I've had thieves on the mind lately (thank you Napoleon Solo and Jack O'Malley). Rather than create another series, I'm opting to pass the idea on to others. Please join me in creating a veritable den of thieves!
Rules and Prompts beneath the cut!
Target: The Blue Diamond of Alqualondë
Rumored to once have sat in the crown of royalty, it is worth a hefty amount. The current known value is $5.8 million. While that alone is enough to get appetites whet, there are a number of collectors, fencers, and cutters willing to get their hands on it. What's more, because it's consider a historical treasure, there is no engraving or other identifying marks on it. It has recently been purchased and taken away from the world.
It needs to be freed. How will you do it?
Rules
Please limit entries to 10k words.
If you write more than 200, please use a "Read More".
Characters from any fandom and OCs are welcome!
There are no genre restrictions. Make it fantastical or realistic as you like.
Dark creations are accepted but NO underage, incest, or bestiality. Please add warnings to your works appropriately.
Please use one prompt from each category (see below) if you are able.
The challenge will run for the entire month of May.
Please tag me (@thezombieprostitute) in your posts and use the hashtag #let's plan a heist
Prompts
Where:
Mansion - The home of the owner. Expect security to be tight and everyone being watched.
Museum - On display for a limited time. While security is more relaxed, there are likely others eyeing the prize
Bank - A vault that is supposed to be maximum security. Guards are light, the doors are heavy.
Auction - While the auction house has their own security, expect both bidders and sellers to have their own guards.
Mid-transport - Basically a safe on wheels. Either crack it open or drive it off!
When:
A party/celebration - It's time to get down! And then get out!
Random - Dart landed on today. It's go time.
Celestial event - May the heavens smile upon you, or at least be flashy enough to help distract.
Someone has reached their breaking point - They got on every last nerve and now it's time to pay.
Why:
Just because - You were bored.
Money - Can't have too much.
Revenge - They had it coming.
Making a point - Maybe this will teach them a valuable lesson.
Fortune and Glory - Bragging rights amongst your peers.
You were hired - No questions asked.
Return it to its home country - reverse Indiana Jones.
How:
Under cover of darkness - Sometimes the classics just work
Long con - Get the schedule, find the access codes, make them believe you are someone else.
Smash and grab - Simple thuggery. Surprisingly effective for low cost.
Guns blazing - Run and Gun, Spray and Pray
Distraction - Is that a rabbit over there?
Who:
Solo - You are the best partner you have
Partner - The invitation did say you could bring a +1.
Crew - You may have the skills to pay the bills, but somebody needs to write the check and your handwriting is atrocious.
Opposition (Optional)
A rival - Someone out to make you look bad.
Competition - You're not the only one with this idea.
The "Good Guy" - The detective trying to catch you.
Something Completely Different - Someone else is stealing a different target. Hope they don't trip the alarm!
Special thanks to @fluxxdog for help with the flavor text on this post!
Pairing: Bucky x reader, with supporting (platonic) Yelena, Ava, Sam, Joaquin and Bob.
Word count: 7.7k
A/N: For the wonderful @thezombieprostitute's let's plan a heist challenge! I loved this challenge, and had a lot of fun writing it. Prompts: Where: mansion/transport (kinda), When: celestial event, Why: return it to its home country/revenge, How: under cover of darkness/distraction, Who: solo (mostly), Opposition: something completely different. Dividers by @saradika-graphics
Summary: Your perfectly constructed plan to liberate the Blue Diamond of Alqualondë is as flawless as the jewel itself - until you run into one overly interested supersoldier.
Warnings: Lying, thieving, lusting, alcohol. Reader can has hair, wears a dress and can swim and climb a ladder, but no physical descriptors and no y/n.
“This is our target,” you pass your phone to Yelena, the screen revealing a luminous image of the large, sparkling gemstone. “The Blue Diamond of Alqualondë has a long and storied history that I know you won’t care about. The main point is, it was up for auction recently, and some rich asshole outbid an entire country, as well as half the museums on the planet, to get his grubby, tax-dodging hands on it. So we’re going to right that wrong.”
“It is pretty.” Yelena admits.
“Well, yeah. But that’s not the point.”
“You want to steal it.”
“Yes.” As a fellow survivor of the Red Room, you and Yelena go way back. Your paths have diverged a bit since then, although you like to think that you’re both doing good; her as the co-lead of a team of superheroes, you working more quietly in the shadowy corners of the world.
“Because you want to reverse Indiana Jones it?”
Your eyes widen in delight. “You watched them? Finally?”
“Yep.” Yelena leans back, not sounding as impressed as you’d like. “All five.”
“Oh, you shouldn’t have done that. You should’ve stopped at The Last Crusade.”
She rolls her eyes. “Now you tell me.”
“Hey, when I told you about them I didn’t even know there were more than three, we were still brainwashed when The Crystal Sku- you know, never mind. The point is, we’re going to liberate the blue diamond, and return it to its rightful owners, the Teleri Asgardians.”
“I do not think the police will think of it as ‘liberating’ anything.” Yelena responds drily, putting the phone down and picking up her drink.
You frown at Yelena’s airquotes. “Since when did you care what the police thought?”
“Since I can’t be caught doing illegal things like stealing a beautiful diamond! I am a public figure, and already it is hard to get people to take us seriously.”
