Two of a Kind

Chapter 53- Christmas Eve

You spend Christmas Eve day with your friends and family. You spend the time watching Christmas movies while making Christmas cookies with your cousins and Bucky. You finally understand why everyone loves this time of year and you couldn't imagine a better person or a better family to spend it with.

You also spend the afternoon helping Wanda, Nat, Steve, and Laura with the Christmas dinner. You spend Christmas dinner talking about Christmas traditions that all of the team members have had over the years.

"How about we do a gingerbread house making competition before bed?" Tony proposes after dinner.

Everyone agrees, "Alright, meet back here in an hour and we'll have everyone's kits ready and while we are getting those ready, you guys figure out the teams, there is only one rule." Tony announces.

"And what's that?" Nat asks

"No couples on the same team." Tony states 

You look over at Bucky and then at Laura and Clint and back at Tony, "There are only two couples, Tony." 

"Yeah, that's two couples too many, but get your teams ready " Tony adds

You roll your eyes as everyone walks to the living room, you all sit on the large couch sitting in the middle of the living room. Lila sits down next to you as Bucky sits down by you and puts his arm around you. 

"Hey Y/N?" Lila asks quietly.

You turn to her and smile, "Yeah?"

"I want to be on your team." Lila answered

"I would love to be on your team." You say as you hug her.

Everyone is discussing teams. Steve with Wanda. Nat and Bruce. Tony and Peter. Bucky and Sam. You and Lila. Nate and Laura. Clint and Cooper. 

You create teams for the gingerbread house making competition. There was a lot of trash talk coming between Sam, Tony, Bucky, Nat and Clint. But the winners of the competition were you and Lila. After the competition, Tony gathered everyone in the living room, he brought out Christmas pajama sets for everyone to wear for the night.

You and your cousins finally decorate the Christmas cookies that you made together and set several on a plate with a cup of milk and set it out for Santa.

"Goodnight Y/N!" All three of your young cousins say.

"Goodnight guys!" You smile as you hug all three of them.

Laura and your cousins go up to bed. You spend the next little while playing games with the team until you and Bucky were ready for bed.

As you lay in bed with Bucky, you think about Christmas traditions that you want to start with your own family and wonder what Christmas' were like for Bucky.

"Buck?" You ask

"Yeah?" Bucky answers softly

"What was Christmas like for you?" You wonder

Bucky sighs, as he remembers his Christmas's when he was younger, "I loved Christmas, especially when I was a kid, cause things were simpler back then, it was definitely hard around the Great Depression but we found a way to make it work."

You smile, "What's your favorite Christmas memory?"

"Well, we would spend Christmas Eve with Steve's family every year and have a small Christmas dinner and exchange gifts on Christmas Eve. But my favorite was one year my parents had saved enough money to buy a sled for me and I went sledding with Steve and we decided to go down a really steep hill and I broke my arm, coincidentally it was my left arm that broke. So Steve's mom had to stitch me up and my arm was in a cast for months." Bucky adds.

You giggle at the thought of Bucky as a kid playing with Steve when they were kids growing up during the Great Depression.

"Before we get married, I think we should talk about Christmas traditions that we should start together once we are married and start our family." You add as you look up at him.

"I think that's a great idea, doll. What were you thinking?" Bucky wonders as he continues to hold you close.

"I mean, I loved today. The cookies, the gingerbread house competition, the dinner, the movies and everything but there are a couple of things that I think that we should do every year."

"What's that?" Bucky asks

"Once everything settles down, I definitely think that we should go see places set up with Christmas lights. I've definitely wanted to do it this year but with everything that happened, I just didn't feel ready to do it this year but I definitely want to do it."

"I think that's definitely a great idea, what was that other thing that you wanted to do?" Bucky adds.

"I think we should exchange one gift on Christmas Eve to each other." You state as you smile.

"I love that idea. I actually already have one of your gifts ready for tonight, if you want to exchange gifts now." Bucky comments

"Okay." You blush as Bucky gets off the bed to grab your gift from out of the closet, you hurry and get off the bed to get his present from underneath the bed. You sit down on the bed and place the bigger box on your lap.

Bucky approaches you with a small box in hand, wrapped in a decorative wrapping paper and in a small ribbon tied into a bow.

"Open it." Bucky says as he hands you the box. You slowly pull off the ribbon and pull off the wrapping paper. You open the small box to find a heart shaped locket. You pull the locket out of the box and hold the heart in your hand, you open the locket to find a picture of Bucky and your parents.

"I love it Buck. Thank you." You express as you place the necklace down to give him a gentle and loving kiss.

You hand the box that was neatly wrapped to Bucky. You wait patiently as he opens his present. He takes the top of the box off to find leather-bound books.

"I know how much you love "The Hobbit" and I was able to find the first edition, in perfect condition, and home someone bind the books with leather." You say as you watch Bucky open up the books.

"I love them, thank you doll." Bucky says as he places the books down on the bed and pulls you in and kisses you passionately. As he pulls away, he still had his hands placed on your neck and his thumbs gently caresses your cheeks, "Merry Christmas, doll."

You smile, "Merry Christmas, Buck."