Mostly short one shots covering Bucky Barnes in different situations and AUs, from the 1940s to the present. Some will be soft, some dark, and some hopefully humorous.
Previously published on Tumblr. All MCU characters are the intellectual prope...
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Content warning: Description of physical abuse and assault causing injury.
As far as breakups go it wasn't a bad one. There were still tears on both sides but there were also hugs after I told Bucky that I didn't think we had a future together. Between my job as a travelling sales representative and his work an Avenger we didn't see each other much. The sex was great, but it wasn't enough to base a real relationship on. He was sad about my decision, but he helped me pack my things that I had left at his place, and we talked about where we went sideways. There was no blame; it was just how it went. As I stood at the door and hugged him again, he bent his head down and whispered in my ear.
"If you ever need me, I'll be there for you. We're still friends, sweetheart. That will never change."
That was almost two years ago. A few months later, I accepted a job as a regional sales manager, in another city. There was less travel and I had time to date. Nothing serious developed but I was okay with that. Bucky was in the news every so often, only now the news stories were about the Avenger Bucky Barnes and not the former Winter Soldier. I was so proud of him and occasionally sent him a text message congratulating him on a job well done. He would send back pictures of him and Sam with the team they had assembled. He looked happy and I was glad for him.
Then I met a guy, Bryce Andrews, a very charming pharmaceutical sales manager. We hit it off quickly. Looking back now, maybe it was a bit too quickly, but at the time it just seemed like things were falling into place at the right moment. It wasn't until Bucky and Sam were on a publicity tour of various cities and contacted me to arrange to meet up that things with Bryce took a turn.
We were at dinner in a restaurant. During the time between our plates being cleared and our desserts arriving I received a text message, and several more in a row.
"Excuse me," I said, grabbing my phone. "Someone must need me."
I looked. They started from Bucky: Going to be in your city next week for some publicity. Can we get together? That was followed by a text from Sam with the same message. Then texts from both asking if now was a bad time to call, since I hadn't responded.
"Who is it?" asked Bryce, seeming curious, but good natured about the interruption.
"Oh, Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes," I replied. "They're coming on a publicity tour and wanted to get together. Do you mind if I call them?"
He blinked his eyes, then narrowed them. Now, in our line of work, especially considering how much networking we did outside of normal office hours, it wasn't unusual for either of us to make or receive calls to and from other representatives. It was part of the job. Even though this would be a personal call, I didn't think he would mind.
"We're eating," he said.
"Well, then let me text them that I'll call them later," I said, eager to please him.
