R A N D O M || OS

140. (MCU) Bucky Barnes - Sincerity

https://creme-bruhlee.tumblr.com/

➽ pairing: bucky barnes x fem!reader (y/n)
➽ word count: 1.2k
➽ summary: bucky surprises you by coming home early from a mission, and you surprise him right back.
➽ warnings: pregnancy, alpine being a brat

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When I walked into the kitchen, the sight before me was a welcome one. My big Bucky, gone on a mission for the last four months, was standing at the stove. His sleeves were pulled up to his elbows, his brow furrowed as he concentrated on the pancakes. That was a ritual for us at this point; whenever Bucky returned from a mission, he made me breakfast. He said that it helped him decompress after the anxiety-inducing situation, and I never minded too much.

I came to associate the smell of pancakes with my Bucky. They were the only thing he really knew how to cook that I was willing to eat (I love him, but I refuse to eat the boiled cabbage that he liked so much, probably because he had grown up in the Depression). A shudder ran down my body, and I wrapped my arms tight around myself. "Hi, Buck," I said, my voice at a croaking whisper. "When'd you get in?"

"About an hour ago," Bucky said easily. He didn't seem startled by my presence, and I assumed that he had probably sensed me walk into the room, as he often did. He was vigilant of everything and, while the protection was welcome, it hurt my heart. He pulled me into the side of his body and buried a kiss in my messy hair, and I let out a little squeak of comfort. His arm was cold against my back, but the soft clicking of it as he held me tightly put me at ease. Bucky was home. "You seem like you slept well."

"Not really," I shrugged and played with the hem of his dark red henley shirt. "I was worried about you."

"You don't need to worry about me, doll," Bucky told me, and he abandoned the pancakes for just a moment in order to fully hug me. My arms went around his neck and he lifted me off the floor with the force of his hug. "I can hold my own."

"I know," I mumbled, and Bucky set me back down. His left hand came up and captured my chin between his forefinger and thumb, and he pressed his mouth to mine. His stubble stung my skin, but I just kept kissing him. Four months was an awful long time to be separated from someone, especially someone in Bucky's place. He couldn't call me, lest his enemy trace it and find me. It was a total communication blackout every time he left for a mission, but that only made our reunions that much sweeter. "I can't help it, though, Buck. When your boyfriend's an Avenger, you tend to worry."

"I'm not–" Bucky began and gently nipped at my bottom lip. "An Avenger. It's a miracle I'm not in jail."

I nodded in agreement and kissed him again, and then a soft murp came from behind us. I turned to see Alpine perched next to the sink, her yellow eyes blinking slowly at Bucky. Even though Alpine was technically our cat, everyone knew that Bucky and Alpine were an inseparable duo. He was her papa and, whenever Bucky was home, Alpine was sure to be close behind. "Oh, there she is," Bucky cooed. "Hello, Alpine." He gave Alpine a soft scratch behind her perked, pink ears and placed a soft kiss on his nose, and he said, "How's my princess doing?"

Alpine murped at Bucky again and rammed her head into his palm in demand of more loving. In an instant, Bucky had Alpine in his arms, and she was wriggling her way up to perch on one of his broad shoulders. "Gonna help cook Momma's breakfast?" Bucky asked, his eyes twinkling as he looked at his cat. "We're almost done, baby-cat."

Alpine's tail twitched as Bucky dipped a finger in the leftover pancake batter, and she licked it greedily when he offered it to her. I could hear her purring, and I gently ran my fingers along her tail.

"You're such a sweetheart with her," I remarked. "The Winter Soldier has a heart; who knew?"

"Not that big of a heart," Bucky said as he rolled his eyes. "Just enough room for you and Alpine."

"And Steve?"

"And Steve," Bucky concurred with a nod.

"And Sam?"

"That's pushing it," Bucky said quickly. "You, Steve, and Alpine only."

"I'm in good company, then," I said, and I pressed a chaste kiss to his mouth. "I... I, uh, actually really hope that you can find room in your heart for one more."

"What do you mean?" Bucky asked. Four eyes were on me, two yellow and two blue; Alpine already knew what I meant, of course, and I was sure that Bucky was catching on.

Quietly, I took his left hand in mine. The vibranium was cold, hard, and unforgiving, but I had never been afraid of it or him. He had to have known how much I loved him. If he didn't, he was about to find out. "Bucky..." I started. "James Barnes..." Then, I pressed his hand to my stomach. After four months, there was the slightest bump under my shirt that usually went unnoticed, and his metal fingers twitched with recognition.

When he spoke, his voice was a whisper. "How long have you known?" Bucky asked.

"Two weeks after you left," I told him.

Bucky pulled Alpine off of his shoulder and hugged me tightly, his face finding home in my neck. "Oh, my girl," he whispered. "My best girl. My best girls!" He grabbed my waist and kissed me with a nearly visible excitement, and a laugh bubbled from his chest.

"You think it's a girl?" I asked.

"I do," Bucky nodded quickly. "Yeah... Beatrice."

"Beatrice Barnes," I said softly. "Bea Barnes. Oh, she sounds lovely, Bucky. But what if it's a boy?"

"I don't know," Bucky said. He brushed a lock of hair off of my forehead and kissed my skin gently, and he whispered, "Any ideas?"

"Yeah," I said gently. "I think... James Buchanen Barnes Jr. JJ."

"You..." Bucky started, and his words died in his throat. "You'd wanna name him after me?"

"Yeah," I said softly. "I mean, at the very least, so we can get some use out of the name James."

Bucky laughed, and Alpine jumped onto the counter next to us. Before we could stop her, she was dipping her whiskers in the pancake batter, and Bucky pulled away from me to wipe her face clean. His face was pink and his eyes were glowing, and he ran a hand over his forehead, like he was trying to push his hair back. Speaking of...

"What happened to your hair, love?" I asked.

"Oh, our targets had recognized me with it," Bucky said. "I... I had to cut it."

I pouted and tried to fluff up his shorn hair. "Try to grow it back for me?" I asked.

"It'll take a while for it to get as long as it was," Bucky told me.

"It's alright, we have time," I said. "Just as long as it happens."

"You know I'd do anything for you," Bucky said. "Especially now that you're..." He gave a content sigh, and he practically melted into me. "Now that you're pregnant, doll. God, I love you."

"I love you too," I whispered. There was a nudge at my ankle and dissatisfied beep from the floor, and I said, "I love you too, Alpine."