SUMMARY: Your bay window was never meant to seat just one.
PAIRING: Bucky Barnes x reader (Modern AU)
A/N: Hi, hello lovelies! This is my first attempt at writing fan fiction! This is gonna be a multipart one-shot typa thing. I’m really scared, but any and all feedback is really appreciated! This is loosely inspired by the scene in The Wedding Planner where Eddie tries to tell Mary he’s in love with her and “Still In Love” by Thirdstory. Hope you enjoy!
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
A small smile sat on your lips as you sat at your bay window. The lights of New York’s skyline danced along the East River as the breeze played a gentle song. A gentle hum waltzed into the wind as your fingertips traced the rim of your wine glass. Even a hard day was no match for Brooklyn’s sweet lullaby.
“I’m fine. Really, Wanda. You shouldn’t get so worked up about it. You know what they say, ‘Smooth sailing never made a skillful sailor.’”
“Yeah, well you don’t own a boat!” The aggravated sigh that escaped her lips made you chuckle. “I know you don’t mind a little bit of adversity, but doesn’t mean that Tony Stark should dish it out to you all the time!”
Her frustration echoed from your phone, making you slowly hold it further away as her voice began to raise. However in the midst of her anger, you still found it amusing. To most, Wanda was a sweet, little lily whose attention to detail made The New Yorker the most aesthetically pleasing local media outlet to date. Head of the design apartment, she lead with a firm, but nurturing authority, calm and patient towards her team knowing it took time to create the best layouts. It surprised them to discover that she was really a firecracker just waiting to burst, but to those she called family, they were amusing little bursts of energy since she would never hurt a fly. As her best friend, you knew she liked to consider herself more of a thorn protecting a rose.
“But then it’ll make for a better success story, Wand!” you exclaim right before a taking another sip of your wine. You hadn’t noticed that you were playing with the hem of your sweater until you lifted your head to see the shimmering East River once again. Its lullaby seemed to have grown quieter to give more room for Wanda’s exclamations.
“But a little bit of a break would be nice to hear about.” Another sigh left her lips, this one softer than the rest. Your gaze dropped to your hands at the statement.
Wanda wasn’t wrong. It would be nice to have a little bit of a break for once. The past year had been rather difficult. From your parents guilt tripping you for never visiting home to being kicked out of your old apartment, a win would be rather nice for a change. But after a downward spiral of constant self-loathing, you finally came to your senses and realized that moping wasn’t going to solve any of your problems. So you began your days with a jog on the Brooklyn bridge, the sun rising every day to greet you a good morning. On your way back you jogged over to the newest local coffee shop, where you became friends with the owners who offered the occasional chai-on-the-house. Then you poured yourself into your work, writing some of the best pieces of your career which led to your nomination for chief editor at The New Yorker.
But Tony Stark was a visionary and he wasn’t about to let just anyone dictate the voice of his beloved company. A few trials and tribulations in, he almost wrung you bone dry. However you saw the adversity as inspiration to work harder, proven by your latest article on the U.S.'s Middle Eastern involvement taking the internet by storm. It’ll be worth it, you kept reminding yourself, clouds of fatigue raining down on you more frequently in the recent weeks that have come to pass. But regardless of your sunny disposition, your best friend never failed to read your mind.
“Look… I know it’s been rough… And I hate seeing you exhausted to the bone, but I just want to let you know that I’m proud of you.” A short pause followed as you tried to blink away the reflection of the city’s skyline from your eyes.
“If I had it my way, Stark would have promoted you months ago, but he’s an idiot who can’t see past his own reflection.” Your lips turned up into a smile as Wanda’s chuckle came in tune with your own. “Just remember it’s okay to be tired. To have a day to yourself… You don’t always have to keep up the act AND don’t say you don’t have one. You and I both know you do.”
You swirled your wine in the glass before finishing off the red liquid. The small smile on your lips met with a hum of content. She was really the best friend you could ever ask for.
“Thanks, Wand. I really appreciate you.”
“No problem, b. I’m here whenever you need me.”
You slouched a little more against the window. “Ugh, I just wished my life was just like JLo’s in The Wedding Planner,” you sighed as your set your glass down and wrapped a blanket around yourself.
“You would hate having to plan weddings, and the story’s not even set in New York.”
“Yeah, but the flow of her career was pretty fantastic, and not to forget she got a Dr. Matthew McConaughey.”
Wanda chuckled at the fact. “You’re a loser, you know that right?”
Your phone vibrated with a new message, and the smile on your face turned to a full-fledged grin. “Would a loser be getting the best pizza in all of New York delivered to her door?”
“At this hour? It’s nearly one! How’d you pull that off?”
“I may or may not have texted the owner’s son before you called,” you taunted. Your belly was more than prepared to be filled with the pizza that was now on its way over to your apartment.
“My brother really is pathetic,” she laughed. “I told him ages ago to just ask you out. Now he’s going on what?… Three? Four years? Following you around like some lost puppy! Dad’s gonna kill him for cooking after closing.”
“I only asked for a caprese, that doesn’t take that much Wand.”
“Yeah, but you’re forgetting Y/N. This is my brother we’re talking about. He probably cooked you a five-course meal! And that’s probably why he’s only coming over now. We’ve been on the phone for awhile.”
You twisted your lips to the side. On one hand, you felt rather guilty for letting Pietro go through all that trouble just for your late night craving. But on the other, you were just excited to sit at your bay window with a slice of pizza and wine.
“I’ll bring your lunch tomorrow.”
Three firm knocks echoed from your door, causing you to finally notice Brooklyn’s lullaby had surprising nearly silenced since Wanda’s outburst. Unwrapping yourself from the comfort of your bay window, you walked over to record player where the smooth jazz of Glenn Miller’s trumpet swirled its way through the living room of your apartment. Closing your eyes while swaying with the triplets of the horn, you danced your way to your front door.
“Hey b, I’m gonna go. Your brother’s here.”
“Alright, go enjoy your pizza. Bring me a cannoli. And don’t be late tomorrow, we have that meeting with Maria at ten.”
“I won’t, now shut up. Go to bed. Love you.”
“You’re annoying. Love you, too.”
As you placed your phone down on the counter, you began to twist your hair into a bun. Three more swift knocks hit your door and you raced over to unlock the hinges. In the middle of your search for a hair tie, you swung the door wide open for Pietro to step through while you turned to stumble through your drawers.
“Hi, P! I’m so sorry for the mess, thank you so much again for the pizza! I really appreciate it, especially after the day I’ve had…” Finding a lone rubber band you, jumped in victory and swiftly wrapped you hair in place.
Pulling at the bun to loosen a few strands, you slowly spun around to face the door, ready to wrap him in an embrace. “You’re more than welcome to stay and shar-”
An ocean of blue crashed into you, still as vibrant as the day the waves pulled away.
