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donottouchredbutton · 8 months

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In a Heartbeat

joaquin torres x sunshine!reader/ofc

4k words

she saves someone, and joaquin saves her.

moodboard

note: i wrote this with my oc in mind that i plan to write more about, but i wanted it to be read as a reader insert as well! let me know what you think :)

She had been living in Washington DC for a little over a year now. She moved there for grad school, and some of the excitement had yet to wear off still. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, with all of the good schools nearby and all of the things to do and learn in the capital. It seemed like a busy enough place to never be bored, which was exactly what she wanted. It really had seemed like a smart idea, especially since she hadn’t had any problems since moving there.

Until she did.

She was out with her roommate after classes had ended for the day, enjoying the warm spring day and simply happy to be people watching as they hung out. It had quickly become one of her favorite things since moving there, something she shared with her roommate, Jasmine. She was always glad she and Jazzy got along so well and liked spending time together, often spending time just being out and about like today.

Jazzy was showing her a small outdoor shopping district just outside of a park. It must’ve been really popular because it was packed with people. People were out walking their dogs, parents were out shopping with their kids, couples and friends were on dates and lounging on the grassy areas. Music was coming from the open doors of one of the stores, loud enough to carry even as you walked away from it. Something smelled good, like fresh bread and cinnamon sugar, and she wanted to follow her nose to figure out where it was coming from. There was a warm breeze that made her shiver whenever they walked in the shade, so she pulled Jazzy away to make sure they stayed in the sun. A few kids ran past them playing tag. It made her smile, she hoped they were having fun.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she noticed a bit of commotion going on. She couldn’t tell where it was coming from, but it was progressively getting louder. From the looks of it, she wasn’t the only one who had noticed as many of the people nearby were looking around as well. It continued to grow louder and louder until she spotted a large group of people running in their direction, all shouting and screaming to get away. A ways behind them, she spotted a group of big looking men in scary looking masks carrying scary looking weapons, all running after them with their weapons pointed forward. Before she could think about how cliche that sounded, she knew they had to get away first. Many people around them were coming to the same conclusion as they all began turning tail and running. She and Jazzy shared a look of understanding before following suit.

As everyone kept running away and the noise was getting louder, another noise caught her attention above all the commotion. She could just barely hear a small voice calling for help, but it was loud enough to get her to stop running. Her head whipped around trying to find whoever it was, wherever it was coming from. Her eyes landed on a little girl sitting on the ground holding a little boy, and even from her distance she could see they were crying.

“MOMMY!” the little girl kept shouting, tears running down her face as she tried to pull the little boy up with her. They had to be brother and sister. She sounded terrified.

She took off before she could think about what she was doing. She could vaguely hear Jazzy calling after her, trying to get her to turn around and come back, but she couldn’t. The only thing on her mind was getting to those kids before they could get hurt. She wouldn’t let that happen.

She slid to a stop and knelt down next to the kids when she got to them, unconcerned about the fact that she tore a hole in her jeans by doing so, nor the bruises and scrapes she no doubt would have on her knees either. The little girl, maybe seven or eight, kept pulling on her brother’s arm trying to get him to move, but he was sat on the ground firmly, bawling his eyes out and refusing to move. She knew he couldn’t have been older than three years old.

She looked around for anyone who could have been their mother, anyone willing to help, but everyone was running in the opposite direction. She turned her head to see the group of men getting closer and closer, and they were gaining fast. She was the only one around.

“I need to get you out of here,” she said, turning back to the two kids, voice urgent. “I’ll get you back to your mom, I promise.”

She tried to pick up the little boy, who immediately started shouting and fighting when she did so. He was on the verge of a full-blown breakdown, determined to stay exactly where he was no matter what she did.

“He won’t let anyone but mom pick him up,” the little girl cried, “but I don’t know where mommy is!”

Seeing how frightened they were broke her heart. There was no getting them to move if she couldn’t pick the little boy up, but she couldn’t just leave them. She wouldn’t. She didn’t know what to do, and she was struggling to come up with something fast enough. With another glance over her shoulder, she realized she was out of time. They were too close now, seconds away and coming right towards them.

“Hold onto him, and don’t let go!” she ordered the girl. Once the girl did as she said, she grabbed both of the kids and held them to her chest, making sure neither of them would get hit as she awaited the inevitable first—and what she expected to be the final—blow to hit.

She felt a strong gust of air rush over her head, and at the sound of a fight right behind her, she held on tighter to the kids in her arms. She knew this was it. In a heartbeat, it’d be finished. She’d be finished.

“Are you okay?”

The voice was closer than she expected, making her jump, but it sounded genuinely concerned. Chancing a glance behind her, she was met with a pair of soft brown eyes.

She looked past the man to see what was going on, only just noticing that the commotion had stopped, and she could see that the group of men were all lying on the ground unconscious with a man holding a shield standing above them. Everyone knew who Captain America was, but she never expected to come across him herself. Knowing that the kids would be safe now, she looked back to the man in front of her and was shocked to see he had a pair of wings on his back. The Falcon. They were positioned in a way that was meant to shield them from any danger.

She finally looked back at the Falcon. His eyes hadn’t left her the entire time, and he stayed put in front of them, as if he wanted to make sure nothing could happen to them even with the threat gone.

Instead of answering the man, she turned back to the kids in her arms. They were still crying and scared, she knew they would be, but at least she knew they would be safe now. She scanned over them for any injuries, and once she knew they were unharmed, she cupped the little girl’s face to get her attention.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. It’s okay now. You’re safe,” she assured her, speaking softly to help her calm down a bit. She stroked her cheek to gently wipe away her tears. She felt her own heart beating out of her chest, but she couldn’t focus on that right now. “I’m gonna get you back to your mom now, okay? Let’s go find your mom.”

She glanced back at the man behind her again, who still hadn’t moved, before she eased the kids up into standing. The weight of the situation was finally catching up to her, her head swimming as she tried her hardest to focus on getting the kids back to their mom before anything else. She kept looking between them and the man who saved them. Stuttering, she said, “I… I need-”

“MOMMY!” the little girl called, grabbing her brother’s hand and running to meet the woman who was running towards them.

She watched as the older woman dropped to her knees to meet her children in an embrace, her own tears streaming down her face as she held her children to her chest. The woman began kissing all over their faces and on the tops of their heads, and the woman’s voice was just loud enough for her to hear her repeating my babies to the children in her arms.

She was walking towards the family before she knew what she was doing. Her knees were screaming at her causing her to limp slightly, but she didn’t care. She needed to make sure they would be okay. Once she was close enough, the woman looked up at her and a look of gratitude crossed her face.

“Thank you,” the woman managed to say through her tears. “Thank you for protecting my babies.” For a moment, she thought the woman was talking to the Falcon, the one who actually had saved her kids, but the woman was looking at her.

“You don’t…” she started, beginning to shake her head, but she knew it would be pointless. Instead, she said, “I’m just glad you and your kids are safe.”

She watched them a few more moments before the woman gathered her kids up and hurried away from the scene. She couldn’t blame them, she wanted to do the same.

She suddenly remembered the man who had saved them. The Falcon (she couldn’t get over it). She turned back towards him, and this time she really took him in. His wings had retracted back into his suit, thankfully, as they had been very distracting. He was tall without being towering. His skin looked warm and sun-kissed with sharp cheekbones that made her wonder what he looked like when he smiled. He had a head of short, curly black hair, and those soft brown eyes. Those eyes that were still watching, a strange gleam present that hadn’t been there before.

She didn’t really know what to say, feeling awkward, but she didn’t need to. Before she could even thank him, he spoke instead.

“Are you okay?” he asked again. Something told her that he wouldn’t leave until he knew she was.

“I’m fine,” she finally answered. She didn’t know if she was telling the truth or not, but she still wasn’t able to focus on how she really felt. The kids were safe, their mother was safe, and as far as she was concerned, that’s all that mattered. And this man made sure of that. “Thank you.”

The man seemed to relax a bit at that, his shoulders losing some of their tension. He opened his mouth to say something else, but another voice cut in.

“Torres! We gotta go, man!”

It was Captain America who interrupted (which was something she never thought she’d experience), having just been talking with the police who she hadn’t noticed had arrived. They were hauling the men—masks gone and in handcuffs now—into the backs of the police cars. The hero was inspecting their weapons, clearly waiting for the other man—Torres, apparently—to join back up with him. Torres looked between the two of them, seeming conflicted. Before either of them could say anything, they were once again interrupted.

The sound of Jazzy calling her name snapped her out of whatever was going on, and she turned to see her roommate running straight towards her. Before she could comprehend what was going on, Jazzy was grabbing her arm and pulling her away, determined to get them away from anything else that might happen. She looked back at the man, Torres, and called out another thank you! before she let her roommate lead her away from the scene.

—

In truth, she didn’t think she would ever see him again. Why would she? He was The Falcon, Captain America’s partner and a superhero in his own right. He had to have saved countless people all the time. He probably wasn’t even in DC anymore. There was no way she would see him again.

But then she did.

She volunteered at a local elementary school, and today they were taking the fifth graders down to the veterans rehabilitation center. They liked to decorate the walls with pictures and bring flowers for the veterans, wanting to try to brighten their days a bit and thank them for their service while doing so, and she liked being part of it as well. She couldn’t imagine what some of them have gone through, but she would sometimes sit in on the group sessions to try to understand more. It was why she made sure to take the kids there at least once every couple weeks.

“It was so nice seeing you and the kids again, sunshine!” the kind lady at the front desk said as she was getting them ready to leave. It was a nickname she had quickly picked up since they started going there, and it always made her laugh.

“Of course, Laura!” she replied. “I’m just glad they like coming down here as much as I do.”

Laura chuckled lowly. “Your visits always make everyones day. They may not say it often, but they appreciate it. More than you know.”

She smiled softly at that. “We try our best. We just want to show our respect and try to brighten things up for everyone, you know?”

“Don’t sell yourself short, hun. What you do with the kids and for everyone here, not many people would do it. We all appreciate everything you do around here. We appreciate you.”

She looked down bashfully at the older woman’s kind words. She never really knew what to say to that. Her eyes flicked back up to Laura. “Oh, I almost forgot!” She reached into her bag and pulled out a small bin. “I know you’ve been wanting to try Jazzy’s brownies.”

The wide grin that appeared on Laura’s face was enough for one to form on her’s as well. She nearly snatched the bin out of her hand, causing her to laugh. “You spoil me, sunshine!”

The two shared a few more words before she checked the time, knowing she needed to leave soon if she didn’t want the bus to leave without her. She said goodbye to Laura with a promise to be back the next week, and the other woman jokingly promised to be ready for more treats. With a wave and another smile to her friend, she began making her way to the front doors. She was in high spirits as she was preparing to leave, paying no mind to the man she passed on her way out until he called out to her.

“Hey, it’s you!”

She almost didn’t stop, but when she looked around the area and saw it was mostly void of people, she figured it was her he was trying to get the attention of. When she stopped and turned around, her eyes widened when they met the same soft brown ones she first saw just the other day.

“It’s you,” she repeated, not knowing what to say.

For a moment, she wondered how she could even miss him. Sure, he wasn’t wearing his suit or his wings and seemed, therefore, much less intimidating–not that he seemed intimidating in the first place, but he did save her life, and there’s just something about meeting a superhero face to face that makes a person feel overly self-aware. Without the suit on, you wouldn’t even assume he was a superhero, though in her head she was kicking herself because of course that was the point. He just seemed so normal, and she felt like she could pay more attention now that her life wasn’t on the line. He wore a dark green jacket over a black shirt and jeans, a pair of sunglasses hanging from one of the pockets. His shoulders filled out his jacket well, subtly showing off his built but lean muscles. Part of her wished she could remember what they looked like in his suit when they were more noticeable, and she mentally kicked herself again for thinking that about a complete stranger. His dark curls were styled simply and looked soft to the touch, and she was sure they were.

Those eyes, though. Unlike before, his soft eyes were looking at her in pleasant surprise rather than concern, his lips quirking up in what was almost a smile. But that weird gleam she saw before was still there, and if anything, it was much more apparent than before.

It took her a few more seconds to realize neither one of them had said anything, her eyes glancing off to the side as her mind raced for something to say. He must’ve realized the same thing because his eyes widened suddenly, taking a step toward her once he knew he had her attention.

“Sorry, um,” he began, searching for his words, “I just didn’t think I’d ever see you again, but I’m glad I did. How are you doing, after what happened?”

Her eyes widened slightly again, surprised by his words. “I-I’m doing fine,” she answered, but she wasn’t sure how much she believed herself. She added, “‘ve just been trying to get back to normal, is all.”

He seemed satisfied enough with her answer and started to nod, a small smile playing on his lips. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

His words surprised her again. In a burst of confidence, she replied with, “Well, I did have someone to save me.”

His smile grew as he looked down sheepishly, and she thought she heard him say just doing my job under his breath. When he looked back up at her, she thought she liked seeing that gleam in his eyes, especially when he smiled. She thought happiness looked good on him.

“What are you doing here?” she asked gently, suddenly remembering where she still was.

