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Chapter Text

It was only 9 a.m. and already the day was too long for Noemi Arnaud. As liaison to the Avengers, her days were always chaotic trying to herd the group of heroes. She could often be heard saying that cats were more cooperative than the team. Trying to get mission reports written, signed, and filed on time could have been a full-time job all on its own. In her office, she was preparing a stack of said reports to bring up to the team--and threaten bodily harm if they didn’t sign--when her phone rang.

She cursed when she saw the familiar contact and picked up, “Bonjour, Maman.” Her mother immediately started to speak about the weekend and her coming home. Noemi hated that she had to cancel on her family again, but this job took up all of her time and her relationship with her family wasn’t great to begin with. As soon as she told her mother that she wasn’t going to make it, the guilting began. What she wouldn’t do for a drink right now, as she rubbed her brow, “You’ll just have to tell Mamé that I’m sorry. Mom, you know how my job is. I’ve worked too hard to throw it all away, ok?” She rubbed her brow as listened to her mother speak, “I have no doubt that Papa is angry.”

A knock at the door drew her attention and she saw Steve standing in the entryway looking apologetic. She beckoned him in as she tried to hang up the phone, “I have to go. Yeah. No, I’m not going to do that! No. Sorta. Mom! No. Bye.”

He sat down in the chair on the other side of her desk, “Family?”

“Yeah, sorry about that. Bit of damage control since I’m not going home for my grandmother’s birthday.”

“They tell you to quit?”

“Only every day.”

“I need a favor,” Noemi shot him a look and Steve rubbed his brow, “I know. I know. But there’s a trainee that needs to be let go. I don’t care how, but we’ve agreed he can’t be in the field anymore.”

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Noemi had to put the file sorting on hold and head out to the range where the trainee agents were being taught…or tortured, depending on who you spoke to. She was reading the file on Trainee Tyler Adams and was shocked at how many chances the man had been given. Making her way over to the platform, she groaned when she realized that it was Bucky overseeing training at the moment. The dark-haired man was known for making her life difficult and her patience was already dangerously thin today, “Sorry to interrupt.”

He didn’t even look her way, “Then don’t.”

“Steve sent me. The sooner you help me, the sooner I’ll be out of your hair,” she handed him the file, “I need to speak to you and Tyler Adams.”

“Adams!” Bucky barked, making Noemi jump, “Front and center!”

She watched a man break off from the group and sauntered over. The man practically reeked of pretension. She drew her shoulders back, preparing for what was sure to be a difficult conversation. Noemi cleared her throat, “Mr. Adams, I’ve been tasked with informing you that you are no longer eligible for the Avengers trainee program.” The smarmy grin fell from the man’s face and was replaced with pure rage. Oh, Steve was going to owe her so many coffees after this, “Multiple reports and complaints have been made against you and there has been an agreement by your superiors that you no longer are fit for the Avengers.” His face was growing redder and redder as Noemi continued to speak, “You’ll have the weekend to collect your things.”

She turned to walk away. This was not the first time she had done this for Steve and it followed a common pattern. “Don’t do it,” she muttered under her breath, “Don’t do it.”

“You poisonous bitch!” The range fell silent as everyone stopped to watch the drama unfold. She knew that was going to get around the compound so quickly. She had developed a reputation for her firings and the universe must hate her because no one else was treated this way when letting people go. “You can’t fire me! What authority do you even hold? You’re just the Avenger’s pet. Probably sleeping with all of them to keep your job.”

Bucky stepped forward to speak, but Noemi shook her head. She turned back to Tyler, “I recommend that you cease this tirade of yours…immediately.”

“Just because you have no semblance of a life outside of this place. Maybe if you spent less of that time on your back—“

Noemi cut him off, “Listen carefully, Mr. Adams, I didn’t decide that you were fired. Captain Rogers did. You were fired because you’re lazy, entitled, incompetent and you spend more time creeping on the women around you than you do training. That offer to have the weekend to remove your things has been rescinded. Consider yourself removed effective immediately. I would start packing your things now. You have one hour before I send the Iron Legion to throw your ass out.”

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Noemi had gone back to her office after the blowout on the gun range and locked the door, spending the rest of her day sorting through documents. She knew she shouldn’t hide away, but she’d experienced the whispers that surrounded her after a firing before and it wreaked havoc on her. As it neared 6 o’clock, she finally decided to head up to the residential floor with the stack of mission reports. She found Nat, Clint, Steve, and Sam sitting around the kitchen island. She dropped the files onto the counter, “Alright, ladies and gents, take your pick and sign them. I will not ask again.” They grumbled, but Noemi was unsympathetic.

Nat put a hand on her shoulder, “We heard about what happened with Adams. Did you really threaten him with the Iron Legion?”

“Only after he implied I was sleeping with all of you. You guys are much too needy for me.”

Before the others could retort, Steve and Tony walked into the living space, both with frowns on their faces. The latter spoke up, “Noemi, we have some bad news. Do you remember when we had to convince the United States government not to deport you when you left for Sokovia while your visa application was being processed?”

Noemi nodded, “Yes, I do. I’m very grateful that you managed that. I should be fine now. I even got permission to go home for the weekend.”

“Well, it seems that you missed a deadline to file some necessary paperwork. They already didn’t love giving you a second chance. There’s no chance of another one. I’m afraid you have to go back to France for a year and then you can reapply.” Everyone in the room was shocked and missed Bucky exiting the elevator. He caught the tail end of the conversation as everyone else was voicing their displeasure.

She was biting her lip, as her mind whirled. She immediately jumped into fix-it mode, “Okay, well, it’ll be difficult, but I can work remotely for a year.”

Tony sighed, “Unfortunately, if you’re deported, you can’t work for an American company.”

Noemi sagged in defeat and everyone stood around looking sad. Bucky’s mind shot back to a movie that Sam had forced him to see and before his brain could catch up to his mouth, he walked over to her and slid a hand around her waist, “Doll, it’ll all be okay. You don’t have to hide it anymore.” He leaned down to whisper in her ear, before kissing the side of her head, “Play along.” He turned back to the other, “We didn’t think we’d have to tell you all quite so soon…or like this. We are engaged!”

Chapter Text

As soon the announcement was made, the room exploded in confusion. Nat was asking for details on how they hooked up with a smirk on her face. Clint was recovering from choking on his coffee. Steve was looking less than convinced and a little hurt that neither of them had told them. Tony was demanding answers on how they’d kept it all hidden and Sam could be heard over the others, “But, you hate each other!”

Bucky rolled his eyes, “There’s a thin line between love and hate. We teeter back and forth, don't we Pumpkin? We didn’t know how to tell you we were dating and so we just kept it a secret. Then I proposed and we’ve been trying to figure out how to tell you. The deportation definitely threw a curveball.”

Noemi gave a tight smile, hating lying to everyone, “So, yeah…the truth is, you know, Bucky and I, we…we are just two people who weren’t meant to fall in love, but did.”

“How long has this been going on?” Steve was shocked.

Bucky looked down into Noemi’s eyes and could see the worry in her eyes. Thankfully, he was quick on his feet, “9 months. I know it’s fast, but I’ve spent enough of my life waiting for good things.”

Tony clapped his hands, “Well, fantastic! Noemi, I do want it noted that I think you can do better. But, if Manchurian Candidate is the reason that we get to keep you around, then I will pay for the whole damned wedding. Let’s get this dealt with sooner rather than later.”

Steve was the first to hug and congratulate them. He laughed, “It makes a lot more sense why you didn’t want to go see your family now. Couldn’t explain why you were taking Buck with you.”

Noemi let out a painful half-laugh, “Right, my family.”

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As soon as Noemi got the chance she dragged Bucky into an empty room. “What the hell was that,” she demanded.

He shrugged, “That was me saving your ass.”

“I'm not sure I understand what just happened.”

Bucky spoke slowly, like she was an idiot, “We. Are. Going. To. Get. Married. So that you can keep your job.”

Noemi’s mind was going about a million miles an hour. She’d gone from being a deportee to Bucky’s fiance in the span of about two minutes and her brain was playing catch up, “Why do this for me?”

He shrugged, “Not like anyone is going to marry the Winter Soldier. Plus, I like the idea of you being eternally in my debt.” Noemi just glared at Bucky as he gave her a shit-eating grin, “I just need one more thing from you and then I will gladly be your hubby.”

She was wary, “What?”

“I need you to propose.” Noemi let out a barking laugh, “I am not proposing to you.” Bucky just shrugged and started to walk away. She cursed under her breath, “Wait!” Killing the smug bastard in her head over and over again, she managed to choke out, “Will you marry me?”

“That’s not a very good proposal.”

Y/N was now stabbing him multiple times in her mind as she held out her hand, needing some assistance in her heels. Bucky put his left hand out and she gripped it tightly as she got down on one knee, “James Buchanan Barnes, will you marry me?”

He tilted his head to the side and just said, “You look good on your knees.” With that, he turned and walked away, leaving her to stand up and grab the files back from the kitchen.

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She really wished that this was all a bad dream. image At the immigration offices, Noemi and Bucky were waiting to file their paperwork, when someone called her name and told them they had to come with them. The duo was now in a room full of boxes. Bucky was in one of the chairs, while Noemi paced back and forth. Eventually, there was a knock at the door and a man entered, introducing himself, “Hi, I’m Mr. Gilbertson. Sorry about the wait, it’s a crazy day today.”

Noemi tried to smile kindly and took a seat next to Bucky, “Oh, of course, of course, we understand, and I can’t tell you how much we appreciate you seeing us on such short notice.

The officer settled down across from the two of them and cleared his throat, “So, I have one question for you. Are you both committing fraud to avoid Ms. Arnaud’s deportation so she can keep her position as liaison to the Avengers?”

Noemi thought she was going to be sick, but Bucky kept his cool. He scoffed and put his hand on her thigh and squeezed, “That;’s ridiculous. Where did you hear that?”

“We had a phone tip this afternoon from a man named…” he flipped through the file, “Tyler Adams.” 

Noemi cursed under her breath. She knew that news traveled fast at the compound, but this was damned impressive. There was no backing out now. If Tyler knew about the engagement, then so did everyone else. While she was lost in thought, Bucky sighed, voice full of false sympathy, “Tyler, poor Ty. I’m sorry, but he is nothing but a disgruntled former employee. If you just give us our next step, we will be out of your hair and on our way.”

The immigration agent looked less than impressed, “Let me explain to you the process that’s about to unfold: Step one will be a scheduled interview. I’ll put you each in a room, and I’ll ask you every little question that a real couple would know about each other. Step two: I dig deeper, I look at your phone records, I talk to your neighbors, I interview your coworkers. If your answers don’t match up at every point, Ms. Arnaud will be deported indefinitely. And you, sir, will have committed a felony punishable by a fine of $250,000 and a stay of five years in federal prison. So, James, you wanna talk to me?”

Bucky was unbothered by the threats and moved his hand from her thigh to grip her hand, “The truth is Mr. Gilbertson…the truth is we are just two people who weren’t supposed to fall in love, but did. We couldn’t tell anyone we work with because at one point she was in love with my best friend and everyone knew about it. We needed to make sure this was real.” It took every ounce of patience for Noemi to not take her heel and jam it right into the fleshy part of Bucky’s foot.

“Best friend?”

“Yes, Steve Rogers. You know, Captain America. We both felt it best that we keep it private.” Bucky gave a cloyingly sweet smile, “Plus, my sweet fiancé here really likes the taboo of sneaking around. Isn’t that right, doll?”

Noemi gave him a tight smile, speaking through her gritted teeth, “That’s right, honey.” She was going to rip that vibranium arm right off of his body and beat him with it. No one was going to stop her. She’d kill him, return to France, and the satisfaction would be worth it.

“So, have you two told your parents about your secret love?”