“Come on Yelena,” you lean over the table towards her. “You know it’s the right thing to do. And anyway, you owe me. Remember Minsk?”
“Vaguely.” Yelena grumbles. “Fine. I know you will have a plan which already I am a part of, so tell me. But I do not make any promises!”
Three weeks later, you’re strolling along the seafront harbour, the bright sun warming your shoulders, a large picnic basket hanging from one arm, the other linked through Yelena’s as you lead her and her friend Ava to the boat.
“You know, I don’t think I care what you two are up to, this is a nice trip.” Ava muses, turning her face to the blue sky with a smile.
“Shh,” Yelena hisses between gritted teeth. “We are not ‘up to’ anything.”
“Sure, of course not.” Ava's sarcasm is clear even before she tilts her head down to wink at you over her sunglasses. You turn away, just about suppressing a smile. You only met Ava this morning, but you already like her; she’s direct, funny - and and clearly not a fool, because of course, you are up to something, and she is sort of part of the plan.
“So”, you’d explained to Yelena, “I’m not asking you to actually do anything. Other than come with me on the holiday of a lifetime.”
Yelena raised a skeptical eyebrow.
Leaning towards her with a grin, you began to explain your plan. “We’re going to Europe to see the solar eclipse.”
Yelena’s second eyebrow joined the first as her eyes widened in surprise. “Okay, I am curious.”
“We’ll go to Mallorca - it’s a Spanish island in the mediterranean and it’s in the path of the totality. We’ll hire a boat to go out on the sea for the day of the eclipse, have some tapas, some sangria, and you’ll stay there, no guilt or suspicion, while I go off for a swim. Of course, it might look a bit odd if you’re all alone on the boat for the main event, so maybe you have a trusted friend who could come with us? Someone who can mind their business, and keep a secret?”
“Yes.” Yelena hadn’t had to think for long before nodding. “But I am not letting you put her in trouble, or ask her to do anything for you.”
“I won’t, I swear! Scout's honour.”
“When were you a scout?”
You swatted away the question. “Your friend doesn’t have to know anything about the plan. Or that there even is one.”
“Maybe I also did not need to know there was a plan.” Yelena grumbled.
“I want to be honest with you Lena.” Your voice softened. “We’ve both been lied to enough.”
Yelena held your gaze, pouting in thought. “Okay. But if - if - I agree to be, what, your alibi? Your driver for the getaway? I need to know the whole plan. I need to know that you can do this without getting caught.”
You smiled broadly - an onlooker might have said wolfishly - as you assured her. “I know exactly what I’m doing. My plan is watertight.”
You keep your large hat and sunglasses on as you pick up the keys for the hired boat, leaving Yelena and Ava outside, careful to look like one of the many tourists thronging the area ahead of the eclipse. You've run through the plan so many times in your mind, you could do it in your sleep. Every variable is accounted for, every potential hazard solved. You're certain this will go off without a hitch - until you emerge from the harbour office and see who your companions are chatting to.
Bucky had been looking forward to this trip for months. When he’d first mentioned it to Sam, the man had jumped in with a yes before Bucky could even finish explaining why it was a good idea, Sam clearly delighted to see his typically grumpy friend genuinely enthusiastic about something he “can’t use as a weapon”. And while his Captain America perks had got them a penthouse suite at a fancy hotel, and use of a private boat to view the eclipse from the ocean, unfortunately, his urgent Captain America duties had stopped him from actually being able to join the trip.
“Just bring someone else, man.” Sam had told him when he broke the bad news. “You have other friends now, right? Unless you want it to be just you and Joaquin.”
Bucky sighed. “Yes, I have other friends, Samuel. I can find someone else.”
“Not Walker.” Sam warned.
“Fine. Him and Alexei are on a mission anyway.”
“Good - from what I’ve heard, I don’t think we’d get the damage deposit back if you brought Alexei.”
In the end, after prowling the Tower for someone to bring, he’d only found Bob, who told him that Yelena and Ava had disappeared that morning on a mysterious, last minute girls’ trip. Which was how Bucky had ended up feeling like the harried teacher on a school trip, attempting to wrangle Joaquin and Bob - who instantly fell into a tight, chaotic friendship - onto schedule.
The trio are running late when they finally get to the dock - which Joaqin keeps telling him to “chill” about - and when they round a corner on their unhurried way to the office where they’ll pick up the boat keys, Bucky stops short at the sight of the two people he least expected to see. Yelena and Ava are tossing a tube of sun lotion between them, a coolbox on the ground at their feet.
“Lena? Ava?” Bob sounds even more surprised than Bucky is.
When the women turn at his voice, there’s a beat before their visible shock smooths into welcoming smiles; a pause that Bucky detects more than just surprise in.
“Bob! Bucky!” Yelena exclaims, greeting them cheerfully. “And?”
“Joaquin. Torres.” Joaquin jumps forward proudly. “AKA, the Falcon, superhero.”
“Hello falcon superhero.” Yelena deadpans.
“What are you two doing here?” Bucky asks, hoping he doesn’t sound too suspicious.
“Just thought we’d get some sun and sea air.” Ava answers breezily, with a lopsided smile. “We had no idea about the once-in-a-lifetime astrological event happening right here in a few hours.”
