Newbie (Bucky x Reader)

Bikini's and VA meetings

You took a moment to go grab a towel after Steve left. It was going to be weird to be without Daisy for a few hours, but you couldn't deny him taking her to the VA. She was an excellent emotional support dog, even if she was never trained as one. She had taught herself after living with you for so many years. You grabbed your book and looked out the door to make sure the coast was clear before sprinting towards the door to the outdoor pool. When you got there, you immediately relaxed seeing it was empty and went to your assigned locker and took off your clothes besides the swim suit and put them in. You went and put your towel on one of the long swings beside the pool and put your book on top taking in a moment the sun was still out and dove into the water. You had gone through about five laps when you heard voices and you started treading water looking around only to see Wanda, Nat, and Pepper walking in with just their swimsuits on.
"There you are! We weren't sure if you were going to the indoor or outdoor one" Pepper smiled genuinely and you gave a small wave.
"I thought it would be nice to feel the heat from the sun" you started swimming back.
"You should get Bruce to look at that arm, it looks like you busted some stitches. We have a regeneration machine here too he could help you out" Nat dove into the water and swam up beside you looking at your arm. You saw some blood was showing through the gauze that Steve had just put on last night.
"I'll check in with him after I guess" you shrugged. "I didn't think it would take that long to heal" you admitted.
"You need to be careful, you can get infections" Wanda added sitting on the side of the pool. Loki took that moment to walk in, in his swimming trunks and sat beside Wanda with a large smirk on his face.
"We said girls night" Pepper reminded him.
"I'm one of the girls" Loki defended himself. "If I must, I'll change my form to a woman"
"You're fine" you flushed a bit. "Its not like we are going to talk about anything too extraordinary"
"Oh we are though" Nat grinned treading water beside you. "How was the date with Bucky? He rarely goes on dates"
"It was perfectly wonderful" you smiled to yourself.
"Now now, we need details" Wanda encouraged.
"He bought me roses. He took me on his motorcycle and we went for a walk, had some ice cream. He took me to a bookstore and café and bought me a book and a coffee. It was delightful" you admitted, thinking about how Steve told you that you needed to open up more. "He was a perfect gentleman"
"Well, I've never seen him so interested. He must fancy you" Loki grinned.
"I hope so, we have another date on Wednesday" you flushed and swam closer to where Wanda and Loki were sitting. Pepper got into the water and grinned at you.
"I'll make sure neither of you are on a mission on Wednesday. Tony sometimes springs them on people" Pepper shook her head.
"Avengers work comes first" you shook your head. "Work always first, dad taught me that"
"You need a life outside of work" Wanda frowned a bit. "You'll see that you'll learn to enjoy having it. You should get that record player you've been eyeing" she added. You flushed a bit, and bit your bottom lip.
"Its more for someone to have to deal with if I never make it back. Its not practical" you looked down. You felt a few glares in your direction.
"With this team, you'll make it back. We work as a team, we live as a family. Get the record player and the records. It reminds you of your childhood. You deserve to be spoiled" Wanda argued. Loki nodded with her.
"I'm not going to get used to having you both in my head" you shook your head and gave a small smile.
"Well, you don't say much. Its hard not to want to go in there and peek" Loki shrugged. "You've been strong a long time, but you don't have to keep feeling alone while you do it"
"Don't say that around Maria, she will chew my head off" you giggled.
"She already knows" Wanda gave a soft smile. "That's why she keeps tabs on you all the time. Not just because your best friends"
"Its weird she hasn't been around since Saturday" you bit your bottom lip.
"She's probably doing work for Fury" Pepper shrugged.
"We need to get you in a bikini" Nat decided looking at you critically.
"No, not happening" you shook your head. "I already feel naked in that cat suit"
"You looked fantastic in the cat suit" Nat grinned. "Even I was checking you out"
"Just for curiosity sake, why are you so against showing more skin? Is it the child that broke your heart?" Loki asked.
"I show plenty in a dress" you corrected him.
"I saw the dress went three quarters to your knees. You could have gone shorter" Wanda grinned.
"I prefer it that way" you crossed your arms. "Besides, the dress was pretty"
"I can fix that swimsuit for you" Loki grinned.
"What's wrong with it?" you looked down seeing that it covered you from the neck down, it was Shield issued.
