Happycat547 - 🌞🌗⭐️

Miranda sings keeps me young

Steve, seeing Y/N babying Bucky: What happened??

Y/N, putting a bandaid on Bucky’s finger: Bucky had a paper cut.

Steve, rolling his eyes: Really? Yesterday Sam was screaming "I've been stabbed!" and all you did was yell "shut up!"

Y/N, kissing Bucky’s boo-boo: That's because he was screaming "I think I've been stabbed!" Bitch, you're either stabbed or you aren't!

Steve:

Y/N:

Steve:

Natasha, sitting next to them while casually eating cereal: She's right.

"Seb is back" - via Don Saladino on Instagram

ʙᴀᴅ ʀᴇᴘᴜᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ

» ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴏɴᴇ: ɴɪɢʜᴛꜰᴀʟʟ, ᴄᴀ

Summary: A bad break-up pushes you to move to a small town in California where you meet Natasha who offers you a job. You work alongside the men from the 107th motorcycle clubs who all welcome you with open arms, and for a certain brunette; with open arms. Everyone warns you to stay away from him, but as you'll soon find out; it's a lot harder to do than it seems.

Pairing: Biker!Bucky x Reader

Word Count: 8.9k (oops)

Warnings: Mentions of cheating and sex. All I know about MCs is what I saw in SoA and Mayans M.C. so please take this with a grain of salt.

Notes: This was supposed to be a small one-shot for @multi-stann's writing challenge but I ended up writing multiple parts. No one asked for this, but I hope you'll still enjoy it. In this story, Biker!Bucky looks like Chris from the movie Destroyer (with better tattoos). Bucky also has two flesh arms and never had to get the left one amputated. Biker!Steve looks like Nomad!Steve with lots of tattoos and rings.

Due to the nature of this AU, this series will be 18+. Minors DNI. If you chose to read this, you are responsible for your own media consumption. You have been warned.

ᴹᵃˢᵗᵉʳˡⁱˢᵗ

𝚂𝙴𝚁𝙸𝙴𝚂 𝙼𝙰𝚂𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙻𝙸𝚂𝚃

It's every child's dream to live a fairy tale story, like the ones from the Disney movies we've all seen over and over again growing up. In most stories, there is a king, his queen and their princess.

The princess will grow up watching how beautifully in love her parents are and decide that this was the only kind of love she'd ever want.

To find love, she has to find her prince and when she finally does, one of many things can happen. It can be love at first sight, or it can take a little bit of work to gain the other one's trust, even maybe goes as far as a kind of forbidden love, but it's all true love nonetheless.

You wanted to find your prince with a simple glance. One look that would tell you that the man you found was your one and only, the perfect definition of love at first sight. When your eyes meet for the first time, the whole world around you will stop moving, both you and him shaken to the core from your souls finding each other and becoming one; as they always should have been. Like two puzzle pieces coming together to make one perfect piece, needing the other to be complete.

Your one true love, your soulmate.

In your fairy tale, the king had been the one to introduce you to your prince when you had just turned 24.

He was everything you could have asked for: he was nice, polite and knew how to make you laugh, your parents loved him and he loved them. It was the perfect fit.

Or so you thought.

You had never been in love before meeting him, you didn't have anything to compare it to back then and you were absolutely sure it was who you were supposed to end up with, love at first sight.

Or so you thought.

Like in any good fairy tale story, once the princess finally meets her prince, there has to be a wedding. A ceremony to announce to the world that they had found each other and were determined to spend the rest of their lives together. Your prince proposed to you less than a year after the moment you met for the very first time.

You were in love, so of course you said yes.

Truthfully the thought of marrying someone you barely knew scared you. It seemed like it was too soon to get married but

time doesn't mean anything when you meet your true love. You had already been waiting your whole life to find him and now that you finally had, why should you wait? After all, you two were meant to be.

Or so you thought.

You were very lucky to have the parents that you did. They loved each other more than anything and loved you just as much. They were supportive of your decisions and always wanted the best for you, whatever would make you happy.

They had been very understanding when you told them you didn’t want to go to college shortly before graduating high school. You had given it a lot of thought and school was definitely not for you, you didn’t enjoy it. You were scared to tell them, you were scared they would be mad or even worse, disappointed because your entire life they had told you that after high school you needed to go to college but you should have known that your parents would be supportive and understand why you made this decision.

They had only one condition and it was that you had to get a job. They didn’t want you to wander and lose precious time, ‘’the best way to learn is to try’’ they would tell you, and so they gave you a choice. You could either try to find a job, any job, on your own or your dad could have you come work for him at his company.

You chose the latter.

You are close to your dad and working with him would never be an issue. You always enjoyed watching him work and now that you were old enough to truly understand what he did, you weren’t going to pass up an opportunity to learn from him.

You did mostly office work but you learned a ton. Over the years that you worked for him, you had become an important part of the company and were now the go-to person when someone had an issue and didn’t know how to fix it.

After you got engaged, your dad started giving you more responsibilities at work and took you on multiple business trips. Your fiancé was a really successful businessman and your father wanted to be just as successful as him, maybe even more.

Most times when you traveled it was either in the same state or the ones around, but on some rare occasions you were lucky enough to get out of the country for 3 to 5 days at a time.

You were very grateful to have such an understanding fiancé. He always encouraged you to go, even if you had just come back from a trip only a few days before and supported you every step of the way.

Or so you thought.

You had left for a business trip with your dad only a day ago and came back the next day because he had gotten sick and needed to go home. You knew your boyfriend would be at work at the time you came back home and you decided to surprise him by making him dinner. You didn’t expect for him to be the one surprising you.

In the worst possible way.

You decided to drop your suitcase at home and then go buy whatever it is you needed to make dinner. You were a little bit disappointed when you saw that his car was in the driveway because it meant that you wouldn’t be able to surprise him the way you had wanted to but you were excited to be able to spend time with him.

His car being at home in the middle of the day you should have made a few alarms go off in your head, unfortunately it didn’t.

The moment you walked inside your house, you knew what you were about to see.

That’s how you found out that your prince had been seeing other princesses, as you found him fucking another woman on your kitchen counter.

You remember thinking that it was the biggest clichés of all; coming home early to find your boyfriend cheating on you in your own home because he thought he had days before your return.

You were so shocked by the sight in front of your eyes that your very instinct was to laugh. Your brain seemed to think this was the best cosmic joke of all time.

Your laugh brought them out of their sex induced haze as they finally noticed you standing in the doorway of the kitchen. You were too busy laughing to see the panic settle in his eyes and you sure as hell weren’t expecting the words that were about to come out of his mouth. ‘’This isn’t what it looks like, I promise.’’

Which only made you laugh harder. How could you not find it funny when your future husband had just been caught cheating, hadn’t even pulled out of her and was telling you that it wasn’t what it looked like.

This moment wasn’t supposed to be a part of your fairy tale story. Nowhere had they ever mentioned the prince having extracurricular activities.

Turns out that all the excitement he had shown you about your job and the traveling wasn’t because he was proud of you and wanted you to be the best, it was just him being excited about being alone and having time to fool around with women that weren’t you.

You took your suitcase you had just dropped on the floor and walked back out, jumped in your car and ran home to your parents. Your dad felt incredibly guilty as he was the one to introduce him to you, but there was no way he could have known what was going to happen.

The first few days, your now ex-boyfriend had tried to call you on multiple occasions. He texted you and asked you to come home and only after a few days of you ignoring him, he gave up and stopped trying to reach out to you. He didn’t even try to fight you when you came back with a moving truck a week later to get all of your stuff out of there.

You tried to be strong around your parents, but behind closed doors you would allow yourself to complete breakdown and cry. Your heart was broken and your trust shattered, some days it would hurt so much that you could barely breathe. You barely wanted to leave the house because you were scared you might run into him and his new fling, reopening the wounds you’ve been working so hard to close up.

A month later you decided that it was time for you to go. You couldn’t keep living with your parents and you couldn’t stay in this city with the constant fear of running into your ex and seeing him happy when you were falling apart and broken.

You packed up your entire life and moved to a small town in the middle of nowhere California, called Nightfall.

You were able to buy a small house, it was very tiny but it was cozy and it was yours so you loved it. You found a job at one of the bars in town, it was a 10-minute drive from your place, 20 minutes if you walked. You truly loved it there. It was the kind of town where everybody knew everybody, needless to say you were sticking out like a sore thumb but most people were really welcoming.

The job at the bar was just until you could find something better. Which was a little bit difficult with your schedule of working at night and sleeping during the day but you were trying your best. Your schedule also made it difficult to meet people and make friends, most of the bar’s customers were drunk men who were a little too handsy for your taste. Especially with the stupid ‘’uniform’’ your boss had you wear. High waisted jeans shorts that barely covered your ass and a black tank top. The customers thought it was an open invitation to grab your ass, and that’s how you met Natasha.

She was one of the few women that came in to drink, one of the few women who weren’t scared to be groped the entire night.

One night one of the customers was getting a little too handsy and you had asked him to stop multiple times, took his hand off of your body but he still didn’t stop. Natasha walked away from the bar to the table you were currently stuck at and grabbed the guy’s hand to pull it off you and twisted it until a few ‘’crack’’ and ‘’pop’’ were heard, followed by a very loud groan.

‘’Touch her again and I’ll break every single one of your fingers. Understood?’’ He nodded furiously and she finally let go of his hand. ‘’No means no, asshole.’’

She turned to look at you. ‘’You ok?’’

‘’Yes, thank you. You need to show me how to do that.’’

She laughed. ‘’Not a problem.’’

You walked her back to the bar and walked around it to go behind and top off her drink. ‘’On the house.’’ You smiled. ‘’As a thank you.’’

