Chapter Text
Bucky woke to absolute comfort. He was pillowed in fluffy down, covered in smooth fleece and his arms were wrapped around soft skin and firm muscles. He really didn’t think he could be more truly content. Well, unless the body in his arms was also awake.
So he tightened his arms around the narrow waist as he smiled mischievously into Steve’s back. He leaned forward and very gently ran his chilled nose along the back of the blonde’s neck until he was scrunching his shoulders and laughing gently.
“What a way to wake someone up Buck.” he remarked softly, his arms lifting sluggishly to place over Bucky’s, hands twining together as he settled.
“Hugs are the best way to wake up, don’t lie. You know that.”
“Hmm, I suppose.” He tightened the grip along Bucky’s arms for a moment before turning around to face him. “Though I could do without the icy nose.”
“You love it.” Bucky refuted gently and then leaned forward to place a loving, closed mouth kiss on the other’s lips.
Steve gave a happy sigh and smiled at him as he pulled back. “Good morning Buck.”
“Morning Stevie.”
He received a sunny smile and another kiss, one that the blonde tried to deepen. Almost instantly, Bucky pulled away and gave him a playful look, his nose wrinkling. “Augh, gross Steven. Morning breath.”
He gave a warm chuckle and ghosted a kiss across Bucky’s cheek. “Alright, good point. Dental hygiene and then coffee and breakfast?”
“Only if you make waffles.”
“I think I can manage that.” He gave Bucky one more stunning smile before stretching languidly and sitting up. “Any more demands while I’m at it?”
“Make that incredibly expensive winter coffee blend Pepper gave us.”
“Yes your highness.” Steve remarked with a chuckle as he stood. Bucky couldn’t help but to watch him move, nor could he help sitting up and giving him a playful swat to his backside as he came around the bed.
Steve paused in his bending to retrieve a pair of sweatpants from the floor in order to shoot him an unimpressed look. “Really Buck?”
Bucky just grinned at him innocently. “No idea what you’re talking about.”
He gave a put upon sigh and playful roll of his eyes before he shimmied his way into his pants and disappeared from the bedroom. Bucky sighed as soon as he was gone and gave a content stretch. This morning really was looking up to be pretty fantastic.
He hurried through a shortened version of his morning routine. He had no plans to go anywhere that day, so there was really no point in a shower and getting dressed in more than boxers. That way, it got him into the kitchen and to his boyfriend much faster.
He gave a very deep, delighted sigh at the aroma filling the apartment and sight that welcomed him. The coffee was heavenly, but the sight of Steve shaking his hips to Christmas music as he stirred waffle batter was so much better. He had no choice but to lean onto the island counter and watch him besottedly for a moment.
“Looking good there doll.”
Steve jumped slightly at his greeting and turned unimpressed eyes onto him. “How many times have I said not to sneak up on me?”
“Don’t know.” he popped a grape into his mouth and gave him a grin. “I have memory problems.”
“Funny Buck.” he rolled his eyes fondly and turned back to his batter.
Bucky grinned at his back. It was so liberating to be able to have gotten to a point in his recovery that both he and Steve could joke about his memory. Not long ago any lib mention of the loss of his past would have had a shadow falling over him and despondency to fill him, while Steve would tense and grow quiet.
Now though, they were far more lax, both accepting innocent remarks such as the one that he had just made for what they were: progress. Steve could see how the humor caused a lightness to settle in Bucky and embraced it just as easily. He was reclaiming his past in any and every way, taking it into his own hands.
He had come so far, and was more than content in the life he was building with the love of his life in the beautiful Brooklyn apartment. He would never relish what had happened to him, but nor would he change a bit of it. The past was what gave him this future, and here with Steve and christmas music, waffles and coffee in the air Bucky was truly happy for the first time in decades.
So he beamed and nodded. “You know it is.” he remarked as he pushed himself off of the counter and towards the other. “Because I am hilarious.”
“Sure Buck.”
He beamed and wrapped his arms around Steve’s waist. “Come now Stevie, don’t be like that.” he swayed them together. “Dance with me?”
Steve leaned into the embrace. “Dancing or waffles love, can only have one at a time.”
Bucky groaned. “Ah, come on. That’s an impossible choice.”
He received a chuckle. “I’d advise eating food first.”