“Well, all of my family is long dead, But, we will actually be going to France for Noemi’s grandmother’s 90th birthday. It’s a surprise.”

Mr. Gilbertson raised an eyebrow, “France?”

Bucky nodded, “That’s in Europe.”

“Thank you, Mr. Barnes,” he deadpanned, “I know where France is. We don’t usually let people in Ms. Arnuad’s position take trips out of the country.”

“Of course, but because of her work with the Avengers, she’s been given a little leeway.”

Both of them couldn’t help but share a look at that point, amused by the throbbing vein over the agent’s eye, “Where in France?”

“In—” Bucky realized he didn't know the answer, “You know what? Why am I doing all the talking?” He brought their conjoined hands up and kissed the back of her hand, “Doll, why don’t I give you a chance to speak.”

Noemi cleared her throat so that her voice was steady, “Colmar. It’s close to the German border.”

“Ok, fine, I see how this is gonna go,” Mr. Gilbertson closed the file and handed them a piece of paper, “I will see you both in two weeks for your scheduled interview, and your answers better match up on every account.”

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On the ride back to the compound, neither of them spoke a word. Noemi’s mind moving a mile a minute. They pulled in and Bucky broke the silence, “I know it’s last minute, but I think we should see if Tony will loan us one of the jets to Paris. Take a train from there.” She couldn’t believe how calm Bucky was being.

Noemi spun to her left to look at him, hitting him, even though it was his vibranium shoulder and it definitely hurt her more than him, “I’m sorry, but were you not in that room?”

“What! What? Oh, the thing about you and Steve? Yeah, he completely fell for it.”

“Believe you, me, we will get back to that little thing. I, however, am talking about the $250,00 fine and five years in jail. That changes things.” Bucky just waved a hand, “It’ll be fine. I got pardoned for much worse things. This will be nothing. Now, you should get packing. We leave in two days.” With that, he got out of the car like it was any other normal Wednesday.

Noemi dropped her head to dash, not caring that she was going to have a mark in the middle of her forehead.

Chapter Text

Finally, it was Friday and the fake couple was on one of Tony’s jets to Paris. Noemi’s mother had been ecstatic when she had got a call saying that not only was her daughter coming home, but she was also bringing a partner.

On the jet, Bucky and Noemi sat across from each other. She pulled a piece of paper out of her purse, “So, these are the questions that INS is gonna ask us. The good news is, I know everything about you, but the bad news is that you have two weeks to learn all this about me. So, you should probably get studying.”

Bucky pulled the paper towards him and quirked an eyebrow, “You know all the answers to these questions about me?” She nodded, but he didn’t believe her, “What is my favorite food?”

“Plums.”

“Allergies?”

“Pine nuts…and the full spectrum of human emotion.”

He glared at her as his eyes continued down the list, “Why do you know all this?”

Noemi shrugged her shoulders, acting like what she was about to share wasn’t a big deal, “I was the one that helped Steve get you the pardon. One of the big things we did was compile everything we could about you to prove that you were more than the weapon HYDRA forced you to be. Plus, Steve just liked talking about you.” Bucky huffed in disbelief, it was difficult to believe that the woman with who he was always arguing had done so much to help him. She could see that he was confused and grinned, “You didn’t really think that Steve, who jumps every time the copier turns on, compiled all that paperwork by himself?”

“Why would you do that?”

“Because, I heard Steve talk about you so often and couldn’t imagine that the same guy who always had his back had become the Winter Soldier out of choice. I knew there had to be more to you than just what HYDRA had made you. Although that was before I knew how much of a pain in the ass you are.”

Bucky just stared at her for a moment. His eyes burned into Noemi before he cleared his throat and looked back down at the paper, “Whose place do we stay at, yours or mine?”

“That’s easy, mine.”

“And why wouldn’t we stay at mine?”

“Because you live at the compound and I have a house.” They continued to go back and forth until they landed in Paris, having spent the majority of their time laughing and making digs at each other. Both were marveling at the fact that they were getting along at all. They soon boarded the train for the final leg of their journey. She had paid so that they were in the nicest car, giving them both the space to spread their legs out.

They sat in comfortable silence, Bucky reading The Hobbit and Noemi looking out the window, listening to music. It had been years since she had been home and it was an odd experience to see such familiar scenery. The rocking of the train started to lull her and it didn’t take long for her to fall asleep, her head falling against his shoulder. Bucky flinched when she first came in contact with him but didn’t want to wake her so he settled back against the seat, letting her sleep.

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When the announcement came over the intercom that they were going to arrive soon, Bucky slowly shook Noemi awake. He chuckled at how embarrassed she looked, letting out a small oof when she elbowed him in the stomach. As they pulled into the station, he easily picked out her family. They were practically vibrating with excitement and as soon as Noemi stepped off the train, she was enveloped in a hug by her mother and grandmother. Her mother cupped her face, “It’s so good to see you!”

Her grandmother laughed, “You’re suffocating her, Charlotte. Come here.” Noemi dropped a kiss onto her Mamé’s cheek and looked around, asking where her father was. Her grandmother rolled her eyes, “Oh, you know your father, he’s always working. Never mind about him, Where’s your beau?”

She turned around and found Bucky standing awkwardly behind them, their bags at his feet. She took pity on him and held out her hand, ignoring the flutter in her chest as their fingers interlocked, “James, this is my mom, Charlotte. And this is my Mamé, Delphine.” She nearly fell on the floor when Bucky started speaking client French as he shook their hands.

Her grandmother grinned mischievously, “Bonjour, now, do you prefer being called James or Satan? We’ve heard it both ways. Actually, we’ve heard it lots of ways.”

Noemi wished the ground would swallow her whole and laughed awkwardly, “She’s kidding.”

Bucky grinned, knowing he was going to tease her about this later. He smiled charmingly at Delphine, kissing the back of her hand, “Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of this weekend.

The older woman giggled and patted his cheek affectionately, ignoring her granddaughter who was rolling her eyes in the corner, “You’re very welcome and we’re thrilled to have you. Let’s get you two back to the house.”

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As they drove through the town, Bucky realized that most of the shops had Arnaud written on the signs. He leaned over, brushing his nose against her ear, making it look like he was flirting with her, “You neglected to tell me that you’re some French Kennedy?”

Noemi turned to look at him, their noses nearly touching, as she whispered back, “How do you know who the Kennedys are? Is Sam right? You killed JFK?” He dug his finger into her side, making her jump, in retaliation to her sarcasm.

He decided to speak louder so that the other occupants of the car could hear, “You didn’t tell me about all the family businesses, doll.”

Her grandmother laughed, “She was probably just being modest, dear.”

As they took a turn, Noemi’s brow furrowed, “Why aren’t we going to the hotel?”

Mamé turned around to give her a disapproving look, “We canceled that reservation. You know better than to think we’d let you stay anywhere but the house. Family doesn’t stay in hotels.” Noemi fell back against the seat, her arms crossed and bottom lip stuck out slightly. Bucky didn’t have time to tease her as they took a turn. His eyes widened as they drove through the entrance to the estate and through the vineyard as they pulled up to a massive house. He turned to look at her, but Noemi refused to meet his gaze.

Instead, she climbed out of the car, distracted by the people standing up on the patio above them. She whirled around, “Maman, what is going on?”

Her mother grinned, “Nothing, it’s just a little welcoming party. Is that a crime?”

“No, but it may force me to commit one.”

Mamé Delphine ignored her granddaughter and wrapped her arm around Bucky’s arm, letting him escort her towards the house, “It’s just 50 of our closest friends and neighbors, and all excited to meet you.”

Chapter Text

The house was filled with people and Noemi pulled Bucky aside, asking if he would be alright. While he had made great strides since escaping from HYDRA’s clutches, he still did not do well with being overstimulated. She knew how overwhelming her family could be and dreaded they might do something embarrassing or triggering. He nodded, assuring her he’d be fine. They couldn’t talk anymore before they were pulled away by friends and family all greeting Noemi.

Bucky thought it was odd how excited everyone was to see her, but he realized he couldn’t remember a time she was away from the Avengers. He stuck close to Mamé Delphine as she introduced him to every person they came across. Keeping a close eye on Noemi, he tracked her movements. When he lost her for a moment, he scanned around and found her standing in the corner involved in a very tense conversation with an older man. He could tell that she was trying to keep her cool, but her emotions were getting the best of her and she was starting to gesture wildly. “Your what?” The older man roared and Bucky immediately tensed, ready to cross the room and pull Y/N to safety.

Everyone else had tuned in and heard her announcement, “Fiancé. Bucky proposed and I said yes.”

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While Bucky had been stuck to her grandmother’s side, Noemi had been making her rounds. “Mrs. David. How are you? Nice to see you, Mr. David.”

“Noemi, I’ve always been curious. What do you do as a liaison to the Avengers?”

A deep voice spoke behind her, making her tense, “That’s a great question, Adele. I’m curious to know the answer myself.”

Noemi took a deep breath and spun around, “Hello, Papa.”

“So why don’t you tell us exactly what a liaison does. From the description, it sounds like a glorified secretary who just runs around after the Avengers, cleaning up their messes.”

Before she could retort, her father walked off. She was left to apologize for his rudeness before storming after her father, “Excellent impression, Papa. Definitely a great conversationalist.”

He tugged her into a hallway, away from the groups, “What the hell, Noemi? You show up here after all this time with this man, who’s a war criminal, I might add. And now he’s your boyfriend?”

She snagged a glass of wine off a passing tray, “We just got here, can we wait two seconds before we throw the kitchen sink at each other?

He took a long sip from his glass, “Just never figured you for a woman who slept her way to the middle. “He’s your meal ticket, and you brought him home to meet your mother”

“You did not just say that to me. For your information, he’s not a meal ticket. I will have you know that that man in there is one of the most amazing men I’ve ever met. And he was exonerated. He was tortured and used as a weapon against his will for decades, so don’t you dare say those ignorant things about him. That’s my fiance you’re talking about.”

“Your what!” he roared.

Everyone else turned to them and Noemi’s anger was driving her. Normally, she would never make such a big announcement in front of others, but at that moment she didn’t care, “Fiance. Bucky proposed and I said yes.”

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The room immediately exploded with congratulations and somehow, Bucky and Noemi were maneuvered into the center of the room. Questions surrounded them from all sides. Her grandmother spoke up, “James, how did you propose?”

Noemi immediately tried to interject, “Oh that—he—no.” Bucky grinned and she was scared to see how excited he was to tell whatever story he concocted. For someone who hated crowds, he knew how to draw them in. “Working for the Avengers means that Noemi spends a lot of her time chasing down people. She works crazy hours and so trying to figure out a time where she wasn’t working was the hardest part. So I had to bribe everyone to be extra helpful, so that she had time off. I knew that she had been itching for me to propose.”

Noemi was enthralled as everyone else was. Bucky’s voice had always sent a shiver down her spine, but Bucky speaking French was downright sinful. When she realized what he was going to try and embarrass her, she smirked and decided that two could play at that game, “James was as frightened as a little bird. You’d never know it, but he’s a real softy.”

“Anyway…” Bucky glared at her, “There are very few places in the world that are truly peaceful and I’m so lucky that she and I share one. There’s a small lake on the edge of the compound—“ Noemi’s head shot up in shock. She didn’t think anyone else knew about her place and was shocked to know that Bucky also went there. “–What i was really worried about was that she might find this little box…

“Oh! The decoupaged box that he made. Where he’d taken the time to cut out tiny, little pictures of himself, yes. Just pasted it all over the box. Oh! So beautiful. So I opened that beautiful little decoupage and out fluttered these tiny, little hand-cut heart confetti, and once they cleared, I looked down, and I saw…the most beautiful, big–”

“—fat nothing. No ring.”

