it's you and me up against the world, it's you and me

[dysmorphics]

 

 

 

 

I don't need a parachute, baby if I've got you
Baby if I've got you, I don't need a parachute
You're gonna catch me,
You're gonna catch if I fall
( 🎶 )

Comments

[dysmorphics]

◜continued from here◞

Steph made a soft sound that was half a snort, half a strangled sob. "Maybe not, but he has the choice to say enough is enough and just... stay the hell away." That would probably hurt more, the fact that she wasn't good for him, in spite of their very real, deep feelings. "I think I'm too broken, Buck. Too broken to love, and to let myself be loved."

Bucky had been through much worse, there was no competition there. But the sort of broken she was seemed to be the different kind, not of the body or mind but of the spirit. Maybe she had died in the ice in '45, and whatever came out was a specter of the woman she once had been. In a way, she was glad her younger, less broken self was with him. She could love him better. She could make him happier.

Still, she wanted to be loved. So desperately, in fact, that she ached for the smallest of touches. That was why she squeezed Bucky's hand back, and didn't let go. "I don't expect you to forgive me. But thank you, for being here. I'll be outta your hair soon." For good, if she had her way. It was probably for the best.

[hadagreatpast]

It might have been odd, but comforting and supporting Stephanie Rogers was so deeply ingrained into Bucky that he couldn't help continuing to do just that for this Stephanie Rogers. Yes, she was the reason his Steph was gone. Yes, she had made what seemed to be a series of absolutely idiotic decisions. But... Dammit, deep down she was still Steph.

Besides, he was used to Steph making idiotic decisions. Maybe not world-changing ones, but dumb ones.

Sighing, he pulled his arm out of her grip, but instead of moving away from her he did the opposite and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Steph, you're an idiot," he told her with a roll of his eyes. "But you're not unlovable or anything like that."

Was he mad at her? Absolutely. But even though she was different, he still didn't like to see her hurting. Bucky had been doing that enough for the both of them.

[dysmorphics]

Bucky pulled his arm away and Steph thought, this was it, this was the part where he walked away, and she would lose not just the Bucky of her timeline but this one too. It didn't matter that he had his own version of Steph; he was still her best friend, and, in a way that was both confusing and reassuring, she still loved him.

But then he placed her arm around her shoulders and she practically melted into him. Thankfully, enough time had passed for the sun to have fully set, and as Coney Island wasn't as bright in the future, the darkness gave them enough cover on the boardwalk.

You're not unloveable. She supposed he could say that because he'd only ever known her as the sickly, scrawny kid who Definitely Did Not Start Fights she couldn't win.

So she didn't say anything to that. But also because part of her wanted to believe it, that even after everything, he could still love her.

"Lemme buy you dinner?" she said instead. "For old times' sake."

[hadagreatpast]

She felt so much bigger than she had the last time he sat with his arm around her, but it wasn't bad. Just different. But the way she relaxed against him wasn't all that different from how they'd sit, quietly listening to radio dramas or reading in the evenings some days.

Shit, looking back it really was no wonder why people would question if they were an item or not, was it? Not that he'd ever done anything to discourage their closeness.

Bucky honestly would have been fine to keep sitting there quietly, watching the reflection of the moon shine over the ocean with her, but she brought up food. "Sure, we can go eat," he started, but made no move to get up. "But I'm paying, especially if it's for old times' sake." He was always the one who paid growing up, after all. Not because that's just how things were (it was only partly because of that), but also because he was aware that his family was better off financially than Steph's.

Besides, outside of bills and necessities, Bucky wasn't spending much of his paychecks anyway. "What are you in the mood for?"

[dysmorphics]

Steph hesitated. She should've expected Bucky would want to pay, considering the time period they were in. For a moment she'd forgotten about that.

She also just remembered she had prepared to travel to the past with some of the future's small luxuries, and of course enough cash to comfortably cover a single woman in this era. She didn't want him to pay for dinner mostly because she now ate thrice as much as she did back then, and while he had a steady paycheck, he earned at the same rate he had to spend. Her cash smuggled from the future though? Worth a fortune.

