Quiet moments (Bucky Barnes x Reader)
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After painfully watching Steve and Sharon fall in love, she kept her distance from them and the Avengers. The betrayal still stung, and it was hard to forget how everything fell apart, especially when her feelings were as raw as the day it happened. However, it wasn’t just Sharon’s kiss with Steve that haunted her – it was the realization that she had lost more than just a lover, she had lost her sense of belonging.
But Bucky, who had quietly witnessed her heartbreak, was more attentive than she realized. It started with small things. He’d check in on her when they had missions, asking how she was holding up, offering a reassuring smile when the weight of her feelings threatened to overwhelm her. He didn’t push her to talk about it – he just made himself present, a quiet but steady support.
In the months that followed, as the worked together on missions, they naturally began to spend more time together. Their shared silence spoke louder than words. They both understood loss, pain, and betrayal. Bucky, with his checkered past and constant search for redemption, seemed to understand her in ways that no one else could.
One evening, after a particularly exhausting mission, they found themselves alone in a safehouse in Eastern Europe. The others had gone to bed, but neither of them could sleep. She sat by the window, watching the soft rain fall against the glass. It had been a long day, her emotions worn thin from the stress of the mission, and memories of Sharon floated to the surface once again. She clenched her jaw, willing the feelings away.
Bucky entered the room, silently making his way to the kitchen. He poured two mugs of tea and approached her, sitting beside her without a word. He handed her one of the mugs, and they sat in comfortable silence for a while, listening to the rain.
“Do you ever feel like you’re drowning in memories?” she finally asked, her voice soft, almost a whisper.
Bucky sighed, his eyes fixed on the rain outside. “Every day.”
She glanced at him, searching his face. His expression was calm, but she could see the tension in his jaw, the quiet storm he constantly battled inside. Bucky had been through so much, yet here he was – still fighting, still standing. It gave her a strange sense of comfort.
“You’re not alone in that,” he added, turning to meet her gaze. His blue eyes, so often shadowed by his past, were filled with understanding. “But you don’t have to carry it all by yourself.”
For the first time in a long while, she felt the weight on her chest loosen. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to make her breathe a little easier.
Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Their partnership on missions grew stronger, but so did their friendship. She found herself confiding in him more often, sharing pieces of her life and her past that she hadn’t told anyone. In return, Bucky shared his own stories – stories of his time as the Winter Soldier, of the guilt he carried, and the nightmares that still plagued him.
They became inseparable, always sitting together during briefings, sharing meals, and often finding themselves in quiet conversations late into the night. It was as though the two of them had formed an unspoken pact to help each other heal.
The shift between friendship and something deeper didn’t happen overnight. It was gradual, subtle, hidden in small moments that didn’t seem to mean much at the time, but eventually built into something unbreakable.
It started in little gestures.
When they returned from missions, Bucky always made sure she had everything she needed, whether it was a cup of coffee waiting for her in the morning or an extra pillow on the plane for those long, uncomfortable flights. At first, she thought nothing of it. Bucky was a kind man, even if he tried to hide it behind his often stoic exterior. But it wasn’t just the small kindnesses that caught her attention – it was the way his presence seemed to quiet her mind, to calm the chaos in her heart. He didn’t need to say much, just being there was enough.
The first time she noticed her feeling for Bucky shift, it was on a cold evening in Bucharest. They had just returned from a particularly tough mission, and Bucky, who had grown up in New York’s winters, seemed unaffected by the dropping temperature. She, on the other hand, was freezing. They walked side by side, their breath coming out in clouds, and she tried to rub warmth into her arms.
Without a word, Bucky stopped, shrugged off his leather jacket, and draped it over her shoulders. She looked up at him, surprised, and found him giving her a small, lopsided smile. “You look like you’re freezing,” he said, his voice soft. “Can’t have you turning into a popsicle.”
His jacket was warm, carrying the lingering scent of him – clean, with a hint of leather. She felt a strange flutter in her chest, something she hadn’t felt in years. Her breath caught as she realized how close he was standing, how his fingers lingered on her shoulders as he adjusted the jacket. Her heart raced, but she didn’t pull away.
“Thanks, Bucky,” she murmured, and he just gave her another one of those small smiles that made her knees feel a little weak.
They continued walking, but something had changed. That jacket felt like more than just a simple act of kindness. It felt like Bucky saw her, really saw her, and cared enough to make sure she was comfortable, even when he didn’t need to.
The next moment happened a few weeks later, when they were both back at the compound, taking some well-deserved downtime. They were sitting in the lounge, watching a movie neither of them was particularly interested in. She sat on one end of the couch, and Bucky sat on the other. Despite the space between them, she could feel his presence like a magnet, pulling her attention toward him.
About halfway through the movie, she glanced over and found him already looking at her. It wasn’t awkward – it was like he had been waiting for her to notice. He smiled, a little embarrassed to be caught staring, and she couldn’t help but smile back. There was something so gentle about the way he looked at her, like she was something precious.
“You okay?” he asked, his voice quiet in the dim light of the room.
“Yeah,” she nodded. “I’m good.”
He didn’t press, but she could see the concern in his eyes. Bucky was always careful with her, always mindful of how she was feeling. It was one of the things she admired about him, one of the things that made her realize how different he was from anyone she’d ever known.
That night, as they sat together in comfortable silence, she realized that Bucky made her feel safe in a way she hadn’t felt in years. It wasn’t just that he was physically strong – though that helped – it was the way he listened, the way he cared, the way he made her feel like she wasn’t alone in her struggles. And maybe that was when it hit her: she was falling for him.
