#prettyyoungtragedy

Y/N quickly raised the shot glass to her lips, slamming back the hard liquor before the rational part of her brain could talk her out of it. She could not, however, hold back the scowl on her face or the shudder that wracked her body as the tequila burned her esophagus on the way down. She placed the shot glass back on the table and immediately reached for her double spiced rum and diet soda, hoping it would prevent the tequila from making a second appearance. One of her closest friends, Natasha, gathered the three shot glasses in her hand and slid of her stool.

“That was sufficiently awful,” Natasha said, a bright grin on her face. “Another round?” Y/N nodded her head, taking another long sip from her drink as she looked over at their friend, Wanda. The younger girl’s cheeks were already flushed from the little amount of alcohol they had consumed, but she nodded nonetheless, requesting another vodka cran.

“Maybe just a single this time, Nat,” she called after her. Wanda shook her head, her long dark hair moving against her bare shoulders. “She’s not going to listen to me.” Y/N smirked as Wanda rubbed a hand over her face, before turning her attention to her friend. “Now. Are you going to tell us what’s behind this impromptu night out?” Wanda raised an eyebrow as she watched Y/N take a drink to save herself from answering the question. “Not that this wasn’t desperately needed, but we all know that Y/N L/N doesn’t go out on Friday nights.”

Y/N sighed, ducking her head before saying, “Winifred told me not to come in tomorrow.”

Wanda’s jaw dropped at Y/N’s admission. “Are you fired? Do you think she’s firing you?” Natasha arrived back at the table right at that moment, three fresh drinks in her hands.

“Wait, you got fired?” Natasha’s eyes widened in surprise, before she shrugged. “I mean, this is probably a blessing in disguise. You fucking hated that job. And that stone cold b-”

“Guys,” Y/N finally interrupted. “I didn’t get fired. At least, I don’t think she’s firing me.” She took a deep breath. “I think she’d going to promote me.”

Natasha and Wanda both looked at their friend, their expressions blank, if not a little confused. They glanced at each other quickly, before Natasha said, “wait, then why are we getting wasted?”

“You made it sound like we were drinking to forget something bad. This sounds like a celebration, Y/N!” Wanda exclaimed, her voice now adopting a more excited tone.

Y/N raked her fingers through her hair, finishing off her old drink and quickly moving on to the next one. “I know I should be excited, but damn it - I’ve been Winifred's assistant for a year now. I basically run her life. And I feel like I’m constantly working. I can’t tell you the last time I went on a vacation.” She threw her hands up. “What even is the point of working to make a living if you can’t enjoy any of it? I barely have a life now, what’s it going to be like when I have even more work to do?” Y/N dropped her shoulders as Wanda reached her small hand across the bar table to squeeze her friend’s hand. “I figured it would be nice to have a last hurrah with my best friends. Before Winifred Barnes takes over my life even more than she already has. God, I couldn’t even tell you the last time I went on a date.”

Natasha raised her drink, smirking at her friends. “To saying fuck you to Winnie Barnes tonight. To friends and alcohol and getting Y/N laid before she’s forced into a life of celibacy.”

Wanda and Y/N laughed loudly at the redhead, raising their glasses nonetheless to cheers in solidarity.

Y/N felt loose. She felt free and uninhibited and happy. Though she supposed five doubles with a few tequila shots peppered in there would do that to a girl. The bar had been empty when the girls first arrived there a few hours before, but as the clock approached midnight, more and more bodies poured in from the New York streets to take advantage of the cheap drink specials that were offered until midnight.

Wanda was in the middle of telling her girlfriends about her most recent date, some musician who called himself ‘The Vision’ - Natasha and Y/N tried their very best not to laugh in their friend’s face at that - when a large body on his way to the bar stumbled next to their table, the attached arm reaching out to brace himself on Y/N’s shoulder. Y/N let out a small yelp at the surprise intrusion. The man immediately righted himself as soon as he caught his footing and looked down at Y/N.

“Jesus, I am so sorry. Y’okay?” Y/N nodded - not even a drunk frat boy could dampen her spirits at this point - and she turned to tell the man not to worry. Her words caught in her throat when she met his bright and earnest blue eyes, his deep brown hair falling around his cheeks. His eyes were so blue - Y/N wasn’t sure if she had ever seen that shade before. Her initial thought was that they were almost a cerulean blue; though, the longer she looked, she realized there were darker flecks of something like steel or royal blue near his pupil, and a lighter ring around his entire iris that she would akin to baby blue or even sky blue. His eyes reminded her of early summer mornings at her family’s cottage and she felt an immediate sense of calm when he looked at her.

