#Joaquín torres x female reader | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

joaquinwhorres · 2 years

Text

thorough (fckboy!Joaquin Torres x f!Reader)

SUMMARY ››››› When Joaquín texts, you know what he wants. And you also know that despite your better judgement and all of the other things you should be doing, you're going to give it to him.

PAIRING ››››› Fuckboy!Joaquín Torres x Female!Reader (written in 3rd person so you can pretend it's an OC like I do) Read the OC version here.

WORD COUNT ››››› 3,928

WARNINGS ››››› Joaquín's pretty out of character because my angel would never. oh yeah, and smut

A/N ››››› This idea has taken over the entirety of my thoughts. It has consumed all of my free time, so I figured I should try to wrangle some of the vibes and vague ideas into an actual story. So, here is this little imagine which is v smut heavy and v plot light. But, I am thinking of turning this into a fake dating/redemption fic, so lemme know what you think! Divider from firefly-graphics (not tagging because this is a work of smut).

A single notification flashed across her screen.

U up?

Y/N reached over, clicking the screen dark. She was up. But not for him. Instead, she turned back to her textbook and the packets of printed out notes strewn across the desk in front of her. The only men who would be getting her attention tonight were the esteemed scholars Sedra and Smith. And maybe Dr. Barnaby if she got around to reading her lecture notes over. He would have to find someone else. And there would be someone else. There was always someone else for him. She just had to hold out long enough for him to move on and go find them.

Her screen lit up again.

Or has circuits put u to sleep? 🥱

This time she rolled her eyes as she dismissed the notification, a small smile playing at her lips despite herself. Of course he knew exactly what she was doing. Even if he never acknowledged her, he still sat in the same lecture hall as her and dealt with the same lectures and exams.

Y/N returned back to the textbook example problem, fingers sliding under her glasses to rub at her eyes. She withdrew her hands, fixing her glasses before picking up her pen once more. She needed to stay focused. This test was going to be thirty percent of her grade. If she wanted to pass, she needed to learn how to apply input resistance to both Example 6.11 and her own life.

Oh god. She was broken.

Shaking off the thought of her mental deterioration, Y/N pressed her pencil to her notebook paper, copying down the problem in front of her. Just one more section and a skim through of her lecture notes after this. If she powered through, she could probably finish before three and get a solid five and a half hours of sleep before the exam. Yet, as Y/N worked her way through the problem, her eyes continued to slip over to her phone and the dark glass screen that reflected her desk light back up at her.

Circuits.

Not dick.

Circuits.

Not–

Her phone lit up again.

It didn't kill u did it??? 😱🪦

She snorted a laugh through her nose as she picked up her phone, thumb swiping to unlock it. As she began to type out a reply, the white auto suggestion box popped up.

Not today Satan.

She exed out of her roommate's attempt at a safeguard, as if on autopilot.

Not yet but I am slowly dying.

The three dots in response were instantaneous.

Sounds like you need to take a break. 😉

The auto suggestion box popped up once more as she typed, this suggestion an indictment of both her idiocy and predictability. She clicked on it.

Come over.

Very little studying was accomplished in the time between Y/N sending her text off and receiving the text that he'd arrived. The promise of a break seemed too much for her brain to withstand, and she'd only managed to work out an answer for the RIN before she finally gave in and took off her glasses. After that, she'd only had time to shove her dirty clothes in the closet and straighten her sheets up from where they hung off the bed before her phone buzzed.

Y/N put her phone back down, slipping out of her chair and padding across the still apartment towards the door. Pulling it open revealed Joaquín dressed in a maroon ASU hoodie and dark grey sweatpants. His hair was ruffled, and his own glasses were on.

Evidently he'd been studying for Circuits too.

The corner of his mouth quirked up into a soft smile—the same one that he'd given her last fall when they met eyes across the crowded frat. She had known even then exactly what she'd be getting herself into if she smiled back. But there was something about the genuine delight in his smile–the fact that he looked almost awed–that had her lips curving into a smile almost on their own accord. Much like now.

"Hey," he whispered.

Y/N leaned against the partially open door "Hey."

"Is it cool that I parked in the lot?" he asked with raised eyebrows, and she nodded.

"Yeah, they don't usually check for tags at 3 am."

Joaquín breathed out a laugh, hanging his head and shaking it as his own stupidity as Y/N smiled at him. "Yeah, I probably should have guessed that." He looked back up at her with a small smirk, and it was Y/Ns turn to shake her own head before motioning with it that he should come in. He obliged, stepping into the small dark apartment and waiting for her to lock up behind him.

He probably could have made his way back to her room without her, but instead he remained, eyes roaming over the dark living room and kitchenette as if it were his first time there and he was taking it all in. She took this as an act of kindness–a preservation of the little dignity she had left when it came to Joaquín Torres.

So, Y/N quietly led the way back to her room, ushering him in and closing the door as softly as possible behind them to avoid waking her roommate.

When she turned back to him, she found Joaquín bent over her notes, curls falling into his face. He looked intently at what she had written, his eyes following along each line of her solution before he shook his head. "That problem's been kicking my ass for the last hour," he said, tilting his head to look up at her. "Think you could walk me through it tomorrow?"

The sheepish grin he gave her made her stomach flip, and she really should have kicked herself for it. Because there was no way he didn't know exactly what he was doing when he looked at her like that. And he knew that she knew what he was doing whenever he flashed his dimples too. And yet she still couldn't find it in herself to tell him to go to hell.

"Depends how much sleep I get," she said with a shrug, attempting to fix her face into something more smirklike than smiley and feeling like an utter failure at it.

His eyes gleamed mischievously as he straightened up and turned to face her. "How much sleep is enough?"

She shrugged as she walked past him and over to the foot of her bed, setting herself down to sit on the edge and leaning back on her hands. "I don't know, three hours? Four?"

"What if it's two and a half, but I buy you coffee," he bargained, leaning back against her pushed-in chair with his arms crossed across his chest.

"It'd need to be really good coffee."

"Starbucks counts as really good coffee, right?"

She scoffed, and Joaquín laughed softly, his head tipping back as the amusement lit his face up. When he faced her again, it was with an expression of warm amusement. "What if it's Starbucks, but I make sure you thoroughly enjoy all of the time you're not sleeping tonight?" he asked, eyebrows raising up over his glasses as he took a step towards her.

A tingle shot through Y/N as she followed his slow, purposeful movements towards her, and she fought the urge to press her legs together. "I guess that would depend on how thorough is 'thoroughly'." Somehow her voice managed to keep its teasing playfulness even as the look in Joaquín's eyes became more focused, more intense, more hungry.

He stopped in front of her, close enough that the fabric of his sweatpants brushed against her bare knees and she had to tilt her head up just to see his face. She raised an eyebrow at him, and while she had intended for it to be questioning–a prompt for an answer–she couldn't keep the smirk from playing at the corners of her lips, turning the look into almost a challenge.

He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he lifted a hand, brushing her hair back behind her ear, his fingers trailing down her neck and along her shoulder until they reached the strap of her cropped cami. His pointer finger hooked under the strap and he pulled her towards him by the thin piece of silk, until her head was tipped all the way back just to see his face.

Joaquín leaned towards her, his breath warm and promising more than his words could ever deliver on. "Thorough," he murmured, letting the word kiss across her skin, setting her nerves alight with anticipation before he closed the space and kissed her himself.

It was easy to get drunk off of Joaquín's kisses. She wondered if this was simply a paired stimuli given the nature of their first encounters. If the dizzying effects his kisses had on her was her body remembering the weightlessness of too much Jungle Juice and a cute boy's attention. If the way she seemed to melt into him was a conditioned response from him pulling her close to him so easily even when her limbs felt heavy from Jell-O Shots.

But maybe it wasn't classical conditioning or muscle memory. Maybe it was just the natural biological response to the way his hand took hold of her waist, squeezing at the bare skin there as he deepened the kiss and stepped forward, between her legs. Maybe it was just a natural reaction to feel lightheaded when an attractive boy slid his hand up under your crop top and moved his lips along your collarbone with each kiss like a whispered promise.

Her head lolled to the side, allowing him more room to work, and he took advantage of the newly exposed stretch of skin, placing hot, open mouthed kisses there. Y/N sank her teeth into her lip, biting down into it to keep herself from making any of the embarrassing sounds threatening to spill from her just from a bit of kissing. It was a pointless measure though, for as if inspired by her action, Joaquín's teeth caught at the tender skin on her neck and pulled it into his mouth, sucking harshly. Her fingers curled into his shoulders, dragging him closer to her as he moved up her neck, picking a new spot to nip. A gasping noise escaped her as his tongue swiped over the spot, sounding far too much like a whimper for her own comfort.

Joaquín dragged his lips further up her neck to just under her ear. "Fuck you make the most beautiful sounds," he praised, pressing a kiss below her ear. "Drives me crazy." He kissed her again before taking a hold of her ear with his teeth.

Another noise, much like the first escaped her, and her fingers reached up into the hair at the nape of his neck, threading through the strands and then tugging him backwards and away from her so she could see his face. His glasses had slid down a bit on his nose, and his pupils were blown wide and dark, and she knew, she knew, that whatever happened next, it would be thorough enough.

"Did you come here to compliment me or to fuck me?"

He grinned. "Por qué no los dos?"

She leaned closer so that her lips almost brushed his as she demanded, "Cógeme."

Joaquín practically tore his sweatshirt and shirt from his body, his glasses catching in the material and flying off somewhere with the clothes to a corner of her room. Her own arms were crossed across her middle to pull off her top, but she didn't get a chance before his hands wrapped under her knees and yanked her forward so her back fell onto the bed. He knelt before her, hooking his fingers into the waistband of her pajama shorts and dragging them down her legs.

His eyes snapped to hers as he pulled the silky fabric free of her legs. "Impatient, aren't you?"

Y/N reached down, flicking the side of his head. "It's how I sleep."

"Mhmm," he hummed, disbelievingly as his eyes focused back to her parted legs and her center that was completely bare to him, not a scrap of lace or satin or cotton or anything to shield it from his hungry gaze. He lifted her leg over his shoulder, pausing to press a kiss to the inside of her knee and then trailing a line of kisses and nips up to the top of her inner thigh. Y/N squirmed, and he chuckled, moving his other hand to her hip to hold her in place. "I haven't even gotten to the good part."

"I'm sensitive," Y/N breathed out,

"I know," Joaquín grinned, leaning forward to lick a large stripe through her folds, sending her arching off the bed with a gasping moan. "Qué buena estás."

And then he dove back in.

There were a lot of reasons why allowing Joaquín into her bed at three in the morning was a bad idea.

For one thing, she really should have used the time to study for the test that would make up a solid third of her grade in a class that took many people two tries to pass. There was also the inevitable exhaustion that would probably affect her performance on that test.

Then there was the fact that if they woke up her roommate, she would have to deal with side eyed glances, reproving sighs, and little comments for at least a week. Not to mention the fact that her roommate would probably tell the rest of their friends, and then she'd be getting it from all angles.

But the biggest reason this was a bad idea, the reason with the most inevitable consequences, was the fact that he'd leave behind an ache that chased her throughout her morning, reminding her of how stupid she was for doing this.

But as she gripped onto Joaquín's head like her life depended on it, hips chasing a release on his tongue, it was difficult to really think about any of that. It was difficult to think at all. All she could manage were small bits of breathy praise spurring him on.

"Fuck. Fuck yes, right–ah!" She threw her head back into the bed as he sucked harder around her clit. One hand freed itself from his curls, clawing at the sheets to give herself more purchase as words left her in favor of high pitched, gasping noises that sounded vaguely like his name. And then, finally, she could hardly get out any sound as a wave of pleasure coursed through her causing her whole body to go taut as Joaquín replaced his tongue with his fingers to help her ride out the high.

"I've got you. I got you," he reassured, coming back up her body to place kisses along her jaw as she slowly came down, chest heaving. Y/N pulled in deep breath as his lips continued to rove around her chest and collarbone, neck and face, always whispering bits of praise before gracing her skin with a kiss. One hand slid across her bare stomach, taking hold of her waist as he gave one last kiss before looking up into her face.

"And?" he asked with a small smirk.

"And?" she repeated in question, the word coming out more as an exhale.

"How am I doing so far? Thorough enough?" he asked, his hand inching up under her top to take hold of a breast. The pad of his thumb ran over the nipple there, and for a moment, Y/N's mind went hazy. "Or is there something I'm forgetting to pay attention to?"

"I think you already know." Despite the words themselves, her voice came out needy and airy, and it elicited a low chuckle from Joaquín whose hand retreated back to the edge of her top, teasing her with the promise of taking it off.

"I want you to tell me."

"Stop teasing me, and put that mouth to better use," Y/N snapped, and he grinned this time.

"Close enough," he said, pulling her top up and over her head, flinging it away from them.

His mouth was truly a gift from God, but his hands, and the way they massaged her breast, twisted her nipple, worked her in ways that were positively sinful, they could only have been given that skill through a deal with the devil. So, she lay there, fingernails scratching at his shoulder blades as he worshiped her chest, switching between the breasts and from mouth to hands in ways that made her feel holy. Holy but aching.

"Joaquín," she mumbled, hand sliding from his shoulder to his bicep, pressing her away from him. He lifted himself from her skin, eyes meeting hers. "Flip over," she commanded. His face lit up, and he complied so quickly and eagerly that Y/N laughed.

Joaquín tucked his hands under his head, watching intently as Y/N moved to straddle him. "We can't be too loud," she whispered, placing a finger against his lips. "Ok?"

"Got it," he said, biting her finger playfully. She withdrew her finger from between his lips, running her hands down his muscled chest. It was almost criminal, the fact that he always wore loose fitting t-shirts instead of something that showed off the hard work ROTC had him put into his body.

She leaned down, allowing her tongue to explore the planes of his chest, dipping low to swirl around his belly button and lower to the center of his v line. Joaquín groaned, and Y/N hooked her fingers in the waistline of his boxers, dragging both the underwear and sweatpants down his legs and off his body. When she looked up at him, she found Joaquín's gaze fixated on her. There was a quiet desperation to his look, not as needy as she was sure her own faces were, but almost like he was a second away from an answer, and she was the only one who could help him get it.

Y/N crawled back up his body, taking his cock in her hand and teasing it with long, slow strokes. Under her, Joaquín's eyes had closed, a grunt passing through his lips as he managed to lift a hand to take hold of her hip. Her thumb passed over the head, spreading the precum along his hardened length, her hand twisting around him before she dipped down and kissed the head of his cock. His hips jerked up from the bed, as if chasing her as she pulled away. Joaquín opened his eyes, casting her a look of confused desperation.

"I'm not the one who made promises," she said with a tilt of her head and a smirk. He let out a gasping laugh, pinching her hip, and she rolled over him leaving the boy groaning underneath her.

"Hold on," she said, pressing a hand to his chest and leaning up over him to reach into her side table. She fumbled around, fingers slipping over the contents of her drawer until at last the smooth feeling of the condom packet greeted her fingertips. She snatched it up, not even bothering to shove the drawer closed as she withdrew to her position over Joaquín's hips, tearing open the package with her teeth.

She probably could have been more sensual about it–moved a bit slower with teasing touches and seductive glances–but instead she tossed the empty wrapper and immediately went about rolling the condom over Joaquín's waiting cock. Because while she probably could have withstood a little bit more anticipation, a little bit more build up until this moment why should she have to when she could have him now?

Y/N raised herself a little higher, Joaquín's hands coming to her hips and slowly guiding her down onto his waiting cock. He hissed as she lowered herself even further until he filled her completely. Y/N paused, hands flat against Joaquín's chest to allow herself a moment to adjust to his size. "You good?" Joaquín asked, gently squeezing her side, and she nodded.

"Yeah," Y/N breathed. "Yeah, I'm ready."

There was a reason she always seemed to cave whenever Joaquín texted her. A reason she never told him to go fuck himself or any of the other things her roommate and friends suggested she say. A reason she snuck him in and out of her bedroom late at night or times when most people were at class.

And it wasn't because she was stupid enough to have feelings for him again.

It was because he knew exactly what to do to make her body feel electric. It didn't matter if he was letting her ride him slow, fucking her fast from behind, or clutching her close to him as he stroked hard and deep–he knew exactly what her body craved and he gave it to her. He gave it to her with murmured bits of Spanish and breathless cursing and moans that made her chest constrict. He gave it to her with fingers that circled her clit and twisted her nipples and pulled her hair at all the right times. He gave it to her with hot, hard, and fierce kisses.

And as much as he gave, it was never enough.

Even after her second orgasm left her feeling close to overstimulated and boneless, she still clutched at him. While she hardly had enough energy to raise her hips to meet his thrust, she locked her legs around him and pulled him closer as he buried his face in her shoulder. She stayed with him as his hips stuttered and strokes got sloppy and it became clear that he was going to come.

