pov- imagines

REFRIGERATOR LIGHT- B. BARNES

pairings: bucky barnes x reader w
arnings: absolutely none. went back to my roots of pure pure fluff
about: kissing in the refrigerator light
a/n: spat this out after a writing crisis where i forgot how words worked and stuff. fluff is where it's at lol i hope you guys like this even though it's short. more requests posted in the next weeks!!

the tile is cold underneath your bare feet as you pad to the kitchen, on your tiptoes to avoid the ice of the floor. you yawn, wiping at your eyes blearily, but you let them fall closed for a moment, trying to not let sleep slip too far away. it's fruitless, you already know, any semblance of a chance of rest having been chased away by the endless void that greets you each time you try to relax, but it's sweet to let yourself be tricked.

you trudge around the kitchen island, dragging your fingers along the smooth marble, searching for the fifth cabinet where the cups live with your other hand. exchanging the enchanting darkness of the tower with the comforting one of your closed lids, you hum lightly as you search, slowly counting the doors you trace the edges of.

you open your eyes when you find what you're looking for, silently opening the cabinet to find your mug.

your nails tap the ceramic of the mugs lightly, counting one, two, three across, and then one back. the indentations of your familiar cartoon mug bring a soft smile to your face.

everything seems so much more dulcet in the middle of the night--edges are softened by the darkness, sounds that seemed so harsh in the daylight only whispers now. it's sweeter to hold your mug in between your fingers with your eyes shut in the middle of the empty kitchen.

when your eyes flutter open, you're startled to find your tranquility disturbed by an ocean blue, crinkling at its edges a few paces in front of you.

"hey," the blue whispers.

your gentle hold on your mug loosens enough for it to drop, and you wait for the crash that will shatter the glaze you've poured on midnight, but it doesn't come.

cobalt stares up at you, and you recognize the slope of the nose and the lines of the cheekbones that accompany it, contoured by the dim light of the stars in the window.

"you scared me," you tell him, focused on cerulean that doesn't move from your face as it rises, your mug gently placed back in your hands.

"sorry," he whispers back, but you can make out the crinkles indented on his cheeks contradicting his apology.

with a silence comfortable enough to not lack words, you step beside him, heading for the fridge. his footsteps as he moves are near indiscernible, but you map out where he is as your hands search for the fridge's handle.

the light that pours from the fridge when you pull it open makes your features pucker as the chill of it hits you.

"what're you doing up?" bucky asks, his voice soft.

your eyes flicker to his shadow behind the fridge doors, leaning against the cabinet with his arms crossed. somehow, in the ink, he looks more open than you've ever seen him freely be.

you jut your head toward the fridge. "what do you think?" you jest.

his laugh is muted, as saccharine as you've heard it, highlighted with the night. "you know what, doll?"

"what?" you laugh, reaching for the cooled water you keep in your favorite pitcher, fingers wrapping around the handle while bucky steps closer. when you set it down on the island, he's close enough to be outlined by the light of the refrigerator.

the lines of his face are soft as his eyes search you, tousled hair falling over his forehead in the way he finds annoying but you adore. you reach to push the strands back before you can even register the habit, unable to help it when the pads 8of your fingers drag down on his jaw until they cup his face.

"you look really pretty right now," you inform softly, your lips imitating his in the way they curve.

his fingers loop loosely around your wrist, twisting around it as he pulls down until he's tangled his fingers with yours. he tugs you closer, holding steady when you stumble into his chest.

the glow of the refrigerator is enough for you to appreciate the gentle smile on his face.

you're silent, only allowing your attention to flicker between the comforting azure of his irises and his lips, teeth digging into your bottom lip as you let him hold you.

he curses softly, your name said tenderly with a shake of his head. "you have no idea how much i love you."

he dips you gently as he kisses you, nose nudging yours, the hand not holding yours wrapped tightly around your waist to hold you close. your arm folds over his neck, feeling his smile against you.

you sigh dreamily, pulling back after a moment, pressing another chaste kiss to his lips.

"i love you more," you insist, fully believing it.

he chuckles, his forehead falling on yours. the pale glow from the refrigerator light reflects the happiness in his eyes like glitter.

"i will love you for the rest of my life," he promises, untangling your fingers only to hook his pinky with yours tightly. "i swear."

you cock your head at him, shaking your head in disbelief before you chase his lips again. "you're the best thing that's happened to me, buck. i love you with everything in me." you squeeze his pinky. "i swear."