Chapter Text
I Love You, Baby
Bucky Barnes had grown up on the streets of Brooklyn. Despite the rough times of the 1930s, his family wasn't particularly poor, but they certainly weren't rich either.
Some days he noticed how his mother ate a little less than him and his sister. She would smile sweetly and say she just wasn't that hungry, but he always knew the truth. Winifred Barnes made sacrifices for him and Rebecca that he never even realized during those years.
She often worked at her seamstress job until late at night, and then continued even afterward at home until close to two am. She would sit basking in the dim yellow lighting of a side table lamp in the darkened room, quietly humming to herself as she sewed together a new dress or seamed a pair of pants. Dark circles would gather under the vibrant blue of her eyes the next morning, but she never complained. She did what she could to put food on the table, as did Bucky. His first job came when he was fifteen, after he realized how much his family was struggling after his father passed away.
Rebecca would often go to school wearing the same couple of dresses. He would have holes in the bottom of his shoes that he would fix with tape, and sometimes his mother would just patch up his old socks instead of just buying new ones. Finally having enough of just teetering on the edge of poverty, Bucky remembered the pride he felt when he received the first cheque of his new job. On top of it in the right corner, it said the company he worked for: Lee's Steel Mill.
Everyone knew the Lee's were richer than sin. They were high socialites, swinging with the upper classes of New York and making a name for themselves. They yachted with Rockefeller's, they partied with Carnegie's, they dined with Rockwell's, and were close personal friends with Howard Stark. It was high living, that's for sure.
Who on earth would have ever thought that James Buchanan Barnes — from Brooklyn, who barely had two pennies to rub together — would marry into such an eccentric family. If someone had told him that before the war, he would have laughed right in their face.
His sweet wife was almost nothing like her family, though. Like him, she didn't come from riches. Originally, at least.
The Lee's had adopted the three daughters of one of their housekeepers after they were orphaned. It looked good in the papers, and promoted a rag to riches story, and made the Lee's look like absolute saints to open up their homes to the girls following a series of unfortunate events. They never felt like they belonged, though. And Bucky couldn't blame them for that. Still, they handled the transition to high-class life much better than he had.
Bucky hated being dragged to events such as this one. He hated having to wear a stupid monkey suit of a tuxedo, his collar so tight it felt like it was snake coiling around his neck. He found he was adjusting his bow tie too often, feeling as though he couldn't breathe. The rooms were stuffy and filled with cigarette and cigar smoke. The champagne they had waiters carting around on trays were served in the finest crystal, the taste of it sticky sweet and bubbly on his tongue. He would have preferred a glass of whiskey instead, but he knew it wasn't appropriate for an event like this.
Although he hated every moment of the benefits and galas and kissing up to the rich folks, it was all worth it. She was worth it.
As Bucky looked around the gilded ballroom, filled with women who wore too pungent perfume who offered him sweet smiles, and men who bragged about their wealth as they held their younger mistresses on their arms, his eyes only searched for one person.
His steel-blue orbs would take in every little detail as they glided across the grand rooms decorated with gold trim, the stuffy music playing in the air. Until finally, they would land on the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
Lucy Heinrich, the love of his life, was the only person he sought out in a crowded room. And as much as he hated these stupid events, he loved her far too much to let her attend these things alone. Especially since he knew she detested them just as much as he did. And with the way she looked, she always attracted the attention of men far more than what he was comfortable with. If Bucky had to watch another billionaire kiss her hand delicately in a greeting and whisper how radiant she looked, he might just vomit up the disgusting fancy-people food they had been serving as hors d'oeuvre earlier in the night.
It wasn't like he could blame the poor saps for lusting after her, though. She was a vision in her silk gowns and red lipstick, her long, dark, brown hair in those little finger curls he loved so much. Her skin was pale in the dim lighting of the grand room, and some type of powder she was wearing made her look as though she shimmered like starlight. Every eye was on her as she walked into a room, and each time he saw her his breath hitched a little.
Too often he found himself practically salivating at the sight of her. He would watch the way her dresses would frame her figure, the way her heels would showcase her long legs which he only wished to trail his lips up the length of. He'd practically fall to his knees and worship the ground she walked on if it meant she would give him the slightest amount of attention. Everything about the woman drove Bucky crazy, and despite she could get any fella she wanted, Lucy only had eyes for him.
Lucy rarely gave anyone else the time of day. She knew the whispers they spoke of her behind her back, and how everyone smiled to her face and gave her warm kisses to the cheek in greeting. They would criticize her as soon as she walked away for marrying some lower-class man from Brooklyn. She didn't care too much though, and very rarely did their cutting words bother her. The dame was made of a mix of steel, diamonds, and dynamite, and after all she had been through, their words did very little to wound her.
As Bucky's eyes drifted along the fancy people with fake smiles and phoney laughter, he finally caught sight of her. She looked up from the person she was conversing with, and immediately it was like fireworks went off in her hazel eyes. They had arrived in different vehicles and spent most of the night apart. It nearly made him want to tear all his hair out being apart from her at one of these stupid galas. All he wanted was to be at her side, but business had taken her away for most of the evening.
After a long enough time spent with his lonesome, Bucky found himself smiling at the ethereal woman he was so lucky to call his wife. His heart shuttered a little at the sight of her.
She was donned in one of those little silk dresses he loved so much, strictly for the sake of ripping it off to ravish her when they were in the sanctity of their home. Yet, despite Bucky loving her all dolled up, it still seemed a little foreign to him to see her in such fancy things.
When he had met her while they were both overseas during the war and there was no time for ball dresses and makeup. She had worn men's uniforms and rarely cared about her appearance, although to him she still looked like the sweetest of summer days.
The skirts and dresses and countless beauty products that flooded his small apartment after she moved in were an adjustment to him. His items of clothing that hung in the closet were downgraded to the dresser drawers and he didn't mind for a single second. Especially since she brought with her some other more fun items; such as the various lingeries and negligees that sometimes ended up on their floors when they were in too much of a rush to take their time undressing one another. As he thought about such devilish things, Bucky couldn't help as a smirk appeared on his face as he looked on at the pretty woman he said his vows to.
Lucy caught his eye and excused herself from her company, walking steadily on high heels over to him, the skirt of her dress in her delicate hand so she didn't trip on it. She glided across the marble floors, looking like a vision. His heart pounded so hard in his chest that Bucky was taken back to feeling like a nervous young man about to flirt with a pretty girl.
"You're looking like a fish out of water," She laughed softly as she made her way to him for the first time that evening. Bucky's stomach did a little flip as he saw Lucy's smile. The cold feeling he had since entering the building dissipated as warmth flooded his chest at the sight of her.
Bucky adjusted his bow tie again, trying to breathe a little better, "I feel like a doll all dressed up in this ridiculous thing."
"Well, you certainly look pretty like one," She took her red, pouty, bottom lip between her teeth as she flirted with him. Bucky's eyes were immediately drawn to the way it slotted in perfectly with her pearly whites, and he wanted nothing more than to take that bottom lip in his mouth and suck on it. He wanted her lipstick to paint his face red, not caring how messy it was or how long it would take to rub off the tacky substance later. "Thank you for coming with me, I know you hate these sorts of things." Lucy kissed his cheek gently, her breath warm across his skin.
Bucky gripped her waist tightly as he brought her closer to him. He breathed in the smell of her hair as lemongrass and lavender reaching his nostrils. "Anything for you, sweetheart." He told her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "But I'm afraid you'll have to make it up to me later." He winked and a grin spread across her face.
She cocked an eyebrow up, the mischievous smirk still on her lips, "You can't do something nice for your wife without getting something in return?" Lucy pouted a little, causing Bucky's eyes to once again get drawn into her lips he so desperately wanted to kiss.
"No, because I'm selfish." He joked, "So you better come up with a creative way to thank me." Bucky raised his champagne glass to his lips, taking another sip. As soon as the sweet liquor hit his tongue he regretted it, never particularly having gotten used to the taste. He knew the bubbly liquid would coat his teeth later, and likely give him a headache in the morning. What he would have done for a glass of whiskey instead.
"Getting on my knees isn't creative enough for you anymore?" Lucy whispered under her breath lowly, causing Bucky to choke on his drink. He coughed a little, trying to compose himself as he turned red and made a scene after nearly spewing some of his champagne on other guests.
Lucy giggled, covering her mouth with her hand as she watched her husband get flustered at her crude comment. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, shaking his head in disapproval at his vixen of a wife. She was going to be the death of him eventually.
"You're gonna kill me one day, doll. You know that, right?" He demanded, trying to conceal his smile that peaked up on the corner of his lips.
She sighed wistfully, "I have to liven up this event some way or another! It's so dreadful and boring." Her hazel eyes rolled. Unfortunately, she had to attend due to her family connections. It so happened both her sisters were unavailable to make this particular gala, making her the only of the Lee's adopted children to be in attendance. As different as she was from her family, she still loved them and wanted to support them as best as she could.
"Oh! Before I forget, I have something for you!" Lucy's eyebrows wiggled up and down suggestively, making him confused as to what she could be talking about, "I thought you might need it." She winked and then lifted her skirt's leg slit up. Bucky's eyes widened slightly at the pale skin of her silky thighs. He suddenly wished he didn't get rid of his champagne, finding his mouth both dry and salivating at the same time at the sight of the long limbs he wished were wrapped around his waist.
"Luce!" He hissed at her display of skin. His hiss wasn't in anger or malice intended for scolding. It was more based on the fact he didn't want any sleazy billionaire eyeing up his wife's leg.
Looking as smug as could be, Lucy was like the cat who ate the cream as she produced a small flask out of thin air. His eyes widened a little as he saw it, a surge of affection suddenly jolting through him.
"You are quite literally my favourite person in the entire world. I am so in love with you." Bucky hastily said as he took the flask from her grasp, trying to conceal it as best as he could.
"Yeah, yeah, save it." She snickered, "You know how I feel about ass-kissing." Lucy teased again.
Bucky opened the flask up, "Is this my good stuff?" He asked her as he sniffed it. The smell burned his nostrils a little, but in a good way. He quickly took a swig, turning around from the crowd so he could drink without anyone watching.
"From the bottle I got you after you came back," Lucy assured him, looking up at his face with a devilish glimmer in her eyes. She was the slyest little minx he had ever come across and he wondered how he lucked out with such an incredible woman.
"My, my, are you trying to get me drunk, Mrs. Barnes?" Bucky flirted, causing Lucy to giggle softly again, "You gonna take advantage of me when we get home?"
"Honey, it's not taking advantage of you if you want me to do it." She winked, "Do you want me to?"
"Very much so. I very much want you to take advantage of me." Bucky whispered in her ear, his hand slinking down to pinch her bottom which made her both jump and squeal. Lucy hit his chest in protest and giggled more and he wondered for a moment if she had already gotten into the flask a little bit, "What else are you wearin' underneath that dress, doll?" He said with a little smirk as a naughty thought crossed his mind.
"A thigh holster for the flask," She said seductively, once again pulling her little lip in between her teeth and nearly making him groan, "And nothing else."
"Jesus Christ." Bucky rubbed his face, trying not to think more about the emboldened statement his wife just said. He tried to ignore the tightening feeling in the front of his trousers.
"Behave," Lucy warned lowly, scolding him like he was a small child. The corners of her lips were still upturned in amusement upon looking at his increasingly flustered state. That temptress knew exactly what she was doing to him.
"How can I when I know you're not wearin' any panties under that thing?"
"If you behave, when we get home I'll let you see for yourself." She promised, the deal was sweet enough that he allowed the compromise. It was difficult to distract himself, though. Especially since Bucky wanted nothing more than to drag her out of the stupid golden ballroom, take Lucy into an abandoned room and pin her up against a wall a kiss her until she couldn't remember her own name.
The woman drove him mad, and she knew just how much she affected him. Taking another drink from the flask for good measure, he passed it back to Lucy, who tucked it away safely in the thigh holster she wore. Bucky's throat tightened as he saw the little bit of dark lace mixed with the contrasting paleness of her upper leg.
"How much more schmoozing do we have to do?" He complained, wanting nothing more than to get out of there with his girl.
His stomach rumbled, and although there were tons of hors d'oeuvres being passed around, the portion size was small and they weren't very filling. Plus, caviar was disgusting. Despite they were both in fancy clothing, Bucky thought that afterward he would take Lucy to the greasiest diner they could find and finally sate their hunger. It would be a decent end to a horrible night if they were able to find one easily enough.
"Only a little more. You're lucky you can hide away in this corner. I actually have to go talk to people." She rolled her eyes as though it were the biggest chore of all time. The displeasure was obvious on her gorgeous face.
Bucky looked out and saw the way people glided across the dance floor. They were so uptight and proper that one could have mistaken that they had a stick up their ass. It was nothing like the parties he had attended in his youth prior to joining the army. If anyone Bucky had grown up with could see him now they likely wouldn't have even recognized him.
He was used to being rowdy in a pub, sweat slick against his forehead and slinging back pints of beers until he wasn't able to see straight. Thick cigarette smoke would have hung heavily in the air, and swing music would have been playing a fast-paced song, and the girls would have been jumping around in their dates' arms. Although that scene wasn't everyone's cup of tea, it was a hell of a lot more fun than a gala like the one he was currently at. And at least he wouldn't have had to wear a tux if they ended up in some dive bar in Brooklyn.
As if Lucy could read his thoughts, she nudged his arm as she stood at his side. When he looked back down at her with raised eyebrows she only smiled, "You look very handsome," She had noticed that he had earned his fair share of glances as well. Most of the women who were in attendance were unhappily married to their much older husbands. Bucky had attracted their gazes as honey drew in flies.
He chuckled lowly, shaking his head, "Just cause I'm in this thing?" He felt like a penguin, dressed in black and white with everything fitted and proper. Bucky had even shaved for the occasion and slicked his hair back. While he always kept his appearance composed, he knew how his wife felt about the little bit of scruff he usually let grow out. She always mewled when he kissed and sucked on the delicate skin in her neck, feeling the scratchiness of his facial hair scrape across her flesh, only adding to the pleasure he was giving her.
"I don't care about the stupid tux. You look just as good in it as you do in anything else. Even if it were just your pajamas."
"God, you really are trying to butter me up so I don't hold it against you for bringing me to this thing."
"Am I that transparent?" Lucy laughed.
Although Bucky knew he looked good, he wasn't comfortable in the suit. He felt like he was pretending to be someone else other than himself. The discomfort was only heightened by the fact he made sure to wear a glove on his left hand. Although Lucy said she didn't mind the scarred and mangled flesh from his train accident during the war, Bucky didn't want her to be embarrassed that her husband was slightly deformed.
When he told her his concerns Lucy only frowned, looking troubled by his statement. She insisted that it never bothered her, that he was a war hero, and if anyone had any problem with it they could come to talk to her. But still, he didn't want to humiliate her in front of anyone else. So he wore the stupid glove, despite the way it made his palms sweat, and how he would much rather feel Lucy's waist as they danced with the flesh of his hand rather than through some material.
As they were caught up in their own little world, they hardly noticed Mr. Lee walking up to them. He had aged quite a bit over the last few years, his hair pale white, and more wrinkles along his eyes. He still had a bright smile though, and a sense of humour which could make anyone laugh. Despite his vast wealth and associations with the higher-ups of New York, the man was always soft-spoken and kind and always made you feel welcomed, no matter who you were.
As he approached his adopted daughter and her husband, he only let out a small chuckle, "What are you two doing hiding over here?"
"Just trying time to catch a break," Lucy answered with a smile. "James gets exhausted at these types of things."
"I know what you mean. It takes real stamina to cozy up to these richie-rich's. They're all a bunch of fakes." He shook his head in disapproval, knowing what type of society he belonged to. Mr. Lee turned back to Bucky and saw the rigid way he was standing, "How's the arm?" He asked, his eyes flashing to Bucky's covered left hand.
"Still aches when it gets damp. I'll survive, though." Bucky assured him. There were other issues than just the dampness, but he didn't want to explain to Lucy's adoptive father how he struggled to even make a fist sometimes when the weather was too cold. He also didn't tell him about the countless doctor appointments Lucy had forced him to go to.
"Too bad. I'm sure they'll figure something out. Anyway, I just wanted to come over and say hello and tell you how ridiculous you look in that tuxedo." Mr. Lee said with a shit-eating grin as he smirked. He knew Bucky hated the thing and wanted to tease him. It was the nature of their relationship to give one another a ribbing.
"Dad!" Lucy hissed in disapproval, her arms crossing over her chest in frustration, "Stop embarrassing him!"
"What good is a son-in-law if you can't poke a little fun at 'em?" Mr. Lee laughed and then looked between the two of them, before turning serious, "I suppose they're good for helping contribute to more grandchildren." To Bucky's shock, Mr. Lee gave him a wink following his suggestive comment.
"You already have grandchildren!" Lucy protested. Every time they saw each other their conversations revolved around a similar topic. After Bucky and Lucy got married, the first question people always asked was when they were planning on having babies. They wanted to just enjoy being married for a little before starting to worry about kids.
"I want more! You can never have too many grandchildren!" Mr. Lee protested, "And your sister never brings the little ones around! I know you will because you love me more than she does."
"Don't hold your breath." Lucy let out a small snort.
"Just think about it." Mr. Lee requested gently, offering a small smile and then disappearing to go say hello to some other guests.
It left Bucky and Lucy on their own. As soon as Mr. Lee turned around, Lucy was reaching for her thigh flask. She quickly opened it and took several large swigs, clearly not amused by the conversation they just had. Bucky only chuckled and shook his head disapprovingly at her, "That man really wants grandchildren."