Admittedly, Joaquín's orgasm face was rather dumb, ridiculous even, with his mouth hanging open and only a grunting sound coming out. But she kept her eyes trained on his face, not to remind her that this god in bed was a mere mortal who made stupid faces too, but because after he finished, when his face relaxed, he was nothing short of angelic. The corners of his mouth turned up just barely into a light smile and his eyes fluttered open and looked at her like she really was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

Joaquín placed a kiss on her shoulder as he helped to lower her legs back down to the bed, finally withdrawing from her to dispose of the condom in the trash by her bedside. It was all Y/N could do to catch her breath, her body hot and sweaty from the activity. Yet as Joaquín climbed back into the bed, she allowed him to pull her in close to him, arms wrapping around her, and chin resting on her shoulder. Because this was part of the deal with Joaquín and something that had almost made her doubt her initial assessment of him back when his body was brand new and she was still discovering all of the things it could do—after sex, he always stayed. Not necessarily the night, but long enough to hold and cuddle her and talk about things that didn't matter.

"Better than studying?" he asked, and she let out a snort and nodded.

"Yeah."

"Good enough for Starbucks?" he asked, tilting his head to try to look at her face, and this time she gave a full laugh.

"I'll meet you there at seven."

#joaquín torres smut #joaquín torres #joaquín torres oc #joaquín torres x reader #joaquín torres x oc #fuckboy!joaquín torres #fuckboi!torres #fuckboy!torres #joaquín torres fic #marvel fic #marvel smut #tfatws fic #fatws #fatws fic #tfatws #college!au #college au #marvel college!au

148 notes · View notes

late-to-the-party-81 · 3 years

Text

Late's Masterlist

Welcome to my Masterlist. I also have an AO3 account (Late_to_party_81) where I also post my stories.

Most of my works are rated Explicit for Sexual content and or Violent Themes. Minors, please DNI.

Remember; likes are loved, but reblogs are golden and all types of positive comments are welcomed, be they words, keyboard smashes or gif spam!

Requests are currently CLOSED, however asks are always open - come say hi!

Fic request information is available here for when requests are open.

If you would like to be tagged in any of my stories, please fill out the attached form.

Most Dividers by @firefly-graphics

Header by @lilacevans

All banners, other dividers and mood boards by me (Credits to those who took the photos)

Key: 🥰 Fluff 😭Angst 🍆Smut 🍑WLW smut 🌑Dark 🩸Violence 🌶 Suggestive

An Artist and an Engineer 🥰🍆A Stucky x Reader - Non-Powered AU (WIP)

A Place on Earth 🥰😭🍆A Starker Canon Divergent AU (Done) plus Drabbles

SamBucky Stories 🥰😭🍆🌑🌶 Post Canon Series and Character Celebration events

Checkmate 🥰😭🍆🩸🍑🌑🌶A Loki x OFC Canon Divergent AU (Complete)

Ojos Asi 🥰😭🍆🩸Joaquín Torres X SWORD Agent! Reader (Complete)

Conclave 😭🍆🩸🌑Soft!Dark! SamSteveBucky x Reader - Apocalypse AU (WIP)

[River Deep] Mountain High 🥰😭🍆M'Baku x Journalist Reader (WIP)

You, Me and the Other Guy 🥰🍆Bruce Banner/Hulk x Reader (WIP)

I love you, then I hate you (and then I love you more) 🍆MeanDom! Steve x Sheild Administrator Brat! Reader

My beginning, my end, my everything 🍆😭🥰🩸Alpha!Nomad! Steve x Omega Reader

A little bit older 🍆😭🥰 DBF! Steve x Inexperienced Reader

Ari and his Angel 🥰🍆🌶Ari Levinson x Female Reader

Canon Adjacent

Full AU

Chris Evans Characters

Sebastian Stan Characters

Red, White and Royal Blue

All New 22 250/300 Follower celebration for me and @yarnforbrains

500 Follower Celebration All my little 'pass the parcel' and 'giftbag' drabbles

Kinktober 2022 Get your kink on this October

Challenge Yourself Challenge fics by others and drabble requests by me for my 1k celebration

Bucky Barnes Bingo 2023 Will I get a black-out this year? Yes!

Into an alternate Juni-verse 2023 A connect 4 mini- event

Hot Bucky Summer 2023 13 weeks of Bucky-based, sexy shenanigans

Stucky Bingo Round 5 Stretching my 'ship' wings

Steve Rogers Bingo Round 3 Have I taken on too many Bingo's at once? Never!

Build a Bucky Bingo Round 1 Another bingo? Why yes!

Into an alternate Juni-verse 2024 A connect 4 mini - event, again!

Stucky Geek Events Bingo Round 1 All the bingos!

The music that we make A Bucky x reader mood board

Bullet in the gun A Stucky mood board

A Study of Seb A Sebastian Stan mood board

Save a horse, ride a cowboy (or two) A Steve x Reader x Bucky Cowboy AU mood board

Queen of all she surveys An Alpine and Bucky mood board

But what if we did? Lord Laufeyson x Governess Reader mood board with short blurb

Because she glitters you'll give her the world Mob!Reader x Sugarbaby! Wanda mood board with short blurb

The Champion’s Tribute Shrinkyclinks Stucky AU fibre art

The Charming Man Shrinkyclinks Stucky AU fibre art

674 notes · View notes

youwerenevermeanttofeelalone · 2 years

Text

Magic | Joaquín Torres

✦ pairing — Joaquín Torres x female!Plus Size Reader

✦ word count — 4.2k

✦ request — I have another idea for a request where reader used to date Peter and then the blip happens and she doesn’t disappear so when he’s back she’s dating Joaquin.

✦ warnings — angst, mentions of loss, mentions of grief, mentions of teen sex, suggestive content, drama, a breakup, familial issues, fluff.

✦ author's note — well, I promised this would be my next Joaquín story, didn’t I?

════════════════════════

His hand was warm against your lower back, breath giving you goosebumps as he spoke almost in your ear so you could hear him.

You almost declined when your friends invited you out for drinks at the bar near campus and now you were considering buying a thank you gift for each of them.

“They’ll hate me,” Joaquín lowly said, talking about your friends who were still on the table.

You were only supposed to be asking for another drink, then he got closer and shattered the plan. If only he wasn’t so fucking handsome and if only you didn’t feel so fucking lonely.

“They’re pretty chill,” you assured him.

His hand traced your back, moving to your waist as he brought you closer. “Even if I’m stealing you away?”

“Who says that wasn’t their plan?”

He laughed softly and you swore his eyes twinkled. Those same eyes boldly stared down at your mouth.

You wanted to feel his hands on every inch of your body, to explore his undoubtedly gorgeous one. It had been a long time since you gave into attraction, mostly out of respect.

Respect for the past, for the dead, for your first love, for your childhood friends, for your mother and your brother.

You respected them in life, too, you cared for them and loved them deeply. Now you missed them every day.

But the kind of respect you specifically held for your late boyfriend wouldn’t bring him back. Peter was gone and you needed to go on with your life, as much as you wished you had had more time with him.

Joaquín might not have been the answer that would change your life, but fuck, he was handsome and charming — and he wanted you.

You pressed yourself against him, leaving shame and guilt for another day, a day in which you weren’t so desperate for somebody’s touch.

His eyes were on your mouth still, and although you thought he didn’t have to ask for permission, he prefaced the question by saying, “I’ve been wanting to kiss you since I introduced myself.”

“Why haven’t you?”

“Can I?” he breathily asked, “right here? Right now?”

You timidly nodded, yet it didn’t feel entirely plausible until his lips touched yours.

The moment your back hit the bed, you realized you had never felt real touch before. You had never been touched so fervently, so eagerly.

You weren’t sure if it was because he was a man and not a teenager or due to his personality — he seemed fairly enthusiastic back at the bar, but who knew.

His eager roughness as he explored your body made you feel smaller than him even though you would never fool yourself into thinking you were. He might have been muscular and athletic, surely due to his training —after all, he mentioned being part of the Air Force—, but he wasn’t one of those big scary men that lurked in corners.

But you liked it. For once you were allowed to feel fragile yet not powerless. After years of loneliness and fending off for yourself, it was more than nice to know you still could be seen as desirable without feeling like a victim.

His lips, busy on your neck, were such a nice distraction from the gripping worry all around you. He patiently caressed every inch, pressing wetter kisses over time.

“You like that?” he asked, mouth grazing your skin.

You hummed.

“You can use your words, you know?”

“I just—“ Oh, this was embarrassing. You found no use in the fact that you weren’t a virgin when you were still acting like one. With all those years you went without sex, you might as well count as a virgin again — it wasn’t like you and Peter had sex more than twice either way. “I don’t want to kill the mood,” you confessed.

He lifted his face and smiled at you. “It’s okay.” He softly kissed your lips in assurance, hands tracing your thighs up and down from on top of the denim of your jeans. “I like hearing you talk.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” He went back to the spot he’d been kissing before and nibbled on it.

You let out a whimper.

Joaquín repeated the action. “That sounds wonderful too.”

Come morning and you found yourself unable to move. You didn’t remember cuddling him to sleep, but his arms were now tight around you.

Waking him up would be a crime when he was sleeping so peacefully and it would only make everything much more awkward.

Perhaps if you faked being asleep he would leave without a word.

You had never done this before. The only reason you knew the so-called protocol after a one-night stand were your friends who would surely be thrilled to know you had finally caved in.

Joaquín stirred awake, withdrawing his arms from your body to stretch.

After a moan, he groggily said, “G’morning.”

You laid on your back. “Hi.”

He went back to his previous position, on his side, facing you. Shifting to look at him, you caught him looking around your room.

“Looking for a way out?”

He huffed a laugh. “No.” Joaquín’s gaze fell on you and he reached over to brush something off your cheek with his index finger. “Should I?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never done this before.”

He showed you the eyelash he had gotten off your cheek. “Make a wish.”

“Really?” you asked, amused.

“Come on,” he encouraged you. “You don’t have to tell me what it is.”

Did you have any wishes left? Well, perhaps one — you wished you could be happy, at least content with your life.

You blew on his finger so the eyelash would fly off. “There.”

He rested his hand on your cheek. “I hope it comes true.”

Unable to stop yourself, you smiled at the sentiment. He smiled back, warm and big, eyes full and dimples prominent.

It amazed you that somebody with his line of work could smile so earnestly.

The smile, however, fell when his cellphone rang.

He grunted. “Duty calls.”

You nodded, unsure as to what to say now.

But he did. “Can I see you again?”

“Yes.”

“As a date?” he asked, hopeful.

“Yes.”

════════════════════════

A date turned into another one and another one until you saw him every chance you had.

Joaquín would even pick you up from work just to get a few more minutes with you. It was overwhelming at first, you had forgotten what it felt like to get this much attention, but the more it happened, the more you liked it.

Getting to know him little by little was pure magic, distinguishing his amused laugh from the one that came from his belly, finding out he’s a Grateful Dead fan, memorizing his usual order at the café he showed you on your first date…

He was magic.

Joaquín’s cheers were the loudest when you graduated, his congratulatory embrace the warmest.

“I’m so proud of you,” he said. And you believed him.

He was much more than your partner when you didn’t expect to find a partner when you moved to Las Vegas in the first place.

Standing in front of your full mirror, you tried to decide which dress to wear. Black was classic, but you felt too sad already to be wearing that.

Your friends would be there, that should have been enough to cheer you up. But the truth hovered over you like a cloud — not all of your friends would.

Even Flash should have been there. But life was cruel.

You heard the entrance door open and close which meant you would either have to become the best liar in the world or talk to Joaquín. He was the only other person who had a key to your place.

He stood in the doorway, watching you. His stare, always flattering, felt heavy. He was analyzing you.

“Baby, what’s wrong?”

You shook your head. “Nothing.”

“It’s not nothing.” He rested his hands on your shoulders. “Look at me.”

“I wish mom was here too.”

He wrapped his arms around your neck, humming to encourage you to continue talking.

“I miss her. And I miss my brother. So much, Joaquín. I miss my other friends too and…” And Peter, you missed Peter Parker and his lame jokes.

“And…”

“I—“ you tilted your head. “Promise you won’t get mad?”

“I promise.”

Taking him by the waist, you brought him with you to sit on the bed. He withdrew his arms from you and let you get comfortable.

“When everybody… disappeared…” You felt strange talking about this. Ah, the dreaded ‘ex talk’. “I was dating a classmate when it happened. We were friends first, almost inseparable; mom said it was meant to be.”

“He disappeared?”

You nodded. “I’m the only one in my class that didn’t. I had the hope that Peter hadn’t either, but it became clear he did.”

“That’s his name?”

“Yeah. I— I don’t miss him that way. I just miss him in like general.”

“It’s okay, I get what you mean.”

“You’re not mad?”

“God, no. Grief… takes many shapes, I’ve learned it the hard way. It’s okay to miss him, it’s normal.”

“You’re the nicest person I’ve ever met.”

He leaned in to kiss your forehead. “You’re the nicest thing that has happened to me.”

Wrapping your arms around him, you rested your head on his shoulder. Joaquín hugged you against him, content with sharing a silent moment with you.

You didn’t want to waste the limited time you had with him by being sad. He was often busy and your work got in the way sometimes too.

“Should I wear the black dress or that red one I told you about?”

“Why don’t you model the red one for me?” he cheekily suggested.

Magic indeed.

════════════════════════

Your hands trembled as you paid the taxi driver.

Joaquín couldn’t be there to steady you. He wanted to, but they needed him at work. Of course they did, this was insane.

He promised he would join you as soon as possible.

Gripping your purse, you introduced the key in with your other hand. The door opened before you could turn the key.

There your mom stood, looking just the way you remembered. You threw yourself into her arms and wept into her shoulder as a child would.

Somebody took your keys and closed the door. They then placed their hand on your upper back and you just knew it was your little brother.

Your mom and you made way for him to join in the embrace. You couldn’t discern your sobs from theirs, feelings were so raw that you stopped trying.

“Where were you?” your brother asked.

“Uhmm… why don’t we sit down?”

“Everything’s dusty,” your mom observed.

“That’s my fault,” you admitted. “I moved and—“

“You what?”

“Mom, please.”

“You had the house all for yourself!”

“Exactly! It was too much, and college was too expensive!”

She sighed, nodding. Your mom had always been adamant about college, mostly because she didn’t have a degree.

The doorbell rang. You turned to the side, silently asking if they were expecting somebody else. Your brother huffed a laugh, yet he didn’t move to open the door — neither did your mom.

You pulled the door open. Brown eyes bore into yours, just not the brown eyes you were longing for. Not anymore.

Peter wrapped his arms around you, making you stumble as you tried to react.

Frozen as Peter clung to your waist, you saw your mom close the door.

Hesitant, you hugged him by the shoulders. His embrace tightened, he squeezed you against him in the way you used to fantasize he would if he was still there.

“You smell good,” you awkwardly complimented him as you pulled away.

“Thanks. Uhmm, you look…”

“Older?” you helped him out.

“I was trying to compliment you,” he clarified, humor seeping into his voice. “You look pretty.”

You didn’t want to cry again so you looked away. He moved to greet your mom and your brother, prompting you to check your phone just to avoid looking at either of them.

Joaquín hadn’t texted you, but it wasn’t like you had been expecting him to do so.

“Shit,” you mumbled as you came across an e-mail from work.

Your reaction gained everybody’s attention.

“What did you do?” your brother playfully asked.

“Nothing,” you defended yourself. “Just... work stuff.”

Peter coughed, almost choking on his saliva. “You graduated?”

“Uhmmm, yeah.” You locked your phone after typing a quick reply to your boss. “From college too.”

“You got into MIT?”

“No, no. I moved to Las Vegas.”

“Are you... wait, this is a joke, right?”

“Tuition was cheaper.”

“Baby, MIT was your dream.”

“Please don’t...”

MIT wasn’t even your dream, it was his. You were going to follow him there because he was dreamy and you were a dumb teen in love.

Peter took your hand, trying to stop you from leaving the room. With a sigh, you stood still.

“Hey...” He tugged on your hand.

Shaking your head, you slipped your hand off his. “I—”

You couldn’t find the right words. How do you break up with somebody you thought was dead?

“Baby? What’s wrong?”

“Please don’t call me that,” you pleaded in a small voice.

“Why not?”

“I just...” You cleared your throat. “Peter, we are not... a thing anymore.”

“Look, I know some time went by, bu—”

You interrupted him, not interested in being reminded of what you lost and wouldn’t get back, “I’m dating somebody else.”

His face fell, brows furrowing as he blinked rapidly. “For how long?”

“A little over a year.”

“You’ve been with them for longer than we...?”

You bit your lip and nodded.

Your mom took your brother by the arm. Before you could ask if something was wrong, she guided him upstairs.

Peter avoided your eyes as he asked, “Do you like them?”

“A lot,” you honestly replied.

“More than you liked me?”

“It’s different, Pete.”

He nodded, sticking his hands in his pockets. “We’re still friends, right?”

You chuckled. “In a way, I guess.”