From that night on, you had made your first friend in this town. She was there almost every night and it was nice to have someone to talk with in-between customers. She did end up touching you on how to break a few knuckles and after the first time you had done it to one of the regulars, the customers started respecting you and you got gropped a lot less. In a way, Nat took you under her wing and taught you a few things about not only the town you were now living in, but also the people and a few more self-defense moves.

Natasha could tell that you had some kind of trust issues, she recognized the signs of someone wanting to be friendly but keeping people at arm’s length. She had done it multiple times herself. She respected your boundaries and didn’t push you too much, but after a little over a month of knowing you without actually knowing anything about you, curiosity won and she had to ask some questions.

‘’What’s your story, anyway? How did you end up in Nightfall?’’

You had been wiping the countertop a few seats away from her and her questions had you raise your gaze to look at her. You stopped wiping and shrugged.

‘’Just the usual clichés. Met a guy, fell in love, thought he was the one, got engaged, came back home early from a business trip and found him fucking someone that wasn’t me.’’

You looked down again, still embarrassed about how blinded by love you had been to not notice all the signs that were right in your face the entire time. In hindsight, he had been kind of an asshole for most of your relationship.

Natasha nodded, now understanding why you were keeping your distance. You had been hurt, betrayed and humiliated by the one person you thought would protect you from those kinds of things.

‘’I’m sorry that happened to you.’’

‘’Thanks. Guess happy endings aren’t for everyone, uh?’’ You tried to joke.

‘’Happy endings? Like in fairy tales?’’ She had a playful smile tugging at her lips.

‘’I know, it’s stupid.’’ You sighed. ‘’All my life people told me I was dumb for believing in true love and for being so optimistic. I guess they were right.’’

‘’Fuck those people for making you think you’re dumb and fuck your ex for being an asshole. There’s nothing dumb about being hopeful, hell we could all use a little more hope in our lives. Especially in this town.’’

You smiled at her words and felt oddly comforted by the fact that she made you feel validated.

‘’I have to ask how a girl like you that believes in true love and hope ended up working in a bar, because I’m guessing this wasn’t your life plan.’’

You poured her another drink. ‘’What tipped you off?’’

‘’The being underpaid and over groped part.’’ She pointed out and took her glass.

You laughed. ‘’I didn’t go to college after high school, I worked at my dad’s company for years. This was supposed to be temporary until I found something better but it’s been two months and I still haven’t found a thing. Finding a job in a small town isn’t as easy as one would think. Especially for an outsider.’’

A customer at the other end of the bar caught your attention, signaling that he needed another beer by shaking the empty bottle in his hand.

‘’I’ll be right back.’’ You said to Natasha before walking over to him and exchanging his empty beer for a new one.

‘’Well sweets, I might have something for you.’’

Your eyebrows furrowed at the nickname. ‘’Sweets?’’

‘’Yeah, that’s your new nickname. Because you’re all innocent and sweet.’’

You chuckled. ‘’M’kay. What do you have for me?’’

‘’I’m running a garage not far from here and I really need someone to handle all the office work like paperwork, customer files and so on. The boys take turns to work there but they are useless when it comes to paperwork. Great mechanics, shitty office workers.’’

‘’I never would have guessed you were the kind of woman to own a garage.’’

‘’I don’t own it, I run it. Steve’s the owner.’’

‘’Who’s Steve?’’

‘’Guess you’re gonna have to take the job to find out.’’ She smirked behind her drink.

‘’Of course I’m taking the job, are you kidding? Anything to get out of here.’’

‘’Great. The guys are gonna love you.’’

‘’When do I start?’’

‘’How about you come over tomorrow afternoon so I can show you around and then start the day after? Do you have to give a two weeks notice?’’

You shrugged. ‘’I don’t know, and honestly I don’t care.’’

‘’Damn sweets, look at you being wild.’’

You laughed and stuck your tongue out at her. She gave you a business card with the address of the garage on it.

‘’Just show up whenever, I’m guessing you won’t be up before noon.’’

‘’Depends on how long I have to stay.’’ You grimaced, there were always a few men that got too drunk and it took forever to get them to leave.

Natasha got up and paid for her drinks. ‘’I’ll see you tomorrow.’’

‘’See ya tomorrow, boss.’’ You grinned and she rolled her eyes.

You looked down at the card in your hands. Rogers Mechanics.

You put the card in your back pocket and went back to work.

You got stuck at the bar, as expected, and you were only able to leave about an hour and a half after you were supposed to. It only made it that much liberating and satisfying to announce you were quitting as you walked out.

You woke up the next afternoon at 1 and quickly got up and ready. You were excited for your new job and to be able to work with the only friend you had in this town and do something that you were used to doing. You felt like your life was finally starting going in the right direction for the first time in months. You quickly did your hair and got dressed. You were pretty sure that how you dressed didn’t really matter for this job so you wore a pair of black jeans, a white t-shirt that you tucked in and a pair of black converse. At the last minute you decided to grab your red flannel and tied it around your waist.You grabbed your phone, your keys and your wallet and left your apartment, walking down the flight of stairs that led to the parking lot behind the building. You got in your car and arrived at the garage 15 minutes later. Natasha was right, it was close. You parked into the lot and got out of your car. You were still a little bit asleep and the sun was blinding you, you reached into your car for your sunglasses and put them on.

You looked around, not sure where you were supposed to go because there was a building on each side of the lot with no indications as to where the office was.

One of the mechanics spotted you and called out for Nat. You saw the door from the building at the back of the lot fly open and your friend came out.

‘’Sweets! Come here.’’ She grinned, almost screaming at you. She acted like an embarrassing parent on the first day of school

You rolled your eyes, not that she could see because of your sunglasses, and shook your head as you walked over to her.

‘’It’s nice not to see as much of your legs than usual.’’ She called out.

You gasped, pretending to be offended. ‘’What’s wrong with my legs?’’

‘’I don’t think you want me to go there.’’ She joked.

You moved your sunglasses to the top of your head once you stood in front of her.

‘’I’m gonna regret taking the job, aren’t I?’’

She wrapped her arm around your shoulders, taking you in the office and into the garage where most of the guys were working on either cars or motorcycles.

‘’Oh yeah.’’ She laughed.

‘’Great. Maybe I can still get my job back at the bar, or do you think it’s too late?’’

‘’You aren’t going back there. You’re staying right here and you’re gonna burn those damn shorts. I like you sweets, but the image of your legs is burned into my brain and I would like to get rid of it.’’

You stopped next to a man who had his head under the hood of a car.

You looked down at your legs. ‘’Again with the legs, now I’m really starting to think something’s wrong with them.’’

Natasha laughed and knocked gently on the hood of the car to get the man’s attention without startling him. A little system they came up with when one of the guys knocked his head so hard on the hood of the car he had been working on that he had needed stitches, all because someone had called out his name and startled him.

The man stood back up and looked at you. God, that man was tall.

He wiped his hands on a rag and smiled at the two of you.

‘’Steve, this is the new girl. sweets meet Steve.’’

You groaned at the nickname and held out your hand to shake his. ‘’Nice to meet you Steve, please don’t feel the need to call me that.’’ You chuckled.

He was about to shake your hand but noticed it was still a little dirty. ‘’I’ll shake your hand later, when my hands are clean.’’ He smiled.

‘’Why? It’s just a bit of grease. It won’t kill me.’’ You chuckled as he shook your hand.

A man, just as tall as Steve appeared from behind him. ‘’I keep hearing things about seeing too much of someone’s legs and now a girl who isn’t afraid to get a little grease on her, what’s going on? Is it my birthday and I forgot?’’ He teased, a playful smirk on his lips.

‘’That’s Bucky, don’t mind him. You’ll learn to tune him out.’’ Natasha rolled her eyes at him.

‘’I can’t wait until the day I learn to tune you out.’’ You told her, sighing.

Bucky and Steve started laughing.

‘’I like her.’’ Steve nodded approvingly.

‘’Come on, sweets, I’ll give you the tour.’’

You groaned, annoyed. ‘’Why couldn’t you find a nickname that doesn’t make me sound like a 10-year old girl?’’

‘’What’s the fun in that?’’

‘’Oh, so that’s your plan. Being a pain in my ass?’’

‘’Took you long enough to figure it out.’’

You huffed. ‘’I hate you.’’

‘’You and I both know that’s a lie.’’

‘’Do we, though?’’ You narrowed your eyes, looking at her.

‘’Ok boys, say goodbye. I’m gonna give you the grand tour’’ Natasha put her arm around your shoulders again and turned you around to go back to the office and closed the door behind you.

Bucky opened his mouth but got cut off by Steve holding up his hand without even looking at the man behind him. ‘’Don’t.’’ He turned around to go back to his previous task.’’Keep it in your pants, Bucky.’’ He warned him.

Bucky frowned. ‘’You’re no fun.’’

‘’I’m serious, Buck. Natasha says that she’s been through hell over the past couple of months and the last thing she needs is you trying to get in her pants.’’

‘’Fine. But if she comes to me I’m not turning her down.’’ Bucky said, walking back to the motorcycle he had been working on.

Steve laughed. ‘’With your cheesy pick up lines? I don’t think it’s something we need to worry about.’’

Bucky turned around and pointed a finger at him harshly. ‘’Hey! Those lines work all the time.’’

‘’Do they really work, or is it because you drive a motorcycle and have tattoos so they just pretend to laugh so they can get laid?’’

Bucky opened his mouth, then closed it.

‘’Exactly.’’ Steve rolled his eyes. ‘’Plus the first thing you said to her was about her legs, not the best first impression.’’

‘’Why not? Girls like when I say those kinds of things.’’

‘’Does she strike you as the kind of girl who wants to be hit on by talking about her like her legs are the only part of her body that’s interesting?’’

‘’Ok, ok.’’ Bucky raised his hands in surrender. ‘’Enough with the truth bombs before you start to make me doubt my irresistible charm.’’

