The two had been friends since their freshman year of college. Steve had an art class with Y/N in their second semester, and after asking for notes and getting to know each other through a group project, he invited her to hang out with his own friend group.
Right off the bat, she fit in as if she had grown up with them from the start. Bucky had coined the nickname "Sassy" after she had proven she wouldn't fall for his customary player-like charm. The only other girls who had successfully bypassed his tactics were the ones in the group, which made her fit in perfectly.
Nat had squeezed her arm with glee after his initial introduction was countered with a raised eyebrow and a prompt, "You do know the pickup line the douche uses in those teenage movies are examples of what not to say, right?"
Their group became one member bigger that day after she brushed Bucky off for the evening and jumped into conversation quickly with the rest. Yet somehow, over time, Bucky and Y/N had become one of the closest pairings in the group. So close that when Bucky wasn't with Steve, he was with Y/N.
Bucky had graduated college with a degree in business and a minor in mechanics and took over his father's company working with prosthetics.
Y/N graduated with a degree in Fine Arts and a second major in Exercise Science. Majoring in Art wasn't an ideal job for the world, but that's why she had mapped out her college transcript to help get work on the side doing private yoga sessions while her artwork attempted to take off on the side.
Right out of college, Bucky started his job immediately with his family and soared from there. No surprise to anyone. Y/N, on the other hand, Y/N took time to travel for a little over a year. With the little bit of money she had to her name, she backpacked Europe, hitchhiked across the US, and traveled to Italy for the art. She had found shelter couch-surfing with a few artist friends she met in school who were a little more well-off.
Bucky had given her a stern talking to, worried for her on the dangerous trips she was so excited for. Hitchhiking? In the US? Backpacking in a foreign country? He was convinced she was going to get picked up and murdered. Thankfully, as a small easement to his worries, years of martial arts and kickboxing were on her side. Her parents ensured she and her siblings were prepared for the worst-case scenario after some of the things they saw in their line of work...
Still, Bucky wasn't convinced she'd be safe, but in the end, Y/N followed her chosen path and, as usual, rarely asked permission from others. To keep the anxious friend from worrying about her nonstop, she promised she would stay in contact for the whole year and five months she traveled.
She sent postcards from tourist spots, as well as off-the-map places that were so small that most people didn't know they existed. The number of places she had gone to grew into insane numbers. She was living her life the way she had hoped to after college.
Bucky's heart eased with every card and phone call, knowing she was thriving. The ache of not seeing her in person and not knowing at all times if she was safe was still there, but what could you do when you cared about a person so much?
During the time she spent finding herself, Bucky had shadowed his father's position, preparing how to take on the empire that was his family business. He studied how the company worked, learned its purpose, discovered the skills of communicating with allied companies, and even traveled himself.
That time period was a learning process for both of the friends, but one was out of preparation for what was expected of him, and the other was out of excitement through something others were against.
When Y/N finally returned home, she was living off of the $52 that she had left in her pocket. She had made little to no money working over the past year, only surviving on what she had saved before her self-discovery journey. When she was ready to find her groundings in New York, settle, and find a job, $52 wasn't a great place to start.
She couch-surfed a bit longer, some with Steve, some with Nat and Wanda, and some with Sam and Clint, but mainly with Bucky. After a few months of saving up as a substitute yoga instructor and part-time art teacher at a senior citizen home, she had enough to rent a crappy 300-square-foot apartment. That's right. 300 square feet.
Bucky had fought with her on it, saying she could move in with him, or he could pay for her rent in a nicer spot until she was ready- the man wasn't short on money. But he would have had better luck with building a time machine. She had always been a stubborn, headstrong lady, but add having to fend for herself for over a year, the woman didn't take charity well.
Two years as of a month ago, though, Bucky 28 and Y/N 26, Y/N's apartment went under due to not meeting city regulations and the landlord being a piece of shit. The building was evacuated and eventually demolished, leaving Y/N on the streets again.
This time, no matter the arguing, Bucky didn't take no for an answer. He took a few bits of her belongings and moved her into his nice, expensive, and large NY flat. It worked in his favor that she was given 24 hours' notice to move out, so she didn't have much of an option.