Her grandmother’s brow furrowed, “No ring?”

“No, But inside that box…underneath all that crap…there was a little handwritten note telling her to go to our spot. Real Humphrey Bogart-type stuff. Masculine. Anyway, naturally, Noemi thought…”

She cut in again, “I thought he was seeing someone else. He and Steve have always been so close after all.” If Bucky could announce to the immigration agent that she was in love with Steve, what stopped her from making the same claims, “It was a terrible time for me, but I went anyway. I went there and I was so angry. I get to the lake and there are lights strung up and he’s waiting for me. There he was…”

“Standing.”

“Kneeling.”

“Like a man.”

“On a bed of rose petals, in a tuxedo. And he was choking back soft, soft sobs. And he held back the tears and when he finally caught his breath, he asked me to marry him.”

Her mother smiled awkwardly, “What a lovely and elaborate proposal…I think.”

Someone asked Noemi what she had thought about it all, “I was—I was absolutely in shock. He and I spent so long at each other’s throats. One day, I just started to see him differently. To see him plan such a special moment in our own private place just told me everything I needed to know. He’s truly a good man and any woman would be lucky to marry him.”

“Hey! Let’s see a kiss from you two cuties. Give her a kiss!” Everyone around them cheered. Bucky gestured half-heartedly and kissed Noemi on the cheek. “What is this? Kiss her on the mouth like you mean it.” Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her! They quickly pecked but the family didn’t think it was enough. Bucky grew frustrated and pulled her into him. She tensed at first, but his whole body was warm and she’d be lying if she said he wasn’t a good kisser. Her brain had short-circuited and when they pulled apart, she was in a daze. The family was all around clapping and congratulating them.

Noemi was convinced this trip couldn’t get any worse. She was seriously considering texting Tony and requesting an emergency jet ride home. Unfortunately for her, the universe had other plans. She tried to pull him away to a private place and tell him she couldn’t do this, but a man appeared in front of the couple, “Noemi, bonjour.”

“Louis?” She pulled her hand out of Bucky’s to hug the other man, “Oh my god, hey, hi, wow, how are you doing? I didn’t know that you were gonna be here.”

“Oh well, your mom probably wanted it to be a surprise, so…surprise.” Noemi just nodded, wondering if the devil would mind taking her now. Just open up the ground and swallow her whole.

“We’re being completely rude,” He turned to Bucky and held out his hand.

“Oh, God,” she whispered to herself before turning, “This is my ex, Louis.”

“I just wanted to give my congratulations to the two of you.” They both thanked him and before the awkward conversation could continue, they heard someone call Y/N’s name.

A young woman flew across the room and jumped into Noemi's arms. The two of them began speaking rapidly in French. So quickly, that Bucky couldn’t keep up. He could tell that they were clearly related though and remembered her mentioning a sister. Anyone who saw the two girls would know that they were related. Finally, the younger girl turned to him and gave a once over, “So, this is the boyfriend? Bravo!”

“Bridgette…” Noemi didn’t look that much older than her sister. However, Bridgette had an exuberance that her sister did not. Working with the Avengers and seeing how damaged the world was had added weight to Y/N’s shoulders. Her sister was practically bouncing in place, having yet to stop moving since she first appeared.

“Hi, I’m Noe’s younger sister.”

“Yeah, I kinda figured,” Bucky was growing tired just watching Bridgette, “It’s nice to meet you. And technically, I’m not the boyfriend…I’m the fiance.” Noemi groaned when she saw her sister’s eyes light up and she finished off the wine in her glass.

Chapter Text

By the time that party ended, it was dark outside and both Noemi and Bucky were dead on their feet. They were led up the stairs by her mother and grandmother. Charlotte opened the door to a beautiful bedroom overlooking the vineyard. “So here we are! This is your bedroom.”

Bucky looked at the bed and couldn’t wait to collapse into it. Noemi cleared her throat, “Alright, I’m gonna head to my room.”

Her mother laughed, “Ma puce, we’re not under any illusions that you two don’t sleep in the same bed. You’ll sleep in here with Bucky. Besides, your old bedroom is your grandmother’s studio now.”

Bucky was cackling internally at how pained Noemi looked. He wrapped an arm around her, “Oh, great, cause we love to snuggle. Don’t we, doll?

“Oh yeah, we’re huge snugglers.”

“By the way, there are extra towels and linens and things in here if you need them. And if you get chilly tonight, use this,” her grandmother picked up a quilt, “It has special powers.”

Bucky eyed it warily. He’d been around enough things that could only be classified as mythological, “What kind of special powers?”

“I call it the baby maker.”

“Ok!” He chucked it over the back of a chair, ignoring Noemi snickering behind him, “Well, then I guess we are gonna be super careful with that one.”

Her family wished them goodnight, leaving them to stand awkwardly in the room. Noemi headed into the bathroom to start unpacking her toiletries and get changed. Bucky called after her as he lounged on the bed, “You haven’t been home in awhile.”

“I haven’t had a lot of vacation time in the last few years. You guys keep destroying shit which means mounds of paperwork for me,” her head popped out from behind the door, “Don’t look, ok?”

Bucky nodded his head, but opened one eye before she dove under the covers. Silky and short were the best way to describe what she was wearing and he couldn’t stop the little voice inside from saying that Noemi looked hot. “Those are the pajamas you decide to bring?”

“Yes, because I was supposed to be in a hotel alone. Remember?” Bucky laughed as he rolled off the bed and started to make a bed on the floor. She popped her head up, “What are you doing?”

“Going to sleep.”

“On the floor? We’ve been in cars, trains, and planes today. Get your ass in the bed.” Bucky looked unsure and Noemi sighed, “I mean, if you want to sleep on the floor that’s not any of my business.”

“Fine,” he threw the blankets back on the bed and climbed into the other side of the bed. She took the pillows and made a wall between, ignoring the unimpressed look Bucky shot her. Getting used to sleeping in comfort had been difficult for him. He’d spent months strewn on the floor, not able to take the sensory overload that came from being in the bed. Sam and Steve had both assured him that that was not unique to him and slowly he had gotten used to the comfort. He had entered his room one day, to find a mat rolled out underneath the blanket he usually slept on. A couple days after that, a weighted blanket had been waiting for him by his apartment door. Then, he’d received a gift basket full of nighttime teas, aromatherapy, and a nightlight. Bucky had rolled his eyes at the basket, thinking that all of this was crazy.

After a particularly rough night, he had figured it wouldn’t hurt to try. Now, he didn’t need the TV on and the quiet wasn’t as suffocating. The scent of lavender was enough to remind his body that it was time to sleep. Not sleeping on the floor had been the biggest hurdle, but slowly everything else he had been gifted helped create a safe space. He had thanked Steve for the help, but the blond had insisted it wasn’t him. Convinced that his friend didn’t want to embarrass him, he had dropped the topic. After all, Steve was the only one who could possibly know that lavender reminded him of his mother and had been a comforting scent to him since childhood.

Speaking of lavender, the scent wafted over towards him, pulling him from his thoughts, “What is that?”

“Sorry, it’s my hand lotion. Is the smell bothering you?”

“No–no, it’s actually very comforting.” Thankfully, it was dark enough that Bucky couldn’t see the victorious smile on Noemi’s face. It seemed all of her gifts hadn’t gone to waste.

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It felt like Bucky had just fallen asleep when sharp ringing woke the both of them up. Noemi dove out of the bed trying to find her phone. He groaned and rolled over onto the pillows dividing them, “Answer your phone.”

“What do you think I’m trying to do?” Noemi snapped. Finally, she found it tucked into the side of her purse, “Hello? Oh! Hello, Senator Stern.” She rubbed her brow. God, it was way too early for this to be happening.

“Doll,” Bucky hissed. When she didn’t respond he chucked a pillow at her head, “Noemi! Go out on the balcony!”

“Just give me one second, sir,” she hurried out onto the balcony but didn’t close the door all the way. Bucky rolled over and listened as she went back and forth with the loathsome man. He could hear her getting angrier as the seconds passed. Finally, she let out a deep sigh, “I’m sorry, Senator, but the Avengers are not your personal slaves. They are human beings with rights of their own. There is a reason that the plans for the Accords didn’t work out and it was disbanded. Now, I’m on vacation. If you want to have this conversation in two weeks when I return, then you make an appointment.” Bucky sat up and watched as her jaw tensed and she rubbed her brow, “Yes, the rumors are true….Well, there’s a reason that we won that case and you didn’t.”

He watched as anger blazed through her eyes, “Listen, you little toad. I’m the liaison to these people. You want them, you have to go through me. So, I recommend you start acting with a little more respect. Goodbye.” She stormed back into the room, throwing her cell on the bed before going into the bathroom, slamming the bathroom door.

Chapter Text

After the disastrous call with the Senator, Noemi took her time getting ready for her morning. By the time she got out of the bathroom, Bucky had fallen back asleep and she decided to leave him there. Walking downstairs, the kitchen was in full swing. Her grandmother and sister were sitting at the table, while her mother was cooking up a feast. She greeted everyone before pouring a cup of coffee. “Where is your James?” Delphine asked.

“Still sleeping,” Noemi winced, “I kinda accidentally woke him up when I got a phone call this morning. Work never stops.”

“Yes, we heard the door slamming. Thought maybe you were fighting.” She shouldn’t have been surprised.

“Fighting already? Can’t say I’m surprised by the fact that that war criminal can’t control his anger.”

“Papa!”

“Bernard!”

Noemi’s attention was drawn by Bucky standing in the doorway looking awkward. She growled, “Can I speak to you?” Everyone in the kitchen sat around in silence as she stormed after her father. Even with the door closed, they heard everything. “How dare you!”

“How dare I? He’s the Winter Soldier!” Bucky flinched and went to turn and leave, but Delphine put her hand on his shoulder.

“No, he isn’t!” There was a moment of silence that felt like it went on for an eternity. The whole kitchen seemed to hold its breath. When Noemi spoke again, it was softer but still easily heard, “He’s just—he’s just Bucky. He’s quiet, and maybe he stares too much, but he’s witty and he’s clever as hell. And yes, he’s an idiot who’s accidentally put salt in his coffee more times than he should’ve. And that’s probably my fault because I keep switching the containers on him.”

Her father tried to stop her, “Noe…”

“No! You want to pass judgment without any basis in fact. Well, here’s the truth, Bucky is loyal to a fault. Even when he was in the deepest throws of HYDRA’s control, he still saved Steve. There’s no turning off his goodness. He’s the man who doesn’t believe that he deserves a second chance even though none of what happened was his fault. He was used and abused for decades, and even now when he’s free, he is still ridiculed by others. By you! I understand that you don’t like what I do and that you don’t support it. But I won’t hear you say these things. He is not the Winter Soldier. He is a good man who makes sacrifices for all those around him. Including me and that is why I agreed to marry him! So, you know what, no. You need to start acting better or we will leave and I won’t come back again,” Noemi didn’t even wait for a response before she walked away.

They heard a door slam as she left the house. Bucky could feel the other’s eyes on him, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from where she had left to defend him. words echoing over and over in his head. He didn’t even excuse himself before he escaped through the closest door, feeling more claustrophobic than ever before. He walked down to where he could see Noemi sitting on the hill overlooking the vineyard. They didn’t say anything for a long time. Finally, he cleared his throat, “Thank you. For defending me.”

“Please, don’t thank me. I should be apologizing for getting you into this mess.”

“I offered.”

“It’s just–” He waited for her to finish the thought, but she waved it away. She tried to act like nothing was weighing on her, “Nothing. Just forget about it.”

“Hey, don’t shut down on me.”

“I’m not.”

“Bullshit,” Bucky slung an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer, “You really should share these things with your fiancé.”

Noemi laughed softly and turned to look at him, “I’m sorry. It’s a complicated relationship and I’m just sorry that you got caught up in it.”