‘’Well, about that-’’

Bucky cut him off by throwing a rag at him. ‘’Shut up.’’

Steve pointed at the motorcycle in front of Bucky. ‘’Get back to work, Barnes. I’m not paying you to stand around.’’

‘’Yes, Prez.’’ He rolled his eyes and got back to work.

Once Natasha had closed the door, she started laughing. ‘’Don’t worry about Bucky. He’s a flirt but he’s harmless. Just don’t let him charm you into getting into his bed. He’s sweet but he’s not the kind of guy that’s going to call you back.’’

‘’I appreciate the warning, but believe me it’s going to take me a long time to trust men again.’’ You felt a lump in your throat as you started to think about what happened and quickly cleared your throat. ‘’Tell me about the job.’’

You smiled but Natasha could tell that you were still in pain and understandably so. She worries about you. She has never seen you cry and you seem like you would listen to everyone’s problems and take them as your own but never share your own pain, which usually ended badly. She wanted to ask if you wanted to talk about it, try to get you to open up to her because keeping it all inside couldn’t be good for you but she didn’t want to push you so instead she followed your lead and brought the subject back to the job.

‘’This is where you are going to work. We’re trying to put all the customers’ files into the computer but like I said last night, the guys were useless and barely anything was done so if you could do that, it would be totally amazing. Just organize everything in a way that works for you and makes it easier for us when we’re looking for something.’’

You looked around the small office as she talked. It had a door connecting to the garage for easy access and a front door that led to the parking lot, the one Nat came out of to greet you. There was a small wooden desk facing the front door with one side pushed up against the wall and it was covered with discarded papers, the computer stood in the middle of it all and behind your desk there was the filing cabinet that was covered with greased fingerprints.

Natasha pointed to the small metal box that was hung on the wall next to the door to the garage. ‘’That’s where we put the customer’s keys, in case one of the guys ask you for it but usually they come pick them up themselves.’’

You nodded, smiling. ‘’This is your work space so you do whatever you want with it, make it your own. Feel free to lock the doors when you don’t want to be disturbed, if the guys really need to come inside they’ll knock. Also, don’t let them rope you into being their little errand girl. If they want coffee or beers, they know where to get it.’’

You laughed and shrugged. ‘’I don’t mind bringing them drinks.’’

‘’It starts with coffee and then one day you’re doing Sam’s grocery shopping and it’s all downhill from there.’’

‘’Noted.’’ You laughed.

‘’Sometimes the guys will bring you lists of parts or tools they need. The program we use to place the orders is very easy, I’ll show you tomorrow but that’s the only thing you do for them.’’

‘’And bring them the keys.’’

Natasha nodded. ‘’If they give you shit, you come to me and I’ll handle it.’’

‘’Yes ma’am.’’

She walked outside and you followed her out, putting your sunglasses back on. Natasha turned around to look at you.

‘’Not used to being out in the sun anymore, uh?’’

‘’When did the sun get so bright? I don’t remember it being so blinding.’’ You laughed. You pointed to the building on the other side of the lot. ‘’Is this yours, too?’’

Natasha nodded and waved around. ‘’This entire lot is Steve’s.’’

You looked around as she waved and noticed a row of motorcycles that you had somehow missed when you arrived.

‘’Ooooh.’’ You said excitedly as you moved towards the bikes. ‘’Whose are these?’’

You admired them one by one. You noticed that each body was marked with ‘’The 107th’’.

‘’The guys.’’ Natasha answered, watching you.

She wasn’t the only one watching you. Sam had heard your excitement when you noticed the bikes and called the other guys over. Bucky hadn’t even tried to hide how eager he was to see more of you.

‘’What is she doing?’’ Bucky asked Sam.

‘’I don’t know, she saw the bikes and just went straight to them.’’

Bucky crossed his arms and watched you, ignoring Steve glaring at him.

You looked up to Natasha. ‘’What’s the 107th?’’ You asked curiously.

‘’It’s the name of their motorcycle club.’’

You had heard about the 107th, people around town often talked about them and gossiped about the members. They kinda had a bad reputation around here.

‘’That’s their clubhouse behind you. You can hang out there anytime, the guys like to throw parties and you are welcome to join anytime.’’

You smiled. ‘’Thanks.’’

You kept looking at the bikes, stopping in front of one that caught your attention more than the others. ‘’Wow.’’

It was different from the others because where the other bikers had chrome details, this one had gold. You took off your sunglasses and got closer, being careful not to touch it.

‘’I think this is the first bike that I've seen that has been completely customized.’’ You said, impressed.

Natasha looked surprised. ‘’How did you know?’’

‘’The gold for starters, then the paint job on it. That black is unique, probably made just for this one bike. The tails, the lights, the exhaust pipe and even the ignition switch. There’s not a single standard part on it.’’

‘’Shit.’’ Bucky said as he heard you talk about his bike.

‘’What?’’ Sam asked.

‘’I’m gonna marry this girl.’’

The boys started laughing. ‘’You know married men usually don’t sleep with every girl they see in a skirt? Don’t think that’s the life for you, bud.’’

‘’Fuck girls in skirts.’’ He pointed at you admiring his bike. ‘’That is the hottest thing I’ve ever seen a girl do. And I’ve seen things you couldn’t even imagine.’’

‘’And we don’t want to know.’’ Sam added quickly before Bucky decided to share details.

You were about to walk away from the bike when you noticed that there was a small spot that hadn’t been polished properly, the product hadn’t been wiped down and you couldn’t leave it there. You grabbed the bottom of your flannel that was tied to your waist and crouched down to be at eye level.

Bucky stopped breathing, grabbing Steve’s arm. ‘’What is she doing?’’

He absolutely hated when people touched his bike, at least anyone that wasn’t part of the club or a prospect.

Bucky dropped his hand from Steve’s arm and moved to exit the garage.

‘’Hold on.’’ Steve called out and held him back. ‘’She knows what she’s talking about. She hasn’t touched a single bike since she started looking at them. She knows she’s not allowed to. Let’s just see what she does.’’

‘’But, my baby…’’

‘’Will be fine. Calm down.’’ Steve rolled his eyes and let go of him.

You made sure not to touch the part directly with your fingers as to not leave any fingerprint that would ruin the polishing job that had been done on it. You gently wiped, following the same motion that the person before you did and moved a bit to see it from a different angle. Now it was perfect. You smiled and stood up, letting go of your flannel.

‘’I- I need to walk away before I lose control and go ask her to marry me.’’ Bucky walked back into the garage as he shook his head like he was trying to get his mind straight, making the other men laugh and they all went back to work.

‘’What are you doing?’’ Natasha looked at you, a playful smile on her lips.

‘’There was a tiny spot that hadn’t been wiped down and it was driving me nuts. Sorry.’’

Natasha nodded before yelling. ‘’PROSPECT, GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE.’’

‘’Jesus.’’ You jumped slightly, not expecting her to start yelling.

A little scrawny kid rushed out of the clubhouse and jogged towards you.

He looked like a kid but you knew he had to be at least 21 if he was here.

She pointed at Bucky’s bike. ‘’Wanna explain to me why my friend just had to wipe polish from the bike you were told to take care of this morning? I believe the words shine and perfection were used when Bucky told you to take care of his bike.’’

The poor guy looked nervous and terrified.

‘’I’ll redo it completely. Sorry.’’

‘’Get to it then.’’

The prospect ran back inside.

‘’You didn’t have to yell at him for one tiny spot, I took care of it.’’ You felt guilty that you were the reason he got yelled at.

Natasha laughed. ‘’Don’t worry about the prospect, we love to rough him up. Gotta earn that kutte.’’

She brought you inside and showed you around the clubhouse. You were about to leave when she called out to you.

‘’One more thing. There are things that you will see, things that you will hear that cannot be repeated outside of this lot, ok? What happens here and is said here, stays here.’’

You nodded. ‘’Understood.’’

‘’I’m serious. If this makes you uncomfortable, tell me now and there won’t be any hard feelings. But if you choose to stay, I trust you to do the right thing. And I don’t trust people easily.’’

You smiled at her reassuringly. ‘’If I work here, will I be safe?’’

‘’Of course.’’

You shrugged. ‘’Then that’s all I need to know.’’ You smiled one last time and walked over to the door. ‘’What time do you need me here tomorrow?’’

‘’The garage opens at 9 so 8-8:30.’’

‘’You got it.’’ And with that you left.

Here you are, one week later. It’s Friday and you just finished your first week at the garage. Surprisingly, you really enjoyed it. The guys had made a mess of everything but it wouldn’t take you too much time to fix it.

Steve’s head appears from the garage. ‘’Clocking out?’’ He smiles.

‘’Yes, sir.’’ You smile at him and grab your coat from the back of the chair.

‘’Do you have a minute, before you leave?’’

‘’Of course, what’s up?’’

‘’Oh, I don’t know. Nat’s the one who needs to talk to you. She’s in the clubhouse, I’m just the messenger.’’

You laugh. ‘’Ok, I’ll lock up and go over there.’’

‘’I’ll wait for you, I have to meet the boys.’’

You nod and quickly look around to make sure you aren’t forgetting anything. You lock the door between the office and the garage and step outside with Steve, locking the door behind you.

It’s a very short walk to the clubhouse and you couldn’t help but wonder why Steve waited for you.

He opens the door and holds it for you. ‘’After you.’’

‘’Why, thank you.’’ You chuckle and walk inside. There was a short hallway that led to a big room with a bar and a pool table, the small living room was right on the other side of the pool table. You aren’t sure why they have that table because the whole time you have been here you’ve only seen people sit on it and no one actually plays but you prefer not to ask.

‘’Nat?’’ You call out before reaching the end of the hallway. You stop and smile at the sight in front of you.

‘’Surprise!’’ She smiles at you.

