Play Pretend

play pretend

18+

in order to appease his uncle, bucky needs to prove that he's a family man. what better way to get that image across than with a loving wife? there's only one problem: bucky doesn't have a wife. he does, however, have a little fairy.

content warning: mob!bucky x best friend!reader, fake relationship, idiots in love, friends to lovers, fluff, mutual pining, kissing, angst, mention of sex, dirty talk (degradation kink, dom/sub dynamic).

mob!bucky masterlist

The second you get to your apartment door, you know something's wrong. You feel it in the air. You may be tipsy from the drinks you got with your colleagues after work, and the late hour may be making you paranoid, but if being best friends with a criminal has taught you anything, it's to trust your instincts. When you hear a quiet thud from inside, your eyes widen. Fuck.

You put your key in the door while dialing Bucky's number, before reaching into your purse and taking out the pepper spray. It isn't a gun, but you can't exactly take a weapon into your office every day.

"Hey, fairy," Bucky's calming voice rings through your phone, giving you some relief.

"James," You whisper curtly while slowly turning the key. "There's someone in my apartment. I'm gonna kill him, but I just wanted to let you know, first."

All he does is chuckle while you open the door as quietly as possible, his tone oddly light for someone who claims to be so protective of you. "Go get him, tiger. Show him who's boss."

Did he just hang up?

You frown at his lack of concern, but peg it on him not believing you. Bastard. He'll learn to take you seriously when it's he who has to clean up the blood. Entering your apartment, you drop your bag and hold up the pepper spray. "Whoever you are, show yourself!" You call out, flicking on the light and looking around. "I've been taught how to kill a man with nothing but my bare hands!"

"If you wanted to use your hands on me, baby, you should've just asked." The smooth voice makes you scream in shock, your eyes and mouth wide as you see Bucky sitting in your armchair.

"What the fuck?" You yell, kicking the door shut behind you. "Don't scare me like that, you prick!"

"I'm sorry, fairy, it's just too easy," He laughs, standing up and striding over to you before pulling you in for a tight hug. When he pulls away, he cups your cheek, scanning your face and frowning when he smells the vodka on you. "Why you home so late, huh? Haven't I told you to call me when you come home late? Especially when you've been drinking."

"It's fine; Mr. Stark walked me home from the bar," You tell him casually while taking off your coat.

"Tony?" Bucky repeats with narrow eyes. "Why the fuck were you at a bar with him?"

You grin. There's that protective instinct, back in full swing. "It was a work thing; Margo's last day, so we went for drinks," You explain. "Sorry I didn't tell you. I figured you'd be busy, seeing as it's a Friday night, and all."

"I don't care what day it is; you stay out past 9, you call me," He states firmly, wrapping his hand around the back of your neck. "How many times do I have to explain that to you?"

"Alright, alright, jeez," You whine, pulling his hand off of you and walking over to the kitchen area. "You hungry? I'm hungry. Hummus. I have hummus and pitta. Yum."

While you grab items from your fridge, including the tub of hummus and a carton of orange juice, Bucky takes a seat at the table. He watches you with a smirk as you flit around the kitchen, grabbing everything that looks good and putting it on the table in front of him. After toasting some pitta bread, you cut it into bite sized pieces and place it down too, before sitting next to him.

He wraps his hand around the leg of your chair and pulls you closer, parting his lips when you bring up a piece of pitta bread with a healthy dollop of hummus to his mouth.

"Here comes the airplane," You tease, your eyes filling with delight as he eats it. He bites on the tip of your finger, making you yelp and pull your hand back. "Bad boy! You have lost your pitta privileges."

Bucky pouts but says nothing, sitting back and letting you indulge in your feast. After a few moments, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a black, velvet box. "Fairy," He mumbles, patting your thigh. "Got something for you."

"What is it?" You ask with a mouthful of chocolate, raising your brows.

Instead of telling you, he shows you, flicking open the box to reveal the most beautiful ring. With a smile, he meets your eyes. "Marry me."

Your heart skips a beat but a split second later, you snort. "Get the fuck outta here, Jamie. What's that for?"

"You're gonna wear it over the weekend," He informs you. "I need you to pretend to be my wife until Sunday. Two days, that's it."

"What the fuck for?" You ask, utterly baffled. "You got a coupon for a honeymoon package, or something?"

"My uncle's coming to town," He says with a sigh.

"Uncle Jack?" You ask with wide eyes. "What does he have to do with anything?"

"Don't look so excited," He grumbles with an eye roll. "He's expecting to come home and be introduced to my family. I need you to do this for me."