He pressed a kiss to her temple, both of them pretending that that was a totally normal thing for him to do to her, “There are always going to be people who think I’m lying and that I was a willing participant with HYDRA who managed to spin a good story. But I appreciate you standing up for me. With your father and with the entire US government.” Bucky saw her family watching in the window and pulled her up, “Now hug me. Your family is watching.”

She fought against it, “I don’t want to touch you.

“Come on, hug time”

She pouted, “No, I don’t want to.”

Bucky ignored her and wrapped his arms around her, “Oh, there we go, yeah, that’s nice.” His hand drifted down her butt, “There we go, isn’t that nice?” He squeezed, “Boop. Boop. Boop.”

Noemi pulled away and pointed her finger at him, “If you touch my ass one more time, I will cut your balls off in your sleep, ok?” Bucky nodded and she grinned, “Good, glad we’re on the same page.” With that she used the element of surprise and shoved him, laughing at the shocked look on his face.

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Delphine, Charlotte, and Bridgette stood at the window and watched as Bucky walked down the hill to sit beside Noemi. They watched as he pulled her close and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “I like him,” the older woman whispered to her daughter-in-law.

“I like him too. I don’t think she realizes how much that man adores her.” They burst into laughter as Noemi shoved Bucky away from her, the man rolling down away from her.

The couple eventually walked back up the hill and joined the three women in the kitchen, the trio pretending they hadn’t been watching the whole time. “So,” Bridgette drawled, “What’s the plan for the day?”

“I’d love to see more of the town,” Bucky said, “I haven’t been in France since the 40s.”

“Oh, perfect! There’s the Unterlinden Museum and the Bibliothèque municipale de Colmar. And of course, you’ll have to visit the Eglise Saint-Martin…” Bridgette continued to rattle on about all the options in the city and how they could take a day trip to Germany if they were interested.

Noemi could see that he was getting overwhelmed and decided to take pity, “Why don’t we do some of the things in town and then we can have a picnic at Base Nautique. We are still a little jet-lagged after all.” Her sister nodded enthusiastically and they quickly finished off breakfast and went to get ready for the day.

They were off within the hour, letting Bridgette drive as she rambled on about the history of the area. It was clear the young woman was very proud of Colmar and loved the place. She brought them around to shops and it seemed that she knew everyone in the area. Popping her head into shops just to greet people before continuing on. As soon as they had got out of the car, Bucky had grabbed Noemi’s hand with a wink. They’d stayed connected as they followed Bridgette. When she had to pop into a shop to pick up an order for Delphine, the couple stayed outside. Noemi smiled up at him, “Thank you for being so open-minded. I know it can all be overwhelming.”

Bucky squeezed her hand, “I really don’t mind. Yes, it is a lot, but your family is amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever heard so many people say that many nice things about one person and I’m best friends with Captain America. Plus, your sister reminds me of my eldest, little sister.”

“Rebecca, right?”

He smiled, but his eyes were misty as he remembered, “She was just like Bridgette. Always so full of energy, but the sweetest girl in the world.” Noemi surprised the both of them by wrapping her arms around Bucky’s neck, pulling him in for a hug. He wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her closer. If anyone was the definition of touch starved, it was Bucky Barnes and he savored the feeling of Noemi in his arms. She smelled faintly of lavender and the sundress she wore was soft underneath his hand. Actually, all of her was soft…and warm. It was a surprise to him. At the compound, she was all hard edges and ice. She had a reputation for being abrupt and cold as ice. For the first time, Bucky was seeing the real Noemi. The one who stood up for him when he thought Steve was the only one on his side. The one who apologized to him even when he was the one who started this whole mess. The one who was flouncing around in the damned sundress that was giving him some dangerous thoughts.

Their moment was cut off by Bridgette awwing behind them, “You guys are so cute! Bucky, you’ll have to tell me how you convinced Noemi to get married. She’s always been so against it.”

Oh…if looks could kill her sister would die a thousand fiery deaths!

Chapter Text

When they got back to the house from the picnic at the beach, the trio was exhausted. A few hours before dinner, they decided to all take a nap. Before they could head into the house, they heard Noemi’s name being called. When they turned, Louis was jogging up the driveway. Bucky took notice of how Bridgette seemed to perk up as he approached but was quickly distracted. Louis stopped in front of them, looking awkward, “Noemi, your father is looking for you.” She sighed and nodded. Quickly kissing Bridgette and Bucky’s cheeks, she told them to head up without her.

She found her father in the vineyard’s office, working like always, “You wanted to see me?”

“Your mom, she, uh…is a little peeved. Apparently, I wasn’t the most gracious of hosts since you’ve arrived. It was a little bit of a shock to find out that you’re getting married…especially when none of us even knew you were dating. The point is…I owe you an apology.”

Noemi nodded tersely, “Accepted.”

Bernard closed the book he was writing in and looked up, “There’s something else, I’ve been going over my retirement plans recently, and it got me thinking. I’ve done a lot of things in my life. Practically built an empire with your mother from the ground up. It doesn’t mean anything unless—”

She knew where this conversation was going and her teeth were already grinding together as she cut him off, “—Unless you have someone to leave it to. We’ve already discussed this.”

“I’d like to discuss it again! You have responsibilities here, I think I’ve been more than understanding, about you goofing off in New York, I need you to quit playing around.”

“Here we go again,” she couldn’t believe they were having to go this all over again. It was impossible to live up to what her father wanted because they’d never want the same things, “When are you going to start taking what I do seriously?”

“When you start acting seriously.”

“I’m sorry, I feel sorry for you, Papa. I wish you had another son, I really do. One who was healthy and wanted to stay here. One who wanted to take over the family business. One who wanted to marry someone that you approve of, but it’s not me. Now, it must seem strange to you, my life in New York…sitting in an office, dealing with paperwork and government officials. But it makes me happy, you understand?”

Bernard looked resigned for the moment, “If that’s what makes you happy. I have nothing to say.”

“Well, that’s a first. You know what? You can take your apology and shove it. Have fun out here.” Noemi headed up to her room and found Bucky already curled up in the bed half asleep. She kicked off her shoes and joined him.

When she finally settled, he turned and whispered, “So, I’m guessing that didn’t go well.”

“What makes you say that?”

“You’re tense. Very tense.”

“He’s just so–” she growled, “close-minded.” Bucky wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. Noemi raised her eyebrows, “What are you doing?”

“You comforted me earlier. Now shush and let me do the same.” It took her a moment, but soon she melted into the bed. It was partially due to the super-soldier serum, but Bucky produced a lot of heat and it helped to lull her. Soon, the duo was fast asleep without the pillow barrier between them.

Charlotte came upstairs about an hour later to find them tangled up in each other. They’d switch from spooning to Noemi laying partially on top of Bucky. One arm was thrown across his torso as her head rested on his chest. She’d thrown a leg over his and the vibranium hand was resting on her knee. Charlotte decided to leave them, but not before taking a hundred photos and texting them to nearly every person she knew. She took the blanket off of the chair and draped it over the sleeping pair before leaving the room.

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Sunlight peeking through the curtains woke Noemi up. She was very warm and super confused about where she was. Sitting up, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and turned to look at the sleeping Bucky next to her. He was still sound asleep and she took the time to marvel at how innocent he looked when he was asleep. His lashes were dark and long, just brushing his cheeks and his lips were parted slightly. His beard had grown slightly and his hair was sticking up. She remembered when he had chopped off his hair. It had been one of the last physical things tying him to his time in HYDRA and when he cut it, something had changed. While no one had ever denied that Bucky Barnes was handsome, without the hair to hide behind, he couldn’t hide. His bright blue eyes seemed to see everything and his cheekbones looked even sharper. Noemi let her finger trace along his jawline when a knock at the door made her jump.

“Room service!” Her mother called, interrupting her musings.“Breakfast for the happy couple!”

Noemi shook him and whispered frantically, “Bucky! Bucky! Bucky! My mother is at the door.”

He grumbled, “Okay, and?”

Realizing what was on top of them, she gasped? “Oh, god! Why is the Baby Maker on the bed!”

“I’m awake!” Bucky shot up, his hair sticking in every direction. He called out, “Just a second!” They threw the Baby Maker on the floor and crawled underneath the blankets that were safe and didn’t aid in the conception of unwanted spawn. They tried to look comfortable with each other when Noemi felt something against her ass and glared at Bucky accusingly. He looked annoyed, “I’m sorry. It’s morning.

“What do you mean ‘it’s morning’?”

They were taking too long and her mother knocked again, calling through the door, “Are you ok?”

“Yep! Come on in. Everything is fine.”

Her mother and grandmother came in with a tray for breakfast, “We thought we’d bring you breakfast in bed. You fell asleep before dinner and we figured that you’d be hungry.”

“Oh, you shouldn’t have gone to that trouble,” Bucky’s stomach growled and he looked embarrassed.

Delphine waved him off, “Oh, you’re family now. It’s not a problem. Now, today is going to be a bit boring. So take the day to laze around. We just wanted to let you know so that you don’t feel left out.”

Noemi smiled at them, “You guys don’t have to entertain us. We can keep ourselves busy.”

“Okay, we will leave you two be to enjoy your breakfast. Maybe take it out on the balcony. There’s a little table out there.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They decided to take them up on that idea and set their breakfast up on the balcony. After the way they had woken up, there was as a sense of awkwardness around the duo. They ate in relative silence. Eventually, Bucky broke and asked Noemi to take him on a tour of the grounds.

She led Bucky through a tour of the vineyards, explaining how they worked. It didn’t take any special training to see that she spoke with an air of detachment. The entire time her voice was monotone, like she’d been forced to echo this information time and time again. By the time they got back to the house, it was past lunchtime. Taking a deep breath, Noemi turned to him, “I need to check-in and do some things for work. Sorry I won’t be very entertaining.”

Realizing that she needed some time alone, he waved her off, “I’m actually going to go for a run. I’ll see you later.” As he ran, his mind wandered. It was clear that there was a lot of unspoken history between Noemi and the rest of her family. Maybe if they were actually engaged or in a relationship, it was a conversation they should have. He hated being in the dark but knew he wasn’t in any position to demand more from her.

Before Bucky realized it, he’d run the perimeter of the entire vineyard and looped back to the main house. As he did his cool down, Louis appeared beside him, “Hey! How are you holding up?

Oh, fine, fine,” Bucky looked up at the cloudy sky, “Just working on my tan.”

Louis laughed, “Yeah, the Arnauds can be a bit overwhelming at times.” Bucky laughed softly and nodded. “It’s a little different than New York, yeah?”

“Little bit. You ever been?

“No,” the blond shrugged, “That was always Noemi’s dream, not mine.

“You guys were pretty serious then?

“Well, I mean we dated in lycée and all through university, but we were kids.”

Bucky knew he was being nosy, but the spy part of him was dying from all the unanswered questions that Noemi skirted around, “And you guys called it off because of… “

“She never told you?” Bucky shook his head and Louis chuckled, “Well, uh…the night before we graduated school, I proposed. She wanted to elope and run away to New York. And…” he drifted off.

Bucky filled in the blanks, “She said no.”

“She said no. I’ve never been anywhere but here. This is home. But anyway, you’re a lucky guy. Being loved, really loved, by an Arnaud is something else, which I’m sure you already know.”

“Oh, yep, yep, very much so, yeah.”

“Well, congratulations again. I have to run and do some work for Bernard.” Bucky nodded and watched as the man walked off, his mind filling with more questions than he had answered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bucky was lost in his own little world and when he went back up to the room and didn’t see Noemi, he figured she was with her grandmother. He started stripping his clothes, deciding to take a long shower.

