"Rogers, open up!" Bucky banged on the apartment door, attracting the attention of a woman peering out into the hall. She wore baggy clothes and looked old enough to be his mother's grandma. He thought he detected the smell of cookies baking from her apartment. She scruntised him.

Bucky knew he looked awful. He hadn't slept since he landed the Austin job and gained dark circles because of it. His hair met his shoulders, a sign that a haircut was long overdue. He winced when her eyes landed on the metal hand glinting from his sweatshirt sleeve. She scowled.

In short, he looked criminal.

He waved at her. Her apartment door in response, slammed shut. Bucky heard an ominous click as she locked her door. Nice neighbor.

Steve could probably coax a smile to her face. All the old ladies who met him instantly fell in love. They'd pinch his cheeks and coo over his hair. He'd flash a smile, bruised all over from fights he started, and they'd call him an angel. All because he called them 'ma'am and walked them across the street.

He couldn't remember a time when Steve Roger and him hadn't been best friends. Steve, the golden boy who dreamed of fist fights and honor. Bucky, the dark knight who liked kissing girls and inventions. They were inseparable. Fought together, played together, mourned their parents together, rose in ranks at Shield together. All as a team. James and Steven, Barnes and Rogers, Cap and Bucky.

So when Steve asked Bucky to join him and a fellow bounty hunter in an apartment deal set up by one of their employers, he couldn't say no. He finished up his job in Austin and flew back today. Made some good money too. It'd taken over a month of caffeine and little sleep for him to track down the arms dealer. He was looking forward to sleep and bro time.

Bucky checked his phone. No response. Just his unanswered texts in the group chats.

Sent To Steve:

Im here

Let me in

steve

Sent To Birdman:

I know you're in there open the door

Sent to Birdsolidersicle

Ayyyyyy guys look im here

Don't all greet me at once

"идиот." He grumbled, bending down to feel underneath the cheery welcome mat. Steve used to keep a spare key there at their old place.

Something hard hit his head and swept his body back. He landed on his back with a thud. A woman's voice. "Он мой бог!"

A hand grasped his and pulled him up. She sounded apologetic. "I'm so sorry! If I'd known you were there-"

"Yeah," Bucky cut her off. "Instead you…" He opened his eyes and lost his train of thought. What was the Black Widow doing in Steve's apartment?

He hadn't seen her since he worked full time at Strike, Shield's rival in the bounty hunting world. He wouldn't have recognized her without her catsuit, if it weren't for that familiar Russian perfume.

She had to be a friend of Sam's. Steve didn't hang out with a lot of women. Especially redheads in baseball hats with red lipstick and steel eyes that shine like silver and smell like mint and lavender sachets…..

She raised her eyebrows at him and Bucky knew he'd been caught staring. He focused his attention on the apartment complex's scuffed floors and waited for her to recognize him.

Steve appeared in the doorway. "Hey Nat, what do you want on your pizza?" He spotted Bucky and grinned. "Ayyy Buck! I didn't know you were back yet."

"Check your phone манекен." His annoyance melted away at the sight of his best friend. "I texted you."

Steve winced. "Sorry, phone died." His eyes rested on the girl and Bucky realised he hadn't let go. He released her hand and dug his metal one into his jean pocket. Steve grinned. "You need a haircut."

Bucky ran his other hand through his dark hair self-consciously. "What, it's that bad?"

"Nah. Sam might have a fit though." He motioned them inside.

Bucky followed, feeling the her eyes on him. Steve had called her 'Nat'. Probably a nickname, Steve liked giving people those. She didn't seem to mind. It hit him that he never knew the Black Widow's real name. Just her bounty count-2,000- and former organization, Strike. "Why, is he still trying to get with the delivery girl?"

"Why else would we have pizza?" Steve cupped his mouth and whispered. "Don't tell him, I ordered pizza from two different places tonight." He said it with such glee that it felt like he was twelve again.

Bucky smiled. He can see Sam now. Overly polite Sam, trying to shoo the other away so he could talk to the girl without making it obvious. "Just like old times."

The woman brushed past him. Bucky watched her hop up onto a bar stool and give it a spin. "My lips are sealed. Thank you Steve, but I won't be able to stay tonight."

