Complicated Love (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

Chapter 14: Team

It's been two weeks since we have arrived at this base, and I am already walking by myself. Bucky has been very cautious about it, watching every step I take carefully to make sure I don't fall on my face. I don't know whether to be offended, flattered or annoyed with him anymore. He's lucky he's handsome.

I noticed Peggy sitting in the cafeteria, so I decided to sit across from her. "Look at you. You should run a marathon," she jokes, as I walk over with a hobble.

"Hmm, maybe after the war," I respond, making us both chuckle as I sit down. "Did Colonel Phillips make his decision yet?"

"Yea, Colonel Phillips wants to get a group together, but Steve says he's all over it. I wonder who he will take?" she says, taking a bite of the fruit in front of her. I see her smile as she mentions Steve. I have watched them interact over the last few weeks during meetings and their chemistry is obvious.

"Beats me," I say. Peggy looks behind me and I turn to see Bucky walking over to us. He slides himself next to me, putting his arm around my waist, kissing my cheek.

"Good morning, doll. Peggy," he says. Ever since the day we got to this base, everyone has known about our relationship and I was lucky enough to not to get in trouble, and Bucky has been taking that to his advantage.

"Morning," Peggy and I say in unison.

"Steve is taking some of us out tonight to a local bar tonight. Would you two like to come?" Bucky asks, clearly excited of having a much needed night off.

"Of course. Seems like more fun than this place," I say, using my fork to point around to the cafeteria.

"I can't," Peggy says, which makes me sigh dramatically.

"Always missing out on the fun, Marge," I say, bringing back her nickname.

"I have work that needs to be done here, thanks to you," she says, eyeing me down sarcastically.

"Hey, you know today is my last day out of action. Then I'm back to boring paperwork with you," I say with a fake smile.

"Well, I'm going to have to meet you there. Steve wants me to help get some other men there to recruit for this group of guys to take down Hydra bases," he says, and I nod. He gives me a kiss on the lips and makes his way to Steve across the room, who was not so secretly staring at Peggy.

"You two are annoyingly cute," Peggy says, making me laugh lightly.

"I can picture someone you can be annoyingly cute with," I smirk and she rolls her eyes at me. "Well, I have a meeting with the Colonel, so I'll see you later."

"See you then," I say. We both leave the room, and I catch up to Steve and Bucky who weren't to far away. "So who are we recruiting for our little team?"

"What do you mean 'our little team'?" Bucky asks as if what I just said was the most absurd thing I could have ever said.

"Y/n is going to be a part of the team we are building up. She has more experience than all of us, so she can be really useful," Steve says, which is all true.

"I didn't agree to that?" Bucky says, which catches me by surprise.

"What's to agree with?" I ask.

Steve obviously felt awkward, knowing our fights can become so intense we don't talk for days due to both of our stubbornness, so he says, "I think you two should talk about this, alone." I made my way to my tent, and Bucky follows, and I prepare myself to have a heated argument. We are probably the two most stubborn people I know, and sometimes these don't end well.

"I'm not just going to let you come along and be on this team. Not after what happened in Austria," Bucky says, closing the door behind him.

"I didn't know you made those decisions for me," I say, turning towards him.

"Well I don't, but I should have a say. I'm going to marry you after all," he says, and I roll my eyes. 

"You are always saying that as if it's an excuse. Just because we are getting married, doesn't mean that just because you don't want me to do something,  you can just pull me out of it," I argue.

"Who says I can't?" he says, frustratingly running his hands through his hair. "As your fiancé, I can't just let you go out there, risking your life willingly."

"Fine, you want to play it that way. Then as your fiancée, I forbid you to join the group as well," I insist.

"You can't do that."

"Watch me," I say. "I have the higher rank over you, and I could transfer you to go somewhere away from Steve and I."

"That's cold," he says and I force a smile. "I'm trying to protect you."

"I'm trying to protect you! If you are going so am I."

"This stuff is going to be dangerous, doll."

"You think I don't know that? We are in war, Buck," I say almost laughing. "Everything here is dangerous. And you are telling me that I'm going to willingly stay here, stuck doing paperwork while you guys are risking your life doing the important stuff. Plus you should want me to go with you so we can still be with each other. I am one of the most trained and experienced person on this base. My knowledge will be useful for these missions. That will help everyone, including you!"

"If there is a chance you are going to get hurt, even worse than the stab wound that you are still recovering from, I don't want you going," he says waving his hands through the air.

"I don't want you going either. I don't want you here. I could send you back home if I truly desired, but you enlisted and I respect your decision even though I don't like it. Why can't you just understand that?" I ask.

"I don't want to risk it," he yells. "Why can't you understand that?"

"I'm going, whether you like it or not," I say.

He groans, running a hand over his face. "I'm not saying you can't handle yourself out there, it's just... I want to be able to know you'll be safe, and you not being on this team is the closest I can guarantee that."

"At least I would be with you and Steve," I try to reason with him. "Plus, if something would have happened, and I am not saying it's going to, I would rather be with you guys."

He sighs, "I can't lose you, Y/n. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. It kills me that I wasn't able to save you in Austria, and if you are with me on these missions, all I am going to be able to think about is your safety."

I walk up to Bucky, cupping his cheeks as he kisses on of my hands. "I can't lose you either, Buck. But, this is what we signed up for. This is bigger than both of us." He looks down, knowing that I am right. "I am going to be apart of this group. Nothing is changing that, because that gives us our best opportunity to be successful. Whatever it takes, right?"

"Whatever it takes, we are both making out of this mess alive," he states as his eyes lock back in on mine. He embraces me in a hug and says, "I'm sorry. I love you, I hope you know that."

"I know and I love you, no matter what," I say, pulling him in for a kiss. "Don't we have a bar to go to soon?"

"Yes we do. I need a night out," he says making me laugh.