@bubblinekiss I'm Your Secret Santa For The @mlsecretsanta Exchange!! 🎁 💕 Happy Holidays, Enjoy

genuinely one of my fav fics rn 🫶

The Soldier's Keeper ★ 14

Pairing: Winter Soldier!Bucky x Doctor!Reader

Word Count: 1.4k

Summary: In the calm of your new days of peace, you spend what time you can with Bucky, who's guarded as ever.

Warnings: Home sickness. Mention of injections.

Authors Note: Getting into post-traumatic domesticity. Please enjoy, comment, and be kind. ALSO, if you want to be apart of the taglist, let me know :)

Series Masterlist

“The moon landing was fake?” Bucky frowned at you from his seat on the bed. 

“No-” you snickered at his naivety. “I said people theorize that it was fake.” 

In the past few days, you had taken to explaining important events throughout history to Bucky. You had begun to question how much about the world he actually knew about. He explained to you that when he wasn't in cryo sleep, he was only out for a few days at a time. 

For him, the past few decades have been like blinking in and out of history.

“There's actually been six moon landings.” You explained. “So even if the first one was fake, there's been plenty more to make up for it.”

Bucky tilted his head at you curiously. “Why do people think it was fake?”

“Well, there's a few different reasons. Some people think the shadows are off, and that it must be a staged set. In the footage of the first men walking on the moon, they stabbed the flagpole into the ground-” you explained, waving your hands about. Bucky tracked the movements with his eyes. “The flag moves slightly, like there's a breeze. But there's no air on the moon.”

“So why did it move?” He squinted at you.

“There was a second pole sewn into the top of the flag horizontally, to give it a cinematic look for the images. Or at least that's what they say.” You explained, smiling at the ridiculous theories. “Honestly I have no idea if it was real, anything could happen- something I’ve realized recently.” You picked at the edge of the bed sheet that laid on the floor.

“I never thought there would be people to actually walk in space.” He muttered, glancing out the window. 

“Neither did I- and I was born after it was already done.” you chuckled. He glanced back at you, his lip curled in a slight smile. You tried not to show your surprise at the reaction. “You’re so old,” you blurted.

He huffed out a shocked laugh, shaking his head slightly. “I know,” he muttered. 

“So, what was it like? Back in the day.” You pushed, trying to see if it would be too far. 

“What do you want to know?”

“What did the sky look like?” You asked, your eagerness at his openness not hidden very well. “Modern light pollution makes it hard to see the stars. There's places with less light, and the sky is said to be amazing there.”

He blinked at you, not expecting that to be your first question. He relaxed a little, his shoulders slumping. 

“It was…” He hadn’t thought about it in a while. He hadn’t let himself think of the small things, the peaceful strolls at night, or the music festivals, or the trips to the bars with Steve. “It was brighter, I guess.” He nodded to himself. “I guess I hadn’t thought about it much, but it was clearer. You could see the smaller stars a lot better. Like freckles.” He explained.

You grinned softly, nodding along. “I think that’s one thing I would have liked to see, back then. People always talk about being born in the wrong generation, but I think I was born at the perfect time.” You told him, still picking at the blankets threads. “But I would have liked to see the world back then, the sky, the nature. I bet the ice caps were huge then.”

“People want to live back then?” He tilted his head at you. 

“Yeah, it’s a personal opinion people have. A lot of people miss older traditions, or the state of society back then. The politics, the economy. Or even just for the clothes. It’s something a lot of people talk about.”

Bucky squinted, chewing on his bitten lip. “Mm,” he hummed in acknowledgment. You could almost see the cogs turning in his head. You realized then, that he probably felt the exact same, in his own way.

The past was his home, and more than anyone, he probably wanted to go back.

But he couldn’t. He could never go and see his childhood home, or his family. He couldn’t go visit the places he used to, even if he was free to do so.

It was all gone.

“Do you miss it?” You whispered the naive question.

“I wouldn’t belong there, even if I could go back.” He turned his gaze back to the window. To the stars. To the sky that was once so familiar. 

To the one thing that hadn’t changed.

★

Bucky sat with his hands in his lap, his gaze lingering on you as you moved around him. “I guess it slipped my mind, with everything going on, but I should have checked a lot sooner.” You mumbled, stepping out of the bathroom.

“When was the last time you had a dose of the serum?” You asked, standing before him now. 

“A few days before Washington.” He told you. You glanced down at the crook of his flesh arm. 

“Any side effects? Muscle spasms, headaches, shakiness?” you reached a hand out. “Can I?” Bucky nodded, tugging his shirt off in response.

“No, no side effects.” He told you, setting his shirt in his lap. 

You took his arm and began gently pressing your fingers to his pressure points, waiting to see if he had the appropriate reactions. You moved up his shoulder to his trapezius muscle. “Any tenderness?” you walked your fingers down, then prodded gently between his ribs.

