#marvelettesassemblenow

„Hey Steve,“ a voice greeted him when he opened the door to the art supply store and a few seconds later the sound from the street was silenced and he could only make out the soft music that was playing in the background. His nose was filled with smells of fresh paint and he saw you with a brush in your hand at the counter. 

„Hey sweetheart,“ he greeted you with a smile on his lips. The first time he had called you that it had been an accident and he had been mortified, but you didn’t complain and he thought he had seen a small smile on your face so he was brave and stuck to his new nickname for you. 

„How are the oils treating you? Better than the chalk?“ you asked and put away the brush to give him your full attention. 

„Better than the chalk, but I’m still not sure,“ he said and walked over. „Wanted to pick up a few more colours though.“ 

„Yeah, you know where they are. Or do you want my opinion?“ you offered, not wanting to overstep anything. 

„I’ll take a look. I know where to find you, if I need your help.“ You nodded and he walked over to the station where the colours were. It didn’t take him long to find the colours he was missing. The shade of blue wasn’t the exact one he had in mind, but if he would mix them with the darker blue, he was sure he could create the colour of the shirt you had been wearing last week. But this was just a coincidence because he really had liked that colour on you. He strolled a little bit more through the store until he made his way back to you. 

„Quiet day?“ he asked once he reached his destination.  

„Yep, but it’s only the quiet before the storm. Tomorrow is Wednesday so the senior citizen group will make their biweekly visit. And we’ll get lots of new stuff tomorrow, so enjoy it while it lasts,“ you explained with a little laugh and Steve nodded as if he knew exactly what you were talking about. 

It was about five minutes until your usual Wednesday group would arrive and you were busy moving the boxes that had just been delivered so they could at least walk into the store without bumping into them when the bell above the entrance told you you had a customer. 

„Hello, welcome to... Steve?“ you asked confused as you had seen him just yesterday. 

„Hey sweetheart, I just wanted to drop something off. You mentioned you had a busy day today, so, I ugh brought you some coffee.“ He rubbed his neck nervously, but you found it endearing. „I thought about getting you one from the café around the corner, but I didn’t know what you liked and we have a really good coffee machine. You know Tony, always buying the best,“ at this point he was only rambling. Of course you didn’t know Tony! The only other Avenger that you knew was Bucky and that was only because he came in with Steve when he decided to start drawing again. „So I hope you like it and the label said it should stay warm for a few hours, so even if you don’t have time to drink it immediately it should stay warm,“ he placed a coffee mug on the counter. You spotted some pink on the mug and took a closer look. Homemade Coffee Therapy stood there in black letters and you blinked a few times. 

„Thank you so much, Steve. You didn’t have to, but I appreciate it so much!" Before you could collect your thoughts, the bell rang again and the group entered the shop. Steve took it as his sign to leave and waved at you – after he held open the door for the older people and left. 

„What a handsome gentleman,“ Betty said and eyed the mug that was still standing on the counter before you quickly put it behind. 

That wasn’t the only time Steve brought you coffee. The next time he came over he handed you a mug – black, used but clean and without a sticker at the bottom that told you it was a new purchase. He traded it with the pinkish one and asked you if he should change the coffee. And after some time, Steve brought two coffees. One in a black mug for him and another on for you in a more colourful one. 

„Hey,“ you greeted him with more enthusiasm. The bag with the washed coffee mugs was already standing behind the counter as Steve came in almost every Tuesday. 

In return you were greeted with a big smile and the nickname you came to love. After exchanging pleasantries, you told him about an upcoming art class in the store. „If you want there’s still room. They’re using oil colours to learn a wet in wet technique.“ 

„Will you be there?“ he asked, which caused you to nod in reply. „Then you can count me in.“ 

„I didn’t even tell you the date,“ you laughed and after making sure that he was free that day, he told you he’d come again. 

“Oh, this looks good,” he heard your voice behind him. You were quiet as you didn’t want to disturb the other painters, but you had to make sure that Steve know you liked what you saw. His shoulders dropped. 

“This is nothing what hers looks like.” He sounded defeated. And when does Captain America sound defeated? Not that you could remember, so you just had to make sure that Steve knew that his was just as good – if not better. You bent forwards so your lips were near his ear, so he would hear you. 

“It isn’t supposed to look like hers. This class is to learn how to use the colours. How you can blend them and you can create whatever you want with it. This is the beauty in art. It isn’t supposed to be a certain way. You can do whatever you want with it. There isn’t a right or wrong way. These are only pointers and I really like what you did with it,” you said and pressed his shoulder. It did take you some self-control to not press your lips against his cheek. 

“Thank you, sweetheart.” And he didn’t sound as sad as before. “I’ll stay and help you clean afterwards. Maybe we could grab something to eat at the café the street down?” 

“Psssshh,” the woman next to Steve made and he excused himself, but you couldn’t help to whisper that you’d love to get something to eat with him. 

The café was pretty empty and you managed to pay for Steves order as well. He tried to protest but you told him he brought you coffee each week so you wanted to give him something too. The both of you took a seat in the corner of the room where you wouldn’t be disturbed. 

“Tell me something about you that I don’t know. What made you pick up painting again?” you asked once your first hunger was sated. 

“Oh that’s actually... Will it stay between us?” he asked and turned a little bit more serious. 

“Oh, of course,” you said and put your fork down. You had thought it was an easy start into a conversation. 

“I’m about to step a little bit down. I’ll hand over the shield, it’ll be a slow transition. I’ll still be an Avenger and I’ll still work, but I do have some more free time and Bucky thought it would have been a nice way to calm down and pick up an old hobby.” 

“Wow,” you said not expecting that. “And is that okay for you?” 

“Yeah, I feel like its time. I’ve done this for a while and I’m kind of tired. And I’m sure they need someone else. Someone from this time, who gets them. Who knows their problems and I think Sam is exactly the person they need.” He said and you had no doubt about that he meant it. 

“As long as you are happy.” 

“I’m starting to get there,” he smiled at you and you picked up your fork again. 

“Are you okay?” Steve was out of breath once he reached you. If the door hadn’t been open Bucky would have been afraid that Steve would have ripped it out. He didn’t have any eyes for the police officer standing next to you or the other persons in the room, his only focus was on you. 

“Steve,” you breathed. “What are you doing here?” If Steve wouldn’t have known you by now, he wouldn’t have noticed the light tremor that accomplished your voice. 

“Are you okay?” he asked again once he reached out to you and his big hand cupped your face which cause you to feel safe. 

“Yeah, I am,” you said but he wasn’t reassured. 

“Sir, this is a crime scene,” the police officer next to you interrupted and it caused Steve to go rigid. He straightened his back, pushed out his breast and put on his Captain America face. 

“It’s Captain to you and I am very aware of that, so I’m making sure that my girl is okay. I’m sure you will understand that, officer.” The stare he was giving the other man didn’t let him much choice other than to nod and take a step back. Despite his harsh behavior the hand on your cheek was still soft and his thumb was slightly stroking you skin. 

“I’ll ask you for the last time and I’ll expect an honest answer, sweetheart. Are you okay?” The way he stood in front of you made you feel safe as he was shielding you from most of the gazes. 

“A little shaken,” you admitted. 

“Okay, I’ll get you out of here,” he said softly. “She’s done here today,” Steve said loudly and took a look at the office who had spoken to him before. 

“Sir,” he started, but a gaze from Steve let him change the title. “Captain, we’re not done here.” 

“But she is. If you have further questions send them to me,” he said and started to push you towards the exit. 

“Steve, my bag,” you started to protest. 

“Buck, will you grab it? It’s behind the desk.” 

“Of course, pal. I’ll catch up to you,” his friend agreed and because he was so focused on you, he didn’t even see the smirk that was sitting on his face after he knew you were alright. Oh, Steve didn’t even know how deep he was in. But Bucky had a slight idea. He wasn’t even sure that the two of you were aware that you were holding hands when he caught up towards you. 

“Why were you even there?” he heard your voice once he fell into step next to Steve – which made it almost impossible for anyone else to walk on that sidewalk. 

“It’s Tuesday, I was on my way to you to bring the coffee,” he said but stopped when he spotted some shards on the floor. 

“Is that my mug?” You stopped and picked up the shards before someone would injure themselves. 

“Actually, we were on our way to deliver a coffee order when we heard the news about a robbery in a bypassing police car and Steve recognized the address and then there was no stopping him and nothing to do to save the mugs,” Bucky told you without an ounce of shame to rat out his friend and his worry about you, but held out his hands to take the pieces from your hand to drop them in the next trash can. “But at least you’re okay,” he added to make sure that you were more important than a cup. “What happened?” he asked. 

“Buck,” Steve warned, but you said it was okay and told them about a robbery that had happened in the store. “A craft store? Who would rob out a craft store? I mean he got like 100 bucks from the cash register and he took like three pens that were lying on the table. Who does that?” 

You didn’t realize it yet, but you had reached the Avengers tower. Steve navigated you through the hall and towards the elevator until you reached the floor. “I’ll grab you some water and something with sugar,” Bucky said and Steve lead you towards his room. Steve’s room was not what you had expected. You knew that he was painting – he was buying supplies at your place a lot. But you weren’t ready to see his art that was in front of his window. 

“Steve, these are... You told me you didn’t like painting with the chalks but this is beautiful,” you said not being able to express what you felt when you saw his art. 

Steve had some people who saw his art. They were like “This is nice”, “I like that colour” and that was it. But having you seeing it meant a lot more to him. You were busy looking at the pictures so you didn’t notice Bucky coming towards the room. He pushed a glass of water and a chocolate bar in Steves hand, placed your bag that he still carried next to the door, winked at Steve and closed the door after him. 

Steve walked over to you and handed you the glass of water. “Thank you,” you replied and took a huge sip while you still looked at that painting that had caught your eyes. It was of a building and it featured a person with a very blue shirt. He might have thought of you, but it wasn’t noticeable in the painting. 

“You said something in the store. You actually called me your girl and I wanted to ask if that was only to get me out of there or if you meant it?” You quickly took another sip of water as not to show how nervous you were. 

“I did?” You face fell at Steve’s question. “I mean, I didn’t notice I did that. I’m sorry if I overstepped, I should have asked you out first,” he mumbled and the chocolate bar started to melt inside the wrapper as Steve’s body temperature and his grip tightened around it. 

“You could still ask,” you offered. 

“Would you say yes?” 

“You’re asking me if I would say yes to a date with the handsome man that brings me coffee every Tuesday? You mean the man that makes me look forward to the second day in the week although I do have to do inventory of the materials which is the most boring part of my job? Of course I would say yes. I would take any chance to spend time with him.” You searched for a safe place to place your cup down. 

“So, should I cook something for you? I heard my Mac ’n’ Cheese is mean,” he held out his hand to you and realized only when you wanted to take it that he still held that chocolate in his hand. You took it from him and placed it next to the water. 

