#fake!dating

"How was your day?" You have to smirk and laugh when he comes into your apartment for your Thursday lesson grinning like a possum with a giant chunk of cheese, you won't mention the tent you see pitched in his pants

"It was really nice," he giggles, "how was yours?" He puts his coat up on the hook by the door, one of many house warming purchases because he couldn't stand the emptiness

"It was good, I've just been studying. I see you went to see her today and looks like you had a good time, I wasn't interrupting was I? You're sure she's okay with our situation?"

"nah, you're fine. It was a very fun day, she wanted to tease me before I left even though I told her she has nothing to worry about with us, we just eat and study"

"Well, I'm glad you aren't embarrassed and you trust me, I won't tease you about it. I'm glad things are going well with her, you two are adorable," you smile and tell him honestly

"Thankyou," he grabs a bottle of water from the fridge then leans on the kitchen island to see what you're studying in your notes. "You've been doing really well with lessons by the way, lots of progress is just a couple of months"

"Thankyou, I've been trying really hard, I think the writing is the hardest because the characters appear more like little doodles to me than letters and words," you laugh, "so what did you two do today?"

"We went shopping this morning and then just hung out at her place before I came here. YN, I know it's only been a few months, but, I really like her, I think she might be the one"

"Yeah?" You can't stop yourself from being happy at his happiness, "I'm glad, really. You deserve it, hopefully I can be invited to the wedding"

"Ofcourse, a real one this time," he laughs

"Oh yeah yeah, ofcourse, it better be. So, what should we go over today?"

"Honestly I'm not sure," he chuckles, "you said you're struggling with writing so write me a paragraph on what you like about the country so far"

"Alright," you chuckle and start the task

"Hey, by the way, I was right," he smirks

"You were? Right about what?"

"The roses being your birth flower, June, Cancer, roses and honeysuckle"

"You really didn't give up on that for almost four months now," you chuckle and try to hide your face with your hair as you look down and write to hide your blush. This man was too sweet, YN none of this is real, it's work to him, he really isn't your friend so don't think too much into it. Fresh start remember. "Well, thankyou for caring so much. There really was no need for all the trouble"

"It wasn't any trouble, I wanted to know. I mean having to reach out and track down people from your past wasn't the easiest thing but other than that it was honestly kinda fun doing that; playing detective," he laughs

".....Who.....who did you track down?" You look up now to meet his eyes

"I had to start somewhere, so first I looked for you, I found some old social media which led me to your ex's friend's wife; the one who's wedding you caught the bouquet at.....I gained some knowledge from that....."

"So you know? That's embarrassing.....," you chuckle to keep from crying or something stupid like that

"I'm sorry YN...."

"Don't be, it is what it is. You have no reason to be sorry or concerned....," you assure him

"No, really, you're awesome and you didn't deserve that...."

"Yeah, thanks ......"

"If anyone does that to you again they have to deal with me"

"I'm used to it. I'm not worth it Gguk, but thanks....."

"No-"

"He was supposed to love you. You were engaged. There's no excuse for that behavior. If someone loves you they should want to shout it from the rooftops...."

"Can we....please not talk about it? It's the past, don't worry, I won't repeat it"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Just that I know better now"

"Well she told me how you were only invited because of him and said when you caught the bouquet she was shocked because you had been him twice as long as she and her husband were at that point and engaged the entire time they had been together, and she said from what she saw he ignored you most of the time for his friends, and that you never actually got married.....how long?"

You sigh in annoyance, ".....how long what?"

"How long were you together?"

"10 years, and I know your next question, about half that time"

"I'm really sorry YN....."

"It's fine. I'm fine. I knew the whole time he never wanted to anyway"

"What do you mean, he did ask you?"

"Technically"

"Technically?" He raises a brow and takes the pencil and paper away from you, sliding it aside and coming over to you. "He took a knee and asked you, right? Please tell me he had the decency to do that at least, she sent me the engagement photos, they were really nice"

"Aish....no he didn't and thanks, I'm glad, I begged for those, had to fight for them," you laugh to hold the flood gates back and damn from snapping like a twig. You were embarrassed enough

"YN.....what do you mean by that?"

"What I said, anyways, enough feeling bad for me. We were happy for you a few minutes ago can we please go back to that? You said people.....who else?"

"YN, look at me," he is directly in front of you, taking your hands, "Please don't make me, let me just wallow in embarrassment in peace huh?" You laugh

"No, look at me," when he had your eye contact he speaks, "Listen to me, don't ever do that again. Next time if he doesn't properly ask you, you don't accept. Don't let someone do you like that. You don't deserve that, you're a great girl, for real, and seriously come get me if someone disrespects you like that again.....have you ever been with anyone else?"

"Define with?"

"Well, dated, or y'know with..."

"Dated yes, with no"

"And them?"