"Uh-huh. Don't get any smart ideas." She warned him, giving him a side-eye. Babies were an off-limits conversation for at least the next couple of years. She returned the flask back to its place, "Anyway," She sighed and then looked out at all the stiffs who were on the marble floor. He noticed how Lucy seemed to relax after having a little more to drink. It was funny how alcohol seemed to change the mood of people rather quickly, "Wanna go dance?" She asked with a glimmer in her eyes.
He didn't want to. But if it made Lucy happy he supposed it would be worth it. Plus, it allowed him to hold her close to him; so he didn't mind that much. With her hand in his and led her down past the various groups of people. They were dressed in the most eccentric of garbs, clearly having bought the finest of new items just for the occasion. Lucy had re-worn a dress from another gala, not caring for even a moment what people would think.
Bucky pulled her in tighter than what was appropriate, kissing the side of her face and feeling her sigh. "Not as fun as dancing in our living room in our underwear." She spoke into his shoulder, muffled through the fabric. He could feel her heart pounding away in her chest as they started swaying softly to the dull music.
Bucky wanted to point out nothing was fun if there was the option of doing it in their underwear instead. It automatically made everything better. Even something simple like eating breakfast could be more fun if done in undergarments.
What he hadn't expected after bringing Lucy home following the war was how much nudity took place as newlyweds. The first time she padded out in her full glory Bucky nearly spat out his coffee, his jaw on the floor as his wife shot him a little mischievous wink. It only took a couple seconds until he was following her back to the bedroom like he was some lost puppy, practically crashing into the wall from moving so quickly.
Yes, being married certainly was nice — and the honeymoon stage was the best of all.
Although by the time the war had finished they had already been married for a little over a year, they never had the chance to experience the newly wedded bliss. Her work kept her in one base in Italy, while his missions with the Howling Commandos took him all over Europe.
After the war, it had taken some time to get used to living with one another, but they found they settled in nicely. Bucky wouldn't have given up living with Lucy for the entire world. Each time he thought he missed his privacy, she would do something careless for him, like put a glass of water at his bedside table before going to sleep, in case he woke up thirsty in the night. Those small gestures alone made his life so much better. But he was always reminded again how great being married was when she would saunter into the kitchen as naked as the day she was born, making his jaw drop to the ground all over again.
To put it frankly — Bucky fucking loved being married. And even though he had to make sacrifices such as going to dumb galas, he didn't mind them so much as they danced. Although the music was boring, he held her tightly as they swayed softly and everything was alright for the moment.
"I can hear your thoughts." She whispered as she gazed up at him into his gun-metal grey eyes. They were dancing far closer than the other couples. Bucky's hand was low on the small of her back, hers wrapped around his neck. Their other hands were intertwined softly, held up and resting against his chest lazily as they moved back and forth with one another.
"I seriously doubt that," If she really could read his thoughts and knew he was fantasizing about her naked body, their conversation likely would be very different.
She only gave him a little look, cocking her head to the side to pressure an answer out of him. From that look, he knew Lucy could tell he wasn't having a good time.
Bucky sighed in protest after having been caught not enjoying himself, "Sorry, sweetheart. I'm trying to have a good time. But I just wanna get out of here and take you home." He would have much rather been in the comfort of their little one-bedroom apartment. He wanted to be in bed, curled up next to her, fast asleep, and looking forward to not having to wake up early to go to work tomorrow.
"Just a little longer and I promise I'm all yours." She swore to him quietly. They only had to stay for a bit longer, and then they could get some real food to eat and go back to their apartment. In agreement, they sealed it with a kiss. Their lips moulded as they continued to sway slightly to the music.
"Sing something for me? The music here is so awful." She wrinkled her nose, wondering why they would have chosen some stuffy old band instead of having the liveliness of jazz or something to get people wanting to dance. The benefit wasn't necessarily for that purpose, though. It was mostly just for people to open their cheque books and donate to other billionaires companies.
Bucky was a terrible singer, but Lucy seemed to love it as he belted out notes in their apartment. "Only if you're alright with me embarrassing you."
She pressed her soft lips to his cheek again. He wondered if she had a little too much to drink and that's why she was being so affectionate at such an event, "You could never embarrass me."
"Oh, I think if I tried hard enough I could. I know all your dirty secrets, after all." He teased, sending her a wink.
She pinched him, making him jump slightly and laugh. They were both smiling when he moved his mouth closed to her ear. She practically sighed, melting to a puddle, as she closed her eyes as he began to sing sweetly in her ear.
"You're just so good to be true." Bucky began to sing. His voice caught, a little hoarse as he began. He cleared his throat quickly, returning back to sing into her ear. "Can't take my eyes off of you. You'd be like Heaven to touch. I wanna hold you so much." Lucy laughed at how bad his voice was, but loved every single second.
She giggled a little more as his hands softly tickled her waist. She tried to push him away, but with a chuckle, Bucky pulled her back in. He continued swaying with her and whispering the song in her ear, "At long last, love has arrived, And I thank God I'm alive. You're just too good to be true, can't take my eyes off of you."
Lucy pulled back after he had sung the last couple of notes. With wide eyes gleaming in the light of the crystal chandeliers, she swallowed tightly as she looked up at him with every ounce of affection she could muster, "I love you, baby." She sang back, skipping to the course and making a smile stretch widely along his face, "And if it's quite alright, I need you, baby." Her voice was softer than his and much more angelic. The fact she was singing such a thing to him made his heart swell up larger than he thought was possible.
Just as he was about to cut her off with a smouldering kiss, attaching his lips to hers in heated passion, they were suddenly interrupted.
"As I live and breathe! If it isn't Lucy Heinrich!" A woman with a southern accent exclaimed happily with a little squeal. Bucky could feel Lucy tense as she turned in his arms, practically growling and her eyes glowing with malice for the woman after she ruined the moment, "It's been so long!" A gaggle of three older hens stood there gawking at her. They looked at Lucy with a snide expression, and a Bucky already could tell that this interaction wasn't going to end well.
"Not long enough," Lucy hissed, loud enough so Bucky could hear, but still quiet so she wouldn't appear rude. "Jenny, Gladice, Charlotte! How lovely to see all of you…" Lucy lied through her gritted teeth.
"You as well, darling! We've missed seeing you so much at all these galas. You were always such a peach!" One woman with a large composition exclaimed as she cooled herself away with a foldable fan.
Suddenly they were noticing Bucky standing beside Lucy. Their gazes were redirected to him and he felt like he was being thrown to the wolves, "Oh, and you must be Lucy's husband! What business are you in? Oil? Perhaps real estate?" The middle one, who stared at Bucky up and down asked with a sly smile.
From the corner of his eye, Bucky could see Lucy's jaw harden. She knew exactly what the woman was doing. She tensed at the woman's words, slowly putting her hand on Bucky's shoulder to prove her support, gripping him tightly so he knew she was there.
"I'm a boxer." He answered bluntly, knowing how he would be received after they found out his occupation. From their tone and how quickly they jumped the gun to ask him what he did for work, they had already heard through the grapevine what he did.
"I'm sorry? I think I misheard you. You said you were in what industry?" The one lady asked as though she hadn't heard. The reality was that they were attempting to use the opportunity to humiliate Lucy. Bucky almost smirked to himself as he thought about how poorly that would go down once his firecracker of a girl sank her teeth into them.
"Boxing. I fight people for money." Bucky again stated calmly. He understood that people like them looked down on people like him. It didn't bother him much, though. All that mattered to him was that he worried Lucy would be humiliated. The people that belonged in her social circle were often ruthless and cutthroat and didn't care about anyone's feelings. All that mattered to them was climbing higher on the social ladder and collecting more money for their wallet.
"Lucy, you truly know how to pick them! You were always so adventurous! May I ask how did you two even meet?" One of the old crows asked with amusement in her eyes, clearly mocking Lucy, "The last I heard you were engaged to someone else."
Bucky's jaw tightened as he heard the way the old hags spoke about Lucy's past engagement. He was still a little bitter about another man having nearly taken his place, but luckily other circumstances made it so that he was able to sweep her away. But when they first met she was still very hung up on her fiancé, and it nearly kept them from being together.
"No, you may not ask how we met." She replied without missing a beat. Lucy remained composed, not lashing out or even batting an eyelash at the clear insult behind the woman's tone.
Maybe if they were elsewhere Lucy would have lashed out and spat some insult back, but she had learned after years of playing the game that the only way these people responded was when you gave them no reaction.
The woman seemed shocked that she didn't want to divulge any information from her relationship. She knew it was clearly to gain information about her so they could gossip about it at a luncheon at a later date.
Lucy also knew the story of how she and Bucky got together was a special one, and she didn't want to waste it on someone who wouldn't appreciate it. As Bucky looked down at her, a small smile formed on his face as he thought about the first night he had seen her. It was like she had hung the stars in the sky, and all Bucky could say as he turned to Steve was how he was sure he was going to marry her one day.
"I knew she married someone else," One of the younger women said with a smile, "I never thought you and your last fiancé were a good match. You seem much happier now," Bold of her to say, considering the woman knew nothing about Lucy and Bucky, "Would you be able to settle a bet? I heard from Caroline Carmichael who got it from Maggie Holden that you got married in a pub." An evil twinkle flickered in the woman's eye as she tried further to humiliate Lucy, "Is that true?"
"I heard it was in a cellar!" One of the other women chimed in.
"And I heard it was in a forest!"
As Bucky was about to cut in and finally say something, Lucy beat him to the chase. She wasn't going to lie about their relationship, even if it tarnished her reputation.
"It was in the London Underground during an air raid," Lucy corrected with a firm, unamused, tone. "Because we were both serving in Europe while you and your husbands were sitting here on your asses and making a fortune off of war profiteering." Their faces dropped when Lucy smiled sweetly, shooting a wink at them, "That's right. I know about that," Bucky felt pride well in him at his girl sticking up for herself. "What's it feel like to betray your country after dealing to both sides?"
The women had scowls on their faces, and Bucky had to cover his mouth by pretending to cough into his fist to conceal his snicker. He didn't want to get involved, but at that moment he couldn't help but want to give her a big kiss for challenging the stuck up women on such an intense level.
One cocked her brow, unimpressed by Lucy's statement "Is your marriage even legitimate if there wasn't a priest there?" So, niceties had been dropped, completely disregard for open hostility after Lucy practically called them criminals."I always figured you were a Christian, Lucy. Clearly not if you're sharing a bed with a man before your unity was blessed is God." The woman cocked her eyebrow, practically calling Lucy a harlot.
Bucky could practically see his wife fuming. Her eye twitched a little in sheer anger, clearly having a nerve struck.
There was nothing that Bucky wanted more than to step in and interfere with the woman's implication. He stopped himself once he remembered Lucy could handle herself. In fact, it was the other woman he was worried about. He had witnessed first hand the wrath of his wife, and it was enough to earn her several notorious nicknames on base by the unfortunate men who were assigned her services. To Bucky's shame, he was the main perpetrator of them when he had first met her. But to be fair, she had been very intimidating.
"I don't know, Jenny. Is yours legitimate when Donny makes his weekly trips to the whore houses?" Lucy snapped finally and Bucky's eyes went wide from his wife's words.
The woman — Jenny, stood there in shock along with her companions. Their jaws were slightly ajar from Lucy's swift and offensive come back. It was clear she just made an enemy for life, and Bucky watched on back and forth like he was witnessing an intense sporting match.
"Well," Jenny only said with a fake smile and pursed lips, "You really are such a little spitfire, aren't you!" Her eyes narrowed as she put on a fake voice. She spoke like she was saying something nice, but her tone underneath suggested differently, "I hope you know that you're in my thoughts constantly. I often wonder about your life and if you're doing alright. I can see now how my suspicions were confirmed. I only wish you well, Lucy."
"I'm in your thoughts? That's so sweet, considering I don't think about you at all." Lucy replied dryly, almost like she was bored. Only again, Bucky had to feign a cough, trying not to chuckle at Lucy's witty and petty come back.
The women only sneered in fake smiles and stalked towards the bar, their noses upturned as their moods were soured for the rest of the evening.
Bucky blew a sigh of relief and ran a hand through his hair as they walked away, "That was incredible," He told Lucy in praise as the women walked away in defeat, "God, you are so terrifying." He loved it when she took control like that, commanding a room and standing her ground no matter what. If he was being perfectly honest with himself, it was quite arousing whenever she got all headstrong and dominating. He loved watching her take charge of a situation and come out on top even when people were trying to diminish her. It was just one of the reasons why he found her so awe-inspiring.
"Don't you forget it either," She said with a small, sad, smile. The sparkle her eyes held earlier was no longer there, and he noticed how her shoulders were slumped slightly in defeat after such a conversation where those women belittled them. Something had clearly bothered her, and Bucky looked on at her with sorriness in his eyes as he peered down at his wife.
"Y'know, I was thinkin' maybe we shouldn't go around telling people about my occupation. I don't wanna embarrass you or your family."
What Bucky had learned was that he and Lucy had come from different worlds. In Brooklyn, most people knew who he was due to his association with Captain America and the Howling Commandos. He was treated like a hero wherever he went and often had his drinks paid for and children came up to ask for his autograph. On the Upper East Side of Manhattan, no such respect existed. They didn't care about his sacrifices, about how he lost his best friend, and permanently deformed his left arm. They only cared about how big his wallet was.
"That's ridiculous! You could never embarrass me! I'm sorry you feel the need to hide it. I just feel bad when people look down on you. I can't stand when people think of you differently just because you don't come from money." She said sadly, shaking her head and taking in a shaky breath. She looked up at him after crossing her arms over her chest, clearly distraught and having slight tears well in her eyes, "You know I love you? And I don't care about all that stuff?"
"I know, sweetheart." He kissed her head gently, holding her close to him. It didn't bother him that people knew he didn't come from wealth. What did bother him was that people just naturally assumed that he wasn't good enough for Lucy and that she became something of a laughing stock.
She huffed in frustration, seeming like she was going to stomp her foot down like a small child, "It just makes me so upset for people to make assumptions of us when they don't even know anything about us! I bet we're a hundred times happier than them in their stupid shams of marriages." She rolled her eyes in annoyance. She couldn't imagine marrying some older man and having to bed him just for a chance at more money. Let alone having to look the other way when there were mistresses involved. How could anyone be happy with a marriage like that?
"A hundred?" Bucky balked in shock. He remembered how the other day he had forgotten to bring something to eat to work. Lucy had shown up without even being asked, with two of their favorite sandwiches from the deli around the corner from their apartment. They ate their paper bag lunches together in the stands of the boxing arena, happily chatting away and joking around the entire time. Bucky wondered how many of the wives in that ballroom would do the same for their husbands. "More like a thousand," He corrected her.
She smiled softly at him, and he could tell he had her wrapped around his finger after saying that. She gently nudged him with her shoulder, and pressed a kiss to his hand which she held tightly in her own, "Take me home?" She requested softly, a twinge of sadness in her voice. "I just wanna be alone."
With a pursed smile he nodded, "Course', doll. But not without one more dance to prove to people we don't need all that superficial stuff to be happy."
She huffed again, "Bucky, c'mon! I don't care about proving people wrong, I just want to leave."
"Trust me, you'll like this." He promised her, as he walked away with a smirk on his lips. She watched him with her arms crossed, curious what her trouble-marker husband was getting up to.
He moved across the ballroom, not really caring for the people with fake smiles and large jewels around their neck. He ignored the dignitaries with monocles and golden handled canes. They all had money and wealth and prestige, but there was something he had that they didn't.
He had a wife he would do anything for. And he didn't mind making a fool of himself, as long as it resulted in that little smile he craved so desperately to see grace her lips.
The band stopped playing after Bucky got their attention. He went up on stage, despite people's hushed whispers and their sudden eyes on the person who had interrupted the music.
Bucky went up to the band's conductor and whispered something in his ear. Lucy watched on in slight horror, wondering just what on earth he was up to. Her cheeks were red and her arms were still crossed over her chest.
As Bucky spoke to the conductor, the man nodded vigorously, a large smile on his face as his eyes lit up in excitement. Something in the room had changed, and immediately the spell that had befallen on it lifted. A lightness carried through the people as the band piqued up.
Lucy looked onwards in worry, the tips of her ears turning pink as well as the room was filled with whispers. Discomfort settled in her stomach, as she couldn't help but be worried about what was to come. She suddenly felt like everyone was looking at her, making her skin crawl.
Bucky and the composer shook hands, both of them having large smiles on their faces. As Bucky went up to the gleaming, silver, condenser microphone, he cleared his throat as the orchestrator whispered something to his band in excitement in a hushed whisper. Suddenly everyone who has been playing an instrument looked more lively. They began to place down their string instruments, replacing them for brass trumpets and horns.
As Lucy realized what was happening her eyes widened and her jaw fell open. Her hand went to her chest to calm her quickly beating heart as a grin formed on her lips. She tried to contain it, but couldn't help as her smile stretched wide.
"I would like to dedicate this next song and dance to a beautiful young lady," Bucky said into the microphone, "My extraordinary wife, Lucy. I love you, baby, and this one's for you!" He said with a large smile and she shook her head in horror as she realized he was going to make a scene.
The band began playing "Can't Take My Eyes of You", by Frankie Valli; the very song Bucky had been singing to her earlier.
Her eyes were wide and scared as Bucky jumped down from the stage in dramatic excitement as the band's trumpets started blaring and a singer began. She suddenly was smiling wide as he raced up to her, everyone making room for the young couple to dance their hooligan moves to the swing music the band was all too eager to start playing.
