Archive of Our Own ^beta

Bucky stared out the darkened train window. One hand propped his head up against the glass, while the other fiddled with his discarded bowtie on the tray table in front of him. He’d jumped on the night train for a reason and it wasn’t just to avoid Steve at home. Part of him wanted to just sit in the hurt he’d caused them both.

He wasn’t sure which was worse, the bustling crowd he’d left Steve in or the oppressive silence of sleepers and empty seats.

It was all so public too. He could just see the front page story of the Post in the morning. Pictures of him running from his boyfriend’s gala, Steve’s devastated face, one of the Carter women comforting him. The headlines would call it ‘Champagne Problems.’ Both of their mothers would be blowing up their phones, Natasha and his own sister Becca would finish off the champagne while shit-talking him to make themselves feel better.

For the first time since he ran, he wondered where he’d go when he got back to New York. Which was ridiculous because it was only a four hour trip, so he didn’t have a lot of time to plan. And he didn’t have much with him, just the tux he’d worn to the fundraiser, his intentionally turned off phone, and his wallet and keys.

Images of their Red Hook apartment flashed through his mind. The made bed with one of his band t-shirts hanging off the back of the door. Steve’s art supplies tucked haphazardly in the corner of the living room. A bag of Bucky’s favorite coffee sitting on the counter as a gift from Steve to get him through the weeks he’d be alone while Steve was in DC.

All at once, his chest went tight and he couldn’t stomach the thought of going to the home they shared after running out on the love of his life. His parents’ house should be empty for the night. He could shower and change clothes at least before he had to find somewhere else to wallow and hide from Steve.

The coverage of it, he’d probably never be able to hide from.

Every one of Steve’s critics — both the homophobes and the genuine political opponents — would beat this to death. They’d draw plenty of conclusions, probably some of them close to true. But Steve would weather the storm because he’d always been that way. He was the kind of man that planted himself like a tree, staring down any number of corrupt politicians, unabashed contratians, and bigoted critics and said, “No. You move.”

And Bucky was apparently the type of man to fold at the first sight of a true opponent.

For their whole lives, since the day they’d met in kindergarten, he’d been the center of Steve’s world. The only friend to this scrawny, loudmouthed superhero. And if he was honest with himself, which he made a point not to be in these situations, Steve would always be the center of his universe in return. But tonight, a true equal to Steve’s fire and talent and drive presented herself. And if they were too alike, then her cousin was right there, a more subtly ambitious version with the same beauty.

Bucky had never realized he was so insecure. It was almost a relief to be gone before that insecurity could tarnish Steve’s image of him. He would remain a sweet memory, when the pain faded and Steve’s life went on, his image becoming what a young, up-and-coming congressman should be. Well, almost, but maybe the Carter women could temper his loud mouth.

He could see their wedding. Either of them would make a radiant bride. Some pundit would add Bucky in like a footnote to the day. ‘That Barnes boy would have been a handsome groom if he hadn’t run like a crazy person, but Carter is a better match.’ And that would close the final chapter in their novel of life together. No one would mention Bucky around Steve after that. And one day, some pretty Carter woman with Steve’s last name would deck the halls of the apartment Bucky used to haunt.

A tear slid down his cheek, hitting the heel of his hand and running down his wrist to dampen the cuff of his fine white shirt.

Steve was supposed to give a speech, but every word he had was stuck under the lump in his throat. He stared unseeing at the door to the ballroom, still somehow waiting for Bucky to burst back in. Red-painted nails came to rest on his bicep, tugging gently, trying to get his attention. His phone buzzed in his pocket. He ignored them both, swallowing hard. He couldn’t cry here, and he couldn’t get all blotchy and red like he did when he tried not to cry.

The hand with the red nails tugged more insistently and he shook it off. It just came back, making him sigh harshly.

“Steve, you need to give your speech,” Peggy Carter said. As if that was the most important thing right now.

He whipped around to look her in the eyes, narrowing his own. “No.”

“They’re expecting you,” she insisted. “I understand that circumstances aren’t ideal, but he’s gone. You’re still here.”

Tears were no longer the issue. Steve’s face, eyes, and entire demeanor turned to ice. Hard and unforgiving and cold .

“I think I’m feeling a bit ill,” he said without inflection, whipping his arm out of her grip. “Nice meeting you.” He turned and strode away. Her heels clacked as she tried to keep up, but eventually they faded away.

Only a moment later, the other Carter woman, Sharon, appeared beside him. “She’s not very good at expressing this type of emotion,” she said. “She understands that you’re upset, but she believes in solving the immediate problem and then going after the larger issues. You could talk to your friend in the morning when you’re both calm, but your career needs you now.”

Steve’s icy demeanor didn’t shift. “My boyfriend . Or have you both forgotten that I’ve been with my childhood sweetheart for twelve fucking years?” She pursed her lips, visibly suppressing a wince. “Screw my career. A career in politics sure as fuck won’t kiss me goodnight. If I’m lucky, I’ll get ten years before it tries to fuck me over. Bucky, no matter what I do, will never do that. Now move.”

“Steve—” she tried, setting a small, french-manicured hand on his lapel.

“No. Move.”

Her eyes grew wide as he pushed past her toward the door.

His chief of staff Natasha and Bucky’s sister Becca flanked him as he reached the exit, not stopping him but definitely not indulging him either. He ignored them until they spoke.

“Where are you going?” Nat asked.

“Train station,” Steve grunted. “Bucky’s a fucking drama queen. He’ll take the late train home just to punish himself and sit in the pain alone for a while. If I miss it, I’ll drive.”

“You’ve had a lot of champagne,” Becca said.

“Sisters in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones,” Steve sniped back.

Yeah, he’d had several glasses. The laughter and chatter in the room had bubbled and tinkled like the champagne in its delicate flutes. The light from the chandeliers had painted the room gold while he glad-handed and kept from arguing with anyone only by Bucky’s grounding hand in the crook of his elbow. The Carter women had introduced themselves, sailing through the party like the second coming of the Schuyler sisters. At least to their eye. Once Nat gave him the nod that he was done, Steve had dragged Bucky onto the dance floor. He wasn’t any good, but Bucky was great, and they could happily sway around in each other’s bubble for a long, long time.

Peggy Carter had asked to cut in. And Steve was about to demur, beg off that he and Bucky were almost finished. He hadn’t wanted to embarrass himself in front of a new contact and he didn’t really like dancing at public functions with anyone but Bucky. But then Bucky had dropped his hand, flashed a tight, broken smile at Peggy, and hurried out the door at barely less than a run.

Nat set a hand on his shoulder, not feeling as constricting as everyone else trying to touch him tonight. “Let me check if his name came up on a ticket. I’ve got a friend,” she said.

