Chapter Text
“Y/N,” a voice whispered beside your head.
You groaned and rolled over in the bed, blinking your eyes open in the bright light of the morning sun filtering through the window. You looked at the clock on the side table and groaned when you saw the time. You glanced over to the source of the voice that woke you, Noah’s smiling face filling your view. You stretched, your arms raising above your head, and you wrapped them around the seven year old, who was surprisingly wide awake for this early in the morning, and pulled him to you. He giggled while you cuddled him into the covers, and couldn’t help but smile at his laughter.
In the past month and a half, Noah had grown closer to you, seeking you out for comfort when he was sad, waking you up for morning cuddles, drawing together, and learning about dinosaurs and space. While Bucky spent time at home to recover from the accident, you and Noah spent your days with him watching movies and playing games; doing low activity things that wouldn’t hinder Bucky’s healing ribs. By the middle of the summer, the three of you had taken a few trips to different science centers and museums in Maine. You’d spend the whole day learning about the stars and constellations or all about dinosaurs and the jurassic era. If you went into town, Noah would hold both yours and Bucky’s hands, babbling and laughing all the while. It was clear to everyone in town that Noah loved you, and that you loved him as your own in return.
You peeked over your shoulder, and were amazed to see Bucky still asleep in the bed you shared with all the noise. When Bucky had asked you to move in with him and Noah in late June, you were surprised at first. You’d thought he wanted to keep a separate place for him and Noah, especially after everything that had happened with Annabelle- you wouldn’t be surprised if he had wanted to keep a bit of distance. But he’d insisted that you join him and Noah.
“You’re already over here more than at your own place and you’ve left some of your clothes here. You have a toothbrush in the bathroom and you have a vase of flowers on the kitchen table. Plus, Noah’s gotten used to you being here in the morning.” He kissed your forehead. “Face it, Doll, you’ve practically moved in already. It’s about time to make it official.”
So, you did. You moved in but kept your old apartment as an office of sorts. It made it easier to focus on your projects when you had a commission.
“Noah, honey,” you whispered. “We have to be quiet, Daddy is still sleeping.”
“But I’m hungry!” he said, in the quietest voice he could manage.
“Alright, how about I meet you in the kitchen in one minute and we’ll make some breakfast. Sound good?”
Noah nodded his head excitedly and raced out of the room. You fell back into bed for a moment and felt Bucky’s arm slide around your middle and pull you into him a bit. You sighed happily at his warm touch.
“Don’t go,” Bucky mumbled.
“He’s hungry, hun. Besides, I’m awake now anyway.” You caressed your fingers down the side of his face, his eyes half open.
“Doll, he’s seven, he can make his own breakfast. He keeps reminding us he’s a big boy now.”
“True, but you and I both know today is a big day that calls for pancakes. Plus, you worked up an appetite last night.” You winked as you leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead. He smiled sleepily at that. “Go back to sleep. I’ll come get you when breakfast is ready, babe.” His only answer was a muffled groan as you pried his arm from your waist and slid out of bed.
You pulled on some shorts and slipped out the door, closing it gently behind you. You stumbled into the bathroom to wash your face and brush your teeth before finally meeting Noah in the kitchen. You had to commend him for his newly found patience as he sat quietly at the breakfast counter on a stool waiting for you.
“What do you think we should make today, Noah Bear?” You opened the fridge, peering in to see what ingredients you had. “Blueberry, strawberry, or chocolate chip pancakes?”
“All of them!” You whirled around and put a finger to your lips, smiling at his excitement.
“Oh!” He puts both hands over his mouth and giggles.
“Alright, all three it is.”
