Avengers Imagines (Part One)

Bucky Barnes X Reader - What a Man Gotta Do?

A/N - This chapter was inspired by the song 'What a Man Gotta Do?' by the Jonas Brothers. I hope you all enjoy it.

When you had first met Bucky it had started out as playful flirting. Stupid little comments and compliments thrown around with no worry about who could hear you. But as time went on, something had changed. The teasing had turned more serious, and Bucky had found himself completely head-over-heels in love with you. Not that you believed him. Your entire 'relationship' was a series of jokes, tied together with a few fleeting gentle moments. Of course, you had assumed he was messing with you, it's all he ever did.

Bucky had been a well known ladies man, that much you had gathered from your conversations with Steve about their lives before the war. You, on the other hand, were a commitment kind of girl. You dated with the intent of getting married and having a family. You weren't about to let a womaniser walk into your life and break your heart just because he was the prettiest man you had ever set eyes on. 

"Come on, Princess," he had uttered one evening, leaning his elbows on the kitchen island as he watched you. It had become a pretty regular occurrence, him bothering you whilst you made dinner for the both of you. "Just let me take you out to dinner for once, instead of spending all night slaving away at the stove," he continued, grinning when you glanced over your shoulder at him, rolling your eyes as you returned your attention to the food. 

"I'm not going on a date with you, Buck," you murmured, hearing him shifting behind you and refusing to look back at him again. 

"You know," he started again, this time a lot closer to you than before, causing you to jump slightly. "That's a real shame, because Nat was telling me about this killer Thai place a few blocks over-"

You finally turned, looking up at him with a sigh. "Do you not like my cooking?" you uttered, your brow furrowing slightly. "I know the food isn't always perfect, but I try really hard," you continued, watching as his smile fell from his lips, replaced by a rather flustered expression. 

"No, Doll," he stuttered out. "I love your food; you're an incredible cook-"

He fell silent when your own worried expression disappeared, replaced with a wide smile. You released a soft chuckle, shaking your head. "Good, then you can stop bugging me about going to dinner." 

A scoff burst out of Bucky's parted lips, and he shook his head in disbelief. "That was cruel," he started, pointing at you. "You're a mean woman." 

"The meanest," you reiterated softly, turning back to the stove with a snort of laughter. 

Bucky remained quiet as he moved back around the kitchen island, taking his seat again. For a moment, the silence was welcome. He had stopped bothering you for the first time in what felt like forever. But soon enough, you felt yourself growing bored with the lack of his attention. 

You glanced back at him again, watching as he scrolled through his phone, typing in random intervals, until the notification sound chimed. "What'cha doin'?" you uttered, drawing his attention back to you for a moment. 

"Nothin'" he murmured back, falling silent again and turning his eyes back to his phone. 

You released a soft sigh, pushing the worry out of your mind. Bucky was always so chipper with you, and this was totally out of character. Hell, in comparison to his normal conversations he was practically giving you the silent treatment. 

His phone chimed again, and you had to force yourself to keep your eyes on the pan in front of you. "Y/N?" You hummed, turning around to face him and leaning back against the oven. "What have I got to say for you to realise that I really like you?" 

Your brow furrowed as you watched him, a small scoff escaping you. "What are you talking about, Buck?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," he responded, watching as your sorry excuse for a smile faded. "You spend all your time with me but the moment I try to make you commit, you act like nothing's going on between us."

"Because nothing is going on between us," you bit out. "We're friends, and yeah, sometimes you flirt and I tease, but that doesn't mean that we should be dating." 

"It's not just a little bit of flirting though, is it?" he uttered, watching you carefully. "We do all the stuff that couples do. We cook together. We clean together. Hell, you fall asleep in my room at least twice a week-"

"When we are watching movies together. I fall asleep anywhere when I'm watching TV." 

"So, you get all cosy under the covers with all your other guy friends, do you?" Bucky raised his eyebrows, almost daring you to make an attempt at correcting him. "Face it, you like me." 

You released a sharp breath. "No. I don't. And it's not like it would matter if I did. The second things got serious you would get bored and I would end up on my own again." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bucky looked a little hurt at your comment, his eyebrows furrowed as he watched you carefully. 

"You like chasing women. You like to flirt and do the dating bit, and then you move on to the next girl as soon as things get too real. You always have." 

"I always have, have I? Please enlighten me, sweetheart. Because I can tell you right now that I've not thought about even talking to another girl since I met you." He paused for a moment. "Because as much as you may think it's just a little bit of harmless flirting, I've been in love with you since day one-"

"Buck-"

"And guess what?" he continued, his hands gripping the kitchen counter so tight that you were certain it would crack under the pressure. "I'm still here-" 

"Bucky-"

"Trying to convince you that I'm worth taking a chance on-"

"James, shut up." He fell silent then, his eyes closing as you watched him carefully. "You love me?"

He released a soft sigh, prying his eyes open to look at you. "I wouldn't still be here if I didn't."

You jaw twitched, and you gave a short nod, turning back to the pan in silence. Bucky wanted to be mad at your lacklustre response. In the movies, the girl would come running the moment the guy told her he loved her. She would throw herself into his arm and kiss him as though nothing else in the world mattered. But here you were, your back turned to him. And then he saw your shoulders shake slightly, a soft sniffle breaking through the silence.

"Please don't cry, Princess," he started softly, getting to his feet slowly.

"I'm sorry," you uttered, your voice thick with tears. You quickly raised a hand, wiping at your wet eyes. "I'm such a dick."

"You aren't a-" Bucky paused, shaking his head as he moved around the counter to pull you into his arms. "Sweetheart, if you don't love me, all you had to do was tell me. I would have stopped bothering you. But I just thought you wanted to take things slow." 

You pressed your face into his chest, releasing a muffled sigh. "I don't want you to stop bothering me." You sniffled, shifting in his embrace to look up at him. "I never thought you would want a relationship, Buck. I thought you were trying to get me to sleep with you and then, poof, you'd be gone and I would have to pick up the pieces." 

"I would never do that to you," he started, his metal hand coming up to cup your cheek as gently as he could manage. "I want the real thing with you. I want the dates, and the movie nights where you fall asleep before its even half finished. I want you. I want to be yours."

You nodded slightly, sniffling for a moment as you searched his eyes for any hint of a lie. "So, does that Thai place deliver, or-"

Bucky chuckled, his thumb running over your jaw ever so lightly. "I love you so fucking much," he uttered, leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to your lips. 

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