Disclaimer: Check out my previous chapters – Thank you!

"Random Subject Prompts"

Chapter 073: James "Bucky" Barnes

Sequel to Chapters: 4, 21, 33 and 61

Movie: Avengers: Infinity War

Prompt: none

Chapter Warning(s): Rated MA for sexual content

Author's Note: Special shout out to all of our essential workers doing what they do best! #AloneTogether

KH*BB*KH*BB

Bucky glanced around the familiar grassy grounds and the house that had once welcomed him with accepting arms on a cold, winter night. The land appeared untouched and everything seemed quiet. Peaceful. He breathed a sigh of relief. For once, it felt like he didn't have to keep looking over his shoulder for the next threat. He could finally be free.

"Home sweet home," Kagome said, an obvious smile in her voice.

His lips curved upward as he glanced in her direction. Her facial features were soft as she gazed at the home they had to leave behind so long ago. Like him, the raven haired beauty had missed it and the memories it had represented.

"Yeah," he replied, "we're home."

KH*BB*KH*BB

The inside of the house had been preserved. All furniture had been covered with sheets, so Bucky and Kagome worked all morning on washing and wiping down the counters, shelves, and dishes. Multiple loads of laundry had been done and now smelled spring fresh. Slowly but surely their home was coming alive again after its occupants had been gone.

Kagome pulled open the pantry. When they had left to go on the run, they had thrown away everything that would perish. But they had left most of the supplies that would last a long time, like bottles of water or dried foods.

Looking over the selection, she clicked her tongue in disappointment. "Bucky," she called out, knowing the former Winter Solider would hear her. "We need to go to the market."

There was a short pause before he spoke. "We're going to the nearest supermarket."

She smirked, highly amused. "I knew you were going to say that."

KH*BB*KH*BB

Baseball cap pulled low to cover his features from prying cameras or people, Bucky scanned his surroundings to make sure no one was paying them too much attention. His name may have been cleared from murdering the Wakanda Leader and he may no longer be the feared Winter Soldier, but he was still cautious. He had to protect Kagome. He had to keep her safe. That was his only priority now.

Kagome pushed the cart, happily humming as she glanced at the items they passed. "What should we have for dinner, Bucky?" she asked.

"Anything is fine," he answered. He wasn't picky, though Kagome was an excellent cook. He had seen her use the bare minimum amount of ingredients to create a delicious meal.

"Come on," she cajoled, "there isn't anything you're craving?"

He turned heated eyes onto her, a seductive smirk on his handsome face. His voice was low as he replied, "I may have one or two cravings, in that case."

She giggled. "You're so bad."

"I thought you liked bad boys?"

"I won't lie – they have their uses," she said, winking playfully. "Now, come on, stop stalling. This will be our first meal since coming home. We should make it special."

Bucky thought about it for a second, but his attention was caught on a certain boxed item he instantly recognized. He lifted it from the shelf and showed Kagome his find. "I don't know about food, but how about some hot chocolate?"

"It's Swiss," she commented, smiling brightly and with nostalgia. "Perfect."

KH*BB*KH*BB

That night, Bucky stood next to the window, gazing outside at the quiet and stillness. In his hand, he held a ceramic mug with rapidly cooling hot chocolate. He took a languid sip. His thoughts were, for once, clear and he was grateful. Hydra had done a real number on him, physically and mentally. Their harsh conditioning had trained him to be the perfect killing machine.

But they hadn't anticipated his memories or affection for Kagome to bring him out of the dark. Even his memories of friendship with Steve Rogers had helped him to regain his old self.

Arms wrapped around his waist from behind as a soft, feminine body pressed against his back. Bucky breathed out a content sigh, his broad shoulders relaxing as a soothing aura caressed his battered one.

"I woke up and you weren't in bed," Kagome softly said, pressing her lips against his bare shoulder. "Is everything okay, Bucky?"

"Everything is… fine," he answered, only hesitating for a second. He let a small smile appear on his face. "For once, everything is fine, Kagome."

A warm smile curved her lips though he couldn't see it. "And it'll stay that way for the rest of our lives. We don't have to run anymore. We can just stay here." Together.

"Good." Placing the mug down, Bucky turned to face the raven haired beauty. He surprised a squeak out of her when he easily lifted her with his arm curved under her bottom, her arms automatically wrapping around his neck for added balance. He smirked, eyes heated as he gazed at her. "Let's start the rest of our lives right now."

With that, he carried them off to the bedroom with a vow and unspoken promise in each of their gazes.

KH*BB*KH*BB

~Several Months Later~

Contentedly, Bucky listened as Kagome hummed in the kitchen as she prepared lunch for them. He sat in the living room, his knives and a few handguns laid out so that he could sharpen and clean them. While they weren't on the run, it didn't mean he could let his skills become rusty.

Knock, knock, knock!

