Janice, George, Sam, and Bucky have spent the past week conspiring when Shannon isn't around, trying to come up with a birthday party that she'll really love. They settle on planning breakfast and dinner with all of her favorite food and wine. Afterward, he'll take her to the barn to give her her necklace. Bucky feels incredibly proud of how sneaky he's been - although, he's almost certain that Shannon knows that something's up because she keeps asking him what the big surprise is that he's hiding. He gives her the same answer every time: "What surprise?"
It infuriates her, but it makes Bucky all the more excited for the big day.
Bucky hides her necklace in Janice and George's room underneath the vent in the floor. Janice cried when he showed it to her and George patted him on the back and told him, "Good job, son."
Bucky already feels like he's part of the family. Part of him wants to propose now, but it's not what they agreed to. The last thing he wants is for her to reject him, or to feel pressured into saying yes just because her family is there. He can't deny that he's starting to get swept up in the excitement of all of this planning and sneaking around. He wants to make the day special for her, the same way she does for him almost every day.
From the first day that they started dating, she surprised him with home-cooked meals, new movies to watch (even if he hated them, which he did most of the time), new music, new everything. She's the epitome of a cool breeze. Fresh, exciting, everything he's wanted forever. He knows it won't always be this way, they'll tell each other the same stories a thousand times over, but in new ways. That's what he wants. It's what Steve got with Peggy.
It's all Bucky has ever wanted since he could remember.
This morning, he sneaks over to the barn, littering it with candles and flowers that he picked from the garden. Janice gives him some dried bundles of lavender that she got from the florist in town to spruce up the place and make it smell a little bit less like a barn. He sets the necklace down atop a small pile of hay and puts a small bouquet of flowers around it. Bucky sweeps up the mess that they've left behind from their previous nights of lovemaking and lays down a small blanket for them to sit on... or do other activities. It's her birthday, and he's hers for the night. He sets down a couple of bottles of wine and some glasses, along with some of her favorite chocolates and candies that he very sneakily ordered online before they left. Sam made sure that Shannon never touched the mail.
Bucky finds himself in the kitchen figuring out how to ice a cake at 8am with Janice at his side.
"You want to smooth it out, dear, use the flat side of the knife."
"Like this?"
He scrapes off a heap of icing to make a flat surface. She kisses him on the cheek.
"That's perfect! You're a natural."
Bucky grins and Janice takes over, piping beautiful lettering and flowers around the edges. Bucky can already tell that Shannon is going to cry the moment she sees it.
George is quietly reading the paper in the living room, sipping his coffee, while Sam cooks a big breakfast for everyone. Once Bucky gets the hang of how to ice the rest of the cake without making it look like a weird rock formation, Janice and George go out on a short walk before Shannon wakes up. She tells Bucky to put the cake in the back of the fridge behind the Tupperware so that she won't find it if she reaches in for a bottle of water or a beer. Bucky does as he's told and helps Sam with the dishes. Sam looks at him.
"So what did you get her for her birthday?"
"A necklace," Bucky replies. He hands Sam his phone, showing him a picture of it.
"Huh."
"What?"
"Would've thought it'd be a ring with the way you look at her and talk about her."
Bucky sighs. He doesn't tell Sam about the ring that he's hidden in the pocket of his travel bag and will keep in his jacket every single day until he finds the courage to ask her to marry him.
"You know, you really like to meddle in other people's business."
Sam grins as he hands Bucky a dish to dry.
"Just yours, Bucky."
Bucky sighs.
"We talked about the marriage thing last week in Topeka."
Sam's eyes go wide.
"Really."
"Yeah. I've never felt this way about anyone before, Sam. If she told me she wanted to marry me tomorrow, I'd do it, but she's waiting until her divorce is final and we've only been together for two months, so..."
"That's smart, Bucky. You shouldn't rush into anything."
"I've been rushing into things for 80 years," he replies. "This is the first thing I've had to do slowly and it's killing me."
"I know," Sam says softly. "But you have to consider her feelings, right?"
"Yeah. She said she's scared to get married again. She doesn't want us to end up like her and Will."
"I don't think that'll happen, but I think you need to respect her feelings. The necklace is a safe bet."
"Me too."
They're quiet, Sam scrubbing away stains from previous meals while Bucky dries the china meticulously and stacks it in the cupboard.
"Buck, you know she's crazy about you, right?"
He smiles.
"I do." He sighs. "I want her so bad, Sam. I want her forever, or as long as she'll have me."
