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Valentine's Day for Steve and Bucky had never been the way it was shown in movies, or how it was written in books.
Before it had been very illegal for them to open about their relationship, not to mention an expense that neither of them could afford.
Sure, if Bucky had found a stray flower lying by the side of the road on his way back from work he'd pick it up, straighten its leaves and then carry it home to present to Steve with a flourish.
And yes, Steve had occasionally poked fun at their shared disdain by making Bucky a card, as garish as he could achieve. One year, he'd even bought them a pair of Hershey Kisses, withholding Bucky's until he agreed to be Steve's Valentine, laughing delightedly at the scornful look on the brunet's face when he did.
No, it had never been a day of big declarations or fancy gifts. Not for them. They worked and then spent the evening in their apartment, just them and whatever slow songs were being played through the radio.
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Somewhere in Central Europe, they'd spent a Valentine's Day holed up in a barn with the rest of the Howlies, all of them buried under mounds of hay (the cleanliness of which was questionable) as snow fell thickly outside.
Dum Dum at one point made a smart remark about how at least they got to be with their Valentine, before being momentarily silenced when Dernier nudged him with a wink and offered to be a substitute "just for tonight", which unsurprisingly led to Steve and Bucky, plus a disdainful Monty, watching as the others grappled with each other furiously, only stopping when Buck poked them with a pitchfork. Gently, of course.
And then there were all the February 14ths they spent apart...
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This one though, this one they were definitely together for.
After waking up curled up together (as always), they both simply lay there for 30 minutes. Not talking to each other, just dragging lazy fingers across skin or tangling through hair.
"We're gonna have to get up at some point aren't we?" Steve eventually spoke with a disgruntled sigh.
His answer came not from Bucky's mouth, but instead from his stomach as it indicated the brunet's hunger with a loud growl.
Laughing at his body's response, Bucky turned to Steve with eyes glittering in humour, "probably. Or you could get up. Make breakfast and then bring it here. And I can just stay where I am."
Steve snorted as he dismissed that idea, "Yeah, I don't think so jerk, get up."
"Fine" Bucky gave in with a huff, sending a mock glare Steve's way, "I need a shower first anyway."
"Ok, I'll start the coffee", Steve pressed a quick kiss to Bucky's cheek before heading downstairs.
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When Bucky emerged from the steamy bathroom rubbing a towel over his hair, it took a few seconds before the smell registered over the scent of his shampoo.
Sniffing deeper, he frowned as he tried to place the smell before his eyes went wide with realization and he dropped the towel on the floor before running downstairs to the kitchen.
"Steve what are yo--. Oh." Bucky stumbled to a halt, mouth slack in shock. "You made breakfast."
Steve, who was still wearing Bucky's floral apron, grinned back at him, "French Toast, s'your favourite! C'mon Buck, sit down."
The pair were then mostly silent as they ate, working through a veritable mountain of French Toast and fruit, gulping down coffee as they went.
It was only when they had both finished and pushed away their plates that Bucky finally asked the question that had been bursting to get out of his mouth, "When did you learn to make French Toast?", the brunet internally wincing at the accusation audible in his tone.
Steve graciously skipped over it, smiling softly at him over the table and tangling their fingers together, "I wanted to make it for you, so I found a video online and I've been practising. Ask Wanda, she's been eatin' the rejects. Well, the edible ones. Jussie got a couple that were a little too burnt for human consumption." The blonde blushed slightly at the admission but kept smiling at Bucky as he watched his husband process the information.
"For - but I - why?" Bucky was baffled. Steve's cooking abilities extended to pancakes and boiling things, toast when supervised and occasionally frozen pizza.
"Do I need a reason other than I love you?" Steve shrugged, "you're a great cook, I wanted to do it for you this morning. That's all."
"Thank you, Stevie." Bucky's eyes glistened for a moment before he blinked the tears away to smirk at his husband, "I knew agreeing to be your Valentine in return for a Hershey's Kiss was going to work out for me eventually."