Invisible String (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

Chapter 1

You just wanted a new start away from the judging eyes of your parents and the constant comparison to your sister. Moving to a different and smaller town would mean giving up your corporate job and choosing to work on your novel full time. And that's exactly what you wanted.

Of course, that career choice wasn't accepted by your parents and that's why taunts and judgements were constantly thrown at you during the family dinner on weekends. Having a know-it-all doctor sister with an amazing doctor husband and gorgeous children who aspired to be doctors wasn't ideal either. So when you finally broke the news over dinner one night, your mother signed and shook her head in disappointment. On the other hand, your father had a lot of stuff to say. One thing led to another and the next thing you knew, your family was trying to convince you to marry some rich, arrogant family friend of theirs and be his trophy wife.

Having had enough of this bullshit, you finally stood up, bolted out of that house and decided to never look back.

Maybe you didn't think this through, maybe you shouldn't have been spontaneous and should have considered talking to your accountant before quitting your job and packing up everything.

You didn't realize the errors of your path until it was too late, until you were standing inside an apartment with a realtor who was convincing you to buy this amazing place at a not-so-expensive rate.

"So, what's the catch?" you asked.

She cleared her throat, trying to avoid the inevitable interrogation.

"What is it?" you questioned again. "The owner is a dick? Drug dealer? Woman beater? Criminal?"

The realtor huffed, clearly not expecting your approach to the situation. " God, no. No, it's nothing like this. You saw that club on our way here? " She pointed her thumb towards the road, and you nodded.

"Yeah, big, fancy place."

"Well, the owner of that bar, James Buchanan Barnes, also owns this building and he and his friends are not the kind of person you want to mix up with. People are scared of him and they don't like being on his radar."

"I'll take it."

"What?" she asked, her tone filled with bewilderment." This is the part where clients tell me they need a few days to decide, and then they look the owner up and send me their refusal the next second."

"One gal to another. I don't have a lot of money to own a place like this. With the money I have, I can afford a two-bedroom apartment with 5 roommates. So if I can get this amazing place at a cheap price, then I think I can handle a shitty neighborhood."

The realtor didn't try to convince you further. She felt relieved to finally get rid of this apartment, but she also felt bad for you. She didn't voice her concern again, knowing that you wouldn't listen and she should just take the win.

Three days later all the papers were signed and you were finally moving into your own place. A place where you can do whatever you want to without hearing a disappointed sigh in the background.

The novel you were working on was about a 21-year-old woman who accidentally traveled to the past while trying to travel to the future. Sci fi mixed with action was your jam. With your job, you could hardly get 3 pages done in a week, therefore this whole new life.

All you needed was a job that didn't require a lot of your time but also paid the bills. You could work at the supermarket down the street, but that would take up your whole day, and you'd have to deal with dick customers. You needed a job that would keep you free during the day because that's when you're the most productive.

Bucky didn't like people, especially new people in the town, people he didn't trust, people he didn't have any leverage over. Unfortunately, you were one of those people, so when you waltzed in applying for a bartender job, he wasn't pleased.

Whereas you were oblivious to the daggers he was sending your way through the computer screen.

Usually, Clint, the manager or one of the men Bucky knew and trusted would take interviews on a new employee, but for you, Bucky would make an exception. That is how you landed in his way bigger office than a medium-sized manager's office.

"Name?"

"Y/n."

"Any bartender-related past job experience? "

"I worked in retail in high school, so I know how to deal with assholes, I think I can work with drunk people," you joked, he didn't respond. "Um, I did a few bartending gigs in college."

"College? What major? "

"Mass Media."

"Any other job experience?"

"I worked in a company as a PR for two years."

He raised his brow in bewilderment, asking you to explain. He didn't say it, but you just knew.

"I mean, haven't we all left our corporate jobs to bartend?" You joked and he didn't respond, again.

"Why did you move here?" He interrogated, clearly not enjoying your antics.

"I guess, I just wanted a change of scenery and work," you lied, he picked it up in a second but didn't push it further.

"You're done." He declared.

"Oh, um, thank you. Would I be hearing about it, or you just have the calling policy because no one took my number and-"

"We are not hiring you." He cut you and declared, again.

"Excuse me? No offense, Mr. Barnes, but it's a fucking bartending job. I don't know what more you require than experience or communication skillset because I literally have both."

"I don't trust you," he pointed a finger towards the door and you stood up. " Those guys down there working, they're not just my friends, they're my family. I trust them with my life. "

"What is this? Fucking fast and furious?" you half yelled.

A voice in your head told you to tell him about the book. Surely that would make him trust you or your reasons for pursuing this career despite having a complete opposite career in the past. But you wouldn't give this arrogant man an opportunity to see you vulnerable.

"You know what? I don't even need your stupid job." You announced before bolting out of his office.

That was a lie. You needed that stupid job. It was a perfect job, you could have the day all to yourself to structure the plot of your book and you'd have to work in the evening and night. But obviously, your stupid ego would not let that man have the satisfaction of knowing that something is wrong. You don't need a knight in shining armor and horses to save you, you learned horseback riding in a summer camp in grade 6. You can definitely do this and you got this.