pairings: bucky barnes x reader, natasha romanoff, wanda maximoff, sam wilson
warnings: alcohol, being drunk, being hungover, embarrassment?
about: r (DF31) "maybe if you stop staring at her and actually talk to her, you might have a chance."+(DN43) "what did you just say?"
a/n: this took so long, i'm so sorry, thank you so much for being patient, i hope you enjoy! i didn't do the other part of the request just because i don't think i could write that with it coming out well and legible, so i apologize for that!
first of my installments for jamecember! (did not tag, sorry!!)

you look pretty.

it's not like it's anything unusual, you always look pretty, no matter if you're in the terrifyingly expensive floor-length stain gowns or in one of the shirts you'd stolen from him or steve or sam.

but there's just something about the carefree laugh you're gracing him with right now that makes you glow like the stars he saw in the dates in the desert that he'd plan.

you're not dressed in anything particularly spectacular but you look the part, with wisps of hair falling over your face and a beaming smile that makes him sport one of his own.

you're talking to natasha and steve, eyes shining when natasha deadpans something, and you burst out in beautiful laughter, a hand reaching to grasp steve's arm that makes an ugly spark of jealousy urge bucky to take his eyes off of you. but he doesn't, because even though you're touching his best friend and not him, you're magnetic; a light to the moths that are his attention.

you recover, crinkled eyes accompanying the remark you make that makes steve and natasha laugh. in turn, you look on proudly, visibly feeding off of the laughter you'd caused.

bucky is staring, a little starstruck as he observes you move with such effortless beauty.

"maybe if you stop staring at her and actually talk to her, you might have a chance," a voice startles from next to him. it makes bucky peel his attention off of you and onto the person that had managed to sneak up on him through the daze of you he was stuck in. sam stands from bucky's side, a raised eyebrow observing him as bucky lets an unbothered facade fall over his features, trying his hardest to clean away the lovestruck look that had brightened his eyes and pulled at his lips.

"'dunno what you're talkin' about," bucky shrugs, reluctantly turning to sam completely. sam exhales annoyedly, cocking his head to the side as his chin juts up and down in exasperated understanding.

"uh huh," he replies, tongue poking through his cheek as he eyes you. "so why're you starin' at her so intensely?"

bucky purses his lips, "not intensely."

sam grins in a way that lets bucky know he messed up, "so you were staring?"

bucky looks back at him tiredly, "not staring."

"tell that to your face."

"that's just how my face is."

"uh huh. so what you're tellin' me right now is that you aren't interested in y/n?" sam asks.

bucky's eyebrows pinch together, scanning the look on sam's face as he thinks over his reply.

"yeah," he says finally, "not interested." he lies.

"so it's not a problem if thor asks her out?"

sam's words make bucky's facade crack a little, but he forces a shrug anyway, even through the clenched jaw that sam is smirking at. "not a problem."

"tell that to your face."

-

"hey, buck," you greet with a smile, settling into the couch next to him. he doesn't fail to notice the way your thigh is pressed to his, although you don't seem to give it too much thought as you look up at the television, sucking a drop of something sweet off of your thumb. you jut out a small bowl of sliced mango, pink with chamoy and doused in lime and chili, "want some?"

there's barely a pause before he responds, but it seems too long for you, a pout forming on your lips, you shake the bowl enticingly, "c'mon, i spent ten minutes on it and everything, i swear it's good."

because the mango looks really good–and a little because bucky can't bring himself to deny anything you offer–bucky gives in, two hesitant fingers reaching in your bowl to push a little cube of mango into his mouth. he hums when he tastes it, much more interested in the proud look on your face after you hear him. "you like it?"

"yeah," bucky says a little breathlessly, observing the bright grin that overcomes your face.

"well, i can make you some whenever you want," you offer, taking some mango for yourself and setting the bowl in between you two. bucky takes another piece mostly for the opportunity to see that look on your face again.

a few episodes of whatever it was bucky was watching pass by until your phone vibrates, the bowl of cut fruit empty on the table in front of you and bucky. you open it, humming to yourself before meeting bucky's eyes.

"nat says we're going out to some new bar today. all of us, i think. d'you wanna come?" you ask.

"are you going?" bucky asks, holding back a cringe when he realizes it sounds exactly like what it is, but you don't seem to mind, a small smile on your lips instead when you confirm.

"oh. sure," bucky says then, too busy observing you to concentrate on not being as obvious as he is.

"i gotta get ready, then," you say, bouncing off the couch and heading for the elevator, "i'll see you there, buck!"

"can't wait, doll," bucky half-lies.

-

bucky isn't completely sure how you got so drunk.

he'd seen you at the bar, caught glimpses of you ordering drinks with natasha and wanda, declining and occasionally accepting others from guys that buy them for you between the conversations steve and sam drag him into. it's almost frustrating pretending like the reason he came to this party was the drinks and dancing and not you.

early into the night, he manages to evade steve enough to meet you again, clearly tipsy as you stumble, a lazy grin on your face when you look up at him. "bucky!" you cheer, heading towards him, "hold my drink," you instruct, handing him what you'd just been drinking. he immediately places his palm over the opening of it, holding it closer to him while you search for something in your bag. "aha!" you hurrah, pulling out a lip gloss. you apply it with a pop before you put it back, looking back at him until your eyes suddenly get caught on something and you dig into your bag again.