Two excruciatingly long minutes on the phone later, she came back and told him that Bucky’s train had left five minutes ago.

“Give me my keys,” Steve demanded.

“You need more time to sober up. I’m not letting you drive buzzed, regardless of the shitstorm you getting a DUI would cause me.”

He grunted and turned left out the door to walk down the street. Behind him, he heard Nat stop Becca from following him, which was for the best.

On the next corner, Steve walked into a coffee shop that was still open. They were almost closing and it was empty except for one barista and the general noise of someone clearing up in the back. He gave the young woman at the register a tight smile, but refused to be impolite to someone just doing their job on the worst night of his life so far.

“Can I get the largest black coffee you have, please?” he asked. “With maybe an extra shot of espresso.”

Both of her dark eyebrows jumped up into her bright turquoise bangs. “Is a large Americano with an extra shot okay? I’ve already shut down the drip for the night and I’d have to make you a pour over.”

Steve shrugged. “That’s fine. Whatever’s easiest for you. I just need strong, black coffee and thirty minutes before my chief lets me drive.”

She snorted softly as she punched his order in, nodding commiseratingly. “You seem fine to me.”

“Buzzed driving is still drunk driving,” Steve repeated his mother’s words by rote. Nat had a tendency to do the same.

“Fair point,” the barista said. She moved along, making his espresso with the efficient moves of someone who’d worked there a while. Steve dropped to his elbows on the far counter, crossing his forearms and resting his temple on the fine wool sleeve of his tuxedo jacket. He watched the coffee be made quietly. It was the last barrier between him and getting in the car to go get Bucky.

“I like your hair, by the way,” he said. “And your pins.”

She glanced down at the pride flag and pronoun pin tacked to her apron. “You’re a suit, though,” she said bemusedly. “Politicians don’t really say that to people like me.”

“Well, I know my punk past has been splashed all over the Post at least a few times.”

“Ah, I don’t read that shit. Care what you do, ya know?”

“Me too,” Steve agreed. “I don’t represent you specifically, but I kinda do, ya know. I take the homophobic shit in the press and on the Hill so I can hopefully make it better for everyone else like me.”

The girl smiled sharply. “I’m Kat. Remind me to vote for you when you run for president.”

A harsh bark of laughter gusted out of Steve’s lips. “Yeah, not sure I’m even running for reelection right now. You’ll probably see the press in the morning.”

“What happened?” she asked. “Your boyfriend run off with some floozy?”

“No, pretty sure he thinks I’m gonna,” Steve groaned. “He ran out of the party when she tried to cut in.”

Kat winced. “That’s rough, buddy.” He snorted at her reference. He and Bucky loved that show. “He doesn’t like those fancy parties?” She poured the last shot of espresso into his cup and started filling the rest with hot water.

“Neither of us do, but occupational hazard in my case. He’d rather be in his engineering lab.”

“I’ll look out for your champagne problems all over the news in the morning,” Kat said, passing over his cup. “Now, drink you coffee, butch up, and go get your boy.”

Steve took the cup in one hand, straightening up. “You should consider motivational speaking,” he offered with a smirk.

She snorted indelicately. “Yeah, I’ll write a book for sad fucks. Get outta here.”

“Thanks Kat,” Steve said. “Good night.”

“Night!” she called after him as he closed the door softly behind him.

Steve drank the coffee in long swigs as he walked back down the street toward the hotel ballroom. It was as dark and bitter as he felt before walking in. As black as the night outside the gilded bubble of the Beltway. But he felt better for it immediately. In fifteen minutes or so, he’d probably be fine. Nat was waiting for him in the lobby when he got back. Becca had corralled the rest of the Barnes/Rogers clan around one of the ornate fireplaces that struck Steve as gaudy all of a sudden. Without the gilded filter of pomp and champagne, everything here looked more like brass than gold.

“Doing better?” Nat asked.

“Coffee,” Steve grunted. He sighed and turned to join the family for a moment. He couldn’t just stand here while they pretended not to look at him and wonder where his other half had gone. He felt like he was missing a limb without Bucky.

When he reached the ornate loveseat, his Ma stood to wrap her arms around him, petting his hair back when she pulled away.

“What happened, love?”

And he couldn’t hold it in. Couldn’t not tell his family, his whole family, everything. “I was gonna propose, ya know,” was what came out. “Not at the party, but before he went back to New York during the session.” Winnie made a wounded noise in her throat. “But Peggy Carter asked to cut in while we were dancing and he just...dropped my hand and practically ran out. Like— like he thought he was in the way or, or, or something.”

Sarah rubbed the back of his shoulder. “And you’re going after him?”

Steve nodded quickly. “As soon as Nat says I can drive, I’m going. I’m sorry I won’t be here—”

“Shut up,” Judy, the youngest sister, said. “Get it through his thick skull that some pretty lobbyist isn’t gonna turn your head.”

Steve huffed. “That’s the plan.” He glanced over. “Nat, am I good to go?”

She regarded him critically. “Come down to the garage, I wanna do a field sobriety test before I let you on the road.” Steve didn’t check his eyeroll, but nodded anyway.

He turned to kiss his mother’s cheek, then said a soft goodbye to everyone else and followed Nat to the elevator that would take them down to where his car was parked. She didn’t say anything as the elevator descended and Steve just sighed and took the last swig of his coffee. Thankfully, she waited until they were in the relatively secluded area beside Steve’s sensible hatchback to conduct her test.

Natasha made him follow her finger while she watched his eyes. Then she directed him to walk a straight line, heel to toe, turn on one foot, and return. She made him balance on one foot while he counted out thirty seconds. At the end, she reluctantly nodded.

“You’re fine enough,” she said. “Go get your boy and don’t get a speeding ticket.”

“Thanks Nat,” Steve said.

Less than ten minutes later, Steve was on 95 going north at five miles an hour over the limit, hoping any cops watching would pull over the flashy cars going twenty over instead of him. The straight, dark road and lack of cars gave him time to think. He should probably figure out what he was going to say, have a speech prepared, but he was as speechless as he’d been when Bucky left.

All that was running through his mind was a loop of Bucky turning and dashing for the door and the blinding flashes of cameras in his mind’s eye that reminded him of all the press he’d have to deal with come morning. The headlines flashed in his head like newspapers spinning into frame in an old movie.

Rep. Rogers Rejected!

Champagne Problems? Rogers Leaving Lover for Carter?

Carter Cuts In!

Out With NY-7th’s First Gentleman, In With First Lady

NY 7th District Getting New First Lady?

The cold steel in his spine that he’d been using to keep him up started to falter and he sniffled and blinked hard to keep from crying. He had to focus on the road. Had to get home to Bucky.