Inside the bathroom, Noemi was taking her sweet time. She’d just finished shaving her legs and now was washing the conditioner out of her hair. As she climbed out, she realized she forget one crucial thing, “Towel…towel, towel, towel. Forgot a towel.” Flinging the door open to get an extra towel, she ran directly into a very naked Bucky who had had the same idea. They collided and fell onto the floor, Noemi laying on top of him. Both of them were screaming. She was trying to get up, “Why are you naked?? My god!!”

Bucky’s head was sore from where it has smacked on the floor and he groaned, “Oh, god. Why are you wet?”

She slapped a hand over his eyes, still very much naked and laying on top of him, “Don’t look at me.”

“I don’t understand. Why are you wet?”

“Why are you naked?" He tried to move and she dug her fingers into his face, "I said, don’t look at me.” Bucky replaced her hand with his as she scrambled off of him and wrapped a towel around her. As he stood up, her eyes unintentionally drifted down and then shot up to the ceiling, “Oh, god! You’re showing everything. Cover it up for the love of God!” She tossed a towel at him and he quickly wrapped it around his waist. “Explain yourself please,” she demanded.

“Explain myself? What are you even doing home? Then you just…jump me out of nowhere? What’s that?”

“I did…I didn’t mean to jump you. I was getting a towel…You know what, never mind. Just go take your shower!”

Before Bucky closed the door, he turned around and smirked, “Nice tattoo, by the way.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They had been awkward around each other for the rest of the day. Between waking up in each other’s arms and seeing the other naked, neither knew where to begin. By the time nighttime fell, they were lying silently beside each other. Finally, Bucky broke the silence, “So…so naked.”

Noemi wanted to die from embarrassment, “Can we, uh, not talk about that, please?

“Just saying…so, what’s the deal with you and your father?

“Ooh, I’m sorry. That question is not in the binder.”

Oh really?” Bucky snarked, “Well, I thought you were the one that said we need to learn all this…

“Not about that, I didn’t.”

“But if the guy asks us…”

“No,” Noemi snapped, “Not about that, James. Good night.” The awkward silence came back and she started to feel bad for snapping, “I like the psychic Network.”

Bucky was confused, “What?”

“Not in the ha ha, isn’t that funny, she likes that trash" kind of way. I actually quite enjoy it — My favorite book is The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. It’s the story of a porcelain rabbit who learns to love and I cry like a baby each time I read it — I haven’t slept with anyone in a year and a half — I’m scared of failure. So afraid that it’s paralyzing — I went to the bathroom and cried after Tyler called me a poisonous bitch —The tattoo is my brother’s handwriting. He died when I was 16 and I miss him every day — And…before I knew you, I had a major crush on you based on the stories that Steve told me. I’m sure there are many many other things. But that’s all I can come up with right now,” She waited with bated breath, but Bucky didn’t say anything, “Are you there?”

“I’m here. Just processing. You really haven’t slept with anyone in 18 months?”

“Oh, my god. Out of all that, that’s all you got?”

“That’s a long time.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve been a little busy cleaning up after you guys.”

They lay there in silence for a minute before Bucky spoke again, ““Don’t take this the wrong way. You are a very…very beautiful woman.”

Chapter Text

They spent the next couple of days setting up everything for Mamé’s 80th birthday. The day before the party, Charlotte kicked them out of the house saying they’d done enough work and needed to go out on a date. The couple quickly changed and headed into town. They wandered around stopping into random shops. Noemi had slipped her hand into Bucky’s when she had pulled him towards her favorite cafe and hadn’t let go since. He tried to pretend that it wasn’t affecting him but she’d noted how red his ears were. They continued on down the street, her attention pulled by something in one of the windows. Bucky was enjoying watching Noemi in her element as she spoke with one of the owners. He almost hadn’t noticed when a group walking past began speaking Russian. Immediately, his blood ran cold and his whole body tensed.

As soon as his grip changed, Noemi turned and saw the terrified look in his eyes. She quickly left the shop, but it wasn’t enough. She could see that Bucky was starting to spiral and she pulled him over to a bench. Noemi cupped his face and forced him to look at her, “Bucky.” His eyes finally focused and she smiled softly, “Hi. I need you to do something for me. Name five things you can see.”

It took him a second to find his voice and when he did speak, it was gravely, “The cat in the window, those kids playing, the sun, the flag, and the cobblestone.”

“Four things you can touch.”

He let his fingers drift over her knee, “Your dress, the bench, your hair, and your hand.”

Noemi squeezed his hand gently, “Good, three things you can hear?”

“Those kids screaming, music from the shop across the street, the wind.”

“Two things you can smell.”

“Lavender and my coffee.”

She grinned encouragingly, ““Good, just one more. What’s one thing you can taste?”

“I don’t know—I can’t,” Bucky’s eyes started to look frantic again.

She spoke firmly, “You can.”

“No, there’s noth—“ Before Bucky could finish, Noemi pressed her lips against his, winding her hand through his hair and tugging gently. His arm wound around her waist, letting her surround him completely. When they separated, he rested his forehead against hers, “You.”

She smiled softly, staying as close as possible to him, “Feel better?”

“Yeah, yeah I do. Thank you.”

“Of course," she pulled away a few inches, "Should we head back?”

“Can we just stay here for a little while longer?” Noemi nodded and settled back against the bench. Neither made a move to separate their hands. They sat together, just enjoying the sun and how simple life was at that moment. There was barely a cloud in the sky and the good weather had brought people out. Children played together and music from the cafe wafted through the air. She could feel Bucky’s attention drawn towards something, “Is that your sister with Louis?”

“What?” She spun around and, sure enough, there was her sister and ex walking down the street hand in hand, looking into windows and completely at ease together.

“Yeah. Yeah, it is,” she watched the couple for a moment more before turning back to Bucky, “Let’s get going.”

“Are you okay?”

Noemi took a moment before she answered, “Yeah, I am.”

They both stayed silent the entire drive back to the estate. When they pulled in, Bernard was waiting for them. I want to talk to both of you,” he led them to his office, “Your mother is never to hear about any of this.”

As soon as the door shut, her father swiveled the computer to reveal Mr. Gilbertson on the screen. He had a shit-eating grin on his face, “Told you I’d check up on you.”

Bucky could hear Noemi’s teeth grinding together and he put a hand on her back. “What did you do?”

“I got a phone call from Mr. Gilbertson here, who told me that if you were lying, and he strongly believes that you are, he would send you to prison. So I figured you should explain yourself.”

“This is beyond inappropriate!”

Before she could go off further on her father, Mr. Gilbertson interrupted her, “Luckily for you, your father negotiated a deal on your behalf. Now, this offer’s gonna last for 20 seconds, so listen closely. You’re gonna make a statement admitting this marriage is a sham…or you’re gonna go to prison. You tell the truth, you’re off the hook, and won’t have to attach yourself to a war criminal.”

Noemi took a deep breath, “I don’t think so.”

“Don’t be stupid, Noemi.” If looks could kill, her father would be in the ninth circle of hell.

She whirled towards the computer, “You want a statement? Here’s your statement. I’ve been working for the Avengers for three years. Six months ago we started dating, we fell in love. He asked me to marry him, I said “yes”. And if I hear you call him a war criminal, I will sue you for defamation of character. He was cleared.” Noemi stormed out of the room before any of the men could speak again.

Bucky stood there awkwardly for a moment before gesturing behind him, “I’m going to go…yeah.” He found her pacing around their room and muttering angrily. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he let her calm down some before speaking, “Are you sure about this?

“No. I’m not. I mean, I am very appreciative of what you’ve done, but I think that…what if we’ve gone too far?”

He opened his arms and she looked hesitant, “You comforted me earlier. Now let me do this.” Noemi let Bucky wrap his arms around her and he pressed a kiss to her forehead, “It will all work out. I promise.”

Chapter Text

Bucky woke up and was confused by how warm he felt. After years in and out of cryofreeze, he still struggled to regulate his body temperature, but currently, he was comfortable. He looked down at the weight on his chest and marveled at how one person could radiate so much heat. After the emotional rollercoaster, they’d both been on the day before, they’d gone to bed early. Neither had eaten dinner and his stomach was growling. Slipping out from under her, he pulled the covers over her and made his way down to the kitchen. Charlotte and Delphine were the only ones awake. He greeted them both and kissed the older woman on the cheek and wished her a happy birthday. Delphine giggled and slapped him on the arm, calling him a flirt. Bucky just grinned and took the coffee that Charlotte offered him. She smiled hesitantly at him, “I was thinking--if you’d like--maybe we could head down your way for the holidays this year."

Bucky was thrown, “Oh, that would…that would be nice. That’d be nice,” He didn’t know what made him say what he said next, but he did, “Or maybe we could come to you, too.”

He didn’t know what to do as Charlotte started to tear up.“Well, that would be lovely. I would like that very much.”

Delphine sighed, “Oh, for God’s sake. We’ve got work to do. No time for tears, even if they are happy ones.”

His future mother-in-law cleared her throat and smiled, “You’re right. There is so much to do. James, would you mind waking Noe up?”

He nodded and made his way back upstairs, in a daze. He shook her awake and then started to pace back and forth. Noemi was starting to freak out, “Bucky, what the hell is going on?”

“I forgot, ok?”

She slipped out of bed and padded over to him, “You forgot what? What’s wrong?”

“I forgot what it was like to have a family! I’ve been on my own for 70-something years, and I forgot what it felt like to have people love you, and make you breakfast and say, “Hey! we’d love to come down for the holidays” And I say, “Well, why don’t we come up and see you instead?” And you have all that here, and I’m…I’m just screwing it up!"

Noemi trapped his face in her hand, walking him backward until the back of his knees hit the bed and he sat on the edge of the bed, “You’re not screwing it up. I agreed to this. You were there, remember?”

“Your family loves you. I mean you dad is kind of a dick, but god, they love you. Do you know that?” she nodded, but it wasn’t enough for Bucky, “Do you actually get it?”

“Yes!”

“And you’re still willing to put them through this?”

Noemi tangled her hand into his hair, “They’re not gonna find out!”

“How do you know they won’t find out?”

“Because you said so yourself,” she was now scratching at his scalp, trying to calm him down.

“I know, but what if your mother. Oh, my god, if your mother found out. What if Mame finds out? If Mame finds out, she’s gonna have a heart attack!” Bucky put his forehead against Noemi’s stomach. She could feel his warm breath as he tried to even out his breathing. Her hand dropped to his shoulders and he hissed in pain.

“Bucky, lay down.” He grumbled but didn’t move. “And take off your shirt.” She realized his shoulder was really killing him and slowly helped him undress.

“You don’t have to do this. We really should help your family before the party.”

“I know,” she trailed a finger along his shoulder blade, looking at how red the skin along the metal was. “But you won’t be much use if you’re in pain. Stay here. I’ve got something that will help.” Noemi went into the bathroom and grabbed a tin from the medicine cabinet. She straddled his lower back, putting a hand on Bucky’s back letting his body heat warm it. “Can I touch you?” she whispered. He nodded and Noemi scooped some balm from the tin. She slowly moved her hands along his left shoulder. Her thumbs hugged his spine as she worked her way up the muscular expanse. She couldn’t help but marvel at all the muscles. She didn’t know a person could have so many. Slowly she worked towards his shoulder. The pressure was soft at first, her right thumb running along his neck as a form of comfort while the left hand worked out all of the knots.

Bucky barely made a noise, but she could see how quickly he melted under her hands. Slowly his eyes fluttered shut, letting the lavender and Noemi lull him. When he felt her hand move smoothly without hitting any knots, Bucky twisted so that he was on his back. She squeaked at the change of position, but he just moved his hands to her waist, “I’m sorry for freaking out. Your family just started talking about holidays and I suddenly realized that it wasn’t just us that could get hurt if this doesn’t work out.”

