Series based on the Show - updates every Friday as new episodes come out!
Series Warnings: !SPOILERS!, Lots of Angst, Fluff, Some Idiocy, Cursing, Slow-Burn (I'm sorry, it was an accident!)
*Please don't repost this anywhere! Especially without my permission! I've worked hard on this and these characters are very dear to me so please don't repost! Thank you to everyone who helped with the scare I just had! I just started posting my work this year so I'm new to that kind of thing! *
1) His Only Contact - Takes place after Episode 1; Angst and Fluff, phone call between Reader and Bucky; Buckyâs Perspective (Also written for HBCâs Lucky in Love, Day 19 Prompt: Odds)
2) Not Your Captain - Takes place right before Episode 2; Lots of Angst and feelings between Reader and Bucky; Readerâs Perspective
3) Inner Conflict - Takes place during Episode 2; a little more action packed and scene-for-scene of the show than the previous two parts; Readerâs Perspective
3.5) Rocks, Shoulders, and Ears - Second Half of Inner Conflict; loads of Angst!; the Couples Therapy Scene; Readerâs Perspective
4) In Need of a Breath - First Part of the Third Episode; Zemoâs Entrance; Readerâs Perspective
4.2) Suits, Dress, and Heels - Second Part of the Third Episode; First Half of Madripoor; Sharonâs Entrance; Readerâs Perspective
4.3) Itâs All in the Perspective - Third and Final Part of the Third Episode; Second half of Madripoor; Mainly Readerâs Perspective
5) Right From Left - First Part of the Fourth Episode; First little bit in Latvia before Walker comes in; Readerâs Perspective
5.2) The Shield - Second and Final Part of the Fourth episode; Walker, Karli, Zemo, Everything; Proceed with Caution on This One; Readerâs Perspective
6) It Always Ends in a Fight - Very First Part of the Fifth episode; Warehouse Fighting Scene; Readerâs PerspectiveÂ
6.2) Windows Down, Music Up - Second Part of the Fifth Episode; Doesnât Have Much of the Actual Show in it Besides Zemo Getting Arrested; Readerâs Perspective
6.3) The Conversation - Third and Final Part of the Fifth Episode; Feelings and Fluff; Louisiana Scenes; Mostly Readerâs Perspective
7) Home - The Only Part of Episode Six; The FINALE; Readerâs Perspective
One Shots of Readerâs Backstory - NOT BUCKY X READERÂ
Itâs more Avengers x Reader with a heavy emphasis on Steve x Reader, but itâs platonic! I'm gonna try to do it chronologically.
Read Series Before!
One Shot #1: Back to the Beginning - Reader Meets Captain Steve Rogers; Takes place directly after Captain America: The First Avenger in 2011
One Shot #2: The Beginning of a Family - Reader Meets the Avengers; Takes place during the first half of The Avengers in 2012
One Shot #3: Stars, Stripes, and Bubbles - Reader and Steve have some fun in the kitchen; Takes place right after Steveâs mission in the beginning of Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014
One Shot #4: Best Girls, Good Guys, Hand Art, Joy Rides - Reader Meets Sam Wilson; Takes place during Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014 before/during/after Samâs VA session
One Shot #5: Reminiscing - Reader Learns about Bucky Barnes; A little out of order; Takes Place before CA: TWS, before Reader and Steve move to D.C., so before One Shot #3 and 4 (2012-2013 ish)
One Shot #6: No One Said Anything About a Metal Arm - Reader Unofficially Meets Bucky Barnes Or, More Accurately, The Winter Soldier; Takes place during the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014
One Shot #7: Revels - Reader Parties with the Avengers; Takes place during the Avengers: Age of Ultron Party Scene in 2015
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Word Count: 7661 (Donât come at me - you guys asked for it)
Warnings: !FATWS Spoilers!, Cursing, Fluff, Feelings, I Dunno What Else, This Oneâs Pretty Chill, Except The Ending, But Youâll See When You Get There
A/N: Here it is! I was hesitant about posting it because that means weâre getting closer to the end and Iâm such a nostalgic bitch! Iâm definitely gonna cry next week when the last episode comes out! Anyways, Iâve got a few things to talk about:
I think this is one of the most important chapters Iâve written and Iâm excited to see your reactions to it. It is longer, but you guys asked for that, so you got it! Also, Iâm loving the Asks, Comments, and Reblogs. I try to respond to all of them. I have work in a little bit, so I wonât be able to until after, but Iâll get back to you as soon as I can. Ask me anything; about my series, the show, any of the movies, personal stuff, I really donât care. If youâre not comfortable, thatâs totally fine! Every like means so much to me!
I know itâs not the end yet - weâve got one more episode and a list of One Shots to get through - but thereâs a definite feeling of this series coming to an end, and I just want to thank you all for the support and love youâve been giving it! Iâve really enjoyed writing these characters and this story! Itâs very, very special to me and Iâm glad Iâve been able to share it with you lovely people!
On that note, be kind to yourselves and others! Thank you again for reading! Excuse any mistakes - this isnât betaâd! Enjoy and stay tuned!
FATWS Masterlist
cjsinkythoughts Masterlist
!SPOILERS UNDER CUT! (Sorry for the gifs I just love them so much and heâs so pretty and this part is technically two parts so...you get four!)
âLouisiana.â Bucky hummed, looking around the airport.
You rolled your eyes. âYouâre not gonna find anything interesting about Louisiana in here, doofus. Letâs call an Uber.â
âAn Ooper? What the hell is an Ooper?â
You giggled, shaking your head and grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the luggage carousel. âUber. Itâs likeâŠa taxi service. But thereâs an app on your phone to get a driver instead of waiting for one on the street.â
âOh.â He blinked, tilting his head. âThatâsâŠhelpful.â
You laughed again, stopping in front of Carousel 3, where your flight from New York was assigned. You went back to New York to grab a bag with clean clothes and other necessities, along with taking a real shower for once. It was nice to be back in the States, as much as you loved traveling. Itâd been a crazy few weeks and you were ready to just relax.
âDo you think there were any problems with Sammyâs present?â
Bucky shook his head. âNah. Especially considering they know who we are.â
You snickered at his slight grumble. They had hadâŠproblems at the other two airports - first the one in Sokovia then JFK in New York - considering Buckyâs entire arm was metal. Itâd taken a full hour before they actually let you go, and by that time they had to give you a new plane because yours had left.
âSeriously. Who else has a fucking metal arm and has 1917 listed as their birth year on their Driverâs License?â You giggled again. That was also true. They thought he was messing with them. It wasnât until you stepped in a few minutes after they asked Bucky to step to the side, seeing Bucky get frustrated, that they realized Bucky wasnât pulling their legs.
âWell, weâre here now and thatâs all that matters.â
He nodded in agreement, watching for your bags, his hand finding yours when he realized how many people there were. âDo you know where he lives? I didnât even think about it.â
âYeah, donât worry. He invited me over once. I declined, but I saved the address.â
âHeâŠinvited you over?â Bucky frowned.
You gave him a look. âIâm sure he invited you, too. You just never checked his texts.â
He licked his lips, tilting his head. âYeah, no, I know, but I meanâŠwhy didnât you go? Werenât you two just talking about how you wanted to meet his nephews the other day?â
âYeah, but I had gotten a tip on Wanda at the time and I didnât want to miss the chance that she was there. He told me it was fine. I still felt really bad. I could tell he was a bit disappointed. I think it was one of the boysâ birthdays. Or something. I donât remember. Is that bad? Yeah, probably. I really should remember. Maybe I should keep track of birthdays on my calendar or something.â
âDoll.â You looked up to find him giving you a magnificent smile, teeth and all. âYouâre rambling.â
âOh. Am I? Sorry. I didnât realize.â
He shook his head quickly, squeezing your hand. âDonât apologize. Itâs cute. Iâm just not used to you talking so much. You kinda did on the phone sometimes.â
You shrugged, pushing down the heat crawling up your neck at his words. âI rambled a lot to Steve.â
âOh.â
His face fell, making you scrunch your eyebrows up in confusion, nudging him slightly to grin at him. âItâs nice to have someone to ramble to again, though.â There was that smile again. You were stopped from saying anything more when you noticed some kids pointing and chattering excitedly at a gleaming silver box coming around the corner on the conveyor belt. âThere it is.â
He looked over his shoulder, dropping your hand and stepping over to grab it, lifting it effortlessly. You didnât know what was in it or how heavy it was, but you were sure it felt like a feather to him.
âAlright. Got our bag, sweetheart?â You lifted up the duffle in answer and he jerked his head towards the doors. âLetâs get outta here, then. Call that Booper or whatever.â
âU-B-E-R! Ub-er!â You threw your hands up, following him as he started walking towards the exit. âWhatâs so hard about it?!â
He just gave you a little smirk over his shoulder.
***************
Bucky kept asking the Uber driver questions about his job. The guy was super nice and patient the whole time, a thick southern accent lacing his answers. Southern hospitality was no joke and apparently had no limit as Bucky asked about his experiences, listening intently and telling him his own stories of taxi drivers in NYC.
When you got to Samâs sisterâs house, Bucky, being Bucky, tipped the driver half of what you paid for the ride, thanking him for his time and energy, before getting out.
âYouâre so adorable, you know that?â You teased him as you stepped up the porch stairs and knocked on the door.
He rolled his eyes, a tint of pink dusting across his cheeks. âHe was nice.â
You hummed at his defense, the smile never leaving your features. After a moment, Bucky raised his fist to knock again. âJesus Christ! Donât fucking knock their door down!â You grabbed his wrist and lowered it.
âSorry. I forget sometimes.â Bucky informed you absentmindedly, tilting his head to peek in the window. âI donât think anyoneâs home.â
âTheyâre probably at the docks, then.â
Bucky raised an eyebrow. âThe docks?â
You nodded, gesturing for him to follow you. âYeah. They have a boat, remember? He talked about it last week.â
âOh right. The one heâs trying to convince his sister not to sell.â
âYeah.â You confirmed. âIâm pretty sure itâs that way. I donât know how far, but we can call the Uber back-â
Bucky scrunched up his face and shook his head. âNah. I donât wanna bother him again. We can walk.â
You gave him an incredulous look. âItâs literally his job to drive people around.â
âWell, yeah, but what if heâs got other people to drive?â
You lifted his metal knuckles to your lips. âTrust me, Buck, Iâm sure heâd rather drive you than anyone else.â
âThank you?â
Swinging your now linked hands, you gave a firm nod, letting him know it was, in fact, a compliment. âYou are so very welcome.â
The walk was a lot longer than you thought it was, and you ended up on Buckyâs back after he kept complaining about how you âshouldnât be walking this longâ and you were âinjuredâ and you âneeded restââ. Youâre not sure how a shoulder wound affected your ability to walk, but you relented and let him carry you the rest of the way to stop his whining.
âYou forget, you did pull your thigh.â
âThat was, like, three weeks ago! Yeesh!â
You finally got to the docks, which were bustling with people. Bucky set you down and raised an eyebrow which you shrugged in reply to, before heading over to where you spotted Sam with a few other older men.
âHow do we get it off the truck?â You heard Sam ask, pointing to a large boat engine part in the bed of a beaten up truck. Scoffing as Bucky lifted it up without breaking a sweat, you leaned against the truck. Bucky grunted and set it down, looking at Sam.
âYouâre welcome.â What a punk. âJust dropping this off.â Bucky lifted the case and set it where the engine was previously, Sam coming to stand on the opposite side of the truck as you. âYou can sign for it and Iâll go.â You snorted, shaking your head, making Bucky shove your shoulder - the uninjured one - playfully. âI called in a favor from the Wakandans.â
Sam looked at you curiously. You shrugged and shook your head. âDonât look at me, Sammy. He wouldnât tell me what it is. Heâs all hushy hushy about it until you say so.â
Before Sam could reply, there was a squeak and hissing over at the boat where steam was coming from a few pipes.
âSam!â You knew that was Sarah from pictures Sam showed you. You stayed up by the truck, pulling yourself onto the bed while Sam tried fixing the pipe, Bucky butting in to show him how to do it properly.
âWhy didnât you use the metal arm?â
You saw Bucky lift up said metallic limb. âWellâŠI donât always think of it immediately. Iâm-Iâm right handed.â Letting out a laugh, Bucky turned around and scowled teasingly at you. âAnd whatâre you laughing at?!â
âNothing!â
âWell then get your ass over here!â
You rolled your eyes, hopping down from the truck as Bucky asked if Sam wanted help with the boat. You leaned against a wooden post, grinning when Sam looked at you.
âI donât have any plans.â
Sam gave a small smile, jerking his head back. âYeah.â
You jumped down onto the boat to follow him, looking over your shoulder and stopping with an amused eyebrow raised as Bucky introduced himself to Sarah. âIâm Bucky.â
âAhâŠSarah.â
âSarah.â Bucky repeated her name, before walking towards you, a grin still on his lips.
âCareful, Barnes. That playboy Steve warned me about is coming out.â You nudged him with a smirk, ignoring the feeling of your stomach dropping.
He rolled his eyes, kissing your head as he passed you and Sam to go where Sam was gesturing. âDonât worry, Y/N. Youâre still my doll.â
Sam raised an eyebrow, falling into step besides you and lowering his voice. âConversation?â
âHasnât happened.â You informed him through clenched teeth as he groaned.
Sam gave you a list of chores that needed to be done to clean up the boat, giving you a quick tour and letting you know where all the tools needed where. You set to work immediately.
Sanding down, replacing old parts, cleaning, polishing and painting over the things that didnât need replacing. They didnât let you do any heavy lifting because of your stupid shoulder, but you were still able to help.
Sam had turned on some music for you to listen to, so you danced around the boat while cleaning. Turning your head when you felt a pair of eyes on you, you smiled when Bucky snapped his head back down to the wood he was sanding down.
âGonna dance, Barnes?â
He looked back over, shaking his head. âNah. Iâm good watching you.â
Rolling your eyes, you got back to work, continuing to bop to the music, fully aware that he was watching you now.
A little while later, you were repainting the edges of the boat orange, when you looked over and noticed Bucky playing around with a paint scraperâŠsitting right on the edge that you had just finished repainting a few minutes ago.
âBuck!â
He looked over, eyebrows raised. âYeah?â
You bit your lip, trying to hold back your mischievous grin. Shaking your head, you waved dismissively. âNever mind!â
He gave you a confused sort of pout, before shrugging and continuing to fidget with the tool. It wasnât until later when he got up to help Sam tear the metal plating off the edge that it came to light with Sam chuckling and raising an eyebrow.
âSit in something there, Barnes?â
âWhat?â
Bucky craned his neck back, eyes widening when he saw the orange paint on his ass, contrasting with his jeans. You let out a cackle and he whipped towards you, pointing at you accusingly, although the small uptick of his lips let you know he wasnât really mad.
âY/N!â
âNo, no, no!â You laughed, sprinting across the deck, shrieking when he grabbed your waist and spun you around. You gasped when he grabbed a paint brush and painted an orange stripe right down the front of your shirt. âJames!â
âJustice, sweetheart.â He breathed in your ear with a chuckle.
You shook your head, wiggling out of his hold. âThis is a nice shirt!â
âYou shouldâve thought about that before.â He smirked, crossing his arms. Your eyes caught sight of Sam behind him, who raised an eyebrow and the bucket of paint he was holding. You nodded with a little giggle, making Buckyâs eyes narrow. âWhatâs so funny over there, do - holy shit!
You guffawed as orange paint dripped down his head, Sam standing innocently behind him with the now empty bucket behind his back. âSamuel!â
âOops?â
âIâm gonna kill you!â
âTry me old man!â
âFuck!
âDoll!â
âOh my God!â
Paint, orange and white since those were the only cans they had out, flew across the deck, paint brushes being used like fencing swords.
You found out too late that wet paint was a little bit slippery and you slid on a huge puddle, sending you, not onto the ground below, but over the side of the edge into the water.Â
âDoll!â
âCher, you good?!âÂ
The three of you looked at each other, stunned for a moment, before bursting into fits of laughter and you nodded. âIâm good!â
The boys helped you get back up onto the dock, Sarah appearing with towels she conjured up out of thin air. âLetâs get you into dry clothes. Do you have-?â
âWeâve got some. We got a bag.â You told her with a grin, facing the guys. âYou two should clean up some, too. Sammy, youâve got a little something right there.â You pointed to your cheek, his own having a giant white splotch from his temple to his jaw. âAnd Buck?â You sniggered, gesturing to the whole of him. âYouâve got a lotta something right there.âÂ
âHa. Ha.â He looked down. His top was practically tiger print, drenched in orange with white here and there, and his ass still orange as well. His hair, which had been plastered to his forehead, was starting to dry now, and it only made you laugh some more thinking about what a pain itâd be to get it out. For him, at least.
âGod. Canât even have a relaxing day on the boat with you two.â Sam jested once you finished up and joined him and Bucky, who had just finished dumping out some water buckets. Bucky had changed his shirt and it looked like they tried wiping their faces, but Sam still had small lines of white down his face. âHow âbout a couple of drinks? Surely you canât ruin that too.â
âRuin?â You gasped in mock offence. âSammy! I just made the day moreâŠinteresting.â
Sam chuckled, ruffling Buckyâs hair, which still had orange streaks in it. âLetâs go get some beers.â
************
You chatted for a bit, mainly you and Sam with you asking how Sarah and the boys were while Bucky with your legs in his lap, just listening to you two and sipping at his bottle. You had his hand in your own lap, wiping it down with a rag due to the paint that got on it.