"what?" bucky wonders, an insecure hand reaching up to his cheek.

you ignore him, and with another aha, you present him with a small wipe, leaning close enough to him that he can smell your newly applied lip gloss. you wipe gently at his cheek until you're satisfied, then pull at something on his shirt, "glitter," you shrug, "such a hassle to get off."

you ask for your drink again and continue mindlessly chatting with him, ignoring all advancements made on you as if they were never made in the first place until sam finds bucky again, pulling him away because he apparently just has to meet this guy. bucky grumbles while sam drags him away, promising to meet up with you again soon while you nod, sipping from your glass.

it's not until he can finally get away from his friends again that he really sees you again.

your words are slurred together, a sheen covering your whole body that makes it seem like you're shining in the lights of the bar. you're warm, the heat from the hands you suddenly cup his jaw with startling bucky. excited, glittering eyes scan over his face, a wide grin taking over your face. you're so open, words and wandering hands without the usual filter that would stop you from telling bucky how great his arms looked in that shirt that day or tucking that stray piece of hair behind his ear.

"you're so pretty," you murmur, unfiltered honesty in the way you look up at him with a distraught smile, attention never straying from him, as if you couldn't stop staring at him and soaking him up. your pointer finger is tucked behind his chin and you press your thumb into the little cleft at his chin, eyes rising back to his. "you're so pretty," you repeat, "i want you to be my boyfriend."

bucky knows you're drunk, but he can't stop the way his breath gets caught in his throat at your declaration. the hope that bubbles up in his stomach is shoved back just as soon in an effort to remain realistic.

"'s why i always look at you and sit right next to you in the couch. so our thighs touch an' ev'rything'," you confess cluelessly, "why won't you be my boyfriend, bucky?" you whine, a pout on your lips as you suddenly let go of his face and let your head drop against his chest. he can feel the warmth of your forehead through his shirt and hear your unintelligible babbles about him.

you begin to reach for the cup in his hand, but he draws it further away from you, a hand holding your hip so you don't chase after it–not that you really could without falling flat on your face at the moment, "'think you've had enough, doll."

your shoulder slump at his words, a groan slipping past your lips as you go to press yourself against him again. "how d'you expect me not to fall in love with you when you say things like that?" you cry.

love echoes in his brain, almost as if to alert him. did you hear that?

"what–what did you just say?" he asks dazedly.

you ignore him, "callin' me doll and dove and holdin' my things and treatin' me like a princess. god, bucky, why aren't you my boyfriend? do you not like me?" you whimper, the liquor in your system making you go through a rollercoaster of emotions that brings tears to your eyes. "why don't you like me? i cut fruit up for you and make sure tony buys that detergent you like."

"i don't– i didn't–"

shiny tears fall down your cheeks as you shove your face into his chest, and bucky goes to put your cup on the bar, leaving both hands free to hold you while you cry. "okay, baby, think it's time to go home."

the unintentional nickname makes you cry a little harder, drunkenly strung together words telling him how unfair you think everything is.

bucky motions to the bartender to put everything on tony's tab as he nearly carries you to the space where the rest of the team was, unsurprised to find everyone dispersed. he spots wanda and nat talking to each other at a table, and he makes his way over there with you in front of him, firm hands around your waist guiding you and arms keeping away any elbows or limbs that threaten to touch or trip you.

they hear you before they see you, your squeals at seeing them too loud to ignore.

"nat! wan!" you exclaim excitedly, their names dragged out.

"you're drunk," natasha observes with an amused raise of her eyebrow.

"very drunk," bucky adds, "are you guys heading home yet? i think it's time for her to go back."

"not yet," natasha shrugs, "this girl has been checking me out all night, and i think it's time to act on it." then, turning to wanda, "what about you?"

wanda shakes her head, "i have to make sure pietro won't die of alcohol poisoning."

"why don't you take her?" natasha asks.

"uh..." bucky remembers the feel of your hands on his cheeks, lips so close they would be touching if you moved a millimeter, the drunk confessions of love falling from your lips. "don't think she'd really let me drive."

you're hanging off his arm and nuzzled in his chest, cheek against his bicep, a large smile on your face.

"clingy," natasha states, "which is strange... considering there are many avengers to hang off of but she chose you." a knowing smirk pulls at her lips, and it doesn't go away when bucky sends her a look. "it'll be fine," she says after a pause, "just make sure to put on her seatbelt."

"goodnight," wanda tells you, and you repeat her words without a thought, too busy telling her something about bucky. he hears the word boyfriend again and a red flushes his cheeks.

natasha chuckles, tilting a beer at him, "starting to see how similar you and rogers are, barnes."

"i'll see you tomorrow," bucky grumbles, taking your hand to lead you out.