"Actually, if you're not really hungry yet... I can cook? You know, for old times' sake." She elbowed him lightly. "You pay for the ingredients, I'll make you some future-flavored dishes." He would still be paying, but much less. And she wouldn't have to worry about causing a scene by eating so much.

Did she realize the invitation meant bringing him to her apartment? Yeah, she did. But there was nothing to it. He was in love with the Steph who disappeared. She was only the shadow of her past self.

[hadagreatpast]

Well that was an idea. Steph had always been a good cook--or at least she'd trained his taste buds to think she was--so why would he pass that up?

With his free hand he pulled his watch out of the pocket and opened it up to check the time. "Yeah, we've got time before the shops close," he stated simply, then gave the picture a look, as always (more out of habit than anything just then), and snapped the watch closed and tucked it away again.

When they stood again, Bucky offered her his arm instead of just putting hers there like he had earlier. Once she took it he started to walk with her. "Where all do we need to stop? And you wanna do this at my place or yours?" It wasn't until just then that he didn't even know where her place was. And she'd never been to his place, either. Not his current one. Not that he was aware of.

[dysmorphics]

Steph glanced at the photo on Bucky's pocketwatch, no longer surprised it was a photo of her — but by which one. She didn't remember that photo. When had he taken it? She couldn't tell without prying and really looking. That brought an unexpected pang in her chest, and she regretted having left her timeline at all.

Thankfully, they were moving before she had the chance to start spiraling again. Though it hadn't been her intention when she suggested it, cooking was hopefully going to save her from doing something stupid tonight. Like try to drown herself.

"Mine," she answered when he asked whose place, if only because she had the seasonings and the spices. There were also a few other things she'd brought with her that he might be interested in seeing; that was if the war hadn't burned the science fiction nerd out of him anyway. But there were also her sketchpads. She already had several, even if she started from scratch when she traveled back.

Probably the most surprising thing about her art would be how she had some in color, and how Bucky's eyes were the correct shade of steel blue.

She gave him the list of ingredients she still needed, as well as her address, which, while in Brooklyn, was in one of the seediest neighborhoods. "We might have to get you a hat," she said. "I know several ladies on my floor who would try to steal you away if they recognize you."

Even in her world, she and the Howlies had been popular. They were basically the Avengers of their era, with books and films and merchandise and everything. She never saw it firsthand though, as she'd gone under before the war was officially over. Seeing it now was kind of surreal, and while Peggy was popular, New York — particularly Brooklyn — was Sergeant Barnes' home turf. He was their golden boy, their claim to fame.

[dysmorphics]

◜continued from here◞

That was the thing about the small, quiet ones, right? They could be very surprising. (Not that Steph had ever really been quiet, exactly.) Even she was surprised with herself, but she chalked it up to the fact that she was with her best friend, and she could be herself without any judgment. (Just maybe with some inevitable ribbing.)

Bucky never once told her to stop though. He stared, he touched, he teased, he made her feel good. It was hot enough watching and feeling him suck on her fingers; then he was toying with her clit and she couldn't stop her hips from shifting.

She didn't put up any resistance, then, when he urged her closer to his head. She realized it was actually difficult to watch him from this angle, but the feel of his warm breath against her skin made her shudder with delight, and forget about her misgivings. Then it was his tongue, and she moaned. "Oh, darling," she breathed, both impatient yet loving the way he took his time to taste the skin on the inside of her thighs.

[hadagreatpast]

Bucky started with her inner thighs, peppering them with simple open mouthed kisses and letting his beard scrape gently over her skin. But Steph had said she wanted her thighs marked, so those kisses slowly morphed into nips and gentle bites. Here and there he focused on one spot or another so he could take the time to suck a red mark into her skin--which wasn't difficult with just how pale she was. His eyes stayed closed most of the time, but every so often he'd open them to look at what he'd done, then smirk a little as he looked up at the woman squirming on top of him.

Small and skinny, tall and curvy, it didn't matter. Bucky would always think she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

Eventually, after a lot of teasing her thighs, leaving them covered in love bites and beard burn, he kissed and licked his way to her wet folds. He moaned when he tasted her and tugged at her hips again. She had been the one to mention wanting to sit on his face, and that's exactly what he wanted her to do while he set about pleasuring her with his lips and tongue.