âYouâre lucky this is vibranium, you know.â You commented off handedly. âIf it was your other one, itâd definitely get stained.â
âAnd whoâs fault is that?â Bucky shot back with a teasing grin.
âSammyâs.â
Sam spluttered. âWh-what?! You started it!â You laughed, shaking your head.
Falling into a comfortable silence with just the water and birds chirping as your soundtrack, you downed the rest of your drink, which Bucky took as finished. âWell,â you moved your legs to let him stand up. He leaned forwards to clink his bottle against Samâs and you stood up and stretched. âGotta catch our flight tomorrow. Get a hotel room for the night.â Sam gave you a look to which you rolled your eyes at as Bucky set down his bottle and grabbed his jacket. âCrash, you know?â
âSo youâre just gonna set me up like that, huh?â
âWell I donât wanna make it weird for your family.â
âJust stay here.â You laughed as Sam babbled on about how nice the people were here, grabbing the jacket Bucky handed to you. It was getting a bit chilly from the breeze on the water and the sun going down. Plus, that water was cold.
âBut donât flirt with my sister.â
You cackled at Buckyâs face, that turned serious, his head shaking. âNo.â
ââCause if you do Iâll have Carlos cut you up and feed you to the fish.â
âCanât hold back the dog, Wilson. Itâs been stuck in a kennel too long.â
Bucky turned to you, grabbing your jaw and squishing your cheeks together. âYou know what? You need to shush. Youâve been snippy all day.â
You just smiled as innocently as you could with your lips being held by his metal fingers. âYouâre too fun to mess with.â
He pecked your nose. âAs long as Iâm the only one youâre messing with. Iâll be right back.â He let you go and spun around, maneuvering around the boat in a way only a trained assassin could do.
âOh my God, please! Please just put me out of my fucking misery! Youâre killing me, cher.â
âWhat?â You gaped at him.
âDonât act innocent!â Sam huffed, giving you a pointed look. âIf I have to watch you two make googly eyes at you one more fucking day with neither of you doing anything about it-â
You rolled your eyes. âOh come on, Sammy-â
âDonât âcome on, Sammyâ me! And donât come at me with that âhe doesnât like me backâ bullshit. If you think for a second that boy wouldnât follow you to the depths of the fucking ocean, youâre blind as a bat, woman.â
You shrugged, pushing up the sleeves of Buckyâs too big jacket. âIt justâŠhasnât come up.â
He deadpanned, shaking his head and standing up. âThatâs it. Iâm done. You two are driving me insane. Iâm gonna lock you in a room until you have the conversation that needs to be had the next time either of you does something stupid.â
âYikes. Thatâs gonna be quick.â At his look, your smile dropped and you nodded. âOkay, okay. IâllâŠIâll bring it up later.â
âTomorrow or nothing.â
âSam-â
Sam tilted his head, brow creasing. âIs it still Steve? Is that what this is still about? Because heâs gone, and heâs been gone and you need to get over it-â
âNo. Itâs notâŠâ You sighed. âIt clicked the other day. When we were hanging out. Steve left and, yeah, I might always love him, but BuckyâŠGodâŠI love Bucky, Sam.â
The man grinned proudly. âIâm glad to finally hear you admit it. So whatâs the problem?â
âItâs still complicated, right? I meanâŠheâs his best friend and Iâve never dealt with stuff like this before and-â
Samâs smile dropped and he groaned again. âImma head out. I canât take this. Dumbass and dumberass. I swear to God.â You sniggered a bit as he grumbled, walking towards the ramp to climb off the boat, just as Bucky reappeared.
âHey-â
âNope! Not right now, Barnes! I canât handle it! I canât!â
Bucky gave you a weird look. âWhatâd you do?â
You chuckled, shaking your head. âNothing.â
âWell, câmon, doll. Sarah said sheâs gonna make gumbo for us, whatever that is.â He held out his hand as you walked over.Â
âYouâre such a city boy.â You teased lightly, taking his hand and letting him help you pull you onto the dock. You shoved the sleeves of his jackets up again since they slipped from the first time. âLetâs go get some dinner. Iâm starving.â
******************
âWe have the couch and a mattress we can pull out, I just have to make Sam get it from the attic-â
âThatâs alright. The couch is fine.â Bucky waved dismissively while you nodded in agreement.
Sarah raised an eyebrow at you two. âFor both of you?â
You blinked, exchanging a look with Bucky, before shrugging and turning back to her. âYeah.â
âDonât fight it, Sarah.â Sam peeked out from the hall. âTheyâve got a weird relationship.â You stuck your tongue out at the man while Bucky rolled his eyes, dropping your duffle bag by the couch. âHow mature, Y/N.â Sam mimicked your action.
âUhmâŠokay. Let me set up the couch for you then.â
Once everything was set up, you and Bucky thanking her for dinner - delicious and youâd never seen Bucky smile so much, the boys having kept him highly entertained throughout the meal - and for letting you crash, Sam and Sarah headed to their rooms, the boys already having been tucked in for the night.
âAre you gonna sleep on the floor?â You asked quietly, sitting down on the couch and doing the things for your night routine you didnât already do in the bathroom.
âI think Iâll be okay.â He sat besides you. âIâve been doing fine the past week or so.â
You smiled at him. âThatâs good. Alright.â You stood up and stretched. âLet me just make sure everythingâs in the bag and ready-â
You yelped when his arm wrapped around your waist, pulling you into his chest, shifting down to lay against the couchâs arm. âDo it in the morning.â He yawned, looking up at you tiredly. âI wanna go to sleep.â
âThen go to sleep, Buck. Iâll be right back.â He shook his head, his hold tightening as he sunk deeper into the couch.
âNo. I fall asleep better with you.â
You rolled your eyes but grinned, settling down with your legs between his, your chin resting on his sternum so you could still look at him. He beamed, but you could see the exhaustion settling in, and he grabbed the blanket Sarah left over the back of the couch and draped it across your back, over both of your legs, before his arms crossed snugly under the covers at the small of your back.
âDinner was nice tonight. I havenât had a meal cooked like that in ages.â You hummed.
He nodded in agreement. âI think thatâs the first time Iâve sat around a table with a family since the 40âČs.â
You raised an eyebrow. âDid you like it?â
âYeah...kinda makes me wish I had my own.â
âYour own what?â
âFamily.â
You bit your lip, shyly avoiding his gaze. âYouâre my family, Buck.â
A light kiss was pressed to your forehead, his fingers bringing your gaze back to his. âThereâs no one else Iâd rather have.â The room lapsed into silence again, the clock ticking on the wall, the low sound of crickets outside.
âYou have really pretty eyes.â You mumbled, tilting your head slightly as you studied them. They always held so much emotion in them, especially in contrast to when you first met him as Soldat. They matched the water you fell in, and you wouldnât mind falling over and over into them.
âYeah, well, youâre just really pretty inside and out, so I think youâve got me beat, doll.â He whispered back.
âYou know who else is pretty? Sarah.â
He nodded with a hum. âThatâs true. But I meant what I said. Youâll always be my doll.â
âSo youâre not gonna ask her out?â
He gave you a weird look as you traced his sharp jawline absentmindedly. âNah, sweetheart. Itâs justâŠsome harmless flirting. Except on Samâs part.â
You gave a soft huff of laughter. âYeahâŠheâs gonna strangle you. It is nice to see you like that, though. Flirty. Relaxed. Happy.â
âYou make me happy, sweetheart.â He hummed, nosing your temple. âThe road trip helped. Iâm learning everything from you. Maybe not the flirting, but the carefree part.â
You blinked at him, finger stopping for a moment as you thought. âOhâŠâ
You felt his fingers dance up your spine, making you shiver slightly. âWhat I would give to know whatâs goinâ on inside that pretty lilâ headâa yours, doll.â
âI just think itâs funny youâre learning how to be carefree from meâŠwhen I just started learning how to do it myself.â
âOh yeah?â
You nodded, your finger continuing its path down his jaw. âI think it started with the goats.â
âThe goats?â
You nodded again, resting your cheek on his chest, watching your finger move up from his chin. Once you got to the end of his jaw, you lightly scratched his scruff. âIn Wakanda. Our goats.â You werenât looking at him, so you didnât see the way he physically melted at your words, his eyes going soft, his lips turning up slightly.
âOur goats, huh?â
But your tired brain wasnât really processing what he said, instead focusing on the features your finger was now tracing - over his lips, up his nose. âYouâre pretty too, Buck. Did you know that? Inside and out.â
He craned his neck to kiss your forehead. âGo to sleep, cuddle bug.â
Nodding, you nuzzled into his chest, finger feeling over the bumps and indents on the dog tags resting near your head. You tried going to sleep, but you kept shifting, your mind not shutting off.
âHey, sleepyhead, Iâm trying to, you know, sleep.â
âSorry.â You apologized meekly. âI justâŠI dunno. I canât.â
âAre you comfortable?â He peeked open and eye to look at you questioningly. You nodded. âIs it too hot? We can take the blanket off. I know Iâm a walking furnace-â
You shook your head. âNo. I donât know why. I just canât sleep.â
He licked his lips thoughtfully, before cradling your head and guiding you back down to his chest. âLay down, sweetheart. Relax.â He stroked your hair, moving his head down to rub circles in your back muscles, pressing down harder when he felt knots.Â
You hummed, your eyes closing. âThat feels good.â
âShshsh. Just go to sleep.â His lips pressed against your head once more, lingering a bit longer than they usually do, as you felt yourself drift off. You cuddled his side, throwing a leg over his waist, before nodding off, only barely hearing his words. âAttagirl. There we are.â
******************
âDoll?â You felt a shift underneath you and groaned, your eyes barely cracking open. âHey, sleepyheadâŠitâs okay. Iâm just gonna slip out from under ya, alright? Gonna go help Sammy with somethinâ.â
You raised an eyebrow, letting him move you against the cushions as he sat up on the edge of the couch. âSammy?â
âYeah.â He bent over and kissed your cheek. You stretched out your limbs, about to rub your eyes, when he stopped you, kissing the inside of your wrists. âNo. Not you, doll. Go back to sleep.âÂ
âBuâ...âm gonna help.â You slurred out, looking at him with confused, squinty eyes.
He chuckled, shaking his head. âItâs okay. Rest. You can help when you wake up again. Okay?â You mumbled out an âokayâ, bringing the covers up to your chin and snuggling deeper into the cushions. âThere ya go, cuddle bug. Good girl.â There was another kiss, one to your temple this time, before you slipped back into unconsciousness.
******************
The next time you woke up was because of a clatter in the kitchen. You yawned and sat up, stretching, eyebrows furrowing when you realized Bucky wasnât with you. It took you a moment to remember your conversation, which you half thought you dreamt.
âBoys!â
âSorry!â
You chuckled at the shouts, rubbing your eyes. âI am so sorry!â Sarah apologized, looking over at you from the stove. Trying to make the boys breakfast before school. Do you want anything? Eggs? Cereal? Toast?â
âUh, cerealâs fine.â You stretched out your back again, before throwing back the covers and standing up, a little shakily.
âYou wouldnât happen to know where Sam went, would you?â
You raised an eyebrow. âUh, I think him and Bucky went to fix something on the boat. I donât for sure, though.â
Sarah groaned. âHe probably went to fix the stupid water pump which doensât need fixing. Dumbass.â
You chuckled, padding over into the kitchen. âYeah. I just work with him. I canât imagine growing up with him.â
âTrust me; some days you want to throw him in a box and send him out to sea. Bowls are in that cupboard.â
You snickered, moving over to grab a bowl from the cupboard she pointed to. âThatâs how I feel with Bucky. Sam is less often, but when those two get togetherâŠitâs a full zoo.â
She laughed at that, nodding as she got out the milk and a few boxes of cereal for you to choose from, handing you a spoon. âThat I believe.â
âThank you.â
âOf course.â
You started pouring your cereal, watching in slight amusement as she got the boys ready for school. âBus is here! Get out the door! Bye! Love you! Make sure you take those extra lunches to-!â
âYeah, mom! We know! Love you too!â
You gave a slight smirk as she huffed, looking around the kitchen at the pans and dishes left out. âKids, huh?â
She gave you a smile. âYeah. Theyâre a handful, but I wouldnât trade them for anything. How about you? Any thoughts of kids?â
âMe?â Your eyes widened, nearly choking on your food. âOh God no. Not right now, at least. I donât even have a solid house right now. My lifeâs too off the walls for that.â
âAnd Bucky?â
You raised an eyebrow as she leaned on the counter. âBucky? What about Bucky?â
âDoes he want kids?â
âUhâŠI dunno.â You shrugged, clearing your throat as you remembered your talk last night. âKinda makes me wish I had my own.â You quickly pushed his words aside. âHe hasnât told me.â
âWait, wait. You twoâŠarenât together then?â
You blinked, your eyes widening again. âTogether? Me and Bucky? NoâŠwhy? Did Sam say something?â
Her expression morphed into one of disbelief, crossing her arms. âSam didnât say anything. You guys did. Are you seriously expecting me to believe you arenât together?â
âWeâre not! I mean - he was flirting with you yesterday-â
âRight, okay. Honey, thatâs flirting. And itâs harmless. The way he follows you like a puppy and you look at him like he hung the stars? Thatâs feelings. And thatâs a lot more impactful than flirting.â
You frowned in contemplation. It was really that obvious? You were really that blind? This whole time? You knew Sam knew - but you just figured thatâs because heâs been there since it started. And Sharon knew for the same reason. But Sarah? The woman you just met the day prior and had barely had a conversation with?
âItâs, uhâŠâ You chewed on your cheek, swirling your cereal around. âItâs complicated.â
Sarah didnât look impressed. âDo you like him?â
âIâm kinda in love with him-â
She shrugged, not letting you finish your bashful statement. âThen I donât see whatâs complicated about it.â
And that was that. She turned to clean up breakfast, leaving you alone with your thoughts.
You thought it was more complicated than that. I meanâŠyou were in love with your best friend. Who left you. With the guy you had feelings for who just so happened to be your best friend/crushâs best friend. And now you were completely in love with your best friendâs best friend, but your best friend still had a piece of your heart.
ButâŠyou loved Bucky. And he was here. And Steve was not. And when you put it that wayâŠyou guess it wasnât so complicated after all.
******************
You snickered as you walked up behind Sarah, the woman berating the men for not leaving the water pump along like she asked.
âHi, Sarah.â
Sam shot Bucky a warning look, who grinned, but you were surprised to see Sarah ignore him, sending you a knowing glance instead, before turning back to Sam. âI told you specifically that the water pump was not the problem, and yet, here you are.â
âYep, Samuel.â
You chuckled, Bucky shooting you a wink. âYeah, Samuel.â
Sam narrowed his eyes at you, turning to Sarah. âIn our defense, you were supposed to be done long before you woke up.â
You nearly facepalmed at his âdefensiveâ and you were trying so hard to hold back laughing as she told Sam off, sending them away.
âI donât wanna hear a peep from you.â Sam pointed at you, but that only made your chortles come out, and you didnât even bother hiding them. âSheâs a very mean person.â
âItâs tough love.â
You giggled as they started arguing, slipping an arm around their waists, their arms instinctually coming up to your shoulders.
âOh my God. A prowess?â
âYes, Y/N. A prowess.â
âYou know, maybe if you someone let me help-â
âHey, woah! You were tired! I let you sleep! I was being nice!â
âToo late now. Iâll be lucky if Sarah lets me within a hundred feet of it!â
âShe got you so good, Sammy!â
âI agree with Buck for once! Youâre too snippy right now! And câmon man! Stop flirting with my sister!â
âItâs my natural charm.â
âCharm? What charm?â
âOuch, doll! That one hurt!â
****************
âOkay.â You stepped out of the bathroom, walking over to the couch and setting the bag down on it. âIâve got everything packed. Weâve got a little over an hour until we need to head out which gives you two time to go set something up for Sammy and maybe even a bit or training before we leave.âÂ
Bucky frowned. âYouâre not gonna come out?â
âI will in a bit. I just got a phone call I need to take.â
Sam narrowed his eyes. âGovernment call?â
You gave a mocking smile. âCan you guess what they want to talk about? Itâs okay. Iâll survive. Itâs only a phone call, so I can always hang up. Pretend I didnât have good service. I do it all the time.â
âIâm sure you do.â Sam chuckled. âIn that case, Iâm gonna go grab some stuff and get the shield.â As he walked out, he made sure to mouth at you behind Buckyâs back âconversationâ making you swallow thickly. You were planning on talking to Bucky anyways, and with Samâs insistenceâŠ
âOkay, so, I was thinking when we get back-â
âCan I talk to you?â
Bucky stopped digging through the bag, blinking at you in surprise at your sudden burst. âUhâŠwell, we already are, so yes.â He chuckled, straightening and crossing his arms.
âI wanna have the conversation.â
He was left stunned, once again, his mouth opening and closing and his weight shifting form one foot to the other. âLikeâŠthat conversation? R-right now? Are you sure?â
You winced at her nervousness. âSorry, sorry. I know itâs kindaâŠI justâŠI need to talk about it. Now.â
âOkay, okay. No, thatâs fine. Donât apologize. I just wasnât expecting it.â Bucky cleared his throat. âThatâs all.â
âOkayâŠâ You breathed with a small nod. You opened your mouth, but Bucky shook his head.
