#So Others May Live|ParaRescue | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kinsey3furry300 · 3 years

Text

So how the heck do the Avengers pay for stuff, and how rich are they?

So, in the wake of “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” There’s a lot of debate about why Sam didn’t seem to get paid well for his work in the Avengers (at least in the MCU continuity), and this has got me thinking: we’ve got no evidence that the Avengers are, financially, anything but a hot mess. So lets break it down, Avenger by Avenger, using real-world pay scales for the ones who have jobs.

Tony: a billionaire, so clearly he’s a financial genius, right? Well….. his actions say otherwise. He’s shown to be wildly irresponsible with his money. He inherited a lot of wealth form his parents which was managed by the first Jarvis, Obadiah, and Pepper for him, he buys and then gives away not just woks of art, but entire collections by major 20th century artists on a whim, destroyed his own cars and home without concern, he tanks the value of his own company in the first Iron Man with a bad press interview, gets kicked of his own bord of directors, and ultimately, in Iron Man 2, gives control of his company to Pepper. He’s insanely rich, and insanely smart, but man, he’s not smart with his money. So all the cool stuff, his suits, the Avengers tower, the facility up-state: that’s all paid for by him, but Pepper is holding the purse-stings. So, does he pay the others? We have no evidence for most of them… but we do with Spidey. Peter Parker is in the Stark Internship Program a euphemism to hide the fact he’s training and mentoring him as a super-hero, but I find the wording interesting: he refers to Spidey, his surrogate son and chosen heir, as an intern. I.E., Unpaid. I’m guessing this is Howard’s influence over him, some sort of ‘make you own way in the world, son’ attitude, but if he’s not paying Spidey, is he paying anyone else? He certainly pays for stuff super heroes suits and things, equipment, fuel, the base, but does he pay anyone a wage? No one ever mentions it. You think it would come up.

So, if he’s not paying them a wage, where do Avengers (and thier allies) get their day-to-day money from, and are they rich? Using google and https://www.federalpay.org, lets find out.

Cap: Well, before Civil war, he’s a shield operative, and he presumably still holds his military rank: he’s a US Army captain, with (well) over 40 years service, so USD$88,142.40 per year, with $237.71 drill pay (pay per drill you have to do on weekends, on leave or outside of normal service) and $175.00 per month hazard pay (which I bet is interesting) on top of that. As a WW2 veteran, he’d be eligible for a war pension if he:

Was not discharged for dishonorable reasons; and,

Served 90 days of active military duty; and,

Served at least one day during wartime ("wartime" as determined by the VA); and,

Had countable family income below a certain yearly limit; and,

Is age 65 years or older; or

Regardless of age is permanently disabled, not due to wilful misconduct.

As he’s still receiving 90k per year, he’s ineligible for a pension as his countable yearly income is above the limit. So if shield pays him in accordance with his rank and years of service, about $90, 600 per year incuding hazard pay.

After civil war, he’s a fugitive on the run, so presumably flat broke. I’d asume he gets his pension returened to him after the snap.

He’s also just gone from the 40’s to the present day, so 70 years of inflation probably makes buying things very confusing for him: everything would seem insanely expensive at first. He’d also not know what the correct prices are for anything invented after 45. You might get used to how much more expensive food and coffee is, but how much is a smart-phone worth? $200? $2000 $20000? Who knows? I bet the others have to facepalm a lot when he either refuses to pay for what he sees as clear price-gouging, and at the same time regularly pays insane amounts of money for goods and services because he doesn’t know better. He also has no known assets other than his pay: he rents an apartment making him one of the few American males in his age-group who isn’t a home-owner

Thor: Does Asgard even have currency? It’s depicted like a “Crystal spires and toga” type utopia with no poverty: even working class Asgardian’s like Scourge seem to be pretty well-off and want for nothing, so he’s from a post-scarcity society where actual magic is a thing. His “Another” coffee cup smashing and the fact he doesn’t have a computer of phone in Ragnarök might indicate that, no, he just doesn’t have, need or understand money. Splitting a bar tab with him must be a nightmare. His breakdown post snap indicates he’s got some cash, but not a huge amount, and is probably skiving of Valkyrie and the other Asgardians.

Banner: Okay, so a PhD could make you a lot of money from patents… in pharmacology or engineering. Theoretical physics? Not so good. And if Banner did have any patents, they’ve probably been seized under eminent domain by the US military. At the start of The Hulk film, he’s working a entry-level factory job at a botteling plant in Brazil. The minimum wage in Brazil is 1069.62 Real per month, that’s 12,835.44 Real per year, or around $2437.79 US per year, before everything goes wrong for him! He then runs off to India, works for Tony for a bit and then gets shot into space. Spidey may actually make more in allowance than Banner does, and Banner is a gown ass man with bills to pay: I’d imagine he loses a lot in ripped clothing.

Natasha and Barton: Pre Civil-war, both are government spooks, so how well does that pay? The salaries of CIA Intelligence Analysts based in the US range from $25,838 to $685,701 , with a median salary of $125,340, so let’s assume that Shield pays in a similar range: $685,701 per year for Director Fury, around 125,000 for Natasha and Cliff, which explains Cliff’s nice, middle-class mid-western home. Post civil war, presumably not great: we know that Natasha spends a lot of her savings running and hiding all across the world, and Cliff takes a deal and presumably lives of his savings, pension and his wife’s income.

Rhodes: Full USAF colonel with over 10 years service? $105,562.80 per year, plus $293.23 drill pay per drill and $175 per month hazard pay, and because he’s team Stark and not Team Cap in Civil War, he’d not lose any of that. He presumably also gets an injury pay-out after his accident. After T’challa and Stark, he might be the best paid avenger.

Dr Strange: spends all his money he made as a surgeon on trying to cure his hands: spends literally his last dollars heading to Nepal to train. Wong even jokes with him about their lack of worldly money when asking for a tuna-melt. But, can use illusion to make people think he has money, and his home and clothes etc. come with the job, so in the same boat as Thor in that he has no money, but needs none AKA, he’s a bastard to try and split a restaurant bill with.

Wanda and Vision: No know source of income, just sort of live in Tony’s hose and eat his food, and on top of that Wanda goes on the run after civil war… yet they can stay in fancy hotels in Edinburgh, a relatively expensive city, and Vison apparently bought them a house to retire in, so one of them has some source of money. Maybe Tony gave Vision years of back-pay form when he was still Jarvis, or maybe the vison has a day job, which is, frankly, hilarious. Could you imagine him as a barista? I can, and it makes me very happy.

Scott Lang: I’d assumed he’d be super, super broke, but apparently the average pay for a private security consultant in the Bay area is $85,430 per year. Not bad. Pity he gets sucked into the quantum realm just as his business is taking off, so presumably, flat broke again.

Bucky: no known income, and I doubt Hydra paid him for being the Winter Soldier so he probably has no savings, but he should, technically, qualify for a military pension. As a single veteran, he’d be eligible for federal tax-free pension of up to $1732 per month, or $20,784 tax free per year. Not much for someone who lives in NYC. He may also be eligible for medical benefits over the loss of his arm. Whether or not he got to see any of that money given how confused his life has been over the past 10 years is unclear, but on paper he’s eligible.

T’challa: He is, quite possibly, richer than Stark, and as an absolute monarch pays no tax and has access to his Nation’s vast wealth in vibanium. It’s good to be the king!

Captain Marvel: USAF captain, and a test pilot; the test pilot school only accepts applicants with a service length of less than 9 years 6 months (10 years six moths of helicopters) as they don’t want older applicants. With 8 years service, $79,538.40, plus drill pay and hazard. However, no know (human) pay since 1990. Flat broke.

Guardians of the Galaxy: no data, but I’m assuming “Cowboy Bebop” levels of perpetual never-ending poverty given the way they choose to live. I’d also assume Rocket has taken all their cash into some sort of Ponzi scheme of his own creation, because just look at him, of course he has.

Spidey: he’s got about $10 of his aunts’ money at any given time, so he can buy lunch… which may in fact be more than Banner or Lang, and we know it’s more that Strange or Thor.

So, here the big one: how rich or how broke is Sam?

Sam Wilson: annoyingly, we’re not directly told what rank Sam held in any MCU film. USAF pararescue “Maroon berets” are generally NCO’s (but there’ are officer-ranked pararescue) , and he’s seen working on his wings at one point, where as officers don’t generally work on or maintain airframes. He’s shown wearing a Nation Air guard grey while jogging at one point to confuse the matter further. The general consensus on redit is he’s a former USAF tech sergeant (E-6). But how long was he in the air force? With six years service (the minimum sensible time he could have served to work in pararescue based on his age), that would be $41,464.80 per year, plus drill pay and hazard. As Anthony Mackie, the actor that plays him, was 36 as of Civil War, and assuming the character is the same age, and assuming he retired from the air force that year, and he joined the USAF at 17, the youngest you can join, he’d have served 19 years, giving him a pay of $51,566.40, the maximum pay you can get at this rank before promotion to Master Sergent, but meaning he left just before he’d qualify for the 50% final salary pension you’d qualify for after 20 years. Which seems weird. So let’s assume the character is one year older than the actor that plays him and served 20 years (ages 17-37), that means Sam has a military pension of $25,783.20 per year (20,784 of it tax-free), plus any injury benefits. He councils other veterans, but doesn’t get paid for that. He also chooses Team Cap in Civil War, so would become a wanted criminal, and so lose his income between 2016 and 2018, and then gets snapped and has no income for 5 years, which would destroy his credit rating. Like the rest of Team Cap, he presumably gets his post snap pardon, and goes to work for the US government at his former pay and rank. However, given how Captain John Walker treats him as an equal, it’s possible he’s been promoted to a captain when the hired back, giving him a pay of between $54,176.40 to $88,142.40 (with 20 years experience, depending on if they take into account his prior service or not, and how much prior service he has), but either way, he’s just starting this as a new job after being legally dead for 5 years: no savings, and no credit.

Commercial fishing vessels cost about 10% of their total value per year in maintenance alone. I can’t identify what sort of boat the Wilson’s have, but some quick googling indicates that the cheapest 15m long wooden in-shore shrimp trawler costs around $140,000, so that’s $14,000 per year in maintenance costs alone, minimum. And that’s a lower estimate, assuming the rest of the business is sound, which we know it isn’t.

So, in concussion, yes, Sam is in some serious financial trouble until he can re-build his savings and credit, but the scary bit is he’s not alone in that: he’s probably better off than Lang, Banner, Danvers, Strange, Thor, Bucky, Wanda and Parker. Only Clint (if he gets a full pardon and gets his full pension), Rhodes, Stark and T’challa aren’t in some sort of potential financial problems. That asshole bank teller was right: despite the fact it seems to pay well on paper, with a few exceptions, the Avengers financials are probibaly a mess. EDIT: Rocket is running the Ponzi scheme, if that’s not clear from context. The others know they have money somewhere, but not where it’s gone. And It’s been pointed out to me that as he’s technically a POW while he’s the Winter Soldier, Bucky is owed over 70 years back-pay, equal to over 3 million dollars, details in the notes.

176 notes · View notes

amarriageoftrueminds · 3 years

Note

I loved that post you did about Bucky and Steve's medals, and I just had to ask what medals or ribbons do you think Sam might have gotten for his time in the military

link: Steve & Bucky’s Medals

Oh thank you Anon! 😊 It’s great to see people really seem to appreciate the work!

As for Sam...

10 Things we know about Sam Wilson...

He’s a Corporal (Senior Airman)

in the USAF Pararescue

He did 2 tours in Afghanistan

He was selected for test piloting Falcon wings

He was engaged in dangerous combat flight missions

Including one mission impressive enough for Nat to’ve heard of it

Machine guns are his EDC

He’s good with people

His heroism extends into civilian/non-combat situations

His colour is red.

Medals Breakdown...

1. He’s a Corporal (Senior Airman)

Senior Airman insignia (on L bicep)

USAF Pilot Badge (rather than the CIB. If he went into space with the Avengers he might be allowed to add an astronaut device! I don’t think he’d have the drone/UAV pilot badge because I’m not sure he had Redwing then / that badge came in after he had retired.)

Parachutist Badge jump wings (with gold star)

Air Force Training ribbon

2. in the USAF Pararescue/PJ.

Maroon beret (as in blood-red, like Monty’s!)

with the silver ‘that others may live’ flash badge on it 😭

3. He did two tours in Afghanistan

Overseas Service Ribbon (short tour)

Afghanistan Campaign Medal (ACM, with bronze arrowhead devices to show combat jumps/glides)

Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with gold ‘border’

4. He was selected for testing Falcon wings

Military Freefall Parachutist Badge (as in HALO jumps, with gold star! This winged dagger badge is funny to me cuz the parachute bit looks like turkey tail feathers.) 🗡

Test Pilot School Graduate patch (on L bicep; supposed to be 48-weeks training for planes!)

5. He was engaged in dangerous combat flight missions

Purple Heart (w/ oak leaf cluster; injury is very likely for PJs)

6. Including one mission impressive enough for Nat to’ve heard of it

Aerial Achievement Medal (possibly with oak leaf cluster; 20 flights of at least 2 hours with one flight per theater per day. This medal ribbon would be interesting to Steve and Bucky, because it looks like one of the Brit D-Day ribbons!)

&/or Silver Star ⭐

7. Machine guns are his EDC

Marksmanship badge

8. He’s good with people

Gallant Unit Citation (possibly with oak leaf cluster)

Organizational Excellence Award (possibly with combat ‘v’ for valor device)

9. His heroism extends into civilian/non-combat situations

Humanitarian Service Medal (HSM) 👋🏼

Airman's Medal (for non-combat lifesaving; this one’s got a figure with Captain America/Mercury-like wings on his cap! and holding a bird! 🦅)

10. His colour is red.

Meritorious Service Medal. 🦅

What All That👆 Might Look Like:

Possible career path...

6 months USAF BCT

2 years PJ ‘Superman School’, aka ‘The Pipeline’

(this course is so tough it has an 80% attrition rate! it means training all over the US, including parachuting, EMT-Paramedic training, and combat diving; just to qualify! So he probably would’ve been okay escaping from the submerged Raft prison, and if he’d still had his wings, and Bucky hadn’t done it, Sam could’ve saved Steve from drowning in the Potomac.)

2 years Afghanistan (1st tour)

did well enough on tour, in HALO jumps and at sailplane during BCT, that he was headhunted for FALCON test-piloting at:

1 year USAF Test Pilot School

2 years Afghanistan (2nd tour - with Riley)

= 7 1⁄2 years (?) in the USAF.

In this specific scenario, he would’ve made Airman just after finishing Basic/as he was starting the Pipeline, been an Airman 1st class by the end of the Pipeline, and qualified as Senior Airman near the end of his first tour.

One reason I like this yo-yoing path of training > combat > training > combat for Sam is because it means he’d have had first-person experience of coming back from tours -- both to go into further training, and because of a traumatic experience -- which is useful for a counsellor.

*Also, going to Test Pilot School after his first tour, instead of just re-upping, hints at Sam being perhaps a little discontented with his military life already, wanting something a bit more fun, and finding that with the Falcon wings. Losing Riley would’ve soured that for him. (He and Riley might have known each other from the beginning, or only met during Test Pilot school, or only after Test Pilot school, during his last tour).

Some Medals/Ribbons/Insignia Mentioned:a

#long post #ref #sam wilson #meta #sam meta #military #medals #air force #decorations #captain america #hc #individual medals + meta on possible career path under cut #just want to emphasize: DISCLAIMER I AM NO EXPERT! this is just me thinking it out #toAyourQ #hey nonny #dat's me #UNDER CUT: possible career path ideas + what individual medals look like #which isn't to say this is ALL he could have but it's a good baseline imho if his personality is reflected in his service history... 🤷🏼‍♀️#absolute tragedy we never got to see him in his air force blues #another possibility: sam did 2 'normal' tours in afghanistan and THEN was headhunted for test pilot school #and his work with the falcon wings was treated as... not part of his tours maybe as some kind of secret off-books black ops thing??#(so he'd actually be in the USAF for longer than 7.5 years but not 'on tour' for the last part?)

95 notes · View notes

thepartyresponsible · 3 years

Text

this soundtrack fill is for kittenlzlz, who i cannot tag because it’s all sabotage all the time over here. also, i'm sorry, i didn’t realize you’d changed your prompt until after i wrote this one, so this is for the first thing you sent in.

anyway, here’s some dystopian sci-fi angst for sam and bucky with a hopeful ending. the song for this one is “achilles come down” by gang of youth.

—

When he was young, Sam spent thirty-seven weeks in New Mexico, learning how to keep people alive until evac. That others may live was a motto they preferred to operationalize rather than idealize, and, without the EMT training, pararescue tended to turn into high-risk body retrieval. So he spent the better part of a year learning how to keep a body breathing, and he learned, also, how to recognize when any effort was likely to be wasted.

Which is how he knows that what he’s looking at isn’t fully human. Because a human would already be dead.

It’s the blood that tells him, more than anything else. The Chitauri bleed a thick, dark blue substance that goes black if their cybernetics are leaking. And there’s plenty of blue and black puddled on the asphalt, but that red is a hemoglobin gift, and that means it’s all human.

“Shit, man,” Sam says, crouching next to the only human at this massacre. “You could keep a blood bank in business all by yourself.”

The man lifts his head and blinks at him, slow and a little dazed. Not dazed enough, though. He can almost focus on Sam’s face. “Not anymore,” he says, after a beat.

More blood bubbles up at the corners of his mouth. Sam can see it between his teeth.

“Yeah,” Sam says. And he laughs, because he might as well. Because he came out here with a team of ten to clean out the aliens, and it looks like one guy did their work for them. “Guess not.”

He’s a pathetic sight, really. Ragged body armor, hair clumped together, skin sticky with blood and ichor. He’s belly down on the cracked parking lot, and there’s a smear of blood behind him, showing exactly how far he’s managed to drag himself.

Sam’s not excited about what he’s going to see, when he rolls this guy over on his back.

“You gonna fight me if I help you?” he asks.

Most of them, these Enhanced, the surviving Super Soldiers, they can’t help it. Sam’s had to put a few down himself, although not for a while now. It’s been almost a year since he had to kill anything with a human face.

The man sighs. He rests his forehead against the asphalt, closes his eyes. His fingers flex and then go still. “I don’t know,” he says.

That others may live, Sam thinks. But the problem has always been that lives are balanced on both sides of the scales, and, sometimes, saving one means sacrificing another.

This man killed fifteen Chitauri, and he did it alone. There are kids back at the base. Vulnerable people.

The safest choice would be to leave him here. Let him save himself, if he can. But Sam’s never really been the safe choice type.

“Okay,” he says, hands curling around his shoulders, carefully rolling the man over on his back, “let’s see the damage.”

It’s enough to kill a human. But that’s not really what he’s dealing with.

—

The Super Soldiers were a desperation play. Sam was supposed to be one of them. The best of Earth’s fighters, dosed with serum, patched up with cybernetics based on Chitauri tech, sent out to face the enemies that had invaded the planet.

Sam’s still not sure exactly how it happened, what level of their defenses failed. He only knows failure by its consequences.

The neural implants were hacked. The soldiers turned against their people. Sam, who’d been four days out from his own procedure, was shifted to a team tasked with hunting them down and eliminating them.

These days, there aren’t many left. There’s not much of anyone left. The Chitauri fundamentally misunderstood their target. Sam could’ve warned them. The species of mutually assured destruction was never going to die quiet.

He thinks about that while the Soldier sleeps, chained to a bed in a locked basement in an abandoned building two miles from the base. Sam keeps watch. He has a radio in case anything goes wrong, but he doesn’t intend to use it for anything other than warning them what’s coming.

“I could’ve been you,” Sam tells him. And then, smiling at nothing, shaking his head, “Hell, you could’ve been me.”

