Avengers/Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes One Shots (Open for Requests)

#Bucky: A Friend

#Bucky X Reader requested by @Clace_Percabeth_4evz 

A/N: I kind of want a second part to this one where Bucky gets annoyed with the reader because she's too lazy with her dishes. lol anyway enjoy!

It was raining. You scowled at the pouring sky and peered down at your armful of food. You had just done your weekly grocery trip and you hadn't even thought about bringing an umbrella along. The sky had looked gorgeous this morning and you hadn't bothered to check the weather forecast before you headed out. 

This was what happened when you were unprepared, you could literally imagine your boss, Pepper, said. You had been working for Tony and Pepper at the Tower for some times. The two of them had treated you like family, hence there were times when they were blunt about the mistakes that you made at work.

You sighed, and pushed the door open with your back. Your car was just to the right of the store. Inhaling with an air with finality, you ran out in the rain, sprinting for your car while trying to balance everything in your arms. 

Honestly, considering your current job title, which was one of the top engineers at Stark's, people would really imagine you to be the careful, fully thought-out person. But nope. The ground was wet, the rain was splashing and forming ponds around your footing.

With a yelp, you slipped and your grocery fell out of your grip cruelly. Gaining a few looks from the people under umbrellas, you flushed violently and knelt to pick everything up. You were soaking and you couldn't begin to imagine the horror of sitting in a car while you were practically dripping. 

Then, someone approached you. Their footsteps were slow and hesitant. When you glanced up, the rain poured on your face and you struggled to see straight. Without saying another word, the person knelt in front of you to help picking up your grocery. "Thanks," you said gratefully and pushed a few wet strains of hair out of your face. The man in front of you had a dirty baseball cap on. His shoulder-length hair was plastered against his neck, while his hoodie was soaking in rainwater as well. 

The stranger peeked up at you quickly before averting his gaze again, as if he was trying to hide something. His stubbles hid his jaw but momentarily, you felt like you had seen him somewhere before. "Do I know you?" You questioned instantly. Flinching back, the man almost glared at you.

"No."

You made a face and dropped your head immediately. You two were silent and you went to your car to open the door. The man followed you and helped put the goods in your backseat. When you two were finally done, you had given in to the rain and had become oblivious to the fact that you were drenching. You peered at him timidly and it didn't surprise you that the man was avoiding your eyes as well. You narrowed your eyes with annoyance. Placing both of your hands on your hip, you tilted your head so you could see him better. Ceasing his brows slightly, the man caught your gaze.

No wonder he had looked familiar. You took in his cold, blue eyes and his rough, sharp features. Everything made sense. His dirty, worn out outfit added up. Holding your breath quietly, you calculated in your mind and realised that the man in front of you, the Winter Soldier, needed help, even though he wasn't asking for it.

"Do you need a place to get yourself cleaned up?" You asked alas. The man turned towards you dubiously and nodded. Smiling encouragingly, you leaned back on your heels. "You can take a shower at my place if you want to. I probably have something that you can wear." You really wanted to get rid of your ex-boyfriend's stuff anyway.

So, this was how you had ended up with the Winter Soldier in your car. "My name is Y/N, by the way," You said, shivering at the cold and drove into your neighbourhood. "What's yours?"

"Bucky."

You peeked at him and pulled the car over. "Well, nice to meet you, Bucky. This is where I live." You nodded towards the street. Leaning forwards in his seat, Bucky glanced out of the window warily. It didn't escape you that his left hand was really metallic. You gulped and climbed out of the car. Bucky following you.

The two of you carried your food upstairs, since you lived in an apartment. "You've bought quite a lot," Bucky decided to comment. Wincing, it was your turn to look away from him. 

"Don't judge. I love food," you muttered, earning an amused expression from Bucky.

After giving Bucky a quick tour of your apartment, you gave the Winter Soldier whatever he needed before he stepped into your bathroom. His shower didn't take long. You got changed, dried your hair, and fifteen minutes after that, Bucky stepped out of the bathroom. Steams curled from behind him, but Bucky looked fresh and better.

He entered the main room where you were sitting on the sofa by yourself, a mug of tea in your hands. You smiled the moment the assassin came into your line of sight. "Here," you pointed towards the mug on the coffee table. "I've made you tea."

Bucky froze, frowning at your kind gesture. It was understandable. Being brainwashed and used by Hydra, you didn't expect Bucky to find kindness out of anyone that he met. Eventually, Bucky made his way over to you and took the mug in his left hand. Your tea was still hot enough that you had to hold it with your sleeves over your palms. But for Bucky, he just gripped onto the mug with his left metal hand. He didn't seem to be putting up any effort in concealing his metal arm at all. "Thank you," he murmured and you shrugged. From the corner of your eyes you could catch Bucky eyeing his tea suspiciously. 

Exhaling quietly, you took a sip of you tea. "Hey, Bucky?"

The Winter Soldier was stiff at the other end of the small sofa, but he shifted slightly so he could level gaze with you while you spoke. "Yes, ma'am?"

You blinked to hide your surprise. "You can call me Y/N." You were definitely amazed how Bucky sounded like Steve when he spoke. "Do you want me to drive you back to your place in a bit?" 

Of course you knew Bucky didn't have a home at all. But you had to build up something before you could invite him to stay. Bucky tapped his index finger on his knee and was silent. Glancing away from him, you sipped tentatively and continued, "if you don't mind though, I have a spare room and it does get a little lonely at times." You peered at him and grinned. This was the most embarrassing thing you had ever said to a guy, but you knew Steve would thank you for eternally after today if Bucky did stay. 

Bucky frowned in thoughts. "That's too much to ask. I cannot repay you, Y/N-"

An idea popped into your head, "You can repay me by cleaning my apartment! I'm always busy at work and there were always dishes to do for some reasons." You flushed and beamed at Bucky painfully. Arching an eyebrow at you, Bucky's lips curved briefly, causing your heart to almost leap out of your throat.

You finished your tea while Bucky considered your invitation. "That's very kind of you-"

Before he could say anything further, you shifted near him and stuffed your empty mug into his right hand. "You can start with these," You gushed, desperate to make sure the Winter Soldier stay. If Bucky didn't stay, Steve would have been so disappointed in you. No one should ever let Captain America down.

The tight expression on Bucky's face resolved into something softer, perhaps something more human. Chuckling slightly, Bucky took hold of your mug and stood, ready to go wash your mug in the kitchen. Widening your eyes in shock, as you had never imagined Bucky would get to work so soon, you grabbed the assassin's arm and pulled him back down. Furrowing his brows at you, Bucky levelled gaze with you in amusement. 

"Wait, you don't have to wash it now. Oh man, I will wash it myself." You took the mug away from him, feeling guilty for making your guest do all your washing up.

"You're confusing," Bucky stated matter-of-factly and watched you. Rolling your eyes at him openly, you leaned back into your seat and yawned. 

"No, you're the one who's confusing me," you countered and leaned into him unconsciously. You were exhausted, from work and from the rain. Bucky became rigid next to you, but he relaxed soon when you spoke up again. "Just stay, Bucky. I need a friend."

He was quiet. The rain was lightly falling outside of your apartment. With you almost drifting to sleep on his arm, Bucky watched you through the reflection of the television screen. His cold eyes turned soft, and to his own bewilderment, your rhythmic breathing calmed his mind. Heaving a sigh, Bucky sat back and whispered, "I need one, too."