You end up spending the next several weeks at Bucky's. He takes you to work every morning and picks you up in the afternoon. Once back at the apartment, the two of you have dinner together before you continue your training with Talia. You're beginning to think that the redhead might be warming up to you. Her tone of voice isn't nearly as harsh or cold as it used to be and she's a little more understanding when you don't get your powers to work just right.

It turns out, translocation was actually easier to master than light manipulation. You could now translocate to just about any place you'd already been. And even better, you'd discovered that you could at least translocate out of the apartment without having to remove any of the wards. The spells were pretty much put in place to keep descendants from entering, and because of that, there was no need to put a spell up to keep one from leaving.

You and Talia are currently sitting on the gym floor and she's trying to talk you through creating a ball of light. So far all you've been able to do were small flashes of light, like when you'd tried to stop Tony. You can't seem to get something a little more permanent to work.

You've got your eyes closed, hands held out slightly, palms up in a cradling pose as you try to imagine yourself holding the ball of light. You can feel the energy pulsing just beneath your fingertips but you can't seem to push it out any farther. Your brow furrows.

Your concentration breaks when a buzz cuts through the stillness of the room. You open your eyes, both you and Talia turning to the source. Bucky shifts from his position on a bench near the wall where he'd been observing your training.

"Really Buck?" Talia asks in annoyance as he pulls his phone from his back pocket.

He checks the screen before moving to answer it. "Sorry, it's work," he tells you both. He lifts the phone to his ear while he stands. "Hey." He makes his way out of the room, not wanting his conversation to disturb either of you.

"Maybe we should call it a night," Talia suggests.

You look at her curiously. She's never ended a training session early. "Why are you being so nice now?"

She smirks in amusement. "Would you rather I not?"

"No," you respond honestly.

Her smirk transitions to something a little more pleasant as her gaze falls back to the door Bucky just exited through. "I've never seen him so happy. I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're good for him."

You take a moment to appreciate the compliment. Especially since it's coming from her. "Do you still think I'm like them?" you question cautiously.

Her gaze moves back to you. The sharpness in her eyes remains as she observes you for a long moment. But then she sighs and her features soften. "No. I guess the war between descendants and demons isn't so inherently ingrained into you." Though her words should make you feel better, you can't help but notice her eyes turning a little sad.

"Is something wrong with that?"

She shakes her head slowly. "James told you about my fiancée, right?"

You look at her with realization as you begin to understand where she's coming from. You nod in response.

Her gaze drops to the floor. "If the hatred of demons was so deeply rooted into your kind it would be more understandable why he just left. It would have been something he couldn't have helped. But to know that a relationship can work between the two of us, I guess it hurts to know that he chose to give up on it."

"I'm so sorry, Talia."

"It's not your fault," she shakes her head. "It's probably because James got to you before SHIELD did."

"Is that why you know so much about descendant powers? Because your fiancé worked for SHIELD?"

She nods. "I tried to help him with the emergence of his powers. He was a late bloomer. I helped him practice in our apartment, however we hadn't set up any protection wards or anything. With the amount of his energy that had been expelled as we worked on things, it attracted an arachnae. He hadn't been strong enough to destroy it, and it ended up biting me." She lifts the bottom edge of her shirt, showing you the scar left behind from the spider bite. Arachnae were bigger than tarantulas and their pincers could do a lot of damage. You wince at her scar. It had to have been bad to be left behind after her turning.

"In his moment of desperation, my fiancé turned to James for help. James had tried to warn him of the consequences, but when I woke up as a demon, my fiancé was gone and I haven't seen him since."

"That's awful."

She shrugs, "I'm just lucky James agreed to the blood bond in the first place. Doing so doesn't come without its consequences for him either."

"What do you mean?" you turn your head curiously.

"The blood transfer is a two-way street. For every drop of demonic blood that entered into me, my human blood entered him. Any time a demon turns a human, they themselves become more human. That's why turnings don't happen very often. There's not much to be gained when it's easier to create new demons by just impregnating a human."

"I see..."

Talia scoffs a light laugh, "I do believe I'm beginning to understand why James divulges so much information to you. You're easy to talk to."

You smile kindly back, glad to have changed her thoughts about you.

