Trying Your Luck - Bucky BarnesxOC

Part 64: Forget Me Not

He grins proudly. When he was younger, he was proud of his sexual prowess, but it was more about the number of notches in his bedpost rather than focusing on their pleasure. He always makes sure that Shannon comes first, and as often as possible. His endurance has gotten better over the four months that they've been able to explore their sex life. Hearing her moan and whimper is name is even better than reaching his own climax.

"Only the best for my girl," he purrs.

She clinks her coffee mug against his.

"And you are the best. I'm amazed I could even walk this morning."

"You're welcome," he laughs.

They finish their coffee and Bucky cleans up the kitchen while Shannon packs up the car. They have two more nights in this house. He's going to miss it – not just having privacy, but having an entire house to themselves as opposed to a one-bedroom apartment. The idea of buying a house in New York City is laughable to him. They could never afford it on his pension and her salary. But here? It's a bit of a different story. Bucky wipes down the countertops and sits at the kitchen table, shoving his feet into his boots. He picks up his phone and begins to browse through real estate listings. The prices are reasonable. Huge houses, much bigger than anything they could get in New York, with huge backyards, right near the water, three bedrooms... they could have a couple of kids running around and more animals if they wanted.

Bucky has never really allowed himself to think about the future. There was never time. He even denied himself the pleasure of it in Wakanda because he wasn't sure there was a future – at least not one that looked like the one he's envisioning with Shannon. Last night, for the first time, he heard silence outside of their window instead of the honking of car horns and the vibration of traffic (sometimes literally) tumbling through their bedroom.

"Hey," Shannon says softly from the door, her keys in her hand. "You ready to go?"

Bucky's head snaps up and he takes a deep breath.

"Huh? Yeah."

She smiles.

"Where were you?"

"Huh?"

Shannon taps her temple.

"Up here. Where were you?"

He reaches into his jeans pocket just to feel the engagement ring.

"Thinking about stuff."

"Yeah? What kind of stuff?"

"The future. With you."

She tilts her head.

"What does it look like?"

He flushes, suddenly feeling embarrassed and a little selfish at his own fantasy. Shannon is fiercely independent. Bucky doesn't even know if she likes the idea of leaving New York. All of her friends are there, and she worked so hard to build a life for herself, especially after the snap. Not to mention what she had to put up with with Will. He takes a deep breath.

"It looks like a house here, or in Kansas. A couple of kids. Lots of dogs."

Surprisingly, she seems receptive to the idea and grins.

"You know, I've been thinking about the same thing."

"Yeah?" He asks, hopeful.

"Yeah," she laughs. "The older I get, the more I just want the kind of life that my parents have."

"What about the restaurant?"

Shannon bites her lip.

"I, uh... I put in my notice back in Kansas."