The moment Peter left, you allowed yourself to cry. Closing that cycle was for the best, but you would never stop wondering what could have been.

With a deep sigh, you wiped your tears and went upstairs to ask your mom if she wanted help cleaning up the house.

Your brother busied himself with his own room while you helped your mom with hers.

Loading the washing machine, you checked your phone again. This time Joaquín had texted you, asking how you were doing.

You felt too needy once you sent your reply asking if you could FaceTime later, but he said yes so you went on with your tasks knowing you would get to see his handsome face in a few hours.

Your mom’s eyes were on you as you dusted the kitchen cabinets. Her presence was distracting, she was supposed to be cleaning the living room.

“So what’s his name?”

“Mmh?”

“Or hers? Theirs?”

“Oh! His name’s Joaquín.”

She hummed. “Tell me about him.”

“He’s great,” you gushed, “he’s kind, he’s funny, we have interests in common...” You breathed out a laugh. “He’s also really handsome.”

“How serious is it?”

“Very. We’re steady.” You hoped you were right about that.

The fact that she looked saddened upon hearing that broke your heart.

“Peter and you were meant to be.”

“Back then, maybe. But an adult already out of school doesn’t have anything in common with a high schooler.”

“Your new boyfriend is older than you, isn’t he?”

“A few years older, yeah. But it’s not the same, you and I both know that.”

“It’s just not fair. Did you see his face?”

You did. But it also hadn’t been fair for you to have to become independent and be all by yourself in the blink of an eye.

It wasn’t their fault, but why did you have to take the blame when it wasn’t yours either?

“He’ll find somebody else,” you assured her.

“What if he doesn’t want to?”

“Mom.”

“You were so cute together!”

“I guess things happen for a reason.”

“This new guy... what does he do?”

“He’s an Air Force lieutenant and an intelligence officer.” Realizing she hadn’t called him by his name, you added, “And his name is Joaquín.”

She looked apologetic as she asked, “When am I meeting him?”

“I’ll ask him.”

You were even more eager to talk to him now. You knew his grandma was dead, and up until that morning, you had assumed your family was too so the topic of meeting the family never came up.

It was a scary thought. What if he didn’t want to? You wouldn’t blame him if he wasn’t ready, but it would hurt.

Offering to finish cleaning up the kitchen, you assured your mom she could go to bed. You would sleep on the couch for the night.

The incoming call made you giddy. You sat on your bed for the night and accepted the request for a video call, remaining silent in case there was some lag.

Joaquín’s pretty face filled your screen. He was already in bed from what you could see. His hair was wet, but unlike what he had you used to, he was wearing a t-shirt.

“Hey, babe.”

“Hi, baby,” he tiredly greeted you.

“Everything okay?”

He made a face. “As okay as it can be.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s just...” He sighed. “It’s all a mess. Have you seen the news?”

You shook your head. “I got an e-mail from work, though, people are buying life insurance like crazy.”

“Some people have found out they were evicted while they were gone and other people are living there now.”

“Fuck...”

“Yeah.”

“You think my landlord did that?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised.” He shifted, laying on his side. “How’s your family?”

“Mom’s lucky dad left us the house.”

“Well, I’m glad about that.” He smiled. “But what else?”

You exhaled and shrugged. “It was a lot to take in for everybody. They say they’re okay, nothing happened to them, they only remember feeling weird for a moment...”

Joaquín hummed, encouraging you to go on. God, he knew you so well.

“I don’t know how to tell them the entire world is in crisis, and I also don’t want to tell them about everything that happened when they were gone.” You licked your lips and swallowed your spit. “It must feel so weird to know years passed here when no time at all passed for them.”

“I guess they were dead in a way,” Joaquín explained, “so it’s weird, but it makes sense.”

You frowned.

“Sorry,” he quickly apologized. “I didn’t mean to make you feel bad.”

“It’s fine, you’re right. It’s just... insane. This is insane.” You tilted your head. “Mom wants to meet you, by the way.”

“It’ll have to wait a bit,” he lamented. Joaquín shifted again, changing the angle as he sat up.

“You’re getting deployed,” you asserted.

“Next week.”

“For how long?”

“I don’t know.”

“Dumb question,” you laughed. “Will I see you tomorrow?”

“Coming back so soon?”

“I gotta get back to work, I was lucky they let me come see my family.”

“You got a plane ticket already?”

“Yeah.”

“Send me the details and I’ll pick you up from the airport.”

“I’ll let you get some sleep.”

He tiredly hummed. “Get some rest, I love you.”

Your heart fluttered upon hearing his sleepy voice telling you he loved you. You would never get tired of it. “I love you too.”

════════════════════════

This was the closest you had been to running away from home. Your mom was disappointed that you couldn’t stay for longer and your brother didn’t understand why you would leave in the first place.

You promised to call daily and invited them to visit you and stay over at your place, but it didn’t feel like it was enough. It certainly wasn’t for them.

There was nothing that could make you change your mind, though. You could visit, they could visit — the adjustment period would be awkward, but you knew they would get used to it. God knows you had.

Joaquín was there by the time you disembarked. He smiled at you as you approached him. He had a cup in a hand and his cellphone in the other.

Sliding his cellphone into his pocket, he handed you the cup. “It’s your favorite.”

You took the disposable cup in your free hand. The smell of sweet coffee filled your senses — mixed with Joaquín’s aftershave, it reminded you exactly why you were making the right call.

You told him everything that happened the day before, including your conversation with Peter. And in exchange, he told you everything he could speak about regarding work.

He also went into more details about how the local government was handling everything. It wasn’t promising or encouraging.

The first thing you did upon arriving at your apartment was taking a shower. The fresh change of clothes and the comforting smell of your body wash eased the tension on your neck and shoulders.

Joaquín rested his head on the armrest of the couch, going through his phone. Hearing your steps, he announced, “I ordered some food.”

Humming, you plugged your cellphone in to charge.

“Tired?”

You nodded, sitting down next to him. “I imagine you’re actually exhausted, though.”

Joaquín wrapped an arm around your neck and drew you closer. “I’m used to it.”

So he was worried. It was the last thing you wanted. You buried your fingers in his hair, massaging his scalp. He leaned into your touch, as he often did, sighing while putting his phone away.

“We need to talk.”

You shifted in order to gaze at him. “I don’t like the way that sounds.”

He softly said your name. “‘m not breaking up with you.”

“But?”

“It’s not a but per se. I just want to know... what are you going to do?”

“While you’re deployed?”

“No, no, I mean it like... are you moving back to New York or are you staying here?”

“I’m staying here. You are here, my job is here, my friends are here... why would I not stay?”

“I’ll have to move in like two years,” he reminded you. “What are we gonna do then?”

You were steady, it wasn’t your imagination. God, you were. “We’ll make a decision when we get there.”

“But is this what you want?”

“You?”

He softly nodded.

“Of course you’re what I want,” you said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Because it was.

“Move with me,” he blurted. “I mean, I guess I can move here with you, but it’s kinda small for the two of us.” Your lack of response prompted him to add, “If you want, of course. No pressure.”

You were too surprised to settle on the answer you wanted to give so you spilled the question nagging at you, “You want to live off base?”

“Yes.”

“With me?”

He nervously looked at you. “Yeah,” he whispered.

“That sounds wonderful,” you admitted. “I would love that.”

Joaquín smiled. So big and so bright, warm and almost childlike as his gaze filled with glee.

You looked into his glistening eyes and found yourself at peace. Leaning in, you brushed his nose with yours before angling your face. Joaquín pressed his lips to yours, curling his arm around your neck as he shuffled on the couch to not hurt his back.

Knocking on the door forced you to cut the kiss short.

“Must be the food,” he commented in a low voice, lips still close to yours.

You moved off him as he slid his arm off you. Both of you stood up at the same time, but Joaquín insisted on getting the food himself.

Walking towards the kitchen as he opened the door, you smiled to yourself. You weren’t even sure which type of drink you would need, you never asked what he ordered, but you suddenly felt energized and needed to do something other than staring at him.

He stood behind you, having placed the food on the table. You craned your neck to look at him, opening your mouth to ask what he wanted to drink.

He spoke first. “We’ll go apartment hunting when I’m back from deployment.” He gave you another kiss, this time a short one. “Or house hunting, whatever you want.”

“I’m okay with either one.” You were okay with anything as long as he was beside you.

“First thing will do when I’m back will be visiting your family, then everything else.”

You opened the fridge so he would get the hint about the drinks. “You sure? They can wait.”

“I already feel bad for not going with you yesterday.” Joaquín took a couple of beers in one hand, securing them between his fingers as he closed the fridge.

“I think that was for the best. Mom wouldn’t have reacted well.”

He placed the bottles onto the table, eyes still on you. With a serious expression, he asked, “You think she’ll like me?”

“Everybody loves you, babe.”

“But will she, though?”

“She will, I promise.” She had to, how could she not?

He pulled a chair for you to sit down. “My grandma would have loved you.”

You adored when he talked about his grandma. “Yeah?”

He hummed. “Not as much as I love you, that’s impossible; but close enough.”

You giddily laughed as you sat down. He always said it so easily and earnestly — and it never failed to make you feel warm and fuzzy.

He was magic, and yours. And he loved you.

#joaquin torres x reader #joaquin torres imagine

49 notes · View notes

plentyoffandoms · 3 years

Text

Somebody's Hero (pt 2)

Joaquín Torres x f/Reader

Kind of Bucky x family/f/reader

Once again there is no spell check, so I am saying sorry now for the spelling and grammar mistakes you will see.

Gifs and photos do not belong to me.

Warnings: swearing

Main Masterlist ♡ MCU Masterlist ♡ Joaquín Torres Masterlist ♡ Bucky Barnes Masterlist ♡ Somebody's Hero Masterlist

Summary: F/Reader is the girlfriend of Joaquín, but she is also the great-niece of Bucky.

JOAQUÍN's POV:

Y/N and I walked hand in hand to the table that is just filled with photos of everyone who is present to everyone who is passed. The one photo in a picture frame, in the middle caught my eye.

Is that James?

Of course it was James. I would recognise that face anywhere, but I have so many questions.

"Y/N...who is that in the photo frame?"

"Oh, that is my great-granduncle James. He is the great-granduncle I have told you about." Y/N said to me with a soft smile on her face.

I felt like I couldn't breathe. She doesn't know that he is alive, no one in the family does. I have to tell her. I have to tell them all.

James has no idea he has family. He is convinced he is alone in the world and that he only has Sam.

I quickly took a photo of the picture and I grabbed her hand and started to pull Y/N away from the everyone and towards the house. I had to find somewhere private to tell her.

"Joaquín baby, where are we going?"

"I have to tell you something, but I need a private place to tell you."

Even though she was confused, she told me which room she was staying in. Once we were in her room, I closed the door and had Y/N sit on her bed.

"Y/N, I have no idea how to tell you this." I said as I started to pace back and forth in front of her.

"Whatever it is Joaquín, just tell me. You were fine until I showed you the photos. It is like you saw a ghost."

The moment she said that, I stopped pacing. I grabbed a chair that was in the corner of the room and placed it infront of her. I pulled out of my phone and sat down in the chair. It was no or never.

"I do not know how I can say this but I here I go. Y/N, your great-granduncle James, is still alive."

I looked at her face as I told her that. It was unreadable and had no emotion.

"Joaquín, I do not know if this is some sick joke, but he died in 1945. My great-grandmother got told he was killed in action." Y/N said as she had tears streaming down her face.

I grabbed her hands in mine. "Y/N. This is not a joke. You know I would never joke about this. Look, look at these photos I took of Sam and our friend James."

I handed my phone to Y/N, and watched as her eyes got really wide. She looked at me and then back at the phone. This happened a few times.

"What? How? I don't understand, Joaquín?" I took my phone back from Y/N and I explained everything to her. I just held her hands in mine and didn't let her go. I watched every emotion spread across her face from anger to happiness to sadness.

"Joaquín, please you have to call him. Try to get him to come here. Please." My heart broke at her plea.

I wiped away her tears and I told her I will call him.

"You have to tell Rebecca. So the shock will not be too much for her."

"I will go and tell her now, while you call him, also send me those photos so I can show her so she will believe me. Thank you for telling me this. You could of just kept it to yourself."

"Y/N, you would of eventually met him and it would of clicked in your head." She gave me a kiss and walked out the bedroom door.

I sat and tried to collect myself. How the hell am I going to explain to James all this.

I clicked on James's contact information, and after moment, I hit the call button. Here goes nothing.

Bucky's POV:

I was sitting with Sam, in his backyard having a drink when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.

'Who the hell would be calling me?'

I looked at my screen and saw it was Torres calling me. I wonder if he called the wrong phone. I answered the call and put it on speakerphone.

"Hey Torres. Did you call the wrong phone.?"

"Hey man, aren't you supposed to be at Y/N's family reunion right about now?" Sam asked him.

"I did not call the wrong phone James, and yes Sam I am here."

Sam and I looked at each other with confused looks on our faces. But before I could ask any more questions, Torres beat me to it.

"I am going to ask a question James but I need you to be honest with me okay?"

"Sure?"

"Did you have a little sister named Rebecca?"

No one knows that. The only person who knew about my sister was Steve.

Sam was looking at me as I was taking awhile to answer.

"Yes. I had alittle sister name Rebecca. Why?"

"Okay, I will back up. So, I am at Y/N's family reunion. I have met everyone and I finally meet her Great-Grandma Rebecca. Y/N told me that everyone on this side of the family has joined some type of force because of Rebecca's brother dying in the war. So, Y/N shows me the photos table, and in the middle of the table is a photo of you James. Here, I even took a picture of it."

I felt my phone vibrate and pulled up the photo. San was now looking over my shoulder. It was me. It was the photo I sent to my sister just before I was shipped off.

"My sister is still alive? How?"

"She was apart of the Blip Bucky. That is was Joaquín told me." Sam said to me as he sat down.

"Y/N is now telling Rebecca all this as we speak. Y/N also asked me to ask you to come here as fast as you can to meet everyone. It is up to you James...but you do have family."

I have family. I am not fully alone in the world anymore. I wonder how many nieces and nephews I have, and how many of them had kids.

"Where is Rebecca living now Torres?"

"She is in Brooklyn Bucky. Let's go. We will be there in a few hours Joaquín. Just text us the address and we will be there." Sam said as he quickly got up and grabbed my arm to lift me out of the chair.

I hung up the phone and Sam and I quickly packed our bags and we were out the door. Already calling for the plane to be ready to leave once we got to it.

Y/N'S POV:

After closing the door on Joaquín, I leaned against it and tried to make sense of everything that I was told. My Grammy's brother James is alive. He was the Winter Solider. He killed so many people, but he was under the control of Hydra.

Walking down the stairs and to the backyard, it felt like I was walking in a tunnel and at the end of that tunnel was my Grammy Rebecca. I have no idea how she will take this. I noticed some of my cousins were sitting around her, talking to her.

"I need to talk to Grammy guys. You can have her in a bit." My cousins looked like they wanted to say shit, but our Grammy just gave them her signature look at they left the two of us alone. I sat next to our beloved matriarch.

"Where did you and Joaquín go my sweets?"

"Oh he had to tell me something Grammy and he wanted to tell me in private."

"Did he ask you to marry him?"

I couldn't help but laugh at that. "Grammy, we have only been with each other for a short while. We are not ready for that yet."

"When I met you great-grandfather, I knew I wanted to marry him after only going with him for a few weeks. Either way, what did he have to tell you?"

I took a deep breath and just told her everything Joaquín told me. I took out my phone and showed her the photos that Joaquín sent me. After what felt like a life time, I finally stopped talking and I waited for her to say something.

"Grammy, please say something. Anything."

"My brother, who was the Winter Soldier but was controlled by that group Hydra, is alive?"

She finally said with tears in her eyes. "Yes Grammy, he is still alive."

"I need to see him. Would he even want to see me? I need to see my brother. I haven't seem him since the 40s."

"Joaquín is on the phone with him right now. He is telling James everything Grammy. I have no idea if James will want to come, but I asked Joaquín to have James come today if he can."

I heard the backdoor open and close and saw Joaquín walk towards the two of us with a smile on his face. I raised my one eyebrow as a silent question. 'Is he coming?' Joaquín nodded his head.

"Grammy, I believe Joaquín has something to say to you."

Joaquín kneeled infront of my great-grandmother and looked straight into her eyes.

"Rebecca, your brother James, is on his way here. He will be here in a few hours."

I watched as she flung her arms around Joaquín and pulled him for a hug. She started to cry with the thought if seeing her brother after so many years.

Part 3

Tag List: if you would like to be added, please let me know. @be-patient-be-good

#mcu x reader #mcu x you #mcu imagine #joaquin torres x reader #joaquin torres x you #joaquín torres #joaquin torres #female reader #reader imagine #tfatws imagine #the falcon and winter soldier imagine #the falcon and winter soldier #tfatws

80 notes · View notes

fluffyprettykitty · 9 months

Note

Hi I was wondering if you wrote a fic about Joaquin Torres and a brothel?

pairing: inexperienced!joaquin torres x sew worker fem!reader

warnings: heavy nipple play, premature ejaculation, lovebites wc: 700

a/n: Hi Nonnie, thank you so much for this req! last ask for my sleepover and letting you all know my requests will be open for now

....

