#bucky banes x woc!reader | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lightning-writes · 6 months

Text

good heart (faulty machine of a man) - 17/30

fic summary: bucky meets someone at therapy

chapter summary: there are amends and apologies.

word count: 1887

tags: post endgame, pre tfatws, slow burn, canon divergent, canon compliant, au

warnings: transphobia

a/n: a quick dip into TFATWS canon. also rue's last name is david (like dah-veed) - she is of Indian-descent, I just haven't decided specifics.

AO3 MASTERLIST X

Bucky remembers them all.

All of the people he’s killed, maimed, hurt. All of the corruption, extortion, affliction. All of the fear, shock, indignation. All of the cries, the trembling, the fighting - all of their will to live, to survive. He remembers snuffing out the good and upholding the immoral.

If someone received a swift death, it wasn’t because the Winter Soldier was merciful. It was because he had a mission to complete and would not tolerate deterrence.

When Raynor tells him to write down every person affected by the Winter Soldier, Bucky writes for days. She then tells him to cross off the people who had died by the hand of the Winter Soldier or by the hand of time. He’s left with a page of the victims’ family members and corrupt persons in substantial power.

She gives him two rules and a script that they create together:

I am no longer the Winter Soldier. I am James ‘Bucky’ Barnes, and you are a part of my efforts to make amends.

The rules are simple - nothing illegal, no one gets hurt. He disagrees, knowing that some people on this list deserve illegal and harmful things done to them, but he will play by her rules.

(For now.)

////

(The assignment gives him a new purpose, something he realizes he misses.)

Bucky starts right away. He contacts the independent digital investigator he had used in the past to find targets. Mikhail Novikov, known as Жаба, The Toad, has been on both sides of civilian uprisings, systematic rebellions, political wars. His loyalty is to the payment, never an organization or government.

He delivers his amends list to Novikov in person and, at the last minute, adds one more name, with the special request to do a full deep dive.

(Dread and guilt flood his brain as his pen falters. Ruby David. He’s conflicted between thinking he shouldn’t do this and he should have done this sooner.)

Жаба produces locations of each person; Bucky will do the rest. He tells Bucky the deep dive will take more time and will cost more money. Bucky reminds him he’s Novikov’s only ally in times like this.

With some basic research, he finds Yori Nakajima. The father of one of the Winter Soldier’s victims. Bucky remembers his son. Hell, he’s dreamt of his son, his feeble attempts to escape.

(The swift execution he received.)

Bucky doesn’t approach Nakajima for days. He takes his time slinking around the old man’s neighborhood, tailing him through the park to markets and restaurants. He notes who he interacts with, what kind of person the man is.

Bucky’s memorized Nakajima’s routine when he finally lets himself be spotted.

“I think you and I are the only regulars here, at this time.” Yori’s smile is kind, drawing lines across his whole face. He shuffles his way to Bucky’s small table in the corner of Izzy’s, a Japanese bar Yori frequents.

(Bucky’s throat seizes, but he offers a weak smile.)

“I’m Yori.”

“James.”

“Do you mind if I sit with you, James?”

“Uh…”

(Bucky knows he shouldn’t entertain the man. It’s like a predator playing with its prey. The news Bucky had to deliver will gut this old man, and it would be a twisted knife if they become friendly first.)

“Yes, you can sit here.”

“Thank you.” Yori waves over to the bartender. “Have you had Sake before?”

“Can’t say I have,” Bucky lies.

“It’s the best part of my day,” the old man admits with a sheepish chuckle.

(Bucky was going to hell for this, but what is one drink with a kind old man compared to his lifetime of sins?)

////

“Hey - I’m hungry.”

Rue hasn’t texted him since Thanksgiving, which was only a week ago, but when he had walked into the waiting room, she barely looked his way either. She’d been busy on the phone, taking notes, or on the computer, typing diligently. She’d offered him a terse smile upon his arrival, but her eyes never meet his.

(He’d take it as a coincidence if he didn’t know any better. But he knew the intricacies of shame, so he’d given her space.)

This is why her declaration throws him off as he exits the therapy room.

“You should eat then.”

(His statement is surly. He feels out of rhythm with her, which is foreign to him. He knows the main reason is he’s afraid of what Novikov will find. His learned predisposition to be suspicious has been both life-preserving and eternally daming. He feels like he’s stepping into dark water, not knowing if his foot will land on solid ground or something sharp. His gut has been pointing out the inconsistencies with her, but… isn’t it just human to be inconsistent? He feels like there’s more at stake here… and he doesn’t know what he’ll do with that information.

Another reason, he thinks, is the way he wanted to end the pretenses that night and give in to the charged moment between them.)

“Are you hungry?”

