Bucky couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so nervous about waiting for a girl as he did now, waiting for Chris to open her door.

Steve, Wanda, and Vision had been sent out on a shorter mission to Eastern Europe, more a goodwill effort than a situation where their guy would be in real danger. He'd only be gone a couple of days. Yeah, Bucky knew he could probably convince Chris to let him in, they could order take-out, relax in front of the television. With a little effort, he was pretty certain he could convince her to let him stay over which, to be honest, was his primary objective.

Bucky hated the entire "keeping up appearances" crap. Everyone at the compound knew they were a threesome though God only knew how Tony and Pepper kept that away from the tabloids so far.

Couldn't they just get Tony to expand Steve's place and move in together already?

When Chris finally opened the door, she looked so cute in one of his sweatshirts and a pair of leggings with enormous socks. None of it matched and that had him chuckling. Chris became so engrossed in the projects Tony enlisted her help with and she could literally pass hours on those projects, oblivious to most everything around her.

At first, they were patient with her. Until they figured out patience could easily mean she remembered them the next day or the day after that.

Steve took more of a caveman approach. Last week he'd literally hauled her up away from her laptop and carried her to the bedroom for them. Hey, it was a date night and they only had a couple of those each week on Friday and Saturday because of her and Steve's "rule."

As her gray eyes widened on him, he wore a nice pair of slacks and a dress shirt with his hair swept back, her mouth dropped open. He pulled the bundle of red roses from behind his back and offered them to her while her eyes grew suspiciously shiny.

"Bucky," her hands shook a little as she took the roses from him. "What's this?"

"Can I come in?" he asked grinning at her.

Chris nodded, stepping back to let him in and closing the door behind him.

Pulling her into his arms, he claimed her mouth in a kiss that had her heart hammering in her chest. When he pulled back, she looked dazed, her lips swollen and red.

"Did you have any plans this evening, doll?" he asked gently.

"Ah, I was just going to… I, ah…"

Bucky loved her flustered like that.

"No, not really."

He followed her to the kitchen so she could pull a crystal vase out for the roses, arranging them in between sneaking glances at him.

"You look very handsome," Chris finally managed. "And you smell wonderful."

Bucky smirked at her, happy with how his plan was going so far. "Thank you, doll. I was hoping I might be able to convince you to let me take you out to dinner tonight."

His heart clenched in his chest at the look of longing on her face. She hadn't complained since the mall incident got resolved about being confined to the compound. Still, he and Steve both knew it wore on her.

"Have you eaten?" Bucky asked carefully. Their girl had a terrible habit of missing meals simply because she was so engrossed in what she was doing with work and it wasn't a healthy habit.

Bucky found the way her cheeks flushed pink endearing as she shook her head.

"Go dress up," he told her. "I'll wait."

Nodding, she dashed off to her bedroom and he was pleased it had been that easy. He'd been ready to charm her until she agreed to go so it was a testament to how much she needed a break for her to run and get dressed, no questions.

When she came back out, Bucky stared. He'd never seen Chris in anything so… feminine. Not that he didn't like the sharp clothes she wore for work because she was a sexy, sophisticated FBI agent. When she wasn't at work, she wore skin tight-jeans and mostly their shirts and that was good too. Chris really couldn't look unattractive.

The navy dress showed off her curves to perfection before flaring out into a wide skirt around her knees, the floral print making her look almost delicate. She'd added jewelry, curled her hair into ringlets and applied a scent that reminded him of the perfumes his sister had always begged for when they were kids but couldn't afford because times had been hard.

"You look beautiful, doll baby," Bucky whispered, taking out his phone to capture a picture of her like this. Steve had to see how beautiful she looked so he sent it to him with no explanations.

Bucky held out his arm to her as he might have done many years ago.

"Thank you." Chris took his arm and let him lead her into the lower level of the compound. They passed Sam trying to charm Jeri at the front desk and having luck if the lady's grin was any indication. Sam winked at them as they walked by. Jeri waved at Chris who waved back.

There were three nice restaurants in the compound, all Micheline-starred, and Bucky had honestly never been in any of them, usually preferring to stay in the privacy of his apartment or Steve's when not on missions. Tonight, he wanted to show off their girl, treat her to a nice meal.