Bucky was instantly alert, swiftly standing on his feet, with a deep frown on his face. No one should know where they lived. He – and Kagome, from before she met him – had taken every precaution to make sure they couldn't be found.

Grabbing a handgun, he readily cocked it. He was about to silently approach the door, but Kagome's voice stopped him.

"Could you get that, Bucky? We're having a guest for lunch."

His brow rose as he glanced in the direction of the kitchen even though he couldn't actually see her from that angle. "A guest?" he questioned.

She released a tinkling laugh. "I wanted to surprise you. Trust me. This will be good for you." She added as if in afterthought, "Oh, and put your gun away. It would be rude to answer the door with a firearm."

Grumbling under his breath – seriously, how did she know he had a handgun? Perhaps she knew him too well – he did as he was told. He hid the weapon at the small of his back, and went to answer the door.

Bucky blinked in surprise at who he saw standing on the doorstep. "Steve?"

Rogers inclined his head in greeting, a smile starting to form on his face. "Bucky," he returned.

"What are you doing here?"

Rogers' shoulders straightened to cover how awkward he felt. "Ah," he cleared his throat. "Kagome invited me here. She thought… She thought it would be a good idea if we all had lunch together."

Bucky cocked his head to the side curiously as he considered the blonde male in front of him. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "How did she get your number?" he asked. "Or better yet, how did you get her number?" He wasn't blind. Steve had been a scrawny kid back in the old days, but that was no longer true. Did he have competition for Kagome's affections?

Rogers held up his hands to show he was no threat. "Come on, man. I didn't have her number – She found me, I swear."

That, the former Winter Soldier could believe. He almost rolled his eyes as his shoulders relaxed and his stance turned less defensive. "She has a way of… obtaining information… in unique ways," he conceded.

"You're telling me," the blonde male scoffed.

Said raven haired beauty appeared in that second, beaming a welcoming smile. "What are you guys talking about?" she asked, tilting her head curiously.

"Nothing," they answered at the same time, both wearing innocent expressions.

She blinked at them for several moments before deciding to let it go. Shrugging, she gestured for Rogers to enter their humble home. "Come inside, Steve. Lunch is almost ready."

"I always appreciate any offer of a home cooked meal."

"Then you've come to the right place," she chuckled. She led them back into the living room. "Why don't you boys have a seat and chat while I finish cooking? It should be ready in ten minutes."

"Thank you," Rogers said, nodding in a show of gratitude. He and Bucky took a seat, and Rogers' eyes scanned the weapons that covered the table. He raised a questioning brow. "What's all this?"

Bucky grunted. He removed the hidden gun and put it back in its proper place in the pile. "Can't afford to get rusty."

The blonde male nodded in understanding. His expression turned serious as he looked his best friend in the eye. "Be straight with me. How are you doing, Bucky?"

He sighed, but it was a sound of peace and freedom. "It was hard to adjust to things with just one arm." He gestured to the side that had once held his metal arm. "But Kagome makes things easier. Just being in her presence… heals me."

Rogers smiled, seeing firsthand how much better Bucky was doing since the last time he'd seen him a few months ago. He slapped him on the shoulder. "I'm happy for you."

"Thanks. I'm happy too."

And he planned on staying that way for the rest of his life with the woman that reminded him of warmth, sunshine, and love.

KH*BB*KH*BB

~Two Years Later~

Kagome moaned as Bucky teased kisses up and down her neck, their bodies slick with sweat. Hands touched and caressed each other, light or firm, but all meant to seduce and coax a response from the other.

Bucky pushed away just far enough to gaze into lustful, amethyst orbs. "I want you on top."

They easily rolled until she straddled his lap. Her hands petted his firm chest, paying particular attention to his waist where he had dips of definition. She licked her lips, a smile of pure predatory delight shining within her expression.

He gripped her waist, obviously becoming impatient. "Stop teasing," he growled.

She released a giggle but, with a slight twist of her hips, she sheathed him as deep as she could. Her body shuddered with pleasure even as he released a groan. "Oh, that's good," she moaned. "You're so deep…"

"Ride me."

The raven haired beauty did just that, her hips moving and gyrating in a sultry dance that had Bucky panting and cursing under his breath as he tried to keep his control. The way her inner walls fluttered and squeezed his cock was intoxicating, sweat breaking out on his forehead. At this rate, he wouldn't last long.

Kagome released a startled yelp when he suddenly knocked her off balance, once again rolling them until he was on top. She gnawed on her bottom lip as his next thrust brought him all the way to her uterus.

The bed squeaked under their vigorous lovemaking, the sound of skin slapping against skin music to their ears. When she released a mewl of pleasure, he answered with his own grunt of satisfaction.

"I'm close," she panted. "I'm going to… I'm going to cum, Bucky."

He grunted, "Me too."

