So High School (1/2)
Bucky Barnes x f!reader
synopsis : the one wherein the reader and Bucky navigate the initial stages of falling in love, and well, it feels a whole lot like high school <3
themes : friends to lovers, slight jealousy, Bucky and the reader are Avengers, everyone is alive!
word count : 2k ▪︎ masterlist
a/n : inspired by Taylor Swift's So High School - that song makes me so fuckin happy I can't even begin to explain it... This oneshot is all giddy and warm, kind of like when you have a crush, playfulness and jealousy abound 💙
You are almost certain that you left your beloved leather jacket back on the quinjet.
The mission made you exhausted, like they always do, and you remember taking your jacket off and settling in for a nap on the ride back to the Avengers compound.
"FRIDAY, is the quinjet still at base level?" you ask aloud to the compound's omnipresent AI overseer.
She chimes in straight away, "Yes, the quinjet is undergoing routine checks downstairs."
"Well," you say to yourself, "I could use the walk."
FRIDAY speaks again, unprompted, "There is one James Buchanan Barnes heading to your door right now."
Bucky? "Oh, right now?"
"Yes, he'll be knocking in 3... 2... 1..."
And sure enough, he does.
You open the door to his sheepish, easy smile. FRIDAY would definitely be picking up on your vitals, noting your clammy hands and jumping heartbeat.
You desperately hope that she would shut up about it, otherwise you might just literally throw hands with Tony.
"Hi," he greets. Just that - just 'hi' - and he has you blushing like a schoolgirl. Damn it.
"Hey," you reply. Glancing down, you realise that he has just what you're looking for.
The jacket. You mean your jacket. Mind out of the gutter, you kick yourself internally.
"I, uh, think you left this back at the - "
" - the quinjet."
"Right, and I, well - " he stammers, and you don't understand why, when you're clearly the nervous one here.
"You're... here to give it back to me," you help him out, smiling.
"Yeah," he nods, smiling back at you. Leaning against your doorframe, he stays right in place, and you suddenly feel conscious by the way he's just looking at you.
"Uhm, Bucky?" you break the silence after a while, anxiously laughing.
"Yeah, doll?"
"My jacket?" you hold out your hand expectantly.
"Oh, here," he quickly hands it over to you, and you thank him. But he stays, rubbing the back of his neck, brows furrowed in thought. "Listen, I was wondering if - "
"There you two are!" Sam's booming voice startles you, and you spot him walking down the hall. "Debriefing time, kids, come on."
"Oh, right," you groan, tossing your jacket somewhere behind you. Shutting your door, you turn to Bucky, "Sorry, Buck, can it wait?"
"Can what wait?" Sam butts in, ears like a bat. He nudges Bucky with his shoulder, and you swear you see Bucky glare at him, while blushing all the while.
"Nothing," he mumbles and the three of you make your way towards the elevators. When Sam becomes distracted by some new panelling Tony installed recently, you catch Bucky's eye, and shrug as if to say - you can tell me later.
He simply nods. When the doors open, you feel his hand on the small of your back, guiding you in. Just for the briefest of moments, but it lingers in your mind.
So much so, that Tony tosses a pencil at you during debriefing when you're spaced out and didn't answer his question.
"Daydreaming, princess?" Tony smirks.
"Leave her alone, Tony," Steve comes to your rescue, ever the considerate leader. "She's tired, just like the rest of us."
"Yeah, sure," Tony shrugs. "Or maybe Bionic Man over there is distracting her with all the staring he does."
"Shut up, Tony," Natasha protests, catching your surprised look.
"I'm not staring," you hear Bucky say.
"Oh, man, you stare all the time. At everything," Sam counters. "Especially at her."
"No. I don't."
"Yes, you do. Doesn't he, Steve?" Sam laughs, twisting around to share the joke with Steve, who just fondly shakes his head, patting Bucky on the shoulder.
Your mouth feels dry, face flushed from the suggestive bickering partially at your expense, and when you ask, "Alright, alright, what was your question, Tony?"
Tony cheekily smirks, and says, "Quick, Barnes, look away."
"Oh, god," you tilt your head back and stare at the ceiling.
It's a collective, "Tony!" that followed, likely from Steve and Nat. Possibly Bruce, too.
Tony asks you again, something about the safety measures in place for the civilians left behind.
When you answer his question, you can't help but feel a certain pair of blue eyes looking at you.