They threw you a small ‘’welcome to the family’’ dinner party with all the club, even the prospect was there.

‘’You survived your first week with these guys so I thought you deserved to have a little fun.’’

‘’And food.’’ You point at the pool table that is covered with food.

Natasha rolls her eyes. ‘’And food. I knew I should have kept it out of sight until I was done talking. There’s no way you’re going to listen to me now, is there?’’

‘’Exactly, that’s on you.’’ You laugh and give her a bear hug, squeezing her. ‘’Thank you.’’

‘’You’re welcome sweets, now go eat.’’

You laugh. ‘’Yes ma’am. I’ll be right back.’’

You walk out of the room and to the kitchen, putting your jacket and bag down and turn around to go back to the other room and eat. Everyone was sitting in the living room with their own plates. You grabbed one for yourself, took a little bit of everything and joined them in the living room. You sat down on one of the couches and began eating.

As you ate, you talked with everyone. It was a great way to end the week.

‘’So,’’ Sam starts. ‘’What brings you to our little town? You told us that you needed some change in your life but you never told us why.’’

‘’If I tell you, I’ll have to kill you.’’ You joked.

‘’It’s a risk I’m willing to take. Spill.’’

You sigh and look down at your empty plate.

‘’Sam…’’ Nat looks at him, shaking her head no to let him know to drop it.

You look up and clear your throat. ‘’No, no. It’s fine. I can talk about it.’’

‘’So, as you know I’m not from around here.’’ You start explaining with a smile. ‘’I moved here about two months ago. I had a little boring life, y’know? I was working for my dad, I met a guy and I fell in love. I was so sure he was the one that when he asked me to marry him after less than a year of being together I said yes.’’ You couldn’t stop the small chuckle that escaped your lips, in hindsight you should have waited before saying yes but the hopeless romantic in you couldn’t wait.

‘’Stupid, naive puppy love you know?’’ You continue. ‘’I traveled often for work and my boyfriend was always very supportive. He had a very successful career and he wanted me to have the same so he didn’t mind me barely being home. At some point one of the trips got cut short because my dad got sick so I came home early and I walked in on him having sex with some girl on my kitchen counter. Turns out that him being so supportive was just because he couldn’t wait for me to leave so he could bring her home. He couldn’t have cared less about what I was doing, as long as I was out of the house. The asshole was still inside of her when he saw me and he had the nerves to tell me that it wasn’t what it looked like.’’ You shook your head. ‘’So, I left him and I moved away to make sure I didn’t have to run into him everywhere I went.’’

No one was saying anything and you were getting uncomfortable. You start chewing on your bottom lip and look down at your hands.

‘’If you live here, where does he live?’’ Bucky’s the first one to speak up.

‘’I don’t know. I think he kept the house.’’ You look at him.

‘’Do you have a specific address?’’

You frown with confusion. ‘’Uh, yes-’’

‘’Don’t.’’ Nat cuts you off. ‘’Don’t say anything unless you want your ex to be eating through a plastic straw for the next 6 months.’’

‘’Oh.’’ Now you understand why Bucky wanted to know. ‘’Well…’’ You tap your finger on your chin as you pretend to think about it.

‘’You give me an address toots and I’ll take care of him for you.’’

You laugh and smile at Bucky, who was sitting in front of you. ‘’I know you would, but he’s not worth your time or energy.’’

At some point during the week Bucky had started calling you toots, you didn’t know why and you didn’t ask. The nickname never failed to make you smile and you didn’t want him to stop using it.

After that, no one talked. The silence is so awkward and heavy with tension, you feel like it’s suffocating you. You stand up and start picking up plates and empty cups. You quickly walk to the kitchen and throw everything in a plastic bag.

In the living room, everybody is glaring at Sam.

‘’No.’’ He says pointing at Nat. ‘’Don’t you dare put this on me. Next time you hire someone that’s been through hell and still suffering, you tell me about it BEFORE I decide to ask questions to get to know them. I’m not a mind reader.’’

Nat knows Sam is right. She had told Steve about your story when she told him that she had hired you but she never thought of telling the other guys.

‘’I’m sorry.’’ She says. ‘’I’ll go check on her and bring her back.’’

She moves to stand up but Bucky holds her back. ‘’I’ll go.’’

He quickly stands up but Natasha grabs his wrist before he can walk away. ‘’I know you have this little crush on her or whatever, but you better not try and take advantage of the fact that she’s vulnerable so you can get laid. That’s what the hangarounds are for.’’

Bucky scoffs. ‘’I know I like to have sex, but I’m not an asshole. Jesus Christ. Your opinion of me really sucks.’’ He rolls his eyes and pulls on his wrist. He walks away, shaking his head.

‘’Don’t worry.’’ Steve says to her. ‘’I’m keeping a close eye on him. I warned him on day one.’’

‘’Good.’’ She says, watching his back disappear in the kitchen.

You stand in front of the sink, facing the small window above it. You look up at the sky, admiring the moon and how bright the stars are here compared to back home.

You are so focused on the sky, that you didn’t even hear Bucky’s footsteps as he came to check up on you.

Bucky stops in the doorway and knocks gently on the doorway to let his presence known.

The knock brings you out of your thoughts. You turn around and smile when you see Bucky.

‘’Hey toots.’’ He takes a few steps towards you. He doesn’t get too close, not wanting to make you feel trapped. It’s a small kitchen and he takes a lot of space, he doesn’t want to intimidate you.

‘’Hey Buck.’’ You greet him softly.

‘’Are you ok?’’ He tilts his head slightly to the side and looks at your face and eyes.

You nod. ‘’Yeah. I’m fine.’’ You smile again, hoping it was convincing but he saw right through it.

For some reason, Bucky has been able to read you like an open book since he met you. You couldn’t lie to him, no matter how convincing you tried to be.

‘’Come here.’’ He smiles and opens his arms.

You walk into his arms and put your arms under his kutte, wrapping them around his back.

He puts his arms around your shoulders and cradles the back of your head with his right hand, making you rest your head in the crook of his neck as if he was trying to shield you from the entire world. He runs his fingers through your hair, careful to not get it tangled in his rings, like the first time he had hugged you.

You and Bucky have gotten incredibly close throughout the week. On your first day of work he had brought you a chocolate muffin to apologize for how he had approached you the day before and asked you if you could start over. You’re glad you accepted his apology (and his muffin) because you get along very well with him and he’s very fun to be around.

Nat keeps warning you about him and you try to keep your distance because she asks you to. Truthfully, you aren’t trying that hard to stay away.

Whereas Steve’s been watching Bucky’s every move to make sure he doesn’t cross any line. Bucky also tries to keep his distance, he doesn’t like having Steve watch over his every move, but it never lasts really long. You always find your way back to each other.

He kisses the top of your head. ‘’I’m serious you know, you say the word and I’ll take care of him.’’ He whispers close to your ear.

You shake your head as best as you could as he’s still holding you against him. ‘’He’s not worth it. Karma will get to him eventually.’’

‘’If that’s all it takes, I’ll change my name to Karma and I will definitely get to him.’’

You laugh again and sniffle, blinking away the tears that fought their way to the surface. His left hand leaves your back to gently grab your chin and pull your head away from his neck. His jaw clenches when he sees that you’ve been crying.

‘’You’re sure I can’t hurt him?’’ You shake your head again, knowing that if you tried to talk your voice would break. ‘’What if it’s just a little bit? I’ll just break a couple of fingers, maybe a toe or two.’’

You laugh and Bucky smiles. He lets go of your chin and gently wipes off the tears from your right cheek then your left. ‘’There she is.’’

He kisses your forehead and takes a step back. ‘’Now get yourself together woman, we have a party to get back to.’’ He winks at you.

He lets go of you and swipes his thumbs under your eyes to collect the few stubborn tears that escaped your eyes. ‘’Take your time, come back when you’re ready.’’ He says more seriously.

‘’Thank you, James.’’

‘’Mmmh. I love it when you say my name.’’ He says seductively as he grins.

You roll your eyes. ‘’If hearing your name turns you on that means you really need to get laid.’’

‘’Are you offering?’’ He wiggles his eyebrows with a big goofy smile stretching his lips.

You shake your head, pretending to be annoyed when you were trying really hard not to laugh. ‘’You’re such a dork.’’

‘’That’s a no then?’’ He pouts. ‘’I’m not that horny anyway, it’s just because you’re the one saying it, toots.’’ He winks.

‘’Oh my god.’’ You roll your eyes again, laughing.

‘’You can call me James. No need to use the fancy name.’’ He smirks.

You walk quickly around him and leave the kitchen. ‘’Someone needs to save me from the king of cheesy pickup lines, please.’’

You hear Bucky’s boots thumping on the floor, following closely behind you and before you could reach the living room he wraps his arms around you and lifts you up. He gently throws you over his shoulder and walks the rest of the way to join the others.

‘’What were you saying toots? I’m the king?’’

‘’It must be nice to be able to pick and choose what you hear.’’ You lift your head up to look at your friends. ‘’Hi guys.’’ You wave. ‘’Thank you for not helping me, by the way.’’

You huff. ‘’Bucky, put me down.’’

‘’Do you guys hear something?’’ He pretends not to hear you, and you know exactly why.

‘’You’re an even bigger pain in the ass than Nat.’’ He chuckles.

‘’Fiiiiine.’’ You whine. ‘’James, put me down.’’

He gently drops you into the couch and grins at you. ‘’See, all you needed to do was ask nicely.’’

Sam looks at the two of you, cocking a brow at your little banter but chooses not to comment on it. Sam gets up and holds out his hand for you. ‘’Hey sweets, can I talk to you?’’

Natasha’s nickname had caught on and now nobody uses your actual name.

‘’Of course.’’ You grab his hand and get up just as Bucky was sitting down next to you.