First things first, coffee. If you didn’t get some soon, you were sure you weren’t going to make it even part of the way through the morning without crashing. You put a few scoops of the ground coffee mix into a filter and popped it into the machine. As the coffee maker started to percolate, you began to prepare the pancake mixture. You set Noah up at the sink to rinse blueberries and strawberries in a strainer, and you grabbed the chocolate chips from the middle shelf of the upper cabinet- one of the only places Noah can’t reach just yet and in turn, keeps them safe from his growing sweet tooth. You mixed some cinnamon into the batter then divided it up for the different flavors. You had Noah stir in the blueberries while you cut up the strawberries and mixed them in.
You were on the tenth pancake when you felt arms slip around your waist and lips on your neck.
“Good morning, James.” You said, closing your eyes as you melted into him.
“Morning, Sweetheart,” he kissed the back of your neck before leaning close to your ear. “You know, there’s not a sight I love to see more in the morning than you in my shirt,” he said low enough for only you to hear. He nuzzled your neck with his nose, his stubble brushing along your shoulder, tickling you in the process. You giggled and playfully swatted him away, putting him on Noah duty while you worked.
You had just finished when you heard a knock at the door. Had this been a few months ago, you would have been surprised to hear guests at the door at this hour, but as you were now accustomed to the pattern (and his weird super power of just knowing when food was being made), you weren’t at all surprised when you opened the door to an excited looking Steve and an amused Peggy. You quirked your eyebrow at Steve, and he smiled bashfully before you nodded your head to the kitchen and he made his way over to Bucky, Noah, and the pancakes. You shook your head and wrapped your arms around Peggy, inviting her inside. However, when you grabbed her hand to pull her along with you, your fingers touched cool, sleek metal and jewels in a setting. You looked down to confirm and sure enough on the fourth finger of her left hand sat a vintage-looking gold ring with a pearl in the center, a few small diamonds on either side. You gasped looking from the ring to Peggy’s face and back again, tears forming in both of your eyes.
“When did it happen?!”
“Last night! We were just taking a stroll through the park and he knelt down, I thought he was tying his shoe, but when he didn’t get back up, I turned around and he was holding this…”
“Oh my gosh! That’s so romantic!”
“Oh yes, he was,” Peggy said softly, eyes flicking to Steve for a moment where he played with Noah. “He stumbled through his speech, but of course I said yes. There has never been any doubt in my mind that I would marry that man some day.”
You couldn’t help but throw your arms around her and jump up and down, and while she resisted at first, you figured because it disrupted her sophisticated and elegant manor, she indulged you and jumped with you a few times before settling down.
“What’s going on over there?” Bucky called from the kitchen. You and Peggy separated, Peggy holding her hand up for him to see the newest piece of jewelry adorning her finger.
“What?” He suinted before his vision focused on the ring. “Finally! Congratulations, you guys!” Bucky hugged Steve then came over and did the same to Peggy while you embraced Steve. “Wasn’t that your mom’s ring?”
Steve nodded, tearing up a little. He sat on a stool, and pulled Peggy to stand between his legs, holding her so that her back was pressed to his chest. They were so in love and you couldn’t help but be beyond excited for them. You caught Bucky’s eye and smiled.
Noah asked what was happening and Bucky swooped in with explanations while you set out plates and the mini pancake bar buffet. Everyone sat around the table, Noah on Bucky’s lap, and after you set down all the pancakes and toppings, you all dug in, the boys practically devouring the cupcakes.
“What do you guys have planned for today?” Peggy asked as she took a sip of her coffee.
“We’re going on Daddy’s boat!” Noah said proudly.
“It’s been a while since you’ve taken it out on the water, huh Buck?” Steve said.
“Yeah well, it’s about time I got some use out of it. Besides, I made a promise to my girl. I can’t go breaki ng it, Stevie.” Bucky’s hand found yours on the table and you blushed, rolling your eyes at his cheesiness. “You two are more than welcome to come along.”
“Oh we wouldn’t want to impede on your family time,” Peggy said.
