Worth The Risk (bucky barnes x reader fanfiction)

Part Fourteen

"You're lucky him and Wanda thought you two were cute."

You froze, eyes widening as you stared at Sam in horror before letting them flicker up towards your friend.

Bucky had stopped as well, his spoon full of cereal held midair.

Usually you ignored Sam's unwanted comments, but this time the words slipped out of your mouth before you could even think them through.

"Fuck off, birdbrain."

It was Sam's turn to be taken by surprise and you watched as Bucky slowly lowered the spoon back to the bowl. Time felt frozen and for a moment everything was left suspended until you took notice of Bucky's trembling body in the corner of your eye.

Turning to face him once more, you watched in embarrassment and awe as a smile began to make its way onto his face. He was laughing, the chuckles slipping past his lips and eyes beginning to crinkle round the corners as his whole body began to shake with laughter.

You relaxed almost instantly and a smile of your own began to shine through.

As Sam continued to stand by the living room entrance, he looked between the two of you in disbelief.

"You're kidding!" he all but shrieked. "Now you're laughing?"

The two of you began to giggle even harder as you watched him turn on his heels and leave, muttering out one last "I can't believe this" on his way.

Slowly, yours and Bucky's laughter died down and with only the lingering smiles remaining on your faces, you looked up to meet his eyes once more.

"Birdbrain?" Bucky asked gently, eyes brimming with amusement.

You could feel your cheeks growing warm. "I didn't-"
"I love it." He interrupted, resting a reassuring hand on your knee.

Growing giddy inside at the contact, you leaned your side into his own and made yourself comfortable.

You remained like that for much of the morning.

If you'd thought that your comfort with one another before the following evening was a substantial accomplishment, then you didn't even know what to call what followed.

Despite all that had happened throughout the months you'd know each other, the two of you became practically inseparable.

Physical contact was always a touchy subject with Bucky but while before the two of you had kept it to the minimum around your teammates, there now seemed to be no limits.

At lunch time and dinner, the two of you would waltz into the living room chatting amicably and your arms snuggly intertwined with one another. Movie nights were often spent with the two of you curled up on one of the couches or chairs, leaning into one another's sides and your head resting comfortably on his shoulder. Walking into the living room and finding the two of you passed out on the couch together after nightmares and late nights became a somewhat regular occurrence.

Pam and Steve were beside themselves.

Any tension that existed before had now dissipated and the four of you couldn't be happier together. But Pam and Steve had noticed something else as well. While you and Bucky tended to dial down your flirtatious friendly behaviour around your other close friends, no one could deny that there was something more going on between the two of you.

And Steve was determined to see it through.

Despite the months of hell you'd both endured avoiding and pining after one another, Steve had never seen Bucky so relaxed and happy since HYDRA. You'd somehow managed to bring back parts of him that Steve had thought long forgotten. There was a light in his eyes when he was with you.