“Oh, I’m here to meet my partner,” he answered. “He helps out with the counseling sessions when he can. But I’ve got some information I need to discuss with Cap.”

Somehow, it didn’t surprise her to hear that about Captain America. In fact, it made her respect him even more for trying to help people on a more personal level, not just fighting as a superhero. Saving lives on all fronts, she was sure. But the way he talked about why he was there was just vague enough to pique her interest, and just telling enough for her to understand she shouldn’t pry. She was going to find a way to politely remove herself from the conversation, but he spoke again before she could.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, repeating her own question. He cringed at the way it came out, so he quickly added, “I just mean, this is the last place I expected to see you. Are you in the military?”

She shook her head, nearly chuckling. “No, I’m not. The school I volunteer at brings some of the older students down here every few weeks. We like to bring flowers and write cards, you know, to try to show our respect and appreciation. Try to brighten up people’s days where we can.”

“You do all this?” He asked, gesturing toward the decorations on the walls and the flowers here and there. His eyes had widened in surprise again, and it was her turn to look down bashfully this time.

“Not just me. It’s the kids, mostly, but I like to help out.”

He looked impressed, and something about the look on his face and those damn eyes caused her face to heat up. She wasn’t used to this kind of attention.

“Well, I can confidently say that I’m not the only one around here who loves seeing all of the notes and decorations,” he said softly, the smile on his face filling her with a sense of warmth she hadn’t felt before. “It’s amazing what you’ve been doing. We all appreciate what you do. And the kids, of course.”

Something told her that he was speaking more for himself than he was for everyone else, and somehow she knew that he meant it toward her directly. The thought made her smile.

His face suddenly got more serious, though, instantly making her feel nervous. “What you did the other day, with those two kids, too. That was amazing.”

That was not something she was expecting, and she definitely didn’t know how to respond to it. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked down, suddenly feeling shy. “I did what anyone would do.”

But he was already shaking his head. “No, really. You saved those kids. I may be the one with wings, but you’re the real hero. It was incredible.”

When she glanced back up at him, she saw that a small smile had reappeared on his lips, and somehow, it was enough to ease some of the tension in her shoulders. It was enough to comfort her in a way she hadn’t felt in a long time, and it made her feel seen in a way she never had. All with one look, which is what really surprised her. She knew deflecting would be useless, so she settled with telling him, barely loud enough for him to hear, “Thank you.” And she meant it more than he knew.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” He asked one final time.

She wanted to laugh that he wouldn’t let it go so easily. “I am, or I will be. I promise,” she answered, and she knew she was telling the truth this time. “Besides, this wouldn’t be my first time in a situation like that, and I’m sure it won’t be my last.” Now that got a good reaction out of him, even though it was the truth.

“Speaking of the kids, though,” she said before he could think about it too much, checking the time again and realizing she’d officially run out of time, “I have to get going so I don’t get left behind.” She looked him over one more time, trying to memorize as much as she could, before she began to turn away. “It was nice to see you again, and to talk. And thank you, again, for saving me.”

His smile warmed her from the inside out. “If it meant getting to see you again, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

She forced herself not to shudder before turning around. She had only made it a few more steps before he suddenly stopped her again.

“Wait!” he called, almost too loudly for the quiet hallway. “I didn’t ever get your name!”

She wanted to kick herself again. How had they gone this entire conversation without learning each other’s names? She glanced back over her shoulder, seeing that he had barely moved from his spot. With a warm smile directed at him, she told him her name.

Another smile began to form on his face in return, and it looked like he repeated her name under his breath. Their eyes met a final time before he responded with his own. “I’m Joaquin. It was really nice to meet you, too.”

She turned around before he could catch the wide grin that was beginning to form on her face against her will and tried to rush out of there as subtly as she could. As she went, she could just hear him, Joaquin, repeat her name a second time, and even from where she was she could hear a smile in his tone. She left the building with a bounce in her step and a warm feeling in her chest.

All because of the Falcon who saved her.

#joaquin torres #joaquín torres #joaquin torres x reader #joaquín torres x reader #joaquín torres imagine #joaquin torres imagine #tfatws #danny ramirez #joaquin torres x ofc #joaquín torres x ofc #the falcon and the winter soldier #marvel fanfic #tfatws fic #marvel imagine #marvel fanfiction #marvel reader insert #marvel oc #tfatws fanfic

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midnight---hollow · 11 months

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Drew them again during the hour long wait for my sisters graduation

#marvel #the falcon and the winter soldier #sambucky #tfatws #bucky barnes #sam wilson #my art #oc

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thesugarclubs-blog · 1 year

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You Rescued Me - AU Bucky Barnes x OC

warnings: TFATWS Bucky Barnes, strangers to lovers, pure cat!dad Bucky fluff

word count: 9.5k

WP: https://www.wattpad.com/1319637159-you-rescued-me-lottie

Masterlist

Bucky felt the corner of his eye twitch as Sam droned on and on. Something about how he couldn’t keep living by himself with his plants forever. Like his life was any better. The man went on one date with his nephew's teacher and suddenly had all the advice in the world. His deep blue eyes bore into his friend, as his mind wandered to what he wanted to make for dinner, the metal of his arm whirring as his fingers flexed in the pocket of his tight leather jacket.

The cool March air swirled around them as people bustled about the streets of New York. Murmurs of oh my god it’s Captain America echoed through the wind as the two men stood there on the busy sidewalk.

“Man, are you even listening to me?” Sam’s hand impacted his shoulder and brought Bucky back to the present.

His tongue pushed into his cheek and his eyes narrowed, “Something about my sad, lonely life, I don’t know”

“You gotta do something here! Find some friends, take off to Vegas, go outside!” Sam continued.

“I have friends,” Bucky retorted.

“Your old neighbour doesn’t count,” Sam clicked his tongue and crossed his arms over his chest, “Look, okay? Start simple! There’s an animal shelter two blocks from here, just go in and see what happens”

Bucky narrowed his eyes and swiped his tongue along his bottom lip as he studied Sam. Having a pet was never something he had even thought of for himself. After the blip and getting his life back together, he still felt as though he was figuring himself out as a normal person. Well, as normal as a 106-year-old super soldier could be.

“If I do this, will you shut up and leave me alone about my plants?” He questioned.

Sam smirked and placed his hand over his heart, “cap’s honor”

With a dramatic groan, Bucky turned on his heel and practically stomped away from Sam, sucking in a deep breath of the fresh, cool air. This was a ridiculous venture and he had already decided that it was going to be a bust, but if it got Sam off his back, it would be worth it in the end. He chewed on the inside of his cheek, keeping his annoyance at the forefront of his emotions.

A bright yellow sign that hung above the street came into his view. There were big swooping letters that read “Wags & Whiskers Animal Rescue” with a big paw print in deep brown and small white flowers littering the negative space. Bucky ran his hand into his short dark hair, and sucked in a sharp breath as he reached for the fake-bone door handle.

It was ridiculously kitsch inside, all cheerful colours and animal-themed decor. He hadn’t really known what to expect but he definitely hadn’t anticipated such a warm and welcoming space. He double-checked; yep, it was definitely the animal shelter. Steeling himself with a deep sigh, Bucky walked up to the wide yellow counter and looked around for a member of staff. Seeing none, he reached out and pressed on the buzzer, which let out an electronic *meow*.

A few moments later a door opened to the right of Bucky and a beautiful blonde with a wide and bright smile walked out and stepped behind the counter.

“Welcome to Wags & Whiskers Animal Rescue. My name is Lottie. How can I help you today? Are you looking to volunteer or adopt?” She beamed at him.

Bucky's brows furrowed slightly, unsure of how to match her enthusiasm he cleared his throat and mustered up his best smile.

"Hi, um I guess adopt."

He watched on as she raised a brow in amusement, her smile growing wider.

"You guess? Are you here against your will? Blink twice for yes." she teased.

“It’s, uh—“ Bucky paused, unsure of how much to reveal of himself, “my friend suggested it, thought maybe I could use a companion… army vet.”

Vague enough, he thought, taking an awkward glance around to avoid the inevitable look of pity he’s usually met with.

When his gaze landed back on the sunny girl behind the counter, he almost did a double take. Poking out of her sweater, and staring at him inquisitively, was a little white cat.

Lottie shifted a touch, and the cat meowed in annoyance from the jostling. "Snow White here has an attitude." Lottie laughed, "can't seem to get her in a kennel or to play with the other cats."

Little sky blue eyes watched him carefully, something in the blue making his nerves settle a touch. He had seen that look before in a particularly skinny alley cat named Steve. It seemed Bucky had a long standing habit of making friends with the underdogs. Bucky pulled out his right arm from his jacket pocket and offered it to the cat, unsure of how animals even operated but it seemed he wasn't the only one nervous and in need of a friend. Lottie's lips parted to say something but she shut them quickly, confusion kissing her brows as Snow slinked from the safe confines of her sweater.

Without any seeming hesitation Snow made a big jump into Bucky’s arms, caught off guard he chuckled nervously. Lottie didn’t move as she watched the feline get comfortable against the leather of his jacket. Looking on at the sight she seemed completely unsure of what to say and blurted out, "your eye’s match. You're meant to be."

From his arms the cat quickly looked around before she crawled into the safety of Bucky's leather jacket - like she was hiding in a cave. Bucky felt her spin around a little before her head poked out of the opening on his chest. A soft purr could be heard coming from the white and fluffy head. Both ears straight in the air the fluffball looked around the shelter from the new perspective.

Bucky carefully raised his right hands and placed his fingertips on top of the cat's head, but the animal flinched a little and tilted her head upwards to sniff on Bucky's finger tips.

"She... she’s never done that with anyone before. She’s usually a little shy and bonded to me. We have a bit of a backstory together." Lottie smiled at the man in front of her.

"Oh really? I can relate to that. I am not good with people, either." Bucky murmured the last part and thought she hadn't heard him, but a laugh could be heard from the other side of the counter while he started to scratch behind the cat's right ear.

"Maybe you guys are meant to be after all." He heard the soft murmur from across the counter, absent-mindedly nodding his head in agreement as the cat's tiny purrs increased while its little wide eyes turned to focus on his face.

Staring down at the dainty white ball of fur, he felt his brain go a little fuzzy, but when his new friend nudged her tiny pink nose against his hand he melted into the floor.

“I…umm…I don’t think I can put her down anyway,” Bucky admitted, his cheeks turning a little rosy.

“Well you don’t need to,” Lottie smiled. “You can sign your name with one hand, right?

Bucky’s eyes looked back up at Lottie and he smiled nervously.

“I … yeah. Really? Right now? I mean that’s fast… don’t you need to do some kind of background check or something. I don’t even have anything at my place for a cat…” he spoke nervously and quickly.

Lottie giggled at his response as she began to pull out an assortment of papers and began placing them on the counter in front of her.She leaned against the counter, reaching her hand out to scratch Snow's chin and looked up to Bucky. The sparkle in her bright blue eyes and her soft, sweet smile stopped his rambling as his eyes locked with hers.

"No background checks, no. If Snow here trusts you, so do I," she mused, "As for the things she needs, I'll help you pick everything out right now. Think you can walk around with that precious cargo on you?"

Bucky glanced down at the soft source of warmth in his jacket, curiously sniffing him out and purring contently. When she noticed him observing her, she stilled and stretched a paw out, resting it lightly on the dimple in his chin.

He chuckled softly, feeling his guard lower, insides melting and all it took was the gentle touch of an animal — and a pretty girl looking at them like she’d never seen anything so adorable.

“Yeah, I think I can manage.” Bucky stammered, clearing his throat as he gestured to the papers. “Let me sign these and then you can lead the way.”

Bucky shifted Snow in his arms, looking down at her as Lottie pointed to the important parts. "What's your refund policy?" He said, meaning it to be a joke but realizing from the shocked look on Lottie's face he had done that rude thing with his voice that Sam always picked on. "I mean..." He forced a quiet laugh.

"I think she'd sooner refund you after that joke," Lottie smiled, a dimple forming on her left cheek that he surprisingly had the urge to touch and Bucky could feel the heat flushing up his neck. "You'll have to work on his delivery," she whispered to the cat playfully. "He's a little stiff."

Bucky laughed, "okay," he nodded, his tongue brushing over his bottom lip, "I deserved that."

His playful defeat tickled another smile out of her which he found was something he longed to bring out more often. Bucky didn't know what it was about this sweet looking woman that enticed him but he couldn't help but feel comfortable in her presence which to be completely honest scared him a little bit.

Scratch that, it scared him a lot.

After he had signed everything that Lottie showed him Bucky cleared his throat once again.

"So... uhm... can you show me what I need? Like a cat-owner-starter-pack?" he asked - his cheeks slightly blushed and his lips curled into a shy smile.

"Sure! Wait, I'll come around and show you." Lottie responded and stepped around the yellow counter. She passed Bucky and headed towards a shelf on the other side of the shop where Bucky could see food and water bowls in different sizes. The moment Lottie passed him, her hand slightly touched his left one that was covered in a cold leather glove. Something in Bucky's lower stomach moved, but he couldn’t manage to put his finger on it.