He shook his head, his gaze glued to the side of your face as you worked. 

You’d noticed his staring problem a long time ago. It used to make you nervous- and god does it still. 

“Okay, hold your arm out to the side.” You waited for him to obey. “I’m going to push down, don’t let your arm fall, okay?” He nodded in response. 

You placed an arm on his forearm, and one on his bicep. You tried a slight push at first- he didn’t even budge. You then pushed down hard. Once again, he didn’t even shift. Out of sheer curiosity, you tried with all of your strength to shove his arm down. Bucky watched, amused, as you put all your weight on his arm. 

Your feet left the ground for a moment. His arm acted like a steel pole. 

“Jesus-” you huffed, letting go. “You’re actually- I mean, wow.”

His lips curled at the edges in a soft smile. “Can I lower my arm now?”

You nodded, setting your hands on your hips. “Did you have to try at all?”

He shook his head, setting his hands back on his thighs. “No.”

“Well- that's great then.” You nodded, trying not to flush at your outburst of curiosity. “I didn’t think you’d fail the test- but it's a necessary one.” You gestured. “Usually, if someone’s muscles are degenerating, or even just concerningly weak, they can’t stop their arms from falling under gentle pressure.” You explained. 

He nodded, tugging his shirt back over his head. “So, does this mean your serum worked?”

You nodded, sitting back on the mattress. “I think so, but I can’t be sure. It could still just be a temporary fix. It could be working as an annual vaccine type of thing, so the effects might wear off after a while.”

He nodded, his metal fingers fidgeting absently on his knee. 

“Or it could be permanent. I’d need to run your blood and do some scans to know for sure.”

“I can accept that.” 

“I can’t,” you huffed. “I wish I could take you to my lab- or a doctor here- just something.” You grumbled. 

His gaze flitted to the floor. 

“I’m sorry, Bucky.”

He straightened, his brows furrowing. “Don’t be.”

“I just-” you pulled your knees up to your chest. “I wanted this to mean something.” The solemn feeling hit you quickly, washing over you like a bucket of ice water. You were taken to help him, and if you couldn’t do that, then it was all for nothing. Your life was upended, stolen from you, for nothing.

“It’s not your fault.” He told you, his voice softening. “I don’t care if it didn’t work.” Your gaze flickered up to him. “If I get sick, then I get sick. That’s not on you.”

“It’s not fair.” You tell him.

He tilted his head at you, his expression softening bitterly. “Nothing is.”

A/N: Hope this doesn't bore you guys. More stuff and excitement to come!

@rafesgurl @pleasecallmeunhinged @jason-todd-fangirl-14 @frog-fans-unite @lonelyghosts-stuff @cherryandsugar @a-world-with-pure-imagination @unicornqueen05 @cupids-mf-arrow @sharkylalala @littlesuniee @meineguete @hawkinsavclub1983

ITS A GOOD DAY CHAT NEW DISTORTED REFLECTIONS DROPPED

So... did Hawks get pulled into Takami's universe or did Takami get pulled into Hawks' universe? Or are they in some weird third dimension?

(Click for better quality)

Thank you for the ask! :D

Feel free to ask more!

Start : Prev : Next

im gonna need a 40 chapter long book of this thank you <3 /j

if you need ideas for the next part might i suggest easter? :3 /hj

a lovebirds bloom! (lets live in a christmas tree) pt.iii ☃️🎄

keigo t. x fem. reader | vryvery sweet sweeter than candy

pt.i of a lovebirds bloom , pt.ii of a lovebirds bloom

sneak peek ➸ in the midst of winter, a particular hero is feeling quite frosty this season from the absence your warmth, let’s see if you can fix that.

word count : whole ass book grab a cup of coffee to indulge in ts

As much as the flurries of winter trickling through the bustling cities with its angelic flakes were enchanting to see, it was hell to travel in. 

Every time your found your car’s battery to be frozen and glistening with ice, the walk to your flower shop almost always ended with you limping through the doors, a new bruise decorating your skin. 

Whatever lunatic conjured up the idea to attach the outside of your shop with a little set of stairs must’ve not been hugged as a child, you thought as you gripped onto the railing. 

After a particularly rough 6 a.m hike to the shop, you plopped your bag onto the counter, too exhausted to move it elsewhere. Instead, you opened your phone to say goodbye to your silly reels and tweets. 

But when you swiped your screen down to do a final time check, your eyes met with the text notification: 

hawks

6:14 A.M.

Hey. You at work? Picked up some hot coffee and wanted to see if I could share with another early bird. :-)

Your eyes stuck on the message like a sticker, and you couldn’t find yourself to rip them off your screen. It felt almost.. nice to be almostkindoffriendsbutkindofstrangers with Hawks, yet unreal. 

