Hiding Winter | Stucky

Steve: Chapter 33 (fluff)

*this chapter is a bit longer than many of my other ones, so I hope y'all enjoy! Sorry it's been so long since a real update, I've been very busy with school but I'm getting out soon, so I'll try to be more active!

     Steve opened his eyes, yawning slowly at the same time and propping himself up. The aroma of breakfast food filled the house. He lifted himself off the bed and shuffled down the hallway towards the kitchen. Bucky stood there, stirring around some potatoes.
"Mornin', Steve," he greeted.
"Good morning," Steve replied in a raspy voice. "What do you have here?" He asked peering over the stove.
"Potatoes, some meat, not sure what it is to be honest, it wasn't labeled," he chuckled. "And eggs of course." Steve came up behind him and wrapped his body around Bucky.
"You didn't have to do all this, Buck." Bucky brought his left arm back and ruffled Steve's hair.
"I wanted to. Besides, you do so much for me. At least let me pamper you for a day." Steve rolled his eyes.
"Fine. That doesn't sound so horrible, I guess." He let go and sat at the dining table across the room. "So what are our plans for today?"
"I thought I told you last night?" Bucky said, still stirring the potatoes around. Steve thought for a moment, his mind still foggy from his slumber.
"Oh, the lake! I'm excited." He smiled down at his hands. "I'm looking forward to spending some time with you." Bucky turned to look at him and chuckled.
"We spend time together everyday, silly."
"Well, this it different, romantic. We don't go out very often."
"That's true," he shut off all the burners on the stove, then grabbed a two plates to put food on. "I was also thinking we could go venture out and I could show you some of the animals native to Wakanda," he smiled. Steve's face lit up.
     "Yes, yes! I would love to do that." Bucky brought over their plates.
     "I'm glad you're as excited as I am."
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     "If you squint your eyes, you can see them in the distance," Bucky explained as he pointed at the horizon.
"Oh my god, I see them!" Steve exclaimed. "What are they?"
"They're a bird species," Bucky replied, holding Steve's hand and drawing them closer. "It's kinda weird considering they have fur and long legs. Come on!" Bucky let go of Steve's hand, and sprinted through the grass. What the hell? Steve thought. He chased after Bucky.
"Buck, you're gonna scare them off!" He yelled.
"No, no, you'll see!" Bucky slowed down as they approached the birds. "Look," he whispered. "They're not afraid." He whistled, imitating their noises. The 4 birds hopped oddly over, squeaking and chirping as they got closer. Bucky kneeled down. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you," he whispered. The curious looking birds landed right underneath Bucky's hand, and he laid a finger on one of their heads, petting it.
"Do you think they'll let me touch them?" Steve asked. Bucky didn't answer, but slowly lifted his hand up to grab Steve's, then guided his hand onto the top of a bird's head. Bucky looked back up at Steve, seeing a smile light up his face. After a few moments of petting, the two birds backed away, chirped, then flew off once more. Steve and Bucky both stood up.
     "That was lovely, Buck. I had no idea there were birds so friendly." Bucky grabbed his hand. "I've had lots of fun today, those were probably my favorite animal we've seen."
      "That's why I saved the best for last," Bucky said, pecking Steve's cheek. "Let's head back, the sun will start setting in the next hour or so, and I still have one thing left that I want to do." He intertwined his fingers with Steve's; their hands fit together so perfectly, like they were sculpted to fit one another's. They walked through the grass. They swung their arms slightly as they strolled.
     "Steve?"
     "What's up?" He replied. Bucky looked at Steve as they walked.
     "A few years ago I never would have imagined I'd be here with you again. I'm glad I get to be." Steve looked up at Bucky and lifted to kiss his hand.
     "I am too." Bucky furrowed his brow.
     "I wonder how Sarah would've felt about us." Steve tilted his head and thought for a moment.
     "I like to imagine she would've enjoyed us. You know how much she liked you. Plus... I think she could always tell."
     "Tell what?" Bucky asked.
     "That I loved you in that way." Bucky chuckled at his response.
     "Really? I'm surprised she didn't notice that I loved you in that way as well." Steve smiled.
     "You never know, she might have, she just didn't bring it up. Didn't want to ruin any friendship we had."
"That's true." They walked in silence for a moment. After a few minutes, they began to faintly see their hut in the distance. Bucky mischievously smirked and squinted his eyes at Steve.
"Oh no, what are you planning on doing?" Steve worried. Bucky let go of Steve's hand and began to run.
"I'll beat you there!" He glanced back. Steve sighed then smirked, then suddenly began to sprint towards him. They both ran with all their might, smiling profusely as they ran. Steve easily began to run past Bucky. As he looked back to glare at Bucky, his foot hit a bump in the ground and stumbled into the grass. Bucky slowed down and laughed his head off before sitting on top of Steve's chest.
"You're not very agile for a super soldier," he teased. Steve swiftly grabbed behind Bucky's neck to pull his head down, making Bucky's lips meet his.
"You're so cute," Steve said as he let go. "It's too bad you're really annoying." Bucky pushed his chest back down as Steve tried to sit up.
"iT's ToO bAd YoU'rE rEaLlY aNnOyInG!!1!1" he mocked as he stood up. He led his hand down to help Steve up, but Steve pulled his arm down and Bucky fell atop him. Steve kissed him once more and embraced him. He wrapped his arms around Bucky for a few moments, then let go.
     "We better get up. We wanna have dinner before the sun comes down."
      "Okay...," Bucky whined. They both stood up and continued walking to the hut. Bucky messed with a few buttons on his Kimoyo beads and suddenly T'Challa's abdomen popped up, spooking Steve.
"Good evening, is all going well on your first day of the trip?" He asked.
     "It's going wonderful actually. Thanks," Bucky replied.
     "Is there something you need assistance with?"
Bucky looked over at Steve.
     "Yes, actually. Could you have some things delivered? Like dinner?"
     "Ah yes, it'll be right away. Is a 20 minute wait alright?" Bucky smiled.
