strawberry pancakes // bucky barnes

The One with the Dinner

     "Who does that woman think she is?" Lily exclaimed as she burst into the Barnes residence, "Telling me I need to calm down. She called my fiance a terrorist." The blonde fumed, storming into the kitchen to start making dinner.

"Doll what're you doing?" Bucky sighed as he set Stella down, following the woman into the kitchen, "We have the conference tonight. Remember?"

Lily dropped her hand from the cupboard, placing her face into her hands. She had forgotten that Bucky and she had an Avengers conference dinner that they had to attend. The dress she wore was sitting in their room, calling for her to go put it on. She could feel the pressure laying on her shoulders from the level above her. The blonde turned her head, meeting Bucky's eyes. He looked sorrowful and sympathetic, knowing that Lily wanted to stay home more than ever.

"Is that tonight?" Hunter asked as he joined the others in the kitchen, "Did we agree that Stella and I were coming?"

"Yeah, why don't you start getting ready," Bucky began, "Take Stella with you to her room. I'm just gonna talk to mom quickly."

Hunter nodded and took his little sister from Bucky's arms, glancing back at his mother as he walked up the stairs to the second floor of the house. Lily leaned back against the counters of the kitchen, her face still resting carefully in her hands as she attempted to calm herself down. The entire day had been something out of a nightmare for Lily, especially when she learned about what happened at Hunter's school. The anxiety in her skyrocketed, and she wondered what everyone around them thought of the two's relationship. About Bucky raising two children. Marrying an "all-American girl", or so the tabloids had been saying over the last few years when the public got a hold of their relationship and Lily's story.

"I know you hate these, baby," Bucky whispered, walking towards the blonde and placing his hands on her shoulders, "I know. I'm sorry."

"It's been a very, very long day," Lily whispered, removing her hands from her face and staring up at the man, "Don't apologize. Let's just...let's just go get ready."

"Wait wait," Bucky sighed, taking Lily's hands and pulling her closer to his chest, hand moving to the side of her face.

"What're you doing?" She sighed, tilting her head into his hand.

"Jus' lookin' at ya," he purred, Brooklyn accent pushing through, "My beautiful, beautiful, fiance." The brunette cooed, bending down and pressing a gentle and barely-there kiss to Lily's lips.

Laughing softly at his words, Lily squirmed from Bucky's grip, "Sam's right. You have a staring problem." She teased, poking her fingers into the brunette's stomach before turning towards the stairs.

-----

Lily sighed as she readjusted her black peacoat. Her hands dusted off the satin material of her dark green dress that had a black lace pattern along the entirety of it. After readjusting herself, Lily bent down to Stella's height, smiling softly at her beaming daughter. The four-year-old wore a white dress with a baby blue floral pattern along the entirety of it, white tights on her legs, with bright white ballet flats as well. Her dark brown locks pulled into a bun, a baby blue flower pinned onto it.

"You do love dressing up, don't you?" Lily cooed, pressing a kiss to her daughter's cheek before standing up, running her hand through her curled blonde hair, "Shall we?"

"That makes one of us," Hunter muttered as he readjusted the white dress shirt he wore, glaring over at the crowd gathered in front of the building, "I feel like a clown right now."

Lily chuckled softly at her son and ruffled his tousled blonde hair, before picking up the four-year-old girl. The dinner was being held in Gotham Hall, a beautiful place where the Avengers were gathering to recognize a few that were retiring, and welcoming more who were joining in on the initiative. It was a televised event, and each Avenger was individually introduced to the hall, including the families. Meaning Lily, Hunter, and Stella were being introduced alongside the White Wolf, aka Bucky Barnes.