He wonders where he’s from. He wonders what his name is.

He wonders, when he can’t help it, what he did. If he ever killed anyone Sam used to know.

—

The Soldier sleeps for forty hours and then sits straight up in bed, rips the chains off his wrists like they’re pipe cleaners, and then turns to face Sam. “What the hell,” he says.

“Oh, well,” Sam says, too startled to be afraid. “Didn’t want anyone stealing you.”

The Soldiers makes a face at him, an incredulous sneer that twists up his mouth and pulls his dark eyebrows together, and he looks so human, so perfectly skeptical, that Sam starts laughing.

“Well,” he says, with a shrug, “you killed fifteen aliens with a tire iron. You’re a treasure.”

“And I want it back.” he says, immediately. “Where’s my tire iron?”

“Confiscated,” Sam says.

He glares, and Sam‘s probably meant to be intimidated, but he knows – they both know – that, if this guy wanted to scare Sam, he could just start breaking bones. Or walls. “I want it back when I leave.”

“Leave,” Sam repeats. He kicks back in his chair, balances on the back legs as he swings his feet up onto the Soldier’s bed. “Why’re you leaving?”

The Soldier stares at Sam’s booted feet near his knees. “Usually it’s the fact that I’m a timebomb that chases me off,” he says, “but it looks like your manners are the real horrorshow around here.”

Sam grins at him. He’s merciless about it, uses the most charming smile in his arsenal. He expects the guy to soften a bit, but he’s not expecting the doubletake he gets, the there-and-away bounce of his stare, like Sam’s suddenly something he wants to look at but doesn’t want to get caught looking at.

Huh, he thinks.

“When’s the last time you hurt someone?” Sam asks.

The Soldier’s face crumples up and then flattens out. “What is this? Some kinda trial? An interrogation?”

“If this were an interrogation, I wouldn’t’ve given you the soft pillows,” Sam tells him.

The Soldier doesn’t look like he buys it. But, after a moment, he tips his head to the side. “Probably wouldn’t want to get blood on these white sheets,” he acknowledges.

“Christ,” Sam says, because that more or less seems to be the only thing he could possibly say to something like that.

The Soldier shrugs. He brushes his hair away from his face, blinks, and gives Sam a skeptical sideways stare. “Did you wash my hair?”

“With a firehose,” Sam confirms. “Damn near shaved the whole thing off. You were a mess, man.”

He shrugs. “It’s messy work.”

And, sure, it is. Sam knows. His base is the first resettlement outpost in this region. They’ve been clearing Chitauri out of the area for months.

But he still takes a damn shower whenever possible.

“Who were you?” Sam asks. “Before the program?”

The Soldier looks away. Looks at nothing. After a long pause, he recites, careful and rote, “Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes. 107th.”

“Okay,” Sam says. “James. When’s the last time you hurt a human being?”

He worries at his lower lip, teeth pressing into the skin. He’s quiet for a very long time. “Thirteen months, ten days,” he says, finally.

Sam considers the timeline. “You think it’s over?”

“I think the implant’s in my fucking brain,” he says. “It’ll be over at brain death.”

“It’s just a chip,” Sam says. “It’s not sentient. Someone’s gotta send the message, right?”

The Soldier’s jaw works. “Even if the aliens stay out, there’s gonna be plenty of people who want to use someone like me, as soon as they rebuild enough to manage.”

It’s a hell of thing, and it could’ve been Sam.

He nudges the Soldier’s knee with his boot, and the Soldier stares at the point of contact. He doesn’t look angry anymore. If Sam had to use a word to describe the expression on the Soldier’s face, he thinks he’d use something bittersweet and barbed, something like lonely or longing.

“Gonna be a long damn time before anyone’s rebuilt,” he says.

“Aliens could have reinforcements here at any time,” the Soldier says.

“Maybe,” Sam says, although he thinks they might’ve learned some kind of lesson. At the very least, they’ve probably learned that it’s just not worth the effort.

“Look,” Sam says. “I think you should come back to the base.”

“No,” he says. Immediate and definite, louder then he’s been so far.

Sam expected it. Maybe part of him hoped for it. “Okay,” he says. “Then we’ll stay here. And, when you’re better, I want you to take a radio. And I want you to check in with us. All right? Every day.”

The Soldier stares at him. “Why the hell would you want that?”

Sam smiles, studies the hollows of the Soldier’s face, the scars, the freckles he must’ve earned when he was young, used to play too long in the sun. He has, Sam thinks, beautiful eyes. “There’s not a lot of us left,” he says.

“‘Us,’” the Soldier repeats, scoffing audibly.

“Us,” Sam repeats. He nudges the Soldier’s knee again, and the Soldier cuts his eyes away, glares at the wall. But, a moment later, he shifts, leans his knee into Sam.

—

His name is Bucky Barnes. He’s fussy as hell, stubborn beyond belief, helpful every chance he can get, and fond of cats and songbirds. He doesn’t cheat at cards, and he doesn’t accuse Sam of it either, even when Sam beats him damn near every hand.

He’s a good man. Even now.

“I’m gonna miss you,” Sam says. Because it’s been two weeks, and Bucky’s decided he’s well enough to go.

Bucky ducks his head. “Shut up,” he says.

Sam wonders if he was always this head shy about affection.

“C’mere,” he says. “I’ll give you a goodbye kiss.”

“Shut up,” Bucky says, practically scuttling away, head still ducked. When he raises it, he’s grinning one of his ghost grins, the ones that almost show who he used to be, like a faint echo of a louder, happier man.

“Okay,” Sam says. “But if I don’t get a goodbye kiss, I’m definitely not gonna talk dirty to you on that radio. You gotta put in the work, Bucky.”

“I hate you,” Bucky tells him, and his crush couldn’t be more obvious. Sam would be embarrassed for him, if he weren’t busy being charmed.

“Yeah, yeah,” Sam says. “Check in every day, or I’m gonna track you down.”

“Hm,” Bucky says. He adjusts his pack on his shoulders. He’s got that tire iron, an alarming number of knives, and two guns. He’s setting off to kill more aliens. He’s going alone. “That supposed to be a threat?”

He was a Barnes in the Army and Sam was a Wilson in the Air Force, and so Bucky is a Super Soldier and Sam is not. It’s unpredictable, sometimes, the way mercy falls.

“Be careful out there,” Sam says, and he knocks his elbow against Bucky’s.

“Yeah,” Bucky says. He rolls his eyes and then catches Sam watching, and he blinks, falters. “Yeah,” he says, again. Softer, steadier. A promise, not a joke.

Sam considers him, lets the moment hang. Waits. Sometimes, all Bucky needs is the space and time to make up his own mind.

“I’m gonna miss you, too,” Bucky says.

“There it is,” Sam says, grinning, almost crowing in triumphant. “There--”

“Oh, Jesus,” Bucky says, rolling his eyes again, getting theatrical about it. “I already regret saying it.”

“Can’t take it back,” Sam taunts, grinning wide and smug.

“I’m going,” Bucky says, and he starts off, doesn’t look back.

“Hey, Buck,” Sam calls, when Bucky’s just about to break through the treeline, disappear into the woods. “I hate to see you go, but I love----”

“Fuck off, Sam!” Bucky says, but he’s laughing, and Sam can still hear it – surprised and happy, fully human – even after Bucky disappears.

#writing #soundtrack fills

84 notes · View notes

im-just-a-random-fandom-girl · 3 years

Text

trying to articulate my frustrations with Marvel’s treatment of female characters and characters of color

Hi, hello, hola, bonjour. I've been having a lot of thoughts about Marvel’s lack of diversity and of how they treat minority characters, so I'm taking a page out of Luisa’s (@its-tortle) book and just making a long, rambley post to get it all out.

Please bear with me while I try to encapsulate all of my frustration within the limitations of English language.

(ALSO, I'm white. I’m Spanish-American, but I do not have the ability to speak for fans of color and the other grievances they have. This post is just a combination of my own thoughts and what I've heard other people say on Tumblr, in YouTube videos, in articles etc.)

Now that we've had over week to collect ourselves after the WandaVision finale, because it was such a tearjerker and the end of a true masterpiece of a show, we really need to talk about how Marvel treats their their characters of color and female characters. I'll specifically be looking at Sam Wilson, Natasha Romanoff, and Monica Rambeau.

Let's start with Sam.

Until Monica Rambeau became Photon just a few weeks ago in WandaVision, Sam was THE ONLY Black superhero in the MCU.

He first appeared in Captain America: The Winter Soldier 7 years ago in 2014, and he's been in 4 movies since then (not counting the post-credits of Ant-Man).

Let's see what we know about Sam in the MCU:

He was a pararescue airman in the U.S. Airforce

His wing-man, Riley, died in combat, prompting him to leave active duty

He works at the VA to help other veterans adjust to civilian life

That's it. This is all we know about his backstory, separate from Captain America. However, the MCU decided to include these parts of his backstory, (and exclude others) because they make him a better supporting character to Steve.

Sam's a vet - so is Steve. They have the same, early-morning run routine that alludes to strict military training. Steve is still new to the future and hardly knows or approaches anyone, but Sam is wearing his VA sweatshirt, so there's some sense of connection, one that is furthered when they talk about their beds being too soft. Sam is someone who can understand him, aside from being a super soldier.

Riley, Sam's wingman, died in combat - Hmm, haven't heard that one befo - oh, wait. *Bucky waves from the abyss of the Alps*. Yeah.

I'm not saying that these connections are bad, in fact, I think the opposite. In terms of storyline, these connections are incredibly important for their friendship. Steve is lost and alone in the future. No one he knows cares about him for any reason other than the fact that he's a super soldier, nor can he relate to any of those people on any level. Sam just fits. He's funny and kind and although they are 60 years apart in age, he can, to some extent, understand what Steve is going through in a way they no one else can.

But for the last 7 years in the MCU, all he's been is Steve's supportive friend.

Almost immediately after meeting Steve, Sam is dragged into an end-of-the-world battle. He readily agrees to put his life on the line to fight by Captain America's side. After SHIELD falls, Sam gives up his life for 2 years to help Steve find Bucky. When they find him, Sam, without a second thought, becomes an international fugitive to protect Bucky and Steve.

I mean, he practically says that he lives in Steve's shadow himself:

"Don't look at me. I do what he does, just slower."

Who does all this? Seriously? Sam is also a recovering vet. He, in theory, has a life, a family, a job, his own mental well-being to consider, but he immediately gives it all up to help Captain America, to follow in his shadow, to be his back-up and support in every battle. Marvel wrote him as a 2D character that lacks his own identity and agency.

Sam deserves his own storyline; he deserves to exist outside the orbit of Steve Rogers.

What Mackie has been able to do with the character is astounding. He took Sam off the page and truly brought him to life, turning him into a beloved character. I'm ecstatic that both Mackie and Sam finally (hopefully) get their time to shine in TFATWS, but it should have happened WAY sooner. Marvel has continuously overlooked Mackie, despite how much he brings to the movies and despite the significance of Sam as the only Black superhero. It's just so clear that they do not care about representation.

(And let's not start with the whole "Bucky should be Captain America" thing, thanks)

Next, let's talk about Natasha.

Nat has been in the MCU for 11 years, starting with Iron Man 2 in 2010. She was heavily featured in an additional 6 MCU movies (not including small cameos/post-credit sequences). She's one of the few female superheroes in the MCU, and the only one that's been there since the beginning. Nat was the only female superhero for 4 years until Gamora appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy.

Let's see what we know about Natasha's history:

She's a former KGB operative and assassin, trained in the Red Room project

When she was a part of the Red Room, she was sterilized

Clint Barton got her out of the Red Room and converted her to a SHIELD agent

THAT'S IT. The second point is actually nauseating because this is what she says to Banner when we learn about her infertility in Age of Ultron:

"They sterilize you. It’s efficient. One less thing to worry about, the one thing that might matter more than a mission. It makes everything easier — even killing. You still think you’re the only monster on the team?"

Like, actually, what the fuck? I remember watching this scene and having to rewind because I thought I mis-heard what she said. In truth, Natasha is probably referring to the terrible things she was forced to do as a KGB operative are what make her a "monster," but why in the world would they include this anecdote here?? It's just so distasteful and disgusting! It makes it seem like her infertility is what makes her a monster, perpetuating the misogynistic belief that the center of a woman's identity and purpose is to have children.

As Vox says in this article, the subject of Nat's infertility

"rears its head sub-textually when Black Widow sacrifices herself for the Soul Stone. [...] It’s reasonable for Natasha to make the calculation that Clint’s kids deserve to have a dad when they come back to life after the Avengers complete their “time heist.” But because of that Ultron plot, there’s also an insidious implication that Natasha’s infertility renders Black Widow just a little bit more disposable than the rest of her teammates."

Furthermore, Nat's death in Endgame serves for nothing more than motivation for the other characters working in the time heist, WHICH ARE ALL MALE. Even then, the other characters talk about her death briefly (in a mostly unaffected manner), and by the end of the movie, she's been pretty much forgotten about, completely overshadowed by Tony Stark.

I don't want to say that Nat shouldn't have died in Endgame. It caused me so much heartache and emotional pain, but I truly believe it was a great way to end her arc. CinemaWins on YouTube put it best:

"She needed to save her family, Clint included, finally wiping the red from her ledger. So much of her jouney in the MCU was trying to find her purpose, figure out which side she was on, and she finally feels like she's found it, just in time to die for it.

"It's not wrong to feel cheated by her death, [but I think] she deserved this moment because of it's importance."

She says it in the movie:

"I used to have nothing, and then I got this. This family. And I was better because of it."

Nat shouldn't have to die, but it's on her terms, and she is absolutely ready for it. Saving her chosen family... that is her purpose.

But altogether, over the course of the MCU, Natasha was cheated out of getting the storyline she deserved. Like Sam, she was relegated to the position of the supportive friend of Steve, but also of Bruce and Clint. For the audience, her identity is tied to this role that she plays. The identity and motivations she has independent from these other characters, her history, is skimmed over, and treated with immense disrespect.

It took 11 years, but it is thrilling that Scarlett Johansson finally gets to be the start of her own Marvel movie. There is no way that Black Widow will be able to completely make up for her and Natasha's mistreatment by the MCU, but I hope it will at least bring us some closure and allow us to have a better understanding of Nat's history and who she is away from the other Avengers.

Last, but certainly not least (despite what WandaVision may have you believe) is Monica Rambeau.

I spoke about this last week after posting about this review of the show, but it bears repeating.

Monica is a new character. You'd hope that, after 11 years of extremely limited diversity in the MCU, much to the dismay of fans worldwide, and after recognizing this and creating a movie with a cast like The Eternals, Marvel would try to get their shit together across the board.

Nope!

Monica was seriously the token diversity character of the show. It seemed like they would give her more depth after the episode during which they flashed back to the her during and after the snap, losing her mother, and seeing a little bit of what she's done as an adult since Captain Marvel, but that ended up being the most we got.

But why? Monica literally became a SUPERHERO. She became Photon! She deserved a much greater role in the show, especially in the finale, where she instead had maybe 5 lines and just stopped some bullets for about 30 seconds.

As the review I linked says,

“There are so many black writers, fans, and critics noting how Monica got relegated to a complete lack relegated to meaningless best friend protector lacking in their own self agency and story except for making a shoehorned comparison of grief.”

Marvel made the same, bull-headed mistake that they made with Sam with Monica!

Let's do this again. Monica was snapped away for 5 years, and when she was snapped back, she learned that her mother had died. Losing someone you love and having the whole process of mourning and pain be complicated by the snap? What an interesti- oh wait. *Vision phases his head through the wall with a smile*

The only reason we got this backstory was because it made her a more sympathetic character towards Wanda. Her understanding of what Wanda is going through allows her to be the catalyst in the creation of the ideological fork in the road between herself, Darcy and Woo, who see Wanda as a victim of grief and loss, and Hayward and the rest of SHIELD, who see her as a dangerous threat.

How do you make the same, major mistake that you've been making for the past 7 years again? Guess what? You don't! Maybe it's not intentional, but Marvel, again, clearly doesn’t care enough about their characters of color to consider the roles they relegate them to in the MCU, realize what they've been doing is harmful, and then change it.

Hopefully, they will not continue to treat Monica this way and will remedy this in the next Captain Marvel.

In conclusion: MARVEL GAVE A FUCKING ROBOT AN ACTUAL ORIGIN STORY, A RELATIONSHIP AND MORE INDEPENDENCE THAN ALL OF THESE CHARACTERS.

But in all seriousness, Marvel needs to be help accountable for how they treat women and their characters of color in the MCU. I just looked at 3, but you could also make a similar argument about Rhodey, Hope van Dyne and Valkyrie, as well as Jane Foster, MJ, and Ned, although they are supporting characters and not superheroes. And I'm sure there are many others. Marvel (and Disney!!) has had an awful track-record, and change is long overdue.

#fuck marvel #fuck disney #sexism and racism in marvel #minorities in minor roles #thank you for coming to my TED talk #discussion #fatws #wandavision #sam wilson #natasha romanoff #black widow #monica rambeau

34 notes · View notes

drstrangefictions · 4 years

Text

One-Shot

Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Word Count: 3,995

Spoilers: Not that I know of?

Warnings: Changed a little bit of certain scenes for story purposes. Some Anti-Steve, Pro-Tony propaganda lmao. Mention of Tony’s funeral. OOC Bucky. Absolute trash. Make your own assumptions about readers life kinda thing lmao.

“So, we’re supposed to trust him? Just like that?” Sam stood between her and Steve, eyeing Bucky. “Because Steve –.”

She shrugged, cutting Sam off. She wasn’t really interested in hearing the rest of what he had to say. “Steve’s the one you need to complain to, not me. Besides, I’m not even here for Steve. You are.”

Sam looked at her, he was under the impression she was here for the same reason he was, it seemed now that he was wrong. “What does that mean?”

She put her hands in the pocket of her pullover hoodie and kept her eyes forward. “Sorry to break it to you, but my loyalties lie with Stark. He is reasonably upset, for a lack of a better word, with Steve and his decisions and beliefs. I’m not here to agree with Steve, “oh boo-hoo the Sokovia Accords! Wah!” I signed them.” She scoffed, glancing at Sam. “I’m here for the former Sergeant Barnes and I’m here for you.”

Sam took a step back, visibly shocked. He glanced at Steve, who wasn’t giving them so much as a passing glance, but it was apparent he was listening to her. Steve carried on with his business off to the side, pretending he wasn’t the impacted by her words. Sam then glanced at Bucky, who was looking at them as they spoke. Bucky looked as though he was trying to understand them, specifically her and her reasonings for doing things. He wounded her and she still aided Steve in finding him. She had found him moments before Steve to warn him about what was to come and insulted the not-so-safe safe-house. She had successfully confused him. She didn’t seem to care that they could hear her speak either. It was almost as if she wasn’t trying to hide it, Bucky wasn’t entirely sure if that was her intention.

Sam pointed at Bucky. “Him? They guy that tried to kill us?” He looked at her, with his eyebrows raised.

“Meh, I wouldn’t say tried, more like failed to.” She watched a vehicle pull up. “But… yes, Sam. Him. Not Steve and his self-righteous morals. This is the god damn 21st century, this is not a war against Germany or a society you should be conforming to. This is – excuse my language, Rogers – fuckin’ stupid.” She looked past Sam to watch Steve’s reaction.

Steve glanced at her, partially amused and partially sick of the running joke. “Still not living it down I see.” He muttered to himself. He approached Clint, Wanda, and Scott who emerged from the vehicle.