He gave him an exaggerated sigh in return and kissed his shoulder. “Okay, fine, I’ll let you feed me first.”
The blonde leaned his head back in order to kiss Bucky’s cheek. “Good choice. Now go sit and I’ll finish up.”
Bucky grinned and moved to do so, but gave a small jump as Steve gave a gentle, likely retaliating swat to his ass.
“Punk.”
“You started it jerk.”
Bucky very maturely stuck his tongue out and dropped himself into one of their plush bar stools, immediately pulling one of the steaming cups of coffee to him.
After downing a significant amount of the caffeinated lifesblood he draped himself dramatically over the island counter. “So, Stevie, any plans for today?”
“Actually.” the blonde drew the word out as he suddenly turned towards Bucky with wide, hopeful eyes. “It snowed a very significant amount last night.”
“Stevie.”
Steve just grinned and stepped closer to lean on the counter across from him, completely ignoring his warning tone. “And I was thinking, since it’s December and so pretty out, maybe we could go to the park and build a snowman?”
The look in his eyes could rival that of the cutest puppy and Bucky let out a heavy groan. “You’re joking?”
“No.” Steve gave a serious shake of his head. “I thought it could be fun!”
“Steve, snow is cold. You hate the cold.”
“It’s not so bad when you’re there.”
“Stevie, however sweet that is, and it’s really sweet, we both hate the cold.”
He leaned on his elbows and placeid his hands on Bucky’s face. “I don’t hate anything when I’m with you, and maybe something fun and different would give us good reason to start getting used to the cold.”
Bucky gave a heavy sigh. “I don’t know.”
Steve stood and turned away, returning a moment later with a fluffy waffle that he set before Bucky. “Bucky, do you want to build a snowman?”
He less said the words than sang them and Bucky couldn’t help the fond laugh he let out as he amusedly shook his head. “Stevie.”
“It doesn’t have to be a snowman?”
He gave another sigh and leaned forward to cup Steve’s cheek. “Is it really important to you?”
“To try.”
“And if I say yes, will you stop singing the Frozen song.”
“You love the Frozen movies.” Steve replied but his wide, delighted smile said everything his words weren’t and so Bucky gave a final sigh and a nod.
“Okay Stevie. We can go build a snowman.”
His cheer and the enthusiastic kiss were all the thanks Bucky needed to make the process of bundling up after breakfast worth it. Despite his initial reluctance, he had to admit that he was enjoying himself, and like the blonde had said earlier, it was entirely due to the activity being a shared one.
Steve had a thick knitted blue scarf over half of his face, but as they rolled a giant ball of snow into the base of the snowman, he couldn’t stop looking at Bucky as if he was the greatest being in existence. It made a warmth flood into him despite the frozen powder beneath his hands.
“We don’t have a carrot.” Bucky remarked as Steve carefully set the head into place. “How’re we going to give it a face?”
Steve frowned and stepped back to gaze at the three stacked snowballs. “We could go to the store?”
Bucky laughed and shook his head. “We’re not going grocery shopping for a snowman Steve.”
“But you’re right. He’s just three snowballs stacked together.”
“Draw his face.”
Steve beamed at the suggestion and stepped forward to etch a face into the top ball. Considering the canvas was only snow, it came out pretty well. At least Bucky thought so.
Steve pulled the beanie off of his head and set it at an angle on the snowman. “There! Now he at least slightly resembles a snowman.”
“He’s the best snowman in all of Brooklyn.” Bucky assured him, stepping forward to wrap his arms around his waist and rest his chin on his shoulder.
“Too bad he can’t come alive like Olaf.”
“Don’t know Steve, in our lives magic snowman are most likely a bad thing.”
Steve gave a laugh that turned into a happy sigh and laid his hands over Bucky’s as he leaned into the embrace.
“Thank you so much for coming out and doing this with me Buck.”
“I’d do anything for you Stevie.” he kissed the blonde’s cheek. “And you were right. This was good for us.”
“I love you, Bucky.”
He gave a happy sigh and leaned his head against the other’s. “Love you too Stevie. Even if you convince me to play in the cold.”
“Would you love me more if we got overpriced coffee and went home to watch cheesy movies?”
Bucky grinned. “You know, not much could make me love you more but that just might do it.”