One Year Later
Standing in the gala, he felt slightly out of place. He wasn't used to these events, despite the fact that this was the third work event that she had brought him to. He came for her because he knew that she wanted him there. She wanted him to support her and he did. He supported her through everything. He loved his wife more than anything and he knew that she was excelling in her career. She had always been career-focused and he never wanted that to change. He loved how much she loved her job and how passionate she was about it. He just found it difficult to be passionate about things and he was struggling to still find his purpose. They had been married a year and everything seemed to be going perfectly until they'd moved.
"And your wife…how did you meet her?"
He was standing in the foyer of the museum, dressed in an expensive new tuxedo with a bowtie that he had spent far too long trying to get right in the mirror only for Evelyn to fix it for him when he'd turned up at the museum. She had been running around, trying to make sure everything was ready for the opening of the new exhibit when he'd turned up half-an-hour early to help her move tables and chairs around. He'd gone with her to the back of the building where her office was and had helped her get ready. She'd changed into a slinky red dress with spaghetti straps and a split up the leg, the dress dipping into a low v on her chest. He'd almost struggled to let her out of the office.
"We actually met in a museum," he answered the man who was talking to him. He wasn't entirely sure who he was, but he'd cornered Bucky and had asked him why he was there when Bucky had said that his wife was the Head Curator at the museum.
"No way," the man said with a loud booming laugh. "What're the chances of that?"
"Well, she loves her job," he said.
"And you? What is it that you do?" the man asked.
He shrugged in response. "At the moment, I'm renovating the apartment we bought," he said. "But I'm in between jobs. We only just moved out here so things are pretty new."
"Where did you used to live?"
He was getting tired of the twenty-questions, but he was being polite. He was going to be polite because this wasn't his night. "D.C." he answered. "She used to work at the Air and Space Museum out there and that's where we met."
"Your wife is Evelyn?" the man asked. "As in Evelyn Barnes-Morris?"
"Very same one."
The man's eyes widened as he seemed to realise just who he was talking to. He shook his head and pointed his fingers, blond hair falling into his face as he shook his head. "You're Bucky Barnes?" he realised and Bucky just folded his arms over his chest, instantly feeling slightly defensive as he usually did whenever people recognised him. "Holy crap, I should've pieced that together. We heard that she'd married The Winter Soldier-"
"-I'm not him anymore," Bucky interrupted quickly with a firm shake of his head.
"Well, no, of course not, man, but you were. What's it like? I mean I can't believe I'm actually talking to the Bucky Barnes," he said and he gestured at Bucky as if he was some kind of spectacle. Bucky nodded his head once and chewed the inside of his cheek. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to have this conversation. He tugged at the cuffs of his shirt and tried to think of a way to escape. "You were brainwashed, right? How did that even work? Does it hurt? Do you ever think they'll be able to do that again?"
"No," Bucky said. "I don't like to think of that time in my life."
"But it must be difficult-"
"-Hey, honey."
Bucky felt a sense of relief as her hand brushed against his back and she moved behind him until she was by his side. He looked down to his wife as she glanced up to him, a smile on her face and his gaze met hers and he instantly felt comforted. This was what he needed. He needed her more than he realised. She was always there to help him out whenever he started to feel overwhelmed and it was like she had a sixth sense as to when he needed her.
"I see you've met Derek Smith," she said to her husband. "Derek is incredibly nosey."
Derek laughed and held his hands up in defence. "I was just curious," he said.
"As I said, nosey," Evelyn replied. "Anyway, do you mind if I borrow my husband?"
"Of course not," Derek said.
Bucky let Evelyn take him by the hand and she led him across the stone floored foyer. He glanced at some of the exhibits there before his eyes fell to the skeleton of the T-Rex in the middle of the floor. Standing off to the side, Evelyn made sure they were away from prying eyes, the noise of the crowd still echoing throughout the museum. Looking up to him, Evelyn reached a hand up and brushed her fingers along his cheek.
"Sorry," she said to him and Bucky shook his head once.
"You don't need to apologise, Evie," he assured her.
"I do because every time we come to these things there's someone who corners you with questions and I hate that for you," she said to her husband and he just shrugged.
"It's fine."
"It's not fine," Evelyn said. "We never had this in D.C. Everyone I worked with out there…they were different…they understood. They'd never interrogate you like that. I just miss it. I miss being there."
"I know you do, sweetheart," Bucky said and he knew that was the truth.
They'd moved to New York because Evelyn had been offered Head Curator at the American Museum of National History. She had taken the position without really any hesitation. It was a promotion above what she'd thought she'd ever get. She was in charge of overseeing all of the curators at the museum. It meant she worked long hours and Bucky had to admit that he rarely saw her as much as he did in D.C. She would often be gone for eight and sometimes not back until seven or later if there was an event taking place.
"Do you think we made a mistake?" Verity asked her husband and she turned her head to the side, looking out over the crowd. "We were happy in D.C. weren't we? I know that this job was too good to turn down, but maybe…maybe this isn't everything it's cracked up to be."