The sound of Natasha clearing her throat pulled Y/N from her own mind. That was when she realized she had been staring a little too long at this guy.

“Yeah, sorry, I spaced out for a second there.” She grinned sheepishly at the man, who returned her smile effortlessly. “I’m okay. Don’t worry about it.” He gripped her shoulder before moving on.

“Guys,” she sighed, a stupid grin on her face. “I’m in love.”

Wanda and Natasha grinned at each other, before leaning forward. Wanda’s eyes twinkled with alcohol and mischief when she said, “go buy him a drink, Y/N. Or introduce yourself. We did say tonight was about getting our girl laid.”

Y/N felt her cheeks flush at the thought of approaching her blue eyed soulmate. “I can’t.” She shook her head. That annoying, rational part of her brain was breaking through the haze caused by the alcohol; it was having her second guess the part of her that was urging her to introduce herself.

“Y/N, you are a strong and independent woman,” Natasha told her, her voice stern. “You can approach a man. You can buy him a drink, you can ask him out, you can take him home if you want to. Fuck the gender rules. Do what you want.”

Knocking back the last mouthful of her drink, Y/N nodded her head, Natasha’s quick pep talk doing exactly what she needed it to.

“You are so right, Nat. I’m gonna do it.”

Y/N stood from her stool, eyeing where the blue eyed man was standing, his broad back facing her. He appeared to laughing with an equally large friend. She squared her shoulders, bidding a “wish me luck” to her friends and walking in the direction of the bar. She took slow steps in his direction, her mind running a mile a minute -

‘Okay, okay. You can do this. Just take a deep breath and introduce yourself. The worst thing that can happen is that he’s not interested and then you can walk away knowing you tried. Oh god, what if he’s not interested. What if he doesn’t like my face? I mean, I like my face. I think it’s a decent face. No, it’s a great face. I have a great face. And a great personality. I’m funny. People like funny, don’t they? Of course they do. That’s why those Netflix comedy specials are so popular. Am I too drunk for this? Maybe I’m too drunk for this. I can walk a straight line though. It feels straight. That’s probably a good sign. Yeah, that’s definitely a good sign. You’re just drunk enough to loosen up. Have a little fun. God knows you need fun. I wonder how much he benches? He could 100% pick me up with no effort.’ -

Y/N could hear his deep voice break through her inner monologue as she approached the bar. Her soulmate’s friend - a blond with eyes not quite as blue - looked over the brunet’s shoulder, smiling as they made eye contact. She returned his warm gesture with a polite smile, immediately walking past them and making a beeline to the hallway left of the bar where the washrooms were.

‘You are an idiot.’

When Y/N pulled herself together, she left the washroom, abandoning her mission of speaking to the blue eyed man.She was just going to have to look elsewhere for a warm body to bring home tonight, one that was a little less intimidating.

She worked her way through the crowd, her arrival back to her table drawing attention from her two friends and a couple of new additions.

“Y/N!” Natasha greeted, with a broad grin. “We thought you had gotten lost.” Y/N smiled softly at her friend, her eyes darting to the tall blond and brunette that had joined their table.

“Who are your friends?” Y/N asked, pulling herself back up into her chair.

Natasha turned to the blond man, her hand resting on his forearm. “This is Steve. We work together. He’s a junior partner with Stark.” The blond man - Steve - rolled his eyes, but the grin never left his face.

“It’s not that big of a deal,” he said, sheepishly.

“Modesty isn’t a good look.” Natasha leaned forward slightly, winking discreetly at her friend as she said, “and this is Steve’s friend, Bucky.”

Y/N took a deep inhale before turning to the tall and ridiculously thick man standing far too close to her. He was smiling down at her, his eyes full of mischief. “It’s nice to meet you. Again.” Bucky chuckled at his own attempt at a joke.

She forced a chuckle, lifting a hand to meet his in a handshake. “Hi, Bucky. I’m Y/N.”

“Can I buy you a drink, Y/N?” Bucky nodded down at her empty glass. “Looks like you’re running a little low there.”

“Sure,” she said, letting out a breath. “That would be great.”

Y/N’s fingers fumbled with the keys in her hands as she tried - unsuccessfully - to unlock the front door of her apartment. The alcohol she had been drinking all night was having an obvious effect on her motor skills. The large hands roaming over her hips, her waist, her stomach, and the undersides of her breasts, and the pair of soft lips trailing along the side of her neck, weren’t doing anything to keep her focus. She let out a soft squeal when he nipped at the underside of her jaw and pushed his hands away from her.