His steps faltered a little in the beginning because of the brief contact, afraid she might question the coldness before slowly focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. Her blonde hair swaying gently down her back caught Bucky's eyes as she kept moving and not paying attention to the man lost in his thoughts over how beautiful she was.

She stopped in front of one of the displays and he was so distracted by her hair that he almost ran into the back of her, only his enhanced reflexes saved him from knocking all three of them into the wall of bowls before them. He didn’t even need to look down to know his new companion was giving him a disdainful glare.

“Ok, here we have our selection of food and water bowls. Along with enrichment toys to hide treats in,” she said gesturing towards the display in front of them.

“Enrichment toys?” Bucky asked in confusion.

“Oh.. they’re great. Basically they’re a toy that you can hide treats in. Then your pet has to work on getting the food out. It helps a lot with fast eaters but also with pets that are quite smart and like a challenge. It keeps them entertained for ages and then they get rewarded with food.” She smiled. “You will also need a litter box, a kitty bed and a wide range of toys. Are you planning on letting her go outside like in a garden or will she be an indoor cat?” Lottie asked.

Bucky blinked, he had not realised he had to think about so much when adopting the soft bundle of fur that was nestled in his chest purring contently.

“Uh. Indoor, I guess. Not sure I trust the chaos that is New York,” Bucky replied, “unless… I mean, if she wants to explore then…”

“Snow here is a curious one, but I get that you don’t want to risk it. Maybe you could take her out every now and again like that,” she suggested with a soft smile and Bucky glanced down at the cat snuggled in his leather, “she looks pretty comfy in there, I’m almost jealous.”

Bucky cranked his head up so fast, he winced at the strain of the muscle he definitely just pulled doing so. The gorgeous smile and coy sparkle in Lottie’s eyes were worth it though, and Bucky felt his skin warm, no doubt pink from cheek to chest.

He was flirted with on the daily but it’d been a long time since he enjoyed it, or at least felt like he deserved that kind of attention.

Snow chittered loudly within his arms almost like she was laughing at him and stared up at him with a look that screamed, lovesick fool on it.

"If you're going to go exploring, you'll need this." She turned toward him with a long, dark blue braided leash in her hand. Looking at his full arms she leaned onto her tiptoes and hung the leash over his shoulder. Her warm, vanilla and spice scent filling his nose as she made sure it wouldn't fall, "might take her a couple tries to get used to it."

"Got it." Bucky muttered as Lottie smiled up at him cheekily almost buried in items for his new furry friend.

"Come on, I'll ring everything up and bag them for you." She said to him with excitement glittering in her eyes and a bright smile that Bucky found himself– albeit timidly, automatically returning.

Lottie urged him back to the counter, turning on her heel to head back while waving and cooing at the little animals in their little rooms along the wall. He followed, securing his hand under the small feline hidden in his jacket while his heart fluttered in his chest at the sight.

Bucky could feel his breath falter as he tried to come up with something else to say. This has been the most pleasant interaction he’d had with such a beautiful girl in a long time, and he found himself not wanting it to end. Even if it was about animals, a topic he hadn’t really been interested in until she started talking.

“So, uh, how long have you been doing this?” He questioned awkwardly.

Another soft chuckle left her pink plump lips, “about 6 years…” she answered quietly, “I was one of the lucky people who didn’t get blipped, and there were a lot of animals who’s owners did so I took them in. It started as just the animals in my building and then kind of grew into this place,” Lottie pressed her lips into a thin line and half smiled up at him.

“Beautiful and kind,” he muttered but then his eyes grew wide in panic at the tinkling sound of a giggle.

His gaze darted up long enough to see Lottie’s hand cover her mouth as she scrunched up her nose in amusement before he decided that the worn spot on the tiles near his feet demanded his utmost attention.

“I didn’t…I mean, I…” Bucky stammered.

“No, it’s ok. Now let’s get you all checked out so we can get you and little miss Snow home.” Lottie said as she blushed a little and began to scan all of the items that she helped him pick out and put them into some bags.

“I’ll also put in our info packet for kitty care and how to help settle your new pet. Our phone number is there if you need to reach us.” She smiled as she placed the info packet into the bag before placing it on the counter.

It took Bucky a second to retrieve his wallet from his pocket, careful not to jostle his new friend too much.

A swipe of his card (he’s still getting used to that) and one appreciative meow later, Bucky grabbed the bag of cat goodies as Lottie came back around the counter.

“Well, you’re all set. I hope you and Snow have a very happy life together…”

“Bucky, my name’s Bucky.”

“Bucky,” Lottie smiled, “I’m glad you found your match today.”

“Thanks, sweetheart. For all your help.”

With a nod of his head, Bucky turned to the door with a spring in his step. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Sam’s face.

The walk back to the apartment was full of soft mewls from Snow and concerned grunting from Bucky, "you okay in there?" He asked at a crosswalk, peering down at the cat hidden in his jacket. The old lady standing next to him gave him a strange look and shifted over on the sidewalk.

"Oh no its..." he bit the inside of his cheek and looked up to the side laughing at himself. He probably looked ridiculous and now he was talking to himself.

"Haven't even had you for half an hour and you're embarrassing me." Bucky paused and smiled to himself. "You'll get along pretty well with Sam, I guess."

He headed up to his apartment and pushed the door open. Bucky usually kept his place tidy. He told himself it was a habit from being in the Army, but realistically, his cell at the Hydra facility was filthy. Bucky never wanted to live like that again. So, he spent days scrubbing at his kitchen and bathroom tiles with a toothbrush and making sure everything was as clean as it could possibly be.

But keeping himself occupied with all of that cleaning didn't take away the loneliness.

He hated when Sam was right.

Bucky looked down at Snow as he shut the door behind him and turned on the hall light for the first time in months. The place already felt a little brighter with her in it. He smiled as she peered up at him from his jacket, already purring.

"It ain't much, little one, but it's home."

He pulled down the zipper of his jacket to let Snow out of the confines of the garment. He lowered himself closer to the ground so that she could get out.

"Let me make this your home too." Bucky murmured as he pulled out each item out of the bag Lottie packed for him. Lottie…That one is gonna be stuck in his mind.

Shaking his head, Bucky watched as Snow explored her new surroundings, jumping onto the small coffee table and then onto the back of the couch. She batted at a throw blanket Sam had gotten him, with some joke about being frosty all the time or something that Bucky had ignored. With a small meow, her claws came out and caught the edge, leaving her tangled in the soft fabric.

"C'mon, kid," Bucky chuckled, pulling her paw free gently before tucking her into the crook of his elbow. "How about we stop tryin' to kill the blanket and get some food instead?"

Snow let out something like a snarl before settling into his arm, purring loudly as her eyes fluttered closed.

They entered the kitchen where Bucky had already placed the food and water bowl on a rubber mat to prevent the tiles from getting dirty every time the fluff ball would eat something.

He let her down on the floor again and Snow sneaked through his legs while forcefully rubbing her head against Bucky's muscular calves.

"Just because you're begging, doesn't mean you get your food faster, kiddo." he chuckled.

Lottie had given him two different sorts of canned cat food and Bucky grabbed a can of each and held it in front of Snow's tiny face.

"Chicken or Tuna?" he asked.

The little white fur ball butted her head against his dark metal fingers that held the tuna flavored can of food, overestimating her strength and falling backwards on her hind legs.

The little creature seemed startled by the position she found herself in with her wide eyes staring up at Bucky as a quiet chuckle left him at how silly she looked before helping her up.

"Okay, tough guy, here's your tuna."

He opened the can and carefully dropped its contents into her little pink, cat face-shaped plate while Snow looked at the can in what he felt was an offended look.

"What?" Bucky's eyebrows knit together as he stayed in a seemingly tough staring contest with the little cat until he figured out what might be wrong. He rolled his eyes as he picked up the dish and mashed it with a fork, before grabbing the bag of tuna treats Lottie had given him, and placing one on top.

He cocked his eyebrow at the cat, setting the dish back down in front of her, "sorry your majesty, is that better?"

Snow stretched her two front paws out in front of her giving him a giant yawn, as she flicked her tail at him and sauntered over to the dish, sniffing it quickly before deciding to eat. Bucky felt the corners of his lips turn up as he shook his head and turned to open his fridge and decide what he was going to feed himself.

“It’s alright for you Princess, your food comes in cans. I gotta actually think about what to make,” he grumbled, looking down at cat again, as if waiting for a response.

“Suppose I could throw together one of those stir fry things from that cooking show,” Bucky continued, musing on the contents of his fridge.

A sharp pattering against the window made them both turn, the brightness of afternoon giving way to grey, thunderous clouds as rain began to fall.

“Looks like we made it home just in time,” he hummed.

With all of the contents he’d need to get his dinner ready set up on the countertop, he grabbed a knife and flipped it in his hand not realizing his small feline friend was following his every move.

Bucky smiled down at her intrigued look, tilting his head slightly to the side as hers was, “cool trick huh sweet girl?”

She meowed loudly in response, “well I don’t know about you flipping knives but we’ll work on other tricks for ya, yeah?”

The kitten pawed at his socked foot as if she understood his every word, he leaned down to scratch her chin and whispered, “you’re gonna be trouble aren’t you…”

He washed his hands and began his cutting process, ears finely tuned already to her every move, her calm breaths and the way her paws softly pounded on the floor as she ran. His mind drifted off to Lottie back at the shelter, he wondered how the rest of her day was and if she had started to miss the kitten. Maybe they’d go visit her once in a while so she could see she was safe with him and growing happily, maybe it’ll also give Bucky the courage to have longer conversations with her.

A soft rhythmic knock on the door interrupted his musings and he furrowed his brows, wiping his hands on the towel beside him before he walked to the door. When he looked through the peep-hole he was surprised to find Lottie dripping from head to toe in rain as she stood on the other side.

“Lottie?”

She smiled big and bright just as she had this morning waving a small plush toy in front of Bucky as she imitated a meow, “meow owww,” Lottie stared back at Bucky cheeks turning red as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

He heard her whisper, “nice Charlotte, embarrass yourself in front of the hot vet” and chuckled. A wave of confidence ran through him and he reached his hand to her forearm, calling her attention.

“I thought it was cute.” he voiced with a smile.

“Well, there’s more where that came from— no, shit, sorry. Uh, I was just dropping this off, you left it at the shelter, so… hope you don’t mind that I got your address from the forms,” she handed him the toy, all whilst Bucky watched, amused. “Anyway, that’s all— see ya around, Bucky.”

She turned on her heel, seemingly attempting a quick getaway but Bucky called her name, striding forward as she spun back to face him and landed with a soft ‘oof’ into his chest.

She let out an awkward giggle and mumbled apology as Bucky steadied her with quick grasp on her dripping sweater sleeve.

“Lottie, it’s raining cats and dogs out there, at least come in until it stops, dry off a little. I’m sure the little terror will be pleased to see you again.”

Lottie turned pink but Bucky couldn't tell if it was from his suggestion or the coldness of the rain seeping through her clothes and into her skin.

"Come on, I think I got something dryer that'll fit you." He said, pulling away from her and heading towards his closet looking for something warmer for her to put on.

He really wished he had the chance to do laundry, rummaging around looking for a henley but not finding a single one. He groaned at the only clean sweater in the whole apartment, grabbing it begrudgingly before turning around and handing it to her.

"Wow..." Was all Lottie had to say when she held it up. "Didn't know you were a fan of Captain America,” she giggled.

"The old one, not the new one. I think he's a bit of a jerk." Bucky said flatly, desperately wanting to punch Sam in the face for gifting him the ridiculous sweater.

"Sam?" She laughed rubbing the sweater between her fingers.

Bucky's suspicious expression gave away his thoughts, of course Sam knew Lottie. There's a shelter, two blocks from here, just go in and see what happens. "That smug asshole," he laughed under his breath.

"He volunteers his time, walks the dogs..." Lottie still stood with her wet sweater hanging over her shoulders and her eyes on the sweater. "I can't," she handed it back.

"Lottie," Bucky forced a tight smile and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "Thank you for bringing the toy but I bought her lots... why did you run through the rain for this one?"

Lottie sighed and Bucky's heart leapt into his throat as the kitten trotted out of the kitchen and did figure eights around Bucky and Lottie's ankles. Lottie looked at the toy that was clutched in his hand.

"That's her favorite toy. She's had it since she was rescued. I just... I think she'd be a little anxious without it." Lottie chuckled. Bucky could see just how much she cared about these animals. A lump formed in his throat and he swallowed thickly. "Or I'm overthinking and--"

"You're not," Bucky whispered. "This is really sweet. Thank you."

The two of them stood in awkward silence for a while, and Bucky stared too long. He always stared too long. But she was gorgeous, her nervous eyes flicking all around his apartment. Suddenly, he became self-conscious about the fact that he didn't wipe down the baseboards like he said he would last week. He ran a hand through his hair and she let out an awkward chuckle. Bucky cleared his throat as Snow trilled and used his leg as a scratching post. He grit his teeth through the pain of her little razor claws sinking into his jeans.

"Uh, listen, I was just about to make dinner--"

"Oh! I'll get--"

He held a hand out. This might be his only shot.