Noemi bit her bottom lip as she tried to gather her thoughts, “I’d like to think that we are friends at this point. So, I’m a lot less scared of the future. Besides, even when we do divorce, Mame is never letting you go. She might like you better than me.”

“Right, divorce.” Bucky didn’t know why he felt so awful at that moment, but he did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When they came back down to join her family, they were all waiting in the kitchen and perked up when they saw them. Bernard stood off to the side with a bitter look on his face. Bucky and Noemi shared a nervous look and she asked, “What’s going on?”

Delphine smiled, “I have a birthday wish. We would like it if you two would have a wedding ceremony here before you leave.”

The duo shared a panicked look, “It’s Mame’s big birthday. We don’t want to ruin it, that’s you know…

The older woman scoffed, “Oh, I’m still getting my birthday party. But, I’ve had 89 birthday parties. It would be a dream come true for me to see my one grandchild’s wedding. A dream come true!” She looked so excited, “So you’ll do it?”

Noemi just nodded and Bridgitte and Charlotte squealed and started talking about everything they needed to do over the next few days. Her sister clapped, “Ok, we will do everything. And you can get married where Maman and Papa did on the property.

Mame’s grinned knowingly at Bucky who was screaming internally, “It’s a sign. A sign from the universe that you’re meant to be together.Oh, we must give thanks. I tell you. Come, come, we must give thanks.” Delphine dragged Bucky away, leaving Noemi with her mother and sister who were in full planning mode, talking about what they could reuse from Mame’s birthday since they didn’t have that much time.

She looked up and met her father’s eyes. He said nothing, just slammed his mug onto the counter and left the kitchen. Her mother’s brow furrowed and she put a comforting hand on Noemi’s shoulder before going after her husband. Bridgitte held out her hand, “Come on. We should go see if we can find Mame’s wedding dress.” She just nodded and followed after her sister, her stomach in bits.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bucky managed to get away from Mamé Delphine and walked back into the house. He stopped when he heard raised voices. It took him a moment to recognize it as Charlotte. “What did you do?”

It took a moment for anyone to respond, but then Bernard’s voice carried over, “I didn’t do anything, I mean…I just had a frank conversation with Noemi about her future.

“Oh…Well, yeah. That’s a good idea. That’s a good idea. Because she will never come back home now. She is my daughter, I only get to see her every three years, because of you, because of you. We’ve already lost one child and I won’t lose another. I’ve had enough…You are gonna be supportive of her marrying James, and that is that.” There was a moment of silence and then Charlotte spoke softer, “You know if we’re not careful, we are gonna end up in this great big house…just you and me alone…you and me and everything that we’re angry about, and god forbid that they should have a grandchild that we never get to see. You are going to fix this. I mean it. Fix it now.”

Chapter Text

Noemi had been toiling over sitting down with Bridgitte to discuss what she’d seen that day in town. She hadn’t expected to feel so fine about her ex-boyfriend and her sister, but she couldn’t deny that it worked well. Their personalities were much better suited to each other and they both had more passion for the vineyards than Noemi had in one pinky finger. Fixing two cups of tea, she went to join Bridgitte. Her younger sister was a creature of habit and she always had breakfast on the patio. Noemi put the mugs down and took a deep breath, “Tell me about Louis.”

Her sister startled and stared down at the mugs, “Louis…Louis…Louis…he’s in his twenties, works for our father–” Noemi raised an eyebrow and Bridgitte sighed in defeat, “We’ve been seeing each other.”

“Yeah, I know. Bucky and I saw you in town.”

The younger woman hunched her shoulders, looking close to tears, “Are you mad at me?”

“For falling in love? Never!” Noemi grabbed Bridgitte’s hand, “If Louis is what makes you happy then never think that I won’t support you.”

“I love him and—” Bridgitte hesitated for a moment, “And we want to talk to Papa about the two of us taking over the vineyards when we get married.”

It was moments such as this that made Y/N wish her relationship with her family was better. Her contentious relationship with her father didn’t mean that she should abandon her sister and was confronted with her choices, “So, you’re engaged? Why hasn’t anyone said anything?”

“No…no not yet, but it’s something we’ve discussed. I wanted to talk to you before anything happened. Seeing you and Bucky together has made me realize that when it works, it works. Louis and I were so hesitant and nervous at first because of your history, but we love each other so much. Like you and Bucky.”

Noemi’s stomach was in knots and she took a sip of her tea, not even feeling it burn her tongue, “Right…just like me and Bucky.”

She had been in her head the rest of the afternoon. Moving on autopilot, she’d help to set up the party and got dressed. Bucky could see something was bothering her and gave her some space. Right before people started arriving, Charlotte took advantage of his strength to have him move some tables. Noemi was watching checking out him as he did it with just one arm. Bridgitte giggled at the doe-eyed look in her sister’s eyes and elbowed her with a knowing grin, “How you’re not on him all the time I do not understand. I mean I love Louis, but Bucky is gorgeous.”

Noemi stammered, “Bucky’s private and so am I. That’s all.”

“We’ve barely even seen you kiss. Are you sure you’re engaged?”

She wanted the ground to open up and swallow her away from this conversation, “We are just trying to be respectful. You know what Papa thinks of all of this.”

“Fuck Papa. Honestly, the older he gets, the further that stick travels up his ass. You’re an adult with a hot fiance!”

Bucky caught the tail end of the sister’s conversation and resolved to try and be more affectionate around Noemi’s family. Sidling up beside her, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pressed a kiss to her cheek, “You look gorgeous, doll. I’m gonna run upstairs and get ready.” Bridgitte just shot her sister a victorious smirk as Bucky walked away.

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By the time he’d showered and changed, the house and surrounding yards were filled with people. Walking up to Noemi, Bucky noticed how glassy her eyes were, “How many glasses of wine have you had?”

A lazy smile crossed her face, “A few.”

He wrapped an arm around her waist as she started to sway. He saw people watching them and leaned down so that he was whispering in her ear, knowing it would look good for the nosy people. A shiver ran down her spine as his lips brushed her ear, “I’ve been gone for like half an hour.”

Noemi grinned at him and raised an eyebrow, “A lot can happen in that time. A LOT.” Noemi's eyes raked over Bucky. Her mind wandered as she felt his body pressed against hers. Before she could stop herself, the words tumbled out, “Do you ever give in to temptation?”

“What do you mean?”

“After so long with HYDRA and having every aspect of your life controlled, I honestly would expect more rebellious behavior. Just grabbing something you want and never letting go.”

Bucky saw the way her eyes flickered down to his lips and back up to his eyes. He shook his head, “No. With my brain scrambled up like an egg for so long, I’m careful. Better that than rebellious. That’s why Steve is so helpful. I need someone I can trust to give me a push.”

She pushed up against him lightly, “Take what you want,” her eyes sparkled as she looked up at Bucky.

“You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“I’m entirely sure I do, Sergeant.”

Bucky shook his head and stepped away from her, “Not like this.”

Noemi shifted uncomfortably and nodded, “I need to go see Bridgitte. Have a good night.” She tossed her drink back and went to rejoin the group. He could see the slight droop in her shoulders, but other than that, she hid her emotions well.

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The party was drawing to a close and Bucky found Noemi standing in a corner. Her eyes were closed as she leaned against a table. He ran his hand over her back as she looked up at him sleepily, “Let’s get you up to bed, sweetheart.” She just nodded and stood up shakily. When they got back to the room and Noemi tripped as her ankle gave out. Bucky put an arm around her waist and forced her to sit on the edge of the bed.

He could see how gone she was, with her half-lidded eyes and a lazy grin on her face, “Drinking yourself into a coma doesn’t help.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” she slurred, “It helps me be around my family for at least double the time. Makes the hurt hurt less.”

Bucky ignored that last comment as he pulled her heels off, “You’re going to be hurting in the morning.” Pulling her up, he helped her out of her dress, “Come on, you lush. You can wear one of my shirts.” Noemi wiggled like a happy, drunk worm at the idea of one of Bucky’s henleys. He shook his head and hooking his arms around her back and under her legs, he moved her underneath the covers. Bucky quickly changed before laying on top of the blankets. He turned his head and was surprised to see that Noemi was already staring at him. Taking his chance, he asked, “Why don’t you come home?”

Noemi worried at her bottom lip as the memories played in her head, “My older brother. He got sick and died when I was 16. My father had a very clear path set out for him and when he passed, that role fell down to me. I never wanted it, but I knew how much pressure it was and I didn’t want Bridgette to have to shoulder it. I spent years forcing myself to take part in something that I didn’t want for my future. Finally, I broke and I left in the middle of the night. Ironically, it turns out she has wanted it all this time, but Papa is a stubborn man. There’s a way that things are done in this family and I’m not doing what’s expected–” her eyes were glassy and tears were welling, “I really miss him.” Bucky didn’t say anything, but instead, pulled her against him and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Once Noemi was asleep, Bucky just stared up at the ceiling. Eventually, he broke from boredom and went downstairs. Most of the damage from the party was cleaned and he found Bernard in the kitchen. He cleared his throat, “Mr. Arnaud, I think we need to speak.”

The older man barely spared him a glance, “I’m not sure I have much to say to you.”

“Maybe not, but I have some things I need to clarify. Your daughter is exceptional and it is an absolute crime that you don’t recognize that. From what I know, it’s a miracle that she still walks with her head so high. All she wants is your love and support. I know that I’m not what you want for her and that her job isn’t the future you envisioned, but she loves it and she’s good at it. Y/N is not some glorified receptionist, she is intelligent and works every day to try and make our lives a little easier so that we can do our job. She shoulders so much and it would be amazing if she had a family that would help and support her.”

Bernard put his drink on the counter and turned to him, “James, this is a complicated situation. You wouldn’t understand.”

“Because of your son?” Bernard’s eyes widened and Bucky shrugged his shoulders, “Noemi’s told me. I’ve been in my fair share of complicated situations before and I can honestly say that you’re the reason it’s complicated. If you honestly got to know who your children really are, instead of the ideas you have them, you would see that it’s all very simple.” Bucky turned to leave but stopped at the door, “Also, I’m the reason that Noemi is even here. She didn’t want to come. The person you call the Winter Soldier was more willing to be here than your own child.”

Chapter Text

The morning after Mame’s birthday party found Noemi in bed. Her arm was thrown across Bucky’s stomach and her cheek squished against his chest. Her mother’s voice echoed through the house as she called Noemi's name. She jolted out of bed and groaned when the sunlight hit her pupils. Diving back under the covers, she curled back up against her bedmate. 

Bucky laughed and yanked the covers away, “I warned you to not drink so much.”

“I hate you,” Her memories came rushing back and she remembered propositioning Bucky after a few drinks. Some of her family had come over and started asking questions about Bucky and the serum that had her wanting to die of embarrassment and downing glasses of wine. By the time he joined the party, she had to admit she was curious too and the alcohol had given her courage. Unfortunately for her, she’d been rejected. Noemi buried her head in the pillows, wanting the day to end before it even began. She wasn’t allowed to wallow in her own misery because her mom was screaming her name again. Rolling over, she shared a look with Bucky before rushing down the stairs. 

As she made her way outside, Noemi was greeted with a familiar group waiting with her mother. Mame and Tony were happily conversing while the rest were talking with Charlotte. “I must still be drunk,” she said, “Because I see the Avengers on my front lawn...in France!”

Steve smiled at her and kissed her cheek, “Fantastic pajamas, sweetheart.”

Noemi looked down and realized she was dressed only in Bucky’s shirt. God, this day was getting worse by the second. “I’ll be right back,” she rushed back into the house, passing Bucky on the way. She changed as fast as she could. When she came into the kitchen, Tony, Nat, Sam, Steve, and Wanda were all gathered around the counter talking with Bucky and her family as they sipped coffee. Bucky saw her first and offered her an awkward smile in an attempt to comfort her.