"Highschool, most lasted a month at most and cheated so I left them and half of them I don't even remember their names, the last was for the summer before I met him-your ears are red, are you okay? Do you have a fever?" You feel his forehead

"No, I don't have a fever. That just makes me so mad," he drinks the water and kisses your forehead

"There's no need really, I'm used to it. Oh-....t-thankyou...."

"One day, I want you to invite me to your wedding," he holds up a pinky

"Ofcourse, but like I said I'm here for a fresh start, don't get your hopes up," you laugh and give him a pinky promise

"So who else did you find?"

"Your Eomma...."

"What?" Your eyes widen as he says that

"Ahuh.....why did you lie? She's not your mom, she was your Oppa's....friend"

"I didn't lie, she was my mom," you say firmly

He nods, "Alright, well....she told me your birthday"

"She re-," you take a sharp inhale and genuinely smile

"What?"

"Nothing," you shake your head and smile as you continue to write and he waits

"What do you mean you're used to it? You should try to write smaller and fit more...."

"Used to being last choice or not chosen," you shrug

"Hey guys," Jimin comes in, "Woe, it feels awkward in here ....," he eyes you both

"We weren't expecting you....," you smile

"Yeah, I know.....I uh....I didn't want to eat by myself so I thought I'd come over and surprise you," he holds up the bags in his hands, "Is that okay? Sorry, I feel like I'm interrupting something, you two alright? Gguk, I thought you were spending the day with-"

"Yeah I did and no, you're fine, we were just talking. So what are we cooking?"

"Oh, I brought the stuff to make that one pasta and seafood dish we had that one vacation to the states"

"So let me get this straight, you weren't expecting me to be here and you came to surprise her?" Jungkook raises a brow and glances between the two of you, "how often does this happen?"

"Not often," you reply in unison with Jimin to Jungkook's accusatory tone. Your response in a tone of honesty and innocence. His in one of slight defensiveness. However Jungkook was still looking at you with suspicious eyes. "What? Really." You tell him again.

"For real, I've only brought lunch over once, it was the day after the lake, I was just worried about her and wanted to bring something to apologize," Jimin assures him

"Oh, okay," it was obvious Jungguk was still reading something into this

"Thankyou Jimin, it's really sweet of you," you thank him

"You guys want me to go?" Jungkook asks

"No you're alright," you answer together again and both have to laugh and Jungkook is squinting at you both, "are you two fucking?"

"No!" Jimin rolls his eyes

"I literally just told you...."

"Sorry.....," Jungkook says seriously to you. "My bad, it's just guys don't do stuff like that without motive"

"Really? You know me better than that....," Jimin retorts in disbelief to him

"Yeah, sor-"

"I know. Hey, can we all just stop and eat?" You intervene

"Yeah," they both nod, "so if I wasn't expected to be here, I'll let you two cook"

"YN, do you mind starting? I need to speak with my brother in private for a second...."

"Sure...do you have a recipe?" He nods and gives you his phone with the recipe on it and you start preparing things while he pulls Jungkook into his room

"What the hell?"

"What the hell what?"

"I just thought that she doesn't ever see anyone but you and it would be something nice to do. I'm not trying to make any moves on her, I don't even see her like that. I just thought it would be fun, I don't know, now she doesn't trust me...."

"I'm sorry, you're right. I was out of line....so you're saying if things happened to go that way you would be against it?"

"No, no I guess I wouldn't I'm human but it wasn't my goal for coming. I was just thinking maybe she was wanting some food from home after being here for this long, I thought if I was living somewhere else I'd want something from home," he shrugs, "I just thought it would be nice"

"It is nice man....you're a good guy....sorry I made those accusations. Are you sure you don't want me to leave you two alone though? You can see where the night goes and I can stay the night with my girl, didn't want to leave to be honest anyway"

"I mean yeah, sure, have fun. All you had to do is say you are in love dude. Go," he laughs

"Thanks," Jungkook smiles and laughs going to the door, he hugs you and says where he's going and you wish him well

"Is it okay if he goes and I stay still?" Jimin checks with you upon reentering the kitchen

You nod, "ofcourse, I mean....if you want to"

"Sure I do," he comes over and joins you

"Y'know, we could if you wanted....," you say after a prolonged stretch of silence the entire time you cooked together except for the few times you both had to laugh at stupid silly little mishaps like dropping something, your impatience with the pasta, and when you accidentally cut your finger and he helped you clean and bandage it, "brought Band-Aids," he laughed, shaking the box and you have to laugh. "Thanks."

The silence returned as you eat other than your compliments to him for the food.

"Y'know we could if you wanted...."

"We could what?" He looks up at you

"We could fuck, I've got a nice bed, and why not? We will be accused anyway and you took the time and effort to do all of this...."

