"Mom!" You yelled as you ran towards Natasha.
Your mom had always been your best friend. She could be strict, but she always made sure you were happy and felt loved. Natasha was barely eighteen when you were born. Your father was a piece of shit who left her when she was three months pregnant.
Thankfully, your mom met a man a few years after you were born who loved her unconditionally. Natasha Romanoff married Steve Rogers when you were four and six months later Steve adopted you. He had never looked at you as his step-daughter. To him, you were his little princess and it was only right that you shared his last name just like your mother.
You grew up in Brooklyn and that's where you met your best friend, Bucky Barnes. He was your next door neighbor and Natasha was best friends with his mom. They would have lunch together several times a week and, while your moms gossiped, you and Bucky would play or watch movies together...usually in a blanket fort that the two of you had built.
As the two of you grew up, you became inseparable. You couldn't remember a time where Bucky wasn't around. Steve was wary of letting you be alone with him as you got older because Bucky earned himself quite the reputation as a lady's man. He was handsome and you could see why girls were attracted to him, but he never gave any indication that he was interested in you that way.
After graduating high school, you and Bucky spent every second of the summer together. He joined the army and would be leaving for basic training at the end of August and you would be off to college. You tried to keep in touch, but your schedules made it almost impossible for the two of you to talk or visit each other. You'd send the odd text here or there, but over the years you completely lost contact. You thought about him often, but as soon as the thought to text him crossed your mind, something would distract you and the thought was gone.
"There's my college graduate. I've missed you so much!" Natasha pulled you into a tight hug and kissed the side of your head.
"You just saw me a few days ago when you came to the ceremony." You chuckled.
"I know, but I've missed you being home with us. It feels like forever since we've been under the same roof." Natasha said and rocked you side to side.
"Geez, mom. You act like I never came home during my breaks."
"You know what I mean." Natasha said and hugged you tighter.
"Careful sweetheart, you're squeezing her so tight her head might pop off." Steve said.
"Hey, dad." You smiled at Steve as soon as Natasha released you and he wrapped his arms around you.
"I'm glad you're home, princess. It hasn't been the same without you." He said softly.
"I'm glad I'm home, too."
~
Steve pulled up outside of your favorite restaurant and parked in front of the doors. There were only a few cars in the lot, so you were hoping that you wouldn't have to wait for a table. You had been traveling most of the day between your flights and layover and you were ready for real food. Natasha and Steve walked ahead of you into the restaurant and you followed closely behind.
The inside was mostly dark and your eyebrows furrowed in confusion until the lights flipped on and a room full of people were yelling surprise at you. A grin spread across your face as you realized your parents had thrown you a welcome home party. Your eyes scanned the room and saw it was filled with family and friends that you hadn't seen in years. When your gaze reached the right side of the room, your eyes froze on a familiar pair of light blue eyes.
"Bucky?" You said softly.
"Hey, sunshine."
Bucky ran his hand through his long, dark hair as he walked over to you with a grin on his face. You met him halfway and jumped into his arms, excited to see the best friend you had lost touch with. His arms wrapped around you and he swung you around before setting you back on the ground. He left his arms around your waist, but leaned back to smile down at you.
"What are you doing here? Last I heard, you were stationed in Germany." You said with a wide smile on your face.
"I didn't want to reenlist, so I just came back home when my contract was up. I've missed you, sunshine. I'm sorry I didn't keep in touch."
"Hey, I'm as much at fault as you are. I've missed you, too."
You hugged him again and he lowered his lips to your ear.
"You're even more beautiful than the last time I saw you, Y/n." He whispered and his hand discretely caressed along the small of you back.
A shiver ran down your spine as his hot breath caressed your skin. His stubble scratched at your cheek as he placed a kiss on your temple. Bucky had never called you beautiful or touched you like that before. While you considered Bucky your friend, you would be lying if you said you had never felt something other than friendship for him. You were sixteen the first time you felt the sting of jealousy.
Bucky was walking home with you after school and he was telling you about a date he had the following day with one of the most beautiful girls in your school. You told yourself that it was because your best friend had a date and you didn't or because you were worried he was going to devote all of his time to this girl and forget about you. It took you a year to realize that you were jealous because you had a crush on him. You kept your feelings to yourself because it was Bucky. Your friendship was more important to you than a small crush.
"Okay, that's enough hugging." Steve said as he stepped up beside you and Bucky.
Bucky reluctantly released you and took a step back. His eyes locked with yours for a moment before Steve guided you to a group of his and Nat's friends. You looked over your shoulder to steal a glance at Bucky and found him watching you as some girls tried to strike up a conversation with him. Steve called your attention back to the group and you smiled lightly as you half-heartedly listened to him brag about you to his friends.
By the end of the night, you were exhausted. As much as you loved your mom and dad, they swept you around the room stopping to have a conversation with everyone about how proud of you they were and how you already had several job offers lined up. You were grateful for their support and the pride they felt for you, but the attention made you uncomfortable. Most of the time your attention slipped away from the conversation and you found your eyes wandering around the room searching for a pair of beautiful blue eyes.
