Imagine If You Assembled The Avengers: Volume 2

I Don't Wanna Play (Barnes x reader)

"Okay, rules," Tony began. "No powers. No running away; if you're found, you're found. This isn't tag. Once you're found, you join up to find the rest to make it a little more challenging and so we don't have any alliances forming. We know those never end well."

Everyone stood at attention in the common room, their stances alert and ready to run, with Steve standing at the center of the circle with his eyes covered, though you weren't totally convinced that he was as honest as he made himself out to be. You snuck your way up to him and studied his hands, finally seeing a hint of blue between his fingers.

"No peeking, Rogers!"

"I'm not!"

"I can see your eyes!"

"Because I'm talking to you, and it's impolite to not look back!"

"Can we just go, please?" Tony sighed, his previously jovial attitude now replaced with annoyance at your bickering. You gave Steve a warning poke of your finger in his chest and took your place in the circle, once again ready to run. "FRIDAY, count it down."

"Yes, boss. Twenty...Nineteen...Eighteen..."

The small group of your teammates ran in different directions, leaving you and Natasha to run for the stairs to hide in the upper levels. Wanda took the easy route and flew over your heads, rising up to easily to her chosen hiding place. "Wait, she can't go invisible can she?" you asked as you ran, "because that would totally be cheating."

"Twelve...Eleven...Ten..."

"Is it just me, or is she counting too fast?" Nat growled, splitting away from you, sprinting to the far end of the hall and out of sight, leaving you to hurry to find your own place to take cover. Only now did you realize that you probably should have planned better and chosen a location ahead of time, rather than panicking now when the clock was running out.

"Three...Two...One..."

"Shiiiit," you hissed, ducking into the first door you saw, slamming it quickly behind you with a sigh of relief, though the feeling was immediately gone when you realized where you were. "Uh...Buck?" you called out, getting no reply from within his apparently empty room. Just to be certain, you gave it one more try, "Buck? Are you here?"

Silence.

Silence except for voices that were coming up the hallway, belonging to Steve and Clint as they continued their search, and they were rapidly getting closer. As your eyes darted around the room, it became painfully clear how sparsely his room was decorated and how little furniture he had. He hadn't been on the team for very long, and it looked like he hadn't found his comfort in calling it his home yet. You were broken from your thoughts by Steve's voice now directly on the other side of the door, so you ran into the bathroom and jumped into the tub behind the shield of the shower curtain.

"Hey, (Y/N)."

"Oh my God!" you screamed, falling back against the wall in shock and slamming your hands over your eyes. "Bucky! I didn't know you were in here! I'm so sorry!"

"Calm down, it's okay," he chuckled as he wrapped a towel around his waist. "But if you didn't know that I was in here, what are you doing in my room?"

"We're playing hide and seek, and Steve was getting closer, and your door was open..."

"Hide and seek? Hmm, now there's one I haven't heard before."

Your hands almost dropped at your disbelief, but you quickly squeezed your eyes closed in a reflex before you might have seen something you weren't ready for, "are you covered up now?"

"Do you want me to be?"

"Please," you groaned, opening your eyes and taking a step out of the tub, "it was an honest mistake, Buck. Nothing more than that."

"(Y/N)? Was that you? You okay?" Steve called out across the room, making his way towards the bathroom. In a panic that you would be found, you jumped back into the shower but your foot slid on the slippery surface, reaching your arm out for Bucky to help. His fast reflexes caught you and pulled you towards him for support, but your hand connected with his towel and ripped it away, dropping it to the tub floor.

"Seriously, doll. I'm not playing hard to get, just ask."

"(Y/N), are you in here...oh!" Steve stopped when he saw you, turning away and stepping back out of the room with a wide grin. "Well then. I see you've found something too, (Y/N)."

~~~

The next day was almost worse than the event itself, now that the entire team had found out because of Steve's big mouth and his ridiculous inability to lie. As expected, Tony was relentless, easily bringing Clint and Sam along in his raunchy sense of humor, but it was Bucky who made you the most uncomfortable. Even though he had said that he wouldn't bring it up, and that he wouldn't make things awkward between you, he did nothing but.

"Good morning, (Y/N)," he smiled when he entered the kitchen, moving to stand behind you, reaching over you to grab a coffee mug from the cabinet above your head. His body pressed against you and pushed you into the counter top, tipping you slightly, but he wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you tightly into him. "Sorry, sweetheart. Am I getting too close for comfort?"

"Uh...no," you mumbled with a dry clearing of your throat, feeling the heat of embarrassment in your cheeks beginning to grow, "no, not at all. Why? Does it make you uncomfortable?"

"It makes me a lot of things, but uncomfortable ain't one of them."

"Such as?"

Bucky leaned his head down into your neck, his voice quieting and deepening, sending a chill down your spine as he spoke. "I'm standing this close to you and you can't tell?" A few strands of his hair grazed across your skin, leaving a trail of goose bumps behind; you sucked in a deep breath at the sensation with a shiver against him. "Well, maybe you can." You felt a soft press of his lips against your neck, then a grip around your arm, leading you from the room as the rest of the group watched in silence until you were gone.

"As much fun as this was," Natasha smirked, "there really has to be an easier way to get two people to see what they're missing."

Steve glanced at Tony with a knowing glimmer in his eyes, "you're absolutely right, couldn't agree more." He paused and opened up his tablet, scrolling aimlessly through the screens for a few minutes before setting it down and leaning back in his chair to address her again. "Oh, Nat, before I forget, I've got a mission that came through for you. Starts tomorrow."

"Great, can't wait," she smiled, setting down her coffee and ready to focus, "who's with me?"

"Clint."