Chapter Text
Syd took Bucky’s hand as the quinjet searched for a clear landing area, closing her eyes, taking a deep breath, and centering herself. It was her first mission back, and while she had worried she’d be nervous or scared, she found she was far more excited to be out in the field with Bucky and Steve again.
As they waited, she let her powers flow freely through her and into Bucky, hoping it would help him relax. She didn’t need to be an empath to see how much he was freaking out and trying hard to hide it. Apparently, he was nervous for her, his leg bouncing uncontrollably before he realized what she was doing and let out a deep sigh. She opened her eyes and found his pretty silver ones staring at her with a silly grin.
“Your eyes get lighter when you do that, you know?” He continued to stare at her, tilting his head to the side. “They were like coffee when you started, and now they’re somewhere between whiskey and honey.”
“I didn’t, actually. Does it always have to be drinks or food?” She giggled, then bit her lip, winking at him. “What are you thinking about, Sergeant Barnes?”
“What am I thinking about?” His hand found her thigh and squeezed gently, “I’m thinking about you and all the things we’re gonna make you scream when we get home tonight.”
“Oh, come on, Buck!” Steve shook his head and walked away, mumbling to himself. “I really don’t need to hear that shit before we jump into a mission. I’m trying to focus!”
She brushed the side of Bucky’s face with the back of her hand. Normally, she would laugh, but she knew why he’d said that. “You’re nervous. That’s why you just chased Stevie away with your dirty mouth.”
“You like my dirty mouth,” he smirked, but he knew he couldn’t easily hide things from her. “I wanted a few minutes with just you before we head out. Figured that was nicer than telling him to fuck off for a bit.”
“We’ll be okay, Sugar.”
“We don’t know that. Look what happened last time,” He brushed a piece of hair that had fallen behind her ear and gave her a lopsided smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I still think we should run away together. Find somewhere quiet and spend the rest of our lives not worrying about buildings falling on each other. I can cook you pancakes every morning and spend evenings in front of a nice fire with my head between your legs. Steve can visit when we force him to take a damn vacation. Hell, maybe someday we’ll convince him to stay.”
“You still having that nightmare?”
Instead of answering, his eyes fell to the floor, and he chewed on his lip. He didn’t need to tell her that it had been that nightmare since the accident. Unable to pull her out of the building wreckage. Seeing her face bloodied and bruised while her lifeless eyes stared at him. Seeing Steve in her place some nights. It was like reliving it over and over; even her abilities weren’t helping with it.
The team shuffled around and got their gear ready as Clint announced the landing. He knew he couldn’t keep her locked away in a tower, no matter how badly he wanted to. As for Steve, keeping him safe was damn near impossible, but he still tried when he could.
“Hey, Sarge?” She squeezed his hand, and he squeezed hers back. “Don’t forget to come back to me, okay?”
He nodded, kissed her on the forehead, and replied in a whisper, “So long as you don’t forget to come back to me, Kitten.”
“Alright, keep comms open unless otherwise directed,” Tony shouted. The same thing he always shouted before a mission. “Everyone knows what they’re doing, so let’s go do it.”
“Rousing, Tony,” Syd teased as she and Bucky approached the door. “I’m overcome with emotion and the blind desire to follow you like Braveheart or Patton. Lead us on, fearless one, into the depths of Mordor.”
“So long as you aren’t simply walkin’ into Mordor,” Sam joked back, then pretended to be shot with arrows. “Or named Sean Bean.”
“Fine, Steve, you’re fired. I’m supposed to be the leader, and you do better speeches than me. We can’t have this kind of dissent among the troops. Go on, out. All of you.” Tony smirked, then added, “Good to have your smart ass back in the field, Hayes.”
“I knew you missed me.”
Syd and Clint left the ramp and veered left, Bucky and Nat went right, and Steve and Thor went straight. There was a chance that the intel they had from Stephens was wrong and that he was lying, but they all agreed it was worth the risks. They knew there were four large hangers and a central warehouse. They knew that intel put ties to Hydra and AIM in the area. What they didn’t know for sure was how many would be here or what they were doing. With any luck, the intel would be right on at least one thing. Rumlow.
Sam and Tony flew overhead, scouting what they could pick up on their tech and leading the way for those on the ground. It wasn’t long before Syd was in position on one of the far hangars with Clint on the roof of another. From there, they could see everything coming or going.
The first building was easy to clear, with Nat and Bucky running through stealthily and taking out anyone they found with ease and finesse. Steve and Thor worked their end with strength and brute force. As they finished, Nat came over comms to announce that she was up by one. Bucky argued that the last kill didn’t count because the guy fell off the scaffolding. Steve told them it wasn’t a competition but then added he had Nat by two.
Once two more buildings were cleared, Bucky and Nat headed for the warehouse in the center of it all.
“Scaffolding up top, so watch that,” Nat whispered.
“On it.” Syd strapped the rifle to her back, shot a line across the buildings, and slid down to the roof while Clint covered her. “I’ve got four. They’re closer to me, so I’m guessing they’re up near the roof.”
“I’m not picking that up. Are you sure, Syd?” Sam asked as he quietly passed overhead.
“Two of them are scared shitless and flashing some fun colors so damn loud I can’t miss it. Might be under some covering.” She climbed into the building through an open window and crouched down, looking up where she was seeing the colors. “It’s some kind of silo in the middle of the building. It looks like it’s reinforced. Dead center of the open room, floor to ceiling by the looks of it.”
She heard something from below and spotted a figure crouching down behind a barrel. She spun slowly, took him out, and then shifted her attention back to the room. “Careful, they’ve got snipers.”
“Obviously, not very good ones if you see them,” Tony quipped.
“Not as good as me, no.”
“No one’s as good as you, Princess.”
“I thought that name was only for when you were—”
“No! Gross. Eww.” Sam cut her off.
“You know we’re on this mission and can hear you two, right?” Clint added. “Also, I’m better than her.”
“She looks better doing it, Barton. Shut the fuck up, Sam.”
It wasn’t long before Nat came up one side of the large room and Bucky the other, looking for a way in.
“Barnes,” Clint’s voice was low. “Take one step to your left. Then duck behind that barrel.”
Syd watched the arrow skirt by Bucky and into one of the doors. It fizzled for a moment and then popped loudly, destroying the lock. She looked around and moved out to the catwalk, quickly crossing to the other side of the building to see in.
“Two in front on the ground—could be hostages,” Tony reported. “Oh, I found the party. And me without a housewarming gift. Pepper’s gonna be pissed. Back of the room, it looks like we’ve got a tunnel going down and one, well, that’s so cliche. The other goes up. No imagination anymore.”
Syd rolled her eyes, and Clint chuckled as they watched Nat and Bucky rochambeau.
“Ha!” Nat’s voice came over comms. “Paper beats rock; I win. Down.”
“Fuck. Fine,” Bucky grumbled. “Thor, Cap, are you guys taking a vacation or what?”
“Not gonna make it there, handling a…situation,” Steve replied.
“I am not making advances on your mate, Barnes. Do not worry.”
“Christ…” Bucky mumbled.
“Clint, you go low and take Nat, I’ll go high.” Syd strapped the rifle to her back again and booked it up a nearby ladder and across the catwalk. She was surprised to find a hatch at the top, and while it seemed too convenient, she carefully opened it. The room was empty, so she dropped down quietly. As she rounded a corner, she watched Bucky slice through some guy’s neck with silent precision. Then she saw movement behind him.
Bucky turned just in time to see a throwing knife plant deep into the neck of the man who had been sneaking up behind him. He looked over, and Syd gave him a wink and a little wave. He smirked and blew her a kiss.