Bucky’s eye twitches. “Bob said you were on a last minute trip, you would have had to book this months ago.”
“We did.” Yelena casually half shrugs. “My friend booked this. It is last minute for Ava because she is taking the place of someone else who could not come.”
“So where’s your friend?” Bucky asks, trying not to use his interrogation voice.
“Getting the boat keys.” She points.
The five of them turn to look just as you emerge from the office. Covered up against the sun, it’s hard to read your expression, but a prickle of - something - fires in Bucky’s brain as he takes you in.
Burying your concerns beneath an easy smile, you join the group. “Wow, you make friends fast Yelena, I was gone for like two minutes!”
Yelena introduces you to everyone. Except for Bob, you know them by reputation anyway, and while you’re not exactly delighted to have run into someone who works for the US government, there’s not a hint of suspicion in Joaquin’s clear brown eyes. Not that there’s any reason for there to be, even if he wasn’t so distracted by Ava.
Bucky, on the other hand, the infamous ex-Winter Solider, stares at you so intently you’d swear you can feel his icy gaze even under the sweltering heat of the summer sunshine. Sunshine that, you can’t help notice, makes his thin shirt almost translucent where it stretches tight across the taut muscles of his chest.
“Well, it’s great to meet you guys, but we should really get out on the water if we want to get a good spot for the eclipse.” You smile as though you haven’t noticed Bucky’s brooding focus on you. “Maybe we could meet up after or something? Go for a late dinner, Spanish style.”
“The eclipse isn’t until this evening.” Bucky points out. “You really need to get going right now to find a good spot?”
“Yes, if we want to get a clear view of the horizon.” You answer sweetly. He doesn’t need to know that you also want a place close but not too close to the superyacht that holds the real target of your evening.
Joaquin laughs, nudging Bucky in the ribs. “You’re the one making us hustle out here so we can set off in time to anchor in a good place. Hey! How about we join up? All take the same boat? Double the people is double the party!”
“Hey, yeah,” Bob lights up hopefully, eyes on Yelena. “That would be fun.”
Yelena and Ava look at you for an answer, and you’re glad once again that your sunglasses hide the flash of panic in your eyes. Having these three join you is an extra complication you could really do without.
“It’s not a huge boat,” you offer hesitantly. “I’m sure you’ve got something much fancier booked.”
Bucky’s eyes narrow. That sensation he’d had when he first saw you is crystallising into suspicion. The pull he’s feeling towards you isn’t attraction - or, he admits to himself, not only attraction - he recognises you from somewhere.
In the end, you agree to Joaquin’s plan, having noticed Bucky’s expression and worrying that insisting your eight passenger boat could only fit three might deepen his scepticism - but as you guide the boat through the sparkling waves, the salt spray that whips through your hair failing to blow away the weight of Bucky’s scrutiny, you can only hope that the eclipse is enough of a distraction to keep him from picking up on your true mission.
Bucky knows the others have noticed the way he can’t take his eyes off you, but he doesn’t care. He’s certain now that he’s seen you before, although he can’t remember where - not a good sign, given his history. Yelena made no suggestion that you’ve met before, so it can’t be something as innocent as crossing paths in New York.
And if he’s honest, he’s enjoying watching you - the way the sunshine sparkling off the water lights you up, your bright, laughing eyes when you lift your sunglasses, the blue waves caressing you as you slip into the ocean, the shining droplets peppering your body when you emerge, the way your skin glistens as you re-apply a layer of sun lotion.
“You’re staring.” Ava sidles up beside him.
“I’m not.” He lies pointlessly, his gaze sticking to you.
“It’s okay if you like her, you know,” Ava smirks. “Just don’t be a creep about it.”
“I’m not being a creep.” He frowns, lying again. “And it’s not that.”
“Really? Come on, you’re clearly holding some pent up frustration. When was the last time you even went on a date?”
Taking a pull of his beer to avoid answering, Bucky realises he can’t actually remember when he last dated. Before his brief spell in congress, certainly.
He continues ruminating as Ava allows Joaquin to laughingly pull her to her feet to join him in the sun at the other end of the boat. Maybe she has a point - perhaps what he’s recognising is just the feeling you give him, one he hasn’t felt in a long time. But then where does Yelena know you from?
Bob is relaxing in a shady spot with a book, Yelena tucked up next to him in a way you're definitely going to ask her about later.
Ava rolls her eyes as Joaquin performs increasingly acrobatic leaps into the water in a puppyish attempt to win her over - and judging by the smile she hides behind her sangria, you suspect she's enjoying the attention more than she's letting on.
Bucky is still staring at you.
His eyes have barely left you since you were introduced - something you’d enjoy if you could convince yourself his smouldering stare was just an overly intense, flirtatious look. Deciding to bite the bullet, you head up to him with a tube of sun lotion.
“Could you help with my back?” You ask with a smile.
His body tenses, his voice gruff when he answers. “Sure.”
Passing it over, you position yourself next to him, as close as you can without sitting in his lap, and present your back. He doesn’t move away, and his hands are strong but careful as he strokes the cream into your skin. You close your eyes, enjoying the feel of rough callouses and sun-warmed vibranium against you.
“So how do you know Yelena?” He asks.