âI hafta say this first; I didnât mean to hurt you by telling you about Steve. I-I dunno what I thought. That itâd give you closure or something. I dunno. But it hurt you and Iâm sorry. That wasnât my intention.â
âBuck-â
âI was jealous. And guilty. And mad. And upset. I still am. Kinda. I guess. I dunno.â Bucky shook his head, running his hand through his hair and all you could do was gape at him as he started confessing to you. âRemember when we danced? In Madripoor? DollâŠI donât wanna dance ever again if itâs not with you. I fucking love you, Y/N. And not in the way weâve said it before. Iâm in love with you. I have been for-for a while now. I just - you were Steveâs. Steve loved you and you loved Steve and that was that and I was just the broken childhood best friend. But Steve left and he told me to take care of you and I didnât know what to do with that, because you still love Steve. I think. I dunno. And I didnât want to break what we have because youâre all I have left of him. You and that stupid shield. Youâre my family. My home. I really meant it when I told you that. And thatâs why I couldnât tell you. Because it means too much for me to break what we have because I fell in love with my best friendâs girl. You know?â
He looked at you with pleading eyes, begging you to understand, but your brain was still trying to process what he was telling you.
âOh GodâŠâ He groaned. âAnd now I just told you everything and youâre looking at me like that wasnât what you wanted to hear and now Iâm thinking this wasnât the conversation you were thinking it was going to be-â
You were moving across the room before you could stop yourself, pulling him by the teal Henley you knew was comfortable having worn it to bed before when you visited him in New York, and slanting your lips over his.
His breathing hitched and he froze, and for a hot second you thought you made everything worse, but then he was kissing you back and his hands were on your hips and he was pulling you closer and it felt so fucking good you didnât want to pull back for air.
âShut up.â You muttered when you finally did pull back, your forehead against his, your eyes clenched shut. âShut up, shut up, shut up, shut up.â You pulled back to look up at him, chests heaving against each other, your eyes prickling. âIâm not good at this. Iâm not good at opening up. I only ever was good at it with Steve but BuckyâŠIâve been doing it with you. This whole time and I didnât even realize it until the conversation in the car.â
He reached up to cup your cheeks, wiping away the relieved tears that were falling from the weight you were finally getting off your chest.
âI love you. Iâm in love with you. How could I not be? After all that time in Wakanda? I was never Steveâs girl, Bucky. I wanted to be. Dammit, did I wanna be, but I wasnât. Not really. And heâs gone. But youâre not. And I donât know why it took me so long to see that. That youâre the one in front of me. Youâre the one who held me when I needed it once he left. Youâre the one that would listen to my rambles that Iâm just realizing was most of our phone calls. Youâre not just the broken childhood friend. Donât ever think that. I donât pick up the phone at five in the morning after searching for a friend until two for just anyone. Even Steveâs best friend. And Iâm such an idiot because Iâve been pushing away my feelings all these years for Steve and then I let them out with you at the wrong time, because I love Steve, Bucky, but Iâm not in love with him. Not since I fell in love with you. And I know it doesnât make sense, but Steve was the first one I cared about and thatâs just how I feel and I can try to explain, but-â
His lips crashed onto yours again and you could taste the salty tears that were pouring down your cheeks, but you didnât care. He was holding you and he was kissing you and it was even more perfect than you thought itâd be.
âYouâre adorable when you ramble, but Jesus Christ, shuddup, doll.â He breathed. âJust tell me you love me. Tell me you love me just a fraction of how much I love you.â
You looked up into those ocean eyes, your own shining with earnest affection. âJames Buchanan Barnes. I love you.â
âThatâs all I need to know.â He murmured against your lips, holding your head against his, still wiping away your tears. It felt like with each one that fell, you felt lighter and lighter. Like they were taking away every fear and anxiety you held within you for the past six months.
âAlright! I was thinking we could just set up in these trees out here - holy shit! Is it done? Did you do it? Did I miss it? Has the conversation been had?â
Bucky chuckled as you giggled. âHe has the worst timing.â The last two words were loud enough so Sam could hear, although the man heard the whole sentence.Â
âIâm gonna take that as a yes!â Sam cheered. âHalle-fucking-lujah! Finally! I was that close to locking you two in the attic.â
You shook your head at Samâs personal celebration, drowning the rest of his words out as you looked at Bucky, who swept his thumb over your cheek catching one last tear, before pecking your lips.
âI finally get to kiss where I really want to.â He spoke softly, kissing your lips again. âAre you mine, doll?â
âI thought you said Iâd always be your doll.â You answered cheekily. He grinned, kissing you again, pulling you against him by the hips.
âOkay, okay! Thatâs enough! We get it! Youâre in love, finally, but I donât wanna see it anymore! Now will you come help me with this shit?â
Bucky left one more lingering kiss on your lips, before you pushed him away reluctantly. âIâll be right out.â
He nodded, moving over to help Sam carry the things heâd gathered.
You watched them put it all up from the window, gnawing on your cheek as you spun your phone in your hands. Coming to a decision, you tossed your phone in the duffle bag and walked out with it just as the boys finished.
âThat was a quick phone call.â Sam raised an eyebrow.
You shrugged. âDidnât call them. If they really need me, theyâll find me.â
Bucky grinned as you set the bag down under a tree, pecking your lips when you got close enough for him to grab by the waist to hold you against him. You rolled your eyes, shoving him playfully away and giggling as Sam let out a groan.
âAlright. Letâs see what youâve got, Sammy.â
~
><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
Bucky knew he needed the tough love talk Sam was giving him. He needed to hear it. Because, deep down, he had known it all along, he just refused to believe it. He tried doing it. Making amends. He knew he wasnât though. And of course he knew immediately who that one person would be.
âAnd hey.â Bucky looked at him. âLet me tell you what. Telling my girl all that you told her? Thatâs a good start. Iâm proud of you. Both of you. Youâre already happier. I can see it in your eyes.â
Bucky chuckled, shaking his head as he thought of the gorgeous woman he nearly let slip through his fingers. He looked over to the house, where she was inside somewhere getting ready after suddenly deciding she needed to shower before they left. âI was stupid.â
âYeah you were. You both were. Iâm so relieved itâs over.â Sam nudged him. âTreat her right, Buck. She deserves it.â
âI knowâŠI just hope I can.â
Sam shook his head. âUh-uh. Donât do that. You were just starting to use that cyborg brain of yours! She chose you. And before you say anything,â Sam cut Bucky off from speaking as he opened his mouth to object. âShe chose you before Steve left. It just took her dumbass this long to realize it.â
Bucky nodded, a small smile on his face. âYeahâŠokayâŠâ Before he could say anything, the goddess herself stepped out, jogging over, looking absolutely amazing in her jeans and his t-shirt. âGood talk.â
Sam laughed at his quick ending of the conversation as she came up besides them. âTalking about me?â She asked cheekily, eyes shining. Bucky couldnât help but take her under his arm, pecking her lips. Now that he could, he didnât think he could stop. He was addicted to say the least.
Throwing Bucky a wink, Sam shrugged. âJust all the things that get on our nerves.â
âHa ha.â She rolled her eyes. âWe better get going.â
Bucky and Sam clapped hands. âYou know Karli wonât quit.â
Bucky smiled. âAh. You call us when you have a lead and weâll be there.â
Y/N stepped forwards to give Sam a hug. âAnytime, Sammy.â
âEh. Anytime between noon and midnight.â Bucky corrected. âOr noon and ten. Noon and fiveâŠyou better just call at noon to be safe.â
Sam rolled his eyes. âSure, sure.â
âNot necessarily as a team.â Bucky continued, grabbing the bag, getting Y/N back in her spot at his side under his arm.
âNope!â
âWeâre not that good.â
âDefinitely not.â
âWeâre professionals.â
âDefinitely.â
âAnd, uh, weâre partners.â
Sam snapped, pointing at him. âCoworkers.â
âBut weâre also a couple of guys with a couple mutual friends.â
âOnes now gone and youâre dating the other.â
âSo weâre a couple of guysâŠwith a badass to help out.â
âI can live with that.â
âPerfect.â
âOh my God.â Y/N let out that laugh Bucky could never get enough of, shaking her head at the two of them. âYou forgot dumbasses.â
Sam shook his head. âNuh-uh. Thatâs your couple name.â
âDumbasses?â
âOh yeah.â The three of them came to a stop, Bucky and his girl - God he loved confirming it now - facing Sam. âThanks for the help, guys. Meant a lot.â
Bucky patted his shoulder. âOf course.â
Y/N shot him a wink. âUntil we meet again, Sammy.â
âUntil then, cher.â
Bucky couldnât stop his grin as she wrapped her arms around his waist, the two of them starting to walk to the main road where she already ordered an Uber. He looked down at her, kissing her lips for the nth time in the past hour.
âI wish I didnât wait so long,â he told her seriously. âBut Iâd wait a thousands more centuries if it meant I get to call you mine.â
She giggled, shaking her head. âYouâre such a sap! ButâŠâ she moved up to kiss him and his heart stuttered. He knew he had a goofy grin on when she pulled back, but he couldnât help it. Especially when she laughed again. âI have to agree with you on that, Buckaroo.â
Warnings: Falcon and the Winter Soldier Spoilers!!!! A little angst, a little fluff, no cursing (I think)
A/N: This is a quick thing I wrote because I canât sleep after watching that episode. I have so many ideas. I might continue this, too (just like everything else I write because Iâm incapable of writing one-shots), but Iâll probably just write a few drabbles here and there when new episodes come out. I also added HBCâs Lucky in Love prompt for Day 19 in here, which is Odds.
FATWS SERIES MASTERLIST
Find my Day 14 Prompt here - Spring Forwards - and my Day 18 Prompt here - Ocean Eyes, Cherry Lips, Ivory Keys
AGAIN: SPOILERS UNDER CUT!
Shooting up. Greedily sucking in air. Sweat sliding down skin. Adrenaline rushing through veins. Wide eyes darting around the room.
Another night. Another nightmare. He was starting to think heâd never get another restful sleep.
The floor was hard beneath him, far better than the soft, malleable mattress he had in his practically empty room. The TV was on, as it always was, the soft glow making his eyes squint. The apartment was silent except for his pants, empty except for his shuddering form. Heâs shirt was off - he didnât like it sticking to him, it was too constricting, and he always ran hot anyways - his sheets tangled with his legs.
Reaching over to the small couch besides him, his hand slid over the cushions until he found what he was looking for.
He flipped open the small phone, going straight to the Contact page. He only had one in this phone. This phone no one knew about except them two. Not Sam, not his therapist. No one.
He quickly dialed the number, leaning back against the couch and letting out a puff of air. Finally, after a few rings, an exhausted voice came through, hoarse with sleep.
âHello?â
âHeyâŠitâs me.â
âOh. Hey. Is everything alright?â
âYeah, no. EverythingâsâŠIâmâŠwe just havenât talked in a while.â
âI know. Iâve been meaning to call, but-â
âNo, no. I get it. What youâre doing is important.â
âYouâre important, too, Buck.â
Bucky took a breath, a small nod moving his head. âUh, so, howâs the search? Found anything yet?â
âNo. Iâm in Edinburgh right now. They met here right before the whole thing in WakandaâŠI thought she might come back.â
âNo such luck?â
âNoâŠyou know what she did. What sheâs capable of. The odds of finding herâŠâ He heard her sigh and a frown etched onto his features. She sounded tired, but she spoke before he could bring it up. âWhat about you? Howâre you doing?â
âI dunno, honestly.â
âYeah. Okay, thatâs fair. Howâs therapy going with whatâs-her-face?â
He chuckled, running a hand through his hair. âItâs basically the same every session. âAre you having nightmares?â âAre you making amends?â âAre you following the three rules?â âThis is part of your pardon.â Yadda yadda yadda.â
âIs it helping at all, at least?â
âI guess. The amends thing gives me something to do if nothing else.â
âAre you following the rules, though?â
âNo one will know if I donât.â The giggle she gives makes him brighten up. âI got lunch with Yori again on Wednesday.â
âOh? How was that?â
âFine. Good, even. I guess. I dunno. He set me up on a date with the girl who works behind the counter at Izzy.â
âOOooo! Fun! Is she pretty?â
âAs a picture.â
âWhat did you do?â
âPlayed Battleship and drank. A lot in my case. Not that it did much...â
âJames-â
âNo, no! Not like that! She made it into a drinking game! I was losing.â
âYou?â
âIâm a super soldier assassin. I donât have x-ray vision.â
âOkay, okay. What went down after Battleship?â
âI, uhâŠI ran out on her.â
âOh no. Why? What happened?â
âShe, uhâŠshe started talking about how nice it is for me to spend time with Yori and his sonâŠI went to tell him, you know. I looked him in the eye and opened my mouthâŠbut I saw a picture. Of his son.â
âIt wasnât your fault, Buck. You know that. It wasnât you.â
He didnât feel like arguing with her, so he just agreed. âYeah. I guess.â
He could feel her suspicion through the phone, but luckily she decided not to pursue the topic. She always seemed to know what to say and when. âDid you have a good time at least? While you were there I mean?â
âYeah. Yeah, I guess. I was - I was really awkward, I think. I dunno. Itâs been a while.â
âBut itâs better than online dating. I told you that was a bad idea.â
âYou were also the one who told me to jump in head first.â
âNot on the internet. You psycho. Thereâs really whack jobs out there.â
âTakes one to know one.â
âHey!â He chuckled at her faux-offended tone, picturing her hand over her heart mockingly. âThat hurt!â
âKidding. You know I love you.â
âAs long as you know I love you backâŠhave you talked to Sam lately?â
âUhâŠno. NotâŠnot recently. How is he?â
âHeâs fine. We just talked earlier. Heâs in Louisiana right now with his sister. Heâs got some family dilemma heâs trying to fix. He, uh, he gave the shield up earlier this week. Apparently the new Smithsonian exhibit is pretty good. Maybe weâll check it out sometimeâŠwhat do think?â
âYeah. Maybe. Sometime. Are-are you coming back soon?â
âI was planning to. I really donât think Iâve got any chance of finding Wanda at the moment. Or Vision for that matter. I still canât believe SWORD didnât contact us. Iâm so pissed.â
âI know. Maybe itâs good you didnât get informed, though. We all know how you get when it comes to the team.â
âThe Avengers are my family, Bucky. Iâm loyal to a fault, you know that.â
âYeah. I do. I think Steve rubbed off on you after all those years.â
âYou think?â
âDefinitely.â
They fell into a comfortable, contemplative silence, Buckyâs eyes watching the screen of the TV still glowing from across the room. âWhat if I dropped by tomorrow? Is that too soon?â
âTomorrow as in today? Itâs one oâclock here.â
âItâs five here. So tomorrow as in tomorrow. Iâm tired.â
âEither one would be fine, but yeah. Get some rest. Call me when you have your flight information.â
âOkay. You get some rest, too. Or, at least, try to. You sound tired.â
âYou know I donât sleep well without you.â
âIâll be there tomorrow. Promise. Then we can stay in all day and you can catch up on sleep.â
âHow long will you be here?â
âAs long as you need me, James. Good night.â
âY/N?â
âYes?â
Bucky hesitated, before shaking his head. âGânight, doll. Sleep well.â
Warnings: !FATWS SPOILERS!, Cursing, John Walker, Emotions, Character Death, Mentions of Blood, I know people had a hard time with that last scene so please take caution because it is in this part! GIF at end is the ending scene, so be careful when you get towards the bottom! I feel like Iâm forgetting some, so just know this oneâs a bit more than the others.
A/N: Here it is, folks! The Part weâve all been waiting for! Itâs the longest one Iâve written so far but so much happened and I couldnât find a better spot to end it than where the episode ended. Thank you all for being patient with me today. I know I didnât get this out as quickly as I wouldâve the past few weeks, but you guys are so awesome! Seriously! I love that you understand I do have a life and work comes first! Thank you, thank you!
This Part is a doozy, guys, andâŠIâm sorry? But not really. Iâm SUPER excited to see where this is gonna go, especially considering Episode 5 is supposed to be the real tear jerker. I canât believe thereâs only two more episodes! Iâve grown so attached to these characters just in the past month! Iâm so glad Iâm able to share some of my thoughts and feelings with you guys, too! Youâre honestly the best!
Iâll be doing more One Shots this week, so look for those on the Masterlist. Iâm still taking requests for them, so if thereâs anything you want explored about the reader and her relationships that you donât think will be explored in this Series, just ask and Iâll try to add it to the One Shot list.
As always, this isnât betaâd so please excuse any mistakes! Thank you for reading, be kind to yourself and others, enjoy this part and stay tuned!
FATWS Masterlist
cjsinkythoughts Masterlist
(I couldnât decide on which GIF to use because there are so many good ones! Thank you Tumblr Creators!)
!SPOILERS UNDER CUT!
âDollâŠhey. Doll. Câmon, sweetheart. We gotta get moving.â
You cracked your eyes open begrudgingly, squinting up to see Buckyâs amused grin, head tilted and eyes soft. âHuh?â
He chuckled as you rubbed your eyes, confusion lifting an eyebrow. âThe funeral. Zemo said weâve gotta go if weâre gonna make it in time.â
âWait, butâŠhuh?â
Sniggering again at your reaction, he held up your phone. âYou passed out in the middle of a chapter, sleepyhead.â He teased lightly, grabbing your hand and gently pulling you to sit upright. âItâs almost been an hour.â
You huffed tiredly, stretching and placing your feet on the floor, taking back the phone he held out to you. âWhy didnât you wake me up?â
âYou havenât been sleeping well.â He stated, like it shouldâve been obvious. âHowâs your arm feeling?â
âBetter than earlier. Itâs just sore. Thatâs all.â
He studied your features for any hint of a lie. Not finding one, he nodded, holding out his hand. âOkay. But tell me if it starts bothering you.â
You placed your hand in his, marveling for a split second at how big his hands were compared to yours - something you noticed every time but still it never ceased to astound you. He tugged you up, and you looked up to meet his worried eyes, remembering his question.
