Chapter Text
They kissed slowly and tenderly, as if they were rediscovering each other, as if time had slowed down just so they could enjoy their love and everything in the world felt right.
"This would have been the perfect moment to pull out the engagement ring," said Sam when they pulled apart. "Too bad I don’t have it with me."
"I think I can fix that."
Sam frowned, confused. Then Bucky pulled something out of his jacket pocket, got down on one knee, and showed Sam a box that, when opened, revealed a beautiful ring.
"Will you marry me, Sam Wilson?"
Sam laughed, happy and emotional.
"Did you come to Delacroix intending to fix things and propose, Barnes?"
"Not really. Before the article, I also intended to propose, and even though we broke up, I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of the ring. After we broke up, I carried it with me all the time. I don’t know why. I guess it’s because, even though we weren’t together anymore, you’re the love of my life."
Sam shook his head, smiling, just before leaning in to kiss Bucky so passionately that he almost knocked him off balance. But Bucky quickly steadied himself and adjusted so they could stand comfortably while they kissed.
"You’re an idiot, Bucky Barnes," said Sam, unable to stop smiling.
"You’re the second person to tell me that today. I might start to believe it."
"It’s true," said Sam, though his tone and the affectionate expression on his face made it clear he didn’t mean it. "But who was the first person?"
"Mrs. Linda."
"Mrs. Linda called you an idiot? Wow, you know you’ve messed up when even Mrs. Linda insults you," Sam laughed. That woman adored Bucky with all her heart and had a very obvious soft spot for him.
"What can I say? Breaking up with you wasn’t my smartest decision."
"It was an absurd decision, and I hope you won’t make it again."
"Never again. I can’t imagine life without you."
"Neither can I. You know, Sarah also called you one. Well, she said we both were."
"So we’re two idiots."
"Yeah, but two idiots who love each other and are back together."
Bucky nodded and kissed him. Then he pulled back, frowning.
"You still haven’t answered my question."
"Of course, I want to marry you, idiot. Why else would I have planned to propose to you?"
"Ah, I’ve been called an idiot again," said Bucky, pretending to be hurt.
"You deserve it, sweetheart, but don’t worry. Luckily for you, all your virtues outweigh your idiocy," Sam joked. At Bucky’s sulking expression, he laughed and kissed him.
"I’m kidding, I’m kidding."
"I hate you," said Bucky, with no heat in his words and a look so full of love it was impossible to believe him.
"Then I guess there’s no wedding."
Bucky grabbed him by the waist.
"Not even as a joke, sweetheart. Now you’re stuck with me."
"And you’re stuck with me," Sam replied, happy.
Bucky nodded.
"Although, don’t think that just because I proposed, you don’t have to give me the ring Shuri made for me. I want it when we get home."
"You’ll have it. Speaking of Shuri..."
Sam pulled out his phone, responding to Bucky’s puzzled look, and sent a text to the Queen of Wakanda: "We’ll finally need those rings."
Shuri’s reply came almost immediately with a picture of two stunning rings that combined the pattern of Bucky’s arm and Sam’s wings, along with the message: "I was counting on it." She immediately sent another message: "By the way, I hope you don’t mind, but I added a little Wakandan tech. You’ll have to wait to discover it."
Sam didn’t have time to tell his fiancé what Shuri had said because Bucky’s phone buzzed with a new message: "I’m glad you fixed the stupidity you committed."
Bucky showed it to Sam, who laughed.
"Does it help that this time you’re a fool and not an idiot?"
Bucky glared at him, which only made Sam laugh harder.
"Come on, you shouldn’t be so grumpy when we just got engaged."
"And you shouldn’t insult your fiancé, but I’ll let it slide this time," said Bucky, rubbing his nose against Sam’s.
"Fiancé... I like how that sounds," said Sam with a goofy smile.
"It’s nice, but I think husband will sound even better."
Sam chuckled.
"I agree."
They kissed again, simply because they wanted to, because they had gone days without being able to, and now nothing was stopping them.
"However, do you think we could keep this quiet until Sunday? It’s Cass’s day, and I don’t want to make it about us," Sam said, pressing his forehead against the man he loved.
"I agree," Bucky said. "Do you want to hold onto the ring, or should I?"
"It’s mine, Barnes. Don’t even think about keeping it. I want it with me. Hand it over."
Bucky suddenly realized he didn’t know what had happened to the ring. He looked around and saw the box lying on the ground. It must have fallen when they were kissing, and he hadn’t even noticed. That didn’t say much about him, but Sam always turned his world upside down.
He picked it up and handed it to Sam, who shook his head in amusement.
"You know? It’s a Darry ring. You can only buy one in your lifetime. They even ask for ID because the idea is to give it to your true love. That’s why I bought it for you. That’s how sure I am of my love for you."
"I love you," Sam said before kissing Bucky, more intensely this time, overwhelmed by how loved he was and how much he loved Bucky in return. How could he be so lucky? How, after years of thinking love wasn’t for him, had he found Bucky and this incredible love? And how could he have been so close to losing him forever? Sam couldn’t believe he had almost let happiness slip through his fingers. But now that he had it back, he would hold onto it with everything he had.
"I love you too," Bucky said when they pulled apart.
They both smiled, still a bit awestruck but extremely happy with how everything had turned out and that they had been able to talk and get back together.
Hand in hand, and with a secret completely different from the one they had when they arrived, they returned to Sarah, who greeted them happily, glad they had worked things out. Then they went to find the kids to continue enjoying and celebrating Cass’s day.
They had an incredible weekend, and on Sunday, instead of announcing their breakup as planned, they surprised everyone with the news of their engagement, much to the joy and excitement of the Wilson family. Sam and Bucky had never been happier.