"No! Uh, I was wondering if you-- uh, if--" Barnes, you're cooler than this, he thought. He cleared his throat and tried again, his cheeks hot with embarrassment. She was so pretty he didn't want to screw this up. Or seem like a weirdo. "I was wondering if you wanted some food? I could put your sweater in the dryer. I have beer-- or soda! I-- if you-- don't like... uh, beer. That's--"

He could almost hear Sam laughing at him all the way from his apartment. Lottie smiled.

"You got somewhere where I can get changed?"

Bucky felt himself blush even further as he cleared his throat and nodded. "Uh... Down the hall, first door on the left is my bedroom. You can change in there. Just give me your sweater when you're done, and I'll put it in the dryer." He watched as she smiled at him before turning and silently going down the hallway.

I really don't want to mess this up.

A sharp meow came from Bucky's feet and he looked down at Snow with a sigh.

"What?" He asked, blue eyes going as wide as his tiny counterpart. "She's really pretty, okay? Get off my back."

As Bucky walked back to the kitchen, all the dates he had ever picked up back in the day flashed through his mind. He wished for just a minute he could channel some of that carefree demeanor that poured from him before the war. This wasn't something Bucky made a habit of, but Lottie made it a little easier, with her warm smile and bright eyes. He felt a prickle of warmth in his chest and the corner of his mouth turned up as Lottie stepped out from the bedroom.

"Okay, so this thing is freaking HUGE. Not all of us are giant super strong guys so it might look weird."

She shuffled back into the kitchen, her leggings peeking out from under the oversized sweater. Bucky's brain misfired seeing this gorgeous girl in his clothes, standing in his kitchen. A cold nose bumping against his arm snapped him out of his own head as Snow jumped onto the counter.

"Um, you look great," Bucky stammered. "I mean, it looks great! The sweater. It's...great."

To avoid things getting possibly more awkward, he quickly stepped into the kitchen to finish the stir fry for him and Lottie.

She was leaning on the wall and he could feel her gaze on his back.

"You said it's her favorite toy." he pointed to the plush toy that was in her hands again before he continued: "Why's that? It looks like a regular plush toy for children."

"It's a special plush for kittens." she carefully started. Bucky turned around while stirring a spatula around the pan in front of him.

"A special one?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah. You know... Snow had a rough start. I found her almost frozen to death before I started a shift in early January. Her mother gave birth to four kittens right in front of the shelter but because it was freezing that night, only Snow and the mom survived. The others..." her voice broke at the end and she was incapable of finishing the sentence. Her eyes glistened with tears - a single one escaped and trailed down her cheek.

Bucky stepped away from the pan and placed his flesh hand on her forearm in an assuring gesture. He mumbled "I’m sorry to hear that."

"It was horrible. Snow was with her mom in the beginning, but we found someone to adopt her mom a week later. I tried to prevent it, because the kitten still needed her but I needed the space for other stray cats that were coming into the shelter the other day. The plush imitates the feel of the mother cat. I’d heat it up so that the tiny kitten could snuggle with it and feel safe. She also needed it for orientation as her eyes were still closed in the beginning. Snow got so used to the smell of the plush that she only slept peacefully while her head was resting on it. That's why I thought I should bring it here. So that she would be able to sleep."

“Oh wow,” Bucky whispered, gazing down at his tiny companion with glassy eyes. “She sure has been through a lot.”

“Yeah, she has,” Lottie nodded. “She survived the freezing cold, being pulled away from everything she knew. I hoped the plushie would help.”

She smiled as she saw the way Bucky looked at the kitten. “But now she’s got you.”

Bucky looked over at the little kitten who was looking up at Lottie and eyeing the plush toy in her hands. He couldn’t help but feel an even deeper connection to her surviving the freezing cold all alone. His mind wandered back to the cold mountain when he fell off the train.

“I think me and her have a lot in common. Is she attached to the name Snow? Because I have a different name in mind if that’s ok. It still sticks with the snow theme” He asked, looking back up to Lottie.

“I’m sure she won’t mind,” Lottie smiled softly, “what were you thinking?”

Bucky turned down the heat, the stir fry pretty much done, and rested his back against the counter. Lottie’s eyes tracked his movement, he could sense that without looking, her gaze warm and head tilted with intrigue.

“Um… Alpine?”

Lottie’s features softened more, if that was even possible and Bucky could swear her eyes were glistening.

“I think that’s perfect, Bucky. She’s a lucky kitten.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhmm, I think… despite Sam’s obvious influence that led you to my shelter today, Alpine would have waited for you even if you hadn’t followed his advice straight away.”

Bucky smiled, hiding the lump in his throat. He would not get emotional in front of the pretty girl.

“It really fits her.” Lottie’s voice was barely above a whisper as they both continued to watch her bat at some crumbs on the counter. She was surprisingly graceful for such a young kitten.

Bucky glanced at the beautiful woman in his kitchen and saw a few tears glistening on her rosy cheeks.

“Thank you for introducing us,” Bucky offered. A warm smile pulled at his lips and he immediately felt warm.

Lottie chuckled and wiped the tears away with the sleeve of his large sweater. “Are you talking to me, or Alpine?”

Bucky’s cheeks burned. If it was a joke, it was hilarious. If she was still flirting… he was in trouble.

“Well, uh,” he cleared his throat and chuckled. “I guess both of you.”

She smiled back at him, eyes warm and full of hope. Hope. Bucky could use some more of that in his life.

The room was silent for a beat, both of them grinning like fools, before he opened the cabinet and grabbed two plates. “Let’s eat, yeah?”

Bucky carried the plates to the table, setting them both down in front of a chair and not realizing just how close Lottie was following him. When he turned, they bumped into each other and he felt himself flush red when she giggled at his nervousness.

"Sorry," He mumbled, putting some space between them and quickly grabbing one of the chairs, pulling it out for her to sit in.

It was a force of habit, an old habit, but chivalry had not been one of the things he lost in the fall, just his smoothness and ability to not turn into mush by a sweet smile and melodic laugh.

"M'lady." He teased, as she sat with a beaming grin splattered across her face and he pushed in the chair for her.

“Thank you kind sir,” Lottie giggled, and Bucky felt his insides warm at the sound, light and happy. He walked back to the kitchen, grabbing the pan with the food, setting it on the table with a warming pad beneath it. As he sat down, he gestured for Lottie to go first. There was a clicking noise from above them and all the lights went out, plunging them into darkness.

“What the- Damn rain must’ve knocked the power out. Hang on, I’ve got a flashlight somewhere,” Bucky said, standing back up and feeling his way to the kitchen, searching through drawers. “Well, no flashlight but I got a few candles.”

"You need help?" Lottie asked.

"No, no." He found a few candles and a box of matches. "I wouldn't want you to burn yourself." He winced, realizing how patronizing that sounded. "I mean--"

"It's okay, Bucky," Lottie chuckled. "It's your apartment."

He smiled at her over his shoulder, the moonlight lighting up part of the room. Bucky fiddled with the matches for a moment, snapping it against the striker and trying to get the damn thing to light up.

"Son of a bitch," he muttered.

He heard Lottie's chair slide out and suddenly felt her right next to him. She reached out and placed her hand over his metal hand. He swore he could feel sparks through the Vibranium.

"Might need a more delicate touch," she offered, her voice gentle and sweet.

Bucky was thankful that she couldn't see him blushing furiously in the dark as he relented and gave her the box of matches. He watched as she struck one and it lit up instantly, illuminating her gorgeous face.

"You just need a little patience," she whispered softly as she looked back to him.

Bucky was trapped in her gaze as the flames from the candle reflected in their blue depths and danced around. He felt as if she could ask him to drown in them and he would. No questions asked.

It must've been seconds but they felt like lifetimes and just as he felt the pull between them grow stronger he saw her tongue sweep across her bottom lip before she turned away from him, hiding behind a curtain of hair dried hair to light the rest of the candles.

"All done," she told him as she lit all four candles and set the one in her hand on the counter.

"Thank you."

He honestly didn't know what he was thanking her for. He doubted it was for lighting the candles when he couldn't. It was more because since he walked into the shelter this afternoon, Lottie had saved him in a whole new way.

They made their way back to the table carrying the candles and sat down to eat. He watched apprehensively as she took a bite.

“Wow, this is delicious.” She said, looking at him. He let out a sigh of relief.

“Really, well I’m glad you like it.” He smiled as he took a bite of the food himself. They fell into a comfortable silence as they ate their food.

“So,” Lottie started, setting her fork down on her plate. She smiled at him through her lashes. Bucky gulped as the flames of the candles threw shadows against her face. She was somehow even more beautiful in this light.

“He cooks, he’s good with animals, and he’s friends with Captain America. You are quite a catch, sir.”

Bucky was sure his cheeks were melting with how hard he blushed. Was this really happening? Maybe he got hit by a bus on his way home and he died and went to heaven. Or maybe Sam spiked his drink and he’s dreaming.

He scoffed to himself since the serum would leave him virtually unscathed in both of those situations. He took a deep breath and exhaled, setting his fork down as well.

“You’re not too bad yourself, Lottie.” He winced as he heard the words leave his mouth. He wanted to kick himself under the table for that one.

“Some would disagree,” Lottie replied, voice a little quiet and eyes cast down at her plate, “but I’ll take it from you,” she added lightly.

Bucky frowned and set his fork down, hackles raised.

“Whoa, no. What do you mean ‘some would disagree’? Because from where I’m sitting, anyone would be lucky to have someone like you.”

“Bucky, that’s sweet but—“

“Sweetheart,” Bucky wasn’t sure where the fight in him was coming from, but the thought of anyone thinking Lottie — sweet, gorgeous Lottie who ran through a downpour to deliver a beloved cat toy — wasn’t good enough, made him want to do something to make her believe different.

“According to a few of my exes, I spend too much time at the shelter,” she revealed, before a smile bloomed across her lips. “But it’s my happy place so screw them, huh?”

"Animals are better than men anyway." Lottie laughed, her blue eyes shining and that wonderful grin remaining plastered across her face although her brows furrowed when she realized she had sort of just insulted him.

"Well, you just haven't met the right man yet." Bucky said much lower than he anticipated, much more breathy and like a whisper.

Lottie seemingly froze in her seat, like the air had been stolen from her as she turned bright red and bit her lip in the most adorable way.

"Does he have a cat?" Lottie asked, and Bucky chuckled.

"You know, astonishingly he does. You see, he wasn't really looking for companionship at first, just decided he would try to get a friend off his back about his houseplants. But then there was this little thing with glorious blue eyes and well..." Bucky sighed, talking both about Alpine and her.

“It’s always the ones that grump the most about getting a pet that end up loving them the hardest,” Lottie smiled, and Bucky felt himself melt just a little more even as he tried to look shocked.

“I’ve never been grumpy a day in my life,” he said, grin breaking through as Lottie snorted a laugh, covering her mouth with her hand to hide her giggles.

"Oh, really?" Lottie teased. "I might have to ask around to back that up."

Bucky put his head in his hands and groaned through laughter.

"God, please don't! Sam's gonna have a field day with it!"

He felt her gentle hand cover his and looked up. Lottie was smiling at him.

"Your secret's safe with me," she whispered. Bucky's smile mirrored hers and she gave his fingers a gentle squeeze. "And for the record, I don't actually think you're a grump. You've been pretty darn sweet to me today, and to Snow-- sorry, Alpine. Still getting used to it."

Bucky chuckled, feeling just how hot his cheeks and the back of his neck felt. Butterflies fluttered through his chest and every time he looked at Lottie, all he wanted to do was smile.

"Thanks for that. Sam really wouldn't let me live it down if you told him." He looked down as Alpine rubbed against his leg. "You can't tell him either, missy."

They ate in contented silence for a few moments, enjoying the warmth of the candles and each other.

"It's really cute how close you are already," Lottie smiled, pushing the rest of her food around on her plate. "But it makes sense."

"How?" Bucky asked through a mouthful of chicken, eyebrows furrowed mid bite and she let out a soft, tinkling giggle.

"Well because you're really cute too," she remarked without looking up and Bucky was now positive that he was dead or someone was playing a joke on him.

He actually choked on the piece of food he was chewing, coughing a few times as he felt his face flood with heat that he was pretty sure wasn't from the candles.

"Oh my god! Are you oka– I'm so sorry!"

Lottie’s panicked wide blue eyes focused on his face and Bucky heard the faint clatter of the fork she was eating with on the table while he tried to catch his breath. The sudden compliment had positively stunned him.

Bucky– the old, pre-war Bucky, once knew that he had the looks and the ability to charm the socks off any dame back in his day but now, now he felt inadequate. He didn't have the patience to try to strike up a conversation with anyone, even women.

His scars ran deeper than what his eyes saw reflected back in the mirror every morning.

And now this beautiful, incredibly kind woman was not only talking to him and making it seem all too easy, she was also flirting with him.

"I'm okay." He assured her after catching his breath and taking a generous sip of the water next to him while Alpine meowed loudly at his feet in what he thought was concern.