"James, you are such trouble!" She gasped in horror, but the smile stretching on her face was unmistakable as he outstretched his hand to her.
"You said you wanted to dance, so let's dance! Show these old bags of bones what fun they're missin' out on." He winked as the music began to build more and more as the course approached. The singer's smooth voice was echoing throughout the room and filled people's ears, causing them to smile ever so slightly at the change in atmosphere.
"Remember that I'm not wearing any undergarm— BUCKY!" Lucy squealed as he picked her up and swung her over her shoulders in a complex move, not giving her the opportunity to say no to his offer. He made sure to keep his hands placed so she wouldn't reveal any of her intimate parts. Usually, when they did that move, her skirt flipped up, but he made sure to keep her modesty preserved.
She was giggling hard as soon as she landed with two feet on the ground. They danced like there was no one else in the room until other people started to join in on the fun. The young couple's energy and happiness were contagious as other folks who weren't so uptight were eager to join in on the fun.
Lucy moved like water, and although he had never been particularly good at dancing, it was easy to do it when she was such a good partner after the years of dance and theatre the Lee's made her take. Bucky mostly just did the grunt work of swinging her around, letting the fancy footwork fall on her shoulders.
She laughed as Bucky spun her around, and the look of explicit joy on her face made her heart pound hard in his chest. He tilted her down in a dip, his hands low on her waist and the crook of his nose buried in her neck intimately. She was so close that he could dip his tongue out to taste her, their bodies moving against one another. Her legs kicked out expertly as soon as he placed her upright and swung her around him again.
Just like that, a chain of reactions started, and the once stuffy party became more lively. While some people looked on in horror, others happily joined. They found themselves caring very little about anyone else's business, though. Instead, Bucky and Lucy were intensely transfixed on one another.
As he pulled her body in tightly from a spin, he noted how her chest rose and fell heavily with every exaggerated breath. Lucy's cheeks were flushed, and her smile stretched her pretty pink lips. She was giggling, her spirits clearly lifted. He hadn't even noticed she had kicked her heels to the side at one point, now dancing in her bare feet to avoid injury.
"Wanna do that run and jump we practiced at home ?" Bucky asked her with a mischievous wiggle of his eyebrows. His heart was pounding in his chest and he was out of breath, but he was smiling, regardless.
"Here? Like hell I do!" She exclaimed.
"C'mon, doll! I thought you didn't care about what people thought of us!" He laughed as she twirled in his arms again, kicking high at the end as the music continued to build and build to a more energetic pace.
"I don't! But I'm not particularly fond of you dropping me and breaking my neck!"
"You trust me?" He asked her softly, just like he had done a thousand times over. His eyes held something sincere, urging her to say yes.
"Not even a little bit." She shook her head in protest, although her grin was still plastered on her face.
He cocked his head, giving her a pressing look that he knew she couldn't resist. She sighed in an exasperated fashion, "Fine! Of course I trust you." In an instant, Lucy's anxiety faded away into nothingness.
She backed away from him, although still looking a little unsure. Lucy gave herself enough space so she could make a couple quick strides into his arms. People watched on as the band picked up their pace even more as Lucy raced forward.
Bucky held her with no problem, his hands going to her waist to hold her above his head as she was extended forward. Lucy was laughing as she held her form perfectly. The look on her face was something of pure, unadulterated joy. It showed they didn't need anyone's approval to be happy. They were young, hot-blooded, bold, and in love. All they needed was each other.
Bucky finally caught her effortlessly in his arms bridal style; they ignored the crowd as they clapped. Instead, they were only focused on one another as she rested in his arms.
"I love you so much." She giggled madly, her hair out of place as he held her tightly, his one arm under her knees and the other around her center.
"Love you too, baby," Bucky pressed a harsh kiss to her lips, not even giving her time to respond before he placed her on her feet. People all around them were dancing, finally happy and letting go of their inhibitions.
Seeing how they had their dance and usher in a way for all those up-tight people to relax a little, Bucky was finally ready to take his beaming wife back home.
"That's how you make an exit out of a goddamn party!" He said while breathing hard, laughing at what the two of them started. Some people were in merriment, less intense, and now having fun. Bucky dragged Lucy behind him as he held her hand tightly as she giggled. They passed by the women who had ridiculed them earlier, and Lucy paid them no mind as they glared daggers at the two of them.
"Now," Bucky spoke breathlessly with a smile as they passed by the women. They continued to look on in a mix of disapproval and envy at the couple. He pulled Lucy past them as she giggled and he pressed another kiss to her forehead, before whispering naughtily in her ear, "Let's go home and fuck,"
Lucy only smiled widely, throwing her head back in laughter, and slowly shaking her head in disapproval, "James Barnes, you're such a devil!" She exclaimed, although he heard no other protests to his offer.
Notes:
So, I'd like to point out that "Can't Take My Eyes of You", by Frankie Valli wasn't recorded until the 60s. But it was just too perfect, and I'm a sucker for 60s love songs. So I really did just say 'fuck it' to the timeline.
I hope you all enjoyed this little one shot. I will be posting more, semi-regularly until I work out all the kinks and problems of the sequel!
I will also consider taking requests for this story. So if you have any fluffy/smutty/other scenarios you wanna see, send 'em my way!
-Amelia
If you liked this first little chapter, please review/comment, follow/subscribe, and leave a favorite/kudos, depending on if you are reading on Fanfiction or Archive of Our Own!
Chapter 2: Professor, Please
Notes:
Oh, how I have missed my readers! Thank you all for your wonderful reviews/comments. I cannot tell you how pleased I was to see your usernames pop up again. I hope both my returning readers and some of my new readers who I am eager to hear from, enjoy this next little chapter.
Disclaimer: Sadly, let's just assume from here on out that I don't own Marvel.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Professor, Please
"My question to you, is how ethical is it to dig up the past? What gives us the right to disturb someone's home or burial place and remove them to display in public fashion? Next week I want a twelve-page paper on the role ethics plays in archaeology and the solutions you can present," Professor Lucy Heinrich lectured at her class by standing in the front of the full university hall.
It was a Tuesday afternoon, a little rainy and dreary, a deep fog shrouding the city of New York on that particular day in 1946. The weather turning colder made it particularly difficult for the young couple in a simple one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn to wake up and face their busy workdays.
Lucy always left before Bucky, bundled up in sweaters due to having to bus down to Columbia University in the early morning air. She had been a professor before the war, and after universities heard of how much she contributed to the Allied efforts of preserving art stolen from the Nazis, they were eager to get their hands on her when she returned.
She was ecstatic to be one of the few female professionals in her field; and as much as Bucky was excited too, he often missed his wife on the days she was teaching late.
Which was the exact reason why Bucky ducked out of his own work early and ended up on the other side of the city at Lucy's university. He tried to sneak in the best he could, not wanting to interrupt his wife's teaching. As he snuck in from the back, he moved his way between two students who looked remarkably irritated by the intruder who decided to show up to class so late.
His eyes caught to the woman at the front — truly the only one of her kind. As Bucky looked around the packed lecture hall, he could count on one hand how many other women were present in the class. He suddenly became very conscious of the young men who were staring dreamily down at their professor.
As Bucky sank into his seat, Lucy seemed to notice and her eyes flashed to the newcomer, "If you're going to show up with five minutes left in my lecture, it's best you don't show up at all." She snapped, clearing not knowing that the inconsiderate student was, in fact, her inconsiderate husband.
"Sorry, teach," Bucky said smoothly as he leaned back casually in his chair, a smirk on his lips, "Something held me up."
He noticed how his wife blinked a couple of times in shock once recognizing his low Brooklyn drawl. He saw how she was suddenly more rigid and less relaxed, "Don't let it happen again, Mr. Barnes. And I'd like you to stay late and talk to me after class to discuss your… behaviour." A twinkle of mischief sparkled in her eyes and Bucky couldn't help but cover his mouth with his hand to conceal the smug little look on his face from his wife's tone.
A young man beside him breathed out in clear frustration and muttered under his breath, "Lucky," Another sorry sap who had fallen deep under Lucy's spell.
Although thrown a little off her game from the intrusion of her husband, Lucy cleared her throat and turned back around to the black chalkboard. Bucky noticed how her skirt had little white marks of chalk on it from where she had rubbed her hands against it. He watched with a happy little smile on his face as he was able to observe the woman he loved doing what she did best.
She was sharp as a tack, and knew what she was doing despite the fact she was rarely treated with the same respect as her male colleagues. But still, there was something special about the way she taught that made her magnetic. Bucky couldn't take his eyes off her, even when she was turned around to write on the board. Her curly hair had a dark green little bow tied into it, and the back of her blouse was untucked from her skirt. There was a small snag in the back of her pantyhose, but despite the slight dishevelment of her appearance, she had an aura about her which commanded the attention of the people in the room.
As Lucy continued to lecture for the next few minutes, Bucky noticed how much her face lit up when she spoke of certain things. He loved that she was so happy with her career. And as frustrating as it was sometimes, he was glad he didn't have just a regular old housewife.
Most of his friends had wives who were stereotypical like that. They had dinner on the table every night by five, ready to fetch a beer from the fridge and put it in their husband's hands while vacuuming around in little tea dresses and always eager to have more children.
And sure, having a life like that would be nice, but it certainly wasn't the one for Bucky and Lucy. Lucy was driven, a career gal through and through; despite the disapproval of many who knew her. People often criticized her for not catering to her husband's every need, but they didn't care. They were happy, and no one could take that away from them.
It only reinforced to Bucky that their lifestyle was a perfect fit for them as he watched her light up at the front of the hall. She was rambling about something or another and her eyes sparkled as she spoke. His heart pounded a little faster as he saw his wife get so passionate about her work, and suddenly he was grinning again.
When Lucy noticed their time was up she dismissed the class, reminding them about their paper next week. Many who passed by her said goodbye, and a few asked questions regarding the lecture. Bucky waited until everyone had left before he casually sauntered down the steps of the lecture hall. His hands were in his pockets, a smirk on his face at the way his wife had her hands on her hips and looking at him in disapproval.
"Mr. Barnes, I think we need to discuss your tardiness." She said with a cocked brow, a look of teasing disappointment on her face. She had a playful look in her eyes as he approached, his palms getting sweaty and butterflies forming in his belly under her intense stare.
"You gonna punish me for it?" He teased her, blatantly flirting back.
"Well, I think I'm going to have to. Can't show favouritism to my students, after all." She said with a playful little glance and then turned around to erase all the chalk from the board behind her.
"Pretty sure I'm your favourite anyway." He winked, which made her smirk turn the corners of her pink lips upwards.
"What makes you say that?" She asked with a raised brow. Her backside was faced towards him as she moved her eraser up and down the board. His eyes couldn't help but be drawn into the sight of her appealing derrière, especially when she bent down to pick up a stray piece of chalk she dropped.
The front of his pants were suddenly getting tight and Bucky had to avert his eyes to keep his thoughts pure. He noticed a bright red apple on Lucy's desk a student had left and begun tossing it up in the air to casually distract himself as she tidied up her class.
"Because I'm the only one who takes you to bed." Bucky pointed out in a low voice as he bit into the apple, the explosion of sweetness hitting his tongue.
"As far as you know." She turned around to throw another wink at him, making him choke a little on the apple. She noticed what he was eating and scowled, rolling her eyes, "That was mine."
He shook his head in amusement at her disapproving glare as he sank his teeth into the flesh of the juicy fruit.
"So, you gonna tell me what you're doing here? Or am I just to assume you're lookin' for trouble?" She shifted her hips as her arms crossed over her chest as she looked at him. Her disapproving glare dissipated into something that reflected fondness.
"Always lookin' to get into trouble with you, professor." He assured her with a little chuckle. "Am I not allowed to visit my best gal at her work or somethin'?"
Lucy began to pack her little leather briefcase with papers. Her gaze shot up as he spoke, noticing how he finished his apple and tossed it in the wastebasket by her desk, "Best gal? Your only gal, I hope,"
Bucky chuckled, trying to push her buttons a little, "So you're not okay with my hoard of mistresses' then?"
"James Barnes, don't even joke about that." She huffed in irritation as she continued to tidy up.
Bucky noticed his wife's shift in mood and moved from his place he was leaning against her desk. Figuring she needed a little attention, he made his way up to her.
"C'mon baby, I'm only teasing. Besides, when would I even have time to take a mistress? You're more than enough woman for me!" He came up behind her to rub her arms tenderly as she placed papers in her bag. His thumbs drew little patterns on her upper arms as he felt her relax.
Lucy continued to place things in her bag. She made sure it was nice and tidy before turning around in his grasp so they could face once another. Suddenly her large doe eyes were staring into his and Bucky had to swallow a tightening feeling in his throat at the sight of them.
"Are you saying I'm difficult?" Lucy teased, although her tone was serious and Bucky's stomach sank with dread. He would have to answer carefully, or would otherwise get thrown in the doghouse.
He pursed his lips and shook his head, "Not at all. I would never suggest that." Not unless he wanted to sleep on the couch for the next two weeks.
"Good answer." She placed a kiss on his cheek gently, her soft lips causing his skin to burn and Bucky suddenly wanted more. Her hands went up to his chest, feeling the strong muscles underneath as he stared down intently at her. He kept his hands on her wrists, caressing them gently, and pulled her into the warmth of his body so he could hold her tightly.
"My ring slipped off again today. Nearly lost it in my office." She looked at the troublesome simple ornament on her finger as she ran her hands up his chest. The rings they wore were given to them by a friend, since they didn't have time to get proper ones while they were overseas. They never did fit quite perfectly, Lucy's being too loose and Bucky's too tight he could hardly get it off, even after getting them fitted a few times.
"I have to take my Pa's watch in to get looked at. I can bring your ring to get fixed as well." He told her gently, looking down at the simple gold band and thinking how pretty a little diamond would look on her dainty fingers, "Maybe get you a new one. A better one."
She frowned suddenly, a sadness forming on her flawless face, "I like this one, though," Although she came from wealth, Lucy wasn't the type to need fancy things to be happy. In fact, she was remarkably simple to please.
Bucky had begun to realize when she was upset the best thing to do was to return home with a bottle of wine and some warm food. Immediately, her eyes would light up and everything would be right in the world again. If he threw a book into the mix his day went from good to even better, and he knew he wouldn't just have a happy wife, but rather a happy and naked wife as well.
God, he loved being married. So, so much.
"You deserve nice things." He kissed the pillow of her bottom lip softly, his hands going up to her waist. He held her tenderly as his large palms trailed up and down the fabric of her blouse, there was nothing he wanted more than to sneak his hand up underneath it and touch her warm skin until he reached the back of her brassiere.
"I have nice things. I have a room of nice little books, and a nice radio, and a nice set of china. Plus, sometimes I even had a real nice husband too." She winked, "Although sometimes he's a little naughty." Lucy could feel his hand slipped further under her shirt, feeling her soft skin.
"He should spoil you more," Bucky replied with a hum as he gently nuzzled at her face, lightly touching his lips to her face.
"Well, I did have my eye on a sweet little number at a boutique on 6th street a couple of days ago." She raised an eyebrow like the devilish little minx she was.
Bucky's attention was suddenly piqued, "Does this sweet little number come with lace and silk?" He could hardly contain the smile on his lips as he thought about it.
"It might." She replied coyly. She was so smug and pleased with herself, it was almost irritating how much she had him wrapped around her little pinky finger.
"Done. It's already bought. I'll get it on my way home." He promised her, too eager to please her.
"You best be careful, buying women's lingerie will make people talk about what kinda couple we are. We don't want them to get the wrong idea."
"I couldn't give two shits about what type of couple people thought we were." Sure, it was a little scandalous to buy his wife lingerie, and he was positive it would earn several disapproving looks from the prude's in the boutique, and if word ever got back to his mother she would have his hide. But thankfully, Bucky was never one to care what people thought. "All I know is that we're happy."
She looked up at him with a sparkle in her eyes and a small smile on her lips. Contentment was on her face, and in a sincere voice she only said, "We are happy, aren't we?"
"Of course we are." He was the happiest he had been in a long time. Mainly because his home was a place of peace and harmony. There was very little strife between them, except for the odd fight which would end in rage and harsh words, until they had a few quiet moments to themselves and returned sorry and missing one another.
Sometimes when he thought of the war or Steve, things would come crashing down. But Lucy was always there to keep him anchored and take care of him. When he woke up in the middle of the night from a nightmare she would always be there to bring him back to reality, letting him put his face in the crook her neck as she stroked his sweaty hair, gently whispering how everything would be okay.
Sometimes he wondered if she had nightmares about their time in Europe too. She must have, given the fact she would sometimes wake up with dark circles under her eyes and would be stifling yawns all day. Lucy never said anything though, suffering in silence to make sure he was well taken care of. Bucky just wished he knew how to comfort her as she did to him.
"Good." Lucy said softly, a reflection of love in her eyes which then turned into something more mischievous, "Would hate to have us both seek out something else."
"Like half those young fellas in your lectures who were gazing up at you with love in their eyes?" He snorted, pointing out with a little bit of bitterness in his voice. He imagined being in their place at eighteen or nineteen years old, wet behind the ears, and still not exactly sure what to do with women. Having a distracting specimen such as Lucy as a professor would certainly have been difficult.
Hell, he was almost a decade older than those lads and he was still having a hard time with not being distracted while she was at the front of the class. Keeping his thoughts pure had certainly been a struggle, and half the time Lucy had been up there he had been fantasizing about how she would look bent over her desk.
Lucy retorted in a playful voice, "Jealous?"
"Please." Bucky scoffed, "Those green boys wouldn't know what to do with a woman like you."
