THE LEFTOVERS

80. Shopping

"I can't believe we're actually doing this," Sam scoffed, draping an arm over Bucky's shoulder with an exaggerated shake of his head. "And of all people, we're doing it for Bucky first."

Bucky let out a dry laugh, shrugging Sam's arm off. "What, you thought we'd be doing this for Steve first?" He turned to smirk at Steve, who immediately looked offended.

"Never," Sam said with absolute confidence.

Both Bucky and Steve turned to him with matching expressions—amused, expectant, like they were waiting for the punchline they could tell was coming. Sam let the silence stretch just a second too long, milking the moment as he gestured toward himself with both arms.

"I thought it would be me," he announced, full of dramatic flair.

Bucky let out a snort, and Steve actually laughed, shaking his head as Sam finally dropped his hand from Bucky's shoulder.

"Right," Bucky said, smirking. "You're just waiting for the right person to realize how lucky they'd be, huh?"

"Damn right," Sam said, straightening his jacket. "But enough about me. Let's focus on loverboy here."

Steve, still grinning, stepped up beside Bucky, clapping a hand on his shoulder. There was something warm in his eyes, something proud. He couldn't be happier to be standing here, watching Bucky take this step. After everything, after all the years of struggle, of loss, of trying to find his place in the world—Bucky had found something real. He had found love. And not just found it, but dared to hold onto it.

Now, he was about to take another step forward.

"Hey," Steve said, squeezing Bucky's shoulder. "You ready to find a ring?"

Bucky exhaled sharply, rolling his shoulders back as if he were preparing for battle. "Yeah. Let's do this."

With that, the three of them stepped into the jewelry store, the little chime of the door announcing their arrival. The shop was sleek and modern, with glass cases displaying an almost blinding collection of engagement rings. A well-dressed salesman perked up at the sight of them, no doubt already calculating his commission.

Bucky, on the other hand, looked like he had just walked into a hostage situation. His jaw clenched as he scanned the cases, his hands stuffed into his pockets like he was afraid touching anything would cost him thousands of dollars.

"Man, you look like you're about to be drafted again," Sam teased, nudging him.

"Shut up," Bucky muttered, but his eyes were darting from ring to ring with obvious uncertainty.

Steve, ever the supportive best friend, patted his shoulder. "Relax, Buck. We'll figure this out."

"Yeah," Sam added, grinning. "And if we don't, at least we'll have fun watching you panic."

Before Bucky could respond, the salesman approached with a professional smile. "Good afternoon, gentlemen. How can I help you today?"

Bucky hesitated for half a second too long, so Sam took it upon himself to step in. "We're here to get this guy engaged," he announced, clapping Bucky on the back hard enough to make him stumble forward. "To the love of his life. No pressure."

The salesman's smile widened, already sensing an easy sale. "Of course! Well, congratulations! Do you have any idea of the style you're looking for?"

Bucky blinked. "Uh..."

Sam made a show of looking at Steve. "Oh, this is gonna be good."