“I’ll be the judge of that, but lead the way,” you grabbed his hand and both of you left his apartment for your first kind of official date – because Steve still hadn’t officially asked. 

Masterlist | Library Blog

“What is what?“ you asked confused and tried to follow his sight of line and looked at your stomach.  

“Your backpack?“ he cleared and you turned around again so he could get a closer look. 

“It’s cute, isn’t it?“ The top was blue with little white stars over it, some white and red stripes covering the side pockets and a bear in front of it holding a shield – his shield. The words Super Cream Bear stood next to them and the bear was wearing glasses. When he failed to reply you asked him if he didn’t like it. 

“It’s…. sweetheart, I’m walking right next to you,“ he finally said. 

“So what?“ you faced him again. “I fell in love with this backpack. It’s so cute and I really like it. Also, it shows my favorite person – kind of, so why not. No one knows I’m walking next to Captain America,“ you tipped the top of his baseball cap that covered his hair, “and wearing his merch. If it makes you that uncomfortable, I would get a new bag, but I’d rather not.“ 

“No, please keep it on. You’re right, I was just thinking that people might think I make you wear it,“ he shrugged. 

“Since when do you care what people think?“ You took his big hand in yours. 

“Since it involves you,“ he mumbled and kissed your forehead. 

“Aren’t you the cutest? But as I said, I really like this backpack.“ 

„Okay, let’s go then,“ his fingers closed around yours and the two of you continued your way. 

But the backpack was just the beginning. You really loved that one and of course his teammates saw it. The teasing was endless, the old man jokes because of the glasses didn’t seem to end. But Steve could have handled all of that if his friends would just leave it like that. But of course they didn’t. 

As the relationship grew and you spent more and more time at the tower and with his friends, the more the collection of Captain America merchandise grew. It first started with a mug Sam gifted you. It said „America’s Ass“ and there was a drawing of his ass on it in his suit. Steve expected a laugh and nothing more. Not for you to use that mug all the time and throwing a wink his way when he noticed it. 

Next came a Captain America blanket. He didn’t know who brought it, but every time you stayed over and stayed for a while in the common room it somehow ended up laying beside you until you snuggled up into it. 

Or the one time you thought Steve couldn’t get redder when someone had put a picture of Steve with the words „Wrap it up, Son. Don’t go in without a shield!“ on a pack of condoms and placed it on the counter for everyone to see. Steve’s face only made you all laugh louder. 

One morning someone made Captain America waffles and the next day there stood an Iron Man coffee maker next to the Captain America waffle maker. The coffee tasted like shit next to the expensive machine, but Tony made a show of using it every morning. 

Steve had looked forward to your birthday and actually planned a one-day vacation when his friends destroyed his plans. He should be glad that you liked each other as Steve planned for you to stick around. But he knew that he wouldn’t like the presents you would get from then – he just knew it! But you were happy that they wanted to celebrate with you and Steve would do anything to make you happy. Even if it meant he would suffer. He would take you on vacation another day. 

Steve had to admit it was a nice party. It was just his friends and you; the dinner was nice and the atmosphere so good, that Bucky even twirled you around on your way to the seating area, which caused you both had to laugh and he didn’t think he could get happier. This was where you belonged and he was glad that his best friend liked you so much. Steve’s smile stayed on his face as he took a seat next to you – until you unwrapped your presents. 

Steve knew there was merchandise out there – of course. He was often asked to sign it. And with most of it he didn’t have a problem. But he didn’t know to what extend this was getting. He really hoped you wouldn’t wear the “Captain America is my boyfriend” shirt. 

“Be glad they didn’t buy the Avengers panty set,” Natasha said and his head turned around so fast. 

“There is stuff like that?” he asked bewildered and she just nodded while she told him it did include ones with his shield and also Tonys helmet. Steve was sure he would have burned the red pair before you even had the chance to wear that. Sure, he thought it was kind of cute ridiculous that you wore his merchandise, but imagining you in stuff of the other ones? 

“You okay?” you asked him after a while when it was quieter and every present was unwrapped. Steves big arms pulled you over on his lap and he buried his head into your neck. 

“I am now,” he mumbled and his breath on your skin made you laugh quietly. 

“I won’t use any of this stuff, if it’s upsets you,” you offered. “Although I can wear that shirt to sleep, so only you would see it. I mean, it isn’t a lie,” you shrugged and snuggled closer in his embrace. 

“That would be okay, I think,” he agreed. He would do anything to make you happy! 

“There might be gold in it, you never know,” the guy tried his luck again. Seemed like he got rid of a lot of old things, but he himself looked like he might be in his early thirties.

“I doubt it, it’s too light for that. 15.” As he saw your interest, he pushed the price to 22. You paid him and took the box with you. You tried looking for other things but somehow your mind always came back to the item under your arm until you finally left and made your way home.

It took three weeks. Three weeks for the red box to be opened. In the meantime some new dust had settled on the golden imprinted rose on top of it. The lock had mocked you with the numbers in front of it. You tried googling how to break the lock, but you were too afraid to damage it. Next you had tried different combinations of numbers which frustrated you so much that you didn’t even look at it for five days straight until you tried the next combination. No, it finally came to you when you laid in bed.

Unable to fall asleep without trying the numbers you got out of bed. You ignored the shoes standing next to it and walked quickly over the cold floor until your feet touched the carpet. The numbers moved easier than they did when you first purchased the box, having been tried so often. When you pulled the last row to a 4 you could almost hear a light noise. You pushed the button on the side and tried to open the lid and it finally opened.

On top laid a note which you picked up softly. The handwriting was neat and there was a drawing of a small flower drawn next to it.

Sweetheart, I hope you like it. Can’t wait to see you again, S.

So, 22 Dollars for a box full of love letters then. Next came a notebook with a different handwriting inside. It looked like a journal, but you didn’t want to read in it yet, so you put it aside as well. Then you spotted a piece of silver and pulled out a bracelet under a photograph. It didn’t look like modern jewelry and it was in need of a good cleaning, but it was still beautiful. When you tried to place it around your wrist you noticed the clasp was broken. You still admired the stones for a while before you turned towards the photo. The one that was on top wasn’t recognizable. On the second one were two guys smiling at the camera. One was blonde, the other brunette. Steve and Bucky, 1944 stood on the backside. There were a few more photos mostly of the blonde guy, Steve. And then you finally figured out that you were staring at Captain America and was reading a love letter that he wrote. Shame suddenly filled you and you pushed everything into the box and closed the lid.

Maybe you would have felt better if the person who wrote this wasn’t alive anymore, but this felt like invading his privacy. The rest of the night you tried to figure out what to do until you conceived a plan and could fall asleep.

Your plan was good - in theory. But when you stood in front of the Avengers tower with your box in a bag and the guy at the reception had told you you should send your fan mail and gifts like everybody else you didn’t know what to do.

“Excuse me,” you heard a voice and you stepped automatically to the side to let the man walk by. You mumbled a sorry, but when you looked at the person who was walking past you you recognized him.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I may need your help,” you said getting louder until the man finally stopped and turned towards you. “Mr. Barnes, I have something for Mr. Rogers,” you started to rush, but he interrupted you.

“There is a way for fan mail.” he said in an exhausted voice.

“No, listen. I’ll just ask and if you say no I will drop it. I bought this box on a flea market and it was locked. And I somehow managed to open it and I think it belonged to someone who was dear to Steve, ah I mean Mr. Rogers and I thought.. I thought he might want it back so it wouldn’t be somewhere where it doesn’t belong.” While you were speaking you had pulled the box out of the bag. When he saw the box he looked at your face.

“You bought it? It wasn’t given to you by your grandma or something?” he asked confused.

“Nope.”

“And your name is?” he asked and you offered it which caused his face to show confusion. “Are you busy right now or do you have a moment to spare?”

“No, I’m free now,” you answered which cause him to nod.

Suddenly he had a phone in his hand. “Jerk, where are you right now? … Might want to come to the cafeteria, there is someone and something I wanna show you. ... See you there.”

He accompanied you to the cafeteria in the second floor and asked if you wanted to something to drink which you denied. Both of you sat down at a table in an area where it wasn’t as crowded and you waited in silence.

“Hey punk, I don’t understand why you couldn’t come up,” Captain America said when he almost reached the table where you were sitting at. He stopped in his track and his voice got quieter at the end and he stared at you while you got lost in his eyes.

“You see, this young lady bought something that she thinks might be dear to you,” Bucky finally said and he looked meaningful at the item on the table. It did took a few seconds for Steve to follow his gaze and while you were still looking at him you saw that he lost a lot of color. So you started to recount the story again. While you were talking the big man in front of you took a seat and he suddenly seemed exhausted.

“Did you look inside?” he asked once you stopped.

“Yeah, but only a little bit. I figured out that it might be connected to you when I found the photos.”

“Can you open it and show me what’s inside?” the powerful voice that scolded his friend was now quiet and soft.

You pushed the box over to table towards him. “It’s yours. I didn’t want to pry and I didn’t want anybody else to find it. It seems personal. If that had been my things I wouldn’t want anybody else going through it.” His blue eyes looked at you and finally he opened slowly the box. He pulled out the bracelet and his big fingers went over the metal and stones.

“Oh I remember when you bought it,” Bucky said once a caught a glance. “You actually wanted to buy a different piece of jewelry, but I remember that she once told you she wouldn’t marry the first guy that offered her a ring. And you were just so nervous when you gave it to her and she loved it so much. I think it might have been more because it came from you and she wore it, until,” Bucky went nostalgic and you were captured by the story. Although you knew that this story didn’t have a happy end you really hoped it would.

“The clasp is still broken,” Steve’s voice said. He shortly looked through the rest of the stuff, but closed the lid – the bracelet still in his hand.

“I should go,” you said as you suddenly felt that you were interrupting something.

“Thank you, for bringing this.”

“You’re welcome. I think I’ll find my way out. Have a nice day the two of you,” you pulled on your jacket and grabbed your bag and started to walk towards the exit.

“Steve, look what I found,” Bucky's voice ripped Steve from his daydream, the bracelet that found its way back to him in his hand. The brunette shoved a tablet into the other mans face, so that Steve couldn’t avoid reading what was in front of him.

There are old tales about people who are sure they have met their loved ones in a different life. What sounds like wishful thinking might be actually true. Here are some examples:

“Buck, this is ridiculous. There it stands: Wishful thinking.” Steve pushed the tablet over the table as if it was offending him.

“But how was she supposed to know the combination? She told me it came to her. And you can’t tell me you haven’t noticed the eyes! They were her eyes! Like I had to hold back so I wouldn’t tell her all my secrets. I know she was your love, but she was one of my best friends too. And you can’t tell me that you didn’t feel like she was sitting in front of you too!” His eyes stared at the ones of his best friend until Steve couldn’t take it anymore and blinked.

“I wish this was true. I miss her so much, even after all this years. But I looked her up, she’s dead now. Has been for a while.”