[dysmorphics]

Oh, Steph was definitely squirming. Her thighs were sensitive, and Bucky was very thorough in the ways he was marking her. She liked it though. She had never allowed — or even considered — anyone to share this kind of intimacy with her, so in love she was with him that only he would ever be permitted. That, and she thought some sexual acts were more intimate than others. Anyone, in theory, could fuck a woman with their cock. But this? She needed to want to be marked, and he needed to want to do it with enough care so it wouldn't hurt and instead feel good.

So she squirmed and groaned and shivered, and tried to watch him as he went about his business of pleasuring her. "Fuck, baby," she moaned, "I don't think I can close my legs after this."

When he finally put his mouth on her, it was like he could literally drink from her with how wet she felt. And while she actually had no clue what it would be like to sit on his face, she didn't hesitate when he tugged her down — and almost immediately let out a loud moan. "Oh, God," she gasped, which was funny because it had been years since she'd been any sort of religious, well before her Ma had died. She leaned forward, gripping the headboard and squeezing her eyes shut as he drew more loud moans out of her.

Unable to stop herself even if she wanted to, she started to grind into his mouth. His tongue wasn't large and hard like his cock, but it was nimble and slipped easily between her folds that before long she was frantically rubbing against it. "Buck, baby," she whimpered needily, continuing to seek just the right angle that allowed his tongue to travel from her entrance to her clit and back, more than content and ready to come on his face just from that.

[hadagreatpast]

Bucky moaned against her flesh as he continued to work her, doing his best to go back and forth between her clit and her opening, just wanting to make her feel as good as he could.

But while his mouth worked her, Bucky let his hands--both hands--roam over her. Mostly her thighs, hips, and ass, as those were the easiest places for him to touch, but he genuinely did try to touch her everywhere he could, even letting his fingers drift down her crack a couple times just to make sure he touched her there, too. Bucky had waited entirely too long to be able to touch her to not do just that.

And while he did all that, Bucky couldn't resist opening his eyes every so often to look up the slender body above him, catching on those small but perfect breasts heaving with her breath before moving on to her beautiful, flushed face. Based on her reactions, Bucky was pretty sure he was doing something right.

[dysmorphics]

With her hands gripping the headboard, Steph was leaning over just right for Bucky to see her face and watch just how good he was making her feel. In the morning light, with her loose blonde hair framing her face, she looked some kind of angel, but like if there was an angel for passion or lust or something. There was a deep flush and sweat on her skin. Her blue eyes were blown wide whenever she opened them or otherwise squeezed shut or half-lidded with her eyes rolling back in delight. And her mouth never quite closed as she moaned and whimpered and swore and called him by name or some endearment. Some moments she would be open-mouthed with her tongue moving as if they were kissing or she was following along to the way he was licking her.

"B-Baby, don't stop, please," she begged, her hips thrusting more aggressively as she chased her release. She rather liked calling him baby, she realized, because of the irony or him being so much bigger than her. Also he looked tough and dangerous as shit on the outside, but he let her sit on his face without thinking it wasn't manly or it was degrading for him or anything like that.

So achingly close, she let go of the headboard to reach down and try to spread her folds open a little more, thinking it might help them along. Whether it was that or because he'd sensed she was close and was also working her more aggressively himself, it felt so so good that she tipped her head back, squeezed her eyes shut, and let out a loud, drawn out moan, trusting those strong hands groping her ass to keep her from falling.

Eventually, with an even louder cry, she shuddered, letting go of herself to grip his hair instead as she rode the wave of her pleasure. Her legs tried to close but couldn't with his head in the way, and she felt the hot rush of her wetness. Fuck, it was so messy. But she couldn't feel sorry for it even if she tried, instead getting yet another wicked thrill from the thought of him being wet because of her.

[hadagreatpast]

Steph didn't need to tell Bucky not to stop, because he hadn't been planning on it. But it did feel good to hear her beg like that, and he also liked all the pet names that were coming out of her mouth. Not to mention the way she moaned his actual name. (Bucky, not James. Never James.)