You were taken aback slightly at her mention of ‘family.’ It hadn’t occurred to you to label anything, but that’s what the three of you were- a family. It’s silly, of course, you’d only just realized it when she mentioned it, but it was true. You were quick to fit in with Bucky and Noah’s lives, adapting to their schedules and habits. You took care of each other, you were included in things, big and small. Hell, you’d moved in with them, but not once had that term made an appearance in your head. You thought back to what Bucky had said about Noah early in your relationship, that all Bucky’s close friends and family are his family.
“You are family, Peggy.” You smiled. “Please join us. I’ll call Sammy and Becca too, we’ll make a day out of it!”
“Sure thing!” Steve stood up stretching. “Best pancakes ever, Y/N. Just don’t tell Happy.” He loudly whispered the end. You made a zipping motion over your lips.
“Won’t tell a soul.”
“So, we’ll meet you guys at the harbor around noon?” Bucky popped a strawberry in his mouth.
“Sounds good. We’ll see you down there!”
“Doll, you look gorgeous.”
Your head snaps up to glance at Bucky’s smirking face on the dock. You look down at your outfit - a navy blue v-neck and white shorts with some white converse. Pretty simple outfit, nothing special if you were being honest. But the look in Bucky’s eyes was genuine and soft and you couldn’t stop the heat from returning to your face.
“Thanks, Buck. You look pretty good yourself.” You winked.
Bucky finished things up dockside while you and Noah were on board and getting settled. You finished smoothing sunscreen on Noah, before you snapped on his life vest. You were putting on your own on when you heard the telltale bickering of Bucky and Sam. You rolled your eyes at them. You loved that your two favorite men were also super close, even if they did taunt each other all the time. Steve put his hands on their shoulders and tried, in vain, to quiet them but you could tell it was a lost cause. Becca and Peggy waved to you from behind the boys, hurrying along to get to you.
“Did you see it?!” Becca practically shouted to you. It took you a second to realize she was talking about Peggy’s new ring.
“Hello to you too, Becs.” She stuck her tongue out. “But yes! I saw it this morning. It’s beautiful!”
“I’m so excited. This will by far be my favorite wedding to plan yet!” Becca already had a dreamy look in her eyes.
“Rebecca, please remember I said I wanted a small wedding.”
“Oh, but Pegs! The whole town has to be there!”
You could already see the stress forming behind Peggy’s eyes. All you could do at this point was rub Peggy’s back while she entertained Becca’s hopeful visions of the wedding.
Half an hour later, you were out on the water, floating along with the waves. Peggy and Becca were sat on the side of the boat with their legs dangling off the ledge, their feet in the cool water. Steve and Sam were discussing football teams for the upcoming NFL season, with Noah between them, eagerly listening to his favorite uncles and munching on Goldfish. You and Bucky sat close to each other, sipping on lemonade and enjoying the day and the company. It was warmer than you thought it would be but the breeze brought a chill to your body and you shivered. Bucky unzipped his hoodie and draped it around your shoulders, pulling you close. You inhaled deeply, breathing in Bucky’s scent mixing with the sea air.
This was the most at peace you had all been lately, and you were glad that Bucky healed to near perfection. You’d seen the x-rays and the bruises and cuts, and you swore his stubborn personality is what progressed his healing the most. There were a lot of nights, after Noah had gone to sleep where Bucky finally let out the breath he’d seemingly held all day and would grimace and groan at the pain, but he refused to show Noah he was in so much pain. He didn’t want Noah to be even more upset from the whole situation. When Bucky was able to pick Noah up again with only minor wincing, he counted it a success, and it was as if things could finally go back to normal.
Looking around, you were thankful you had every single one of these people in your life, grateful you had been accepted into this group- this family- so smoothly. Really, you had Noah to thank for all of it. If someone had told you six months ago that you would care so much for a little boy and his father, that you’d find a home in the tiny town of Aster Falls, you would have laughed and thought it a dream. But this was a far better reality.
An idea you’d been thinking about came to the front of your mind again, and you couldn’t deny how much you’d fallen in love with it already. You turned suddenly and kissed Bucky’s cheek. His eyes flashed to yours, a question in the when he saw the mischief in yours.