“Didn’t your brain process the words you just read? There stands,” his fingers tipped the now black screen forcefully, “they meet in another life. Yours might not be over, but there is no way you can convince me that I’ll think it’s a coincidence that she found the box and knew the combination. And that she brings the box here because she felt like she was invading some privacy. That is such a her thing to do. I looked her up, this is her phone number. Call her, there’s nothing you can lose here.”

“I wasn’t so sure, if you’d come,” you were greeted when you stepped into the café and spotted the person that had called you.

“Of course, I told you I’d come on the phone, didn’t I? I stick to my promises,” you said once you got rid of your jacket and put it on the stool next to you. He smirked at you when you sat down as if he was onto something you didn’t know.

“I do have a favor to ask of you,” he said once your drink was placed in front of you.

“Um, okay?” was your slow reply. What could an Avenger need from you?

“I want you to read this,” he said and his big hand placed the journal that you had found inside the box all those weeks ago in front of you.

“Why?”

“Just humor me,” he said and took a sip from the coffee that was so strong you could smell the bitterness.

“But this is personally. It seems like it belongs to Steve,” you said not still convinced. Bucky Barnes just shrugged like he didn’t care at all. “And what then? What should I do when I’ve read it.”

“You give me a call and we talk about it.”

The meeting with Bucky was strange. After he gave you the journal you stayed and talked for a while and you couldn’t help yourself but felt comfortable. You weren’t nervous to sit there and the small smirk that appeared now and then on his face only put you off a little bit.

Nevertheless, you decided to open that journal when you were home. It found its way back to you that had to count for something, right?

Who would have guessed that I’d meet the one person who was supposed to pick me up two years ago now? After everything Bucky had told me I couldn’t wait to finally meet Steve. But he had never shown up, so Bucky had to entertain me and his date – who hadn’t been amused about that and so it was only me and him getting ice cream then.

I haven't seen Bucky in almost two years so when he stood in front of me with that crocked smile, I couldn’t help myself and ran into his arms. “You’re back,” I had said relieved and took a step back to get a better look at him. I didn’t say it in his face, but I could clearly see that the war had taken its toll on him.

“Ma’am,” the tall blonde man next to Bucky had said after he had taken off his hat.

“This is Steve, the guy who made the mistake to stand you up,” Bucky introduced him.

“I’m sorry for that,” Steve had said. I wasn’t going to forgive him easily, but in the end I did. And tomorrow he’s going to take me out.

Bucky had told me all the good things Steve did and when he stood me up, he told me all the faults he had. I just had my third date with him and I can see both now. Steve admitted that it was good we hadn’t met back then, that I wouldn’t have liked him then. I asked him why and he said because he was smaller and sickly. I asked him if he had been a different person back then and when he said no, I told him he shouldn’t say such bullshit. He looked stunned when I cursed and then he laughed. Sure, Steve is attractive, I won’t lie. But I saw a picture before he was given the serum and he was just as handsome back then. He is healthy now, which is the most important thing, but his smile stayed the same. Sometimes he is really shy, then he is really cheeky and … I think I really like him. Not that I think I’ll tell him soon. I think Bucky has a hunch, but I’ll guess we’ll see.

I don’t think I like Steve. I think know that I’m in love with him. The moment I realized? When he told me that they have to leave again soon. And when I looked in his eyes I’m sure I saw my own emotions reflecting in them. I can’t I don’t know I don’t want to be left behind! It’s only been a few months, but I’m so sure about Steve. Part of me loves that he is so loyal and part of me hates it! He promised he’ll come back to me.

He asked me if I wanted to marry him. I told him no. Not because I don’t love him, I do! And I know he loves me. He told me so himself, but I don’t want to be married before he ships out again. I do want it when we both want it, not because he has to leave in 2 days. I told him he should come back to me and I’ll marry him then.

I miss him!

A package has arrived, I’m afraid to open it

It’s still sitting on my desk, staring at me. I think I’ll open it now.

It almost felt like the red box. And you somehow knew what was in the package. And how anxious she was to open it and the relief she felt when she finally opened it and it wasn’t some notification that Steve wouldn’t come back home to her. But how did you know that?

You decided to sleep before you would message Bucky. You suggested to meet at the coffee shop again, but Bucky said you were more than welcome to come to the tower.

This time there was no trouble going up as Bucky met you in the foyer and led you towards the elevator. You were surprised when you went up and up as you had expected to go to the cafeteria again. The door of the elevator opened and a nice voice told Mr. Barnes that he had reached his destination. You were too stunned to look around and followed Bucky into an open kitchen, but stopped once you spotted Steve in the kitchen. He had obviously waited for your arrival as he was sitting on a stool that was facing the way you were coming from.

“Hey, do you want coffee?” he asked and you were only able to nod. You probably would have said yes to anything he offered.

“I hope its okay that Steve is here too.” You heard Bucky's voice – you had almost forgotten that he was also there.

“Of course, I mean you live here,” you rambled. “Why do I know that the package was full of chocolate and a sketch?” you suddenly said when Steve pushed a mug in your direction. The two super soldiers were clearly startled.

“Come again?” Steve croaked.

“I read the journal and it stopped when she was about to open the package and there wasn’t any clue about what was in it. So why do I know that it had chocolate bars in it? And a sketch of a woman in it? How do I know this? How do I know that she was so afraid to open it because she thought you were dead?” Tears were in your eyes as if you were feeling the emotions and there was a light sheen in Steve’s eyes too. “I just don’t understand it. I’ve never seen any of the stuff before. I’ve never even heard about that there was someone special in your live, so how do I know that?” One tear managed to slip down your eye and a tissue was held in front of you. You thanked Bucky and dabbed your cheek.

“I don’t know,” was Steve’s quiet reply. ”Do you, uhm, know what was on that sketch?”

“It must have been a sketch of her. And on the other side was a drawing of a ring.”

“Okay, I’ll just say what I think,” Bucky's voice interrupted the intense staring between Steve and you. “I think you are soulmates. I’ve read a lot about it the last weeks and there are people who believe that people who are so much in love that they find each other again in their next life. And I thought about it and I know this sounds strange, but... I’ve known her back then and you have so much in common with her. It’s not just the eyes that are the exact same eyes, but your character. And I see how the two of you look at each other.”

“Soulmates?” Your voice showed your doubt.

“He’s been bugging me with this for weeks now, and I never believed his words. But he might be on to something. I don’t know how else you should know, these are things nobody else knew. And I do feel something.”

“Okay, let's just say that this is real and you’re right. I do want someone to want to be with me, not because I remind them of someone.”

“Well, then we get to know you,” Bucky decided and sat down next to you which was still in front of Steve. You were a bit confused, but it didn’t take long to figure out why Bucky was so persistent. It was because Steve wasn’t. Bucky kept the conversation rolling – every time it started to get silent, he brought up something new or asked you a question, told you something about their youths. And it worked because once Steve started to talk, he didn’t stop and Bucky got quieter.

“I’m hungry, I’ll get us some food. Anything specific you want?” He suddenly asked and after telling him you weren’t picky you didn’t really notice when he left. You liked talking to Steve and soon you switched from the kitchen chairs towards a big couch where both of you kind of gravitated towards each other. When Bucky came back with the food, he gave you yours and told you he’d eat in his room.

It got late and you didn’t notice the time until you had to switch on the light because it got so dark you couldn’t see Steve’s smile anymore. You told him you had to go as you had to go to work in the morning and as the gentleman Steve was, he offered to walk you home.

“I’d really like to see you again,” you said when you stood in front of your apartment door.

“I’d like that too,” Steve said and for a short moment you thought he would kiss you, before his lips settled on your cheek. “I’ll call you,” he said before he walked away.

You’ve heard that line a few times before. Sometimes it took days before you got your call, sometimes it never came. But now you got your call from an unknown number 15 minutes later. Usually you wouldn’t have accepted it, but a slight simmer of hope told you it was Steve.

“Hi, I couldn’t wait. Are you free this Thursday evening? I have to leave on Friday, but I really want to see you before that,” he said and almost sounds out of breath.

One date became two then three and then you stopped counting. Suddenly you got flowers delivered with little notes that showed you he thought of you when he was out of town. Little things of him were now in your apartment and there was always an extra pair of comfortable pants when you came over.

“Hey Buck, where’s Steve?” you greeted him when you stepped onto their shared floor in the tower. The friendly voice started greeting you with your name now too.

“He’s still in a meeting. I hope it doesn’t take long, Steve’s supposed to cook tonight,” he said and looked up from the book he was reading.

“I’ll change and take over for him,” you offered and Bucky looked a bit happier. It didn’t take long for you to figure out that Bucky was an easy man to please. Most of the time he was happy when you offered him food.

But Steve was even easier to please. A big smile found its way on his face when he came home and found you in his kitchen, joking with Bucky while both of you were busy preparing food. Once he might have been jealous of his best friend, but he knew that he was just a friend for you. And he was glad that the two of you got along great and Bucky started to become more of the person he once was. But he knew there was no need for him to get jealous when you finally looked up and your face told him that he was your favorite person.

And he knew he should hurry with the new sketch of a ring. But he wanted it to be perfect, he wanted it to match you. And while he knew you’d be happy with anything, even no ring, he wanted only the best for you. And that would never change.

Masterlist

While you stood there still in shock as did the person in front of you, you heard loud laughter. “This was better than anything I’ve imagined,” you could hear Bucky's voice.

Steve suddenly grabbed a towel and started to wipe your face with it and held it out to you when he noticed your décolleté would have been next and even in shock Steve was still a gentleman. You took the towel from him and pushed the folder onto his chest. “I’m so sorry, I don’t know... I would have never,” his glance flew over your outfit. “What are you wearing? Not that you aren’t allowed to wear what you want, but...” Steve started to ramble and was afraid he had dug his own hole.

“Ugh this stupid bet I had with Bucky,” you mumbled while you still tried to get rid of the wetness.

“Hey, do you know how long it took me to find an USO girl costume?” Bucky chimed in with laughter still in his voice.

“Not long, because the texture is awful,” you rebutted and he admitted that it didn’t take him five minutes. “If you excuse me, I still have some deliveries to do,” you turned around and walked out of the kitchen. Steve stared after you until he remembered the folder in his hand. On it was a big print that said confidential and when he opened it he saw only one piece of paper which said “you’re welcome, punk”. He turned to Bucky who just winked at him.

“Well, you could have handled that smoother,” he said and Steve slapped the back of his friend's head before he left the room. He didn’t know where to go, the only thing he knew was that he couldn’t handle Bucky's comments right now.

“Are you sure you are okay?” Steve heard you asking Bucky for probably the fourth time since you had started your trip.