“Up is clear,” he said, then checked in, “Nat?”
“Hang on,” she grunted, then laughed, “Okay, we’re clear here. There’s a shitload of tech in here, though. Bruce, Tony, we’ll start bringing it your way.”
“Okay, that was the last of them. We’re clear,” Sam’s voice came over the comms.
“Thor and I are still going through this section. It’s clear, but there are files here,” Steve’s voice was next. “We’ll start loading these onto the jet in case they’re important.”
“Bruce, tap into the jet’s feed. I want to go through everything before we take off.”
“No problem, Tony.”
Syd looked around the cleared area, then walked over to Bucky. It was just the two of them. Immediately, she slammed a hand over Bucky’s mouth, catching him by surprise. She tapped her earpiece twice, and he did the same, then she pulled her hand away.
“It’s like you knew I was about to throw you against this wall and tell you to take your clothes off.” He was relieved to see her smile at the comment, and honestly, he would have forgotten about the open comms for the missions.
“I did, and I am.” She grasped the zipper on her jacket, and his hand shot between her legs as he walked her backward. Their mouths collided, clashing lips, tongues, teeth, and desire. Her back hit the wall, and she put her hands on his hips, spinning them around and switching their positions.
“Baby gir—” He was cut short by the slap that landed across his face. “Damn, if that didn’t somehow make me fucking harder…my goddess. My mistress. My love.”
“Much better,” she purred against his mouth, then caught his bottom lip, biting down until he moaned precisely how she wanted him to. “Get on your fucking knees, Barnes.”
“Fuck, princess, I missed this side of you. You looked so fucking hot up there, and that knife-throwing move, Christ,” he mumbled as he dropped and pulled her pants down her thighs. He started kissing up her legs and over her hips. She whimpered as his fingers slid into her underwear, and his head pulled away momentarily to look at her with a smirk, “Fuck, okay, I guess it isn’t just me that’s turned on, huh?”
His hot mouth covered her, sucking her clit through the fabric as his fingers worked inside her. She braced a hand against the wall while the other slid through his hair. His fingers curled, and she pushed his head closer to her.
“G-get up, Bucky.”
Whining and not wanting to move away from her, he reluctantly stood and pouted.
She pulled another knife from her thigh and twirled it with a wink, which made him want her even more. He started to ask her something when she took his hands, lifting them over his head as she rolled her hips against him. “We don’t have time for you to be cute. Get your cock out,” she groaned, letting go of one of his wrists and sliding the flat of the knife against his hard-on. “And take what’s yours, Sergeant.”
“Yes, ma’am,” He swiped the knife from her quickly, and with surgical precision, he flicked his wrist and slit her shirt all the way up. Dark eyes full of hunger, he licked his lips and slid the cold blade along her skin, watching the goosebumps form on her skin as he slid the knife under the center of her bra.
She gasped at the pop as Bucky cut through the bra, giving him access to her perfect tits. “I guess that’s one way of doing it, baby.”
“Oh, we’re absolutely going to experiment with knives later,” his voice was deep and thick like molasses. He flicked the knife, sticking it into a nearby pole.
Before he could move for her breasts, she grabbed his face, holding his jaw tight, “No foreplay, no eating my pussy, no teasing. Understand?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He wanted to do this slowly and take her apart piece by fucking piece, but she was right; the team was waiting. Doing exactly as she asked, he undid his pants and pulled out his hard cock. He stroked himself and watched her slip a finger into her own wetness as she stared at him, demanding exactly what she wanted with only her eyes now.
He palmed her ass, then lifted her up and spun them around again, shoving her against the wall while both her legs wrapped around him.
They were insatiable before the accident, but since her recovery, it had become somehow worse. The fear of not knowing what the future held and having that reality shoved at them had just made them crave each other and Steve more. Steve was still a little more conservative about it, but there were days when Bucky would walk into the apartment, pick her up, and carry her straight to bed without a word.
She reached up and grabbed the straps on his jacket, feeling the precum dripping against the lips of her awaiting cunt. His face inches from hers, she licked his chin and whispered, “I need you, Sarge. I need you to fill me up so bad. I can’t take it anymore. Fuck me, Barnes. Fuck. Me. Hard.”
He was lined up and slamming home the second the words were on her lips. He jackhammered into her, pushing deeper into her with fast, adrenalin-fueled thrusts. She bit down on the leather of his jacket to try to stay quiet in case any of the team came to look for them, but that worry clearly wasn’t on Bucky’s mind as he grunted and moaned against her. The team should really know better by now.
“Fuck, Kitten, you looked so good, so fucking hot. Didn’t even know you could do that,” Bucky whispered between gasps for air. Feeling her legs tighten around his waist, he grabbed the shelf behind her so he could hit deeper and fill her even more. “You’re so fucking deadly, so fucking hot, I love that you’re mine. You and this pretty cunt of yours. So fucking wet for me. Wet and needy.”
Her hand flew up to his head and gripped his hair tight, pulling his head back hard. He moaned as he looked down at her. He could see in her eyes she was already pushing toward her orgasm, closing in quickly each time his hips hit hers.
“I’m gonna cut you out of this fucking suit so slow when we get home. Take my damn time with you. Worship you like you need.”
“Shut the fuck up and break me, Sergeant,” she ordered, yanking his hair so hard he was forced to stare up at the ceiling. The moans that poured out of him were feral and quickly turned to grunts and growls as he put more force behind his hips. She was going to bruise from this, and he couldn’t wait to see it.
“I’m gonna fill you so good, baby. Fuck your sweet pussy till you cry for me.”
Lunging for his neck, licking and nipping until she found exactly where she wanted and bit down on his pulse point. The ragged growl that came from deep inside his chest made the fire inside of her burn even hotter. She could burn the building down around them with the way he drove her mad.
She was his queen and claimed her spoils of war, claimed what was hers, what she battled for. He felt her walls grip him as her teeth dragged over his skin up to his ear. His head felt like it was floating as his brain whited out; the world became nothing but static, mixed with her pleasure-filled noises. She pulled his hair harder, and he arched, hitting deeper still.
“More, pull harder, oh fuck yes. You feel so good, you gonna come, Baby Girl? So fucking hot and worked up, gonna come for me?” He felt his own climax ready to be unleashed. Pulling against her grip on his hair, he lowered his head and grunted with each hard thrust. He bit down on her nipple, and she fought hard to hold back the scream. “You’re so close, baby. Were you thinking about my cock inside you while you were fighting? Huh? Want me to bend you over and take you while they watched? That what you want, that what you need? Need me to punish your greedy fucking cunt?”
“Yes, oh god, yes, Bucky…Bucky!… Oh god, JAMES!” She had tried not to scream, but biting into his shoulder only muffled so much of her ecstasy as the stars swam in front of her eyes.
“That’s my girl, that’s my good girl. My badass warrior queen. My fucking goddess.”
She grabbed his face, his wild eyes locked into hers as his mouth dropped open and words failed him. “Fill me up, Sargeant Barnes. I wanna feel you dripping down my legs the whole ride home. Do it, baby.”
It was as if he’d snuck up behind her and thrown her off a cliff when the orgasm hit her. Her back arched under him as he fucked her through that climax and straight into another. Her body shook, claws raking over him, pulling at the straps of his vest. Stars filled her vision, her stars. Her boys.
