A/N: This fic was born out of my ongoing X-Men/Avengers movie verse fic Changes. Lily is an original character of mine and after pairing her with Bucky in Changes, I had the idea of writing a fic with them as the main characters in it. More original characters from Changes will make an appearance, but it is not necessary to know the story itself.
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When metal met flesh
Part 3
Lily exited the elevator and made her way to Tony's lab behind which she knew was her younger brother Jamie working on whatever Tony and he were working on this time. Since Tony had discovered the genius level intellect of Jamie when her brother had just been two years old, Tony had been one of his biggest sponsors next to Logan and Jean. Lily knew that Tony's favorite hobby was to rub into Banner's face how Jamie had not only a higher IQ, but also more diplomas on studied subjects than Bruce, finished college early and was not only the most powerful mutant, thanks to the combined genes of Phoenix and Wolverine, but also the smartest human on earth. Humble as Jamie was, he always ducked his head and blushed. Lily loved her brother dearly and she still wondered how Jake could be his twin. Both of them were like apple and pears characterwise, no matter how close the two brothers were. And they were very close. When the door in front of her opened she immediately spotted Jamie working on a computer and smiled. "Hey."
Jamie looked up from his workstation at the Avengers HQ. He smiled when he spotted his sister, his green eyes twinkling. "Did you find it?"
Lily snorted. "With the help of Tommy, yes," she replied and handed him an USB stick and something wrapped in brown paper that confused him. "Just open it. It won't bite. I hope…"
Carefully, Jamie unwrapped the paper and smiled. Inside was his favorite sandwich and a note that read Love you –T.
Lily smiled at her brother's lovestruck face. "You're lucky that it's me and not Jake or Jack who brought you this!" she said while looking around the room, her eyes stopping at the screen Jamie had been sitting in front of. "What are you working on?"
"An A.I."
Her eyes widened. "Isn't that…dangerous?"
He shook his head. "Not like this. I'm helping Tony with his F.R.I.D.A.Y. A.I. I'm currently updating the security protocols. So…pretty boring stuff actually." Jamie shrugged and bit into the sandwich, his free hand running through his thick dark hair. "Damn, this is good…," he groaned and Lily giggled.
"I'll let your husband know." She checked her watch. "When will you be off?"
"Two or three more hours perhaps. You don't have to wait up," he said and went back to his work station. "That is…if you didn't come here for someone else." He smirked when she blushed. "When are you going to make it official anyway? Literally everyone knows now. At least our side of the group..."
Lily sighed and hugged herself. "Never? I don't know…" she said and remembered that fateful morning when Bucky had been staying over and even stayed the night and…
Opening her eyes, Lily blinked against the sunlight but smiled when she looked right into stormy blue eyes that were watching her intently. The lazy smile on Bucky's lips told her that he had been watching her for a while. "You creep!" she teased him and threw her pillow into his face, which he deflected laughing.
"You're cute when you do this little snore," he said and chuckled when she was on him again.
"I don't snore!" Lily insisted while straddling him and pinning his hands above his head.
Bucky smirked. "You do. But it's cute." He kept on smirking in that boyish way of his until she leant down to kiss him.
She sighed and sank down until she could rest her head on his chest. "I don't want to get up…"
"Me neither, doll. I just love your waterbed…," he sighed and stretched out one arm while he was holding her close with the other.
"So that's the reason why we are mostly sleeping at my place."
"Busted…"
"Hm…," she made and kissed him again before she got up and stretched. She heard how he sat up slowly and turned to look at him. "Will you head out immediately or do you want me to steal some breakfast for you again?" Lily asked and zipped up her grey hoody.
"I can stay a bit longer," Bucky said and gave the mattress a push, smirking as it wobbled.
She groaned playfully. "Of course… I leave you to my waterbed then."
"Yes, ma'am," she heard him saying and he was already hugging his pillow again as she opened the door. Smiling, she left her bedroom and went downstairs to the kitchen where almost everyone was gathered for breakfast already. "Morning," Lily said into the round and sat down on her usual stool. Immediately she grabbed something to eat and poured herself a coffee. A frown became visible on her face, though, as she noticed how her father was slowly chewing his breakfast while cocking an eyebrow at her. "Is something wrong?" she asked and tried to hide her nervousness. Bucky had, as usual, silently sneaked it. No one had seen him and all they had done was cuddle and watch some Netflix. There was no way her father could have heard him, except… The scent. She had completely forgotten about the scent! Logan could easily smell Bucky on her… Slowly she stopped chewing and swallowed hard.
"Logan!" Jean hissed as the feral suddenly took his phone and quickly typed a message.
"What?!" Logan shrugged innocently and put the phone back into his pocket. "I only asked Barnes if he's joinin' us for breakfast this time or sneakin' out again later."