Ever since that night in the cafe, you thought back to it like a dream, a blur of warm glances and candles mixed with wafts of pumpkin. 

One thing you remembered from the little date was the exchanging of your numbers.. which was just a folded up post-it that Hawks had managed to stick in your coat pocket at the last second, freaking sneak, with little doodles dancing around the boldened digits.

After said date, the two of you would text consistently for a few days. Getting to know each other, sending each other relatable posts, y’know, the usual spiel of a talking stage.

The strange thing however—is after a week, you hadn’t come across the man for nearly two months. 

You understood fully though, of course! Work constantly pulled him away all the time. He was needed to serve, to help people continue their domestic routines. 

His missing presence just felt so unnatural, didn’t it? But perhaps his swarms of admirers were enough to keep him occupied.

How was he able to do it? You’d never know. Even a trip to unload the flowers from the wholesalers’ truck back and forth made you cry from the soreness you’d get in your legs, and he’s out here fighting damn kratos on the daily? Yikes.

But thinking about it, It stung a little to think about how empty he would feel after all those hours.

At times, you’d come home to your apartment, everything still left eerily the same as it was earlier—but a bittersweet lone feeling loomed over you. 

You didn’t want to picture how it’d feel for him. 

Especially in the mellow season, so close to Christmas. 

Reluctantly, you tapped the keys on your phone, quick to send out brief ‘yes, of course!!’ to his proposal, thumb shaking while it hovered over the ‘send’ button.

As you set your phone down, your heart undeniably throbbed to the thought of him walking through those doors, his warm presence lighting up the gloomy unlit store. 

It must’ve just been the mixture of sweet aromas making you feel that way. 

The ‘thump!’ of your head against the counter echoed embarrassingly through the room as your nerves began to jitter about. 

 ⋆⁺₊❅. 

Something that always struck out to you during wintertime was no matter what time of day it was, most other businesses in the vicinity had their christmas lights flickered on in the early morning, and in the dusk of night. 

Yourself and your coworkers didn’t skip this tradition, taking the opportunity as soon as you guys could to hang the golden twinkle string along the roofline.

Ever since, you kept the brightness of each bulb inside to a minimum as to not overwhelm your clients at the crack of dawn.

From the inside, the silhouettes that passed by were usually the ones on their way to the offices and occasional joggers. All too well accustomed to the ‘early bird’ lifestyle like yourself.

Speaking of early birds.

The subtle ‘whoosh’ that you only guessed were the wings of a certain hero faintly brushed the chill air.

You decided not to look up at the door yet, as you anticipated his arrival and wanted to capture the perfect best view of him walking in.

Absentmindedly staring at your nailbeds, the catchy chime jingled against the doorframe, a creak escaping from the door that was being pushed upon.

Finally looking up (pretending you didn’t notice him in the first place), Hawks’ clothed elbow pressed the black bar of the door, his signature black gloves carrying two coffee cups and a little frost glistened on the tips of his wings.

He huffed out as he entered, frigid vapor leaving his mouth as he was met with the relieving warm temperatures. His golden-amber eyes crossed to meet yours, his lower lids creasing upwards to the sight of you, a nervous smile rested upon his face.

“ ‘M telling ya, the universe was just waiting to pelt me in the face with all this wind. Nipping at my face ‘till it turned all red.”

If the pinkish-red spread across his sharp features didn’t stick out enough, the poor excuse he used was a bit obvious. Hawks really hoped you wouldn’t notice just how desperate he was to see you again.

You wondered if his wings were subtly trembling from the cold or his nerves.

He didn’t really expect you to text him back, in fact, he spent the last 2 months drifting off while on his shifts, thinking and thinking how to impress you but in a casual way.

Not desperate and too wanting, but at the same time reciprocating his feelings for you—

“Yeah, right? Nearly falling on my ass every time I come into work. Not much of an issue for you though, hm?”

Hawks let out a low chuckle, sniffling and bringing his hand to lightly rub his reddened nose.

“Fortunately not. But— anyway, sorry for just asking to come in on such short notice. I just wanted to .. talk to ‘ya.”

The faint scratch of raspiness in his voice indicated that he must’ve caught a small cold, presumably from the strengthening winter, but at the same time he sounded almost ashamed.

You shrugged, curving your lips into a dimpled smile, “No worries! Really, I actually need help with something, but we can come back to that after breakfast.”

A quirk of his eyebrow accompanied his half-hidden shock, a cute little expression of bewilderment.

“Oh? Are you sure? I know I’m the one usually expected to nag at my colleagues, but I really don’t want to drag you out from work.”

“Of course, don’t worry. I don’t actually have to start working until like 8.” You assured him sweetly, gesturing him forward with the hot drinks.

He nodded silently as he placed the cups down on the counter, pulling up a stool opposite from you. Additionally, he grabbed out a brown crumply bag that had been tucked under his arm.