"Oh we need to go shopping" Nat reached under water and gave your butt a playful slap and you yelped a little.
"I like shopping" you gave a smile. "Especially when they have good sales"
"What is it that you've been saving up for?" Pepper asked, remembering the conversation from earlier.
"It's silly" you flushed.
"Didn't Steve tell you that you should open up more?" Loki reminded you.
"I wanted to buy a cabin in the woods to take Daisy to when I have vacation time. She likes to roam freely, and I thought it would be nice to have a place of my own" you flushed even more.
"We don't have much vacation time on this team" Nat admitted. "When we do, we always get away as a team to one of Tony's villas"
"You're right, of course" you looked down. "It was just a dream anyways"
"You could still have that cabin in the woods" Wanda spoke softly.
"It would just be something else someone would have to take care of if I don't make it back from a mission" you shrugged and got up to sit on the side of the pool.
"Did that man seriously raise you to be an agent to expect to never come back?" Pepper looked a little upset.
"He said most don't retire, they die. I understood that when he adopted me" you gave a sad smile. "That's why he got so mad at first when I got Daisy I think"
"You moved out when you were eighteen, it wasn't his decision" Loki shrugged.
"But he still had to watch her. I think he expected me to get rid of her at one point if he refused, but I always keep a doggy day care on retainer just in case no one can watch her. Emergency's only" you rubbed your arms as a breeze came by.
"That must have been a big step to trust Steve with her" Nat grinned.
"He's apart of this team, and I have to trust my life with each member of the team. That's how it works" you shrugged. "But, it was hard to do I'll admit. He's good with her. I feel a bit better seeing how he is with her"
"Can I just make one alteration to your swimsuit?" Loki wasn't letting it go.
"Will I regret it if I say yes?" you crossed your arms.
"Likely" Wanda chimed in.
"Will you put it back to the way it is?" you bit your bottom lip.
"After a while, yes" he nodded. "If you don't like it"
"Very well, but you only have five minutes" you closed your eyes and felt something like a cloud surround you and you opened your eyes to look down and see a deep V between your breasts and you were indeed in a bikini. You yelped and got back in the water quickly. "Please change it back"
"You look fantastic" Loki grinned. "I'm sure a winter soldier would agree"
"Please change it back" you were beat red, and moved behind Nat.
"Meow, look at you. You definitely need to wear these more often" Nat grinned.
"Make it dark blue" Wanda looked at Loki who barely moved his fingers and you saw the color changed. "Wear that with confidence" she smirked at you.
"I'm practically naked, there is no confidence here. Change it back" you saw Pepper smile at you endearingly.
"You look fantastic. We need a girls day to get you a real one" she nodded looking you over.
"You said I have five minutes, I'm taking my five minutes. You'll see, you'll get more comfortable" Loki shrugged. You took a deep breath and tried not to hyperventilate looking down at yourself. You could see a few scars that you never went to the regeneration machine for showing.
"Breathe a little slower" Nat whispered. "You can do this. You just need to work on your confidence"
"I fake confidence, unless I'm on a mission" you admitted taking in slow breaths. "Then I have confidence because I know what I'm doing"
"There's some honesty coming out, see?" Loki grinned.
"Someone's just gotta remind you that you are one sexy mama" Wanda giggled. "I can see her in you, you just need to let her out"
"Try making the bikini red" Pepper smiled at you, and you saw Loki flick his fingers again and you looked down and flushed.
"Is this a game?" you finally asked.
"No, deciding on what colors look good on you for future reference. The standard issue Shield swimsuit needs to be retired" Pepper shook her head.
"Try green" Nat stepped back to get a good look at you.
"I'll only ever wear a one piece" you shook your head.
"We will get you there" Wanda winked.
"I'm not any more comfortable, and its been five minutes Loki" you growled.
"Very well" he sighed and you felt the cloud again and your suit went back to the way it was.
"Thank you" you got out of the pool.
"Where do you think your going?" Nat demanded.
"To dry off, and go see Bruce about my arm?" you half asked, half told her.
"You'll get used to us eventually" Wanda sighed as you wrapped yourself in your towel, and grabbed your book. You stopped only to grab your clothes and put them on before heading to see Bruce about your arm, hoping he would just put you in the regeneration machine for a few minutes.