.....

......

........

"Just relax, sit back." You instruct the young man as he sits back on the bed looking nervously at you.

"What's your name, love?"

"Jo-Joaquin." He says shyly and shallows. "I-I've never-"

"Shhh, sh." You say opening up a bottle. "It's alright, I can take good care of you. First you can tell me what you like and I'll make sure you'll get to have it."

"I-i..." He mumbles a little looking slightly embarrassed. "E-everything. I like everything."

"Hm-hm." You nod your head looking at him as you place the bottle of lube by the bed table. "When you look at a girl, what do you notice first?"

He looks down before locking eyes again. "Definitely the behind."

"Nice, typical for a man."

"Y-yeah. Not that, you know, tits ain't nice but yeah."

"How about I sit down next to you and you can point out to me all things you like?"

"S-s-sure." You sit down next to him, your loose corset exposing your breasts to him making him immediatelly lock eyes with them.

"You can touch them, you know. All yours." Joaquin shallows hard and his eyes lighten up, with peculiar enthusiasm he cups your breasts and smiles.

"They are very soft. Very very soft."

"Yeah very easy to sleep on." Joaquin laughs and he looks so handsome like that. "How about you loosen up your belt a little bit to have more breathing space?" You point out clearly seeing the tent in his pants. He obliges and loosens the belt of his army pants.

"How about taking off your boots, pretty boy?"

"Yes, yes, of course." Once he is done he comes back to the bed just as you are running your fingers over your body and he is looking at you his mouth open. He hesitates for a moment but then he goes for it and cups your breasts again.

You know you have to play it well, one movement and he'd cum right on his dick and you want this to be pleasurable for him.

"Go ahead and loosen my strings, you want to seem them jiggle, don't you?"

Joaquin frantically nods and does as you say loosen the strings of your corset until your breasts are free, slipping on his hands. He looks at them in awe before cupping them again and squeezing them. He starts circling your nipples in awe, pinching them slightly.

"Go ahead, suck them." You encourage him and he dives right in, wrapping his lips around your nipple and sucking slowly. He looks at peace, his dick painfully pointing in his boxers. You want to suck him so bad, but he will only spill the moment your lips go near him. He reaches out inside, grabbing his length as he continues sucking on your nipple, positioning himself accordingly.

He managed to do this for ten minutes switching from nipple to nipple, making you also very wet, his hand notoriously not going anywhere else.

"Are you close, baby boy?" You ask him as begins to whine around your nipple. "Take it all off and show me your cock, baby, I wanna see." Joaquin lets go of your nipple, pushing down his pants and boxers fast, his cock, leaking pre cum sprinting fast against his stomache.

"Where do you want it?" You ask him, reaching out for his cock, only slightly touching it with the tip of your fingers as he groans at the feelings.

"T-t-tits. Please." You grab his length and begin to pump, coming closer to his cock as he begins to moan. "That's my good boy, come on, do it for me." One, two more strokes and he is cumming on your breasts, spilling white strings of cum with an incredibly whiny voice. His chest rises up and down as he tries to gain his composure.

"Lay down and once you calm a little, I got plenty more things to show you, pretty boy."

Doesn't take him long to get hard again.

#summer sleepover #selenewrites #selene answers prompts #joaquin torres x reader #joaquin torres x female reader #joaquin torres smut #joaquin torres #joaquin torres imagine #joaquin torres fic #joaquin torres x you #Joaquín torres x reader #joaquín torres #joaquín torres smut

81 notes · View notes

asgardwinter · 2 years

Note

👼🏼 with joaquin (love your joaquin fics btw)

thank you!! you're so sweet <3 hope you like what i came up with

All Right

summary | Joaquín never thought he could love even more, but it wasn’t the first time you made him realize he was wrong.

pairing | Joaquín Torres x fem!Reader

warnings | none, this is just pure fluff

word count | 371

prompts: 👼🏼 - revealing a pregnancy

Joaquín Torres Masterlist | join the taglist! | Main Masterlist

It was…new, a weird feeling but very good.

There was a small amount of anxiety bubbling inside of you since it wasn’t a planned thing, at least not for the moment. But you were almost perfectly sure that the news would be received with a smile by Joaquín, you hoped for that.

You were laying your head on his chest as you watched a movie you knew nothing about, even if it was playing for the last forty minutes. The thoughts about how you should tell him that you were pregnant rushed through your mind more and more to the point you just let it slip out.

“Joaquín, I need to talk to you.”

His head turned to you attentively, the serious tone didn’t match your early mood so he was trying to list everything that could’ve happened in that small sprint of time.

“Is everything okay?”

“Everything is fine, it’s not…” You stopped talking for a few seconds to organize the words in your head. “Actually, I hope it’s not bad news.”

Joaquín waited for you to continue but you didn’t. The curiosity was eating him from inside. “Aren’t you going to tell me?”

“I’m pregnant.” It was out.

You looked into his wide eyes, trying to understand what was going through his head since he kept only staring at you as a response to your revelation.

“Please, can you say something?”

“So you mean that on monday when we were on that field mission with Sam you were already pregnant?” He asked about it, the playfulness long gone.

“Sort of.”

“Amor…”

“I didn’t know! Everything is alright, okay?” You squeezed his hands to try to calm him down because it really was, you checked it earlier with a doctor.

“You sure?”

“A hundred percent.”

“Good.” Joaquín leaned down to kiss you deeply and he smiled widely as he broke the kiss, turning you to lay on your back as he slided down to face your belly. “So how are you, mi hija?”

“Stop assuming things you’re not sure about.”

“Oh, but I am sure.” Joaquín lifted your t-shirt just enough to lay a kiss above your bellybutton as he whispered against it. “Let’s prove you mama wrong, all right?”

Taglists:

Everything: @writing-for-marvel @ju5tyna20

Joaquín Torres: @1940sbuckybarnes @parkjammys

#joaquín torres x reader #joaquin torres x reader #joaquín torres x you #joaquin torres x you #joaquín torres blurb #joaquin torres blurb #joaquín torres fic #joaquin torres fic #captain marvel x reader #joaquín torres x female reader #joaquin torres x female reader

120 notes · View notes

plentyoffandoms · 3 years

Text

Somebody's Hero (pt 3)

Joaquín Torres x f/Reader

Kind of Bucky x family/f/reader

Once again there is no spell check, so I am saying sorry now for the spelling and grammar mistakes you will see.

Gifs do not belong to me.

Warnings: swearing

Main Masterlist ♡ MCU Masterlist ♡ Joaquín Torres Masterlist ♡ Bucky Barnes Masterlist ♡ Somebody's Hero Masterlist

Summary: F/Reader is the girlfriend of Joaquín, but she is also the great-niece of Bucky.

Y/N'S POV

I watched as my Grammy hugged Joaquín and cried at the thought of seeing her brother after so many years.

I had tears streaming down my face. I felt a hand on my shoulder and saw that it was my Uncle Bill with concerned look on his face.

"Is everything okay over here? Why are you and Grandma crying Y/N."

"Billy, these are happy tears. I have some news for you all. Gather everyone around." Grammy said as she finally let go of Joaquín and stopped crying.

My Uncle Bill and I got everyone quiet and closer to where Grammy was sitting.

I stood beside the woman I look up too, holding her hand while Joaquín was standing next to me.

"Thank you everyone for being here today. I know getting together like this only happens once in a blue moon, but I am thankful to have my family here today. Every single one of you have made me proud and I love you all." Grammy took a moment for the family to say they love her back.

"As you all know I lost my parents when I was young and the only person I could rely on was my big brother James, even though we were separated. We still stayed in contact with each other. My heart was broken when I was told he was killed in action, but today I found out something that will change not only my life, but everyones lives who are here today."

The family started to mutter amongst them selves but Grammy just continued on.

"Joaquín informed me of some very shocking, but happy news. My brother James is alive."

It was so quiet but then it wasn't. People started to ask questions and started to talk over each other. I had enough.

I let go out my Grammy's hand and stepped forward. I screamed as loud as I could.

"BE QUIET!"

The family looked at me but did as I asked.

"Yes, our Uncle and Great-granduncle James is alive. Here, take my phone Aunt Mary and pass it around. These photos Joaquín took himself." I handed my phone to my aunt and watched as it got handed to different family members.

"Joaquín told me that James was the Winter Solider but was controlled by Hydra and had no control over his actions. That he has finally got his memories back and was pardoned by the US government. He will also be here soon. James had no idea that he had any family left. Now we will welcome him with open arms and just remember, he had no control over what he has done."

My Granduncle Chuck handed me my phone and turned to face the family. He is a retired Sheild agent and knows many things that the world does not know.

"Yes, we will welcome Uncle James. I know many things about the Winter Solider and what he has done but I have heard through my own contacts that he is a good man and has helped many people with the new Captain America, Sam Wilson."

The family got up to do their own thing for the next little bit. We were all waiting for our guest of honor to arrive.

After a few hours of waiting, Joaquín got a text from Sam saying there are here and are just walking up to the gate.

I went and informed Grammy that James was on the other side of the gate. I stood next to her and watched as the gate opened.

Joaquín held me close to him as he did not want to miss this moment as well. He is the whole reason why this is even happening today. I turned my head and gave him a kiss on the cheek. I whispered a thank you and he just smiled at me.

The whole family heard the noise and the music was even turned down as we all looked at the man who we thought was dead.

Bucky's POV:

The plane ride felt like it took an eternity. My baby sister is alive. That was same thought that kept going through my head.

Sam kept asking me all these questions about Rebecca and I answered as many as I could.

I wondered if she had a good life and her husband treated her right. How many children she had. I had so many unanswered questions.

Before I knew it, the two us where in a taxi heading to the address that Torres text Sam. After some traffic, the taxi pulled infront of the house.

I paid the driver and Sam and I grabbed our bags from the trunk.

The two of us stood infront of the house. I could hear all the voices and the music coming from the backyard.

"I text Joaquín to let him know we are here. You ready man?"

I took a deep breath. "Yeah, I am ready." I said as I walked to the back gate, with Sam right behind me.

I opened the gate slowly and someone must of heard it because the music was turned down.

With the gate fully opened I took in everyone who was there. All these people were some way related to me, either through marriage or by blood.

My eyes were drawn to Torres standing next to who I assume is Y/N and my blue eyes locked with a matching pair of eyes, who had tears streaming down her face.

I quickly walked towards the three of them and I kneeled infront of my sister. Who is still same little girl in my mind.

Rebecca pulled me into a hug and I wrapped my arms around her for the first time in almost 85 years.

I didn't realize I had tears streaming down my face until the two of us pulled away from each other. I watched as she used both of her hands to wipe my tears away.

"Welcome home James."

Part 4

Tag List: if you would like to be added, please let me know. @be-patient-be-good

#joaquin torres x reader #joaquin torres x you #joaquín torres #bucky barnes x family reader #bucky imagine #tfatws imagine #the falcon and winter soldier imagine #the falcon and the winter soldier #bucky barnes #marvel imagine #james buchanan bucky barnes #james bucky barnes #reader is female

69 notes · View notes

youwerenevermeanttofeelalone · 3 years

Text

Strangers | Joaquín Torres

✦ pairing — Joaquín Torres x female!Plus Size Reader

✦ word count — 5.8k (I’m sorry, I don’t have much self-control left)

✦ loosely based on the song Strangers by Mallory Merk

✦ request — I’d like to ask for something where Bucky and the reader are roommates but she’s younger (Joaquin’s age) and one day Sam and Joaquin are there for whatever reason and that’s how Joaquin and Reader meet and they get along (and flirt obv) and Bucky is like a protective older brother and Sam vouches for him but Bucky doesn’t loosen up until Joaquin saves reader from danger or does something nice for her

✦ warnings — angst, awkwardness, Bucky acting like a jealous brother, mentions of beverages and food, light depictions of anxious worry, fluff.

════════════════════════

Bucky and you were in the middle of discussing whether you should adopt a cat or not when a rhythmic knock on the door interrupted the urgent conversation.

“Are you expecting someone?” he asked, eager to go back to the pressing matter at hand.

“You know I am not. I didn’t order anything either...”

Bucky sighed. “I’ll check.”

“No!” You stood up abruptly from the couch. “You’ll scare whoever is behind the door off like you scared our poor neighbor.”

“Can you let that one go?”

“Nope,” you replied as you crossed the small living room.

You would never. The lady still tried to hide from him when she saw him down the hallway which was hilarious because it wasn’t due to the fact that he had famously been The Winter Soldier but because he grumpily opened the door when she needed a favor and closed it on her face.

As you opened the door, you found two attractive men standing in the doorway.

“Is Barnes here?”

“Oh, God. What did he do now?”

“I didn’t do anything!” he exclaimed in your ear, making you jump.

“Jesus, Bucky.”

“Sorry.” He then acknowledged one of the men in front of you, the one who had asked for him, “What’s wrong, Sam?”

“Can we come in?”

Both Bucky and you moved out of the way so the pair of handsome men could come inside.

“So you’re the roommate?” Sam asked.

“I am.”

“And you don’t think he’s the most annoying person you’ve ever met?”

“No. Should I?”

“Hey!”

“I’m joking, I’m joking.”

“I’m Sam Wilson,” your interrogator introduced himself properly. “And this is Joaquín Torres.”

“Nice to meet you.” You smiled at Sam, then at Joaquín who smiled back.

Bucky cleared his throat.

Sam looked tense as he ominously said, “We need your help.”

“Give us some privacy, sweetheart,” Bucky told you.

You retreated to your bedroom, wondering what the secrecy could be about. You knew who Bucky was, what we had done, and everything in between.

And sure, some people thought you were crazy for being his roommate, but you weren’t scared of him. You trusted him and cared about him. In the few months you had gotten to know him he had become an important person in your life, one of your best friends.

His visitors didn’t stay for too long. You hadn’t even gotten comfortable on your bed after having put on a tv show to have something on the background when you heard the front door close.

A couple of minutes later, Bucky knocked on your door and opened it just enough to ask if he could come in.

He sat on your bed, fixing his eyes on your desk.

”So...” you broke the silence, “should I be worried?”

“No.”

“Bucky. Look at me.”

He turned to the side, fully facing you. “What?”

“You don’t have to hide things from me or coddle me.”

“I know. But it’s nothing that can’t be fixed,” he assured you.

“Promise?”

“Promise.” He gave you a small smile. “Now, about that cat...”

════════════════════════

After a long week of work, you found yourself relieved to have the apartment just for you. Bucky was a lovely roommate, you just wanted an alone moment.

Saturdays were usually the day you had the apartment for yourself, Bucky had a strict routine until something extraordinary happened and you were comfortable with adapting to it.

To your luck, somebody knocked on the door. You hoped it was somebody looking for the neighbor or something because you weren’t in the mood for people.

Your mood, however, did a 180 as soon as you opened the door.

Joaquín gave you a small smile. “Good evening, (Name).”

Why did he have to come by when you were in sweats and an old t-shirt?! You smiled at him. “Hi.”

“Is Bucky home?”

“No. But he should be back in a couple of hours.”

“Oh. Well, I’ll wait for him outside.”

“Do you want a cup of coffee?” you asked. A part of you wanted to be polite, the other wanted to chat for a little bit. “I just started a batch.”

“Uh—“ Joaquín cleared his throat. “I would really like that.”

You motioned for him to come in. His eyes fixed on you as he did, but for some reason, you didn’t feel uncomfortable. There seemed to be no malice in his eyes.

“Free day?” he made small talk.

“Yeah. I actually don’t work on weekends.”

He shifted in order to face you and asked more about your job. You hoped it wasn’t part of his small talk anymore.

As the conversation progressed, you were sure it had been. His gaze remained on you whether he was speaking or listening, interest never wavering as he found more things to ask about you.

His eyes were such a peculiarity and you couldn’t understand why. Brown eyes were common, you had seen them thousands of times.

“I think the coffee’s ready,” he murmured.

“Right!” You abashedly stood up, smoothing your t-shirt as though it really mattered anymore.

“Do you need help?”

You shook your head. “I’ve got it.”

Glancing at him as you poured the beverages, you saw him staring at you too. Either you weren’t being subtle and were making him uncomfortable or he wasn’t being subtle either. Both options were terrifying.

You walked slowly towards the living room and put both cups down. “Sugar?”

“Please.”

As you went back to the kitchen, you checked the state of your hair on the microwave. Deciding there was nothing you could do to it, you left it as it was and took the container of sugar in your grasp along with a teaspoon.

You placed the sugar container on the table. “Cream?”

“No, thank you.”

Joaquín sweetened his coffee as you sat down next to him once again.

“You don’t like it with cream either?”