But that means nothing, right? Bucky's just listening to whatever you have to say. The mission had been important, after all.
Five minutes later, in the middle of Bruce's explanation, you feel it again.
So you look to the side, only slightly, catching Bucky quickly turning to draw his attention back at Bruce.
Oh.
"What are you smirking at me for?" you approach Natasha, while tightening your hand wraps. Some of the Avengers have convened for routine combat practice. You've been looking forward to it, mostly being cooped up in the two weeks after the recent mission.
Natasha sports her signature knowing look when she says, "You're paired with Barnes today, milochka moya."
"Bucky? And?" you clear your throat, and you clock Bucky and Sam entering the gym in your periphery. Is it just you or did your voice just crack? No, it couldn't have.
There's no reason to be nervous, no reason at all.
Sure, he'll get all sweaty and he'll have to get his hands on you and he'll get close... very close... pressed against...
"I see I've lost you already," Natasha is quick to note. "And we haven't even started yet."
Wanda joins you, greeting with, "Did you know you'll be paired with Barnes today?"
Oh my god. You exclaim, "Why is everyone making a big deal out of it?"
"Because," is all Wanda responds with.
"Thanks, Wanda," you nod sarcastically. "Thank you both. Can we just get this over with?"
"Guys?" you call out loudly, addressing everyone in the room.
"Yes, everyone. It is best if we start," Vision says, him being the supervisor for training today. Leave it to an all-knowing entity to be well-versed in every fighting art in existence.
He reads off the combat pairings for the day, and their assigned fighting style.
Clint and Nat, krav maga.
Wanda and Sam, aikido. Though to be fair, she doesn't really need to use her fists should it come to that. Wanda's powers were beyond your comprehension. This is mostly just a fun little exercise for her.
And finally, Vision says your name followed by Bucky's, with the fighting style of jiu-jitsu.
That damned close-contact sport. You're well-trained in it, thanks to your job, but it involves a lot of straddling and the opponent heavily breathing down on your face. It wasn't exactly your first choice out there in the field.
But here? Well, it seems like you don't really have a choice.
Well, you do. And would you really choose otherwise?
Close contact with Bucky?
"Hey, doll," he walks right over, all prepped and ready. Clad in a black compression shirt and grey sweatpants. One look at him and you know you're not likely to survive this training session.
"You ready to get your ass kicked?" you cheekily say, as you to walk over to your designated area of the room with him right on your tail.
He smiles, mumbling something which sounded like, " - let you do anything you want to me."
"I'm sorry?" you blurt out, occupying yourself with the control panel for the instructional hologram.
"Nothing," he bites his lip. Oh, he just knows you heard him.
"Okay, so - " The hologram starts right up, showing faceless figures go through a standard combat routine. Ankle sweep. Closed guard. Arm bar. Back and forth until someone taps out. Then all over again.
"Fun," you remark, moving to circle him on the mat. "Give it your best shot, Barnes."
He makes the first move, trying to sweep your leg with his own and failing. You're too quick for that. As long as you don't get sidetracked by that shit-eating smirk on his face, you'll be just fine.
He rushes at you again, but you jump out of the way. You manage you hook your leg around his torso, and use your whole weight to force him down on the mat.
You end up with one knee pressed to his chest, your forearm applying the slighest pressure on his throat. It's an easy position to counter, and he should be propelling you off of him already. Maneuvering your arm out of the way. Something. Anything.
But the man just stares.
You'll be damned, but Sam was right.
"Bucky, come on," you snap.
Instead of a countermove, he hits you with something more disarming. "You look good up there," he says.
"What?"
"I like the view," he only adds, speeding up the rush of warmth to your face.
Your body goes slack, and your pressure on his neck eases. You struggle to think of something nonchalant, something blasé to say in turn, when he takes advantage of the moment and flips the two of you over.
He ends up on top of you, legs caging you in, hands gripping your wrists by the sides of the face.
"Shit," you curse when you realise what just happened. "Well played."
"Thanks," he responds. "I meant it though, you do look pretty. Like always."
"Another trick, Buck?" You attempt to play it cool. Maybe you can play off the obvious flush on your face as physical exertion. Not whatever this is. Not because of him.
He only smiles, getting back on his feet and extending a hand out to you.
"Not a trick," he says, as you both get ready for the next round.
"I'd say I'm flattered, if you weren't trying to beat me in hand-to-hand combat."
"Doll, I think it's safe to say that you won already," he says, his gaze softening.