"You have her," Sam laughs. "Have you seen the way she looks at you?! When you're in a room, nobody else exists, Bucky. Believe me, I'm great at attracting a woman's attention, but I cannot pry her eyes away from your ass - literally and metaphorically. The other day when you were out there playing lumberjack, she was practically foaming at the mouth."
Bucky shakes his head.
"I don't know."
"You know, George was right the other day on that fishing trip. You're both so goddamn stubborn and in love, it's sickening. You look like you've been together for fifteen years."
"It feels like that," Bucky whispers. "It feels like I've known her my whole life. But we've been together two months. There's still plenty of time for me to screw this up."
"Do you really have that little faith in yourself, Buck?"
He shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders.
"I don't know. It's hard to tell these days."
Sam hands him another dish.
"Well, if you don't get some confidence in yourself, I'll smack it into you. How's that?"
Bucky rolls his eyes as Sam punches him gently in the arm.
"Are we making fun of Bucky again?" Shannon asks as she walks into the kitchen in a t-shirt and shorts, winding a hair tie around her ponytail.
"Always," Sam laughs. He walks toward her and wraps her in a big hug. "Happy birthday, kiddo."
"Kiddo?" She scoffs. "I'm older than you."
"No, you're not."
"When's your birthday?" Shannon challenges, crossing her arms over her chest.
"September 28, 1978."
"Damn!" She hisses.
"Can't win 'em all," Sam teases as he ruffles her hair. "Although, Buck is a museum artifact compared to us."
They snicker. Bucky rolls his eyes and shakes his head. Her eyes go wide at the massive spread of French toast, mimosas, juice, fruit, syrup, sausage, bacon, and devilled eggs on the table.
"Holy shit! You guys didn't have to make such a big fuss over me!"
Bucky grabs her by the waist from behind and spins her around, picking her up so that he can kiss her. Shannon runs her fingers through his messy hair and kisses him deeply.
"You deserve it," he whispers as he whirls her around the room despite Sam's fake gagging in the background.
She shrieks and giggles.
"You just wait until your birthday, mister."
"That cake is gonna look like a burning building with so many candles on it," Sam jokes.
Bucky flips him off with his metal finger.
"All right, all right," Sam replies. "Chill out, Robo-Bitch."
Shannon doubles over laughing as Bucky shakes his head and rolls his eyes. She helps them put out plates and cutlery despite their insistence that she should just take it easy. Shannon very gently reminds Bucky that he doesn't know where the cutlery is before she gives him a small kiss on the nose. When George and Janice get back, the group feasts. Janice fusses over Shannon and makes sure that she's eating enough and gets all of her favorites on her plate. Shannon blushes at her mother's fawning and insistence but eats her fair share of breakfast. George smiles and looks up at her.
"Shannon, how old are you?"
Her face drops a little.
"I'm 35 today, daddy."
"That's right." He chuckles and taps his temple. "This old thing doesn't work like it used to."
"That's okay, daddy," she breathes.
Bucky squeezes her thigh as reassurance and she looks up at him with tears in her eyes. He doesn't know how many of Shannon's birthdays George will be around to see, or how many he'll be lucid for. Despite her rocky past with her father, their battles, and their struggles, Bucky sees a man who deeply wants to hold on to his little girl for as long as he's able.
"Shan, do you, Bucky, and Sam want to help me wash some of the cars out back after breakfast? Give your poor mother a break for once," George teases.
She beams.
"I would love to."
After breakfast, Janice shoos them all out of her kitchen and they fill up some buckets and grab some sponges to get to work on the cars out back.
"My dad likes these spotless," she warns Bucky. "Don't be surprised if he tells you to wash the whole thing twice because the first time wasn't good enough."
"I wish my dad was still alive so that George and George could hang out," Bucky replies. He looks Shannon over. She's in a light purple t-shirt. Bucky grins and she swats him, knowing exactly what he's thinking about washing cars and light-colored t-shirts.
"Don't even think about it, buddy. If my dad catches you ogling for too long, he'll poke your eyes out."
Bucky grins.
"I'll just ogle you later. In the shower. And then in the barn."
"We're going to the barn?" She asks.
He leans over and kisses the shell of her ear.
"I have a surprise up there for you for later."
"Oh, what is it?"
He frowns at her and she throws her head back laughing.
"I think I know why I love you so much now," he replies.
"Why's that?"
"You annoy me the same way Steve used to."
Shannon boops him on the nose.
"Good to know he'd be proud of me."