“Are you sure?” Lottie asked, looking at him as if she didn’t quite believe him.

“Yeah, my food just got stuck on the way down. No need to worry about me” he reached down and scratched Alpine between her ears.

The rain was still hammering against the windows outside, heavy drops illuminated by the candles on the table and the odd strike of lightning that had now decided to join in.

“Doesn’t look like it’s gonna stop any time soon,” Bucky commented, changing the subject.

“New York storms, huh?”

“Sorry you’re kinda trapped here.”

Lottie swallowed her last bite of food, pushing her plate to the side and reaching across the table for Bucky’s hand.

“How many times do I have to hint that I’m happy to be here, Bucky? That I like you.”

“Old man like me? Probably a few more before it sinks in.” He grinned, bashful but real as he watched Lottie’s face scrunch adorably into a giggle.

“I’m starting to think you’re just fishing for compliments. You are definitely not old. Worldly, maybe, and your eyes are definitely hiding like a thousand stories I’m dying to hear. But definitely not old.”

"My stories are... They're not the happiest." He told her truthfully, feeling his grin fade as he began to chew on the inside of his lip.

Lottie reached across the table, stroking the top of his hand gently before her small fingers wrapped around his metal ones, holding his hand completely unbothered by the fact that it wasn't flesh.

"We can write some happy stories together. It's what I do after all." She smiled joyfully and he couldn't help but chuckle.

"You write stories?" He questioned and she simply nodded.

"Well, I'm trying to, nothing published yet but I've got lots of ideas." She told him, her hand still in his.

"What kind of ideas?" Bucky asked, genuinely curious.

"Gentle romance, falling head over heels for a kind stranger." She said softly and he felt himself melting with every word she said.

"Does the love interest have a cat?" He wondered and the laugh she let out was beautiful, it filled his apartment and settled into the empty spaces.

“Just adopted one in fact,” she smiled and Bucky felt his heart stutter as she looked at him, blue eyes big and full of hope. “He picked out the best kitten, a real sweetheart, just like him.”

Bucky grinned back at her. "I think we're going to have some adventures." He looked down at Alpine just as she scratched at his jeans. "You've already had dinner. You cannot possibly be hungry."

"Sorry that I'm stealing all of your dad's attention, Alpine," Lottie said playfully, eyes shining as she watched Bucky scoop the little fur ball into his lap.

He grabbed a piece of his chicken, tearing a bite off and holding it up to Alpine's baby pink nose for inspection. After a few cautious sniffs, she took it from him eagerly, contented purrs and growls coming from her tiny body as she ate.

"So you said you write?" Bucky asked softly, smiling down at Alpine before looking back at Lottie as she nodded. "Well, I can read-"

"Whoa! No way!" Lottie exclaimed jokingly, enjoying the way Bucky's face scrunched up as he laughed.

"I mean," he replied with a giggle. "I can read anything you write...if you ever need another set of eyes."

"Especially eyes like yours," Lottie drawled.

Bucky felt lightheaded from all the blood rushing to his cheeks.

"You're killin' me, sweetheart," he sighed, taking a drink from his glass.

"Sorry," Lottie blushed. "You just get all pink and flustered...it's very cute."

"Yeah well, usually I'm the one doing the flusterin'."

Laughing, Lottie grabbed a piece of chicken from her plate and held it across for Alpine, who had finished Bucky's piece and seemed eager for more.

"Believe me, Sargeant," she whispered softly, looking up at him through thick lashes. "I am very flustered right now."

Bucky could have punched a hole through the wall with the burst of confidence that soared through him.

How was it possible that he could make Lottie flustered? He chuckled and wiped his hands down the front of his shirt. “This ol’ thing? You’re bluffing.”

Lottie’s jaw dropped, and a look of playful shock came across her face. “You trying to call my bluff, huh?”

Bucky eyed her thoughtfully. His gaze, whether he meant it to or not (he definitely did), flitted to her lips. They looked soft, plush and pink, and inviting as hell.

“You could always prove it,” Bucky smirked. He caught her eye, daring her to make a move.

“Or… you could fluster me some more, see the real fruits of your labour.”

Sometime during this conversation, Lottie’s chair had edged closer to Bucky’s. He could feel the warmth radiating from her as her fingertips danced up and down his arm.

The anticipation was killing him.

Which one of them had actually made the first move was completely unclear to Bucky. There was just the look of trepidation on her face along with the thought that he should do it first just so he could throw her into the same kind of tizzy as she had put him in.

Bucky leaned in slowly, eyeing the soft appearance of her lips but Lottie had done exactly the same after finding her courage.

He felt her stretch up to meet him, soft supple lips pressing gently against his, her vanilla spice scent filling his nose and making him a little dizzy. It was so tame, sweet and absolutely perfect that he couldn't help but bring his hands to her face, cradling her cheeks in his palms and pulling her back in when she went to move away.

There were a million butterflies in his stomach and he swore if they didn't keep their lips connected, they would all come bursting out of his mouth along with a flurry of thoughts about how he wanted her to stay with him, possibly forever.

Bucky couldn’t help smiling into the kiss, happiness bubbling over. He could feel Lottie doing the same and suddenly they were both grinning against each other’s lips, little laughs escaping them.

Bucky pulled back, bringing his metal hand up to brush a piece of hair back from Lottie’s eyes. She caught it in her hand, leaning her face against the palm, fingers stroking delicately over the back. Bucky felt his heart clench and Lottie looked up at him.

"That was..." She exhaled and took a deep breath.

"I hope it was okay," he chuckled. "I'm a little out of practice."

She placed a hand on his chest and Bucky drew in deep breaths to keep his heart from racing so much. It was useless. Every time he looked at her, his chest felt tight. Her eyes shone in the low light, and that smile could actually bring him to his knees.

"Well, we could always practice again if you feel like you need it."

Food long forgotten, Bucky gave Lottie a half smile before he leaned in again to run his lips over hers, hearing her gasp at his intrusion. He slowly moved his hand to rest on the back of her neck, weaving his fingers through her hair.

"I bet you make a really good teacher, doll."

Lottie smirked, biting her lip as she studied Bucky's face and leaned in once more.

"Let's find out."

He felt Lottie go soft as this second kiss grew deeper, his hands pulling her close as if she might float away without his help. When her tongue traced his bottom lip, Bucky groaned and let her in to explore, their kiss becoming hotter in the dim candle light.

He could taste the spice from the chicken mixed with the sweetness of the sugar from her coffee and the chapstick she put on earlier today. He was drowning in Lottie and never wanted to come up.

She was the one who finally relented, breaking the kiss and leaving them both breathless and blushing.

"Bucky, if that's you without practice..." Lottie breathed against his lips and he smiled, running a thumb along her bottom lip. "I might be the one who needs some lessons."

"Say yes to another dinner," Bucky whispered, rubbing his nose against hers. "And I'll teach you whatever you want."

He could feel Lottie vibrating with excitement and it suddenly dawned on him that what he said came out in a way he hadn't meant.

"I could teach you how to make stir-fry." He blurted out nervously, causing her to laugh and she placed a small peck on his nose.

"I'd like that a lot." She smiled, and just as she did, Alpine jumped from Bucky's lap where she had been snuggled throughout dinner and into Lottie's lap.

"Of course, that's if this little lady doesn't mind me sharing your attention." She giggled.

Bucky smiled, knowing his face reflected how calm and happy he felt, but he couldn’t hold back.

“I think that’s her way of asking you to come back too,” he said and Lottie laughed, scratching behind Alpine’s ears.

“How could I ever say no to such a plea?” she said, eyes twinkling before she sighed. “But I should probably get back to the shelter now, the rains nearly done, it sounds like.”

Bucky nodded. He really wanted to see her again. As soon as he could, or as soon as she had time. Lottie looked around and tugged at his sweater. Bucky reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Keep it," he replied. "You don't need a reason to come back, but..."

She beamed at him.

"I have three reasons. Sweater, cute cat, cute guy..."

Bucky blushed furiously and ran a hand through his hair.

"Listen, it would be ungentlemanly of me to let a lady walk alone at night. Can I walk you back to the shelter?"

He was never going to get used to the way her smile gave him butterflies.

"I would love that."

Bucky smiled and stood before reaching out for her hand just as an audible click reached his ears and they both began to blink rapidly. The power had been restored. "Well... talk about timing," he chuckled. "Let's get you back to the shelter sweetheart."

The walk back seemed much too short for Bucky's liking, but he couldn't stop smiling regardless. Lottie's presence had permanently drawn it onto his face, unable to brush it off if he tried. They talked as they walked, little comments about the neighborhood or Alpine, who peeked out from inside Bucky's jacket. His fingers tangled with Lottie's for the final block and for the first time in a long time, all the pieces seemed to be falling into place.

Lottie turned to him as they approached the shelter, the light above the sign reflecting off the water beneath their feet.

"Don't suppose we have time for one more practice session..." She sighed exaggeratedly, a small smirk on her lips.

Without a word, Bucky wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her in for another kiss as she yelped. Her smile melted into his and so did the rest of the world until a tiny disgruntled mewl broke the spell.

"Sorry, baby," Bucky whispers.

"It's okay," Lottie smiles before he laughs.

"I was talkin' to the fluffball, Lottie," he grinned, earning him a shocked laugh and a slap to the arm.

She walked up the few steps to the door of the shelter, turning back and making Bucky's heart stop. Her glittering eyes, the wave of her blonde hair, the cute button nose, on top being kind and a little bit goofy? He'd truly hit the jackpot.

"Next time, I'm cooking, Barnes."

Bucky gave her a grin and shoved his hands in his pockets as she unlocked the door.

"Okay, but I'm not giving away anymore of my clothes."

"Damn it..." Lottie grumbled before smiling again.

The door opened up and Bucky felt lighter than he had since before...well, everything. Over one hundred years of life and he had to wait this long to find someone like her.

"What time you open?" Bucky gestured to the sign. "Might need someone to help out with all the other little guys."

"We open at 8, but I'm not opposed to opening earlier for a pretty face."

Bucky grinned brightly as he backed down the sidewalk, the comforting warmth of Alpine against his chest and Lottie still on his lips, for once looking forward to everything the morning would bring him.

"I'll be here at 7."

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shegetsburned · 1 year

Text

𝐧𝐨 “𝐈” 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦

summary : Doc gathers Braise and Mute for a therapy session to try and help settle their differences.

characters : Luna “Braise” Ursi, Mark “Mute” Chandar, Gustave “Doc” Kateb

word count : 3,6k

notes : Finally finished this after posting a wip one month ago. Had way too much fun and let myself out with 3,6k for once. I hope you’ll enjoy it!

I’ve also done a bonus of this scene if you’re ever interested in more banter. [bonus scene]

In the medical building, there was multiple rooms filled with wounded and patients. Some in worse condition than others, always assisted by members of the medical team.

Doc spent most of his off days here, trying to help as much as he could. He was always like this. Trying to do good even when he could get a break. Everybody knew it.

That is why Thermite and Thatcher had asked him to organize a session with their protege to try and understand what was the problem between the two of them.

Gustave was smart, he hadn’t warned Mute not Braise that they would do a therapy session together. Otherwise, they would’ve both refused to present themselves, inventing absurd excuses.

Braise wondered why she had been summoned. She had no records of psychological problems, so why would Jordan even think about consulting Kateb. Something was definitely going on.

At 9 in the morning, when she finally steps foot into the medical center, her face drops when she sees Mute at the counter. What was he doing here? Wasn’t it enough that she had to endure him during their training sessions?

Without a word, her gaze wanders off around the reception, trying to find the doctor.

Like he heard her come in, Doc pushes the double swinging doors with a slight smile. Seeing both of the operators, he opens his arms, welcoming them.

“Mark, Luna, I’m glad you two came.” He declares, exchanging looks with both of them.

Mute, that still didn’t heard Braise enter behind him, turns around at the sound of her name, shocked. “What-”

Disgusted, they both look at each other, knowing this meeting had been set up.

Luna shakes her head in disbelief, but before she has time to complain, Kateb pushes the door again, leading to a long hallway. “Come on, time for our session.”

The girl follows him without asking herself more questions, hoping that maybe it was just a session between the two of them, without Mute.

“You too, Mark.” Orders the doctor with insisting eyes.

Mute crosses his arms and turns his head to the side. “That’s okay, I’ll be out here with-”

Gustave cuts him off before he has time to finish babbling his excuse “That wasn’t a request.”

The man sighs, looking at Braise slowly making her way to the doors. He follows her.

The three of them are in a small room, with dimmed lights. There is one door, and one small window besides it.

Braise and Mute are sitting on one side of a small metallic table, at least one meters between their chairs, whereas Doc is on the other side.

Delicately placing his forearms in front of him, Gustave opens a small notebook.

There is, once again, this awkward silence, and the doctor definitely enjoys it. He has a smile on his lips when he takes his time to look at the two operators. “So, you must know why Baker and Trace asked me to have a session with both of you.”

No answers. Mark and Luna are completely silent, refusing to look at one another. They stare down the doctor, hoping this would be over soon. Noticing none of them would make the first move, Gustave answered his own question.