"And you do?" Amusement was clear in her tone.
"Considering how you scream my name I don't think I have anything to be too concerned about," Bucky replied, confident in his performances. Until finally, a little bit of insecurity weaseled its way in, "Why? Any complaints?" He cleared his throat, a little nervous as pink settled on his cheeks.
"None so far." She shook her head, a light expression on her pretty face.
"I didn't think so. Not after I had you all giddy last night like a schoolgirl." He poked her side as she grabbed her bag, trying to organize and tidy for the next class that was scheduled to take place.
"I was not giddy like a schoolgirl!" She protested in shock, her mouth falling open slightly in horror.
"You were, and you were all over me, don't deny it." He protested, crossing his arms over his chest as Lucy tried to save face. He knew the truth though, she has been all giggly and laughing, her cheeks red and ears pink from their earlier physical activities. He couldn't even go brush his teeth alone after that, his wife clinging to him like a damn koala bear and kissing his shoulder and back as he spat his toothpaste into the sink.
Lucy's eyes narrowed, not liking being told how she was acting and being proved wrong. She also hated seeming needy and vulnerable, "Would you rather I didn't do those things?" Bucky's heart skipped a beat, and he knew he had to answer carefully yet again. Although being married to Lucy was easy, sometimes it was like being married to a ticking time bomb.
He replied quickly, "Not at all." The attention was nice, even if a little overbearing at times. But it was a side to Lucy he wasn't used to seeing, and only emerged after she had been brought to a climax a couple of times.
Lucy grabbed her other papers and shoved them into her bag, a little less carefully than the last ones she had so meticulously put away. "Good. Because you know there are a lot of married folks out there who only have sex for procreation and not pleasure, right? You better thank your lucky stars I'm not like that, even if I am giddy. I'm pretty sure half the ladies at my parents' country clubs haven't even gone near their husbands in years."
"I thank my lucky stars every day, doll." Bucky went behind her and moved her hair off of her shoulder so he had access to her neck. He couldn't imagine his wife only touching him just for the sake of having some kid pop out nine months later. "You're so sweet for me."
Lucy turned her face, her eyes fluttering closed a little as Bucky kissed her neck. His tongue darted out to gently taste her, before biting at her throat teasingly.
"And don't you forget it," Lucy said smugly. She then lightly slapped him on the face in a form of a love tap.
"Ow," Bucky joked, letting out a brief chuckle as his hand went up to his tender skin, "You trying to add to all my scars?" Lucy squinted to see what he was talking about and saw he had split open part of his eyebrow, yellow bruising forming under the small amount of medical tape holding it together. Unfortunately, it was an occupational hazard of being a boxer.
"I wonder what the other guy looks like," She laughed, her thumb gently going to touch his wound. He winced a little at her touch, making her sigh in irritation, "I do wish you would pick another career that didn't involve you getting beat up."
He took her hand that was touching his skin and gently pressed it against his lips, kissing it softly. "Sorry, I'll be more careful."
"I should hope so. I'm only with you for your pretty face."
Bucky cocked a curious eyebrow, "Not my excessive amounts of wealth, or brilliance, or superb lovemaking skills?"
"You possess none of those things." Lucy quipped back smartly. He pinched her in retaliation, making her squeal and try to wiggle out his arms, despite the fact he pulled her right back in.
"Hey! I beg to differ! One of those is definitely true!"
"Mhmm, which one?" She hummed, her arms wrapped around his shoulders tightly as his hands settled on her slender waist. He walked her into her desk so the back of her thighs was pressed against it.
"My brilliance, obviously." Bucky joked, acting like that should have been apparent, "We both know my bedroom skills are subpar at best." She knew immediately he was fishing for compliments.
Lucy assured him, "Awe, don't be too hard on yourself! I still prefer you over my many other lovers." She teased.
"Well, that's a relief! Don't think I'd do well as a bachelor again." When he had been a bachelor Bucky didn't think anything could compare to it. Dating around, experimenting with different girls, and going out and painting the town red wasn't something that interested him after he met Lucy. Despite the fact they might not have had an instant connection, he only had eyes for her once they grew closer.
"You wouldn't even know how to tie your shoes without me," Lucy assured him, her grip on his shoulders continued to tighten as she sat down on her desk and he stepped between her parted thighs.
"Well, what about you? You think you could manage without me?" It was getting increasingly difficult to come up with witty retorts to meet hers when she was drawing patterns on the skin of the back of his neck with her perfectly lacquered fingernails.
"Oh, I know I could." She was a woman, after all. They were incredibly resourceful and were able to make a home out of anything. Bucky pinched her side again, causing him to snicker as she squealed once more. "Fine!" She admitted irritatedly, exhaling a deep sigh in defeat. Her eyes flashed to his, and she had a small grin on the corner of her upturned lips, "We're better together." She admitted softly.
"Well, then why didn't you just say so, Mrs. Barnes?" He insisted as he took her chin in his grip and then leaned down to capture her lips in a passionate kiss.
For a moment Lucy was dazed under her husband's administrations. Bucky's hands cupped her face gently as he stood over her form. He kissed her until she couldn't breathe, his tongue sliding into her mouth. He gripped her a little tighter, making her gasp. He took advantage of her open mouth, kissing her even deeper.
She let out a little moan at his intensity, and Bucky found himself wondering why the hell he had waited so long to kiss her. Her lips against his brought him back to life after such a long day. She tugged on his hair, her hands running through it as he steadily held her slender waist. Their teeth clashed against one another, only adding to the building heat.
"Buck—Bucky, what are you doing?" Lucy asked, a little breathless and dazed. Her cheeks were flushed pink, her hair a little messier, and falling partially out of its little bow.
"What's it look like?" He asked her before bending down to capture her mouth once more. He was desperate for her, craving her lips on his far more than what was acceptable.
"Mmm, looks like you want me to lose my job." Lucy hummed as he began to kiss up her neck.
"If it means you get to spend more time with me, then sure, that's exactly what's happening."
"And then we'd be out on the streets." Despite the fact Lucy was remarkably successful in her professional life, the university refused to pay her the salary she had been getting before the war.
Since she was a wife, she was expected to make less than her husband. They would never pay her the same as a man, and lowered her income to be even less than Bucky's, claiming it was so she wouldn't get the 'wrong idea'. They didn't think it was a good idea for a wife to humiliate her husband by earning more than him.
And unfortunately, a boxer's wages were quite slim. To afford their apartment in Brooklyn, they needed both their incomes. The two of them were outraged by the blatant sexism, but not a single lawyer wanted to take on their case against the University of Columbia. They told her that since Lucy was a woman, she was lucky to be teaching there at all.
"Don't care," Bucky whispered against her lips before trying to swoop in again to capture them with bruising pressure. Lucy allowed it, much to his pleasure.
Their tongues met roughly and he lifted her thighs around his waist tighter. His hand went up to her pantyhosed-clad limb, wishing he could feel the softness of her skin. Lucy let out a little gasp as he bit her bottom lip. He pressed himself between her legs so her body was firmly slotted against his.
He couldn't help but stifle a groan through the kiss, wanting —-no, needing — more of her. She tasted like coffee and hints of peppermint, her tongue brushing along his. He held her face tightly, not wanting to separate for a moment.
"We have to stop!" Lucy said much to her chagrin, her disappointment evident on her face. Bucky knew she was right, but that didn't mean he had to like it. He kept hoping she would change her mind and foolishly toss caution to the wind, "I have another class in fifteen minutes and sometimes my students arrive early." Lucy was suddenly a little flustered, her cheeks beet red for engaging in something so inappropriate.
"So, you're saying we should put on a good show for 'em?" He retorted back in a joke, causing her to playfully hit his chest in retaliation for his crude comment.
"James!" She gasped in horror, about to put her feet back on the group and hop off the desk so he could no longer attack her with kisses.
"I'm teasing!" He defended himself, chuckling lowly. "But hell, sweetheart. I'd be lying if I said I never fantasized about fucking you on this desk." He admitted as he ran a hand through his hair.
"Oh, you are so awful!" She gasped in horror, but she wasn't fooling anyone; least of all him. Bucky watched as Lucy's expression went from scandalized, to amused, and then she bit her lip flirtatiously as she looked him hungrily up and down, "How would you do it?"
Bucky nuzzled her neck, "Well, I'd start off by kissing you until you were a sopping mess." He sucked on her sensitive skin, causing a shiver to run down her spine. "And then I'd wait until you were begging for me,"
"Go on," She encouraged, her mouth slightly open in pleasure as he continued to kiss up and down her neck. His teeth grazed her throat, his tongue dipping into the hollow of it. She pulled him in tighter between her legs and he felt her squirm in his grasp. Her hands tangled in his dark hair as he gently tasted her.
"And then I'd dip my fingers into your panties to see if you were ready for me. I'd rip them off of you, and turn you around, spread your legs and take you from behind," He said in a low, raspy voice. Just as Bucky was about to swoop down and plant another kiss on her delicate neck, he felt her hands in his chest, stopping him.
Lucy had a disapproving scowl on her face, "Not very romantic," She wondered why he wouldn't describe any foreplay, a little disappointed he didn't indulge her more.
He tapped her hip, "Gotta be quick if we don't wanna be caught," Was all he retorted with, "How's that sound?"
"It sounds like I'd rather you take your sweet time with me and give me the attention I deserve." Lucy quipped back, unimpressed as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Remember how we never had time for all that back in the war? We had to be quick. It's gonna be just like that." So, he wasn't as smooth as usual. Of course, under any other circumstance, Bucky would have told her how he would spend so much time between her legs she wouldn't even remember her own name. But for some reason, he was particularly distracted by their precarious position, and the fact her cleavage was on display definitely didn't help, either.
"Well, we're not in the war anymore, Sergeant." Lucy emphasized, her tone full of sass, "We won, in case you forgot."
"I remember," Bucky promised, "Just testing you." He replied lamely.
Lucy remained unamused, her eyebrow cocking up. Until finally she rolled her eyes, annoyed with herself for finding him charming rather than irritating. Bucky grinned even wider when he saw her smile emerge.
"You really think I'm gonna give in, huh?" Lucy asked as she played with his shirt collar, still allowing him to rest between her thighs, his hands up and down them.
Bucky tried to muster the best puppy dog eyes he could. He was met with the unforgiving glare of his wife, "Professor, please?" He asked sweetly.
She cocked an eyebrow, "You gonna actually make it worth my while?"
"Pretty sure I have to now." He admitted, realizing his mistake when he suggested they just have a quickie, "C'mon, when have I ever not taken care of my girl first?" He asked her in bewilderment, wondering where she got the crazy idea that he wouldn't put effort into pleasing her, even if it was a little rushed.
She sighed, knowing he was right, "Well, that's true." With a sudden devilish smirk, she had a little twinkle in her eye that sparkled with trouble, "Well, Mr. Barnes, perhaps if you ever attended my office hours we could return to the matter? That way you could take your sweet time with me."
"Knew there was a reason why you were my favourite professor," Bucky joked before readying to lean down and kiss her again. His hand slid behind her neck so he could hold her steady.
His mouth was slightly open, hoping to capture Lucy's lips again in a desperate kiss. Their conversation had got him going, and he needed their bodies pressed against one another to alleviate some of the tension.
Lucy stopped him again, making him groan in annoyance, "If you leave me now and go home and wait patiently I'll call in sick tomorrow and we can play hookey together," She suggested.
To say Bucky was shocked to hear his wife, who was a stickler for rules, wanted to play hooky with him was an understatement.
"If we're playing hooky tomorrow I don't see any reason why I shouldn't spoil you for the momentous occasion." It wasn't every day she wanted to break the rules, "Where exactly was that little boutique on 6th street you were talkin' about?" He said with a large smile.
Lucy was smiling widely too, just as she was about to take his face and kiss him again, the classroom door opened and Lucy shoved Bucky away, nearly making him stumble. She giggled as he nearly fell, a little shocked she pushed him so hard to avoid getting caught.
An unsuspecting student made their way into the class, not even paying attention that his professor had just been fooling around with her husband on the desk.
"And uhhh, I expect that you won't be late again, right Mr. Barnes?" Lucy tried to save face the best she could, flustered with her reddened cheek. She was fixing up her skirt and hair, attempting to make herself look presentable again.
"Uhhh, right!" Bucky played along, "Never again, professor." He agreed.
More students made their way in, and Lucy tried to hide her smile at Bucky, "Now get out of here, you troublemaker." She warned him, her voice reflecting fondness. The way she was leaning against her desk and looking at him reinforced the notion that she really didn't want him to go.
"No kiss?" He asked in horror, whispering as loudly as he could without someone hearing.
"How about a professional handshake?" Lucy offered, much to Bucky's disappointment and bemusement. He had an unimpressed look on his face. Bucky rolled his eyes, not at all happy with this new arrangement.
With a sigh, and then a little smirk as a devilish thought manifested in his mind, Bucky put his hand out for her to shake it. As Lucy grasped his hand, he suddenly pulled her in tightly, making her squeal, "See you at home, beautiful." He planted a sneaky kiss on her cheek.
Despite Lucy making a little huff in frustration at his relentlessness, the large smile she had on her face afterward told him a different story. And as Bucky walked home, he was pretty sure his smile matched hers the entire way.
Notes:
I hope you enjoyed reading this little chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! I'll be posting the next one in a couple of days!
Thanks for reading,
-A
To make my day please review/comment, follow/favorite, and bookmark/leave kudos!
Chapter 3: Happy Birthday, Bucky!
Notes:
So, I originally wrote this for Kinktober! Unfortunately, I had such a chaotic month I never got around to posting it! Tbh, I've never had any desire to participate in Kinktober before. But since I've been doing one-shots, I figured I might as well! Plus, I received a couple of PMs asking me about it. Although it's over, I thought I'd try to make an effort to publish this chapter anyway since it was already written.
Content Warning: Adult content ahead. Brief amounts of oral sex.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Happy Birthday, Bucky!
Bucky Barnes awoke the morning of his twenty-ninth birthday in a sour mood. Mostly because he was one year closer to thirty, but also for other reasons.
Traffic had been extraordinarily loud that particular March 10th of 1946. He had been looking forward to sleeping in after finally getting a day off of work. But as he was peacefully slumbering away in the sunlight drifting in from the window, honking and yelling filled the streets below as a commotion was started.
Bucky groaned in annoyance, muttering something like 'shut up' under his breath as the situation was elevated and the voices outside got louder. Clearly, there had been some road rage because all of a sudden cuss words were floating towards his apartment.
Groaning again, he took his pillow and shoved it on top of his face, partially hoping to drown out the noise, and partially hoping to suffocate himself. When he tried to doze back off, he stretched across in the morning light that fell on the white bedsheets with blue flowers.
The sun was warm that morning; warm enough so he could kick the floral duvet cover further down to the foot of the bed so it was wrapped around his bare waist. He never got back in his pajamas following Lucy stripping them off of him to make love the night before. She purposefully had planned it so his birthday was rung in with heated kisses and their bodies conjoined. By the time they had finished, he was too exhausted to put any other clothes back on, falling asleep and snoring loudly after rolling off of her.
He was glad he hadn't put anything back on, though. The sun felt good on his aching shoulder, heating it up so it wouldn't be so stiff. The cold had always made it worse, but as his skin basked in the sunlight, it didn't feel so bad.
Bucky was awoken more when he felt the presence beside him stir. Underneath his pillow, he slowly came to, stifling a yawn as he reached his arm across the bed. He had hoped to find the warm body of his wife so he could wrap himself around her and take in the heat of her bare body against his.
Bucky figured that they would start out the day by holding one another, drifting in and out of consciousness for the next twenty minutes or so. Because it was his birthday he figured Lucy would eventually start kissing up his skin, her lips trailing up his body. He was already half-hard since it was the morning, and with Lucy's soft lips all over him, it wouldn't take long for him to become a little more lively.
Bucky wondered just how far she would trail her lips, and if she would treat him by taking him in her mouth as she pleasured him on her knees. Immediately, the thought of it brought him to a better mood.
Bucky felt the bed shift and couldn't help but let out a small snicker as he felt something nuzzle him. He was about to arise to capture Lucy's lips when he felt something that was much too hairy to be his wife planting kisses on his skin. The tongue was wiry and rough and immediately Bucky was tossing the pillow back in annoyance to see what could have done such a thing.
Bucky threw the pillow only to see the stupid stray cat his wife had been feeding and letting saunter into the apartment sitting on the bed, purring like no one's business and looking incredibly smug about its intrusion.
It's white fluffy tail twitched in amusement at Bucky's irritated expression. He scowled as he saw the creature and quickly shoved it off the bed before the sheets could get it dirty. The cat leaped to the floor with a meow of annoyance. It peered up at Bucky from the ground, looking at him as though he had just murdered its entire family before its very eyes.
Bucky shooed the cat away and sighed before twisting in bed. After he rolled over, he once again roamed his hands over the sheets, hoping to find Lucy waiting there. Instead, there was only a fistful of fabric.
Sighing again, he tossed his legs over the edge of the bed. There was a distinct smell of burning drifting from somewhere in the apartment and he wondered what on earth Lucy had gotten up to.
Now he wasn't under the covers, he noticed the air was a little chillier than he had expected. He grabbed a clean pair of boxers from his drawer and put them on as he yawned. The cat continued to meow at the door as Bucky got ready. Finally, when he was ready to depart and opened the bedroom door to the hallway the animal took off like a bat out of hell.
Bucky couldn't help but chuckle as it's little body ran down the hallway. He sauntered on after it, moving past the couple pictures of family that stared at him from their spots hanging on the walls.