“I'm okay, you can stop your mother hen mode now,” Bucky assured you and while Steve knew Bucky was annoyed, he also knew that he wasn’t really bothered. And he couldn’t help the warm feeling that was spreading through him. Your caring self was one of the things he loved most about you. And it wasn’t even that you were on your way to a mission or anything like that, you were just making a trip to town, but you knew that Bucky got quickly overwhelmed by the amount of people around him.

“Here, hold my hand and squeeze if it gets too much,” you offered and Steve noticed the quick glance Bucky sent his way before he grabbed your offered hand.

“You have a second hand, can I hold it? Or would you rather like it, if Steve would step in?” Sam said and wiggled his eyebrows.

“Or I could use my free hand to punch you in the face, what about that?” you said coolly and Bucky chuckled.

“Nah, I don’t think you will,” Sam said confidentially, but Steve noticed that he left some space next to you.

Maybe your reaction was a little harsh, but the teasing you had to endured since your lost bet was immense. The video of Steve spitting water over you had been going around a lot and you wanted to punch whoever had shown Bucky how to make a meme. You though it had been Sam so the punch would serve for two purposes.

But if you were embarrassed it was nothing close to how Steve felt! He was the one who had lost control over his body. A mission with too many opponents to count? No problem. Jumping from a plane without a parachute? His heart would beat a little faster but that would be it. But seeing you in that outfit had caused his body to start sweating, his heart to beat faster and his brain to turn off for a second, hence the embarrassing moment.

Steve was actually glad that the teasing had turned down this day and was replaced with excitement for the baseball game you were about to watch. He just wanted to enjoy this little trip with his childhood friend, his new found friend and of course you.

You and Bucky were in front with Sam and Steve trailing behind. After the security check you split up, while you and Sam decided to use the bathroom before the game him and Bucky would get snacks and drinks. Steve had problems holding everything in his arms and avoiding a collision with other fans while he waited for the two of you.

You almost walked into him when you tried to avoid a very enthusiastic fan, but luckily Sam caught the cup which was about to fall from Steves arm. “Oh no, we don’t want you spilling your drink over her again, right?” he smirked and took a sip from the cup while you groaned and Steves face changed its color.

The four of you managed to get to your seats without much trouble. You had told the three guys they were looking stupid with their disguise as they were all wearing caps and now that you sat on your actual place between Steve and Bucky, you saw that a lot of people had caps on their heads. You squinted your eyes when the sun shone directly in your face. Steve noticed your distress and placed his cap on your head.

“Thank you,” you said with a bright smile and looked in his direction. Steve who was busy looking at you and replied with a “it isn’t a problem, honey” didn’t saw Bucky and Sam looking at each other with raised brows. They too noticed that the nickname was new.

“I have no clue about baseball,” you admitted just a little bit before the game started.

“Why did you come then?” Sam asked with his mouth full of food and you handed a napkin over Bucky towards him, but he didn’t get the hint.

“Because I also wanted to go out and wanted to have a nice afternoon,” you defended yourself and you left the part out that you joined because you knew how big of a baseball fan Steve was.

“Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything to you,” Steve offered immediately and took you out of the spotlight.

Steve stayed true to his word (as if you had expected anything less) and you had to admit that you enjoyed it. You didn’t know if it was the sport or if it was Steve’s enthusiasm while explaining that swept over to you. Bucky chimed in here and there and before you knew it the break was there.

“Oh, the Kiss Cam,” you laughed and took the last sip of your now warm drink.

“Just to make it clear, if it lands on us I’m not kissing Bucky. I can already imagine the headlines,” Sam was munching on a pretzel now that he had managed to get.

“Did you also noticed that his only problem is the headline and nothing about the kiss,” you whispered to Steve and he let out a light chuckle. And as if Sam had provoked it the cam landed on the four of you and the commentator announced that some of the avengers were at the games. Steve waved awkwardly at the camera.

“Oh that’s not what a kiss cam is for,” Sam announced and started to crawl over Bucky, who started to complain. He kissed your cheek and went back to his place. “Told you I wouldn’t kiss Barnes. This is how you do it, Rogers,” he said and went back to eating his snack. You were about to turn towards Steve but were surprised when suddenly lips landed on the cheek that Sam had just kissed. Before you could comprehend that Bucky had just kissed you publicly (and grabbed your hand afterward, probably because he only felt overwhelmed when he noticed how many people were watching him then) another pair of lips were pressed onto the other side of your cheek, dangerously close to your lips.

The skin there started to tingle and before you could comment on anything that had just happened fans stood in front of you asking for a picture with Captain America. Soon enough you were taking photos for fans and when someone asked for a photo with the four of you and Steve threw one long arm around your shoulder you couldn’t help to feel like there were butterflies flying in your stomach.

You weren’t a fan of press conferences, never were, but after an accident a few months back you didn’t attend them anymore. You knew that it had to be done, but standing in the spotlight and having to explain why you acted a certain way was not your idea of fun. But when one reporter started to ask you questions about your suit and underwear you weren’t sure if you should become angry or if you shouldn’t say anything at all.

Before you could even say anything about it Steve had exploded. Calm, collected Captain America stood in front of the press and gave them a piece of their mind how they dared to be so disrespectful. It had shocked not only the reporters, but also you and some of the other team members attending. Steve had ended the press conference then and stormed off the stage.

So he was more than surprised when he stood dressed in a black suit in front of many cameras and the door flew open with you sprinting towards him, his shield and stealth suit in your arms. “You have to change, we have a situation right now,” you said once you were in a hearing range. He took the suit from your arms and left the shield where it was, turned around and followed a guy pointing towards a room.

It didn’t take long for him to change into his other suit, he had slipped it on more than he could count. You were waiting outside in one hand the shield in the other his helmet. “What are we up against?” he asked once he stepped out of the room and strapped his helmet on.

“Inhuman activity in the city. Sam, Tony, Vision and Rhodey are already on their way, the rest of us is picking you up. We weren’t quite sure what we were facing so we decided we should be all on board,” you informed him while walking next to him and gave him his shield.

“Thanks,” he said once he secured it and followed you to the jet.

In hindsight it was good that you had picked up Steve. There were no big injuries in the team, but the buildings had taken a lot of damage. And the super soldiers came kind of handy to pick up the rumbles and free the civilians. It was exhausting: first the fight, then the rescuing and the emotional side finally caught up with you. You sat down on a staircase after calming down a kid and bringing him back to his mother.

“Are you okay?” Steves voice caused you to raise your head from your hands.

“Yeah, I just needed a moment to breathe,” you admitted. He sat down on the step next to you and placed the shield in front of you. “I feel like the people forget it isn’t only the fight against what comes our way. There are always casualties and it’s not like you can shrug and say ‘well I can’t change a thing now’. There are always the thoughts late at night if I could have been faster could something like that be avoided and it’s just... it’s draining, Steve,” you admitted.

“I know,” Steve put an arm around your shoulder and you pressed your head against his chest. “But you can’t forget the other side. What about the ones that we rescued?”

“Yeah, I know. Let’s just stay like this for a minute, okay?” Steve nodded and you felt the movement and then he placed his head on yours. His hand still caressing your arm. He waited for you to let go of the hug first. “Okay, let’s get back to work,” you said and held out your hand for him to take and to help him up, although you both knew he didn’t need it. He took it anyway.

The next Mrs. America?

We don’t know much about the private life's of the Avengers, especially Steve Rogers aka Captain America isn’t known for being very open about his personal life. But is there a woman by his side that we all know? Pictures speak louder than words. As you can see on the picture shown above the Captain has thrown his arm around his fellow Avenger after the battle on last Tuesday and they look very intimate. The shield the government has him provided is lying carelessly on the ground.

Before that a press conference with Captain America was interrupted by said woman who walked in holding his shield. Have we ever seen the shield in the hand of anybody else than him? No. So there must be a deeper connection between them. Also we can’t forget about the fact when he lost his calm facade the last time she was asked a question at a press conference which was ended by him afterwards.

We can’t wait to see what happens next and hope that Captain America won’t forget about his country because of a woman.

“This is bullshit,” you exclaimed when you put away your tablet. You couldn’t bring yourself to read the rest of the article.

“I’ve carried and used the shield in a battle,” Natasha said.

“It also wasn’t the government who gave it to him,” Tony scoffed.

“And I’m not the next Mrs. America,” you put in.

“Well you could be,” Bucky said from the side.

“What?” You turned around to look at him.

“I don’t think Steve is opposed to the idea,” Bucky shrugged.

“Steve would also never forget about his country and I hope he never has to read this bullshit.” You were glad that he was currently on a mission with Sam.

“The picture is cute, though,” Nat said. Well, she was right, but you wouldn’t admit that out loud.

After the article dropped you distanced yourself from Steve a little bit more and completely when you were in public. Of course Steve had seen the article, but the two of you didn’t discuss it.

So when you were at the next charity event you still kept your distance. It was a volleyball match and the Avengers had their own team. To make it fair it only consisted of people without super strength that meant Steve and Bucky were sitting on a bank as moral support while you, Sam, Nat, Tony and Wanda made your way over to the field.

“This is getting ridiculous, Steve! How long will you avoid her?” Bucky asked when the team was out of earshot and it was only him and his friend.

“It’s just this stupid article. It really hurt her feelings and it wasn’t professional from me to explode and,” he started but Bucky interrupted him.

“Stop it. The article was bullshit. And it was absolutely disgusting that they asked her that question. You’re just human and wanted to protect her, I get it. But stop avoiding her. You were the one telling me that I shouldn’t give any fuck,” he got a gaze from Steve that told him he should watch his language, “about any articles about me. Maybe you should listen to yourself.”

Bucky turned around and watched the players now who greeted each other. It was a mix of people that neither Steve or Bucky really knew. Some kid was a singer or something like that and was a bit starstruck to meet Black Widow. The game started and as neither of the teams were professional volleyball players it looked that way. But the Avengers were competitive people – especially Natasha and Tony and so it wasn’t really a surprise that you won the first game.

The second round was a bit harder and when you were two minutes into the game you didn’t see the ball coming your way as the sun was blinding you. Your head was pushed backwards when the ball connected with your face and a second later you were on the ground. When you weren’t up again a few seconds later Steve was up his feet and made his way to you. Natasha was already kneeling next to you and he kneeled on the other side of you. Blood was gushing out of your nose and you looked a bit dazed.

A medic was approaching but Natasha and Steve blocked her way to you and she was a bit intimidated when none of them made a move to leave your side. She held out a piece of bandage that the spy took from her and pressed it under  your nose while Steve took a cooling pack and pressed it in your neck. “Are you dizzy? Do you need to throw up?” he asked you.

When they made sure you just needed to sit down for a while Steve picked you up and carried you to the benches where Bucky was waiting. He stepped in for you and he shared a gaze with Steve that didn’t slip your attention. “It wasn’t his fault Bucky,” you said while you still pressed the bandage under your nose.

“’Course,” Bucky replied and made his way on the field. Steve didn’t want to let go of you and you both didn’t fit on the bench so he sat the both of you down on the floor, him behind you and you between his legs while he still held the cooling pack and put the other arm around your torso.