“Okay, okay, you need to hold on.” Y/N pushed her hair away from her face, her chest rising heavily as she fought to settle her breath. “I don’t think my neighbours would like it very much if we continued this in the hallway.”

“But doll, you’re taking so long,” he complained, raising a hand to run a finger down the side of her neck. His lips quickly followed the short trail he created along her skin. “And I want to ravish you.”

A soft groan slipped from between Y/N’s lips at his words. “Okay, okay,” she relented and breathed a sigh of relief when her key slipped easily into the lock. A quick turn of her wrist opened her apartment door and Bucky’s lips were back on her.

He turned her between his palms, meeting her lips in a feverish kiss, their heavy breaths mingling. The door slammed shut behind them, with Bucky wasting no time, lowering himself to grab the backs of her thighs in his hands and lifting her from the ground. On instinct, Y/N wrapped her legs around his hips, unable to stop the moan from leaving her at his display of pure strength. Her fingers of one hand found purchase in the collar of his t-shirt while the other gripped his shoulder while he easily carried her weight.

“Bedroom,” came his gruff voice against her lips. Y/N hummed in reply, relishing in the feeling of his soft lips against hers. A moment passed without Bucky moving when she realized he had been asking her where her bedroom was.

“Right, shit, sorry.” Y/N broke the kiss, shaking her head and Bucky found himself grinning at her. “Down the hall, the only door on the right.”

“Aye, aye.” And this time, he moved quickly, now desperate to get every article of clothing off of the girl in his arms.

Winifred Barnes was going to be the death of her. When the ringing of her cell phone pulled Y/N to consciousness only a few hours after she had fallen into bed, completely spent and exhausted after a few rounds with the guy from the bar. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as rolled over and picked up her phone.

“This is Y/N.”

“Meet me at the office in thirty minutes.” Winifred’s voice was sharp in her ear. Without a goodbye, her boss promptly hung up on the other end.

Her head was absolutely pounding, and her mouth felt drier than any desert. Taking a deep breath, Y/N eased herself into a sitting position, trying her best to ignore how the room felt like it was spinning. As she slipped out from underneath the blankets, her sole focus on getting herself a cold glass of water, Y/N realized the she was alone in her bed. Her immediate reaction was to roll her eyes. Of course the first guy she had brought home in over a year had ditched her before the sun had even come up. Sending a quick text to her girlfriends, Y/N sped through her morning routine, praying that a shower would be enough to mask the lack of sleep she had gotten and the excess of tequila she had consumed.

Y/N: Turns out Blue Eyes didn’t realize that we were soulmates. NAT: Explain please NAT: Also please enlighten us as to WHY you are awake at this hour? WANDA: That sucks! Tell me he was worth it tho? Y/N: When Winifred calls I answer. Y/N: He was completely worth it. Which makes it even more annoying. And completely devastating. WANDA: Text us later when you have an idea of when you’ll be done. Maybe the three of us could have a night in? NAT: I’m in.

Twenty-two minutes later, Y/N was looking - somewhat - like a real human being and was flashing her i.d. badge at the security guard who watched the elevator. He regarded her momentarily, before bidding her a brief ‘good morning’. She slipped into the empty elevator, letting her body rest against the side and closed her eyes, saying a silent prayer to whoever might be listening in the universe that Winifred wouldn’t keep her in the office for her entire Saturday. She was pulled from her own thoughts when a loud voice called, “could you hold the elevator please?”

It took every fibre of willpower Y/N had not to let the door close in the newcomer’s face. Holding back an eye roll and a snarky comment about being on time, she placed her hand in front of the door’s sensor, waiting impatiently.

As she focused on balancing the coffee she had picked up on her way in for herself and Winifred along with her laptop bag and purse, she felt the person slip by her into the elevator. Y/N immediately dropped her hand, pressing the button to close the doors with a little more aggression than was probably warranted.

“Thanks for that. I’m running super late.”

Y/N, once again, held back the urge to roll her eyes. Instead she plastured a smile on her face, turning to face the man. “No problem. Happens to the-” She felt her mouth dry up as she took in the man standing next to her. It was him! The man that had slipped from her bed before she had woken up. The man whose facial hair she could still feel between her thighs. “You!”

His eyebrows pulled together and his jaw loosened as he looked at her, his confusion completely evident on his face. “Me?” The complete lack of recognition on his almost annoyingly perfect face sent Y/N into immediate panic mode. She squeezed her eyes shut, letting a small glimpse of the embarrassment she was feeling show on her features.

“Sorry,” she muttered, shaking her head. “You’ll have to excuse me, I thought you were someone else.” She smiled sheepishly at him as the confusion slipped from his face and was replaced with something more comforting. “It’s way too early, and if I’m honest I’m a little hungover.”