But keep going, he did. His hands were all but kneading at her ass since he loved the feeling of being able to grope at her like that. He would have probably been doing something similar to her breasts if it wouldn't have been such an awkward angle from below her the way he was.

And when she held herself open a bit more for him, he took the opportunity to press his tongue that much further into her. He would never understand why he'd hear guys in the past talking about how they'd never do this for their girls, because Bucky? He loved it. The taste of her, the way she moved over him, the way he could take her apart with just his mouth, it was all things he would definitely encourage revisiting again and again.

However, when Steph's hand moved to grip and tug at his hair he moaned against her, learning in that moment that he liked when she did that. Then, when she came hard because of him, releasing that additional rush of wetness onto his tongue and--lets be honest here--his face, he moaned again. With Steph, he didn't mind the mess. He liked it, even. A lot. But he suspected that he would get as messy or dirty with Stephanie Rogers as she wanted him to.

How much he enjoyed everything they'd been doing was even evident in the way his cock kept twitching and leaking in his pants. Bucky hadn't even touched it, hardly even thought about it as he lapped at her folds and sucked gently at her clit, teasing her through her orgasm. And he wasn't in a rush to touch it, because he was pretty sure she had him so thoroughly turned on and worked up that he wouldn't last long if it was given any attention.

deciding which bucky to represent with the icon was not easy lol

[hadagreatpast]

James Buchanan Barnes couldn't believe he was walking through New York in the next century. Sure, Bucky was aware that his wife had come to the past from that future, but it was still crazy to believe that he was actually there.

His eyes were wide as he walked with Steph Rogers Barnes down the busy sidewalk, taking in everything from storefronts to cars to even just the clothes people were wearing. Sure, he was nearly eighty years into the future, but things had changed so much since his time. There had even been a few times where Bucky had gotten distracted by one thing or another in a window display, and Steph had to backtrack a little to get him to start walking again. Which was good, because they were each carrying a suitcase filled with things from the past, with a bonus circular bag in Steph's hand as well, but none of it was actually for them.

One thing that didn't change about New York? No one paid the two of them any mind as they walked down the sidewalk. They were just two generic pedestrians in the late evening sea of people.

Eventually, the pair reached a fairly nice apartment building. Once they were inside and making their way up in the elevator, Bucky couldn't help smirking a bit as he looked at her. "Gotta say, this building's a hell of a lot better than the last one I found you living in on your own."

Once they reached the apartment door, Bucky wasn't even thinking about the fact that Steph should probably knock or something. Really, he just sort of wanted to put the damn suitcase down, so he said nothing as she unlocked the door and let the pair of them in.

★☆✪☆★
While those two were making their way through the city, a much, much older James Buchanan Barnes was in bed with his tiny girlfriend, a single dim lamp in the bedroom the only light on in their apartment. He was kissing and biting along her neck and shoulder, his natural hand under the sexy little nightie she had on, panties pushed aside as he worked at her, two fingers in her pussy and his thumb rubbing at her clit. The woman turned him on like no one else, and he was the one who groaned as her nails scraped over his bare back yet again, surely leaving more of the scratches she gave him so often.

But then, Bucky heard something. Brow furrowed, his head came up and his hand stilled as he looked towards the door, listening more closely. It sounded like a key hitting the lock, but no one but them should even have a key to their place.

"Stay here, sweetheart," he said, his voice low as he pulled away from Steph. "I heard something."

As he stood up from the bed and started towards the door, not bothering to pull any pants over those boxer briefs of his, he heard the front door open. Bucky didn't hesitate then, just stalked quickly towards the door. He decided not to turn the lights on along the way, having the layout of the apartment memorized and being able to see a bit better in the dark than the average person, so he thought leaving them off might give him a bit of a leg up.

