Summary: An unexpected injury gives you the perfect excuse to call on your hot neighbor to save the day.

Prompt: "I am the stupidest person alive."

(texting is in bold and bold/italics)

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I am the stupidest person alive. Only me. Only I would trip going down stairs that I use every single day.

You slumped against the rail, wincing at the pain in your leg, more frustrated than anything. You were bleeding, your books were scattered randomly where they'd flown from your grasp, and you were desperately trying not to cry. All you had wanted to do was to get to the library for some much-needed study time away from the distractions of your apartment and instead your best intentions were crushed before you even left the building. You knew that you should probably just woman up and push through the pain but at that moment you wanted nothing more than for someone to come and rescue you. You knew what you wanted to do but you needed a little push to be brave enough to do it...

You took a deep breath. It's now or never, time to call in the reinforcements...

His reply was almost immediate.

The next thing you heard was the distant sound of a door slamming and your neighbor's feet thundering down the staircase.

"(Y/N)? (Y/N)!"

"I'm down here, Bucky!"

He rounded the landing in record time. "Oh my... are you okay?" You nodded your head, filing away the concerned look you managed to catch before Bucky went into work mode, assessing the situation.

"You're bleeding..." he carefully straightened your leg out, looking and feeling for signs of other injuries.

"Thanks Captain Obvious, oh hey, did I forget to mention that I fell down the stairs?"

That got a chuckle out of him. "Good to know you didn't injure your sense of humor." You knew you were going be just fine when you saw Bucky's face relax and his witty banter come out. Shame it didn't make your leg hurt any less. "Looks like the bleeding is slowing down, it's not as bad as it looks but I'll need to clean and dress it, okay?"

"Good thing I have a paramedic as a neighbor, huh?" You winced as you attempted to stand up.

"Whoa, hang on there, I've got you.."

The next thing you knew, Bucky had picked you up bridal style and was carrying you up the stairs, two at a time. You were speechless at how effortlessly he swept you off your feet, literally and figuratively. All too soon he'd maneuvered you into his apartment and carried you out onto your shared balcony. "I'll be right back, just gonna collect your books from downstairs and then grab my kit and we'll get you all taken care of." He smiled and then he was gone.

After sitting in a daze for a moment you quickly texted your friend...

Bucky reappeared with a water bottle and his first aid kit. He handed you the water and then knelt down in front of you. "Alright princess, let's get you taken care of."

You were about to snap back with a witty remark but before you could Bucky was lifting your leg to get a better look. You were amazed at how his large and obviously strong hands could be so gentle, you barely noticed any pain as he took care of your wound. He was efficient and effective, cleaning you up and applying bandages in no time at all. "There ya go, good as new," he said with a smile.

"Thanks neighbor, sorry I bothered you on your day off..." You stood and started to hobble toward the door. You didn't make it more than a couple steps before Bucky was blocking your way.

"And just where do you think you're going? You're my patient now so you don't get discharged until I say so."

"But, Bucky..."

"Nope. Now sit down and you can tell me how you ended up bleeding out on the stairs today." He guided you back to your chair and sat down across from you, propping your leg up over both of his. "Okay beautiful, spill."

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You couldn't remember the last time you had laughed so hard. Bucky had just finished telling you about the latest shenanigans in the prank war he and his crew had going at work and you were both laughing so much you could hardly breathe. You wiped away tears as you finally took some deep breaths.

Bucky had been the perfect caregiver, checking in with how you were feeling throughout the morning and even going as far as making you lunch. Your leg had been feeling just fine for awhile but the two of you were having such a good time you didn't see any rush to leave. Looking over at Bucky you were secretly glad that you had taken that spill. If not, you don't know if you would ever have gotten to spend so much time with your hot neighbor who you now knew also happened to be kind and generous and hilarious.

"Bucky, thanks again for rescuing me. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been home."

"I was glad to do it, (Y/N). Plus it gave me a chance to hang out with you. I can't believe we've been neighbors for this long and haven't spent any quality time together," he said, winking at you and reaching out to squeeze your hand.