He only stares at you, you try to read his expression but you can't determine if it's shocked or maybe offended

"I was kidding...relax," you say quietly and honestly and try to laugh

"Okay, I'm sorry, please stop being all silent. I was joking....I wouldn't make you do that, I respect you too much..."

"Jimin, I really was joking....I'm sorry....."

He says nothing and finishes up around the same time as you, says nothing as you both do dishes

"Thankyou for coming to eat with me," you thank him again as you think he might be leaving, only to be grabbed by the waist and brought flush chest to chest with him

"Uhm....Jimin....," you could feel your breath intermingling as his brushed past your lips and yours past his, "Jimin....are you okay?"

"Yeah.....," he nods, "yeah......goodnight YN," he grabs the door knob and leaves

"What just happened?" You ask yourself when you're left alone and falling onto your couch, repeating the day in your head, in this moment you can't do it anymore and the damn breaks. You find yourself hugging a couch cushion for a while, another one of those Jungkook purchases, and don't realize when you eventually drift off to sleep from exhaustion there until you at some point hear the door being opened

"Hello?" You sit up and look to see who it is, you've never seen this man before, but, you're so exhausted and over everything you don't even feel a sense of fear and simply don't care

"Hi," the man bows and puts his hands up in surrender, "I'm not going to hurt you-Im Namjoon, I'm Jungkook's brother, he wanted me to come check on you-you don't look like you're alright"

"Oh.....thankyou.....I'm fine....."

"He said Jimin was here with you"

"He was. He left," you check the time on your phone, "a few hours ago....check on me why?"

"I'm not sure, he said you had a conversation earlier that he wouldn't give any details about and he just wanted me to come and see if you were okay"

"Oh....thanks.....well, as you can see I'm alright. I just ell asleep on the couch," you chuckle

"Alright, but may I be candid? You don't look like you're fine and I know you aren't actually married to Jungkook but he's closer to you than any of the past wives so I feel like you're my little sister," he chuckles, "I have a little sister, I wouldn't want to see her look she had cried herself to sleep.....is that what happened? Did Jimin do something? Jungkook?"

You shake your head no honestly

"Is there anything I can do to help? Ice cream~?"

You giggle and nod, "Yes please....and can you not tell anyone about this?"

".....Yeah, sure. Is this your coat?" You nod and he brings over for you to put on. "You've met Seokjin right?"

"A few times yes"

"He really likes you, says if Jungkook didn't meet what's her face he wanted you two to be together," he chuckles

"That's sweet. I'm glad he approves, Jungkook is so happy. He's saying she might be the one," you feel warm and genuinely happy again thinking of his happiness

"So he's said," Namjoon chuckles, "so what kind of ice cream do you like?"

"Butter Pecan is my favorite..."

"They might have that, have you ever had matcha soft serve?"

"Soft serve, no, but I like lattes"

"You have to try it. Mind telling me why you were upset if I promise I won't tell anyone?"

".....it was......just a long day....draining...."

"anything to do with my brothers? If they did anything I'll handle it or worse, I'll have my wife handle it, they're terrified of her," he laughs

"No....no, they're perfect gentleman"

"Good. I tried to raise them well"

"You did a wonderful job"

"Thankyou"

"Are you sure your wife would be okay with you going to get ice cream with me? I don't want her to be disrespected or anything, if you want you can just leave me there and I'll bring myself home, I'm sure she is waiting for you"

"YN, it's alright. My wife and I have the utmost trust in each other and she agreed with Gguk and sent me. She knows only she has my heart and besides we just became parents so I'm too tired to even think of doing something like that, I've been taking night shifts so she can sleep"

"Good, and congratulations," you smile and chuckle, "how old are they? What's their name?"

"He's seven weeks and he's is named after his uncle Taeyhung"

"That is so sweet. Your wife seems to be very lucky with you as a husband and your brothers as her brothers...."

"I'll be sure to tell her, I heard Jungkook say you had brothers that really weren't around?"

"Yes"

"What about your sisters, surely they looked after you"

"Not really," you chuckle

"Well, after this arrangement ends if you and everyone are still close I would like for you to meet some more of the family"

"Id be honored, thankyou"

"Ofcourse, girl you have no clue how close Jimin and Jungkook are with you. They won't shut up," he laughs

"Really? What do you mean? I'm nothing special," you laugh

"I wouldn't say that to them. Jungkook says you have your guards up"

"I don't....I don't want anyone to get too attached if it's not real....it's not just for me, then too"

"That's sweet of you but whatever is going to happen will happen. So, what do you think?"

"Hm?"

"Of the ice cream?" He eyes the half eaten cone in your hand

"Oh, I didn't realize-"

"Seems like you're feeling better," he chuckles and messes your hair

"Hey, what's that for?"