“No. I only remember to buy it for Bucky.”

Giving you his entire attention back, Joaquín lifted both eyebrows. “He takes his coffee with cream?”

“Oh, yeah.” You nodded enthusiastically. “I was as shocked as you are.”

“My grandma loved coffee with milk. She added so much that I don’t think it was coffee anymore.”

“Did you ever try it?”

“I didn’t. Well, maybe as a kid?” He tilted his head as he tried to remember. “I would prepare her coffee all the time...”

“That’s so sweet.”

He took a sip of coffee. So did you. For a moment both of you remained silent, and although it wasn’t uncomfortable you found yourself wanting to ask more about him.

You were out of practice in terms of social interaction. It was terrifying to admit, but the fear only made it truer. The blip changed and ruined lives, and while you were getting back on your feet, you still found yourself socially and emotionally stunted at times.

Joaquín didn’t seem to mind the silence. You wondered if he sought it.

Peacefulness and silence didn’t last. The front door opened unexpectedly and Bucky’s heavy steps cut the harmony of Joaquín’s and your breathing.

“I didn’t know you would be coming over,” Bucky grumbled.

Joaquín jumped off his seat. He took the file in his grasp and handed it to Bucky. “Sam wanted me to give you this.”

Humming, Bucky opened the folder. He gave the contents a quick read, then closed it again. “Well, you gave it to me already.”

“Right. Uhmmm...” Joaquín turned to the side and lightly bowed. “Thank you for the coffee, (Name).”

“Anytime,” you said, voice too enthusiastic even for your liking.

Joaquín gave you another smile before leaving the apartment, causing your face to flush.

You attempted to entertain yourself by washing the cups, but you still couldn’t believe you had spoken like a teenager with a crush.

Bucky leaned onto the wall. “I saw the way you were looking at Torres.”

“With my eyes?” you teased.

“With too much enthusiasm.”

“He’s cute,” you admitted as you twisted to look at him.

“Nope, not happening.”

“Not happening what?” Feigning innocence never worked with him, but you still liked trying. However, his glare told you this wasn’t the time to be playful. “Bucky, come on, I just admired the view. It’s not like I’m planning on running after him to ask him to marry me.”

He narrowed his eyes.

“Do you believe me capable of asking somebody I barely know to marry me?” As soon as the question left your mouth, you added, “You know what? Don’t answer that.”

“He gave you the same eyes you were giving him,” Bucky said grumpily.

“He did?”

“Can you be serious for a moment?”

“Oh, Buck, I’m being more than serious.”

He rolled his eyes. “Is this my first time seeing you with a crush?”

“Do you find it charming?”

“You weren’t this cocky with him.”

“Were you eavesdropping?!”

“I thought you had another type of company. Wanted to make sure it was safe to come in.”

“That’s such a bad excuse.”

“Not as bad as your flirting.”

“Just because you used to be a good flirt doesn’t mean you still are. Be humble, Barnes.”

“I’m still better than you.”

You stuck your tongue out. “I’ll become the best flirt in the world. You’ll see.”

“Absolutely not. And Torres is off limits!”

“Awww, do you want him for yourself? Can I have Sam then?”

“You don’t even know him!”

“Sam or Joaquín?”

“Joaquín,” he grumbled.

“Whose fault is that? I couldn’t even get his number because you had to show authority or whatever macho bullshit is clouding your judgment.”

“My judgment isn’t clouded.”

“You need to get laid so I can get laid.”

“What’s wrong with taking things slow? The last date I went on was a disaster.”

“Nothing,” you assured him. “I just think you need to de-stress, have some clarity and see I just have a mild crush.”

“Mild?”

“Yeah. I was kinda intense in high school.” You feigned a shudder. “Dark times.”

“What about college?”

“We don’t talk about that. I had terrible taste.”

“See?”

You tried another approach, “We’re acting like children and I’m pretty sure we are adults. I pay taxes, dude, I can have a crush on whoever I want.”

“Of course. You’re a big girl.”

You could tell he was only going with your flow. But you would take it.

════════════════════════

Bucky sat in front of Sam. Brows furrowed as he went through the same file Joaquín had given him a few days ago.

He didn’t like the idea of going after anybody. He had left violence to the side already. Did this count as ruining it all so soon?

Glancing at Sam, who was expectantly watching him, Bucky sighed. “What about (Name)? What should I tell her?”

“I could send Torres—“

“NO.”

“Barnes,” Sam sighed, “you know we can trust him.”

“For this type of stuff. Not with (Name). You didn’t see the way he was looking at her the last time.”

“He might have a crush,” Sam conceded, “but you’re acting like he wants to murder her.”

“He might,” Bucky said without really meaning it.

Sam crossed his arms. “Do you like her or something?”

“Not like that,” Bucky replied, almost offended. “She’s like a sister to me, Sam. I care about her, I want to protect her.”

“By not letting her see people?”

“You don’t get it.”

“No, I do. And I know damn well this isn’t the right way to do it.”

Bucky scowled, yet knowing Sam wanted to say something else, remained quiet.

“Think about this. You’re worried something will happen to her while we do this, and I’m telling you Torres could keep her safe but you’re being childish because you think you should act like a jealous brother.”

“What if he breaks her heart? Huh? What then? She likes him!”

“He’s nice, of course she likes him! You should be glad he likes her too, dumbass.”

“She’s not ready to date people.”

Sam rolled his eyes.

Bucky shifted in his seat. “I’m not trying to be a dick, Sam. She’s been through hell.”

“Something might not even happen between them, you’re jumping to conclusions way too quickly.” Sam then added, “Unless both are into fast dating in which case things would be fine too.”

“You don’t know that. He could hurt her.”

“You already managed to run a background check on him and—“

Bucky interrupted, “How do you know?”

Sam nonchalantly shrugged. “I’d do the same.”

Bucky hung his head, staring down at the file on the small table. “Can I beat him up if he does something he shouldn’t?”

“He won’t.”

“But can I?”

“Will you shut up if I say yes?”

“Maybe.”

Sam withdrew his phone, tapped the screen a couple of times and brought the device to his ear. “Torres. Are you busy?”

Bucky huffed through his nose and then went back to read the file for the hundredth time.

════════════════════════

The forecast that morning had forced you to carry an umbrella and a jacket that you ultimately had to shed. It rarely rained around your workplace; you couldn’t say the same about your apartment.

You weren’t sure what type of natural phenomenon was at play —or fault, really— but you were not happy about it.

Hoping you hadn’t forgotten to close your bedroom window, you quietly wished your coworkers a good night and made your way towards the exit.

You found a face you seemed to see everywhere. Mostly due to your daydreams, but who could blame you apart from Bucky?

Joaquín slid his right hand off his pocket and waved at you.

Waving back, you approached him. “What are you doing here?”

“You weren’t home so I contacted Sam so he could ask where you could be and Bucky said you worked here so I came here.”

You couldn’t hide your smile upon hearing his convoluted explanation. “I imagined as much. What I meant with my question is why are you here?”

“Oh! I’m making sure you get home safe.”

You frowned. “Is something wrong?”

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “But we don’t want to take any risks.”

You didn’t know who was we exactly although you could assume he was talking about Bucky. And about himself. The realization made your stomach flip.

“Are we walking?”

“I drove here,” he explained, hesitating to make the first move towards his car.

You gave the first step forward, getting slightly closer to him. A whiff of his cologne hit you and just like that it was gone. He started walking too.

“Had a nice day?”

“It wasn’t too bad. How about you?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary.”

You wanted to oh so badly ask what his ordinary was. Fuck, it was like you were having a crush for the first time all over again.

“So... are you staying at mine or...?”

“I’ll sleep here in the car.”

“There’s a couch right there. Kinda comfy if you ask me...”

“I don’t want to intrude.”

“Please, you’ll be there because of me, it’s the least I can do.”

“It’s no problem,” he hurried to assure you.

The streets looked different from the car. Bigger. You were so used to public transport, to see people from afar — to perceive everything from the perspective of somebody trapped in a box that had been created to make things easier for them.

You didn’t feel small per se, yet people looked bigger too. It was as though you had forgotten that people outside of your bubble existed.

Friends were almost nonexistent in a world that still was trying to recover from a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The people you considered friends kept their distance from you and each other because they didn’t have other choice. Work, school for those privileged enough, debt, grief... all those things got in the way. And perhaps it was better that way for now. Everybody needed to heal.

An empty hallway greeted you. It wasn’t too late, but your neighbors kept mostly to themselves. Bucky preferred it that way.

You pushed the door open after unlocking the two locks, allowing Joaquín to get in first.

He shed his dripping jacket, bashfully hanging it on the coat hanger.

“Can I offer you anything to drink or eat?” you asked, placing your belongings next to the couch.

“Whatever you’ll be having.”

You tugged the fridge door open. “Are you allergic to anything?”

“Not that I know of.” He approached you, leaning on the kitchen bar. “Surprise me?”

“Oh, yeah, I will. With a visit to the ER.”

“Hey, it’d be a surprise nonetheless.”

You giggled and took a glance at him. The ghost of a smile crept into his face before he started laughing too.

“You don’t have a boyfriend that would get mad at me for staying here, do you?”

You chuckled. “No.”

“Are you even into guys?”

“I am.”

“That’s good.” Realizing he had sounded too happy, he added, “I mean... it would also be good if you weren’t, obviously.”

“I get what you meant.”

“Do you?”

“Yeah, it’s cool.”

“Cool.”

Neither of you stopped smiling. You only moved when the fridge’s door alarm interrupted.

You ended up ordering takeout and talking to him past midnight.

But not every night was lighthearted. Such a thing was true to life and to this particular week.

Joaquín was a good distraction before and after work, but the moment the time to say goodnight arrived, worry heaved on your entire body.

You tiptoed your way towards the kitchen, desperate for a glass of water. Hoping the stream of water wouldn’t make too much noise, you filled the glass and stood in the middle of the kitchen, slowly drinking it.

“Can’t sleep?”

You jumped, splashing water onto you and in consequence the floor. A couple of days or so weren’t enough for you to be completely used to Joaquín’s voice. Albeit nice, it was still new.

He turned the light on. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

You clumsily placed the glass on the counter. “It’s okay. I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

Sleep was elusive, something you had assumed was in the past. Insomnia had been your loyal friend throughout the blip, then grief joined.

Bucky was the closest thing you had to a family now. What if you had to grieve him too?

As though he had been reading your mind, Joaquín softly said, “He’ll be okay.”

“You sound so sure...”

“He’s strong and skilled. Sam is too.”

“I’m scared,” you confessed. “I don’t wanna be all alone again.”

He placed his hand on your shoulder. It almost burned you. “You won’t be.”

You pursed your lips. You had heard that one many times before.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, just... you know...” You started laughing instead of truly explaining yourself.

But you didn’t need to explain anything. “It’s okay, everything will be okay.”

You laughed again, louder this time, nodding because what else could you say? That you couldn’t believe him if you wanted to?

He looked at you with worry. “Do you have any tea?”

You nodded once more, unable to speak as you continue laughing and pointing to the top cupboard.

“I’ll fix you a cup.”

Crying out of laughter, you sat at the small table, leaning on your forearms as you tried to watch him — the tears didn’t allow you to truly assess the damage.

Said tears worried you. The last time you had properly cried seemed to have been too long ago to be healthy.

Then again, not many people were in a healthy position as of now.

Before you could even realize what was going on, Joaquín softly set a cup on the table. “Sorry for not adding sugar, I didn’t think it was a good idea.”

Embarrassed due to the fact that you couldn’t stop laughing, you avoided his eyes and wrapped your fingers around the cup. “Thank you,” you mumbled.

“Hey,” he said softly, “it’s no problem, okay?”

You hummed, inhaling the scent of the tea before taking a small sip.

He made you company as you drank the hot beverage at your own pace. In complete silence, trying to hide from you that he was playing with his fingers under the table.

“Better?”

“I think so.”

“Do you need anything else?”

“I don’t know.”

“You have work tomorrow...”

How could you forget? You stood up with the cup in your grasp and went into the kitchen to wash it.

“I can wake you up for work if you want,” he offered.

“My alarm is loud enough.”

“Oh, yeah,” he said as if he was just remembering, “I’ve heard it.”

You huffed a laugh. “Good night.”

“Good night.”

Before he could turn around, you called for him, “Joaquín?”

“Yes?”

“Would you keep me company until I fall asleep?”

“Of course.”

It felt strange to have somebody that wasn’t Bucky in your bedroom. Joaquín curiously eyed the room while you got comfortable in the bed — his eyes eventually landed on you.

He gripped your desk chair and took it out.

Before he would sit down, you told him, “You can sit on the bed if you prefer. That chair ruined my back.”

Considering the offer, he approached the bed, slowly as he looked at you in case you changed your mind.

You patted the empty space. “I don’t bite.”

Tentatively sitting down, he asked, “Why haven’t you changed the chair?”

“I like the color.”

He softly laughed. “It’s pretty,” he agreed. “Looks nice with your decoration.”

“Thank you.”

His hand brushed your forearm as the two of you shifted at the same time. Your face heated up, and now you wondered if his palm contrasted the softness of the back of his hand.

Joaquín cleared his throat. “Try to sleep,” he whispered, “I’ll be here.”

You took a deep breath before closing your eyes. Focusing on trying to remember what you had been thinking before falling asleep the last time you got some rest, you got lost in your own head.

The door creaked as it was pushed open. Bucky opened his mouth.

Joaquín brought his index finger to his closed lips, signaling for Bucky to not make a sound.

Joaquín looked down at your form, still fast asleep. Your head was on his shoulder, face semi-buried in his t-shirt.

Bucky watched as Joaquín softly removed your head from his shoulder, delicately making it rest onto the pillow — he then left the bed in silence and tucked you into the covers before leaving the room.

”Everything in order?”

Bucky grumbled in affirmation. “What was that?”

“She was worried about you. Couldn’t sleep.”

“Nothing else?”

Joaquín shook his head, hoping he was managing to mask his disappointment.

Bucky hummed. “Thank you, Joaquín. For everything.”

“It was no problem.”

Joaquín collected his few belongings in a minute, taking a glance at the ajar door that separated your bedroom from the lounge area.

“Bucky...”

“Mmh?”

“Could you text me when she wakes up or if she needs anything?”

Bucky stood silent for a few seconds. Seconds that for Joaquín felt like hours. “I will. Go home.”

════════════════════════

Having Bucky back at home was relieving. Except for the fact that he looked like he wanted to say something but didn’t know how to spill it.

“Is there anything you want to say?” you yelled from the couch.

He stopped chopping carrots to lift his head. “Did you get Torres’s number?”

Turning the TV off, you pushed yourself to a sitting position and eventually left the couch.

“Yeah, I did.”

“Have you called him?”

“I sent him a meme.” You extended your hand, taking a piece of carrot. “He laughed and sent one back.”

“I assumed you would have asked for his hand in marriage by the time I would be back.”

“Ha ha, you’re so funny.”

Bucky snorted. You munched on your cube of carrot.

“Maybe you’re reading too much into it. He’s genuinely nice, you know? People can be friends regardless of gender.”

“What happened to wanting to get laid?”

“I doubt it’s mutual.”

“He likes you and you like him. That’s practically the definition of mutualism.”

“You said he was off-limits,” you accused.

“He isn’t anymore.”

“I didn’t get the memo.”

“Don’t get grumpy with me.”

“I’m not grumpy.” You pouted. “But what if he doesn’t like me that way? He’s a really nice person, maybe that’s it.”

“Oh my God,” Bucky exhaled, shaking his head. “You’re impossible.”

You whined, “Buuuuuuuuucky. Don’t be mean.”

“Don’t act obtuse then.”

“I haven’t dated anybody in years. I don’t know how to do it. He’s fun to talk to, don’t get me wrong — I’m the problem.” You sighed dramatically. “We should throw a pity party for me,” you sarcastically said.

“Why do you think I’m making lasagna?”

“I honestly thought Sam was coming over for dinner.”

Bucky blushed due to his inability to be subtle which was the most shocking thing you had learned about him.

Truth to be told, Bucky’s words stayed in your mind for days. You continued casually texting Joaquín, not sure if you should ask him out or let it go.

You wanted to, and it wouldn’t be the first time you had made the first move — that didn’t bother you. What bothered you was the mere idea of asking him out too soon.

Seeing your phone light up with Joaquín’s name and a message attached to it genuinely improved your day every single time.

It was so hard not to be in his orbit when apart from being handsome he was so nice and easy to talk to.

You liked him, you really did. You also liked that things didn’t feel awkward with him when you knew they would’ve been unbearable with somebody else. It was liberating.

Are you home?

Nope.

If you were looking for Bucky, he’s out on a date.

I know. But I’m not here to see him.

You’re there?

Yeah. I’ve been here for a few minutes now.

I’m having drinks with my coworkers. Two of them are celebrating their birthday. I can ditch if you need anything.

I wanted to see you.

I also wanted to ask...