“Don’t pass out, pretty girl. I’m almost… fuck… almost…”
His breathing turned to quick pants for air as his cock twitched inside her. His whole body tensed, and he whimpered against her ear as he emptied himself deep inside her. His mouth covered hers, tongue sliding over her teeth as he continued to slam hard into her, frenzied and delirious until his whole body shook, and he felt like his legs were about to give out from the burn in his muscles. Finally, his thrusts started to slow, his kiss became less frantic, and his head dropped to that perfect spot on her neck that was just for him.
“Fuck, Sydney. That was incredible.” Barely holding himself up, he smirked against her damp skin, “Is it wrong that I want to throw you over my shoulder, carry you onto the jet, and take you again?”
“I don’t think—”
“Sydney. Barnes. After you’re through playing Hide the Banana, check-in and head to the jet.” Tony’s voice made Bucky jump. “We’re just about ready to—”
“Pull out!” Sam yelled, then cackled loudly over the comms.
Bucky couldn’t stop laughing as he finally did pull out of her, tucked his dick back into his pants, and sat on a nearby step. He pulled her in, leaning his head against her soft belly as he laughed harder, “Oh fuck, that was funny. Give him that one, baby girl.”
She grinned, tapping her ear twice, “You’re an asshole, Wilson. We’re on our way.” She turned her comms off again before she leaned in, giving Bucky one more deep, sloppy kiss before trying to get herself dressed again.
“Hang on, I’ll give you my jacket,” he said, pulling himself up and helping her get dressed. “You know, when Stark said our names right then, I thought he called you…I thought he…eh, never mind. It’s nothing.”
She smiled and cut through the shoulder straps on her bra, pulling it out and chucking it to the side. There was no point in keeping it anyhow. Bucky handed her his jacket, pinching her pert nipple as he helped her slide it over her arms. It was huge on her but smelled like him, so she didn’t mind.
“What did he say?”
“It was, he just, uhm. He said Sydney,” he murmured, dragging his nose up her neck. He knew they should get going, but fuck, he couldn’t keep his hands off her. Especially with his mind playing their names together on repeat.
Sydney.
Barnes.
Sydney. Barnes.
Sydney Barnes.
If he wasn’t fucked before, he was now.
“He said your name and then immediately said my name… It sounded like, uhm—”
She leaned into him, grinning. She had caught it, too, but it was fun watching how flustered Bucky was over the whole thing. “Like what, Barnes?”
“Sydney… Barnes.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah.”
“So he said my name, Sydney,” she hummed, ghosting her lips over his. “Then what he calls you, so, Barnes.”
“Say it. I wanna hear you say it. Please?”
“Tell me what you felt first.”
“I was—I mean—It felt—” He rolled his eyes and then brushed her hair back behind her ear. “Christ, how do you still do that to me? Can’t even form a fucking sentence when you’re looking at me with those big brown eyes.”
“Sydney Barnes,” she said the name slowly, catching the flicker of the smile on his face. “What were you going to say about hearing him say Sydney Barnes?”
His face blushed a bright red, and he pulled away from her, pretending to gather up anything else they might have left behind. Then he sighed, realizing how dumb that must look. He scrubbed at his face and fumbled with his hair before looking at her sheepishly. “I…thought it sounded… nice.”
She held out a hand, pulling him to her when he took it, “Yeah, Bucky, it does.”
“And now I’m hard again. Fuck. Fuuuuuuck.”
“Hey, did you two say you were…coming?” Sam teased them some more with a giggle.
“Why is he such a dick?”
“You know you love him,” she replied, winking at Bucky, then answering Sam, “Twice already, Wilson, jealous?”
She collected her rifle and knives, and as she leaned over, Bucky grabbed her hips and started to grind against her ass playfully. She let out a surprised squeak, and he laughed as he heard Sam start swearing and yelling about turning off the comms when they were fucking.
Bucky tapped his comm back on, “Calm down, Sammy, she’s never that quiet. Never.” More swearing filled their ears until Tony cut the comms.
He caught her by the wrist as she tried to walk by him, pulling her against him, and just stared. She could feel the warmth of the colors dancing around him as they shrouded her in his love without even knowing it.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get over how my clothes look on you.”
“I love you, Moody Bear.”
“Good, ‘cause I am hopelessly in love with you, Kitty Cat.”
They walked back to the jet, hand in hand. Syd kept her head down, trying to avoid eye contact as they walked up the ramp and to their seats, knowing she was already blushing. When they sat down, Bucky grabbed her face and kissed her passionately. He pulled away with that grin that wrinkled the corners of his eyes as the door shut.
“You’re adorable when you blush.” He stroked the side of her cheek, “You okay?”
“Yeah, just, I dunno. Never walked into a room where absolutely everyone knows you just got laid.”
“Buck, you uh, you got a little…,” Nat teased as she walked by.
“Guessing it wasn’t the enemy that bit him like that, eh, kiddo?” Clint joked as he shoved Syd’s shoulder playfully and joined Tony in the cockpit.
“You two couldn’t even wait to get home?” Steve chided.
Bucky shrugged, still grinning, “Pal, have you seen how she handles a knife? It’s incredible and hot. No, I take all that back. Have you seen how fucking badass she is in general? Where the fuck were you?”
“What if someone was still alive in there?”
“Then they got one hell of a show, Cap.” Syd stood up and kissed Steve on the cheek with a wink as she walked back and started stowing her and Bucky’s weapons.
“You two are ridiculous.”
“Stevie, I just spent the better part of two hours watching her ass bending over in those tight pants. You’re just jealous.” He teased as he took Steve’s hand and kissed his knuckles. “We’ll make it up to ya, baby. But next time, come find us.”
Steve looked down at Bucky disapprovingly, “You could have been hurt. Both of you.”
“Stevie, if I’m going to die with my dick inside either of you, I’m good with that. Really good with that. But seriously, have a little faith in us. We cleared the room, and we came back to you. We were safe about it, I promise.” Bucky leaned his head back, crossed his arms, and slumped down, ready to nap. The second Syd came back. His head was on her shoulder. “I love you, blondie. You too, Kitten.”
“Get some sleep, tough guy,” Steve answered back.
*****
“Hey, wake up.” Steve nudged the sleeping pair until they opened their eyes. “We’re almost at our stop. Get your stuff together, Syd.”
“Our stop?” She asked sleepily, stretching her hands over her head.
“Yeah, Tony wants us with him for an evaluation. A kid just discovered they have powers, so we’re not heading back to the compound yet.”
“Fuck, I just wanted a shower and to crawl in bed between my super soldiers.”
“You can have that. Evaluation is tomorrow, so we’re staying in one of the training barracks for the night.” He turned to Bucky. It’s smaller than what we’re used to, but we’ll only be there for a night and then drive out to them in the morning.”
They gathered everything up and listened to Sammy telling them not to have sex in every room of the barracks; they mostly ignored him. Tony led the way to what he called the VIP hangar, a more upscale and private hangar than what the recruits and training facilities were in. It had been converted from an old Stark airstrip into a lab, auxiliary command post, and sleeping quarters when needed.
The trio stood in the room, staring at the twin bunk beds.
“Guess they’re not expecting to grant conjugal visits in this place,” Bucky joked, tossing his bag in the corner. “Come on, Steve. Let’s go grab another mattress or two from somewhere.”
“Woohoo, floor bed!” Syd shouted sarcastically as she looked around the room for furniture to shift. There was a quick knock, and then the door opened quickly.
“Knock knock, guess who has donuts and knows where there’s a bigger room for you three?”
“Wanda!” Syd yelled, running over and hugging her. “I haven’t seen you in forever! How was California? Wait!” Syd’s eyes went wide as Wanda handed her the pink box. “You brought donuts from California!?”
