~
The lab felt like a safe little bubble as you lost yourself in your work. Hours ticked by before you noticed the ache in your stomach reminding you it was time to eat something. You glanced up at the clock and realized it was almost one in the afternoon, you also realized that you had left Bucky to wait outside for you not bothering to check up on him.
Why the fuck do you care? You had no idea but you felt a little guilty leaving the giant brick shithouse of a human to wait outside for you.
Grumbling under your breath about how stupid it was that you needed him to hover once again, you pulled off your lab coat and tossed it onto the table before walking out of your lab.
You half expected Bucky to be waiting for you right outside the door but to your surprise, he was not. A small part of you was disappointed that he wasn’t but you shoved that aside and quickly made your way toward the elevator, maybe he was going to let up on this ridiculous notion that he had to accompany you everywhere and you could have a peaceful lunch.
Hitting the elevator button repeatedly, you waited watching the orange light flash from floor to floor as it came up to you.
“Just so you know, repeatedly hitting the button doesn’t make the elevator go any faster.” A voice suddenly said beside you, it was close to your ear.
You whirled around, a strangled scream almost erupting from your throat as you slapped your hand over your mouth to avoid screaming. You were met with Bucky’s amused blue eyes and a smirk on his face.
“Motherfucker!”
“No, that would require me to sleep with someone's mother, of which I have not done so, yet. I think,”
“Don’t fucking sneak up on me!”
“I did not, you don’t have situational awareness.” He shrugged.
“I so do.”
“Oh, really? Tell me one thing you noticed that is out of place on this floor.”
You glared at him for a moment, why was he always challenging you, then your gaze swept across the length of the area. It was the reception area of this floor, bright green plants, glass walls, metal doors and signs leading to every lab. The smell of rubbing alcohol and sterilizing agents mixed in the air, with a hint of cherries from the floor cleaner.
There are a few people about, the security guard, Wallace, who as always there, the receptionist, Jody, who was on the phone, a few people sat in the reception area. Either waiting for someone or something, you notice nothing out of the ordinary.
“There’s nothing out of place…” You say it a little hesitant because you already know he's placed something that sets him on edge.
“Look again,” He orders and you follow his command eyes moving across the room again, “See the security? He’s not wearing his badge, why? That should be a red flag already if you didn’t know him. He could be anyone.”
“I know Wallace, he’s worked here for years.” You retorted.
“Beside the point. Now, look at the receptionist, she's not focused on her surroundings, isn't watching who's coming and going, how will she know who any of her guests are? The guy in the green jacket on the couch,” Bucky gestured towards him and you looked in that direction,”He’s carrying a firearm, but I can see his police badge from here which means he's law enforcement, but why is he here?”
“Cops come here all the time for forensics, when they need help or are short staffed.”
“Right, but have you seen him before?”
You looked at the man and shook your head slowly, “No.”
“And see the lady over by the water cooler, look at her nervousness, she’s not supposed to be here and her body language tells me that, immediately.”
You hadn’t picked up any of the things Bucky had just pointed out to you, and it amazed you just how keen his attention to detail was.
“Last but not least,” Bucky stepped a little closer to you just as the elevator dined on the landing, “You walked out of your lab, looked around the room, and never saw me when I was sitting right here.” He motioned towards one of the chairs near the elevator and you frowned.
How the hell had you not seen him, that was not possible.
“But I-” You began to say and he shakes his head.
“Situational awareness.” Was all he said before he gripped your by the elbow and guided you onto the elevator, “Where to?”
“Lobby, we’re getting lunch.”
A curt nod and he pushed the button, his hand remaining on your arm the entire ride down to the lobby and even as he helped you into the car.
~~~
“There’s a bagel stand right there!” Bucky exclaimed, pushing open the lobby door the two of you walk out onto the steps of the massive office building, the air outside is cool and crisp, a nice change to the spring heat for once.
“Well, I don’t eat cheap bagels from a stand, I eat croissants from Butter.” You snorted shaking your head at him,
“What the fuck is Butter?”
