pov- imagines

HOME- B. BARNES

pairings: bucky barnes x reader
warnings: language, alcohol mentions and drinking, the use of my own headcanon that bucky gets very clingy when he finds someone he trusts and loves
about: (requested!) prompt 21: person a tugging on person b's shirt

bucky has been a lot clingier than usual. you suppose it's your fault, you have dragged him everywhere with you since you met him- although that was to help bring him out of his shell and get him to actually go outside. you're not sure if your efforts have backfired, as he'll be trudging behind you like a lovestruck puppy wherever you go, no matter if it's around the compound or in the small boutiques you frequent. you convince yourself they didn't, since his days aren't spent locked in his room, which you consider a win.

you're going over mission plans in your room, trying to figure out the best way to infiltrate the very last hydra base and succeed in cutting off the last of the organization's heads. bucky is sleeping, his head on your lap. the hand that isn't skimming the lines on the blueprint is combing through bucky's hair, calming him down and chasing away his nightmares. once in a while, you coo inattentively when he begins to stir, not wanting him to wake up.
you had been away for two days, during which he got a grand total of three hours of sleep, the rest of his attempts driven away by nightmares. you calm him down, he says, so he's slept in your room with you ever since you got back. it's a strange sight seeing the former winter soldier, over two hundred pounds and six feet tall, resting bitch face pressed on the skin of your legs.

a knock you identify as natasha's interrupts your mutters about an entrance you hadn't seen before, natasha's voice cutting through the peaceful silence. "i swear i saw you in that exact same place like five hours ago," she states, leaning against your door frame as you shrug, not looking up. "you should take a break, the plan you made yesterday is great."

"there are always possible ways to fail, i need it to be foolproof," you respond distractedly. natasha rolls her eyes and raises her hand, holding a pair of black heels between her fingers. "we're all going out in half an hour," she instructs, and you furrow your brows, staring at the intimidatingly tall shoes, "what? we are?" natasha hums, raising an eyebrow at bucky, "i haven't been able to spend any time with you since you got back, besides, you need to have fun for a few hours."

"i am having fun," you lie. and natasha, unsurprisingly, sees right through it, shaking the heels and letting you know you have thirty minutes. you sigh, pushing the plans away and stretching, already planning to wear something casual, even though wanda will probably have a fit about it and point out the new dresses you have stored in your closet.

"you do deserve a break," bucky points out from your thighs, and you look down at him, not realizing he was awake. shrugging, you agree, "i guess you're right."

bucky hums in reply, sitting up and looking over the blueprints you just set down. "i also guess i have to get ready, then," you say, pressing a kiss to bucky's cheek before going to your closet and taking out what you want.

bucky isn't in your room when you walk out of the bathroom, light makeup applied (an illusion because you have no idea how to do it), jeans and a loose shirt that you somehow make refined, and heels that you bought months ago with no real occasion in mind. you hope the heels pull the outfit together and get you the wanda seal of approval, avoiding getting sent back to your room and having the woman make a mess of your closet to find something else.

you check yourself out in the mirror one final time, squinting at yourself. "you look amazing, doll," bucky compliments, coming in through your door to stare at you and kiss your shoulder. you look back at him, appreciating how he looks, stunning as always. "you don't look so bad yourself," you reply cheesily, admiring the smile that adorns his face when the words leave your mouth.

it appears you and bucky are the last to be ready, seeing how everyone other than sam, steve, and nat were already on their way to wherever it was you were going. "whoo," sam whistles, and you twirl when nat claps and asks you to. "you look hot," she comments, and you do a proud little bow, "i can clean up when i want to."

"and this will be worth it. we are staying out late like we used to," natasha declares. you grin, "hopefully i don't fall asleep. missions are tiring. especially when you finish them that quick."

"ah yes, we are celebrating the new record y/n set!" steve reminds, and you tilt your head in smug satisfaction. "oh yes, i did beat nat, didn't i?"

shooting the russian redhead a faux complacent look as she smiles, "enjoy it while it lasts," she replies simply, and you nod, "i absolutely will. i know there'll be a new one by next week."

you manage to drink half of your weight in liquor by the second hour you're at the new bar, chatting with wanda over her and vision's relationship while sam flirts with someone next to you. bucky is surprisingly invested in the conversation, pointing out how happy vision has been- as much as he's noticed, he's still getting used to vision being a synthezoid- which makes wanda blush and smile wider. you can tell his social battery is running out, though, and you can't blame him, exhausting your own with how many times you've rejected guys and held useless conversations with both the avengers and random people you bump into.

natasha has managed to get you into the dance floor, and you manage to have fun, even through the tiredness that hasn't stopped coursing throughout your veins and smell of sweat and sex. you've sweated out the alcohol in your system, sitting next to your boyfriend while you're telling steve what you saw the other day. sam is listening along, head tilting back in laughter when you inform him that tony wears captain america underwear. how you found that out, you prefer not repeating.

bucky doesn't add on to conversations anymore, instead listening silently and driving away any men that dare to bother you with a threatening glare. it isn't needed, but appreciated regardless.

which each hour that passes, you can see less of the avengers and more of the sun's yellow, your body planted in your seat, listening to the others' conversations. you've bitten back enough yawns to know your night is ending, your shorter answers only reassuring you.

you're nodding along to one of tony's stories when you feel a tug on your shirt, not needing to turn to figure out who it is, but you do anyways.

"can we go home?" bucky asks, weariness clear in the bags under his eyes as you nod, tangling your fingers with his vibranium ones. you bid everyone goodbye, bucky lingering behind you, his own farewells a silent nod of his head if any.

you nearly fall asleep next to him in the car, and he swears it's the cutest thing he's ever seen.

-

he's waiting for you on your bed as you get ready for bed, walking out and ruffling his hair when you see how he's sprawled out. "come to bed, y/n," he pleads when you begin to walk away again, his fingers pulling at your-his, really- shirt. "i'm almost done," you promise, fulfilling it when you come back not a minute later.

he wraps you in his arms and is out like a light, dreams of you replacing the nightmares he's had, and he vows he'll never let you go.