Eventually, he turned on some mix station so their late night throwbacks would fill the silence in the car. Then he started talking out loud. He’d always thought it should annoy Bucky when he talked to himself in the car. Normally, he was just talking through talking points or speeches to make sure they sounded natural and came across the way he intended. Despite it all, Bucky’d always found it endearing. That he was doing it now to figure out how to tell Bucky that no subtly flirtatious smile or sharp political mind or pair of red painted lips would ever hold a candle to the way he wanted to wake up to Bucky’s messy hair and pillow drool every morning was painfully fitting.

It was a few hours before he finally crossed the bridge into Staten Island, then finally the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge into Brooklyn. He drove up through his borough and into Red Hook, turning down his block only to find the front windows of their apartment dark. Parking in front of the building, he checked on his phone and saw that the train had arrived more than half an hour ago. He debated going upstairs and checking if Bucky was there for about thirty seconds.

But Bucky wasn’t home. Sure, he was prone to the drama of wallowing in the dark, but he usually kept a low lamp or two or the tv on when Steve was staying in DC. And more importantly, every single thing in that apartment would remind Bucky of everything he just ran away from. From the softly mussed bedroom to the gift Bucky may not have seen, but would know Steve left for him. Because he always left a sweet, useful something for Bucky when he had to be in DC. It’d only been a year and half of this so far, but he’d never forgotten it.

Steve bit his lip hard. The pain distracted him for barely a second. With a sigh, he dropped his head to the steering wheel. Bucky had to be at his parents’ house. It was empty, so he wouldn’t waste money on a hotel. Steve turned the ignition again and took off for the Barnes house in Crown Heights. There was a space just one door down, so he swung into it and jumped out. A very low light was on in one of the windows.

“Bucky!” Steve called, sprinting up the front steps. He banged on the door with the side of a closed fist. “Please Bucky! I know you’re here! Please talk to me!”

Bucky got to his parents’ brownstone in Crown Heights at some ungodly hour of the morning and immediately went upstairs to what used to be his room. He’d been living with Steve since they were nineteen and twenty, so there wasn’t much in there. He yanked open the first of the two drawers of random clothes that were still there. Under the mustiness of being put away so long, the first scent to hit him was Steve .

Sitting on top of his own clothes was an oversized hoodie of Steve’s from high school. Tears gathered along his lashline as he pulled out the sweatshirt and held it up to his nose. There was an old pair of his own leggings with a hole near the ankle in the side of the drawer, so he grabbed those too and changed. He draped the tux across the daybed under the window and padded barefoot out of his room and down the stairs.

He was making tea in the kitchen with the tv playing music lowly to fill the oppressive silence when he heard someone shout his name from a distance. He reached over to the remote to mute the tv and immediately heard someone banging on the door like their life depended on it.

“Please Bucky!” Steve’s voice came from the other side of the door. “I know you’re here! Please talk to me!”

God, he sounded fucking wrecked. Like he’d been sobbing the entire ride up from Washington. Bucky swallowed back another round of tears and took a deep breath. He left the kettle to boil and tiptoed back across the house to the door.

“Please Buck!” Steve cried on the other side of the door. The sound broke Bucky’s heart in half and he hurried the last few steps. He’d already dropped Steve’s heart on the marble tiled floor of the ballroom. He couldn’t shatter it again.

Bucky threw the door open, reaching a hand out for Steve as he practically fell into the hallway. Steve gasped a breath, hands coming up to catch his balance on Bucky’s arms. His fingers dug into the sweatshirt Bucky was wearing, and he looked down at it, clearly realizing what it was.

“I was about to make tea,” Bucky croaked. Steve nodded fervently, not speaking now that he was face to face with Bucky. But he did let go and close the door behind him before following Bucky back into the kitchen. “Did you drive?” Steve nodded again. “Nat got your tongue?” he teased almost reflexively.

Steve snorted. “Maybe, she insisted I sober up before I got in the car.”

Bucky raised an eyebrow over his shoulder. “Did you down a few whiskeys after I left?” Steve shook his head. “Well, I guess it would be bad for your career if you got a DUI.”

“I really don’t fucking care about my career right now, Buck,” Steve said. “I care about you.” Bucky didn’t look up from the tea he was making, but his shoulders were tense.

Steve didn’t push, just waited. Bucky finished fiddling with the tea and turned around with both mugs. His eyes were a little red and watery, but he knew Steve could tell it was from crying and not from the steam he was hiding behind. Steve sat across the small breakfast bar from where Bucky stood using the counter as a shield. Maybe they both were.

“I don’t know what to say, Buck,” Steve said eventually. “I know giving rousing speeches is my thing, but you ran out on me and I’ve been speechless ever since.”

“Bet that went down pretty well when you got up to give your speech.”

“I didn’t,” Steve said. “Peggy and Sharon tried to convince me to go on with the dancing monkey act, but I...you left.” His words dropped off like that was all he could think of, and Bucky realized that was it. He left and Steve fell to pieces. Figures.

“I just couldn’t, Steve,” Bucky started haltingly. “I— she’s the kind of partner you need in that life. That’s not my world.”

“I’ll resign.” Bucky’s brows shot up. Trust Steve to go for the most extreme, ridiculous solution right out of the gate. “I mean it, I won’t run for reelection. If it’s between a political career and the love of my life, I pick you every time. The seventh district will go on without me, but I won’t go on without you.”

Breath stuttered in Bucky’s chest. “I can’t ask you to give that up. You’re doing all the good you’ve always wanted.”

Steve shrugged. “I can do good other ways. I’ll work at a non-profit. I’ll work to support city politics. I’ll go to fucking law school and become a public defender. I don’t give a rat’s ass what I do for money if I don’t get you. I thought—” he choked on the tears and the lump in his throat. “I thought you knew that I love you more than anything, Bucky. I— I was planning to, to ask…” He clamped his eyes shut, fighting off tears as he ducked his head to avoid Bucky’s eyes. Slowly, Bucky reached out, fingers touching Steve’s where they gripped his mug. “Before you came back up to the city, I was gonna ask you to marry me.”

That wasn’t at all what Bucky expected. “You were?”

“I mean, I still am, if you’re not leaving me,” Steve muttered.

“Oh,” Bucky breathed. “But Carter is—”

“Well, she’s not the love of my life, Bucky! You are!” The words burst out of Steve like a fierce, roaring thing. They sat in the air, heavy, filling the small kitchen. The ensuing silence pressed down with all the same ferocity of the words tearing through Steve’s lips.

Neither of them said anything for a long moment. Bucky stared at Steve with wonder and fear on his face. Steve watched him back, resigned and getting blotchy and red the way he always had when he was trying not to cry.