     "That's just fine." They finished the call as they entered the hut. They both washed up and took a shower before putting on nice clothes and getting ready. Steve looked in the mirror as he buttoned up his shirt. It was dark blue, a shirt he had since he woke up from the ice. It still fit him well, although he had slimmed down a good amount. Bucky raised his voice through the hall.
     "I'll meet you outside, babe!"
     "Okay!" Steve put on his sandals and left through the front door to meet out with Bucky. Bucky stood in front of the lake, gazing out at the water. He turned around to see Steve in his outfit. He kissed Steve's cheek as he approached.
     "You look very handsome." Steve turned peach at the compliment. He stood next to a floating wooden platform on the water, which had a table and food laid out for them to enjoy. Bucky led out his hand for Steve to grab.
     "Very fancy," Steve said as he stepped on. Tiny lanterns outlined the platform, along with a couple paddles to help them get back. The sun was nearly completely set when they both sat down to eat.
     "What did they bring us?" Steve asked.
     "I'm not sure." Bucky lifted up a metal lid off a dish. Some type of roast peasant laid upon the plate.
"I truly hope that wasn't one of the birds we saw." They both loudly cackled at the morbid joke.
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     They sat, ate, and talked for nearly two hours when Bucky finally interrupted their discussion.
     "Steve, I love you so much." Steve smiled and tilted his head.
     "I love you too, Buck."
     "No, Steve. I really do love you." Steve chuckled.
     "Buck, I know," he smiled. Bucky grabbed his hands across the table. His eyebrows fell, he looked sad, but not sad at all at the same time.
     "Are you okay?" Steve asked. The ends of Bucky's mouth curved upwards.
     "I've never been more happy in my entire life." Steve's heart ached.
     "Me too." They looked into each other's eyes, just sitting and examining one another. Bucky began to stand up. He pressed a button on a small speaker on the table. "It's Been A Long, Long Time" by Harry James played out.
     "Come on, dance with me," Bucky said as he reached out his hand. Steve stood up and grabbed his hand. Bucky let go to push aside the table, then they met again. Steve looked at how wonderfully lit Bucky's eyes were. He wished a camera could catch the beauty that his eyes saw. Their chests slowly touched, and Steve rested his head on Bucky's shoulder as Bucky whispered the words to the song. They swayed as the music continued. The music kept going, it went from "La Vie En Rose" by Edith Piaf, to "At Last" by Ray Eberle. They just swayed and held each other.
"Steve...," Bucky said quietly. Steve brought his head up. Bucky tilted his head and softly placed his lips on Steve's. Steve let go and whispered in Bucky's ear.
"This is perfect," he said before resting his head back down.
"It really is." They danced until the music finally stopped around 30 minutes later. They stood embracing one another, until Bucky let go.
"Steve, I need you to know something." He gently grabbed Steve's hands and held them loosely. Steve's face grew with concern.
"What is it?" Bucky slowly blinked.
"I need you to know that you are the most important person to me that's ever lived, and I would do everything all over again if it meant I'd get right back to this spot. I would do absolutely everything." Steve's eyes burnt. "And the fact that I've done so many things I hate to think about, and you still love me absolutely amazes me, but it's because you're such a wonderful person, I can't even begin to explain. I love you so much." He paused and shuffled around in his pants pocket. "That's why I need to ask you this now, or I'll never forgive myself." He kneeled down onto one knee. Steve's chest instantly sank. "Steven Grant Rogers, I want to be with no other person in the entire world than you, so please, will you marry me?" Bucky opened the top of the blue silk case, revealing a thin vibranium band. Steve's eyes burnt even more, they watered and he could no longer control it. He knelt down in front of Bucky.
"Yes, yes, a million times yes, Bucky," he said as he threw his arms around him. Tears began to stream down both of their faces. They sat and quietly wept for what seemed like hours, but was maybe a few moments. Steve met his lips to Bucky's and held themselves there.
"I love you so much," they each said in between kisses. Finally, they let go and Bucky slipped the ring onto Steve's finger. It fit perfectly. Steve chuckled.
"How did you know my ring size?" Bucky smirked.
"Well... since Tony designed all the Avengers outfits, he knew what your hands were like from making your gloves. So I sent the design to T'Challa and he had Shuri make a ring." Steve lightly pushed him back.
"And they knew this whole time you were planning on asking me?! What the hell?!!!" Bucky laughed loudly.
"It's not like they would be the ones to tell you," he chuckled. Steve rolled his eyes. They put their foreheads together and rested for a moment. Steve couldn't get his mind together for the life of himself. He didn't know what to do or say. Joy overflowed in both of them.
"I suppose we should get back," Bucky finally said.
"I don't want this to end," Steve confessed sadly. Bucky smiled and closed his eyes.
"It doesn't have to," he smirked.
"Okay...," they kissed again, then both stood up to begin getting back to the edge of the lake.
It took 10 minutes for them to get back, and as soon as Steve entered behind Bucky and locked the front door, Bucky turned Steve around and pressed him gently against the door. His lips barely touched Steve's, lingering there. Steve pressed forward and closed his eyes to absorb the feeling. They stumbled to their room, still holding each other, then toppling onto the bed. Bucky laid on top of Steve, both their faces burning with rose.
"You're so beautiful," Steve said twirling his right pointer finger in Bucky's dark brown hair. "Wow." Bucky's head fell down onto Steve's chest, his ear just above Steve's heart.
"God, I love you. I love you. I love you," Bucky repeated. "I can't even stand it." Steve chuckled. They began to sit up, still embracing, exchanging sweet nothings in each other's ears. Bucky began to doze off in Steve's arms. Steve slipped out from underneath him, barely escaping without waking him up, placing a blanket from the end of the bed onto him. He watched Bucky from the foot of the bed as he drifted to a slumber. What a lovely sight. He reached towards a nearby nightstand and grabbed a pencil and his old sketchbook.