It wasn't hard to spot Bucky amongst the crowd. He was the most handsome man there and he stood out among all the others. More than once, you found his gaze already on you when you searched the room for him. The moment your eyes landed on him, his intense gaze softened and the corners of his lips would turn up into a small smile. You returned his smile every time before turning your attention back to your parents and the people they were talking to.
A few hours after entering the restaurant and being paraded around, you fell into a booth against the back wall and kicked your feet up in the seat. A heavy sigh parted your lips and your head fell back against the wall. You let your eyes close, enjoying the alone time, until you felt your legs being lifted and then placed gently on someone's thighs. Your eyes popped open and you saw Bucky with a cheeky smirk on his face.
"You're a hard woman to get alone, sunshine." Bucky massaged his hand up and down your calf like he used to when the two of you would watch movies and you'd throw your legs over his lap.
"Yeah, well, blame mom and dad. They took it upon themselves to make sure I spoke to everyone." You chuckled. "I haven't seen your mom around. Where is she?"
"Working the night shift at the hospital. She wanted me to pass on her apologies for missing your party and invite you and your parents over for dinner tomorrow night if you aren't busy."
"I'd love to. If mom and dad can't come, I'll still be there."
"What are you doing tomorrow?" Bucky asked, his left hand rested on your thigh as he stared at you intently.
The weight of his hand on your leg and the thinly veiled heat in his eyes made your stomach flip as you held his gaze.
"Um, I–I was probably just going to unpack. Get settled in, ya know."
"Oh, yeah. Of course." Bucky looked shyly down at your legs laying over his lap and continued to rub his hand up and down your calf.
"Did you want to hang out instead?" You asked with a smile. "Catch up on the last five years?"
"Only if you want to. I understand you just got back into town and probably have things to do." He replied.
"I'd much rather spend time with you."
You laid your hand on top of his and he squeezed your thigh in response. The two of you stared at each other, soft smiles gracing your lips. Bucky's eyes roamed your face, lingering on your lips before meeting your eyes again. His lips parted, looking like he wanted to say something. Your thumb grazed over his as you waited for him to speak. Movement across from you startled you out of your daze and you quickly composed yourself.
"Hey sweetie! Are you enjoying your party?" Natasha plopped down into the seat on the other side of the booth with a wide grin on her face.
"Yeah, mom. It's great. Thank you." You said, sincerely happy.
Steve was standing at the end of the table, his eyes locked on yours and Bucky's hands resting on top of your thigh. You retracted your hand as Steve's eyes flicked up to Bucky. You knew your dad didn't particularly trust Bucky in that aspect. Bucky had never been a man to commit to a relationship. As you grew older, Steve was afraid that Bucky would compromise your friendship by trying to sleep with you, but you knew that Bucky didn't see you in that way and he valued you too much to do that to you.
Still, Steve had always told you to be cautious around him. He knew Bucky cared for you and would always protect you if anyone tried to hurt you, but you were his little girl and he'd be damned if he let a boy break your heart. Steve cleared his throat and glanced back at your legs still in Bucky's lap. You reluctantly put your feet down and rolled your eyes discreetly. You loved Steve, but he could be way too overprotective. Steve finally took a seat and wrapped his arm around Nat.
"Winnie asked if we wanted to come to dinner tomorrow." You said, trying to ease the tension with your dad.
"Sorry, sweetie, but we already have plans. I'll text Winnie to let her know and set something up for all of us to get together." Natasha said with an apologetic look.
"Looks like it's just me and you then, Buck." You nudged his shoulder.
Bucky angled his body towards you and rested his arm on the back of the booth as he smirked at you.
"That's fine with me, sunshine."
From the corner of your eye, you saw Steve frown as he looked between the two of you.
"Everyone has pretty much gone. Are you ready to head home, princess? You've had a busy day and I'm sure you want to rest." Steve said, bringing your attention back to him.
"Sure, dad. I am pretty beat." You turned back to Bucky. "Text me later about what time to be ready tomorrow."
The four of you stood and Bucky pulled you into another hug. Your cheek rested against his chest and Bucky laid his head on top of yours. Natasha saw the way Steve was frowning at the two of you, so she pulled him towards the exit.
"What are you doing?" He whispered.
"Leave them alone, baby. They're friends and they haven't seen each other in years."
"Friends don't look at friends the way Bucky has been looking at her all night." Steve grumbled and tried turning around.
"So what? They're adults now. I know you still think she's a little girl, but she can make her own decisions." Nat grabbed Steve before he could turn around.
"She is my little girl, Nat. I just don't want her to get hurt."
"Baby, you gotta let her make her own mistakes. And who's to say Bucky will hurt her. He's always taken care of Y/n. He would never intentionally cause her pain. Everything will be okay."
"Fine, but I reserve the right to say I told you so."
Natasha laughed and looked back at you. Your arms were still around each other, but you had both taken a step back and were talking. She knew about the crush you had on Bucky when you were a teenager and she could see those feelings lurking under the surface, but unlike Steve, Natasha could see the same feelings reflected in Bucky.
Natasha and Winnie always thought the two of you would make a cute couple and secretly hoped you'd form a romantic relationship, but it seemed you were both too stubborn to admit how you felt. With the two of you reunited, Nat hoped that you and Bucky would finally bring her and Winnie's forgotten hopes back to life.