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English
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Part 43 of The Grumpy Sunshine Universe Ft. You and Bucky Barnes
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Published:
2022-08-23
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1,808
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1/1
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Kiss and Tell

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Work Text:

Tony impatiently waits for this strategy meeting to start. Though he has to confess, strategy was really the last thing on his mind. The conference room doors open to you and Bucky walking hand in hand.

Tony watches the interaction for a moment.

He couldn't exactly make out what you were telling Bucky, but what really confounded him was the way Bucky tossed his head back laughing like a little kid. Tony was by very definition a genius. And yet, this did not make sense to him. Not even a little bit. 

He could understand the whole 'opposites attract' thing. And it wasn't even that you two didn't make sense together. It was the how of it all. 

And for that he had no answers.

And it was driving him crazy. 

He just couldn't reconcile it. Bucky didn't seem like the type to approach the human embodiment of Rainbow Sunshine. However, he could see you walking up to a stone-faced Bucky and greeting him as though 90% of the Compound wasn't scared of him. But the fact that Bucky didn't immediately turn you away was a head scratcher to say the least. 

So, he did what any insatiably curious, genius-slash-mad scientist would do. He researched. Or at least, he asked around.

Sam knew the most, but for the most part, he refused to indulge in Tony's curiosity citing the 'friendship code'. Tony scoffed, rolled his eyes, and threatened to dock his pay. And still, Sam refused. 

Steve was a little more helpful, seeing as though Steve couldn't keep a secret to save his life. But even Steve couldn't really pin down the how. 

His next person was the person that knew everything that happened in the Compound before it even happened. And Nat stone-walled him with a wry smirk. In fact, he felt like he knew less after talking to her.

Wanda had an idea, but she didn't really know anything that the rest of the group hadn't already told him.

No one could give him a definitive answer. 

Each time Tony approached him someone new, Steve was just around the corner, ready to scold him for being nosey and reminding him that he should mind his own business.

But that wasn't exactly in Tony's nature. He just had to know. 

But especially, especially when he sees Bucky freely laugh as you mumble a quick comment in his ear. What could possibly be that funny while they were waiting to start a team meeting? He could count the number of times he'd seen Bucky smile before you burst onto the Compound, and now, Bucky was smiling left and right.

It was almost unsettling. 

And now he was laughing? Freely laughing? And in front of other people?

It solidified Tony's need to know. 

"Okay, I can't take it anymore!" Tony announces, abruptly standing up at the head of the conference table. Everyone in the room is slightly jarred by the suddenness of Tony's inquisition, coming to look at him stand at the head of the conference table. "I need to know."

"Tony, don't," Steve warns, already knowing how this conversation was going to play out.  

"No, I think, for the good of the team, we need to know this," Tony pointedly says, looking to you and Bucky. 

Your back straightens under the intensity of Tony's statement. "Okay, I swear I didn't mean to flood that room-"

"Wait, what?!" Tony asks, eyes widening at your unexpected revelation.

"What?" you echo, your lips pulling in to feign innocence. "I didn't - What? What was your question?"

Tony falters for a moment, trying to sort out his priorities: the room you may or may not have flooded or his curiosity. His curiosity, he decides.

"This," Tony emphasizes, gesturing between you and Bucky. "Who started it?"

"Who started it?" Bucky defensively scoffs, rolling his eyes at Tony. "Mind your business."

"No, Tony's right. I think we need to know," Clint adds, leaning forward with burning interest. "Been dying to know too."

"Like did you guys just fu-" Tony starts.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Bucky abruptly interrupts.

"No one started it," you playfully defend, lacing your fingers with Bucky's. You wrinkle your nose at Bucky, giving him a warm smile. "We fell in love. That's it."

"Exactly," Bucky proudly nods, kissing the back of your hand he's still holding. 

"...But also, it was James," you finish.

"Yes, thank you...Wait - what?" Bucky falters, looking down at you with a bewildered expression. 

"You started it," you state again, nonchalantly shrugging your shoulders. 

"Uh, no," Bucky objects. "You started it!" 

"What?" you tersely exhale, a cheeky grin on your face. You turn to your teammates sitting around the conference room, all sharing amused, curious expressions. "Do you guys think I actively pursued James?"

"No," everyone murmurs in agreement.

"But also," Steve interjects. "In Bucky's defense, Buck's a bit of a hermit. He doesn't really pursue anymore."

"Yeah," everyone murmurs once again, eyes volleying back to you for your defense. 

"I don't think I need to hear this," Sam sarcastically mutters, rubbing his temples in exasperation and mild repulsion. "But I feel like I should add, I definitely had to warn Bucky to stop flirting way before I had to say anything to her. I think that counts for something."

Bucky scoffs in indignation, turning to face Sam and refute his accusation. "Well, she has to take some responsibility here, tarting around in those little sundresses expecting me not to flirt with her. I'm a man! Those little sundresses are my catnip."

"Tarting around?" you guffaw. 

He whips around again, turning the accusation back on you. "And you kissed me first!"

You loudly gasp. "I did not!"

"Yes, you did," he counters. 

"You kissed me! I only kissed back!"

"Oh, no. I was the one kissing back. Steve?" Bucky asks, his eyes volleying back to Steve. "You walked in on us, anything to say?"