"Are you not happy?" Bucky wondered.
Evelyn shrugged at him. "Honestly?" she questioned him. "I don't know. I thought that I would be, but I…I love the job. I really do love my job, but I loved my job back in D.C."
"Look," Bucky said and he moved his hands to her waist. "We can talk about this after the event, alright? Right now, you're needed out there to work your usual charm and launch the new exhibit. I can handle myself…and after that…we can go home and we can talk things through."
Evelyn agreed with him, nodding her head. She did her best not to look to forlorn over things. She forced a smile onto her face and quickly pecked Bucky on the cheek before rejoining the event. Thankfully, Bucky didn't have to make small talk with anyone else and that was the way he preferred for it to be. He watched as Evelyn delivered the speech to reveal the new exhibit which was some fossils from the Natural History Museum in London. She thanked the benefactors of the museum and the curators for their hard work before raising a toast and then stepping off the podium.
Bucky knew that she hated public speaking. She always preferred to be in the background and he understood that. As the party wound down, Bucky went with Evelyn back to her office. The promotion came with a big corner office on the first floor overlooking the road. It was minimalist with just a computer, papers neatly tidied on the surface and a photo frame on the desk of the two of them on their wedding day.
"Right, let me change out of these heels," Evelyn said and she slipped them off of her feet and pushed them under her desk. She reached for her sneakers and tugged them on as Bucky stood with his hands in his pockets. "Do you want to grab something to eat on the way home?"
"What do you have in mind?"
"Well, I've yet to find a pizza place as good as the one back where we used to live, but I could kill for a slice."
"Pizza it is," Bucky said and she tugged her grey woollen winter coat onto her frame, buttoning it up. Bucky's lips arched at the sight of her red dress poking out of the bottom of it with her dirtied white sneakers on her feet. "That's an interesting look."
"Don't tell me it doesn't get you going, Mr Barnes," she warned him.
Bucky chuckled. "Everything about you gets me going, Mrs Barnes," he joked back and she handed him his own woollen coat. He pulled it on and offered her his hand. She took hold of it, locking her office up and leaving the museum out of the back way with Bucky. Stepping onto the bustling streets of New York City, Evelyn looked at the bright lights and felt a longing for D.C.
Sure, D.C. had been busy, but it had been a different type of busy. She missed their old life and she guessed that maybe Bucky did too to some extent. She worried about him constantly. She worried that he was still struggling to adapt in the new world and there were times when he seemed lost. Sure, he kept himself busy with projects. He was constantly decorating their apartment and fixing things. He made himself busy around the house, but she didn't think that he particularly wanted to do that for the rest of his days. She just didn't know what he wanted to do and she wasn't entirely sure he knew either.
They picked up a pizza and walked back to their apartment in Tribeca. The apartment was in a brownstone building and they'd bought it outright instead of renting, claiming that even if they moved they could make a profit off of it considering that Bucky wanted to do it up. Bucky unlocked the door and placed the pizza box on the island in the kitchen. All they had so far was a sofa, a television and a bed in their bedroom. The rest of the furniture was in the process of being ordered and delivered. They lived out of cardboard boxes and had a metal pole in the bedroom acting as a wardrobe.
The apartment had dust sheets scattered around and Evelyn noted that Bucky had started pulling wallpaper off the walls in the living room. He was tidy when he worked, constantly picking bits up and putting them in the bin bag. Bucky managed to grab a beer from the fridge and pour Evelyn a glass of wine into a small tumbler considering they hadn't unpacked the wine glasses as they were intending on ripping the kitchen out in the next week.
Sitting on the sofa, Evelyn pushed her sneakers from her feet with her toes and curled her legs underneath her. Bucky placed the glasses down on the floor and Evelyn opened up the pizza box in between them.
"So…what's going on?" Bucky questioned from her.
Evelyn shrugged. "I don't know," she confessed to him. "I thought that moving here would be great. The job was too good to turn down with more money…more prestige…but I just…the people are nice enough who I work with, but it's not the same as being back in D.C. I miss Rebecca, Martin and Jennifer…Charlie too. Plus I don't get to see Maria as much as I'd like and my goddaughter is growing so quickly. I miss babysitting her and taking her for walks along the Mall. I miss running to Lincoln Memorial first thing in the morning before the tourists come out. New York is great and I know it's where you grew up, but I just…I don't know if I'm happy here and I don't know if you are either."
Bucky considered what to say to her on that point. He could be honest with her, but he was scared of what his honesty would get him. He wanted the best for her. He put her needs above his needs all of the time and he never resented doing that because he loved her.
"Bucky," she whispered his name and his eyes moved over to hers. "Just tell me the truth. Please."
"I'm fine, Evie," Bucky said and she exhaled a sharp breath.
"I'm your wife. I know when you're lying to me," she said to him and he knew that she could read him better than he thought.