Your eyes lit up when you read the imprinted, « 2 CHOC CROISSANT » on the sticker.

As you took your first few sips and bites, the silence only grew and resided in the air. You cleared your throat.

“Hey, I know we aren’t, y’know, that close, but if there’s something bothering you, I’m here to listen. You seem to be a little quiet.”

Black pupils flickered up to your face as he was mid-bite into his pastry. “Mm-h.. I kno. Is jsst.. ‘m nat mch ‘ff a mrng… “ he then swallowed rather hard, “I’m not much of a morning person.”

You laughed at his muffled response, sparking an adoring glint in Hawks’ eyes. He’d humiliate himself a thousand times more if it meant he could hear your laugh again.

He continued, setting down his croissant on his napkin below, “Honestly, I came here initially to see you, but I feel like I gotta apologize for leaving you with nothing from me the past months.”

You kept quiet, intrigued in what he wanted to say and let him continue.

“I haven’t.. I’ve never had this sort of frien—connection before. And, hah— it’s quite ironic how everyone describes me to be such a smooth-talker, but here I am, suddenly not knowing how to form a coherent sentence.”

He averted his gaze from your own, his leg bouncing nonstop.

“You’re just.. simply a fresh breath of air from the world i’m caged in. I.. can’t really explain it.”

“You don’t have to,” you comforted, “i find myself thinking about you too,” you confessed into your croissant, hesitant to let your voice exceed from your low volume.

Hawks’ breath hitched when he heard those words. He hadn’t felt this tense before, a foreign feeling churning in his stomach.

It wasn’t helping that you looked so alluring under the warm light. So sweet, so consoling. Although it was still dark out, your eyes managed to have that shiny gloss from the soft lights.

“I promise, if we had met under different circumstances, I wouldn’t be such a mess right now. ‘S not like my character,” he grinned with a hint of more confidence, tinkering with the golden ring on his middle finger.

“To me, it doesn’t matter what the rest of the world thinks of your character, I think your own sweet self is enough.”

Owlishly, he stared at you, speechless to your statement, as if you spoke a different language to him. He chewed at the last piece of his morning dessert, lost in thought (planning your future wedding).

“Guess theres some truth in there.”

You continued munching at your breakfast, your winged visitor patiently waiting until nothing but crumbs were left on the table.

 ⋆⁺₊❅. 

The consistent ticks of the antique rose-patterned clock hung on the wall became subtle background noise, a nice drumming in stark contrast to the awkward silence.

Swiping your palms against eachother, making sure your hands smeared off any stubborn crumbs in the crevices of your hand, you took note of the time displayed on the clock’s hands. 7:25

Your head turned anxiously back to Hawks, him peering towards you as you opened your mouth to say something, but nothing coming out.

“What’s going on in that peculiar little mind of yours?” asked the hero, propping his arms flat against his table to rest his head on them.

You hated the amount of questions he asked, it was practically violating—literally intentional to spill every secret out of you. He wanted to listen to every inconvenience you had.

Mumbling, you started, “It’s just that.. I feel a little guilty that I’m going to ask you for a favor like this when you could be out there, saving the day instead of being cooped up in here.”

Perking his head up in surprise, he argued without hesitation, “No no, I’d rather be held as hostage here for the rest of the day if it were up ‘ta me. There can’t be anything in this shop too rough for me.”

A godsend he was. Really, if he could choose, he’d spend the rest of his life in this wonderland of a shop you’ve decorated.

“Okay,” you breathed out, “I need help putting up the Christmas tree.”

“So that’s what was missing in this place, ‘swear it was on the tip of my tongue,” his smooth tone shifted quickly to be teasingly warm, drawing a smile out of you, “Let’s do it then.”

 ⋆⁺₊❅. 

Attaching all the hooks that resembled tree branches into the base and circling behind each other around the tree, twirling incandescent lights that swirled from top to bottom, the two of you stepped back to admire your hard work.

A delicate tree, but simple in all the right ways. It wouldn’t be too distracting yet would get the “Christmas” point across to all the customers.

Hawks nudged at your arm with his shoulder, a proud grin presented on his face, “This completes the holly and jollyness in this store. Feels like im in santa’s workshop now.”

His now vibrant and eager energy lifted the concerns pressing on your chest about him.

A tingling thought in the back of your head suspected he wasn’t grumbly only because he hates waking up so early.

Preciously gazing at the tree, you smiled shyly, “I know. I feel like this time of year goes by too fast, but it’s so beautiful.”

“Mhm,” the winged hero hummed out, his eyes lingering upon your figure as you went to adjust some of the crooked ornaments, “Very beautiful.”

Was there any reason why he suddenly felt so warm in his sweater? The heater couldn’t have been blasting that badly, right?