She took her hands out of her pocket and slipped out of her pullover. “It really is stupid and there are not enough words in any existing and dead language to describe it. Swearing like a sailor doesn’t even help! I’m not here for Steve. I won’t keep it to myself anymore, he is self-righteous. Everything he does may be fine back in the ‘40s where he comes from and thinks he still lives, but not here, not now. Not in the 21st century. I’m here for you, Sam. A pararescue who walked back into this life because Captain America asked him to! You know loss, you lost a colleague – a friend. You are a great man and a good friend, Sam.

“I’m here for Clint, who has a family and shouldn’t be fighting this fight because of them and for them. For Clint who I’ve worked with and known for years. I’m here for Wanda, who is rightfully angry that Stark, my true ally, used to produce weapons – those of which were the reason she ended up where she did! I’m here for Scott, who I barely know. He has a kid! Why is he here?! I’m here for the former Sergeant Barnes who didn’t ask to be experimented on, to be “saved” from the fall, to be brainwashed.” She turned to Steve. “I’m here for everyone that isn’t named Steve Rogers because they gave me a reason to help you.” She walked up to Steve.

Bucky was ready to intervene, to pull her away from Steve if he had to or even try to punch her. He seemed to be the only one willing to do so. She approached Steve as if she would punch him or something of the sort. Instead she just stood in front of him. Bucky let his guard down seeing as he was wrong about what she would do to Steve.

“I’m not here for someone who thinks he is morally above everyone in this room.” She put a finger to his chest. “You think Stark is self-righteous? You think Stark views himself above everyone? He does it to hide the fact that he is insecure. You don’t have a reason to do it. Not saying Stark is correct, but neither are you.”

Steve grabbed her hand and removed it from his chest. He seemed unphased with her outburst. “And I am grateful that you are here for them.”

She pulled a small key out of her back pocket and unlocked the gauntlets on her arms. She threw the gauntlets and key at his feet. “Is this the part where we suit up? Because it looks like you all are slacking.”

“You sleep in that suit.” Steve took a step back. “Everyone that doesn’t sleep prepared – suit up.”

“Stand down, Captain!” She raised her voice at Steve, she had never truly raised her voice before that moment. She held Steve’s shield in one hand and had her other hand against Tony’s chest plate. She wasn’t pushing them a part; she was simply keeping Steve from continuing to hit Tony with the shield. “I will do it; you know I will.”

Steve stood up and stared down at her and Tony, seeing how serious she was with her threat. “Why did you come here?”

“It definitely wasn’t to babysit the three of you. I turn my back for five seconds and it all goes to shit, I feel like. Tony should be thankful I decided that following him was the best course of action.” She stood up, keeping her eyes on Tony. Tony kept his eyes on her, even after knowing her for so long, she was still unpredictable. He was on the ground it such a depressing state, she wondered what would have happened had she not stepped in. “You can’t beat the shit out of all of your problems, Steve. I’m taking Tony home, Get Sergeant Barnes out of here, NOW. And don’t you dare contact me unless it is about him.”

Bucky looked at her upon hearing his name slip past her lips in such an aggressive tone. He still was not sure why she kept doing what she was doing or why the only reason she be contacted was for him, but he did appreciate that she was willing to concern herself with him. Ever since Steve figured out the Winter Soldier was Bucky; she had always followed Steve to try to help. He watched her as she tried to hold Tony back from attempting to land another hit on Steve.

“Don’t do it, don’t do it.” She repeated in a low voice, trying to block him without using her powers.

“Steve.” Bucky said, not loud enough to be heard over Tony.

Tony stopped fighting against her and instead pointed a finger at her. “I don’t even know where the begin with you. You signed the Accords and you still ran off with Steve for his buddy over there. Did you know too? Do you know what his friend did? My parents are dead because of him. Do you have any idea what you’re fighting for?”

“Don’t do this now.” She took a step back, keeping herself between Tony and Steve.

“That shield doesn’t belong to you. My father made it.” Tony pushed her out of the way and approached Steve.

She glanced at Bucky. For a brief moment they locked eyes. She looked away from him quickly and turned her attention back to Tony and Steve.

Steve pushed the shield towards Tony. “Take it.”

Tony passed her the shield. She took it but not without glancing at him, she didn’t exactly want to be the one to carry it, but she was prepared to. “Stark, let’s go before I drag you myself.” She clipped the shield to her back and walked past them with Tony in tow.

“I’m sorry about…” Bucky started.

She stopped him. “Don’t.” She turned to look at him. Her eyes looked dull compared to the last few times Bucky saw her. They had always been filled with some kind of rage, excitement, or they were just bright. “I know you mean well, but this is the last thing I want to talk about, Sergeant Barnes.”

“Bucky.” He finally corrected her.

She barely nodded. “Sorry – Bucky.”

He kept his distance from her. Neither of them are very personable nor do they enjoy being close to people. Bucky did it more so out of respect for her, uncertainty of how close to her is too close. “Steve wanted to know if you were going to join us for dinner. He thought it was best that Sam or I ask you because well...”

She exhaled, amused. She figured Steve would send someone other than himself to fetch her. She looked back at the water for a moment, she wanted to stay for a while longer and let her emotions out in the only way she had ever known, but for the first time in a long time she craved interaction and distraction. “Steve is paying, right?” She flashed Bucky a grin. “Only way I’m going is if he pays.”

“I hope so, that’s how he got me.” Bucky smiled, joking along with her. “C’mon, I don’t want to get left behind.”

She followed Bucky. “Is it just us four?”

He shook his head. “Scott and Wanda are joining us.”

“What I’m hearing is, I get to pick a single person to ride with me in my car and Sam gets everyone else?” She jogged to catch up to walk beside him. “If that’s the case, I’ll take either you or Wanda.”

“Is that so?” Bucky looked over at her. “Would it be wrong if I grabbed that seat first?”

She thought about it for a moment. “I don’t believe so. Wanda doesn’t know she had the opportunity to ride with me.”

Bucky sat across from her, he dressed as thought he were trying too hard to blend in. She looked like she had this down to a science, she didn’t look as out of place as he did. Each time he had seen her she had some kind of suit on and was prepared for anything. This time, she looked very casual and relaxed, something he rarely saw from her. She also seemed a bit different than the last time he saw her, but he couldn’t place the difference.

He was silent, trying to figure her out as he has been since he had met her. She disappeared from everyone’s radars almost immediately after Tony’s death. She was untraceable for the following five months. Bucky was concerned, from what he knew about her, she wasn’t the type of person to leave without saying anything – Bruce had confirmed that for him a few months back. He did worry about her, not that he would admit it to anyone.

“You’re staring. I didn’t call Sam to bring you out here for you to stare at me with an expression like that, Bucky.” She said, pulling him back into reality. She had a cheeky smile plastered on her face. “I just wanted to check on you. Steve apparently got old, you’re stuck with Sam, you’re…” She motioned to his entire person. “…you.”

Bucky looked down at the table and nodded, taking some offense to what she had said, but also understanding what she had meant. “I’m me, so you had to check on me.”

“I couldn’t find the right words, I’m sure you know what I really meant though.” She slid him a catalog envelope that he seemed to have overlooked.

“What’s this?” He asked, picking it up.

“Nothing to worry about. I would wait to open it, though.” She flashed him a genuine smile.

Bucky looked at his name on the backside, beautiful calligraphy. She clearly planned to give this to him for whatever reason she had. She also took her time in writing his name across the back.

“I have something else for you.” She handed him a flip phone. “Sam mentioned something about it in the event you need some help. You need a way to call for it. I got everyone you would need from Agent Hill to that spider kid. These aren’t necessarily traceable either.”

Bucky took the phone from her. “You didn’t –.”

“But I did.” She leaned back, cutting him off. “Look… I’m sorry for disappearing on you two for a few months. I had to take care of something that took precedence over everything else. When I spoke with Sam, he mentioned that you had asked about me while I was gone. So… I did this.”

Bucky looked at her, almost feeling guilty for asking about her. Had Sam not told her that he asked about her maybe they wouldn’t be here talking. He couldn’t decide what was a better feeling. “You don’t seem like the type to just leave without saying anything.”

“You’re right, but sometimes it just has to happen. If the Falcon and the Winter Soldier need a hand from now on, I’m available.” She picked up her hot coffee.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Bucky said. “I’ve been meaning to ask, what do you call that power of yours?”

“Ferrokinesis. Or if you’ve ever watched Avatar: The Last Airbender, Metal-bending.” She set her elbow on the table and rested her chin in the palm of her hand.

Bucky sat back. “Remind me not to piss you off, then.” He chuckled.

She smiled. “I would never use your arm… although I did think about it years ago. Never got the chance because of the gauntlets. Had to stick with being thrown onto a car.”

Bucky sunk in the seat; remembering he did toss her onto the roof of a car like a ragdoll. He would have preferred to not have been reminded. “Why did you even have them in the first place?” He asked.

“They were created out of fear. Pierce was one of many who feared what I could do, and it eventually made sense. S.H.I.E.L.D was compromised, had Pierce not been H.Y.D.R.A, I wouldn’t have had them at all. The man who made the gauntlets though, he didn’t fear me. He made everyone believe there was one way to remove them, through Pierce.” She looked at the table with no readable expression.

Bucky understood what she was saying. “You’re telling me, as long as you had the time to remove them –.”

“Yessir. It was one hell of a game I played. Imagine if I fought you without the gauntlets.” She kept her gaze on the table, barely keeping a smile on her face.

Something was bothering her, and he could tell now.

Bucky sat down staring at the envelope. She told him it was nothing to worry about, yet the contents did worry him. He slowly opened it and pulled everything out. A chain slipped out from between some of the papers and hit the floor. A few small photographs slipped out as he picked up the necklace. He grabbed the photographs and looked at them. A few were of his family, and a few were of him and Steve. He placed the photographs next to him and looked at the chain, his military dog tags. He wasn’t sure if he should be angry with her for going out of her way to get the things he has seen so far or be thankful for someone like her doing something like this.

He flips through the stack of papers, some are far more important than others such as a list of living relatives, confidential files on him, documents stating that he is no longer a criminal and instead considered an Avenger, and a check. He had everything laid out around him, he wasn’t exactly sure what he was feeling or should be feeling now. Possibly angry, believing that this is what took precedence over everything else. Possibly happy. Grateful for the trouble she went through to do all of this for him. Skeptical and unsure of what to do about his living relatives and why that was included. Concerned if she had spoken to them and they know. Furious with the check – she has no business giving him that much money – which makes him wonder how she could afford to even do that.

He sits in silence, thinking it over and taking it all in. He doesn’t get the chance to considering making a phone call as his phone starts to ring. He doesn’t look to see who is calling him, instead he just answers.

“Hey, Buck – sorry for calling. I was just calling to make sure the phone actually works! Stupid of me not to test it out before giving it to you, right?” She came up with an excuse on the spot.

Bucky knew who it was as soon as she started speaking. “That’s not why you called.”

She was silent for a moment. “No, it’s not. I just wanted to see if you opened the envelope.” Her voice trailed.

“I did… was this why you left?” He asked. After looking at what was included, he understood why she said to open it later.

“No, like I said, it took precedence. This was kind of just a detour on my way home.” She was shivering, he could tell she was outside somewhere. “Thought you would appreciate some kindness and rewards. I mean… being Sam’s friend probably doesn’t come with rewards. Eh… it definitely doesn’t, I would know, I’m still waiting for my rewards!” She laughed.

Hearing her laugh made him smile. “Why don’t you just do something nice for yourself then?”

“That’s absurd. Oh! I have one more thing for you and I left it outside, I wasn’t able to give it to you earlier unfortunately. You can actually see it from your window because I am the master of this shit!” He could hear her grinning.

The curiosity she fueled compelled him to look out his window… only to find her outside. He pressed his forehead against the glass, disappointed and amused. “You.”

“Me! Yes! Hi!” She waved violently. “I’m the thing outside. And I’m on the phone with you! Bet you didn’t see that one coming!” She laughed to herself about her own genius.

Bucky opened the window. “Aren’t you cold?”

She hung up the phone and resorted to yelling to him. “I would’ve been fine if I didn’t decide to have ice cream before I got here! Do I regret my decision? I’ll do it again! Oh, I have a question for you.” She stuffed her hands in her coat pockets.

“Ask away.” He enjoyed this side of her. Very… interesting.

She swayed slightly. “So… a friend of mine told me you usually ask the girls out. How does it feel being on the other side?”

Bucky was surprised. “Are you asking me out?”

“Well, yeah. I tried to come up with a pickup line when I was planning this. Uh, yeah, I ended up with a wack ass plan of confuse the Bucky, give him things, and freeze to death as I scream at him. I mean, it’s working right? Am I even doing this right?” She smiled.

She definitely is interesting.

“Listen… I might be a little too aggressive, I might come off too strong, and I very much go overboard. Can you tell? And it’s scientifically proven that I also don’t know much about anything. But I do know that I care about you and I would do anything for you. And I do know Sam actually bullied me when I was just crushing on you. Listen, Sam is a terrible wingman off the field… I was so afraid he’d call me out and ruin my life. I – anyway – I absolutely know for a fact that I fall fast and hard and my feeling are wrong 99% of the time. This has got to be the 1% where I’m right.” She was nervous and cold which was an awful combination.

“You inherited the stupid. I’m letting you inside.” Bucky thought about what she said on his was down the get the door for her.

She was already inside. “Door was unlocked, I’m guessing Sam…” She had slipped her arms in her coat and left her sleeves dangle. “You know what made it worse?”

“You did not drive with the windows down.” Bucky sighed, knowing she did.

“I like to feel cool. I will freeze to death before I admit I am lame.” She brought her coat up to her nose and shuddered. “Are you free Saturday evening?”

Bucky looks at her. “You’re working tonight?”

She nods. “Nothing too bad. I changed before I came here. I don’t sleep prepared; Steve is a liar.”

Bucky chuckles. “I wouldn’t think sleeping prepared would be comfortable.”

“I have to disappoint you, by the way. I’m not staying here much longer either. I have to go home sometimes.” She smiled. “I’d like to be home long enough to have a pet. How cool would it be if I just had a whole god damn lizard?”

“A lizard?” Bucky questioned it, even though he knew that was no good.

She perked up. “You never answered what I said outside or about Saturday! We keep avoiding it!”

“As long as you drive with the windows up Saturday.” Bucky said.

“Deal!” She would give him a thumbs up if her hands were not in her coat.

“I don’t agree with most of what you said. You do go overboard… and I have witnessed Sam bully you.” He paused.

“At least you’re honest!” She shuddered. “Fuck!”

He ignored her outburst as he was sort of used to it. “I don’t believe your feelings are always wrong either.” He told her.

“So, am I right?” She squinted.

He looked at her as though she were a special kind of stupid, which in his own opinion she was not. “Did I not just agree to go out with you on Saturday?” He watched her try to be warm.

“I have to confirm.” She slipped her hands back through her sleeves.

“You are right.” He said, giving her a slight smile. He almost felt awkward standing in front of her. He wasn’t sure what he should be doing with himself in her presence. He would invite her to sit down if she weren’t on her way to work.

“Awesome! This is great! Can you believe I’ve never actually done something like this before? I was going to change the whole plan and say something earlier, but I failed and used just used the time in between to work up the courage to do this. I have to go! I will see you Saturday! At… uh… well I didn’t think that far!” She gave him a quick hug. She wasn’t a hugger; she hasn’t been for a long time. Bucky has honestly never seen her hug anyone except for Tony a total of one time. She went to leave and walked straight into the door as she didn’t full the door open. “I meant to do that!”

“Just letting you know; you have to turn the door handle to open doors.” Bucky demonstrated in air, chuckling. He sure as hell wasn’t going to let her live this down.

She swung the door open. “Saturday! I’ll give you a time by tomorrow!”

44 notes · View notes

marvelrus-exe · 4 years

Text

Fic Rec List

A collection of fics I really like.

If you don’t see your favorite fic on this list, send it to me! I’m always down to read a good fanfic :)

Started: 3/26/2020

Updated: 3/26/2020

Avengers

You Took A Polaroid Of Us by @ptersparkers

The avengers can’t seem to understand why you’re so obsessed with taking polaroids until they come across your scrapbook.

Bucky Barnes

Series

Long Black by @evanstarff

After a disastrous HYDRA coup goes wrong, Bucky Barnes is forced to go under witness protection at a coffee shop – with you as his highly trained ‘bodyguard’. Is something brewing between you or is he just tall, dark, and bitter?

Execution of Future Technologies by @valkyriesryde

Bucky meets the girl of his dreams the day before he ships out again and she holds a mystery about her that he can’t resist.

Love Isn’t Always On Time by @youvebeenlivingfictional

A S.H.I.E.L.D assignment that’s deeper than deep cover leads to an agent being lost. It’s only fair for a woman whose days are numbered to be obsessed with time.

Relationship Tutor by @samingtonwilson

College AU. Bucky, a relationship novice, asks for your help in dating your friend. Unable to say no to him, you agree despite everyone and everything telling you not to.

Just One Kiss by @sarahwroteathing

Bucky Barnes has been chasing after you since he was ten years old, but you’re determined not to give in. How long can you hold out when all he’s asking for is just one kiss?

Dichotomous by @jalapenobarnes

As a pharmacist in one of new york city’s busiest hospitals, you’re tasked with establishing your place and your value amongst your medical peers who constantly undermine you and your intelligence. or so you think.

The Fallout by @whitewolfbumble

You had been a ghost for years, taking down the bad guys from the shadows that had once enslaved you. That is until the Avengers finally caught up with you and yet again your life changed. But your past won’t stay dead and everything starts to shift when a familiar face joins the ranks: Bucky Barnes. He may not remember you, but you certainly remember him.

Wild Horses by @whitewolfbumble

Kicked out of school and exiling yourself in a town time forgot, one little incident lands the sights of the locally infamous Avengers biker gang square on you. Wild horses run faster and there was no chance to turn back now.

Astrophile by @all1e23

Orion Rebecca Barnes’s favorite thing in the whole world (besides her daddy of course) is spending hours after school in the bookstore by her house and the owner GIVES her any book she wants; she’s the coolest girl Orion has ever met.

It doesn’t take long for Bucky to notice his daughter’s sudden interest in constellations and the large stack of astrology related books piling up in her room. He’s spent her entire life trying to teach her about the stars and where her name came from with little interest from his little comet and all of sudden she’s in love.

A Lesson in Love by @buckyywiththegoodhair

In which you’re assigned to write a story about romance, a subject you know nothing about, and Bucky, a hopeless romantic, offers you his assistance.

Bucky Barnes Vs the Crime Novelist by @kentuckybarnes

A mysterious stranger you meet in a library turns out to be your dream come true. Apart from your life suddenly being in danger, that is.

One-Shots

Five Times Y/N Comforts Bucky and One Time He Comforts Her by @spideysrogers

Basically just comfort porn

Sergeant Boinky by @valkyriesryde

Bucky’s got a new interest and Sam and Y/N are taking full advantage of it.

Birthday Kisses by @sarahwroteathing

Sam starts a birthday kiss tradition to make up for your missed birthday and hopefully nudge a certain grumpy ex-assassin in the right direction.

Crazy Stupid Love by @justkending

Stress leaves everyone a little crazy. Good thing there are attractive men at bars who can help you take your mind off of things. tr45

Steve Rogers

Series

Call sign: Renaissance by @captain-kelli

After a rescue mission gone wrong, you retire as a pararescue airwoman. When an old friend of yours comes calling, asking you to spearhead a disaster response team for the Avengers, you have to decide if you can let go of the past in order to save lives. Will you move on and possibly fall in love? Or will the demons of your past come back to haunt you?

Solace by @marvelcapsicle

Five years ago, after the loss of a loved one, Steve isolated himself from everyone. He desperately tried to find solace in solitude, unable to realize how lonely he became in the process. Until he meets you—another lonely soul, alone in the middle of nowhere. You were both seeking solitude but found something else along the way.