The two of you look over when Bucky comes back into the room. His fingers tap against his phone screen and there's a slight frown on his face.

"Everything all right?" you question. You and Talia move to stand up.

His gaze lifts to yours. "I have to leave on a business trip tomorrow. They want me to scout out a potential location for the new casino."

"But tomorrow's Sunday," your lips fall into a frown that matches his.

His sighs quietly, "I know. Usually they give me more of a warning. But I guess there's some competition for the location, so they want me to get there as soon as possible." He moves over to you, gently resting his hands on your hips.

Your fingers reach out to curl around his shirt. "How long will you be gone?"

"Only a couple days, hopefully," his head leans down to brush a kiss to your forehead. "How is training going?" he asks the two of you.

"I think we're going to call it for tonight. We can work on it some more tomorrow," Talia informs him before she steps away.

"Thank you, Talia," you call after her, you voice soft and meaningful. You're happy that she's finally begun to open up to you.

She pauses at the door, giving you a small smile. "I'll see you tomorrow."

After she's left, you meet Bucky's curious gaze. "Did I miss something?" he asks in confusion.

You laugh. "We had a bonding moment."

His lips quirk into a small smile. "I'm sorry I missed it."

The two of you make your way upstairs and to the bedroom. You fall asleep wrapped in each other's arms, like you have every night for the last several weeks.

Bucky has to leave early the next morning. You share lazy kisses and gentle caresses until the last possible moment before he has to pack up and head out. You'd always known how big his apartment was, but you'd never really noticed it until he was gone. You're relieved when Talia shows up.

She can tell how off you are without Bucky there. So instead of making you train, she decides to just spend the day together, talking and getting to know each other more. You're grateful for the distraction.

Bucky calls you after he checks into his hotel. He's got a couple meetings for the afternoon and then he'll have to be up early the next morning to tour the location.

You reluctantly crawl into his bed later that night. The sheets smell like him, but it's not enough to settle you down. This is the first time in a while that the two of you have slept away from each other. You miss his body heat and the security you always feel when wrapped in his arms.

After spending nearly two hours just tossing and turning, you release a groan of annoyance and get back up. You pace around for a bit, hoping to tire yourself out a little. It doesn't work.

You bite your bottom lip. You know you're not getting any sleep tonight if you're going to have to sleep alone. You're completely working off a hunch when you find yourself closing your eyes. You'd become so much better at translocation, but to try to get to a person instead of a place... you didn't know if it was even possible.

You take a moment to concentrate, trying to focus everything you have on Bucky. The way he smells, the sound of his voice, the heat that always seems to come off of him in waves. You feel that tightening in your stomach, a feeling you've grown more used to each time you do this.

Opening your eyes, you find yourself in a hotel room. There's a brief moment of panic when you think that maybe you could have translocated to the wrong place. But then your gaze lands on the bag you'd watched him pack earlier that morning and you breathe a sigh of relief.

You then hear that the shower is running. Walking over, you cautiously open the door. "Bucky?" you call out.

"Y/N?" the shower curtain opens to reveal Bucky's surprised face.

You give him a small bashful smile. "I couldn't sleep." Your hands wring out the bottom of the shirt you wear, another one of his.

His eyes soften. "Care to join me?" he offers.

You nod, pulling his shirt off and crawling into the tub. He pulls your body against his chest, kissing the top of your hair. You rest your cheek against him, listening to his steady heartbeat.

"How was your meeting?" you ask, your hands running over his back.

"Boring," he chuckles quietly. "Couldn't stop thinking about you. How'd training go?"

"Talia gave me the day off."

"Really?" he looks down at you with a raised brow.

You smile up at him, "Yeah. We just talked."

"That sounds like trouble," he states, but with the way he smiles, you know he's happy that the two of you are getting along.

You hum in agreement, your eyes falling shut.

"How did you manage to translocate here?" he asks you, his fingers skimming up and down the length of your back.

You shrug a shoulder, "I focused on you."

He's silent for a moment, "I've never heard of someone doing that."

You open your eyes and lift your head up to meet his gaze once more. "I'm just glad it worked."

The corner of his mouth tilts up. "Me too." His hands glide across your skin until he's cradling your jaw, holding you in place to press his mouth to yours.