It’s not like he could have controlled the way he darted between each feature of your face, your hands, your style of apparel that just matched your personality perfectly.

He even worried that if he got too lost in your presence, his wings would begin to curl around you, cradling you into a soft cocoon-like embrace.

Yeah, he did not want to picture your weirded-out reaction—

His ringtone began beeping erratically from his pant pocket sending a walloping dread in his stomach, cursing under his breath.

Whipping your head back from the abrupt noise, you sighed, a reminder for you as well that your dozen hundred chores were about to commence.

Fumbling for his phone in a hurry to turn off the annoying sound, his other hand covered his lower-face, visibly cringing at the fact he had to actually clock in today.

He almost flinched when he felt your hands rubbing circles against his shoulder, consoling him, “Should’ve expected it sooner or later.”

“Hate that. All this, ‘have to move it later,’ ‘it’s getting late,’ ‘should’a known it had ‘ta end.’ I don’t think ‘s fair.”

“Me either, it really isn’t.”

Hawks’ hand slowly traced down to your wrist before gently grasping your fingers as his thumb reassuringly rubbed against your knuckles.

Widened eyes focused onto your face, his expression more serious and determined, “There’s no way I’m leaving making the same mistake as before, i can’t,” he paused, “promise I’ll respond to your texts and take you out on a proper date, with a whole bouquet of roses and everything.”

You smiled back up at him sweetly, awestruck at his commitment, almost like you were in a dream, “I think that sounds lovely. I can take care of the flowers, though.”

Shaking his head, he grinned back, “Maybe, but I wanna do this the right way. No more coming and going every season.” You nodded your head at that, completely giving in.

 ⋆⁺₊❅. 

The two of you made your way to the main doors, just a few minutes to 8:30. All bundled up, Hawks held a small wrapped bouquet of camellias, his large hands crumpling the wrapping paper.

“Bye, [name]. You’re a real sweet girl for putting up with my ridiculous antics.”

“Bye, Hawks, I try. Be safe! Don’t slip on your way out!” He rolled your eyes at you sheepishly as he was halfway out the door, when you stopped him, tugging at his arm.

“Ah. . . Wait,” you uttered, holding the material of his jacket with uncertainty in your body language. He hummed in confusion and faced you.

Stepping closer, a quick tilt of your head leaned toward his face, surprising him before you pecked his warm cheek and pushed him out the store, rushing into the back room.

Looking back, astonished, his rough fingers hovered over the spot where you kissed him, a blush fading onto his already hot cheeks.

He turned to the road, beginning to walk down until he reached the end of the sidewalk to take off to his agency, prying at his phone to pin your contact at the top of his messages.

a.n: keigo is so shy when hes flustered canon horikoshi told me so. i hope you guys liked this lmk what i should write nexttt have a lovely holiday y’all :33 🌷🎄

i had a vision

Shadowpeach Bio Parents AU SPOILERS!

I absolutely adore this comic and I'm procrastinating on my final exam study sessions so MORE VIDEOS!!!!

@kyri45

The gifs I made for this LMAO

'' NEVER LEAVE ,,

|| pairings: hawks x reader / keigo takami x reader

|| warning: hurt/comfort [keigo does the comforting]

|| word count: 0.6k

Today's been hard, like really genuinely hard. No- scratch that, these past few WEEKS have been hard. Your classes have been going terribly, it feels as if you're failing every class.. And god forbid you're excited to see your friends for a few minutes. But turns out, they all went out to get drinks without you!

Tears burning at the corner of your eyes, saying your little mantra of 'Just make it back home, just make it back home, just make it back home.' Trying to push the bubbling overwhelming feeling of just an overflow of sadness crashing down on you as if a wave.

It was fine too, Keigo was gonna be on patrol, and by the time you were done sobbing your eyes out, he'd be back! And you could act as if nothing had happen.

The second you opened and shut the door behind you, you put your back against the wall and started crying. Not overly loud, nor dramatic, but you definitely weren't holding back sobs.

However, one, iiiiitty bitty tiny thing had thrown a wrench in your plan. Keigo, your ever loving boyfriend of the past few years, had decided to surprise you with a nice home cooked meal. He'd felt bad for being away so much! With how many missions his supreriors had given him, he felt bad for neglecting his lovely lover. The second he heard you open and shut the door, his heart leaped at the idea of having a romantic dinner at home.. But it soon fell as he heard you cry.

In a flash he was right in front of you, his soft hands on your shoulders as he stared at you in worry. His bushy brows furrowed as he tried to calm you.

"Baby?" He said quietly. "Baby, what's wrong, fuck- are you okay?? Are you hurt??"

You shook your head quickly as you palmed at your eyes, as if trying to force the tears back in. Oh, but Keigo's voice. With his sweet and hushed tone made you feel safe, much too safe. Enough to the fact you couldn't stop sobbing.