The Lonely Tree by @sarahwroteathing

You have a favorite tree which you make sure to pass every day on your way to class, but one day you find you’ll have to get used to sharing it with a friendly art student.

Love Isn’t Always On Time by @youvebeenlivingfictional

A S.H.I.E.L.D assignment that’s deeper than deep cover leads to an agent being lost. It’s only fair for a woman whose days are numbered to be obsessed with time.

Courage and Kindness by @softhairbarnes

After your parents died you were left an orphan with only your stepmother to look after you. When a tournament is announced in honor of Prince Steven, you think you’ve finally found a way to make your dreams come true.

Love and War by @kayteewritessteve

In a harsh medieval world, you set out on a perilous quest that will lead you onto a forbidden land. A land ruled and controlled by a ruthless Warlord King, one who does not look favourably upon trespassers of any kind, and punishes all with an iron fist. You may not know exactly where this quest will end, but what you do know is you will forever be altered by it. And that knowledge alone is what truly terrifies you the most.

Secrets and sins by @kayteewritessteve

You flee from an abusive situation and find yourself on the other side of the country, creating new friends and possibly finding new love. But will you be able to escape your past? To truly move on with your life? Or will everything come crashing down around you in the blink of an eye.

One-Shots

The End Of The War by @redgillan

Everyone knows you and Steve can’t stand each other, but after he runs into you after one of his fights, he starts to see you in a different light.

Peter Parker

Series

Far From Him by @ptersparkers

Mj seems to think the summer trip to Europe is exactly what you need to forget the events of the snap and the death of tony stark. only, peter parker doesn’t seem to know your real identity and trying to tell him you know he’s spider-man becomes a mess and a half.

One-shots

Wait, You’re Spiderman? by @ptersparkers

Midtown high’s applied science class visits the stark tower, leaving y/n and peter in a compromising position.

What a Suprise by @ptersparkers

You and Peter both go to Midtown High and he’s got the biggest crush on you. What Peter doesn’t know is that you harbour the same feelings and Tony Stark is your not-so-related uncle.

Starbursts by @srsly-stilinski

Spiderman takes a break from patrol to see the world through someone else’s eyes.

Local Dumbass by @thinkoutsidethebex

Peter keeps trying to tell you he’s in love with you, and it’s not going so well. Or is it?

70 notes · View notes

skylander5000 · 4 years

Text

New Fic Baabby!!

Title: No Time For Us

read on ao3

Word Count: 2.2k

Rating: Teen & Up (for swearing)

Summary: It wasn’t often that all the Avengers were in the tower on a Wednesday night, especially Wolverine. So it seemed only right, in Steve and Natasha’s mind at least, that they have a team movie night. Everyone seemed siked. Now all they had to do was get Iron Man and Wolverine onboard with it. Their partners had been on a work binge, closed up in Tony’s lab for 4 days, only emerging for food and occasionally, if Nat and Steve were lucky, a fuck. So, it was easy to say that they were excited to spend a whole two hours with them.

Natasha and Steve want to have an Avenger's movie night. But, Tony and Laura are Workaholics.

Please consider following me on ao3, Z_is_Me

It wasn’t often that all the Avengers were in the tower on a Wednesday night, especially Wolverine. When there weren’t on a mission or busy preparing for one, the clone was usually upstate at the Xavier Institute, catching up on any Xmen business she missed or helping on what operations she could. So it seemed only right, in Steve and Natasha’s mind at least, that they have a team movie night. Everyone seemed siked. Now all they had to do was get Iron Man and Wolverine onboard with it.

Their partners had been on a work binge, closed up in Tony’s lab for 4 days, only emerging for food and occasionally, if Nat and Steve were lucky, a fuck. So, it was easy to say that they were excited to spend a whole two hours with them.

The two walked down the hallway, excitement coursing through them. Natasha gave a small knock on the lab’s door before entering. It was always a good idea to give the two a little warning, as Tony tended to startle if you pulled him away from his work immediately, and Laura, she was an ex-assassin. So announcing your presents was a necessity if you didn’t want a claw to the head.

As soon as they walked in, they were biting back adoring smiles. Kneeled next to the Iron Man suit was Laura, focused intently on something in the calf of the armor. Her dark eyes narrowed, and her tongue was bitten, reflexively, between her teeth. A Toronto Maple Leaf’s hoodie draped over her like a cloak, ending just above her knee. Tony sat at one of the metal workbenches, hunched over Wolverine’s suit, working vigorously, all the while muttering something along the lines of, how is this even supposed to protect you, it’s fucking spandex. Both of there hands were oil-stained, along with there faces and clothes for that matter.

“Hey guys,” Steve said, grabbing Laura’s attention first. Her enhanced hearing made it almost impossible to ignore people, “What’re you guys doing?” Laura looked at Tony, waiting for him to respond, but he was too infused with his task to talk. The clone sighed, setting her tools on the small tray that was by her feet and stood, knees cracking painfully from how long she’d been kneeling. “Well, the short version is Stark’s armor needed repairs,” That seemed to awaken Tony from his engineer’s trance. He gasped and set down his tools with a loud pang. He swiveled around on the metal stool and approached Laura. “Correction, the short version is your suit was overdue for upgrades because seriously it’s spandex,” He said pointedly, “My suit didn’t need repairing until you decided it be a good idea to throw the vibranium slip-joint pliers at me,” Laura shrugged, “You’re the one who said, hey can you toss me those pliers,” Tony rubbed his temple, spreading more oil onto his face, causing Natasha and Steve to have to stifle chuckles, “It’s an expression, casual slang. Why don’t you go learn some, Wolfey,” Laura crossed her arms over her chest, causing the hoodie to slide up and expose the shorts she was wearing underneath, “Do you wanna try that again because I’m this close to revoking Cerebro privileges?”

From the outside, it may seem like Laura and Tony disliked each other. They were always bickering and were very stingy with physical contact. But, that was just how their friendship was. Sure, they quarrel like children. But, the insults that passed between them held no true teeth. Laura, whether she would ever admit it or not, would always see Tony as a father. And Tony, although he tried to hide it, would always see Laura as a daughter.

“So,” Steve said, breaking their social bubble and inserting himself and Natasha into it, “We were thinking about having a movie night. Everyone’s in the tower, we don’t have any missions at the moment,” “We’d think it be fun,” added Natasha, smiling at Laura. Her girlfriend reciprocated the smile, but her eyes showed obvious dislike for the idea. Natasha knew Laura hated watching movies, the volume was always too loud for her sensitive ears, even with headphones. But, there were other things you could during movies, especially if you sat in the very back. “You guys in?” Steve asked, blue eyes shining with excitement. As if sent by the gods, Laura’s phone chimed. Natasha sighed as she pulled it out to check. She read the message quickly before looking at them all. “Hank just sent over a bunch of mission reports and requests that need my approval,” She said, tucking her phone back into the pocket of her hoodie. Natasha nodded, excitement dampened. Steve looked at Tony, eyes hopeful. “Steve, I’ve got twice the upgrades to do now, since Laura is going to be filling out reports,” The Captain nodded in response to his husband, joining Nat in sulking.

Laura gave Natasha a quick peck on the cheek, saying that she’d try her best to hurry so they can spend some time together tonight, before disappearing off into another part of the tower. Most likely their bedroom, seeing as that was where her laptop was. Tony smiled at the supersoldier, brown eyes showing that he was sorry. With a swift kiss, Tony turned back to his work, body returning to its hunched position.

Steve and Natasha returned to the living room, where the remainder of the team had piled up and the couches and floor. Bucky was the first to take notice of their solemn expressions, “What’s wrong?” That question seemed to grab everyone’s attention, everyone’s eyes now on the two of them. Steve looked down, kicking his foot uncomfortably. “They’re busy,” Nat answered, sitting down on the couch in between Clint and Wanda. Peter gave a reassuring smile, “It’s okay Pops. It can just be us for tonight,” The soldier smiled at his son’s attempts to cheer him up, “Thanks Pete,”

There was a moment of silence, everyone returning their attention to the television. Wanda looked beside her, at Natasha, “Didn’t she cancel on you last week?” “Yep,” the spy said, pout deepening, “We made them two weeks in advance to avoid our schedules from overlapping,” “What can you do?” Clint quipped, snatching the remote from Bucky, who was about to pick some movie from the ’60s for them to watch. Bucky was about to retaliate with a knock to the head but was quickly soothed by Sam, who pulled closer into his side.

“Well,” The pararescuer answered, “You could always show some initiative in your relationships and force them to watch the damn movie. The problems are just gonna keep coming, no matter how much they try to solve them. There’s always something else that needs fixing,”

Natasha and Steve looked at each other, understanding passing between them, wordlessly. Without speaking they dashed, in unison, to their partner’s work stations; Tony’s being the lab, of course, and Laura’s being her and Natasha’s bedroom.

“Tones,” Steve said softly, placing a hand on his husband’s shoulder. Tony grunted in response, picking up one of the tools spread haphazardly around the table. “Come with me,” The blonde commanded, swiveling the man around on his stool, prying his eyes away from his current task. He gave a confused look to Steve, who simply raised his eyebrows expectantly in return. “Where to?” “You’re gonna watch the movie with us,” Steve said excitedly. “Baby,” Tony sighed, already turning back to the workbench, “I’m kinda busy right now. Tomorrow, I promise,” Steve planted a firm hand on the seat and forced Tony to face him. His eyes were serious and his expression was no longer to the gentle soldier from Brooklyn. Now he was Captain America, “No,” The engineer set down his tools, eyes locked with his husbands, “I’m not gonna lie, this is turning me on a bit,”

Steve gave an irritated huff, removing his hand from the stool. This time, Tony didn’t turn around. Steve had his full attention, “You’ve been working for almost a week straight. Peter and I have rarely seen you. You’ve barely spoken to the team since you Wolverine got back from the mission in Ireland. You need to take a break and spend time with us. Staying cooped up in your lab isn’t solving any problems. Frankly, it’s only creating more,” “Babe, I-” Tony gestured to the pile of parts on the table. He was going to argue that he had to do this, that it was important, and it couldn’t wait. But, Steve had cut him, taking those oil-stained hands in his calloused ones, “Please,”

Steve knew, by the defeated look on his husband’s tan, beautiful face, that he’d won. But, Tony Stark was never one to go down without a proper fight, “Are you guys making Laura do this?” Steve gave an amused grin, already pulling Tony from his seat, “Natasha is retrieving her as we speak,”

They exited the lab, meeting a very pleased Natasha and a somewhat grumpy Laura. While Steve restrained his smile, Tony made no effort to hide his amusement at Laura’s current disposition. “They’re horrible aren’t they,” The billionaire said, although it had no heat. “A temptress, that’s what I’m dating,” Laura said through a tired smile. Natasha let a light laugh, hugging the clone further into her side. “Hey, you’re lucky. I married him,” Tony joked. “Guys, come on,” Steve said through a laugh, “The movies waiting,” gesturing towards the end of the hallway that branched out into the living room.

They began down the hallway before Tony stopped them, “Laura aren’t you forgetting something?” “I don’t think so,” She shrugged. “Um,” He gestured to her bare legs, “Pants, maybe?’ Laura rolled hers, and continued down the hallway, “God, calm down dad,” Sure it was a joke and was meant to be taken as a playful tease. But still, it tugged at Tony’s heartstrings, hearing that word come from Laura’s mouth. Even if, it was just a joke.

So far, movie night seemed to be a success. Sure, it got off to a rocky start, but everything had pretty much settled now. Steve, Tony, and Peter were snuggled up the couch, Peter already fast asleep and drooling on Cap’s shoulder. Bucky was sat on the floor between Sam’s legs. Vision and Wanda were cuddled close in one of the plush armchairs. Thor and Bruce had left halfway through the movie, apparently, they needed to take care of something. Clint and Rhodey were sat on the other love-seat, very much enjoying the movie. That only left Natasha and Laura.

They were sat in the very back, both for Laura’s sensitive hearing and privacy. PDA, while it wasn’t forbidden in the tower, was not Laura’s favorite thing. She preferred privacy, so that should comfortably express herself around Natasha, without worrying about peeping eyes. So, with everyone’s backs facing them, focused on the movie ahead, Laura deposited herself on top of her girlfriend, who was comfortably laid out on the chaise lounge.

Everyone appeared to be happy and healthy, and thoroughly enjoying movie night and the whole the togetherness of it. That was until Natasha felt a familiar hand creeping up her thigh. “Natty,” Laura whispered into her ear, hand settling just above the redhead’s hip. Natasha chuckled, just soft enough for it to go unnoticed over the volume of the television, “Hey Laura,” “It’s been a bit, y’know,” Laura said, planting feather-like kisses down the column of her throat. The spy hummed, pleased with the attention, “And whose fault is that,” Laura sighed, head resting against her partner’s shoulder, “I’m sorry,”

Natasha was taken aback. Her tone was so unexpectedly genuine, that it crushed the woman’s heart. Sometimes her girlfriend, the clone trained to be an assassin from birth, could be so damn precious.

“It’s fine,” Nat reassured, rubbing a hand soothingly down her back as best she could from where it was trapped beneath her toned mass. “No, it’s not. I’ve been an asshole and I’m really sorry,” Laura paused a moment, before continuing, “You deserve better,”

Natasha couldn’t believe it. How could Laura think she deserved better? Laura was better. Nat loved her more than anything and would do her best to give the girl anything her heart desired.

Natasha pulled the clone’s head out, from where it’d been resting against her shoulder, so she could look directly into her eyes. Although she spoke barely above a whisper, Natasha was careful to put as much legitimacy into her statement as possible, “Laura, I love you, so, so much. You’re dedicated to your work, to this team, to the X-men. They need you and I get that. If anything, I don’t deserve you,”

A blush crept it’s way up Laura’s neck and onto her sharp cheeks, causing Natasha to smile, “You’re so damn precious,” Laura rolled her eyes, “Shut up,” although Nat could spy the grin replacing her frown, “And, I love you, too,” Laura moved to kiss, Natasha, only to be stopped once again by a gentle tug on her hair that, if she was being honest, was having more of an effect on her than she’d care to admit. “But,” Nat said, lips moving against Laura's as she did, “I do think you need to make more time for your personal life; that including me of course,” “I’ll try,” The clone replied before kissing her. “You will,” Natasha corrected, reciprocating immediately.

#stony #laura kinney x natasha romanov #tony stark #steve rogers #laura kinney #laura is an avenger #superfamily #fluff #romantic fluff #Skylander2000 writes

12 notes · View notes

tarnishedhalo · 4 months

Text

{{Oh he's mad that I didn't include this one. My apologies. ~Management.}}

Rescue Ranger || USAF

#Cowboy Music #So Others May Live|ParaRescue

0 notes

painful-pooch · 11 months

Note

🎀 Bruno

🎱 Oscar

🧡 Khrystyna

💚 Everyone

🎀 If your OC has killed somonehow did they react to their first kill?

Bruno sighs a bit and rubs his forehead. "It was a long time ago that I killed the first person trying to kill me. I don't tell many people about it, honestly, since it was just a time in my life where I felt lost and free all at the same time. I used to be a pilot in the Air Force. Fighter Pilot. I was beyond happy that I would get to cross the skies in that metal bird; feel like a king in the sky. All until that one fateful night where I was getting fired at by an enemy pilot. It was so dark, you couldn't really see what was going on.." He trails off and stares up to the right corner, his hands clenching.

"I had realized that in my pursuit to feel free, I would have to pay the price in blood, be it my own or theirs. I did a few evasive maneuvers and... and I pulled the trigger until I knew for a fact no one would survive that. They crashed and I could finally see because of the flames. I had to take leave for two weeks and just try to relax. I was forced to talk to a Chaplain and make sure I wasn't traumatized. Once you take one life, it haunts you. I think I said my two cents."

🎱 How would they react to being able to go home?

Oscar is playing with his miniature chess board, rocking back and forth with a gentle smile on his face. "I love my abuelita and I wouldn't mind going back to see her in Puerto Rico. I think a lot of them do miss me, but they are always happy to hear that I am making friends here and that my military family loves me." He flashes an appreciative look over at his teammates off camera, who all have their thumbs up for him. "I have two homes. One here, and one in Puerto Rico. As long as I am at one of those places, then I am so happy."

🧡 Your OC has retired. Do they talk about their experience or leave it behind profusely.

Khrystyna muses over her answer, peeking over at Kieran, who is sitting a little to close to you, threatening you silently if you upset Khrystyna. "Kieran... be nice to the cameraperson, please?"

A low and gruff voice replies back, "Fine."

"Thank you. Now, where were we? Oh! Well, while I do have a lot of fond memories of my experiences as a pararescuewoman, I do think there are certain events that are better left in the ground, so to speak. I loved my job. The motto 'so that others may live' resonates deeply within me. I know that I made a positive change in many people's lives, keeping them safe so that they may go home to their families. I don't mind talking about those moments. The moments where I failed are a learning point for me, but I never want to revisit those days and sully the memories of the countless people I couldn't save."

💚 What is the inspiration(s) or real world equivelent behind their military uniform/combat gear

I would gladly ask for you to look them up so you can see them for yourself, so if you are curious, here you go!

Bruno: US Air Force OCPs and dress blues

Lukas: US Air Force pickle suit (the green flight suit)

Miranda: US Marine fatigues/dress blues

Valdemar: US Army OCPs and dress blues

Khrystyna: US Air Force OCPS/PJ uniform (pararescue jumpers)

Oscar: No longer in the air force, so civilian clothes like a button up with some nice slacks/dress shoes. Otherwise wears US Air Force OCPs

Kieran: US Navy fatigues and dress blues, SEAL gear

Sebastian: US Air Force pickle suit (the green flight suit)

#bruno stenberg #miranda ryker #lukas kazemi #khrystyna pazsek #kieran ashton #valdemar ackermann #sebastian chevalier #oscar cortez #military ocs #military oc #answered asks #thank you jada!!

5 notes · View notes

im-a-writer-sometimes · 5 years

Text

A Thousand Years

Description: Captain America wasn’t alone when he crashed that plane into the water in 1945. When they dug him out of the ice, you were there. You learned to live in the future without the love of your life: Bucky Barnes. That was until a masked man entered your life, with deadly aim and familiar blue eyes.

Word Count: 9.7k (oof issa long one)

Warnings: violence, death, angst, a tiny droplet of fluff at the end.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x f!Reader

A/N: Okay, so this follows the events of CA:TWS and CA:CW. It has a lot of build up before there’s actual Bucky x reader stuff happening, but the angst is worth the wait.

---

When Captain America crashed a bomb-filled plane into the ocean, he wasn’t alone. I was there, watching from the cockpit as he flew into the water, Peggy Carter’s voice echoing through the cabin. Despite her pleas, we knew it was the only way and we were both willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. We were willing to die.

But we didn’t. We just took a 70-year nap.

When they dug us out of the ice, the world knew they found Captain America. Not Captain America and the often-forgotten member of his Howling Commandos. Just the Captain. Some news stories mentioned another person found in the plane, but no one cared about me when World War II’s golden boy had been reborn. I honestly liked it that way. It meant I could live my life as normal as was possible for a woman out of time. It took some getting used to. I had to learn to live without the people I knew and loved. I still had Steve, of course, but he was off saving the world. I pitched in every now and then, but I wanted to leave my days as a soldier behind me. Fighting during the war was different; I didn’t know why at first, but now I do.

It was Bucky. It was impossible to find a reason to fight without Bucky by my side. Even after he fell off the train, it felt like I was fighting for him back then. But now, I had no reason to fight. The world didn’t need me when they had Captain America.

However, after New York, the soldier in me found it hard to stand by and watch. So, when Steve became a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, so did I. I became Natasha Romanoff’s right-hand woman. My accuracy with any weaponry I laid my hands on mixed well with her top-notch combat skills. I found myself accompanying Steve on missions, just like the good old days. It wasn’t the same—it wouldn’t ever be the same—but it gave me purpose. Like I hadn’t been pulled out of the ice for nothing.