“It’s my lunch restaurant, and you’re taking me there.”
“No, I am not.”
“Yes, you are.”
You crossed your arms defiantly and stood your ground in front of him. He’d already took your home from you and your freedom, he wasn’t going to take your lunch place from you now, too.
“Fucking hell,” Bucky muttered caving to your defiance.
~~~
“So, you got rid of my car.” You noted as the two of you walked into the restaurant you wanted to eat lunch at. Bucky tried to protest bringing you here, but you simply stated that if you didn't get lunch from this place you would have a full-scale meltdown in public and he would have to deal with it. To which he begrudgingly agreed even though he seemed tense the entire way there.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because the replacement is an armored car that can withstand the rounds of AR-15’s.”
You fell silent at that response, you weren’t expecting it or that he was prioritizing your safety at such a high level. As you walked towards the table near the window the usual spot you sat at Bucky stopped you. You frowned up at him and waited as he looked around the room, before steering you in a different direction.
“What are you doing? I want to sit there.” You protested.
“No, you can’t sit here.” He shook his head.
“James I want to sit there, I always sit there, it’s my table.”
“No. Look around, for fucks sake.”
You paused your argument for a moment and looked around with a frown, you clearly didn’t see what he saw.
“I don’t see anything.” You snapped.
“The exits are blocked from that area of the room, they are obstructed by the pillars. The window opens up the vulnerability of a sniper, and the area is raised, hazardous for quick escapes.”
Everything he had just pointed out was something you wouldn’t have even thought of, it made a little more sense why he was assigned to you, the man was like a robot when it came to safety.
“Situational awareness.” You said softly, realizing he was right.
“Situational awareness.” Bucky nodded, a pleased glint in his eyes when he sees you finally understand what he is trying to say.
“Alright, where are we sitting?” You asked.
Bucky gestured to a table nearby and walked you over, his hand on your back as he did so. The waitress comes over and hands you a menu she flashes Bucky a wide smile which he returns. Obviously, she blushes three shades of red and scurried off once more, you rolled your eyes at this. To be fair, he was really pretty.
Bucky took up a stance near the table not joining you, he crossed his arms over his massive chest, that broody look settling over his face once more as his eyes moved across the restaurant. You frowned at him,
“What are you doing?”
“What do you mean?”
“Sit down, you idiot.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“I don't care, I don’t want to attract attention by having your 220-pound ass hovering around me.”
“It’s for safety.”
“Well, you look really stupid and people are starting to stare, so sit the fuck down.”
Bucky chuckled, an actual chuckle and this amazed you. Had you really gotten the grumpy Winter Soldier to chuckle?
He doesn't say anything, instead, he walked over, kicked back the chair and dropped down into it, beside you. Resting his hulking forearms on the table, he looks at you, pointedly.
“Better?”
“Much.” You replied unable to keep the amused smile off your face.
He shook his head and said nothing. Instead, he watches you with a playful glint in his eyes. He doesn’t know how, or why, but he finds himself having a glimmer of interest in you. Maybe he even liked you a little, it was all that defiance and sass, it just reminded him of small Stevie.
Author Tags: Wrong Number AU, Texting, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Sassy Bucky Barnes, Horny Steve Rogers, Hook-Up, No sex just plans, Happy Steve Bingo, Fluff and Humor
Our Tags: Stucky AU, Modern AU, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Sassy Bucky, Texting, Fluff, Humor
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16767295
Author Summary: Steve couldn’t remember the last time he had gotten someone’s number. Maybe a month ago? Jesus, how long had it been since he’d last washed his jeans? He had nothing better to do, so might as well see who is on the other end.
Hey who is this?
Review:
Another day, another perfect pick me up Stucky fic :)
This fic is short but sweet with a touch of sexy foreshadowing. As with any of our more compact stories, I won’t say too much so I don’t ruin it but I will say that the banter game in this fic is on point and fantastic. Bucky is sassy, teasing, and totally has a read on poor befuddled Steve and I am so here for it!
I loved this fic and if you too love sassy banter, I highly encourage you to check this one out.
