bucky barnes imagines

lvii. MUTE (epilogue)

Your first mission may have been challenging, but it instilled a new sense of confidence in you. Although you didn't necessarily recognise it, to some extent, that day had changed your life.

One morning, you woke up and trudged into the kitchen, intending to eat a quick breakfast before your usual early morning training session with the rest of the team. However, as you shovelled cereal into your mouth, something caught your eye – a helium balloon, bobbing about in the doorway to the living room.

Curious, you set your bowl aside and approached it, noticing that hushed whispers and giggles could be heard from within the room. You rolled your eyes as you saw Steve trying (and failing miserably) to hide behind the couch.

As soon as you switched the light on, your friends all sprung up, grinning cheekily while they flicked rainbow coloured confetti towards you.

"SURPRISE!"

For a second, you were overwhelmed – but only a little, nothing that a few deep breaths couldn't solve. More than anything, you were just confused.

"Um... it's not my birthday?"

"We know," a familiar voice spoke from behind you. You spun around to see Bucky, smiling sheepishly and holding a blue envelope. "You really don't remember what today is?"

You racked your brain for any special occasion that might've fallen on that day, but you eventually shook your head, still none the wiser.

"Here, take this." Bucky handed you the envelope, knowing that it would explain everything. He appeared to be uncharacteristically nervous as you opened it, unfolding the piece of paper that lay inside.

❝ Y/N,

It seems impossible that it's been exactly one year since your first mission as part of the Avengers. By now, you must know that we're not the most sentimental bunch – we spend most of our time at each other's throats because for some reason, everyone here is so damn annoying. But you're an exception. We've all grown to love you and you're not just a teammate, you're not even just a friend. You're family.

We weren't sure if you'd want some kind of huge party (believe us, it took a lot of convincing for Tony to scrap the hundreds of invites he wanted to send out), so we settled on this instead. Just something to show you that we appreciate you a lot, and we're really, really proud of you.

Here's to one year together, and hopefully many more to come. ❞

The note brought tears to your eyes. Underneath, your friends (your family) had written their own personal messages to you. You took your time to read all of them properly, but one in particular grabbed your attention. It was at the very bottom of the page, shorter than the others, simply reading "I want to ask you something. From Bucky."

You already knew what he was going to say. He'd hinted at it several times before and honestly, you'd been waiting for him to ask. You turned to him, your cheeks flushed, a dazed smile on your face.

"Yes," you gushed, making him chuckle.

"Hey, I was up all night thinking of what I wanna say to you, give me a chance, sweetheart."

You nodded happily and stepped slightly closer to him, your blush intensifying when he reached forward and took hold of both of your hands. In the background, Wanda squealed, but you barely even registered the sound. You were fully focused on Bucky.

"So, uh... first of all, we already said it in the note, but I wanna tell you that I'm so proud of you. You've grown a lot since we first met – remember that day? You could barely say a word to me. Now I can't get a word in edgeways."

Everyone laughed, including you, and Bucky shook his head fondly before continuing. "All jokes aside, I'm beyond happy that you're comfortable here. I know it's been difficult for you, believe me, I understand. Your past might not have been the best, but... but you deserve a happy ending. And I want to be the one to make that happen for you, if you'll let me."

By this point, it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Bucky's heartbeat was racing, and he almost wanted to back down – God knows he'd convinced himself enough times that you'd be better off without him. But your smile reassured him and, with a deep breath, he finally managed to ask the question that had been on his mind for three hundred and sixty five days exactly.

"Y/N, will you be my girlfriend?"

The tears now flowing freely down your face made it impossible to speak, but your enthusiastic nod made your answer clear enough. The room erupted in cheers and hoots, and suddenly you were literally being swept off your feet as Bucky scooped you into his arms, his lips meeting yours for the first time ever. Everyone was watching, but that didn't matter to either of you. The moment was beautiful, breathtaking, and you would never forget it.

When you finally pulled away, Bucky rested his forehead against yours, his pale eyes shining with the light of a thousand suns. Everything else melted away, until all you could see was him. Your boyfriend.

"I'm in love with you," he murmured, just loud enough for you to hear.

He'd never said it before, yet somehow, you already knew; his affection for you was plain to see and you lived for it, just as he lived for you.

"And I'm in love with you."