“Nat, Y/N, what’s your status?”

Steve’s voice sounded over our coms as Nat tackled a pirate and I shot down two others.

“Give us a minute,” I practically hissed, as I slung my gun over my back and landed a kick to the man barreling towards me. Within seconds, all of the pirates were laying either dead or unconscious on the floor, and Natasha and I quickly made our way out.

“Engine room secure,” Natasha said, receiving a hasty response from Steve. As soon as he finished speaking, she switched off her comm, gesturing for me to do the same. “I’ll get the files onto the drive, you cover the door, got it?”

I nodded as I trailed behind her into a room lined with computers. She did exactly as she said, sticking the drive into the port and typing hastily. I stayed by the door, leaving it slightly ajar so I could see outside. I could hear the sounds of a fight in the distance, but no immediate threat, so I brought my gun down to my side and leaned against the wall.

“I could go for a glass of Whiskey right about now,” I sighed, my eyes still peering out the door.

“Tell me about it,” Nat scoffed, not looking up from the computer.

“How much longer?”

“A minute or two. It’s at 67%.”

I looked down at the watch I kept on the inside of my wrist. Ugh, it was past my bedtime.

I thought I heard the fight moving closer, so I lifted my gun, my eyes alert for any sort of movement. Maybe a millisecond after I saw two bodies outside, one of them came crashing through the door, knocking it down in the process. I jumped back, gun at the ready, before Steve barrelled through the door, landing on top of the man and pummelling him.

“Well, this is awkward.”

Steve’s head snapped up at Nat’s voice and she smirked at him. He caught sight of me as well, and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“What the hell are you two doing? Rumlow needed you two.” He got up off the now unconscious man and made his way to Natasha. “You’re saving S.H.I.E.L.D. intel?” He said, a hint of disgust in his tone.

“Whatever I can get my hands on.”

They continued talking and I was so focused on them, that I didn’t notice the man lying on the floor start to get up. It wasn’t until he knocked me off my feet and threw an explosive in the air that I finally saw him. Within seconds, I had landed a bullet between his eyes, but it was too late, he had already detonated whatever the hell he had thrown. Steve and Nat crashed through a window and I followed them just as an explosion rocked the room.

“Fuck…” I groaned, clutching my side.

“Okay… that one’s on me,” Nat panted out.

“Damn right,” Steve barked, getting up and storming out.

Nat and I shared a look, not needing to speak to know what both of us were thinking. What a dramatic bitch.

---

I had been sparring with Nat when she got the call. Her phone rang mid-kick and we both looked at each other, immediately knowing something was wrong. When she picked up the phone and her face fell, my fears were confirmed. She spoke quietly to the person on the other end and hung up.

“What happened?” I asked, already taking the gauze off my knuckles.

“Fury’s been shot.”

The ride to the hospital was absolutely terrifying. Nat usually drives fast, but I’m pretty sure we broke every traffic law in existence getting there. She rushed inside, and I scurried to keep up with her. In minutes, we found ourselves standing outside the O.R., looking on as doctors tried to salvage what was left of Fury’s life. Steve and Hill were already there, standing tense by the window. For the first time in the time I had known her, the Black Widow was speechless. Tears started to form in her eyes and despite the fact that I wasn’t close with Fury, I found myself crying as well.

“Tell me about the shooter.”

“He was fast. Strong. He had a metal arm.”

Nat tensed immediately and I furrowed my brows, sensing she knew something we didn’t. Hill described the bullets and Nat quickly responded, noting that they were Soviet-made. Hill and I shared a confused look, but neither of us said anything. Steve was too focused on Fury to notice at all. We all watched in horror as the quick beeping of the heart monitor turned into one long automated scream.

He was dead. Nick Fury was dead.

Hill walked away, and I was quick to follow, never one to deal with difficult situations well. I waited in the hallway for what seemed like an hour as they cleaned up the O.R. and Nat and Steve went to see his body. Hill sat down next to me, eyes trained on the wall in front of us.

“Natasha knows something we don’t,” she noted.

“I know,” I responded. “I don’t know how, but I’ll get it out of her.”

“You’re gonna manipulate the Black Widow into giving you information?”

“I think you underestimate me, Agent Hill.”

She didn’t respond, she just stood up to get Steve and Natasha.

---

“I think you should sit this one out, Y/N.”

I furrowed my brows at Nat’s words as Steve hotwired a truck parked in a back alley. We were on our way to track down the source of the drive Fury gave Steve, and she wanted me to sit this one out?

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah,” Nat responded, as she opened the passenger door.

“Why the hell would I do that?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

“I just need you to trust me on this.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but Nat hopped into the car and shut the door before I could. She gestured for Steve to leave and he caught my gaze but listened to her anyway. I stood in some DC back alley as they drove off and I scoffed. Is she serious? I’m not a fucking child.

I wandered out of the alley, walking alongside the road as I wondered what the hell to do now. My thoughts drifted back to earlier in the hospital when Nat talked about the shooter, the Winter Soldier. The way she talked about him… something was off. Nat may have been a trained spy and an incredible liar, but I knew her well enough to see through her bullshit. I thought there was something she was holding back, and now I’m sure of it.

I couldn’t go back to S.H.I.E.L.D., that was for sure. I had no idea who I could trust. I kept walking until I found myself at the National Mall. I walked alongside the pool, the Washington Monument casting a shadow over me. I was so focused on my feet I didn’t notice someone jogging towards me. I didn’t notice him into we collided into each other and I ended up on my ass. I looked up and saw Sam Wilson looking down at me.

“Hey, I know you,” he smirked, as he offered a hand. I took it and stood back up, wiping the dirt off my ass. “Sorry about that. Is there a reason you’re pathetically trudging towards the Washington Monument?”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “I wasn’t trudging.”

I had met Sam when Steve convinced me to go to the VA. It didn’t take much convincing when he mentioned he met a cute guy that worked there. I had tagged along and I wasn’t disappointed when Steve introduced me to the ex-pararescue. We hit it off, flirting like teenagers. He made me feel like I belonged; like I wasn’t some old woman from the ’40s.

“It certainly looked like trudging to me,” Sam said. “What’s got you down?”

“Just confused about a lot of stuff,” I admitted, shrugging.

“Like what?”

I wanted to talk to him, to talk to anyone, about everything going on, but I knew I couldn’t. So I just shrugged again.

“Do you want to catch a movie or something? Make you forget about all the confusing shit on your mind?”

I smiled appreciatively and nodded. “That would be great.”

Turned out there was nothing good at the cinema, so we ended up having dinner at his house. Sam was actually a decent cook, and we laughed together in the kitchen as we threw together some lasagna. We scarfed it all down the second it came out of the oven. Then we ended the night with some Netflix. I realized Sam was a really great guy and an awesome friend. I thought maybe I was interested in him, but I realized he wasn’t my type. He would make a great friend though.

“Where do you live?” Sam asked as the credits started to roll across the screen.

“Downtown, by S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.”

“That’s quite a far walk from here. You’re welcome to take the guest room.”

“Oh, I don’t want to impose,” I said, shaking my head.

“It’s fine, Y/N. As long as you promise not to rob me in the middle of the night.”

I chuckled as Sam stood up and I followed him into the guest room. I plopped down on the bed and Sam lingered by the door.

“Let me know if you need anything. Goodnight, Y/N.”

“Thanks again, Sam. Goodnight,” I replied, waving to him awkwardly as he left, shutting the door behind him.

My exhaustion finally caught up to me, and I crawled under the covers, not caring I was in jeans. It was a matter of minutes before my eyes fluttered shut and I slipped into the sweet oblivion of sleep.

I woke up to light flooding the room. I groaned and shoved the covers of my frame before sitting up. I ran my hands down my face and glanced at my watch. It was only seven in the morning. My feet carried me out of the room and into the kitchen. There was a fresh pot of coffee on the counter with a post-it note attached.

Went on my morning run. Make yourself at home. -S

I smiled and peeled the note of the coffee pot. I searched through the cabinets until I found a mug, pouring the still steaming liquid into the cup. I shuffled to the kitchen table, sitting with my feet on the chair and my head on my knees as I sipped the coffee, black, just as I liked it. It wasn’t long before the front door opened and Sam walked into the kitchen, still out of breath.

“Hey, Y/N. Didn’t think you’d be up yet.”

“Neither did I,” I said. “Thanks for the coffee. And for letting me crash here.”

“Anytime.”

Sam pulled a carton of orange juice out of the fridge, but I knock sounded on the door before he could take a sip. He gave me a confused look, before setting down the carton and making his way to the front door. I heard the murmur of voices before the last two people I expected to see walked into the kitchen.

“Y/N? What the hell are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing. And why do you look like you just got your asses kicked?”

“Because we just got our asses kicked,” Steve said, sighing.

Sam showed them to the guest room I had spent the night in and they both cleaned themselves up. They eventually made their way back into the kitchen, sitting across from me.

“Do you care to explain what the hell happened?” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

“S.H.I.E.L.D. tried to have us killed,” Nat said.

My mouth fell open as I stared at them in disbelief.

“Why?”

“We found the origin of the drive,” she explained. “There’s some type of algorithm on it, we don’t know what it does. And apparently, S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted to make sure we never found out.”

“What do we do now?” I asked.

“We do nothing,” Nat said. “Steve and I will take care of this.”

“Hell, no. I’m in the middle of this, whether you want me to be or not. And so I’m helping. Not a question, not a suggestion, I’m helping.”

Nat sighed and rolled her lips into her mouth.

“Fine.”

---

Soon enough, we had forced information out of Jasper Sitwell, a S.H.I.E.L.D. officer. Steve had shoved him into a car and we made our way down the freeway, arguing amongst ourselves.

“Are you kidding me? That is a terrible idea!” Sitwell said after we went through the plan. Before he could add anything else, something jumped on top of the car. A metal arm smashed through the window and grabbed Sitwell by the throat, tossing him out of the car like a rag doll. Shots ripped through the roof of the car and Nat and I dodged them just in time. Nat hurled herself into the front seat as Steve pulled the emergency brake, knocking me off my seat in the process. I lifted my head to see a figure fly off the roof of the car, somehow landing gracefully on the concrete. We watched in horror as the man stood up, his metal arm glinting in the sunlight.

The Winter Soldier.

Before I could process, a car rammed into the back of us, and my head collided with the back of the driver’s seat.

“Shit…” I muttered, clutching my skull. The car behind us continued driving, pushing us towards the soldier. Eventually, he jumped back onto the roof of the car, a loud thud sounding above me. I got back up, my hands resting on the two front seats, just in time to see the man rip the steering wheel out of Sam’s hand and through the windshield.

“Jesus—fuck!” I cursed, eyes going wide.

Nat fired through the roof, and she seemed to have hit him since his weight left the car. However, the car behind us continued driving, pushing us further along. I could feel the car beginning to flip and Steve broke the passenger door off its hinges, effectively getting him, Nat, and Sam out.

“Y/N!” Nat screamed as the car flipped three times, me bouncing around inside of it. By the time it came to a screeching halt, it was upside down. I kicked the back door out, crawling onto the concrete outside, my body aching. I stood up on shaking legs, watching in horror as the Winter Soldier shot at my friends, actually sending Steve flying off the bridge. I reached for the handgun tucked into the back of my pants and lifted it. My hands were shaking, but I still managed to hit him in the arm, effectively turning his attention to me. Shit. I hadn’t thought this out.

To my surprise, he turned back to Nat and Sam, leaving the entourage trailing behind him to take care of me. Two of the men aimed their assault rifles at me, leaving me to defend myself from a storm of bullets. I lunged behind a car, peeking over just far enough the shoot the two men between the eyes. The rest of them, including the soldier, still remained focused on Nat and Sam, giving me a perfect opening. Before I could take a shot, Nat came running towards me.

“Y/N!” She called out and I barrelled towards her, dodging bullets all the way. I reached her just as the soldier shot at her. She grabbed me as she went sailing off the side of the overpass, shooting a grappling hook into the underside of the bridge just in time. We managed to hit the ground safely and I let go, trailing behind her. She was about to run out of cover, when I grabbed her arm, silently pointing to the soldier’s shadow, clearly waiting for us to run out from under the bridge. We waited until he started firing at the bus Steve had crashed into before we ran out, not hesitating to fire up at him. I managed to hit him in the face, cracking the dark glasses covering his eyes. He ducked behind the railing giving us time to run farther, getting cover behind a flipped car. He popped back up, his glasses missing, raining down bullets where we previously stood, only to see us firing from a farther distance.

There was an exchange of bullets before Nat and I glanced at each other, making the split-second decision to run. We bolted away from the bridge, ducking behind cars as we did. We made our way into a busy intersection and Nat screamed at the people around her to get out of the way. They didn't hesitate and soon enough the area was abandoned. We ducked behind a car and caught our breaths.

"What now?" I hissed, staring at her with wide eyes. I watched as she pulled out her phone, recording her voice, before placing it against the tire, hitting play on the recording she had just made. I caught on to what she was doing, following her as she ran to hide behind another car.

Through the windows of the car we were hiding behind, I saw the soldier approach. He walked slowly, hands gripping his gun as he looked for any sign of us. Just as Nat planned, he heard her voice. Instead of attacking, he rolled what must have been an explosive towards the car. Once it went off, Nat jumped out from behind the vehicle and launched herself onto his shoulders, trying desperately to suffocate him. After some struggling, he threw her off him, and she landed on the ground with a thud.

I didn't hesitate to pop up from behind the car, my shaking handgun managing to hit him on the metal arm. It clinked off pathetically and he turned towards me. Shit. I hopped over the hood and kicked toward his stomach. He grabbed my ankle before I made contact, flinging me to the ground. I stood up, ducking as he swung at me. I managed to block two more hits before I pulled a knife out of my boot, swinging it towards him. I hit him, but I barely even sliced through his gear. He wrenched the knife from my grasp and aimed to stab my shoulder. I tried to dodge it, but it still managed to graze me. I stumbled and let out a cry, giving him time to knock me to the ground. I waited for a final blow that never came.

I looked up to see Steve fighting him off. I scooted away from the fight, reaching for the gun I had dropped behind the car. Then I caught the soldier's eyes over Steve's shoulder as he avoided a punch. My breath caught in my throat. I knew those eyes.

I didn't have time to think too much about it, because he was kicking Steve's ass. I lifted my gun and fired three shots, missing three times. I lifted it to fire again but decided against it. I was too shaken up and didn't want to hit Steve. I followed from a distance as the fight moved down the street. He was an excellent fighter, but Steve was holding his own.

At one point, Steve managed to send the soldier flying, his mask falling off in the process. The fight skidded to a halt as we waited for him to turn around. When he did, my gun clattered to the ground as I let out a strangled cry.

"Bucky?" Steve's confused voice sounded from beside me.

"Bucky…?" I heard my voice, though I don't remember speaking. "Oh my God, Bucky…"

I started towards him, but Steve held me back.

"Who the hell is Bucky?"

My heart shattered at the sound of the voice I hadn't heard in seventy years. Tears began to sting at the corners of my eyes, but I didn't have time to cry.

He was lunging right at us.

---

Seventy years prior.

"How was your date yesterday?"

I raised my eyebrows at Bucky, unimpressed.

"We're supposed to be watching Steve's back."

I looked back through the scope on my sniper rifle, following Steve with my eyes as he made his way towards the Hydra base.

"Steve's fine. Now answer the question."

I noticed someone trailing behind Steve and I took him out with a pull of the trigger. Then I turned to face Bucky.

"It was horrible. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"No, of course--"

"Don't lie, Buck. You hate Pierson."

"I may hate the guy you went on a date with but that doesn't mean I want you to have a bad time."

I raised my eyebrows at him, before looking back out at Steve. A few more soldiers had accumulated behind him, but I took them out in seconds.

"What was so bad about it?" Bucky asked, unfazed by the fact that I just shot five people.

"I thought we were both supposed to be sniping. Right now it feels like I'm doing it alone."

Bucky rolled his eyes and peered through his scope. He looked from place to place, occasionally letting a bullet or two fly.

"There. There's no one threatening Steve. Now talk to me."

I sighed.

"He just wanted to get me into bed. And don't say I told you so because I might break your nose."

"I'm sorry, doll. You deserve better."

I looked at him confused.

"You're not going to say something snappy?"

"No. As I said, I didn't want you to have a bad date and it sucks that you had to put up with him."

"Well, thank you." You paused. "And no, you do not have my permission to beat him up."

Bucky laughed.

"Well then, it's a good thing I didn't ask for permission."

---

I was thrown back into the present when Bucky started shooting at us. I ducked for cover as Steve launched a grenade in Bucky's general direction, clearly trying to miss. An explosion sounded and by the time the smoke cleared, Bucky was gone.

---

I remember the first time I met Bucky like it was yesterday. Captain America came marching into camp with hundreds of soldiers staggering behind him. Everyone was watching the super soldier, but not me. My eyes were trained on the man to his right. When Steve first told me he was doing a solo rescue mission just to save his friend, I told him he was crazy. But, as I watched who I could only assume to be Bucky cheer on his friend, I understood.

"Let's hear it for Captain America!" He said, staring at Steve in gratitude as everyone around him cheered. His eyes flicked past his friend's figure and landed on mine. I smiled. He smiled. My heart forgot how to beat properly.

When I heard Steve was forming a band of soldiers, I wanted in. Technically I had the same job as Peggy, but I was an excellent sniper. Once Steve saw the precision of my marksmanship, he didn't hesitate to include me in what would later be known as the Howling Commandos.

The very first mission I went on, I was excellent. Except for the part in the end where I almost got shot in the shoulder. Almost. It just grazed me.

"You're done. That's it," Steve had said as we made our way back to camp.

"Are you kidding me?" I shouted. "We marched into enemy territory and you expected me not to get shot at?"

"I expected you to be good enough to avoid it."

"She was good enough to take out half of the men shooting at you."

We both turned around to see Bucky, staring at Steve with raised eyebrows.

“Maybe you should thank her for keeping you from getting shot.”

I rolled my lips into my mouth, trying desperately not to smirk at Steve. He opened his mouth to disagree but realized there was nothing he could say. Eventually, he just sighed.

“I’m sorry, Y/N. Bucky’s right.”

Steve, clearly aggravated or embarrassed—or maybe both—walked ahead of me and Bucky.

“Thanks for that,” I said when Steve was out of earshot, smiling at him.

“It’s nothing. Steve means well, he’s just stubborn as hell.”

“I’ve only known him for a few weeks and I’m already well aware of that.”

We both laughed, and the sound of his laugh was something I never wanted to forget.

I never did.

So, as I sat in the back of the van, that sound echoed through my head. I remembered the soldier with the lopsided grin I knew so long ago and the man who had just attacked us. They were different people. But they weren’t. It was still Bucky.

“You knew,” I said my voice barely above a whisper.

The car went quiet as I looked at Natasha.

“I don’t know how, but you knew it was him all along. And you didn’t tell me.”

“I didn’t want you to get hurt,” she admitted, not looking up at me.

I scoffed, tears stinging at the corner of my eyes. “You didn’t want me to get hurt? The fact that the love of my life is alive and trying to kill us hurts me. It hurts more that you knew and I didn’t hear it from you.”

---

Skip ahead a few hours, turns out Fury’s not dead. We’re at a remote location, everyone else is inside. I’m standing outside, my eyes fixed on nothing in particular. I couldn’t think of anything but Bucky. Every thought had been of him since the moment the blue of his eyes filled my vision. I didn’t even realize I was crying until a tear fell from my chin. I sank to the ground, leaning my head against the concrete behind me. A sob wracked my body. And then another. And another. I was a hyperventilating mess when Steve found me about an hour later.