Bucky, Steve and Sam drove to the VA meeting quietly, all thinking about what they were going to share tonight. Bucky had a bit of a smirk on his face, while Sam and Steve seemed pensive. When they went in, Alpine stayed on Bucky's shoulder while Daisy walked closely to Steve's side as they took a seat. People around the room shared their week, and their struggles of being army veterans. How their life still was hard to get used to now that they were home and out of the army. When it was Steve's turn, he stood up and gave a small smile.
"This isn't my dog, but she's opened my eyes to how important an animal can be to recovery. She was never given any training on how to be a therapeutic animal, but she managed to bring me some peace where its hard to find. She belongs to the newest Avenger, and her name is Daisy. I've been blessed to spend two days with her, and she has me sold on wanting to get a dog of my own" Steve paused and smiled while Daisy started to work the room going to each person to give them a sniff or a lick on the hand as they pet her. "Last night, I also got to find out how protective she can be. She's such a sweetie, but she saw her person in distress and in pain and faced down three Avengers without a second thought. Her human, is the type of person that builds walls up towards people. But the moment Daisy is around her, you see her for the person she is. I think therapeutic animals, or animals in general can really bring out the best in all of us and show us for who we really are. I was struggling this week, with wondering if I had made the right choices in my past. I always knew what I was fighting for, was what I thought was right. But the journey to get there is sometimes a road none of us see ourselves going down. We make sacrifices, and we have to make peace with it. But at what cost? The moment I started down that dark thought train, this little dog came over and threw a ball at me before jumping on my lap. I realized she was trying to get me to get out of my funk. I think she's pretty special, and wanted to share her with you"
"Yeah, she almost bit you last night man" Sam chuckled. "But seriously, I can't say this enough. Find what brings you peace, and it will help"
"I found myself on that dark path a lot the last few years, but then a few weeks ago I got this cat who's been glued to me since he came in my life" Bucky grinned. "I volunteered to go ask the newest avenger to join us, and met this beautiful woman, and she took me by surprise. She was the reason I was allowed to get Alpine. With just her smile, I found myself no longer guessing what I was doing anymore. I even took her on a date, and she started opening up to me when she was building up walls with everyone. It's the first time since I've been released from Hydra that I'm not second guessing everything I do. I look at her, and she makes it easy. Just like her dog has brought Stevie peace, she's starting to bring me peace. She is the reason I have my Alpine who's been helping so much with the nightmares, and the daily struggles of remembering the wars, of the things I did. Its like I found a little bit of happiness, I'm a little scared to lose it" Bucky admitted.
"You won't man" Sam shook his head. "You don't need a girl to make you happy"
"No, I don't need a girl. But that woman does bring me a sense of peace I haven't had for a long time" Bucky shook his head. "And I've got Alpine" he scratched his kitty behind the ears. "He helps tremendously" he grinned. "I guess this week, I just had progress to share" he admitted. "I'm not so much on that dark path. I seem to be doing okay for once"
"That's all we want for you man" Sam smiled.
After they finished at the meeting, Daisy had gotten a lot of treats and was the center of attention along with Alpine as other veterans were keen to come over to see them. They discussed around the coffee table the benefits of a therapy pet, and both Daisy and Alpine had some of them sold.

When you were finished with Bruce he took out the stitches and put you in the regeneration machine for half an hour to heal up. He pointed out that it wasn't looking too good, but you told him you had accidently ripped it open too. He left you to your own devices while you were in the machine, and waved to you as you left. You were still embarrassed over the whole bikini incident in the pool. You couldn't believe you admitted you didn't have the confidence. You were almost famous for your confidence at Shield. You faked it almost the entire time. The only time you felt confident is when you were on missions because it was all that you grew up being taught to do. Fury made sure you would be a top performing agent from a young age. You found yourself not knowing what to do with yourself when you got out, and went back to your room for a shower. When you were done, you knew the others wouldn't be back for a few hours. That meant no Daisy to sleep in your back to put you to sleep. You found yourself even feeling lonely. You texted Maria, but she responded that she was on a mission and you understood. You knew Fury was on a mission. You needed to get out before you went crazy. You grabbed your keys, phone, and charger and headed for the door. You knew exactly what you needed, and nobody knew about it but you. You got in your car, turning on your sad love songs as loud as you could and peeled out of the parking lot.