𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐑 | 𝐁. 𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐒 |

twenty eight*

NSFW warning :p

ONCE the both of them had taken care of both Jonas and Raquel's bodies, they sit together in the dim light of their shared bedroom, each on the edge of the bed with their backs to each other. Madeleine is pointedly silent, her gaze fixed on the far wall, while Bucky wrestles with the frustration boiling just beneath his skin. Finally, he can't take it anymore, the patience he's tried to maintain crumbling under the weight of her coldness.

"Alright, enough," he snaps, voice rougher than he intends. He turns toward her, his eyes blazing. "Are you going to ignore me like this forever? Pretend like everything between us just didn't happen?"

Madeleine's gaze hardens, and she turns to face him, jaw set, her anger barely contained. "You think you have any right to be angry at me?" Her voice trembles, her tone laced with both fury and the hurt she's been holding back for all this time. "After what you did?"

Bucky's jaw clenches, but he meets her stare without flinching. "That night with Roxanne... it shouldn't have happened, alright? And I swear, if I'd known she was your friend, things would have been different. But I didn't know, Maddy. I didn't know."

She lets out a bitter laugh, the sound raw and jagged. "Do you think that makes it hurt any less, Bucky? Do you think knowing that it was just some stupid mistake makes me feel better about having to end things?" She looks away, swallowing hard as her eyes begin to fill with tears. "You know, I hate that it's over because of something like this. And I hate that, no matter how hard I try, I can't make myself hate you for it. 'Cause I love you."

He watches her in stunned silence, the fire in her eyes dimming as her voice grows softer. The vulnerability in her words cuts him deep, catching him completely off guard. 

"You... you really mean that?" He asks, his voice barely a whisper.

She nods, looking down at her lap, the tears finally spilling over. "Yes, Bucky. I love you. I love you more than anything." The confession leaves her lips like a weight lifted, but her expression crumbles, revealing the agony she's been hiding.

Bucky's heart swells, the gravity of her words grounding him and breaking him open all at once. He reaches out, gently taking her hand. "I love you, too, Maddy. With every fiber of my being. I'd do anything for you—hell, I'd kill for you if it came to that."

She pulls her hand back, wiping at her tears, her expression turning conflicted. "But it doesn't change anything, does it? You're going to be the father to someone else's child. I can't just pretend that doesn't mean anything."

He hesitates, studying her face before answering. "I've already told Roxanne I want a paternity test. I need to know if it's even my kid before anything else. You said yourself she has a track record."

The faintest flicker of hope appears in her eyes, but she quickly looks away, holding herself together. "Even so, this whole thing is still a mess for me, Bucky. I don't know how I'm supposed to feel."

"Feel whatever you need to feel." He murmurs, reaching up to gently cradle her face in his hands. His thumb brushes against her cheek, wiping away a tear. "But I don't ever want you doubting how much I love you. I'd choose you over anyone, every single time."

Her gaze finally meets his, and their foreheads press together, the touch intimate and grounding. Their breaths are shallow, mingling in the space between them as they both lean in, caught in a silent, shared longing. 

Bucky's lips graze hers, soft at first, tentative, but when she doesn't pull away, he deepens the kiss, pouring every unsaid word into it. She responds, her hand slipping into his hair, pulling him closer. The kiss grows more heated, her body pressed against his as they lose themselves in each other, their movements becoming desperate.