He never told her the actual amount of how much it cost to live where he was because he knew she would run for the hills, thinking she was taking advantage of his giving nature.
After he bought it out, Y/N said she wanted to at least pay rent so she wouldn't mooch off of him, so he told her what was practically a 64th of what rent would have been. As far as she knew, it was an 8th of the rent from what he led on. He would tell that lie until the end of time if it meant she stayed there with him, though. From his perspective, nothing bad could happen to her as long as he was with her. That's all that mattered in his mind.
It had now been over two years of living together. Y/N finally had a decent clientele of well-off people in Brooklyn for her yoga classes. She was no longer a substitute yoga instructor, but instead, had her own hours and time slots for members of the studio she worked at to apply for. She had kept her part-time gig at the senior citizen home reserved for Fridays, where Steve was a founder/ head department instructor.
It was a facility specifically for veterans who suffered from PTSD or any other trauma from serving in the military that he and Sam had started up. Bucky had been one of the biggest donors, earning a founder chair. The three were passionate about helping those find peace after the effects of war and hardships. They knew all too well themselves.
The three boys had been deployed overseas after high school, making them a little older than the rest of the friend group and also starting them in college a little later.
Bucky's dad wasn't too happy about him going off into the military instead of immediately diving into the family business. Then when Bucky came back saying he wanted to start up the No Soldier Left Behind (NSLB) senior home facility with Sam and Steve, his father threatened to cut him off. Realizing he could help them more if he complied with his dad, he went in that direction. This way, he could still donate with his salary and work with the family business to help veterans somehow.
That decision had been hard and trying for him. He didn't know Y/N then, but when he finally opened up to her about how a part of him wishes he had just followed his heart fully, she was the one to help him realize the path we carve out for ourselves happens for a reason. Even if we feel we took the wrong path in the journey.
The whole time, he had struggled with the idea that he wasn't all in with the facility. But his friend group, Y/N, especially for her wisdom beyond her years, set him straight, gave him the right push, and comforted him when he felt like falling apart. That part of their relationship worked both ways, though.
As amazing as the years of backpacking, coming back, and getting back on her feet were, they weren't made without some struggles of her own. Big and small. All of which Y/N pushed through with Bucky and the group's support as well.
The two were yin and yang. One only worked well with the other close by, which leads us to the present day.
Bucky still led strong in his player behaviors, and Y/N was still very much a free spirit. They would spend most of their weekdays at work, being the busy people they were, sometimes doing personal activities if the schedule called for it after hours. But for the most part, they always took the evening to relax and hang out together when time allowed.
After the fiasco from this morning, Bucky went in for an afternoon meeting and then called the rest of the day off since it was Friday and he was the boss.
Y/N had her private session with Justin Hammer, who paid well, but didn't fail to prove how egotistic, smug, and flirtatious of an asshole he was. The only thing pushing her to get through the allotted time for the asshole was her weekly paint therapy session with the veterans at NSLB Senior Home.
It would be only an hour and a half, but it allowed her to see some of her favorite people and decompress after a long week. It was just as much therapy for her as it was for them.
"Well, if it isn't the White Wolf," Shuri remarked as Bucky made his way into the senior home.
"Shuri. I didn't know you were stopping by today," Bucky responded, stopping in his steps and moving where she sat at a table with one of the residents.
Shuri was a college intern who worked at Barnes Prosthetics and Research. She was currently working on a mechanical model for elders to help with tremors and shakes. There ended up being many pros in having his feet in both waters of business. Where his family's business helped, his personal funding provided candidates to work along with.
"Wanted to work with my pal Mr. Jones since I won't be able to come in next week," Shuri answered before going back to messing with some wires on a contraption.
"Sergeant Barnes, you come to get your gal?" Mr. Jones, the older dark-skinned man, asked, looking up at him with a kind face.
"Lieutenant Jones, it's nice to see you out and about." Bucky smiled, crouching next to him. "I thought you were on bed rest for a little."
"It's going to take more than a migraine to take me down," he answered with a wink.