Sam lets go of your hand and walks into the hallway, far enough so that you have privacy. You follow behind him. ‘’What’s up?’’ You ask him when he stops.

‘’I just wanted to say that I’m sorry, for making you tell us what happened.’’ He rubs the back of his neck. ‘’I know it’s still painful and I wouldn’t have asked if I had known.’’

‘’Sam, no, it’s ok. I think it’s time I start moving forward and the only way to do that is to talk about it. I’m glad I told you guys.’’ You smile reassuringly at him.

‘’Yeah?’’ You nod. ‘’So I’m forgiven?’’

‘’There’s nothing to forgive Sam. Don’t worry about it.’’

He throws his arm around your shoulders and starts walking back to the others with you. ‘’Can you say that to Nat, before she hurts me and makes it look like an accident.’’

‘’She scares you, uh?’’

‘’Terrifies would be more accurate.’’

You walk into the living room laughing with Sam. You try to go sit down but Sam’s arm keeps you to his side. He looks at you then at Natasha.

‘’Oh.’’ You turn to look at Natasha. ‘’Sam wants me to tell you that I’m not mad at him and that he’s forgiven and to please not hurt him and make it look like an accident.’’

Natasha narrows her eyes, looking at Sam. ‘’I’ll think about it.’’

You look up at Sam. ‘’Satisfied?’’

‘’Not really, but I think that’s as good as it’s gonna get.’’ He takes his arm off of you and sits back down.

You walk back to the couch and sit next to Bucky. You turn your head to look at him and you are surprised to see how tense he looks. Especially when the two of you had been laughing like children less than 5 minutes ago.

‘’Hey.’’ You whisper to get his attention. He turns his head and looks at you. ‘’You ok?’’

You see him relax and he smiles. ‘’All good.’’

You had been too busy laughing with Sam and talking to Nat that you had missed the way Bucky was glaring at Sam when he saw his arm around you.

The remainder of the night went without a hitch. You got to know all of them and about the club. They explained to you what the club was and how it worked, you had no idea how structured a M.C. was until now.

‘’Ok, so if I understand. Steve is the president.’’ Steve nods. ‘’Bucky’s the VP.’’ Bucky nods. ‘’Sam’s the sergeant at arms, whatever that means.’’ Sam nods. ‘’Peter’s the prospect and then Clint, Vis and Tony are regular members and Bruce’s the secretary/treasurer?’’

Everybody cheered. ‘’She finally got it right.’’

‘’I’m learning Tony, stop making fun of me.’’ You pout.

‘’Oh, poor princess. I promise you’ll get over it.’’

‘’We’re using nicknames now, are we? Fine, old man.’’

Tony laughs and stands up. ‘’All right kids, time for the adults to go to bed.’’

Bruce stands up followed by Clint, Vis and Peter.

‘’Everybody’s leaving?’’

‘’Nah toots. No one rides alone, especially not at night.’’ Bucky explains to you.

‘’Drive safe guys.’’ You smile at them as they leave and turn to Nat. ‘’What time is it?’’

She checks her phone. ‘’1:30.’’

‘’Ugh. I need to go if I ever want to go back to a normal sleeping schedule.’’

You move to the edge of the couch and stretch, raising your hands over your head. You had been sitting for hours without moving and your whole body felt numb. Bucky pulls you back against his chest and puts his arm around your waist to keep you in place.

‘’You can sleep right here.’’ He hugs you, making you laugh.

‘’Do I even want to know what was done on this couch?’’ You joke.

Steve laughs. ‘’It’s probably best if you don’t.’’

‘’Then I’m definitely going to sleep in my own bed.’’

Bucky laughs. ‘’Well I don’t mind sleeping on this couch.’’

‘’Of course not, probably 99% of what’s on it came from you.’’ Steve rolls his eyes.

‘’Ew. I’m officially grossed out.’’ You stand up quickly.

‘’You ok to drive?’’ Nat asks.

‘’Yes, mom. I’ll just go grab my things from the kitchen and I’ll come say good night before leaving.’’

The second you leave the room, Bucky turns and glares at Steve. ‘’Did you really need to make that comment about the couch?’’

‘’Why not? it’s true.’’ He shruggs. Not seeing what the big deal was.

Bucky shakes his head, annoyed at Steve. ‘’You don’t have to remind her that I sleep around any chance you get.’’

Bucky usually doesn't really care if people know about his sex life, he's not ashamed of it but Steve knows that Bucky really cares about what people think of him when they truly matter to him. Bucky seems to really care about what is said about him when you're around and he gets annoyed easily whenever someone says something that makes him look bad.

"Interesting." Steve says under his breath, thinking out loud.

» ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴡᴏ: ᴛᴏᴏᴛꜱ

As always the cute dividers were made by the talented @firefly-graphics

So here it is, the first chapter of my new series. I hope you enjoyed it. Feedback is always appreciated. If there's any interest, I can make a taglist for this story.

Though I mentionned most of the Avengers, the story will mainly focus on Bucky, Steve, Sam, Natasha and Peter. As I said, this story is loosely based on SoA so there will be some similarities (ex; the garage and the lot).

Thank you for reading!

the barnes’ au

bucky barnes has settled down, living in a beautiful home in new orleans with his wife, a former avenger. these are the different stories of how they navigate being superheroes, spouses, and parents.

THIS SERIES IS CLOSED. you can still send asks but no one shots will be written about this series

note: the race of the people in the moodboard are not a reflection of reader, but are a reflection of the author. i write and create in my mindset, but leave the actual description of reader vague (this is something i am actively trying to become better at so older writings might not best at this) thank you for reading :)

headcanons (in chronological order)

the first time you met bucky

steve catches you and bucky having sex

bucky finds out how your powers work

bucky meets your ex-boyfriend

how bucky found out you were pregnant (both times)

bucky isn’t comfortable with you fighting while pregnant

@rosierose-e ‘s take on you during tfatws

you move in your new home

bucky during the birth of grant barnes

grant likes to lay on bucky’s chest

bucky likes how sensitive your nipples are

bucky likes watching you breastfeed

giving bucky some well deserved attention

bucky loves giving you and your baby kisses

baby grant barnes loves bucky’s metal arm

bucky sings and help baby grant (and you) sleep

grant is teething and bucky’s metal arm helps once again

you and bucky start trying for another baby

you get alpine!

you look adorable with your baby bump

you get hurt while pregnant with becca

you give birth to becca

baby becca likes to pull bucky’s long hair

bucky comforts you about your body insecurity

grant gets in a fight at preschool

grants starts calling you baby doll

field trip w/ grant

bucky breaks his wedding ring

grant and becca put magnets on bucky’s arm

the barnes’ take care of you when you’re sick

halloween with the barnes’

you get flirted with at school event

becca has a crush

becca and grant squabble

all the dads have a crush on you

a glimpse at grant and becca’s teenage years

you get subby for bucky

the kids walk in on you and bucky

you and bucky are a power couple

grant is your baby boy

you tell the kids you’re pregnant

you get cravings at 3am

bucky tells the kids about his past

grant yells at you

grant’s friends think you’re hot

you can’t stop lactating and bucky helps you

becca is insecure

becca’s first break up

becca finds out you dated quicksilver

grant starts dating samantha wilson

grant ask bucky for sex advice

bucky pours his heart out to grant

the barnes twins

one shots (in chronological order)

the fall

the journey

maniacs

faq

bucky’s favorite positions (visuals included)

tags for this au:

#the barnes’ au

#babydoll’s past

#the barnes’ vacay

“I can’t sleep with you forever on my mind”

him (via bitemybxttomlip)

Honey Girl. Chapter Three.

Chapter One. Chapter Two. Series Masterlist. The Playlist.

Chapter Synopsis - You and Bucky get closer. Your choice only gets harder.

Pairing - Dad'sBestFriend!Bucky Barnes x Female Reader - soulmate au.

Word Count - 6.4k

Age Rating - 18+

Warnings - smut. cursing. angst. alcohol consumption.

Author's Note - angels, i can only apologise for the wait!! i've had some stuff going on, and i was on vacation, so this has taken a while. thank you so much for your patience, kindness and support on Honey Girl - it means everything.

as always, reblogs, comments and feedback (even anonymous feedback!!) are immensely appreciated!! your reblogs are the only way to circulate my fics, which keeps me going <3 please, send me your thoughts, predictions, desires!! i will get excited with you!!

Masterlist. Inbox.

The sunlight seeps through the stained glass windows, murmured chatter echoing off the stone walls around you.

You smooth down your dress and adjust your bracelet, smiling at the rare sight of your family and friends all gathered together in one place. Your parents are sat on either side of you, all of you eagerly awaiting the beginning of this exciting occasion.

Man, you love weddings. You always have. So much happiness and joy in one short day, everyone excited about the possibility of eternal love.

You're still sat waiting when you realise, with quiet uncertainty, that you're not sure who's wedding this is. All of your family is here, as well as many of your friends. So why do you feel so confused all of a sudden?

The Priest gestures for all of the guests to stand just as the first notes of the Wedding March begin to reverberate around the room. You turn around, craning your neck to try and get a glimpse of the bride.

You don't know her, but she's... beautiful. Long, dark hair falling in waves over her shoulders, white silk dress hugging her frame perfectly, accentuating every dip and curve. She has kind eyes, warm and brown, and a blinding smile that's infectious and dazzling. Her skin glows in the stained glass sunlight, illuminating her in an ethereal radiance. She has a beauty that belongs on the cover of a magazine, or on the ceilings of the Sistine Chapel.

You eagerly turn back towards the altar to find out who her lucky groom is. He has his back to you, dark suit stretched across his broad shoulders. He turns, and you can't help the gasp that escapes your lips.

It's Bucky.

You're panicking, suddenly. You want to scream, shout, run over to them and object in any way possible. Your Mom grabs your hand tightly from one side, as your Dad does the same on the other.

