The Hurt And The Healing: Bucky X OC

Chapter Ninety-Two: Housewarming

When Bucky was fifteen his aunt and uncle from the Old Country had come to the States for a summer. The entire month leading up to their visit his mother and father had been crazed, cleaning everything in their too-small apartment so many times that Bucky and his sister were teased for smelling like bleach when they went to school. His father had tightened every bolt and fixed every leaky pipe he could get his hands on, and his mother had sewn an entire new bedspread for the occasion.

Then the aunt and uncle had arrived, and the insanity continued for another three months. Bucky's mother had actually once swatted him off of their threadbare sofa, telling him good hosts did not sit while their guests were standing. He had been convinced his parents were insane, so he and Steve had spent every second they could far away from their building lest they be drafted into the cleaning service.

Then Bucky and Mara learned that the week T'Challa and Shuri were speaking at the UN Sam was attending a building dedication. And Bucky felt that same insanity take hold.

"Did you get that stupid beer Sam insists on drinking?"

"Yes. Did you tuck away all the extension cables in the apartment so Shuri won't try to 'optimize' them?"

"Shit!"

"Shit?"

"Fixing it now!"

And so went every conversation between the two of them for two weeks. Not even Alpine was safe: she was dragged clawing and screaming first to the vet and then to the groomers. She hadn't come out from the shower for hours after getting home, but Bucky and Mara were too busy covering every scuff on the walls to notice.

Nonna had suggested a dinner party, an idea Mara had both loved and feared. She had also suggested that she bring Yori as her plus one, an idea that got roughly the same reaction from Bucky. But Nonna, being Nonna, had managed to get them to agree to both ideas, and now here they were, six hours till their guests arrived, and twelve hours till either of them got a good night's sleep for the first time in two weeks.

"You're sure none of them have any allergies?" Mara demanded, looking over her shopping list as Bucky pushed the cart.

"I'm sure, darling."

"I won't be responsible for the death of a royal. Or an American treasure."

"The Dora won't come after you if Shuri goes into anaphylactic shock," he told her in all seriousness, enjoying the way her eyes got bigger at his joke.

"You don't think-"

"I mean, T'Challa probably won't have any reactions to our laundry detergent," Bucky joked, pushing the cart down the aisle as Mara remained frozen behind him.

"Asshole!" she shouted, only to smack her hand over her mouth at the realization that a mother and baby were nearby. "Sorry," she said meekly, before running towards a laughing Bucky.

"You are thinking about this too much," he assured her, grabbing the generic brand of olive oil they always bought.

"And you are actively trying to kill me with jokes like that," she shot back, removing the bottle from the cart and exchanging it for some pretentious brand Bucky was surprised to see in their corner store. "Forgive me for wanting our esteemed guests to have a good night."

"They aren't esteemed guests," he reminded her, patting her hand resting on his arm as they rounded the corner and headed towards the deli. "They're our friends, Mara. They won't care if the meat is vegan."

"You mean organic," Mara reminded him with a smile.

"I mean that they love us no matter what. And none of them have allergies you need to panic over," he assured her with a kiss on the cheek. Mara grinned at him and pecked him back.