Lily felt heat rising to her cheeks and her eyes darted to her mom, then to her brothers, her sisters… Her eyes grew wide as she saw the same look even in her friends' eyes. "For how long…"
"Like literally months?" Isabella, the daughter of Rogue and Bobby and wife of Jack, said with a shrug.
"You guys were as secret as a freight train," Tommy, the son of Kurt and Ororo, snickered an winked at his sister TJ and at Jamie, who sat next to him.
"Plus we saw him leaving a couple of times," Kitty shrugged.
"And his bike is quiet loud even if he parked it a mile away," Jack, Lily's twin, added with a grin.
Lily let out a cry and buried her face in her hands. "Please don't shout at him!" she begged her father who shrugged and looked sternly at something behind her.
"Why would I? He knows what I'd tell him," Logan grunted with a nod behind her and Lily turned just to see how Bucky stood in the doorway, dressed in dark jeans, a white t-shirt and a dark red zip up hoodie, looking into the round sheepishly. He was clearly nervous and bracing himself for Logan. "Don't ya?"
"Yes, sir… Morning…," Bucky said into the round and sat slowly down next to Lily, exchanging eye contact with her. He didn't dare to look Logan in the face though because he could tell that he was still on the receiving end of a glare. Instead he smiled encouragingly at Lily, who still looked like a deer that had been caught in headlights. Reaching out, Bucky took her hand and squeezed it. "Could you hand me the coffee, please?" he tried to distract her.
"Of course," she said and handed it to him.
"Thanks, doll," Bucky said and was glad that the teasing had stopped and also Logan remained silent, but was still watching them attentively. They ate in silence and listened to the banter of the others until it was time to do the dishes. Jack gathered the plates and put them in the dish washer while Isa cleaned up the rest. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw how Lily took Bucky's hand and began to lead him out of the kitchen.
"Hey, you guys want to join us for movie night later?" he asked his twin sister, who looked at the man next to her.
"I could get some things from the tower if that's okay for you," Bucky offered.
"Sure," Lily smiled and he smiled back.
"Yer not gonna join Cap on that mission?" Logan asked and cocked an eyebrow at the Avenger, who turned to look at him.
"Uhm, no…"
"How come? Yer usually joined at the hip." Logan crossed his arms and scrutinized him.
Bucky sighed. "Because I don't really do missions anymore, Logan."
This made the X-Man frown and also the others looked up in surprise. "Why?" Scott asked.
Bucky looked down at the ground. "Because I'm tired of fighting," he simply said and got up, placing his hand on Lily's shoulder and leant in. "I'll just get a few things and will be back later."
"Okay," she smiled and he kissed her cheek before he left. Lily's eyes remained on the door behind which he had disappeared for a while longer before she turned back around and was met with smirks. "What?!" she asked, rolling her eyes.
"Nothing," her twin smirked.
Later, they sat together in the TV room in their PJs, the movie ready to start and drinks already on the table in the middle. Isa, TJ and Lily were in the kitchen and preparing popcorn and snacks. A tray was already filled with some sweets when TJ exchanged a conspirational look with Isa, who nodded determined.
"So…," TJ began and Lily sighed. She knew what her friends were about to ask. "How did you snatch your soldier?"
"Really?" Lily asked with an eye roll and Isa huffed.
"Yeah, really. I mean… You guys didn't hide your hook ups very well, but now that you are official…," she said and shrugged. "When did it start? How? Why? Spill!"
"We aren't official…" Lily heaved a deep breath and added the finished popcorn to the bowl on her right. "We…drank too much."
TJ frowned. "You can't get drunk!"
"I actually can, if it's Asgardian mead obviously," Lily muttered to herself.
"So you just…," Isa began and gesticulated wildly with her hand, "drank and decided to date?"
"No… I was supposed to bring a package over for Jamie after work, so I did and stumbled right into a party. They invited me to have a couple of drinks, which resulted into more drinks, I ended up wasted, woke up in Bucky's bed on the next morning, both of us didn't remember shit and…," Lily suddenly blushed and busied herself with cutting some fruits.
TJ and Isa exchanged another conspirational look. "…and decided to bang again?" TJ asked bluntly and Lily dropped the knife.
"That was a yes," Isa commented and TJ nodded. "And afterwards they decided to continue banging until both realized they were actually crushing on each other. Am I right?" she asked Lily.
"…maybe…," her friend said in barely more than a whisper. "Are we done?!"
"No," TJ and Isa said at the same time.
"Oh, come on, girls! Really?" Lily ran a hand through her hair.
"Yes, really," TJ replied and crossed her arms. "So… What's he like?" she asked and Lily's jaw dropped and her eyes bulged. "Oh, c'mon, I don't want to know THAT! What's he like as a guy? With him being from the 1900-somethings and all."