He walked into their simple little kitchen, only to be greeted by a billow of smoke and Lucy coughing as she tried to use a dish towel to help control it by waving it around.
Bucky leaned against the wall in amusement as Lucy opened the window and tried to direct smoke out of it. She waved the fabric around madly, coughing a bit in the process as she groaned in annoyance.
He had a grin on his face as he saw her fluttering around the kitchen on the pads of her little bare feet. She danced around the cracked linoleum tile, trying to be as quiet as she could be as she ushered the smoke outside while muttering cuss words to herself in frustration.
Finally, Bucky made himself known to the struggling woman, "You tryin' to burn the apartment down?"
Lucy gasped in surprise, having thought she was alone on that early morning. She held her hand to her heart in shock and she laughed suddenly from the intruder. "You would think that wouldn't you!"
"Sweetheart, burning down the house with me inside it is not the way to go if you're trying to kill me." Bucky moved from his place against the wall to help Lucy with trying to thin out the thick cloud of smoke. Grabbing a tea towel and waving it around, Lucy only chuckled darkly.
"Please! Arson is a rookie move. If I wanted to get rid of you, I'd just put a small amount of rat poison in your coffee every day until you finally succumbed." She said casually as the smoke finally died down. The smell still lingered in the air, but thankfully they were no longer choking on it.
Bucky closed the window, snapping the locks of it into place as Lucy returned the cloths they had been using to their proper places, "Uh-huh. And then what would you do after I was dead?"
She shrugged, "Probably take your fortune and run away with my other husband."
"Not a nice thing to say to me on my birthday." He reminded her, thinking she might have forgotten. Although he knew she didn't since she was up so early.
She had a confused look on her face, twisting her expression like she was thinking deeply, "Mmm, no. There's no way it could be today. It was last year, I remember it well."
Bucky chuckled as he stared down at her. She had an amused little smirk on her pretty face, and he could tell she had woken up early to put on makeup and make herself pretty for him, "Then why are you so dolled up this early?"
"Oh, this?" She played with a perfectly curled tendril of hair, twisting it around her finger as she feigned innocence, "I just woke up like this!"
Bucky raised an eyebrow, seriously doubting she woke up already wearing lipstick, "I bet you did," He knew for a fact that Lucy did not wake up looking as effortlessly as she did at that moment. Her hair was always messy, her face a little puffy after rubbing out the sleep from her eyes and the remnants of drool would sometimes be on her chin. But still, Bucky wouldn't want to wake up to anything else.
"It's definitely not your birthday." Lucy fought him, even though at midnight exactly, as soon as they had finished their little wrestle between the sheet and Bucky had just begun dozing off, Lucy had gently placed a kiss on his shoulder and whispered happy birthday to him.
"Of course it's today! You didn't forget, did you?" Bucky asked her jokingly as he pulled her into him and began kissing her face madly, making her squirm. Lucy's protests soon turned to giggles as he wrapped his arms around her tightly. Bucky's lips peppered her cheeks, nose, lips, and forehead over and over again.
"I'd never forget." She assured him before placing a kiss on his nose as well, "Happy birthday, Bucky."
"Mmm. Thanks, dollface." He hummed back as he was about to lean down and capture her lips properly. Lucy stopped him from doing so and her eyes had a glimmer of playfulness with her hands on his chest.
"Speaking of birthdays," She began with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows, "It might be yours but I wore a very special outfit for the occasion." She backed away slowly out of his arms so he could get a good look at what she was wearing.
Lucy stood in the sunlight of their small kitchen and wore a tiny apron that had checkered white and blue squares on it. She was grinning like a madwoman, a smile stretched along her face.
Bucky tried to see if she was wearing some small new dress under her apron, but only shook his head in confusion after pursing his lips, "It doesn't really look like you're wearing anything under there." The top of the apron was high enough to cover her chest, only showcasing her bare collarbones and shoulders.
"You tell me." She winked at him and turned around ever so slightly, revealing to him her bare backside and showing him that she was totally naked underneath the apron.
Bucky's eyes widened slightly and a large smile formed on his face, "It's my birthday but you're the one wearing your birthday suit?"
"Surprise!" She laughed before returning to the stove where she had been trying to cook.
"Surprise, indeed." Bucky in low approval as he ogled Lucy's bare body as she turned around and bent over. His mouth was suddenly dry and his boxers were getting tight as blood rushed to his lower body. All he wanted was to keep her bent over like that and ravage her.
Bucky came up behind her and began kissing up her bare neck and shoulders, holding her body against his firmly so her bottom was held tight against his pelvis. She wiggled it a little just to tease him, causing him to stifle a groan. His nose was in the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent. His hands went from her hips which rubbed gentle circles up and down and then eventually settled on her waist.
Bucky's tongue flicked out to taste her skin. He could still taste the salty remnants of sweat from their rigorous activities the night prior. His mouth trailed behind her ear, sucking at the tender spot and making her snicker and shy away from the way it tickled.
"You're poking me," She giggled as Bucky's troublesome hand slipped under her apron as his tongue gently caressed the tender skin of her throat. He continued to gently move against her, letting her bare backside feel his hardening length.
"My apologies," He hummed as he began to grind into her. "I didn't think you'd mind it." He tasted her as he sucked a dark purple mark onto the porcelain skin he was focusing on. His pelvis continued to grind into her backside, hoping she could feel the desire building in him from how much he was lusting after her.
Lucy giggled again and moved her hips against him, causing Bucky to groan as his hands dipped further into her apron to her parted thighs. His fingers ran through her, collecting the wetness that had been gathering there. He smirked, knowing she had been thinking of something just as naughty as he had been, "Usually I wouldn't, but I have this mess to take care of." She let out a little sigh as his fingers continued their administrations, gently rubbing the little bundle of nerves there as he continued to gently grind his hardness against her heat.
Burning once again filled his nostrils and he was suddenly staring down at what was keeping Lucy's attention at bay when he could be happily bending her over the table and making her moan so loud it would cause the neighbours to make a fuss.
Bucky frowned at the contents Lucy was making in her pan on the stove, "What are they?" He questioned with a cocked eyebrow, removing his hands from her thighs and placing his fingers in his mouth to clean them of her sticky arousal. The taste of her which he was all too familiar with assaulted his tongue, and Lucy's eyes grew wide at his actions.
Lucy blushed at the sight, her chest rising and falling heavier at his lurid display. Bucky could only smirk like the smug bastard he was, knowing he was driving her insane. Lucy shook her head as though she had been in a daze and cleared her throat, trying to focus on what she had been doing.
"I'm trying," She sighed in irritation, rubbing her face in annoyance at her own failure, "To cook you pancakes," Lucy tossed down her spatula on the counter as she gave up. It clambered down against the wooden surface, making a noise that made the cat scurry under the table.
Bucky would have never guessed in a million years that what Lucy was trying to make were pancakes. Dark hockey puck-like black circles stared up at him from the pan, looking completely inedible.
"You're doing somethin' with pancakes, doll. But I can tell you right now you ain't cookin them," He said with a chuckle as he placed his chin on her shoulder, "You're burning them real nice, though," He took the discarded spatula and took some of the burnt spheres in the pan and dumped them on the garbage.
Lucy huffed in annoyance as she sat down on the kitchen chair with a huff, "I'm such a bad wife," She whimpered.
"What are you talking about?" Bucky demanded, "You're the best wife!" He exclaimed as he placed the rest of the pancakes in the trash. Perhaps he was a little biased and wasn't quite thinking with his head. His other head had little too much sway at the moment, still standing proud for her. Bucky had to adjust his boxers so he was a little more comfortable.
"No, I'm not! I don't do anything a good wife is supposed to do." She pinched the bridge of her nose. Bucky's heart sank a little as he watched Lucy beat herself up over something so insignificant.
"You do everything a good wife is supposed to! You support me, you make me happy, you love me. Isn't that all that matters?" He came up behind her where she sat on her chair and rubbed her shoulders gently, attempting to comfort her. "You just can't cook or clean." He added. To be fair, she never really had to when growing up in the Lee's household. Someone had always done it for her.
Lucy snickered for a moment at his joke and then sighed in defeat, "I feel like sometimes you want me to be one of those wives who has time to make everything spick and span in the house. And has a full course meal ready as you walk through the door. One that gets you beers from the fridge and spends the day vacuuming in little tea dresses and catering to you." The typical housewife. Bucky had never wanted one of those, and knew he was much happier with Lucy pursuing her passions, "One who's eager to get on her back and spread her legs and never talks back."
Bucky couldn't help but make a joke as his arms crossed against his chest, "Well, you nailed the first part of that." There were no complaints from him about their bedroom life. Because Lucy was a less traditional type of gal, she was different in the sheets than some of the other ladies he had been with in the past, "I could go without all the lip, though," He winked at her, his smirk spreading across his face.
Apparently, that wasn't the right thing to say at the moment. Lucy huffed and her shoulders sunk in disappointment. Her voice grew quiet as she refused to meet his gaze, "And a wife who pops children out like no one's business, and isn't just afraid of them." She continued, biting her lip and looking down to where her hands gripped the chair's edge tightly.
Bucky got down so he could meet her gaze. He knelt in front of where she sat, but Lucy's hazel eyes never met his own."You know I don't want that. I don't want a typical wife. I just want you." He softly lifted her chin with his finger so she could look at him.
Despite the fact he was trying to be sweet, Lucy took his words like it was a bullet to the chest, it further reminded her what a poor job she was doing, and how she wished she could sometimes just be a typical wife. Bucky knew she often worried he would get fed up with her lack of effort and eventually leave.
Finally, she voiced what was truly bothering her, "I can't even house a child in my own body like I should be able to." Her voice cracked a little as she spoke. His heart sank a little at her words and a frown settled deep on Bucky's brow. He could swear he almost saw tears in her eyes.
His hand went to hold hers that rested on her knee, attempting to provide comfort to her, "Is that what this is all about?" Bucky asked her softly.
Lucy never replied, but instead just bit her lip and refused to look at him. Her eyes focused on anything but his own. She fixated on any small detail that would take her attention away.
Both Bucky and Lucy wanted to wait a few years before having children. Mostly, to enjoy their marriage, but also because Lucy had severe anxiety about kids. She wasn't very good with them and got incredibly nervous while in their presence. She wasn't a particularly maternal person either and didn't want to have children too early and be forced to give up the career she worked and sacrificed so much for.
But when did life ever go as planned?
There had been an incident near the end of the war. It was before Bucky had fallen from the train and injured his arm, and before Steve had died in the Valkyrie. It was right after Bucky and Lucy had gotten married, and they hadn't been cautious enough as newlyweds.
Lucy discovered she was pregnant. She was only a couple months along when she was discharged from the army and sent back to the United States. In the first couple of weeks back in New York there had been a car accident, causing her to miscarry the baby. He knew despite the fact she was terrified to be a mother, Lucy resented herself every day for not being able to sustain her pregnancy.
"That had nothing to do with you." Bucky whispered as he held her hand, "And I know it was hard at the time, but we know now we weren't ready for it."
"Yet, I still feel awful." She gripped his hand that was on her leg, squeezing it tightly, "I know you wanted it and I couldn't do the one thing I was supposed to." Lucy let out a small hiccup as she focused away from him. She hated being vulnerable, even though Bucky was the one person she could allow such emotion to show without judgment.
Bucky gently gripped her by the back of her neck. His hands tangled in her hair, and he made her look him in the eye. Her hazel orbs were glossed over and unspilled tears threatened to tip over the edge. "Hey," He whispered softly and kissed her forehead, "We still have lots of time. We weren't ready, and next time we will be." He promised her.
"But what if I can't —,"
He cut her off, "We'll figure something out." He wouldn't allow her to think like that. Bucky refused to let Lucy blame herself for the miscarriage, "When we're good and ready."
She nodded, swallowing down her tears, "You're right." Lucy rubbed her face, blinking back the tears and hoping for them to disappear. She stood up from the chair, causing him to rise to his feet. He took her in his arms and held her tightly against him. Pressing kisses in her hair, he inhaled the scent of faded shampoo, "I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm so sensitive today. I think it's because your mother called a dozen times yesterday to make sure I had everything prepared for your big day. I feel like she has no faith in me."
"She does," Bucky assured her, although it was a little bit of a lie. He was purposefully trying to spare Lucy's feelings. Winifred Barnes liked her daughter-in-law, but that didn't mean she agreed with her lifestyle. The two women had butted heads a couple times, especially when it came down to what they thought Bucky needed from a wife.
Lucy snorted, "Are you sure? Because she offered to bring breakfast over this morning because deep down she had a feeling I couldn't make it." Her scowl grew a little more as she thought about the insult. She then sighed and defeatedly looked at the mess of flour and eggs on the counter, "She was right."
"Wasn't really hungry for pancakes this morning anyway," Bucky promised her, hoping his stomach wouldn't grumble and expose his lie.
"I can make eggs!" Lucy said proudly. She broke the yoke each time, but that just meant she had become very good at scrambling them. There had been a few times where Bucky had been eating them and got a couple crunchy bites, clearly from parts of the shells that had been incorporated.
But he never told her, and spit them out in the trash when she wasn't looking to avoid hurting her feelings. It was small victories that counted for her when it came to domestic matters.
"I have something else in mind that I'd rather have for breakfast," With his hands on her waist, he backed her up into the kitchen table and made her sit on it. Neither one cared that her bare bottom was against the surface where they ate, knowing much more inappropriate things had taken place on that very table, and that they could easily clean it later.
"Is that so?" She wondered what her husband was getting up to, especially since he had a devilish look in his gun-metal grey eyes. "Care to enlighten me?"
Bucky took her face in his large hands and pulled her forward until they were kissing heatedly. Lucy let out a little mewl the moment her mouth opened up to this tongue. Their teeth clashed violently as the fire that fueled their passion only grew. Bucky spread her legs further so he could move between them, getting access to her parted thighs.
Her hands ran through his hair, running her fingers through his dark locks. His tongue caressed hers as he tried to deepen the kiss. Bucky could feel Lucy smiling against his lips, causing the corners of his mouth to upturn as well. His stomach flipped in excitement, and once again the heat between them had returned.
He grabbed a handful of her ass, squeezing it firmly and wanting to see it marked red by his handprints after spanking it. His stomach flipped as desired coursed through him, and suddenly he was ready to take his sweet little wife right then and there on the kitchen table.
He parted her silky thighs even more. His hands gently tugged at her apron ties, trying to get them loose. Bucky pulled away from their kiss, despite her desperate pleas, and placed his lips on her ankle, trailing up her calves and moving up her thighs until he was ready to get on his knees and place his face under her apron and between her legs.
"No!" Lucy quickly protested, stopping him, much to Bucky's dismay, "It's your birthday! I should be the one doing this," She tugged at the waistband of his boxers, giving him a little smirk. She could see his hard-on through the material and she bit her lip in anticipation of it.
Sure, Lucy might not have fulfilled the other wifely duties of the times, but there was one she was always eager for. It was an act that most wives had considered taboo and degrading, but one Lucy had no issue with. In fact, she was usually all too excited to have her ego stroked (while she stroked something else) since Bucky could never contain his wanton groaning and moaning of her name. The string of filthy cuss words that left his lips and filled their room was more than enough to give her a pat on the back.
Bucky nearly groaned at the thought of Lucy on her knees in front of him, but he had something else in mind still that he wanted to do since getting a taste of her earlier. He continued to kiss up her parted thighs, moving further upwards to the apex of them where her awaiting heat beckoned him onward.
"Exactly, it's my birthday. And if I wanna eat my girl out until she can't breathe, then that's what I'm gonna do." Bucky threatened, causing a shiver to run down her spine in anticipation.
Lucy leaned back on the kitchen table, her hair sprawled out like an angel halo and making his stomach flip yet again. Bucky continued to place kisses up her legs, wanting to devour her whole but wishing for her to shake in anticipation of it first.
Just as his hands glided over her thighs and he blew a breath of hot air against her core, making her shiver, they were suddenly both aware of the smell of burning filling the room yet again.
"Oh! The bacon!" Lucy gasped in horror, sitting upright and quickly shoving him off of her. Bucky was surprised, to say the least, having been ready to sink his teeth into her and get a taste. He was dazed for a moment as Lucy left him high and dry. His mouth had been practically salivating and had been ready to dip his tongue into her essence. He rubbed his face in annoyance and nearly pulled her right back to what they had just been doing.
Bucky tried to ignore the fact he was now very aroused, the evidence of it showing through his boxer shorts as he stood there in the middle of the kitchen as Lucy rushed to open the window again.
As soon as she opened the oven's door smoke billowed into the room and they were both coughing, "I purposefully put it in the oven instead of doing it in a pan so I wouldn't burn them." She wailed, absolutely devastated that she couldn't do one simple domestic task right.
"Honey, you have lots of strengths." Bucky promised her, "Housework just isn't one of them," Since she had a much harder job which kept her for long hours, Bucky was left to pick up the slack when it came to housework. He didn't mind, though. He wasn't much for cooking, but he did it a whole lot better than Lucy.
"I just wanted today to be perfect for you." She pouted, her pretty pink lip downturned. Bucky's heart melted a little after seeing all the effort she was going through in trying to make his birthday special. "It's your first birthday that we're married for —"
"Second." Bucky corrected her. As soon as he said it, he immediately regretted it.
She shot him a look of frustration, cocking her head to the side as if to silently ask him why he would say that.
