Summary - Bucky was never the type to let his emotions show but when it comes to you he just can't help himself.

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The first time you saw it you almost missed it completely.

You had fallen awake just before dawn and decided to take advantage of the rare quiet of the city by grabbing your yoga mat and heading to the roof of the tower. You took a deep breath as you stepped out into the cool early morning air, thankful for a moment to yourself away from your responsibilities with the team. As you unzipped your hoodie you heard someone clear their throat from the far corner of the balcony, startling you into a defensive stance. You heard him chuckling before you saw him.

"Bucky," you practically sighed with relief, "you scared the crap outta me. What are you doing out here?"

"Same as you most likely. This is the only time of day when the city is quiet. I find it... calming." He gazed out over the skyline.

"Oh... I can leave if you want, I didn't mean to disturb you.." You bent to pick up your mat.

"Stay, doll," he insisted with a small smile, "no reason we can't share the space. Balcony's big enough for the both of us."

"Thanks," you said, returning his smile. Bucky turned back towards the view and you started with some basic stretches before going through your yoga routine.

You and Bucky spent the next hour in companionable silence as the city began to slowly wake up. You were finishing up and had just achieved what you hoped was a decent Upward Bow Pose when you heard movement from Bucky's direction. Glancing over you suddenly realized that you were going to need a hand getting back up and the only available hands were about to leave you.

"Hey Bucky?" You heard his footsteps pause. "Um.. can I get a hand? Getting out of this pose is gonna be trickier than I thought.." Your arms were already beginning to shake, a fact that Bucky could not have missed because you heard him take several quick steps toward you.

"What um.. Where should I...?" Bucky sounded uncharacteristically flustered, as if he wasn't sure where to put his hands.

"Just support my back and help me stand before my arms give out, yeah?" you said a bit breathlessly. He reached underneath you just in time to catch you and pull you into a standing position. His movements were quicker than you expected and you stumbled awkwardly into his arms. The quickness of his movements had given you a bit of a head rush and you gripped his shoulders to steady yourself.

"Thanks," you said as your head cleared, smiling up at him. He let go of you suddenly making excuses about having somewhere to be and rushed off. You stared after his retreating form, slightly confused, noting how pink the back of his neck seemed to be. Was he...blushing? Nah, it couldn't be... could it?

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The second time you saw it was because you decided to put your theory to the test.

You'd only been working with the Avengers for a couple of months. A former agent, you were seriously injured when SHIELD fell and had been reassigned to non-combat work. Lucky for you, Fury was looking for someone to be the "man in the chair" so to speak, coordinating tech support during missions, and you with your hacking background and intuitive computer skills were perfect for the job.

You loved getting to know the team, quickly realizing that under all those powers and personas were real people, people who were just as friendly and scattered and funny and broken as anyone else, including yourself. You took it upon yourself to be the team's unofficial morale booster, knowing that the only way the Avengers were gonna continue to be successful in the field would be to build their morale and sense of community here at home.

Sunday morning breakfast was the first tradition you had initiated. The only rules were that everyone had to attend and everyone had to contribute somehow. Several members of the team were reluctant until you lured them in with the promise of bottomless stacks of your Nana's famous buttermilk pancakes and before long you had them all, hook, line, and sinker.

As you gathered your ingredients and waited for the rest of the team to wake up you couldn't stop thinking about the other morning on the balcony with Bucky. The more you pictured it in your mind the more you were sure that a certain stoic super soldier had definitely blushed because of you, something you never would have expected but were pleasantly surprised by. You just needed to be absolutely certain...

As luck would have it the man in question chose that moment to round the corner into the kitchen. "Hey Bucky, can you help me out with something?" He came over and leaned against the counter next to you.

"Whatcha need, doll?"

You pointed towards the top of the open cabinet. "Somebody put the mixing bowl I need all the way up there... care to help a gal out?"

"Sure thing," he said with a smile reaching up to grab it.

Time to put the plan in motion. "Oh wait, not that one," you stepped up right behind Bucky, placing your left hand on his shoulder and brushing your right arm against his as you pointed out the correct bowl, "it's that red one, right there."

You felt Bucky tense under your touch, almost dropping the bowl in the process. You quickly stepped back, paying close attention as your suspicions were confirmed. A deep crimson blush bloomed over his neck, all the way up to the tips of his ears. He turned, basically pushing the bowl into your arms and muttering about forgetting something in his room before hightailing it out of the kitchen.

"Gotcha," you smiled to yourself as you worked your ingredients into a batter, pondering what to do with this new information...

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The third time you saw it you felt something too.

Friday night movie marathons were by far the team's favorite new activity. Everyone had to follow the trilogy rule: whoever's turn it was to choose the movies had to choose a trilogy or three movies that were related in some way.

Steve had volunteered to go first, choosing the Back to the Future trilogy in the hopes of catching up on lots of pop culture all at once. The Godfather movies were Tony's pick for his week, while Clint chose his kids' top three Pixar movies. Checking the calendar you noted that Bucky was up next and wondered what sort of night you were all in for.