"Mama, I have to-"

"You can't, sweetheart. It's not fair."

"You made your choice," your Dad says kindly, not an ounce of malice in his voice. "Now you have to let him make his."

White hot tears drip down your cheeks as your chest rises and falls with frantic frustration. This isn't how you wanted things to go. This wasn't supposed to happen.

The lights in the church are suddenly too bright, the wooden pews too hard. There's an incessant knocking noise coming from somewhere in front of you, loud and overwhelming. You swear someone's shouting your name in the distance, among all of the chaos.

"Honey? It's Bucky. Are you okay?"

Why is he asking if you're okay? Of course you're not okay, you're in this living nightmare.

Nightmare.

You're having a nightmare.

You wake with a startled gasp, cheeks wet and warm, sweat dripping down your back. The knocking hasn't stopped, in fact, now it's even louder.

"Sugar? Are you in there? Can you let me in?"

It's Bucky. Bucky's here.

You throw yourself out of bed and race through your apartment, swinging open the door. Bucky is stood on the other side, still in his navy plaid pyjama pants, sweater thrown over himself haphazardly. You look down at yourself and see that you're only wearing an old t shirt, legs bare and feet cold on the wooden floor.

"Are you okay?" he asks gently, stepping forward into your space. "I had this horrible feeling. It was like... like I was panicking. I knew it wasn't me so I figured it must have been you. What's wrong, sweets?"

He snakes his fingers around your wrist and pulls you into him gently, wrapping his arms around you completely. You relax into his embrace, inhaling the warm, cosy scent of him. All the fear leaves your body, and you cling to him tighter, worried that he'll disappear any minute.

"I had a nightmare," you whisper into the soft cotton of his chest.

He pulls back to look at you, large, calloused hands cradling your tear stained cheeks.

"You wanna talk about it?"

You deliberate for a second before shaking your head softly.

"If you change your mind, you know I'll always listen to you. Any time. I mean it."

"I know," you say quietly. "Thank you."

You step away from him and towards the couch, where you curl up with your legs tucked underneath you. Bucky walks over to the kitchen, filling the kettle and placing it on the stove. He makes two mugs of tea, handing one into your outstretched hands carefully. He shuffles to sit next to you, pressed into your side, arm slung around your shoulders. You relax into the broadness of him, the comfort he brings, the safety. The two of you fall asleep intertwined, warm and content, wrapped completely in each other and the blanket of your love.

✵  ✵    ·　 ✵ 　　 *  · ✵

You're both startled awake by a phone ringing. The unwelcome melody is coming from somewhere between where you're nestled together, limbs intertwined and bodies connected.

"It's-fuck- is that mine or yours?" Bucky's mumbling as he scrambles amongst the couch cushions.

"Yours, I think," you reply, finding your phone on the floor where you've kicked it in your sleep.

Bucky finally finds the source of the noise, trapped in the arm of the couch. He presses the green button reluctantly, still disorientated from being woken so suddenly.

"Hello?"

That deep, raspy grumble of his morning voice is enough to make you melt back into your original position, the tone golden and honeyed. You slide back towards him and tuck yourself into his side, the two of you fitting together perfectly.

You can hear muffled talking on the other end, which takes Bucky a minute to comprehend. When he does, his eyes widen, and he looks at you like a deer caught in headlights.

It's your Dad, he mouths silently, muscles in his body going rigid.

Fuck, you mouth back, praying that he can't hear the two sets of heaving lungs on your side of the line.

"Yeah, of course. I'll be there. Sounds good, man. See you then."

Bucky's about to hang up the phone, when your Dad makes a noise of complaint. You can hear your Mom yelling something at him in the background.

"They're coming here," he whispers to you as quietly as possible, covering the phone speaker. "Fuck, what do we do?"

"Tell them you're already here... borrowing something. Or giving something back."

You shoot him a look that says trust me. Trust you, he does.

"I'm with her right now. I can ask, if you want? Yeah, just dropping off a couple of tools - last time I saw her, she mentioned a few loose screws in one of the kitchen cabinets. Easy fix."

You can hear your Dad singing his praises and expressing his gratitude, and your Mom asking Bucky to put you on the phone. He passes it to you carefully, as if it's a bomb, bound to explode at any given second.

"Hi, Mama."

"Hey, sweetheart. Bucky get everything sorted for you?"

"Oh, yeah. He's been great. Fixed it in two minutes flat. I just didn't have the right kind of screwdriver."

"He's one of the good ones, huh?" she chuckles. "We called to tell you that you have to come to our get together later. I know it's a little impromptu, but we have so much produce from the garden, too much for just us. We'll have dinner in the backyard, and drinks, and play some games. And we'll tell you all about the wedding!"

Your Mother has a gift for hosting. She's a people person through and through, warm hearted and kind spirited in nature. She loves having people over at the house, loves cooking for them, loves choosing wine pairings for her dishes and explaining each one carefully. It's a gift. She's a gift.

"I'd love to come, Mama. Do you want me to bring anything? I can make desserts?"

"Oh, darling, would you? I'm making a strawberry and cream tart, but you know it's nothing compared to your talent."

"Oh hush," you chide playfully. "I'll see what I can conjure up. Maybe I'll even rope Bucky in to help."

You wink at him cheekily and he laughs, the sound settling gently in your ribs like a caged bird singing it's morning song.

"Glad to be of service!" he yells into the phone, his right hand moving to rest at the nape of your neck. He massages the muscle there gently, and the tension leaves your body just as quick as it arrived.

"What time, Mama?"

"Everyone's arriving at seven o'clock, but you and Bucky feel free to come any time. Did you hear that, Bucky? Any time!"

"Loud and clear," he chuckles. "See you soon, Lori."

"Bye, you two. Call if you need anything. Love you, sweetheart."

"Love you too."

She hangs up the phone and you're plunged into silence, the two of you panting like you've just ran a marathon.

"Fuck," Bucky breathes.

"Yeah, fuck," you exhale. "Now my parents think I'm not capable of fixing a loose screw."

"It was the first thing I thought of! Sorry, honey. Didn't mean to undermine your DIY skills."

You fake angry, but you can't keep it up while he's looking at you like you hung the moon just for him. The corners of your lips twitch, and before you know it, you're grinning at each other like idiots.

"Now I have to make dessert," you laugh. "There go my plans for the day."

"You offered."

"I panicked!"

"I'll give you a hand, if you need it. I don't have to be at work for another hour and a half."

"It's okay," you reassure, reaching out to link your fingers with his. He's still absentmindedly tracing patterns across the back of your neck, the sensation almost soothing you back to sleep.

You relax into Bucky, and he pulls you into his chest, wrapping his arms around you. He's so warm, and soft, and broad. You realise that there's been two occasions recently where you've slept like the dead. Both were in Bucky's arms.

"You wanna help me make breakfast?" you whisper, careful not to disrupt the golden glow of the morning sunlight. The orange hue of the room feels fragile, sacred even. You don't want to ruin it.

"Of course. I can't bake, but I can cook. I have my uses."

"That, you do," you tease, leaning back into him as he places a tender kiss on top of your head. If you could bottle up this feeling of complete tranquility, you would. For a moment, everything else disappears. It's just you and your soulmate. Nothing else matters.

✵  ✵    ·　 ✵ 　　 *  · ✵

Bucky, as it turns out, is a decent chef.

Sure, he's not Michelin star level, but neither are you.

You're sat on the counter, bare legs dangling over the side as you watch him move around your kitchen with ease, as if it's his own. You can't help but notice the way he belongs here. Like he's been here all along.

Bucky leaves everything cooking on the stove to come to stand in between your legs, warm hands splayed across your thighs. He rubs comforting circles into your skin while his steely blue eyes look at you intently.

"You okay?"

You smile at him softly, draping your arms around his neck to play with his hair.

"I'm fine."

You're not fine. The words California and Bakery and Dream Job and Bucky keep circling around your mind like horses on a fairground carousel. The more time you spend with Bucky, the more your Tethering makes sense. The two of you work. This connection you have is made of threads of gold, braided into both of your souls.

"You've been quiet all morning. And... I can feel it, you know. This anxious, sinking feeling, deep in my chest. There's something really bothering you, honey."

You take a deep breath and grasp onto his shoulders tightly, grounding yourself back down to Earth.

"I'm okay. There's just a couple of things I need to work out, and I think they're giving me some anxiety. I'm just stressed, I think."

"Are you trying to convince yourself, or me? Because you're not doing a very good job of either."

He's only teasing, but the way he's looking at you makes your breath hitch. It's as if everytime he looks into your eyes, he's also looking into your soul. It's like he can read your mind. Your heart is covered in braille and he's running his fingertips over it gently. You suddenly feel very exposed, shrinking down into yourself on the counter.

"Hey, pretty girl. Look at me. Please."

He uses his finger and thumb to tilt your face towards him, holding onto your chin gently.

"I'm sorry. I'm not trying to push you, or anything. I'm just worried. It's weird, being able to feel what you feel. I think I'm still getting used to it."

You smile at him carefully, running your fingers over the stubble on his cheeks.

"I appreciate you looking out for me, Buck. It's just... overwhelming, I guess. Nothing's a secret between me and you anymore."

You both know that's not true.

"You know, if there's anyone who understands how you feel... it's me."

"You're right," you laugh, "on account of the whole half-of-my-soul thing, I guess."

"Exactly. It's scary, but you're not alone in this. The two of us will figure it out. I know we will."

He has so much faith in you it makes you want to cry.

You wrap your legs around his waist, pulling him in closer to you. He leans down and presses a sweet kiss to your lips, firm and reassuring. It's like he's reminding you that he's right here, in front of you. He's not going anywhere.

You might be, though.

"We've got all the time in the world, remember?" he murmurs against your mouth.