Bucky quickly tried to right the wrong he had said, "That one was while we were in Europe, though! So it didn't count!" He assured her. Plus, if he had missed Lucy's birthday as well while they were serving too. But, to be fair, she had kept her birthday a secret since she hated when all the attention was on her.
She had refused to tell him when they got back to Brooklyn. So, he resorted to drastic measures and had to search through her handbag for her driver's license.
Lucy's shoulders were still slumped, disappointment, and defeat on her face. Bucky hated seeing her down and immediately attempted to make her feel better, "Doll, relax," He told her, noticing how Lucy was beating herself up far too much over burned pancakes and bacon. "We still got the whole day." He suddenly had a smug look on his face, "And I have a feeling you'll make it up to me."
Similarly to him, Lucy also had a troublesome look on her face at his implication. "I sure am," She looked like the devil as she pulled him forward. "Over, and over, and over again." Lucy bit her lip in anticipation, causing an iron hot need for her to form deep in his belly.
Bucky couldn't help but chuckle as he leaned above her as she continued to sit on one of their kitchen chairs. He took her face gently in his hands once more and leaned down to meet her lips. Since she was sitting and he was standing, there was quite a distance he had to go to press his lips to hers.
His tongue slid into her mouth, lightly probing as her arms wrapped around his center. Bucky deepened the kiss even more, causing Lucy to let out a little moan as she opened her mouth to him.
Feeling her tongue meeting his, Bucky couldn't help but smile as their kiss became more heated. Lucy returned the passion with vigour, her lips moulding against his as though they were made for it. He sucked on her tongue ever so slightly, making her giggle through the kiss.
Since Lucy was at the perfect height, she took her hand from his bare chest, following the trail of hair that began at his belly button and downwards into his boxers.
He made her grip him through the fabric with her soft hand, causing blood to rush to his hardened member. "Feel that, sweetheart?" Bucky separated to catch his breath. His voice was raspy and as he spoke her grip tightened a little, getting the idea all on her own, "That's all you."
She felt the outline of his dick through his underwear, gripping at the base and causing him to groan. Lucy separated from the kiss, only to shoot him a sly smile and run her mouth over him through the fabric. Bucky groaned again at the feeling of her lips against him, coaxing him to grow even harder.
"Goddamn it, sugar." He moaned, trying to control himself, "Your mouth feels like heaven. Can only imagine what'll feel like when you finally take all of me."
Lucy smiled a little as she moved her mouth up and down over him, the fabric getting wet with spit as she teased him mercilessly.
His hands ran through her hair as he pushed his hips forward for her. When he suddenly couldn't take anymore, he grabbed her from where she sat, lifting her up. He slammed his mouth to hers as her legs wrapped around his waist and he groaned into the kiss as their tongues met once more.
Bucky carried her to the counter, which he placed her on so he could stay between her legs. Her lips were removed from his so she could trail them up to his neck, sucking on the sensitive skin there.
"Need to get you naked," He desperately floundered with the ties of her apron as her teeth grazed his throat. They were knotted too tightly, and he groaned in frustration as his fingers were too large to get the small knots. He couldn't imagine Lucy would be overly fond of the idea of just keeping the apron on while they fooled around.
"Hurry," Lucy desperately pleaded, squirming in her seat. Bucky's fingers continued to work at the ties with no results. Lucy was getting frustrated, but managed to get his boxers off him, his manhood hitting his belly. Bucky shucked his underwear across the kitchen for them to land somewhere near the hallway near their bedroom. Lucy wrapped her hand around him, not even needing any spit to get him slick from all the wetness that was beading at his tip.
He began kissing at her neck distractedly as his fingers still worked at the ties. Bucky was determined to get it off Lucy, knowing seducing her while her apron was still on wouldn't go over well.
"I wanna taste you," Lucy begged in a desperate breathy whisper. Her cheeks were flushed just like how he loved, her pupils blown wide with desire for him. Bucky couldn't believe his luck of marrying a gal who was so eager to please him and take him in her mouth. He thanked his lucky stars every damn day for such a wonderful, insatiable, wife.
Affection welling deep inside him and making butterflies flutter around in the pit of his stomach, he stopped sucking from the hollow of her throat only to gasp, "God, I love you,"
Lucy chuckled, placing a tender, soft, kiss on his lips before getting a certain look in her eye. With no problem at all, she undid her apron ties as if they were nothing.
She pulled the apron off her body and held it delicately in between her fingers, only to toss it to the side dramatically. She was biting her lips again in anticipation, and Bucky couldn't help but nearly feel faint as he took in his wife's completely nude body. He tried to marvel at every inch of her, his hands going up to grasp her breasts, causing her let out a little whimper and arch her back. It allowed him to take a soft, pink nipple in his mouth. He groaned as his lips wrapped around it, only to be left devastated as she pulled away almost immediately.
Lucy had something else in mind, though. It was obvious from the glimmer of playfulness in her large doe eyes.
"I must have died in that war," Bucky shook his head in disbelief, attempting to rationalize the situation. His mouth went dry as he saw Lucy's smirk as she sank to her knees.
With his back against the refrigerator, his little wife gently ran her lips up the length of him. He was groaning immediately yet again, suddenly very vocal from his nerves being set on fire by her administrations. Her tongue went along the underside of him, tasting along the prominent vein that stood out. Lucy's hazel eyes never left his steel grey ones as she began to tease his tip, licking away the precum that leaked out for her.
Bucky wrapped his hand around her hair just as she began to bob her head up and down him. For a few moments, he was in complete heaven. His eyes were closed, his mouth slightly open from the pleasure she was drawing from him.
He had to grip the counter tightly with one of his hands, already trying to keep himself from blowing his load. Just as he began to move his hips into her, thrusting slowly into her wet mouth, the most awful sound of all time echoed in his ears.
The phone was ringing, emitted a shrill sound equal to nails across a chalkboard. Bucky ignored it, instead of focusing on his pretty wife who was sucking him off like her life depended on it. Just as she began to pick up the tempo, her hands reaching whatever part she shouldn't take in between her lips, the phone rang once more.
It caused him to nearly break off a piece of the counter in frustration. Knowing full well whoever it was would continue calling until they reached one of them Bucky grabbed the phone off the handle, "WHAT?" He yelled into the annoying piece of technology.
"James Buchanan Barnes! Where on earth are your manners?! I never raised you to be so rude!" He wanted to roll his eyes at the voice on the other end. Of course, his mother would be calling again despite talking with Lucy earlier.
Bucky had to hand it to his mother; the woman had impeccable timing. For some reason or another, she was always interrupting them when things got heated.
It was almost like she had an extra sense, where she just knew whenever her son was getting into trouble. Back in his youth, Bucky could recall walking into the house after just finishing a date with his new flavour of the week. His mother would be scowling at him from across the kitchen, looking at him suspiciously like she could see the sin radiating off of him.
Finally, she would just shrug and dismiss whatever suspicions she had, until she would say goodnight and notice something else. Winifred Barnes would pause ever so slightly, and then noticing the lipstick on his collar she would only shoot him a look of disapproval and tell him he better be at confessions the next Sunday.
"Ma! I'm a bit busy at the moment," Bucky was yelling into the phone again, gripping the counter hard as Lucy pulled away, horror in her eyes at what she was just doing to him as his mother was on the phone.
Bucky just gave Lucy a look that urged her to continue, mouthing 'It's my birthday!' to her so she would continue and not leave him feeling as though his manhood would fall off.
With a defeated sigh but also a twinkle of mischief in her eyes, Lucy continued and took him in her mouth once more. As Bucky controlled his breathing, Lucy hollowed her cheeks out, nearly making him toss his head back in pleasure.
"On your birthday? What on earth could you be busy with on such a special day? That wife of yours better be spoiling my boy or—,"
Bucky cut her off, hoping to end the conversation sooner rather than later, "Oh, she's spoiling me, alright." He assured his mother, hoping the implication would go over her head.
The line was silent for a moment as she tried to figure out what he meant. Bucky was two seconds away from hanging up the phone and tangling his hands into Lucy's hair, pushing her further down on him to take his whole shaft. While there was a pregnant pause on the other end, the room was silent beyond the obscene noises Lucy was making as she knelt in front of him.
"Did she feed you? I know how she struggles with cooking and whatnot." Disapproval was obvious in his mother's voice and Bucky nearly rolled his eyes. He knew that she definitely liked Lucy as a person, but she still insisted she wasn't 'wifely material', much to his chagrin.
"Actually, I ended up feeding her instead." He said smugly, a very content look on his face at his own private joke. Lucy pinched Bucky, nearly making him jump. She shot him a dirty look, looking displeased at his joke from where she was kneeling before him.
Bucky's mother gasped on the other end, "I cannot believe Lucy! She assured me this morning that she could handle it. That's it! I am on my way over! I already did a big spread and it's all ready to go—,"
"No!" He answered quickly, his eyes shooting wide open in horror, "No, Ma, do not come over!" As much as Bucky tried to focus on the conversation and keep his mother from coming over Lucy was being fairly distracting. His hand tangled in her hair as he bit his lip and stifled a moan as she took him further down her throat.
"James, don't be so silly! Rebecca and I have to see you at some point on your birthday! We'll be right over." She insisted casually, not even realizing she was right on schedule for ruining his day.
"Ma, I'm serious you don't have to do— Jesus Christ!" Bucky couldn't help but groan as Lucy licked around him again, not even caring that she was torturing him and being a tease.
His mother's gasp was apparent on the other end and his blood ran cold. Ice filled his veins, and he couldn't believe he had gotten through his entire adult life without once swearing in front of his mother. And now, of all the days' and times, he had to use the Lord's name in vain?
"James Buchanan!" Winifred Barnes exclaimed in horror, "If I were there you'd get the whipping of your life! Don't ever let me hear you say anything like that ever again! And I want you at church on Sunday morning so you can confess!" He could just picture her holding her rosary and crossing over her heart in horror.
"Sorry! Something bit me a little," He insisted as he gripped the counter harder as Lucy's teeth gave him a gentle nip, sending a shock down his spine and a pit of desire form in his lower belly. He had to bite his lip to stifle his moan again.
"I'm sure," His mother said disapprovingly. Bucky could hear the skepticism in her voice as her extra sense was probably tingling. "I still expect you to be at church."
"Yup, church! I love church! And I love you too! Bye Ma, see you soon!" He said hastily, lying through his teeth as he was ready to hang up again. However, she stopped him with an icy tone right before he was able to put the phone back in its place.
"James?" His mother had an intensity about her voice, almost implying he was in trouble. Immediately fear settled inside Bucky as he was taken back to the days of his youth. Feeling as though he was about to get scolded, he waited until his mother spoke in that disapproving tone he feared so much, "Do make sure you're both decent by the time we get there."
"Will do, Ma." Was all he said hastily, not even bothering to say goodbye that time before he slammed the phone harshly back into its place.
By the time he had finally hung up, Lucy was kneeling on the ground and looking displeased, her hands on her hips and her head cocked to the side.
"Baby, why'd you stop?" Bucky asked in confusion and bewilderment, looking at how Lucy was pouting as she knelt on the floor.
"Your mother is on her way over here?" Lucy looked unimpressed, to say the least.
"I tried to talk her out of it!" Bucky promised her, "You know how she is. Now, do you wanna—?" Bucky gestured back down to his throbbing member, neglected and sorely needing attention.
Lucy only rolled her eyes and stood up, not the least bit pleased as she moved to get herself to get a glass of water. Bucky sighed as he realized the moment had passed and then noticed how she was suddenly quiet.
"I tried to talk her out of it." Bucky assured Lucy as she swallowed down her water in big gulps.
"It didn't sound like it,"
"Well, honey, I was a little distracted!" He pointed out. It was very hard to concentrate when she was doing such naughty things with him, "Now because of you we have to go to church on Sunday," He pointed out.
"But I don't wanna," Lucy cried, pouting a little more, "Everyone looks at me funny there,"
"Because the last time we went you showed up in a Dior dress." He reminded her, recalling how as soon as Lucy showed up on his arm there were whispers.
"I wore the one nice Sunday dress that I still have from when I lived with the Lee's, so what!" She scoffed, annoyed that she had to feel guilty about looking nice.
"Well, it just came off as maybe being a little snobbish." Bucky pointed out, reminding her how everyone suddenly had their eyes on Lucy when she walked in. Not only because they were interested in meeting Bucky's new wife, but also because it was clear she came from wealth. Most of the families that attended were hit pretty badly in the thirties, and over the last couple of years, it hadn't gotten much better for some of them. Especially if they lost one of their men in the war, "You were also not the most friendly,"
"I was nervous! It's not easy meeting so many people who watched you grow up! They each had a million stories about you, and I just felt like an outsider." She admitted quietly, crossing her arms over her chest to conceal her body, "Plus, I think your mother is still upset you didn't marry one of those good little church girls."
"After the conversation we just had, probably." Bucky chuckled and Lucy only gave him another pressing look, indicating it wasn't time to joke about it. "Whether she likes it or not, I married you." He reminded her softly.
"I suppose," Lucy sighed and crossed her arms in displeasure, "I still don't like the idea of going to church and having to confess, though."
Bucky winced, "Maybe don't confess to Father Phillip about what you were just doing to me. It might give him a heart attack to hear about it," It was likely the old man would fall dead the moment Lucy mentioned pleasuring her husband while he absent-mindedly chatted with his mother on the phone. Especially since the last time they went to church, Lucy had confessed everything they had done while unmarried during the war.
Apparently, Father Phillip had choked so hard in shock about some of the things Lucy had told him that he had had a coughing fit inside the confessional chambers. Lucy had quickly gotten out and assumed he was dying, creating a scene.
The old man had very shakily drunk some water and then was fine. But still, Lucy was weary to confess anything of a sexual nature after that. Bucky certainly didn't want the man's death to be on their conscience.
"Good idea," She agreed and placed her glass in the sink. Bucky studied her meticulously, wondering if she was still sore at him. His blood was still pumping down south, fogging his brain a little and making it hard to concentrate on anything but the nude figure before him.
"So, you still upset that my Ma is coming over?" He asked her cautiously, wondering how to best approach the subject.
"No, I should have suspected it." Lucy sighed, "At least that way you can have a decent breakfast for your birthday."
Bucky went behind her and wrapped his arms around her centre. He breathed in the scent of her hair before biting the lobe of her ear, "I already told you, I'm in the mood for something else anyway," His raspy voice sent a shiver down her spine.
Lucy turned in his arms to look at him, her eyebrows cocked in amusement as she stared him in the eye. "You know, we still have about an hour until she gets here," Bucky mentioned casually as he shrugged and scratched the back of his neck while looking at the clock ticking away on their kitchen wall.
"Oh yeah? What do you think we could get up to in that hour we're waiting?" Lucy slyly spoke, letting him take her into his arms even more and pressing kisses up his chin.
"Trouble." Bucky suggested with a smirk, picking her up so her legs wrapped around his waist and his hands held her thighs gently, "Lots and lots of trouble."
Lucy giggled the entire way to the bedroom, knowing they would have the next hour to spend tangled up in the sheets.
Bucky kissed her madly, his tongue slipping back into her mouth and refusing to let up for air. When his knees hit the edge of the bed he tossed her onto the mattress, making her giggle yet again.
As he crawled on top of Lucy and peppered kisses on her skin, he realized that turning twenty-nine wasn't the worst thing in the world. In fact, he was looking forward to getting older. As long as she was there by his side, each year could only get better and better.
Notes:
Well, I hope you all enjoyed the fluff with some light smut peppered in! Basically, I'll just continue posting one-shots until I get my ass in gear and figure out what to do with the sequel. The next chapter should be up in a couple days!
Thank you for reading,
-A
Please Review, Comment, Favourite/Follow, Subscribe, and all that jazz!
Chapter 4: 4th of July Heatwave
Notes:
Thank you to my lovely readers for their thoughtful reviews/comments. Here's the next little chapter!
Just a minor trigger warning; some slight mentions of sexual harassment and period-typical sexism. Mentions of abuse. Also major PTSD and some war flashbacks.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Fourth of July Heatwave
Bucky's attention was piqued after hearing a key turn in the door. He looked up from his newspaper which he had been reading in the kitchen at the small two-person table just as Lucy came barging into their second-story apartment.
"I know I'm late, but I brought dinner!" She said in a sing-song voice as she carried a few different containers that she had gotten from a diner on the way home from work, "Hope you're hungry. I got lasagna." She dumped all her bags in a huff at the door as she carried in the lasagna to the kitchen.
"Little hot to be turning on the oven, don't you think?" Bucky asked as he looked up from his newspaper as his wife came into their small kitchen.
Lucy wrinkled her nose in distaste, clearly not having thought about the heat that would be generated in the already sweltering weather. Bucky was sitting in the kitchen in only a white undershirt, feeling the sweat drip down his back in large droplets.
"Would you like to go out instead?" Lucy asked as she walked right past him without giving him a kiss, much to his dismay. She headed straight for the icebox, opening it up and standing in front of it so the cool air would hit her skin, "I can put the lasagna away for another night?"
Bucky shook his head, thinking they would just have to move to the porch while it was cooking. Thankfully, the sun had just gone down so the weather had finally started to get a little cooler. Only, it was still sticky hot and the humidity was through the roof. It didn't help that fact that city days like this were far worse than in the country. All the concrete and cement held the heat in, warming New York from its very core.
Bucky hadn't even gone into work that day, not only because of the holiday but also because the gym had been too hot to even step foot in. He set his paper down to give Lucy his attention, "We can stay here,"
Bucky didn't want to leave now, not when she had just gotten home after being away for the entire day of running around doing errands. "Just have a quiet Fourth of July in." He added, looking at how her tiny foot wrapped around the calf of her leg as she stood teetering and peering into their fridge.
