Imagine If You Assembled The Avengers: Volume 3

Resting Bucky Face (Barnes x reader)

Ever since you had been a resident of the Avengers compound, you had been appointed as the official cook for the team of ravenously hungry heroes. It all started with one meal that you had thought was nothing special, but apparently this group hadn't been living on the best diets, with being out and saving the world so often. All it took was a table full of homecooked foods to start the unanimous vote for your new role. You didn't really mind it; it was fun learning new things that each of them liked. Thor would bring you Asgardian recipes to try, although some ingredients didn't exist on Earth, as would Natasha and Wanda just to mix up your repertoire.

But not everyone was so excited about the idea. Bucky wanted nothing to do with it and commonly skipped eating with the group. You tried to give him the benefit of the doubt at first, that maybe your tastes didn't match his, but even when you had finally confronted him to ask if there was something that you could change for him, he simply mumbled a declination and walked away. On this morning at breakfast when you thought that having Steve there might help, it was a repeat of the same.

"What crawled up his butt today?" you asked your Captain. "He's always got that angry old man look on his face around me."

"Does he?"

"Steve, come on, don't tell me that you really don't see it. Take off the BFF goggles and join the rest of us in the real world."

"Sorry, (Y/N), I really don't see it," he laughed, but when he looked up at you from his morning news, he saw that you really might be upset by Bucky's attitude as you angrily pushed eggs around the pan with a loud scrape. "Hey, you okay?"

"I'm fine."

He set down his paper slowly, all the while still watching you as you worked on breakfast, trying to decide the best way to approach this. He could just be straightforward and tell you that Bucky was so awkward around you because he liked you more than he was comfortable showing, but that wasn't his place to do. Buck hadn't been at the compound long, and his trust was still slow to build for people. He also didn't trust his feelings when they started, because he still believed that he could never be close to anyone like that after the life he had lived. Steve saw that maybe you were the exact person to finally get him to see how wrong he was.

"Well, I can talk to him if you'd like," he offered coyly. "Maybe I can get to the bottom of it. Pretty sure I can break him down."

"No, don't," you answered quickly. "I don't want to make a big deal out of this, really. I just thought maybe you knew something that I didn't." Continuing on with your work, you finished it in silence as he went back to reading, though his mind wasn't at all on the words on the page in front of him. It actually of was a big deal to you, though, and you wanted Bucky to be comfortable around you; if things went on like this much longer, you'd just have to confront him more forcefully yourself.

"If I figure it out, you'll be the first and only one I tell, promise," Steve reassured, or at least tried to. Crossing the room to stand next to you, gave a quick hug and offered his services to help you clean up. You turned him down, needing the time to clear your head, so he decided it best to just get the day started; but not before a great idea came to him, however. "Would it be too much to ask for cheesecake for dessert tonight? Only if you're up to it."

"Sure, no problem, Cap. Anything for you."

"Woah, careful there, (Y/N), I might take advantage of that someday," he laughed. Just as he reached the doorway, he turned back slightly, speaking barely loud enough for you to hear. "A little chocolate on top of that cake wouldn't hurt."

~~~

Later that night, after dinner and dessert were long since gone, you found yourself unable to sleep, your brain determined to work out this problem with Bucky once and for all. You had been nothing but polite, and you said your hellos and goodbyes every time you saw him, and even Cap had put in a good word for you when the guy first moved in. You couldn't think of a single reason for him to always look at you with that grouchy expression, and definitely nothing for why he always turned down your cooking.

"Dammit," you mumbled, pushing yourself hastily out of bed and making your way to the kitchen. You weren't hungry at all, but when your mind wouldn't stop torturing you it seemed to help to grab a snack to calm things down. As you walked along the hallways, FRIDAY lit the way with a gentle glow, leading you to your destination in your hazy half-awake state.

As you reached the doorway, it became clear that someone else was having the same idea as you, rustling around in the refrigerator like a starving raccoon in a garbage bin. Just to not startle them, you peeked your head into the room, but your loud gasp in complete shock caught them off guard, leaving them to look at you with a fork overfilled with cheesecake and chocolate on their face.

"Bucky?"

"Shit," he muttered, bits of the cake falling from his lips. "Um...(Y/N)...sorry..."

"It's okay," you answered cautiously, "I didn't know that you were such a fan of cheesecake."

"I love you...it!" he stammered. "I love it! Cheesecake! I love cheesecake!"

"Steve Rogers, you sneaky little jerk," you whispered to yourself. Taking a few brave steps closer to him, you had your hands up in front of you, completely unaware of your own body language that was still acting as if he were a terrified animal and ready to run. It may not have been far from the truth. "Bucky, do you come down here to eat every night after we go to bed?"

Not to waste a bite, he cleaned off the fork in his hand and set the cake back in the refrigerator, closing the door to make the room much darker around you. You could hear his steps and could see his shadow move closer, but he was still a safe distance away. "Yeah, I do. I don't know why, it's just...easier."

"Easier? What does that mean?"

"Easier because you stare at me all the time."

"I do not!"

"Yes, you do!"

"If I do it's only because you have resting bitch face all the time!" you defended yourself. "You look like I'm pissing you off just by existing!"

"Oh, no, (Y/N), believe me, I'm not pissed off," he finally admitted to you. It was as if the darkness in the room was giving him a new comfort and bravery as the words spilled out. "I'm anything but pissed off. It's uncomfortable when you stare at me like that because I'm afraid...I'm afraid that you'll see through me and then you'll know how I feel and you don't feel the same and then I'll just have to move out because it'll be really weird and then I'll never get to eat-"

"Bucky, stop. Wow, I can see why you and Steve are best friends. You're just as dramatic as he is. Well, that and your apparent love of cheesecake."

"What do you mean?"

"We were talking about you this morning at breakfast, and he asked me to make it for dessert tonight. Now I know why."

Bucky coughed nervously, rubbing his hand over the rough stubble of his cheek, considering to himself what his next words would be. He could just throw caution to the wind and be a man about this, like he never had a problem with in the old days, or he could make a stupid joke to ruin it all and run away like the child he was being. He opted for the former and took a deep breath to steel his nerves. "(Y/N), I've been thinking...maybe...if you want to...sometime..."

"Yes, I'd like to go out with you," you helped, "sometime."

"Whew, great," he exhaled in complete relief, "that's great."

The light from the moon began to fill the room more, and as your eyes adjusted it became clear just how close he was to you. It also became quite clear exactly how nervous he was, and it was completely out of character from the man you had come to know; although, you had only known the crabby side that you saw every day, so the change was readily welcome. Pushing up on your toes, you gave him a quick peck of a kiss on his cheek and turned to leave, looking back to see him completely frozen in shock with a lopsided grin on his face.

"There. I think I like that face much better."