You felt yourself start to blush and in an attempt to hide it you jumped up, grabbing your empty glass and using it as an excuse to head inside for a minute to compose yourself. Before you could get very far, Bucky's hand shot out and grabbed you by the wrist.

"Is that..." he grinned, "Are you blushing right now?"

You turned your face away, desperate not to show him how right he was.

He tugged at your arm playfully, rubbing his thumb against the inside of your wrist. "Now why, why would you have a reason to blush.. unless..." Suddenly he tugged you just a bit harder and you found yourself in his lap, his arms around your waist, his face very close to yours. Your heart was pounding so hard you were sure he could hear it. His eyes flickered to your mouth then back up again. He reached up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind your ear, biting his lower lip in the process. "Is this okay?" His voice was low, and hopeful. You looked into his eyes and gave him a tiny nod.

He met you halfway, his lips ghosting over yours as you shared several small playful kisses. You loved how soft his lips were, smiling into the kiss as you realized this was really, actually happening. He pulled back slightly, grinning as he took in how giddy you looked before diving in for more. This round upped the ante, more delicious pressure mixed with a nip or two. You felt as though you could kiss him like this forever. You reached up, running your hands over his chest and his shoulders with one destination in mind. As your fingers carded through his short brown hair Bucky's hands moved up your back, pulling you closer. You felt him tease at your lips with his tongue and you opened to him eagerly. He was an unbelievably good kisser. He moved with purpose, like he knew exactly what he was doing but at the same time was exploring, testing the waters to see what actions earned him a sigh or a moan from you. His hands were everywhere now, roaming over your hip, your sides, cupping your face, threading through your hair and giving it a gentle tug. You broke away suddenly, opening your eyes to take in his thoroughly kissed self, hair ruffled, eyes hooded, lips slightly swollen. You could only imagine what you looked like. He opened his eyes wider in concern and released your hair.

"Oh god, did I hurt you?"

"Wha-what...? No.. hell no, that was so hot."

"Well in that case..." He had a positively predatory look in his eyes as he reached back up and gently pulled on your hair again. Your instant reaction was to close your eyes and lean your head back with a moan as Bucky wasted no time kissing your neck with the same determination that he had shown your mouth just moments before. Pecks, licks, nips, open-mouthed kisses, all along your jaw and down the column of your neck to your collarbone and back, eventually returning to your mouth where you happily reciprocated his enthusiasm.

You were positive that this was the longest and most incredible make out session of your entire life. After several very long moments you both tapered off, breathing heavily, foreheads touching. Bucky moved first, placing a tiny kiss on the tip of your nose before leaning back in the chair, pulling you with him so that your head lay in the crook of his neck.

You sat there in a comfortable silence, replaying kiss after amazing kiss in your mind. It was literally unforgettable and you were already thinking about when you could do it again. But what if he doesn't want to do it again? What if this was just a one time thing? You couldn't help feeling a twinge of self-doubt creeping in.

"You know, I can practically hear the gears in your head turning," Bucky said, chuckling. "Let me put your mind at ease..."

You tensed up, wary of what Bucky might be about to say. You knew he felt it because he immediately began to rub soothing circles into your back. You felt him take a deep breath before speaking.

"I-I've liked you (Y/N), for a long time. When you moved in I couldn't believe my luck to have such a beautiful woman right next door. As I got to know you and what a great person you were it just fueled my feelings for you." He sighed and continued, "I don't want what just happened to mess anything up... and, I know we're not exactly doing things in the right order but... I'd love to take you out for dinner, a real date... maybe.. tomorrow night?"

You could hardly believe your ears. He.. liked you? The same guy you had been lusting after for months actually like you back? This was too good to be true. You suddenly realized you had been silent for too long and sat up to look at him. He was smiling but you could see the nervousness in his eyes.

"I dunno..." Bucky's smile faltered a little but you grinned and continued, "tomorrow night is awfully far away, how about we just order takeout and have that dinner date tonight?"

"Why you little..." Bucky attacked your ribs causing you to shriek with laughter and attempt to wriggle out of his grasp. You could feel yourself losing your balance but Bucky caught you and pulled you back into him at the last second, surprising you with a kiss. "Careful (Y/N), can't have anything else happen to you today."