âI will, Buck. Promise.â
He nodded, tilting his head towards the door. âCâmon, cuddle bug. We donât wanna miss this.â
A groan passed your lips, but you nodded and followed Bucky out into the main room, where Sam chuckled at you from his spot at the table. âSleeping beauty has finally awoken.â
You flipped Sam off groggily. âAre we going or not?â
âDo you wanna wake up sâmore first?â
âNo.â You answered the one armed brunette. âIâll just splash some water on my face or something. Iâll be fine by the time we get there. Whereâs-â
âLooking for me?â
Zemo strolled out, now dressed in that coat of his, that smug smirk on his lips. You scowled. âI wish I wasnât.â
Sam stood up, standing subconsciously between you and Zemo. âLetâs head out.â
You nodded in agreement, shooting the Baron one more glare, before following him out the door and into the city, Bucky right besides you, shoulders brushing as if you werenât ignoring him just hours prior.
The walk was mostly silent, a few jests between Bucky and Sam plus a couple comments from Zemo here and there. You talked about strategy, with Sam bringing up the fact that he wanted to try convincing Karli to step down. Zemo didnât look pleased with the arrangement, but both you and Bucky relented, agreeing to let Sam at least try.
It wasnât until you were close to your destination according to Zemo that anything exciting happened.
âKarli Morgenthau is too dangerous for you guys to be pulling this shit!â
Hell. No.Â
The moment the voice registered in your brain, your jaw tightened, your teeth starting to grind together as you held back the very not nice things you wanted to say.Â
âAh! Howâd you find us now?â Bucky called out, tucking you into his side protectively, and a little possessively you noted, as Walker and Hoskins came down the steps, the two groups nearing each other.
You were relieved when the subject of Zemo escaping jail went by relatively quickly, Walker latching onto the fact that you were going to talk to Karli instead of focusing on the escaped fugitive in front of him.
You very nearly punched him when he ran in front of you after Sam told him the plan, making the four of you stop in your tracks, but Buckyâs arm tightened around your shoulders, holding you in place next to him.
âYouâre gonna let him do this?â Walker questioned Bucky in disbelief, self righteous judgement practically dripping from your tone. âYouâre gonna let your partner walk into a room with a super soldier alone?â
Buckyâs jaw ticked. âHeâs dealt with worse. And heâs not my partner.â
âAnd you?â Walker narrowed his eyes towards you. âI expected more from you; the last original Avenger.â
You snorted, shaking your head. He obviously didnât know how chaotic the Avengers were. What Sam was proposing? Youâd seen it a million times with Steve alone. Not considering Nat, Clint, Thor, even Bruce and Tony. All of them willing to try to negotiate before running in, bullets raining and hell rising. âFirst, Iâm not the last original. Iâm technically not even an original. Second, I trust Sam with my life and Iâm standing by his decision. Heâs my brother. As a soldier, I wouldâve thought you understood that.â
Before he could respond, Sam stepped around Bucky. You saw the reluctance in Walkerâs eyes as he admitted a temporary defeat once Hoskins agreed with Sam. The fact that he was so unwilling to try to save more lives - including Karliâs - made the truth that he wasnât, and would never, be your Captain harden deeper into your heart.
Ignoring Walkerâs confusion as you followed the little girl Zemo befriended - which was weird, youâd admit, but it was getting you closer to Karli - Buckyâs arm slipped from your shoulders, hand sliding across your back and skimming down your arm to grip your hand. Even through your jacket, you felt goosebumps erupt along his fingersâ trail.
You finally came to your destination and you let out a small breath. If everything went smoothly, this mission could finally be over and you could go home and take a bath, get take out, get out a bottle of wine, watch TV, and just relax.
What a dream.
âHey.â You stopped Sam before he could go through the entrance of where the girl said Karli was, holding his forearm. âYou want me to come with you?â
He shook his head. âI think itâll be better if I go alone.â
You nodded, letting go without any hesitance. âOkay. Be careful.â
âAlways.â And despite all youâve been through, no matter how many times heâs followed Steveâs lead in doing something stupid, you knew he meant it. You nodded again, before he disappeared around the corner.
You leaned back against the wall, Bucky once again wrapping an arm around your shoulder now that you werenât walking - he liked having mobility on the move, hence the reason he held your hand instead - leaning besides you and pulling you against his chest.
Ten minutes. You tried looking at Buckyâs watch, which was on the wrist of the arm around you. He noticed and turned his wrist slightly, bending his elbow more, which brought you even closer to him, showing you the time.
Giving a small sigh, you nodded slightly and dropped your head back against his bicep, your hands shoving in your pockets, one of your feet coming up to rest against the wall. Bucky shifted to your other side so he could stand in front of the doors to where Karli and Sam were, pulling you against his back, arms wrapping around your shoulders tightly.
It was a long ten minutes. You kept eyeing Walker, and you couldnât help the anger burning through you as he held the shield in his hands. That damn shield. It wasnât his. It would never be his. And he would never understand it. The fact that the shield didnât make Captain America. The shield isnât what made Steve a good man. Not even the Serum did. He already was one. Steve made the shield what it was, not the other way around.
But then you remembered a conversation you had, years ago, and your eyes flitted up to Buckyâs hardened face, the brunette staring intensely at the ground.
~
You didnât get it. You were confused. You knew how important Barnes - Bucky - was to Steve. But apparently you didnât understand it quite yet.
You watched from the entrance of the hallway, leaning against the wall, as Bucky went under once more.
Steve stood there for a moment longer, before turning and walking towards you. âWhyâd you do it?â
He raised an eyebrow at you while you turned to walk with him down the hall. âDo what?â
âGive up the shield. And donât say it doesnât belong to you. It does. Howard gave it to you. Youâre the reason itâsâŠa symbol.â
He hummed. âAnd what exactly is it a symbol for, honey?â
You scoffed. âUh, freedom? Justice? Resilience? The defense of the whole life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness thing?â
He stopped, facing you with a strange expression on his face, thoughtful. âI dropped it because I canât be that anymore. Not right now. People donât have the same beliefs they used to have. How can I stand up for freedom and let the Sokovia Accords track every person they deem a threat, just like HYDRA tried doing? How can I be a symbol for justice and let Bucky take the fall for something that he wasnât in control of? I canât. And until the world is ready to changeâŠI canât be Captain America.â
~
And suddenly, it seemed to click. Steve gave up the shield for Bucky because the world wasnât ready to admit it was wrong. Just like Sam gave up the shield for himself and his family because the world wasnât ready for the truth that would come with him becoming Captain America.
GodâŠwhen did a metal circle become so complicated?
âWhatâs goinâ on in that pretty lilâ headâa yours?â His whisper in your ear startled you out of your thoughts, his nose brushing against your temple tenderly as he placed a chaste kiss on your cheek.
You looked up at him and shook your head. Of all the things Steve gave up, he never gave up Bucky. And it used to confuse you, but you understood then. His blue eyes sparkling with curiosity and slight concern, his fingers tracing patterns along your collarbone with a barely-there touch that was so light it didnât seem to exist. You finally understood. Not just Steveâs decision, but Samâs too. And maybe you didnât understand it fully, and that was okay, because you werenât them, so you never would, but you understood a little bit.
âNothing.â You shook your head, keeping your voice down so the others couldnât hear, the conversation being a private one, âIâm just waiting for this to be over.â
He hummed, nodding in agreement, setting his chin on your head. âMe too.â
Walker started pacing the room about half way through, getting too antsy for your liking. âShhh.â Bucky mumbled under his breath, feeling you tense as Walker started talking. âIt hasnât been ten minutes, John. Just sit tight.â
âDonât do that. Donât patronize me.â
âHe knows what heâs doing.â Bucky stated confidently, straightening slightly from his leaning position, arms falling from your form. The two of you exchanged glances as Walker checked the clock over on the far wall, blocked from your view.
âIâm going in.â Walker strode across the room, heading for the entrance, no doubt willing to steam roll anything - anyone - in his way.
Bucky stopped him with a hand on his chest. You glanced back and forth between the two as Walker spoke, arms crossed tightly over your chest. âBuckâŠwe promised him ten minutes.â You reminded him, seeing his resolve crumble a bit. You could guess he was thinking of the nightmares. The people he couldnât save. The blood he already considered on his hands.
Walker used his moment of hesitation, shoving past him roughly. âIâm not waiting.â
âJohn!â
âWalker!â
You followed after him, you and Bucky arguing with him and Hoskins about giving Sam more time, but it was too late.
âKarli Morgenthau! Youâre under arrest!â
âFuck.â You hissed out when you saw Samâs panicked expression, looking at you confused. Walker was flown across the room when Karli punched him, Bucky shoving Hoskins out of the way to run after her.
âY/N-â
You threw your hands up. âI tried, Sam! Câmon!â
You and Sam ran over to some stairs, turning corners and trying to remember what the building looked like from outside to cut her off, but you only ran into Bucky again.Â
âI wish we had the layout or something.â You grumbled. âWe were that close-â
âWeâre not done yet, doll.â Nodding, you followed the boys out, Bucky pausing every so often to try to hear anything. âIâve got gunshots.â At that, the three of you took off towards the sound, Bucky leading the way.
Just around the corner from where Bucky heard the gunshots, you thought you saw a couple people slip around another bend. Noticing you had stopped, Bucky backtracked. âYou okay?â
âYeah.â Deciding it wasnât worth the pursuit, you turned to him and nodded towards the doorway Sam already went through. He gave you a look, but nodded and the two of you jogged into the room.
You sighed heavily, seeing Zemo knocked out on the floor, Walker standing over him and broken vials that were previously full of, what you assumed was, the Serum. Hoskins ran in right after you, meaning no one but Walker and Zemo knew what happened. Meaning you would probably never get the full, true story.
What fun it is to work with manipulators and liars.
********************
âI donât like him.â Bucky grumbled, the two of you walking up to the place you were staying in, Bucky holding the door open for you.
âI know you donât, Buck. I donât either.â You had asked Bucky to go with you to get some fresh air once you got back, Zemo having woken up a few minutes after and Walker and Hoskins had to make a call or something official like the good soldiers they were. âHeâs hiding something.â
âYou think?â Bucky scoffed, giving you a look.
You rolled your eyes. âI meanâŠI donât know. When we found him and ZemoâŠmy gut twisted.â
He nodded in understanding, his face twisting into a scowl. âYeah. Mine did too.â
You stopped him before you could walk through the door to the main room. âDo me a favor?â He nodded again with a little hum. Catching his chin between your fingers, your free hand moved to smooth out the creases between his brow. âStop brooding so much. It makes me worried.â
His tongue darted out to wet his lips, features softening slightly. âAre you really gonna leave in the morning? I know youâve had a lot of people telling you to take a break, and itâs selfish for me to ask you to stay, butâŠI dunno if I can finish this without you.â
âI-â You sighed, ducking your head as you thought of a response, before looking up in his wide eyes, begging for you to stick around longer. âLetâs just finish the day and see what happens next. Okay?â
He bit his lip, nodding slightly. You gave him a smile, before tugging on his hand. âI need a drink.â
He chuckled at that. âThat I can fix, doll.â He, again, opened the door for you, and the two of you walked in.
âWhat a gentleman. Straight outta the 40âs.â You joked, making him roll his eyes.
He took off his jacket, heading to the kitchen, while you sat on the opposite side of the island. âSomethinâs not right about Walker.â
Sam gave you two an amused look. âYou donât say.â
âWell, I know a crazy when I see one.â He opened the lid of the bottle he grabbed, starting to pour two glasses of whiskey for the both of you. âBecause I am crazy.â
You rolled your eyes as Sam responded, âcanât argue with that.â
âYou shouldnât have given him the shield.â
Giving Bucky a disapproving look over the rim of your glass, you sipped your drink, narrowing your eyes when he ignored you. âI didnât give him the shield.â
âWell Steve definitely didnât.â
Your glass slammed down on the counter. Why did he have to bring this up right now? Seriously? You were just having a nice conversation about places you wanted to visit while taking a walk outside. Why was he suddenly snapping?
Before you could scold him, the doors burst open, making your head whip over as Walker stormed in, âorderingâ you to hand over Zemo.
You stayed sitting, leaning on the counter and facing the opposite wall as Sam told him off, giving an amused snicker as you sipped your drink. Bucky sat besides you, facing Walker, and you recognized from the angle he was positioning himself that he was blocking you from Walkerâs view, whether intentional or not.
You raised an eyebrow, turning in interest when Walker put down the shield, knowing Sam wasnât about to fight the man. What an ego the blonde had.
Before anything could happen, however, a spear pierced through the air, lodging in the pillar next to Walkerâs head.
Your frustration with Buckyâs comment flew out of your head as Ayo and a few other Dora Milaje walked in. Bucky sat up straighter and you stood up, leaning ever so slightly against his arm.
You nearly facepalmed, a sound of complete disbelief leaving you as Walker introduced himself. Sam looked over at you two, an entertained, slightly incredulous smile on his face.
Sam tried warning him. He really did. But Walker, youâve come to find, was an arrogant, egotistical narcissist who only wanted to win and would do whatever it takes to do so. Even when there wasnât really a winner. At least, not in that situation. It seemed that Walker liked ignoring the gray area in the world, which wasnât good. Not in the least.
Which is why you couldnât really feel sorry for the man. You saw it coming as soon as he told them they didnât have jurisdiction. And the moment he touched Ayo?
You put your chin on Buckyâs shoulder - who had stood up from his spot - watching the Dora Milaje kick Walkerâs ass, wincing and cringing mockingly at the right moments, making Bucky smirk at you.
âWe should do something.â Sam said, although he didnât look thrilled about the prospect.
Bucky crossed his arms. âLooking strong, John!â
You gave a slight snort, not wanting to encourage anything, but unable to hold in your amusement. Bucky winked at you, clinking his cup of whiskey with your own, before taking a gulp.
âBucky.âÂ
You huffed and stepped back at Samâs tone. âCâmon, Buck.â
âFine.â Bucky grunted. âBut âM not happy about it.â
Soon, the three of you, plus Walker and Hoskins, were all occupied with a member of the Dora Milaje. You knew you couldnât take them; they were on a higher level that Natasha, and you could barely beat her. But you werenât necessarily trying to win.
It was a strange fight, knowing that no one - except Walker, probably - actually wanted to hurt anyone. Of course, that didnât stop one of them from exploiting your injured shoulder that she spotted rather quickly. The hits were quick and precise, the tip of her spear cutting along the graze, hitting the spot just perfect enough to reopen it. The stitches that had been placed only a couple days ago ripped, making you wince and clutch your now bleeding shoulder.
âOh fuck.â You groaned. âYou were always good with those things.â
She gave you an almost apologetic look, before she looked over to Ayo, who stepped through the room towards the bathroom where Zemo had locked himself in during the chaos.
When you caught sight of the shoulder thing she did to Bucky, his metallic arm now laying on the floor, his eyes wide and his stance stunned, your jaw nearly dropped. You guessed it made sense that they had a way to do that, but, still. None of you were expecting it.
âDid you know they could do that?â Sam asked once they started leaving, Bucky picking up his arm and connecting it to his shoulder.
âNo.â The arm whirred as he swung it, getting it back to normal.
You couldnât help the little giggle that left you, making Bucky raise an eyebrow at you. You tried holding in more laughs, but they just kept coming. âShe-she...she disarmed you!â
Bucky rolled his eyes as you chortled, holding your stomach and bending over. âHa ha. Very funny.â
âOh come on!â You straightened and wiped your eyes. âThat was good! Wasnât it, Sammy?â
Sammy chuckled and nodded. âIâll admit, it was pretty good. This, however, is not.â
Your laughter died as Sam made his way over to the bathroom, the light air that came with your cackles dissipating as quickly as it came.
âI canât believe he pulled an El Chapo.â
You stared at the drain that was uncovered - large enough for Zemo to slip inside and escape. He did it. The son of a bitch finally did it. It took him long enough. You wouldâve betted against him days ago.
âI can.â Bucky turned and grabbed your hand. âCome on. Letâs get you cleaned up.â
*********************
âI thought you told them.â
Bucky looked up from wrapping your shoulder, an eyebrow raised. âWhat?â
âI thought you told them. The Dora Milaje. Wakanda. TâChalla. I thought you told them about Zemo.â
He leaned back with a sigh. âIt was kinda a last minute decision. You know that. You were there.â
You nodded. âI do. But I also know what theyâve done for you. Shuri and Ayo. I was there for that, too. And you know what he did to them. To their country. Their king.â
âI know, I know. I almost died several times because of it.â
Your eyebrows pinched in confusion. âSo why-â
âI thought itâd be quick. I thought, maybe, I could do it without them finding out and then we could get to Karli and they wouldnât be disappointed. Win win.â
Your cheek caught between your teeth as you thought. âYou couldâve just asked-â
He shook his head. âThey wouldâve said no. You know that.â
âOkay. Fine. Yes. I know that. ButâŠbut giving them a warning wouldâve been better than this.â He hung his head, closing his eyes. âBucky. Hey,â hooking a finger under his chin, you tilted his head back up to look at you. âI know itâs been hard for you. Everything has. And Iâm sorry I dragged you into this. I shouldnât have let you come along. You should be healing, and itâs my fault youâre not.â He opened his mouth, face scrunching up in disagreement, but you shook your head. âItâs true. I justâŠI didnât know it would come this far.â You gnawed on your bottom lip studying those captivating eyes, before sighing. âWhich is why Iâm not leaving.â
He perked up, those pretty eyes going wide, jaw slackening. âYou-youâre not?!â
You shook your head. As much as you wanted to run away, you couldnât. It wouldnât be right. âIt wouldnât be fair to you or Sam. I promised to help, and I brought you into it. So Iâm gonna stay.