“Oh, from ages ago.” You answer breezily. “When we were kids. We only got back in touch recently - it's crazy what she's been through, but even more amazing how she’s turned her life around. She really deserves this trip.”
Bucky frowns. The warmth in your voice is clear - could you have known Yelena when she was young, part of an undercover family in the US? Or-
Before he can finish the thought you spin around, so fast his hands almost brush your chest.
“Can I do you?” You ask.
The innocent question short circuits his brain. “Uh…”
“The lotion,” you smile as you take the tube from his hands, the expression hovering somewhere between naive and knowing. “I’m guessing the vibranium is sun proof, but your skin isn’t. And you look hot in that shirt.”
Opening his mouth, Bucky struggles for words. Did your fingers linger on his a little longer than necessary? Are you feeling some of what he is? He is warm - and the thought of your hands on him -
“Sure,” he answers, gruff again. Standing up, he pulls off his shirt - and it’s your turn to stare.
The hard ridges of his stomach flex as he stretches to undress, a dark trail of hair pulling your eyes down the plane of his lower stomach to where his swim shorts are slung low under his hips, a perfectly defined v directing your attention to where it really shouldn’t be right now. You force your eyes up before he catches you, but the view isn’t any less distracting; a pair of dog tags dangle from his muscular neck, brushing gently against the dip between his firm pecs. The sun dapples on the broad slope of his shoulders, and his powerful right arm flexes as he tosses his shirt aside.
Throat suddenly dry, you almost gulp as you fully take in the sight of him - and given the smirk that accompanies his quirked eyebrow, he has definitely noticed.
You stand up with a smile, hastily trying to regain some of your composure as he silently turns his back to you. Mentally cursing at yourself for how you’re reacting just to him being half undressed, you work the lotion into his skin, feeling the muscles flex under your fingers.
He twitches as you gently smooth the protection into his skin where it meets the metal of his left arm and you hesitate.
“Is this okay?” Your voice is breathier than you’d intended. “It doesn’t hurt?”
“No,” he answers quickly. “It’s just - it’s fine.” Bucky can’t bring himself to reveal to you that your gently curious fingers are treating that part of him with more care than anyone has in years. Instead you stand together in comfortable silence as you work your way down his back, his confidence returning when he notices you subconsciously holding your breath, heart beating fast, as you rub the last bit of cream just above the waistband of his shorts - the very tips of your fingers daring to cross the tiniest bit below the fabric.
“There you go.” You hand him the tube so he can finish up, and make your way toward the others, determined not to let him see you watching as he spreads more sun lotion over his arms and stomach - although, hidden behind your sunglasses, you let your eyes slide his way even as your head tilts towards the sea.
From the smug grin that lingers on his face long after he’s finished, it seems likely he did notice your attention - and that he’s enjoying it.
The sparkling waters of the Mediterranean fill up with boats as the sun sinks towards the cloudless horizon and the eclipse begins. There’s an electricity in the air, a whole ocean of people united in excited anticipation of an ancient celestial spectacle.
“You know how mad it is that this is something we get to witness?” Bob muses, his voice soft and awestruck. “Like, the chance of the moon being the exact size it is, and the exact distance from us that it is - the chances of that are…”
“Astronomical?” Yelena finishes with a grin.
Despite the task ahead of you, you smile, a warm glow stealing into your chest. This might have started because you roped her into a heist, but you’re glad Yelena’s getting to experience this. Even Bucky seems to have softened a little, although his eyes still dart towards you with frustrating regularity.
As the moon’s shadow eats into the burning disc of the sun, you keep a close eye on its progress, and prepare to slip away. It’s nearly time for the key part of your plan.
As you’d explained to Yelena, the eclipse is a pivotal part of your scheme. “An event this rare is not something standard security operations take into account - even if they’re guarding something as rare and precious as the blue diamond of Alqualondë.” You’d told her.
The diamond would be kept in a display case, ostentatiously left out on the yacht’s aft decks for the owners and their guests to admire. Of course, they would all move to the top deck for the eclipse, to guarantee an unobstructed view.
“But it is not going to be just a case is it?” Yelena had pointed out. “There will be high-tech protection - special glass, weight sensors…”
“There will.” Swiping on your phone, you showed her your intel. “The case itself is standard reinforced glass, and during the day there are five extra layers of bulletproof UV-filtering glass.”
“They think the diamond will get a sunburn?”
“It’s just good practice. But since the protective glass can dull the appearance of the diamond, the filters retract when it’s dark. At night, the case is protected by a laser grid, invisible to the naked eye, that activates at sunset.”
“And?” Yelena challenged. “They will guard it with more than that.”
“Day and night there’s a weight sensor; if that detects a change of more than a fraction of a gram, it activates whichever of the lasers or the glass isn’t already in place and sets off an alarm. However, because the diamond has never been on a superyacht before, the sensor isn’t calibrated for use at sea - and to avoid it going off every time there’s a big wave, they’ll disable it.”
“You are sure of this?” Yelena asked.
“Yep. It’s already an item on the crew’s boarding checklist.”
“I do not need to know how you know this. What about cameras? CCTV?”
You shook your head. “Not on the yacht. Believe me, this man has plenty of reasons for keeping his private spaces unrecorded.”
Yelena wrinkled her nose and mumbled something ominous in Russian.
