STEVE ROGERS IMAGINES & ONESHOTS

3. WHAT YOU'RE WORTH (ft. bucky barnes)

originally published december 22, 2021

request: Can I place a request? How about reader is rich and Bucky only befriends reader for money and uses her. Silly reader falls for him but gets her heart broken. Later Bucky is left alone and he probably sees reader happy with steve? - anon

pairing: bucky barnes x fem!reader; steve rogers x fem!reader

summary: bucky breaks your heart, but steve is here to pick up the pieces.

word count: 951

warnings?: bucky uses reader, bucky's an ass, not proofread

You should've listened to your friends and family. That nothing good could come from dating a man like Bucky Barnes. That he would use and use and use until he ran you dry. But, you didn't want to believe them. Bucky was so unlike the people you dated before. He was sweet, he was kind. He listened to you. He made you feel loved. You thought he loved you. But, oh, how wrong you were. You were blinded by what you thought was complete and utter devotion.

What you had with Bucky felt...magical. It began as it would in a romance novel which, perhaps, should have been your first sign that it would all go to shit. Things just don't happen the way they do in romance novels or romcoms or any other great love story. They just don't.

You learned that the hard way.

It had been your anniversary dinner. You suggested going to an upscale restaurant, insisting that it be your treat. You thought he would love it. And, well, you didn't mean to look at his texts. But when he got up to go to the bathroom and left his phone on the table and the phone started going off, you couldn't help but look.

A flurry of texts from his friend Natasha was coming in. Natasha, the woman he swore was just a friend. The "friend" that was texting Bucky about how long he was going to keep up the ruse of being in love with you when he really only loved your money.

By the time he came back, all you could think to do was throw your drink at him, scream that you were over, and to never call you again.

He never even tried.

That had been months ago. And in that time span, it was like Bucky had just fully given up. Didn't even try to pretend like he loved. Just folded like a deck of cards. Hell, the man had even blocked you across all of his social media accounts. Even fucking TikTok!

Your friends were insistent you move on, show the world that a man like Bucky fucking Barnes couldn't just use you the way he did. That was how you ended up at some new bar that had opened, nursing a drink you didn't even want.

"Enjoying your drink?"

You turned, seeing a tall man leaning against the bar, his eyes raking up and down your body. "No."

He raised a brow. "Oh? Would you like to leave a complaint?"

You frowned. "What?"

"I'm just saying, I'm close with the owner. If there's a problem..."

It dawned on you who you were speaking to. "You're the owner, aren't you?"

"Guilty," he confessed with a smirk. "But, really, is there anything I can do?"

"If you could go back and tell me to not date my ass of an ex, that'd be great. But, other than that, no," you said. You looked down at your drink then back to him, "My drink's fine, by the way. I'm just being melodramatic."

"Shame, because if it was bad, I would've offered to get you a new one, and then maybe I could offer you a shoulder to cry on."

"Well, I gotta know a person before I accept free drinks from them."

"My name's Steve. I own the bar. I like long walks on the beach, volunteering at the local animal shelter where I've recently adopted a dog, and my favorite part of a meal is dessert. What else do you need to know?"

You bit your lip, trying to hold back a smile. "I think that's good for now. Surprise me with your best drink."

"Be right back," he said, winking, before walking down to where the bartender was.

For a moment, you were left alone. You couldn't hold back your smile, finding yourself grinning from ear to ear. But, all good things must come to an end.

"I haven't seen that smile in a long time."

You grit your teeth, your smile fading. "I wonder who's fault that is, James."

"First name? Come on, you can't be that cruel to me. What happened was a mistake," Bucky said.

"Damn right it was a mistake. I never should've dated you," you spat. "What makes you think I even want to talk to you? I thought it was made perfectly clear that you and I are over. Besides, don't you have Natasha?"

He clenched his jaw. "We broke up."

"Because you didn't have my money anymore." You rolled your eyes. "Guess she loved my money as much as you did."

"That's not fair—"

"Is there a problem here?" Steve asked, handing you your drink.

"We're having a conversation," Bucky said.

"I wasn't speaking to you." Steve turned to you, his face softening. "Are you okay?"

"He's bothering me," you said.

"Then he's gone." Steve said to Bucky, "Get out of my bar before there's a bigger problem."

Bucky's eyes flashed but, as he looked at Steve, it seemed like he knew it was a losing fight. So, he reluctantly turned on his heel, and left without another word.

When he was gone, Steve said to you, "Are you okay? Because I'll track that ass down and give him a piece of my mind if not."

"It's fine," you dismissed. "He's the ex I was talking about. But it's fine! I know my worth now."

"Well, if that's the case, I hope I'm worthy to you," Steve said, smiling. "I know we just met, but would you want to go on a date with me?"

You pretended to think, tapping your finger on your chin, before smiling and saying, "I would love that."