Are you busy next Saturday?

Your heart skipped a beat. I’m not.

Eyes glued to the three dots that signaled he was typing, you finished your drink in a single swig.

Would you go out with me?

You can pick wherever we go, I don’t mind.

I would love to!

Was the exclamation mark too much?

Fuck, you felt like a teenager again.

And I don’t mind if you pick.

Why don’t we make that decision later?

Sounds good to me.

Sorry for making you wait outside for nothing.

I’m the one who appeared unannounced, but it’s okay. I got almost everything I wanted.

You’re making not ditching really hard right now.

Good to know I’m doing something right.

But you should hang out with your coworkers.

And be careful. If you remember, text me when you get home.

It was stupidly hard not to be smitten by him.

════════════════════════

“For the millionth time, you look fine.”

You glared at Bucky.

“He’s right,” Sam assured you from the couch. “You look fine, and it’s just a casual date. You’ll be okay.”

“Just a casual date?” you asked in a high pitch that surprised the three of you.

“He’s seen you in the morning already,” Bucky reminded you, lifting his eyebrows. “I don’t understand why you’re so nervous.”

“I’m not nervous,” you defended yourself. “I’ve had these jeans for literal years and I’m scared I’m gonna rip them.”

“Take a jacket or coat with you just in case.” Sam offered the solution immediately.

You did as Sam suggested and carried your favorite jacket over your forearm.

In contrast to what you saw every morning, there wasn’t a single familiar face in the subway. As you checked the time to make sure you wouldn’t be late, you saw that one of your other friends had wished you good luck on your date.

The fact that somebody apart from Bucky —and Sam— openly wanted you to succeed at something outside of work improved your mood. You had lied to Bucky earlier regarding being nervous, less due to embarrassment, and more because you didn’t want to admit you were scared of still not knowing how to handle things when they went wrong.

Rejection was easier to take in comparison to the way things crumble after they seem to be going well. Rejection is quick, it eventually passes — regret and what-ifs potentially stay forever. You had the scars to prove it.

You had to walk a couple of blocks from the station to the place you would meet Joaquín at. The area was new to you, colorful and lively from what looked to be brand new businesses.

Upon arriving at the diner, you understood why Joaquín had chosen that place. It wasn’t crowded by any means, but it looked far from empty. It was the perfect middle ground for a first date.

Such observation didn’t ease up your nerves, yet giddiness couldn’t stop itself from bubbling up.

“Oh!” he exclaimed from behind you. “I was about to text you.”

You turned around. “I just got here.”

Joaquín silently stared at you, taking a shaky breath and bobbing his head open and closed.

He settled for a short compliment, easier to say than the jumbled mess of euphoric reactions he internalized, “You look great.”

“I—“ You weren’t expecting that. “Thank you. You look really nice.”

You might have been selling it short, he looked as handsome as ever and more — but you didn’t want to sound intense or say too much and scare him off.

He looked down for a moment, trying to fight the warmth crawling up his skin. “Thank you,” he said quietly before looking up once again.

His bashfulness was a good sign, it would be less awkward if both of you felt the same way about the prospect of a first date.

“I found this place by mistake a few weeks ago,” he told you as he opened the door for you. “Their coffee is great.”

He let you choose the table, arguing that it was your first there and he wanted you to have the best experience. You appreciated his effort.

Bucky and Sam mentioned you could come across as being uncomfortable around others, he must’ve been under the same impression.

In all fairness, it was less about being uncomfortable and more about being scared of oversharing.

“Are you a big coffee guy?”

“Kind of. I’m used to instant coffee even though I don’t like it so I try a different one every time I can.”

“I have a coworker who is obsessed with that stuff.” You chuckled. “But they drink it cold.”

Joaquín huffed a laugh. “It might taste better like that.”

The conversation deviated from mindless small talk to work, and then to your interests — it was refreshing to know you shared a few and even more so to find he was open to giving things he didn’t know a try.

After eating, the two of you decided to take a walk just so you could talk some more.

Your hand brushed his by mistake. Joaquín looked down. He pressed the back of his hand against yours, momentarily pushing his fingers between yours.

“Is that okay?”

“Yes.”

He pulled away then slid his hand under yours. Clasping his palm against yours, he stared at your face in search of your reaction. “How about that?”

“Also yes.”

He smiled. “Good thing I listened to Sam when he said I wasn’t imagining things and you were into me too.”

“You know, I almost made the first move.”

“What stopped you?”

You shrugged. “Maybe I would have drunkenly asked you out if you hadn’t beat me to it.”

He hummed yet made no further comment.

“You don’t believe me?”

“I do, I do!”

“Buuuuuuut?”

“It took us a while to exchange phone numbers. Imagine if it had taken us the same to go out?”

“Oh God, we would be stuck third-wheeling Sam and Bucky.”

“I’m so sorry you have no escape from that,” he joked.

“I just hope they never have sex when I’m in the apartment or I will need therapy I can’t afford.”

He lightly squeezed your hand. “I’ll rescue you, don’t worry.”

It was your turn to smile. “I’ll take that as a sign that I’ll be seeing you again.”

“As long as you don’t see it as a threat...”

You giggled. “I would never.”

According to the blog posts you read online, guys seemed to like it when the other person assured them they had a good time with them. You hoped he had gotten the hint.

In case he hadn’t, you said, “There was this coffee shop near my childhood home that I used to love... They had the best chocolate cake I’ve ever tasted and the coffee was delicious too. I heard it reopened...”

“We should go there next time.”

“Sounds good. I haven’t visited the neighborhood in a while.”

“Any reason in particular?”

“I don’t know anybody around there anymore.”

It was getting late and you knew your time together would be over. At least for tonight.

He walked you toward the subway station, swinging your intertwined hands. The conversation didn’t seem to end, he could thread on any topic and you would’ve listened to him until his voice was hoarse and his throat dry.

You couldn’t leave without properly telling him what a great time you had. It was too soon to know what would happen, you weren’t naive, but you also really fucking liked him.

“I had a great time,” you reassured him. “Thank you.”

“Me too. I hope it repeats soon.”

You did too. All those nerves had thankfully paid off.

He scratched the back of his head with his free hand. “I’m sorry if I’m being too forward, but... can I kiss you?”

“You’re not being too forward.”

“Is that a yes?”

“Yes.”

Joaquín licked his bottom lip and cupped your cheek with a hand. His other one tightly held yours, giving you time. You wetted your lips too. Then he leaned in and kissed you.

You basked in the kiss’s bliss. Short, sweet, perfect in every single aspect. The kind of human contact you had longed for years and had been too scared to look for.

His eyes were on you as you opened your own — shining with a happy glint.

“You’re even prettier from up-close,” he commented lowly, hand still on your face.

Your gaze fell to his wrist for a second. Then you held his. “I could say the same to you.”

“Thank God.” He giggled.

“You said you needed to wake up early tomorrow...” you said, much to your own dismay. You didn’t want to be selfish.

“I’ll wait for your train to get here.”

And so he did, and you almost cursed the stupid giant can when it arrived.

You reluctantly let go of his hand. “Text me when you get home just so I know you arrived safely, yeah?”

He nodded. “Promise.”

“Goodnight.”

He kissed your cheek. “Goodnight.”

#joaquin torres x reader #joaquin torres x plus size reader #joaquin torres

155 notes · View notes

youwerenevermeanttofeelalone · 3 years

Text

Sorry for Not Winning You an Arcade Ring | Joaquín Torres

✦ pairing — Joaquín Torres x female!Barnes!Plus Size Reader

✦ word count — 8.7k (should I even apologize at this point?)

✦ summary — your ex-boyfriend comes back into your life the moment you finally meet your dad — although things are complicated, your feelings are intact.

✦ request — Could I please ask for a story where reader is Bucky’s daughter and she used to date Joaquin but they broke up and then when she meets Bucky they get back together? Angst and drama and fluff and something steamy but no smut please?

✦ warnings — angst, drama, mentions of food and beverages, mentions of violence, language, depiction of symptoms of mental illnesses and light depiction of abandonment issues, daddy issues, fluff.

✦ author's note — coney island (the song) doesn’t have much to do with the fic, but I couldn’t take that line out of my head and thought it was fitting. Next Joaquín fic will be the one where reader used to date Peter, I promise.

════════════════════════

Joaquín swallowed with difficulty. His saliva had become unbearably thick in seconds. As he stood in front of the building, the building that now looked taller than it really was, he felt an itch in his neck.

Sam gripped Bucky’s nape, encouraging him to lead the way inside the building. Bucky was as frozen as Joaquín.

The older man was speechless. Joaquín, however, was not. “Are you sure this is the right building?” he rasped the question directed to Sam.

“One hundred percent.”

Joaquín nodded. The world was small, and he didn’t want to find out just truly how smaller it could get. “I’ll wait here.”

Bucky shook his head. Joaquín’s stomach dropped. He wanted to be there for Bucky, Sam had told him how important this was for him — when he agreed, Joaquín didn’t know he would come back to this place by supporting Bucky.

Connecting dots had never been hard, much less now that it was part of his job, yet he wanted to be mistaken.

“Let’s get this over with, boys.” Sam patted Joaquín’s shoulder. His other hand was still on Bucky’s nape, and by the looks of his grip, he wouldn’t let go.

Joaquín knew exactly what Sam was doing and he wished he had somebody to stabilize him too. “I’ll lead the way,” he mumbled.

“I have to talk to the—“

“There’s no need,” Joaquín interrupted.

Pushing the main door open, he nodded down at the security guard. Still the same old guy. The man smiled, nodding upward as though asking if Sam and Bucky were with him.

“They’re cool,” he assured the guard.

“It’s good to see you,” the guard told him, still smiling.

“You too.”

Joaquín slanted his head, motioning for Bucky and Sam to follow him. He walked past the elevator, explaining, “The elevator is always broken.”

Sam frowned. “We’ll take the stairs, then.”

Their steps, silent yet heavy, carried nerves and apprehension. Joaquín didn’t know how to explain himself or he should even try to do it, Bucky was scared of being rejected, and Sam knew Bucky wouldn’t recover quickly from this.

Joaquín leaned over to look at the paper in Sam’s hand. The number scribbled on it confirmed his suspicions.

“I—“ God, he couldn’t back down now. “Who will do the talking?”

“I will,” Bucky said in a quiet voice. “I just need you two there.”

“Yeah, man, no problem.” Joaquín was thankful his voice didn’t crack.

Bucky lifted his fist, yet his knuckles didn’t touch the door. Not yet. Joaquín felt cruel for wishing Bucky would take longer.

The knocking wasn’t desperate as Joaquín had anticipated. Perhaps Bucky wanted to make a good impression, or perhaps he was wishing nobody would answer the door.

The door opened and Joaquín found himself frozen. Stuck between running away and pulling you into the tightest hug you had ever received.

The euphoria of seeing you again was overwhelming and bittersweet. You looked good. You had always looked good in his eyes.

You were speechless. He wasn’t sure if it was because of him or because of Bucky.

Sam said a soft hi to fill the air, only making it worse for Bucky and unbeknownst to him, for Joaquín.

You stared at him, trying your hardest to smile although the muscles in your face didn’t give in. Eyes moving to Bucky, you found yourself rudely staring.

He did the same. Nobody said anything for a while. Three pairs of eyes were on you, and your brain couldn’t seem to function.

You had looked for him for years, in different countries, finding rejection in every corner of every big and small city alike.

Your gaze deviated to the other side where Joaquín was standing. You picked on Sam’s shift, sandwiched between the other two men.

Joaquín tried to hold your gaze, but you looked away.

“Uh...” you trailed off, eyes jumping from Bucky to Sam. They stopped for a moment before deviating again towards Joaquín. “Come in.”

There weren’t any pictures left in the living room, instead you had filled the spaces with ceramics and trinkets.

You had the same colorful couch Joaquín once spilled coffee on, and the same cozy chairs you had bought online by mistake.

”I should have introduced myself...” Sam trailed off.

“I know who you are,” you assured him. “Nat talked a lot about you.”

“You met Nat?”

“She came looking for me no longer after people disappeared. Maybe two months.”

You motioned for them to sit. Bucky and Sam did so on the same couch whereas Joaquín walked towards a chair. Your cat jumped onto the chair before he could take a seat.

The cat looked up at him and meowed.

“Fatatita,” you chastised the cat. “Let him sit down.”

Before you could approach the couch to pick the cat up, Joaquín lifted her in his arms. He sat down and placed her on his lap.

The cat curled up there, spiting you.

You sat on the other chair, closer to Bucky and Sam.

“Do you know who I am?” Bucky asked. So timidly you barely heard him.

You nodded.

“What else do you know?”

“Not much. You— you’re my dad and nobody knows who my mom is.”

Bucky looked down. “I’m assuming Natasha told you.”

“No.” You made a face, remembering that day like it was yesterday. “Somebody sent me an uncensored file. They probably wanted me to track The Winter Soldier down and make their job easier.”

“But you didn’t.”

You couldn’t tell if he was offended or relieved. “I actually did. I poured a lot of money into it and it never paid off. I lost track of you after Siberia.”

Joaquín squirmed around on the chair at the mention of Siberia.

Siberia practically ruined your life. Picking yourself up had not only been hard but something you hadn’t even been sure you wanted to do. Things had lost meaning. The only reason you were still here was your stubbornness.

Sam curiously asked, “Were you trained or something?”

“Not thoroughly. I’ve always been fat so I was useless in their eyes.”

Bucky sighed. “Sounds like them.”

You didn’t expect anything else from a terrorist organization.

“Oh! I didn’t offer you anything to drink...”

“I’m good,” Sam and Bucky answered at the same time.

You hesitated before turning to the other side. Joaquín barely shook his head. His fingers were buried in Fatatita’s fur as the cat laid on his lap with her eyes lidded closed.

“So... to what do I owe the visit?”

Bucky cleared his throat. “Well, I wanted to meet you.”

Your breath got caught in your throat. You had assumed he needed something from you. Knowing he wanted to meet you made your decade-long sacrifice and the heartbreak almost worth it.

“I was saving up for a trip to Brooklyn. I heard you were around there.”

“Yeah. It’s home again.” The glance he gave Sam didn’t go unnoticed by you.

You wondered if you’d be in the same situation they were if things had been different.

Home was a foreign concept to you. The word didn’t even feel real no matter how many times you said it in your head.

════════════════════════

Outdoor cafes weren’t really your style. However, you could admit the place Bucky and Sam had taken you was nice.

You took his offer to visit him and Sam for a week. Working from home was a pain in the ass sometimes in terms of organization, but it had given you the ability to look for him from the beginning.

The square table shook as Bucky placed his metal hand on it. “Would you stop texting?” He chastised Sam who was sat in front of you.

“It’s something urgent. I wouldn’t be interrupting family bonding time if it wasn’t, you know that.”

Sam’s comment was the end of it. Bucky reclined back onto the chair and gave you a small smile.

Oh, so Sam truly meant the family part. Family — a magical word that evoked foreign sensations in the pit of your stomach.

Sam’s cellphone started ringing. “I’ll be back in a couple minutes,” he announced as he declined the call.

Both Bucky and you followed Sam with your gazes. Your stomach flipped as Sam greeted Joaquín.

Sam smiled. “You got it so quickly?”

Joaquín nodded as he tried his best to not look your way. Sam took the envelope from Joaquín’s grasp.

He could hear your laugh as though you were giggling in his ear like you used to and the temptation was too much for him to handle. He was only human.

Bucky was laughing too, seemingly at something you had said. Joaquín didn’t blame him, it was easy to like you, to laugh with you, to regret every second not spent with you.

“Okay,” Sam sighed. “I didn’t want to ask, but I can’t bite my tongue any longer... what’s up with that face and those eyes you’re giving (Name)? You did the same—“ He groaned. “Don’t tell me...”

“I won’t tell you,” Joaquín tried to joke.

“Shit, man. What happened?”

“Honestly? I’m not sure.”

“Mmmh. Why don’t you join us?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea...”

“Please? I need you for this.” Sam waved the envelope. “But I promised I’d have coffee with them. She just got here.”

Joaquín hesitated to answer. On one hand, he knew Sam would need his help; on the other, he didn’t want to ruin whatever you had going with your dad.

“Come on,” Sam insisted. “Bucky is paying.”

Your eyes were on them as they approached the table. Sam once again took the seat in front of you, leaving Joaquín to seat practically next to you.

You wanted to flip the table and scream yet you remained in your seat, neutral and borderline frozen.

Sam leaned over to say something to Bucky. They were close enough for you to hear, but your ear didn’t pick it up.

You stood up from the table, surprising yourself more than you surprised the three men accompanying you. “I’ll place our order,” you announced.

The place was pretty in its simplicity, only decorated with coffee and pastry themed artwork. Functionality had been a priority and by how busy the place was, you could only presume they had succeeded.

There was a couple all over each other next to the window and a group of friends doing homework three tables from them. Laptops could be seen everywhere, just like people checking their phones.

