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The first time you heard one of Bucky’s pet names for you was after an argument with Steve. Well, it wasn’t really an argument, but Steve had insisted on chiding you for your quick thinking on your most recent mission. Everyone had left the briefing room except you and Steve, and Bucky who’d been quietly watching this exchange go down.
“All I’m saying is that you should have been more careful, the elevator could have hit you.”
You rolled your eyes. You knew deep down that he was only saying this because he cared about you, but no one could push your buttons like Steve. In a matter of four words he could make you feel like a petulant child again.
“And all I’m saying is that it wasn’t even an issue, really. Because when I opened the shaft doors I clipped the wires to the safety release. They couldn’t have reached me if they wanted to.”
“You did what?!” he exclaimed.
You continued, undeterred.
“I knew they might be able to control it remotely so I just made sure they couldn’t.”
An amused chuckle came from the third-party of your little disagreement.
“умняшка,” Bucky muttered with a grin he tried to hide when Steve shot him a glance.
In the moment you barely noticed it because your focus was on Steve. You refused to back down. Plus, you were used to Bucky slipping into Russian here and there, as a force of habit. You didn’t see the way he was looking at your unflinching expression with a sparkle in his eyes.
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The next evening you were chopping up vegetables for your lunch in the communal kitchen while Wanda and Vision were at the table doing the Sunday crossword puzzle.
“Ok, 4 letters, ‘Neighbor of a knight’?” Wanda wondered aloud.
“Hmm, a knight would live at a castle, but he doesn’t have any neighbors…Unless, aha, try ‘rook’.” Vision mused.
“умняшка!” Wanda exclaimed.
Your brow furrowed.
“Wanda, what was that you just said?” you asked across the room.
“умняшка? It means like, ‘well done’.” She explained.
Vision butted in. “Directly translated it means ‘clever one’, but colloquially it can be translated to ‘well done’, or ‘That’s my boy, or girl.’”
Wanda rolled her eyes at his lack of social cues. “досадный” “How about you translate that one for me darling?”
But you barely heard them as you processed what Vision had said.
“That’s my girl.”
Your heart leapt as you imagined Bucky’s smirk again.
Surely it had just been a slip up. He probably didn’t even realize he said it. Usually that’s something that Steve said to you. He was probably just teasing Steve. You went back to cutting your carrots, but you couldn’t get that grin out of your head. Or the warm feeling in your stomach.
You and Bucky had always had a sort of unspoken rhythm. You blamed it on your hypervigilance, of needing to always make sure everyone was cared for and accounted for. You’d spent so much of your life feeling like an outsider, you decided to make sure no one else ever felt like that. When you met Bucky, you saw so much of yourself in him, he felt so familiar. One day, you just started making an extra cup of coffee for the quiet shadow who seemed to be on the same schedule of insomnia as you. When you cooked dinner, there never seemed to be any dishes to be done, they were always sitting freshly washed, on the drying rack. Your late night runs to clear your head gained another partner. These little moments meant a lot to you. Just spending time with each other, no words needed. You just assumed this was how Bucky was. He was still that gentleman from the 40s. A man of actions more than words. You never realized how special these moments were to him too.
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In the days following you found yourself wracking your brain for all the other times Bucky had said something in Russian to you. They seemed to only come to you when you were busy working on something else, trying to focus.
You were coming back from an intel mission. You and Nat and Clint had flown separate and had to leave before Bucky and Steve were back at the rendezvous point. Their communication was spotty because they had to limit their transmissions. Your team had arrived back and you were pacing in the hallway outside the debriefing room. You usually didn’t worry this much about them. But you’d heard Bucky groan over the com. He’d gotten hit with something. Then a voice broke you out of your thoughts.
“Hey doll,” a tired voice said.
You turned around and there they were. Your boys looking worse for wear, and a bandage around Bucky’s flesh arm.
You pulled them into a bear hug, “You’re back”
“Course we are.” Steve said so easily, and you had half a mind to feel stupid for worrying about them so much.
“Don’t worry, солнышко”
You buried your head in Bucky’s shoulder.
Then finally it happened for a third time.
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You and Nat had gotten to your favorite bar early, tucked in the back at a worn green leather booth. Nat stepped out to order your drinks and you were scrolling on your phone.
“Hey Рыбка.”
You looked up and there were it was. Bucky standing there, sliding into the booth with you like nothing was different. Like it was just the most common thing in the world. Him calling you these names, like it was something he always did. Which looking back on it, he did. However, to you, it was no longer just a coincidence. It was like the last nail in the coffin.
“You ok?” he asked, so oblivious to how his words had affected you.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” you said with a small smile, brushing it off, hoping your face wasn’t as red as it felt.
It didn’t matter that you didn’t know what the name meant, it was that he said it, on purpose.
You didn’t have too long to dwell on it as Nat and Steve slid into the booth across from you, drinks in hand.
You tried to focus on what they were saying. And not on the warm presence next to you.
It wasn’t until Bucky stood up to go to the bathroom and Steve accompanied him that you decided to ask Nat.
“Hey Nat, what does Рыбка mean?”
She gave you a questioning look but answered you.
“It means like ‘sweetie’… or ‘fishlet’.”
“What?”
“Literally translated it means ‘fishlet’.”
You gaped at her, and she laughed.
“Exactly like that Рыбка.”
“Teach me some more.”
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You settled on one finally and Nat smirked over her drink.
“I think it was a mistake teaching you those.”
“I have no idea what you mean солнышко.”
You didn’t have much time to pester her more.
“What’s so funny over here?”
“Nothing,” you said, taking a sip of your beer, trying to escape Nat’s teasing gaze.
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You got back to the compound and Bucky walked you to your room like he usually did.
After he said good night, you decided it was now or never.
“Goodnight, Котик” you said after he had almost turned around.
He stopped in his tracks. Surely, he had misheard you.
He turned to look back you. And there you stood with a goofy smile on your face.
“What did you just say?”
“Котик?”
“Where did you learn that?” he said and as he came closer you could see a blush starting to form on his cheeks.
“Nat taught me, I wanted a nickname for you too.”
Finally, he was standing in front of you, his face a pretty shade of peach.
He was speechless. In fact, he was getting ready for you to make fun of him. For this to all be a joke. You were going to be angry that he’d been calling you nicknames.
“I’m sorr-,” he started, but you cut him off.
“Do you like it? Do you want to be my kitten?” he looked into your eyes to see if you were kidding. All he saw was sincerity.
He gave you a little nod and you tugged at his shirt and kissed him. His hands found your waist as he tried to regain his balance. Slowly he pulled away, his forehead resting against yours.
“I’ve always been yours.”