request: I don't have much of a specific request but I saw frayed and I love angst with happy ending Stucky - what if they're spending more time together without the reading (missions, maybe?) and reader is upset and maybe starts doing things they'd planned on her own? Sorry if that's too much/not enough but your writing is so good
warnings: angst city, unhappy ending
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⇨ after the events of "frayed", things between the three of you got a lot better.
⇨ for a solid month after their failed competition, they did everything in the world to make it up to you. did everything you wanted the second that you asked for it.
⇨ eventually, though, you returned to normalcy (though, you did add the safe word to your sex life, as well as established a few more boundaries to make sure something like that didn't happen again).
⇨ things were good for a while, but eventually you hit another bump in the road.
⇨ steve and bucky were often away on long missions and, as a strategist, you were often left alone for long periods of time.
⇨ it wasn't anything that anyone could control. it was their jobs after all.
⇨ but it also made you feel like they didn't need you in their lives.
⇨ when they were away on missions, they could bond. when they got back, they were often resting and training for the next one.
⇨ nowadays, there was little time for the three of you to have time together.
⇨ you brought up your concerns to your boys, and they agreed that you all needed to do more stuff together.
⇨ the three of you made a list of plans, from movie nights to dinner reservations to weekend getaways. it was supposed to make things better, supposed to make your relationship stronger.
⇨ the first time they missed one of the plans, you wrote it off. they'd just got back from a mission that ran longer than expected. they were tired.
⇨ but when you asked them about it in the morning, to maybe try and do it then, they didn't even realize they missed something.
⇨ you wrote it off again as them just being tired.
⇨ then it happened a second time. and a third time. and a fourth.
⇨ eventually, you realized that they weren't going to come. so, you took matters into your own hands.
⇨ you took natasha out on movie nights. she liked "found family" types of movies, the nice feel-good kind of stuff. it was nice to cry on her shoulder when the big, emotional scenes would hit.
⇨ you'd take thor and loki out to dinners. loki would pretend the entire thing was beneath him, but he eventually warmed up and the two of them would tell you amazing stories about asgard.
⇨ you invited tony on shopping trips. he mostly shopped for himself, but occasionally he could convince you to get something for himself. eventually wanda would join on your outings, and tony would have fun trying to get you both to spoil yourselves for once.
⇨ it wasn't what you wanted, but it did make you feel better. at least there were people who wanted to spend time with you.
⇨ steve and bucky didn't even realize what was happening until they didn't have to go away on a mission for a whole two weeks, but you were rarely with them.
⇨ you always had something else going on. going to the comic book store with peter, teaching vision how to cook, going to the little book club you'd started with loki and bruce and a few of the other agents.
⇨ one day, when you were about to leave for an outing with clint, when your boys confronted you.
⇨"why haven't you spent any time with us, sunshine?" bucky asked.
⇨ you shrugged. "didn't think you'd notice. or care."
⇨ "why wouldn't we care?" steve asked.
⇨ "well, we made so many plans together that you neglected. so i stopped trying."
⇨ the realization dawned on them. and that just made your heart break. how could they be so ignorant for so long? how could they just neglect you like this? why did they only care when it affected them?
⇨"why didn't you say anything?"
⇨ "i did, steve. neither of you listen." you shrugged again. "i moved on from it. i know where i'm not wanted."
⇨ "we want you!" bucky protested. "please, let us make this right."
⇨ "i don't know if there's anything left to make right. i...i don't think i can do this any longer."
⇨ steve reached out, trying to grab at your hands but you only pulled away. "please, don't throw this all away."
⇨"i'm not the one throwing anything away. that was you two. i'm just deciding that i don't wanna sit in the trash heap anymore." you looked away from them, shaking your head. "i'm sorry. but i need to be with someone who puts me first."
⇨ "we can do that!" bucky said.
⇨ "but you can't. that was the whole point of making plans. plans that you kept forgetting. i don't want to do this anymore."
⇨ "we love you though."
⇨ "and if you really love me, steve, then you'd let me go." you walked towards the door but, before you left, you said, "i'll be back for my stuff later. i'm sorry things had to end like this."
