Breaking the Rules

Epilogue

7 months later

You and Bucky walked hand-in-hand along the perfectly arranged streets, peering into shop windows adorned with Christmas decorations. You walked aimlessly, not paying attention to where you were going, while you maundered on about a documentary you both watched the night before.

"Fish don't drink water," Bucky scoffed.

"Of course they do," you replied, shaking your head. "What do you think they drink? Milk?"

He let out a surprised laugh, drawing strange looks from passers-by. "That's not what I meant. They live in water, they don't need to drink it. They probably just soak it up through their skin or something."

"Maybe," you shrugged.

"Why are we even talking about this?" he asked, a crease forming between his brows.

You turned your head to look at him. His thick scarf covered most of his mouth, but you could tell he was smiling by the way his eyes crinkled at the corners. He continued to look ahead and squeezed your hand when you took too long to answer.

You cleared your voice. "Because you said you wanted to eat sushi for dinner."

"I still do."

"Yeah, but it's my turn to choose," you reminded him. "But... if you let me pick the movie, then you can have whatever you want."

"Whatever I want, uh?" he said with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

You recognized the suggestive tone of his voice, and even though you wanted to roll your eyes, you couldn't keep the smile off your face. Bucky tugged on your hand to bring you closer. He cupped your face and lowered his mouth to yours, speaking against your lips.

"I want...," he trailed off, brushing his lips against your own. You closed your eyes, your body humming with excitement. Instead of kissing you, he tugged your beanie down over your eyes and said, "-sushi!"

"Jerk!" you cried. "I hate you."

"No, you don't," he laughed, taking your hand. "Come on, we need to find a gift for little Joey."

Joey was Steve and Peggy's child. He was born two weeks before Christmas and Bucky couldn't stop talking about him. You loved the way his eyes lit up every time he received a new picture from Steve.

Of course, Steve had chosen him to be the Godfather. You were really happy for Bucky, you just wished he'd stop quoting the baptism scene from The Godfather.

You passed through the automatic doors of the shopping centre as you removed your hat and gloves and stuffed them into your pockets. Bucky disappeared between two aisles and you decided to browse around a little.

After a moment, you wandered down to the baby department and found Bucky. He ran his hand over the soft material of a pink dress and released a soft sigh.

Seeing Steve so happy with his wife and kid might have triggered his own desire to settle down and start a family. You knew you would have to talk about it soon.

"That dress is a little too small for you, Buck," you said, startling him.

"Ah-ah!" He rolled his eyes affectionately.

He looked away, a momentary sadness clouding his eyes and face. You ran your fingers through his hair in an attempt to calm his raging thoughts. He gave you a small smile and kissed your cheek.

"You found something for Joey?" he asked, nodding his head toward the tiny pair of denim overalls in your hand.

You perked up instantly and held the hanger higher so he could take a better look. "Yes! Isn't it the cutest thing in the world?"