“There she is!” Tony crowed and came over to hug her.

“What are you guys doing here?”

“Your mother called us! Said you were getting married here and you can’t get married without us!”

“She did, did she?” Noemi looked around Tony to glare at her mother who seemed completely unbothered with her meddling or her daughter's dirty looks. 

Charlotte smiled at the group, “Why don’t I show you your rooms and you can unpack and settle in. We want this wedding done by the end of the week so it’s going to be crazy.” 

Steve watched as Bucky moved across the room. It was clear he thought everyone would be distracted and trailed a hand down Noemi’s back, his finger running along the strip of skin where her shirt had ridden up. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear “You okay, doll?”

She looked up at him as she bit her bottom lip, the freak out evident in her eyes, “This is getting very real.”

“It’ll all be okay,” he opened his arms and she immediately wrapped her arms around him, letting his heartbeat soothe her. Bucky kissed the top of her head and looked up to catch Steve watching them with a smirk on his face. “I’m gonna go talk to Steve. Will you be alright?”

Noemi nodded but, at the last second, she caught his wrist, “You should tell him.” Bucky looked at her very confused and she clarified, “Tell him the truth. About us. He’s your best friend--the only family you have left--and I can’t ask you to lie to him.”

“Hey,” he trapped her against the countertop, his arms caging her in, “You never asked me. I chose this.”

“Will you just think about it? For me?”

“Yes, I’ll think about it." Noemi gave him a quick kiss on the cheek in thanks before scurrying away. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bucky and Steve walked out onto the patio in an awkward silence. The blond broke first, “How are you doing, Buck?”

Bucky cleared his throat, “Honestly, I’m still struggling to understand why she agreed to all of this.”

Steve sighed and shook his head at his friend’s obliviousness, “Do you remember that night when you said you felt invisible when Peggy and I were talking to each other about dancing?”

Bucky took a moment to scan through his scattered memories, “Strangely enough, yes, I think I do. I could’ve been on another planet and you two wouldn’t have noticed. Frankly, it was kinda disgusting.”

“Well I have to break it to you Buck, but you and Noemi are that disgusting. You know, in the whole time I’ve known her, she hasn’t dated and from what I understand from Nat she didn’t before either. You both are disgustingly in love and I’m shocked it all took us so long to see it,” Steve clapped a hand on his shoulder, “And I really mean that. I mean look at that little display in the kitchen. You two are not good at hiding how you feel about each other...at all.”

Bucky realized that he didn’t want to confess to Steve because he didn’t want it to be a lie anymore. He watched through the glass door as his fiancee laughed at something her sister and grandmother were saying. “I’ll be right back,” he walked away from Steve without another glance. He sidled up beside Noemi and kissed her cheek, “Doll, you’re needed...urgently.”

Her brow furrowed, “What’s going on?”

“Wedding things. We’ll be quick.”

“Okay?” Noemi looked back at her family, confusion written on her features. 

As soon as they turned the corner, Bucky had her pressed up against the closest wall. Noemi looked up at him, her eyes wide but trusting, her lips parted slightly. He couldn’t tear his gaze away and then he swooped down to capture them in a searing kiss. She froze for a moment, but then they were locked together, her finger tangled in his hair. His vibranium arm held her as close as possible, the other hand on the wall beside her head. Bucky felt like he was drunk on her. Her perfume wrapped around him like a warm blanket and she tasted intoxicating. 

The lusty haze that had taken him over was cut short by Noemi pulling away, “What the hell was that?”

“A kiss.”

“I don’t understand. Last night, I made a move and you thoroughly rejected me and then today you’re pulling me away from everyone to kiss me. What the hell?” she shoved him, but he didn’t budge at all, “Do you want me or not?”

“God, you’re maddening. Of course, I want you! But, last night you were drunk. Very drunk.”

She scoffed, “I wasn’t that drunk.”

Bucky raised an eyebrow, “Are you going to argue with me about something we know I’m right about or are you going to let me kiss you again?” She stuttered for a moment before throwing her hands up in defeat. Bucky chuckled at her, “An excellent choice.” He captured her lips again. This kiss was less hungry but just as passionate. He kissed her slowly like he was trying to memorize every inch of her: what she tasted like, how it felt when their tongues danced against each other, and how her body pressed against his. Noemi moaned softly and wrapped her legs around Bucky’s waist. He carried her up the stairs to their room, never separating. He sucked a mark into her neck, “I am an idiot for waiting this long to really kiss you.”

“Yes, yes you are.” They fell back onto the bed. Noemi was straddling Bucky, her thighs on either side of his. His arm was wrapped around her waist and she started to trail kisses down his neck. As she ground against him, she felt the vibranium tighten until it was almost uncomfortable and she looked up. Bucky didn’t look how someone should look when they’re being straddled by their supposed fiancé. She sat back, so that she was in his lap, but the moment was obviously paused. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Liar,” she could feel he tense all of Bucky was and she rested her hand on his chest, 

“Honey, you’re just learning how to enjoy life again. The bare minimum shouldn’t be the standard. Sleep should be something comfortable. Everyday shouldn’t be a new fight or battle. It’s okay to say no and not want to have sex.”

“Trust me, I want sex…” he trailed off.

“But?”

“I don’t know how to say it,” he avoided her gaze, “But it just doesn’t feel right.”

She shrugged, “Then we wait until it does.”

His head shot up in surprise, “Just like that?”

“Just like that,” Noemi kissed him softly, “Bucky, I want the both of us to enjoy ourselves or it’s not worth it.” She climbed off of his lap and he let out a whine before he could stop himself. Laughing, she walked into the bathroom, “I’m going to take a cold shower. I may be patient but other parts of me are disagreeing!”

Bucky fell back against the bed with a grunt, rubbing his eyes with heels of his hands.

Chapter Text

Charlotte and Delphine were loving the full house. They had taken in the Avengers and immediately started feeding them before putting them to work. In three days, they transformed the area around the main house so that it was ready for the wedding. Noemi and Bucky were constantly being kept apart by all of the chaos. The only time they had together was the big family style dinners and when they collapsed into bed beside each other.

Bucky had fallen asleep almost immediately and Noemi was left staring at the ceiling. Her mind was in turmoil and finally she went downstairs to make some tea. She pulled a mug out of the cabinet and when she turned around, she nearly dropped it, “Jesus Christ! Papa, what the hell are you doing down here? Scared me half to death.”

“My apologies,” he cleared his throat awkwardly, “I’ve been wanting to speak to you.”

She sighed, “I’m not sure I’m interested in what you have to say.”

“Perhaps not, but it needs to happen. I don’t want to keep doing this.”

“Fine, I’ll go first…” she slammed her mug down on the counter, “You’re an asshole. All I’ve ever wanted was you to be proud of me. Not because I did what you wanted or what was expected, but because I did it all on my own. For so long, I have lied to everyone, including myself, trying to be what you needed. I love my job. I love New York and I love Bucky. I do. You don’t need to understand it. You don’t even have to like it, but I need you to respect it.”

Bernard cleared his throat awkwardly, “I--I can do that.”

“And one more thing, Brigitte and Louis should take over the business. They love it and they want it. More than anyone else ever could.” 

Her father nodded and paused for a moment, “I know you may not believe me, but I do love you and I’m sorry it wasn’t said enough.”

Noemi took one last look at him before she headed back upstairs. The movement woke Bucky up and he saw the dazed look on her face. His brows furrowed, “Doll, are you okay? What happened?”

“I talked with my dad.”

“What did he do?”

Despite the emotional rollercoaster she was on, Noemi couldn’t help the shiver that rolled down her spine at his gravelly voice. She couldn’t help but smile at the anger in his voice as he started to wake up. Putting a hand on his bare chest, she letting her fingers run along the scars, “Down boy. It was all very civilized. I called him an asshole and then he apologized and told me he loved me.”

Bucky held her hands in his, “Do you want to talk about it.”

She shook her head, “I just want to go to bed. We’ve got the rehearsal dinner tomorrow and I’m dead on my feet.” Bucky just opened his arms and let her fall into them, rubbing a hand up and down her back until he felt her breathing even out. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next evening, everyone was in the kitchen a few hours before the rehearsal dinner. 

Bernard watched as Noemi and Bucky stood at the stove. He watched the imposing man swoop down so that they were eye-to-eye as they spoke. He watched his daughter hip bump the former assassin and his only response was to steal another bite from the pan. A blind man could see the adoration the man held for his daughter. He couldn’t stop the smile from forming as Bucky said something and Noemi threw her head back to laugh. When she looked up into his eyes, he could see that same adoration written all over her face. 

His wife came to stand beside him, a hand coming to rest on his shoulder, “You like him.” Bernard grunted, not yet ready to admit how wrong he’d been. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stealing another bite, Bucky pressed a kiss to Noemi’s cheek, “I’m going for a walk before the craziness continues.”

“Are you okay?” 

She looked very worried, but he smiled, “Just need sometime that’s not filled by our families.” He walked for nearly 45 minutes until he came into a small clearing and saw a familiar figure in front of a fire.

“Come to me, James Barnes of New York! It is I, Mame Delphine!” Bucky was looking at her like she was crazier than Tony, but she just pulled him closer. “I see you are a curious one. Come, see how I give thanks to Mother Earth.”

He shook his head, “ You know, actually. I'm not that curious, so I'll just…”

“Look around you. Mother Earth has provided all this. Just as she brought you and Noemi together to be joined. We must give thanks, and ask that your loins be abundantly fertile. Come. Dance with me in celebration.”

“You know, can I, can I just thank her from here?”

“ I insist!”

“ Ok, ok, ok. I will come down and dance with you.”

“ Follow and learn,” the older woman began to chant and move around the fire, “Come, James! Feel the rhythm of the drums. Now you!”

Bucky was terrified, “ Me what?”

“ Chant,” Mame looked at him like it was the most obvious answer in the world.

“ Chant what?”

“ Whatever comes to you. It is the way.”

“ But I don't know any chants.”

Mame just began again, motioning for him to mimic her, “To the trees! Use your vowels. Eee, Ooo, Ooo, Eee.

“ Ooo--eee-yes, chant--ee--to the trees.”

“ To the universe!”

“The universe. Ah, Universe,” a song snuck into Bucky’s head that Sam had played constantly in the gym a month ago, “To the crazy, To the window, the window, To the wall, to the wall, To the sweat drip down my balls. To all you bitches…”

“Louder!”

“To the window, to the window. To the walls, to the walls, To the sweat drip down my balls, Now all you bitches crawl. All skeet skeet, mother. All skeet skeet, goddam. To the window, to the window, To the walls, to the walls, To the sweat drip down my balls, To all you bitches crawl. All skeet skeet, mother, All skeet skeet, goddam. To the window, to the window. To the wall, to the wall. To the sweat drip down my uhhh...All you bitches go, uhu, Mame! Let's take it to the bridge! Woo! Let me see you get low, You scared, you scared. Drop your ass to the flo' You scared, you scared. Let me see you get low, You scared, you scared. Drop your ass to the floor.” Mame’s gaze went past him and danced along hesitantly, a smile growing on her face as the large man shook his ass and he spun her around, “ You scared, you scared. See you get Low. You scared, you scared, you scared. Your butt to the flo'. You scared, you scare. Now stop, woo, Now wiggle it, Now stop, woo, Jiggle it just jiggle it.

“Ummm--” the voice made Bucky freeze, “Whatcha doing?

He whirled around, his entire face red, “Oh, uh...You know, your grandmother wanted me to...you know, chant. Chant from the heart.

Noemi raised an eyebrow, “Balls? That's what came to your heart?”

“You know,” he shrugged, “It went with the beat.”