"It was an a-typical migraine," Suri added as she tinkered with the electronic in hand.
"Doesn't that have the same symptoms of a stroke?" Bucky furrowed his eyebrows at the older man.
"Something like that," the Lieutenant shrugged off.
"Tough ol' bastard," Bucky laughed, making him laugh too. Bucky had grown close to a lot of the residents enough that that kind of banter was welcomed.
"You never answered my question," Jones continued.
"And to reply the way I always do, she's just a friend," he sighed, standing. "But yes. I'm here to pick up my gal. It's a surprise, though," Bucky put a finger to his lips and patted the Lieutenant's back.
"Can't fool an old man with how you look at her, son. Your eyes show more than I think even you know."
"Ooo.. He got you there, Mr. Barnes," Shuri laughed, looking up for a second before smiling back down at her project.
"Need I remind you that I'm your boss," he raised an eyebrow at the young genius.
"Not my boss! I'll say it again," Jones interrupted.
"You two shouldn't be in the same room together longer than a few minutes. It's a recipe for disaster," Bucky laughed before moving for an exit. "Either of you know where she is?"
"Where she always is. Giving all the old men's hearts palpitations," Jones answered.
"Hey, doesn't take much for a guy like you to make her swoon. I'm sure if you have the right pickup line..." Bucky teased, shooting a finger gun at the old man.
"Tell that to Stan. That old man may go into cardiac arrest again if she keeps wearing those yoga pants she comes in with," he shouted back.
"You guys are so gross," Shuri said, shaking her head.
Bucky shook his head with her and laughed as he moved to the art room. After a few twists and turns down the halls and some brief hellos and hi's to the residents he had come to know, he was facing the art room doors.
He looked through the window of the double-paned doors that peered into the inside of her class and watched her in her element.
As per usual, she was standing in an old and rugged band shirt- today, a Beatles t-shirt that Bucky was pretty sure had been stolen from his closet in his college years that she's now claimed as her own- and her staple overalls covered in paint splotches and smears.
Her shoes were white vans, also covered in splatters of bright colors. Her hair was pulled back in a clip, slightly falling out, creating the signature whisp that always fell effortlessly to frame her face.
(Imagine paint and a Beatles shirt;) This is the hairstyle I was thinking of. Perfect casual artist look, and my curly hair sisters, it looks really cute with that, too!)
He couldn't help the cheek-hurting smile that always appeared when he saw her like this. In all honesty, he had that kind of smile with her a lot. The idea of them that morning and his talk with Jones came to the forefront of his mind, and that strange, warm feeling bubbled in his chest again.
He was quickly brought back to the present when he saw Steve move from the corner and help a struggling elder. He shook out his head and opened the door, trying not to draw attention to himself, and moved to the back.
"OK, so we have a few minutes left, and you guys get the gist. Now it's up to you to add details and last-minute colors before we call it a day," Y/N instructed, adding a few brush strokes before turning back to the class. Her smile radiated through the room.
"I still have more I want to do!" One of the residents shouted.
"Now, Stan. I know for a fact that you finished 20 minutes ago," Y/N chided, placing a hand on her hip and tilting her head to the side with a raised eyebrow and soft smile.
"No..." he said softer with an ornery grin.
"Stan, I have to leave at some point. Just because you're not done doesn't mean I stay longer," she spoke at the troublemaker.
"You sure? I thought you had to stick around until we're finished," he challenged.
"Whatever we don't finish today gets done next time I come or during recreation time this week." She shook her head with a laugh before turning back to her painting and adding some white lines here and there.
"Bully!" Stan grunted before putting his paint to the side and crossing his arms in a pout.
Bucky laughed at the apparent crush the old man had on his roommate. His chuckle got the attention of Y/N, and she turned, sending him a confused smile. She wiped off her hands and moved to the back, only stopping to point out an excellent job to one of the older men.
"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at work for another," she looked at her watch, "two hours."
"Eh, took a half day today. I've been running around getting stuff for movie night tonight," he gleamed, putting his hands in his pockets.