"All the time in the world," you echo, tucking your head into his chest.

He holds you close until your breakfast starts to burn. The impending fire on the stove is nothing compared to the impending fire that feels like your future.

✵  ✵    ·　 ✵ 　　 *  · ✵

The two of you eat on your balcony, tangled together on the love seat chair. The sun is beating down, beams of light illuminating Bucky, setting him aglow. He looks like an angel, the golden hue creating a halo around him. You wonder for a second if he is. An angel sent just for you.

"Oh hey, did I tell you?" he asks, turning as much as he can in his spot to face you.

"Tell me what?"

"Leonie and Eli are having a baby."

"No way!" you exclaim, grabbing a hold of his hands in excitement. "I'm so happy for them. Man, it feels like yesterday that they found each other."

"Right? Hell of a story, too."

"Rough one, though. I mean, imagine it. You introduce your brother to your new girlfriend, and turns out they're soulmates."

Bucky's laughing so hard that he's clutching at his stomach, shaking the chair and you along with it.

"That's fucked," he wheezes. "It's so fucked."

You can't contain your own laughter, not when his is so contagious.

"It's not funny," you breathe, but you're giggling so hard your sides hurt.

"Not funny at all," he chuckles, pinching your thigh.

"If you think about it, our Tethering is a little fucked up too. I mean, you're my Dad's best friend."

"Yeah... not ideal, huh?" he teases, still laughing.

"Not ideal at all, really," you agree playfully.

You sit in the quiet for a moment before you speak again.

"What do you think they'll say? When we tell them, eventually?"

Bucky thinks for a moment, cogs turning in his brain. He considers carefully before he answers you.

"...I think they'll be happy for us. Your Mom'll be excited. It might be a little harder for your Dad to navigate, I guess, but... he'll be okay."

"Yeah. You're probably right."

The rational part of your brain is telling you that he is. They'll be ecstatic that the two of you have found your person. The celebrations will be endless.

But there's a tiny, nagging piece of your mind that won't let you rest. It's taunting you, telling you that they're going to be confused, shocked, upset. That they won't accept the two of you. You can't lose them over a soulmate. You won't.

You clear your throat and stand from your spot, picking up your empty plates.

"Don't you have to be at work soon? I doubt you can show up in pajamas."

"I'm the boss, pretty girl. I can wear whatever the hell I want."

You raise an eyebrow at him, and he relents.

"Fine. I need to change. But I'll see you later? At your Mom's?"

"Yeah, of course. I'll see you there."

You walk Bucky to the door, opening it expectantly. He looks at you for a moment too long, still unconvinced by your reassurances from earlier.

"If you need anything, just call me. You know you can talk to me anytime, yeah?"

"Yeah," you confirm, absentmindedly playing with the hem of his t shirt. "I know, Buck. Thanks."

He leans in to kiss your forehead before leaving you in the doorway, more confused than ever.

✵  ✵    ·　 ✵ 　　 *  · ✵

You commit your day to baking your feelings away.

As soon as Bucky left your apartment, the space felt empty, incomplete. Much like you do. As much as you hate to admit it, you feel better when Bucky is around. You know it's the whole Tethering thing, but still. Your heart feels fuller, the world seems brighter, the sun on your skin is warmer. Everything's easier when your soulmate is next to you.

You click on the radio, a soft, jazzy melody filling your kitchen. You begin to measure your ingredients, picking up bowls, utensils and your piping bags as you go.

This is the only thing you've ever felt like you were made to do. Sure, you've had hobbies as you've grown up. You're a good swimmer, you enjoyed soccer, you weren't too bad at dance. But nothing compared to baking.

Which at first, sounded ridiculous. Grown ups would ask you what you wanted to be when you were older, and when you said Baker, they'd laugh in that patronising way that adults do. It didn't stop you, though.

Your Grandma bought you a half empty recipe book for your tenth birthday. You can create your own and add them, she'd said. You'll be publishing a book with your name on in no time.

Your parents took you on a European vacation when you were sixteen. In Amsterdam, you passed this tiny little bakery, tucked away down a back street. It was red brick with a big window in the front, showcasing the cakes and endless sweet treats they had to offer. When you peered through the glass, you watched as the woman who you assumed was the owner went about her day. She looked so happy to be serving her customers. You decided then and there that was going to be you one day. A Bakery of your own. A happy life.

Which is why you're having such a hard time. You haven't talked to Stella since she called you, and you're worried she's going to change her mind if she doesn't hear from you soon. You haven't talked to Bucky about it either, even though he presented you with opportunity after opportunity this morning. It's starting to feel like the walls are caving in.

So, you do what you do best. Bake.

The day passes by quicker than anticipated, lost in a cloud of cinnamon and powdered sugar. You're wiping down your counters when your phone rings, Bucky's name lighting up your screen.

"Hi, Buck."

"Hey, pretty baby. You want me to pick you up later? I'm passing your place anyway."

He's always thinking of you so selflessly. The thought makes your heart stutter for a moment.

"You sure you don't mind?"

"Course not. I can drop by at six? Gives us enough time to help your Mom set up."

"Sounds perfect. Thanks, Buck."

"See you then, honey."

You hang up the phone and realise the hours have completely escaped you. You jump in the shower and do your hair and makeup in record time, miraculously. You're stood in a towel in front of your closet when you feel Bucky pull up outside. The tension in your chest eases a little, and you take a deep, full breath. He knocks on the door, and you completely relax.

"Hey, you," he greets, leaning in to press a kiss to your cheek.

You take a step back to look at him, and almost lose your balance. He looks ridiculously handsome. He's wearing a dark short sleeve button up that hugs his biceps so tightly, you're worried it might burst open. His jeans cling to his thighs deliciously, and the leather jacket slung over his shoulder adds a ruggedness that most men couldn't pull off. Your eyes rake over him slowly, taking him in from top to bottom. He lets you devour him, smirk never leaving his lips. Eventually, you meet his gaze.

"You see something you like?"

"You clean up real nice, Barnes," you tease, wrapping your arms around his neck and pressing a sweet kiss to his lips.

You untangle yourself from him before you jump his bones, and walk back to your closet. He follows you and sits on the edge of your bed, watching your every move like a hawk.

You pick out a sage green sundress that skims your thighs and hugs you in all the right places. It's a warm night, and your Mom loves to start a bonfire when it's cold.

"Close your eyes, playboy," you scold jokingly, laughing when he flops backwards to stare at your ceiling.

You slip the dress on, and realise it has a zipper at the back that you can't reach.

"Buck? Can you zip me up, please?"

He rises from his spot on the bed and strides over to you, standing a little closer than necessary. He pulls the zip upwards ever so slowly, fingertips brushing your spine as he goes. He's so warm and so broad behind you that it sends a shiver through your body.

Bucky brushes your hair to one side and leans down to press a featherlight kiss the place where your neck meets your shoulder. You hum in contentment, which only spurs him on. He begins to leave kisses wherever he pleases - your shoulder, your neck, behind your ear. You practically melt into him, and he wraps his arms around you to keep you steady.

"You look so beautiful," he murmurs against your skin. "Prettiest girl I've ever seen."

You smile at his words, leaning your head back to rest on his shoulder.

"Says the man that looks like a goddamn supermodel."

"Oh, angel. Now you're just lying to me."

His chuckle rumbles through the both of you, the sound lighting up your nerve endings.

Your eyes flick across the room, where you notice the clock on the wall.

"Baby," you whisper. "You gotta stop. We're gonna be late."

He groans lowly and lets his head loll into the crease of your shoulder.

"I was fine until you called me baby," he murmurs. "Now that's all I'm gonna be thinking about for the rest of the night."

"Sorry."

"You're not."

"I'm not."

You both laugh and untangle yourselves, you moving to put on your shoes while Bucky straightens himself out.

"You gonna be able to keep your hands to yourself, lover boy?"

"I'm gonna have to," he grumbles, trying to hide the smile that's fighting to take over his face.

You lean against him as you do up the straps of your shoes, dancing your fingers down his arm to interlink your hands.

"Ready?" you ask, looking up at him with big doe eyes.

"Ready," he confirms, leaning down to kiss you chastely.

"A night of pretending that we're not soulmates. How hard can that be?"

✵  ✵    ·　 ✵ 　　 *  · ✵

Pretending that Bucky isn't your soulmate is one of the hardest things you've ever done.

You haven't even made it inside yet.

Buck parks his truck in your parents driveway and turns to look at you. You've been silent the entire ride over, and it's making him anxious. He reaches over and places a warm palm on your bare thigh, thumb rubbing patterns back and forth.

"You okay?"

You take a deep breath, which is all the answer he needs.

"It's alright, baby. I'm nervous too. We've got this. We're alright."

You look into his eyes for the first time since you were in your apartment, and have to fight to stop yourself from crying. You nod and bite your lip, inhaling and exhaling carefully.

"You're okay. I promise. It's me and you, honey girl. It's me and you."

You want to crawl over into Bucky's lap and bury your face in his chest. You want to curl up in his strong arms and let his scent envelope you. You want to tangle your fingers into his hair and smash his lips to yours, until you don't know where you end and Bucky begins.

Instead, you bring his hand from your thigh to your lips, and kiss each of his knuckles tenderly. The gesture makes his heart beat so fast, he's a little worried he's about to pass out.

"Come and talk to me anytime tonight, okay? I've got you. I've always got you."

You nod again, and take another deep breath.

"I know, Buck. It's the only thing I'm sure of."

✵  ✵    ·　 ✵ 　　 *  · ✵

"My baby!"

Your Mom smothers you in a hug the minute you knock on the door, almost tipping you over in the process.

"Oh, you look so beautiful. This colour is gorgeous on you, sweetheart."

The heaviness of your heart gets a little lighter at the sight of your Mother. She's magic like that.