“What’s going on in the mind of yours, Doll?”
“I know what I want.” A smile played on your lips.
“Know what you want?” Bucky said slowly, trying to understand. “What?”
“I know what I want…for my first tattoo.” You watched as realization flickered in his eyes, and a wide grin broke across his face.
“This is gonna be a little cold, Doll,” Bucky said before he cleaned the skin just behind your left shoulder with a antibacterial soap on a wet paper towel.
You were stood in front of the full length mirror on the wall on the Black Widow. Bucky gently wiped the area clean, blowing slightly on the wet skin. He reached for the stencil of the two asters he’d drawn and pressed it to your skin wetting the back of the parchment with a clean wet rag. Slowly, he peeled away the parchment, leaving a dark purple outline of the flowers in its place.
“What do you think? Right spot?” Bucky asked. You nodded. Bucky could tell you were nervous.He’d talked to you about the whole process the past few days but he knew it wouldn’t do much to quiet your nerves until you actually went through with it. Surprisingly, Noah was the most helpful.
“All you need is a few seconds of bravery and you can do anything!” he’d told you. He said it was something Sam taught him before he tried to swing across the monkey bars a tthe park and you’d smiled fondly, telling Bucky how you remembered him telling you that exact same thing when you were kids and he dared you to do things you were too scared to do at the time.
“Alright, let’s get you laid out on the table and we’ll get started.”
Bucky guided you to the table at his station and you slowly laid across the surface on your stomach. He pulled down the straps of your tank top and tucked in paper towel under the edge so you wouldn’t wind up with ink all over your shirt. Bucky got his machine all ready, putting in a fresh needle and opening the new ink.
“Are you sure you still want this, Doll? Don’t feel like you have to do this for me or anything. I want you to do this for you, and you only. You be disappointing anyone if you want to back out or wait until a different time.” You just shook your head at him, your face filled with a new-found determination Bucky hadn’t seen yet.
“I want this, James.”
“Alright, Sweetheart. I’m going to start now then.” He kissed your hand, then picked up the tattoo gun and started the machine.You flinched at the noise. He understood; the machine sounds scarier than it really is. You squeezed the stress ball Noah had given you this morning as the needle pierced your skin.
“Breathe, Y/N. You have to breathe normally and focus on something else, otherwise all you will feel is the pain.” Bucky said. “Talk to me, Sweetheart. Remind me why you’re getting this tattoo.”
“Uhm…They were..they were covering the falls when we went that weekend,” you stuttered. “The asters were so pretty. It was one of the best days of my life. It’s a little momento of the day… the day I was sure you loved me, too.” Bucky smiled at the memory.
Bucky continued to prompt you on talking subjects, to distract you from what he was doing. Luckily, it was a fairly simple tattoo, the outline of two aster flowers, no color. You liked the thin outline, the minimalist style. Bucky figured he could always go back and shade them in later if you decided you wanted that. With a few more marks on your smooth skin, Bucky finished your tattoo. He wiped away the excess ink and washed off the fresh tattoo with antibacterial soap. Turned off the machine and stepped back, allowing you to get up and take a look in the mirror, twisting to see the ink for yourself. Bucky peeled off his gloves and took a picture on his phone, holding it out for you, so you could see it more clearly. You didn’t say anything for several minutes and Bucky started to worry. He didn’t want you to hate it, or regret it. After a moment, you caught his eye in the mirror and saw the tears in your eyes and the smile on your face. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
“I love it, James. Thank you… so much,” you said, throwing your arms around his neck. He wasted no time wrapping his arms around your waist. “I love you.”
“And I love you, Y/N.”
It was the truth. He was in love with you, and one day you were going to be his wife, he was sure of it. But that’s in the future. Until then, he loved you as all that you are, here and now, and couldn’t wait to see what tomorrow brings with you.