“Yep, just got in this morning, so they’re still fresh. Come on, I’ll take this room.” She led them down a hall to a room twice as big with two queen beds they could easily push together.
“Ahhh, fucking jackpot bitches!” She snatched the donuts, laughing as she ducked through the door before Bucky could grab her. “If you want donuts, you have to come earn them!”
“You and Sam need to stop feeding her addiction to these things, Wanda,” Steve laughed, remembering how hyper Syd was the last time she had these donuts.
“The room is usually for dignitaries or visiting big wigs when they bring their families since it’s so close to Di—”
Bucky’s hand slammed over her mouth quickly as he shook his head and put a finger to his mouth.
“Developments and research,” she said with a cringe, unsure if Syd would believe that. Luckily, Syd was in her own world as she jumped into the bed and started picking through the donuts. Wanda breathed a sigh of relief.
“Alright, Wanda and I need to go take care of a few things with Tony. I’ll be back later and bring some real food.” Steve pecked Bucky on the cheek, then walked over to Syd and crashed against her lips, “You taste like sugar frosting, angel.”
“You two going to be alright while we’re gone?” Wanda joked.
“Yep. I’m gonna go earn a couple of donuts,” Bucky smirked, licked his lips, and nodded to Steve, “We’ll save some for you to earn when you’re done, big guy. We still owe you from earlier today, too.”
*****
Steve was back a few hours later. It hadn’t taken him long to do what he needed to, but then Tony decided to take him on a grand tour. Steve had never been to this compound and had only seen a few video feeds and photos while they were finishing construction a year ago. He was impressed, but his mind kept wandering, so he said his goodbyes and headed back upstairs.
He crept into the room quietly, sure they’d be passed out by now. He chuckled when he heard giggles from the bathroom and the shower running. He looked at the bed and shook his head as he walked into the bathroom.
“You idiots got sprinkles all over the bed.”
“Yeah, we did,” Bucky laughed, pulling the curtain back. “That’s why we needed to use this ridiculously small shower. Now get in here, Captain Cute Ass!”
Steve barely had his pants off before Bucky pulled him into the shower and grabbed his face. The kiss was softer and slower than Steve had expected, but he wasn’t complaining. As Bucky would say, he needed to catch up anyhow.
He started to reach for Bucky, but his hands were swatted away, “No, Stevie. He’s gonna take care of you. Then I’m gonna take care of you. Then we’re both gonna take care of you.” She grinned at him and ran her hands up the back of Bucky’s neck and through his hair.
He moaned into Steve’s kiss, barely breaking it long enough to say, “We missed you, baby.”
“Stop talking, Sergeant,” Syd slapped his ass hard with her free hand, then gripped his hair. “On your knees for your Captain. He’s already standing at attention for you.”
“Christ,” Bucky mumbled as he lowered himself. “You two have the same bad jokes. Don’t ever stop.”
“You keep talking like that, Sergeant, and you’re going to be on watch duty all night and not allowed to touch either of us till morning.” She shifted her gaze to Steve’s blown-out eyes and used the tip of her finger to turn his head toward her as their lips collided.
*****
The next morning, Syd was surprised to feel Bucky jumping out of bed and shuffling around the room. She opened her eyes just enough to see that the sun wasn’t even fully up yet, then watched his bare ass as he walked over to his bag.
“Get that cute little butt back over here. It’s too early,” she whined. Then she looked at the clothes he was pulling out. “Are those my clothes in your bag, Sergeant Barnes?”
“Yes, ma’am. That’s why I wouldn’t let you look in the bag yesterday.”
“Wait, you knew about this whole recruit thing yesterday and just packed clothes for me rather than telling me to pack a spare outfit?” She sat up on her elbows, “Buck, I can’t wear those to a teenager’s recruitment meeting. That’s not…What are you two up to?”
“Nothing,” Steve said in his deep morning voice. He rolled over and wrapped around her, kissing her neck and watching Bucky disappear into the bathroom. “Figured maybe we’d see the sights before meeting this kid.”
“I don’t believe you. Wait, I just realized I don’t even know where we are.”
“MMhmmm, but if I do this, you’ll stop trying to figure out what we’re doing.”
“If you do wha—” She gasped when he moved on top of her, spreading her legs with his own and lowering himself so she could feel the head of his cock pushing against her panties. His head lowered to her neck and sucked hard at her skin while his hips rolled against her. “S-Steve, that’s so not fair!”
“MMhmm,” he replied against her. “Do you want me to stop, Sweetheart?”
“Fuck no!”
“Permission to make you stop asking questions?”
“Granted, Captain Rogers, sir.”
He slid into her in one thrust, moaning at how wet and tight she was for him. He could stay like this for hours, her pussy wrapped around his cock, squeezing as she begged for more. He managed a few thrusts, then strong hands pushed his hips down, and a moment later, the cool lube dripped onto his ass.
She wrapped her hands around Steve’s neck, pulling him down to her as the bed dipped next to them. Bucky’s cock pushed against Steve’s tight hole just as Syd’s mouth caught Steve’s whimper.
“You two couldn’t even wait for me?” Bucky grunted and moaned with each whimper and whine from Steve. “Atta boy. Gonna be good for me? Gonna take this whole cock while you’re filling our beautiful girl so good?”
“Y-yes, Daddy!”
“Oh fuck! You’re right, Bucky,” Syd laughed, “it is hot when he says that to you. Say it again, Stevie. Tell him what you want and call him that again.”
Steve’s baby blue eyes met her whiskey-gold eyes. “Fuck me harder, Daddy. Make me take all your big, fat cock.”
Syd’s mouth dropped open, and she gasped, “You have such a dirty mouth, Captain Rogers!”
“Uh-huh, and I’m gonna use it, too.” His head dipped to her chest, and he sucked circles around her pebbling nipples.
Bucky’s thrusts were slow and shallow as he stretched Steve, Syd holding his head to her breast as she called, begging for more. His hips thrust wildly when Bucky bottomed out, bringing out simultaneous moans from all three of them. Bucky gripped Steve’s hips harder as he tested different speeds and rhythms, quickly finding the exact one to drive Steve mad.
Steve’s lips crashed against Syd’s, and his hips quickly matched Bucky’s so that he dove into Syd and then pushed Bucky deeper—back and forth. There was a sharp crack, and Steve broke his kiss and screamed out just in time for a second crack. Bucky’s cold metal hand felt good against the welt Steve could feel forming.
“Oh god, Bucky, just like that!” Steve moaned, fucking Syd harder with short but deep strokes. His mind let go, and his body took over.
“That’s it, baby. Fuck yourself on Daddy’s cock. Desperate aren’t you, you filthy slut.”
Steve pressed his forehead against Sydney’s shoulder, no longer able to control the motions his body made as it chased the blissful feeling of Syd’s tight cunt and the drag of Bucky’s thick cock over his prostate.
“Bucky? Sir? Oh fuck! Please let me come!” Steve yelled as Syd stroked his hair and rocked her head back.
Her mouth was open, but she couldn’t get sound to come out through the haze of pleasure.
“Look at her, Steve. Look at what you’re doing to our pretty girl.” Bucky slapped Steve’s ass again, and Steve’s head shot up. “You gonna fill our girl up? Get her so full that I can clean your come from her thighs when I’m done with you?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Suck her tits while you fuck that pretty pussy, Stevie,” Bucky thrust harder into Steve, leaning further forward to get as deep inside him as he could. He grabbed Syd’s ankles, pushing them up and out so Steve could go deeper. “I own that pussy, Steve, so you better fuck it good. You better—”
Noises became muffled as Steve clenched around Bucky; all he could hear now was the thump thump of the headboard as it slammed into the wall, repeatedly mixing with Bucky’s grunts and words. His whole body was teetering on the edge until Syd pulsed around him.