"You're my little sister," he shrugs, "but I need to go, duty calls. I'll get you a taxi and here's my number, make sure you let me and Jungkook know you're home safe," he adds his number to your phone

"No, I will text you. I've got it, go," you laugh and insist he leaves to go home

“You know the one who does all of those risque photoshoots with Pokemon and gym leaders in Sinnoh but recently they’ve been expanding to other regions to try and get suggestive photos of all the leaders and people in the league and stuff?”

“I… I guess?”

“Well she keeps contacting my agent and won’t take no for an answer but I don’t want to do any suggestive photos for her rubbish magazine because I’ve got a good reputation of being family friendly and I don’t want Hop or my mum to see me in pictures like that but she somehow got my number and keeps calling and leaving weird voicemails and I think she actually wants me beyond like just for photoshoots and stuff but I don’t want to talk to her and I don’t know how to get her to stop.”

You blinked a few times. You opened your mouth, closed it, opened it again, and when it seemed Leon had finished his explanation, you motioned for him to sit on the couch. He sat beside you, but his wide eyes were still searching yours, as if by staring hard enough, the strange and uncomfortable Sinnoh editor-in-chief designer lady would stop propositioning him.

“What can I do?” you asked, since that’s all you could think of to ask at the time.

And that is what led you to where you are now: holding hands with Leon in downtown Wyndon. You’re not sure why something is pulling in your stomach as he bumps shoulders with you - you’ve bumped shoulders before. You’ve walked closely before. You’ve never held hands before, though, and it seems your body doesn’t know how to respond.

He had mentioned that Sinnoh designer would leave him alone if he were dating someone, you asked who he’d even want to date, he said he didn’t know, so you, being the good friend you are, had offered your services. Leon had perked right back up - no one would suspect a thing! You’re together all the time anyway, and if Leon were romantically involved with someone, perhaps that lady would back off.

It was working, so far, and it only took one post on his social media with him kissing your cheek for her risque voicemails to stop.

It also meant, however, that a blast of texts, calls, and comments from his family, friends, and Rose himself started pouring in.

You and Leon had explained yourselves well enough to everyone, and it mostly took a few sentences of clarification. It seemed everyone was already aware of the Sinnoh designer, and after getting your insurance that it was all just pretend and you’d ‘break up’ soon anyway, everyone went happily on their way. There were a few bumps in the road (particularly when you both told Sonia and Raihan), since they both glanced at each other, raised an eyebrow, then for some reason Leon couldn’t stop stuttering. 

“Maybe we could get lunch,” Leon offers, and you nod vigorously. “At a public place, so everyone sees.”

“Good idea,” you say, and you begin scanning the shopfronts. Leon is already pulling you along somewhere, and before you know it, you’re stepping into your favorite restaurant. How did he know that? Perhaps just because you’re best mates.

You pick a booth that’s public enough, yet private enough, and Leon doesn’t bother looking at the menu. He mentions you should share your meal since that’s a thing that couples do, and you agree. He mentions he should feed you a bite, and after a bit of blushing on your end, you let him. It makes you squirm, how he stares into your eyes, how he rests his cheek on his fist when he holds the fork out to you. He’s definitely a good actor - anyone passing by would probably say he’s even in love with you.

That’d be silly though, since this is all just a favor, just pretend.

He tries to pay, you insist you pay, and you bicker while the waitress awkwardly waits for you both to decide. Leon insists that since it was his idea for a date, he gets to pay. You pout for a moment and let him, just like a partner would. While he chats with the waitress, you wonder why your heart flutters at the word ‘date,’ and why you can’t get that image of Leon’s eyes out of your brain.

After being out in public enough, you and Leon head back to your apartment. He’s holding your hand again, though instead of loosely tangled fingers, your hand is secure in his, and he even rubs his thumb over yours.

You wonder why you like that motion so much.

When you make it to your apartment you flop onto your couch. Leon is chatting with you again, just as you normally would as friends since you’re not in public, but you can’t get an itch out of your mind. If that designer comes back, she might want more ‘proof’... You bite your lip anxiously.

“What’s up?” Leon asks. Why are you now so much more aware of the color of his eyes? “You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” you mutter. “It’s… it’s nothing, it’s stupid.”

“C’mon,” he teases. “We’re dating now, you can tell your boyfriend anything. Well, I mean you could tell me anything before too, but even more so now.”

You wring your hands together. It’s a stupid request, much too embarrassing, too. Leon pokes and he prods, until you swat his hand away.

“Okay,” you huff. “I was just…. Thinking…. We should practice… you know…”

Leon raises an eyebrow.

“...kissing.”

Leon raises both eyebrows.

“J-just so it looks natural if we have to in public!” you splutter. “I don’t think people would buy it if you were the type of guy to only kiss in private, s-so I was just… thinking…”

Leon is still staring.