What is he on about? "Uhh, no, that was barely anything. We're supposed to keep going."
His brows furrow, though his smile stays in place, albeit a bit strained. "That's not what I meant," he exhales, reaching forward to attempt a restricting hold.
His expression turns serious then, steely gaze boring into you, analyzing your every move. He lunges at you, and you block him. But he tries again and again, each move more precise and forceful.
He steps back to take a breath, and you use the opportunity to sweep his ankle, but he sees it coming. In a flash, he pulls your arm and twists you around so that your back is pressed to his chest. You wrangle against him, making him fall on his back, but he keeps his hold on you.
His metal arm encases your torso with your arms pinned to your sides, and his legs wrap around yours. Air rushes out of you in shaky pants, and you move your head to the side, the only part of you still mobile.
And he's right there, the tip of his nose brushing against your cheek. The tension is almost too much to bear, because you feel all of him - the solid planes of his torso, the coarseness of his facial hair growing out - and for the love of all things sacred, you hope you don't accidentally wriggle your ass against his crotch.
Bucky wishes so too. He would never be able to live that down, especially if one of the others would come around and notice.
"Do you yield?" His voice is rough, commanding against your ear. Even though it's nothing more than an assertive whisper, a shiver runs through your body.
"Y-yes," you muster, "I yield."
He keeps his hold on you a moment longer, and before you can ask him if something's wrong, and why he's not letting you go yet, he releases you.
And it doesn't bring you relief, surprisingly. Almost as if you just want to go right back into his embrace.
As you two get back on your feet, Vision's sudden appearance almost makes you keel over, startling the living daylights out of you.
"That was good," Vision comments.
"What the - Vis!" you place a hand on your chest to calm down. "Maybe announce yourself when you show up please!"
"But I've been standing here for approximately 37 seconds," he expertly says.
"Okay, well - "
"You both did not notice me," he goes on, matter-of factly. "Perhaps it might have something to do with your sheer focus on one another - "
"Okay, Vision, thank you," you attempt to intervene, to no avail.
" - which is good. In combat, you do need to stay hypervigilant. Although, might I comment, that the sudden increase in arousal hormones is not really conducive to battle - "
"Vision!" you and Bucky exclaim in unison.
Thankfully, Wanda notices and comes to your rescue, "O-kay, Vis, why don't you come and check mine and Sam's progress, hmm?"
"Of course," Vision complies immediately and they walk away hand in hand. Must have something to do with his undying penchant for Wanda.
Wanda throws you an apologetic shrug, before her eyes get drawn downward to something else near you, and she has to bite her lip to hold back a giggle.
You feel Bucky's hand take hold of your waist, ever so gentle, and everything else is quickly forgotten.
"You okay?" he asks, the ghost of a smile on his lips.
He stands close, and you catch a hint of his scent, sandalwood and mint, layered beneath a musk that can only be undeniably Bucky.
You hum in affirmation. Shaking you head, you respond with, "Vision was just being... Vision. Can never keep his observations to himself." His thumb moves, caressing lightly at your waist, the movement seemingly instinctive for him.
"Yeah, well," he smiles to himself, before reaching up and tucking back a stray lock of hair from your face, "the thing about that droid is... he doesn't lie."
He steps back, rolling his shoulders, getting ready for another bout of combat. As if he didn't have you subdued already.
"He wasn't lying about me, at least," he smirks, before getting into a stance and putting his arms up.
Feeling brave, because there's no way you're going to come out of this interaction as the only one flustered, you respond with, "He wasn't lying about me, neither."
Bucky doesn't expect that, used to being the suave and cockier one out of this dynamic. His fighting stance loosens, and he barely croaks, "What?"
Gotcha.
It doesn't take long for you to sweep him off his feet.
When you're left straddling him once more, you hit him back with, "I like the view."
He bites his lip, and then laughs, flushed and impressed.
Still on the ground, staring up at you, he decisively ends the match, the final blow too much for you to bear. Because he settles for saying, "Still doesn't beat my view, beautiful."
After more than an hour of fidgeting around your room, clothes strewn everywhere and music blasted to calm you down, you were finally ready.
Bucky had asked you what you were doing for the weekend, and you said you didn't have anything in mind, but asked him if he wanted to watch a movie in the common lounge with you.
He eagerly agreed, before you two were interrupted by Sam mentioning something about new upgrades to Red Wing.