“You feel better?” he asked after a while.

You hummed, too content to form a full sentence. The bleeding had stopped and you breathed through your mouth, but Steve’s one arm that radiated warmth felt too good around you. “I miss you,” you admitted then. If it was the blood loss or maybe finally being near Steve again you didn’t know what caused the admission.

And Steve didn’t know what cause it, maybe it was having you relaxed near him after such a long time, but he admitted that he missed you too. “You wanna get dinner with me tonight?” he surprised you and him.

“Just you and me?”

“Yeah, just us,” Steve whispered in your ear and his breath caressed you sweaty skin. But when it came to Steve you never felt uncomfortable even if you were covered in sweat.

“I’d really like that.” Your breath hitched when Steve lips connect softly with your skin and just then you looked at Bucky who smirked. You weren’t sure if it was because he just witnessed the kiss or if it was because he had pushed the ball into the face of the man who had hit you. But he yelled a “sorry,” over the field and winked at you.

Masterlist

“I forgot to ask if you’re afraid of dogs,” he smiled sheepishly.

“Nope, no fear here,” you confirmed and before you could process it a wet snout was pressed against you and a golden retriever looked at you with big eyes waiting to be pet. You covered him in nice words and pets while Clint explained that his name was Lucky and he was hanging out at the shop a lot. “Hey, what are you doing there?” Clint suddenly exclaimed when he saw Nat making new coffee. You continued petting Lucky while you watched Nat and Clint interact with each other.

It was easy to find your way into your new daily routine. The office looked better each day, but your cursing was heard all over the shop as you didn’t close the door or else you’d have the chance to suffocate in the heat. Each passing day you noticed the glances that Clint threw Nat's way, but you weren’t sure if Nat didn’t catch on or if she chooses to ignore it. You had to ask Wanda about it, you decided.

As you knew nothing about cars and their repairs you asked the three working mechanics some questions and they gave you small insights so you knew better how to plan the upcoming schedules. Friday night you all agreed to meet at the bar and you were the last one at the shop as a customer was supposed to pick up his car. You told Clint he could go, that you were okay on your own and he finally left, calling after Natasha to catch up with her while Lucky trailed behind him.

The customer had said he’d pick his car up at 3pm but now it was almost half 4 and you were annoyed. With a huff you decided that he had enough time to pick it up and now he just had to wait until Monday. Just as you were about to lock the office door the guy stepped through the gates. You greeted him and opened the door again. The bill was still laying on top of your desk as you had waited for him and you placed it in front of him and told him the total and were about to tell him how he could pay when he interrupted you.

“That’s too much, I’m not paying that,” he scoffed.

“Excuse me?” you asked confused.

“That’s too much. You said a different sum when we talked about it. I know how much the replacement part costs and I’m paying that and nothing more,” the guy scoffed and crossed his arm.

“Sir, when we talked about the price, I told you the price of the part plus the working hours that had to be done,” you started to reason with him.

“Well, you just have to be clearer next time, I’m not paying that.”

“Then I’m sorry to inform you that I can’t give you the keys to your car.” You weren’t about to back down.

“Listen here bitch, I don’t know how this stuff works in a city where you come from. But here customers count and I’ve known George for years. What do you think he’ll do when he hears how you treated me,” he tried to intimated you.

Suddenly you saw a shadow falling into the office. Bucky was blocking the sunlight as he stood in the doorframe and looked over at you. “Is there a problem here?”

“Yeah, this city bitch doesn’t know how things work around here.” Bucky's pose changed when he heard the words leaving the guy's mouth.

“Well, I know that we don’t talk to ladies like that here. So, what’s the problem?”

“She wants to have more than what I owe them. She said a different price when I brought the car in,” the guy tried again without trying to apologize or giving you the chance to say anything.

“As I said before I told you the price of the part plus the working hours,” you tried again.

“Can I see the bill?” Bucky suddenly asked. You looked at him confused but offered him the piece of paper. “Nat did the car?” he asked you and you nodded before he looked back at the paper.

“Mate you got a really good price on the part. And Nat only took two hours to replace it? She was fast. In my opinion you could have paid a lot more if someone else did the repairs. So, I would recommend you pay the price or you wait until Monday to talk to George about it because if I’m not wrong the shop is closed for 30 minutes now.” You nodded in confirmation.

Grumbling the guy threw some cash on the table, snatched the keys and walked to his car and Bucky and you watched him driving away with a red face.

“Asshole,” you mumbled when you couldn’t see the car anymore and Bucky let out a laugh. “What are you doing here by the way?” you asked.

“Wanted to pick up my bike, left it here. Where’s your car?” he asked and looked around, but only saw two cars in the hangar.

“I don’t have one at the moment. George wants to check some out with me next week,” you explained and locked the office again.

“I think Nat has a spare helmet here, if you want, I can take you home,” Bucky offered and looked at you.

“Oh, okay,” you said and followed him towards the hall and through a door where you haven’t been before. “Whoa, this is yours?” you asked with big eyes. Even though you were no expert you could appreciate a good-looking bike.

“Yeah, she is,” Bucky said in a soft voice and patted the bike before he went to a closet and pulled out a helmet and held it out in front of you. “Try if it fits,” he said and you forgot what a tight fit these helmets were. You plopped open the visor and told him it was good. “Ever rode on a bike?”

“Yeah, a few times. I know the rules, don’t hug too tight. Don’t move to much in curves and if somethings going on tap your leg. It’s been a while though.”

“I’ll drive slow and safe I promise. Can’t risk a pretty dame, can I?” So flirty Bucky was back and he pushed the bike out of the hall and through the shop. He closed the gates for you and took your keys to lock up. Before you could ask how he would have gone in there when the shop was closed, he told you he was too lazy to get out his own ones. He mounted the bike and patted the seat behind him so you couldn’t ask him about the keys.

Bucky kept true to his word and you felt very safe on the back of the bike. “Are you coming to the bar today?” he asked when he had stopped at your apartment building and you climbed from the bike.

“Yeah, I’ll be there,” you said and told him you’d take the helmet back to the shop. “Thank you for the ride.”

“It wasn’t a problem. See you later, doll,” he said and started the motor again before he drove away. You decided to walk with Wanda when her shift started and to finally get a taste of the best nachos in the whole town. You told her about what happened that afternoon.

“Well, it was good that Bucky came. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but the guys can be rather protective of the girls in our group. Not necessary in a bad way, but they watch out. It kind of keeps some people away, makes it hard to date though. But let me tell you, you can’t get better friends, I promise.” She grabbed your hand and you got a warm feeling in your belly. “And they are all harmless. Bucky flirts a lot, but that’s it. He hasn’t been close to someone in a long time. And if it makes you feel uncomfortable just say the word and he’ll stop. They can get on your nerves a lot, but they respect boundaries.”

“Speaking off, what’s going on between Nat and Clint?” you finally asked.

“Oh, these two,” she rolled her eyes. “Clint is pinning after Nat since forever. And he’s an idiot because he thought he could get her to notice her when he flirted with everyone. Backfired, because she now thinks she’s one of them. But he changed and she just can’t see it.”

“And does Nat feel the same way?”

“I think so. She grew up with them, was always one of the guys. She’s difficult to read, but I think she does. She’s just afraid to get her heart broken.”

“So, if she notices that he isn’t flirting with everyone, say like the new girl in town it might encourage her to give him a chance?” you asked and Wanda looked at you with big eyes.

“This might work,” she said and started to smirk.

You were the first one of the group to arrive, so you sat down at the counter. And you were just so lucky that Brock joined you. You tried to be polite as he hadn’t done anything to you so there was no reason for you to be unfriendly. But you just knew that the two of you would never really get along.

“So I heard you made new friends. It’s not too late to come over to our table. Bet we could show you a good time, have fun.” Did you imagine it, or did his voice just got lower when he said the last part?

You heard a rumble of bikes outside and were sure at least two of your friends should have arrived now. “I’m actually meeting my friends here, but thanks for the offer.” You grabbed your drink and walked around Brock who kind of blocked your way to the booth you were heading to just when the door opened and Steve and Bucky walked in. They smiled at you and made their way to the counter to get their drinks. You didn’t miss the way they eyed Brock and he eyed them – there had to be history.

It didn’t take long for the others to arrive. “Oh, come on, most embarrassing story. There’s no better way to get to know someone,” Sam probed.

“I bet there are more embarrassing ones, but it was shortly after getting out of school and I had this job that started super early in the morning. And every morning it was dark outside when I left the house and I have to admit I’m not an early riser. My brain needs some time to wake up and I got ready in the dark and fished for my working shoes which stood next to my load of clothes that I was too lazy to fold. So, I left and I pulled out my bicycle and met my neighbor and we talked until I said I really had to go to work. I was driving there, driving past all of my coworkers who waved at me and I walked into work until our trainee came towards me and told me I had my underwear on my shoe. I want to emphasize that it was clean underwear it was also no granny panties, because that is always the first question I got asked. It was stuck in my shoelaces and everyone had seen it.”

The time you were finished especially Clint and Sam were howling with laughter while Steve and Bucky tried at least not to laugh as loud. But Sam’s laugh was contagious so it didn’t take long for you to join and Steve and Bucky to laugh also.

“Okay, I want one in exchange for that,” you finally said.

“Okay, okay. I was in the grocery store and I was buying condoms.” You bent forward; you already smelled a good story from Sam. “And in front of me was a woman with a full cart. And she was being nice and asked me if I wanted to go ahead of her. But she had already started to place some items so I said that's okay and that I’m in no hurry. She then takes a look at the condoms in my hand, looks me dead in the eyes and says ‘well that’s not a good sign then, is it?’.”

You snorted. “But that’s not the best part,” Bucky suddenly chimed in. “Remember small town and everything?” He waited for you to nod. “Turns out the exchange turned into town gossip and the gal heard of it and just lets say that he bought the box for nothing.” Bucky had way more fun than Sam and you were sure that he would have let out that part.

Decoyed by the laughter Wanda came over to your table. “You know what? We haven’t had a camping trip for a while. We should make one, we can go from Friday to Sunday. We should manage to get off for a weekend, right?” she said out of the blue.

“Oh yeah, sounds like fun. And the weather is still good so it will be the perfect time to ride the bikes,” Natasha agreed. Not wanting to invade you stayed quiet.

“You should come too,” Steve said when he noticed it. “We usually drive with our bikes and one car to carry the stuff and Lucky. You could ride with Wanda in the car, if you want that is.”

“Ugh yeah,” you agreed, overwhelmed with the invitation and it was decided that you’d all meet on Sunday at Bucky and Steve’s place to discuss anything further.

Sam picked you and Wanda up on Sunday and the three of you made your way over to the house Steve and Bucky shared. “I didn’t know you had a car,” you said to Sam, having him seen only with his bike so far.

