Recollection ★ Bucky Barnes

Do You Understand?

The sun shone brightly through the living room windows and the soft sound of the television could be heard in the background. Marlena and Bucky lay fast asleep on the enormous couch, with Bucky's arms wrapped protectively around her and Marlena's hand resting soundly on top of his chest. The two of them looked so comfortable with each other that Miranda or Mason didn't have the heart to wake them up. They knew, though, that Marlena would eventually be woken up by the strong smell of food radiating throughout the house. It was one of the only things that could wake her up, so it was only a matter of time now.

Marlena let out a small groan as she was met with the smell of spiced chicken, as well as the bright sunlight. She rolled over on the couch, thinking it was her bed, and nearly fell off. Bucky's arms tightening around her prevented her from doing so, and she took a startled breath before tightly latching onto his arm.

"I've got you, Mar," Bucky assured her as he pulled her back onto the couch.

"Thank you for that," she whispered as she sat up. She looked an absolute mess, but she didn't seem to care that much about it—all she cared about was Bucky Barnes and food.

She smiled at Bucky and placed a soft kiss on his lips before hopping off of the couch. She held her hand out to him, and he chuckled before taking it and standing up.

"You seem pretty chipper," he mused as she pulled him towards the kitchen.

"Well, I have you in my life and food waiting on me in the kitchen," Marlena chimed as she pushed the kitchen door open. "Nothing could be better."

"It's about time you two woke up," Miranda teased as she munched on a piece of chicken by the stove.

"You could have woken us up when you woke up, but you didn't," Marlena retorted. She let go of Bucky's hand and walked over to her, stealing a piece of the Italian chicken off of her plate before heading over to the fridge to grab her and Bucky a drink. She grabbed a bottle of Coke from the fridge, as well as a bottle of root beer. She slid the glass bottle over to Bucky who now sat at the opposite end of the island and he grabbed it, wasting no time at all in opening it up.

Miranda scoffed and shoved another piece of chicken in her mouth. "You looked so comfortable and cute; I didn't want to disturb you."

"Surprise, surprise," Marlena murmured as she moved to stand beside her mom.

Mason looked between the two of them with a smile on her face. He loved Bucky and Marlena, and the thought of the two of them being together made them happy. He could tell just how happy Bucky made Marlena, and he wanted her to stay that way. He remembered how upset being with Dylan made her, and he didn't want to see her upset like that again.

"You two are gonna stay together, right?" Mason spoke, catching all three of their attention. "I mean, he makes you happy, Mar—anyone can see that."

Marlena glanced at Bucky before looking back at her brother. "Mason—"

"I remember how that Dylan guy made you feel, and I don't want you to feel that way again," he said, cutting her off. "With Bucky, I know you won't feel that way again, so you have to stay with him, sis."

Marlena smiled and ran over to her brother, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "I love you so much, Mason. And yes, I will stay with Bucky but only if he wants me to."