So you didn't get to clarify what the nature of the plan was. Likely it was just another hangout. It wouldn't be the first time you and Bucky watched a movie together, went on excursions on your motorbikes, or headed out to grab some sushi.
Save for Natasha and Wanda, he's the one you spend the most time with.
And none of those times ever was a date.
But you feel nervous as you walk down the hallway. You've been nervous all the while you spent getting ready, unable to choose the right top, and eventually settling for a V-neck cobalt blue shirt that he once said he liked on you.
You're nervous because tonight could be it. You've taken it upon yourself to finally ask him.
Ask him what exactly? Whether he likes you as someone more than a friend? Whether there is a reason to all that staring that he does?
Whether he wants to kiss you as badly as you want to kiss him?
So, something along those lines.
He's standing right around the entrance to the common lounge, and you immediately think at how sweet it is that he's waiting for you.
Until he broke the news.
"Doll, I - " Bucky says, right after you come into view. "Oh, wow, you look great."
Smiling widely, you look down like it was nothing, like you didn't just spend the last hour worrying. "Thanks, Buck."
"Uhh, I have something to tell you, actually. You remember Yori? The man from - "
"Of course I remember him," you nod, now confused at what he's getting onto.
"Yeah," he hesitates, not sure he wants to speak further. All he wants is to spend the night curled up in the lounge with you, but all that is gone when he continues, "he kind of set me up on a date."
"A date?" your stomach sinks.
"With Leah. You know Leah? The girl who works at the restaurant that we go to sometimes with Yori?"
"Yeah," you shrug and look away, hoping your expression doesn't give away too much, "I know who she is. So you have a date, huh?"
"Tonight," he confirms. "I didn't... didn't even ask her, really. But last night at dinner, Yori asked and she heard and said yes - "
"She's really lovely. This is good, Buck."
"Yes, but we made plans, and I didn't want to - "
"No, don't worry about it." you put your palms up, as if to show him that you take the situation lightly. It was no problem, after all. He has to go on this date. You can watch movies together any time.
"Doll," he sighs. "I was actually thinking that, since we had plans already, you could come with me? I'm sure she would understand - "
"Bucky," you laugh dryly, "I am not crashing your date."
"But - "
"No buts," you have to affirm. "You have a date, so it has to be just you and her."
He purses his lips, nodding. He tries to gauge your expression, whether you're pissed at him or anything, but he's only met with a reassuring smile.
"What time is your date?" you ask.
"In about 40 minutes," he replies, giving you a good once-over again, taking you in fully. You really looked good, and he wants nothing more than to just stare at you the whole damn night. If only he wasn't so polite. If only he had the guts to just turn Leah down.
His face falls when you say, "I guess you better go," with a hint of enthusiasm, not knowing that it's your attempt at putting on a brave face.
"What will you do?" he asks.
"I don't know," you shrug. "I'm sure I'll find something. The others are mostly around so - "
"Hey!" Steve rounds up the corner, still clad in his riding jacket, having returned from outdoors.
"Going somewhere, you two?" Steve asks, his signature congenial smile in place.
"Not me," you respond, smiling back. "But Bucky here has a date actually."
"A date?" Steve says, taken aback. Did Bucky not tell him about this? He looks between the two of you, trying to put things into place, "Do you mean - ?" He trails off, gesturing at you.
"No!" A nervous laugh bubbles out of you. Of course, not with you. You wish.
"Really?" Steve makes a face, like the thought of Bucky going on a date with someone else was ridiculous, but he quickly collects himself. It's none of his business, for now. But he'll surely grill his bestfriend on it later.
"Don't you have to leave, Buck?" you turn to him. "You don't want to keep Leah waiting."
"Yeah, I suppose I should. I'll, uh, talk to you later, okay?" He says, taking a few measured steps back. Not wanting to turn away, and have you out of his sight.
"Sure," you smile, but it's weak and you know it is. Watching him walk away, you can no longer hide the disappointment you feel.
Bucky is still within earshot when you turn to Steve and innocently ask, "Are you busy, Steve? Care to watch a movie in the lounge?" Steve of course agrees, and lets his arm drape around you.
Bucky knows that you and Steve are just friends. Steve has gotten a hint of how he feels about you, and far be it from him to take his friend's girl.
But it doesn't quell that sinking feeling, when he looks back. He sees you smiling up at Steve, as the two of you disappear into the lounge.
It's going to be a long night.
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