“Yeah, we all have a car. Bike is more like a hobby and if it starts raining and doesn’t stop for days it's no fun and you prefer a roof over your head. Also its easier to drive this one around,” he points to Wanda.

“I just don’t have the money for a car,” she shrugs. It wasn’t difficult to spot the house of the two men because Steve’s tattoo shop was also there and the colorful art in the window was an eyecatcher. You followed the two friends into the house who didn’t feel the need to ring or knock and walked to the kitchen to get themselves and you a drink before they started to walk towards the backyard. You stopped on the way to admire the art on the wall. Judging by the name on the bottom half this must be Steve’s art. Between the pieces were some photos and you were busy looking at one of Steve, Bucky and a good-looking woman. The photo had to be taken a few years ago as they all looked younger.

“Ah this is Peggy, Steve’s first love. He’s still hung up on her,” a deep voice said behind you. You were about to say you were sorry for staring, but Bucky didn’t look mad. You looked over at another photo which showed Sam and Bucky and a few other people on military clothes. “This is where I met Sam. Oh and don’t miss that one,” he pointed at another frame. A few teenagers looked at the camera and you could clearly recognize the friends. On the photo as on the one you had looked at before Bucky clearly had two flesh arms. Natasha stuck out her tongue while little Steve was making bunny ears behind Bucky. “Well, you all had a lot less ink on you then,” you commented.

He let out a laugh. “That’s true, but Stevie had to try on someone, didn’t he? And now we even have to pay for it,” he scoffed and put his hand lightly on your back. “Come, we’ll join the others.”

He brought you outside where there was a glass roof over the patio and the other friends where already gathered. When you thought about how Bucky and Steve might live you had thought about a real bachelor parlor and not this neat house which was actually cleaner than your apartment, you had to admit.

“Just wait until it gets dark and we can turn on the lights,” Wanda said and patted the seat next to her. “The guys didn’t want them so I just bought them one day, but you have to admit they look good,” she said. There were a few eyerolls here and there, but no one disagreed.

The next hours were about planning a route, if there were enough tents and you soon noticed that they had all done this before. They knew where the best places were, which route would be better to take by bike and which by car and finally you had mapped something out where you would only separate for a few hours on the road.

“Do you know how to drive with gear shift?” Sam suddenly asked.

“It’s been a while, but I should manage,” you admitted and he promised he’d practice with you before you’d start your short road trip.

“Hey Clint, you wanna grab lunch with me tomorrow?” you asked suddenly when the conversation between him and Natasha fell quiet.

“Ugh sure,” he said confused.

“Great, it’s a date then,” you replied casually while grabbing you glass to bring it inside.

“Wait,” Clint said louder before you could reach the door. “It’s not a date.”

“It’s just a saying, calm down. Of course, we’re only friends,” you turned around before anyone could see the grin on your face. Natasha’s reaction hadn’t escaped you and neither the thumbs up that Wanda had given you.

The next day your lunch plans were cancelled because George called you in to tell you he found the perfect car for you, but couldn’t go with you so his son would come to pick you up.

“Your son? I thought you'd go with me?” You turned around on your chair to get a better look at him.

“Don't worry he knows as much about cars as I do. You’re in good hands,” he promised before he placed some papers on your desk and left the office.

Just when your break started Bucky entered your office. “Hey Bucky, I’m sorry but I have to leave now to finally get a car.” You put on your jacket and grabbed your bag.

“I know, I’m going to take you there.”

“But George said his son….  Wait… are you his son? Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“You didn’t ask and it’s not a big deal.” You sat down in his car and Bucky started the engine when you were buckled up.

“If you know so much about cars and you work on your bike, why are you not working here?” you asked and took your time to look at him.

“I joined the army and when I came back Nat and Clint were already working there. There isn’t room for someone else so if I would have worked there one of them didn’t have a job. So I searched for something else. Also I did have to take some time off to get used to this,” he waved shortly with his metal arm.

“Can you feel with it?” you couldn’t stop yourself from asking.

“To an extent. It isn’t like the real thing, but it functions like a real one. No problems anymore,” he smirked and you decided to didn’t ask more questions. The ride didn’t take long and you were glad that Bucky was by your side because not only did he know what he had to look for at the car, he also got the price down and after a short test drive you could say you were the proud owner of a 1966 Ford Thunderbird.

Next Chapter

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“Oh hey, you must be my new neighbor,” you were greeted when you stepped into the hallway of your building. You turned around and spotted a rather young-looking woman who had stunning red copper hair. “I’m Wanda and I saw you moving in yesterday. I would have offered my help, but I had to go to work so sorry for that,” she said and you were surprised. It didn’t sound like an excuse but rather honest.

“It’s no problem, it wasn’t much. But thanks for the thought, I guess.” You were awkward as you weren’t used to so much kindness from a stranger. Was this the small-town charm? She invited you to come over to the local bar where she was working and told you her friends would be also there. Your response was that you’d think about it and then you parted ways to enjoy your sandwich. You still had some time before you had to go over to your new work. So far you had only talked on the phone so it was time for a personal check in before you’d start on Monday.

The shop wasn’t far from your apartment and you decided to walk there. “Hey, can I help you?” a man yelled when you stepped on the yard of the mechanic shop.

“Yeah, I’m actually looking for George,” you yelled back as he was on the other side of the ground. The man only made a sign with his head towards a small a door with the words office on it. You nodded in thanks but he had already walked towards the car where he was working on.

You knocked on the door and heard a gruff voice telling you to come in. Once the old man saw you and recognized you from the photo that had been on your application his whole demander changed. He greeted you like you were old friends and told you over and over again how glad he was that you had decided to work for him. “Natasha is a damn good mechanic, one of the best, but she’s shit in the office. Doesn’t matter that you don’t know much about cars, you’ll learn the basics, but we really need someone to clean this mess,” he said without forewarning and pointed to the stacks and stacks of paper that were in the office. From the table to the board where a coffee machine stood that had seen better years with mugs next to it and papers with coffee stains on them. Yeah, they really needed your help. He promised to introduce you to his workers when you started on Monday and after assuring you he was so excited for you to start here you left the shop.

On the way back you stopped at the supermarket to get some groceries and when you sat on your couch after a dinner you had prepared and stared at the blank TV, because it wasn’t working just yet and your internet wasn’t also available, you decided you’d follow Wanda’s invitation. Your wardrobe didn’t have many options to dress up and you also didn’t feel like it, so you decided on something simple, grabbed your phone, keys and a purse and followed Wandas direction.

It wasn’t hard to find the bar, but the walk was longer than you had expected. You took a deep breath before entering after walking past a few bikes on the side. You walked straight to the counter as you saw Wanda chatting with another customer and decided to wait for her.

“Hey, I heard you’re new in town, sweet cheeks,” someone suddenly said from your right. You turned around, not really impressed. The first thing this guy said to you is a stupid pet name? So you offered him your name instead.

“Oh, I already know your name. Margery told me, news spread fast around here. But I don’t know,” he couldn’t finish his sentence as he was interrupted by Wanda calling your name and you were more than happy to turn around and face her instead of the guy next to you. It wasn’t that he was bad looking or anything like that, but he just gave you weird vibes.

“I’ve seen you met Brock. Tell me what you want to drink and then I’ll introduce you to my friends, like I promised,” she said. You’d gone with a beer and instead of putting it in front of you Wanda held it in her hand, came around the counter and took your arm and steered you in the direction where a few people were sitting.

“When you realize what losers these are you can come over to sit at the grown-up table,” you heard Brock's voice behind you, but didn’t feel the need to turn around. There was no way that you would sit down at that table.

“Guys, this is my new neighbor I’ve been telling you about,” she started but was interrupted by a guy on the table.

“You were at the shop today.” You nodded as you recognized the guy that had greeted you. “I’m Clint,” he offered his name.

“And I guess we’re going to be colleagues then. I’ll start there on Monday,” you offered your name in return.

“Make some room for her, I just rescued her from Brock. And then you can introduce yourself,” Wanda said before she kind of pushed you towards the booth and left you alone.

“I’m Nat, I work at the shop too. So glad I don’t have to do anything in the office anymore except for getting coffee,” she offered as an introduction and had a smile on her face that just screamed honest. Later on you’d learn that she wasn’t as open to strangers as she was to you but as Wanda had greeted you with open arms, she was more welcome towards you. Wanda had a good way to judge people and as she introduced you to her friends that means you had to be a good addition to the group of outsiders.

Next up Sam introduced himself and then a blonde guy, Steve. “So, is it normal for such a small town to get warned off? I mean you just told me you saved me from that guy and when I arrived I was warned to stay away from a gang?”

It was quiet for a few seconds until Clint started to laugh and was soon joined by the others. The most surprised you were with Steve who laughed so hard he hit his own chest with his hand and the noise startled you. “Did I miss something?” you asked finally, turning yourself towards Sam who was the first one to stop laughing.

“Baby, we’re the gang,” he said and started to laugh again. When Brock had called you a stupid pet name it left a bad taste in your mouth, but from Sam it didn’t feel like he implied something. You decided to wait until they all calmed down and ask again, but Natasha filled you in before you could ask.

“You talked to Margery, right?” You nodded. “We’re not a gang. We’re just a group of friends who doesn’t fit in with anyone else. I grew up here with Clint, Steve and Bucky. Wanda joined town when we were teens, although she was younger we decided to let her into our group. Sam moved into town a few years back and because we’re a tight group of friends and we noticed we all like bikes people say we’re a gang. Here’s a few words of advice: People are going to talk. It’s your decision if you want to live how others expect you to or if you just do what makes you happy. We decided to doesn’t give a fuck what others think so they tend to talk,” she shrugged her shoulders.

“So these are your bikes outside?” you asked.

“Hell yeah, they are. You like bikes?” Sam asked.

“I can’t drive one, if that’s what you’re asking. But I’ve been on a bike before and made a few trips,” you replied and took a sip from your bottle. You spent a few hours with the people on the table offering pieces and information of your life in exchange for some of theirs. You learned that they had another friend, Bucky, that was missing today. Wanda joined you when most of the customers were provided with drinks. You also didn’t miss that the gang stuck to non-alcoholic drinks as they all arrived with their bikes.

After a while they all said their goodbyes until it was only Steve and you. He told you he was waiting for Wanda to get her home and as you were living in the same building you decided to wait too. “Thank you for tonight, it was nice of you to allow me to your table,” you said when you saw Wanda counting the register.

“Are you thanking me for being civil? Wow your standards must be low,” he chuckled.

“You didn’t tell me what you do for a living. If you don’t mind me asking, that is,” you said after noticing how rude it could be.

“Not at all. I’m a tattoo artist, I own a small studio here,” he said and took in your wide eyes. “What? Expected a tattoo artist to be covered in tattoos? Don’t worry I have a few myself but I prefer to cover other people in ink.”