“Fuck that pretty cunt, Stevie. Fuck her real good while I punish this ass. Shit, Stevie. I’m gonna—ahhh.”
She felt Steve’s warmth spreading deep inside of her as his body stiffened, but he continued fucking his come into her. Bucky’s arms dropped next to Steve’s head, caging him over their writhing bodies as his toes curled.
A moment later, she screamed out their names. Her nails dug deep into Steve’s shoulders as her orgasm hit her hard, and she felt the bed becoming damp beneath her. Three hard thrusts later, she heard the unmistakable whimper of Bucky’s release. The sound of both men reaching completion was so perfect that Syd wished she could record it to listen to when they weren’t around.
The dip in the bed disappeared while her eyes were closed, but she wasn’t given much time to relax before the rough stubble of Bucky’s jaw slid up her legs.
“Fuck, princess, you soaked the damn bed from that.”
“Oh god, I’m sorry…”
“Don’t be; I wanna see if I can make you squirt again.”
Steve lay beside her, leaving teasing kisses on her lips and groping her tits while Bucky feasted on her. He lifted her off the bed with one hand, then covered her with his mouth. Her hands played in Bucky’s soft hair, pulling when he shoved three fingers into her, fucking the mixture of her and Steve deep into her as he lapped at her still-swollen clit.
“Open your mouth, sweetheart,” Steve’s gruff voice demanded as he climbed over her, rubbing his wet cock over her lips, then pushing past them. “Oh Jesus, just like that, beautiful. You take us so well, don’t you?”
She moaned, hollowing her cheeks out while Bucky sucked hard on her swollen bud. She loved these two men, how they made her feel, the things they could do to her body. She needed them and knew how much they needed her, too. Maybe people wouldn’t understand them, but that didn’t matter so long as they had each other.
Bucky released her clit with a pop, then climbed on top of her, dripping cock in hand, sliding it up and down her slit. Syd moaned long and hard around Steve’s cock as Bucky pushed into her painfully slow. She reached up, clawing at Bucky’s chest and feeling him lean forward. Her brain held on just long enough to realize that the two men were kissing and groping each other while they destroyed her throat and her pussy.
Light filled her eyes as warmth flooded between them. Their thoughts and motions became one as they shared their pleasure through her with each other. They all felt each and every movement while their emotions—devotion and adoration—swirled through them.
The next thing Syd remembered was Bucky gently stroking her cheek while Steve’s fingers played in her hair.
“There’s our girl, how do you feel?” Bucky smiled, watching her eyes flutter open and revealing the pretty golden hazel that sparkled up at him.
“Like two super soldier’s just fucked my brains out. Oh…wait…they did,” she giggled, hooded eyes fighting to stay open. Steve stood up, and she folded into Bucky’s chest. “I just wanna sleep for a day now. Maybe you boys can go exploring without me, yeah?”
“Nope, you’re coming with us,” Steve kissed her forehead and hopped out of bed.
“I already did.”
“Smartass. I’ll start the shower.”
“But it’s so early!”
Bucky waited until she was done groaning, then added, “Don’t worry. You can nap on the way, okay?”
“Mmm, I guess. Can you sit in the back with me so I can sleep on you?”
“Already planned on it, princess. Come on, let’s get you showered and get some food into you before we go.”
*****
Bucky pulled her down on top of him in the back of the SUV, and she was sound asleep before they’d even left the parking garage. Even Bucky dozed off for a bit, his arms around her and lips pressed against her head as he inhaled the scent of her shampoo and smiled.
“Buck?” Steve whispered sometime later, and Bucky grunted in response. “Almost there. Make sure you keep her head down.”
“Yeah, yeah. I got it.”
“Hmm?” She started to sit up and stretch her back, “Are we there yet?”
“Nah. Steve’s stopping for gas or something.” He went to pull her head back down, but she stared at him with a cocked eyebrow. In a panic, he grabbed her face, bringing it down hard against his. She squealed and giggled as he held her hips and turned them on their sides.
“Is this you distracting me again, Barnes?” She giggled into his kiss, “You’re gonna fall off the damn seat, Sugar.”
“Yeah, probably. Lay on your back,” he whispered against her ear, hanging onto the back of the seat as he danged from the edge. She sighed heavily and stared at him with an eyebrow raised. “Trust me, Kitten. I got an idea. They won’t notice.”
“Barnes, you can’t fuck me in the back seat with them up there.”
“I mean, I could. In fact, I absolutely would. But that’s not what I have in mind.”
He shifted, and somehow, she ended up on her back with his elbows next to her head as he looked down on her. She tickled his side, and his hips dropped down, pressing the lower half of his body against her.
“This was your big idea?”
“No, not really. Maybe this, though,” He leaned in, his nose brushing against the shell of her ear as he whispered, “I love you. I love everything about you. Run away with us?”
“Us?” She giggled, trying to push him off her. He leaned back and nudged her nose with his, “So now it’s us instead of me? That’s a big step. Does Steve know about that?”
“No. We’ll have to kidnap him. I’ll get you to distract him with your tits, and I’ll knock him out.” She rolled her eyes hard, then squealed when he squeezed her boob. “What? I’ll make sure there’s water in the trunk…maybe some snacks. I could throw you back there for a bit to keep him company.”
“James Buchanan Barnes, you are—”
“Okay, quit making out, we’re here,” Tony yelled out. “I was going to have a car pick you up when they close, but I booked you three the best suite they had instead. Three nights. You owe me a gagillion dollars. Give or take a billion.”
“Thanks, Tony,” Steve said, handing him the keys.
“Let me know if you want it longer, and I’ll call Bob.”
“Bob? Suite?” She looked up at Bucky curiously, “I thought we were testing a kid’s abilities?”
“You know how you said you didn’t trust us earlier? Yeah, you were right not to.” Bucky rolled off her and moved to open the side door as she sat up and looked around. “Surprise, baby girl.”
She couldn’t tell where they were besides a private parking area somewhere in the south; the humidity punching her in the face this early in the morning made that clear. She turned to ask Bucky where they were, but she froze before getting the words out.
Her jaw dropped as he stepped to the side to give her a better view, and her hand slapped over her mouth. She hadn’t needed a better view, though. She knew those costumes.
“Bucky?” Her voice was more of a chirp. “Steve, that’s….that’s…” She covered her mouth again in a half-gasp, half-sob as three life-sized cartoon characters stared in and waved at her.
Bucky didn’t say anything; he just reached under the seat in front of her and pulled out three hats with mouse ears attached to them. He handed one to Steve with ‘To infinity and beyond’ and a pair of wings on them. He put on the hat with a cowboy hat, bandana, and a sheriff’s badge.
Then he held up her a hat that almost matched his, but the bandana was a big red bow with rope details on the ears. He leaned into the SUV and slid the hat on her head before brushing the tears off her cheeks. She hadn’t even realized she was crying as she looked out at the giant Woodie, Jessie, and Buzz characters dancing outside the van.
“You remembered?” She could barely even speak; her words were only whispered.
“Kitten, I remember just about every damn thing you tell me about yourself. How would I forget that Toy Story was your favorite Disney movie because it’s the one you and your mom watched together all the time?” He winked. “Besides, you’ve watched the second one more than you watch Star Wars.”