“We don’t have to!” you blurt again. His silent shock is making your heart thump - augh, you knew you shouldn’t have said anything. Nonetheless, you try to save yourself from the hole you’re digging. “I just thought if that designer lady comes back she wouldn’t believe we were dating until we kissed in public at some point! But we can’t make it look like an awkward first kiss!”

Leon is frozen in place, staring at you, and you bite your lip when he finally breathes a response.

“Yeah,” he whispers. He seems a little dazed, for some reason. “Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

“Okay,” you say. “Okay, yeah… so… um.”

“Right, right,” Leon says as he shakes his head into focus. He adjusts how he’s sitting on the couch, you stand, then straddle his hips. You settle yourself into his lap, and Leon’s eyebrows raise again. You quickly jerk back.

“I-I, sorry!” you stutter. “You just, you moved so I… I um…”

“No, no this is fine!” Leon blurts in return. When you motion to slide off his lap he quickly grabs your hips to pull you back. “This is fine, it’s more realistic.”

“Yeah,” you say. His hands are resting on your hips, though it seems he’s not sure where to put them. He trails to your thighs, just for his fingers to twitch, and he curves around your hips again. “Yeah that’s true.”

“So, um,” Leon whispers. His brow is furrowed as he scans your face, and he’s still trying to figure out where to put his hands.

“Right,” you say. “Let’s… yeah, okay.”

Your conversation isn’t much of a conversation anymore, but rather awkward and embarrassed half-statements as you both adjust to you being on his lap. He’s finally settled his hands, and you lean in and inch. He leans in an inch, you lean in an inch, until you’re both a nose bump away. The tension in the air forces an awkward smile out of you, and the sight of your smile draws out a breathy laugh from Leon too.

“Okay,” you whisper. “So…”

“Yeah, yeah,” Leon breathes. “I’ll just…”

“Right,” you whisper, again unimpressed by this lack-of-conversation.

Leon’s eyes flick to yours, then down to your lips, and he leans in another inch. He gently presses his lips against yours, soft and sweet, and pulls back. It was a simple kiss, something small, closed-mouth and devoid of any heat, and yet it makes you giggle again. You can’t hide your awkward laugh, so you thunk your head onto Leon’s shoulder.

“What?” Leon asks, but now he’s laughing too because of how you can’t hide your embarrassment. “Was it bad?”

“No!” you say into his shirt. “It was weird! Kissing you is weird!”

“Weird how?” Leon retorts. “I’m a good kisser!”

“I don’t know,” you laugh again, and your groan is muffled by his shirt. “It was just weird.”

“Do you not want to practice again then?”

“Well no,” you mumble. “We still should because I can’t giggle like mad if we have to kiss in public.”

“Get it together,” Leon says, though his laugh is rumbling through you. He pulls your head off his shoulder and squishes your cheeks. “We can do this.”

“Yemphswecan,” you say with a serious nod, and Leon snorts. He pushes you off his lap and you slump to the couch like you were a bundle of laundry, and Leon crawls over to you. He’s laughing just as much as you are, and now his hair is draping over you as he threatens to squish your cheeks again. “Okay okay, I’m done, come kiss me.”

You’re not sure why your request shifts something in the air, but Leon’s giddy grin shifts into something softer, thoughtful almost, but definitely still bashful. Your eyes zigzag over his face, at how the corners of his mouth twitch, as if he’s still deciding on what this position means to him. 

He cups your face this time, leans in again, and still pauses. There’s less giggling, none at all, actually, as your eyes stay trained on his lips.

You’re not sure why he so gently brushes his thumb over your cheek, or why it blooms something deep in your stomach.

He kisses you again, a little longer this time, enough for you both to figure out how to move your lips in tandem. Soft sounds waft when he kisses you again, then again after that, as he adjusts himself on top of you. He’s pressing his chest against yours, and his weight is strangely soothing, though you can’t focus on it much when Leon opens his mouth just a sliver, just enough of an invitation for you to do the same.

Your single, chaste, closed-mouth kiss is shifting, growing longer and warmer as each second passes. Leon is curling closer, shifting his other hand to your waist, curving it under your back. You adjust slowly, arch your back to give his hand room between you and the couch cushion beneath you, and Leon almost melts against you. 

You’re not sure how long you’ve been practicing, but it’s gotten to the point where it’s hard to breathe. Leon is strangely in-sync with you, and you break off at the same time.

“A little longer?” he breathes, and you nod.

His next kiss is harder, tinged with heat, and you try to match it. His tongue slides across your bottom lip, and a squeak of shock slips out of your throat. Your cheeks are heating up, as is the rest of your body, when Leon starts kissing you harder, faster, and a little more desperately. You practice and you practice and you practice, long enough to where you’re both breathing hard, long enough to know exactly how to kiss Leon in a way that makes a moan slip.

He moves to your cheek, to your jaw, to your throat, kissing and sucking in a way that makes your heart pound. It isn’t until you let out a sigh, furrow your brow, and whisper his name, that he pauses.