But Bucky just didn’t know what to say. He shouldn’t be all that shocked. When they’d started dating in high school, Steve had told him that he’d loved Bucky for longer than he even understood what love was. That he couldn’t find a conscious beginning to the feelings. They hadn’t moved in together when they started college at the behest of their parents, who’d thought it would be best for them to have some time together as adults before making that kind of choice. They’d moved into an apartment together the summer after their second year of college, but they’d spent most of the previous two years spending half the week at Steve and Sarah’s and half the week here at the Barnes’ house. Rarely apart for even a single night.

He shouldn’t be shocked that spending a whole life in love would make him the love of Steve’s life. Steve was definitely the love of his. He shouldn’t have felt like this.

But he did.

“I—” Bucky stalled out, unable to explain anything.

Steve sniffled before taking a fortifying breath and letting go of his mug to hold Bucky’s hand. “Tell me what’s going on, baby,” Steve murmured. “What made you run?”

“We met both of them,” Bucky began and Steve nodded encouragingly. “I feel— inadequate.” Steve’s mouth fell open and he drew breath to speak. Probably to defend Bucky to himself in some overly sappy justification of his competence. “I know,” Bucky cut him off. “I know I’m smart and I have a good job, but they’re both the kind of partner you’re expected to have. You’d go so much farther with either of them by your side. I can’t do that. It’s not like it’s possible to live in your pocket my whole life without developing my own nuanced opinions or learning to poke holes in your contrary views. But I’ll never have that political savvy and I don’t want it.”

“I don’t care about that, Buck. You know I don’t. I don’t need to understand complex mechanical engineering to come to your events and celebrate you.”

Bucky shook his head hard. “She got her nails into you when we met her and she just showed up on the dancefloor like she knew she was exactly the kind of person you need to be seen with. She knew it was her place and I’m just a pretender to that role. She wants you. And why would anyone not want you? I get it, really. But if you’d grown up with her, you’d be married by now and the press wouldn’t tear you to shreds all the time like they do because of me.”

“Hey,” Steve stopped him with a squeeze of his hand. “I’d still be bi no matter the gender of the person I’m with. And I don’t give a flying fuck what they say about it. I don’t care if it puts me out of office.”

“Can you stop being a paragon of integrity and virtue for like two seconds and realize that she’s the fucking key to your success?!”

“Can you put aside your insecurity for like two seconds and remember that I have never wanted to buy my career with those kinds of connections? I want to represent people because they want me to represent them , not because my partner has some Beltway connections. That’s bullshit and you know me better than that.”

Bucky deflated, sinking into a lump against the counter. “I know,” he whispered. “It’s just—” He swallowed hard. “Remember in high school, before I came out, before we started dating, and we’d go to Homecoming or whatever together just so we could go and have fun?” Steve nodded, uncharacteristically patient. “And girls would sometimes try to get between us. Because you were still short and they acted like you were just, sort of…there. You were a minor obstacle in the path to me. And instead of getting angry and going off on them, you’d just leave me with them and go get a drink.”

“I remember,” Steve murmured.

“It’s like I became you at fourteen, but I’m actually your boyfriend this time around. And still, she looked past me like some little phase she could walk you out of to get to her at the finish line.”

Steve’s eyes went soft and he pulled at Bucky’s hand until he abandoned his teacup and rounded the counter to fall into Steve’s big, warm arms.

“I’m so sorry, baby,” Steve murmured against his ear. “She never should have made you feel like that. I don’t want you doubting that you’re the only one I ever want to be with. No one, no connections, no intricate updo, no perfectly polished woman or handsome man will ever mean as much to me as you do on your very worst day. I’d pick your bedhead and drool over her red lipstick and tight dress eight days a week, Buck.”

“God, you’re a fucking sap,” Bucky mumbled without heat. “I’m sorry I ran.”

“I know. I’m sorry I didn’t make you feel secure enough to stay.” Bucky shook his head hard, almost dislodging Steve. “No, Buck, listen. If you felt this insecure about us, then it’s not just you. Am I putting too much energy into my career? Am I neglecting you?”

“No!” Bucky insisted, pulling back to meet Steve’s eye. “Honey, it’s not that. I love that you’re passionate about what you do. You know I am too, but that doesn’t make you insecure.”

“Maybe you just need to hear it,” Steve said. “We both know that I’m prone to rousing speeches, but I haven’t given you a good romantic speech in a while. I’ll do better at reminding you that you’re my everything.” He captured Bucky’s bitten lips in a sweet, gentle kiss. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Bucky murmured against his lips. “Can we go home?”

“Yeah baby, my car’s outside.”

Bucky dumped the mugs in the sink, rinsing them and dropping both into the draining rack. He came back around the counter and took up his rightful place in Steve’s arms again.

“Carry me out? I don’t wanna put my dress shoes back on.”

Steve chuckled fondly. He hitched Bucky up against his front with hands under his thighs. They flicked off lights and locked the door on the way out. Steve carefully set Bucky in the passenger seat, reaching over to buckle him in and kiss him again before he went around to get in the driver’s seat. The earliest risers of Brooklyn were starting to wake up, or the latest sleepers were finally heading home, but there wasn’t much traffic. They were home after a fairly short drive, and Steve came around to carry Bucky up to their apartment.

The familiar scent of home relaxed them the moment the door opened. Steve shut it behind them with a soft kick and flick of the lock. He didn’t bother with the living room or kitchen, heading straight back to their bedroom, where he set Bucky on the bed. He undressed without ceremony and draped his tux over the back of a side chair. He pulled on a t-shirt Bucky got for him with a space pun on it that he actually understood and a pair of cotton shorts. By the time he was done, the bedding was turned down and Bucky was tucked into the messy duvet waiting for him.

“There is no more inviting picture in the world than you waiting for me in bed,” Steve said, climbing in and immediately wrapping both arms around his warm, cuddly boyfriend.

“I’m wearing ratty leggings and an old hoodie.”

“Mmhm, you look sexy in my sweater.” He kissed Bucky’s nose.

“You’re weird.”

“No, just in love with you.”

Bucky melted into the crook of Steve’s neck, snuggling closer and sliding hands up inside his baggy t-shirt. Normally, Steve’s t-shirts were criminally tight, but shirts meant for sleep were not, so Bucky got to grope him the way his normal shirts usually did. One of Steve’s hands slid down to rest on his ass, but the other stayed under his head as Steve nuzzled his hair.

“Am I allowed to propose before we have to deal with tomorrow’s bullshit, or should I wait?” Steve asked.

“You can ask,” Bucky said, burying his grin in Steve’s neck.

