Fandom x Reader OTP Challenge

Day 21: Cooking/Baking - Bucky

Day 21: Cooking/Baking – Bucky Barnes
For Blossom

Bucky tried to be as normal as possible. He wanted to live a simple life with you and Steve and his newly gained friends. He wanted to be remembered as "Bucky Barnes: a nice guy," not "Bucky Barnes: ex-Hydra agent and super soldier."
You tried to help as much as you could. Most of your dates were spent in your apartment where he felt most comfortable, and when you did go out, you made sure to ask people not to bother him. He felt like a child, shying away from the world, but you assured him that there was nothing wrong with not wanting to be famous. Thankfully, Captain America fans were supportive and understanding, so when he asked them not to crowd Bucky like a newborn lion at the zoo, they backed off unless given permission to crowd.
Since most of what Bucky remembered was being a soldier, he didn't have a lot of ideas on what he liked doing for fun. You began experimenting with various hobbies, seeing if anything sparked his interest or his memory. Scrapbooking hadn't been a huge success, though he did enjoy printing out pictures of the two of you together. He wasn't into model cars or planes, so that was out. He only seemed interested in watching movies if it was movie night and he got to cuddle you, and it was a movie you really liked so he got to see you smile. You had suggested he learn an instrument, to which he replied that he much preferred hearing your voice on the rare occasion that you would sing.
You eventually tried baking. It calmed you down when you were stressed, and you loved making sweet things. Once you showed him how to use the mixer and read recipes, he got a real knack for the task and asked if he could do it more often. You made sure to stock up on eggs, flour, sugar, and various flavored morsels on a regular basis.
The first baking attempt had been Valentine's Day. You wanted to make heart-shaped cookies and frost them. You had explained to Bucky that certain recipes had to cool in the fridge before they could be turned into cookies. You had also shown him how to roll out cookie dough and shape it with cookie cutters. You let him pick out all of the shapes, which mostly consisted of hearts and flowers, because it was Valentine's. While they baked, you poured powdered sugar, butter, cream cheese, and vanilla into the mixer and stirred into frosting. You let him taste test it, giggling when his eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.
Next was Bucky's birthday. You had wanted to make him a cake and surprise him, but he recognized the tell-tale signs of baking when you tied your hair up and began gathering ingredients. His puppy eyes were too cute to ignore, so you showed him the recipe for chocolate fudge cake that you were planning to use. His mouth watered as he looked at the photo that accompanied the script. You let him mix the cake batter (and steal bites from it) while you mixed the frosting. His mouth and nose were covered in chocolaty goo by the time the batter made it into a pan and into the oven. You kissed the batter from his lips, effectively transferring some of it to your own mouth, and smiled at him. He chose the colors he wanted for the frosting, and when the cake was cooked and cooled, you let him frost it (though you insisted on writing "Happy birthday Bucky" yourself).
St. Patrick's Day brought on shamrock-shaped cupcakes. They were vanilla flavored and colored green, which turned Bucky off until he tried one. He then insisted on helping. You showed him how to use the cookie cutters on the baked cake and gave him a spatula for the frosting. He even added some shamrock sprinkles to some of the cupcakes.
Next was your birthday. Bucky was sure he could bake you a cake all by himself, but you were going to linger in the kitchen to supervise. You had promised not to get involved unless you were asked, but you still wanted to watch. You were glad that you had turned him onto a new, productive hobby, and you liked how happy it made him to understand your instructions and follow them perfectly. One tip he hadn't followed was putting a lid on the mixer when using it, and you let out a laugh when frosting ingredients flew from the bowl, decorating the walls and Bucky, and partially you too. The soldier then decided that maybe you should help and went to mix the cake batter. You fixed the frosting mess and made a new batch, coloring it with your favorite dye. When you turned to check on Bucky and the cake, a splotch of batter made contact with your nose. You raised a brow and looked at him as he childishly held the spatula behind his back, pretending to be innocent. You smirked at him, grabbing a spatula from the drawer and dipping it into the batter. He raised his brows in surprise before deciding to retaliate. Your arm was faster, flinging (f/flavor) cake batter across the room. It landed in his hair, sticking the strands together in front of his face. You let out a squeal and ducked when he charged at you. He crashed into you, batter-y spatula in hand, and you both tumbled to the ground. You giggled uncontrollably as he lied on you, both of you covered in cake mix.
"Sorry I ruined your cake," he said sheepishly, a blush on his cheeks. You looked up at him, using a hand on his cheek to pull him close. You kissed him and licked the batter from his lips.
"You didn't ruin it. It's perfect."
He blushed deeper and stood, offering you a hand. You accepted it, tossing your spatula into the sink. He looked down at his body and then yours, chuckling. "We need a shower."
You nodded. "We do." You turned and headed to the hallway, reaching for his hand. He grasped it and followed you to the bathroom, deciding to finish your birthday cake after a nice shower.