authors note: this chapter took wayyyy too long to come out and I'm sorry for that lol. also it's 11:30 pm rn and there's probably a lot of errors and this chapter sucks so yeahhh. I doubt anybody actually actively waits for a chapter on this but still, I'm sorry. after seeing endgame... let's just say I didn't have much motivation to finish the chapter 😂 SPOILER ALERT: I do love me some good ole steggy content and they're my ship behind Stucky but Stucky will always be my number one. anywho, here's some songs I listened to to channel some Stucky vibes while wrote!!!:

It's Been A Long, Long Time - Bing Crosby
- Harry James
(I listened to both versions while writing)
Never thought that you would be
standing here so close to me
there's so much I feel that I should say
but words can wait until some other day
Kiss me once, then kiss me twice
Then kiss me once again
It's been a long, long time
Haven't felt like this, my dear
Since I can't remember when
It's been a long, long time
You'll never know how many dreams
I've dreamed about you
Or just how empty they all seemed without you
So kiss me once, then kiss me twice
Then kiss me once again
It's been a long, long time

La Vie en Rose - Edith Piaf
(It's in French duh so I'm just going to put the English version in)
Hold me close and hold me fast
This magic spell you cast
This is la vie en rose
When you kiss me heaven sighs
And though I close my eyes
I see la vie en rose
When you press me to your heart
I'm in a world apart
A world where roses bloom
And when you speak
Angels sing from above
Everyday words seems
To turn into love songs

At Last - Ray Eberle
At last my love has come along
My lonely days are over and life is like a song, oh yeah
At last the skies above are blue
My heart was wrapped up clover the night I looked at you
I found a dream that I could speak to
A dream that I can call my own
I found a thrill to press my cheek to
A thrill I've never known, oh yeah
You smiled, you smiled oh and then the spell was cast
And here we are in Heaven
For you are mine at last

Linger In My Arms a Little Longer Baby - Peggy Lee
Linger in my arms a little longer, baby
Don't think twice
While my love for you is growing stronger, baby
T'ain't right
To say goodnight
Though it may be getting past your dreamtime, baby
Don't think twice
Just linger in my arms a little longer, baby
Cause it's so nice
It's oh so nice.

Everybody Loves Somebody - Dean Martin
Everybody loves somebody sometime
Everybody falls in love somehow
Something in your kiss just told me
My sometime is now
Everybody finds somebody someplace
There's no telling where love may appear
Something in my heart keeps saying
My someplace is here
If I had it in my power
I'd arrange for every girl to have your charms
Then every minute, every hour
Everybody would find what I found in your arms
Everybody loves somebody sometime
And though my dreams were overdue
Your love made it well worth waiting for
For someone like you

The End of the World - Julie London
Why does the sun go on shining
Why does the sea rush to shore
Don't they know it's the end of the world
'Cause you don't love me any more
Why do the birds go on singing
Why do the stars glow above
Don't they know it's the end of the world
It ended when I lost your love
I wake up in the morning and I wonder
Why everything's the same as it was
I can't understand, no, I can't understand
How life goes on the way it does
Why does my heart go on beating
Why do these eyes of mine cry
Don't they know it's the end of the world
It ended when you said goodbye