“Leon,” you breathe.

He freezes, and after a second, he lifts his head to meet your gaze. His cheeks are flushed, his pupils dilated, then his expression melts into something bashful. He quickly crawls off of you and you both sit up, trying to discreetly catch your breath, but neither of you do a good job of hiding how dazed you are.

“Sorry,” Leon says as he breathes out a laugh. “I… uh… might’ve gotten carried away there at the end.”

“Yeah, yeah that’s okay. But did we… did we just…” you whisper. “...snog?”

“I think so,” Leon replies.

“We probably could again,” you whisper. “Just to be sure we’re good at it.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Leon whispers in return. “Just in case that Sinnoh lady gets suspicious.”

“Definitely.”

The tight white dress accentuated her slim build.

“Thanks. I got it on sale last week. Are you almost ready to go?”

“Yep. I just need to grab my purse.”

You unplugged your phone and triple checked for your ID and credit card before slipping both into the black clutch.

“Have you seen Bucky? I want to say goodbye before we leave.”

“He’s in the den playing video games with Dylan,” she reported as you eased your way down the stairs. “Bucky’s really great. I’m glad you two finally got together. You deserve to be happy.”

“Thanks, Penny.” You felt a little bad for lying to her but you pushed it away. You’d tell her when everything was over.

The boys were too engrossed in their video game to notice you and Penny standing in the doorway, so you pointedly cleared your throat.

“Ahem.”

When they turned to look at you, their jaws dropped in unison as their characters simultaneously got blown up.

“So is this what you plan to do all evening? Video games and beer?” you asked as you strutted towards Bucky, lifting his jaw with your index finger.

“Well what else are we supposed to do while we’re missing you terribly?” Bucky asked as you perched on the arm of his chair.

“Good answer,” you murmured and booped the tip of his nose.

Dylan and Penny were lost in their own little world as you focused on Bucky whose eyes were considerably darker than normal.

“See something you like, Buck?”

“Lots,” he rumbled as his hand rested on your knee. “You should wear this dress more often.”

“Only if you take me dancing.”

“I think I could manage that.”

“Oh really?” you asked with an arched eyebrow.

“Why do you sound so surprised?”

“Maybe because the one night you’ve come out with us in the entire time I’ve been on the team you sat at the bar the entire night.”

“Well, I thoroughly enjoyed the view that night. Besides you said dancing not clubbing. And I’ll be more than happy to take you on a spin to some 40’s music.”

“You think you’ve still got some moves?”

“Is that a challenge?” He balked.

“Would I challenge you?”

“Yes.”

He was immediately on his feet pulling you close. He hummed an upbeat tune as he tried to lindy with you. He was surprisingly good but you had no idea what you were doing and just did your best not to fall on your face – not that Bucky would ever let that happen. When you were breathless from giggling, he spun you away from him and then back in and dipped you.

His blue eyes were bright with excitement as he smirked down at you.

“So what do you think, doll? Do I still have some moves?”

“Maybe a few,” you panted.  

“What’s going on in here?”

Bucky’s grip on your hip tightened in response to Zoe’s wheedling voice, and he pulled you up so you were standing next to him as Zoe puffed out her chest and strode over to you.

“Hi there. I’m y/n’s older, prettier cousin, Zoe.” When you and Bucky simply stared at her, she faked a giggle. “Just kidding. And who might you be?”

“Bucky, y/n’s boyfriend,” he answered tersely, just barely above a growl.

You hid your smile as you rubbed his shoulders reassuringly. Zoe however seemed unfazed.

“Well it’s so nice to meet you.”

“I take it the limo’s here.”

“You really are the smartest cookie in the batch aren’t you, cuz?”

Not wanting to get in a fight, you ignored the jab and turned to the happy couple.

“Come on, Penny. The girls are waiting in the limo.”

“You go ahead. I think I’d rather stay in,” she waved you off, not looking away from Dylan.

“No, no. I get you tonight. Dylan gets you for the rest of your life.”

“Thank heavens for that,” Dylan beamed.

You couldn’t help but aww at the couple in front of you. However the moment was ruined when Zoe fake gagged and you shot her a glare when you saw how Penny deflated.

“Come on,” you coaxed softly. “There’s a sash and a tiara waiting for you in the limo.”

“Ooh! A tiara? Really?”

“Yes. Now kiss your fiancé goodbye and let’s go.”

“Yes ma’am.”

She quickly pecked Dylan on the lips as you kissed Bucky on the cheek.

“Have fun, doll.”

“You too.”

“Not much of a kiss,” Zoe muttered under her breath and you chose to ignore it.

You were considerably drunker than you intended to be when you passed an even drunker Penny off to a groggy Dylan at four in the morning.