âAre you, uhâŠare you sure? You donât hafta if you donât wanna, doll. I know I kinda pushed you earlier, but-â
âIâm sure Buck.â You nodded firmly. âJustâŠdo something for me?â
âI dunno if I can promise not brooding, sweetheart.â
You giggled at his words. âNot that. JustâŠstop giving Sam a hard time. About the shield. Please.â
His soft features hardened and he scowled. âIf he didnât give it up-â
âHe thought it was going to the museum. I told you about that, remember? I told you weâd go when I got back.â
Giving a slight nod, he sighed. âWe never did.â
âWe will. But, Iâm serious, Buck. Please. Itâs not his fault. He did exactly what Steve did.â At Buckyâs confused look, you pursed your lips, looking down at his hands, starting to play with his fingers. âRemember how I was thinking during those ten minutes we had?â He nodded. âI was thinking about how Steve gave the shield back to Tony. After saving you. In Siberia. You remember that?â Another nod was given, so you continued. âIt was for you, James. Because you made him realize that he didnât want to be the face of a country that preached one thing, but did another. And thatâs what Sam did. He did it for his family. For himself. Because no one wants to fight for a country that goes against your personal beliefs, no matter what they say.â
âI-I donât understand.â Buckyâs eyes squinted, his brow creasing as he tried processing what you were telling him.
âThatâs okay. Not everyone will. Really only they can understand their own reasoning. But you have to try to understand that he did what he thought was best for himself. For Steve. For the shield. And I know - dammit do I know - that itâs the last thing left of him. But it is just metal. Isnât it? Steveâs the reason it is what it is. No one else. And no one is going to change that.â
Bucky took a breath, glossy, worried eyes meeting yours. âWalkerâs going to ruin it. I know he is. I can feel it. Everything Steve worked for. I donât care about Captain America. I care about the kid from Brooklyn who wanted to make a difference, no matter how little he was. I trusted him. I followed him through bullets and blood, with only that shield between us and them. He was home on a battlefield in Italy across the ocean from New York. And that shield was the welcome mat. It doesnât matter what it says, what it looks likeâŠbut it protected my home when I couldnât. But now? I feel like itâs tearing my home down. Pulling out the bricks. And it hurts. It was never about the shield, Y/N. It was always about the man it protected when I couldnât be there for him. And now?â
Gathering him in your arms as he trailed off, you gave a couple little sniffles, pressing your face in his hair, nails scratching the nape of his neck lightly. âIâll be your welcome mat, Buckaroo.â You offered.
He shook his head, pulling away to hold your face between his hands. âNo, sweetheart. Youâre not the welcome mat. Youâre the new bricks replacing the old. YouâreâŠyouâre my home, now, doll.â
You swallowed thickly, unable to handle the rush of emotions that just poured through you, the sudden change in topic making you feel more vulnerable than youâd like. You leaned forwards, placing a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth, feeling him go lax in your arms. âAnd youâre mine.â You murmured softly, before getting up and heading out for the room, unable to stay any longer. You still had a mission to do. One that became even more desperate with Zemo loose, Walker unhinged, and Karli being so close.
******************
There was a silent agreement to not bring up your conversation. Not yet, at least. Sam had eyed you both when you came out of the room, saying you were ready to get moving, but he didnât say anything either.
None of you really knew where you were going, only what you had to do. Find Zemo and get to Karli before Walker could. Both of which were a lot easier said than done.
Until Sam got a call from Sarah, who told him Karli contacted her personally and threatened her and her sons. She left a contact number for Sam, evidently wanting to meet. His phone dinged not a minute after he texted the number.
âShe said come alone.â
âWell thatâs not happening.â You opposed, crossing your arms.
Bucky nodded with your sentence. âWeâre coming with you.â
Sam didnât say anything against it, the three of you exchanging glances, before heading out to the location, changing into your tactical suits along the way.
Karli didnât seem to mind you and Bucky tagging along, and you understood why the moment she mentioned not killing Sam because he wasnât hiding behind a shield. It was a distraction. They were going after Walker.
It was confirmed only moments later when Sharon contacted Sam. âLooks like he found them, or maybe they found him.â
As soon as Sam announced that it was Walker, you jumped into action, Sam disabling Karli for just the right amount of time for you to get a head start. âIâll send you the location. Go.â He told Bucky, who nodded and took off in his super soldier sprint. âYou hitching a ride?â
You rolled your eyes at his slight tease. âI hate this so much.â You grumbled, catching his hand as he took off in the air with his bird costume. He held onto you tightly, like the millions of times youâd done this before, although it didnât make you any less dizzy, traveling that fast, that high, with only his hold keeping you from dropping. âYouâre lucky I trust you so much!â
He gave a small chuckle at your shout over the wind. âWeâre landing! Brace yourself!â You followed his order, just in time for him to break through the glass ceiling of the building Walker was in. The both of you landed on a platform on the staircase just as a Flag Smasher was thrown through double glass doors, down the stairs, and into a power box. Your eyes went wide as Walker strolled down the steps, oozing a confidence that made you nervous. The moment Walker stopped the Flag Smasher - the Super Soldier - from hitting him with the pipe, you knew even before he twisted it like a pretzel.
âSam.â You breathed out. You couldnât even do anything, only watching as the Flag Smasher got up from being thrown again, and running down a hall.
âWhatâd you do?â
âThey got Lemar.â Was the only reply he gave, brushing past you and Sam. You gave Sam a look, but he just jerked his head down the hall, in the direction the Flag Smasher went and the way Walker started heading. You nodded, willing to drop it for now to save someoneâs life, but you were so bringing it up once this was done.
Jogging into the room, you shouldâve expected the ambush in the room, but, to be honest, they didnât take as much advantage as they couldâve, so it wasnât too difficult of a fight. You had trained with Steve millions of times before, so you knew how to go against a Super Soldier. Granted, your Cap wasnât trying to kill you while training, but it was better than nothing.
You protected your shoulder, knowing that was your weak point, while trying to disguise it so whoever you were fighting wouldnât realize your Achillesâ Heel. Something you often found while dealing with Steve, and even Bucky, was that Super Soldiers, as quick as they were, tended to favor the super strength side of their enhancements. This made it easier for you to dodge the attacks, knowing most of your blows wouldnât do much.
Knowing you wouldnât be able to stay on the defensive for long, you decided to try to get an advantage over them. Disarming them and taking their knife was easy enough. A small advantage, yeah, but now you had a weapon, and you could work with that.
You werenât exactly sure when Bucky joined the fight, but he did, immediately coming over to you when you body kicked your opponent, helping you up. âThat was a Steve move.â Your eyes caught sight of the Flag Smasher behind him and you shoved his shoulder down, throwing your knife, making it land solidly in the manâs shoulder. Bucky looked up at you from his crouch, impressed. âAnd that was a me move.â
You shrugged. âIâm a visual learner.â
You, Sam, and Bucky were about to go for another round with the guys when a sickening crack sounded behind you, and you whipped around.Â
Hoskins was against a split pillar, a crimson streak running down his forehead, head lolling to the side, lips red and cracked. The fight stopped as Walker rushed over to his friend, but you knew there was no way he survived. A punch from a Super Soldier? That hard?
Eyeing the Flag Smashers, you turned to Sam and Bucky when they started dispersing, Karli running out as well. They nodded towards you and the three of you took off after her, not wanting to let her get away again and, for you, at least, wanting to give Walker some time.
You werenât expecting his grief to turn into such raw hatred.Â
Running up to the city square, you didnât actually see it happen. Just the aftermath. Which was good, considering you nearly threw up just seeing that.
You heard the change in Buckyâs breathing, barely recognizing the way he stepped in front of you, only realizing you stepped closer when you felt his sleeve against your palms, fingers tightly wrapped around his forearm. A choked sound came from somewhere, but you didnât know it was you, even as Bucky reached his arm around to hold your waist, keeping you behind his shoulder.Â
Tears leaked down your face silently, eyes unable to look away as Walker straightened, sliding the shield on his arm, too nonchalantly for someone who just murdered another in front of a crowd full of people, cameras pointed towards him.
The shield. That piece of metal you had been wondering so deeply about the past couple of weeks. The link to the first person youâd ever loved. Ruined. Tarnished. Stained.
You could barely breathe, your throat clenching so tightly it was a wonder you were able to get anything out at all.
Warnings: !FATWS SPOILERS!, Cursing, Zemo being a punk, Bucky getting a little scary, some feelings, Sam being his fantastic, amazing, caring for everyone self
A/N: Here it is! At long last! Iâve been waiting for this episode and it wasâŠholy fuck. I barely have words. And I canât start or else Iâll be ranting for pages. Anyways, I know this Part is a little on the shorter side - not by much, but it still is - and it doesnât even cover half the episode, but Iâve had a long day and Iâm tired, so Iâm going to sleep. I wanted to stop before Walker entered the picture too, because then Iâm just gonna get more riled up and Iâm working later. Iâll probably have another part out today, and then Iâll finish it tomorrow. Unless I can finish it today. Iâll try, but no promises.
Feel free to rant to me about the episode or the show, too, guys! My friends and I have been going back and forth about it for the past few hours. Iâd love to hear your thoughts! I think thatâs all for now.
As always, this isnât betaâd so please excuse any mistakes! Thank you for reading, be kind to yourself and others, enjoy this part and stay tuned!
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!SPOILERS BELOW CUT!
You were avoiding him.
When you first got to Latvia, he had pulled you aside, eyes wide and pleading. âDoll, listen-â
âI really donât think right now is the time to have the discussion weâre about to have.â Shaking your head, you avoided his gaze, your stomach twisting into knots. It was too much for you to handle; you couldnât focus on the mission at hand and try to unravel the emotions that were making your gut flip like a gymnast. There were too many thoughts in your head, and you needed a clear mind.
âBut-â
âOnce this is all done, and our lives arenât in danger. Once weâre back home, then we can talk, okay? JustâŠplease. Not here. Not now.â
And he dropped it.Â
It wasnât that you didnât want to talk about it. You just couldnât. You had always been a âleave your baggage at the doorâ type of person. Donât mix work with personal. Not like you had much âpersonalâ anyways when you first decided that was how it should be. And then your coworkers became family and your motto got a lot harder to follow. But you still followed it. And you would continue to follow it.
But that made you start avoiding him. Whether you meant to or not, everyone noticed, but no one said anything. Sam shot you a look when you didnât offer to go with Bucky when he had to check something out. Zemo raised an eyebrow when he came back and, instead of immediately questioning him, you sat still on the couch, eyes glancing up briefly, before going back to playing with the strings of your hoodie.
You were paying attention to their conversation, especially when Karli Morgenthau was brought up, you just didnât join in. Not even when Zemo mentioned the Avengers, eyeing you to see your reaction.
Honestly, you were tired, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Your shoulder hurt, your brain couldnât process what the guys were talking about, and your heart couldnât take any more hits.
It was something youâd been thinking aboutâŠyou just thought itâd come after this mission.
âShe will not stop. She will escalate until you kill herâŠor she kills you.â
âMaybe youâre wrong Zemo. The Serum never corrupted Steve.â
For the first time since he first walked in, your eyes met Buckyâs. âTouche.â Zemo pointed at Bucky with a pastry around his finger. âBut there has never been another Steve Rogers, has there?â
But you couldnât wait until after this mission. Not when he was so connected to it. âI think Iâm gonna go home.â You blurted out before Zemo and Bucky could argue further, Bucky slumping down onto the opposite side of the couch.
The moment the words left your lips, Sam and Bucky shot up, staring at you in disbelief.
âWait, hold up. What? Now? Weâre so close-â
âWhy? Is it your arm? Is it hurting? You shouldâve told us-â
âIâm just tired.â You cut in, shaking your head. âThatâs all. I didnât expect this to be drawn out this long when you called, Sammy.â
Buckyâs hand twitched as he hesitatingly scooted closer to you. âDoll, if this is because what happened on the jet-â
âItâs not, Buck.â You tried to give him a convincing smile, but you knew by the look in his eyes that he didnât buy it for one second. You reached over to squeeze his hand, and when you pulled back, he held on tighter, a sigh escaping his lips as he stared down at your linked hands.
âOkayâŠif you wanna go home, we can get you home. JustâŠâ His head turned back to you, a pleading pout on his features. âJustâŠstay. Another day. Please. You can keep avoiding me, I wonât even say another word to you if you donât want. But stay. Just for one more day.â
Chewing on your cheek, you finally nodded slightly. âOkay. One more day.â
His eyes lit up, before his face fell again when you took your hand back and curled into the corner of the couch. âLetâs talk shop, boys.â
âOkay. So, from my understanding, Donya is like a pillar of the community, right?â Sam easily changed the topic back to the situation at hand, giving you a reassuring wink when you smiled at him gratefully. âSo when I was a kid, my Tee Tee passed away.â
Bucky screwed his face up in confusion, straightening his head from where he had it leaned back. âYour - your Tee Tee?â
Sam gave him a look. âYeah. My-my Tee Tee, yeah.â
Bucky looked at him weirdly. âWho is your Tee Tee?â
The exchange made you giggle a little bit, shaking your head. âBuckyâs a city boy from the 40âs, remember, Sammy?â
âFine.â Sam rolled his eyes. âWhen I was a kid my aunt passed away.â
Bucky gave a slight huff, making you chuckle again. You stopped when he smiled over at you, but your grin didnât leave your face. Even when they were the ones to give you a headache, your fellas were damn entertaining, thatâs for sure.
With a sort-of plan in place - the gathering for Donya being no more than a theory, but the only idea you really had - you stretched out from your spot on the couch, twisting to crack your back. âZemo.â The man stopped his rummaging through the cabinets and looked over his shoulder at you, an eyebrow raised. âGo put some clothes on. Weâve got work to do.â
He gave you an unimpressed look, opening his mouth, but Sam beat him to the punch. âDo as the lady says, man. Youâre already walking on a tightrope after you shot Nagel!â Zemo waved dismissively at Samâs exclamation, heading into a separate room to change out of his robe. âThat guy is gonna drive me up the wall.â
âDonât let him get to that pretty head of yours, Sammy.â You hummed, standing up, wincing slightly as you stretched your sore shoulder over your head.
You could tell Bucky wanted to say something, the way he snapped forwards, hands moving down his thigh like he was leaning over to reach for you, his eyes locked on your injured joint, but, just as he said earlier, he didnât say a word. But the part that made you upset wasâŠyou didnât stop him. You didnât tell him it was okay for him to talk to you. You didnât reassure him that you werenât purposely trying to avoid him. You simply moved over to the kitchen to get something to drink.
It hurt worse than your shoulder, but you couldnât handle it. Not then. Not with such an important part of the mission coming up. So you didnât say anything. You just sipped your water, switching into tactic mode as your mind ran through the scenarios of what could possibly go down in the next 24 hours before you went home.
*************************
Walking under the arch, you couldnât help but feel saddened as Zemo told you about what the courtyard used to look like. Thanos messed the world up so much more than you realized and, as much as you hated to admit it, the Avengers did have a part in it. Not that they - you - were in the wrong, necessarily. You truly believed you did what anyone in that situation, with the skills and abilities and knowledge the team had, would do what you did. Or tried to do.
âIâm gonna take a look around upstairs.â Sam stated, looking up at the upper stories of the building, before glancing at Bucky. âSee what you can find out here. And keep an eye on him.â
âIâll come with you.â You said, turning on your heel to follow Sam. The back of Buckyâs gloved hand brushed against yours, and instinctually you turned your palm to link your fingers and squeezing. You let go quickly once you realized what you were doing, nearly tripping up the stairs to get to Sam, not daring to wait for Buckyâs reaction.
âYouâre an idiot.â He stated simply as soon as you met him at the top of the stairs.
âCan we focus on finding Donya right now, please?â You grumbled, moving forwards cautiously, peeking around the corner. You frowned when you saw two guys at the end of the hallway, looking back at you and Sam warily.
âYou need to hear what he has to say, cher.â
You sighed, rubbing your forehead. âI know I do. I know. But I canât. Not right now. Iâm just trying to get this over with first. I donât want too many things on my plate. I might choke.â It already felt like you were drowning most nights.
He paused at your words, giving you a once over, before nodding. âOkay. I can respect that.â
âThank you.â You told him earnestly. âNow letâs try to get something from these people.â
He nodded in agreement and you two continued forwards with your search. Room after room, people walked out before you could get anything from them, locking doors behind them. The Flag Smashers logo was everywhere, but you expected nothing less from a refugee camp that practically worshipped what they were doing.
Even when you did get a guy to talk to you, he immediately shut you down, leaving you and Sam dejected. The fact that the world had gotten so bad that these people couldnât trust you and Sam - Avengers; people who used to be heroes and bring hope to others - it made your heart sink.