You moan happily, one hand holding the back of his neck as you kiss him back eagerly. His lips can still ignite that fire inside you, no matter how many times you both share a kiss. If anything, it feels even better now than it had the first time because now there was an emotional connection between the two of you.

Bending your knee, you rub the inside of your calf against his leg, moving up until your knee is pressed to his hip. One of his hands leaves your face to pin your knee in place. You can feel him beginning to harden against you.

"Are you trying to start something, Lumina?" Bucky asks against your lips.

"Maybe," you tease moments before your teeth sink into his lower lip.

A deep growl makes his chest vibrate against yours, a pool of slick forming between your thighs in reaction. He pulls back, quickly shutting off the water and pushing open the curtain. With his hands against the back of your thighs, he lifts your body into his arms and steps out. Ignoring the towels, he walks the two of you, still dripping wet, to the bedroom.

He lays your body out on the mattress, keeping his tucked against you as close as possible as he does so. You feel the muscles in his shoulders shift as he moves above you, your gaze clashing with his.

"Bucky, can I tell you something?" you ask, your voice quiet.

Registering the slight change in you, he looks at you with concern. "Is it something bad?"

You shake your head, hands moving across his shoulders and up his neck to cradle the underside of his jaw. "No. Well at least I hope not..."

"What is it?"

"I..." you voice trails off as you try to figure out how to say what you want to. "I know what you said before... about love being an emotion too complicated for you to understand. And I guess I just wanted you to know that I'm okay with it. Even if you can't love me, I know that you care. And what we have... it is special and it means so much to me. As long as you think you can find happiness with our relationship, that will be enough for me. Because even if it's something you don't think you can feel, it is something that I feel."

His eyes widen ever so slightly. "You do?"

A sincere smile lifts your lips. "Yes. I love you, James."

The words have barely had a second to linger in the air before his lips are on yours. You whimper into his mouth, your fingers running through the wet strands of his hair. His kiss is all the tenderness you could have ever dreamed of after giving such a declaration. He's so incredibly sweet and gentle, and yet the heat between the two of you seems to burn even hotter. His body lowers over yours, bare flesh pressed close until the space between the two of you becomes nonexistent.

You can feel the weight of him nestled between your thighs. Rocking his hips forward, he glides his length over your slick folds. Your legs curl around the back of his thighs, simultaneously opening yourself up to him and begging him to fill you.

The fingertips on his right hand glide down the length of your body before moving to his cock. His gives himself a few strokes, spreading your slick over his length. Holding his base, he lines himself up and pushes into you.

Your moans are muffled by his mouth, feeling the brush of his skin everywhere with each shift of your bodies. That stretch between your thighs as your body accommodates him always feels so good. You don't ever quite realize how empty you feel without him until he's buried to the hilt and you get that reminder of just how full he can make you.

"Oh Bucky..." you sigh, completely lost to the sensations of your bodies joining when his lips pull back just a hair's breadth.

"Say it again," he whispers to you, nose nuzzling yours. You feel his fingers brushing over your forearm before he pulls your hand out of his hair to entwine your fingers.

"I love you," you repeat, just as sincere as before.

You feel the shiver run up his spine, his stuttering breath fanning across your cheeks. "My Lumina's so good to me."

Your hands remain linked, pressed into the mattress as he begins a gentle series of thrusts. His movements are slow, lengthy, meant for you to feel every single inch of toned flesh move against your body. It's certainly different from how the two of you usually go at it, but it's just as incredible. This is more than just sex. This is Bucky's way of expressing his feelings. He may not be able to convey his emotions aloud, but actions spoke louder than words, and you understood just fine.

Every time your hips meet you feel a jolt run up your spine, the slow movement allowing you to feel the full effect of each one. You arch your hips up to meet him, feeling his pelvic bone grind against you. He moves his bent knees forward a little, cradling you lower body against his thighs to give him a little more leverage with his thrusts.

You release a breathy moan, head tilting back into the pillows. You feel his lips run across your jaw and down your neck, leaving little nips and sucks in his wake, each one feeling like the brush of a butterfly's wing. His fingers release yours, arm curling behind the small of your back to hold your body close to his. You feel the tension in his back muscles when he uses that arm to lift your hips slightly, changing the angle to grind his head against your g-spot.