You were carrying snacks into the theater room when you heard a groan of frustration. Sitting right up front you saw Bucky, his head in his hands, the screen displaying literally hundreds of choices.

"Need some help?" you called out hesitantly, not wanting to startle him. Bucky's head snapped up. When he realized it was you he relaxed, frustration evident on his face.

"Hey, doll.. That would be great." He gestured up at the screen. "I have no idea what I'm doing.."

"Don't stress, Buck. We'll figure it out." You sat down next to him and reached for the remote, brushing his leg in the process. You felt him tense up and sneaking a glance out of the corner of your eye you could see a telltale pink dusting his cheeks. You didn't want to scare him off like the last two times so you kept your eyes on the screen.

"We've just gotta narrow it down... um... how about this, what sorts of picture shows did you watch back in the day? I'm sure you and Steve took loads of girls to the movies."

He chuckled, "That we did, doll. Steve usually had a bit of trouble finding a date though so I always made sure to ask my gal to bring along a friend." There was a softness in his voice as he talked about the past, it stirred up a warm feeling inside that surprised you but wasn't unwelcome. You'd be lying to yourself if you said you never thought about Bucky in a more-than-friends/teammates way. "I think the shows I looked forward to the most were the ones with Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers, travelling to other planets and fighting aliens... Got anything like that?"

It took you less than a second to know exactly what to choose. "Oh do I ever.. And it happens to be one of my favorite trilogies of all time!" You grinned happily as you programmed the movies in.

"Well if you love it, doll, I know it's a winner." You turned to see him smiling back at you.

"You bet your left arm it is, in fact, I bet everyone tonight will love it. You owe me, Barnes." You stood up, placing your hand on Bucky's knee for leverage and headed toward the door. "I gotta grab some more snacks and things, save me a seat?" you called out over your shoulder. Not waiting for a response you left, completely missing the flustered look on Bucky's face.

You were running a little late having made the last second decision to go back to your room to change into your comfiest pjs and snag your favorite comforter. You walked in just in time to hear the cheers of agreement from the team as the familiar opening sounds of the original Star Wars trilogy filled the room. Smiling, your stomach did a little flip when you saw the empty seat next to Bucky and made your way over. You settled in quickly and leaned close to whisper to him, "See? I told you they'd love it."

He tilted his head toward you and whispered back, "You were right, looks like I do owe you one..." Your eyes met and for just a moment you forgot to breathe. He was smiling that rare lopsided smile and his eyes were so blue and his lips were right there... the sounds of blaster fire pulled you both back to reality and you quickly turned your attentions back towards the movie.

One shared bowl of popcorn and two and a half movies later you had drifted closer and closer to the supersoldier until you were leaning comfortably into his side. You were so comfortable in fact that you had fallen fast asleep on his shoulder right about the time Luke and Vader were battling it out.

You woke slightly to the feeling of being rocked, which seemed strange even in your hazy state. Cracking open one eye you realized you were being carried. You barely made out his form in the darkness. "Bucky...?"

"Shhh, doll... I've got you... go back to sleep..."

There was no denying the flush you felt creeping up your cheeks hearing his voice so low and quiet and close to you. You breathed in his unique scent, memorizing the feel of his arms wrapped securely around you, secretly wishing this moment would last as long as possible. And you suspected, if you could see Bucky right now, you'd confirm that he had a matching blush of his own.

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The fourth time you saw it you just had to know why.

"I can't believe you've never played pool, doll." Bucky was currently looking at you like you'd grown an extra head. The rest of the team had gone to bed ages ago, leaving you and Bucky alone in the game room.

You shrugged, leaning against the table. "Never got around to it I guess. Not seriously anyway, just messed around with my friends growing up now and then. I barely even know the rules."

"Well then, we are just going to have to fix that," he smiled and racked the balls for a new game.

"Does this mean you're going to let me win?" you grinned, bumping him with your hip. Looking over you noticed his cheeks instantly turn pink. It was then and there that you decided enough was enough and before you could think twice you blurted out.

"Why do you do that around me?" You swallowed nervously, already regretting bringing it up.

He looked at you quizzically, "Do what?"

You rolled your eyes, "C'mon Bucky, you can't seriously be denying that for the past couple of weeks every time we get close you... you..." You gestured wildly at him. "Well you blush redder than a tomato! In fact, you're doing it right now! The only difference between now and all the times before is that you're not running away from me." You muttered the last bit, "At least not yet..."

Bucky sighed and rubbed his hand over his face, avoiding your gaze. You stood there, waiting for a response as the seconds ticked on and on and on before he finally spoke.

"Darlin'... do you really not know what you do to me? Blushing might be the most obvious part but it's the least of my problems." He turned toward you, exasperated. Looking at him closely you suddenly realized how tense the muscles in his neck were, how rigid his jaw looked, and how ragged his breathing had become.

"I don't think you realize the amount of self-control I have to use around you..." he said quietly, clenching his fists at his sides.