“So that you work on your differences and learn to work as a team.”

Braise nods, slowly giving in. The least she could do was to respect Kateb for sacrificing his time off to have a session with them.

“So… ” Doc puts his pencil in front of him, sliding his arms on his legs, before he continued talking. “Who would like to start?”

Immediately, his gaze turns to Mute who had enough of this. “Alright, doc, I get it, why you want me to talk to this guy over here.” The man says, subtly pointing his thumb towards the girl besides her. “But I’m 100% fine.”

Braise’s eyes weren’t present. She was inspecting the table, tilting her head forward.

“It is my job to make sure that you’re okay.” Gustave begins to say. “So yeah, it might be slightly unprofessional, but it’s the only way I can see if you’re getting over whatever’s eating at you.”

Mute slightly shakes his head, rolling his eyes. “This is ridiculous.”

“Yeah. I agree.” Luna softly responds, lifting her head up to meet Doc’s eyes.

Kateb smiles slightly. “See? We’re making progress already.”

After looking at both of them, Doc asks the same question again. “So, who wants to go first?”

The room becomes silent again. Mute and Braise are staring at the doctor without opening their mouths. The only thing that moves is Mark’s arms, crossing against his chest, showing clearly that he wasn’t open for any conversation.

“No volunteers? How surprising.” Having just a little bit of hope, Gustave looks at them. Maybe their need of ending this session was strong enough so that eventually one of them would start the conversation.

Nothing changes.

“Okay. We’re going to do an exercise.” The doctor finally declares.

Mute sighs and Braise frowns, uncertain of what’s coming.

“It’s something I use with couples when they are trying to figure out what kind of life they want to build together. Are you familiar with the miracle question?”

With couples? Was Doc really using techniques known to work with couples? There was many ways of settling the problem but Gustave enjoyed watching them. It was like studying two subjects who hated each other’s guts but were forced to work together. Normally, a situation like this was resolved by separating both parties so that they wouldn’t endanger the mission. So why was Harry so insistent on making their pairing work?

“Absolutely not.”

“Of course not.”

Their stoic answers do not discourage Doc who starts explaining the concept of this first exercise. “Okay, it goes like this. Suppose that while you’re sleeping, a miracle occurs. When you wake up, what is something you would like to see that’d make your life better?”

Now naturally speaking up, Braise doesn’t hesitate to give out her answer, “In my miracle, he would talk less.”

She quickly glances at Mute, before her gaze turns back to the doctor.

Mark, whose eyes are now riveted on her, agrees. “Exactly what I was gonna say, isn’t that ironic.”

At his answer, Luna slightly smirks, mostly proud of how easily it is to get on his nerves. She did it so well without effort it was almost addictive.

Now truly impatient at this little banter which both of them really seemed to enjoy, Gustave folds his documents and files in front of him, forming a pile and abandoning every normal kind of therapy. He decides to have a little fun as well. “You guys are leaving me with no choice. It’s time for the soul-gazing exercise.”

Both familiar with the concept of this exercise practiced by military personnel to beat any kind of differences between two operators, their reactions are almost immediate.

The corner of the man’s mouth indicates his amusement for this practice. This was just getting better and better. “I like this one better.”

“Oh, god, he’s gonna love this.” Braise states, now her gaze upon Mark, knowing he’ll get pleasure torturing her like this.

Mute agitates himself on his chair, placing his hands on the handles.

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

He turns his chair around, slowly facing hers, but she doesn’t move yet, squinting and trying to understand how she could get out of here. Braise had no escape, she just had to face the insufferable man beside her.

“Turn around face each other.” Orders Kateb with a show of hands, watching the two of them turning their chairs in front of the other.

“You should really enjoy this.”

“I’m going to.” Answers Mute with his usual grin, almost escaping a chuckle at the end of his sentence.

He’s smiling. Why is he smiling? He’s taking so much pleasure doing this. Knowing how much he annoyed Braise just with a look.

“I know you are.”

After a few seconds, both of their chairs are turned to face each other. They awkwardly shift on their seats, trying to find a good enough position to not completely be into the other’s personal space. “Let’s do it. Let’s stare.” Luna says, looking at the doctor, waiting for confirmation to start.But it wasn’t good enough for him.

“Get closer.”

Braise lifts an eyebrow before hearing Mute reposition his chair even closer than before. Following his lead, she slowly does the same, clearly hesitant.

At this point, their knees were only just about ten centimeters away from each other. Way too close for the likes of them.

Like it wasn’t enough to torture them already, Doc asks that they move even closer. “Come on, a little closer.”

There was no other way than to interlocate their legs to get closer.

With his hands clearly stating that there was no other choice, Mute asks: “Well, which way you want to go?”

Almost with a disgusted look, Luna was too busy glaring at their leg placement to answer his question. “Why’re your legs open?”

That’s what bothered her the most.

Mute, who didn’t really care about her concerns, spoke again. “Right or left?” There was annoyance in his voice. Annoyance that kept Braise from answering his question, cut by Mark’s voice. “You know what? Fine.”

He grabs the side of her chair, pulling her closer to him with a swift movement, placing one of her legs between his and the other on his right.

Braise, who still had her gaze towards their legs, escapes a chuckle, as she feels the slight brush of his fingers on both sides of her thighs, grabbing the metallic seat.

“Here. You happy now?” Mute quickly lets go of the chair, placing his hands on his thighs, rubbing them slightly.

Proud of how this turned out, Doc nods, a big bright smile on his face. “All right.”

Luna shifts on her chair, trying to find a good position where her legs didn’t touch the man’s. Unfortunately for her, that was pretty much impossible due to how close they were.

“All right. Good. Fine.” She mumbles under her breath, finally giving up. Braise sets all her weight on the chair, knowing that moving more wouldn’t help her situation.

Noticing that she wasn’t attentive, Mute stares at her. He looked comfortable, nonchalantly sat, almost with a smirk in the corner of his lips. “We’re locked in, knob.”

Successfully gaining her attention, Braise returns eye contact, now staring into his very soul.

At the risk of stating the obvious, she tilts her head, with incomprehension placarded on her figure. “That’s a little close.”

Mark agrees, nodding his head frenetically. “That’s very close. What you wanted, right?”

“Guys.” Interrupts Gustave, eager to start the exercise.

They get silent. Braise can’t help but break eye contact and close her eyes to shake her head in disbelief. How has she found herself in this situation?

Mute, who wasn’t as much fazed by the situation, turns his gaze towards the doctor, concentrating on following the next steps.

“Good.” He shifts forward, supporting his arms on the table and attentively looking at the two young operators. “Now look at each other.”

Braise slowly opens her eyes, irritated but also determined to end this, meeting Mute’s intense stare.

“See that wasn’t so hard.”

Staring into each other’s eyes, they’re silent.

“All right, Luna, why does Mark aggravate you?”

She knows why. There’s so many reasons why the man in front of her is nothing but an insufferable partner to her since they got paired. She could list many reasons but her mind wanders around one. At Rainbow’s HQ, there was already talks of splitting up. Many agents had their disagreement, but since Kali’s arrival, it had been more difficult to keep everyone on the same page. Times were difficult, and Braise knew about it, even if she wasn’t as ancient as all the other operators.

She waited, not knowing if she should bring up this situation to a man she barely trusted. But sitting in front of him now, with nowhere to run, maybe it was the right time to end this animosity once and for all. To declare the reason why she was so reluctant to work with Mute.

“Why are you thinking about giving up your post?”

Mark, who had not stopped staring at her, takes a deep breath, surprised by her question. He then lets it out, rolling his eyes and turning his head away.

This is what this was all about? Him possibly leaving Rainbow?

Mute knew she was there when he discussed this possibility with Smoke after training, weeks ago, but he didn’t know it impacted her like this. It surely wasn’t because she’d miss him.

“Why are you making such a big deal about something that has nothing to do with you.” He insisted on the word “nothing”, as if he didn’t understand why Braise even took this personally.

But turning back to look at her, Mute notices how solemn and grave her face looked. Braise’s eyebrows were forming an expression of disapproval.

“Harry trusted you. He believed in you. He gave you that job for a reason. This job. It’s everything that he stands for. It’ll be his legacy.”

This dramatic tension filling the room was very satisfying for Doc. Finally, they were getting real. Braise tried to measure her words, not revealing too much about her feelings. She hated opening herself up to Mute, but there was something he needed to understand.

“He gave you this job and you’re about to throw it away like it’s nothing.”

She was agitating herself, describing her words with her hands and pointing at the other operator. But what Braise didn’t know was that Rainbow meant just as much for her as it did for him.

Mute leans back even further against the back of his chair. His eyes glaring at hers. “Shut it.”

Deep in her thoughts and shifting her weight forward, Luna did not pay any attention to his command, her voice growing louder. He would hear the end of it whether he liked it or not.

“So maybe he was wrong about you. And if he was wrong about you, then he was wrong about me.”

The girl's voice was trembling. It didn’t help to have one of the men she disliked the most in front of him, she also had to reveal how much doubt she felt about being chosen for Rainbow. As soon as she finished her sentence, she felt this huge wave of regret engulfing her being.

Mute wasn’t fazed. He had seen pain and doubt in her eyes, this wasn’t news for him. But realizing that Braise felt this way every time they were together shook him.

Luna let herself fall on the dossier of the chair, still staring at the man’s indifferent figure. She was boiling.

“You finished?” Mark softly asks. He sounded understanding and empathic but impatience was still engraved on his face.

Clenching her jaw, trying not to expose how vulnerable she was at this moment, Luna exchanges a look with Gustave before turning back to Mark. “Yeah.”

“All right, good.” Mute was determined to prove that this choice mattered a lot for him too. He was determined to prove her wrong and that the girl’s assumptions were based on nothing more than a meaningless conversation, which he hated and despised even more than Braise.

“Maybe this is something you’ll never understand. But can’t you accept that I’m thinking about making the right choice?”

His stare was piercing into Braise’s eyes, making her understand they were both of the same side. Serious but not too intimidating. Braise was almost relieved that he too had doubts about making the right decision. Under this thick layer of cockiness and arrogance, Mark Chandar also doubted himself and his decisions.

Defeated and having no comeback to this truth, Luna let her gaze fall on her hands, fidgeting with her watch to avoid looking at Mute.

Knowing Braise would not dare speak again, he took a decided breath and looked at Gustave who had been way too quiet since they started exchanging insecurities. “You know what, doc. We don’t have time for this. We have some serious shit going on.”

Softly tapping his knees against hers to get her attention and be able to talk to an attentive girl, Mute decided to conclude this therapy. “We go deal with that, and when we’re done. We both can go on separate, long vacations and never see each other again.”

He finished his phrase, posing between each word. To both parties, this was a wonderful consensus .

“I like that.” Braise answers, slowly nodding and returning this irritated stare to Mute.

“Great. Well, let's get to work.” Mute helps himself to the side of the chair, lifting his body up and tapping Braise’s shoulder, signaling her to get up as well but as she shifts her body forward to leave, Doc stops them.

“Hey. Wait. We are not done here.”

They both freeze, looking at Gustave in disbelief. They were so close. Rolling their eyes and sighting they sit back down.

“There’s still time to think about what you could change to make this partnership more viable for both of you.”

Braise shakes her head, determination leaving her body as she really does not have anything more to add. Her thoughts are interrupted by another remark from the oh so presumptuous Mark.

“Well, sometimes, I feel like we should be more like a team.”

Braise slowly turns her head to look at him, squinting. She was skeptic. This truce lasted way more minutes than she thought it would, but apparently stopped as abruptly as it had started.

“Or maybe I should be more like your beautiful jammers.”

“Oh, you fucking cunt.” Mute scolded, shaking his head and tightly grabbing his chair to turn his towards the table.

Imitating him, but dragging hers further away from the man, Braise sits back down, crossing her legs. “Go fuck yourself. You’re so selfish.”.

“Oh, fucking hell.”

They got out of the medical center late in the evening with a very drained and tired Doc who had tried everything he could to make it work. Unfortunately, he couldn’t tell if it had been a successful session or not.

Braise and Mute definitely could. From start to finish, they hated the experience and would definitely slip a word to Thatcher and Thermite about it.

Nevertheless, despite Luna’s will to hide her vulnerability, she had opened herself up to Mark enough for him to remember this day.

“I hope you know this was bloody useless because of ya.”

It was Mute catching up on Braise who had gone out of the doors first, trying to lose him.

Walking faster before lowering his pace, Mark stopped her by blocking her way. With a desperate sigh, Luna looked up, unable to express how tired of him she was at that moment.

“You’re very much a pain in my arse, but I’m not gonna let this get in the way of our mission. We’re supposed to be a team.”

He was right. For the most part, he was right. But Braise needed him to understand that he couldn’t just say this to excuse every argument they had and to set their differences aside. But she had nothing more to tell him.

“There’s no “I” in team.”

Was this his way of signaling her that they couldn’t work as a team when they were divided? Braise rolled her eyes, it was too late for her to even try to argue with this man.

She just lifted her head to meet his gaze.

“There’s no “we” either.”