They get to work. Shannon blasts music that George hates. He tells her to turn it down, but she reminds him gently that it's her birthday and she can listen to whatever she wants, as loud as she wants. Sam and Bucky don't argue. Instead, they exchange big smiles across one of the cars. George grumbles but shoots her a wink as they work on each vehicle meticulously. Shannon was right - George is a hard ass, totally unafraid to voice his opinion on whether or not the cars are actually clean or not. Neither Bucky nor Sam mind, but Shannon rolls her eyes every chance she gets. There are some things that never change no matter how old you get - your reaction to your parents nagging you is one of them.
Sam grabs the hose and "accidentally" sprays Bucky with it. The two leap on each other and wrestle on the ground while George stands next to Shannon.
"Are they always at each other's throats like this?"
"Pretty much."
He bends over and grabs the hose that's still laying on the ground, spraying both Bucky and Sam.
"Cut it out, you two!"
Sam yelps at the frigid water and Bucky laughs as he rolls out of the way of the stream. Shannon and George laugh and high-five. The group finishes up and heads inside to clean up. Shannon and Bucky do more making out than showering. She keeps trying to initiate sex. He lets her stroke him slowly and run her lips up and down his torso. Her hand is warm and soft and her lips are electric. Bucky can't get enough of her mouth, the way she tastes, the way her tongue slides against his. Her soft whimpers make him want to give in, but he laughs and shakes his head.
"I have something really special planned for you tonight."
Shannon groans.
"Buckyyyyy! You're killing me here!"
"I know, sweetheart. It's just a few more hours. And then I'm all yours for the night."
She arches an eyebrow.
"You mean that?"
"Of course. This is a win for me too, you know."
Shannon giggles as he swipes some shampoo away from her face just before it hits her eye. They get out and get dressed. Shannon slips into a cherry red sundress that hits just above her knee. Her shoulders and face are golden from spending so many afternoons outside and she lets her hair dry into natural flowing waves that crest down her back. A sprinkling of freckles stretch from cheek to cheek and across the bridge of her nose. Bucky watches her dab a little bit of makeup on her face. She makes a face at him in the mirror.
"What're you lookin' at, punk?" She teases as she sticks her tongue out at him.
Bucky laughs. Hard. He slides his arms around her and kisses up and down her neck.
"Who are you calling a punk?" He smiles against her warm skin that smells like peaches from the body wash that she used earlier. Her giggle makes butterflies form in his stomach. "Happy birthday, beautiful."
"Thank you," she breathes. "I've gotta say, this has been the best birthday I've ever had."
"It's only going to get better," he assures her.
Bucky changes into a black t-shirt and jeans and follows her down the stairs. Janice made chicken piccata for dinner, Shannon's favorite. Ace and Alpine beg for tiny pieces of food. Every single person at the table gives in to them. At one point, George picks up Alpine and puts her in his lap. Shannon giggles and Bucky sighs.
"Great, now she's going to expect that."
"I know," Shannon laughs. "But look how cute they are."
He chuckles and shakes his head. She digs in with ferocity, like she's never had a meal like this in her life. Bucky watches her as she bounces happily in her chair, tossing around jokes with Sam, her mother, and George. Bucky gets pulled into a conversation about The Lord of the Rings books that starts when Sam mumbles something about why didn't the eagles just take Frodo straight to Mordor. Bucky drains his wine glass and shakes his head.
"Absolutely not. No. God, Sam, I don't have time to tell you how wrong you are but it's gonna drive me nuts if I don't."
Sam laughs.
"I'm just saying, man! You give the rings to the eagles. They can't be corrupted or put the ring on, on or turn invisible or anything. Get them to fly over that dumbass volcano and bam! Drop 'em right in. Problem solved. It makes the most sense."
"No, it doesn't!" Bucky snipes. Shannon, Janice, and George laugh as they watch Sam and Bucky argue like brothers.
Bucky rests his elbow on the table and leans over, pointing at sam.
"For one, the books would be very short. Two, Sam and Frodo's friendship wouldn't be tested constantly, and three, the Nazgul can FLY, SAM! If the eagles had tried to take the ring into Mordor, they would have been seen by the eye of Sauron and demolished by Sauron's forces." He sits back and crosses his arms over his chest. "It's like you didn't even read the books, man. That's really sad."
"Nice explanation, nerd."
"You started this fight," Bucky sighs he shoves the last of his chicken piccata into his mouth.
Shannon pours them all another glass of wine.
"Bucky, I didn't know you read those. Weren't they published in '54?"
"Yeah. I read them in Wakanda," he mumbles low enough so that Janice and George can't hear as they clear the table. "Steve sent them to me."