But the moment that solidified it came one rainy afternoon. They were on another mission, this time in Paris. It was supposed to be a routine recon, but things had gone sideways, and they ended up having to hole up in a small, plain safehouse on the outskirts of the city. The rain was coming down in sheets, and they were soaked to the bone by the time they got inside.
Bucky had grabbed a towel from the bathroom and handed it to her without a word, his eyes scanning her to make sure she wasn’t hurt. She took it gratefully, drying her hair as she sat down on the edge of the bed. Bucky leaned against the wall, watching her with the same quiet intensity he always had. It made her feel exposed, like he could see straight through the heart of her.
“I’m fine, Bucky,” she said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood. “You don’t have to worry so much.”
“I’m not worried,” he replied, his lips quirking into a small smile. But his eyes said otherwise.
He came over and sat down beside her on the bed, close enough that their shoulders were almost touching. They were both tired, both drained from the mission, but sitting there, together, it didn’t feel so bad. It felt… right.
“Do you ever think about what life would be like if we weren’t doing this?” she asked suddenly, not really sure why the question popped into her head.
Bucky looked at her, his brow furrowing slightly. “Sometimes,” he admitted. “But I don’t think I’d be good at anything else.”
She laughed softly, shaking her head. “I don’t believe that. You’re good at a lot of things, Bucky. You just don’t give yourself enough credit.”
He didn’t respond right away, but when he finally spoke, his voice was quiet. “I guess I just feel like this… all of this, it’s all I know.”
She turned to face him, her heart aching for him. She understood that feeling, the way the past could weigh on you, make you feel like you didn’t deserve anything more than the life you had. But Bucky… he deserved so much more.
“I think you’re a lot more than you think you are,” she said softly, reaching out to place her hand on his. His metal arm was cool beneath her touch, but his flesh hand was warm, grounding her.
Bucky looked at her, his eyes searching hers, and for a moment, the world outside the rain-filled windows disappeared. It was just them, sitting together on that bed, the weight of everything they’d been through heavy in the air between them. But it wasn’t the bad kind of weight – it was the kind that comes from shared experiences, from understanding each other in ways that no one else could.
“I think you’re more than what you think you are, too,” he said, his voice low and sincere.
She swallowed hard, feeling her heart race as she realized how close they were sitting, how easily their hands fit together. She didn’t want to pull away. She didn’t want to pretend like there wasn’t something happening between them. But it was scary, falling for someone again, after everything she’d been through. After Sharon.
“I don’t know if I’m ready,” she whispered, more to herself than to him.
Bucky’s eyes softened, and he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “You don’t have to be. I’m not going anywhere.”
That was it. The moment. The promise he made her, that he wasn’t going anywhere, that he’d wait for her, that he understood. It wasn’t grand or dramatic. It was simple, quiet, but it meant the world to her. Because Bucky wasn’t just offering her love – he was offering her time, patience, and understanding. And that was something she hadn’t had in a long time.
The days that followed were filled with more of those little moments. The way he’d smile at her when he thought she wasn’t looking, the way he’d always make sure she had her favourite coffee in the morning, the way his hand would brush against hers when they walked together, sending sparks through her.
There was the time they were stuck in a tiny village in Sokovia, waiting for extraction after a mission. The power had gone out, and they sat together by candlelight, playing cards and laughing over nothing in particular. Bucky had leaned back in his chair, watching her as she giggled over winning yet another hand.
“You’re cheating,” he teased, his grin widening as she playfully protested.
“I’m not!” she laughed, trying to hold back the smile on her face. “You’re just bad at this game!”
“Yeah, sure,” he replied, his voice filled with warmth.
And then there was the time they were on a mission in the mountains, and a snowstorm forced them to take shelter in a tiny cabin. The fire crackled in the hearth, casting a soft glow over the room as they sat side by side on the floor. She rested her head on his shoulder, exhausted from the day’s events, and Bucky gently wrapped his arm around her, holding her close.
They didn’t speak much, but they didn’t need to. The silence between them was comfortable, filled with unspoken words and shared feeling that neither of them were quite ready to say out loud yet. But it was there. They both felt it.
And then, one evening, back at the compound, after months of stolen glances, lingering touches, and quiet confessions, they found themselves standing in the kitchen late at night. The rest of the team was asleep, the compound eerily quiet. She was making tea, and Bucky stood beside her, his eyes fixed on her every movement.
She turned to him, holding out a cup, and their hands brushed. The touch was electric, sending a jolt of warmth through her. She looked up at him, her breath catching in her throat as she saw the way he was looking at her – like she was the only person in the world.
And that was when she knew. She didn’t just care for Bucky – she was in love with him.
The realization hit her like a wave, and before she could stop herself, she leaned in, pressing her lips to his in a soft, tentative kiss.
For a moment, Bucky was still, as if he couldn’t believe it was happening. But then, his hands came up to cup her face, and he kissed her back, deeply, passionately, like he had been waiting for this moment just as long as she had.
When they finally pulled way, both were breathless, their foreheads pressed together as they tried to catch their breath.
“I love you,” she whispered, the words spilling out before she could stop them.
Bucky smiled, his eyes filled with so much warmth, so much love, that it took her breath away all over again. “I love you, too.”
And just like that, everything changed. They weren’t just friends anymore – they were something more. Something real. Something that had been building for months, in all those small moments that seemed insignificant at the time but had led them there, to that. To love.
From that moment on, they were inseparable. In Bucky’s arms, she felt safe, loved, and whole. And that was more than she had even dared to hope for.