"Hm..." she tried to suppress a smile but failed. His grin grew just at the motion. "You do owe me a shit ton for the next couple of movie nights after this morning. I hope you stocked up on those ciders we had the other week," she said, nudging his arm with her elbow.
"Consider it already done," he answered, nudging her back.
"Good start to your apology. But you didn't answer my first question. Why are you here?"
"I can't stop by one of my favorite places? I mean, I do own a ⅓ of it even if I don't run it."
"I guess I can't go against that," she laughed, making Steve turn and see his friends. He waved before going back to his task.
"Plus, I wanted to pick you up. Go the extra mile and all for our date night," he winked.
She couldn't help the little turn of her lip as she looked back at the class, trying to hide the blush that followed when he teased her. He loved making her blush. He had started the joke of 'date night' during their movie nights as a way to push her buttons, and it worked. And he very much liked to push her buttons. It was one of his favorite things.
"Steve still joining in on your sessions?"
"He minored in art in college, smart enough not to major in it, so I think I can confidently say his favorite time of the week is when he gets to come in here and play with the paints and mediums as much as he wants," Y/N answered.
"You can say that again. You two are nerds about this stuff."
"As if you don't have your own nerd topic. Mr. Neil Degrasse Tyson, with your astronomy obsession-"
"That's different," he pushed Y/N enough that she teetered on her feet, but she laughed it off.
"The way I see it is it's passion. Nothing different about that, nor anything wrong with it," she stated, hip-bumping him once she gained her balance and began making rounds around the room. He quickly followed behind her.
"Back to the topic of movie night," he continued as she praised some of the artwork in her walkthrough. "What movie did you have in mind, and what take-out wins the lottery tonight with our order?"
"I was thinking 90's Rom-Com," she answered before pausing beside someone. "That's nice, Evelyn," she whispered to the sweet older woman, who thanked her before going back to her work.
"Dear God, not another Rom-Com," he groaned, slouching behind her.
"Oh, sure, tough guy. I see how into them you get. Don't for a second act like I'm punishing you when, in reality, you're jumping for joy inside at the choice," Y/N said, scrunching her nose at him. God. Another thing that made his chest warm. Was that feeling always there when she did that? "Plus, you owe me, so no getting out of this one. As for the take-out, I think you know the answer to that."
"I wish I did, but it's always between Danny B's Pizza and that hole-in-the-wall Chinese place," he nodded. "Which one will be getting a hefty paycheck for the night?"
"You know what? I'm up for either. You pick," she shrugged.
"You sure?"
"Yeah. You know me better than me." She hummed, watching her students work as she walked and then moved to the front before talking to the class again. "OK, everyone. Finish up what you have and leave your paintbrushes at your station. Steve, Bucky, and I will come around and clean up. Dinner will be served soon, so go get ready."
"Yes, ma'am," a good chunk of the class announced.
They did as asked, and Steve started moving around, collecting handfuls of brushes and pallets.
Except for Stan, who had stayed stationed at his easel.
"What can I do for you, Mr. Lee?" Y/N said in a warm and soft tone when she saw him.
"When can I take you on that Bingo date?" he asked.
"Stan-"
"Hear me out," he started, holding up his hands. Steve and Bucky stood next to each other and watched the interaction with quirked grins. "In the next few weeks, they're having a dance for everyone. I don't have anyone visiting me, and I would love to have a familiar, gorgeous face like yours to accompany me."
"Is that so?" she laughed, crossing her arms and looking to Steve for confirmation.
Steve nodded with a laugh of his own. "He's telling the truth. It's for families and loved ones to come hang out and party for a little."
"They'll have bingo, the good pudding, and even some dancing," he listed off, wiggling his eyebrows, trying to sway her as his date.
"When is it, and what time is it?"
"Two Fridays from now. Around 4:30," Steve answered.
"Think you can do it, sweetheart?" Stan asked with a little pout on his lips.
Y/N looked at him, then to the two boys. Both with grins, knowing she could never say no to such a sweet old man.
"You got me, Stan. Consider it a date," she laughed, patting his back, helping him up, and moving him to the door where one of the floor nurses was looking for him.
"Yes!" he shouted, pumping a fist in the air. "Hey, Monica! She said yes!"
