Nothing Personal - Bucky Barnes x reader

Chapter 3

Chapter contents: angst, fluff, language, mentions of drinking

Word Count: 4405

*****

Bucky's birthday party left you feeling defeated, so you decided it would be best if you spent more time with Wanda and Sam and leave Bucky alone. You hoped that he would acclimate himself to your presence, but it had been over a month and he hadn't tried to spend any more time with you than he had to.

That didn't mean you didn't see him, though. You still had scheduled dates once a week so your relationship would still be in the public eye, and with how much time you spent with his co-workers, it was pretty common for you two to bump into each other. He always hated it, though. The compound had finally started to become a place of comfort to him until this relationship popped up and stress would rise in his chest as he prepared himself to put on an act in case you were just around the corner.

You could tell that the facade had started to wear on him, so you decided that whenever you were over at the compound, you would be in an area that he usually wouldn't frequent or somewhere that wouldn't be populated with anyone other than you and Sam and/or Wanda.

You were sticking to that plan as you sat on Wanda's bed, thumbing through a random book she had on her shelf that she told you to take home and read.

"I don't know, Wanda, I'm not exactly the biggest fan of romance novels," you sighed, setting the novel down on her pillow and crossing your legs. "And it seems to be a little too on the nose with everything that's going on."

She frowned, grabbing the book and staring down at the cover. "Yeah, I guess a book about a fake relationship might not be the best thing for you right now." She chuckled and tucked the book back onto her shelf.

There was a knock at the door, and after Wanda hummed an approval of entry, Sam stepped through the door with a wide smile on his face.

"Oh no," you spoke, only half-joking.

"What?" Sam asked, taken aback by your apparent disappointment towards his presence.

"You're smiling funny. I can tell you're gonna make me do something I don't want to do."

Wanda gave you a strange look. "you can tell all of that from a smile?"

"Of course I can. He gives me that same smile every time he makes me do something miserable. I've started associating the two."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, name one time I've made you do something you didn't want to do."

You arched an eyebrow and held up a hand to count all of the occasions on your fingers. "Every school dance, that one wedding that was in Florida a few years ago, going sledding in our swimsuits in Colorado, our high school reunion, moving to New York-"

"Okay, alright, I get it. Fine, I may have done it a few times-" He held up a hand to stop you from correcting him. "-But this time I have something that I think you'll really like to do."

The urge to make another snappy remark was suppressed as you gave him a small nod, allowing him to tell you what he was dragging you along to.

"The Smithsonian is holding a gala for their new exhibit on the Avengers that's opening up next month."

You gave him and Wanda a smile. "Guys, that's so amazing for you. But I-I don't want to intrude. It doesn't seem like the kind of thing I belong at."

"I knew you would say that. That's why I brought..." He pulled a card out from behind his back. "The invitation they sent specifically for you."

Your eyes went wide as you sprung off of Wanda's bed, rushing over and pulling the invitation from Sam's hands. Your name was scrawled beautifully on the card stock paper, followed by the location of the gala and the details for the dress code. "Sam, I... Holy shit. Why would they invite me?"