A week.

A week since the night you stole Bucky's shirt and a week since he last spoke to you. You weren't worried that he might be angry with you because you knew for a fact he wasn't. What you were worried about was the look in his eyes. A twinkle of predatory amusement that made you so restless, you were looking over your shoulder every time you were alone. It went on for a few days in that week, the paranoia, until you realized that maybe Bucky wasn't going to do anything. He would have if he could the next day, but he hadn't and that's when you began to relax.

That's when you let your guard down.
And that was your mistake.

"Hey, who's up for a game of hide and seek?" You put down your magazine, pushing yourself up into a sitting position as Clint, Nat and Bucky entered the game room. Sam, who had been playing air hockey for the last hour with Steve, threw down his striker.

"Hallelujah! Sorry, man, but you suck."

Steve mumbled a cross between an apology and an insult as you stifled a laugh. With all his enhanced reflexes, the man struggled to hit the puck every time it was on his side of the table and you could see how relieved Sam was for someone to come up with another idea.

"I'm game." You chirped, getting to your feet and bouncing over to the others.

"Good, cause I'm bored out of my mind and Tony won't let us out of the Tower after that whole press attack." Clint grumbled.

"If we'd fought them, that would take away the whole point of us protecting them, Clint." Nat said gently.

"I still would've shoved my arrow up that guy's—"

"Did someone say hide and seek?"

Pietro and Wanda peeped their heads around the doorway and you grinned at the young Avengers as their faces glowed with excitement.

"Bigger crowd, harder find. This is gonna be a good game." Sam rubbed his hands together and looked over at Clint.

"So who's out?"

A tense silence as everyone stared at each other, wondering who would be so nice as to volunteer.

"Thanks, Steve." Bucky wiggled his eyebrows.

"Wait wh—"

"STEVE'S OUT!"

It might have a been a room full of grown adults and two teenagers, but at the phrase, every single one of you ran for your lives, stampeding down the hall with raucous hollering and cheers.

"Real classy, guys."

——————-

Tony's garage was your ultimate hiding spot.

Behind a wall of tools, a little closet was hidden away in which contained nothing but a low file cabinet you could sit on and a shelf that you've stocked with gummy bears and goldfish. It was a place you'd go to if you wanted to get away or just think. At least fifteen minutes passed by where you just sat and munched on your goldfish in the dark.

That's when you heard a footstep.

Subtle, but loud enough for you to tense, quietly putting your goldfish back on the shelf.

More footsteps.
Slow, drawn out.
You were panicking.

How the hell did Steve find this place?

The door suddenly swung open and light flooded your closet, making you flinch away.

"Hey, Y/N."

At the sound of his deep, gravelly voice you practically melted with relief.

"Bucky, you idiot." You hissed, swinging a fist and hitting him in the chest. It barely fazed him, but he laughed and moved forward, leaning against the doorframe.

"It's just me, nothin' to worry about."

Annoyed, you put your hands on his chest and pushed.

"This is my hiding spot, Buck. Get outta here." You hissed.

He grabbed your hands before you could pull them away and you sucked in a deep breath. With the light against his back, his handsome features were shaded over and his eyes glittered amusingly.

"Do you really want me to go?"

It was a ragged whisper, a string of floating temptation that escaped his lips. A moment in which you needed a steel resolve.

Why were you in a closet?

Game.

Playing a game.

You had a competitive edge.

That was your anchor.

It was the reason why, sitting atop your little file cabinet, you raised your legs as high as they could go and kicked him in the stomach, sending him tumbling out of the closet as his weight slammed the door against the wall and he hit the ground with a surprised look on his face.

"Beat it, you bum. I was here first."

"What the hell is this?"

You froze as Steve rounded the corner. He let out a low whistle, grinning as Bucky hauled himself to his feet and dusted off his jeans.

"I didn't even know this was here."

"You still wouldn't if Bucky didn't follow me!" You scowled at him.

"You followed her?"

Bucky shrugged as Steve laughed loudly at his friend.

"Desperate much, Buck?"

Confused, you watched as Bucky slugged Steve in the shoulder playfully.

"She didn't give me much chance to ask her out the last time."

"Well, I guess I'll go back to finding everybody else, then." He paused before walking around the wall and gave you a cheeky grin. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Which isn't much!" You shouted at him before turning to Bucky.

"What was that all about?"

Bucky stuffed his hands in his pockets, playing for time.

"I was looking for you to tell you how I...well, how I feel about you when Clint and Nat rounded me up to play. I followed you here and, besides the fact that I needed a hiding spot too, it took awhile for me to work up the nerve to even open the door." He admitted. "I've been wanting to let you know since the night you stole my shirt, but I...I've felt that way for awhile."

You were stunned into silence, staring at Bucky as though you've never seen him before. He had opened up more than he ever had in all the time you'd ever spent together with an awkward blush on his cheeks that made him look adorable. You never would have thought Bucky had an interest in you if it weren't for that night. He was confident in a quiet sense and to see him so shaken and of all people by you, it was a little unbelievable.

But, he had finally mentioned that night.

The night he held you against the wall, speaking to you in a charmingly low voice with his fingers leaving flames in the wake of their trails up your shoulders and brushing across your cheeks.

Fire and butterfly wings.

You hadn't noticed how close he'd gotten before his hands were cupping your face again just like before.

"Can I kiss you?" He asked quietly.

"Can you, please?"

"Now look who's desperate."

"Shut up."

He laughed before closing the space between you two. His lips were slow at first, not sure if you liked it and you responded by deepening the kiss, telling him how much you did in your own way. He moved to nudge your legs around his, one hand cradling your cheek and the other sending trails of flames across your thigh. Kissing Bucky was everything you thought it would be and the next minute was full of nothing but hands everywhere and tongues moving, rendering the both of you breathless. You finally pulled back, taking a deep breath as Bucky leaned his forehead against yours and wrapped his arms around your waist. His fingers danced up your spine and one hand came to rest tangled in your hair.

"You gonna teleport away like last time?" He asked.

You laughed and placed your hands on his chest, enjoying the psychical warmth he was emanating.

"You gonna give me a reason not to?"

Bucky's eyes flickered down to your partially swollen lips and he gently pushed back a few strands of hair that had escaped your braid, tucking it carefully behind your ear. He moved to place a kiss on your forehead. Your heart swelled at the intimate gesture as Bucky gazed at you, his eyes full of joy.

"I already did."