Just Roommates

Chapter Eighteen

She looked at him as if studying him for a joke. There was none. She took a deep breath, and a little hope sparked in Bucky's eyes, then she went straight face again, and simply said, "No."

"You are such a punk when it comes to your comfort food!" Bucky shouted, jumping her, and fighting to get his spoon in with hers. He was going to get a good spoonful before giving up, even if it hurt him.

"James Barnes! I will beat you up right now!" she shouted, stretching her hand with the prize as far from him as she could.

"Can't do that when I'm sitting on top of you can ya?!" he shouted over her as he jumped to where his whole body was trapping her on the couch.

"Ah!" she shouted, falling back losing her balance. "Buck-!"

But it was too late. Bucky was bigger with larger arms, and easily reached getting the spoon filled prize as he laid on top of her.

"Got it," he said with a giant smile as he shoved the mouth full in making his cheeks puff up. He looked down at her with the grin widening.

"You're going to pay for that," she said in a threatening tone and a straight face. And if he didn't know Y/N better than he did, he would be terrified. But he knew what the look meant.

The two were instantly in a wrestling match, and the ice cream was forgotten along with the movie.

This was anything and everything that Bucky could ask for at this point in his life. No girl has ever met the standards of Y/N and how she made him feel. He felt like his dorky, teasing, playful self. Along with all the other things that made him, him. He didn't hide it from her, and she didn't hide herself from him either. It was perfect. Everything bad from the night was left where it was and long forgotten.
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Unfortunately, real life carried on for the two. The work week approached and both their schedules were busy. The only time to hang out and be together was at night. Not that they were complaining about having nights together because cuddling was always on the table.

Most evenings would consist of sitting around and talking about their day for hours. Y/N would go to her studio and paint while Bucky told her about his day.

He would talk about how the merger of the two companies was going better and faster than planned. They had upped his idea of donating money and resources to more senior homes like No Soldier Left Behind.

Y/N told him how she had a few meetings on the side with an art gallery. Bucky had told her to reach out and see if there were any that would let her showcase her art, and sure enough three out of five she reached out to contacted her back.

"Y/N! That's amazing!" Bucky shouted from the barstool he was sitting in behind her easel. He liked watching her work from this angle. He could see all her facial expressions about her work as she moved her paintbrush up, down, and sideways. Her nose wrinkling when she didn't like a move she made. "You're going to do it right?! You're going to send in some of your work?"

"I don't know..." she shrugged with a shy smile. "I don't know if I have anything that's worth it for any of these places," she said, dropping her paintbrush and staring at her art as if it suddenly became sour.

"Are you kidding me?" Bucky said, shocked and jumping from his spot. "Y/N, this whole room is filled with museum quality art," he exclaimed, pointing at the 40 to 50 canvas scattered around the room. She had only organized the space a little since the renovation, but her pieces were hung up here and there and organized to fit in places to make it not so cluttered.

"You say that because you don't know what's good and bad in art, B," she chuckled.

"I know what good art is," he challenged.