Despite her matching his energy, he recognizes the veiled invitation.

“I’m… not,” he admits, “but I could join you.”

“Well, I don’t want you to ‘join me’ if you have plans or–” She’s fighting with her coat, and he sees her frustration with the garment, with him, with herself. “If you’re hungry, we go. If you’re not–”

Bucky offers his gloved hand. She’s fixing her collar when she notices it. He’s half worried she’s going to scold him for being behind the desk again, though technically, he’s adjacent to it. She shoulders her bag and grabs his hand.

“Let’s go,” she drags him out of the room.

(Bucky can’t fight the smile growing on his face as he follows along.)

////

She says she’s craving Indian food, so they go to a pretty famous restaurant twenty minutes away. The place is loud and packed, and Bucky is bombarded by the crazy Christmas lights piled onto the ceilings, some hanging low enough to graze his head. Surprisingly, there isn’t a wait.

“I’m dying for some tikka masala,” Rue tells the waiter with a more polite smile than her usual flirty one. She looks to Bucky, with a meek expression he’s never seen before. “Are you sure you don’t want anything? This place is amazing, and it’s my treat.”

“I’m okay for now.”

(He sees recognition from Thanksgiving, the last time he’d said that, flash over her face. Her gaze flits away but gives a clipped smile to the waiter.)

Now that they are in close proximity, Bucky really looks at her. She looks… rough, like she hasn’t been sleeping. When they aren’t making mundane comments to one another about the restaurant or the weather, her expression is flat. Eyes sullen, almost heavy. The corners of her mouth slightly down.

“Sorry I’ve been so quiet,” she finally says. Again, her eyes barely meet his. “Like, texting and stuff. I’ve been swamped at my other job. The holiday season and all.”

“That’s fine.” Bucky leans into his chair as much as space will allow. He combs his hair back with his fingers. “Raynor gave me a project, so I’ve been working on that.”

“A project?” There’s humor in her tone but not on her face. “She’s graduated from homework to a project, then?”

“Yeah, it’s for my amends.”

Her food comes incredibly fast, Bucky notices, and she hums with delight. She thanks the waiter, with a more genuine light in her eyes, and starts to eat. She offers him a forkful, but he just shakes his head.

“I haven’t had good Indian food in forever,” she mumbles through a mouthful. “My brother was going to hook me up with some this Christmas, but a few days ago, he told me they decided to go to his in-laws at the last minute.”

(Bucky feels something when he sees how Rue is with him. Open, untethered. Vulnerable. It makes him feel less… monstrous.)

“What about your parents?” Bucky ventures. He’s never cared to figure out her ethnicity, but her features lean South Asian.

She doesn’t skip a beat when she spits, “Fuck them.”

“Oh.”

“Sorry,” though she doesn’t sound it, “that’s just my knee-jerk reaction when talking about them. We don’t talk to them since they kicked Mikey out for being trans.”

“Oh,” he repeats with understanding. Her gaze is wary. “When did he come out?”

(Rue gives him a brief yet approving look as she drinks her water. Pride buzzes in his chest.)

“When he was sixteen. I was nineteen.” She combs both hands through her hair, locking them in, leaning on her elbows. “It was a wild time. I was training for this really big job, and I had to drop out when I was almost done, to take care of him.” He watches her remember. “I started working at Waterway Brewery, where I still work, and I had to pick up a bunch of little odd jobs to put food on the table, pay for rent. I wouldn’t allow Mikey to get a job, and when he got into MIT on a full ride scholarship, it had been worth it.”

“That’s a pretty good school,” Bucky says thoughtfully, “or, at least, it was, back in the ‘40’s.”

Rue laughs for the first time of the night. Her face is soft and rosy from the Christmas lights, and despite the large crowd in the cramped restaurant, she still garners curious looks from nearby diners.

(And Bucky loves it.)

////

Rue’s skittish energy reappears as she fumbles with her keys.

(He stands with her on the top landing, both protective against people walking by and the cutting wind.

It’s then he suddenly realizes it’s his proximity that’s making her so nervous, not the cold.)

He takes a step down, not wanting to crowd her, ready to leave the moment she’s in. She turns once the door is unlocked, making no moves to open it. Her eyes fall to him, a few inches shorter than her.

(If he notices disappointment, it’s gone before it registers.)

“Thanks for walking me home,” she says. She puts on her usual grin and says, “You know, you didn’t have to. I know how to defend myself.”

Bucky’s brow furrows deeply. “That’s news to me.”

She swats his shoulder with a laugh. “I’ve… taken a few classes.”

“You’ll have to show me sometime.” Despite the icy night, the air between them is thick. He finally says, “Have a good night, Rue.”