Lily sighed again and added the fruits in a bowl to the tray. "Nice…"
"And?" Isa asked.
"Well-mannered… Respectful, charming…," Lily listed. "Honest to a fault…" She shrugged.
"So… A long-term thing or…?" TJ asked.
"He's standing right here by the way," a deeper voice suddenly replied from her left and made them startle. Bucky, who was dressed in black pajama pants and a dark blue shirt, entered and greeted Lily with a kiss. "Need help with anything, doll?"
"You could take the tray to the TV-room. We're almost finished here," Lily suggested and he took the tray and went back to the others.
"Popcorn! Finally!" Jake, Jamie's not identical twin, cheered and grabbed a handful upon which Hope, his wife, slapped his hand. His golden eyes widened playfully outraged and he pushed his chin length dark hair back.
"You can wait until the movie started!" she reprimanded him, but stole some popcorn from him anyway.
"Suuuure," he mocked and watched Bucky, who seemed to be utterly lost in thoughts right now. "Did Cap spill hot chocolate on your teddy bear?"
The Avenger looked up from where he was sitting on the couch. "No…"
"But?" Jack asked and the man sighed.
"T'Challa needs me in Wakanda for a while…"
"A while meaning?"
"Couple of months…" Bucky shrugged. "I owe him, but…"
Jack knew what the but was or better who. "Take Lily with you," he said and Bucky frowned at him.
"But…"
"She hates her job, man. She only stays because of loyalty to me. Ask her to come with you. She seriously needs to go out and see the world."
"Is it really that bad?" Jamie asked and craned his neck from where his head was resting on Tommy's lap. "I mean she complains a lot but…"
Jack snorted. "It is, trust me. I just recently had to take a client from her and kick another one out. They see her as some kind of trophy and try to get into her pants. She hates the job. She always wanted to be a teacher anyway. Maybe she can teach some kids in Wakanda or whatever."
"She's not a trophy…," Bucky muttered angered and looked up when the girls entered. He smiled at Lily but she could tell that it was forced and something on his mind. Usually, his smiles reached his eyes. Reminding herself to ask him about it later, she got comfortable between his legs and rested her hands on his arms when he pulled her closer against him.
"Is everyone finally here and settled?" Alex, Scott's son, asked and pushed the PLAY button.
Jamie frowned and put the sandwich aside. "Why? Did you have a fight?"
"No…"
"But?" He looked at her for a long moment until she bit her lip, shrugged and looked away. It took him a moment but he understood. "Lily… It doesn't have to mean that history will repeat itself…"
"I know… But I'm scared," she admitted and looked at him with tears in her eyes. "And I'm hurting him and it's not fair…"
Jamie sighed and got up to hug her. "Sometimes you've just got to jump…" He looked towards the door and Cap entered.
The Avenger greeted them and put a holographic tablet on the table. "Tony wanted me to give you that," he informed them before he saw how Lily wiped her eyes. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah. Thanks," Jamie smiled and squeezed his sister's shoulder before she excused herself.
Lily had just entered the elevator and was about to push the button as Cap entered. She gave him a nervous smile and the doors went shut. They rode in silence for a while until Cap pushed a button and the elevator stopped. Startled, Lily looked at him wide eyed.
"I'll make this quick," Cap said seriously. "Buck is my oldest and best friend. He's loyal, he's respectful towards women and even if he acts like a serious guy most of the time he's sensitive. All I ask of you is to be honest with him and stop leading him on. He doesn't deserve this."
"I'm not leading him…," Lily began when he raised his hand with a shake of his head.
"Maybe not on purpose, but you are. He's in love with you and you are hurting him. He thinks this is just a game for you. To him it's serious. "
Lily's eyes grew wide and she looked away. She knew that Bucky liked her a lot, but not this... "It's not my intention…," she whispered and tears gathered in her eyes. "It's just that… "
Cap sighed and reached out to put a hand to her shoulder. "I know. And I know that Buck's background isn't a mother-in-law's dream… But he's a good guy," he said calmly. "Just be honest with him. That's all I'm asking." He pushed the button again and the elevator began to move again just to stop on the chosen level. Cap looked at Lily once more and gave her a reassuring nod, then left and the elevator door closed again.
Lily sighed and leant her head back against the wall, her mind racing. She quickly wiped her eyes and ran a hand through her hair before the door opened again and she stepped out. Just to bump into some. "Oh, I'm sorry," she quickly said just to look into surprised blue eyes. Instantly, her heart began to beat faster.
"Hi…," Bucky said and stared at her.
"Hi…," Lily replied and brushed her hair back, trying to avert her eyes. A hand though touched her chin and tilted her head up.