The nurse laughed before taking him from her, saying a few words, and leaving.
"You just made his day, you know? He's been telling everyone how he was finally going to get you to go on a date with him," Steve chuckled as he moved to the sink to begin cleaning the leftover supplies.
"He's persistent. I'll give him that," Y/N laughed, moving to help. "And a flirt. Honestly, the man reminds me of Bucky. Might have just found your future self, B."
"Careful of those waters you're treading, Sassy," Bucky pouted, going to help the two.
"You're a flirt and stubborn as hell," Steve confirmed. "If you're just now realizing that, maybe you're closer to Stan's mental age than you realize."
Y/N tapped her finger on her nose. "Right on the nose."
"Listen here, Y/N," Bucky started but was interrupted by the blonde.
"So I heard that I'm your third roommate as of this morning."
"You told him?" Bucky gasped lightly, stealing the utensils she had gathered.
"Too good of a story not to tell. And, come on, my acting skills?" She puckered her lips and kissed her fingertips. "Flawless. I had to share with someone who'd appreciate my art."
"I'd like to say, though, I don't think I say 'doll' that much, but it sounds like an eventful morning. And yet, somehow, there were even more embarrassing ones on the list than this one," Steve added.
"This one is a close runner-up to the infamous one," Y/N giggled, making Steve laugh with her.
"You talking about the time the girl thought that he was some hot shot celebrity, and he went with it along with it before realizing the celebrity was a racist asshole, and his date was also a racist-"
"OK. That's enough, you two," Bucky interrupted. "We get it. I'm a mess."
"I was going to use another word, but yours is nicer," Y/N shrugged as she squeezed in beside Steve's broad shoulders and soaped up some brushes as she winked at him.
"And, yet, I continue to choose to put up with the two of you," he groaned.
"What movie are you watching tonight? It is movie night, right?" Steve asked, moving the conversation on.
"Yeah, well, apparently, my mishap this morning caused me to give up my right to choose for a while," Bucky sighed, leaning his back on the counter as he watched the two workaround in the sink.
"And supply lots of alcohol and food of my choice," Y/N added.
"Of course, that's the payment for you," Steve rolled his eyes with a grin. "Let me guess, you're making him watch a Rom-com, too?"
"You guessed right, soldier. I was thinking, How to lose a guy in 10 days tonight. It just came out on Netflix, and it's been forever since I've seen it, but there are some other contenders." She turned to Bucky, wiggling her eyebrows. "But a Nicholas Sparks one called Dear John-"
"Ugh, isn't that a military one? They never get those things right. They make it all fruity," Bucky groaned.
"Fruity? What is this, 2003? Get with the times, Barnes," she exhorted a breath of air and flicked him with a wet brush before putting it up.
"No need to lie, Buck. We all know those are your favorite," Steve noted.
"Yeah, you're talking to your two best friends. We see right through you."
"Fine. But I'm drinking some old bourbon to man it up."
"Awe, you scared you're going to hurt your masculinity? Don't worry, I won't hole punch your man card this time," she snickered, bumping shoulders with Steve, making him let out a belly laugh.
"That's it!" Bucky bent down, swooping Y/N from her knees and throwing her over his shoulder. "You dug your grave, Sassy. It's time to bury the body."
"Buck!" she shouted as she tried to escape his hold.
"I know for a fact you could get out of this if you wanted, but you're not even trying," Bucky laughed as he swung her around for extra effect.
"Do you want to get hurt?"
"Maybe."
"You two get out of here before you make a mess," Steve swatted at them with a towel he had thrown over his shoulder.
"What about clean up?" Y/N asked over Bucky's shoulder as he turned her to see him.
"I got it. You two have your movie night."
"Date night," Bucky corrected, getting a swift smack to his back from her position.
"You sure?" Y/N asked, still wiggling in Bucky's hold.
"Positive. Tell Sam goodbye before you leave, though. He should be in the main hall about now."
"Sir, yes, sir!" Y/N saluted jokingly, knowing Steve hated it.
"See you later, Captain," Bucky saluted along with her before carrying Y/N out of the room.