Lucy turned from the icebox after having revelled in its coolness. "That's today already?" She asked in sadness.
"It's today." He confirmed. Lucy's eyes were drawn to the newspaper he had been reading. On the front page, a large black and white picture of Steve stared back. "Remembering Captain America," read the bolded headline.
Bucky watched as her eyes went to the rather liberal glass of scotch he had been nursing. He also knew how Lucy immediately noticed how his eyes were also rimmed red, showing he had been crying throughout the day.
"I'm so sorry, sweetheart." She said softly, her mood sinking, "I know today is hard." Lucy closed the icebox and walked over to him. She wrapped her arms around him from behind, and immediately he felt a little better.
She was a little sticky from the sweat but still managed to smell sweet. Bucky's hand went up to her arm that was wrapped around him, holding her steady as she kissed his head. He was unable to say anything, fearing his voice would crack if he uttered a single word.
"I'm gonna pour myself a glass of something too. Maybe we can set aside a beer to toast for him while we sit on the porch? I know you two liked to drink and listen to the ball games on the radio during summer nights like this." Lucy suggested gently. Bucky nearly welled up in tears yet again from how sweet she was.
He cleared his voice before he spoke, worried it would crack once the words fell through, "No need to make a big fuss." He didn't want to appear emotional in front of her.
"Buck, he was your best friend. A fuss is needed. I say tomorrow we head down to his memorial and leave some flowers."
"You can if you want." The truth was that he hadn't made it down to Steve's memorial downtown. He had wanted to, but stopped at the little Brooklyn apartment America's favourite hero had lived in instead. Another family was there, dwelling in the same place where his best friend once had. He could recall countless times going up those brick stairs, to the little apartment shared by Steve and his mother. Sarah Rogers would always have something cooking, eager to feed both Steve and Bucky so they would grow big and strong.
Bucky had broken down in the streets after recalling all the memories that took place there. It broke his heart in pieces to know that some other family lived there now. Seeing new people inhabiting the building only cemented Steve was gone and he was never coming back.
"You're coming too." Lucy insisted, "I think it'll be good for you."
Bucky swallowed more of his drink, gulping it down quickly, "We'll see." The burning in the back of his throat helped keep his tears at bay.
Lucy moved from behind him back to the kitchen counter, not wanting to fight him on the matter at the moment. As she glided across the chipped linoleum and turned on the oven, Bucky's eyes were suddenly drawn to her figure as she moved gracefully across the floor. He had always noticed how she walked silently, almost making no noise at all. He figured it was from trying to remain as quiet as possible after growing up in an abusive household before being adopted by the Lees. By not making noise, there was less chance she would be noticed and get into trouble for something.
As Bucky stared at Lucy he noticed she was wearing a new dress. He looked up at her and how her hair was falling out of its updo in pieces. Little strands fell in front of her face, looking dishevelled but still perfect at the same time. The little dress was white with floral print, with a nice and airy skirt that fell just below her caves. He liked the front bit of the dress too, seeing how it displayed her cleavage nicely.
She was tan from the summer sun, with little freckles peppering her nose and making her look more youthful. Looking at her almost immediately made him feel better, focusing on the sweet angel that was putting dinner in the oven for him.
"You look nice." He told her as he finished his glass of scotch, "Pretty." Bucky added for good measure, making her smile a little.
"I feel like I've sweat more today than I had the whole year," She rolled her eyes as she turned to face him, her hands on the back of the counter as she leaned against it. "I probably smell like a pigsty. The bus was so awful. There were too many people on it and we were stuffed like a can of sardines against one another. You could just feel the heat radiating off of everyone."
Bucky upturned his nose at the prospect of getting on a crowded city bus on a day like today, "Still look nice enough to me." He assured her, making her expression soften again.
"You're too sweet. Thank you." She said as she returned to the icebox, opening the door again so the coolness could overcome her heated temperature. "Y'know, I heard that the Robinson's got a central air unit. Maybe something to look into?"
Bucky shook his head as he stared at his empty glass, hating he had to be the bearer of bad news, "A little too out of our budget, doll."
"Ugh," Lucy huffed in frustration, looking devastated, "It's just so hot! You can't tell me you haven't been cooking here all day!" She complained.
"Oh, I have. I've had to change my clothes at least twice. We just can't afford it, sweetheart." It broke his heart to say those words to her. Especially since he knew she came from a certain lifestyle and wasn't used to hearing the word 'no' when it came to money. Every time Bucky said it, he wondered if it would just create regret in her mind about marrying him. She could have a much different life with a far more successful man.
"I guess you're right." Lucy said with a sigh as she turned around to get plates from the cupboard so she could set the table, "It was just a nice thought." He could see how her spirits were dampened a little and his heart suddenly shuttered.
"A very nice thought. I'd do just about anything to cool down right now," He agreed with her, wondering how much money he would have to make in order to get her that central air unit by the next summer.
Lucy suggested with a raised brow, "You could take a cold shower?" Her arms across against her chest casually.
"That doesn't seem appealing." Bucky frowned as he thought about it. He didn't particularly like the idea of just standing in the shower, getting cool, only to exit and immediately get hot again.
A glimmer of trouble sparkled in her eyes, "I could take one with you?" Her seductive tone implied what they would be doing in the shower and immediately Bucky's mood changed.
"Suddenly it's very appealing!" Bucky perked up as soon as she mentioned it.
"One-track mind." Lucy shook her head in disapproval at her husband's perversion as she kissed his cheek as she walked by him again, planning on going to their small living room where they kept their liquor cabinet.
"Hey, hey, pretty lady. Where do you think you're goin'?" Bucky scolded her, gently grabbing onto her hand as she walked by.
She blinked innocently a couple of times in confusion, "To get a drink."
Bucky smirked, a low chuckle escaping his sorely neglected lips, "I don't recall getting a kiss hello when you walked in."
Lucy smiled widely, "Well, why didn't you just say so?" She eagerly leaned down to gently mould her lips to his. At first, it was just a feather-light graze, two lips just barely touching.
As a pit in his lower belly began to get ignited with flames, a need for her grew and grew. He gently pulled her bottom lip between his teeth. A mood shifted from pure innocence to something filthier. Suddenly, it was no longer just gentle lips touching as the pillow of her bottom lip softly was held against his.
His tongue made its way into her mouth, making her let out a little moan which practically drove him to insanity. Nothing sounded as good as the little noises she made under his careful administrations as he played her body like an instrument. It was the sweetest sound in the world to hear his wife's little desperate gasps, her pleasured moans, her wanton cries of desire as she said his name over and over like a prayer.
His hands tangled in her messy hair as their mouths opened to one another. Heat radiated off their sweaty bodies, but neither of them cared. They stayed in the dim kitchen light as the outside world settled into darkness, kissing each other like it was the first time they had ever experienced it.
Bucky's arms were suddenly around Lucy's waist, holding her tightly in encouragement to get closer. His trousers were tight as blood flowed to his lower body. His dick had been partially hard from the moment she walked in with her cleavage on display for him and her cheeks flushed from the warm weather.
"C'mere." Bucky breathily requested as he tried to lift her into him so she was straddling his lower body as he sat in his chair. His hands ran up the skirt of her dress. It was too hot to wear pantyhose, so he was greeted with the feeling of Lucy's soft bare thighs.
Open-mouthed kisses did nothing to help diffuse the tension. Instead, it only grew like a flame that had gasoline poured into it. Their teeth clashed as he guided the kiss into some more desperate and passionate.
"Buck—," She gasped as his mouth found its way to her tender throat. He nipped at her skin, hard enough to make her hiss, but still soft enough so it wouldn't hurt. He held her hips under her dress, his fingers playing with the satin waistband of her underwear.
He held his grip on her hips bones tight as she began to grind into him. He could feel the wetness of her panties marking up his trousers, leaving a mark where he was hard underneath, straining painfully against his zipper.
"Just like that, doll." He said breathlessly, continuing to hold her hips as he dragged her against him. Lucy let out a small little gasp as he continued to mark up her delicate neck as she tossed her head back.
Her arms were wrapped around his shoulders tightly. He swallowed one of her moans as he harshly attached his mouth to hers yet again, teeth once again clashing one another.
Bucky's fingers played with her panties again under her skirt. Her hands caressed his face gently as he held her tight. She ground her hips against him again, making his hiss as he took a sharp breath. Tossing his head back in pleasure from the friction of Lucy grinding against him, he felt her gentle lips nibble at his neck.
She continued to rock against him, the heat between them building and building. Bucky could feel the sweat dripping down the back of his neck, but he hardly gave it a second thought as they continued to make out like desperate teenagers in their kitchen.
Lucy giggled as he grabbed her face and began kissing her madly again, tongues meeting halfway and teeth clashing. He licked the inside of her mouth and he knew she could likely taste the scotch still on his tongue.
Just as Bucky was about to undo his zipper and slip his pants down enough to get his cock out of its tight confines, Lucy finally pulled away.
Bucky looked at her a little forlorn, blinking in surprise and horror at his awful tease of a wife.
"I'm gonna go get that drink," She whispered, putting her fingers to his lips to stop him from kissing her anymore. They would just get all frustrated and desperate and become too hot to do anything too physical. Nothing was worse than sweaty bodies sticking to one another after trying to make love in the sweltering heat. "Give you a minute to cool off."
"Impossible doll, you made me hard as a rock." Bucky ran a hand through his hair as he tried to catch his breath as she stood up from his lap. There was a dampness on his trousers, and he had to adjust himself to get more comfortable.
"I meant from the weather, James." She giggled as he slapped her ass, the sound of his hand against her echoing as she walked into the other room.
"Still wanna take that shower, sweetheart?" He called after her as she disappeared. He felt like a cold shower was exactly what he needed to calm down. Although, now he didn't want to.
It took Lucy a moment to respond. Bucky could hear the sound of the decanter opening, "Depends. You gonna make it worth my while?" She had a playfulness in her voice which made his heart skip a little beat.
"I was planning on it." He promised her with a smirk as she sauntered back into the kitchen. She had a glass of her own in her delicate hand.
"Tell me," Lucy demanded as she placed the lasagna in the oven. The air in the kitchen was hot from the heated appliance, but also from the growing tension between the two young lovers.
A smirk grew on his lips, realizing she wanted to play as much as he did, "I was gonna get on my knees."
"And?" Her eyebrow cocked up curiously, a troublesome glimmer reflected in her deep hazel eyes. Her pupils were blown wide in anticipation, her chest still rising and falling heavily from what they had just been doing.
"And fuck you with my tongue until you were making a mess all over my face." His low voice nearly made her shiver.
"God, you are such a bad man." She giggled as she came forward to him, leaning down to kiss him again.
"A bad man who wants to do bad things to you." His eyes were glued to her as bent down, her lips mere centimetres away from his. As he tried to capture them, she moved away, a smirk on her face from the obvious tease.
"It's too hot in here, let's go get some air." She suggested, looking smug as could be.
Bucky groaned and tossed his head back, "Goddamn it woman, you are going to kill me." He grabbed her hand and kissed it as she made her way past him. Her hand slipped from his grasp as she walked away, throwing him a mischievous look before going out the front door to head to the porch.
He got up slowly, stickier than he had been a few minutes before they had started kissing. He grimaced at the feeling as hot air from the oven radiated through the closed space. He made sure all the windows were open before getting another drink and joining Lucy outside.
She was leaning against the wooden porch railing, her hips against it as she peered out onto the noisy Brooklyn street. Their neighbourhood wasn't the best, and Bucky never let her walk home from the subway or bus stop alone after dark if she had a late class.
He didn't do it because Lucy couldn't handle herself. He was well aware she could. Only, she shouldn't have to. After one time she came home in a huff and angry tears in her eyes, explaining how some man had grabbed her behind as she was walking home, Bucky was nearly ready to go out and beat the guy to a bloody pulp when Lucy told him she handled it. A knee to the groin and a twist of the wrist, nearly breaking it while he had been on his knees was enough to get the man to apologize and promise never to treat women as an object ever again.
But still, even despite her handling herself, Lucy was scared. She was shaken up and went straight to bed with angry tears in her eyes, not wanting to be touched for the rest of the night as she laid curled on her side.
She didn't like feeling weak or scared, and likely her own frustrations of being a woman in a man's world and feeling powerless to make any changes was what made her so upset.
Bucky walked fifteen minutes to the closest stop after that. Sometimes in the winter, he would bring her hot cocoa and warmer mittens, since she always managed to forget hers. They would trek through the snow together, catching snowflakes on their tongues, and her laughing as she pushed him into a snowbank. They would have to sit by the fireplace in blankets with warm socks on their toes after braving such cold. With all the lights off the only brightness coming from the yellow flames in front of them, it was one of his favourite things to kiss her head as he held her close under the heavy duvet they stole off of their bed.
Bucky found himself wishing for those winter months again as he felt the warm July breeze hit him. He saw how Lucy took in the scene in front of her, the wind catching the little strands of her hair. Her skirt was ruffled ever so slightly, twisting around her legs as the breeze picked up.
She stared out into the dark streets and heard children hollering as they played, waiting for the Fourth of July festivities to begin. A few of them held the lids of garbage cans in their hands, pretending to be Captain America.
Several of them called out what heroes they wanted to be. Dum Dum Dugan was a popular choice and amidst the names and Lucy could have sworn she heard one little girl say she wanted to be Agent Peggy Carter — making her grin widely at the mention of one of her closest friends. It wasn't until she heard someone want to be Sergeant Barnes that she picked up, peering over the edge of the porch rails. The little ones had dirt on their faces, scraped knees to go with their cherry cherub cheeks.
"Look!" She smiled down at the playing children, "They're pretending to be us."
Bucky came over to watch, closing up behind her so he could trap her with his arms as he put them on either side of the rail in front of her. He placed a gentle kiss on her shoulder, his one arm wrapped around her waist and pulling her in so she was pressed against his chest.
His stomach dropped a little when he saw the young boy pretending to be Steve with a toothy grin. Still, Bucky watched on and remembered when they used to play 'war' on unfinished construction sites with some of the other neighbourhood kids.
"Cute," He said as he saw them wailing in one another with wooden guns and sticks and anything else they could turn into a pretend weapon. Little rascals, he thought to himself, and wondered if he and Lucy would ever have a little one down there playing with the local kids.
The neighbourhood was extra lively that evening, despite the fact it was so hot. It was too much to be indoors, so mostly everyone had made their way out at some point. Cars honked, people laughed, and babies were crying. The city that never slept was a little more rowdy than usual due to the looming holiday.
Lucy looked down at the young boy pretending to be Steve, giving a rousing speech with the help of his sidekick, Sergeant Bucky Barnes.
Bucky blew a huff at the scene below him, mumbling about how he was never a sidekick. Lucy chuckled and then turned so she faced him.
He could feel her eyes studying him to make sure he was alright. His eyes were still rimmed with red from earlier, and he was still a little shaky from all the tears that had been shed. She did say anything though, only pursed her lips together and gently touched his face, her thumb brushing along his scruffy cheek.
Lucy grabbed her glass of scotch, holding it up in preparation, "We should toast him,"
Bucky was quiet as he nodded in agreement. He didn't need to visit Steve's memorial or toast him or any of those things. Although, he was sure it would likely help with closure in the long run. He figured Lucy needed it too, and it was her way of coping.
He grabbed his glass, the ice already melted and watering it down. He raised it up as Lucy rose her glass.
"To Steve," Her quiet voice cracked a little as she spoke, her heart heavy as her own eyes held tears that threatened to spill over. Bucky couldn't say anything, in fear he would break down in tears once more. He swallowed a lump forming in his throat, threatening to suffocate him.
They gently touched glasses, and while she only took a small sip of her scotch, Lucy watched as Bucky tossed his head back and finished the rest of his. He winced at the burn at the end but knew it was worth it when he felt his head swim a little more from the liquor. Ever since he got back from the war, he couldn't get drunk like how he used to. But still, if he drank enough liquor quickly he could achieve a slight buzz.
"You okay?" Lucy asked him, this time a lot quieter and sombre. Her eyes flashed to his empty glass, hers still barely touched.
"I'll be fine." He assured her, his tone harsh and quiet, warning her not to pry too much more. Lucy dropped it with a small nod, knowing how he didn't often like to discuss his feelings.
On her tippy toes, Lucy gently pressed a kiss to Bucky's cheek, making a small smile form on his lips from her tenderness. It made him feel better just slightly, to know that despite not having one of his best friends around anymore, his other one was standing right in front of him.
"Help me set the table?" She requested, knowing it would be time to eat soon. Given the fact Bucky's stomach just let out a growl, it was well past the time to do so.
"Turning me into a housewife?" Bucky shook his head in disapproval. He always complained about doing the minimum but went well beyond it each time anyway. But like most men, he had to make voice his complaints first when it came to household chores.
Lucy's eyebrows raised from the challenge he was presenting her, "Fine, if you don't want to, you can just eat straight off the table." She replied with snark, not wanting to hear his complaints. "But I'll be eating off a plate like a civilized person and not like some wild man raised by monkeys."
"Are you comparing me to Tarzan?" He asked as he cocked his head at the slight insult.
"I didn't explicitly say that. I implied it." She quipped back, a little more playfulness in her accusing tone.
"I can be a wild man if you'd like." Bucky took her hips in his hands as he nipped at her neck, "Me likes woman. Wants woman to make food." He grunted teasingly, causing Lucy to let out a little laugh.
"Woman will leave man if he keeps acting this way." She threatened, although from her light tone he had a feeling she was joking. Good thing too, because he would be a mess without her in his life.
