This Is Stella's Reality

April 1, 2015

Quietly, I lowered my feet down to the floor. Alpine stirred and let out a soft chirp as if to chastise me for waking her. I smiled and pet her head, coaxing her back to sleep.

Bucky stretched, and I froze. I leaned over him and pressed my fingertips to temple, pushing sweet dreams into his subconscious. A sweet smile fell over his face, and he drifted back to sleep.

Satisfaction washed over me. I snuck over to the closet where I had been hiding a small box. It rattled a bit when I carried it back to Bucky's bedside. He was too entranced by his dreams to wake.

Carefully, I opened the lid, cringing when the cardboard flaps rushed past each other. Alpine yelled at me again and stretched her nimble frame. She stood and came to inspect my mischief.

I held my finger to my lips, silently asking her to be quiet. Alpine did as she pleased and settled herself across Bucky's stomach. His hand absently came to rest on her back, and she purred.

My fingers delicately pulled out the contents of the box and displayed them on the floor. Glittery sticker sheets, magnets, and all sorts of decorations for Bucky's metal arm.

Happy April Fool's Day, love, I thought to myself.

He would probably murder me when he woke up. A small price to pay.

As the early hours of the morning dragged on, I tirelessly stuck pictures and magnets to Bucky's arm. He did not stir often; he was a heavy sleeper, and Alpine laid across his chest to keep him still.

Dawn broke over the horizon as I sat back to admire my work. His once metal arm was now a bright array of glittering rainbows. Stickers and magnets adorned every inch of his arm. They would come off easily if he truly hated it as much as he might, so there was no real harm done.

Still, I slid back into bed with anxiety rippling through my chest. His alarm clock would wake us soon, and I dreaded the moments until he noticed my trick.

I didn't have to wait long. Bucky groaned as JARVIS loudly announced it was time to wake up. My skin hummed with anticipation.

He leaned over and kissed my cheek. Does he really not notice? Alpine protested and curled up in the spot Bucky had left empty as he made his way to the bathroom.

The light flicked on, and the silence that followed was deafening. "Stella," he said finally.

I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing. "Yeah?" I asked with my best calm voice. Alpine stared at me with her bright eyes as if to say, mom, you're in trouble.

Bucky leaned in the doorway and stared down at his arm. He looked up at me with an unreadable expression. "What is this?" He asked.

"Happy April Fool's," I said with a sheepish grin.

He laughed and stalked towards me. His tongue played with the inside of his cheek, and there was a dangerous gleam in his eyes.

I slid off the bed and countered his steps. He followed, and my chest filled with butterflies. Tentatively, I held up my hands. "Let's just relax, duck."

"Run," was all he said in response.

My feet flew to the door and bounded down the stairs. Bucky was not far behind me. The floors shook with his thundering steps.

I was not the only one with an April Fool's prank. Someone had set up streamers at the bottom of the steps, and I had to use my magic to cut through the several layers of the barrier.

Balloons littered the floors, and I tripped over several of them. Bucky wasn't fairing much better, but the balloons popped easily under his feet.

My hands scrambled to unlock and open the patio door. Giddy fear rose all through my body as my bare feet hit the dew-soaked grass.

I knew I couldn't outrun him for long, so I turned to shoot some magic at him; but he had already caught me. His strong arms wrapped around my waist, and we tumbled to the earth.

He pinned me to the grass and tickled my sides. My screaming laughter pierced the sky as I clutched Bucky's arms. He was relentless in his attack, and my breath burned in my lungs.

"Is this what you wanted, doll?" He asked with a smile in his voice.

My eyes were filled with tears, and my words were garbled nonsense as I still choked on my laughter. I strained to look at him. There was amusement clear on his face. If this was my punishment, I would gladly take it.

Finally, I managed to catch my breath enough to respond to him through fits of laughter. "I think you look really pretty, Sarge," I wheezed.

His eyes rolled, and he removed his hands from my aching sides. He sat back in the grass and watched me as I still laughed from the ghost of his touch.

I sat up and threw myself against his side. My fingers lingered over the stickers on his arm, and I looked up at him with my best innocent eyes. "Do you really not like my masterpiece?" I asked with a sickly sweet voice.

He laughed, "You know, every time you look at me like that it only turns me on." A shiver ran up my spine, but I feigned annoyance.

My hand slapped his chest. "I asked you a question, brat," I said with a scowl still on my face.

His hand caught my wrist, and he dipped close to my lips. "Can I take you back upstairs and show you just how much I love it?" There was a smirk pulling at his lips. He knew I wouldn't say no.

Wordlessly, he lifted me from the grass and tossed me over his shoulder. His hand slapped my ass, and my face buried into his back. Embarrassment tingled over every nerve in my body.

I prayed the team had not heard our scuffle.

My prayers went unanswered.

The team had gathered around the bar near the living room, and as Bucky walked through the patio doors with me over his shoulder, the teasing began.

"Isn't it a little early to be this horny?" Sam asked.

Tony laughed at him, "Never too early."

"Can I move out?" Bruce asked. Thor protested, and I heard Bruce tell him it was just a joke.

Bucky didn't respond to them as he turned to walk up the steps. Lightly, my fists hit his back, but he neither answered nor set me down.

Our door swung open, and Bucky roughly tossed me onto the bed. The glitter from the stickers on his arm twinkled in the sunlight that streamed through the curtains.

I smiled up at him, "I don't think you've ever looked better, Sarge." I backed away from him as he stood over me.

His beautifully decorated metal hand came to wrap around my jaw. He inspected me for a moment. "I think I've decided a proper punishment for you, doll." His face dipped closer to mine. "I'll decorate your whole body in my artwork."

Like a viper striking its prey, Bucky's lips latched onto my neck and started leaving hickies in his wake. A moan choked through me as I struggled to regain some sort of control.

I felt the pinpricks of his beard stabbing me as he smiled against my skin. I pushed me back against the mattress and pulled my, his, oversized shirt over my head.

In a whirlwind, Bucky had undressed me and was leaving agonizing marks up and down my skin. My sides still ached from his attack earlier, and the area burned with tenderness as his teeth sunk into my skin.

His tongue smoothed over his marks as if to seal them with his approval. He hummed and smiled as he lowered his lips to my thighs. Anticipation burned in my stomach as-