The Chain, The Magic Circle, and Us
Warnings: tooth-rotting fluff
Relationship: Stucky x reader (gender/appearance nonspecified)
Summary: You, Steve and Bucky share a hobby, and a learning curve.
A/N: Continuing in my supersoft supersoldiers theme, this is Stucky x reader fluff and I am wholly unashamed. Headcanon format
It started after a long, and frankly frightening mission. Casualties, both team and civilian, weighed heavily on Cap’s mind, even after he removed the uniform.
He came down to the common room after cleaning up to grab some snacks and noticed you on the couch watching tv.
You were both in the same place of wanting to be near people but still left alone, so when he sat down at the far edge of the sofa from you, you acknowledged him with brief eye contact and nothing else.
The movie on tv was JAWS, the original version. It was one of those movies that you could enjoy but not pay close attention to while your mind went through its decompression cycle.
On the couch next to you was your craft bag, the giant bag of yarn, crochet hooks, and whatnot that you carried with you on every mission to keep your hands busy on the flights. It helped manage your anxiety. It was something you could do that didn’t require you to look at it, necessarily, but the repetitive movements gave you focus so you could keep your mind sharp and free of the brain kinks that came with panic.
Your hands were going, making a seemingly infinite number of granny squares while vaguely watching the carnage unfold on a beach in a fictional New York town.
Steve found you infinitely more entertaining than the tv. Your quiet nature after missions was so at odds with your personality the rest of the time.
You were so loud, affectionate, ‘ebullient’ according to Jarvis. Unfailingly kind to everyone, relaxed and nonjudgmental, you had a warmth that just drew people to you.
And by people, he meant himself, and probably Bucky.
He says ‘probably’ because while they haven’t discussed that part of things, he knew his best friend was more than a little sweet on you. He could relate.
As he picked at his tasteless food, he watched you generate square after square from the yarn, the bright colors and style reminding him of a large, warm-looking blanket he’d seen in Wanda’s quarters.
“You wanna learn?”
Your gentle question brought his eyes to yours in shock. He wasn’t expecting interaction, but, to his surprise, he didn’t find it unwelcome.
“Sure, if you want.”
You patted the seat next to you and passed him a hook and ball of blue yarn.
Your teaching style was like you: laid back, relaxed, and gracious in the face of his many beginner’s mistakes. You took it all in stride, and when he finished his first square, lopsided and curled from inconsistent tension, you cheered him on and encouraged him to do it again.
So that was how it came to be that after missions, you’d seek each other out, sit on the couch in the common area, and quietly make granny squares while watching movies or listening to music.
He loved the nights with the music most of all.
Listening to you sing softly under your breath to whatever’s coming through the speakers brought his heart a deeply cherished joy.
You didn’t sing in public, he knew that from Tony’s numerous karaoke nights, so it made it more special that you shared that intimate piece of yourself with him.
The ritual moved from the common room to his and Bucky’s quarters, with Buck joining in from time to time. It was a sliver of peace and normal in a chaotic world for them.
You bonded over stories shared and movies enjoyed. Yarn and food consumed by the three of you together, you growing closer to both men over time.
The relationship… it had an air of inevitability around it, at least according to Sam and Tasha. Like you all found each other right when you were supposed to, and came together as you needed to.
You three think that it might have just been the yarn.
With his ever-growing pile of granny squares, you showed Stevie how to sew them together, starting him on a path to a blanket that would slowly fold in squares from both you and Bucky.
In the end, the blanket was large enough to accommodate all three of you on the couch, curled up together, happy.
And that was as it should be.
22 notes
·
View notes