"James!"

The slow movement is so tantalizing and teasing. The extended brush of his cock against that sensitive spot turns your muscles to jelly. Add that to how sweet and gentle he's being, you don't know if you want to scream out or cry.

You feel lightheaded, or maybe just drunk off of the pleasure you feel. Your body clenches eagerly around him, a warning of what's coming. Bucky grunts from deep in his chest, your fluttering walls nearly pushing him over the edge.

"Come on, Lumina," he whispers words of encouragement against your skin, mixed between the peppered kisses.

"Bucky..." A gasp of shock fills your lungs when your climax hits you suddenly. The build-up had seemed gradual, but once it hit, you felt yourself soaring. Your arms and legs tighten their grip around him, your shuddering allowing him to follow quickly after you. Your bodies thrum in harmony, the pleasure easily flowing between the two of you.

You're not sure if it's sweat or shower water that makes your skin stick to his, but you don't care either way. This man was yours and you belonged whole heartedly to him and you wouldn't have it any other way.

"I love you so much, Bucky," you whisper to him, between your heavy breaths.

He lifts his head from where it had been buried against your neck. His eyes are so soft and warm, they're practically molten. "There will never be anyone else, Lumina."

You smile brightly, arms wrapping around his neck to pull his face down to yours.

-

"Lumina," Bucky's low tenor pulls you out of your sleep.

You groan tiredly, burying your face deeper into your pillow.

He exhales in a laugh, the rush of air eliciting a shiver as it runs down your back. "You need to wake up sweetheart. You need to get back home."

You feel his touch ghosting over your back, pulling even more shivers out of you.

You hum in disagreement.

You can feel the smile on his lips when he places a kiss to the back of your shoulder. "You'll be upset if you're late to work."

"I'll call in sick."

He chuckles. "And what are you going to do all day? Stay here in the room?"

"Mm, yes."

"You'll get bored after an hour."

"Not if you're here too," you grin cheekily, keeping your eyes closed.

He pushes your messy hair out of your face, releasing a low hum. "As appealing as the thought sounds, you know I can't."

Your lips turn into a pouty frown as you slowly blink your eyes open. "You're no fun."

Your eyes meet his smiling face as he looks down at you with amusement. "Good morning, Princess."

You lift a hand to rub at your eyes, your mouth opening in a yawn. "Morning..."

"Can you tell me again?" Bucky asks in a soft voice.

You look at him in confusion. "Tell you what?" your sleep addled brain still isn't at full capacity.

"What you told me last night."

The realization hits you and you smile. Turning onto your back, you reach a hand up to cradle his jaw. "I love you."

He smiles back, his face the picture of bliss before he leans down for yet another kiss. "I've found more happiness with you than I have in any other aspect of my life."

The sincerity in his eyes makes your heart skip a beat. "I'm glad," you tell him with a happy smile.

"Do you think you could come back tonight?" Bucky asks.

You laugh lightly. "Was already planning to."

He grins crookedly.

The two of you share another short kiss before shuffling out of bed. You move to the bathroom to get your shirt off the floor. "Here," you turn to Bucky's voice after you've tugged his shirt into place. He's holding out a pair of shorts.

Your cheeks flush when you realize that getting back to the apartment meant you'd have to translocate outside the building. "Right," you laugh in embarrassment. "I guess I didn't really think that one through."

He smiles, placing a kiss to your forehead. "That's alright. I'll see you tonight, Lumina."

"Bye Bucky." After slipping into the shorts, and one last kiss, you translocate back to his apartment building.

You breathe out a sigh of happiness, unable to stop the giddy smile from stretching your lips. Your gaze lifts upward, taking in the whole building, your eyes eventually reaching the glass windows you know conceal Bucky's apartment. You don't think you've ever felt this happy in your whole life.

"Excuse me, ma'am?"

You turn to face the deep voice, your heart skipping a beat when you recognize the man from a few weeks ago. The one that helped to pull you out of the bushes. "Uh, hi," you smile awkwardly.

The charming smile that had been on his face the last time you met is nowhere to be seen now. His lips are pulled into a serious frown, his eyes observing you cautiously. "I'm going to need you to come with me."