“Hey, Y/N, hey, it’s okay,” he assured, crouching beside me.

“No. It’s not, Steve,” I sobbed. “I thought he was dead. But he’s not, and somehow that’s not better. I’ve thought about him every day since his d-dumb ass fell off that train and suddenly he was there. Staring right at me. And he didn’t even know who I was. H-he didn’t kn-know me, Steve. He d-didn’t know himself.”

I was sobbing again, and Steve opened his arms. I fell into them, soaking Steve’s shirt with my tears.

---

It had been a grueling mission, and I sat just outside camp, twirling my knife between my hands.

“You’re gonna end up chopping one of your fingers off.”

I jumped at Bucky’s voice, the knife hitting the ground.

“I will if you scare me like that again,” I said, trying to sound angry.

Bucky just smiled, plopping down on the grass next to me.

“Are you okay? You seemed a little off after we got back.”

I sighed, picking up the knife again and running my fingers along the smooth metal.

“I don’t usually see their faces. But I was looking through the scope and there was this kid looking right at me. He could see me, he knew I was going to kill him.” I paused. “He was a kid, Bucky. Younger than me. He probably didn’t even know what he was fighting for. And I put a bullet in his skull.”

Bucky let out a breath, his hand resting on my shoulder.

“You’re a good person, Y/N.”

I furrowed my brows. “I just told you I shot a teenager.”

“I know. There are plenty of men here who have shot kids younger than themselves. They continue shooting at them like there’s nothing wrong. But you’re out here. Beating yourself up for it. Feeling guilty. Feeling remorse for taking his life.”

He shifted so he was facing me.

“You were just doing your job, Y/N. War can turn people heartless, but no matter how many missions we go on, you’re still the same compassionate person. That’s why I lo—… why I admire you.”

I smiled, staring down at the grass.

“Thank you, Bucky. I admire you too.”

“Oh,” Bucky smirked. “Do tell.”

I laughed. “That’s why. Because no matter how messed up we all get, you’re still smiling. No matter how much I want to break down, you’re there to remind me to laugh every now and then. Because you’re one of the most supportive people I know. Towards everyone you care about. But you’re also not afraid to tell me when I’m being stupid, and I should hate that about you, but I don’t. And you’re so easy to talk to. From the first moment we talked, it felt like I had known you my whole life.”

“Don’t start getting all mushy on me, Y/L/N.” He said and I chuckled. “You’re incredible, you know that?”

I looked at him, smiling.

“Everyone else is sound asleep and here you are, sitting under a tree, looking beautiful.”

My eyebrows shot up in surprise at his words.

“Oh don’t tell me you don’t know how beautiful you are.”

I laughed. “Oh, I do. I’ve just never heard you say it.”

“Well, Y/N, you are the most beautiful woman in this camp.”

I laughed again. “I’m the only woman in this camp right now.”

“There could be a hundred women in this stupid camp and you’d still outshine them all.”

I was speechless. Bucky had always been flirty, but never to this level.

“Well, you’re not too bad yourself, Sargeant.”

“How kind of you,” he laughed, a smile lighting up his face. The tone suddenly grew more serious as he looked into my eyes. “I really want to kiss you right now.”

“Well then what are you waiting for?”

He broke out into a smile, and leaned in, his lips meeting mine. It was soft at first, slow and filled with everything we couldn’t say aloud. His hand cupped my jaw before sliding down my arm and finding a home on my waist. My fingers gently tugged at his hair, and he smiled into the kiss. He pulled away much too soon, looking at me with adoration as his forehead rested against mine.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for forever,” he said, brushing my hair behind my ear.

“Took you long enough.”

---

I went over the plan, again and again, hoping I could get in and out without running into Bucky. But also needing to see his face.

I was on the third helicarrier, chip tucked into my pocket. I just got confirmation from Hill that the other two helicarriers has been linked, the last one was up to me. I approached the mainframe and he was there. Decked in all black, metal arm shining.

I stopped on the walkway, ten feet from where he stood.

“Bucky, you know me. I don’t want to fight you.”

He didn’t respond, and I took a step closer.

“Bucky, please. We know each other.”

“No we don’t,” he said, and he lunged towards me. Anticipating his moves, I ducked out of the way. I had fought him before, so I had a better idea of his style. Dodging his punches and getting a few of my own in was much easier than before. I managed to make my way to the center, punching in the code and yanking out one of the chips. I pulled the other out of my pocket and almost had it in when Bucky knocked it out of my hand. The chip fell, landing on a landing below us, nearly falling off the edge as Bucky swung at me. I ducked, jumping over the railing after the chip. I grabbed it, standing up just as Bucky reached me. I bought up my arms to block a punch, knocking the chip out of my hand, it fell and clattered on the glass below us. I landed a kick on his stomach, sending him over the edge as well.

I jumped down onto the glass, sprinting towards the chip. Before I could reach it, Bucky tackled me to the ground, metal hand clasping around my throat. I choked, face growing red. I kicked him in the leg and he loosened his grip. I took that as my opportunity, and I swung my legs up, wrapping around his neck and flipping us over. I was laying on my back, my thighs closed around Bucky’s neck as he tried to pry them off. I managed to hold on for a few seconds before he wriggled out of my grasp.

He stood up and I followed suit. We both lunged for the chip and he beat me to it. I came up behind him, pulling out my gun and hitting him in the back of the head with the butt of it. He collapsed, the chip cluttering out of his hand. I grabbed it and climbed along the side of the glass, leaping towards the landing. I ran, climbing along the inside towards the landing above me. A shot echoed through the air hitting the wall beside my thigh. Another shot sounded, barely missing my arm. This was Bucky Barnes, one of the best snipers of his time. Was he missing on purpose? I continued climbing, until I hurled myself onto the landing, sprinting towards the center.

“Ten seconds!” Hill warned over my comms.

I reached towards the empty slot when a bullet ripped through my abdomen. I screamed, collapsing next to the mainframe. I struggled to lift myself up another bullet ricocheted near my head. With a grunt, I hauled myself up, sticking the chip in with no time to spare. I sighed, sinking to the ground.

“Okay, Y/N, get out of there,” Hill said.

“I can’t,” I grunted. “Do it now.”

“Y/N--”

“Do it. Now!”

Hill listened, and soon enough a rain of explosions rocked the helicarrier. I crawled toward the railing, seeing Bucky pinned beneath a metal beam. I made my way down to him, clutching my stomach. He was desperately trying to lift it, and I let go of my stomach, trying to ignore the throbbing pain. With all the strength I could muster, I pushed the beam away from his form. I screamed out, barely moving it, but it was enough to help him push it off. Within seconds he was on his feet, staring at me with wild eyes. I stared at him, arms wrapped around myself.

“I won’t fight you, Bucky.”

“Stop calling me that,” he muttered, lunging towards me. I half-heartedly blocked him and realized he wasn’t using his full strength.

“Your name is James Buchanan Barnes. My name is Y/N Y/L/N and I love you more than anything in the world.”

“Stop talking!” Bucky said, stumbling away from me clutching his head and screwing his eyes shut.

“I love you, Bucky.”

That was the last thing to leave my mouth before the ground gave out beneath me and I fell. I saw the helicarrier grow smaller above me and my vision grew darker. I hit the water, sinking deeper as I faded in and out of consciousness. I saw a figure above me, growing bigger and bigger as it approached. I felt someone grab a hold of me, pulling me towards the surface. We broke the surface and I took a deep breath in. I kept fading in and out of reality as the shore grew closer. Soon enough, I was laying on the sand as a figure walked away from me, his metal arm catching the sunlight.

---

Two years later.

Romania. Bucharest to be exact. That’s where our search had led us. I looked at Steve, letting out a shaky breath as he opened the apartment door. It was empty and we made our way inside. I looked at the mattress on the floor and the dirt-covered walls. This was where he was staying? Bucky deserved better than this. I came up behind Steve as he pulled notebook from on top of the fridge, leafing through it. It fell open on a picture of Steve and we shared a glance.

I caught sight of a figure in my peripherals and I turned. There he was. No matter how many times I told Steve I was ready to see him, I wasn’t. I momentarily forgot how to breathe.

“Do you know who I am?” Steve asked from behind me.

“You’re Steve,” he said, addressing Steve even though he was looking at me. “I read about you in a museum.”

“And me?” I asked, my voice shaking.

He didn’t respond to my question, changing the subject altogether.

“I wasn’t in Vienna. I don’t do that anymore.”

They’re entering the building, Sam said over the comms.

“Well, the people who think you did are coming here now. And they’re not planning on taking you alive.”

“That’s smart,” Bucky said. “Good strategy.”

They’re on the roof. I’m compromised, Sam said.

I looked up, hearing the sound of boots above us.

“This doesn’t have to end in a fight, Buck,” Steve warned as Bucky pulled off his glove, revealing his metal hand. He sighed.

“It always ends in a fight.”

Five seconds, Sam warned.

“Why did you save me from drowning?” I asked, making my voice sound braver than I felt.

His eyes found mine and he swallowed. “I don’t know.”

“Yes you do,” Steve said from behind me.

Before he could respond, Sam’s voice sounded through the comms.

Breach! Breach! Brea--

A grenade broke through the window, landing on the floor at Bucky’s feet. He kicked it towards Steve, and he covered it with his shield just as it exploded. A shot shattered the window and Bucky used his mattress as a shield. I kicked the table towards the door, preventing the agents on the other side from entering. For now.

Two men came in through the windows, immediately attacking. One man went for Bucky, while another lifted his gun. I pushed the barrel away from Bucky and wrenched the gun from the man’s grasp. I didn’t hesitate to flip it around and shoot the man, doing the same to the man attacking Bucky.

Steve had gotten knocked on the floor and Bucky punched through the floor next to his head, pulling out a backpack from underneath the floorboards.

“Buck, stop! You’re gonna kill someone!”

He threw the backpack off the roof, hurling it onto the nearby roof.

“I’m not gonna kill anyone.”

They managed to bust down the door and agents flooded into the room. I aimed my gun at the door and pressed down the trigger, bullets flying. I hit most of them, but one man came lunging towards me. Before he could get to me, Bucky had kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying across the room.

And then he was gone, racing down the stairwell. I followed behind him, trying my best to take out any threats with non-fatal shots. Steve raced ahead of me, trailing after Bucky. There was no way I could keep up with them, so I came to a halt. All the action continued to move farther down, leaving me alone. I looked at the door to my left and made a split second decision.

Mustering up my strength, I kicked it in, and the people inside screamed. I rushed past them onto the balcony, just in time to see Bucky fighting someone on the next roof as Sam kicked the tail of a helicopter, sending it spinning.

“Care to give me a lift?” I said into the comm, and Sam flew towards the building, spotting me in an instant. He raced towards me and I latched onto him as we went flying. We followed from above as Bucky was chased through the city, momentarily losing them in a tunnel. When we caught sight of them again, we saw an unknown figure rip Bucky off a motorcycle. Before said figure could attack Bucky, Steve came out of nowhere tackling him to the ground. Sam landed next to him, setting me down, so the three of us stood between the unknown man and Bucky.

The sound of police sirens surrounded filled the air and an entourage of black vehicles soon trapped us.

Shit.

---

Sam, Steve, Sharon and I all sat in a conference room. My eyes were glued to the photo in Steve’s hand. It was supposed to be Bucky, walking away from the UN bombing.

“Why put out this picture in the first place?” Steve asked, tossing it onto the table.

“Get the word out, involve as many eyes as we can,” Sharon responded.

“Right,” Steve said. “It’s a good way to flush a guy out of hiding. Set off a bomb, get your picture taken. You’ve got seven billion people looking for the Winter Soldier.”

“You’re saying someone framed him to find him,” Sharon said, understanding what he was getting at.

“We looked for the guy for two years and found nothing,” Sam countered.

“Yeah, but we didn’t bomb the UN,” I noted. “That turns a lot of heads.”

“But that doesn’t guarantee that the person who framed him would get him, it guarantees that we would.”

Silence fell over the room as realization sank in. We all turned to look at the screen where a psychiatrist was interrogating Bucky.

Then, the lights went out. We all turned to Sharon, waiting for her to speak.

“Sublevel five, east wing.”

We were there in a matter of minutes. We entered the interrogation room, lit up by red emergency lights. Steve didn’t hesitate to pin the supposed psychiatrist against the wall.

“What do you want?” Steve growled.

“To see an empire fall.”

Suddenly Bucky was there as Sam walked in, hurling him across the room. Steve let go of the man and lunged at Bucky, throwing a punch that he easily dodged. I kicked out his feet from under him and he landed on his back. I was quick to jump on top of him, using my weight to pin him down.

“Snap out of this, Bucky,” I pleaded. He flipped me over so he was on top of me, hand wrapping around my neck. I writhed below him, my face growing red. Steve landed a kick to his stomach, knocking him off me. I sat up, my hands coming to rest on my throat as I gasped for air. Steve and Bucky took the fight farther down the hall until Bucky kicked him into the empty elevator shaft. He walked away, leaving a gaping hole in what used to be the elevator doors.

I scurried towards the shaft, looking down to see Steve using the cable to climb up.

“You good?” I asked, my voice echoing.

He grunted as he pulled himself onto the floor at my feet.

“That’s gonna hurt tomorrow,” he panted. “Let’s go.”

I don't know how, but Steve knew to run to the roof, and sure enough, Bucky was there. Or the Winter Soldier was there. I didn't know what to call him when he was like this.

He had climbed into a helicopter and Steve bolted towards him as it lifted off the ground. Steve latched onto the bottom and the helicopter shifted slightly. I watched as Steve was dragged towards the edge.

"Steve!" I called out, racing towards him, although I wasn't sure how I could help.

He held onto the edge of the landing pad as Bucky tried to steer the helicopter away. I stopped, shocked, as Steve kept the copter from moving. He screamed, using every ounce of strength to keep Bucky from leaving.

I looked up at Bucky, his eyes wild. I saw his hands twitch and I knew what he was going to do. I bolted backward.

"Steve! Look out!" I cried just as Bucky steered the copter towards the concrete. Steve ducked out of the way just in time, dodging the tail as it slid along the ground.

The helicopter was teetering on the edge and Steve made his way over to it. Before he could do a thing, a metal hand broke through the window, wrapping around his neck. I watched in horror as the helicopter shifted towards the edge. I wanted to do something, anything, but I didn't know what.

"Steve!" I cried as the helicopter fell, falling into the water below. I raced to the edge and searched the water desperately for any sign of them. My heart felt like it would burst out of my chest and my breathing halted. And then I saw them, breaking the waters' surface and gasping for air. I feel to my knees, letting out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding.

---

Steve and I were having a harshly whispered conversation when Sam called us from the other room. We entered the room him and Bucky was in to see Bucky had finally gained consciousness.

"Which Bucky am I talking to?" Steve asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Your mom's name was Sarah," he said, his voice unsure. "You used to shove newspapers in your shoes."

He looked up, his eyes meeting mine.

"You're Y/N. I would always have to remind you to turn your safety off." He paused. "Your perfume smelled like vanilla."

My heart swelled with a mixture of relief, sadness, and love.

"What did I do?" He asked, running his free hand over his face.

"That man," I said. "He must have triggered the Soldier."

"What did he want?" Steve asked.

"I don't know."

"You're gonna have to do better than 'I don't know.'"

"He wanted to know about Siberia," he said, confused.

"Why is that important?" I asked.

He paused, looking down at the ground.

"Because I'm not the only Winter Soldier."

Silence fell over the room as we absorbed the words Bucky said.

"Tell us everything."

---

We wound up in a stolen VW Beetle, with Steve driving, Sam shotgun, and Bucky and me in the back. The ride to the airport was silent, and I occasionally stole glances at Bucky, whose eyes were trained on the road in front of us.

"Stop looking at me like that," he said quietly, still focused on the road ahead of him.

"Like what?" I asked, my eyes locked on his profile.

"Like you feel sorry for me," he breathed, finally turning to look at me.

"Bucky, you were tortured and brainwashed for seventy years. How else am I supposed to feel?"

"I don't know," he sighed. "I don't even know how I feel."

"And you don't have to," I assured. "You have every right to be confused and angry and every emotion I can think of. And I'm here for you while you figure it all out."

"How did we meet?" He asked, looking at me with apologetic eyes. My heart sank at the expression he wore.

"I helped Steve organize the rescue mission he went on to save you. Do you remember that?"

He paused for a moment and then nodded.

"When he came back, he introduced us. Eventually, I went on dozens of missions with you guys."

He opened his mouth, searching for words.

"Were we… friends or… were we…"

He trailed off, not looking at me. It killed me that he remembered me, but he remembered so little.

"We were the best of friends," I said, not sure why I lied.

Steve caught my eye in the rearview mirror, eyebrows raised, and I just shrugged.

We arrived at the airport, and fighting ensued. I don’t need to go into detail, but basically Tony, surrounded by the Avengers that supported the Accords, tried to stop us from getting to the quinjet. They managed to get Scott, Clint, Wanda and Sam. Bucky, Steve and I made it to the quinjet with seconds to spare.

We skidded to a stop as we saw Natasha standing between us and the jet. She looked at Bucky, Steve, and then her eyes locked on mine.

"Please, Nat," I said, just loud enough to be heard over the fighting behind us.

She didn't respond, she just sidestepped, clearing the path for us to leave. We didn't hesitate and made our way to the jet. I slowed down as I passed her, nodding in her direction. She nodded back and I hope she understood that I forgave her for not telling me about Bucky two years ago. I had him now and that was all that mattered.

It was a matter of seconds before we took off, and then we were on our way to Siberia. I looked over at Bucky, and he looked back at me. The turmoil boiling beneath the surface of his eyes was clear.

"I don't know if I'm worth all this," he admitted, breaking eye contact with me.

"All those years, it wasn't you, Buck. It was Hydra, not you."

He looked at me and offered a tight-lipped smile, clearly not hearing was I was saying.

The jet touched down on a frozen wasteland, and violent wind ripped at my clothes and skin as soon as we stepped out. The door to the compound was ajar, meaning Zemo must have already arrived. We didn’t hesitate to enter. The rickety elevator ride to the lower level was silent, the air tense. We walked silently through a doorway and up a small flight of stairs, guns at the ready when we heard movement behind us. We turned around in time to see the doors behind us being pried open.

It was Tony. He sauntered in, his helmet disappearing to reveal his face.

“You seem a little defensive,” he said nonchalantly.

“It’s been a long day,” Steve answered, taking a step towards Tony. He looked behind Steve, his gaze landing on Bucky. I instinctively stepped so I was in between them.

“At ease, soldier. I’m not currently after you,” he said, and I furrowed my brows.

“Then why are you here?” Steve asked, voicing my exact thoughts.

“Maybe your story’s not so crazy,” Tony admitted. “Maybe.”

I lowered my gun at his words, realizing he wasn’t a threat.

“Ross has no idea I’m here and I’d like to keep it that way. Otherwise, I’d have to arrest myself.”

“Sounds like a lot of paperwork,” Steve said, lowering his shield. “It’s good to see you, Tony.”

“You too, Cap.” He looked in my direction. “Y/L/N.” I offered him a polite nod before he looked back at Bucky. “Manchurian Candidate, you’re killing me. There’s a truce here; you can drop your gun.”

I looked back at him and nodded, and he relaxed.

We continued on before we arrived in a large room, our footsteps echoing off the tall, metal walls. As we entered, six tanks lit up, three on each side of the room. I moved closer, to see the Winter Soldiers Bucky had described, all with bullets between their eyes.

“What the hell…?” I muttered.

A voice sounded through the room, startling all of us.

“If it’s any comfort, they died in their sleep.”

I looked back at Steve and Bucky, who looked equally as confused as I felt.