After a couple of glasses of wine, Chris was charming him with stories from her childhood, from her training in Quantico. He entertained her with tales from his childhood with Steve, conveniently leaving out the ones where he was the dumbass. Bucky thought to himself he could sit there at the table with her all night, enjoying the best meal he'd had in ages while he listened to her talk and laugh, lit up from the inside like home on a cold, snowy night.

After they left the truly wonderful Italian restaurant, Bucky took her for a stroll around the compound, the same trail they jogged along by day for training, but it was his luck that the moon was out, shining brightly and Chris was content to hold his hand and walk along with him as they talked about so many things.

When they arrived back at her door, it crossed his mind to kiss her goodnight and head back to his apartment so it would be like a proper date from his time. He loved being a gentleman, to treat her right for a night.

Bucky claimed that goodnight kiss, dragging it out as much as he could without being too grabby. He blew out an exhale. He could do this…

Chris just knew him too well.

"I don't have to be in at work until lunchtime tomorrow," Chris explained. "You could stay the night. If you wanted. I could make you breakfast before you started training."

His heart squeezed at the sincerity of her offer, so sweet without any trace of her usual playful snark.

Bucky did like to sleep and he slept very well when he had at least one of his lovers, preferably both, next to him. No way he was turning down that offer.

"I'd like to stay with you tonight, Chris," Bucky said quietly, letting her pull him into her apartment.

They talked as she shut down her laptop, turned out lights, the romantic magic of the evening still all around them. He was content to take off his shoes and stretch out on her bed, watching her in the bathroom as she changed into – he didn't see what she'd put on and now she had her robe over top of it it – and get ready for bed.

When she finally joined him in her bedroom, he was propped up against her headboard, hands tucked behind his head. Bucky wasn't sure he'd seen her smile that way at him before.

"I've had a really wonderful time tonight," Chris explained. "Thank you."

"I have too, doll," Bucky replied. "It's been nice. I guess it's just so easy for me to picture things…"

Chris slipped off her robe, revealing a blue satin and lace gown that was elegant and modest. It had his libido growing fangs. He had to fight himself to keep from ripping that lacy thing off her and burying himself inside her. That wasn't what the night was about.

"Picture what?" Chris climbed on the bed next to him, her hand dancing along his thigh.

"Nights like this," he explained. "Except the three of us, with Steve, going out for dinner, midnight walks. Coming home and getting ready for bed, getting ready to hold each other, waking up next to each other."

Chris's smile was sweet. "You really want the three of us to live together, don't you?"

"Yes!"

She laughed at his exuberant answer.

Bucky rolled towards her, wrapping his flesh arm around her waist. "I want a life with you. Both of you. I want nights like this. Some nights we'll have amazing three-way sex as we do and some nights, I'd be content to watch Steve sketch and you rub on your skin cream and brush your hair before you go to bed."

"What else?" she whispered, leaning down to brush a kiss to his lips making him groan. He knew she was reading his emotions. He wanted her to. He wanted her to know he meant every word.

"Maybe a bigger place, somewhere else, with room for… I don't know, a girl that looks like you with Stevie's blue eyes or a boy that looks like him with my charm and athletic ability."

Her face flushed but he didn't sense any fear in her at that moment. He'd known he was taking a risk in even mentioning a possible family one day. He would have been lying if he'd tried to convince her that he didn't think about it often because he did.

Gently he pulled her down to him for a kiss. "I'm in love with you," he whispered against her lips. "I'm in love with Stevie. You two are all I need for the rest of my life."

Chris deepened the kiss, sinking her hands into his hair. "You're happy with us?" she asked against his lips.

"Very happy." Bucky pulled back to gaze into her eyes and smile. "You don't have to say anything, doll. I know you might not feel the same way… yet. There are two of us and I know things are different…"

"Yet?" Chris smirked at him although her eyes showed a deeper emotion. "You seem pretty confident."

Bucky pushed her onto her back, moving over her still dressed. "I am. I like my odds."

Taking her hands in his, he gently pressed them to the bed as his mouth scorched a path from her soft lips to the tender flesh behind her ear that had her writhing beneath him.

