Fairytale of New York - Professor Bucky x Reader

Seven

Y/N

"So, what would we say is Odysseus' main motivation?" Bucky called out, turning back to his class and looking through the crowd of students until his eyes finally landed on you. "Y/N?"

You glanced up from your laptop at the sound of your name, your eyes catching Bucky's. You thought about the question for a while, taking in Bucky's smirk as he waited for your answer; he had clearly picked you on purpose, testing whether or not you had been paying attention or had been daydreaming about that morning in the shower. It was definitely the latter.

"Well, I think it's clear that Odysseus' chief motivation throughout the novel is his desire for homecoming, a notion in heroic culture that encouraged bravery in war by reminding warriors and soldiers of the people that they are fighting for back home," you explained, your own smirk mirroring his as you answered the question perfectly. But Bucky wasn't finished.

"Would you care to expand on that a little more?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Odysseus' return represents the transition from his life as a warrior on the battlefield, back to his life as a husband, father, and the head of his household," you continued, wanting to prove yourself to Bucky. "That would explain why Odysseus is ultimately motivated by a desire to reclaim these elements of his identity and once again become the person that he was before he left for the war."

You didn't miss Bucky's grin at your answer, one that lasted only a second before his mask as your professor was once again placed over his expression.

"Very good, Y/N," he said, and you beamed down at him from your seat on the third row next to Yelena. "Be sure to include that analysis in your paper this week."

He shot you a quick wink, and you felt the blush rising in your cheeks. You glanced around the room quickly, scanning your peers to make sure no one had seen it, until your eyes landed on Liz, sitting right in the front row. But she wasn't looking at Bucky, or her notes. Instead her eyes were trained on you, glaring at you between the heads of your classmates.

You couldn't hold her gaze, quickly looking away, nerves creeping into your stomach like butterflies. You glanced back at Bucky to check if he had seen it, but he was already addressing the rest of the class, seemingly in professor mode once more.

"Ok guys, that's it for today," he called out, returning to his desk. "Don't forget that your papers are due on Friday, and I want them on my desk before the end of the day."

The class began to gather their things, and you quickly followed in their wake, shoving your laptop and notebook into your bag and throwing it over your shoulder as fast as you could.

"Woah, where's the fire?" Yelena asked, raising a brow as she watched you shoot from your seat and rush towards the stairs.

"There's just something I need to take care of," you explained, before rushing away. You didn't have time to explain it now. You had to catch Liz before she disappeared into the crowd - you could explain everything to Yelena later.

You pushed your way down the stairs, squeezing through the crowd, throwing Bucky a look as you passed by his desk, to which he gave you a reassuring nod. You spotted Liz's head over the others and pushed through the hoard of people until you were finally right behind her, tapping her on the shoulder. She paused, turning round, a look of surprise written on her perfect features.

"Do you think we could grab a coffee?" You asked, flustered. "I need to talk to you."

***

Neither you nor Liz said a single word as you ordered and collected your drinks from the counter at the coffee shop, although there was an unspoken agreement that you would take your drinks to go, not wanting to have this conversation in somewhere as intimate as a coffee shop, especially when it was right beside campus; anyone could walk in at any time and hear what they were saying.