“Did you really think I wanted more of you? I’m grateful for them, though. They brought you here.”

A light came on, revealing a small window where Zemo appeared. Steve didn’t hesitate to launch his shield directly at him, but it bounced off the glass.

“Please, Captain. The Soviets built this place to withstand the launch blast of UR-100 rockets.”

“I’m betting I could beat that,” Tony quipped as we all moved towards Zemo.

“I’m sure you could, Mr. Stark. Given time. But then you’d never know why you came.”

“You killed innocent people in Vienna just to bring us here,” Steve said, coming to stand right in front of the window Zemo hid behind.

“I’ve thought about nothing else for over a year. I studied you, I followed you, but now that you’re standing here, I just realized… there’s a bit of green in the blue of your eyes. How nice to find a flaw.”

“You’re Sokovian,” Steve stated. “Is that what this is about?”

I remained a few feet behind him, gun ready should anything happen.

“Sokovia was a failed state long before you blew it to hell. No. I’m here because I made a promise.”

“You lost someone,” I stated, and Zemo’s eyes flicked past Steve to meet mine.

“I lost everyone.” He looked between Steve and I. “And so will you.”

Suddenly text appeared on a screen next to us. Russian: December 16, 1991.

“An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again,” Zemo said. “But one which crumbles from within? That’s dead. Forever.”

I looked on as security footage from the bend in some road started to play.

“I know that road,” Tony said, his voice faltering. “What is this?”

Zemo didn’t respond, and I turned back to the screen. A car crashed into a pole, followed by a man on a motorcycle. The streetlight glinted off his metal arm and my breath caught in my throat. I looked at Bucky, and his eyes met mine. I quickly turned back to the screen. The Soldier got off his bike and made his way to a man who had crawled out of the driver’s seat.

“Sargeant Barnes?” The man’s voice sounded.

“Howard!” A woman moaned.

No. No, no, no, no.

I looked at Tony, his eyes glued to the screen, hands shaking. He looked up at Bucky and I silently prayed he wouldn’t do anything. The sound of Maria Stark’s voice sounded again before the Soldier strangled her. And then he walked towards the camera, aiming his gun at the lens, and pulling the trigger.

As soon as it finished, Tony lunged towards Bucky. I launched myself between them, but Steve held Tony back. Tony turned to face Steve.

“Did you know?” He asked, the trademark confidence of Tony Stark gone from his voice.

“I didn’t know it was him,” Steve replied.

“Don’t bullshit me, Rogers,” Tony spat. “Did you know?”

“Yes.”

Tony jerked away from him, stumbling slightly. When he turned towards Bucky, I took a step towards him.

“Please, Tony, You know he wasn’t--”

I didn’t have time to finish, because Tony hit me with a blast from his suit, sending me flying into the wall.

And then everything went black.

---

I woke up on the quinjet, with Bucky sitting on the floor next to where I was laying. As my eyes adjusted, I saw the blood coating his skin and the bruises littering his cheek and jaw.

“What happened?” I groaned, trying to sit up, but laying back down immediately, my head pounding.

“We got our asses kicked,” Bucky said.

“Tony?” I asked, eyes flicking to Steve in the cockpit.

“He’s alive,” Steve confirmed and I let out a breath.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Somewhere safe.”

I looked up at Bucky and his gaze was already on me.

“Are you okay?” I asked, sitting up slowly, so I was eye level with him.

“Are you?” He laughed. “You got knocked into a wall.”

“And you got the living daylights beaten out of you.”

He smiled; I forgot how much I had missed his smile. Tears started stinging in my eyes and Bucky’s face softened.

“Hey… you’re okay,” he said, scooting towards me. We were both leaning against the wall of the quinjet, sitting maybe an inch from each other. I smiled and looked at him as he wiped away the tears wetting my cheeks.

“I missed you so much, Bucky,” I said, my voice breaking.

“I missed you too, doll.”

He leaned towards me and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. I squeezed my eyes shut and savored the feeling of his lips against my skin.

“Everything’s gonna be okay,” he said, pulling away.

“It’s all so fucked up, Buck. How can you be so sure?”

He smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

“Because now I have you.”

---

PART TWO

#Bucky Barnes #james bucky barnes #Bucky angst #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky fanfic #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes fanfic #marvel #marvel fanfic #marvel fic #marvel fanfiction #captain america: the winter soldier #captain america: civil war #ca:tws #ca:cw #james buchanan barnes #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes imagines

484 notes · View notes

myriadimagines · 5 years

Text

In This Together

Marvel (The MCU) One Shot

Pairing: Reader x Sam Wilson

Other Characters: Natasha Romanoff, Steve Rogers

Warnings: mentions of violence

Request: “May i request a Sam Wilson one-shot, where reader and Sam has an established relationship, when Cap comes knocking on their door in tws and he wants Sam to help, reader is against it and tries to convince Sam to don't go, for reader is worried about his safety, but in the end reader tag along them to keep Sam safe, even tho not a big fan of Cap. Angsty, but a little fluff at the end? Thank you very much!! 💕💖💕” – anonymous

Word Count: 1,871

A/N: ahhhh sam wilson :’) this was a good prompt to get back into writing one shots so thank you for requesting and i hope you like it!!!

please reblog/leave comments, they’re very much appreciated!

Your name: submit What is this?

A glass of orange juice is already ready on the kitchen countertop for Sam as he strolls into the kitchen, still slightly short of breath as he takes a minute to recover from his routine morning jog. He smiles to himself as he takes the glass, taking a sip from it as you emerge from your bedroom, tucking your shirt into a pair of jeans as you smile at him and ask, “How was your run?”

“Good,” Sam replies, making his way over to you, looping an arm around your waist as he pulls you towards him. “The weather’s really nice today, we should go out and do something.”

You laugh, dodging him as he attempts to kiss you. Wriggling out of his grasp, you gesture to his sweaty shirt as you taunt, “Sure, after you shower.”

Sam chuckles, shaking his head. He opens his mouth, no doubt to make a teasing remark about how if you truly loved him, you would kiss him even while he’s sweaty, but you both exchange confused looks as you hear a knock at your door. Sam frowns, knowing neither of you are supposed to have guests so early in the morning, but he walks up to the door as you linger behind him in the living room. He opens the blinds, his body blocking the window so you can’t see who’s at the door. Sam opens the door, and you tilt your head as you hear him greet, “Hey, man.”

You can’t hear the low and murmured conversation which follows, but it doesn’t take long before Sam steps aside, and your eyes widen as none other than Captain America steps inside, trailing behind Natasha Romanoff, both of their faces streaked with what looks like soot, exhaustion evident in their features. Their gazes linger on you for a brief moment, nodding silently at you as you can’t help but simply stare, and you hear Sam close the door and lower the blinds as he says, “Bathroom’s down the hall. y/n, can close the living room blinds for me?”

You look up at Sam as Natasha and Steve duck into the hallway, and Sam gives you a look as he wordlessly pleads with you to oblige. Snapping yourself out of your trance, you move to quickly close the blinds around the room as you hear water running in the bathroom. Looking over your shoulder, you peek down the hallway before gesturing for Sam to come closer, whispering, “What’s going on?”

Sam’s eyebrows furrow, and he frowns. “They’re in trouble. They need a place to lay low.”

“Trouble?” you repeat, defensively folding your arms across your chest. “Maybe it’s just me, Sam, but I don’t like the sound of the Captain America and Black Widow being in trouble.”

“Babe,” Sam softens his voice in an attempt to soothe you, reaching for you as he runs his hands up and down your arms. He gives you an earnest look as he reassures you, “It’s going to be okay, promise.”

You study his expression, not entirely convinced but deciding to have faith in your boyfriend. Reluctantly nodding, you offer, “I’ll make breakfast for everyone.”

Sam smiles gratefully at you as you make your way into the kitchen, unwrapping a package of bread as you reach into the fridge for a carton of eggs. You can hear the shower stop running before hearing the sound of Steve and Natasha’s murmuring voices. Sam sets out a few plates as you crack a few eggs in the pan, hissing against the metal as you adjust the heat. You listen as Sam strolls into the bedroom, announcing, “y/n is making breakfast, if you guys… eat that sort of thing.”

You let out a soft chuckle at Sam’s remark, and you slide the scrambled eggs onto a plate as Steve and Natasha return to the living room, taking a seat at the dining room table. Steve makes a point of approaching you, and you warily look at him as he says, “I can’t thank you enough for helping us. It really means a lot.”

You flash him a small smile. “I suppose you don’t turn away Captain America when he turns up at your doorstep.”

Steve chuckles, and you can’t help but feel more at ease. Despite his well known and slightly intimidating reputation, it feels nice to know that Captain America seems to be relatively normal in person. Looking back over his shoulder at Sam, Steve adds, “Sam talks about you all the time, you know. The few times I’ve met him, he always manages to sneak you into conversation.”

You can’t help but feel your cheeks get hot, and you smile bashfully as Sam approaches. “Hey, why are you trying to embarrass me, man?”

The three of you burst into laughter as Natasha smiles, amused, from where she’s sitting at the dining room table. She has only met Sam one, but she has a good feeling about him — just as she does about you. Steve and Sam join her at the table as you quietly toast some bread, listening in on their conversation as they discuss S.H.I.E.L.D., missile strikes and kidnapping. You feel increasingly nervous as you can see Sam listening intently, too intently, a look of determination crossing his face. Your breath hitches, watching Sam perk up before walking over to a small box tucked in your bookshelf as Steve asks, “So the real question is, how do the two most wanted people in Washington kidnap a S.H.I.E.L.D. officer in broad daylight?”

You already know what Sam has grabbed before he drops the EXO-7 Falcon manila folder in front of Steve, replying, “The answer is, you don’t.”

“What’s this?” Steve asks, sitting up in his seat as Sam leans against the kitchen counter.

“Call it a resume.” Sam answers, and you can feel your hands begin to tremble as Natasha picks up the photo clipped to the front.

“Is this Bahkmala? The Khalid Khandil mission, that was you?” Natasha asks, recognizing it almost instantly, looking at Sam with a hint of newfound respect in her eyes as Steve takes the photo from her. “You didn’t say he was a pararescue.”

Steve inspects the photo. “Is this Riley?”

You glances at Sam’s expression, his features drawn as he quietly nods. “Yeah.”

“I heard they couldn’t bring in the choppers because of the RPGs.” Natasha continues, reciting the details of the mission as if she was there. “What’d you use, a stealth chute?”

“No.” Sam pushes himself away from the counter, picking up the folder as he hands it to Steve. “These.”

He folds his arms across his chest as he waits for Steve’s reaction, who speechlessly stares at the suit design you know is in front of him, before Steve finally says, “I thought you said you were a pilot.”

Sam chuckles. “I never said pilot.”

Steve smiles slightly, looking back down at the folder. Shaking his head, Steve makes a point of nodding at you as he tells Sam, “I can’t ask you to do this, Sam. You got out for a good reason.”

You smile gratefully at Steve, but your smile quickly falls as Sam replies, “Dude, Captain America needs my help. There’s no better reason to get back in.”

Before Steve can reply, you unintentionally slam your shaking hands down, the knife you were holding clattering loudly against the plates as all eyes turn to you. Taking in a quivering breath, you struggle to keep your voice level as you shoot Sam a look, asking, “Sam, can we talk? In private?”

Sam looks back at Natasha and Steve, who nod understandingly as you march into your bedroom, Sam quickly following behind you. You anxiously pace up and down the room before spinning around to face Sam, demanding, “What are you doing?”

Sam sighs, choosing to ignore your look of disapproval. “y/n, you heard the whole thing. There’s a threat of a missile strike — they need all the help they can get.”

“But why does that help need to be you?” you ask desperately, reaching out to hold Sam’s face in your hands. Sam reaches up, placing his hands over yours as you continue, “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“People are in danger, y/n, I can’t just sit back when I know I can do something about it.” Sam insists, and you shake your head, tears welling in your eyes. Sam’s determination and sense of justice has always been something you’ve admired in him, yet if his determination was going to get him killed, you weren’t so sure it was the right thing to do. He looks at you, practically begging with his eyes, as he continues, “I told you it’ll be okay, and I still mean it.”

“You can’t promise that.” you point out, and Sam sighs. You can feel your heart pounding in your chest as the mere prospect of Sam getting hurt, or worse, and you can’t imagine how you’d handle something going actually going wrong. Pulling away from Sam’s touch, you run your hands through your hair as you suddenly turn, storming down the hallway and back into the dining room. Steve sits up upon seeing you, eyebrows raised expectantly, and you gulp as you square your shoulders. “You can’t let Sam help you. I won’t let him.”

Steve’s expression softens. He understands the situation, yet as he looks over your shoulder to where Sam has caught up with you, he knows he can’t make a decision for your boyfriend. Shaking his head apologetically, he replies, “That’s between the two of you, y/n.”

You grit your teeth, internally cursing Steve for not taking your side, before balling your hands into fists. Knowing that you can’t convince Sam to stay away, and now knowing that Steve won’t stop him, you realize there’s only one solution left. “Then I’m helping, too.”

The tiniest smile appears on Sam’s face as Natasha and Steve blink at you in surprise. Steve’s gaze flickers at you up and down before realizing there is more to you that he initially realized, and Natasha clears her throat, saying, “This is a dangerous mission, y/n, I don’t think-”

“Where do you think Sam and I met?” you interrupted, and it dawns on Natasha as Steve quickly pieces it together — you may not have been a part of the Falcon initiative, but you had been a part of the military. To further prove your point, you walk over to your cabinet, pulling out a hidden gun you had kept in the back of your drawer and loading it. Natasha grins slightly, impressed, as Steve nods at you.

“Looks like we’ve got a team.” he remarks, and you turn around to face Sam.

“You sure about this?” he asks, and you raise an eyebrow at him.

“Someone’s got to look out for you.” you state in a matter-of-fact tone, and the corner of Sam’s lips tug into a smile.

“God, I love you.” he sighs, and you finally smile at him.

“We’re in this together, Sam.” you remind him firmly. “Always have been, and always will.”

tags: @proudchocolateaddict / @myfriendmagislit / @fire--pheonix / @sheridans-dynamos / @beautifulbows924 / @writinqss / @woah-imagines / @steve-rogersirl / @musicallisto / @gofandomsandotherstuff / @melannchoholic / @mockingjaygirl1221 / @emmacata / @hauntedpocdreamer / @unlikelysamwinchesteronahunt / @5aftermidnight / @diskateatscake / @just-shuri / @bru-spanner / @iammostdefinitelyonfire26 / @thisismysecrethappyplace / @natalia-helena-alianova-romanov / @fairytalesforever / @locke-writes / @lgbtonystarks

↳ want to be added to the tag list?

#marvel imagine #avengers imagine #sam wilson imagine #marvel one shot #avengers one shot #sam wilson #sam wilson one shot #reader x sam wilson #sam wilson x reader #imagine #imagines #reader insert #one shot #one shots

106 notes · View notes

captain-kelli · 4 years

Note

⭐️

Oh my gosh. I immediately regret this because what a tough question. Thank you for sending it in, Lea, because it made me think.

⭐- What’s a scene/paragraph you’re proud of? // Call Sign: Renaissance

I’m gonna have to pick that scene in chapter 08 and then when she quotes the pararescue motto to Steve. “These things we do, that others may live.”

Our girl Renaissance has been through absolute hell, but she is resilient. Her purpose will forever and always be putting others first, so I wanted her to have a big moment like this to show she was back in the game, officially back on her feet.

ask me questions about Renaissance to give me inspiration for tonight

#captain kelli chat #call sign: renaissance chat #disaffectedbarnes

2 notes · View notes

cassiopeiassky · 6 years

Text

When Everything’s Made to be Broken (I Just Want You to Know Who I Am) Part 48

Look ma, another update!

Plot: When you inadvertently become a witness to a murder and are suddenly a target for death, it takes a specially skilled soldier and his team to keep you and your family safe.

This will eventually be a is a reader x Bucky fic. The reader, by the way, is a civilian. No super powers, no fighting skills, and by no means perfect.

Word count: 4828

Warnings:

For the entire work: Language (I have a potty mouth), violence, and angst. This will probably get pretty dark later on, and there will be smut. If that’s not your thing, you may want to avoid this story.

Additional warnings specific to this part: Not much...mentions of blood. Maybe some anxiety. Sass because she’s resilient af. Fluff. You’re welcome.

***I do not own any of the lyrics/music in this story, so please don’t sue me for using them***

Tags moved to the end.

WEMtbB Masterlist

Previously on WEMtbB:

“Maybe we just leave it in there. Her artery should eventually heal around it,” Sam muses as he does God knows what.

“No…they coat their bullets in lead. If they cannot cause death they are usually more than happy to cause suffering.”

“Bastards. Well, we’ll have to worry about that after we get her home.”

Home.

You try to focus on that word, on home, instead of their talk of clamps, needles, potential avascular necrosis, and blood transfusions.

The word echoes as consciousness fades.

You awake with a start, noticing immediately that Bucky isn’t there. You hear talking outside and tense up before you recognize Steve’s voice, then Nat’s.

Right. You’re safe now.

Their voices calm you somewhat as you look around to get your bearings.

You’re lying on your back and covered in heaps of blankets, and there’s throbbing ache in your right thigh. You remember your escape with Bucky and your subsequent air rescue with Tony. You remember Sam…and a woman you’ve never met? Her details are hazy and you can’t pull anything specific other than a soft voice and light hair, so you wonder if maybe it was actually really Nat. You haven’t seen her since that day in the Krakkens’ manor when they’d had that video conference, so it’s possible she dyed her hair blonde. You remember cold mixed with pain, shivering violently as your body acclimated to the warmer temperature of the room you’re in, and then just pain as the cold finally faded. Someone – Nat? It doesn’t seem like Nat but you distinctly remember that it was someone with a feminine voice – helped you remove your coat and snow-damp jeans and into a pair of loose sweatpants. If it wasn’t Nat, then was the woman a dream? You suppose it’s possible – between the cold and shock it’s no wonder your brain wasn’t working at full capacity. Hallucinations wouldn’t exactly be impossible.

Right now, though, your still sleepy mind feels clearer than it has in ages and it feels good. Not being under a constant threat of violence and a cloud of fear feels great.

Blinking, you turn your gaze to the side. There’s a fire burning in the fireplace across from you, a window to the left of it, and a door with a window to the right. Against the adjacent wall there are a couple of chairs with a little wooden table between them. It could pass for a cozy living room if it weren’t for the massive amount of weaponry, gear, and electrical equipment lining the walls of the small space. If you twist your head a bit to look behind you it looks like the living room flows into the kitchen, and there are some darker spaces that you can only guess are halls or doorways to other rooms.

As you struggle to leverage yourself on the couch to move to a seated position, you end up knocking a glass of water off the table that you didn’t know was behind the armrest; the voices outside go quiet at the noise.

“You’re awake,” Nat says as she comes through the door, bringing the chill air of Siberian winter with her. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired. Sore,” you mumble. You intentionally focus on the physical to ignore the emotional; you’re not ready to deal with that shitshow. Not yet. “Fucking leg hurts. Where’s Bucky?”

Steve and Nat share a look, and you’re suddenly wide awake.

“Where’s Bucky? How long have I been out? Where is he?”

“He’d been radioing in and checking in on you regularly; wouldn’t stop until Sam told him that you were stable.” Nat is attempting to use some of her spy superpowers to pacify you with her voice.

It isn’t working.

“That wasn’t my question, Nat. Where is he?”

Neither of them answers you.

You fight against the rising panic; why won’t they tell you where he is?

Steve avoids your eyes as he helps you get to a seated position, and then sits at the end of the couch. “Steve…” you’re ready to beg for information at this point. “Where’s Bucky? Why isn’t he here?”

