Complicated Love (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

Chapter 24: Daily Ritual

"Y/n! I made breakfast! If you want some get up now before it gets cold!" Steve yells through our apartment in DC. We originally wanted to get a place in Brooklyn but the rent was so expensive or the places looked terrible. Fury recommended us for this apartment near SHIELD Headquarters and we have been there ever since.

I groan slightly but yell back, "Alright. Give me a second." I roll out of bed, rubbing my eyes to help me wake up. I walk out in my sweatshirt and shorts and get into the kitchen. Steve was in there, putting some scrambled eggs on a second plate, and handing it to me. "Thank you," I say.

This has been our daily ritual as of late. Steve wakes me up before his run and makes us breakfast. He then leaves to go on his run while I get ready to go to the gym at SHIELD Headquarters. After the whole attack on New York, it's kind of all I've been doing, along with doing some SHIELD missions.

"How much are you running today?" I ask and I take a bite of my food.

"13 miles, going to try and beat my PR," he says, and takes a sip of his water.

"Okay, Mr. Captain America. You say that everyday and everyday you beat it without dripping a sweat," I say, making him laugh.

"There is nothing wrong with setting goals," he simply states.

"Well, at this rate it's going to take you a minute to run 13 miles in a couple weeks," I say. He eats the last of his food and puts his dirty plate in the sink.

"I'll see you when you get back from the gym," he says as he walks out of the door. I eat the rest of my food and I clean the dirty dishes, putting them back in the correct cabinets, just like I have been doing everyday.

I get back to my room, getting ready to leave. I put on a pair of leggings and a sports bra, and put a t-shirt over it. I grab my keys, badge and water and lock the apartment door to get to the apartment building's garage. I get on my motorcycle and ride it to headquarters.

It wasn't that long of a ride, but it was weird. At a stop light, I look to the right of me seeing a kid looking out their car window. She waved at me with the biggest smile on her face. I hesitantly smile back, giving her a little wave, and the mother, I assume, turns her head to me. Her eyes widened and practically forced her kid to look away. Right when the light turned green, she sped away.

Both of those reactions were fairly common for me, the later more frequent. Whenever I'm with Steve, people call us heroes, lifesavers, America's new hope or a bunch more cringy nicknames, but they are mostly for Steve. People think it's much cooler to be able to punch harder than worrying about freezing everything you touch. People are scared of what I can do, and honestly, so am I. But I have been training to keep them under control. I've learned to manipulate, control and have been strengthening my powers in order to use them for good. To make sure I do not hurt anyone else. 

I arrived at headquarters and parked my motorcycle in the parking lot. I used my ID badge to let myself through the building and made my way to the gym. I saw a couple of agents that are usually here doing their own thing, but I go to the more secluded area.

I stretched for a second then went to the weights area. I got to the bar rack and put on the weights I wanted to do. If Steve was going to beat his record, maybe I should beat mine.

I got the bar ready for me to do some back squats when I heard a voice behind me say, "Need a spot?" I turn to find the redhead I met two years ago. Her hair was straight and she had black leggings and a black tank top on.

"Sure. Thanks Natasha," I say. Nat, Steve and I have been on a couple missions together for Fury. We met during the attack on New York and she's been very helpful, guiding me get used to culture these days. I like how she doesn't sugar coat anything. She gives it to you straight which I admire.

I get the bar on my shoulders and walk forward to get some room, then I start doing my reps. "So, what's going on, Nat?" I ask.

"Can't a girl just come to the gym?" she says and I would scoff if I wasn't trying to focus.

"Sometimes I think you forget I was a spy too. You don't really come out of your shell unless Fury assigned you something," I say. This is true for her. She doesn't know this but I know Fury assigned her to get closer to me and help me out with stuff.

"Around 25 pirates took some of our techs hostage. Basically save the hostages and don't die doing it," she says, and I chuckle slightly.

"Easier said than done," I say. I finished my rep, and Natasha helped me put the bar back on the rack. "When do we leave?"

"Once we pick up Steve," Nat says. "I'll drive. You'll love my car." We made our way through the building, making our way to the Avengers locker room. This room holds all of our suits and weapons that we would need when fighting a mission. We both grabbed our suits and made our way to Nat's fancy sports car. This is a side of her I didn't expect. She got into the driver's seat while I got in the passengers.

"He's probably just about to finish his run by the Washington Monument," I say, looking at the time. She nods and speeds to that location. I stare out the window, watching the city fly by as I grab my dog tags, playing with my ring. Bucky would have hated it here. It is nothing like New York.

"I didn't know they put engagement rings on dog tags," Nat comments, glancing over to me in the passenger seat.

I tuck them back underneath my t-shirt, as if it was somehow protecting Bucky from this new and odd world. "They don't," I say, not wanting to comment on it any further. She probably knows about Bucky, but that does not mean I want to talk about it. "I think that's him," I say, pointing to the tall blond who was taking to another guy.

She pulls up to the curb and I roll down my window. "Hey, fellas. Either one of you know where the Smithsonian is? I'm here to pick up a fossil," Nat says sarcastically and I snicker.

I see Steve glare at me slightly as he starts to walk to the car. "That's hilarious," he says. I open the my door, moving to the back seat so he can sit in the front. 

"This your cousin?" he asks and I smile lightly as Steve nods. "How you doing?"

"Hey," I say, not really knowing how to answer earning a look from Nat. "What?" I whisper.

"He's cute, you should ask for his number," she whispers back, making sure he can't hear.

"Maybe in another 70 years," I joke, and she rolls her eyes. Steve and Sam finish up their conversation and Nat speeds to where we are going to meet up with the rest of the crew.