After that you tried to sneak into your room. However, you stubbed your toe, dropped your shoes, and swore very loudly. You looked up to see if you’d woken Bucky only to realize that he hadn’t been asleep at all. He was sitting up in bed in just a tank top and his boxers, reading the first Game of Thrones book with only the side table light on.

“Hi,” you mumbled sheepishly.

“Hi. Did you have a good night, doll?” he asked as he got out of bed to help you.

You hadn’t really made it past the doorway, caught off guard by how nice it was to come home to him in your bed.

“Yeah. It was a lot of fun. But I missed you,” you pouted as you began to walk towards him only to stumble into his arms.

“Easy there, doll. Let’s get you to bed.”

“I’m so glad you came with me. I love pretending to be your girlfriend,” you babbled. “Do you wanna know a secret?”

“Not if you wouldn’t tell me sober,” he chuckled as he unzipped your dress and tugged it up over your head.

He sat you on the bed as he rummaged around for your pajamas, but they weren’t in the drawer he expected. So after a cursory look through the other drawers he took his own t-shirt out and put it on you.

“Mmm. This smells like you. I wanna keep this one. The other one I stole form you doesn’t smell like you anymore,” you grumbled.

“Which shirt of mine did you steal?”

“Green v-neck sweater. So soft,” you slurred.

He smiled as he scooped you up and tucked you under the covers.

“I knew I didn’t leave it on vacation,” he mumbled to himself.

“I was going to tell you a secret,” you suddenly remembered. “What was I going to tell you? Oh yeah. I love pretending to be your girlfriend.”

“You already told me that, doll. Come on, drink some water.”

You sipped on the water he handed you.

“But I didn’t tell you that I wish I wasn’t pretending.”

Bucky froze and looked directly at you.

“So do I,” he admitted after a long moment.

“Bucky, can I kiss you?”

“Not tonight, doll.”

Even in your drunken state your heart broke a little and you quickly moved to lie down facing the wall.

“Hey, now,” Bucky sighed, turning your chin so you were forced to look him in the eye. “Let me be clear. I want to kiss you. But I need you to be sure,” his expression was earnest and you wanted to believe him. “If you wake up tomorrow and still want to kiss me… well then I hope you didn’t have plans for the morning,” he wiggled his eyebrows making you laugh. “Come on, doll. Let’s get some sleep.”

He reached behind him to turn off the lamp plunging the room into the darkness.

“I know you won’t kiss me, but will you hold me?” you asked in a small voice.

“I’m never letting go,” he whispered as he pulled you into his arms.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

 You woke up with a splitting headache, but you were still wrapped in Bucky’s arms which seemed to dull the pain.

“Good morning, doll,” he whispered as you rolled over to face him. “How ya feeling?”

“Like I did after I snuck some of Thor’s mead,” you groaned.

He chuckled at the memory. Nothing had been able to coax you out of that hangover.

“What time is it?” you asked after giving up on trying to make sense of the clock on the wall.

“It’s just after ten. You’ve got a couple hours before you have to get up and go to your fitting.”

“Oh shit. I forgot about that. Thanks for reminding me.”

“No problem.”

His arms suddenly weren’t around you and you whined, “Where are you going?”

“I’m here, doll. Just getting you some water and aspirin.”

“It can wait,” you mumbled.

“You’ll thank me later.”

In the time it took him to speak, he had already slipped his arms back around you and tugged you into a sitting position. You gratefully swallowed the pills before cuddling back into his chest, finally noticing you were wearing his shirt.

“I’m sorry. I must have raided your things last night.”

“You didn’t. Don’t worry.”

“Then how did I end up in your shirt?”

You tilted your head back so you could look at him and noticed the slight tinge of pink in his cheeks.

“I uh… sort of helped. I looked for you pajamas, but I couldn’t find them. Figured my shirt would do the trick.”

“It did. It’s super comfy. Thank you, Buck. Sorry if I woke you last night.”

“I was still up.”

“Nightmare?” you asked, concern filling you.

“Just restless. New place,” he added as an explanation.

“Right of course. I’m so sorry. I should have been home sooner.”

“Doll, you’re supposed to enjoy this week. I’m not an added responsibility. I’m here for you this week. I was perfectly fine, I just read some of my book.”

“I just don’t want you losing sleep because of me.”

“I didn’t. I slept just fine once you were home. And honestly 6 hours is more than I usually get. So I should be thanking you.”

“How about you thank me after a few more hours?” You suggested as you let your head drop back to his chest.

“Sounds like a plan.”

Bucky’s hand was warm on your lower back as he rubbed circles in to your hip, and you couldn’t help yourself as you traced the ribbing of his tank top. And before you knew it, you had dropped back off to sleep.

 The next time you woke up it was because Bucky was shaking you.

“I’m sorry, doll, but you gotta get up. Your fitting is in an hour.”

