Neighbors

Golden Afternoon

"Did you just come over to eat my food?"

"Rude," Bucky shot, his brows creased in mock offense. "That's not what I said."

"I mean, you sat on my couch and immediately said you were hungry," you pointed out, watching him falter through a defense from your spot next to him on the couch.

"I thought we could fix that problem together," he offered, and while he hadn't even attempted to hide the fact that he'd come up with it on the spot, he said it so sweetly you couldn't question that he was being genuine. "It's eleven-thirty, are you not hungry?"

"Well, I am. But-"

"Last night you said you wanted to make bread," he started, raising his brows in almost a question as he continued; "I know we just made some a few days ago, but if that's how you want to spend your day off that's what we'll do." You couldn't help but smile at his sentiment, perfectly willing to spend his day doing whatever your heart desired so long as he could do it with you.

"I said I wanted to eat it, we've yet to touch the loaf of sandwich bread we made," you reminded, a subtle segway into exactly the conversation you wanted to have.

"Then let's fix it," Bucky said with a wink, giving your thigh a pat as he stood up from the couch and offered a hand out for you to do the same, trailing behind you into the kitchen. "What did you want to do?" He asked as he leaned back on the counter across from you to wait for your answer.

You had been gifted the day off of work, landing miraculously on a very specific holiday, and you intended to make the most out of it. At this very moment, that was going to include teasing Bucky about anything you saw fit.

"Well, nobody asked me to be their Valentine today, so I guess I don't have any plans," you snarked, a shit-eating grin on your face as you watched him raise an eyebrow at you.

"You're full of shit," he breathed, the word coming out in a mix of exasperation and amusement as he shook his head, and you giggled at the stern look he was giving you. "I asked you to go dancing tonight."

"Yeah, but we always go dancing."

"And I made a point to ask you very specifically to come dance with me on Valentine's day," he defended, pointing a finger at you to emphasize his point. It had actually been very cute watching him get flustered as he stumbled his way into the question. However, it was also fun to push his buttons.

"You did, but it's not the same thing."

"Alright, fine then, let's get technical. Doll, will you-"

"You can't do it now, you missed your chance!" You cut him off, fighting back a laugh that had threatened its way through. He simply rolled his eyes at you, shaking his head in what could have been mistaken for disappointment or annoyance had he not looked back at you with a wide grin.

"What are we doing today, peach?"

"Well... I did find this park with a wide-open field that's not too far of a drive. I figured we could make some sandwiches with that bread we made, go check it out," you suggested nonchalantly, trying your very best not to let a shiver run down your spine while he looked at you so intently. He looked off to the side as if he was thinking it over, and you knew something stupid was about to come out of his mouth.

"You know, I did have these big plans... but apparently, I'm not her valentine, so I think I can squeeze you in," he teased, and you just scoffed while you rolled your eyes at him, turning to walk away. He was quick to grab your wrist gently so as to stop you, his other hand sliding around your waist to pull you into his arms, a soft smile on his cheeks. "I'm kidding. Let's go on that picnic, it sounds fun," he reasoned, tucking a stray hair away from your face.