“But there’s a fatal flaw in their security plan, and that’s what I’m going to exploit. The laser grid is set to a geolocated timer which tracks the exact time of sunset at the diamond's precise location. But the reinforced glass is connected to a light sensor - it deactivates when it’s dark as night.”
“But then you could trick it with, I don't know, an umbrella. It cannot be so simple.”
“Of course not.” You smiled. “It’s a dual sensor. One on the case itself, one on a satellite honed in on the case’s location, to stop it deactivating every time it’s cloudy. But the satellite will see the shadow of the eclipse, and register it as night.”
Yelena sat up straight. “So when the eclipse happens - no glass, and no lasers.”
“No glass, no lasers.” You repeated. “Just one sheet of reinforced, but not impenetrable, display case glass.”
“Why would their security not reprogram for this?”
“Because it’s a lot of effort to factor all that in for a one-off event lasting only 96 seconds.” A sly grin spread over your face. “And anyway, what are the chances that someone would try to steal it at precisely that moment?”
When the moon covers half the sun, you sneak off to the back of the boat. Just as you’re about to slide into the water, the hairs on the back of your neck alert you to someone watching you. Glancing over your shoulder, you’re met with Bucky’s hard stare.
“Where are you sneaking off to?” At least his voice is low, not alerting the others.
“I’m not sneaking off.” You lie.
“You’ll miss the eclipse.”
You gesture at the setting crescent sun. “It’s pretty hard to miss. But you’ll miss it if you keep watching me instead of the sky.”
Bucky’s scowl is his only response.
“I want to see it from the water.” You offer as an explanation.
“What?”
“The eclipse. It’s basically a show of the moon’s influence, and what’s the other way we see that? In the sea. The tides.”
Bucky’s frown is more confused than suspicious now, so you carry on.
“If I’m actually in the sea when it’s the full eclipse, it’ll be even more special.”
“We’re in the sea already.” He points out, sarcasm slipping through his scepticism. “What do you think all this water is?”
“Very funny. You know as well as I do that we’re on the sea, not in it.” You correct petulantly. “If my body is directly in the water then maybe I’ll feel the moon tugging on us, really feel connected to it. Anyway, I’m not here to convince you. I don’t really owe you an explanation at all, but I’ve given you one, because at least one of us is trying not to be rude.”
Bucky opens his mouth, but before he can argue back, you slide smoothly off the boat and into the water, staying under the waves as you quickly swim away from him and towards the yacht holding the blue diamond. Timing is everything with this plan and you can’t afford much more of a delay - you can only hope your excuse was good enough to keep the nosy supersoldier on the boat.
Staying low in the water, you approach the superyacht. From what you can see, everything is going as expected; the rich people gathered on the top deck, the sound of laughter and champagne corks popping carrying down to you in the shadows. The staff onboard are all either up there serving, or gathered at the bow for the second-best view, leaving the aft deck, and your path to the diamond, unobstructed.
You swim silently up to the ladder at the stern and grasp the rungs, but you’re still half in the water when a shape emerges fast behind you, muscled arms caging you in, one strong hand grabbing the ladder by your right, one black and gold one clinking against the metal strut by your left.
You feel his bare chest press against your back, and his deep voice brushes your ear. “This is a strange place to watch the eclipse from.” Bucky murmurs. “Or are you going to tell me you got our boat mixed up with this one?”
Biting back your frustration - and some other reactions you can’t afford to dwell on right now - you glare back at him. “There’s no time. Just go back to the boat, or you’ll miss it.” Slamming back hard against him, you hope to take him by surprise and shake him off, or at least make enough space for you to shimmy up the ladder and away, but he doesn’t budge. Instead, you’re just pressed even harder against him, the firm planes of his muscles against your bare, wet skin, your hips aligned with his in a way you’re fairly sure is responsible for the groan of metal as his fists tighten on the ladder.
Despite the strain, there’s a hint of amusement in his low response. “You can keep doing that if you want, but I’m not going anywhere.”
Growling, you turn your head to look him in the eye as well as you can, the bright glint of blue only reminding you of the diamond you’re so close to getting hold of. “Trust me, I’m not doing anything wrong here, but I don’t have time to explain. I’ll tell you everything later, I swear, just let me go. You’ll miss the eclipse.”
Bucky’s eyes flicker toward the horizon, where the bright slither of sun is getting smaller by the second, but his grip doesn’t loosen.
You sigh. “Sorry about this.” Before you can second guess yourself, you twist and press your lips against his, which part in surprise, before moving with you in response. Leaning in, you deepen the kiss, dancing your tongue along his. Bucky’s arms slacken as he mirrors you, and when he moves one of his hands from the ladder to your waist - not grabbing but caressing, almost reverent - you pull yourself away and shoot up the rungs as fast as you can, narrowly avoiding hitting his face with your ass as you go.
Whether from surprise or a gentlemanly instinct to not literally grab you and haul you back down, you’re able to climb clear of his reach, and there’s no sound of Bucky in pursuit, so when you reach the top you check the coast is clear and dart down the smooth wooden gangway to your target.
Even in the dim light of the shadowed sun, the blue diamond is magnificent. Housed in a glass box set in a rectangular black column, it gleams as though it holds the deep, sparkling blue of the ocean itself. Focusing on your mission, you position yourself behind the case, with one eye on the eclipse - you’re just in time.