"Wrong fucking apartment," he said as he approached the dark outlines of the people in the doorway, immediately knocking one of the pair aside before throwing a punch towards the other one.

good pick though 😌

[dysmorphics]

Stephanie Grace Rogers had been having a wonderful time. The future was great. The food was good, there were so many new technological marvels, and she could now see better and in color. More importantly, she had been reunited with her best friend and the love of her life, and they lived together in a nice little apartment like an actual couple.

She was having a particularly wonderful time that night as Bucky worked her up toward her first orgasm, his hand already slick with her wetness as she humped and ground against him. Her tiny frame did not deter her from being such a wild thing in bed — something that had surprised her at first, but he was perfectly happy with practically everything and anything she did that it didn't take long for her to stop second guessing herself and just do whatever she felt like doing. Like leave claw marks on his back, or let herself get photographed while covered in his cum. That was the plan again tonight, though she'd also surprised him with a sexy little red nightie and matching lace panties to get drenched in.

She was already worked up enough that she let out a whine by the time he had to pull away. She didn't really try to stop him though. She knew his history well by now, and she understood that he had enemies. But she was no Captain America, that fate had never become hers, so the best thing she could do was do what she was told and stay out of his way.

She was doing fine with that until she heard a clang from beyond the bedroom. If she heard it, then it had to be loud and something was going on, since her hearing was pretty much as shit as her eyesight but without any technological intervention, or at least not yet. Concerned now, she bolted upright and slipped out of the bed, grabbing her glasses from the nightstand. (She hated how they got in the way of kissing and whatever else so she didn't wear them whenever they made out or had sex.)

"Darling?" she called out as she stepped out of the room and flipped on the nearest switch. Right as she did, the weird paperweight from the kitchen counter flew right past her. Startled, she swore and stepped back, then looked around to see where it went.

"Holy shit."

★☆✪☆★

Minutes earlier, a much, much older Stephanie Grace Rogers — who now went by Gracie Barnes, for the most part — hurried into her old apartment after making the strangest walk through New York in years. It wasn't Bucky's gawking and fascination with the next century that weirded her out; it was how alien it all felt to her after having spent the last four or so years back in the 40s. Even if she hadn't gotten married and decided to settle down in the past, she would've felt the same: that she didn't belong here anymore.

That was what distracted her. Otherwise she would've thought to knock, because this apartment wasn't hers anymore. She just wanted some peace and quiet and a chance to collect herself.

Instead, she suddenly found herself in the middle of a fight. Having turned to help Bucky up, she lifted the shield — still in its bag — just in time to deflect a powerful blow. The jolt through her system was a wake-up call, priming her body for combat. Her effectiveness was impeded by a few factors, however. First, she realized who she was fighting, and she didn't want to hurt him. Second, she remembered where they were, and she didn't want to destroy anything. Third, Bucky had of course joined the fray, and despite their shared histories, they had never actually fought together.

By the time the lights came on, Bucky had the shield, and she'd called Mjolnir to her hand because Bucky — the Bucky of this timeline, the one she grew up with — had managed to grab her in a headlock.

And gaping at them was little Stephanie, hair mussed and wearing a nightie.

Fuck.

[hadagreatpast]

When the light flicked on, Bucky didn't immediately stop. He was still deep enough in protect Steph mode that he hardly even registered the comically large hammer flying across the room, or the impact he felt on the side of his head. A fist, maybe? Bucky didn't have time to figure it out. Instead, he just tightened the hold he had on the first person.

It wasn't until he saw Steph watching wide-eyed from her place by the light switch that his focus wavered just slightly, and that mixed with a blur of red, white, and blue smacking hard into the side of his head was enough to make Bucky loosen his grip just slightly. The one that hit him might not seem to be as strong as the other, but it was still enough to make Bucky see stars for just a second.

During that second, the stronger one slipped out of his grip, stepped away, and turned around so Bucky could finally see who he was fighting. His own eyes probably got wider than his girlfriend's were. "Steph?" he asked, most of the fight leaving him immediately.

Then he looked over at the other person just to see... himself? But definitely not the way he was now. The man who looked like him was younger, with shorter hair and it looked like the circles around his eyes weren't quite so dark.