“Do you have a lot of customers here? I don’t mean to offend, but most of it seem... Not as open minded,” you struggled for the right words.

“Oh my best customers are my friends. But don’t worry, I’m rather good at what I’m doing and people drive for a while to come here and get inked. And who knows, maybe you want to check out the studio yourself,” he smirked not at all offended.

“You guys ready to go?” Wanda asked when she stopped by your table. The both of you agreed and the three of you made your way to your apartment building where Steve accompanied you to your doors and wished you a nice night.

“Thank you, a lot, for asking me to come tonight,” you said to the woman before you could step into your apartment.

“You’re very welcome to join us again. Have a good night,” she smiled at you and both of you walked into your respective apartment.

The next day you felt good. You woke up and made your way to the kitchen to make yourself some coffee. But the water stopped running after a little bit. You walked to the bathroom but there was also only a short amount of water until it run out. Great. You stepped out of your clothes and pulled on something for the day before you knocked on Wandas door to see if she had the same problem. She didn’t and offered you a coffee as you made your call with the landlord. They promised to call someone who came looking. You thanked Wanda for the coffee and borrowed the mug to wait in your flat.

You expected to wait a long time, but after 40 minutes there was a knock on your door. You opened the door expecting an old guy standing there and not a muscular guy with a manbun on his head holding a tool box and a smirk that should have been banned.

“Hey new girl, I’m Bucky and I heard you have some problem with the water. Your landlord called me to take a look,” he introduced himself when you didn’t offer to say anything. Your voice was still lost when you stepped aside to take him in. “Steve forgot to mention that you are pretty,” he said when he walked in. In fact, Steve didn’t forget to mention that, but Bucky couldn’t refuse to make you more flustered.

“Do you flirt with all your customers?” you finally asked and raised an eyebrow.

“Most of them are elderly so yeah, they tip better then,” he winked at you. “But back to business, what’s the problem?” Bucky spent the next few hours inside your flat and outside of it to find out why you didn’t have water. He took of his flannel shirt which left him in a black shirt and you stared at the metal that just appeared.

“I’m sorry, it was rude of me to stare,” you said when you noticed him noticing.

“It’s okay, it is unusual,” he said not giving you more information and you didn’t ask for more. Trying not to stare at the shiny metal you took in his other arm that was covered in ink. Well Steve did tell you his friends were his best customers. And if it really had been Steve that had placed that art there you were impressed. The two of you exchanged a little bit of small talk until Bucky fixed the problem and the water was flowing again.

“Hopefully I’ll be there next time you’ll join us,” he winked at you before he left your apartment. Well Steve and the others left the part where Bucky was flirty as fuck.

“You could have asked for a coffee, you didn’t have to steal mine,” you said and pointed at the mug in front of him. 

“I didn’t steal,” he started but stopped once he saw the ridiculous mug that was yours. He even asked you what it meant once he noticed the mug with the cat that held out their middle fingers and said fluff you, you fluffin fluff. “How?” he asked instead. 

You put a boring mug under the coffee machine and switched the mugs once it was full. “Next time just ask,” you said before you left the room. 

“I’m so sorry! I will bring in my paperwork tomorrow, I had it right there and then,” you started your excuse when you reached the office. 

“Your report has already been handed in,” the accountant said with a bored voice. 

“What do you mean it’s already here?” She tipped the top of a folder to show you it was already there. 

“Mr. Barnes brought it in with his own. He’s a gentleman, right? And handsome too,” she didn’t sound as bored as before and even winked at you. You just nodded and with a last glance on the folder left the office. How did he even get it? You finished writing it and then went to the bathroom. He must have taken it before you came back. It was kind of nice of him – if he had even told you that he would take it and you didn’t have to walk all that way. 

“Thanks for taking my folder too,” you said once you spotted the Winter Soldier with his head in the cupboard. The was a noise and you could have sworn you had startled him and he just hit his head. 

“Yeah, no problem,” he said and let out a sigh. 

“What are you searching for?” you asked and grabbed yourself a water. 

“I could have sworn there had been Oreos stored here.” 

“Yeah, Sam ate them. As always. You have to be quicker than that,” you answered after taking a sip of your cool drink. 

“I noticed,” he grumbled and tried to get his long hair behind his ears, but it always fell forward again. Just to your left laid the scrunchie that Barnes always carried around in the tower. It was pink with unicorns on it and not even Sam teased him about it, because you all had been there when he got it. 

You had been outside, it was a windy day and Tony held a speech that you weren’t listening to. You saw Bucky struggling with his hair as it always flew in his face and once it flew in his open mouth a young girl came forward. She walked up to the barrier and pointed at Bucky. You nudged his side until he noticed and walked towards the girl. The both of them talked shortly and then you saw her handing a bright pink scrunchie – and the once feared Winter Solider putting it in his hair. The glee on the girl's face caused Bucky to smile brightly too and it made you and your friends smile too. 

Just before Bucky accepted his hair tie, he looked confused at his wrist, but you shrugged and walked to another cupboard and took out your hidden package of Oreos before handing them to him too. “You owe me,” you said and left a confused Bucky. 

On your shelf in your bedroom was an empty space which caused your eyebrow to rose as you couldn’t explain why the item wasn’t there. It wasn’t new or anything, you had owed it for a few years. 

The plush tiger was a remembrance of your first visit to a zoo. You were so amazed by the tigers and lions that you got a plushie that used to be your companion for a few years. Afraid that it would break one day it wandered from your bed to your shelf. Until now that is. It didn’t fall down and you didn't take it. Why wasn't it there though? The search took you a while and you were frustrated when you couldn’t find it. You even asked around, but everyone promised they hadn’t taken it. You had to continue with your days, but the lost tiger was still on the back of your mind. 

On your way to the training ground, you stopped when you heard the familiar voices of Bucky and Sam. Whoever thought it was a good idea to send these two on a mission was clearly mental as you could hear their bickering over the grass. 

“Hey guys. How was – What is that, James?” you suddenly stopped your question, your expression saying that you weren’t joking around anymore and Bucky looked more than confused as you were calling him James. 

“What?” he asked confused, but you had already crossed the three steps towards him and opened the duffel bag that was hanging over his shoulder. A small piece of a tiger's tail had found its way out of the bag and you suddenly held the plushie that was missing in your hand. “Why is he with you? Do you think it's funny to just take stuff from other people? I’ve searched for it for days!” 

Bucky looked puzzled at you. “I didn’t take it. It was suddenly there on my bed on the second night,” he defended himself and somehow you believed him. Which only meant one thing. 

“These pranks need to stop, Sam. It isn’t funny anymore!” 

Sam looked as bewildered at you. “Why are you telling me? I didn’t do anything,” he defended himself, but he had been smiling before that so you didn’t believe him.  

“I need to get to training,” you said with your plushie under your arm. “I’m watching you,” you made the motion with your fingers before you walked further to your appointment. A smell invaded your nose, you took a sniff on your tiger and sure it smelled like... Bucky. Did he actually sleep with it? 

“Hey Buck, we want to grab something to eat. You want to come with us?” Steve asked him when you walked past him with Sam and Natasha on your way towards the diner you all liked so much. 

“No, thanks. Can you bring me something though?” Bucky didn’t look up and you could hear the faint noise of a page being turned over. 

“What are you reading that has you so invested?” Sam asked and tried to get a glimpse at the cover of the book that kept Buckys whole attention. 

“Oh, it’s a thriller and I’m almost at the end and we’ll figure out who the murderer is. Although it has been pretty clear from the beginning. Sloppy work. There was a murder in a house with all the relatives there and,” he said and finally looked up. 

“What’s the name of the book? I just read something like that but lost it in the train before I could finish it,” you asked. 

“Why were you even in the train in the first place?” Natasha asked, but you didn’t answer her as Bucky held up the book and you could see the cover. 

“That’s exactly the book I’ve been reading. Where are you? Did they already find the weapon? I bet it was placed under a loose floorboard.” 

“No way! There is a secret passage in the house that not everybody knows off. You can see small hints here and there. The wind that let the tapestry move although the windows were closed?” 

You took a seat next to the man. “No, but they mentioned the floor one too many times. It must have been there,” you said and the two of you started to share your thoughts on the books. You didn’t even notice that the others bid you goodbye and when they came back they found the two of you hunched over the same book while both of you were reading the last pages together. Steve just left the food next to you and you and Bucky thanked him before you continued reading. Steve shared a grin with Sam and they left you alone again. 

“This room is safe,” you exclaimed when Steve closed the door and you had checked behind the shelves. “Which is good, because I’m out of ammo and I lost the only knife I had.” You patted down the pants to see if you didn’t forget something, but no, you were out of weapons. 

Steve and you had been separated from the rest of the group. “Let me see,” Steve started but stopped once he heard a movement. His stopping made you aware of something behind you and then went to throw your elbow behind you, you noticed a weight in your hand that hadn’t been there before. Your instinct told you to grab it harder and it was that that saved your life. Your eyes didn’t know where to focus. On the man now in front of you or the knife in your hand with a red colour dripping from it. 

“Are you okay?” Steve asked and was at your side a few seconds later. “I thought it was safe?” 

“I was,” you said slowly. Steve took the knife carefully from your grip. “This is Bucky’s,” he murmured. He had seen it in his best friend's hands so often he would always recognise it. “When did he give it to you?” 

“I thought so too,” you stammered. 

“And I thought you were out of knives?” He bent down and checked the pulse of the guy on the floor. 

“He didn’t. It just... appeared,” you said still not so sure about what had just happened. The rest of the mission was more of a blur and you were aware that Steve shielded your most of the time until you were safe in the jet. The next thing you knew was that you were sitting in a chair that lacked some kind of comfort and you could hear Steve’s voice in the background. 

“Hey, you okay? Are you hurt?” This time it was Buckys voice that you were hearing and he was squatted down in front of you. 

In response you only held out your hand which was still holding the weapon. You heard some rustling and before he could ask how you’d get it you told him it had just appeared out of nowhere. “I don’t understand it!” 

“Me neither, but we’ll figure it out. You’re in shock, but I need to know if you’re hurt,” his voice soothed you. 

“I think I’m okay,” you mumbled. 

“Okay, that’s good.” Bucky took the knife from your hands and you heard a clang as if he discarded it without a care, before he took the seat next to you. Your hands didn’t know what to do and so he put his hand in yours and your fingers fumbled with the metal in his hand. 

The Whiteboard looked like a mess. The green pencil in your hand just made a bow towards Bucky’s name when he scribbled hat with his blue marker. 

“What hat? Bucky, are you blushing?” you asked confused and put the cap on your pen so it wouldn’t dry out. 

“Your hat turned up with me,” he mumbled. 

“What hat?” you asked even more confused. 

“Your birthday hat. You know the pink one Natasha made you? The cowboy hat with Birthday Princess on it?” You nodded and pressed you lips together so you wouldn’t snicker. “It turned up while I was showering.” 

