𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐥𝐲𝐧 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲; bucky barnes oneshots

true love

genre; the purest fluff heavily inspired by you are in love by t swift

era; post civil war au?

it felt like just yesterday that bucky had kissed you for the first time. his jealous gaze meeting your sparkling eyes from across the room as you talked to some random investor at one of tony's parties. 

you play it all back in your head. the way he practically dragged you into the hallway. you'd spent so long pretending that the feelings you had for him weren't real. pretending that you never got lost in his eyes or that even the slightest touch would send electricity running through your veins.

finally, you snapped. you couldn't deny it anymore and he couldn't sit back and watch you lead on other guys to piss him off.

and yet, you still didn't know if it was truly love.

everyone would tell you, "when you know...you know." but you just didn't know. not even when he took you out for the first time. he insisted he do it properly, being the old fashioned man he is. it wasn't anything too fancy, just dinner at his place.

it was the same studio apartment in brooklyn that the two of you lived in together now. "can i get your coat for you?" he asked politely. you laughed lightly before unbuttoning it and handing it to him to hang. 

the entire dinner you couldn't stop smiling. you were afraid your face would get stuck like that, laughing at bucky's lighthearted jokes. everyone had always painted him out to be this mean, scary monster. but you just didn't see him that way. even from the day that you met him, you'd always known he was a good man despite not having any proof to back it up. it's why you helped him when steve asked you to go to germany.

the more time you spent with bucky, the more emotions you'd felt. ones you didn't even know existed. and it was always the small things that mattered most, that made you feel the most. like when he took you for coffee at midnight. "coffee!? now? it's twelve am, doll!" yet he still drove you an hour away to the only coffee shop that was opened that late. 

he made small talk and watched your expression light up when he would ask you about things you're passionate about. his eyes drifted to the silver chain dangling from your neck. his tags. he'd given them to you after the third night you'd woken him up from a nightmare and calmed him down.

for your birthday he took you out into the middle of nowhere. he knew how much you loved the stars and he'd found the perfect spot to see them without them being covered by the city lights or night fog. "look up," he said after leading you out into a grassy field. as you looked into the beautiful sky your breath hitched. not just because of the glittering stars, but because of the gesture itself and the way bucky's shoulder brushed against yours.

you looked over at him and it was like you could hear it in the silence. the way he smiled at you with sparkling eyes from the moon's reflection. you hadn't really known when it had happened, only when you realized it.

you felt it on the way home. nobody had ever made you feel the way bucky did. nobody had ever cared about you the way bucky did. one of his hands was on the wheel and the other on your thigh. he looked away from the road to smile at you and you just knew.

and as you were tucked into his side that night, listening to his beating heart and feeling the rise and fall of his chest, you gazed up at the ceiling. even with the lights out, you could see that you were in love.

and you knew that it was that fairytale shit too. true love. you know? the kind they talk about in disney movies and story books.

you woke up in his bed with a smile on your face. it fell when you realized he wasn't next to you. you got up quietly and threw on one of his shirts before going to look for him. there he was in the kitchen pinching the bridge of his nose. as soon as you started walking towards him, he noticed you. "oh, good morning, doll. sleep well?" you laughed at his attempt to hide whatever it was that was burning behind his back.

"what's that smell, bucky?" you asked with a smirk. he answered your question with another, "is that my shirt?" he looked you up and down for a minute, taking in the sight of you wearing his clothes. but he couldn't let you get away with it. he suddenly started racing towards you, making you squeal and run back into the bedroom. 

he caught you and tossed you onto the bed, "wait!!" you shouted knowing that he was going to tickle you mercilessly. he pouted and shook his head, "no. you have to learn the consequences of your actions." you desperately fought him off, "if you promise not to tickle me, i won't say another word about the burnt toast sitting in the kitchen."

he thinks about it for a moment, "fine." you knew bucky too well, "you have to promise!" he chuckles, "fine. i promise." and he kept his word. he backed away with his hands raised in surrender. 

for once in your life, you're not afraid of falling. fear and the pain of your past constantly held you back from relationships, but with bucky it was easy. he took one step towards you, looking down at you with a smile. you pulled him down by the collar of his shirt and kissed him. words couldn't explain the way you felt about bucky, thankfully the way you smiled when he was near said enough.

and even though you knew what you felt, you couldn't bring yourself to say it. not when he was kissing you on the sidewalk outside of his favorite diner. not when the two of you had a fight about something you'd entirely forgotten five minutes later and all you wanted was to apologize. one night, he woke up from another dream. his abrupt movement startled you, "bucky are you alright?" but the look on his face wasn't fearful and cold like it normally is after his nightmares. there was a silent pause before he turned to you, "you're my best friend."

you knew what he really meant to say. what he wanted to say. you knew that he was in love.