After the death of Bucky's father, Jack took over the business. Then, once Bucky turned 18, Jack left the country, claiming Bucky was capable of running the business himself. You haven't seen Jack in a few years, but every time he visits, Bucky almost goes insane with stress. He feels pressured to impress his uncle; as though he has something to prove.

"The numbers don't meant a thing to him; he won't care how successful the business is," Bucky explains. "All he'll be criticizing me for is my lack of a family. And that's where you come in."

"Your wife?" You sputter with wide eyes. "You want me to pretend to be your wife?"

"Please," He implores, taking your hand in his. "With this ring, I thee wed - for the next 48 hours."

Your eyes narrow into a glare as you pull your hand back before he gets a chance to slip the ring on your finger. "What if I took you seriously before, Buck? What if I got my hopes high, thinking you were proposing for real?"

"Then I'd marry you for real," He says simply, shrugging nonchalantly. "Now, come on. Put the ring on, and then it's bed time. We have an early start tomorrow."

Rolling your eyes, you childishly stick your hand out. "At least get down on one knee." You know that whatever Bucky wants, he gets, and besides; it's only for the weekend. You'll survive being his fake wife for 48 hours.

Knowing he's got you on side, Bucky laughs before kneeling on the ground. He holds up the ring, an adorable look in his wide eyes. "Fairy, baby, you're the only woman I'd be happy to wake up to every day for the rest of my life. You make the best alfredo, and you're nice enough to feed me when my hands are roughed up. I don't know what I did to deserve a guardian angel, but God gave you to me anyway. Will you make me the happiest, luckiest son of a bitch alive and marry me for the weekend?"

"Oh, Jamie," You coo, smiling widely. "You're a fucking rat bastard, and you give me migraines, and you're the reason my social life is so abysmal. Of course I'll marry you for the weekend!"

He slips the ring on your finger with a grin before standing up and lifting you off the chair in a tight hug. You wrap your legs around his waist as he walks you to your bedroom, his lips pressing a soft kiss to your cheek. "You're the best, my little fairy."

"Yeah, yeah," You mumble, resting your head on his shoulder. "You owe me one."

"And then he asked me while we were in Venice; proposed on a gondola under the moonlight," You say with a dreamy smile. "We got married in Sicily a year later."

"Well, I'll be damned," Jack replies with a wide grin. "I was beginning to lose hope for you, James. Thought you'd never settle down."

Bucky pulls you closer onto his lap, looking up at you. "When you find a woman as incredible as Y/N, you want her to yourself."

"Took you long enough," Jack mutters. "How long have you two known each other, now?"

"It's coming up to ten years," You tell him warmly.

"Ten?" Bucky repeats with a mumble, frowning at you. "Guess we're gonna have to celebrate, baby, hmm?"

"Ah, young love," Jack sighs, sitting back in the armchair. "You're a lucky man, James."

"I know," He whispers, gently tilting your face towards him. "Give me a kiss, fairy."

Though you're surprised at his request, you can't help but give in. It won't be the first time you've kissed Bucky, but the fact that you're pretending to be a married couple adds a little pressure to this one. Admittedly, it's fun to kiss him, though you know it'll only hurt when you realise it's all for show. The kiss is soft and short, but still utterly magical.

"So, when can I expect some grandkids?"

You almost choke at Jack's query, immediately pulling away from Bucky. "Grandkids?"

"Don't scare her, Jack; we only just tied the knot," Bucky says calmly, patting your knee. "Let us experience marital bliss for a little while before we start having babies."

Having babies. Having babies? Babies?

You stare at Bucky. Oh, shit. This was a bad idea. Hiding your feelings from him is hard enough, but now he's planting the image of making a family with you in your head? It's like he wants to break your heart.

Jack shrugs with a smug smirk, "That's exactly what your father said to my parents. A year later, your ma had you. Life doesn't always go to plan, Buck."

No, it does not.

"Anyone need another drink?" You ask, standing up. "I know I do."

The sound of live music fills the bar, the smell of drinks and food in the air. Bucky's friends and family are celebrating Jack's return with a party, while you do your best to keep up appearances. Somehow, you got through the first day without a hitch, and you only have to pretend to be Bucky's wife until the end of tonight.

"As long as nobody notices the ring," Bucky mumbles into your ear. "They won't even realize the difference."

He hasn't told anyone else what you're up to, which you've told him is a bad idea. Bucky's sure that you'll be able to convince Jack you're married while everyone else remains clueless, but you aren't so confident.