There was no stopping you now. Your laugh was loud and you were joined by Sam and even Steve who were also in the room trying to solve the riddle that left you sleepless for a few nights since the mission. 

“Did it appear on your head or elsewhere?” Sam asked between laughs and you’ve never seen Buckys head getting more red. 

“Yes, it did appear on my head!” Bucky proclaimed and the arrow he made aggressively towards his name and the squeaking noise made you shut your eyes as if you wouldn’t hear it anymore. 

“Okay, okay. Back to the topic.” You tipped the marker against your lips. “Well, you know how you were searching for your red Henley?” you asked. 

“No way!” Bucky exclaimed and the red left his face slowly. “You’re the thief? I thought it was Sam the whole time!” 

“I’m no thief!” you exclaimed while Sam complained that you always thought he was the one stealing stuff. “It just laid on my bed when I was really cold and I might have kept it because it’s really comfortable. I know why you keep it,” you admitted.  

Suddenly the door opened and Tony came in. “Hey Cap, our time advisor is here,” he announced and you could see Wong standing behind him who waved. 

“Oh, you’re doing a soulmate chart? Looks like fun,” he said and followed Tony who walked towards another conference room. Bucky and you shared a look before you pushed yourself past Steve and run out of the room. 

“A what?” you exclaimed and run up to Wong who stopped walking once he heard your voice. 

“Huh?” he asked confused. 

“What did you say in the room?” you asked again and were aware of Bucky suddenly standing next to you. 

“The soulmate chart?” He asked and the look in both of your faces made him to continue. ”You know the person you’re destined with? Share a deep connection with? Not ringing any bells?” He sighed and opened a small portal and conjured a book out of it. “I will lend it to you, but I need it back!” he held it out of reach until you and Bucky promised to be very careful with the old book. 

“How comes we have never heard about it?” you asked once Bucky had taken the book. 

“People stopped believing in magic, fairy tales and stuff like that. They turned a blind eye and you would be surprised how many things are forgotten now. That doesn’t make them less real,” he sighed and looked at the time. “I hope they have good snacks,” he finally said and followed into the room where Tony had already went in a few minutes ago. 

Bucky cleared his throat. “Well, we better check this out then.” 

Almost three days you spent with Bucky in the conference room. Old mugs and plates were stashed at one side of the table and you and Bucky occupied the other side with one person at the whiteboard scribbling down what the other person told them. 

“Okay, enough!” Sam walked into the room and you and Bucky looked at him in shock. Except for the two of you you hadn’t really talked to the others. “You go shower, you stink. And dress in something other than sweats and a hoodie. You’ll finally have a dinner with us.” 

“I showered this morning,” you protested, but Sam made loud noises so he wouldn’t hear you. 

“Go,” he said again. 

“Fine,” you huffed. “But only because I’m hungry.” 

“You too, Barnes,” Sam said again and you didn’t stay to watch if Bucky followed Sam's order. 

It didn’t take long for you to find your way to the dining room. You were wearing something comfortable, but at least no sweats, so Sam couldn’t complain. You were stunned when you saw Bucky sitting in a fitting black shirt at the table with plates for two, roses and candles on them. He shrugged as if to tell you he didn’t know either. Suddenly two hands grabbed your shoulders and pushed you towards the table. 

“The two of you are missing the point with your whole research. Soulmates aren’t science. It’s a person who you have a deep connection with. And how will the two of you know about that if the only thing you do is stare at a book? You had three days to figure it out your way, now you’ll try mine. You have the room to yourself – but please remember that FRIDAY is everywhere – and Wanda made you dinner, that will be served shortly. Please thank me later because Steve was very persisted to help and wanted to cook, so please thank him for the good choices of drinks. Enjoy your evening,” Sam had pushed you into the chair and left the room. 

“What is happening?” you asked confused. 

“I have no clue!” Bucky and you stared at each other in an uncomfortable silence. 

“Okay, I’ll bite,” you said after a while. “Tell me something that no one else knows.” 

It took a while before he replied. “I don’t like plums.” 

“Huh?” 

He shrugged. “You eat some once and suddenly everyone assumes it’s your favourite thing. And suddenly all you get is plums – jam, pie, even shower gel. I like them fine, but not all the time.” 

“You know that Sam and I were shopping for ages until he found the plum jam, he was so sure you liked so much when he pulled your name for Christmas?” you snorted and Steve walked into the room to bring your drinks and some salad. 

“You cleaned up fine,” you told him. 

“Eyes up here,” Steve said totally serious and pointed at Bucky, which caused you to lose it all and Bucky to start howling in laughter. “Okay, I don’t know why I said that,” Steve finally admitted and laughed also. 

“Why can’t we just all eat together?” you asked and looked at Bucky who nodded. 

“Yeah, Steve this is awkward. Just gather everyone hiding in the kitchen and we eat together.” 

“So, you don’t want to go on a date together?” Steve asked defeated. 

“Oh, I want to. But like on our own terms?” Bucky asked more in your direction. 

“Yup, I could take you out tomorrow,” you smirked at him. 

“Sounds good, doll,” Bucky agreed and Steve seemed more relieved. “So should I tell the others?” Steve asked, but Sam and Wanda stood already in the entry with plates in their hand. 

“Just ourselves, my ass,” you huffed. You shared a glance with Bucky before the others filled the table and the talks started. 

“Want to get out of here? We could get some ice-cream,” you suggested to Bucky when the rest of the team was in the middle of a heated discussion where Sam was almost in Natashas face. 

“Yeah okay, but please no...”  

“...plum,” you ended the sentence for him and accepted his outstretched hand and the two of you left the room quietly. “I know that now. So, maybe plain old vanilla?” you offered instead. 

“Come on, that might be Steve’s favourite flavour, but I’m not that boring.” He looked almost offended, but you saw the twinkle in his eyes. 

“Well see about that,” you teased and followed him outside. 

Just because I can:

Masterlist | Library Blog

This time the car had arrived before you and Nat, Sam and Steve were already climbing off their bikes when you pulled into the parking spot. Bucky was driving more carefully when you were on the back. Wanda was stretching next to the car and Clint was letting Lucky out of his temporary prison.

“Don’t piss on any tent this year, buddy. Because although I am injured, they all made it very clear that I have to sleep under the stars this time,” Clint said and waved his arm that was in a cast. “And I missed out on a good opportunity to ride my bike because of you,” he didn’t stop his rant.

“It wasn’t Lucky's fault that you didn’t saw him. It’s not like he made himself extra small when you stumbled over him and fell on your arm,” Natasha said and kissed his head.

Because Sam was complaining about last year and the changing sleeping arrangements there would be a tent for Natasha, Wanda and you and two for the men. With Clint and his broken arm you decided to help Sam, who wouldn’t get tired of telling Clint how much faster building a tent was, when you were his partner.

“Hey, if I’m not allowed to sleep in a tent with her because of your complaining, you’re not either,” you heard Bucky’s voice who stopped using the hammer to tell Sam off.

“Do you think this is the last time we’re actually making this trip?” Wanda asked once all tents were up, your bellies full and you were drinking something around a campfire – which was Steve approved.

“You’re the one moving away,” Clint threw his arm around her shoulder, but he forgot about the weight of the cast and made her wince.

“But only for a year,” she said softly and snuggled further into her friends embrace.

“We’ll find different traditions then,” you threw in. “And for the next girls' nights you’ll be on the screen. You have to apply your own face mask though.”

“Speaking of changes, I do have to announce something,” Natasha said suddenly.

“If someone uses this dramatic moment to announce they are pregnant I am going to scream!” Sam threw his hands in the air.

“No, that’s not it,” Natasha said, but Sam looked meaningful in your and Wandas direction until you both confirmed that you weren’t expecting either, before he told her she could continue.

“I’m taking over the mechanic shop. I had a really long talk with George and Bucky.” Your head flew to Bucky who nodded at you and kissed the side of your head quickly. This was the first time you were hearing any of this. “George will still stay for a while and help out, so it will be a slow transition, but I guess it will be mine then.” Natasha almost seemed shy, but then a huge smile took over her face when she saw the expressions of her friends, who slowly started to congratulate her.

“Okay, okay. I think these are enough sappy moment for the night. I think I remember a marshmallow eating contest that I lost last year but that I will win this year,” you interrupted the heavy silence that had settled again.

“Did you practice, huh?” Clint asked and wiggled his eyebrows which made you laugh and you bent over and stuffed one sweet in his mouth when he was about to say something else.

When it got quieter (and Steve actually took the win) you and Bucky walked for a while. “You didn’t tell me about Nat’s plan,” you broke the silence.

“It was her moment, so she should be the one to tell everyone. It wouldn’t feel right to take the shop. I haven’t worked there in ages; Nat has been there since she left school. She should take over, she is smart. She stands up for herself, she will do great things. Also she has this really good employee and I don’t know if it would be such a good idea if I’d be her boss. No, but seriously. Nat offered me a job when my dad retires and I might pick it. We’ll see. For now I am content with what I’m having. I am really happy right now.” He pulled your hand to stop you from walking further and kissed your lips shortly. “Are you happy too?”

You know why Bucky was asking, because your relationship was going at its own time. Both of you still have your own flat. You were spending most time at each other's space, but sometimes Bucky felt the need to be on his own for a while. You were okay with that. Some days were harder than others and he told you he needed space and it was okay for you. In the beginning it hurt, but he made sure to tell you it had nothing to do with you. It scared you the first time you were sleeping next to him and he had a nightmare and you didn’t know what to do.

To prevent that Bucky slept at his own place when he felt it might not be a good night. But these nights were rare.

“I am very happy. I’m happy I moved here and met you. I’m glad I found a new family and that I found you.”

“I love you,” Bucky simply said and although this wasn’t the first time you heard him say these words the warm feeling still spread through your stomach.

“I love you too, Bucky. Let’s see if we can bribe someone to switch tents, so we can share one. I don’t want to sleep separated from you tonight,” you pulled him into the direction of the tents and were pretty sure that you could bring Steve to switch.

Everyone moves at their own pace, and you were sure you finally found what you had been searching for without knowing it. You were all growing, making your own decisions, but you all knew that you had each other's backs. Even though you all weren’t joined at the hip you all saw each other often. And even with Wanda going away for a year you knew the second she came back it would be as if she had never left. Or if she decided to travel further your friendship would still be there.

Nat knew your couch would be open for her, when she had a fight with Clint and just needed to go away for a night. Sam knew you would drive him around and bring him a snack and a smile when he had a bad day. Steve... Steve and Bucky had a unique friendship, but he had accepted you and welcomed you as Bucky's partner (probably even before Bucky did) so you never felt left out and always included when you stayed over. Clint and you always had a laugh and if he didn’t have a good day you would just grab a cup of his favorite coffee and he would smile again. This might be your last trip that you took together, but just as you told Wanda – you would find new things that you’d enjoy together.

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