You had to wait in line to place the order and the line was already building behind you too. The couple all over each other didn’t even seem to realize somebody was staring at them and if they did, they couldn’t care less.

You took a glance outside where Bucky was chatting with Joaquín while Sam made a phone call.

Sam slipped his phone into his pocket. “I didn’t give her my order... do any of you want to add anything?”

“I gave it to her,” Bucky assured him. “We thought you would take longer.”

Joaquín feigned interest in his phone. He had already read all of his messages, but he wanted to avoid the comment building in Sam’s mind. He could only hope his friend will keep it to himself.

He felt your presence as you sat back down. “There are two orders above ours. They will bring it to us.”

“Did you ask for extra milk?” Bucky asked.

“Yes.”

“Thank you. My acid reflux has been giving me trouble.”

“Because you eat too quickly,” Sam chimed in.”

You lifted both eyebrows. “You could have ordered tea.”

“Absolutely not.”

You snickered. Joaquín snorted. Instinctively, the two of you turned to the side to look at each other.

Something flashed in his eyes, the same you fell for that hazy summer. They were still warm, albeit tired now. As they became glossy while he held your gaze, you wondered if yours looked the same. You wondered if he had something to say and hoped he wouldn’t find the courage. You knew you wouldn’t be able to take it.

The order arrived, shattering the moment.

“Thank you,” Joaquín said, staring at you.

“No problem,” you rasped. Fuck.

“We’re hoping to convince her to move closer to us,” Bucky said, not subtle at all, as he took a sip of his beverage.

Joaquín followed the circumference of the mug with his finger in clockwork motion. “Good luck.”

“Thank you. I want to make up for lost time and the distance makes it difficult.”

“Videocalls are quite effective,” you reminded him.

Joaquín winced. His finger slipped into the beverage.

Bucky tilted his head. “Are you okay?”

“It’s hot.”

“Well, it’s coffee,” Sam stated the obvious.

You couldn’t take Joaquín’s reaction off your mind. Not even on the way to Sam’s and Bucky’s place.

Sam said he’d be home by dinner time. He also warned you to not let Bucky cook. You couldn’t even bring yourself to laugh.

The guest room was practically the same as the one in your apartment. Same size, and a close enough layout.

Bucky had a proper look at your luggage. “I’m surprised you didn’t bring more clothes.”

You frowned. “Why?”

“I don’t know. Your apartment is so well-decorated that I assumed things.”

If only he knew how hard it had been to replace the remains of Joaquín... “I did it at random, just trying to fill empty spaces.” You lightly changed the subject, “I like your couch, by the way.”

“Sam hated it at first, but he has grown fond of it.”

You faked a chuckle, prompting your cat to lift her head. Sprawled on the bed, she stared at you.

“Comfy, Fatatita?” You reached over to scratch her head.

“How did you come up with her name?”

“Count Von Count’s cat is named Fatatita. It’s an homage.”

“Count Von Count?”

“From Sesame Street. He’s a vampire obsessed with numbers and he’s also a Count.”

You sat on the bed, pulling Fatatita onto your lap.

Bucky sat on the edge, twisted so he could look at you. “Sooooooo...”

“So...”

“Where do you know Torres from? You had a weird moment there.”

You hummed, entertaining yourself with combing your cat’s fur.

Bucky didn’t let it go. “Now that I think about it, you knew his coffee order without asking...”

“Intuition.”

“Does your cat have intuition too?”

“Probably. They’re curious creatures.”

“You can tell me anything, (Name).”

”That’s the thing, there’s nothing to say,” you admitted. “Whatever you’re assuming is pretty much what happened.”

“I will kill him for cheating.”

“What?!” Seeing him cross his arms with a faint smirk on his face, you added, “You know what? Do it. You’re not making me talk.”

He let out a hybrid between a whine and a sigh. “I thought that one would work.”

“If you must know, the breakup was shitty.”

“Touchy subject, got it.”

Touchy would never cut it and you couldn’t understand why. “Do you remember any of your breakups?”

“From when I was a teen, yeah. But I don’t think they were bad.”

“Oh, so you were the one who ended the relationships.”

After a short silence, he admitted, “Yeah.”

Your body shook with laughter. ”At least you’re honest.”

════════════════════════

After an hour and a half of working on your computer, you decided to stretch and fix yourself a cup of coffee or tea. 9:00 AM was the perfect time to drink something other than water.

The door to the bathroom closed as you opened the guest room. The living room was empty, just like the kitchen.

Such a thing didn’t last. Somebody called on the door. Bucky hurried to open the door,

You heard Joaquín’s voice. “Is Sam ready?”

“Come in. He’s taking a shower.”

Great! Just who you didn’t want to see. Why was he even here? He should’ve been doing whatever he did in Las Vegas, not ruining your family bonding time.

Your cellphone rang in your hand just as you had finished pouring coffee in a mug. Seeing your neighbor’s contact name, you took the call immediately.

“Hey, Ben. Everything okay?”

Your neighbor giggled. You knew it was fake as always. “Hey, pretty girl. Where have you been? I made your favorite pastries yesterday but you didn’t answer the door.”

You ignored the pet name. “Oh! That’s very sweet of you. I’m out of town right now.”

“Ah.” You could hear the disappointment in his voice. “Is your cat by itself?”

“No, no. I brought Fatatita with me and my best friend is taking care of my plants.”

“Well, then,” Ben said drily, “call me if you need anything.”

“Thank you. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

Joaquín rolled his eyes. Oh, so he was listening in, huh.

“I’ll hold you up to that,” Ben said.

The line clicked and once again you couldn’t take your eyes off Joaquín who was glaring at you.

“What?” you snapped.

“Nothing.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

You hummed. He nodded. Neither of you gave signs of tearing your eyes off each other.

Bucky cleared his throat. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Nope.” You took the mug in your grasp. “I was just about to get back to work.”

Walking past him still hurt, maybe less than the last time, but that wasn’t saying much when he shattered your heart that day.

What was his fucking problem? First, he barged back into your life without warning, and then dared to give you that look as if you still owed him explanations for how friendly you were with other people?

The nerve of him! Of his stupid pretty eyes you were sure nobody could say no to.

Fuck. Fuck him. Fuck this. You were tired of not getting over him when he had no consideration of what you wanted or needed. He was the one who led you on by making you believe everything would go back to normal.

Had you made a mistake by breaking up with him to go look for your dad instead of asking him to go with you? Maybe, but at least you didn’t make him believe everything would be okay.

At least you had the decency to admit you had fucked up when you went back to him. At least you didn’t try to impose your wishes on him.

Now your day was ruined and you still had a shit ton of work to get through. Approaching the bed, you picked Fatatita up and hugged her to your chest.

You technically could have asked Bucky for a hug, he had said he wanted to make up for lost time, but you didn’t know him that well and it was embarrassing.

Begging for affection was something you were past of. You had taken care of yourself since you were 14, and learned the hard way that people didn’t deserve your tears.

Still, hot tears streamed down your face. You weren’t sure if you were angry, sad, or frustrated, but you wept until your cat forced you to let go of her.

If Bucky knew you had been crying, he surely know how to keep it to himself. You had lunch together between idle chats and nothing more happened.

You couldn’t get used to him, no matter how hard you tried or how much interest he showed in getting to know you.

Tearing down the wall you had built for years didn’t even sound easy to do, actually doing it seemed impossible as of now.

“I gotta run a few errands,” he told you as you carried the dishes to the sink, “wanna come with me?”

“I haven’t finished my work for the day.”

His face fell. “Next time.”

“Yeah,” you whispered.

Bucky gave you a tight smile and so you watched him leave with a weird feeling in your stomach. Was this how children felt when they saw their parents leave for work?

Sam didn’t take long to arrive. You didn’t have the full grasp of what they truly did, the superhero part was clear, but you didn’t know if that was their job or their side gig.

He greeted you with a smile. Trying his best just like Bucky.

“Bucky’s running errands,” you notified him.

“Yeah, Joaquín told me he called. I forgot my damn phone in the morning.”

“Oh...” You didn’t know what to say.

Sam sat on the yellow couch he used to hate. “Piece of advice?”

You braced yourself for the same thing your best friend had told you. ‘Joaquín doesn’t deserve your hostility.’

“Don’t call him Bucky to his face.”

“Wh—“ It took you a minute or two to process what he had said. “Oh, yeah. Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he told you softly. His eyes were on you, analyzing you. “Are you okay?”

“Lots of new things at once... I’m not good with...” You bit your bottom lip. “Work is driving me crazy,” you lied.

Sam pensively hummed and you knew he wouldn’t touch the subject again. He probably knew you were lying, and he’d surely tell Bucky, but what could you do?

Well, you left Brooklyn in a hurry. Your bags had been made for days when the date finally arrived. Relief washed over you the moment you stepped into that plane.

Bucky’s feelings worried you, that was true, but you felt out of place in his and Sam’s apartment. They had been welcoming and kind, and the fact that they weren’t the problem stung.

As a teen you fantasized with everything you would do and say when you found your dad, but adulthood had crashed onto you in a giant wave. It washed away the naive illusion of one day having a normal life; a family.

You called him as soon as you got to your apartment. “Just wanted to let you know I made it safely.”

“That’s good to hear.” The line shuffled. “How’s the weather?”

“Fine, I think?”

“Sunny?”

“Kinda cloudy. It’s drizzling.”

“Ah.”

“Hey, I— I gotta go. I’ll call you soon, yeah?”

Bucky craned his neck as he looked up to the ceiling. “Yeah. Take care.”

You hung up immediately.

“What am I doing wrong?” Bucky asked out loud.

Sam threw his arm over Bucky’s shoulders. “Nothing. Just give her time.”

“We should get her a job here,” Bucky suggested. “Maybe that way she’ll move closer to us.”

Joaquín shook his head. “That’s not a good idea.”

“I forgot you’re an expert on her,” Bucky bitterly said.

Joaquín turned to look at Sam. His friend didn’t help him out and instead said, “You could ask her first.”

“Should I?” Bucky asked Joaquín.

Shrugging, Joaquín stood up from his seat and took his jacket. “I think we all know the answer she’ll give.”

“If you had told me where she was when we met—“

“I didn’t know you were her dad,” Joaquín snapped. He looked down, frustrated with himself for letting Bucky get to him when it wasn’t his fault either.

“You dated her.”

“Look, she didn’t tell me who her dad was. I just knew she was looking for him.”

Bucky was left speechless. Joaquín put his jacket on and walked towards the door.

“Joaquín...”

“Not now, Sam.” He pulled the door open and left the apartment without any other comment.

Joaquín walked down the street, aimless. He should’ve called — he could’ve called you right now in fact. But what could he say? He didn’t even know why it hurt this bad.

The next time he heard about you was a couple months later. Sam and him were on a quick mission and Sam felt the need to give him updates about the family dynamic.

“She doesn’t want to meet Sarah and the kids,” Sam ominously said.

“I understand Bucky and you want to have a good relationship with her,” Joaquín assured him, “but I don’t get why you come to me for advice when we’re not together anymore for a reason.”

“Because you know her and we don’t.”

“She doesn’t cope well with change.”

”Is there any way to convince her?”

Joaquín had asked himself the same question. Many times, in many places. The conclusion was always the same. “No.”

════════════════════════

Walking up the stairs with produce bags was part of your weekly routine. The elevator rarely worked and you didn’t trust using it when it did.

It was early. The market had been almost empty when you arrived — you had to wait for a few people to set up their products before buying.

Early mornings and all-nighters were your norm. You couldn’t remember the last time you slept in.

That was a lie. You could, you just chose to ignore it had happened. Everything always went back to a time you weren’t sure you would ever get over, and at the point you were in your life, you would rather ignore your past altogether.

As you reached your floor, you tried to remember if you had bought lemons or limes. Oh, well, you’d make do. Now you just needed to buy cat food and you’d be set for the week.

You had just unlocked your door when you heard a voice behind you.

“For a second there I thought you were out of town again.”

“Nah, I just really wanted some fresh fruit.”

Ben hummed. “Wanna hang out for a while?”

You considered it for a moment; you wanted to say no. Yet you gave in. “Yeah, why not?”

You let him in first. Ben avoided knocking the bags you had placed on the floor in order to open the door and stood in the living room, eyes on the plant near the window.

“Make yourself comfortable,” you told him as you carried your bags into the kitchen.

He remained in the same spot until you came back. His blue eyes focused on you as you awkwardly stood in front of him.

Ben leaned in, hands ghosting your sides.

You placed both palms on his chest and pushed him off you. “We said it wouldn’t happen again.”

“Right...”

Whoever was at the door saved you from an uncomfortable conversation by knocking with urgency.

Ben frowned. “You didn’t tell me you were expecting somebody.”

“I’m not.”

The moment you opened the door, you realized something was terribly wrong. Sam hadn’t visited you since the day you met him although he and Bucky called often.

He went directly to the point, “I need your help. It’s important.”

You nodded, letting Sam in. “I’ll talk to you later, Ben,” you said, hand on the door handle as you waited for him to leave the apartment.

You saw him glare at you, but Sam’s presence was enough for him to keep his complaints to himself.

Sam sat down on the couch, watching you as you hesitated on whether to sit down or walk into the kitchen.

“Want some water?” you offered.

“Sure.”

“Ice?”

“No, thank you.”

You filled your glass with crushed ice and a little bit of water and carried both glasses towards the coffee table.

With your glass between both hands, you asked, “What’s up?”

Sam didn’t look at you as he said, “It’s about Joaquín.”

“I—“

“Listen, I don’t know what happened between you two and I don’t care.” Sam made a pause, allowing you to munch on ice. “I haven’t seen him in two weeks, I can’t find him anywhere.”

You cleared your throat, fighting a cough. “And what do you want me to do? I don’t even know where he lives.”

Sam took a gulp of water, not knowing what to expect. “You said you weren’t trained. Your file says otherwise.”

“I never said that.”

You had been careful when you answer that particular question. You hadn’t been enough for Hydra, but that didn’t mean they didn’t break you first.

“Why did Viper spare you?”

You bit the inside of your bottom lip. It was more than complicated — you didn’t even remember much from that day. “I don’t know,” you answered honestly. “She beat me up and the next thing I knew, Kraken was taking me to my first foster family.”

“So you haven’t had any contact with her ever since?”

“No—“ You made a face. “Well... I think she sent me the first lead to find Bucky. The actual file that said he was my dad.”

Sam placed his glass back onto the table. “She’s been on and off in Vegas for a while.”

“You think she did something to him,” you asserted.

“Wouldn’t be the first time.”

You clenched your jaw. “How can I help?”

“Telling me the truth.” He became extremely serious as he added, “I know you have contact with Seraph.”

You squeezed your eyes shut. You didn’t care about Seraph, but the girls under her wing had suffered enough already. “I can’t tell you anything about her, Sam.”

“I won’t tell anyone,” he promised. “Look, (Name), I already talked to Zemo and he doesn’t know anything.”

“Why can’t somebody from the Air Force find her? Or him?!” you defensively asked.

Sam scoffed. “Just how much you know about him?”

“Last thing I knew he was choosing The Air Force over me.”

You poured ice into your mouth. Barely able to close it, you let a few little chunks melt before you started munching again.

“We don’t have time for this,” Sam lamented, “Joaquín’s life might be on the line.”

You shook the glass in your grasp. “I can link you up with one of her angels. That’s it.”

Sam nodded, pulling his phone out. “Give me her info.”

“No, no.” You put your glass down. “We go to Madripoor and the contact is made there.”

“I’m not taking you to Madripoor. Are you insane?”

“Probably.”

“Your dad would kill me!”

You shrugged. “Don’t tell him.”

“I can’t ruin my relationship like that.”

“Sam...” You whined when he shook his head. Almost pouting, you stared directly at him. “Please.”

“No, that face won’t work on me.”

“I’ll explain things to Bucky.”

“Oh, you will. You are taking a flight to New York in...” He checked the time. “In two hours and telling him to his face that you still have contact with Hydra.”

“I’m not a child.”

“That’s exactly why you’re telling him. Adults don’t hide shit like that!”

“You don’t get it.”

“And I never will. Besides, you owe this to us for the stress you’ve given your dad and for refusing to meet my sister and nephews.”

He was right.

You pushed yourself off the chair. “How light should I pack?”

Sam made a face, twisting his mouth. “I don’t know. Pack like you did last time just to be safe.”

Well, you had twenty minutes to pack. And to struggle with putting Fatatita in her cage.

“Hey,” you called for him from your bedroom’s doorframe. “Would you do me a favor?”

“Depends.”

“I bought produce that could go bad. Can you give it out? Everything’s on the counter.”

His face softened. “Of course.”

Your cat wasn’t too happy with being trapped in a carrier, much less with once again putting up with children in the plane.

So there you were, uncomfortable against the window with a whiny cat. You hated window seats and although planes were fine, you were sick of them.

Bucky picked you up at the airport without a word. He helped you with your luggage while you freed Fatatita from the carrier.