“Oh no, Andy’s mom!” Tony shouted, causing the three characters to drop to the ground and stop moving. “Fuck, I’ve wanted to do that for years. Thanks, guys.”
Syd threw her arms around Bucky, and he pulled her out of the back. Her feet barely hit the concrete, and she was throwing herself around Woody, sobbing and laughing at the same time while Buzz and Jessie patted her head and rubbed her back.
Steve stepped over next to Bucky, sliding his hat on. “Good job, Buck,” he said softly, wiping the tears off Bucky’s face and nodding.
“I wish she was always this happy.”
“She is, Buck. She is.”
“Okay, Let the seven-foot cartoon man breathe, Syd,” Tony laughed, nodded to Steve and Bucky, and then climbed back into the SUV. “Reservations are under Princess Sydney. See you guys later.”
“You coming out tomorrow?” Steve asked.
“Should be. Pepper and Morgan fly in tonight. Oh, don’t forget, dinner reservations are at eight. Also under Princess Sydney, because Morgan insisted. Clint and Nat will be here in the morning.”
*****
Sydney leaned back and stared at the starlight against the deep blue-painted night sky. Her eyes wandered down to the tile walls that were meant to look like stained glass, depicting forest scenes and the beautiful castle. The bubbles tickled her nose as she sunk lower, giggling. She still couldn’t believe she was here or how much her life had changed over the past ten months.
“Scoot over, princess. Make room for your royal knights,” Steve teased as he climbed in next to her, Bucky holding his hand and climbing in right behind him.
“I want to hire someone to make this in our bathroom.”
“I have a better idea,” Bucky hummed as he cuddled closer to her, pulling her legs across his lap and massaging her calf muscles. “Stevie could do it.”
“Steve?” She pulled back in surprise, then looked over at Steve. “Our Stevie?”
“You haven’t seen his sketchbooks?”
“No! You have sketchbooks?!”
“Yeah, I don’t show a lot of people.”
“Well, we’re changing that. You’re going to have an art show,” Bucky declared. “A big one. With your art, and fancy champagne, and foods I can’t pronounce. It will be packed, wall-to-wall! Art snobs rubbing elbows with kids from the Bronx who just want to see Captain America.”
“That’s a terrible idea, Buck.”
“Or,” Syd’s finders danced lightly over Steve’s chest, “It’s the best idea ever.”
“Can’t do it.” Steve shook his head, “I’m going to be way too busy.”
“With?”
“Well,” he moved closer, nibbling her ear, “decorating the bathroom, apparently.”
“Does that mean you’ll finally move your stuff into our place?”
“Probably,” he whispered against her wet skin. “Art shows and trips to Disney…what are we doing for you, Buck?”
Bucky grabbed the champagne out of the bucket and popped the cork, careful not to break anything even though he didn’t understand what half this shit was. Steve held out three glasses, but Bucky shook his head and only took one. He filled it and handed it to Steve, then shifted down and rubbed Syd’s feet.
“You two have already done more than you’ll ever know,” He said without looking up. “Oh, Clint messaged us a bit ago, and you were already here. They’re in early, so he and Laura are joining us for dinner.”
“Yay! I feel like we’ve been gone from the farm for a year, and it’s only been a few weeks.” Her head rocked back against Steve, “Fuck, that feels so good. Why does walking around here take so much more out of you? We barely walked half the park!”
“You’ve only been walking again for what? Eight weeks?”
“Twelve,” Bucky corrected softly.
“It’s also the humidity, or at least that’s what everyone here says.” Steve took a sip and handed the glass to Syd. Bucky, explain the one-glass thing.”
“Huh? Oh, that. Yeah, we always share.”
Syd took Steve’s hand, kissing his knuckles. “You’ve never noticed before this?”
“Honestly, I didn’t. Or I just assumed Bucky was being a neanderthal and drinking from the bottle.”
“A neander—you mother fucker. Seriously?”
“Yeah, Steve, you have to call him a gloriously beautiful caveman,” Syd giggled at Bucky’s eye roll. “I love you, Moody Bear.”
“Yeah? Some days, I question that, Kitten.” He leaned over and kissed her.
“I’m proud of you, James Barnes,” She said against his lips with a smile.
“What for?”
“When I met you, you were so different. So shy and scared, like a lost puppy straight from the pound.” She hummed, brushing his hair back as she looked into his eyes. “I took you to a store, and it took us twenty minutes before we could leave the coffee kiosk. But now? Now, you’re strutting around Disney World and barely looking over your shoulder.”
Bucky blushed and started to turn away, but Steve caught him and turned his face back to them. “She’s right. You said I’d never get the Bucky from the old days, and you’re right, but this is about as close as I ever could have imagined. You’ve done amazing, honey.”
“Your colors are all different now, too—both of you. Stevie, your colors are softer now and less intense around the edges. Bucky, my little black rain cloud, you’re like a rainbow of emotions. You’ve pushed the cloud and chaos so far back that I can only see them when I look really hard.”
“It’s you. Both of you. I didn’t know I could even feel, fuck, any of this. I’m still not sure I should be feeling any of this.”
“We’ll fight anyone and everyone who says you shouldn’t,” Steve replied.
“Including yourself,” Syd added.
“Especially yourself.”
Hands and mouths started exploring, but Steve’s phone buzzed across the bathroom counter before they could get too far along.
“Why did you even bring that in here, baby?” Bucky moaned against Syd’s neck.
“Because of Clint and Laura!” Steve rose, and Bucky smacked his ass hard as he climbed out of the tub, bubbles dripping down his body.
Bucky rumbled against Syd’s ear, “Fuck, can you believe that’s ours? All of that. All of America’s ass is ours.” He kept an eye on Steve as his fingers danced between Syd’s legs, and he started nibbling her ear. “I wanna watch you ruin him tonight, pretty girl. Make him yell like you do to me.”
“It’s a pretty damn great ass. Noooo!” Syd whined as Steve snatched one of the robes off the hooks. “Don’t cover that pretty butt up!”
“Then stop talking about me like that.”
“We love you for more than just your ass, Stevie,” Syd sang in a sweet voice.
“The ass doesn’t hurt, though. Besides, I fell for you when you had no ass. None. Skinny little guy with—Ahh!” Bucky ducked as Steve chucked a soap bar at him, bouncing it off his shoulder. “So strong but so sensitive. And a nice ass.”
“This all coming from the guy who picked fucking Gandalf as the safe word.”
“Wait, what?” Syd choked, nearly spitting out the champagne.
“It’s shorter than saying Thorin Oakenshield!”
“You seriously make him say Gandalf? Oh. My. God. You are such a nerd, Barnes!” She turned to Steve, “And you let him do it, so that means you like his nerdy little bitch ass.”
“I do not have a nerdy little bitch ass.”
“You don’t have America’s ass… well, I mean, you kinda do.” Syd cackled, “Bucky, your backup is your fictional book crush? How in hell is your fictional book crush supposed to make you stop doing whatever kinky shit you’re doing to him?”
“I dunno; besides, he’s never even used Gandalf!”
“What’s your word?” Steve asked, holding his arms out.
“Midnight,” Syd continued to cackle.
Bucky shrugged, but he stopped laughing when he saw the seriousness in Steve’s eyes as he looked at his phone. “What is it, Stevie?”
“Those guys in Iowa that you picked a fight with—they’re dead.”
“Drugs?”
“Prison stabbing. Junior and the other one with the trucker hat. Clint just sent me a news article on it.”
“Okay, call me a dick if you want to, but so?”