Steve’s fingers carded through his hair before tipping back to press their foreheads together. “Will you make me the luckiest man on the goddamn planet and promise me your bedhead and drool and terrible taste in documentaries and perfect sense of style and horribly cute giggle for the rest of our lives? Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” Bucky said, clear and grinning so Steve wouldn’t be able to misinterpret him. “I’ll have you and your gross workout smoothies and porcupine in a wind tunnel bedhead and your perfect, golden heart.” Steve kissed him again. “But I’m fucking exhausted, so no engagement sex. If we get up early enough, you can fuck me then.”

A fond laugh puffed across Bucky’s cheek, barely preceding Steve’s lips. “I love you so much.”

“Love you too. Now cuddle me so I can sleep.”

The morning didn’t dawn in their little apartment. Mostly because the first grey fingers of dawn were already looming when they’d finally got home and got to bed.

It began with a phone ringing somewhere on Steve’s side of the bed.

“Probably Nat,” Bucky mumbled.

Steve groaned and rolled over halfway, trying not to dislodge Bucky as he reached for his phone. It kept ringing long enough for him to answer and return to his cuddle.

“Rise and shine, Rogers,” Natasha said, not sounding even a little bit bright or chipper. Business as usual so far. “Seen the news?”

“It’s ass o’clock in the morning and I’ve only had a few hours of sleep. So no,” Steve shot back.

“Well, turn on the news.”

Steve rolled his eyes and poked Bucky to get him to grab the remote for the tiny tv in their bedroom and turn on the news.

“No politics or awful news in the bedroom,” Bucky muttered drowsily. “You know the rules.” It was a rule Bucky had instituted when Steve was first running for office. Then, horrible stories and political backbiting had infected the peace of their bedroom. They wouldn’t leave Steve alone, even at night. So Bucky told him no more. The smaller tv in their bedroom was only for comfort shows and winding down.

Steve grumbled and climbed out of bed, giving Bucky a drive-by kiss as he passed. “I’m going to the living room, hold on, Nat.”

“You own a laptop and multiple tvs,” she said, tinny in his ear.

“And Bucky doesn’t like that crap playing in the bedroom. Hang on, I’m turning it on now.” He hit the power button on the remote and in a few seconds he had the local New York news going on the living room tv. It wasn’t great.

The lower third read: Champagne Problems for Rep. Rogers (D-NY-7). The host was talking about the gala the night before, with some way too zoomed in photo of Steve inset beside him. It wasn’t great quality, but Steve could still easily tell what was happening in it. His own heartbroken face watching Bucky leave through the main door. Peggy Carter’s hand wrapped around his bicep.

He wasn’t even proud of predicting their headline.

“Well, that’s about what I expected,” Steve said to Natasha on the phone. “What’s the plan?”

“I can get you on a few shows. CNN, ABC7, MSNBC.”

Steve sighed. “The first two for sure, then maybe one or two more if you really think it’s necessary. Can I do them from here? I’ll get dressed and set up the webcam in the office. But I’m too tired to go into Manhattan this early for this bullshit.”

Nat snorted a laugh. “Yeah, I was going to suggest that. Let me talk to Bucky for a minute.”

“What are you up to?” Steve asked as he traipsed back through the apartment to find Bucky still lounging in bed.

“Nothing you need to worry about.”

“Nat wants to talk to you,” Steve said, passing over the phone.

They talked for a few minutes, then Bucky chuckled and said, “Don’t worry, Nat. I can handle that. Go call whoever and call Steve back with the details. I’ll help him set up and get presentable.” He hung up the phone and dropped it on the duvet before smiling up at Steve. “Gonna go defend us on TV again?”

Steve huffed and dropped down onto the bed, mostly covering Bucky with his bulk. “Yep. I need coffee for this.”

“Good thing you left me a bag of the good stuff on the counter,” Bucky said, running his fingers through Steve’s unruly hair. Steve smiled and nuzzled against Bucky’s shoulder. “I can start the coffee and breakfast if you want to shower.”

They split up into their separate tasks. Steve showered fast and even went so far as to use Bucky’s blow dryer on his hair so it would be dry and look neat for the interviews. He pulled out a suit jacket and a pale blue shirt, but decided that pandemic Zoom rules applied this early in the morning and grabbed sweats instead of trousers. He got dressed in all but his jacket and took it and two ties out to the living room for Bucky to pick.

Bucky had poured them both coffee and was scrambling eggs while the bread toasted and he sipped from his own mug. Steve’s sat on the counter, doctored for him with one sugar and the barest splash of cream. He took it black when he was out in public most of the time, not wanting to be a bother and out of some long-past desire to look tougher from when he was small in high school. But Bucky always made his coffee the way he preferred it to taste.

“Thanks, Buck,” Steve said, picking up the mug and taking a sip. “Pick my tie for me?” He lifted both up to his chest.

“The dark red,” Bucky said. “Looks more ‘All-American’.” Steve nodded and looped it around his neck to tie it. “Can you grab plates? This is almost done.”

Steve agreed and went to pull out two plates. He grabbed the toast when it popped up and buttered it for each of them, putting jam on Bucky’s as well. Then he grabbed forks from the drawer and brought the plates over for Bucky to divy up their eggs.

They sat at the breakfast bar together and had their breakfast, both still tired and antsy from the night and the rude awakening. Bucky laid his head on Steve’s shoulder. Just comfortable and soft for a moment before he had to relinquish Steve to the clutches of politics.

“I’ll clean up,” Bucky said once they were done. “You go set up the office.”

“You sure?” Bucky nodded and gave Steve a little push off his stool. “Alright, thanks Buck.” He dropped a kiss on Bucky’s cheek and went to get his computer and webcam set up. It was routine after having done so many virtual meetings and interviews when lockdown was at its height. And he didn’t really mind doing it. Politicians and political analysts, especially those living outside of the main tv news hubs, had done virtual interviews for years before lockdown made it widespread.

This was half of the reason they had a two bedroom apartment in the first place. It not only provided a defined place to film these interviews. But it was also a place to keep work separate from home life. It was better for their relationship and mental health. Just like no news in the bedroom. Steve was happy to do it.

Nat called back as he was setting up and making sure his Zoom was updated.

“Hey, what’s the plan?”

“CNN in thirty minutes. They’re sending you a link and info. ABC7 after that.”

Steve nodded and opened his email to find the info for connecting to the interview. They wanted him in ten minutes before, which was fine. ABC7 had already sent him the info too. He added both meetings to his Zoom calendar so it would be easier to go from one to the next and minimized his browser.

“Got ‘em, thanks. Do you know what they’ll be asking exactly? What should I be prepared for?”

“They’re obviously going to ask what happened. Do you want to be honest?”

“Mostly, I guess,” Steve sighed. “Peggy Carter made Buck feel insecure and he ran. But we sorted it out. I asked him to marry me and he said yes.”