âCâmon, Y/N.â
âAre we wrong?â
He froze at your question, his lips pressing together. âAbout what, exactly?â
You shrugged. âI donât know. I justâŠI guess I canât tell right from left anymore. I always assumed that the Avengers were the good guys. That the actions weâve taken in the past were us making the world a better place, butâŠSokovia and Ultron. Germany and the whole civil war thing we had going on. The entire world and Thanos. We donât truly ever win. Do we?â
âI canât answer that for you.â Sam shook his head. âI canât tell you what to believe or who to believe in. But I can tell you that weâve made a difference. Steve, Nat, TonyâŠthey made a difference.â
âBut was it a good difference? Was it a change? Thereâs a difference between changing the world and just making it different, Sam.â
He blinked at you, nodding slowly. âYeah. I guess youâre right. And I donât have that answer for you either. But they tried. They did what they thought was right. No matter if it was or not. And isnât that all we can do? Try?â
His words made you think back to the conversation you had with Bucky once he learned about John Walker, which seemed so long ago. When you told him it wasnât Samâs fault. That he was just trying. That he did what he thought was right.Â
And maybe he was wrong. But he made a decision. It was his decision. To do the right thing. And right then, not for the first time, you could see exactly what Steve saw in the man in front of you.
âYouâre a good man, Sam.â
Sam grinned, slinging an arm around your shoulders and squeezing. âAnd youâre an incredible person, Y/N. Letâs go see if Bucky and the Baron got anything.â
You snickered at his mocking tone towards Zemo and nodded. âYeah. Okay.â
*****************************
You didnât like it. You didnât like it one bit. So far, Zemo kept proving you wrong. Even when it seemed like he was about to jump ship, he came back. No matter how many opportunities he had to escape, he never did. And it was making you even more suspicious.
You stayed out of Bucky and Samâs conversation, although you had to agree with Samâs point, especially with the conversation you just had.
Your thoughts were running a thousand miles a minute, only to be interrupted by Zemo information about the funeral this afternoon. Guess a snake will always be a snake.
âAnd you, uh, didnât think this was important information?â You questioned, eyes narrowed and brow pinched.
He shrugged. âYou have it now, donât you, princess?â
Bucky growled at the nickname, leaning back on the couch, threatening Zemo with the Dora Milaje.
You canât remember a time youâve ever been scared of Bucky. Maybe a little threatened and intimidated by the Winter Soldier, but never scared of Bucky. And when he stood up after Zemo mentioned leverage, you didnât expect anything from it; maybe another choke hold or something. So the glass hitting the wall, the clench in his jaw as he spoke gruffly to the Baron, for a mere second, he kind of frightened you. Maybe it was all the emotions youâd been through the past few weeks or maybe it was the adrenaline that seemed to be pulsing through your veins 24/7 nowadays. Whatever it was, it made you flinch, bolting up as Sam did.
You left the room quickly, hearing Sam say something about making a call, hoping to calm your racing heart.
âDoll?â You sat up from the bed you were laying on, legs hanging off the edge. Bucky stood in the doorway, nervously shifting his feet. âI know I said Iâd leave you alone, butâŠâ
You gave the bed a pat next to you and he gladly accepted the invitation, padding over to sit besides you. âI donât want you to leave me alone, Buck. Youâre my best friend. I-I just need to take it one thing at a time right now.â
He nodded. âI get it. I wasnâtâŠI wasnât coming in to talk to you about that. You said weâll talk about it later, so weâll talk about it later.â
âI appreciate that, Bucky.â You smiled at him, before frowning. âWhat did you wanna talk about then? Are you okay?â
âDid IâŠdid I scare you?â
You blinked at his question, tilting your head. âWhat?â
Jerking his head to the doorway he explained, âjust then. With Zemo. Your heart spiked.â
âNo.â You answered immediately. You would never ever admit that he kind of did scare you. It was just for a second and you knew how his brain worked; heâd beat himself up over it, go over his actions for hours instead of getting the rest he so desperately needs and deserves. He didnât need that on his conscience right now. âI wasnât - I justâŠyou startled me. I wasnât expecting that reaction-â
âI didnât like the way he talked to you.â He spat out, glaring at his hands in his lap. âAnd then the smug bastard thought he was gonna get away with holding back information like that and I justâŠI dunno.â
His hand came off his thigh, but he hesitated. Before he could put it down again, you slipped your hand under his, linking your fingers, running your thumb in circles against his palm. âDonât let him get to you, Buck. Donât give him the satisfaction.â
A sigh left his lips and he nodded. âI know, I know. Itâs justâŠhard. After everything he put me through - put us through - IâŠI just hate that heâs really our only option.â
You frowned, shifting on the bed to face him, one leg bending beneath you while the other still hung over. âWhy are you so obsessed with catching these guys?â
âI wanna do something right.â He murmured, playing with your fingers. âIâve done so much wrongâŠI just wanna do something right. And I feel...responsible for it, I guess. In a way. Itâs Super Soldier Serum. I thought I was the only one after SteveâŠâ He froze at the blondeâs mention, giving you a side-eyed glance. You nudged him, silently telling him to continue, that it was okay to talk about him. âAnd Samâs right, you know. Sheâs just a kid. SoâŠI dunno. I wanna help. I wanna do something right. And catching them would help. Itâs right. Right?â
You nodded firmly. âI understand where theyâre coming from. Karliâs just trying to help the world. But sheâs doing it wrong. And that I know for absolute certainty. Which is good, I guess. I was talking to Sam early and I mentioned not knowing my right from my left recently. Itâs good I know something, huh? And for you it should be easy telling your right from your left.â You joked, tracing the gold lines on his metal arm. âI guess youâre just gonna have to stay besides me to help me remember.â
Looking up, you found Bucky staring at you with something you recognized in his eyes, but didnât want to name. âThree hours, forty two minutes and thirty one seconds.â
âWhat?â
âThatâs how long I didnât talk to you. It was too long.â
You sighed, ducking your head. âBucky, Iâm sorry-â
âIâm sorry. For anything and everything Iâve ever done wrong. I wonât mention the plane or anything weâve talked about until you bring it up first. I promise. JustâŠjust donât ignore me anymore? I'm not sure I can handle it for much longer.â
You nodded, watching your fingertips dance along his scruffy jaw. âI wonât.â He caught your wrist, opening his mouth, before shaking his head and closing it. âWhat?â
He shook his head again. âNot until you bring it up.â
âWe will talk, James. I promise.â
âYou donât have to explain. I get it. I really do. Itâs okay. As long as weâre okay for right now, I can hold it in a bit longer.â
You nearly asked him what he was holding in, but you quickly shoved the question out of your mind, knowing it would take you down a conversation you couldnât possibly have right then. âHow long do you think we have?â
He shrugged. âI dunno. Zemo just said that itâs this afternoon. Why?â
âI started reading The Great Gatsby on the plane. Iâve got it on my phone. It kinda reminds me of you. Do you-do you think we have time to read some? Only if you want, I mean. Like we used to do in Wakanda?â
He grinned and nodded, scooting up on the bed and flopping down into the pillows. You smiled back, following his lead. Once you were comfortable, your phone out with the chapter you were on, Bucky scooted closer, laying his head on your stomach, hugging your waist.Â
âIs this okay?â
Your fingers found home in his hair and you nodded when he looked up at you for an answer. âYeah. Itâs perfect, Buckaroo.â
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Warnings: Falcon and the Winter Soldier Spoilers!!!!! Lots of Angst in this one, guys, lotta feels, some Fluff to counterbalance it, but mostly Angst, Cursing
A/N: This is Part Two to my previous FATWS writing, His Only Contact. FATWS SERIES STERLIST HERE! This one is from Readerâs perspective and gives you a bit more about Readerâs backstory. There will be multiple parts coming out in the next day or two based just on this new episode because damn. It was loaded! Due to this and my workload this past week, I havenât been able to post the first chapter of my College!AU, Erased From the Stars, but I promise itâs coming! Thisâll be my main focus for the weekend though! Expect more parts in the next 24 hours! Iâll be making a masterlist for this particular project in that time, too! Taglists are open! Please contact me if you want to be tagged! Thank you and please enjoy, loves! (Not betaâd, so sorry for mistakes!)
AGAIN: SPOILERS UNDER CUT!
The moment you saw it on TV, you knew you had to get to Bucky. You werenât planning on leaving until the next day, but there was no way you werenât going. So you caught the first plane you could from the base you were staying at.
Youâre feelings were all over the place. Steve had been your best friend for more than the past decade. You were the one there when he first woke up. You were the one to help him get situated. You were the one to help him whenever he needed, to go over to his little place in DC when he was having problems, like the time he thought he was having an asthma attack when it was an anxiety attack or when you had to help him find a new phone after he accidentally broke his.
You were that close to falling in love with him. But life went the other way and, in a weird twist of fate, almost as if the universe wanted to spare you of the heartbreak it knew would come if you gave your heart to the dashing captain, you ended up tripping over your own feet for someone else.
Someone you would never tell.
He was the last thing you had left of Steve and you couldnât ruin that because of your stupid feelings. And you couldnât ruin the relationship you had now because it was working. He trusted you, more than anyone else. He trusted you because Steve trusted you and you wouldnât dare break that trust.
You just hoped, with everything going down in relation to the shield - to his legacy - that youâd be able to keep that promise you made to yourself.
You were in front of his door early in the morning - around four - hesitating to knock. It didnât take long for him to respond the moment your fist did meet the door.
He lookedâŠtired. You wished, oh how you wished, that you could do more. Anything more. He insisted you helped him plenty already; he claimed he never had nightmares when you were by his side. But it wasnât enough. Not for what heâd been through. You felt as though you were merely putting a bandaid over a bullet wound.
His chocolate locks were short, above his ears. You could remember how hesitant yet eager he was about doing it. It was difficult to not cut his ear off because he kept moving in anticipation. You would know: you cut it. Those blue eyes that made you trip in the first place were outlined by thick lashes, dark ebony bags beneath them, making the azure pop. He was shirtless, as he usually was when sleeping (or at least trying to sleep), his dog tags resting against his sternum.Â
You could tell he hadnât been sleeping. His eyes were bloodshot as if he was watching TV for too long and his hair was less messy than it would be if he actually slept.
The moment his eyes found yours, his plump, chapped lips turned up into the grin he reserved for you and he was pulling you in. Your reaction was instantaneous, your arms slipping around his waist, your chin resting on his shoulder as he found home in the crook of your neck.
He was touch deprived. You knew this, but you never brought it up. Especially considering you were one of the only people he touched willingly. You didnât want him thinking he was broken, more so than he thought he was already. And you definitely didnât want to push him into fixing himself. So you didnât tell him, even though you were pretty sure he knew, and you just let him take the lead.Â
Sometimes it meant he grabbed your hand in large crowds, or tucked you under his arm when he was threatened. Other times it meant laying his head in your lap when he was tired late at night, or a soft hug in greeting.
Hands slowly tracing his spine, fingers dancing up and down his back, you gave a small smile when you felt him practically purring in your embrace. You could never decide if he was more puppy or kitten. You used to make jokes about the three of them, Steve, Bucky, and Sam, being like a puppy, kitten, and bird that you had to reluctantly pet sit for a friend. You would give almost anything to be joking around like that with them when you went to visit Bucky in Wakanda with Steve.
âBuck?â
He hummed. You didnât want to pull back, you wanted to stay connected with him for as long as possible, but you had to talk. You didnât want to talk about it, because that would make it more real, but you had to. You had to.
âHave you seen the news recently?â
His eyebrows furrowed, his lips pulling down. âWhat happened? Is it Wanda?â
You looked down the hall, your lips pressed together tightly, before nodding inside. âWe have to talk.â
He nodded, stepping back and pulling you inside. Seeing the makeshift bed on the floor against the far edge of the sofa made you inwardly sigh, but you didnât say anything about it. Steve was the same way at first.
âIs she okay? Did you find her? Where-â
âItâs not Wanda.â Turning, you faced him, trying to control your own anger at the situation, knowing it wouldnât help him any. âItâsâŠitâs about Steve.â
Those spectacularly blue eyes narrowed, bottom lip being sucked in between his teeth. âWhat about Steve?â
You gestured for him to come closer, holding out your hand in offering. He took it and followed you as you led him to the couch. A cleared throat and a deep breath later found you gently explaining what happened to him. That the government had taken back the shield and had given it to someone else. A âhero just for Americaâ. A ânew Captain Americaâ.
You could see his features harden with every word, his jaw ticking dangerously, his chest heaving and his nostrils flaring. You squeezed his hand as you finished. âHeâs got meetings and stuff with senators and governors. Theyâre taking him on a tour this week. They-they want me to meet him, considering Iâm the last of the original seven. Active on Earth, at least.â
The tears that started forming in his eyes made you swallow your own emotions down thickly. He didnât need your hatred of this wannabe to fuel his own. He needed your support and comfort. He needed to know youâd be by his side through this.
âAre you?â
You blinked, not expecting his first words to be that question. âAm I what?â
âGoing to meet with him?â
âI-IâŠâ You stopped talking, knowing that if you continued youâd end up ranting about how he wasnât your captain. How he could never be your captain. Debating answers, you decided on a simple, blunt reply. âNo.â
âWhyâŠâÂ
Running your thumb over his knuckles, you leaned over slowly to press a chaste kiss to his bare skin and blood shoulder. âTake your time. Collect your thoughts.â
He responded to your words by taking a deep breath, clenching his eyes shut, his jaw so tight you feared he might chip his teeth. It was a tense minute before he said anything, the room being filled with his harsh breathing. âYou said he gave them the shield.â
âWhat?â
âYesterday. You told me he gave up the shield. They put it in the Smithsonian. But you just said they took it from him.â
âHe did give it to them, but-â
âWhy?â His eyes snapped open, his features twisting into ones of frustration and resentment. âWhyâd he give it to them?â
You shook your head, knowing Sam didnât mean for any of that to happen. He had called you a few weeks ago to ask about your opinion on the matter. You told him that Steve trusted him, and you trusted Steve, so if Sam thought that was the right thing to doâŠyou trusted him. âItâs not Samâs fault. Donât be mad-â
âDonât be mad?! Donât be mad?!â Bucky shot up, ripping his hand away from yours, making you bite your lip and hang your head as he paced in front of you. âSteve gave it to him! And he just gives it away like heâs regifting a shitty frisbee as a Christmas present! And you donât want me to be mad?! Are you fucking kidding me, Y/N?!â
Cringing at the use of your name, which you rarely hear fall from his lips, especially in vexation like just then, you looked up at him, eyes pleading. âBucky, I get it. I do. Iâm mad, too. Iâm-Iâm furious. But you canât blame Sam. Please. He just - heâs trying, Buck. Just like me. Just like you. Weâre all trying.â
Buckyâs shoulders fell as he stared at you, eyes darting from feature to feature as he studied your face. Before you could say anything else, he was on the floor in front of you, in between your legs, arms wrapped around your waist and face pressed into your stomach.
You could tell he was holding something back - something big - but you wouldnât push him. You never did. Displaying feelings was always hard for him, even in the early 1900âs; Steve used to tell you stories when you were looking for him after the fiasco in DC. Bucky grew up being the oldest of four and the only boy. On top of that, his best friend was a scrawny, stubborn, punching bag of a boy. According to Stevie, neither of them really learned how to cope or how to deal with feelings. And it showed. Boy, did it show.
Instead of getting on him and asking what was wrong and begging for him to talk to you, your fingers tangled in his hair, nails scratching his scalp, as you sat back to make the position more comfortable for him.
âStay with me. I need you.â
You leaned down to press a soft kiss to his head, nodding into his hair. âIâll stay. For as long as you need me, Buckaroo.â
Warnings: !FATWS SPOILERS!, Cursing, Major Angst in this one, guys, Loads of Feels (sorry not sorry), John Walker being a douche (I really donât like the guy)
A/N: Iâm SO SORRY! I promise I was planning on it being shorter, but I went a little overkill with the angst! Thereâs just so many feelings and not enough space in my heart and soul, so I had to pour them out here! You get to see more of Reader and Samâs relationship in this one and thereâs major Bucky Feels towards the end (in my defense, this is based on the Couples Therapy half of the episode).
Iâm really hoping we get to see Bucky go to Louisiana next episode! Iâm holding out for it! I have a few ideas that include Sarah, but I need the episode! Ugh! Now we have to wait a whole ânother week! I really shouldnât write three chapters on one episode in one day. I just couldnât help myself!
Anyways! Please enjoy this part and thank you so much for all your support! Seriously, itâs meant so much to me, especially after the week Iâve had! If you havenât checked out the previous parts, my FATWS Series Masterlist is HERE, so please go read those first. Like always, this isnât betaâd so please excuse any mistakes! Enjoy, babes!
!SPOILERS UNDER CUT!
The last thing you remembered was falling asleep in Buckyâs arms after walking a few miles. And a hospital in DC wasnât exactly what you preferred waking up to, but itâs what happened. Turned out, not only was your shoulder dislocated and your thigh was strained, but you had a mild concussion. Your arm was in a sling and your palm, which you had completely forgotten about after you wrapped it while on Buckyâs back, was wrapped properly. Luckily, your thigh wasnât too bad, but they wanted to put you on crutches, which you refused immediately.
You had to get out of that building. You had no idea where the guys went, which was weird because you were sure theyâd never leave you alone. Especially in a hospital.