“The sheriff told him the trucker hat guy made a phone call before it happened. They record those.” Steve’s dark eyes looked across the room at Bucky, “He told someone you were staying at Clint’s.”
*****
Nate, Lila, and Morgan took off running when they passed the gates, and Clint was running with them. They had a few hours of chaotic freedom before Laura and Pepper were done getting some much-deserved pampering at the hotel, and they already knew exactly which rides they wanted to go on first.
Syd and Wanda darted for the pin shop, scouring the racks for her favorite characters and explaining each one to Nat while Bucky and Steve watched a few feet back. She’d been in heaven since they’d arrived the day before. Even the news about the prison murders only dampened the mood for a few minutes. Since then, they’d done their best to do nothing but laugh, smile, and enjoy themselves in every way possible.
Bucky watched in awe as Syd and Wanda freaked out and yelled at each other over pins. He was surprised to feel the warmth of a hand sliding into his and nearly jumped. He looked at Steve, who was looking forward and watching Syd’s joy.
“Someone is definitely going to see this.”
“Yep.”
“It’s going to be all over the internet and the news.”
“You can let go if you want to,” He nodded to Syd as she held up a pin for him to see, still looking forward.
“Are you su—”
“Captain America needs to represent more than just freedom for some.” Steve finally turned his head, looking right into Bucky’s steel blue eyes. “I’m done hiding you. Hiding the three of us. Hiding who I am.”
“I love you, Stevie. Out in public or behind closed doors doesn’t matter to me.”
“Well, I haven’t let go of your hand yet, and I don’t plan on letting go ever.”
Syd and Nat rushed over to them, each of them holding up pins. “Guys! They have the pride pins! I got a bunch,” Syd’s voice was nothing but joy and excitement. “Actually, I got all of them, but I’m claiming the Star Wars one, and Nat wants the trans pride one, so which one do you guys want? I mean, you don’t have to take one, it’s up to you. I don’t mean you have to wear them and be out and everything, but you can—”
“Syd? Shut up for a minute. They’re holding hands,” Nat giggled.
“What?!” Sydney looked between them, and her jaw dropped. “Ohhhh shit! Really?”
“He started it,” Bucky shrugged. “What’s that one?”
“Bisexual. I wished they had the pansexual ones, but not yet. Someday.”
“Can I have the heart hands with the rainbow?” Steve asked, and Nat pinned it to his jacket with a smile. “Proud of you, Steve.”
Bucky’s eyes were misting, and he was trying to hold it back as Syd pinned the pink, purple, and blue Mickey Mouse head to him. “Fuck, this is insane.”
“Oh, you don’t have to; I just thought—” She went to pull away, but he caught her hand and squeezed it.
“You’re fine, baby girl. It’s just…weird. I can’t believe this is normal and okay.” He squeezed Steve’s hand. “Pinning a symbol like that on someone back in the day meant…well…something different. Fucking Nazi assholes. But this isn’t that. It’s, I dunno, it’s just kind of…”
“Nice to be proud to be you?”
“Yeah,” he said as she planted a kiss on his cheek. “Yeah, it is.”
“Hey, Buck,” Steve said as he eyed something a little ways down the fake street. “I have a terribly stupid idea.”
Bucky followed his eye line and smirked as he looked at Steve with raised eyebrows. “Is it as stupid as the idea I just got or is your idea just mildly stupid?”
“What are you two plotting?” Nat narrowed her eyes at them.
“Uhm, is there something you need, sir? Mr…Captain…”
Bucky turned to the poor kid who had been assigned to accompany them around the park as VIP guests. “Breathe, kid. We’re not thinking of blowing up your fake buildings. We just need your help on this one, I guess.” He and Steve dropped each other’s hands, and the three of them walked out into the crowded fake street.
Syd and Nat followed, giggling as the kid flagged down one of the photographers and cleared some space. They saw Bucky say something to Steve. They could hear the whispers starting and saw a few cell phones come up to get a picture of Captain America and The Winter Soldier.
“Ready, Buck?”
“We’re doing this, right?”
“Yep. The war is over, honey.”
“Okay,” the photographer yelled, “In three, two—”
Bucky grabbed Steve, dipped him back, and kissed him hard as they recreated the scene that neither of them was around to experience, even though they’d both played pivotal roles in making it a reality. The people that had gathered around clapped and cheered. Syd and Nat’s jaws dropped, and they squealed in delight at what they were watching as more cameras started going off.
“Jesus, the press is going to orgasm over this,” Nat pointed out as she grinned. She pulled out her phone and took pictures to send to Tony and the PR team.
“Yeah, but I don’t think either of them give a shit anymore,” Syd laughed and beamed at Nat. “Ahhh, I love this fucking place. Seriously!”
“Sydney!” Her head snapped to Bucky. “Get your a—butt over here!”
“Please tell me no one is proposing,” Clint asked as Syd skipped over to the boys and then jumped into Bucky’s arms.
“Not today. Bucky’s been warned by the rest of the team that he isn’t allowed until everyone is there to see it.”
“Thank god. Laura would have kicked my ass if she missed that.”
“Although, I am just now realizing we never said anything about him proposing to Steve or Steve doing any proposing.”
“Well, shit.”
*****
Bucky was taking a phone call across the way when Steve slid into the seat next to Syd, picked up her hand, and kissed each of her knuckles.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart? You’ve barely touched your milkshake.”
“Bucky. His colors are all…weird.”
“You really can’t turn that off with him, can you?” He took a sip of the drink. “You two and your milkshakes, I swear.”
“No. You either. Only, it’s stronger now, like it’s more than just the colors. It’s like I can feel both of you. It’s so cool, but at the same time, I feel like I’m invading your privacy sometimes, and I don’t know how to turn it off. I’m trying to, but it’s so much stronger than before. Do you guys ever feel like that? Like, I know during sex sometimes, but—”
“Okay, take a breath,” Steve laughed. “It’s definitely something when it happens in bed. It lasts for a few days after we have a connection like that.” He nodded over to Bucky, “I think that’s part of how he found you so fast in the rubble and why your being in the hospital messed him up worse than it should have. You two have had that kind of bond since you started dating almost a year ago.”
“What about you?” Her eyes looked sad.
“I feel it too, but I’m not the emotional powder keg Bucky is. Speaking of…”
Bucky sat across from them with a huge smile on his face, and he looked like he was ready to burst. He looked at Syd, catching the sadness in her eyes, then at Steve. “Fuck, what did I miss? What’s wrong? Did I get the wrong kind?” He picked up the drink and took a sip.
“No, it’s nothing, Sugar. Just me still getting used to my abilities again.”
“Oh, okay. Uhm, does that mean you’d be interested in some good news?” She nodded, and his nervous smile came back. He got up and dragged the chair next to her. “Steve and I did a thing and, Kitten, if you don’t—”
“Oh my god, did you get engaged? Married?! Why didn’t you tell me? Please tell me you haven’t decided to adopt a kid or something.”
“What? No!” Bucky shook his head and laughed, “That was a leap I didn’t expect you to make. Okay, so we did a thing, and if you don’t like it, we don’t have to do it, but… well, here.”
He slid his phone over, and she glanced at it for a while before picking it up like it was ready to break. There was a picture of a large, open field lined with trees and large flowering bushes. It looked a little familiar, but she was at a loss as to what it all meant. Steve reached over, flipping to the next one—another angle of the same thing.
“I don’t get it,” She cringed and shrugged.
“Flip to the last picture.” Steve directed, “Oh, and picture it with a lot of snow.”
She flipped through more similar images, and when she reached the last one, she tilted her head. This was an aerial view, and in the corner was a house and a…
“Wait, that’s Clint’s farm, isn’t it?”