She could be a Natalia. He can hear the Russian accent sneaking past every few syllables. Or a Natalie or even a….

"I have a coffee here for a lovely lady named Natasha!" Sam called from somewhere in the apartment.

Natasha. Many successful Russian models and actresses carried the name. Mothers would name their girls Natasha in hopes to bring Luck to their daughters side. As it a name could grant a child beauty and fame. A stupid superstition. But standing here, seeing a Natasha with his own eyes, he wasn't so sure. Especially if the Black Widow carried her name.

It was starting to bother him that she didn't recognize him. It wasn't like they were enemies at Strike. Plus, who else did she know that had a metal arm? Bucky was starting to get the feeling that she was acting indifferent on purpose. Just an act, like the Black Widow.

He tore his eyes off her as she disappeared through a side door and focused on Steve. "Which room is mine?"

The blond scratched the back of his neck as he looked around the apartment. It was an open concept that looked a lot like Rachel and Monica's apartment from friends. The living room was bare except for a big tv that Sam contributed and the dining table Steve's dad built before he died. A weapons rack stood by the door for missions and a pair of black boots leaned against it. A small bar counter was all that separated the kitchen from the living room and a bunch of doors branched off from it.

"There's three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Yours is the one on the left. They're all kinda small though." Steve sounded like he was apologizing. Just like him. Steve would give the shirt off his back and more to a stranger and still apologize for not doing enough.

Bucky shook his head and gripped his shoulder. "I'd take anything after the month I've had. It's not like I have a lot of things anyway."

Sam and Natasha entered the room. She had her phone out and was sipping on a plastic cup containing what looked like sweet tea. "Right, as if your 'collection' isn't a lot." Sam drawled.

On his drive over Bucky had thought long and hard about what to say to Sam. He'd thrown out straight up cussing him out or flipping him off. Which would be stupid as the African American former Army man towered at least 4 inches above him and had a wicked punch. No, his first words to his 'rival' had to be smooth and earth shattering. He straightened.

"I brought the couch."

Sam's face lit up. "DUDE." He turned to Natasha. "This man owns the best couch in the world. It cost him what, 5,000 bucks? He has these cashmere blankets that force you to curl up into a ball because they're so small, but you don't care because it's so soft."

"Wow. You really love his couch." Nat looked at him as she spoke. Bucky swallowed and diverted his eyes.

"It doesn't even classify as a couch! It's huge and made out of tufted leather that your butt sinks into. It's like a daybed that some marketing agency was like, y'know, this is a couch."

"If you love my couch so much, help me bring it in." Bucky said.

Sam made a face. "And get all sweaty before she arrives?

"Dude, you don't even know her name."

Sam snapped his fingers. "Lelia Taylor."

"But then you could impress her with yourself shirtless." Nat pointed out. "Some girls are into that."

"Disgusting. My legs? Gold. Bucky can agree with me on this one, he's got them thighs of betrayal."

Nat choked on her drink. Steve started laughing. "What does that even mean?" He gasped.

Nat gathered up her things and stood. "And on that note, I have to go to work. Catch you later, fossil." She shot her parting remark at Steve.

"That was one time!" Steve protested.

Bucky watched her go. "She's going to around a lot, isn't she."

She hesitated at the door and Bucky realised belatedly that he'd spoken too soon. Her eyes were on him again. Like she was picking the lock to his heart.

Nat winked. "If you don't mind, Partner."

Translations:

Идиот: English Idiot or in Russian Moron

Он мой бог: Oh my god

Манекен : Dummy

Lavande sachets is a Russian perfume that I assume smells like Lavender.

Lelia Taylor and the Falcon got engaged in the comics, I think? Sam's monologue about the couch is stolen from an interview Mackie does. They ask if he and Sebastian are friends and he goes on for like a minute about how much he loves his couch.

*if you haven't picked up on it, I'm basing these guys heavily off of the actor's personalities. Just for the Sam/Bucky dynamic. As preparation for the tv show.

I'm pretending that Natasha's death didn't happen shush. I'm using the friends style chapter titles cuz why not and let me know what adventures you want to see these roommates/friends to go on!

Have a lovely day! :)