This was Luna’s way to kindly ask Mark to get lost. But this stubborn man wouldn’t take this for an answer. He didn’t move. Mute kept blocking the path with his stature, making sure he was irritating enough to make her talk.

Braise doesn’t even try to get past him, biting her tongue as her gaze wanders around. “Haven’t you had enough for the day?”

She points her chin out at the late night sky, clearly showing Mark she had enough. Not expecting the man to continue, Luna tried stepping aside, but he followed her. “Haven’t you had enough of failing our training sessions?”

Mute was right. She knew he was right. Of course she wanted to work better as a team, but nothing made her want to spend more time with him. Nevertheless, she nods, quietly agreeing. Braise’s eyes were attentive as she shifts all her attention on Mark next’s words.

“I’d be more willing to work with ya if you were more cooperative, but i didn’t know one of the causes of your hate was me possibly leaving.”

Braise stays silent, nervously scraping her right arm. She kept looking at him, her gaze sometimes fleeing his eyes so that they wouldn’t look at each other for too long.

“I won’t. I’m your partner.” Mark finally declares with a strong and decisive tone of voice.

Almost relieved, Braise relaxes her shoulders. Her breathing getting slower, she couldn’t help but stare into his eyes to try and determine whether or not he was really ready for her to rely on him as a teammate..

Clearly realizing he wouldn’t get an answer out of her, Mute frowns before walking away, his shoulder slightly pushing her as he passes besides.

This definitely was a step towards the right direction, but how many did they need to take?

#rainbow six siege #r6 fic #oc: braise #r6s doc #r6s mute #please provide some feedback if you read it #scene inspired by the one in tfatws #my fic stuff #x: silent addiction

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ashandkatiewrite · 9 months

Text

The One

Written by: @katiekinswrites + @if-you-onlyknew

STORY SUMMARY: After the Blip, the world is still recovering. People need help. And a new dating service called The One uses DNA to help people find the perfect match. Bucky has had terrible luck in dating in the last six months. After all, it’s not too easy for a 106 year old ex-assassin to find someone with shared life experiences. But after an unsolicited push from Sam, he finds he actually has a match out there in the world.

Find the completed story on AO3.

TAGLIST: @acabecca • @arrthurpendragon • @cas-verse • @cjand10 • @darkwolf76 • @darylandbethfanforever9 • @eddysocs • @fcundwitch • @ocappreciationtag • @sassysophiabush • @scarletwidoww • @seb-soph • @starcrossedjedis • @victoriapedrcttis

#fic: the one #oc: maggie hastings #bucky barnes/oc #mcu oc #bucky barnes fanfic #marvel oc #tfatws fic #sebastian stan #sophia bush #bucky barnes #ocapp