“I can’t wait to show everyone,” She wiggled her phone at him and for the first time, Bucky realized she caught his performance on camera.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Wouldn’t I?” Noemi took off running back towards the main house, her laughter echoing off the trees as Bucky rushed to take her phone and delete all footage.

Chapter Text

It had been the longest days of Noemi’s life recently. All of the wedding planning meant that she was dead on her feet and now it was the night before the big event. The whole group, including the Avengers, sat around the table for a big dinner. Bucky and Noemi had agreed that they didn’t want a bachelor or bachelorette party. Instead, the groups had a big dinner party. After everyone had settled outside for after dinner drinks, Charlotte announced she made up the guest room. She was surprised when her mother had told them that they couldn’t stay in the same room, “Maman, you can’t be serious.”

“Ma petite, I know it is silly but it’s tradition.”

Delphine grinned at Noemi knowingly, “It makes the wedding night even more special.” At that, Bucky’s whole face, even his ears turned red and Noemi couldn’t help but giggle and agree, trying to save him any more embarrassment.

Laying in the guest room staring up at the ceiling, her mind whirled. She tossed and turned before giving up and throwing back the covers. Opening the door, she checked that all the lights were off under the doors before sneaking out. Making her way down the hallway, she stopped when she saw a familiar figure in the family wing. “Louis? What the hell are you doing here?”

He whirled around, fear on his face until he realized it was Noemi, “Oh, god. You scared the shit out of me.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Bri–Bridgette, she uh-uh texted me.” She raised an eyebrow at him and he cleared his throat before raising an eyebrow, “Are you supposed to be in the other wing of the house?”

“I didn’t see you, you didn’t see me?”

He nodded, “Deal.” They both disappeared behind their respective doors.

Noemi walked to the bed and found Bucky sprawled out in the bed like a starfish. She slipped under the covers. As soon as she had lifted the covers, he had woken up, “What are you doing?”

“Apparently I’ve gotten used to having you as my personal heater in bed,” her voice dropped to a whisper, “It’s cold without you.” Bucky smiled to himself and put his arm out, letting her curl against him before wrapping it back around her. They laid there in the dark simply enjoying the other’s company. “You know, the first time I saw you. I thought you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. I was jealous of you and Steve.” Her head popped up in surprise and he chuckled before explaining, “I was a man out of time and all I had was him. I acted like a kid and as soon as someone else had the toy I wanted, I had to have it.”

Noemi laughed softly and ran a finger over his bottom lip, “You know you pout like a kid too?”

“I am trying to have a moment here, doll!”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Please continue.”

“The moment’s lost now.” Noemi pushed herself up so that she was hovering over Bucky. Leaning down, she captured his lips with hers. He reveled in how soft his fiancee felt against him. All he had known for decades was horror and sorrow. She was the opposite of everything HYDRA stood for and Bucky thought that he could happily spend the rest of his life with her by his side.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As soon as the sun rose, the light woke Noemi up and she slipped out of the bed before anyone else in the house was awake. She crept down the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea. Sitting on the balcony, her mind wandered and fear started to take over. Today was the day and she and Bucky were going to commit a felony. A hand on her shoulder brought her out of her anxious thoughts. Delphine ran a hand over her hair, “How did you sleep?

“Surprisingly well.”

“I would too if I had a man like that in my bed.” Noemi thought about lying, but one look from her grandmother had her taking a sip of her drink instead. Delphine laughed, “It is a good sign that you enjoy each other’s company so much. I think he is a very good man. I think you will have a very blessed marriage. I can see the love the two of you have for each other.”

“Oh, Mamé. I haven’t been honest,” Noemi's eyes filled with tears and the truth spilled out before she could stop, “Bucky and I are not in love and our entire engagement is a lie.”

“Well, that’s simply not true.”

“But it is! I made some mistakes and I was going to be deported. He offered to marry me so that I could keep working for the Avengers.”

“Oh, I believe that you were lying about that,” Delphine kissed her forehead, “But you’re wrong that you two don’t love each other. That young man looks at you like you’ve hung the moon. And you look at him the same way.”

“That’s crazy! Bucky—he—he drives me insane! He argues with everything I say. He—he—“

“He loves you. Now wait right here, I’ve got something that will make you feel better.”

Noemi dropped her head into her hands, wondering if Tony would be mad if she stole the jet. A hand running down her back had her lifting her head. Bucky smiled down at her and she frowned, “What are you doing here?”

“Well hello to you too, my lovely future wife. I’m making sure I don’t have a runaway bride on my hands.”

“How can you joke right now?” she threw her hands up, “I feel so guilty about all of this.”

“I am so sick of one of us constantly feeling guilty about this. Aren’t you? You are going to put that dress on and I’m going to put on the tux and you are going to marry me. In front of your family and our friends. Because I am madly in love with you and I will do whatever I have to do to date you. Even if that means marrying your crazy ass.”

Noemi took a deep breath and dragged him into the kitchen where everyone else was, “Morning, everyone. Before today starts, I, uh…have a bit of an announcement to make about the wedding. A confession, actually.

Bucky’s eyes widened and he stepped forward to stop her, “What are you doing?

“I was having visa issues and was about to be deported. And because I didn’t want to leave this wonderful group of people and a job that I love, I forced Bucky to marry me.

“Doll, stop it. You didn’t force anything.”

“See, he just doesn’t deserve this and neither do any of you. For three years I watched him work harder than anyone else to prove he is a good person and I can’t turn him into a felon. And I thought it would be easy to do it. But it wasn’t. Turns out it’s not easy to ruin someone’s life once you find out how wonderful they are. This was my fault.”

Noemi turned to leave the room but didn’t make it more than two steps. “Hey!” Bucky raised his voice, “This is not how you’re going to get out of this! This was all my idea. I told her to marry me. I convinced her to lie and I’m even the reason we are here now.” He turned from the group back to her, “I have wanted you for far longer than I’m willing to admit to and this is not how this ends!”

“Bucky…”

Before the couple could continue, Louis threw the balcony door open, “Bridgette Arnuad, I am not waiting another moment to be with you!” He turned to Bernard, “We are engaged and I hope that you understand how much she means to me.” Louis headed back for the door before spinning around and pointing at Bridgette, “I LOVE YOU!”

Before anyone could react, he was gone and everyone turned to the younger daughter. She was frozen in place and laughed awkwardly. Bernard looked between his two daughters with about twenty different emotions playing over his face before settling on amusement. He laughed so hard, the group was worried he was going to fall over. Standing up, he wiped tears from his face and turned to Bridgette. “Well. I’m not going to lie. I knew about you and Louis, and I’m very happy for you. As for you,” he surprised everyone by turning to Bucky, “You want to marry her this badly?”

The dark-haired man nodded, “I’m a bit surprised about that myself.”

Bernard then turned to Noemi and cocked a thumb as Bucky, “Him?” She nodded and bit her bottom lip nervously. Her father sighed and rubbed his temples, “Then what is the problem? He wants you. You want him. You get to keep your job.”

“Well–the–what about?”

Tony stepped forward, “If it helps, Pepper is pregnant and needs some help with Stark Industries once she’s further along. She was going to offer you the job. That is if you’re willing to add that workload to your current one.”

Noemi felt like her jaw was on the floor. That was her dream job. Bucky smiled at her and pulled her into him, “Now, you have to marry me.

“Yeah, I guess I do.” She smiled up at him, as he caught her in a searing kiss.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After all of the confessions had been resolved, the house exploded into chaos. Bucky and Noemi were pulled apart as they were sent to get dressed. The next time they saw each other, she was walking up the aisle. As soon as the doors opened, she had stolen Bucky’s breath away. Her grandmother’s dress fit her like a glove and she floated down towards him. Steve bumped him on the shoulder and grinned.

When she made it to the altar, he held out a hand and they stood in front of her grandmother who was the officiant. Delphine cleared her throat, “Everyone, please be seated. We are gathered here today to give thanks and to celebrate one of life’s greatest moments. To give recognition to the beauty, honesty, and unselfish ways of James and Noemi's true love in front of family and friends. For it is their family and friends, who taught them to love. So it is only right that family and friends are all with us today.”

She turned to Bucky first and nodded. Steve pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and tried to hand it to Bucky, but he shook his head. He squeezed Noemi's hands as he spoke, “This is not a situation that I’m very comfortable with. I am not a very poetic person and standing before a large group and explaining how much you mean to me is impossible. I don’t have any words or the right words to tell you how in love with you I am. I have heard people say that no one can truly love you until you love yourself. I can honestly say that that is a load of crap.” Laughter rippled through the crowd and Bucky continued, “It’s no secret that my past is a complicated history that can never be forgotten but you have shown me kindness and compassion before we even met. You have provided comfort and safety in a way I’d forgotten that I could have, let alone deserve. The amount of love you’ve shown to a very broken man is unimaginable,” Bucky took a shuddering breath and saw that Noemi’s eyes had also become misty. He paused to wipe away a fallen tear from her cheek before continuing, “With our work I can’t make any crazy vows but I will make a few that I intend to keep. I will always come home from missions more alive than dead. I will let you steal as many of my shirts as you want. I promise to try and communicate more. And last of all, I will be better about signing my mission reports. And in the spirit of honesty, I’m gonna tell you. I don’t sign them on purpose, so that I have a reason for you to come see me.” Noemi gaped at him for a moment before bursting out in laughter. Bucky spoke again, “Actually I have one more, I vow to make you laugh as much as possible because it’s my favorite sound in the entire world.”

Noemi looked at him, happy tears brimming in her eyes before she even began to speak, “If a year ago someone told me that you and I would be standing in my parents vineyard marrying each other, I probably would’ve had them committed. Hearing about you in Steve’s stories led to me having a bit of a crush on you. Then I met you and you were the most annoying man I’ve ever met. Yet, I can’t seem to stay away because you’re also one of the sweetest. You listen to me when I speak and you make me laugh. I never intended to be more than an acquaintance, let alone to fall in love with you. Now, I can’t imagine my life without you in it. So, I promise to help you catch up on things you’ve missed and to dance with you in the kitchen to the Andrews Sisters. And I promise to yell at you less for not completing your mission reports.”

Delphine quickly wiped a tear away and asked for the rings. As soon as the band was on Noemi's finger, Bucky tipped her back and she threaded her fingers into his hair. He whispered against her lips, “I love you, Mrs. Barnes.”

“I love you too, Mr. Arnaud.”

Chapter Text

ONE YEAR LATER

“Barnes!” Noemi marched up the training yard steps, her heels clanging on the metal.

Steve was standing next to him and whispered, “Ooh, someone’s in trouble.”

Bucky plastered on his most charming smile as he spun to face her, “You know, doll, it’s a lot less scary to hear you scream my last name now that it’s yours too.”

She looked less than impressed and slapped a file against his chest, “Sign and date on the dotted line is not a suggestion! When you write a mission report, you have to sign it or it doesn’t count. How many times must we have this conversation? Hell, it was in your vows!”

He held out a hand with an amused look on his face. When she realized that the pen was missing from the stack, her brow furrowed. Bucky stepped closer and pulled the pen from behind her ear. “I think it was in your vows to be less mad at me over this,” he signed off each sheet with a flourish and pulled her into a deep kiss, “I love you, doll.”

“I love you too, but the next time you don’t sign your mission reports, you’ll be signing divorce papers.”

They heard Steve snort next to them, but ignored him. Bucky just grinned and kissed her again, “Happy one year anniversary.”

“Happy anniversary, honey. Now that I’ve convinced you to do your job, I can go home and get ready for tonight. I even have a new lacy, red set.”

“Doll…” he groaned, “Don’t tease.”

Noemi walked away with an extra swing in her step and he struggled to tear his eyes away from her. When he did, he realised the trainees had all stopped to watch. Bucky barked out, “Did I say you could stop?”