"You look so beautiful," he whispered, his lips moving restlessly down to her shoulder, her chest. "Steve would lose his mind if he saw you laid out like this."

Her flesh was moist and flushed pink in her excitement. Her breath huffed out above him as he nuzzled into the front of her gown to capture a nipple in his mouth.

Chris arched beneath him, her legs parting to clasp around his hips. He tightened his grip on her arms, sensing that was what she wanted and was rewarded with a desperate whine. Well, if she was going to keep making noises like that…

Collaring her wrists in his metal hand, he pressed them over her head as his flesh hand pulled the cool blue silk of the gown up her body impatiently. He really did want Steve to see it, the only reason he was being careful, and with a little coordination, he managed to pull it off her. Bucky was more pleased than he could say that she'd gone without panties.

And her bare lips were glistening. He slid his fingers through her silky folds, delighted with exactly how excited their girl was. He wanted to get his mouth on her badly, but he needed to be inside her just a little bit more. He sucked her juices from his fingers before working at the front of his slacks to pull himself free.

Chris panted above him, her eye widening when she felt the head of him sliding against her.

"Please, Bucky…"

"I'm here, doll," he whispered, pushing into her and holding her there beneath him. The way she moved and ground against him drove him crazy, he was guessing the feeling of him being all around her and dressed while she was naked and vulnerable beneath him was working for her.

He kept his rhythm easy for long moments, just enjoying holding her there, being inside his best girl. The soft warmth of her combined with the unique scent of her and went to his head, made everything in the world disappear except for her. Bucky knew he couldn't hold it for long. She was so wet and tight around him. Gently he teased her clit with a finger, dropping open-mouthed kisses over her shoulders as she liked until she reached her first orgasm of the evening.

Bucky pressed his knees into the mattress for a different angle, able to press harder and hit her magical spot with each thrust as she began struggling in his hold. Kissing her breathless, he tightened his hold on her just the tiniest bit as he moved inside her, making each stroke hit just right. Chris was arching, crying out a chorus of sounds that had him even harder if that were even possible.

"Give me a minute," she pleaded after her second release.

He paused, dropping soft lusty kisses to any part of her he could reach.

"How?" Chris was struggling to catch her breath. "How are… you…"

"Super soldier?" Bucky smirked at her. "I want to treat my best girl right first. I'll get mine."

"Bucky, I –"

He claimed her mouth for a kiss before she could finish whatever she'd been about to say, flipping them so she was straddling his hips and he was on his back. Her beautiful gray eyes looked dazed for only a moment before she pressed her palms to the crisp fabric of his shirt and began to work herself over him just how she wanted. And Chris was putting everything she had into it, wanting to drive him as crazy as he'd made her.

Her plan worked and she knew it. Those shiny ringlets bounced around her head as she moved on him until he finally couldn't fight her anymore. As gently as he could manage, he took hold of her hips and began thrusting up into her until the world spun away from both of them, their cries filling the cool darkness of her bedroom.

When he was able, he swung his legs over the side of the bed, undressing as she lay curled on her side, catching her breath, her heartbeat flying like a hummingbird's. He headed for the bathroom to ready himself for bed, returning with a warm washcloth to clean her up, tucking her under the covers now that her skin had cooled.

Chris was barely blinking up at him by the time he climbed in with her, curling himself around her on his left side. Bucky was looking forward to a solid night's sleep, waking up with her in the morning.

He pressed a kiss into her hair, enjoying the rare moment. His mind was quiet and he was happy. The only thing that could have made it any better would have been for Steve to have been there, but he'd be back soon.

Chris's breathing evened out into the soft cadence of sleep and he tightened his hold on her, never planning on letting her go. She was his and Steve's.

"I love you, Chris," he whispered into the darkness.

"Love you," she muttered in sleep.

To Bucky, it was everything.

The light flashing on his phone had him carefully reaching over to see that he had a text from Steve. They'd be home by dinner tomorrow.

SR: Our girl looks beautiful. Thank you for sending this.

Knowing his Stevie, he'd probably make a drawing out of it.

BB: Night, Stevie. Love you.

SR: I love you too. Can't wait to get back.