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askstevella · 3 months

Text

How did Steve react to John Walker…. 🫣

Well…let’s flashback to that moment in the living room/kitchen shall we?

~~~~~~~

*walked into the hallway, just finished washing the dishes instead of using the machine with a grin* “Alright dishes are clean! Hopefully, no more dirty dishes until dinner time haha. If anyone needs me, I’mma be on the couch…might even take a nap.”

*He hears Stella response with a simple ‘Okay!’ from the bathroom pausing the shower for a moment, as he heard for the kids voices hearing the sound of video games and toys rattling around upstairs. Then Steve enters the living room and sits comfortably on the couch, turning on the TV and flipping through channels.*

“Alright.” He says laying comfortably on the couch, flipping across the TV guide finding any entertaining movies or shows to watch until Channel 7 titled episode caught his eye, “…hm?”

The moment he clicked on the specific selected channel, the news anchor spoke about The New Captain America, which intrigued but confused Steve because he remembers giving Sam the opportunity to be Captain America, yes, but he think he would remember a text message from his old friends about being presented to the damn world as the new heroes.

He was on retirement and tried to stay relaxed about world news, he deserves the most rest of all after serving for so long with great pride.

But nothing prepared Steven Grant Rogers for the face among his TV screen, as he heard his wife’s footsteps entering the living room freshly bathed in sweatpants watching him. She asked him what happened but he only pointed to the TV screen as the words John Walker appeared next to the title of Captain America..

“Who the f- is that?!” He cursed muttering loudly.

His jaw dropped onto the literal floor, as a million thoughts ran across his head.

1) Who was that? That’s not Sam!

2) Why was he carrying my freaking shield (or should I say a copy of it)? Matter a fact, where is my Shield?! I might show this man a Brooklyn beat down.

3) How did the US say yes to this?!

4) I’mma need a drink!

Let’s just say, it took all of Steve’s strength to not leave his nice home and call Natasha. They were trying to retire, yet this stuff happens. Thankfully Sam and Bucky handle, giving them insight on their current status.

However that didn’t stop Steve to sneak out of the house at one point (Stella was not happy about that!!) to help them after a call from Bucky. This man got tears in his eyes hearing that Sam will be Captain America officially.

———

Tags: @missstrawbs2001 @purpleprincessonfyre @meiramel l @gcthvile @rickb-chaos @gaminggirlsstuff @wizzzardofoz @cherrysft @thechoooooosenone @luna-d-marsh @rooster-84 @sherloquestea and etc

#ask the super spouses #askstevella #steve rogers x oc #the falcon and the winter soldier #john walker #answered asks #mcu x oc #sam wilson #tfatws #tfatws spoilers

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joaquinwhorres · 2 years

Text

thorough (fckboy!Joaquin Torres x f!Reader)

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

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

WORD COUNT ››››› 3,928

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

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

A single notification flashed across her screen.

U up?

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

Her screen lit up again.

Or has circuits put u to sleep? 🥱

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

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

Oh god. She was broken.

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

Circuits.

Not dick.

Circuits.

Not–

Her phone lit up again.

It didn't kill u did it??? 😱🪦

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

Not today Satan.

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

Not yet but I am slowly dying.

The three dots in response were instantaneous.

Sounds like you need to take a break. 😉

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

Come over.

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

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

Evidently he'd been studying for Circuits too.

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

"Hey," he whispered.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Starbucks counts as really good coffee, right?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He grinned. "Por qué no los dos?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And then he dove back in.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"And?" he asked with a small smirk.

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

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

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

"I want you to tell me."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Yeah."

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

"I'll meet you there at seven."

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

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bobfloydsbabe · 2 years

Text

confessions | phoebe + isra

Rating: Teen and up Word count: 500+ Warning(s): Brief mention of sex, non-explicit Summary: Phoebe Del Campo pressures her best friend, Isra Atkins, into telling her about the guy she's seeing.

Author's Note: After writing a post about this scene, I was bullied into posting it, so thank you @lukespatterson and @anna-phora, who also helped with the title. Isra Atkins is a TFATWS OC, whereas Phoebe Del Campo is a Moon Knight OC. Also, enjoy this shitty gif I quickly made.

“How long has it been since you were in the country?”

Phoebe watched as her friend took a long sip of her tea before setting the cup down.

Isra shrugged. “I’m always in and out.”

Phoebe hummed. “And when are you leaving next?”

They did this back and forth every time they met. Phoebe would pretend to believe Isra when she said she worked in international relations, and Isra would pretend Phoebe didn’t see right through her. Phoebe knew her better than anyone. She knew Isra would never have given up on her doctorate unless something happened. Considering her research had been on spies, Phoebe suspected Isra had been recruited by MI5 or MI6, though she’d never been able to discern which.

“Tonight,” Isra told her, bringing Phoebe back to the present. “But it’s a holiday, sort of.”

Phoebe quirked a brow. “Sort of?”

Isra’s jaw clenched. “I’m going to a wedding.”

“Whose wedding?”

From the way she shifted her position in her seat, Isra was clearly not keen on telling Phoebe any of this, which could only mean one thing: She’d met someone.

“A colleague’s cousin is getting married,” she told Phoebe. “He asked me to be his plus one.”

Phoebe grinned. “What’s his name?”

Isra groaned and stalled by taking another sip of her tea, which had probably long since gone cold. “He’s just a colleague,” she eventually replied.

“Oh, come on,” Phoebe pleaded. “I’m your friend, so you can tell me if you have a boyfriend.”

“He is not my boyfriend.”

“Sure, that’s why you’re blushing.”

Isra groaned again. “I hate you.”

Gotcha, Phoebe thought. “No, you don’t,” she said giddily. “What’s his name?”

The slightest ghost of a smile appeared on Isra’s face. “Joaquín Torres.”

Phoebe frowned in surprise. “Spanish?”

Isra shook her head. “American,” she replied. “But yes, Latino.”

“So, the sex is good?”

“Phoebe!”

She put her hands up. “Sorry,” she replied. “I know that’s a stereotype.”

If possible, Isra’s cheeks grew darker as the blush spread and deepened. “It is good, though.”

“I knew it,” Phoebe exclaimed, earning a hoard of disapproving looks from the fellow guests at the café.

“I’ve never met anyone with a mouth like his,” she gushed. “He knows exactly what he’s doing, and I get there every time.”

“God, you’re living the dream, aren’t you?” A rush of jealousy flooded through Phoebe. She wasn’t usually one to get jealous but seeing her friend, who was usually unwilling to talk about anything to do with relationships, be so happy and blushy made the green-eyed monster rear its ugly head. It wasn’t fair to Isra. Phoebe wanted her to be happy, and it seemed that Joaquín Torres had made that happen.

She swallowed her jealousy and met her friend’s eye. “So, you’re meeting his family, then?”

Isra nodded. “I’m terrified.”

“They’ll love you,” Phoebe assured her, placing a comforting hand over hers. “If he likes you, so will they.”

“I hope so,” Isra said and pulled out her phone to look at a text. This time, a big smile spread across her face.

“That him?”

“Hm?” Isra questioned, bringing her eyes back up to meet Phoebe’s.

“That him?”

“Yes,” she said, putting the phone down. “Breakfast’s on me.”

“Yeah, it is,” Phoebe agreed, letting an easy laugh go as Isra flagged down a waitress to ask for the bill.

all or nothing tag list (let me know if you want to be added or removed): @arrthurpendragon, @ocappreciationtag, @jvstjewels, @cas-verse, @antonybridgertons, @chickensarentcheap, @waterloou, @asirensrage, @misskatiewrites, @stanshollaand

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hiy-breadcheeks · 11 months

Text

inserting seven black (oc) in the mcu and making her end up with bucky bc i can (vague details bc im lazy)

picrew | part 1

inspired by this beauty (i may or may not have borrowed stolen the natasha friendship (づ ᴗ _ᴗ)づ♡) ooh im greedy as hell in this one

✧ Endgame

— she'd be with the rest of the avengers & there'd be a scene where natasha & her tried cheering up as she dyed her hair (my coping mechanism fr)

natasha: let's cut yours short

seven: what?! no way

natasha: why not?

seven: ... bucky liked it long

— she & natasha finds clint in japan who killed as ronin

— she'd come on the time heist with bruce to get the time stone

— a scene of her breaking down crying when clint came back without natasha

— seven notifies yelena about nat and they have their own memorial for her, yelena leaves to be "alone"

— she cuts her hair short for nat and change her uniform as she no longer works for any organization

— included in the "she's got help" scene

— she would be beside bucky and wanda in tony's funeral, holding bucky's hand while wanda leaned on her shoulder

— she will be there when steve goes back in time and comes back as an old man

— there will be a small clip of bucky and seven comforting each other as both lost their best friends

✧ The Falcon and The Winter Soldier

— she & bucky are suddenly in a complicated relationship bc he still cant forgive himself for hurting her in CA:TWS

— she gives bucky his space but she'd've gone to find him again bc the dora milaje informed her that bucky freed zemo and asked if she knew where bucky was

— bucky makes her leave after zemo escapes

— she'll be helping in new york against the flag smashers

— karli gets her and that's when bucky realized he cant bare to lose seven

— bucky saves seven and they watch sam give his speech as captain america

— seven will be in the final ep in sam's hometown with bucky

✧ Bucky

— this is where imma be greedy as a bitch bc bucky will have his own one shots (yk those agent of shields marvel once did? yea)

— bucky and seven's relationship goes even deeper as she helps him truly rediscover himself and the world

— just lil episodes of bucky and seven being domestic bc im delusional

✧ Hawkeye

— seven will see ronin on the news and she'd go after him and think clint was ronin again

— clint and her would find kate bishop and help her from the jumpsuit mafia

— clint will send her to his house to protect his family "take james barnes, will ya?"

— clint calls her the night yelena first comes out clint: someone hired a black widow after me seven: WHAT?! clint: i think it's yelena seven: WHO?! clint: she's blaming me for nat's death...

—she helps in the christmas eve fight and try to get in between yelena and clint

—she stays silent when clint explains everything to yelena

— bucky and seven left the bartons and instead spent time with yelena cause she doesn't want her to be alone anymore.

#zy's 🖋️#mcu #the avengers #bucky barnes #the winter soldier #oc #hawkeye #blackwidow #captain america #picrew #sebastian stan #tfatws!bucky #the falcon and the winter soldier #tfatws #bucky fluff #bucky angst #bucky imagine

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c0mplex-heroes · 7 months

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LIKE FOR A STARTER WITH MAGGIE ROGERS

If liking for a side-blog or/and for a specific muse on a multi-muse, leave a comment below!

#[starter call.]#[maggie starter call.]#[ooc- open to any marvel/dc verses or modern verses in general. also open to d&d verses.]#marvel oc #marvel rp #mcu rp #tfatws rp #mcu oc #rp starter call #starter call

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donottouchredbutton · 8 months

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Endlessly Falling

joaquin torres x sunshine!reader/ofc

3k words

she was falling, and there was only one person she trusted to catch her.

set in the same universe as this fic

warnings: angst, fear, canon-typical violence but i think it's pretty vague, reader/ofc has a fear of heights, idk let me know if i'm missing anything

note: idk if this is any good, i wrote it in like four hours unedited while i was trying to distract myself from burnout from work. feedback is always welcome :) also let me know if you notice anything familiar about sunshine's backstory... idk maybe there's something there, maybe there's not. let me know what you think!

She was running for her life. Again. She was really getting tired of this shit.

She remembered a few weeks ago when the worst thing she had to worry about was getting her essays turned in on time, emailing her professors, and working on her thesis, back when she was just a grad student. Since meeting Joaquin, she found herself in trouble a lot more than she ever expected to be.

That wasn’t to say this was the first time she’s ever had to run for her life, or that meeting Joaquin was the start of her getting into trouble. Or that meeting Joaquin was her first time helping a superhero. No, she had plenty of experience with this sort of thing. She remembered when she was a teenager the few (multiple) times when her dad’s work followed him home (literally) and having to hide or having to flee her own home just so he could take care of it. Terrifying as it was, she had learned to be good at finding the best hiding spots on the fly. And she still remembered when she was nineteen being trapped in a cage with a monster (who, to be fair, was her dad, but we won’t go into the specifics this time), with the intention of being mauled to death alongside a woman she barely knew. And just a year later, having to travel halfway across the world to help a superhero with identity issues to stop a cult and rescue her dad from said cult (her dad had a bad habit of getting himself into trouble, but he would always tell her that her uncle was even worse).

Yeah. This wasn’t her first rodeo. And she was positive it wouldn’t be her last, either.

But she sure as hell didn’t miss having to do this.

Sam and Joaquin had both understood and agreed initially that they needed her help if they were going to stop this underground terrorist group. Bucky had been on the fence about it at first, thinking her too nice and innocent to get involved, but once she had proved herself in a fight the first time he had realized he had jumped the gun on judging her. She was a formidable opponent while still being able to maintain her happy nature and her positive, love-for-life attitude.

Which was why she found herself in this position for the first time in years. She hadn’t meant to cause a distraction, she had just been sent by the men on a reconnaissance mission to one of their underground meetings while the three of them tried to take out their base of operations nearby. Even to her, the meeting was much bigger than she had been expecting, and the sound of the men updating her on their progress through her earpiece was only confirmation: they were a much bigger threat than they had initially believed. She had been listening to one of the leaders of the group as he slowly but surely began riling everyone up, his voice raising as he spoke to them about forcing order to the world and subjecting the people who had no care for them. He was nearly shouting at that point, and it was honestly beginning to frighten her. She was so ensnared by his words that the sound of Sam yelling through the earpiece completely threw her off her guard.

“GET DOWN! IT’S A TRAP!”

The sound of gunshots on the other end of her earpiece caused her to gasp in fear, which caused her to slap her hand over her mouth in dread. She was scared for her friends, but she was also terrified at the sudden silence that happened in the room next to her after she did so. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears as what was surely only a few seconds felt like years as she awaited what would happen. She didn’t dare breathe as she waited, her back pressed against the wall to make herself as small as possible.

“Someone’s here with us. Take care of it.”

The leader’s words were just loud enough for her to hear, but it was more than enough to set her off at a sprint to get out of there.

She had been running for what had felt like forever when she finally thought to check in with the others to make sure they were okay, and to find out what the hell happened.

“What the hell happened?” she shouted through the earpiece.

“They knew we were coming! It was a setup!” Sam shouted back. He and Bucky were fighting off terrorists left and right as they themselves tried to get out of the base. Their initial plan had been to find the leaders at the base and to either a) reason with them and get them to come willingly (Sam’s idea) or b) stop them by any means necessary (Bucky’s idea), but the three men had been met with nearly an entire army once they got there like they knew they were coming. The place had been booby trapped of all things, tipping the group off so that they opened fire seconds later. They all knew that if they were in trouble, she would be too. “Get outta there, now!”

“I’m trying!”

And she was. Unfortunately for her, the place was a maze, and with about ten angry men chasing after her, it was hard for her to focus on where all of the hallways led to rather than just trying to get away from them. Her fear was making it hard to think, and luckily it was making it hard to think about the fear itself. She just needed to get away.

The sound of Joaquin’s voice in her ear immediately began to uncloud her mind. “Find a way to go up! Stairs, ladder, window, anything! I’ll come find you!”

She wasn’t able to think about how he would be able to do so, but she listened to him anyway. She trusted him enough to believe he was telling the truth.

Truthfully, Joaquin didn’t know if he was. He had split from Sam and Bucky once they had opened fire, Sam telling him to fly out of there to find their superior and tell them all they had learned about the group. He often thought about what it would be like to jump out as Falcon, but he wasn’t exactly able to reflect on those expectations when he was in the middle of a life or death situation. He thought once he did so that he was in the clear, but there had been a couple of helicopters right outside waiting for him. So, they had air support. Of fucking course they did.

Joaquin was sure that their superior would get an earful from Sam once they were finally on the clear (if they ever got to that point). He was doing his best to take out the people shooting at him from the helicopters, making sure they stayed focused on him so they wouldn’t start shooting elsewhere, but the entire time his focus was elsewhere. He couldn’t keep his mind off of her, and he was riddled with guilt.

Joaquin was the one who had fought so hard to convince Sam and Bucky that she could help them on this mission. While they had both known she could handle herself, they were hesitant to let her go into the field with them, especially on a mission like this. She would have to get about as close as she physically could to this terrorist group without them finding out she was there, and they weren’t willing to risk her getting hurt or worse if something went wrong. It was the last thing Joaquin ever wanted, but he saw how hard she fought to convince them. He saw her conviction and determination, and more than anything, he saw that she truly cared. She just wanted to help, and Joaquin knew that. She was running for her life right now because he was the one to convince them to let her help.

She was in danger because of him.

He was right about her needing to find a way up. She had found a door that led her to a staircase all the way up to the roof. She took a quick glance over her shoulder to see how close the men were, finding them far away enough for her to be able to lock the door behind her. If she wasn’t running for her life, she would’ve thought about how it definitely seemed like a safety issue for the door to even have a lock, but she was more concerned about buying herself at least a minute or two to get to the top. She didn’t look back again after she locked the door and began to race up the stairs, not until she heard the sound of a gunshot blowing the door open. The information that they did have guns with them scared her more than she thought it would. They liked the chase, and they didn’t want the end to be quick if they did catch her. The thought made her blood run cold, and a new wave of adrenaline filled her as she continued to run.

Once she reached the roof, once again locking the door behind her to buy herself some time, she looked out to try to find Joaquin anywhere nearby, but he was nowhere to be found. She braced herself as she looked over the edge of the building she was on, and the realization of just how far up she was was quick to set in. She hadn’t realized how long the staircase was nor how far up she had run, but the sight of the city what looked like miles beneath her caused her heart to beat faster for a completely different reason. She could handle most things—monsters, cults, running for her life. Heights weren’t one of those things.

“Joaquin,” she said. She tried to steady the tremble in her voice, trying to control her breathing.

“I’m on my way!” he shouted back, trying to dodge the helicopter that was currently shooting at him. He was not on his way, but he needed to be soon if he wanted any chance of getting to her in time.

The sound of the men chasing her banging on the door to the roof made her jolt, dread filling her veins like venom. They were throwing themselves against the door to get it open. Unsuccessfully, sure, but the knowledge that they had the means to get the door open with their weapons made her believe that this was just a sadistic scare tactic. The thought made her sick.

“Joaquin,” she warned. She was unable to hide the fear she felt from her voice. Even she could hear her voice shake.

So could Joaquin, and he knew they were both running out of time. Taking out the pilot in the final helicopter, he set the thrusters of his wings to full power before jetting off to where she was.

“I’m on my way!” he shouted once again, but he knew that he wouldn’t be there in enough time. Thinking fast, he added, “You’re gonna have to jump!”

Her stomach dropped at the thought. “I can’t,” she whispered. But she knew she was running out of options. The men chasing her would get tired of playing with her, and in seconds they would be out there with her. She’d have nowhere else to go. Her hands were already shaking as the reality of what she had to do was setting in.

And she was right. The sound of the door to the roof being blown open made her jump, and the sight of the men closing in on her filled her with a fear she hadn’t felt in a long time.

“JOAQUIN!”

“JUMP!”

She didn’t think. She ran to the edge of the building and jumped, right before they could grab her.

She’s fallen before. She’s fallen out of tall trees when she was little, her dad constantly scolding her for climbing trees when she knew she might fall, but that’s why she always did it—to get better at climbing without falling. She’s jumped off of high platforms, trying to get down from where she was to try to help someone who needed it. She’s been thrown off of the side of a building before, but even then that was done when she was unconscious. This was something different. Being in free fall for so long, that sinking feeling in her gut never leaving but slowly getting worse as she seemed to fall closer to the ground in slow motion. The air whipped at her as if punishing her for jumping, her fear only growing as it felt like she would be endlessly falling.

She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think to breathe. She couldn’t think, her mind somewhere up in the clouds that she seemed to remember falling through when she jumped. Her eyes were dripping with tears she couldn’t stop as the cool air burned them as she went. Another punishment, she thought. The air was thin, too, choking her up even more. She couldn’t find her voice, though if she did, she wouldn’t have been able to think about calling for Joaquin again. She couldn’t think about whether he would catch her in time. She just had to continue falling.

Joaquin’s heart raced as he did, his sights set on her as he flew to catch her. He could hear the fear in her voice when she said she couldn’t jump, it had been clear as day to him that she was afraid to. He hadn’t wanted to make her do it, but he knew she had to. And he knew he would rather die than let her hit the ground. He wouldn’t let her get hurt again. He would make sure of it.

When he was finally close enough, his arms reaching for her, Joaquin felt time stop. He couldn’t think. The only thing he could focus on as he reached for her was her eyes. Those eyes he had seen could hold such light and happiness as he had come to know her, those same eyes that were squeezed shut from fear and wet with tears he knew she couldn’t stop. Once he was close enough, he wrapped his arms around her tightly, never daring to let go.

Once she felt him surrounding her, she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, aware enough to not choke him but clutching onto him like her life depended on it, because it did. There was nothing that would get her to let go. And now that he was holding her, she could finally feel herself breathe again.

They were both silent as he flew them away from the building, away from all of the bad men who wished them harm, away from where she felt for a moment she was falling to her death. The pit in her stomach from falling was gone, replaced with something else she couldn’t place. She still felt sick feeling her insides shaken so much, but it wasn’t just that. She felt a pull inside her, not in her stomach but maybe in her chest. She couldn’t know for sure, still barely able to think or process what was going on. The only thing she knew for sure at that moment was that she felt well and truly safe wrapped up in Joaquin’s arms.

Joaquin finally landed them on the roof of another building, much much shorter than the one she had jumped from and miles away. With the way she was clutching onto his back, he knew she could use a moment to stand on her own two legs and catch her breath. Once his feet touched the ground, he slowly eased her down as well, taking care to handle her gently for fear of causing her any more grief. His arms didn’t leave her even as she got her footing, nor did they when she leaned heavily against him once she was standing. She was still gripping him for dear life, hiding her face in the crook of his neck. He was sure he was holding her in a similar way.

“Are you okay?” he asked after a few minutes. He always made sure that she was, and if she wasn’t, he always did what he could to help.

“…Yeah,” she answered slowly, barely audible if it weren’t for her mouth being so close to his ear. “Just… need a minute.”

Joaquin knew that they didn’t have a minute. He should’ve already been with his superior by now, finishing up with the debrief as they waited for Sam and Bucky to return as well. But he wasn’t concerned with any of that right now. The only thing he cared about was the woman in his arms, shaking like a leaf as she tried to calm down. For her, he would make the time.

He readjusted his arms around her so that he was hugging her instead, one arm around her waist while the other came up to her shoulders, his hand holding her head against him and stroking her hair. He tried to steady his breathing in a way that she could follow, willing his own heart rate to slow down as he tried to help her calm down.

She wasn’t the only one who had felt like they were endlessly falling. The only difference was, his had been slow and steady, hardly noticing it was happening until it hit him all at once. And he knew he would fall again and again if it meant getting to hold her like this.

#joaquin torres #joaquín torres #joaquin torres imagine #joaquin torres x reader #joaquín torres x reader #joaquín torres imagine #joaquín torres x ofc #joaquin torres x ofc #danny ramirez #tfatws #tfatws fic #the falcon and the winter soldier #marvel fanfic #marvel imagine #marvel fanfiction #marvel oc #marvel reader insert #tfatws fanfic

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