Ignoring him you hitched yourself higher so your cheek was resting on his shoulder and you had to resist the urge to kiss along his jaw.

“Come on, doll. Up you get. If you go shower I can make you breakfast.”

You knew he was right but that didn’t stop you from nuzzling into his neck; Bucky couldn’t stop the soft groan that slipped from his lips.

“You know I normally get breakfast in bed when I’m hungover.”

“Yeah, but I promised not to let you go.”

You could feel him grinning into your hair, and despite the slight fluttering of your heart there was a pang of unease. You felt like you were missing something.

Before you could ask, there was a loud knock on the door that made you wince.

“Come on, sleepy head! Get up! Being hungover is not a valid excuse for you not having a dress that fits on my wedding day,” Penny called through the door.

You groaned as Bucky laughed.

“I told you. Come on. You shower and I’ll have breakfast waiting for you when you come down.”

“You’re the best,” you mumbled and kissed under his chin and rolled onto your back, dropping your head to the pillow.

“Um, doll.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re not moving.”

“Oh yeah.”

You reluctantly disentangled yourself from Bucky. He climbed out of the other side and started pulling out clothes as you made your way into the bathroom.

As you showered, you tried to remember the end of the night.

 After final call at 2, the party had broken up. You were still relatively sober at that point and ensured that everyone got home safe before taking a giddy and affectionate Penny home. When the two of you got back to the house, she produced a bottle of peach schnapps and dragged you out to the old playhouse.

After a few belts of that you had joined her in a nice happy drunk state. You caught up and gossiped for a couple of hours before Penny started to drift off and you knew you had to get her inside.

Everything else was a bit fuzzy – just flashes of Bucky changing you and taking care of you and then…

“Oh god. What have I done?” you whispered to yourself.

You had told Bucky you had wanted to date him. You had asked if you could kiss him. And he turned you down. You felt your heart stutter and then shatter. You had most assuredly just lost your best friend.

But then why was he so cuddly this morning. Maybe you hadn’t lost him completely…

You lingered in the shower for as long as possible, not wanting to see Bucky. When the hot water ran out, you reluctantly got out and dressed for the day.

You could hear Bucky and the rest of your family laughing in the kitchen as you hovered outside.

“You know they say those who listen in are bound to hear people speak ill of them. Although, I doubt anything bad about you will come from that man,” Your father’s comment from behind you made you jump before you hugged him.

“Hi, Dad.”

“Welcome home, honey. Your boyfriend has made quite the impression.”

“On mom and Aunt Meg maybe.”

“On everybody,” your father corrected.  

“You met him?”

“Last night while you girls were out. I would have appreciated a little more warning though. That way I could have been cleaning my shotgun when you arrived.”

You rolled your eyes.

“You don’t own a shotgun dad.”

“My baseball bat then?”

“Dad,” you groaned.

“I’m only joking. But I was a little surprised you didn’t tell your mother and me.”

“Are you going to lecture me now?”

“No. Like I said. He’s made quite the impression. On me as well. It’s obvious he’s crazy about you, so he gets my vote.”

“Not crazy enough,” you muttered.

“What was that?”

“Nothing. I’m glad you like him, dad.”

“I’m glad you found a good guy. I have to go pick up some chairs for the ceremony. I’ll see you later, honey.”

“Okay. Bye, dad.”

He kissed the top of your head before hurrying out the front door.

You knew Bucky had probably heard your entire conversation so you decided to make your presence known.

“Good morning,” you greeted as you stepped into the kitchen.

Your mom and aunt were seated at the kitchen table while Bucky cooked at the stove. Dylan had his arms around Penny’s waist as she perched on a stool at the island, devouring a large stack of pancakes.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” your mom greeted.

“Morning, doll. Perfect timing,” he grinned gesturing to the pan that he was flipping pancakes out of.

You knew that was no coincidence and you couldn’t help but smiled despite the ache in your heart. He kissed your temple as he slid the loaded plate in front of you.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. You look beautiful this morning.”

When you glanced at the clock on the wall you realized you needed to get going, so you scarfed down the food and chugged a cup of coffee, grateful that Bucky had made you take aspirin.

“Is my dress at the tailor’s on Elm?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, I better get going.”

“Wait up. I’ll drive you,” Dylan offered.

“You don’t need to do that. I have the car.”

“No. I’ve got to go pick up my tux anyway.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

He nodded and grabbed his keys from the rack by the door, swinging them around his finger.

“I’ll see you later, beautiful,” he smiled before kissing Penny firmly.

“Drive safe. And don’t forget to pick up the wine for tomorrow.”

“I won’t.”

You weren’t sure how to say bye to Bucky so you opted to hug him quickly before escaping with Dylan, ignoring the questioning glances from him. You would sort that out later.

A/N: Soooo ummm yeah... feel free to scream here . Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! 

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