There was a smile in Nat’s voice when she replied. “Of course he did. Double check that Bucky’s okay with what you want to say, but I think something close to the truth is probably fine. Maybe don’t mention Carter by name. I don’t think that would do either of you any favors. But they’ll also ask about you going after him, so I think you should be honest about driving home and having a long talk and that you’re now engaged. It may just flip the interest from this spectacle to your upcoming wedding.”

“I hope so,” Steve said.

“I’ll be watching and I’ll be on text if you need me.”

“Thanks Nat.”

“Thanks Nat!” Bucky called as he walked into the room. She chuckled and bid them both goodbye before hanging up. “All good?” Bucky asked.

Steve nodded and reached out an arm to pull Bucky close. “Yeah, I need to log in for CNN in about fifteen minutes. And I need to ask how honest you want me to be about why you left last night.”

Bucky shrugged delicately. “Whatever you think won’t make people hate me for being with you.” He leaned on Steve’s side. “I feel like the truth, without knowing us, makes me look kind of bad.”

“No sweetheart,” Steve murmured, kissing his cheek. “I’m not gonna name names, but I think I know how to tell it so the real truth of it comes across. It’s not just insecurity, baby. No one should be acting that way to us, especially not in front of you. I deal with biphobia to my face all the time, because I work with a lot of heteronormative old men. But even most of them don’t do worse than avoid bringing it up when you’re with me.”

“True,” Bucky said softly. “Most of them are fairly nice to me, even if they stumble over ‘partner’ or ‘boyfriend’ sometimes.” Steve nodded. “Tell it however you think is best, as long as they know you’re still mine.”

Steve smiled and squeezed Bucky around the waist. “Always, Buck.” They shared a slow, sweet kiss before Bucky left him to get prepped for his interviews.

He jotted a few quick notes on a pad in front of him before he logged into the call for his first interview. There was already a producer in the call waiting for him and they talked about expectations for a few minutes before they were queued up and ready.

The interview began right on time with Will Adams, a correspondent Steve had had several positive interactions with during his tenure. He introduced Steve clearly and concisely to the audience, then greeted him more personally.

“Please welcome Representative Rogers of New York’s seventh district. Thank you for joining us this morning, Steve.”

Steve smiled and gave him a nod. “Thanks for having me, Will. Nice to see you again.”

“You too. Now, we do have to get on to the issue at hand. Can you tell me what happened last night? It seems like you and your partner may have had an argument or some kind of problem at the gala.”

Taking just half a second to collect himself, it was different when someone else said it, Steve answered. “No argument, actually. It’s a bit difficult to explain without context. You see, I’m very used to experiencing biphobia at work, in public. People who have been told or just presume. Who mischaracterize my orientation as gay, if they know I have a male partner. Or who imply I should date some well connected woman in politics, as if Bucky is just a friend. But most people don’t do that in front of Bucky. They may have their opinions on LGBTQ people, they may not understand bisexuality. But in most social settings, people won’t be blatantly rude to a colleague’s partner to their face.”

“Manners win out,” Will said.

“Exactly,” Steve agreed with a smile. “Last night was a pretty difficult moment where that social convention lost. A woman came onto me in front of Bucky. Someone who should have known better, known that he’s my partner. Referred to him as my ‘friend’. And it brought up a lot of old hurts, things that we haven’t had to deal with in a really long time. It was overwhelming to Bucky. He’s not a big fan of these political events anyway. So he took off, and I went after him. His train had already left, so I drove back home.”

Will’s brows went up. “You’re back in Brooklyn now? You drove to New York last night?”

Steve nodded. “Yeah, long night for the both of us. But we’re all sorted out. We had a really good talk.”

“Glad to hear that,” Will said.

“Actually,” Steve continued. “I’d been planning to ask before the session started anyway. Um, but we’re engaged. We’re getting married.”

“Congratulations!” Will said. “I’m guessing it’s a little early to ask your plans, but I’m sure it will be wonderful.”

“Thank you,” Steve said. Then the door opened to his right and he felt Bucky come in and set a fresh mug of coffee just barely within the camera’s view. He leaned down to drop a kiss on Steve’s temple and slipped away again. This was clearly a planned interruption. He’d gotten dressed properly, in jeans and a nice sweater. And he’d found the ring box in Steve’s coat pocket, because the gold claddagh ring glinted in the light. Steve smiled wider to see it. Staking his continued claim on national news. “Thanks, Buck,” Steve murmured before the door was pulled nearly closed behind him. He looked back at Will on his screen. “We’re very happy, just sorry it had to play out so publicly.”

“Well, I’m glad that it all worked out. And I wish you and Bucky all the best with your wedding plans and in your marriage.” Steve thanked him again. “I’m sure we’ll speak again as the session begins.”

Steve nodded. “Absolutely. Thanks for having me today.”

They signed off and a producer thanked Steve on the Zoom call and ended it.

With a sigh, Steve sat back in his desk chair and took a long sip of coffee. Three minutes later, his call with ABC7 began. There was a producer already in the call. They went over the expectations for this interview, which were much the same as the previous one. Then Steve was being greeted on air by Megan McLaren, another anchor he’d interviewed with before. ABC7 was his usual local station and not relentlessly critical of him. He could take well meaning criticism, but there were some stations he and Nat agreed to never go on because they’d find anything to criticize, relevant or not.

Steve gave a very similar interview with Megan, answering her questions and explaining the long history of biphobia and heteronormativity that had led to the events the night before. But without using those kinds of words, which often turned off viewers who were straight and not aware of the effects. It was easier to appeal to a broader audience by explaining that people disrespected his relationship to his and Bucky’s faces. Everyone could understand that being called your partner’s ‘friend’ by someone hitting on them in front of you was an awful experience.

It just happened to LGBTQ people more in situations like this.

Megan was sympathetic, leading the audience through the story in a relatable way. And when Steve revealed that he and Bucky were engaged, a real smile split her face.

“Congratulations to you both!” she said.

That was when Bucky came back in, ostensibly to collect Steve’s coffee mug. Steve smiled as he felt Bucky approach, reaching out to reel him into the frame.

“Megan says congratulations, Buck.”

Bucky smiled and leaned his head down into the camera frame. “Thank you,” he said with a smile. Then he kissed Steve’s cheek and took his lukewarm coffee cup away with him.

Steve talked with Megan for another minute, then they both said their thank yous and goodbyes and Steve was left in the call with the producer. Who thanked him as well and ended the Zoom.

“I’m finished, Buck,” Steve called through the door. He sagged back in his chair and loosened his tie. After a moment, Bucky came back in with fresh coffee and plopped himself down in Steve’s lap. Steve wrapped his arms around his fiance. “Was it you or Nat who planned for you to walk into my interviews?”