You quickly snuck your way through the halls after grabbing your bag which - thank God - was left on the seat besides your bed and changing into an extra pair of clothes.Â
You tried calling Buckyâs phone, the one he had specifically for you, which he always always answered. He even made an excuse to go to the bathroom once when you accidentally called in the middle of a therapy session. Nothing. You called the number four times before trying Samâs phone.
It clicked on the first try.
âHey. Listen, sorry for leaving-â
âWhere the hell are you?â
You heard him sigh. âI was just about to explain, so hang on a second there. You werenât waking up, probably because that concussion you forgot to mention to us-â
âIn my defense, I didnât know.â
âSure you didnât.â You rolled your eyes, throwing your free hand up, exasperated. âAnyways, Bucky wanted me to meet someone, weâll talk about that when you inevitably get here, put we had a bit of trouble and Bucky was arrested-â
âWhat?!â
âChill your pants, Y/L/N. Just listen. Weâre in Baltimore. Iâll text you the address. Get here soon and Iâll explain the whole thing. Weâve been here for a couple hours, but thereâs people on their way and weâre getting everything situated right now.â
âOkay. Fine. But youâre in trouble.â
âDonât I know it, babe. Now hurry your cute little ass here. Weâve got stuff to talk about.â
*****************
The ride from DC to Baltimore is usually an hour or so, but youâve got resources, especially in the nationâs capital, and riding the bike you got, being able to go way over the speed limit? You got there in half the time. Being an Avenger really does have its perks.
The moment you got there, you hopped off the bike, not even bothering to turn it off, and stormed into the precinct. You headed straight over to the desk, but a pair of hands caught you by your uninjured arm before you could make a scene.
âHey, hey, hey.â Sam spoke softly, squeezing your bicep gently. âHeâs okay, alright?â
âWhy is he-â
âHe missed his court-mandated therapy session.â Sam informed you, pulling you over to where he had been sitting previously. âThere was a warrant out for his arrest. They had to bring him in, but itâs fine. His therapistâs been contacted. She should be here any minute to get him out.â
Your head fell back at his words. His therapy. How could you forget? You let Bucky complain to you about it and played along sometimes, but you really did think it was good for him and you tried supporting him. Yet you made him miss it and now heâs in trouble.
âHey. Y/N. Look at me.â You found Samâs worried eyes, his hand coming up to hold the side of your neck. âHeâs okay. Heâll be out in just a bit. Itâs fine.â
âItâs my fault, Sam.â
âNo. Itâs not. Heâs a grown ass man who made the decision to skip.â
You shook your head, holding his wrist for something to anchor you down. âNo, Sammy. I brought him along. I shouldâve been more responsible-â
âI know weâve joked around about you being in charge and stuff, butâŠyou know itâs not all on your shoulders, right?â Sam tilted his head slightly, eyebrow pinched in confusion making his eyes narrow.Â
You turned your head, not wanting to look at him. You didnât need another set of deep eyes to fall into. âSammyâŠI promised him Iâd look after you.â
âI know. And thatâs fine. But looking after us - looking after him - doesnât mean you have to be there to hold his hand and take the fall for him. Heâs not a child. Hell, heâs a hundred years old. Tell me you understand that.â
Licking your lips, you closed your eyes and shook your head again. âI-I canât-â
âIs that why youâre obsessed with finding Wanda?â
You frowned at his question, eyes snapping to his. âIâm worried about her, Sam.â
âI am too, but she can handle herself. And if she doesnât want to be found, you have to let her be. I know the Avengers were your only family. I know how much Steve meant to you-â
âNo.â You pulled away rather harshly, digging your nails into your palms, trying not to cry, ignoring the wound you were irritating. âNo, you donât. How could you understand my feelings for Steve when I donât understand them myself?â
Sam always had this ability to make anyone feel important, just by looking them in the eye. It was something you always admired about him; the way his smile could light up a room, those warm eyes making everyoneâs fears go away. They reminded you of hot chocolate. Something that could soothe your worries, comfort you, warm your very soul from the ice tragedy and heartache tend to big on.
You promised yourself you wouldnât cry in front of people, but with the way he was looking at you, it was hard to keep the tears from slipping.
âYou loved him, Y/N. Why is it so hard for you to see that?â
âI didnât - I wasnât in love with him, Sam.â You argued, wiping your cheeks aggressively and turning, crossing your arms defensively.
âWhat do you call it then?â
It was a rhetorical question, Sam copying your movements and sitting straight to watch for Bucky coming out. A rhetorical question that you didnât know the answer to. Because you werenât in love with Steve. No. Maybe you had been, but somewhere along the way he passed your heart to Bucky. So why did it hurt so bad?
You refused to dwell on it anymore, clearing your throat and dabbing at your eyes one more time before changing the topic. âWhy are we in Baltimore?â
âBucky wanted me to meet someone. Isaiah. You know him?â Sam turned back to you, his warm eyes shifting into something else. Suspicion? A bit of anger? Annoyance? You couldnât tell.
âIsaiah? I donât think I know any Isaiahs. And definitely not here. Why? Who is he?â
Sam shook his head, eyes darting around the lobby. âWeâll talk about it later.â
You nodded, although now your curiosity had peaked and you wondered who this guy was that made Sam so agitated. While you waited, you felt your eyes drooping and you let your head fall onto Samâs shoulder, who chuckled.
âYouâre still tired? You know you slept for, like, twelve hours, right?â
âI havenât been sleeping much.â
Sam turned his head to kiss yours. âY/N, I know you want to care for everyone, but youâve gotta take care of yourself too.â
âI know.â
âOkay.â And with that, the subject dropped, Sam pulling out his phone while you rested your eyes.
It was another ten minutes or so before Samâs name was called and the both of you stood up to greet the speaker. A woman, Dr. Raynor. Buckyâs infamous therapist.
And speaking of infamous. The moment you heard his voice, you squeezed your eyes shut, hoping it was just your brain malfunctioning. And then he was walking towards you, calling Bucky âBuckyâ like they were old pals and he was saving him from something terrible.
Your face scrunched up as Walker talked about stopping Buckyâs regular therapy sessions. âHeâs too valuable of an asset to have him tied up-â
âDonât call him an asset.â You snapped. âHeâs a human being with needs, and therapy-â
âHeâs a super soldier with skills that we need.â Walker cut in, making you scowl as he turned back to Raynor.
You scoffed in disbelief at his words, turning on your heel and walking away before he did, heading straight for Bucky, who lifted his right arm, wrapping it around your shoulders once you were close enough.
âAre you okay?â You whispered, closing your eyes and trying to relax in his hold, breathing him in.
âAre you? Should you be walking? What did-â
You shook your head. âIâm fine.â
âReally?â
âPromise.â You sighed out with a nod, squeezing him once more before pulling back as Raynor stepped forwards, ordering Bucky and Sam to do a session with her. You almost laughed when Sam tried refusing, a little chuckle actually leaving your lips when Bucky slumped, dragging his feet like a kid going to the principalâs office.
You followed, Bucky holding the door open for you. âThanks, Buck.â
âOf course, doll.â He gave a small smile, before walking in after you, Sam letting out a, âhey!â when Bucky shut the door on him, making you roll your eyes. You let the corners of your mouth tick up slightly in amusement. Yes, they annoyed the hell out of you, but you had to admit it was pretty funny sometimes.
âI believe I asked for James and Sam, Ms. Y/L/N.â
âItâs Agent, actually, and I think Iâm gonna sit in.â
Raynor narrowed her eyes. âI donât think-â
âThat wasnât a request.â You threw her words to Sam back at her, making Sam smirk. You shot him a wink as she relented with a sigh.Â
âFine. Just as a spectator. Don't interrupt.â
You raise your hands in surrender, slipping around the table to stand in the corner as your fellas sank down into the seats across the table from her.
A small puff of laughter came from you at the lack of response when she asked one of them to start. She shot you a warning look over her shoulder, but you shrugged. You couldnât help it; it was like all those times back in grade school when a teacher asked for a volunteer to read in a classroom full of rowdy kids and crickets followed.
Once she mentioned the next exercise was used for couples, you had to laugh, making both men shoot you begging pouts.
âY/N.â Raynor glared at you, so you controlled yourself, gesturing for her to continue.
Her miracle question did work so well, neither of them cooperating well.
She didnât even bother with you when you started cackling after she mentioned the âsoul-gazing exerciseâ and Bucky thanked her, Sam commenting that he would like this one. You gave a teasing wolf-whistle when they got close, one of Buckyâs thighs between Samâs and vice versa.
âDoll.â Bucky whined at you.
âListen here, smartass-â
Raynor cleared her throat, cutting Sam off from finishing his statement towards you. You leaned back against the wall, crossing your arms with a smirk. After all the bickering and side taking theyâve put her through, letting you enjoy this was the least they could do, and they knew it.
Of course, this exercise didnât work out either. A staring contest. Children. She was best friends with literal children.
But then something happened. Something you never thought would happen. Raynor asked Bucky why Sam aggravated him, and Bucky looked over to you, his eye growing sad in a way they only did when Steve was involved.
âSteve believed in you.â Bucky told him earnestly. âHe trusted you. He gave you that shield for a reason. That shield? That isâŠthat is everything he stood for. That is his legacy. He gave you that shield, and you threw it away like it was nothing. So maybe he was wrong about you. And if he was wrong about you, he was wrong about me.â
You heard his voice crack a little at the end as he slumped down in his seat, you jaw dropping slightly. You listened to the rest of the conversation, catching the way Sam grew irritated again, something that you didnât previously think was possible, but was happening more and more now.
Why wasnât Sam talking to you? Why was he holding all this in suddenly? And whyâŠBuckyâŠhe didnât tell you that. Why didnât he say anything? How could he ever feelâŠ
But you knew how he could feel like that. Yes, Steve believed in him so much that he tore the Avengers apart for himâŠbut he was the only one willing to do that for him. Yeah, you and Sam and Wanda and Clint, you all joined their side but, being honest, it wasnât because you believed in Bucky. It was because you believed in Steve. Of course, it was different now. You believed in Bucky with your entire being, and you believed in Sam with your heart and soul, butâŠdid either of them know that? Did they believe you when you told them? Or did you not tell them enough? This whole time you thought you were doing right by Steve - trying you damn hardest to watch out for them. But it obviously wasnât enough. And that was on you, no matter what Sam said.
You read people. Thatâs what youâve always done, thatâs what youâd always do. It was the reason you earned your spot on the team. You read people and situations and could figure your way into their heads in a second. Years and years of undercover work taught you how to do that and how to protect yourself while doing so.
So why? How? How did you miss something this big? How did you miss the way Sam was holding onto something? Why did you ignore the vexation in his tone for the last couple weeks? How did you miss that Bucky was hurting that deeply? Why didnât you do anything more for him?
You left the room before either of the boys, but you heard Sam standing up as you walked out the door.
You shouldâve known you werenât the only one holding things in. Of course they were. The difference is, you were supposed to be their rock, the thing they could hold onto to ground themselves, the shoulder for them to cry on, and the ear lent to them whenever they needed someone to listen. That was your job. It wasnât their job. Not for you. Your rock - your shoulder, your ear - he left you. And you thought, after all he did for you, if you just returned the favor for his best friends, youâdâŠyou dunno. Youâd be closer to him, maybe.
But you couldnât. Because you werenât Steve Rogers. And you knew that from the start, but you had to try. You tried. And it wasnât working. He made it seem so easy when he did it for you. Clearly you didnât give him enough credit for dealing with all your shit on top of his own.
âDoll.â You didnât stop walking, needing to get outside for some fresh air. âDoll, hold on. Wait a minute.â
He grabbed your arm as you made it outside, spinning you to face him. âYou didnât tell me.â You spoke quietly, your voice fragile as you stared at him, confusion and hurt in your eyes. Were you really that bad at doing your job? Did you really already fail him? He asked you to do one thingâŠ
âI didnâtâŠI didnât want you to deal with my problems.â You opened your mouth, but he shook his head, holding your face between his hands. âIâm not stupid, Y/N. I know somethingâs going on with you. Youâre good at hiding your nightmares at night, but Iâm better. Youâre jumpier than usual. Quieter. Every time Wandaâs brought up, you turn away. And the other day? On the truck? You froze. I was watching, doll. It was just a second, but you froze. You never freeze.â
âItâs not your job to worry about me, Buck-â
He frowned, tilting his head. âNot my job? Arenât we friends? Isnât that what friends do? Or am I just a job to you? I know you promised him to look after me. Is that all I am to you? A responsibility?â
You shook your head vigorously, holding onto his wrists. âNo. No, Bucky, I just-â
âDo you think he was wrong about me?â
Salty diamonds ran down your cheeks as you clenched your eyes shut and shook your head. âNo.â
âDid you ever believe in me? Did you ever care or was it all just because Steve? Is Steve the only reason you tolerate me?â
âDonât say that. God, please donât say that.â You begged quietly, meeting his gaze again. Every beautiful detail was laced with devastation, eyes imploring her to make him feel better. âOf course I believe in you. I have since Wakanda, you know that. Yes, okay, maybe Steve is why I helped you at first, but-butâŠI care about you, James. So much so that it hurts sometimes. He wasnât wrong about you. Or Sammy. You both mean so much to me. Okay?â
You watched his Adamâs Apple bob as he swallowed thickly, nodding slightly. You both simultaneously moved to get closer, him pulling you while you stepped into his chest, arms around his waist. His arms were tight around your shoulder, holding you just as firm as the kiss he planted on your forehead.
Sam came out, planting himself besides you as you pulled away, Bucky wiping your eyes. âI feel better.â He huffed out sarcastically, making you smack him in the arm. âOw! Yeesh. Women these days.â
The sudden siren of one of the parked police cars made the three of you look over, spotting Walker and Hoskins. You groaned. âDid he see that?â
âHey,â Bucky caught your jaw between his fingers, shaking his head. âWho cares? Itâs between us and us only. Right?â You nodded, making him kiss your forehead again, a whisper of âattagirlâ against your skin. You hadnât heard that from him in a while.
âGentlemen!â Walker waved them over, nodding at you. âAnd lady.â The three of you reluctantly walked over, Bucky going to lean on the police car Walker and Hoskins were near and you hopped up to sit on the hood of the police car across from them, Sam besides you.
You got information from Walker, who was once again trying to get you to work with him, but Sam summed it up nicely, explaining that the three of you didnât have to follow the rules he did. You started to leave, Bucky tucking you under his arms once you slid off the car, when Walker stopped you once more.
âA word of advice, then. Stay the hell out of my way.â
You grumbled under your breath as the faker and his lapdog walked off. âIâm gonna kill him.â You vowed as the three of you started in the other direction. âI swear to God, Iâm gonna rip that shield off his back and use it to beat him in that stupid face of his-â
âDown, girl.â Sam jested, flicking your ear. âWe need a game plan. Whatâre we thinking?â
Your eyes narrowed as Bucky piped up, talking about the Isaiah character - who you still didnât know - before HYDRA entered the equation.
âAbsolutely not.â You shook your head, tugging his arm to make him stop once he mentioned Siberia. âDo you remember Siberia? Because if youâre actually suggesting what I think youâre suggesting, we remember Siberia very differently.â
âHeâs our best bet-â
âSo youâre just going to go sit in a room with this guy?â
Bucky scrunched up his nose. âYe-yesâŠâ
A beat of silence passed before Sam gave his stamp of approval, but you still disagreed. âThereâs no way thisâll end well and I refuse to let you-â
You found your face between Buckyâs hands again. You really wished heâd stop doing that and just ask for your attention. You didnât mean that, of course. Youâd be held by him every second of every day if you could. âDonât you trust me, doll?â
You licked your lips, looking around the darkened street. This was not a good idea. A bad plan - a terrible plan, really - but, unfortunately, it was the only one you had. âDammit. Iâve got a really bad feeling about this.â You finally sighed, running a hand through your hair after Bucky let go of you, his eyebrow quirking.
âIs that a yes?â
Sam nodded. âWeâre gonna go see Zemo.â
You tugged Buckyâs hand when he nodded back and went to walk after Sam, who started walking around the corner, making him stop. âAnd yes. I do trust you. With everything I have, Buckaroo.â
Warnings: !FATWS SPOILERS!, Cursing, Some Angst, Some Fluff, Sam and Bucky being idiots, Mentions of PTSD, Anxiety, and Depression
A/N: Hereâs Part Three to my FATWS Series, which Iâm making a masterlist for that you can find Here.Â
UhâŠitâs a little long, and I apologize for that. It doesnât even encompass the whole second episode, only the first half, so a Part 3.5 will be coming out later today probably (itâs my day off work so I have all day to relax and write!) I tried not doing a line for line rewrite of the episode, but there are quotes from the show in here. Mostly itâs Readerâs thoughts and feelings towards whatâs happening while conversations are going on around. Readerâs backstory is a bit more unfurled. Itâs more action packed and more scene-for-scene of the episode than the previous two. Less emotions shared and less hurt/comfort type of thing, but thatâll be back in the next part probably along with more scenes not in the show. The next part Iâm planning wonât be as long, itâll mainly just be the Couples Therapy scene and a bit more angst with her and Sam and her and Bucky.
Because thereâs four more episodes and I donât know whatâs going to happen in them, Iâm kinda hesitant on spilling out exactly what is going on with the Reader and what her role was on the original team, but weâll get there. Also, I wasnât expecting to be writing multiple pieces for one episode, but if the other episodes are as packed as this one, prepare yourself for more parts than anticipated. Weâre already on Part 3 and Iâve got Part 3.5 coming. Just bare with me as I donât know whatâs going to happen in future episodes! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy it!Â
(Not betaâd so excuse any mistakes.)
