Can We Keep Her?

The Best Man

Bucky wore his engagement ring around his neck attached to the same chain he had his dog tags on. He planned to have a band engraved on his wedding ring finger after the ceremony, but for now, the chain was the best option. You and he had also gone shopping together for a ring for Steve. It was brushed titanium with an inlay of blue opal. Steve had loved it and allowed you both to slide it on, happy that you each had that symbol of commitment on them.

Right now though, rings were the last thing on Bucky's mind. Right now, he was just worried about who would be his best man.

Steve was talking to Sam about his plans for the wedding. Places you had suggested it be held and what he and Bucky thought of them. Sam was suggesting ideas for suit styles and where to have his bachelor party. The conversation kept coming back to the cake. Each time Sam swung it back in that direction, Steve would laugh and tell Sam one different suggestion that you had thrown out about flavors or design.

Bucky sat trying not to look as sulky as he felt. The truth was, he had wanted to ask Sam to be his best man. It hadn't even occurred to him that Steve would have asked Sam to fill the role before he'd even proposed. It made sense of course. He was Steve's best friend. The guy who actually made him feel comfortable in the 21st century.

Only he was Bucky's best friend too. And unlike Steve who got on well with everyone, Bucky only really had Sam and the girls. Tony was definitely a no. On bad days, Tony and he would be openly hostile to each other. Bruce and he got along okay, but they really didn't know each other well given Bruce spent most of his time in the lab and when they went on a mission together he was usually the Hulk. Yes, he got on with Clint well. If he had to, he'd ask him. But Clint didn't know Bucky as well as Sam did. He didn't feel as comfortable giving him shit the way Sam did. He was Steve's friend who got along well with Bucky. Whereas to Bucky - Sam was just his friend.

The problem was; all his life, if he pictured himself getting married, Steve was the best man. Because even though he had been completely head-over-heels in love with him, getting married was not an option. So he'd resigned to the fact that best man would be the only part Steve could fill if Bucky did get married.

Only now he was getting the thing he had never expected to have. He was marrying not only the man he had always wanted but never even allowed himself to hope to get, but he was marrying you too. If he and Steve were two sides of the same coin, you were all the details that actually made it a coin and not just some random metal disk. You were the thing that completed them - made them whole and functioning. You were their safe place. The person who was untainted and pure and who only saw them as Steve and Bucky and not Captain America and the Winter Soldier. Bucky couldn't believe after everything he had had to endure that he was getting a happy ending that was so much above the one he'd hoped for.

Except he had no friend to stand beside him and tell him good job. You deserve this. You're a lucky guy. He only had Steve's friends and they all preferred Steve.

"Well, she said she was considering having one layer of marbled dark and white chocolate mud with a salted caramel fudge injected into it and then drizzled over the ganache," Steve was explaining, as Sam brought the conversation back to cake again.

Sam made a graphic moan sound. "Holy shit. Your woman is a fucking genius. Or an artist. Or both."

"I'll tell you what. Let's stay focused on things like suits for five minutes and I'll let you come into the store when we're doing the cake tasting," Steve chuckled.

Bucky got up and headed for the elevator.

"Where you going, Buck? I thought we were going to look at suits?" Steve said, looking up.