𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐄 | barnes¹

xxiv. letters from home

Bucky grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles. "Well, according to this ring," he held up her hand, showing off the ring that he had lost sleep over picking out. "You pretty much are."

They held each other for a bit longer before finally rolling out of bed and showering. Their room was nicer than it should have been, a perk of being Captain America's best friends. Bucky threw on a suit while Lucy wore the SSR-issued skirt set that Peggy had supplied her with.

As Lucy was observing her outfit in the mirror, Bucky wrapped his arms around her waist and lovingly kissed the side of her neck. "You look beautiful," he murmured.

She leaned her head back into the crook of his neck. "Thank you. You look handsome."

There were three knocks on the door. "Do you guys have clothes on? " Steve's voice was heard from the other side, his tone hesitant for what he might walk into.

"Nope! We're busy!" Bucky lied.

Lucy smacked his bicep and pulled herself out of his arms, a small sound of protest leaving Bucky's mouth at the action. "He's kidding! Come in, Stevie."

Steve swung the door open blindly, covering his hands with his eyes as he walked into the room. He tripped over Lucy's heels that were laying on the ground, grabbing onto the dresser right beside him to stabilize himself. "Are you sure? I love you guys but I don't love you that much."

Bucky picked up one of their pillows and threw it at the blonde, nailing him right in the chest. Steve peeked through the cracks of his fingers, sighing in relief while removing both hands from his eyes. "Thank god."

"Everything okay?" Lucy asked.

Steve perked up. "Oh, yeah!" He waited a moment, expecting one of them to say something. He huffed out a breath and looked at Bucky, whispering a question so quietly that neither of his friends could hear him.

"Pal, I can't hear you," Bucky deadpanned.

The blonde nervously scratched the back of his neck. "Did you, you know, do it yet?"

Lucy finally understood what Steve was talking about. She was about to show him the ring until Bucky placed a hand over hers and played dumb instead. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Steve blinked once, then twice. "The ring," he dropped his voice to a whisper at the second word, hoping that Lucy wouldn't hear it.

Bucky threw his hands up in fake frustration. "Steve— C'mon, man! You ruined the surprise! I didn't give it to her yet!"

Steve's face paled, thinking that he truly did ruin the surprise. "O-oh I didn't—"

"Well, you did," Bucky cut him off.

"I'm sorry, I..." Steve trailed off, looking like he was either about to throw up or cry. Maybe even both. Lucy stepped forward, giggling while pushing Bucky back. "Steve, he's kidding. You didn't ruin the surprise."

"I- Wait, I didn't?" Steve asked, completely confused.

"Nope," Lucy said as she held up her left hand. Bucky pointed at the jewelry and smiled, proud of himself that he picked out a ring that she adored

"Wait, you already proposed?" Steve turned to Bucky for confirmation.

Bucky rolled his eyes. "No, I just gave her the ring for a random occasion—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Steve ran forward and embraced them both in an excited hug. The sheer force of his sudden action sent them tumbling onto the bed behind them.

"Finally! I've been waiting for this since we were eighteen! Bucky has made me hold onto that thing for years!" Steve beamed.

"God, you're heavy," Bucky wheezed from underneath him, still not used to Steve weighing more than ninety-five pounds.