"Evie, I'm fine," he said again, but he knew how stubborn she could be. She moved the box with the pizza onto the floor and knelt on the sofa next to him. She reached for his hand and picked it up, pointing at the wedding ring that sat there. He wore it on his right hand for obvious reasons.
"We're married," Evelyn pointed out.
"I might be old, but I do remember our wedding day," Bucky replied and Evelyn hit against his chest gently and he chuckled. "Sorry," he said to her. "Not the time for jokes, got it."
"You know I usually love your smart mouth," Evelyn assured him. "But we need to be serious, Bucky. I know that things have been tough for us. I know that we haven't exactly had it easy…but I go to work…and I know I come home late. I know that I've been a shitty wife-"
"-Don't ever say that," he interrupted her and shook his head firmly. "You are the best thing that could ever have happened to me, Evelyn. I know that you work long hours. You work hard because you love your job and I know that, alright? I know how hard you work and I never want you to think that you're a bad wife."
"But I still feel like a bad wife. How many dinners have I missed because I've been working late?" she asked from him. "It was our first wedding anniversary and I fell asleep by nine. I love my job, I do…but not as much as I love having a life…seeing the people I care about and spending time with you. I miss us and I feel like if I stay here and keep doing this then it's going to ruin us. I don't want you to grow to resent me."
"That could never happen," Bucky said to her confidently.
"You say that now, but I dragged us out here," Evelyn said. "And I know you agreed to it because you're the best husband I could've ever hoped for and you agree to anything I want, but that's not what I want you to do. I want you to be honest with me. I want you to tell me if you're happy here or not."
"I'm fine-"
"-Please don't bullshit me," she urged from him. She didn't need him to do that. "Just tell me the truth, Bucky."
He exhaled a deep breath and he knew she wasn't going to let it go. He picked his hand up and brushed a curled strand of her hair behind her ear. He watched it bounce around her shoulder for a second before he took hold of her left hand and glanced down at her wedding and engagement ring. He knew that he had to be honest.
"I think the issue is that I don't know if I have much of a life in either place," Bucky confessed to her on that point. "I don't know what it is I want to do and I know we keep saying that I'll figure it out, but I don't know if I ever will. I don't know what I can do in this modern world and that freaks me out slightly…but then there are times when I wonder…do I even want to do anything and I don't know how that makes me feel either."
"You know that would be natural, right? After everything you've been through, you don't need to do anything," Evelyn said to him. "I just worry that you're unhappy and I don't want you to be unhappy."
Bucky shook his head. "I don't think I'm unhappy. When we're together…when I'm working on something…I feel content," he said to her. "It's just that this place doesn't feel like D.C. and I don't know why that is. Maybe it's because, even though they were your friends, they accepted me for who I was and I haven't had that in a long time. Here…whenever I meet your work colleagues I feel more like a spectacle for them."
"And I hate that they do that," Evelyn said to him with a tired look on her face. "I hate that they look at you like that."
"You can't stop them, Evie," he said.
"Maybe not, but I wanted you there tonight because I like knowing you're there…plus you look hot in a tux," she tacked on the end and Bucky chuckled at her, looking down at the suit he was wearing.
"I knew there was an ulterior motive to you getting me there," Bucky retorted and Evelyn shrugged nonchalantly.
"Never claimed not to be devious," she defended herself. "But that's not the point. The point is that I don't think either of us are very happy here."
"Then what do we do?" Bucky wondered from her.
"I don't know," she confessed to him. "I know we're comfortable and have enough money, but we did sink a lot of cash into this place. Maybe we need to stick it out? Maybe we do this place up and then see about moving somewhere else. I don't know if we go back to D.C. or if we try somewhere else."
"Would you be able to get your old job back in D.C?"
"Honestly? I'm not sure," Evelyn confessed to him. "I can try, but they've hired someone else to replace me already."
"I don't want you to give up what you love."
"I know, but you know that I don't love my job as much as I love you, right?" she said and Bucky felt his chest ache for a moment at hearing her say that. His gaze softened and he realised that was perhaps the most romantic thing his wife had said to him. He was usually the romantic one. Evelyn didn't entirely know how to be flirty or whisper sweet nothings to him. But then occasionally she would say things that made blood rush to his heart.
Lifting his right hand up, he cupped her cheek and bowed his head until his lips were pressed against hers. He kissed her tenderly, pressure varying against her lips as he did his best not to get too carried away. Evelyn moved against him, straddling his lap and brushing her fingers into his hair, her chest pressed flush against his. She pulled back after a moment and let her forehead rest against his.
"I love you," he said to her.
"I love you too," she replied earnestly. "We'll work through this, alright? Just be honest with me, Bucky. That's all I want."
He nodded his head and swallowed hard. "I will be," he promised her.
She nodded and went back to kissing him, content in his grip for the time being as she wondered just what the future held for the pair of them.
...
A/N: So I am back! I am thinking of some filler chapters before Thunderbolts comes out and we get more Bucky! Not sure if anyone would be interested in this continuing into then, but do let me know!