You raise a brow, swaying in his arms as his chest presses against your back. "So, you think we act like a married couple anyway?"

He smirks while taking a sip of whiskey before resting the glass on your shoulder. "Well, we flirt, we dance, we love each other," He lists off smugly, placing his free hand on your waist. "The only thing that's missing is sex."

"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" You grumble bitterly.

"Very much so, fairy," Bucky teases before turning you around and pulling you closer.

"Jamie?" You begin, to which he nods. "Do you remember any of Tuesday night?"

Immediately, he chuckles. "Fuck's sake. Sam won't stop ripping into me for that; keeps making psychic jokes. Bastard."

"Do you remember when you came to see me?" You ask, feeling your heart thud.

A smirk grows on his lips. "I remember kissing you."

"That's it?" You prod, your cheeks heating up at the memory. "You don't remember when I took you home?"

He looks up, frowning. "Uh, I don't remember anything past the kiss. Why? Was I horrible to you?"

You put on a smile and you can't tell whether you're relieved that he's forgotten your admission, or disappointed. "You're never horrible to me, Jamie," You mumble, placing your hands on his shoulders as the two of you sway gently to the music.

His eyes narrow. "Are you sure? Now that I think about it, you seemed upset the next morning. You can tell me if I was a prick - did I hurt you?"

"Of course you didn't!" You exclaim, lightly hitting his arm for effect. "Don't be stupid."

"I must've done something. Isn't that why you brought it up?" He questions, a look of concern growing on his face. "Did I say something mean?"

"Like what?" You ask curiously. "What do you think you could've said that was mean?"

"Uh, I don't know," Bucky says with a shrug. "Did I try to kiss you again?"

"Actually, you didn't," You tell him with a hint of surprise.

"That doesn't sound like me," He mutters, glancing down at your lips. "Give me one now, to make up for it."

"We're only friends, though," You say, trying to sound nonchalant. "Aren't we?"

A look of mischief blooms in his eyes. "Not tonight."

"Right," You utter. "Tonight, I'm Mrs. Barnes."

"Doesn't that sound good?" He whispers, holding you closer.

You can't help but wince and stop dancing. "I can't do this anymore."

Confused, he takes your hand in his. "What are you talking about, fairy?"

With a racing heart and clammy palms, you take a deep breath and step back. "I- I think I need some space."

"Space?" He repeats, baffled. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry," You whisper, shaking your head. "Just tell Uncle Jack I'm not feeling well. I'm going home."

You make it a few feet before you feel him grabbing your arm and pulling you back, a stern look on his face. "What's going on?" He asks you. "Talk to me, fairy."

Looking around the bar, you cringe when you spot a few people staring at you and Bucky. "Not here, Jamie."

"Bucky," Jack's voice suddenly booms as he appears at your side. "We have a problem."

Immediately, Bucky's face pales. "Fuck."

"What is it?" You ask, your concern overriding your heartbreak.

Cupping your cheeks, Bucky pulls you closer. "Nothing you need to worry about, fairy. Go home, and I'll be there soon. We'll continue talking about this later."

"Are you sure?" You press. "If something's wrong-"

"I told you, there's nothing you need to worry about," He promises. "I'll be at your place in a couple of hours, I swear."

Half-heartedly, you nod. "Okay."

"Good girl," Bucky mumbles, kissing your forehead. "I love you."

"I love you, too," You whisper, hundreds of worries swarming your mind.

When Bucky finally arrives at your apartment, it's almost midnight and he looks a lot less stressed out.

"Just something Uncle Jack needed me to sort out," He mumbles as he joins you on the floor in front of the couch. "Nothing major."

"That's good," You mutter, nodding, playing with the ring he gave you.

After a few moments of silence, he gently nudges your arm. "I've upset my fairy, haven't I?"

Sighing, you look down. "Maybe."

"Help me make it better," Bucky implores. "Come on, fairy. We've known each other too long for you to hold back on me. Give it to me straight."

Looking up at him, you furrow your brows. "What if I told you that you said you were in love with me while you were high on Tuesday night?"

The question takes him aback, and he says nothing.

"That you admitted that you want me as more than just your friend. More than a best friend," You hypothesize. "That you needed more than just friendship from me?

Raising a brow, he lets out a dry laugh. "I'd say, damn. The secret's out."

"Don't fuckin joke around with this shit, James," You say sternly, with no hint of humor in your tone or facial expression.

"I'm not fucking around," He claims. "Did I really tell you that?"