With a strong pull and a few flaps of his wings, Keigo flew you into the living room and kept you hugged on the couch. His wings engulfing your full presence.

For a few moments, you stayed like that. Keigo keeping you warm, making small circles at the small of your back as you cried wet patches into his shirt. Tugging and clawing at him, as if trying to keep him as close to you as possible. Scared that he'd disappear within moments.

Yet, he never did. He stayed, whispering sweet nothings into your ear.

"You're okay, baby," He whispered. "It's okay. I'm right here.. I'm so proud of you, y'know? You're doing amazing, I love you so much. I-"

"You wouldn't leave me, right?" It was a quick and cut question, you barely stuttered as you uttered those words.

"What?"

".. You wouldn't leave me.. Right?"

Keigo pulled away from you and cupped your face in his hands, his brows furrowed in confusion as he stared at your eyes. His honey suckled ones bearing into yours..

"Why do you think- I would never-" He took a deep breath before restarting. His forehead resting against yours as he spoke quietly. "I'll never, in a million years, leave you. I love you too damn much to. You're my entire world, and you deserve everything. I'll never leave you, I never want to leave you. You're everything, my love."

Your winged boyfriend spoke with such conviction, every word said with the most emotion. It wasn't like the words he said on TV. The ones manufactured to be the perfect hero. But these were words of a boyfriend who loved you so fucking much. Someone who claimed to never leave..

And who never went back on his words.

|| mannnnn ive been so busy and tonight felt like eeextra shit, so ya'll are getting small comfort fic !! thumbs up

no one:

absolutely no one:

odyseuss: [makes the wind bag he specifically was told not to open into a fucking jetpack]

Pearl, Scott, and a Cleo: *constantly bringing up Double Life and how very normal and not traumatised they were by those events and how their relationship is definitely unaltered after being torn apart that way*

Impulse, who spent double life being happily married with a house in the suburbs from which he and his husband routinely tried to tear apart every other relationship on the server, including Pearl, Scott, and Cleo’s, standing next to them and suddenly being Incredibly Quiet: 👀

'' flower shop of feelings ,,

[ 03 : distractions ]

|| pairing : james "bucky" barnes x florist!reader

|| warning : very VERY brief encounter with a gun , mission but barely talked abt

|| wc : 2.5k

The next couple of weeks went by like normal, or as normal as they coule. Both you and Bucky would text each other, sending small ‘good morning!’ texts as well as ‘goodnight’ ones. It made Bucky act as if he was a highschooler again, his heart all giddy every time a notification popped up on his phone- sure, he didn’t have a phone back when he was a teen but hush.

He really did enjoy texting you, it was definitely the highlight of his day.. But the more you texted, the more.. Attached, he's grown? Didn’t help that you’d both go out for coffee at least once a week. It was harder to hide himself from you, hide the fact he was living in the Avengers Tower, that he was.. Well, seen as the Winter Soldier.

You were just so sweet. Kind. He couldn’t tell you, his past was a literal nightmare. He’d done terrible things and-

“Hey, soldat, Steve, Sam and I are going to a museum, wanna join?”

“Why would I wanna go to a museum?”

“Maybe ‘cause you’re ancient,” Natasha snickered before shaking her head. “We’re going there ‘cause we got a tip that somethings going to go down. Might be big, wanna join?”

As much as Bucky wanted to say no and just lock himself in his room, he knew Steve would just try to drag him out. So, instead of fighting it, he nodded and sat up. Plus, maybe this could distract him from you.

–

In some “undercover” clothes, the four of them were walking around a museum, one that showed off arts and sculptures. Maybe in another life, Bucky would’ve found it interesting. But, they were just pretending to be enamored by the statuettes. No, they were on guard due to the fact they had gotten a warning from anonymous that some suspicious activity was going to go down. It could be some sort of drop-off of a weapon, magic shit, or maybe just stealing some art. Who knows?

Bucky stood besides Sam as they stared at some giant piece of art, it was a painting. A really well done one, actually. Oil painting of some sort of landscape with a bunch of people, the colors matched, the composition was wonderful, and the story behind it was deep.

“Think something’s actually gonna happen today, or just bad intel?” Sam kept his eyes ahead, as if analyzing the art in front of him.

“.. 10 bucks says something’s going to happen”

“10 bucks says it’s bad intel, I mean c’mon, it’s a Wednesday”

“What’s so not important about a Wednesday?”

“Why couldn’t it be on a Friday?”

“Maybe the bad guys were busy on Friday.”

Sam raised an eyebrow and just rolled his shoulder. “I’m gonna go over down the hall, check out the statues and make sure nothing’s going down.”

Bucky nodded and went back to looking up at the painting. Admiring the bumps and parts of the painting where the paint seemed to clump. Real pretty.