She snuggled up on your lap once you were in the car, but Bucky didn’t start the engine.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he softly asked.

You would’ve preferred that he yelled at you. Maybe he would once you explained yourself.

“My plan was to join The Angels.”

He didn’t yell. “What?”

“I was lonely.”

“You have a cat. You could’ve gotten another one or something. Anything that wasn’t that.”

“Yeah, and I love Fatatita,” you said indignantly as you massaged her head, “but she can’t talk or hug me back.”

You loved her snuggles, she was a sweet cat and you wouldn’t have survived the last six years without her. But she wasn’t human.

Painfully, you added, “I feel like I don’t belong here. You have Sam and his family already, you have a home...”

”We’ve invited you to join.”

You didn’t fit in with Bucky or with Sam, much less with Sam’s family — they sounded like nice people, but if Sarah was half as intuitive as Sam, she would be able to tell you were uncomfortable and you didn’t want to offend anybody.

You hated being alone and yet every path you took seemed to lead to loneliness. Maybe it was time to accept you had idealized your dad and he couldn’t live up to the standard.

Or maybe that wasn’t the issue, maybe you were as a whole. Living with it was your only option.

“It’s not that easy.”

“Nothing is.”

Yeah, nothing was easy, but this thing particularly was kicking your ass.

════════════════════════

Things between you and Bucky were tense. He took great offense after you confessed you had considered going back to Seraph so he barely spoke to you.

You had only heard updates about Joaquín — or better said, the lack of updates about him.

Focusing on work or anything that wasn’t the phone on the table next to the couch was practically impossible.

Sam’s call eventually came through. He said Joaquín was alive which wasn’t relieving for either you or Bucky.

You wanted to hear that he was safe and sound. Alive was good, but not enough. Not when you knew exactly the type of things Ophelia was capable of.

“Bring a jacket,” Bucky told you. He couldn’t hide how mad he was — his voice was rough.

You silently complied, making sure to leave water for Fatatita.

On your way to the hospital, you tried to find something to say. The silence was unbearable, but you couldn’t help but think you would be a bigger nuisance.

Bucky pulled into the vast parking lot and found a good parking spot in no time.

You didn’t want to go there. Your mind had already run wild and the things you could encounter terrified you.

Fear seemed like a distant experience from a naive child. You hadn’t been raised like this.

But you hadn’t been raised to love anybody and yet you were, so full of love you would have rather died.

“I’ll wait here.”

Bucky rolled his eyes and stretched his arm to open the passenger door. “You are not staying here.”

Huffing, you got out of the car and waited for him to do the same. You slammed the door closed and he glared at you.

You immediately regretted listening to Bucky and coming to the stupid hospital. What were you even doing there? What would you fix?

Joaquín looked like shit. You could feel each hit as your eyes analyzed his bruised face. To make it worse, his left arm was wrapped and immobilized. You didn’t want confirmation he had more injuries — you didn’t need it.

“What did you find?” Bucky asked calmly.

Joaquín struggled to speak. “They’ve been doing experiments on people. Kids included.”

“And you didn’t think of telling anybody in case you needed backup?”

Bucky called your name sternly, warning you to shut up.

“No. He deserves it. They could’ve fucking killed him!”

Joaquín stammered. Of course he didn’t have a good answer. Of course he had to worry you sick even years later.

You felt actually sick to your stomach. Regret and anger often came hand in hand, but they had never made you feel like this.

“Let’s go outside,” Bucky commanded. “You need air.”

He pushed you out of the room and all along the hallway. People looked at you weirdly, surely wondering why you were being rushed out of the hospital.

If air had filled your lungs, you didn’t feel it. Stripping yourself off your jacket, you looked up at the sky. Why did you have to react like that?

Showing you cared never brought you anything positive. When you didn’t put people in danger, you ruined your relationships. And now you were just acting like an emotional idiot over nothing.

You punched the wall out of frustration.

It was not nothing.

“Hey, hey, hey.” Bucky moved you away from the wall and further into the open-air parking lot. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.” His arm was tight around your shoulders.

“I just— I can’t believe him, dad! He’s always been this careless.”

Bucky became frozen.

“I know I’m being too emotional and I shouldn’t, I’m sorr—“

“Don’t.” Bucky tightened his grip on you. “Let it out, it’s okay. I’m here.” His voice broke. “Dad’s here.”

You hid your face in his jacket, for the first time in your life crying on your dad’s shoulder as he steadied you.

════════════════════════

You had to admit you missed the bus. New York wasn’t what people painted it as, much less the romanticized version your dad had presented you.

Either way, you were already there and you didn’t plan on moving out any time soon.

You were careful to not shake the reusable bag in your grasp too much. Bucky had never tasted your cookies and you would change that in a few minutes.

Memorizing the path towards the apartment was easy. Sam had given you a few tips so you wouldn’t have to call him all panicked because you were lost again. Luckily, he had gotten over it already.

Sarah was already at Sam’s and Bucky’s when you arrived. Apologizing for being late, you placed the homemade cookies you had brought on the table.

Sitting between Sam and Bucky, you asked Sarah, “You didn’t bring the kids?”

“Joaquín took them out for ice cream so we could talk about adult stuff,” she easily explained.

You glowered at Sam who had just served you a glass of lemonade.

“You’ve avoided him for too long,” he said.

“And you know exactly why.”

“I’ve heard both versions.”

You shook your head, knowing you wouldn’t win this argument. Sarah lifted her eyebrows.

“She’s as stubborn as her dad,” Sam told his sister.

“If I remember correctly, you used to refuse to admit you liked Bucky,” Sarah shot back.

“Don’t take her side!”

“No, no, Sarah, tell me more,” you encouraged her. “This is great material.”

She laughed, so did Bucky and eventually, Sam joined in.

The day you met Sarah had been bittersweet. She hadn’t held grudges against you for refusing to meet her and her children earlier and they welcomed you the same way they welcomed Bucky.

In contrast, you did hold that grudge against yourself. Yes, you hadn’t been ready to meet more people and were scared of not fitting in, but it wasn’t their fault.

The kids won you over the second you met them and the rest was history.

You tried to avoid glancing at the door when you heard the key sliding in, but you betrayed your pride and gazed at Joaquín the moment the door opened.

His face wasn’t bruised anymore and his hair was longer. He looked good, but that was to be expected.

You stood up to greet AJ and Cass, hugging them both. Joaquín smiled yet didn’t say anything.

As he parted from you, AJ asked, “You didn’t bring your cat today?”

“She’s at the apartment, probably asleep or enjoying her new cat tower.”

“You finally bought one!” Cass had given you the idea when you mentioned you wanted to find something for Fatatita to entertain herself. “She must be so happy.”

“Yup. Wanna see it? I’ve taken hundreds of photos.”

Both kids nodded. You unlocked your cellphone and patiently showed them the photos. The living room hadn’t been ideal for the cat tower so you put it in your office.

The problem, truly, was that the office was almost empty and you hated the color on the walls, but you hadn’t gotten around to buy paint.

Fatatita looked adorable in her cat tower, though. She would sometimes jump to the desk and lay on it, demanding attention. You never died her.

“You’ll get to see it in person soon,” you promised AJ and Cass.

Both kids were happy with such promise. They ran towards their mom, leaving you facing Joaquín. Once again, you couldn’t not stare at him.

“You look great,” he told you.

“Thanks.” You could’ve said he looked great too, but you didn’t want to make it awkward. “It’s good to see your arm isn’t broken anymore.”

He let out a small laugh. “Yeah...”

“I— Uhmm... I brought cookies.”

His face lit up. “I haven’t had one of your cookies in ages.”

You extended a hand in a welcoming gesture. “Help yourself.”

He didn’t move immediately and in consequence, neither did you. What ifs didn’t matter anymore, they didn’t even hurt that much — you just genuinely wished you could interact with him without feeling like you were crossing a line.

You used to be able to communicate without words, to know what he needed just by gazing at him from across the room. Joaquín would read your body language perfectly every single time and never once failed to respect your boundaries.

Not even the godforsaken evening he left.

Would the two of you ever be able to go back to what it was? You didn’t care if he still loved you — he probably didn’t. You wanted your best friend back.

“Anybody want anything from the kitchen?” Joaquín asked.

“Beer, please,” Sam replied.

Sitting back down, you drummed your fingers against your lemonade glass with no particular rhythm. You were being silly, there was no reason for you to be nervous.

Joaquín handed Sam his beer. He then stood behind you.

“Here.” He placed a glass full of ice in front of you. Crushed ice.

Okay, maybe there was a reason for you to be nervous. Something you hadn’t been on your first date or even the day you met him.

“Thank you,” you mumbled.

Bucky kissed the side of your head. You leaned into your dad’s warmth, letting the others speak. You were getting better at joining into their conversations, but this time you simply couldn’t focus.

His eyes were on you and yours would’ve been on him if you weren’t resting your head on Bucky’s shoulder.

You used to fantasize about something like this. A family afternoon, Joaquín and your dad getting along...

You lifted your head off Bucky’s shoulder and sighed. “I should get going. I’m still getting used to the subway.”

“Want me to drive you a little bit later?” Bucky offered. “I don’t get drunk.”

“I can drive her if she wants,” Joaquín said.

Bucky looked at him then nodded. “If she wants.”

The answer should’ve been no, but a little indulgence never hurt anyone. “Sure.”

So you stayed until Joaquín had to leave. Sam’s eyes lingered on you as you said your goodbyes — his hug was tight, an attempt to remind you things would be okay.

Bucky hugged you even tighter, almost lifting you off the floor. “Don’t be so hard on yourself,” he whispered in your ear before parting from you. Your dad kissed your forehead before watching you go.

It wasn’t the first time Sam or Bucky tried to encourage you to talk to Joaquín. You weren’t dumb, you knew he had offered to drive you because he wanted to say something.

Had they planned it all out? You hoped they hadn’t.

The night sky was clear, perfect for a long walk. Although long walks in New York were different, they were a good vehicle to get used to the environment which your therapist would’ve loved for you to do. Oh, well, another night it would be.

════════════════════════

“You can drop me at the subway station.”

“It’s okay if you don’t want me to know where you live, but I offered to drive you home.”

Home. It still felt like a dirty word. He didn’t say it to mock you, there was no malice in his voice. Once again, you were the problem.

You gave him the address, explaining the directions Sam had given you to not get lost. Joaquín only hummed in acknowledgment.

After a mostly silent drive, you weren’t sure your assumptions from earlier had been correct. Maybe he was just trying to be nice and your brain had played you.

It was probably for the best in the general scheme of things, but you had to admit you were disappointed.

He stopped the car in front of the building. Neither of you attempted to move.

“Can we talk?”

You nodded. “Here? In the car, I mean.”

“Wherever you feel comfortable.”

You both knew where things could go if you dared to invite him in. But you still did.

The elevator was thankfully empty. The space between your bodies almost disgusted you. The last time you had been in an empty elevator with him, neither of you had been able to take your hands off each other.

Turning the lights on, you apologized, “Sorry for the mess. I have a lot of things to organize still.”

You walked towards the couch and picked the box you had left there up. Something moved inside.

A hiss let you know Fatatita was inside the box. You reached in and held her between your arm and your chest.

You put the box on top of the other boxes stacked up against the wall. And motioned for Joaquín to get comfortable.

Fatatita shifted in your grasp so you slowly put her down onto the floor. The cat ran towards the kitchen.

You tried not to stare at Joaquín. The more you did, the more you wanted to bury your fingers in his curls.

“Sam told me what you did,” he quietly told you.

“It’s nothing.”

“You had to move because of me.”

“It was bound to happen,” you said simply as though it hadn’t been one of the hardest decisions you had ever had to make.

He looked down. You hoped he was thinking the same thing you were. ’It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.’

“I’m sorry for not telling you who my dad was.”

“I’m not going to say it didn’t hurt, or that I get why you did it,” he admitted, “but I hope you know I would have dropped everything to help you find him.”

“I know,” you assured him quickly. “That’s why I never said yes, it wouldn’t have been fair.”

“What do you mean?”

“You wanted to join The Air Force more than anything. Your eyes would lit up when you talked about it and I didn’t have the heart to pull you away from your dream.” You let out a small sigh, perfectly picturing him, so hopeful and excited. “And I wanted to, I really did, but you deserved better.”

“But you were part of that dream.”

“You know how much I’ve always hated not having a home, but you still wanted me to move every few years.” It was never going to work, no matter how desperately you wanted it to.

“So I wasn’t enough?” He masochistically peered up.

“Wha— who said that? Why are you putting words in my mouth?”

“Because you would have moved every few years with me. I was only going to leave when deployed. I had all of it planned. We would get married eventually so you’d live with me at the base and...” he trailed off.

Whether he was trying to spare your feelings or to find the right words was irrelevant. You stayed silent, in part because you didn’t know what to do but mostly because you knew him well and were sure he wanted to finish his comment.

“I thought waiting for you was proof that I was serious about us. I asked you to move with me. WITH me, not for me.”

You sat down too. You didn’t need him to remind you or to make emphasis on his words — you had understood what he wanted from the beginning; you wanted the same for the most part, but not like that.

Compromising would’ve been good. Healthy. You wouldn’t be in this mess now. But comprising entailed a specific kind of vulnerability you were afraid you would never recover from.

And you lost Joaquín because of that.

“I was scared and I already said sorry. What else do you want me to do?”

He twisted to face you. “Don’t get defensive, we’re just talking.”

“I just...” You wanted to say a lot of things. If you had drunk alcohol you would’ve let them all out at once and finally, the nuisance from the pills was paying off. “I don’t want you to hate me. That’s all.”

“You can’t possibly think I hate you.”

You shrugged. “I sorta resented you for a while.”

“How did you get over it?”

Lying would have been so easy, but you couldn’t when he was implying you had gotten over him. There had been other people in your life after him and you had ruined those relationships too, but none of them hurt like this.

“I didn’t.”

He sat there, unmoving as he stared at you as if he was waiting for you to tell him it was a joke.

“Fuck,” he murmured.

“Please don’t make it awkward,” you begged him. “We can forget this conversation happened. You will go back to Vegas and I will stay here, it’s okay.”

Everything would be okay. This was just the closure your therapist said you needed.

Joaquín broke it to you, “I live here.”

Speechless, you felt your blood drop to your feet. Deep breaths and counting to ten were as effective as ever and at the same time didn’t cut it. Only you had this luck.

“Sam didn’t tell you I’m Falcon now?”

Now Sam’s and Bucky’s attitude made complete sense.

“He forgot that small detail.” As you recovered your ability to speak, you stressed, “The offer stands. We can forget this conversation happened.”

“I don’t want to forget about it.”

“We can’t do this, Joaquín. Not again — last time was hard enough.”

He enthusiastically nodded. “But I’m not going anywhere this time.” Seeing your apprehension, he added, “As much as I want to, I’m not asking you to immediately get back with me.”

“What are you asking for, then?”

“Another chance? A fresh start? I don’t know. I miss you and I want to be with you, but I’m not going to force you.”

“It’s not that you would be forcing me,” you clarified, “I miss you too, a lot. And the excuses I could give you are minimal, maybe a little petty...” He huffed a laugh. You continued, finally explaining yourself, “I’m scared we won’t really get past what happened.”

Joaquín placed his warm hand on your shoulder. “I’ve already forgiven you.”

You rested your hands on his shoulders, blinking rapidly. Sliding your hands to his back, you hugged him.

His free arm snaked your waist. Joaquín hid his face in your neck, moving his hand to the back of your head.

He shifted to kneel on the couch, making you lightly part from him. Your eyes met and you pulled him closer again before he would say anything.

Joaquín bit his bottom lip. “Can I kiss you?”

You kissed him first, tired of pretending you hadn’t been waiting for this since the day he left.

He softly kissed you back, bringing a hand to your face as he cupped your cheek. You relished in his warmth and gentleness, leaning into his touch and consequently kissing him harder.

Removing his arm from around you, he placed his hand on your belly and lightly pushed you onto your back. You ended up in an awkward position, yet you couldn’t bring yourself to care.

He hovered over you, fingers caressing your sides as he continued kissing you. You tangled your fingers in his curls as he deepened the kiss.

You rendered each other breathless, touch growing looser as both of you panted.

“So much for not rushing in,” you breathlessly joked against his mouth.

“Am I making you feel uncomfortable?” he panted.

“No, don’t worry.”

He hummed, leaving a small kiss on your jaw before dragging his lips to your neck.

“Although...” He immediately stopped. You chuckled. “My back hurts.”

Joaquín moved off you, standing up and offering his hand to you to help you sit up.

Instead, you stood up altogether and took his hand. He didn’t say no, he let you take him to your room.

You sat on the bed, tugging on his hand.

“Come here,” you needily said.

Joaquín happily complied, leaning in to kiss you again.

When you woke up the next morning, he was sound asleep next to you.

#joaquin torres x reader #joaquin torres x plus size reader #joaquin torres

82 notes · View notes