Bucky Barnes - One Shots

Between The Stacks

The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled your nose as you stood in line waiting your turn to make your order. This was your Sunday ritual. Get your favourite overly sweet latte from the little coffee shop on the corner, then enjoy it on the 6-block walk to your favourite bookstore. It was your way to reset before the work week, and it was honestly the day you looked forward to the most.

"Next please," the barista announced.

You stepped forward with a friendly smile and made your order. After paying you stepped to the side and waited for your coffee to be ready.

After a couple minutes, passing the time by watching people sitting at small tables near the windows, you heard your name being called. The barista handed over your drink telling you to have a nice day. You smiled to return the kindness and went on your way.

———————-

It was a beautiful fall day. The sun was shining brightly, taking the chill off the morning and warming your skin gently. You finished your coffee as you began to approach the book store, so you discarded the empty cup in a nearby trash can.

Taking a deep breath, you turned your face up to the sun and smiled softly. You felt so at peace and calm in that moment. The streets around you were still quiet, but starting to wake up after a busy Saturday night.

A sudden car horn honking snapped you from your brief reverie, and you sighed as you turned toward the door of the book store. Barnes Books. It had been your favourite place since you first stumbled upon it a few months ago, and hadn't missed a Sunday with Daphne, who worked the morning shift and kept you company as you wandered through the shelves.

A little bell tinkled as you pushed through the entrance, the familiar scent of new books greeting you. You definitely didn't need any new books, your shelves at home were overloaded with titles that you still hadn't even opened yet. So today you thought you would just look around a little bit then head home.

"Morning, miss. You're here early this morning." The deep voice startled you a bit, only because it was definitely male, not the female voice you were expecting.

Seeing him come out from the back room, you smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I uh, usually come in around this time on a Sunday. Daphne not working today?"

"Nope, she is away this weekend, so I'm covering for her." He stepped towards you with an outstretched hand. You caught his eyes, which were a captivating shade of grey-blue. "James Barnes, but everyone calls me Bucky." He grinned, and you couldn't help but widen your smile.

"Nice to meet you. Wait, Barnes... is this your shop?" You asked, seemingly putting the pieces together.

He nodded and chuckled. "It is, and I usually don't work weekends. So that must be why I have never met you before."

You felt your face heat slightly, and glanced down at the floor. He was cute. No, that wasn't a good enough word for him. He was a dream. It wasn't just his eyes, which pulled you in so deep that you got lost in them. It was his chestnut brown hair that was expertly styled so it looked like he just rolled out of bed. The way the fabric of his Henley stretched over his chest and arms told you that he definitely spent time at the gym.

As your eyes snapped back up to his after roving over his body, you caught him gripping his bottom lip between his teeth. Oh. Oh.

Bucky cleared his throat and gestured around the store. "So, what are you looking for this morning?"

You glanced around briefly and spotted your usual haunt, the fiction section, which then slowly morphed into the romance section. "Not really looking for anything in specific, but I'll just go wander around if that's okay."