"Uh, well, I sort of walked in when you guys were already... you know?" Steve insinuates. And Sam cuts Steve off with dramatic gagging noise, Steve finishes his defense, "I didn't stay to watch anything."

"What help are you?" Bucky grumbles, rolling his eyes.

"Okay!" Nat interrupts. "There's only one way to solve this: you both tell us what you think happened, we'll decide who's right."

"How would you know? You weren't even there," Bucky refutes. 

"I don't care, I'll tell the story," you offer, waving Bucky off. "I was in the MedBay. I was standing there alone until James came in. He said, 'I was so worried about you','' you continue, dramatically mimicking his gruff voice.

"I don't sound like that," Bucky interjects, crossing his arms in a huff. 

"Shhh..." Wanda silences him, her elbows resting on the table and completely captivated by your telling of the story.

"Anyway, I was icing my jaw, and he came in asking me if I was okay. That he was worried about me. He leaned his forehead against mine, and he kissed the bruise on my face. Then he kissed me. He kissed me!"

"That's a great story, Doll. But that's what it is - a story."

You scoff in indignation, turning to him with a raised eyebrow.

"Careful, you're gonna end up sleeping on the couch," Sam quips.

"She's right," Bucky acknowledges, slightly lowering his voice to appease you. "We were in the MedBay. And yes, I went to go check on her, but I didn't go to do anything else except check on her. I was being a good friend."

"A good friend by kissing her?" Clint chuckles.

"A good friend by checking on her!" Bucky insists. "I was worried."

"Aww...he was worried," Wanda coos.

Bucky rolls his eyes, but continues anyway, "And I kissed her cheek. But she kissed me. She kissed me!"

"No, you're wrong. You kissed me!" you accuse. 

"Did we kiss two different people or something? Because you kissed me!" Bucky insists. "Why are we even talking about this? This was a private moment that involved none of you!"

"Not so private anymore," Tony remarks. "Oh, while you were all fighting like children, I just went ahead and pulled the footage. Shall we?"

"No!" Bucky scoffs. "That was private."

"Then I guess it's safe to say that you came onto her?" Tony questions.

"You know, what? Fine, go ahead, roll the tape," Bucky sarcastically orders. 

-

“I could kill him for that,” Bucky quietly breathes.

“Please don't.”

“I won’t,” he promises, his eyes squeezing shut as he remember the unbridled fear and panic when he heard you were missing. “I was just so worried about you. So fucking worried.”

“I’m right here. I’m okay.”

Rattled to his core, completely out of his mind with worry, Bucky makes an uncharacteristic show of affection when his lips lightly graze the bruise covering your cheek. He rests his forehead on the side of your head for a moment before he presses another kiss to the corner of your mouth where your lip is split. Your breath hitches when his lips press against the corner of your mouth, just barely grazing it. 

He hesitates, knowing this is not a good idea. That this is terrible timing. He shouldn't be doing this.

Just a breath away, you decide for Bucky by slightly turning your head and closing the distance with you.

-

"I cannot believe you guys just made me sit through that. It's bad enough I have to see that in real life," Sam complains. "Gross."

"So they're both right?" Steve hesitantly states, but even after watching the film, as the words leave his mouth it sounds like more of a question than a statement of fact.

"Well," Nat starts, faltering as she mulls over the footage. "I guess so?"

"Damn it," Tony sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Why can't anything be easy in this Compound?"

"Hold on," Bucky adds with a sharp inhale. "We're thinking about this all wrong here. Think about it. Who introduced us? Who paired us together for months even though we didn't get along? It wasn't either of us." Bucky pauses for a moment for dramatic effect before pointing a finger at Sam, "It was Sam."

"What?" Sam yelps. 

Bucky holds up his hand to stop Sam from interrupting this new revelation. "For as much shit as he gives us, he's the matchmaker here."

"Oh my God, you're right," you agree, turning to Sam with a cheeky smirk. "It was you!" 

"No, no, no!" Sam vehemently refutes, rapidly shaking his head. "That's not how that happened!"

"You wanted us together!" you playfully accuse, teasingly pushing Sam's shoulder. "Aww... Sam!"

"That's- that's not true!" Sam sputters. 

"And all is right with the world again," Tony sighs in relief, crossing his arms behind his head as he settles back into his seat to watch the chaos he caused ensue.

Notes:

*slaps calendar down on my desk* Do you guys know what today is? Anyone? Okay, I'll tell you, it's officially Virgo season. And do you know what that means? It means that in a few short days it's going to be my birthday. *sigh* Yeah, I know I don't really tell you guys all that much about myself, but I wanted to give you guys a little something. So how about I tell you about the story I've been writing?

You guys are not ready. And I'm very nervous to tell you guys this.

*aggressively slides you a little slip of paper with the summary of my next story and yes, it's for the Grumpy Sunshine Series*

"It’s said that the twin flame is one soul divided amongst two bodies. A mirrored soul, always meant to be together. In order to flourish, they must separate. Connected by one single thread of gold, they will always return. And when returned, they burn brighter than before. And nothing can keep them apart.

Or

Two Sides of The Same Coin (TFATWS Version)"

So.... what do we think? I could always scrap the entire thing, but I think I'll let you guys decide that.