!SPOILERS UNDER CUT!
Walking out of the shower, ruffling a towel through your hair to dry it off, you froze at the sound of the TV. A sigh left your lips. Itâs all heâd been doing the last few days - watching the news. Keeping up with the tour for the new Captain America.
You peeked out of the small bedroom to find Bucky sitting on the floor, brow creased as he watched John Walker talk to the Good Morning America hostess.
âYou shouldnât be watching that.â You spoke up, leaning on the doorway, still patting your hair dry. He glanced over to you, taking in the towel wrapped around you, before looking back at the TV. Seeing you like that wasnât anything new. âBuck, Iâm serious. Brooding over it wonât make anything better.â
âWhat do you want me to do?â
You let out a sigh, shifting your feet and biting your lip as you thought about how to respond. âI-I havenât figured it out yet. But obsessing over the new guy-â
âArenât you mad?â
You frowned at his question, his eyes meeting yours once more. âI told you already that I am.â
He tilted his head, which he did when he was confused, his eyes narrowing. âWhy donât you show it? Why arenât you screaming or cursing or crying or something? You, of all people-â
âBecause it wonât help anything, Buck.â You shook your head, pushing off the wall. âI want to. But if I let myself go down that roadâŠâ Dropping your gaze to the floor, you take a breath, collecting your thoughts. âThis is such a complicated situation, James. Iâm being contacted left and right for a statement on the new Captain. People trying to see my reaction. Senators trying to get me to meet with him. I canât let myself snap. I canât.â
He scowled. âTheyâre still bothering you?â
A dry chuckle escaped your lips and you nodded. âMakes me miss the days when no one knew who I was; when I was the behind-the-scenes seventh Avenger. But I made that choice to come out, and I have to deal with the consequences now. Blowing up will only-â
âEven though I never met himâŠhe feels like a brother.â
That one statement stopped you in your tracks. Buckyâs head whipped back to the TV, his jaw ticking, his nose scrunching up.
âDid he really just say that?â
Bucky merely nodded, his chest heaving as he tried getting his breathing under control. âFeel like snapping now?â
You purse your lips as you held in the tears stinging your eyes. After composing yourself, you moved over and grabbed the remote, letting out a tiny sniffle as you did so. You tentatively touched Buckyâs shoulder, silently asking him if he needed anything from you. His response was to open his arms, so you quickly got down besides him to hold him.
âHe is my brother, doll.â
âI know, Buck.â You pressed a soft kiss to his head, which rested against your bare shoulder.
Your bare knees are pressed harshly against the wooden panels of the floor, and youâre twisted awkwardly, but you couldnât bring yourself to care. As long as he was comfortable, you would take the uncomfortable position. As long as he was being held, you would take the soreness it would leave. As long as you could help him be some sort of okay, you would take not being okay in this position.
 You two sat like that for a few more moments before your phone buzzed. You gave a sigh, pulling back and holding his cheeks in either hand. He wasnât crying, although he was on the verge of doing so. Youâd seen him cry before, so you knew he didnât mind. For you it was a different story.
Bucky had maybe seen you cry twice since the whole Blip thing went down. And one of them was over the phone, so he didnât see it so much as he heard it. You didnât let yourself cry in front of him. Or anyone, for that matter. It was a part of you. The only person you ever felt comfortable enough around to cry in front ofâŠwasnât there. And you couldnât change that.
âWeâll figure it out.â You told him, nodding gently and letting a small, sad smile quirk the corners of your lips up. âOkay? Weâll figure it out.â
The clench in his jaw loosened as your fingers worked circles into the hinge, making him relax and nod back. You pressed a tender kiss to his forehead before standing up, moving across the room to where your phone was on the counter. You assumed itâd be another government official or news reporter, so you were slightly shocked to see âSammyâ flashing up at you.
Your eyebrows furrowed as you read his message, a slight pout forming on your face.Â
âDoll?â Toned arms wrapped around you, warm and cool, his chin setting on your shoulder. âWhatâs wrong?â
âItâs Sam. He needs my help with something.â
âIâm coming with you.â
You turned in his arms, eyes narrowing in suspicion. âWhy?â
He shrugged, licking his lips. âYou might need help.â
âBucky, you canât go if youâre just going to yell at him.â
âI wonât.â
You studied his features. He was lying, you knew that. Of course he was going to snap at Sam for giving up the shield. He was mad and they got on each othersâ nerves every chance they could find, so of course he was going to.
But you still found yourself saying yes and telling him to go pack a bag. You were never able to say no to Steve and it seemed that got passed on. What a nuisance it was.
****************
And you were so right. It was the first thing he said once Sam came into view coming down the stairs.
âYou shouldnât have given up the shield, Sam.â
âJames.â You squeezed the hand he was holding, voice pleading for him not to do this right now. He huffed, stepping back to let you greet Sam properly, giving the man a hug. âHi, Sammy.â
âItâs been a while.â Sam commented, pulling back and holding you by the shoulders. âYou look good. Not that youâve ever looked otherwise.â
You gave him a small smile. âYou do too.â
âThanks for coming. I know itâs short notice, but-â
âItâs fine, Sam. Really.â You insist.
Sam nodded, before eyeing Bucky. âDid you have to bring him?â
âSamuel-â
âThis is wrong.â Bucky cut in, staring Sam down, falling into step besides him as the man started heading outside.
âJames-â
âHey, hey. Look. Iâm working, all right?â
You rolled your eyes as the two started arguing, stopping your stride to take a breather. You used to joke about babysitting them, but it didnât feel like a joke anymore and you were getting tired of it. All the bickering for no reason. The contempt they held for one another. Steve made you promise that you would look out for them, and you were trying, but they werenât making it easy.
When you joined them again, you raised an eyebrow at the direction the conversation turned. How the hell did they get from arguing about the shield to what a wizard is?
âAhh! Haha! A sorcerer is a wizard without a hat!â
You gave Sam a look as he babbled about how he was right. âSorcerer Mickey has a hat. Isnât that, like, how he gets his powers and everything?â
Bucky grinned at you. âThank you!â
âExcuse you!â Sam scoffed, pointing an accusing finger at you. âWe were having a conversation!â
âYeah. A stupid conversation I just ended. Now Iâm gonna be in the plane. Feel free to join me when youâre done being idiots.â
They both spluttered, but you were already walking away, leaving no room for arguments. As you loaded onto the plane, you spotted the Lieutenant whom Sam mentioned who had been helping him out with missions. Torres, you thought, remembering his name from a previous phone call with your friend.
âYou Lieutenant Torres?â You asked, walking up to him.
He blinked, before his eyes widened, a grin appearing on his face. He seemed young, which you were perfectly okay with considering youâve been working alongside old men for the past decade. It was always nice to work with a fresh face, which you found after you started working with Wanda and Peter.
The thought of the two youngest members made you falter, not having heard from either of them since Christmas almost six months prior, but you quickly recovered yourself, shaking away the worries you had for them.
âYouâre Y/N Y/L/N! Iâm a huge fan! Iâve read all your files!â
Chuckling a little, you held out your hand. âMost of those are heavily classified.â
He ducked his head with a little blush, rubbing the back of his neck after shaking your hand. âI, uh, I mightâveâŠused connections.â
âItâs okay.â You reassured him, throwing him a wink. âI wonât tell. Can you tell me whatâs going on? Sam didnât exactly explain the situation.â
He nodded, getting into âwork modeâ, something youâve seen in most military men, informing you of their recent missions and the group known as the Flag-Smashers and giving you a file on them. He was in the middle of telling you about his solo mission in Germany when your two fellas came in, sending each other small glares, but remaining quiet.
Bucky caught your eye and sent an apologetic look your way, to which you just smiled at before turning back to Torres.
âWell Iâm glad youâre okay.â You told him once he was done.
âOh yeah. It wasnât that bad.â
You laughed and nodded. âIâm sure. You seem like a tough kid.â
He smiled, before looking around and jabbing his thumb behind his shoulder. âI-Iâve gotta go, but-â
âWe can talk later.â You promised with a grin.
âReally?!â
âOf course! I have a feeling weâll be working together more, and I like getting to know whoâs gonna have my back.â
He beamed and nodded, walking backwards. âThatâd be awesome! Talk to you later then!â
You giggled as he turned around and jogged off, pumping his fist in the air. You turned to a grinning Sam and nodded towards where Torres left. âI like him. Seems like a nice kid.â
âHe is. Very energetic. A little reckless, but heâs got a good heart.â
You hummed, the smile falling from your face as you flipped through the file Torres gave you. âSoâŠMunich?â
âYeah. Listen, Iâm sorry again for taking you away from the search, but-â
âSearch is off.â You informed him quickly, not looking up. âUntil further notice.â
The plane went quiet, before Sam cleared his throat. âSoâŠno sign of Wanda yet, then?â
You shut the file, looking up at the men whose features were laced with concern. âIâm gonna go talk to the pilot. Behave while Iâm gone. No pushing each other off the plane.â
âDoll?â
You were stopped by the hand that grabbed your wrist as you passed Bucky. You shot him another smile, knowing it wasnât convincing enough for him, but it being the best one you had. âIâm okay. Iâve just gotta ask him some questions.â
************
Opening your mouth to stop him, you groaned when Bucky jumped out of the plane before you could speak. First Sam jumps without sharing the plan, then Bucky jumps without having a plan. Or a parachute. Or wings. Or anything.
Torres looked at you, but all you could do was shrug. âI dunno what to tell you, kid.â
âYouâre not gonna do that, are you?â
âNo.â You reassured him, shaking your head. âIâm gonna wait âtil we land like a normal person and take my bike. I just have to pray that theyâll wait to do anything stupid until I get there.â
They didnât wait. Youâre pretty sure they didnât even think about waiting. By the time you got to them, they were fighting - and losing, might you add - to six really strong people on top of two semi trucks.
Because why wouldnât they?
Oh, oh. And on top of that, the fake was there, throwing the shield. The shield that didnât belong to him. The shield that meant so much more than he would ever know.
âHi, doll! Sorry we started the party without you!â Bucky shouted from where he was hanging off the edge, that close to the street and getting his head torn off by the tire.
âIâm so tired of babysitting you two, you know that?!â
âOh! Sorry weâre such an inconvenience for you! Blame him! He jumped the gun!â Sam shouted, coming to fly next to you as you rolled up your sleeves, standing on your bike, using one hand to steer.
âCan I get a little help already?!â
âSam-!â
âOn it!â
Knowing that no matter how much they pissed each other off, Sam would make sure Bucky was okay and vice versa, you focused on getting to the top, where Walker and a buddy of his were struggling a little bit.
You climbed up to the roof of the semi no one was on, wincing when you heard your bike skidding across the pavement. There goes half your salary.
You couldnât dwell on it for very long, considering one of the guys appeared in front of you. You recognized the fighting - the strength - and faltered, a memory resurfacing at a very bad time.
~
âCâmon, honey. You can do better than that.â Steve grinned at you, holding out a hand to help you up.
âExcuse me for not having super strength, Rogers.â You huffed out, taking it and letting him pull you up.
âYou donât need to be stronger than me. You just need to be smarter.â
âThatâll be easy.â You teased, stretching your arms before getting into your stance again. âYouâre a dumbass sometimes.â
âYeah, well, who chose to be friends with this dumbass?â
âEveryone needs a dumbass for a friend.â
He cocked an eyebrow. âSo Iâm your dumbass?â
âIf you want.â
The grin he shot you made your heart skip a beat. âIf youâll have me.â
~
You blinked, but Steve wasnât in front of you anymore and you werenât in the gym in DC.Â
The guy caught the punch you distractedly threw and twisted your arm, making you cry out, kicking him in the back of the knee and flipping him over your shoulder.
You went to kick him again, but he caught your leg and threw you against the side of the other semi. You were able to grab onto where Bucky had ripped through the side, but you winced as the metal cut through your palm. Sam had just flown under the trucks, taking Buck with him, and you knew when a fight wasnât worth it, so you quickly moved around the truck, letting Walker and his pal distract the Flag-Smashers, before letting yourself fall onto the side where the grass was.
You wanted to lay there, to catch your breath and curse yourself for getting distracted. You hadnât had a flashback like that in a while. But you didnât let yourself. You had to make sure the guys were okay.
Standing up made you cringe; you could feel the throbbing in your shoulder from where it was no doubt dislocated and your leg was aching, the muscle probably pulled when the guy threw you.
âDoll!â You turned, seeing Bucky and Sam sprinting towards you a few yards down the road. âHey, hey.â Bucky immediately had his hands hovering over you, scanning your body. âAre you okay?â
You nodded, shoving his hands away. âIâm fine.â
âWhatâs wrong with your shoulder?â
âI think I dislocated it.â
Sam frowned. âWhat the hell happened?â
You gave him a weird look, starting to limp across the field to where you noticed a side road earlier. âThey were super soldiers, Sam. And we got our asses kicked.â
âYeah, but you know how to fight a super soldier-â
âItâs been a while.â
âBullshit.â Sam side stepped in front of you, making you stop. âWhat happened?â
âI-I just got distracted, okay?â
âY/N. Look at me.â Bucky took your face between his palms, eyes worried. âAre you okay?â
You nodded. A tired sigh left your lips and you looked anywhere but his eyes. âYeah. Iâm fine. Just hurting. My leg, I think I pulled it or something-â
âCâmere.â Bucky turned and crouched down, making you blink.
âWhat?â
âYou shouldnât be walking. We donât wanna make it worse.â
âBut itâs just a strain, it wonât-â
Sam rolled his eyes. âJust get on the manâs back, Y/N.â
You bit your lip before sighing and carefully climbing on his back. He shifted you gently, making sure to hold your leg with caution, leaning his head into yours when you hooked your chin on his shoulder. âYou-you donât have to talk about what happened. Just-just know that when you doâŠIâll be here, okay?â
You nodded, moving to press your nose against the column of his throat. âOkay.â
But you could never tell them. How could you? How could you tell the worldâs longest POW that you were having nightmares? How could you complain to an Air Force vet who served two tours in Afghanistan and watched his best friend get blown out of the air that you were having flashbacks?
You werenât sure if it was PTSD or anxiety or depression. Maybe all three. It didnât matter, though, because you didnât want to admit it. You wouldnât admit it. No one thought the Blip messed you up that badly. No one thought Steve leaving did that much damage. And you were okay with that. You were okay with them thinking you were healing - that you were fine - because they needed to see that it could be done. That they could be fine, too. Especially the men walking, Sam teasing Bucky per usual.
It wasnât until a horn honked that you allowed yourself to be pulled out of your thoughts. A scoff left you when you realized who it was, switching the side you were laying on so your cheek pressed up against the cool metal of his left shoulder, facing away from the jeep.
You tried ignoring the guy as he talked about working together and shit, taking a shuddering breath, making Bucky squeeze your uninjured thigh. There was no way you were working with him. You couldnât. Itâd be like betraying Steve and you didnât need that on top of all the other things you were dealing with.
You couldnât deny the need for a ride though. The airport was 20 miles away and you were hurting pretty bad. You suspected that was the reason the guys relented, Bucky tenderly setting you down in the jeep between him and Sam, careful of your injuries.
You stared at your lap as Walker and Sam talked shop. You understood where they were coming from, you were always able to see both sides of the coin, but it didnât mean you were going to willingly work with him.
âI got mad respect for all of yâall, but you were kind of getting your asses kicked till we showed up.â
You scoffed at that, finally raising your eyes to meet Walkerâs friendâs. âLike you were doing any better?â
Bucky reached over to grab her hand that was resting on her lap. âYou know, Iâve been trying to get in contact with you.â Walker faced you, eyes raking down your form. Bucky shifted in his spot, but you ran your thumb over his knuckles before he could do or say anything stupid.
âYeah. I know. My phone hasnât stopped blowing up for a week. Thanks for that, by the way.â
Walker frowned. âIf you just answered-â
âI donât care who you are. I donât care what youâve done. Iâve been a little busy doing my job to blow smoke up your ass on national television. Sorry if my saving peopleâs lives has been an inconvenience for you, but some wannabe playing dress up isnât my top priority.â
Walkerâs brows furrowed and he was about to say something, when Bucky cut in, asking his friend who he was. You were already that close to jumping out of the jeep, when the guy, Hoskins, told you three that he went by âBattlestarâ.
If the situation wasnât so aggravating, you wouldâve laughed when Bucky immediately told the driver to stop, opening the door before the car even stopped. âCâmere, doll.â He murmured, lifting you up into his arms bridal style, before walking off, tuning out Walker as he shouted after you two.
You pouted a little when you saw Sam still talking to the guy. âWhatâre they talking about, Buck?â
âSome nonsense about him not replacing Steve. Just trying to be the best Captain America he can.â
You laid your head against Buckyâs chest. âThe best Captain America is Steve. He can never be Steve.â
âI know, doll.â
âSteve told me once that all he was trying to do was be a good manâŠitâll always amaze me that he didnât see he was the best.â
You missed the distraught look Bucky shot towards you, the look in his eyes almost heartbroken while you talked fondly about his best friend. The tortured scrunch to his features seemed to melt away at your next words, though, and he held you tighter as you curled into his hold.
âJust like it amazes me that you donât know how important you are to me too, Buckaroo.â