You shake your head. "No," You tell him truthfully. "...I did, though."

He swallows thickly, but he doesn't seem as shocked as you were expecting him to be. Instead, he looks down at the ring and strokes one of the small gems. "This was ma's stone," He reveals.

"What?" You ask, instantly recognising it as one of the gems on his mother's engagement ring now that he's pointed it out.

"I added it to your ring," He goes on to say. "Wanted... wanted a little bit of her love in it."

"Why would you do that for a pretend marriage?" You ask him incredulously.

"Because I don't want it to be pretend," Bucky admits before taking your hand in his. "Let's get married."

Your heart skips a beat. "Jamie-"

"Let's get married."

"Stop-"

"I'm not kidding around," He claims. "This is for real. I love you more than anything."

Utterly baffled, you shake your head. Your heart is racing, your fingers twitching. "Why has it taken this long for you to say it?"

Bucky shrugs, "At the start, you weren't ready for anything serious, and I didn't want to just casually date you. So, I stayed back. Fairy, it's so obvious that we are in love. We have been for so long."

Although you had yourself convinced that he didn't want you in that way because if he did, he would've acted on his feelings by now, you trust him too much to invalidate his words. "I know," You whisper, your eyes filling with tears.

"So, what the fuck are we doing?" He asks you wildly.

"I don't know!" You exclaim.

He grabs your face and pulls you closer. "Let's get married."

Snorting, you pull back. "I'm not just gonna fuckin'... marry you, Bucky Barnes."

"Why not?" He asks you between laughs.

"Because that would be insane!" You tell him, hitting his shoulder.

"Why would it be insane-"

"We need to talk about what we want from each other," You say, shaking your head. "We can't just go from being friends to being husband and wife."

"Sure, we can," Bucky says casually. "What would even change between us if we were to get married?"

"We'd live together," You point out.

"I'm with you almost 24/7, anyway," He states.

"We'd have to share everything," You add. "Bills, responsibilities."

"When have you ever had to worry about money, huh?" He questions you with a frown.

"It's more than just finances, Buck," You say with a disbelieving laugh. "It's... marriage, it's everything."

"I'll give you everything," He vows adamantly, wrapping his arm around you.

Clinging to his shirt, you frown up at him. "We... we don't even know if we're sexually compatible."

He narrows his eyes. "Do you really have any doubts, fairy?"

"Well, what if we aren't?" You challenge him.

"I know what you're into," He claims arrogantly. "And I can more than provide you with it."

You laugh heartily at his claim, raising a brow. "Oh, yeah? Like what?"

"I've seen your PornHub search history," He admits casually.

"Buck-"

"And I know exactly who you're subscribed to on OnlyFans," He adds with a wink. "You have good taste, baby."

"You're- that's a breach of my privacy!" You complain, pushing his shoulder.

He grabs your hand, his face dropping as he wraps his free hand around the back of your neck. "I know you like being taken care of, fairy," He mumbles lowly, making you shiver as he trails his fingers up your thigh. "I know you're aching to give up control. You need someone you can obey; someone who can fuck your brains out and reduce you to nothing but a dumb little fuckdoll."

The breath is stolen from your lungs. You feel as though your mind has gone blank, and all that matters is Bucky and his honey-like voice.

"All you have to do is say the word," He tells you, squeezing your thigh. "I can make your fantasies come true, fairy. You know I will."

"Jamie," You whimper, slowly moving your face closer to his.

"I'm right here, fairy," He whispers, stroking your neck. "I always have been, and I always will be. Do you trust me?"

"You know I do," You reply quickly, letting him pull you into his lap.

"Do you love me?"

"You know I do."

Without another word, he plants his lips on yours in a sweet kiss. At first, it's gentle and slow, until his hands find your ass and his tongue pushes past your lips. Just as the butterflies erupt in your stomach, though, there's a harsh knock at the door.

"Ignore it, fairy," Bucky mumbles against your lips, too lost in the kiss to notice the fact that someone's at your door in the middle of the night. "Just be a good girl for me."

His words get rid of your concern as you return to the kiss, running your hand through his hair as your tongues dance and glide across one another. Mere seconds pass before there's another knock, though - this time it's a lot louder and aggressive.

"Police, open up!" A gruff voice comes from the other side, making your heart skip a beat.

Bucky's grip tightens on your hip as his face drops. "Oh, fuck."

"Jamie?" You whisper, terrified. "What the fuck is going on?"

Looking at you, he cups your face and utters lowly, "We need to get the fuck out of here, fairy. Now."

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