"You know there are movies," she says softly.
His eyes go wide.
"There are what?!"
"Movies."
"Yeah, man, three of them," Sam adds.
Bucky's jaw hits the table.
"Why didn't anyone tell me?!"
"I assumed you'd put it in that list in your little book," Sam teases.
"Well, I am now."
"What's all this about a list?" Janice asks as she clears plates.
Shannon leans over and whispers:
"Should I tell her?"
Bucky quiets her with a small gesture.
"I was, uh, kind of put into cryo-freeze for most of my life," he announces, much to George and Janice's confusion. "I'm actually 106."
They laugh and Janice pats him on the shoulder.
"Sure, dear."
"Mama, he is!" Shannon insists.
George drums on his chin.
"Wait a minute, you said you were 107th regiment?"
"Yes, sir, and the Howling Commandos."
George pushes out his chair and skitters into the living room. Janice shrugs as she putters around the kitchen, putting dishes in the dishwasher and scrubbing pots and pans. Sam gets up to help her and she shoos him away.
"Go have fun!" She insists. "You do too much around here, Samuel!"
When George comes back, he's holding a pamphlet from the Smithsonian and opens it to a picture of Bucky when he was much younger.
"That's you!"
Bucky nods and George beams.
"I thought I recognized you. See, Janice?"
He holds it up and Janice puts on her reading glasses, squinting at it.
"Well, I'll be damned. What the hell happened to you, Bucky?"
"That's a long story," Bucky mumbles as he sips more wine.
"Another time, then, sugar," Janice whispers. She kisses him on the top of the head and Bucky blushes. Shannon mouths: She looooves you. Sam snickers and nods.
Janice replaces their dinner plates with small dessert ones. They're pretty and delicate with tiny ladybugs adorning the edges. All of a sudden, the lights go out and Shannon sighs.
"Mama, I told you not to."
"And I told you to shush on the phone. Let me have this — uh, Sam? I'll need your help with this, baby."
"On it!"
Sam jumps out of his chair and helps her light the candles. Janice carries the cake toward the table and they all start to sing happy birthday. Shannon covers her face as Bucky joins in, singing - well, more like purring in her ear. Her body is alight with embarrassment and goosebumps. She turns and kisses him.
"Happy birthday, darlin'."
"I love you."
"I love you too." He gestures at the cake. "Make a wish."
Shannon blows out the candles and they all give her a small round of applause before she cuts the cake and passes it out. They eat and have more wine. Janice looks up.
"We got something for you, Shan."
"Mama, you've done enough."
"Nope. Not even close."
She pulls out a tightly wrapped gift. Shannon unwraps it delicately to reveal a set of expensive, sharp chef's knives.
"Mama, how did you know?!"
"You said you needed a new set a few months ago, so your dad and I made some calls and found some."
She hugs her mother and father tightly.
"Thank you. Both of you."
"You deserve it, darling," George says. "You work so hard."
Shannon sniffles and wraps the knives back up. She helps her parents with the dishes and they head to bed, both of them slightly tipsy. Sam sighs and looks at the clock. 11:00pm. Sam slaps his thighs and stands up.
"You two probably wanna do the nasty and I don't want to interrupt that."
Shannon flushes and puts her head in her hands.
"Sam..."
"He's right," Bucky mumbles, sipping his wine.
"Gross. You kids have fun. I'm going to call Kristin and turn in for the night."
"How's it going with her anyway?"
"Not bad. Casual. She's a sweet girl."
Shannon smiles and Sam gives her another hug, kissing her on the cheek.
"See you crazy kids later."
"Night, Sam."
He heads upstairs as Shannon sips her wine, her eyes locked on Bucky. He grins before he picks her up and carries her to the barn.
"Close your eyes," he breathes.
"How am I supposed to climb up?"
"I'm going to jump."
"Bucky..."
"Shannon..." he teases. "Trust me."
Bucky jumps up onto the loft, laughing as she shrieks - her eyes refuse to open. He sets her down on the ground and quickly lights the candles around them. Shannon giggles like a little girl and he spins her to face the blanket with the wine, glasses, and chocolates on it. Above it is the box with the necklace in it. He squeezes her shoulders gently and nips at her ear.
"Okay, you can open them."
Her short, sharp gasp is all of the affirmation he needs to know that he didn't completely screw this up.
"Bucky."
"You like it."
She twirls around, her dress following her, and flings her arms around his neck.
"It's beautiful, Buck!"
