pov- imagines

SECRETS AND SLIP-UPS- B. BARNES

pairings: bucky barnes x reader, steve rogers, wanda maximoff, natasha romanoff, tony starkwarnings: secret dating, started this so fcking long ago i kind of hate how i wrote itabout: secret dating

warm skin resides underneath your palm, tender fingers lightly rubbing shapes into bucky's chest to get a glimpse of the striking blue underneath fluttering black lashes; his eyes are always so vibrant in the morning.

rather than saying his name in a careful whisper, you brush your lips against his sternum, kissing your way up to his neck, where you feel the gentle vibration of his hum when he begins to wake. you press a gentle thumb into the little cleft at his jaw, tilting his head down so you can plant a kiss on his nose. he blinks slowly, arms tightening around your figure as bucky accepts the love you're peppering all over his face. his eyebrows tickle your cheek when you tilt to peck his forehead, tracing a nail over the cheekbones that nuzzle against the crook of your neck.

"good morning, honey," you greet quietly, hesitant to break the near-silence of the comfort you reside in. bucky finally blesses you with his open eyes, the color you remember from the night before brighter in the way it always is when he wakes up. a subconscious smile tugs at your cheeks, moving to kiss his nose when he suddenly tilts his chin so your lips land on his instead.

you only hum against him, noses nudging when you begrudgingly pull away.

unwilling eyes flit to the clock next to your bed, and you hold back a small groan when you catch the time, leaning your forehead against his. you appreciate the heat of his skin, tightening your grip on him during the little time you can hold him. fingers thread in your hair, while others sink deeper into your waist, tugging you even closer.

"they're gonna start waking up in an hour or something," you let bucky know, observing the planes of his face as the sun hits him, adding a shine you don't want to leave to his already lovely eyes. "and they're executing us in three."

"that's plenty of time," he mumbles, eyes already closing again as he settles himself in your arms, unwilling to let go. "'m not in a without-you mood right now."

you let a soft laugh bubble from your lips. "me neither," you agree, running a finger along his eyebrow. "but they're gonna get suspicious." they as in steve and his random habit of waking bucky up to go run. it's happened before that he arrives to find the room lacking its owner, and your excuse barely cut it.

"let 'em." bucky shrugs, kissing you again, the grip he has on you tightening as if he's thinking about it, thinking about the possibility of this not being hidden away behind locked doors—holding you in public, loving you freely like he has all the time in the world, all the support, none of the restrictions.

you allow yourself to indulge in the possibility for a second, lids fluttering shut as you relish in what you could have, but reality looms over your hazy fantasy. "we can't," you groan against him, and he knows, slumping in your arms.

"how's this gonna be when i ask you to marry me? 'you gonna marry me at a courtroom and not tell anyone? live in my apartment without anyone knowing?"

it heats your cheeks to know that bucky has thought about a future with you in it, but you push it away. "by that time," you start patiently, hopefully. "we'll be free of this. no rules, no hiding."

"'don't think you realize how not far away this is right now, dove," bucky mutters, making your breath falter and your heart beat faster, a sigh falling from your lips as you kiss him again before he ducks his head and nuzzles into you.

"this is not for forever, buck, i promise."

"i know," bucky groans against your chest. "i know we have to. 'doesn't mean i'm happy about it. because i'm not."