“He went to make good on a promise. He’ll be back –“

“When?” The panic threatens to swallow you whole – Bucky is strong - so strong - but he’s still human. There’s a limit to his incredible strength and the past few weeks have been just as bad for him, if not worse in some ways, than for you. He’s tired and worn, both emotionally and physically, and you simply cannot believe that Steve is here instead of with Bucky.

Steve sighs in resignation. “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?!” You lean forward in an attempt to make him meet your gaze.

He trades a look with Nat before answering. “Once he got word that you were stable, he went silent.”

You wait for more explanation, but when none comes, you explode, “Oh my God! Steve! Why are you making me drag this out of you piece by piece? Tell me what the fuck is going on!”

Steve raises his hands in a gesture meant to placate. “I understand that you’re upset, but you’ve been through a lot, physically and mentally, so we need you to –“

You stop him with an upraised palm. “Steve, if you’re about to tell me to calm down, I’m afraid I’m going to have to tell you that I’m about to shove your shield up your ass. I’m not a child, so don’t treat me like one.“

“Hey now,” Sam comes into the room from a side hallway, motioning for you to sit back. “You should be resting, and for the love of God don’t move that leg unnecessarily. We patched you up as best we could but it’s just a temporary fix.”

“Sam,” you plead, now on the verge of tears, “where’s Bucky?”

He shoots a look to Steve and Nat, who have the decency to look at least a little ashamed. “Really? You haven’t told her? Because with all the shit she’s been through in the past few weeks, you think this is what would break her? Seriously?” He shakes his head and clenches his jaw as he kneels in front of you. “Ignore them – they mean well, they’re just being overprotective because we just got you back. As far as we know, Bucky’s fine. He’s got both Tony and Clint with him, and we’re still in intermittent contact with them.”

“But not Bucky?” You still struggle to make sense of the few details you’ve been given, but you’re grateful that Sam’s telling you something.

Sam shakes his head. “Once he knew you were okay he turned his radio off. He’s kicking some ass and didn’t want any distractions. And before you yell at me for not being there, you should know that I’m here because as a former pararescue I’m medically qualified to handle your wound. Bucky asked Steve and Nat to come back here to make sure you were safe - he didn’t want to take any chances with the Krakkens’ men slipping past him and following you here. And he’s not alone – along with Tony and Clint we have some allies here that we’ve been working with, so there are at least 20 more people with him eliminating the remaining threats. He asked me to tell you that he loves you and will be back as soon as he can.”

You finally exhale and allow yourself to sit back into the cushions. “Oh.” You let the information sink in. You don’t like it – you’ve been away from him long enough and you want him here - but now you know.

Breathe.

“Was that really so hard?” Sam glares at his teammates as he takes your blood pressure. “Seriously. She wasn’t a damsel in distress before, she sure as hell isn’t now.” Sam turns back to face you with a completely serious look you rarely see in his eyes, “You do need to take it easy though, they are right about that. You’ve still got a bullet fragment in your leg that’s plugging an artery, and it won’t take much to do more damage.”

Well that’s…not great, but you suppose you got off pretty lucky, all things considered.

“So, uh, what’s the plan?” The last thing you want to do is sit in silence; silence means you have time to think. And you really want to know when you can go home.

Steve glances at Sam as if he’s looking for some sort of confirmation. “Well, the timing of everything is up in the air, because we have to make sure you’re okay to fly; we might have to wait a day or two just to make sure you stay stable. It’s probably gonna take that long to line up transportation anyway; the quinjet we took to get here isn’t exactly ideal for taking you back to the tower – yes, the Avengers’ tower,” he clarifies at your questioning look, “because although we could technically make it work, you’ll be much more comfortable in a private jet.”

It occurs to you to argue the point that you’d be fine in whatever they have here just for the sake of moving, but it’s pretty obvious that it’s a battle you’ll lose – especially when Bucky gets back. So you save your breath and move on to the next question: “Why the tower?” You just want to go home.

“You still have to have surgery on that leg to remove the bullet,” Sam at least looks apologetic as he speaks. “I’m a pararescue, not a surgeon. My job is to get you patched up until you can get to someone that can fix you permanently.”

“And we have access to some of the best doctors and equipment – not that the doctors in your area aren’t competent, but they aren’t the best.” Then Nat does what she does best and makes your mind up for you, “If we take you to the tower for your medical care, we can pretty much guarantee that you’ll heal better and faster, which means you’ll be up and running with Artie and Jimmy in no time. You can do a week’s stay at the tower and be at 80% when you get home with another two or three weeks to get to 100%, or we can take you home for local treatment and you’ll still have a hospital stay, your total recovery time can extend to 12 weeks, and you might have to live with permanent nerve damage. It’s your decision, of course.”

You weigh her words and come to the conclusion that she’s right. Going home right away doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get to return to your boys any sooner – it hurts to wait but another week won’t kill you if the last three haven’t already. Plus, you really don’t want your boys seeing you like this, or in a hospital bed. And you haven’t looked in a mirror, but you’re pretty sure you still have visible bruises on your face and neck. “Fine.” You narrow your eyes at Nat suspiciously. “I can’t tell if I really made that decision myself or if you just manipulated me.”

“No one ever can,” Steve mutters under his breath. Nat just smirks. “Are you hungry? We have –“ Steve stops himself as he tilts his head; a second later his lips turn up in a smile. “Copy that. They’re on their way back – Tony figures they’re about 10 minutes out.”

You heave a sigh of relief as Sam presses something cold into your hands; you take one look at it and try to give it back. “What the everloving fuck is this?”

Nat barks out a laugh as Steve tries to hide his with a snort while you stare disdainfully at the glass in your hand.

“It’s a smoothie.” Sam sounds positively offended.

“It’s green.”

“It’s good for you.”

“I don’t care. And are these chunks?” No. Nope, no way. Nuh uh. “Isn’t being smooth one of the defining characteristics of a smoothie?”

“You need to get something in your stomach so we can give you something to keep your pain under control.” At your look of disgust, Sam continues, “Look, you can either drink this or you can deal with Barnes when he gets back, and you know damn well that he can be a little extra when it comes to you. If it’s him, you’re gonna end up with twice the amount of smoothie.”

“…Sam.” You know he’s not wrong. Bucky would never force you to do anything, including eat, but he would damn well give you the big baby blue puppy dog eyes that you could never really say no to.

He regards you with crossed arms and raised eyebrows. “It’s up to you, but I should warn you - Barnes’ smoothies usually need to be chewed.”

Oh gross.

“I’d start drinking if I were you, they’re gonna be back soon.”

“Now, actually,” Nat says, as she looks through the window.

Steve joints her, pulling back the curtain on the other side and you realize you have no choice.

“I hate you,” you mutter as you lift the nauseating concoction to your lips and begin to chug.

Sam smirks when he takes the emptied glass back. “You and Barnes are made for each other.”

There’s the sound of booted footsteps and then the door finally opens; although there are two people standing there, you only see one.

Bucky pauses in the doorway as his eyes dart around the room, frantically searching for you. In that split second you see that he is covered in blood and your heart plummets to the floor under your feet; it’s a good thing you’re sitting, because the sight of him as he is would have made you fall to your knees had you been standing.

You’re about to get up to go to him when he finally finds you, and his empty blue eyes fill with emotion before he crosses the room, stumbling in his haste. Bucky collapses to his knees at your feet, arms encircling your waist almost uncomfortably tight while he buries his face in your stomach.

Holding him close and tangling your fingers in his hair, you look up to see the other silhouette still standing in the doorway and recognize it as that of Iron Man. His already red suit is a darker crimson than usual, and it takes you a moment to realize that the deeper shade is not from the dim light, but rather from something splattered irregularly all over the metal. Blood.

Tony heaves a sigh as he removes his faceplate - he looks tired but resolute. He meets your eyes and, seemingly satisfied with what he sees, steps back to remove his suit before coming in through the door.

Steve opens his mouth to say something, but Nat cuts him off as she listens to something in her earpiece, “Clint will be here in a minute – he wants to do one last perimeter check.”

No one says another word until Clint walks through the door and breaks the silence as he whispers to Steve, “It’s done.”

“Is he hurt?” you ask no one in particular. Bucky has yet to pull away from you, and you can’t tell if any of this blood belongs to him.

Tony shakes his head. “I don’t think so, Kiddo, maybe a scratch here and there, a few bruises, but nothing serious.” he gently reassures you. “Clint and I kept an eye on him when we could.”

“So this…” you hold out your hand – It’s sticky and red from being in Bucky’s hair.

“Hard to tell for sure exactly whose that was,” Clint drawls with a distinct note of satisfaction, “but it isn’t Bucky’s.”

“He’s extremely efficient…when he wants to be…but very messy,” Tony interjects dryly. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Steve looked back and forth between the three men. “So if he was so ‘efficient,’ what took so long? You should have been back over an hour ago!”

“I said he was efficient when he wanted to be…he didn’t always want to be,” Tony explains with a shrug. “Said he had some promises to keep,” he adds with a glance your way. You’re pretty sure that last comment was intentionally vague for your benefit, although you now have a pretty good idea about what happened while you slept. “Oh, by the way I took the opportunity to mess with their intelligence,” he makes air quotes and makes a disgusted face, “system while I was there. I can’t say with one hundred percent accuracy that Krakken’s associates will never come after you – he had a lot of power, a lot of people, and a lot of business contacts – but we left a pretty clear message. I’m pretty confident that they’ll just cut their losses and move on at this point. It’ll look like Bratva infighting to the rest of the world, but the ones that need to know better, do.”

Nat nods as she thinks. “What about the HYDRA connection?”

Tony shakes his head. “Providing the extra people to track her down when this all started was just a personal favor from one of the higher-ups – HYDRA itself had no stake in this. From the looks of it he didn’t really know what Krakken’s end game was, otherwise he likely would have gotten HYDRA involved and become a very big problem.”

Nat nods again and looks around the tiny room at all the tired people. “Did you send Yakov and his men home?”

“Yeah. They did what they came to do; there were minimal losses on our side. I think they’re probably celebrating right about now.” Tony pulls the curtain back and looks out into the darkness. “There’s still a couple hours until daylight – we should get some sleep. And give them some space,” he nods towards you and Bucky. “FRIDAY, expand the perimeter to two miles and let me know if anything crosses.”

“Sure thing, Mr. Stark.” Tony and his ever-present, omniscient technology.

Everyone files out of the room in an exhausted haze, and it’s just you and Bucky.

Bucky.

You don’t say anything, you just keep stroking his hair. It’s pretty obvious that he isn’t ready to let go yet, and you’re okay with that. He’s here with you, in one piece. It’s enough just to hold him. Humming his lullaby is second nature by now, so it doesn’t surprise you in the slightest when you catch yourself doing it. His tense shoulders slowly begin to relax under your gentle touch.

Reluctantly, he pulls away from you after a few minutes. “I gotta take a shower, Sweetheart. I…I don’t want their blood touching you any more than it already is.” His haunted eyes are so exhausted that you don’t bother to argue that he needs sleep more than anything. “Have, uh, have you eaten? You should eat.”

Thinking of the nasty sludge you can still taste, you nod. “Sam made me something. I’m good. What about you?”

“Not hungry,” he mutters. Bucky rises with his customary grace, even if his shoulders are slumped, and helps you to stand so you can use the bathroom first and wash the dried blood from your hands.

“Buck, I can get back to the couch myself,” you murmur as he lifts you when you exit, apparently deciding that walking the 15 steps to the bathroom was 15 too many. It’s so clear that he is so worn, so tired, that you don’t want to add to it.

But he whispers hoarsely, “Just…please let me do this.” So you do; you couldn’t deny him if you wanted to. He slowly carries you back, covers you with a blanket, and presses a kiss to your forehead before returning to the bathroom.

He makes quick work of the shower as you stare at the fire still burning in the fireplace; it’s died down quite a bit, but it’s still enough to keep the room warm and dimly lit. His familiar footsteps – God, you’re so incredibly happy to hear them again – approach slowly.

It stays silent for a moment or two, so you turn toward the hall to see him watching you. The shower must have helped to ground him because although his eyes are somewhat reserved, even cautious, they no longer look haunted.

“Hey.” Your soft murmur is a quiet invitation.

“Hey.” He pads over to you, dressed now in a simple tee shirt and sweatpants. Bucky reaches for your hands and you immediately oblige him; he helps you to stand before pulling you into a tight hug and resting his forehead against yours.

“Are you okay?” Your hand reaches up to gently cradle his cheek; God, how you’ve missed this.

“Mmm hmm. I am now, Sweetheart,” he mumbles as he leans into your touch, bringing his hand up to yours before turning slightly to kiss your palm. “I am now. How’s your leg?”

You shrug. “It hurts but I really don’t care. You’re here. Nothing else matters right now.”

Bucky smiles and releases you to start rearranging the pillows on the couch. He stops before doing the same for the blankets. “Um, would you prefer that I sleep on the floor? I, uh, I don’t want to make any assumptions.”

“Bucky,” you softly chide, taking his hand into yours, “I already told you that I’m coming home with you. We’re going to get through this. Together.”

He nods silently, eyes filled with unshed tears.

“You didn’t lose me, and I refuse to lose you. I’ll tell you that every hour of every day if that’s what you need, and I know you’ll do the same for me. We save each other, Love. That’s always been our thing, even from the first week we met. We’ll take it day by day, okay? Just like we always have.”

“I love you,” he exhales shakily as he nods.

“I love you. Always.” You gently pull his head down to press a kiss against his forehead. “Now, there’s absolutely no point to you sleeping on the floor when there’s a perfectly good couch that can hold us both.” You stop and eyeball the piece of furniture since this is the first time you’ve actually looked at it; it’s a bit on the narrow side but it’s long enough, and it is fairly comfortable, but it doesn’t exactly scream ‘sturdy’ with its spindly legs. “Well, maybe it can hold us both…I’m really not sure this couch was built to hold a Bucky much less a Bucky and another person…”

A soft laugh huffs out of Bucky, and it’s the best goddamn thing you’ve heard all day. “We’ll make it work, Sweetheart. How’s that sound? I plan to hold you the entire time anyway, so if something breaks I’ll take the brunt of it.”

“Always my hero,” you grin as he goes to make himself comfortable. Once he’s settled, he opens his arms for you. You use your good leg to kneel on one knee between his legs, carefully lowering yourself so that you’re lying against his chest with your ear pressed above his heart and your arms to either side of him. Slowly, you twist your bottom half so that your injured leg is facing up and resting over his thigh.

“Mmmmm…I’ve missed this,” he mumbles into your hair, arms already around you as he softly strokes your back with his fingertips.

You’re about to agree when a loud crack snaps though the room, causing you both to violently start. You stare up at him, completely afraid to move. “Was…was that the couch?”

Bucky stares back at you, eyes comically wide. “Well, my butt is now about two inches lower than it was a couple seconds ago, so I’m gonna say yes.”

Bucky’s chest twitches, and you abruptly dissolve into helpless giggles as his laughter begins to echo through the room.

“Are you alright, Love?” you somehow manage to get out.

“Yeah, believe it or not, I’m actually more comfortable now.” At least you think that’s what he says – it’s kind of hard to be sure with his sputtering laughter.

“Oh my God, we broke the couch!” Your mortified stage whisper only makes him laugh harder. “No one’s going to believe that we weren’t doing anything but lying here!”

It takes a full minute for Bucky to compose himself enough to reply. “Nah, you don’t have to worry about that. They all know I wouldn’t take a chance with moving that bullet in your thigh and having you bleed out.”

Bucky’s comment sobers you immediately. “It’s really that delicate, huh?”

“Well, yes and no. Wilson said that nothing should happen as long as you’re careful and don’t exert yourself. A big enough increase in blood pressure could potentially cause it to shift, or if you hit your leg, but as long as you move slowly and carefully you’ll be fine.” He smiles softly at you before continuing. “I trust Wilson – he’s good at what he does.”

“Okay. ” That’s actually really reassuring. But… “Okay wait, did you actually talk to Sam about us…um…”

Your comment, of course, kicks off another round of chuckles. “You are aware that they already know about us, right?”

“Well, I know, but –“

“You’re blushing.” Something in the room shifts with the way he’s looking at you with his soft smile and warm eyes. Bucky shakes his head slowly as he watches you with something close to wonder. “With everything you’ve been through, you still have that sweet, sort of shy innocence.”

“Innocence?” you all but snort. “Yeah okay, if you say so.”

“I do say so. There’s more than one kind of innocence, you know. What I’m talking about is how you can still blush at the idea of someone else knowing about us being intimate. How you saw the best in me when we met, even when I told you about all of the worst in me. How you were so quick to get over your anger when you found out how I’d been lying to you because you saw the intentions behind my actions, even though some of those actions hurt you. How you can still love me, without reservation, after what we just went through.”

“Buck –“

“That’s not me getting down on myself, Sweetheart, that’s just me saying how it is. There’s lots of people in this world that wouldn’t want to have anything to do with me if they’d been in your shoes. But you…when you said before that you’d tell me every hour of every day that I didn’t lose you, I could see in your eyes that you were telling the truth, that it wasn’t just lip service to get me to shut up. I guess that my point is that you’re still you. I,” Bucky pauses for a moment as he searches for the right words, “I wasn’t sure if I was gonna come back to you tonight. What you went through is enough to break most people, and I wasn’t sure if the woman I came back to tonight would be the same woman that loved me on Christmas day. But you are.” His smile is so bright that you can’t help but smile back. “You just went through hell, but you welcomed me with open arms and held me when I came back. You comforted me. There’s no doubt in my mind that you need comfort too, but you put that aside to make sure I was okay.”

“Of course I did, Love,” you manage to choke out. “I’m just so happy –“ your throat is thick from the tears you’re trying to hold back, and it’s making it hard to talk, “I’m just so happy to have you back.”

Bucky smiles softly as he tucks a renegade lock of hair behind your ear. “And that’s what I mean by innocence. Even though you’ve now witnessed some of the horrible things I’m capable of doing, you still don’t see those things when you look at me. You know they’re there, and you accept them, but they don’t change how you see me. You don’t see me as a monster.”

“Because you’re not.” Your tone dares him to argue with you. He doesn’t.

“Since we’re kinda on the topic…is there anything you want to talk about? Is there anything you need from me?” He strokes your back comfortingly, and you feel safe – as safe as you ever have with him.

You allow yourself to sink further into him as you exhale. “You’re doing exactly what I need right now by just holding me. I’m not,” damn it, there’s that thickness in your throat again, “I’m not ready to talk about it yet.”

You know damn well that you can open up to him, and you will, but right now you’re just too fragile. There’s no doubt in your mind that he’ll put you back together when you break, but you’re just not quite ready to do it yet. You’ve been free for less than 12 hours – everything is too fresh, too close.

As he presses a kiss into your hair, you know that he knows what you can’t say, and you know that his tender kiss is a silent promise to be there for you when you’re ready.

With his strong heartbeat for a lullaby, you allow yourself to drift off to sleep.

Tags: Tags: @hellomissmabel @howdoesoneadult @nykitass @danimuhle @iwillbeinmynest @shifutheshihtzu @passiononfire @learisa @widowvinter @kaaatniss @ladylizzieofdarbyshire @denialanderror @k-nighttt @givemethatgold @manders2487 @afangirlrambles @polkadottedpillowcase @msshadowboxer @bluebrrn @saysay125 @aikibriarrose @saharzek @mmauricee @imhereforbvcky @whenallsaidanddone @supernatural508 @scarlettsoldier @natalie-nightcourt @im-beautifully-sewn @lovemarvelousfics @feistytravel @tbetz0341 @nearly-whitches @jamie-leah @shliic @dessinemoiunehistoire @lucywinchester2000

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky fic #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky imagine #my work #when everythings made to be broken (i just want you to know who i am)#WEMtbB #part 48

145 notes · View notes