Bucky giggled. “Nat made some suggestions and let me handle the details. She thought it would be best if people could actually see that we’re together.” He shrugged. “And I want everyone to remember you’re mine.”

Steve leaned in to kiss him. “I am yours,” he said softly. “And you’re mine.” He rubbed his thumb along the edge of the ring now sitting proudly on Bucky’s finger.

They had always been this way. It felt good to be reminded of it. This belonging. Not belonging to each other, but with each other. Not ownership, but devotion.

They sat there in that feeling for a little longer. Nuzzling, kissing, taking occasional sips of the mug of coffee Bucky still held. Just the two of them.

Until a text from Nat lit Steve’s phone several minutes later.

Nat
Nice job, very sympathetic
Tell Bucky nice work too

Steve
Thanks
Am I done for the day?

Nat
Yes, the response seems to be shifting
I’ll see you in a few days for the session

Bucky read the texts as Steve replied. He smiled and relaxed against Steve’s chest.

“I’m all yours for the rest of the day, baby,” Steve said. “Let me get out of this shirt and tie and then we can do whatever you want.”

Bucky shot him a mischievous smile. “How about you get out of everything else too. Then we can have that engagement sex we shoulda had last night.” Steve hummed happily. “And maybe a nap.”

“Sounds like a perfect plan, sweetheart.”

Setting the coffee on Steve’s desk, Bucky climbed off Steve’s lap. He left the office, looking back with a coy smile. It was familiar and sexy and adorable and it always made Steve a little stupid to see it. When he got his wits about him a moment later, he hurried off to the bedroom to find his fiance.

Bucky was waiting for him in their bed. Wearing nothing but his engagement ring. Tears crawled up Steve’s throat. His fiance. Bucky smiled gently at him and beckoned Steve closer. He sat up and knee walked to the edge of the bed, where Steve met him. Big hands wrapped around Bucky’s bare waist.

“Love you, Buck,” Steve murmured before he ducked down to kiss Bucky.

Kissing back with all the love and relief and joy of this insane day, Bucky gripped Steve’s jacket and pulled him closer. When they were as close as could be, he started tugging on Steve’s tie. That was tossed past the foot of the bed. Then Bucky made quick work of the buttons on Steve’s shirt. He slid his hands under it, palms splayed over Steve’s chest. He pushed both shirt and jacket off Steve’s shoulders and kept tugging until Steve let go of his waist long enough to unbutton his cuffs and toss them away with his tie. Since his hands were free, Steve quickly shucked his sweats.

He climbed onto the bed, nudging Bucky back into the center and crawling over him. Steve laid over Bucky, pressing him down with his bulk and making him hum in pleasure. Bucky had always loved him, even when he was small, but he’d come to adore the comforting weight of Steve on top of him. Even before Steve had enough bulk or muscle to properly manhandle him, Bucky had been happy to let him. So much had changed since the first time they’d done this, in Steve’s bedroom while Sarah was working a late shift. And so much hadn’t changed at all.

The ring on Bucky’s finger said all of that without a word.

Steve caught Bucky’s left hand in his right, bringing it to his lips to kiss the line where gold met skin. Bucky shivered under him. His skin tingled as Steve’s beard rubbed across his palm.

“Mmm, Stevie, want you. C’mon,” Bucky begged. Steve pressed another kiss to his ring-adorned hand before returning to kiss Bucky’s lips.

“Alright, baby. You’ve been patient all morning, through all this bullshit. I won’t keep you waiting any longer.” He reached for the lube in the nightstand drawer then draped his bulk back across Bucky’s chest. They kissed and rutted together while Steve slicked his fingers and pressed two to Bucky’s entrance, slipping in with little resistance. Bucky hummed against Steve’s lips and pressed back into the pleasure. They kissed and touched as Steve stretched him open on slick fingers.

Bucky tugged on Steve’s hair, messing up his professional look even more. “M’ready Stevie, please.”

Steve pressed kisses to the corner of his mouth. “Alright, Buck. I’ve got you, baby.” He slicked his cock with more lube, then laid himself in the cradle of Bucky’s thighs. He pressed slowly into Bucky, gentle and easy in the still soft golden light spilling through their bedroom curtains. Bucky sighed and held Steve’s shoulders a little tighter.

The slow drag out and back in made them both gasp. Steve shifted his hips to aim a little higher. Then he hooked his elbow under Bucky’s knee to give him a little more leverage. He didn’t speed up much, keeping the pace languid. But hitting Bucky’s sweet spot dead on now. It was heady as they breathed together. Warm and humid in the scant space between them. Their lips trading soft kisses and gentle words between them.

Deep and slow and all-consuming. Steve pushed them both higher and higher as he rocked into Bucky. With hands and lips and clenching body, Bucky edged them even closer. Steve groaned. He leaned forward, pressing Bucky’s thigh closer to his chest, a delicious burn to the stretch. Bucky moaned softly. The fingers of his right hand sliding up into Steve’s golden hair. While the left slid down to Steve’s cheek, thumb sliding over a cheekbone.

Groaning with pleasure once more, Steve turned his head to press kisses to Bucky’s new ring. Bucky moaned. The emotion and the continued pleasure of Steve inside him combined to overwhelm Bucky.

“Stevie,” Bucky gasped.

Steve hummed against his palm. He leaned in closer. All his focus on Bucky, on giving him more and more pleasure. On the ring on Bucky’s hand pressed to his cheek, touching them both. Steve gripped Bucky’s hip as he drove into him harder.

Bucky keened. “Gonna come, Stevie,” he moaned, voice high. Steve didn’t let up. Kept nuzzling his palm and pressing close so he was all Bucky could see or feel. Only a few moments later, Bucky cried out, tensing up as he came between them.

As Bucky tightened around him, Steve groaned. Pressing in and in and coming inside his fiance. Fuck, what a thought. Steve’s hips twitched against Bucky one more time. Then he settled, laying his weight over Bucky and sliding his leg down from its high stretch to a comfortable curl around Steve’s legs. Their noses brushed in the soft, quiet as Bucky pulled Steve’s face down to his.

“I love you,” Steve breathed.

“Love you too.”

They lay there together, breathing in time and smiling as they came down from the high. Bucky smiled up at his fiance, looking golden in the late morning light. Steve smiled back. He couldn’t help it. He was so happy.

Last night he’d been devastated, and now he felt like he could walk on air.

It was a few minutes into their basking that Bucky spoke again. “We should probably call the family, shouldn’t we?”

“Mmm, yeah probably,” Steve agreed. “They’d be pissed if we didn’t call.” He huffed a soft breath and kissed Bucky before levering himself up. “Shower or wipe down?”