She kisses him passionately. Slowly devouring him and moaning gently into his mouth. Bucky's fingers tangle themselves in her hair. She takes his breath away every time she kisses him. He pulls back and smiles at her as she runs her finger along the cleft in his chin.
"Thank you,"
"Well, this isn't your only present."
"What?"
"Sit down," he urges.
She eases herself onto the ground, sitting on the blanket. Bucky hears her pop open the champagne and pour them two glasses while he grabs the necklace off of the hay pile. He places it in front of her.
"I bought this for you the other day from the jewelry store in Topeka."
"I was wondering where you were," she chuckles.
As she opens the box, her eyes go wide, almost bulging out of her head.
"Bucky, you didn't!"
"I did."
"How did you know that I wanted this?!"
"I had a little help from a girl named Candice. She said you two were friends in high school."
Shannon's smile immediately falls and Bucky pauses.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"No," she laughs. "It's just funny that she said we were only friends."
"What do you mean?"
"We dated in high school."
Bucky's eyebrows raise and his jaw hangs open.
"Oh! I didn't know that you were..."
"Bisexual? Yeah. I was in love with Candice when we were teenagers. She was almost my first everything. Except for that guy I kissed when I had to play Seven Minutes in Heaven." A big smile crosses Shannon's face. "Candice was so bubbly and carefree. She kind of made you feel like you were the only person in the room."
"Gee, I wonder what that's like," Bucky teases.
Shannon laughs and swats him on his metal arm. He reaches out and brushes her hair away from her face.
"Maybe she didn't know if I knew and wanted to be on the safe side."
"Yeah," Shannon breathes. "This isn't a very accepting town when it comes to that stuff. My parents don't even know. I don't think they ever will. I just don't know how they'll handle it."
He frowns.
"I'm sorry."
She shrugs.
"I've made peace with it."
Her running away to New York makes a lot more sense now.
"How long were you two together?" He asks. "You and Candice, I mean."
"10th to 12th grade."
"Wow."
"Yeah. Long time for a high school relationship. Especially when you have to keep it a secret."
He understands that kind of pressure. Shannon smiles and Bucky runs a hand through his hair.
"You remember when I told you that that girl Patricia was my first kiss?"
Shannon nods.
"I was lying. It was Steve."
"Rogers?"
Bucky nods.
"It was a week before I kissed Patricia. I didn't know how to do it and Steve offered to help me practice. Neither of us knew what we were doing at first. It was mostly just slobbery, but we got better."
She giggles.
"That's really sweet, Buck."
He blushes. It was after Steve that he realized that he liked kissing boys just as much as he liked kissing girls. He was quiet about his sexuality, like he was quiet about most things in his life — well, except for being a humongous flirt with anything and everything that breathed or walked.
"I could tell that you two were more than friends," she whispers.
"How?" He asks.
She grins.
"The look in your eye when you talk about him. It's the same one you get when you look at me. You were in love with him."
Bucky nods.
"I guess so, yeah. I never really thought about it like that. The feelings were... complicated. Especially on my end. I was so young."
"You never talked to Steve about it?"
"I didn't know what to say or what to ask, even."
It wasn't like it is now with people being so much more open about who they love and who they are. Bucky and Steve never really talked about their relationship — if he were to even call it that. They were so young and there just weren't a lot of words for what they were going through back in the '30s and '40s. All Bucky knew was that they liked to lay on his floor, listen to records, and kiss each other. Sometimes they'd wrestle and then cuddle for hours, and talk about anything and everything they could possibly think of. It was like they were trying to unspool every thought and read each other's minds. Steve would wind his fingers in between Bucky's while the city buzzed below his apartment window. It's one of the few times in Bucky's life where he felt like he was completely safe.
He had peace.
"Sorry," Shannon whispers. "I didn't mean for things to get all serious."
"I don't mind." He reaches out and strokes her hand. "It's nice to have someone to talk about this stuff with."
She smiles, and Bucky takes the necklace out of the box and runs it through his large hands.
"Turn around. I want to put this on you."
Shannon obliges him and he rests the necklace gently on her neck and does up the clasp. She turns back toward him and he smiles. It's her. Perfectly and completely.
"Thank you," she whispers. "It's perfect."
Bucky takes a sip of champagne and grins, sliding across the blanket and wrapping her in a tight hug. She giggles as they collapse onto the ground.
"Now, Ms. Meyers, I believe that I offered you my services for the evening."
Shannon drums on her chin and hums quietly.
"I believe you did." She smirks at him and the smile sends a tingle down his spine. "Let's do some brainstorming, shall we?"