Bucky moved out of the middle of the group and put his back to Steph--the small Steph watching from a few feet away, his Steph--before taking a couple of backward steps closer to her, clearly still ready to protect her if he needed to. "The hell is going on?" he asked, eyes bouncing between the Steph that left and the Bucky she brought back with her.

★☆✪☆★
Suddenly seeing tiny Steph standing there in a little red number was almost enough to distract the Bucky of the past, but not quite. He had to get the big guy off his wife, after all. That's why he smacked him a couple of times in the head. Once with a fist, the second time with the shield that he'd somehow ended up with and unbagged in the scuffle.

When the other Bucky moved away, his focus went back to the tiny Steph for a moment before realizing exactly how she was dressed. "Oh," he said, eyes widening slightly before turning to his wife. He didn't need to be looking at her in lingerie. "You alright?" One hand came up to touch gently at her neck, making sure there was no real damage before looking back at their attacker with a bit of a glare.

He hadn't been expecting to find the pair of them in the middle of things, but considering how he and his wife were? They should have expected it, really. But with how the future Bucky was standing there in just his underwear, the past Bucky could see differences beyond just the hair. The way that black metal connected to his shoulder, the scarring around it, even the man's size and the way he held himself were different than his own. He was definitely taller and more muscular, but the way he stood seemed more... defensive? That could have just been because of the fight, though.

[dysmorphics]

"I guess I deserved that," Steph said as she swiped at her nose with the back of her free hand. There was no blood, but something had connected in the scuffle. Her neck ached too, the sensation giving her an awful sense of deja vu, though it was quickly obliterated by Bucky's gentle touch. She stepped back to be at his side, mirroring how the other pair also moved closer together.

They had to be a strange sight. Bucky with both arms intact, holding the shield as if he was Captain America; Steph looking like she'd stepped out of a Lady Liberty poster with her 40s hair and her 40s dress. She could see the wheels in her counterpart's head turning, trying to figure out what had changed from the story she knew.

"Hey, Buck. Steph. We just wanted to talk." It clearly wasn't the best time though, given their counterparts' state of, well, undress. It wasn't at all surprising, considering how she and Bucky were; she was more embarrassed that it hadn't occurred to her to knock or call ahead. "We'll, um, come back in the morning. If you're amenable to that."

Tiny Steph, meanwhile, only looked confused, then worried. No embarrassment there whatsoever at being seen in a nightie, though she was doing everything not to meet her best friend's eyes. She instead focused on the suitcases the others brought in, while her hands gripped her Bucky's flesh arm — tight, protective, but also with a silent plea: don't take him away from me.

[hadagreatpast]

The older Bucky sighed and shook his head, moving his arm so he could take Steph's small hands in his own large one, a silent assurance that he was with her. But his eyes didn't leave the other two. "No, you're already here. We'll go change." The mood had been completely wrecked, after all. It wasn't like they'd be able to just go back to what they were doing.

And for Bucky, at least, the idea of going to sleep after something like that was pretty much impossible.

So, with a gentle tug at Steph's hands, he turned and led her back to their bedroom.

When he turned around, the younger Bucky didn't miss the claw marks all over his back. He didn't say anything about them, though. Just perked his own brow at the sight of them before sliding the shield back into its bag, then turned to look around the futuristic apartment once they were gone. They were barely inside the door, but he could already see several things that he had no idea what they were for.

[dysmorphics]

Steph let Bucky lead her back into their bedroom, where she quietly put on one of his shirts. It was probably not appropriate for any sort of meeting, but they were in their apartment, weren't they? Or perhaps she just felt the need to assert herself, that all this was hers now, that they couldn't just barge in and take any of it away.

She watched his face as they got dressed, searching for hints about how he was feeling. They'd never really talked about it — she still thought it was too soon to breach the subject — but she had been there, in the aftermath of Cap's departure. He had been mad, and hurt. Maybe he still was.

She pulled her hair up into a quick ponytail, then moved closer to touch his arm. "I'm not going anywhere, okay? You're stuck with me." He might not want to talk about his feelings, but she'd already squandered her chance once and she wasn't keen on doing it again.