He turned from the painting and went the opposite direction of Sam. But the second he started to walk, he froze. Either this is a terrible coincidence or God wants to mess with him. Standing a few feet away from him was you. Shit shit shit! He can't be distracted by you. In a small panic, Bucky started to walk back, a few steps before he turned around and bumped into something.

Shit, all that ‘training’ went to shit, he bumped into a trashcan. Making a loud clatter noise, drawing everyone's attention, including yours. Now where was Sam in all this? That bitch was recording everything.

“James?”

Shit.

He turned slowly around, tugging at his hood and hiding his forehead. “Hey, [Name]..”

You just giggled at the strange coincidence that Bucky was here. In fact, you didn’t even mean to come to the museum today, a buddy of yours that worked there invited you to go, and since you didn’t have to open up shop today, you agreed! Funny how fate works! “What’re you doing here? You here with a friend?” You glanced around, it didn't seem anyone claimed to have gone along with Bucky.

“Admiring the art.” He let go of his hood before pushing his hands into his pockets. He couldn’t say that he was actually on some Avenger mission. You still didn’t know he was the Winter Soldier. And he wanted to keep it that way.. “What’re you doing here?”

“My friend just invited me, she works here, kinda just spur of the moment!” You scratched the back of your head as you looked up at the painting in front of you. “Plus, I didn’t have to open shop today.. Kinda a free day today.”

Bucky nodded and shifted in his spot. His eyes darted from you and back to the painting, just because the two of you have been texting for the last month didn’t mean he knew how to talk to you like a normal person. I mean, he was a good speaker back then right? He could.. He could try to act like that again, right?

“Hey! Since you’re alone.. And I’m alone, wanna.. Be alone together?” You shrugged, shifting your weight from your toes to your heels. Rocking front to back as you asked. “As cheesy as that is.”

The super soldier besides you looked over your face for a brief moment before looking around the hall. Looking for Sam, who was currently pretending to be interested in some sort of old statue. Bucky was sure he’s going to ask about who you were later, God, he’ll need to make up a lie.. That’s not even what he should be worried about, he should be worried about the damn mission they were on!

Your eyes softened as you looked up at his nervousness. Bucky was an.. Awkward person, but it was part of his charm, that’s why you like him. “Or, I could walk away, meet you back up later, and then pretend it’s a coincidence?” You cracked a small smile and kept your eyes on him.

Thankfully, the small joke you made seemed to make him visibly less like he’s about to explode on the spot. He gave a short nod before turning away and walked off. You didn’t mind, he was his own person, and you were yours, but man would it have been fun to be with him instead of alone.

–

The time passed by quickly, every other exhibit, you’d find yourself in the middle of a conversation with James. Though, he seemed to be on guard more and more each ‘coincident meeting.’ Again, you didn’t mind.

“Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s wonderful people are trying to be more- communicative with their mistakes with their partners, but seriously, I’ve gotten like 15 customers this week who wanted to buy a basic rose bouquet as a sorry present!” You tugged at your hair as you complained about work. Bucky didn’t mind, though, he’d rather listen to your voice than his. “I swear, if I get one more customer ask what’s the best type of flowers for apologizing to their partners for sleeping with their best friend, I’m gonna lose it!”

“It’s that common?”

“Uh, yeah, people are such assholes nowadays, can’t find a decent person to date, y’get desperate, then yeesh! You’re stuck with some asshole!” You waved your hand in the air as you brushed what you said aside. Truth be told, you hadn’t gotten into a relationship in the past.. Maybe 2 years? Even then, it was always casual. “That’s why I–”

RING! RING! EMERGENCY! EVACUATE TO THE NEAREST EXITS!

The blaring alarms cut you off as red lights danced in your vision. There were people screaming and guns firing, it seemed something bad did happen, and Sam owed Bucky 10 bucks. Bucky’s eyes darted towards the sound of the gunshots and started to run towards it, only to be tugged by your hand. Your eyes wide with worry and confusion as to why the hell your friend James was running towards the danger!

“James! What’re you doing?! C’mon, we hafta go!”

“I can’t–”

“Bucky, there’re 6 armed men near Sam and your location, Nat and I are taking care of the other 6” Steve’s voice came through into Bucky’s earpiece. “They’re trying to do a drop-off, some sort of Hydra weapon! Get the briefcase!”

“On my way.” Bucky replied as you stared up at him, your brows furrowed in even more confusion. What the hell was he doing?? “You need to get out of here, it’s not safe.”

“No, we have to get out of here! James, c’mon, you’re not some super he–”

You cut yourself off as your friend shucked his jacket off and blocked a bullet that was flying both your ways.. With his arm. A sleek, black metal arm. That’s when it hit you, that’s why he seemed so familiar. That’s why he was so secretive on where he stayed or not. He wasn’t just James. He was James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Soldier.