Minutes later, the couple reached the peak of their joining. Kagome moaned his name out loud, and Bucky gritted hers out between clenched teeth as white-lightning zapped up and down their spines.

Reluctantly pulling out of her warm sheath, the former soldier rolled onto his side to comfortably spoon against the raven haired beauty. They basked in the afterglow of their lovemaking, both content to just lie in bed with the other as they caught their respective breaths.

Kagome snuggled into his embrace. "What should we do today?"

"We could just stay in bed," he suggested.

She giggled. "We did that yesterday."

"I don't have a problem with doing that again." In fact, he would prefer it. At the rate they were going, he wouldn't be surprised if she ended up pregnant. It was a concept he had never seen himself in, had never dreamed of, but with Kagome everything was different. She gave him a hope for a better future. The last two years had proven it.

She lightly punched him in the shoulder. "I wouldn't either, but we're running low on supplies," she said. "The hay needs to be replaced in the barn, too. It's starting to smell musty and old."

He grunted. "I'll take care of it. Make a list of what we need and I'll go into town."

Kagome beamed as she gave him a playful, smacking kiss on the cheek. "You're the best."

"Don't you ever forget it."

KH*BB*KH*BB

Bucky paused as he dropped a bale of hay, his gaze focused on the newcomers as they approached from their invisible ship. He frowned. Although they were considered allies, he didn't like when uninvited guests decided to pay a visit. The home he had built with Kagome was sacred. Except for a trusted few, no one knew their location – and he liked it that way. It afforded him a type of privacy and security he hadn't had in a long time.

T'Challa smiled at the former soldier, a metal briefcase in hand. "It is time, White Wolf. I think you've healed enough," he said by way of greeting.

Kagome was suddenly by Bucky's side, her gaze curious. But she didn't say anything and neither did he. She probably sensed the intrusion the moment the ship entered their atmosphere.

T'Challa offered the briefcase, opening it to reveal a new metal arm that Bucky knew would fit him perfectly.

"Where's the fight?" he questioned, gaze locked on the modified arm. While he had adapted to living with one arm, he would greatly appreciate having two. If a war was coming, it would be better if he was prepared. He had to protect Kagome, no matter what.

"It is on the way," T'Challa answered. "And we will need you." His gaze drifted to include Kagome. "We will need both of you."

Bucky and Kagome shared a look, their hands intertwining to grip the other. They both silently agreed to one thing:

No matter what happened, they would face it together.

KH*BB*KH*BB

After Bucky's new metal arm was installed, it wasn't long before he started going through his personal arsenal. Guns were checked and cleaned. Knives were sharpened. Any little trick he had picked up over the years with Hydra was utilized as he prepared for the upcoming fight that the leader of Wakanda had warned about.

Kagome did her own prepping. She meditated, finding her center and concentrating on stabilizing her priestess powers. She made sure her quiver of arrows was fully stocked, and her bow restrung for maximum efficiency. She also managed to find a katana.

It was as she was meditating that she felt Bucky's distinct aura brush against hers, letting her know he was close without meaning to disturb her.

"I would rather you didn't go out there and fight," he said, his voice low.

She kept her eyes closed, though a smile gently curved her lips. "Funny," she said, "I could say the same about you."

Bucky scowled, though he knew she couldn't see it. "A war is coming, Kagome. I don't want you to be a part of it." His voice softened as he said, "I don't want to risk losing you." He would protect her with his life, but war was unpredictable. What if he wasn't by her side and something happened? She could be harmed or worse. He would go insane. He would lose his mind in a way Hydra hadn't been able to.

"Again, I could say the same about you."

He frowned with disapproval. "This isn't some kind of joke."

"Who's laughing?" Finally, she opened her eyes to gaze at the man she loved. "Bucky, we both know what war is like. We've survived through countless battles. I can fight by your side. I'm not a helpless schoolgirl anymore."

He couldn't argue with her logic. To do so would be to admit that he didn't think she was competent. She was. If she could flip him over her shoulder, it was proof that she was more than capable of handling herself. But still… "I don't like this," he gruffly stated.

Her smile was sweet but triumphant. "You don't have to like it, like how I don't have to like that you're risking your life as well."

Bucky sighed. "Fine. But we're going to have some ground rules."

"Looking forward to it."

Before more could be said, a chime from a cell phone rang. Bucky frowned as he dug out the device from his pocket. Only two people had his number, and one was currently sitting in front of him. That left one other person…

The text was short and to-the-point:

Steve Rogers: I could use your help. Meet me in Edinburgh.

Bucky gave Kagome a considering look. "How do you feel about Scotland?"

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, and added this story to their favorites list! You're awesome :)

Please don't forget to leave your thoughts in a review below! It only takes less than a minute, but means the whole world to me and other authors out there :) We deeply appreciate all of your time, support, and generosity!

XOXO,

Celestial Law