"Woman makes monkey man sad." Bucky pouted, laying it on thick for her. His lips were downturned dramatically, causing her to smirk at his silly expression and pinch his pouty lips until he shoved her off him with a laugh.
"Ohhh, boo-woo! Serves you right!" She laughed lightly, her mood shifting, "You know, if you got a loincloth you'd fit the role perfectly." Lucy eyed him up and down with a cocked eyebrow, just imagining what he would look like.
"You'd like that wouldn't you?" He teased and bit her shoulder playfully as he forced her back into his arms.
"Probably. I don't think I'd mind too much coming home to see my lover mostly naked for me." Lucy bit her lip as she looked him up and down.
"In your dreams, you pervert." Bucky teased her before gently pinching her and making her squeal. "Wicked woman," He criticized her as they made their way back into the apartment, "I'm more than just a sex object, ya know!"
"Oh really? I couldn't tell the difference. You're just always so eager to spread your legs for me." She shot back smartly, making him shake his head at her witty comeback. That woman was as sharp as a tack.
"Think you're getting confused with yourself there, dollface." He teased back as they made their way into the kitchen. Lucy placed her glass in the sink as she checked on the lasagna. Bucky took the plates she had already set out and began to put them in their spots.
They moved quietly, a slight sense of tension between them after flirting for so long. He knew it would result in them taking that shower eventually, and he was sure that loving his wife would be the highlight of a rough day. It was the perfect opportunity to channel his frustrations into something else, pushing the harsh day to the back of his mind.
Bucky and Lucy were the type of couple that didn't mind comfortable silences. They didn't have to talk all the time, despite the fact Lucy could be a little chatterbox when she wanted to be. Silence fell over them as contentment filled the room until Lucy broke the quiet as she let out a little hum.
As she made her way over with the cutlery, Bucky smiled for a moment. Their simple little life was peaceful. He fell more in love with her with each second in those quiet moments as he heard Lucy hum their song.
For a moment, with her being so near and her presence comforting, he thought he would be okay.
In fact, because of her, he knew he would be okay. Maybe not tomorrow, or even the next couple of months. But eventually, he would be.
Beyond Lucy's soft humming silence continued to fill the kitchen as they moved around one another. Bucky took a deep exhale as he felt himself finally relax and not be as tense as he was earlier.
Thankfully, Lucy tended to be a good distraction and kept his thoughts from drifting to dark places. Bucky watched her as she made her way to the table where he was placing the cutlery in their spots. His eyes were still drawn to her, and he noticed she still had a little smile on the corner of her mouth from earlier.
Then suddenly, out of nowhere, their moment of content was over.
A scream of a loud whistle rang outside, a burst of red light flooding their apartment, and finally, there was a booming echo of a bomb that shattered his peaceful world.
The apartment shook with the explosion, and before he could even think, Bucky grabbed Lucy's wrist harshly, making her scream. He yanked her to the ground under the table and threw himself onto her to protect her from the falling explosions.
The explosion never came though, even though he was sure it was there. His entire body shook like he suddenly was freezing, and it was partially from fear and shock of being attacked by the German's in his own home. Immediately he was taken back, and instead of being underneath his table in the kitchen, Bucky was back in Italy held up in a foxhole with earth raining down on him as another shell fell on the men held up beside him.
As he held Lucy tightly, he couldn't hear her speaking over his mumbling and telling her they needed to stay down. He knew what was going on in his head made no sense. Why would Lucy be in a foxhole with him? Why were the Germans attacking them? Wasn't the war over?
Bucky continued to shake as he held her, unable to hear her voice over the memory of what a man sounded like as they died.
Finally, after what felt like years, Lucy's gentle touch brought him back to reality. Her hand was on his arm as she laid underneath him, her wide eyes scared and staring up at him. They weren't in Italy at all; they were in their kitchen underneath the table taking shelter.
Lucy's hand gripped his gently, looking softly at him. Her hazel eyes calmed him down, and he could hear her whispering something as he gripped onto reality once more. Amidst the bombs, she was like a beacon of light, pulling him from the darkness and back to safety.
"Bucky, it's okay." She urged him, her hair now completely out of its updo, having fallen from when he violently threw her to the ground, "They're just fireworks." Lucy promised softly.
Bucky winced and covered his ears as they stayed crouching under the table. He shut his eyes tightly and rocked back and forth, trying to keep himself from being taken back to the war.
He could have sworn the fireworks were bombs. He was so positive that that's what they were. His ears rang with the screams of the men he had known. Scared to open his eyes and see blood everywhere, he kept them firmly shut as he cowered under the table.
Lucy touched him gently again, tears in her eyes. Bucky looked at her dishevelled state and suddenly he was very aware of what he had done to her.
He had tossed her onto the floor like it was nothing. Of course, he did so to protect her, but still, Bucky had fear in his eyes as he tried to take in her appearance. Her hair was messy, her dress ruffled after she had been thrown to the ground.
"Did-did I hurt you?" Bucky stuttered as he asked her, concern dripping from his voice as he gripped her shoulders as she sat on her knees. He was so scared at that moment, fear causing his heart to shudder at the prospect of hurting her. He'd rather cut off his own hand before purposefully causing her pain.
Lucy shook her head vigorously, "No, just scared me, that's all." She hid her wrist behind her back, not wanting him to see the bruise already forming on her pale skin.
"Lucy, I'm so sorry." Bucky gasped in horror, tears welling in his eyes at the thought of hurting her, "I don't know what came over me. One minute we were here and suddenly the next we're back in Italy and I just wanted to protect you, I promise I'd never hurt you —," He rambled quickly, taking shallow breaths like he was drowning until more fireworks went off.
Red, blue, and green light leaked into their apartment, giving it a sinister look and making everything seem dangerous. Bucky's stomach sank, and he felt like he was about to throw up. Not only had he hurt his wife, but he kept slipping back into the memories of the war. It was like he was drowning, barely able to breathe as he tried to keep his grasp on what was real.
Every time he closed his eyes, he could see it all. He saw his friends die, he heard men screaming, he remembered what it felt like to take the dog tags off his dismembered friend's corpse. He could even smell the blood, burning his nostrils as he tried to take even breaths in and out.
Bucky was covering his ears again as the scream of fireworks rang out again. He closed his eyes once more, wincing at every loud bang. He wanted to scream at it to stop, a fear, unlike anything he had ever experienced settling in as an invisible enemy waged war on his home.
Bucky was shaking like a leaf under the table, whimpering and scared. It broke Lucy's heart to see it, and she bit back tears to see how horribly he had been affected by the war. She imagined lots of wives were having a similar scenario with their husbands at that moment.
Lucy's gentle touch finally coaxed him out of his nightmare. With her soft whispers in his ears and her gentle hands calming him, he was able to open his eyes while there was a break between the fireworks.
She was staring down at him in a way that made him feel pathetic like he was broken. Concern dripped from her voice as she coaxed him out from under the table like he was nothing more than a small, shaking dog.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He cried as tears fell down his face without him even realizing it. Lucy made him back up against the kitchen counter, both of them sitting on the floor.
"Don't apologize," She told him, "You were just trying to protect me." Her throat felt like it was tightening as she choked back tears. He hadn't even hesitated to throw his body on top of hers when he thought the fireworks had been bombs.
"I'm so sorry," He rocked back and forth nervously while his back was against the counter. He didn't want her to look at him with sadness in her eyes like that, gazing at him like he was broken.
"Stop it. Don't say you're sorry again. It was just a mistake."
"I hurt you." He didn't miss the bruise on her wrist, and the other one that would be on her arm later. There would likely be some of her hip as well from where she had fallen on the floor. Bucky felt vomit choke in the back of his throat and tears formed larger in his eyes as he was further reminded that he had caused her pain.
"No, you didn't." She promised him softly, brushing his sweaty hair out of his face. He gripped her shoulders painfully tight as more fireworks exploded in the sky above them.
Bucky's eyes snapped shut again, and just when he finally felt like he was about to scream, there was a muffled silence. All he could hear was his heavy breathing, and the slight remnants of what could have been the fireworks going off were replaced with his heart quickly beating.
His eyes shot open to see the woman he loved in front of him on her knees. Lucy's hair falling out of its style, her dress a mess, tears running down her face and bruises covering her arms. But beyond that, what made him cry even more was how she had taken both her hands as she faced him, and covered his ears so he couldn't hear anything.
Suddenly, he was calmer. His eyes caught on her mouth as she said 'Just keep your eyes on me.'
And that's what he did. Lucy only moved once to turn off the oven. But beyond that, she kept her hands glued over his ears so he couldn't hear the explosions that were occurring right outside their house.
'Keep looking at me.' She told him. Her voice was still muffled as she kept her hands firmly covering Bucky's ears.
For a while they just stayed like that, sitting on the floor of their kitchen, sweat dripping down the back of their necks. Red, blue, green, and yellow light reflected through the dark windows on Lucy's saddened face. It shadowed her bone structure, making her features look even sharper.
After a little bit, it was enough to distract Bucky from being taken back to the war. He noticed how Lucy winced with each explosion as well, and he wondered if she was remembering their time in Europe just like he was.
Sure, she never really fought in any battles. But still, she saw death wherever she went. His hands brushed against her waist, where he knew a scar laid under her dress on her lower stomach. A jagged white line tainted her porcelain skin, a reminder from a piece of shrapnel that had embedded itself in her skin after an explosion.
She was being strong for him, despite the fact she was remembering all the horrors just as much as he was.
Bucky covered her ears with his hands as well, and her expression softened as her eyes shook with tears. They leaned in together in the darkness of the kitchen, their foreheads touching gently.
They stayed like that until it was over. He had stopped shaking after feeling her comforting touch. Bucky could distract himself enough to forget the piled up dead bodies of his friends. Even the smell somehow came back to him, and it was like he was still over there fighting.
His left arm ached, serving as a reminder from the train accident he had been in. He had nearly died, and it landed him in a hospital bed in London for months after he had been found. It took him months to relearn how to hold a pen in his hand again. And while he had been in a sickbed trying to gain his strength, his best friend had died in a plane crash, and his wife had miscarried their baby he hadn't even known about.
All the war brought was suffering. And even though it was over, he knew at that moment that he and Lucy would never be free from it.
When no fireworks had gone off for some time, Lucy gently let her hands fall. He allowed his to drop as well, his left one placed above her breast to feel her quickly beating heart to remind him that she was there, alive — they were both alive and nothing had happened to them.
"I'm so sorry, Lucy." He told her, out of breath like he had just run a marathon. Lucy got to get feet, scrambling to get some water for his hoarse voice. He stayed on the floor, crumpled up on a pathetic mess as she shot forth to care for him.
Lucy gave him the glass, which he eagerly accepted. He downed it all quickly, not even taking time to breathe as he swallowed it all in large gulps. He was parched after such a stressful ordeal, almost feeling like he had spent weeks in the Sahara.
As he set the glass on the floor, he noticed how Lucy wouldn't look at him. She was crying into her hands, trying hard to stifle the noise.
Ah, hell honey." Bucky huffed in horror, seeing his wife's wet cheeks, "I didn't mean to make you cry." He wanted to reach out and touch her, but was scared of hurting her again, "I'm so sorry." He told her, shaking his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe how easy it had been to take him apart and bring back the worst part of his life, "I, umm, I should go stay at my Ma's tonight. I don't wanna hurt you again. And a wife should never have to see her husband like this."
Lucy's hands shot out to grab him, stopping him from getting to his feet. "No!" She gasped through her tears as she begged, "Stay, please. Don't leave me."
"Sweetheart, you shouldn't have to see me like this." He couldn't help but let out another choked sob as she climbed onto his lap.
"For better or for worse, right?" She whispered as he wrapped his arms tightly around her so he was holding her against his body. Her arms went underneath his, keeping his body firmly held against hers in comfort.
"Yeah," He choked through his voice crack, trying to control his tears again. He didn't deserve this woman. "I'm sorry I scared you. I'm so sorry, Lucy. You know I'd rather die than hurt you, right?" He said into her shoulder as they continued to hold one another. He didn't deserve her.
She pulled back from their tight, suffocating hug, only to stare at his grey-blue eyes with her red-shot hazel ones.
"Oh, Buck." She sighed and pressed her forehead to his again, "I know, baby. I know." Her lips tenderly touched his face.
When she pulled away, she looked distraught and sad, "My father… When he was alive he used to do the same thing. It just reminded me a bit of him, that's all. I thought that maybe I would be taken back to the war too… But I wasn't. I was fifteen again, in Queens." While Bucky had been taken back to Europe, seeing his friends die and helpless to do anything but watch, Lucy was taken back to her home.
The home before she lived with the Lee's, the one where she was beaten and ridiculed. The home where her father used to get so drunk that he would tell her that he wished she was never born. The home where she had to watch as her father took a gun to her mother, and then turned it on himself.
Bucky's stomach dropped when he heard that. He looked at her in horror and once again felt like he was going to be sick. He couldn't believe he was the culprit for causing her so much sadness.
Lucy then sniffed, wiping her tears away, "My father used to do the same thing..." She paused sadly, "He was in the Great War. Used to hide under the table whenever there was a loud clap of thunder and fireworks."
Lucy leaned forward, shaking her head as she took his face in her delicate hands, "He had shell shock too. I used to think that was the reason why he hit us and not because he was just a no-good drunk. He used to tell me I'd marry someone just like him... I didn't wanna believe it."
"You think I'm like him?" Bucky's voice was hoarse. He wanted to die at that moment, hating himself so much for causing her so much pain. He couldn't believe he had hurt her so badly.
Lucy shook her head softly, "You're nothing like him." She promised, holding his face so he kept looking her in the eye, "You threw yourself on top of me when you thought there were bombs. My father would have just pushed me out of the way, and let them get me first."
Bucky frowned, "But I hurt you?"
Lucy swallowed a tightening feeling in her throat, "No, you didn't. You protected me. You thought we were going to die, and you made sure I was safe first. You are nothing like my father." Her eyes were shaky with tears again, "You are absolutely nothing like him. And I worried my entire life that perhaps my father would be right and I would end up with someone like him. I didn't think I could ever be loved by someone like you. I thought I was destined to end up like my mother, in a horrible, loveless marriage with an abuser. And then I found you and —,"
Bucky cut her off with a kiss, not letting her think that way. He pressed his lips against her desperately, tasting her tears. He wrapped her arms around her tighter, letting her sink into his strong grasp.
"You deserve a hell of a lot better than me." He said as he pulled away.
Lucy looked at him with her large doe eyes and shook her head, "Don't ever say that. You're such a good man, James Barnes." She gently kissed his face, sighing wistfully as he took her in his arms, "Such a good man." She repeated as he held her even tighter, not planning on letting her go for even a second.
"I love you." Bucky told her firmly "I love you so much, Lucy." He said into her shoulder, his voice muffled as he held her tightly against him.
Lucy pulled away from him, peering down into his red-rimmed blue eyes, "Do you wanna move to the bedroom? Just lie down and hold one another?"
Bucky had an idea, noticing that it wasn't so hot as they stayed on the floor against the linoleum. "Why don't we stay here instead?" He proposed, figuring he could grab some pillows from the living room chesterfield and make a comfy spot for them, "It's not so warm on the floor,"
Lucy chuckled, noticed that the heat was actually comfortable from where they sat. While she looked at him, she nodded softly in agreement. She let him take her fully to the ground, laying down on the hard surface, and she curled up on his chest and felt his heart beating quickly under his skin.
For a moment, it was only them in the entire world. Time stopped, and while nothing was okay, and they were lying on the floor of their kitchen, and Bucky was content. He was alright to just be there with her and exist.
Notes:
So the sequel is making some progress. It's still very rough, but I'm hoping it will be worth it. I'll be posting another couple chapters in this little one shot series in the meantime, just to keep sharp.
Thanks for the read,
-A
As always, I'd so very much appreciate the support. Drop a review/comment, follow/favourite, and all that good stuff!
LenoreFrost on Chapter 1 Sat 03 Oct 2020 02:18AM UTC
Comment Actions
kaysmith82 on Chapter 1 Sat 03 Oct 2020 12:34PM UTC
Comment Actions
c0llapsing97 on Chapter 1 Wed 14 Oct 2020 01:57PM UTC
Comment Actions
Nadiagirl1 on Chapter 1 Sat 03 Oct 2020 01:57PM UTC
Comment Actions
c0llapsing97 on Chapter 1 Sat 03 Oct 2020 11:58PM UTC
Comment Actions
Mikki19 on Chapter 1 Sat 03 Oct 2020 02:47PM UTC
Comment Actions
WinterSummer (Guest) on Chapter 1 Sun 04 Oct 2020 08:30AM UTC
Comment Actions
c0llapsing97 on Chapter 1 Sat 10 Oct 2020 11:37PM UTC
Comment Actions
PrincessWinter on Chapter 1 Mon 05 Oct 2020 01:16PM UTC
Comment Actions
LenoreFrost on Chapter 2 Wed 14 Oct 2020 01:00AM UTC
Comment Actions
c0llapsing97 on Chapter 2 Wed 14 Oct 2020 01:55PM UTC
Comment Actions
LenoreFrost on Chapter 2 Wed 14 Oct 2020 04:33PM UTC
Comment Actions
LenoreFrost on Chapter 3 Mon 09 Nov 2020 09:07PM UTC
Comment Actions
JKBlack on Chapter 4 Fri 27 Nov 2020 05:22PM UTC
Comment Actions
kaysmith82 on Chapter 4 Fri 27 Nov 2020 09:41PM UTC
Comment Actions