-

it's a struggle to get you settled in the car. you can't seem to stop touching him, some part of your skin pressed against some part of his all the while he tries to sit you down in the backseat. you pout and whine about how you want to sit next to him in the passenger seat, hands on the back of his neck as he leans over to get the seatbelt around you. "i promise i'll be good, bucky, i promise."

after your hands remove themselves from his neck and instead tangle with the fingers trying to click the seatbelt closed, he sighs softly and looks up at you, all pleading eyes and wobbly lip as you swear you'll keep your hands to yourself as long as you're next to him.

bucky purses his lips, unable to hold back the breathy chuckle and lovesick smile that grace his lips when you frown at him, your thumb softening the lines of his lips.

"do you promise, y/n?"

you nod, holding out your hand, pinky outstretched, "pinky promise."

curling his own finger around yours, you squeal, grabbing his face and kissing his nose. he ignores the raging blush that overtakes his face as he helps you out, opening the door of the passenger seat for you.

you obey for the rest of the night. for the most part, at least. the only thing you insist on is holding one of his hands while he drives, humming happily along to the radio as you observe the night sky, his hand in yours. your eyelids droop a few minutes in but your fingers never untangle themselves from his.

-

you wake up the next morning with a throbbing headache and the lingering warmth of bucky's skin on yours, your fingers aching to wrap around hands you only remembered the feel of. you groan and squeeze your eyes closed the second after you pry them open, slapping a hand on your face and rubbing at your eyes to soothe the pulsing.

slowly sitting up, you're startled to feel something hot and solid underneath the hand you use to support yourself, retracting it back to your chest immediately and staring in horror at bucky barnes laying next to you. "fuckfuckfuck..." you mumble, small snippets of memories shattering your brain, "what did i do..." your brain barely registers that bucky is fully clothed, looking like he never changed out of his clothes from yesterday, or that your fingers are still lightly hooked before you unconsciously remove them while you straighten.

bucky's eyes flutter open after a second, going to meet your widened eyes as you scan him.

"what are you doing here?" you ask in surprise, not giving him a chance to answer when your mind goes in another direction, "did we..."

it's never been something you're particularly against, but the fact you can barely remember last night is not the way you wanted it to happen with bucky.

luckily, bucky shakes his head, the fact he's not hungover clear in the way he doesn't pause or his eyes to calm the dizziness that threatens to tip him over on the bed. "no, no, of course not. you were really drunk last night."

"very drunk," you echo, beginning to nod in understanding until you're hit with a wave of nausea. he nods, repeating your words. "okay. so what are you doing... here? in my bed?"

bucky chuckles a little, a light blush beginning to taint his cheeks as a hand reaches out to scratch his neck, "uh. you wouldn't exactly... let me leave last night. each time i tried to tuck you in and go to bed, you would pull me back and refuse to let go."

you decide to not ask about the 'tucking you in' portion of his response in favor of looking horrified, "oh my god, bucky, i'm so sorry, i usually glom onto natasha or someone... i can't believe i did that."

"it's okay, i was kinda expectin' it after the whole night."

at the discovery that you were like that the entire night, you press a palm to your eyes, "i am so sorry. i must've been so annoying to take care of. why didn't you just leave me with nat or wanda?"

you're aware before bucky can even respond and you mutter a curse against them, making bucky laugh.

"i can't believe they just dropped me off with you like my babysitter, i hate them, god–was i really..." you poke your tongue through the skin of your cheek, "i've been told i get clingy when i get drunk."

bucky nods, "that matches up."

your head falls into your hands, "i am so sorry. did i say anything too embarrassing?"

"well, you did ramble a lot about how pretty i ame," bucky chuckles, red blooming in his skin, the tremor of nerves in his playful tone unnoticeable to your hungover self.

with a panic much too real to be a lie, you freeze, "did i?"

bucky nods, "uh huh."

"i've never done that," you mumble, ignoring the annoying voice in your head that reminds you that you've never been this interested in anyone before, never yearned as much as you are right now, with bucky so close in your reach yet so far. "what'd i say?" you ask nervously, fearful your drunk self had ruined the relationship you had with bucky. you don't know if you want him to shrug off your question and say nothing important, or tell you every word you'd told him, some certain look in his eyes that told you he wanted it to be real.

"'asked me to be your boyfriend a couple'a times. made me blush a little, all the things you were saying."

you blink, catching the glint in his eye, "did i?"

bucky hums, careful eyes on your face to watch for your reaction, "uh huh. you started cryin' at one point, scared the crap out of me."

you scrunch your nose, "oh, i really do wish you stay away from me when i'm drunk, i'm gonna start revealing all my secrets."

"like the fact you make stark buy that detergent i like? or that you 'sit close to me so our thighs touch' purposefully?"

"i told you that?" you gasp, bringing a hand up to your mouth, "did i completely destroy our friendship?"

with a confidence only rooting from the way you acted with him the night before and the tone that makes him believe something he's been hesitant to for so long, he licks his lips, "i hope so, doll. 'been wantin' to be more than that for a while."

maybe nat and wanda aren't all that bad.