She grabs his shoulder before he’s off the steps. She’s on the last one, so close, he sees the smile lines at the corner of her eyes when the wind blows, and she squints them shut. Her hand slides from his shoulder to his chest before falling away.

(The buzzing is back.)

“I’m… sorry. For the other night.” Her voice is low, fragile. Her eyes are on her shoes. “I was drunk, and…” she huffs a laugh, pressing a hand to her forehead, “and horny, for a lack of a better word. I was being… messy and destructive–”

“Don’t be sorry.” Her eyes snap to his, finally. Like magnets. He sees her pupils, nearly lost in her dark eyes. She’s not searching. It’s like she’s been waiting for him to just say it. “There’s nothing to be sorry about.”

7 notes · View notes

sunshinebuckybarnes · 3 years

Text

Here we go again bby's 💞 as always please make sure you check the warnings for each individual fic before reading. You are responsible for your own media consumption. This blog along with the majority tagged are 18+ and the majority of these fics contain adult themes.

Once again the talent of these people is awe inspiring and I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I did! And remember to reblog and give them some love ✨

*indicates part of a series or multi part fic

Andy Barber

Losing my religion / Christ is comin' and so am I by @jamalflanagan (demon!Andy Barber x woc!reader)

Tongue in cheek by @angrythingstarlight (CEO Andy x reader)

Party pleasures by @jobean12-blog (Andy Barber x reader)

How to win at studying by @jobean12-blog (Andy Barber x reader)

Bucky Barnes

*Project V by @babyboibucky (College!Bucky Barnes x Reader)

*The match by @babyboibucky (CEO!Bucky Barnes x Reader)

Size kink by @metalbuckaroo (beefy!biker!bucky x petite!f!reader)

Bored games by @jobean12-blog (Bucky x reader)

Husband and wife by @navybrat817-shares (Mob!Bucky Barnes x Female Reader)

*The dreadful need in the devotee by @jamalflanagan (vampire!Bucky Barnes x siren!reader)

*That's what you get by @sweeterthanthis (Stepdad!Bucky x 18+F!Reader)

*Devils backbone by @trashmenofmarvel (The Winter Soldier x S.H.I.E.L.D. agent!Reader)

Butterflies by @spicynudlesoup (CEO!Bucky x Fem!Reader)

Feel you all around me by @angrythingstarlight

Riding lessons by @gogolucky13

*It all belongs to you by @angrythingstarlight

With this ring by @jobean12-blog (Bucky x reader)

Steve Rogers

*His inheritance by @jtargaryen18 (Mobster Steve Rogers x Mobster daughter reader)

*After the rain by @sweetlyscared (King!Steve Rogers x Princess!Reader)

Bent over it by @the-iceni-bitch (innocent!Steve Rogers x fem!reader)

*A few good reasons by @angrythingstarlight (Biker!Steve Rogers x shy reader)

The one with the fluffer by @world-of-aus (Pornstar!Steve Rogers x Fluffer!Reader)

Ari Levinson

Bane of my existence by @wanderinglunarnights (Ari Levinson x female reader)

Warmth of the sun by @dreamlessinparis (Professor!Ari x F!Reader)

Skip the song by @holacia2 (Ari Levinson x reader)

Ransom Drysdale

Gluttonous by @ambrosiase (ex!ransom x fem!reader)

Steve Rogers & Bucky Barnes

Don't worry doll, I got the solution by @sweater-daddiesdumbdork (Mob!Steve x You x Mob!Bucky)

Sam Wilson

Mile high by @tuiccim (Sam Wilson x Female Reader)

Lee Bodecker

Go ahead, baby by @sweetdreamsbuck (Lee Bodecker x f!reader)

Andy Barber & Ari Levinson

Afterthought by @stargazingfangirl18 (Ari Levinson x Female!Reader x Andy Barber)

Destroyer!Chris

Pretty reckless by @sweeterthanthis (Destroyer!Chris x Sex Worker!Reader)

Curtis Everett

Let me trace the lines by @the-iceni-bitch (tattoo artist!Curtis Everett x tattooed and pierced fem!reader)

Mickey Henry

Beg for me by @jobean12-blog (Mickey Henry x reader)

Andy Barber & Jake Jensen

*Bad boyfriend bingo by @river-soul (Alpha!Andy x Beta!Jake x Fem Omega!Reader with past Fem Omega!Reader x Alpha!Peter Quill)

Ari Levinson & Ransom Drysdale

Know you want it by @the-iceni-bitch (Ransom Drysdale x fem!reader (OTP) x Ari Levinson)

#november fic recs #fic recs #andy barber #bucky barnes #steve rogers #sam wilson #ari levinson #ransom drysdale #curtis everett #mickey henry #jake jensen #destroyer!chris #lee bodecker

87 notes · View notes