"If you keep saving me I might have to find more excuses to get into trouble," you said cheekily, giving him a peck in return. "So, I believe someone promised me dinner?"

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While Bucky was busy ordering you realized you hadn't checked your phone in hours and there was a very high probability that your best friend may be about to call out the National Guard on you.

"What's so funny?" You looked up from your phone to see Bucky leaning against the door frame.

"Oh, my friend was just checking in with me since I went AWOL today. I was just reassuring her that I was in safe hands."

"Good," Bucky smiled, "Now I can have my wicked way with you and she won't be coming to rescue you."

You cocked an eyebrow at him. "And how do you know that I'm not the serial killer in this scenario?"

He furrowed his brow. "Hm, good point..." then he shrugged and said, "Guess we'll just have to wait and see how this plays out." He winked at you. "I did promise you dinner though and I'm a man of my word so try to hold back your murderous urges until after we finish our fried rice, okay?"

"Deal," you said, smiling back at him.

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You were both starving so the dinner part of your date didn't last nearly long enough. This perfect day was coming to an end and you really didn't want it to but you didn't know what to do. If I ever needed a sign this is the time... Glancing at Bucky you grinned slyly as the perfect opportunity was literally staring you in the face.

"Hey, um, you have a little something right there..." you pointed towards his cheek.

"Oh.." he stuck his tongue out, licking his cheek. "Did I get it?"

You felt a flutter in your stomach. "Almost.."

He did it again. That flutter in your gut turned into a flip. "How about now?"

"Nope. Here, let me..." you reached up behind his neck, pulled him in and kissed the corner of his mouth. "Got it..." You had never been so thankful for a stray grain of rice as you were at that exact moment. You were standing very close, breaths intermingling, feeling the air shift as the desire for more grew in between you.

Bucky placed one hand gingerly on your hip and cupped your face with the other, kissing you slowly and sweetly. He pulled back with a sigh, "(Y/N), this has been the best day I've had in a long time... I really don't want it to end..."

Your voice was barely above a whisper, "Does it have to?" Looking into eyes you could see his pupils darken. He gripped your hip a bit tighter, pulling you flush with his body.

"Are you sure?"

"Hell yes."

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You stretched, groaning at the soreness in your muscles, and threw on the first thing you could find before wandering out of the bedroom.

"Hey gorgeous," said a gravelly voice coming from the kitchen. He smirked, giving you the once-over. "Now this is a sight I could get used to." Bucky's shirt covered all your important bits but you could tell by the expression on his face that he was still thoroughly enjoying the view.

"You're one to talk," you came over to kiss his cheek. "One look at shirtless you is enough to make a girl forget all about breakfast. Well.. almost forget." You grinned and took a look around. "So, what's on the menu this morning, Barnes? It already smells amazing."

"Working on some of my famous chocolate chip pancakes. And bacon. Oh, but before I forget..." He wiped his hands on a towel and suddenly picked you up to set you on the counter. "Gotta check on my patient." He kissed the tip of your nose and took a look at your leg, carefully replacing the bandages. "Seems to be healing nicely. I might even let you go home today." He winked at you and got back to flipping. You hopped down and gave his ass a swat on your way out to the balcony, smiling over your shoulder as you went.

Your phone buzzed in your hand and you knew exactly who it would be.

You set down your phone just in time to see Bucky bringing out breakfast. He set down the plates and leaned over to kiss you. You smiled into the kiss, giggling a little. "What?" Bucky said, eyeing you warily.

"I was just thinking I should have fallen down the stairs months ago. All that time wasted..."

He chuckled in return, "Just promise me next time you need me there won't be any blood involved, okay?"

"Promise," and you sealed it with a kiss. Or two.

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Author's Note: Thank you for reading! I had so much fun writing this fic. Part of the reason is that it's based on real events and NO they did not happen to me lol. I just took some artistic liberties with the details. What did you think? I was going for something sweet with heat, a pairing that seems to work pretty well for me. I look forward to your comments and if you liked this installment please consider voting, thank you!