A sly grin turned Bucky’s lips. “Well, I think we’ll be back in bed again before dinner. Is it really worth showering?” Steve laughed and leaned into kiss Bucky one more time.

“Very good point, baby,” Steve said. He straightened up again and headed into their bathroom for a warm washcloth. He came back a moment later, having wiped himself off, to do the same for Bucky. They got dressed in comfy clothes again before heading out to the living room to flop on the couch with their phones.

“So, d’you wanna call, or should I?” Bucky asked.

Steve shrugged. “I guess I’ll call Ma. They’re probably all together, yeah?” The family was sharing a suite at a hotel in Washington and splitting the cost. Bucky nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I’ll call. But you gotta do it with me.” He tugged Bucky closer until he was leaning fully on Steve’s chest, one of Steve’s arms tight around his waist. Steve dropped a kiss on his temple before dialling his mom’s number. He hit speakerphone so Bucky could hear too.

It rang for only a moment before Sarah picked up. “Steven, love, are you alright?”

“Yeah, hi Ma. I’m alright, made it home safe last night,” Steve said. “Are you with everyone else?” Sarah hummed a yes. “Can you put me on speaker?”

“Of course, love.” Steve listened while she put him on speakerphone and gathered the Barneses around. “We’re all here, love, go ahead. What do you need to tell us?”

Steve looked over at Bucky and grinned. “He said yes.”

A resounding cheer went up on the other end of the line. “Oh I’m so happy to hear that,” Winnie said. She sounded almost teary. “You’re both alright, now? Everything’s okay?”

“More than alright, Ma,” Bucky said.

There were several happy sounds, followed by someone muscling in closer. Of course it was Becca. “No more running off on Steve, Bucky. Not cool. You had us all worried.”

“No, no more,” Bucky said. “We sorted it all out and Steve went on the news this morning to clear the air.”

“And Bucky made a cameo,” Steve teased, “just to show off his engagement ring.”

“I’m totally looking that up on YouTube,” Judy said, cackling to herself.

“Are you coming back to Washington together before the session starts, love?” Sarah asked.

They’d been planning to have a little family time, visit some of the museums. Then Bucky could travel back to Brooklyn with the rest of the family. Not that he minded taking the train by himself, or even flying, though it wasn’t his favorite. But it was nice to go together. And they’d been wanting to have a little family vacation of sorts for a while.

“Yeah, we’ll get an early train in the morning,” Steve said. “Should be there for brunch.”

“Wonderful,” Sarah said. “We’ll make a reservation, hmm? I’ll have Becca text you the details. We need to celebrate!”

Steve and Bucky both let out a fond chuckle. Their family was at least as excited about them getting married as they were. After a couple more minutes of fond teasing and congratulations, they said their goodbyes and promised to see them in the morning. Steve kept Bucky close as he booked early tickets for them back to DC. Then when he was done, tossed his phone aside and leaned over to kiss his fiance. Bucky hummed and pressed closer.

All their obligations completed, Steve and Bucky spent the rest of the day relaxing and basking in love and their engagement. They kissed and cuddled. And in between, they talked more about how they would manage their life going forward. How they would stay close and secure despite Steve commuting to Washington.

“I could come home every weekend,” Steve said. “Or at least most weekends. It’s not that far on the train.”

Bucky hummed. “I won’t say you need to come home every weekend, Steve. That’s a lot to ask. But, as often as it’s practical, I’d really like it.”

Steve kissed his temple as they lay in a sideways cuddle. “There’ll be weekends I have other things, events or fundraisers or whatever. But I think we’d both be happier if I was home more.”

“And SI has an office in Washington. I might be able to work down there for a week here and there.” He rubbed his cheek against Steve’s chest as he snuggled even closer. “We’ll figure it out. We’ll have to fit wedding planning in there too.”

“Mmm yeah, any ideas about when you want to have the wedding?”

Bucky shrugged, but didn’t move from his spot. “Sometime during a session break so we can go on a honeymoon.”

Humming in agreement, Steve let his hand trail up and down Bucky’s side. “Yeah, that’s a good point, sweetheart. We’ll have to think about where we want to go.”

“Somewhere not too hot where we can just relax,” Bucky said.

That was the best description Steve could imagine, especially since his longest session break was in August and lots of places would be too hot and to too packed with tourists that time of year. But they could find somewhere nice, either for this year or next.

They filled their evening with the cozy domesticity they’d made their life together. Steve and Bucky moved around each other in the kitchen as they cooked dinner. Then they settled down to eat in the living room, ankles hooked together. Eventually, Bucky enticed Steve back to bed. Which took absolutely no convincing at all. Steve followed him back to their bedroom like the loyal golden retriever he was, but even more eager.

They fell asleep that night curled together once again. Happy and content.

The Northeast Regional arrived at Union Station at just past 10:30 Friday morning. Bucky and Steve left the train hand in hand. They headed right out of the station and up Massachusetts Ave, Steve tucking their joined hands into his coat pocket when the chilly wind picked up. Becca had texted the night before with the address of a restaurant close to the station where she’d managed to book a table big enough for all of them.

When they entered the restaurant, the hostess led them to the big table by the window where their whole family was waiting. The girls cheered when they caught sight of Steve and Bucky. And the Ma’s jumped up to pass them back and forth for hugs. Even Nat had joined them, but she was much more reserved about it all.

Winnie and Sarah admired the ring now adorning Bucky’s hand, sharing smiles over their sons. Sarah patted Steve’s cheek fondly.

“It’s a beautiful choice, love,” she said. “I’m so happy for you both.”

“This is just the best news, boys,” Winnie agreed. She squeezed Bucky’s hand before they both let the boys take the last pair of seats.

Once they’d settled in and poured their coffee, their server came back around to take breakfast orders from everyone. Saving Steve and Bucky for last.

Food ordered, Natasha pulled out a folded newspaper and handed it over to Bucky. “Good work yesterday. Your ring show made the news.”

Bucky pulled the paper closer so Steve could see it too. Unlike all the headlines of the day before, this one was fairly positive.

Rep. Rogers Fiance Crashes Interview to Show Off Ring

Below the headline was a photo that had clearly been screengrabbed from Steve’s CNN interview the previous morning. Steve’s shirt and tie covered chest in the background, the photo was cropped so Bucky’s hand holding the coffee mug was in the foreground and his engagement ring was on full display.

“Well, that was the point right?” Bucky said, smirking at her.

Steve wrapped his arm around Bucky to keep reading the article over his shoulder. “I’ll take headlines about how you’re mine over yesterday’s bullshit any day of the week, baby.”

Bucky looked over at him and they shared a fond smile before Steve leaned in to kiss him.

You can check out Bucky's ring, you can find it here - Bucky's Ring

You can also check out all the news headlines in detail in this Flickr album