“The sheriff owns the land to the west of Clint—lots of it. So we, uhm, well, we bought half of it. That’s who I was just talking with. His wife ended up having twins, so he was more than happy to have a little extra money and a little extra security with us around.”
“It’s the half that shared a border with Clint’s family. They’ll be about a fifteen-minute walk if we put the house where we were thinking,” Steve pointed to an area in the photo. “We actually had to get special permits for this picture; it’s a no-fly zone, thanks to Tony. Well, we can still fly the quinjet in when we go.”
“The…house? What?”
Bucky squeezed her hand, “Our house, Kitten. The three of us will design it, and Steve, Clint, and I will build it ourselves. He even said we can stay at the barn while we build. We’ll have our own place to run away together. All three of us.” He watched, but her expression didn’t change, “Syd, we don’t have to. I can call him back and—”
“You…you two are going to build us a house. Us. All of us?”
“All of us. We’ll keep the place in the compound, too.” Steve explained, “This is like our own version of the lakehouse. Somewhere we can go to and, well,” he looked over at Bucky and smiled, “just be ourselves.”
“Oh boy,” she sighed. Concern crossed her face.
“You hate it, don’t you?” Bucky’s shoulders sagged. He was so sure she would love this. “It’s alright, it’s fine. It was a stupid idea, and I should have asked you fir—”
“No…” her voice wavered. “No, Bucky. I’m just remembering how horny you two get when you build things out in the fresh country air. Are you sure that’s far enough away from Clint’s place that they won’t hear us?”
Bucky stared at her, blinking in confusion, while Steve covered his face and laughed. She squeezed Bucky’s hand.
“Moody Bear, I absolutely love this idea. I love everything about it. I love everything about the two of you.” She pursed her lips, “I think I’m gonna cry again.”
Bucky finally relaxed, “Kitten, you really need to stop scaring the shit out of me like that. Oh, wait!” He scanned through the pictures and zoomed in on a small group of trees, “This is where we got our tree from at Christmas, right near Barton’s trees. So we’ll plant a few here, too, but I want to plant one right here, by where the house will be.”
“Why there? It’s nowhere near the others.”
“New tradition. We’re not cutting it down. Ever.”
“What?”
“I’m gonna move our tree from the compound there. Give it lots of room to grow. Then, we’ll take one of our trees from the property and put it at the compound. That way, we’ve always got a piece of home no matter which home we’re at.”
She couldn’t stop the happy tears as she wrapped her arms around them and embraced her boys. “We always have a piece of home, so long as we’ve got each other. Which is so fucking sappy, but I don’t care.”
“Luckily, you’re dating a couple of sappy, old-fashioned guys.” Steve scratched his beard as he thought about what he’d just said, “Which seems like it’s contradictory, but it’s us. We’re contradictory, I guess.”
“Hey, she’s leaking again! Did you tell her?” Clint asked as he carried a very sleepy Morgan over to the table while Nate clung to his back. Syd nodded, and he walked around and hugged her. “Awesome, what do you think, neighbor?”
“I think we’ll need really good locks to keep Nate from barging in on things he shouldn’t see. That’s for sure!”
“Are you kidding?” Steve asked, “I’ll have Tony put sensors up around the property to keep him out. You think you can restrain Bucky to just the house? I heard about the lake.”
“A house? What are you nasty people talking about over here?” Sam walked up, and his sister and nephews were with him.
“Sam! I didn’t know you’d be here!” Syd jumped up and climbed over Bucky, “Sarah!” She hugged Sam’s sister while Sam held out his arms.
“Oh, I see where I rank. Cool. Cool. I saw Tony and Piper on the way in. Let’s get food. I’m starving!”
“When are you not hungry?” Bucky teased.
“When I’m sleeping! You have no room to talk, either.”
“Sammy, we’re getting a house!”
“Good, I’m tired of hearing the three of you—” he stopped when his sister smacked him. “What? I was gonna say watch TV so loud all the time.”
“Suuuuure,” Sarah said with an eye roll.
“Alright, round up the cats,” Tony announced as he scooped up Morgan who looked at him with sleepy eyes. “You hungry? I hear they have great popsicles here.”
“Where are the cats?”
“Oh! Shiii…shoot, almost forgot. Turn around, Syd,” Bucky said as he reached around her and unzipped her backpack. He pulled out a bag and walked over to Morgan.
“Don’t do it, Barnes,” Tony warned.
Bucky smirked and handed Morgan the bag. When she looked inside, her eyes nearly bugged out of her head.
“ALPINE!” She pulled the stuffed white cat out of the bag and hugged it tight.
“Thanks. Another cat from Uncle Bucky. I thought the loud toys would be annoying, but it’s you. You’re annoying and making my daughter a child cat lady.”
“She should go as a cat lady for halloween,” Nat remarked as she walked up and ruffled Morgan’s hair.
“Is it Halloween?”
“No,” Bucky said, leaning in close, grinning as he looked at Tony, “I heard there’s a cat joining us for lunch today.”
“You didn’t.”
“Oh, I did.”
*****
“I can’t believe you got them to bring back Marie the Cat. They retired her—or whatever they call it—years ago!”
“Yeah, I had a little help from Pepper. I swear she’ll do just about anything if it annoys Tony in the end. It’s like payback for her or something.” As they stepped onto the elevator, Bucky’s hand fell to Syd’s lower back. He took one last look for Steve and then pressed their floor number. “Guess he’s still with Stark. You’re sure you don’t want a few more nights in the castle?”
“No. It was great, but these rooms are a little bit bigger. I may change my mind tomorrow. Don’t get any ideas, either; people are staying around us now.”
“I’ve always got ideas around you, princess,” his voice was raspy and deep as his arms came up and caged her against the elevator wall. “I think we should be ready and waiting when Stevie gets up to the room.”
“Okay, maybe I like that idea. We could strip your cute ass naked and have you waiting for him on your knees where you belong.” She let her fingers trail down his shirt and hook into his pants. “I wonder if I brought that collar we were talking about buying.”
“I mean, I was thinking you lying naked on the bed for him, but I guess we could do both.”
“Both could work. Because that means you, on your knees, and unable to touch me while I lay there waiting for him.”
“That’s cruel, doll. You know, I was planning on making out with you in here, but,” he stopped as the elevator announced their floor. “Guess we’re out of time for that.”
“Hey, what’s that?” She waited for him to turn and look, then ducked under his arm and bolted from the elevator. “Hurry up, Sarge! Last one to the room—” She let out a loud scream as he came from behind her and scooped her up and over his shoulder, still running.
“What were you saying?”
“Nevermind,” She smacked his ass. “Take me to bed, Sergeant Barnes. Tell me all about this house we’re going to build together while I do dirty things to you.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The door to their suite opened, and Bucky stood in the door, not moving inside. He slowly put Syd down and she looked at him, confused. His eyes were dark and the crease in his brow deep as he stared into the room. She turned, following his eyes into the room where the large arrangement of flowers sat.
“Bucky,” her voice shook, and she clung to him.
“I’m here.” He pulled her head to his chest, “Come on, just back away.”
“How? How did he—” She started to shake as she stared at the white puffs of oak-leaf hydrangea. Her eyes caught sight of the card with the giant letters spelling out Daisy on it, with a stuffed Daisy Duck next to it.
“I don’t know, Syd. Let’s go find Steve…and Tony.”
—End of Book One of Moon and Stars. Keep an eye out for Book Two, Moon & Stars: The Ghost, starting March 31st—