The black disc of the moon slides into place over the sun, leaving only a ring of fire hanging low on the horizon. There’s a moment of hushed, almost eerie silence as darkness descends, before cheers and whoops sound out across the sea from the many boats assembled for this moment. Allowing yourself only a second to admire the spectacle, you pull the special glass cutting tools from the hidden pocket on what you’d managed to pass off as an ornamental belt on your swimsuit, and turn your attention to the case as the barely visible tinted glass sinks into the podium.
The remaining cover is still reinforced, and it takes you a few passes to cut a clean opening, taking longer than you’d hoped, your hands still slick with seawater. Cursing under your breath, your eyes flicker back and forth between your work and the sun. You’d practiced doing this in under 90 seconds, but it’s going to be tight.
“Need a hand?” A familiar, smirking voice over your shoulder makes you jump.
“For the love of all that is good,” you hiss between clenched teeth. “I do not need you startling me right now.”
“It’s not my fault you don’t pay attention to your surroundings.”
How can he sound smug at a time like this? “Just leave!”
Ignoring the infuriating man as best you can, you press the cutter harder against the glass, racing to get it open before the sun breaks out from behind the moon.
“And you might not need me startling you,” Bucky’s voice lowers as he steps closer, repeating his position behind you on the ladder, “but you do need something from me.”
Before you can argue back, he reaches around you, closing both his hands over yours on the glass cutter. Using his warm right hand to protect yours from the strength of his grip, his vibranium arm emits a barely audible whirr as he exerts a superhuman force, slicing through the reinforced glass of the case like it’s warm butter.
Your mouth drops open in surprise as the cut connects perfectly with the others, and Bucky uses his metal hand to ease the pane out without leaving fingerprints, saving you from scrambling for your second tool, and revealing the radiant azure treasure to the salty air.
Deciding you can figure out what the hell is going on later, you snatch the diamond, tucking it securely into a small waterproof pouch you unfurl from your belt, and replacing it with a tiny, high-tech projector, which activates to display a flawless 3D image of the diamond.
Again saving you a step, Bucky replaces the sheet of glass the two of you have cut out - and not a moment too soon. Just as your astonished eyes meet Bucky’s clear ones, rays of reddish yellow light creep across the deck as the setting sun reemerges from the totality, and the UV-filtering glass slides silently back into place.
“Quick.” You whisper, padding rapidly back to the ladder you climbed onboard from. While diving off would be quicker, any noise could alert the crew - and this way you can wipe any prints from the ladder as you slide back into the water.
Bucky follows, and without a word, the two of you descend beneath the waves, hidden from view as you swim back to your own, much smaller boat.
When you're far enough from the yacht, you surface for air and turn your questions on Bucky. “What the hell was that?” You gasp, completely baffled about what’s just gone on.
Bucky smiles slyly. “Trust me, I’m not doing anything wrong. But I don’t have time to explain right now. I’ll tell you everything later.”
You goggle at him as he repeats your words from minutes ago. “You-”
His grin widens at your impotent spluttering. “Come on, we should get back before the others can’t keep pretending they haven’t noticed we’re gone.”
You stare incredulously as he swims off, following only when a small wave slaps some sense back into you.
As anticipated, the others carefully ignore that you and Bucky left the boat. A subtle nod is your only indication to Yelena that this part of the mission went as planned - and when she tilts her head towards Bucky with a quizzical eyebrow raised, you can only shrug in response.
Back at your hotel, Ava isn’t so subtle. “Do I want to know what you and Barnes got up to during the eclipse, or will I have to scrub my brain after?”
“Nothing like that,” you assure her, despite her words prompting a flashback to the sensation of his body flush against yours on the ladder, his tongue tracing your lips.
“I see your face.” Yelena calls out, meeting your eye in the mirror she’s applying eyeliner in front of. “Do not lie to your friends.”
“But PG-rated please.” Ava adds. “There are some things I don’t need to know about my teammates.”
“Honestly, nothing happened! Or, not much. I may have briefly had to distract him.”
“I am sure.” Yelena smirks.
“But he’s up to something.” You mutter, checking your reflection over Yelena’s shoulder.
“Well, I’m sure you’ll find the opportunity to get whatever you need out of him tonight.” Ava nudges you conspiratorially.
The three of you are meeting up with the guys at a club downtown that Joaquin suggested, and in the crowd of revellers under the pulsing music and neon lights, it’s easy to spot Bucky Barnes, sitting alone at a private booth, glowering at anyone who comes too close.
“You look like you’re having fun.” You tease as you slide in next to him.
He turns to respond, but pauses, his lips parted as he takes you in. The dress you’re wearing is one of your favourites - nothing crazy, and you’re more covered up than you were in a swimsuit on the boat, but Bucky’s reaction reminds you why you feel so good in it.
Crossing one leg over the other and leaning in so there’s barely a breath between you, you’re about to ask him about today when he beats you to it.
“Where is it?” Facing you, he’s so close your noses almost touch, and it takes every ounce of your restraint to not let your eyes drift to his lips.
“Where’s what?” You ask coyly.