He didn’t remember her. This man had taken her in ways she had barely known were possible; she had fallen asleep with his thick arms wrapped around her, told her best friends she was in love and he didn’t remember her. Nat and Wanda were going to mock her mercilessly for this one.

She felt the flush deepen on her cheeks as he chuckled, ducking his head to run a hand through his hair. “I hear ya. I’m not feelin’ so hot myself.”

“Rough night?” Y/N kept her gaze on the coffee tray she was holding, hoping she sounded nonchalant. Just two strangers conversing casually about their Friday night activities. Activities that had nothing to do with one another.

“You could say that.” Then he leaned in, his voice low as if they were conspiring together. “But let’s keep that between us.”

Y/N smiled tightly, nodding quickly as the elevator doors opened on the top floor of the building, and she stepped out without another look at her elevator mate. She heard his heavy footsteps following behind her at a slower pace than her heels clicked against the floor.

Y/N was hyper aware of the man from last night, from the elevator - she wasn’t sure exactly how to refer to him in her mind. Especially since she couldn’t recall his name at all, something uncommon - following a few paces behind her. What the hell was he doing on this floor? Winifred would probably claw his gorgeous face off for disturbing her so early. Even though she clearly had no problem pulling Y/N into the office at an ungodly hour.

Winifred was sitting behind her desk as Y/N approached, a smile stretched across her cheeks as she greeted her boss. “I brought you coffee.” Winifred simply quirked an eyebrow and returned her gaze back to the stack of papers in front of you.

“I’m meant to have an early meeting, but apparently no one in this world knows what it means to be on time. Including my assistant.” Y/N glanced at the clock on the wall - she was five minutes early.

“Is there anything I can do for you right now, Winifred?” Y/N chose to say instead, knowing that pointing out her lack of tardiness to her boss wouldn’t help her case. 

“I’ve forwarded you a few emails. I don’t have the time to respond. Take a look at them, will you?” With a quick nod, Y/N turned on her heel and collided with an extremely solid chest.

“Whoa there.” A pair of large, warm hands gripped her biceps to steady her. “You alright, doll?”

At the pet name, she had vivid memories of his rough voice in her ear, calling her doll, telling her how good she was, how good she felt. Before Y/N could respond to his question, Winifred’s sharp voice sounded behind her. “You’re late.”

Y/N felt a twinge of sympathy for this guy. Clearly he knew nothing of the wrath of Winifred Barnes if he had the nerve to show up late for an appointment with her. She was about to offer to get him a coffee, or tea, something to save him from her boss, but her words caught in her throat when a bright grin appeared on his face.

“Oh, c’mon, I’m not that late.”

“Late is late, James. I thought I raised you better than that.” James rolled his eyes in a manner that Y/N could only describe as affectionate. Meanwhile, her mind was running a mile a minute. Her soulmate - her gorgeous, funny, blue eyed soulmate, the very same man who had fucked her senseless only a few hours before - not only did not remember her at all, but was her boss’s son? This was far too much for Y/N to process.

“If you’re quite done groping my assistant, shall we get going?”

Completely ignoring the coffee Y/N had placed on her desk, Winifred pulled her blazer around her shoulders, propping her purse into the crook of her elbow. “Y/N, set up a lunch with Maria Hill next week will you? And I’ve finalized the guest list for the fundraiser for the children or the homeless, or whatever it is that Stark is trying pull more money for. Make sure that’s sent Sarah before you leave.”

Sharon, Y/N mentally corrected, but kept her mouth shut. “Was… was there anything else you needed me to do today, Winifred? Your phone call this morning seemed… urgent.”

Winifred fell silent, regarding her assistant cooly. Y/N tried not to squirm under her gaze. “No. That will be all. Lock up when you leave. James and I have a breakfast reservation and I’ll be out for the rest of the day.” Y/N bit the inside of her cheek to prevent her from telling Winifred where exactly she shove her breakfast reservation. Instead she simply nodded.

“Have a lovely breakfast.”

Without another word, Winifred turned on her heel, strutting toward the elevator. James, however, remained where he had been standing, regarding his mother’s assistant as she took a deep breath.

“Sorry about her,” he said finally, breaking the quiet that had settled around them. “She means well.”

Y/N smiled thinly, nodding at the tall man. “You should get going. You’re already late.”

“Right,” he said, sheepishly. “Have a good day, Y/N. It was nice to meet you.” With a small wave, he turned away from her, picking up his pace to catch up with his mother.

Y/N let out a deep breath, her hand coming up to push hair out of her face. “What the actual fuck?”