Chapter Text
The truth was that Sam had known that Bucky had been trying to propose to him. Don’t get him wrong; he wasn’t aware at first but after their hiking trip it hadn’t taken him long to figure out what was happening. He had decided to let Bucky continue trying to propose. The other man obviously had a plan and Sam knew better than to interrupt. Even so, it was painstaking to watch him fail time after time and Sam had had to stop himself many times from just telling Bucky that he knew. The ex-soldier had been determined to do it by himself and Sam admired that about him (among other things).
After the last attempt, however, he came to realize that Bucky had given up. At least for now. It had been a few weeks since Sam had gotten over his flu and his boyfriend had yet to try again. Sam knew that Bucky hadn’t necessarily given up for good. If he was trying to propose, then that meant he really did want to marry Sam (and boy, did his heart skip at that). However, all his fruitless tries meant that Bucky had decided to put a cork in it for the time being.
That wasn’t going to fly in Sam’s book.
He returned his boyfriend’s sentiments. If there was anyone that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, it would be Bucky. Seeing him stop trying made Sam feel almost guilty, though it was no fault of his that the proposals failed. If anything, he became determined to raise his boyfriend’s spirits and he had the perfect idea. He just needed to do a little shopping first.
He invited Bucky to dinner in his suite after a few days and luckily, it was such a normal occurrence that the other man hadn’t thought twice about it before accepting. Sam cooked all afternoon and it was just as he had taken the cake that he baked for dessert out of the oven that there was a knock on the door. He sighed, placed the cake on the counter to cool and went to answer the door.
“I come bearing gifts,” Bucky declared as he entered the room.
“Really? You’re not carrying anything,” Sam noted while closing the door.
“Of course, I am. Just look closely.”
Sam turned around only to find his boyfriend standing before him with his lips puckered and eyes closed. He rolled his eyes but couldn’t fight his smile as he stepped forward to kiss him.
“That’s it?” he murmured as he pulled away. “That’s a real shame, Barnes.”
Bucky smiled, “I did say gifts. As in plural.”
Sam chuckled and gave his boyfriend another chaste peck before they headed to the kitchen. Bucky helped to set the table as Sam dished out dinner. They sat down to eat, talking about anything and everything. There were moments where the conversation lulled, but it was never awkward. Sam loved that about his relationship with Bucky.
They had reached the point of being so comfortable around each other that everything was done with a sense of ease. They were past the honeymoon phase, but they were still just as taken with each other as they had been when they had just started dating. It was moments like that, when they were just with each other and enjoying the other’s company. Words weren’t needed for that. If Sam hadn’t been so sure before that he had wanted to marry Bucky, then that would have been his deal breaker.
After dinner, the two of them cleared away the plates and Bucky headed to the living room as Sam plated up dessert. He went to sit beside his boyfriend and handed him one plate.
“Plum cake?” Bucky questioned, looking up with a confused smile.
“What? Don’t want it?”
“No, it’s not that. You rarely ever make this.”
Sam shrugged, “Yeah, but I felt like it. Remember when we first started dating?”
Bucky smiled and nodded. How could he forget? After all the struggles he went through just to get Sam to notice him as more than a friend, he was glad that the other Avenger had always returned his feelings. The plum cake was just a bonus. Bucky almost frowned as his recent failed attempts came to mind. It was like people said, history always repeated itself. Bucky had tired all his plans once again, at least for the moment, and he figured it was best to just wait for a while.
At least one thing remained constant, he mused as he stared at Sam. He loved the other man and he knew that wasn’t going to change anytime soon.
Sam looked up when he felt Bucky’s gaze on him. His eyebrow raised in a silent question, but his boyfriend only smiled back at him.
“Stop looking at me like that,” Sam said, leaning forward to put down his plate on the coffee table. He stood up and began to head to his room, muttering under his breath, “With your goofy ass.”
He heard Bucky chuckle behind him as he entered his bedroom. He got what he came for before heading back to the couch.
“Look, I’m going to be honest with you,” he began, and watched as his partner sat up straight. “I knew what you were trying to do.”
Bucky’s eyebrows furrowed, “What do you mean?”
“I know about you trying to propose,” Sam admitted.
“What? I wasn’t – I mean, not that I wouldn’t – but you –”
“Well, you weren’t being subtle,” Sam said, and Bucky sighed, nodding in agreement. “Don’t worry. I didn’t know all the time. I just want you to know that you’re not alone.”
Bucky opened his mouth, most likely about to ask what Sam meant that, but he quickly closed it when he saw his boyfriend reach out and open his hand. There, in his palm, sat a jewellery box very similar to the one that Bucky had been toting around for the past few weeks.
“Since you couldn’t ask, then how about I do it?”
Bucky could only nod, feeling at a loss for words.
“Bucky, love of my life, pain in my ass, will you marry me?”
Bucky smiled, “Only if you let me ask you too.”
“No shit.”
They laughed and Bucky took the box from Sam. He took out the ring and placed it on his finger, feeling an odd warmth in his chest as he stared down at the piece of jewellery.
“You couldn’t have told me earlier? I would have brought my own ring and we could match.”
“I hate you.”
“I love you too.”
As it turned out, Bucky didn’t have to worry about his failures. He should have learnt from the last time. It didn’t matter anyhow. They were both happy.