ALWAYS || Sequel to BUCKY ✔️

twenty

chapter twenty
past memories

Bucky came to Ray a few minutes after Bruce left her bedroom. While he had wanted to come to her immediately, he knew that Bruce and Ray had things to work out - whether they had a relationship or not.

So he sat in the old living room he was used to, listened to Steve and Natasha talk strategy, and rolled his eyes every time Sam spoke.

But when he saw Bruce come back downstairs and sit at the table to work, he figured it would be a good time to go up and check on Ray.

She was finishing the bowl of fruit when he walked into the old bedroom. Memories of their time shared in this room overpowered his mind and felt overwhelmed.

"It's a lot." Ray said when she saw the emotion written across his face. "I know."

He walked over to the dresser and opened the top drawer, his drawer. He smiled when he saw his old clothes, and even the Winter Solider uniform at the bottom of it. It had been such a long time since then.

Ray set the bowl on the nightstand and stood up. She was quick to undress and change into pajamas she hadn't worn for over a year. Then she laid back in bed and pulled the covers over her cold body.

"It's cold." Ray told him.

"It's not that cold." In fact Bucky was hot. He removed his clothing as well and put on a white shirt before moving to sit on the bed. "How do you feel?"

"Overwhelmed. I don't wanna talk about it." She told him.

"Can I lay down with you?"

"It was your bed too." Ray moved closer towards the wall and watched Bucky climb into the bed.

Ray immediately moved to his side, cuddling into his warm body. Bucky was surprised at how cold her skin was. He wanted to ask her how she felt physically but he didn't want to piss her off.

"Remember two summers ago when we drank whiskey? And you didn't get drunk cause of your little serum shit and I got so wasted?" Ray started to laugh.

"Yes. I had to hold your hair back when you threw up."

"Sorry to be a burden!" She joked. "What about when we went skinny dipping?"

Bucky then laughed and Ray marveled in the sound of it. It never came to often.

"I do remember that. I remember you were so shy even though it was so dark. And I remember..."

Ray watched as his cheeks tinted red. "Steve told me you used to be a little bit of a player back in the olden days. And yet here you are blushing as you think about us having sex."

"It's different now." Bucky told her. "I don't feel like the same person back then. Plus it's you."

"It is me. So don't be all embarrassed."

Bucky rolled his eyes and looked down towards her. "It's not my fault that I have pure and your head is in the gutter."

"Can you blame me? Have you seen my boyfriend?" Ray ran her hand along his toned stomach. "He's such a babe."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. We met at the Harvest Festival a while ago. Tall, dark, and handsome." Ray teased. She no longer felt overwhelmed and stressed. She just wanted to be in his arms.

"That was a fun night. You won that Apple competition."

Ray smiled at the memory. "You were worried I would get sick. Oh and let's not forget when we got back to the ranch. That was the first night that you fu-."

"Must you always be so vulgar?" Bucky covered her mouth with his hand, though he could feel her smiling underneath it.

"When it comes to you, yes." She said when he moved his hand.

Bucky didn't waste time in pressing his lips against hers. And he sighed into her. He felt every worry escape his mind as he focused only on the feel of her lips and how she tasted of strawberries. He wanted to stay like this forever; to spend the rest of his life with her in his arms.

Though he knew very well where this would lead to and he wasn't about to have sex with her right now. Not with everyone downstairs.

"Don't stop." Ray mumbled as he pulled away.

"I don't want to. But not now, baby."

"Baby?" Ray looked at him. "Hmm, didn't know you knew that."

Bucky rolled his eyes and tried to hide his embarrassment. "Shut up, Ray."

She laughed and moved closer to him, holding him tightly. "Never."