“You know what.” He stretches his vibranium arm behind you, angling his body towards yours. “You’re too smart to leave it in a hotel room safe, and I doubt you have it on you.”
Feeling very aware of the hard press of the wrapped diamond on your inner thigh, strapped to a holster perilously high up on your leg, given the length of your skirt - you smile innocently. “You’re making a lot of assumptions, Barnes.”
Bucky’s gaze intensifies, and you work to keep your breathing steady, even as you feel your skin heating under the force of his attention, and the slow smile curving his lips. “Or maybe you do have it on you.” His voice lowers as he moves closer, mouth at your ear, and rests a hand gently on your exposed thigh, sending a bolt of electricity through you.
The feel of his skin against yours is addictive, and you berate yourself internally for being so extravagantly attracted to him - but it’s clear you’re not the only one affected, and two can play at this game. “If you’re trying to get me undressed, you can just be honest about it.” You whisper huskily into his ear.
You hear your name slip out between his lips as his hand starts drifting higher. When his fingers brush the hem of your dress, you stop him. “Questions first.”
Bucky takes a deep breath, pulling back enough for his darkened eyes to fix on yours. “So where is it?”
You shake your head. “My questions. You were going to the yacht on your own, weren’t you? You weren’t following me.”
Bucky’s eyes search yours. “Fine.” His hand slips back down a few inches, but doesn’t leave your skin. “Yes. I heard about the diamond. About its origins - there’s a chance it’s more than just a stone, but its original custodians are pretty secretive about it. I just wanted to get an idea of how secure it was in case any bad guys decided to steal it. Turns out, not very.”
“You think the bad guys are the ones who steal things?” You ask pointedly. “What if they’re the ones who buy things that shouldn’t be up for sale?”
“I didn’t say they weren’t. But I need to know what’s going to be done with it now.”
“Nothing bad.” You answer simply, elaborating only when his eyes narrow. “The Blue Diamond of Alqualondë belongs with its rightful owners.”
Bucky doesn’t look fully convinced, but he’s given you the answer you were looking for, so you reluctantly extricate yourself from his hold and stand up. “Dance?” You ask over your shoulder as you head off to where the others are letting loose.
You’re not sure you expect him to follow you, but he does, staying glued to your side all night. You stay vigilant in case he tries any light-fingered tricks to relieve you of the diamond, but you let yourself enjoy the flirtatious game of cat and mouse as your bodies move together - and from the gleam in his azure eyes as he captures your mouth in the first of many heated kisses, you suspect he’s making the most of it too.
“Am I hearing this right? You just let her walk away with it?”
Back in the US barely two days later, Bucky grimaces in the face of Sam’s incredulity.
“Did the Mediterranean sun melt the cogs in your tin man brain? What were you thinking?”
“Not sure his brain was leading the decision making.” Joaquin chips in, grinning broadly. “He was staring at her non-stop from the moment we met them.”
“And who let this happen?” Sam asks Joaquin pointedly.
“Hey, I can’t control him!”
“We can trust her.” Bucky speaks up to defend himself. “I wasn’t staring at her, I recognised her. I couldn’t place it at first, but I saw her in the Red Room. She was a widow, that must be how she knows Yelena. And Yelena trusts her, so we can trust her. Plus, no one even noticed the diamond’s gone - she can give it back to the Teleri without pissing off the billionaire who bought it or inciting an international incident, unlike if Captain America returned it.”
Sam’s voice softens a little, but he’s still frowning. “‘Must be’ how Yelena knows her? You haven’t asked?”
“Yelena’s still being sort of secretive about it all.” Bucky admits.
Joaquin shrugs. “Maybe she just doesn’t want to have to give you her friend’s number.”
“Oh and how are you going with Ava’s number?”
“Hey, I have her Instagram!”
Joaquin pulls out his phone to prove it as Sam rubs a hand over his face in despair, muttering something about working with a bunch of children. “I swear, my nephews are more mature than you two.”
“Uh, guys.” Joaquin turns his phone screen towards them to show a breaking news headline; Blue Diamond of Alqualondë Stolen.
Sam crosses his arms. “I guess your girlfriend’s heist wasn’t as foolproof as she made you believe.”
“Where’s Yelena?”
Back in the Tower, Bob’s eyes widen at the anger vibrating off Bucky as he storms into the kitchen. “Um…are you going to hurt her?”
“Maybe.” Bucky grumbles, stalking off to continue his search.
“Wait, she asked me to give you this.” Bob slides an envelope over the kitchen island, staying a safe distance from Bucky’s rage.
Frowning, Bucky rips it open to find a single piece of thick, expensive paper. There’s an address in Barcelona printed on it, along with a time and date a few days from now.
“She also said to tell you to meet her and the rest of the team on the jet.” Bob points to a crumpled paper bag on the counter. “I made you a snack for the flight.”
Bucky grunts as he flips the paper over to see a quick sketch of a diamond, and ‘see you soon’ scribbled in handwriting he doesn’t recognise.
By the time they’re back in Europe, Bucky’s curiosity is about in balance with his anger. He hates not knowing what’s going on, but Yelena refused to tell him anything with the determinedly blank expression of someone who has no intention of changing their mind.
After they drop their kit at a safe house just outside the city, Yelena directs the rest of the team to a second location to set up for something she also won't tell Bucky about, while sending him up to the roof.