★☆✪☆★
Steph noticed the claw marks too, which made her blush a little more. Thankfully Bucky said nothing to it and just put the shield away. She reached over to momentarily place Mjolnir on the nearest flat surface — which happened to be the top of the suitcase he had lugged in — while she fixed her hair as it had gotten mussed from the skirmish.

"He hates me," she said with a sigh. She'd been expecting it, but it still stung. "Her, too. I know that look." Even when she hadn't been in the position to do any protecting, she'd been awfully protective of him in the way people in love with their best friends were.

happy birfday old man

[hadagreatpast]

[ continued from here! ]

When Bucky first walked into the apartment, he was confused for a minute. But that only lasted until he spotted the cake and card on the table for him. He honestly hadn't even realized it was his birthday.

There was a warm smile on Bucky's face as he searched out his girlfriend, followed by laughter when he spotted her dressed like a gift box on the bed. "You didn't have to do all this," he said as he crossed the room to lean over and give her a quick kiss on the lips. "I didn't even notice what day it was."

Not that he didn't appreciate it, because he definitely did. He just... hadn't celebrated a birthday since his 26th. Or was it his 27th? He was pretty sure they did something while he was with the Howlies, but it wasn't much of anything if they did.

Either way, birthday or not, Steph was the best gift he'd ever gotten.

[dysmorphics]

"But I wanted to." Steph was beaming, delighted by Bucky's laughter. He didn't laugh all that much, not really, so it was worth it every time. "I could never do anything like this for you before." Mostly because she couldn't afford it.

A part of her figured Cap would appreciate her money being spent in this way, too. He was her best friend, after all, even if things had become strained between them since the whole incident that brought Steph to the future. She just wanted him to be happy, Steph knew that much even before she actually told her.

"You're not gonna open your present?" she asked, grinning. She gestured to the ridiculously large ribbon and the ridiculous decorated box she was wearing, as if it wasn't obvious what she meant. Underneath she wore only a sheer blue night dress, and a matching lace thong with straps so thin he could easily tear it off her, and not even with his metal hand.

[hadagreatpast]

"You're such a goof," Bucky said, laughing again before reaching for the big bow. He pulled it off before helping Steph out of the rest of the box. When he saw what Steph was wearing under that box, however, that smile turned a bit more lascivious.

"Looks like we're gonna have to reheat that dinner you made later," he told her, setting the box aside so he could lean down to kiss her again. "You look beautiful, sweetheart." He thought she always did, sure. From when she dressed up to when she was just sitting around the apartment in baggy comfy clothes. But Bucky could admit it was extra nice when she dressed up for him like this.

[dysmorphics]

"Hey, it's your day. We can do whatever you want." Steph actually expected it though, so she'd been snacking as she cooked. She knew by now there was no way Bucky wouldn't want to enjoy his present immediately. Besides, they had food stocked in the drawers of their nightstand.

Speaking of what he wanted, she settled on her knees on the bed and sat on her heels. "Where and how do you want me, birthday boy?"

[hadagreatpast]

Bucky gently pushed Steph back onto the bed as he climbed onto it, grinning as he leaned over her. "This is why you wanted to know exactly when I'd be home, huh?" he teased her, letting his good hand run down her side. "So you could climb into a big box to be my birthday present?"

It might sound cheesy, but after wanting her so long, being with Steph actually did feel like a gift to him.

"Did you buy this little outfit with my birthday in mind, sweetheart?" he asked, raising a brow as he shifted to take her hands in his, then pinned them to the bed above Steph's head.

[dysmorphics]

Steph laughed. Of course that had been the plan. She'd thought long and hard about a good way to surprise Bucky, one that did not involve spooking him by jumping out of the shadows and yelling, "Happy birthday!" The Google didn't have any concrete answers, but her random searches led her to a picture that gave her a crazy idea. Thus the gift box. It felt on brand for them rather than just strutting out in a nightie and dancing on a pole.

(She had, however, considered taking pole dancing classes.)

"Yeah, I ordered this special for today." She was grinning up at him, making it impossible to miss the way her breath caught when he pinned her hands above her head. It was his birthday, yet he was giving her what she wanted? God, she loved him.