You walked over and stopped in front of him, placing your hand tentatively on his cheek, feeling the extra warmth as he leaned into your touch. "Is that why you keep running off?" You asked softly. "Why are you holding back with me?"

He sighed again, screwing his eyes shut. "I'm scared, doll. Scared I'm gonna mess everything up, scared that you don't see me the way I see you, scared you'll think I'm completely nuts when I tell you what I wanna do with you..." he looked up into your eyes and you finally saw it, all that fear was there but so was his complete and utter adoration for you. He was looking at you like there was nothing else he ever wanted to look at again.

You stepped closer, bringing your other hand up to fully cup his face. "Try me."

His eyes widened slightly and for just a moment you thought he was going to bolt. Instead, he leaned his forehead against yours and began to speak.

"Every time I see you I just wanna grab you up in a massive hug and squeeze you as tight as I can, tight enough so that you'll always remember what it feels like even when I'm not around, I wanna get my hands all over you, kneading and massaging every part of you I can reach... " he took a shaky breath and continued, "I wanna mark you, show everyone how much you mean to me by leaving my love bites all over your soft skin, nip and suck and just... ugh I just wanna eat you up sometimes."

Your breathing had quickened at Bucky's confession and your heart felt as though it was about to pound out of your chest. Emboldened by his words you let your fingertips travel slowly down his shoulders and then his arms with feather-light touches, silently encouraging him to relax his hands as you intertwined his fingers with your own. You backed away, gently pulling him with you, and couldn't help but grin when his adorable look of confusion morphed into one of clarity as you approached the elevator and hit the button for your living quarters.

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The fifth time you saw it you never wanted it to stop.

You woke to the strangest sensation. It took you a minute to realize that Bucky was gently kissing your stomach but then also... "James Buchanan Barnes, are you pinching me?"

"I just can't help myself, doll," he mumbled against your skin, "You're just so squishy and soft right here..." he places a kiss just under your belly button, "and right here..." pinches you gently just above your appendix scar and covers it with another kiss, "oh and definitely right here..." bites your hip, sucking slowly and laving over it with his tongue. "You are just so damn delicious, doll." He crawled up to kiss your lips.

You smiled into the kiss. "You would know, I think your mouth covered every inch of me last night."

He chuckled, "And you have the marks to prove it.." He dipped down to kiss each of the tender spots on your neck and chest that he'd spent ample time creating the night before. "Hmm... looks like I missed a spot," he murmured, latching onto you just below your collarbone causing you to let out a sudden moan.

He released you, chuckling again, "Sounds like someone enjoyed that."

You looked down to see his beautiful face and something else you'd grown quite accustomed to. "Looks like I wasn't the only one," you grinned, noting the deep red blush that covered his face and neck and, now that you had access to it, most of his chest. "After everything we've done in the last twelve hours, you're still blushing because of me?"

"I literally can't help it, doll. You just have that effect on me." He pulls you closer, wrapping his arms around you tightly.

"I love it," you said quietly. "I think it's adorable and a beautiful reminder of how you feel about me, I hope it never goes away."

Bucky kissed the top of your head, "I don't think it's going anywhere... and neither am I." Your breath caught and it was at that moment you knew the two of you had something real with the potential to last. You snaked your arms around him and held on as tightly as you could to freeze the moment before time and the real world took over again.

"You know we can't stay in here forever...." You kissed his nose and attempted to wriggle out of his grasp. "They're gonna start to wonder where we are. After all, it is Sunday and if Steve doesn't get his star-spangled pancakes he's gonna come looking for me."

Bucky groaned dramatically and flopped onto his back. You giggled and slid off the bed, pulling on Bucky's discarded shirt and grabbing some cotton shorts from the floor of your closet.

"And just what am I supposed to wear?" Bucky asked, cocking an eyebrow at you.

"Just throw your sweatpants back on," you shot back cheekily. "If I've gotta make breakfast the least you could do is let me enjoy the view."

After a quick trip to the bathroom you emerged to find Bucky sitting on the edge of your bed, lost in thought. You walked over to stand between his legs, carding your fingers through his hair as he rested his hands on your hips, massaging them gently before wrapping his arms around you and pulling you close.

"Are you worried? About what the team will think?" you asked quietly. Bucky sighed and nuzzled into your belly, "No... I think, I think I'm just enjoying this tiny paradise we've created and I don't know if I'm ready to invite everyone else to be a part of it yet..."

"Well it's a little late for that, Barnes." said a silky voice from the open doorway. Nat smirked and turned to shout down the hallway, "We were right, Rogers! Looks like Sam and Clint are gonna be on dish duty!" She turned back to see both of your shocked faces. "What? You think you were the only one to notice how Barnes was affected by you, huh? And you," she shook her head at Bucky, "as a fellow trained assassin, I expected better. You're getting soft, old man" She winked and walked out, calling back to you both, "Now hurry up and get out here, lovebirds! These pancakes aren't gonna make themselves!"

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