The sun is just beginning to set over the mountains behind the city, bathing everything in a soft, golden light - the skyline, the distant sea - and you.
“Bona tarde.” You greet him with a mischievous grin.
In an instant Bucky’s right in front of you, so close you think for a moment he’s about to kiss you, his eyes boring holes into yours. “You’d better be about to explain what’s going on here.”
Your smile widens.
Yelena had tilted her head as she mentally ran through your plan. “But that is not all, is it?”
“No,” you agreed. “There’s a twist.”
“Always the drama with you.” She shook her head, but let slip a small smile as she nodded for you to continue.
“The real Blue Diamond of Alqualondë is already with the Teleri.”
Yelena’s mouth had dropped open. “Okay, this I was not expecting.”
Bucky’s just as surprised as Yelena was. “Seriously?”
“The Teleri are Asgardian, half of them can literally do magic.” You shrug. “It was back in their hands basically the same day it was rediscovered. But the team who found it didn’t know that - the Teleri left them with a fake.”
“I know a diamond when I see one.” Bucky argues. “That wasn’t fake.”
“Oh, it’s a real diamond. But it’s not the Alqualondë diamond. So you don’t need to worry about what may or may not be a magical stone getting into the wrong hands.”
“You said you stole it-”
“Liberated it.” You correct.
“To return it to the Teleri.” Bucky continues. “Did you know they already had it?”
“Yep. That’s not why I liberated it.”
“Stole it.”
“A lot of people were interested in the diamond when it went up for sale. Including a lot of people who wouldn’t want their ownership of it to be on record, especially if those rumours of it being a power stone turn out to be true. But all those bad guys would be more than happy to turn up if it was being sold at a black market auction.”
“And for them to believe it’s the real diamond-” Bucky catches on to your plan.
“It would be a big help if its theft was all over the news.” You finish with a smile. “And it would also be great PR for, I don’t know, a fairly new team of superheroes with middling public support to take down all those bad guys at once by catching them at said auction.”
“We have more than middling public support.”
You roll your eyes. “You could do with-” You’re cut off mid-sentence by Bucky closing the small distance between you and kissing you, one arm wrapping around your waist and holding you tight against him while the other tangles in your hair.
You cling to him as you kiss him back just as fiercely, and when he pulls back you let out an involuntary whimper of frustration that makes him smile - a bright clear smile finally untainted by suspicion.
“Tell me you weren’t kissing me all those other times just to distract me.”
“No,” you nip at his lips mid-answer, unable to stay away. “I wasn’t. I probably could have found other ways to distract you. I didn’t want to.”
“Good.” He presses you to him again, and liquid heat courses through you, lighting you up brighter than the full summer sun.
Epilogue
The rising sun spreads warm fingers of light into your room, and across your and Bucky’s bodies as you lie tangled together in the sheets. He rolls the blue diamond languidly across your bare skin as the two of you talk, getting to know each other after a night spent learning all about each other physically.
“I was always interested in art.” You explain. “And I was good at it, even as a kid. The Red Room didn’t just train me as a Widow - they made me do art forgeries, which they swapped for the stolen real ones.”
“I knew most of the art you see in galleries was fake,” Bucky speaks softly, pausing to press kisses to your skin. “I guess I never thought about who made the fakes.”
“Well, here I am.” Your sarcastic smile drops as quickly as it appeared. “When Yelena and her family freed us, I started hunting down all the originals and swapping them back, and bringing some kind of justice to all the dealers and collectors along the way.”
“I can understand that.” Bucky toys gently with your hair. “You want any help doing that?”
“Actually,” you roll closer to him, trailing your fingers down his glistening skin. “If everyone I’m expecting tonight turns up, that’ll be it. More than it actually. I’m done. So I don’t really know what’s next.”
“Hmm,” Bucky’s hands dance down your spine, making you arch into him, just as he planned. “You know, if you like art, there are a lot of galleries in New York.”
“Oh really?”
“Oh yeah. World class. And you could have someone local show you around.”
“Someone local?” You tease. “Who might that be?”
Done with the games, Bucky growls deep in his throat as he rolls on top of you, catching your laughing mouth with his and consuming you yet again.
The blue diamond lies forgotten beside you, and as the sun rises higher in the sky, the bright daylight refracts in its glittering facets, sending a cascade of azure sparks dancing across the room; but its luminous beauty is eclipsed by the real treasure you’ve found in your heist.
Because I'm on vacation this week, I'm going to let myself get away with not writing a damn thing. I'm even taking a break from Tech Tuesday.
Instead of writing, I'm going to be celebrating my 1666 followers by hosting a week-long event. I'm sure a lot of you know about my Characters as Dogs posts. Heck, it's probably how a lot of you found me! So this week, I'm going to open the floor to you for requests to match an animal with a character.
Heads up: it will only be one photo of an animal with one photo of a character. The full sets can take a lot of time and I don't know how many requests I'll be getting.
You can request something as simple as: Steve Rogers + Orange Cat
Or maybe a more unusual animal: Thor as a lion
You can even get funny with it: Jackass Andy Barber
Caveat: Obviously some animals don't lend themselves as well to these kinds of comparisons. Not all of the matches are going to be great, but I can promise I'll do my best!
