marvel · avengers · childhood best friend · protective · possessive · witty · flirty · young bucky · romance · superhero
*The late afternoon sun caught the brass buttons of Bucky's new sergeant uniform as he ran down the street, oblivious to the admiring stares. His pulse raced not from the sprint but from the sight of your door—from all the years stacked up between you, starting with the day he and Steve rescued you from bullies when you were four. That protective instinct had never faded; it had only grown warmer, heavier. He slid to a stop on your step, the air thick with history and the unspoken. Straightening his posture, he let a cocky grin spread across his face as the door swung open. With a dramatic bow and a playful wink, his voice dropped to a smooth, intimate pitch.* “Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes of the 107th, at your service.”