"Thanks Mama. Is your skirt new? It's pretty."

She gives you a twirl, the skirt billowing around her like a princess. Both you and Bucky smile when you catch each others eyes briefly.

"I got it on our trip! Your Dad got a new shirt too - he looks so handsome."

She's grinning from ear to ear talking about him. Your smile only gets wider.

Bucky gives your Mom a one armed hug, and hands her a white box with a bow on.

"I wish I could say this is from me, but I don't have nearly enough talent for that."

"You're plenty good at other things, Buck," she laughs. "What's in here, sweetheart?"

"Apple, carrot and cinnamon cake with cream cheese frosting. I piped little bunny rabbits on top, too."

Before she can say anything else, you take the box from her hands and walk into the house.

"We better put this in the refrigerator before the frosting melts!" you call as you leave.

"Come on Buck, let's get you a drink. Jack bought your favourite."

✵  ✵    ·　 ✵ 　　 *  · ✵

Your parents backyard looks incredible.

Golden fairylights adorn the deck, illuminating the dining area that your Mom has set up. The table is covered with a white lace tablecloth, and littered with tea lights and candlesticks. Each place setting has a wine and a water glass ready, fringed cushions perched on each wooden chair. There's a beautiful bouquet of flowers in a stained glass vase as the centerpiece, more flowers scattered across the entirety of the table.

The sun hasn't set yet, and the entire garden is dripping with the glowing orange hue of the evening. The air is warm and calm, salty ocean breeze only disrupting the peace occasionally. If summer were to be summed up in a night, it'd be this one.

Your Dad is pouring water into all of the glasses from an ornate painted jug when you walk into the yard.

"Hi, Papa."

"Oh, sweetheart!" he smiles in surprise, abandoning his task to come and give you a hug. "You look amazing. I like your dress."

"Thank you - hey, is this your new shirt? It suits you!"

"It's nice, right? Your Mom picked it out. She said the colour brings out my eyes."

You look him up and down comically, crossing your arms over your chest like a cartoon detective.

"Hmm... she's right. It definitely does."

You're both laughing when your Mom and Bucky join you, the two men immediately smacking each other on the back affectionately.

"Where you been, Buck? Work keeping you busy?"

"Stupidly busy - you wouldn't even believe."

"Well, it's your night off, so no shop talk!" your Mom encourages, handing Bucky a beer.

"Easier said than done," he winks, and your breathing picks up just a little.

"Mama, do you need help with anything in the kitchen?"

"Oh, yes please, sweetheart. Come, let me show you what needs doing."

The two of you leave the men to catch up, walking inside to prep the appetisers.

You're slicing tomatoes carefully when you turn to watch your Mom for a minute. She's chopping up basil, completely engrossed. The evening sun beams in, illuminating her as she stands by the window. You love her so much it makes you unsteady on your feet.

"Hey, Mama? Can I talk to you about something?"

She turns and immediately stops what she's doing, giving her full attention to you.

"Of course you can, baby. Anything at all."

You take a deep breath, and carry on slicing while you talk.

"So, you remember Stella, right?

✵  ✵    ·　 ✵ 　　 *  · ✵

The night goes off without a hitch.

There's good food, gorgeous wine and even better company. Your parents invited many of their friends, meaning twelve of you are sat around the meticulously prepared table. In between courses, there's conversation, laughter and games, everyone letting go of the stress of the week.

You're doing everything you can to avoid looking at Bucky. You're worried that if someone catches the two of you, they'll know everything. You're surprised you haven't confessed already, the weight of the secret too heavy to bear.

Your Mom is cutting your cake on the table when there's a sudden commotion.

"Oh, fuck!"

"Shit! Shit, I'm sorry. Shit."

"Is everyone okay?" your Mom asks, flitting to the other end of the table.

"I'm so fucking clumsy, my God. Dropped my wine straight onto Bucky," Jesse, one of your Dad's oldest friends, explains.

"As long as it doesn't stain my white tablecloth, we're fine," your Mom laughs. "What do you need, Buck?"

"It's only white wine, luckily, so no stain. I'm just wet. I'm gonna go dry off."

"I have a hairdryer?" you offer without thinking.

"Good idea, honey. Go help Bucky upstairs while I get some paper towels."

You rise from your chair and make your way inside, heart racing as Bucky follows you. You rummage around the drawers of your childhood bedroom, certain you used to keep all of your hair tools here somewhere.

"You got it?" a warm, whiskey smooth voice asks from behind you.

"Got it," you reply, standing up with the hairdryer in your hand.

Bucky kicks the door closed behind him, and takes a step into you.

"I can't focus on anything when you're sat there in that dress," he murmurs. "Look like a fuckin' angel, all pretty under the lights."

Heat blooms over your chest, and you pray he doesn't notice. Your breathing quickens, and you step forward too, now chest to chest with him.

"I'm so worried that I'm going to accidentally blurt it out," you confess. "You're the only thing that's on my mind."

Bucky leans down to press his lips to yours, smiling into the kiss. You fist your hands into his shirt and pull him closer, snaking your tongue into his mouth. He tastes like mint and sugar and every kiss for the rest of your life.

He groans when you bite his lip, nipping yours back in retaliation.

"Easy, baby," he warns teasingly. "I can't go back down there black and blue."

You roll your eyes and kiss him harder, practically melting when he grabs at your ass roughly.

"What do you need, pretty girl?" he questions against your mouth. "I'll give you anything."

You're panting against him, vibrating with need.

"Need you to take the edge off," you whisper, hands shaking as you unbutton his wet shirt. "Can't carry on like this. Please, baby. Please."

"We've gotta be quick," he reminds, sneaking his hand under your dress to tease you over your underwear.

You grab at his shoulders for leverage, almost certain your knees aren't going to hold out long enough. Bucky doesn't even take your panties off, just slips his hand down the front. It feels filthier this way.

"Fuck," he groans. "This all for me, honey? You been thinking about this?"

"Yes," you whine. "All I've thought about."

Bucky wastes no time, slipping a finger into you easily. After a minute, he adds another, setting a steady rhythm immediately.

"Shit," you breathe, leaning forward to rest your forehead against his chest. "We're supposed to be taking it slow."

"You want me to go slow?"

"No, fuck," you say immediately. "Don't stop. Please."

He chuckles lowly, clearly enjoying the effect he has on you.

"I won't, baby. Almost there."

It should be embarrassing, how quickly he can take you to the edge, but you don't care. This is what having a soulmate is. They know you better than anyone - inside and out.

"So close," you whisper.

"I know, pretty baby. I can feel it. Stay quiet and come for me. That's it."

You can't hold out when he uses that tone with you. You're thrown over the edge, your climax running through you like molten honey, hot and delicious. Your knees buckle, and Bucky uses a strong arm around your middle to hold you up.

"There we go," he's murmuring. "Atta girl. That's my girl."

You wrap your arms around his waist and breathe him in, finally coming back to your senses.

"My parents are gonna wonder where we are," you realise. "Grab your shirt and the hairdryer. You're gonna have to do it while I recover."

Bucky smiles at you with so much affection, the world stops spinning for a second. This is a moment of bliss. The two of you revel in it.

Bucky dries his shirt while you go back outside, trying to keep suspicion to a minimum.

"Fixed, sweetheart?" your Mom asks, holding out a piece of cake to you. You take it gratefully and sit back down, relaxing into your chair.

"Yeah, it's basically dry. That hairdryer is old, so it's taking a while."

"Well you didn't miss much, other than Jesse telling the Joshua Tree story for the fortieth time this month," your Dad laughs.

"You love that story, asshole!" Jesse yells, just as Bucky re-enters the garden. He throws you a mischievous smile, which you reciprocate with ease.

Everyone is a little more careful with their wine as the night goes on, keeping all the glasses planted firmly on the table.

✵  ✵    ·　 ✵ 　　 *  · ✵

"So then I said, well, if you don't like it, leave!"

You're pretty sure you've heard your Mom's friend Cora tell this story before, but you're all laughing like it's the first time. She has such an animated voice, you're convinced you could listen to her read the phone book.

"Which, I mean, I didn't think he would. Imagine breaking up over a chinchilla! A fucking chinchilla!"

You're laughing so hard your sides hurt. You look over to Bucky, and see that he's grinning like a Cheshire cat. You could get used to this.

"So I watched him pack his shit, box by box. Which took fucking ages, by the way. He was using those big plastic boxes, you know the black ones? And he was filling them so carefully and so slowly, that I started helping him!"

You wipe a tear from your face, still doubled over in amusement. You're gonna be sore tomorrow, the way your abs hurt now.

"But I didn't want him taking those boxes, because they're nice, right? They're expensive, and they're mine! So I helped him move out, and then unpacked all of his shit so I could have my boxes back."

Your Mom, despite hearing this story before, hasn't taken her eyes off Cora the entire time. She's such a careful listener. It's one of the things you love most about her.

"Oh, I'll drop them off for you, if you like!" Cora yells, staring directly at you. Everyone turns to look at you in confusion.

"Why would she need all your boxes?" Jesse laughs.

"For the big move!"

Time stands still. The world goes silent. Your heart stops beating.

"...What move?" Bucky asks, never taking his eyes off you.

"To California! Her dream job, falling in her lap. We're so proud of you, babygirl. You've worked so hard for this."

Cora's tearing up now, the alcohol catching up to her. She raises her glass high in the air.

"To our little superstar. The best baker the world has ever seen! Cheers!"

Everyone clinks their glasses together in the middle of the table, except for you and Bucky. You haven't taken your eyes off each other. The world carries on, but you stay still.

You suddenly feel a cacophony of emotions - sadness, anger, betrayal, hurt and confusion settling like ten tonne weights onto your chest. Then it hits you - you're feeling what Bucky feels.

You feel a heart break.

You're not sure if it's yours or his.

tag list part one -

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