"You okay, doll?" Bucky asked concerned and tried to read her eyes.
About to say yes, Lily went in to hug him tight instead. "No… No, I'm not okay…," she sniffed and felt how he first hugged her back before she was escorted somewhere. She didn't look up before a door was closed and she realized that she was in Bucky's room now.
"What's wrong?" he asked again and was clearly concerned for her well-being.
Lily held his gaze for a while, swallowing hard in search of the right words. "I never meant to hurt you…," she began and he sighed, breaking eye contact and nodding as he put the pieces together.
"Steve talked to you, am I right?" he asked, despite already knowing the answer and shook his head. "Damn you, Rogers…"
"No, listen," Lily went on and reached out to put her hand on his arm in order to get his attention. "I…I'm being unfair to you and you've been nothing but sweet to me and…"
"Well, that's me…," he shrugged with a small smirk around his lips. "Look, I do understand if it's not enough. I do."
"But it is…," Lily whispered and made Bucky look up in surprise. "I'm…just…afraid."
Their eyes met. "I know," he said and came slowly closer. "I know that what happened to you was horrible and… A scar like that sticks." He reached out to wipe away a tear from her cheek as he noticed her sudden frown. "What?"
"You cut your hair," Lily commented and he snorted.
"Yeah, I did." Self-conscious, Bucky ran a hand through his shorter hair that was as short as it had been in the 1940's. "Too short?"
She contemplated it before she shook her head. It looked still fluffy and if he had just gotten out of bed. "No, it looks good. Just keep the scruff, yes?"
Bucky chuckled. "Okay…" He held her gaze and waited. In the end, the ball was in her court and he was internally bracing himself for a disappointment. Lily, however, surprised him by taking his right hand into hers and kissing him after a moment. He savored it but still waited for her reaction afterwards. Her smile was answer enough. "Do you have to work tomorrow?" he asked after another kiss.
"Thank God, no," she said and brushed her hair back.
"That bad?"
"The tip of the iceberg was a huge bouquet from Howard…," Lily sighed with a roll of her eyes.
Bucky snorted and nodded. "Well, he's Tony's son…" He shrugged. "Want me to talk to him or make him disappear? Just say the word, doll."
She smiled and hugged his middle. "I sent the flowers back to him. He has hopefully finally gotten the message."
Bucky hugged her back. "We're talking about a Stark here. Hard to convince and with the will of a brick wall."
Lily groaned. "True…," she sighed and leant into him, simply enjoying being held.
"Can you…stay?" he asked carefully.
"Yes, I can. I only need to let Jamie know. He's probably still working downstairs," she reached for her phone and started texting.
"Okay," Bucky smiled and went to his wardrobe to get something for her to wear. He put a grey shirt and black pajama pants on the bed behind her and went to the bathroom next.
"You're an ass, Jamie," he heard Lily saying and looked around the corner, squinting at the screen when she held in into his direction.
He could clearly see a dozen kissy face emojis. Bucky snorted, finished his work in the bathroom and joined her in the bedroom again. "I got you some towels and a toothbrush."
"Thanks," she smiled and got up to stretch.
"You look tired," he noticed and she nodded.
"Long day at work. I'll take a quick shower," Lily said and gave him a quick kiss before she disappeared in the bathroom to get ready for bed. When she came out of it she found a bottle of water and a sandwich on the desk at the wall and smiled. The bed was freshly made too. She quickly ate the sandwich and sipped on the water before she got underneath the grey covers and waited. She had seen his room before but never really paid attention to his things. His room was pretty minimalistic with a couple of old pictures, one of which showed him in an army uniform, another one him and Steve, a third one both of them with a group. Lily's eyes grew wide as she noticed one of the men in that pic. It was her father. The door opened and Bucky entered again, smiling softly at her. She pointed at the picture behind him. "That's my father, isn't it?"
He turned and figured she meant the picture of the Howling Commando. "Yeah. And your uncle," he pointed at Victor Creed. "That was taken during the second World War before they were assigned to another mission," he told her and went under the sheets next to her, propping his head and looked at her.
"How old are you in that pic?"
He thought hard. "23 or 24."
She nodded and yawned tiredly. "Sorry…," Lily said and snuggled into the pillow.
"No need to apologize," Bucky chuckled and bent over to kiss her. "I gotta warn you though. Early training session tomorrow.."
"Cap's idea?" Lily mumbled with closed eyes.
"Yeah. Steve has some meeting with Fury. So I'm in charge. If I'm gone when you wake up, I'm probably somewhere in the house," he switched off the lights.
"M'kay…" she muttered and snuggled up to him, almost immediately falling asleep…
Bucky looked at her thoughtfully and contemplated how he was supposed to tell her about Wakanda…
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