“Holy shit.”

“Get out of here, I’ll-” James grabbed a gun from his holestor (Oh my god???) and shot at the ones who were shooting at the both of you. “I’ll find you outside.”

“.. Be careful” You muttered before turning away and running out to the closest exit. You didn’t know how to react, what to do with the newfound information. You felt so.. So stupid, not realizing that James was an Avenger. He lived in the Avenger tower- Oh my god, he was a super soldier.

With shallow breaths you turned a corner and your eyes locked to the nearest exit. You took a breath of fresh air as you felt the cold breeze hit your face, as if the museum was stuffed with smoke. It wasn’t, thank god, the people who arranged the attack didn’t seem to think to use fire power. It’s probably for the best.

As you stepped farther away from the door, a paramedic looked over you, you weren’t hurt, not shot, not even grazed. Thank god for.. James. You still couldn’t wrap your head around it. Whilst you sat on the edge of the sidewalk, waiting for the fight to die down, you pulled your phone out. You didn’t have many contacts, honestly you were.. Pretty alone. Parents? Only mom was left after dad passed. Siblings? An older, pretentious brother. Friends? You were pretty quiet in highschool, only the museum buddy of yours, who was Maria, she’s the one who gave you this death wish of an invite here. Then there was your other friend, who was in fact your neighbor, May and her nephew Peter. Nice bunch, you gave them flowers on their birthdays and they’d bring you some sort of baked good. Ah, but I digress.

Jeez. Maybe you’ll call up May, she’d probably know about this, plus, she told you Peter was an intern at Starks, right? Ah, but.. No, that wouldn’t do much good. He’s an intern, not some superhero. You kept scrolling through your phone for a few more minutes. You didn’t know how well of a promise James’ll keep, especially with him fighting people with.. Super weapons or something, but you stayed. Hoping he’ll keep to his word and try to find you.

After a long while, you heard claps and cheers from the citizens as the four of them brought all 12 of the villains out of the museum. They seemed hurt, but not to the brink of death, thankfully. The Cap was quick to hand them over to the police to take care of as the citizens slowly dispersed. People knew all about the hero's life, hearing it on the news and such, it was hard to be an Avenger. So, they needed space.

You waited as the crowds grew smaller before you took a few steps closer, holding your arms closely as you stood to the side. Watching as your friend's eyes darted around. It was amusing. Despite just saving a bunch of people, including yourself, he was still awkward.

“[Name].” He muttered, his voice light as a breath of fresh air as he spotted you. His shoulders seemed to sag in relief as he walked towards you. He should definitely be headed to the Avengers Tower, but right now he needed to make sure you were okay. “Are you hurt? They didn’t get you, right?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine, James, I-” You let out a small breath and placed your hands on your hips as you looked over at him. He had some blood on his jacket, some scratches on his face.. And that arm. Oh, wow, he.. Yup, he had a metal arm. “You.. Never told me you were an Avenger.” The corner of your lips tugged into a small smile as you chuckled.

He mirrored your smile, relieved at the fact you didn’t seem upset, or even the smallest bit scared. “You never asked.”

Your nose crinkled, “I asked what your job was, you said–”

“That I work as security.”

“Security for the whole world, James!” With that you started to laugh into your hand, this was unbelievable. This awkward man who’d stumbled into your flower shop looking for a gift for his friend was James “Bucky” Barnes.

“Sorry for keeping that from you, I just-” He shrugged and scratched the back of his neck. “I liked that you just knew.. Me.”

That made your heart melt. Everyone in the world knew James as “Bucky” or “The Winter Soldier.” The only people who knew him differently was Steve, only because he knew him back in the 40s and was his best friend and.. You. You knew him as James, and as much as the name felt weird, it felt right in your lips.

“Don’t apologize,” You hit your fist against his non-metal arm in a playful manner, an understanding smile on your face. “I get why you didn’t tell me. I’m not upset over it, if you’re worried.”

A small smile danced on Bucky’s lips and he nodded. “You’re too sweet.”

“Nah, I’m just a good friend.”

“Friend.” Bucky repeated to himself and nodded again. Oh he loved being your friend. He honestly thought the only friend he’d ever have would be from the Avenger Tower, and that’s only because they were Steve’s friends. “Ah, uh- I should probably-”

He pointed over to where Steve, Natasha and Sam were talking and you immediately understood.

“Oh! Yeah, no you go do that-”

“Thanks, uhm-” He stepped back and hesitated to turn away. “I’ll, uh, text you?”

“Yeah- Yeah!”

“Cool.” He nodded and turned away, the corners of his usually scowling lips quirked up as he repeated to himself. “Cool.”

He approached his team and just blended in nicely, no one seemed to notice him leaving and coming back. Perfect.

He spared you one last glance, as you walked away. Friend.

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