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You sat on the front porch, watching as the children played in the yard. It was the 4th of July, and everyone was in town. Steve sat beside you, his hand curled around yours. The two of you were sitting on the front porch swing.
“You have that look on your face,” he said. You looked at him.
“What look is that?” you asked. He smiled.
“The same look you had after that mission in Galway, when we went to that pub and you and Bucky went shot for shot with the tequila on a bet,” he said. You laughed at the memory.
“It’s not my fault he didn’t realize I had been dosed with a serum when the US was trying to recreate the success they had with you. I just saw easy money once he realized I wasn’t affected either and could keep up with him,” you said. Talking about Bucky didn’t hurt as much as it had. The three of you had been together for so long, living without him had been something that was difficult to grow used to. You found yourself lost in the memory.
It had been a cool day in the late summer. The breeze coming in off Galway Bay sent a chill down your back. Bucky had noticed and wrapped his jacket around you. You smiled at him. You, Bucky, Steve, Sam, and Nat had been in Galway on a mission, your first major mission since joining the Avengers. Bucky went for the tequila shots when your group descended upon the bar. You decided to have a little fun at his expense. The fact that you were living proof of the US succeeding at recreating the serum that made Steve Captain America was a secret, even from the team, aside from Steve.
“Bet I can keep up with you Barnes,” you said. Bucky raised an eyebrow.
“Alcohol doesn’t affect me like it does you, sweetheart,” he said.
“Wanna make that a bet? If I can keep up with you without keeling over from alcohol poisoning, you gotta give me $200,” you said. He laughed.
“And if I win?” he asked.
“You won’t, but how about you decide?” you replied.
“A kiss,” he said with a smirk. The two of you shook on it and Steve hid his amusement behind the glass of beer he was taking a sip of. Natasha and Sam were certain Bucky was going to win and threw in their own bets.
Fifteen shots later and you were still unaffected. The three of them were shocked. Steve finally busted out laughing.
“She’s got the serum,” he said.
“Steve! That’s classified!” you scolded. He just smiled.
“They’re family, doll. Can’t keep anything from them forever. I’m surprised Romanoff didn’t figure it out sooner,” he said.
You were pulled out of the memory by someone coming onto the porch.
“It’s time for cake,” the woman said. You and Steve both nodded.
Steve helped you up and the two of you made your way, arm in arm, to where a table was set up. A cake read ‘Happy Birthday Steve’ with the number 135 in candles. Your family hadn’t gone with his birth year. You chuckled at the thought of what that number would be. No, your family had started counting Steve and Bucky’s birthdays by the ages they presented as. It had been your idea, way back when. A way to help them feel like they weren’t so different. There were jokes, of course, about how old they really were. But they appreciated the feeling of being normal, for once.
It was Steve’s birthday. July 4, 2028. Technically, he was one hundred and ten years old. When they’d pulled him from the ice in 2011, he’d physically been twenty-seven, going on twenty-eight. By your count, Steve was only turning forty-five years old, considering he had ‘turned’ twenty-eight the year he was found. You saw the look on his face when he opened a card to see that it made reference to him being one hundred and ten. A small frown quickly covered with a smile toward Tony in thanks. It was the same look you’d seen in March, when Bucky turned one hundred and eleven. Your boys would never say it. But you knew it bothered them.
You slipped out to the store, heading straight for the aisle that held cake decorations. You grabbed two candles, one in the shape of a four, the other a five, before deciding to grab a stockpile of candles. You checked out, but not before grabbing a smaller cake, one of Bucky’s favorites. If you were going to do this, you were going to do this right. With how much he’d been on and off ice, it wasn’t easy to tell what his age would be. At least with Steve, you’d known how old he was when he’d crashed that plane into the arctic. It was easiest just to say he was forty-six, you decided.
When it came time for cake that night, you had swapped the gaudy candles Tony had ordered out for the ones you’d bought at the grocery store. Bucky had caught you doing it and assisted with keeping Tony away from the cake before you brought it out. Steve smiled when he saw the numbers. It wasn’t a big thing. But it meant something to him. It was a slice of normal. Later that night, you presented Bucky with the smaller cake, in the quiet of your home, away from the hustle and bustle of the compound.
“Thank you, doll. You don’t understand how much this means,” Bucky said. Steve came up behind you, wrapping his arms around you.
“I don’t know about you Buck, but I think this pair of forty somethings should show our girl that we still got it,” Steve said before picking you up. You let out a screeching laugh as he carried you toward your shared bedroom, the children staying with their Aunt Natasha and Uncle Bruce for the night.
You were pulled out of your memory by the singing. You smiled as you watched Steve blow out the candles, though your heart ached. It had only been a year since you’d lost Bucky. Age caught up to you all. You knew it wouldn’t be long before you and Steve followed, but the two of you had promised him you’d keep living your lives, that you wouldn’t let heartbreak take you too soon.
The three of you had a big family. Three children turned into seven grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren, and twenty some-odd great-great grandchildren with two more on the way, and one great-great-great grandchild, who was just a few months old, the first child of your eldest great-great granddaughter. You knew getting to meet them all, see them all, was an opportunity so few got. Your friends had long since passed, with the exception of Thor. Thor still looked young as ever. Your heart ached, knowing some day soon, he would be the last one left from the original team.
Though the serum affected your children, it wasn’t to the extent it affected the three of you. Your eldest had just turned one-hundred. Even for your ages, you looked young, a benefit of the serum.
“Happy birthday, pops,” your son, Jamie, said as he hugged Steve. He was the oldest of your children, Steve’s child through and through. You could remember the first time the three of you had realized he had some version of enhanced strength.
You were due with little Tasha any day now. You were ready to be done with pregnancy. The last few weeks, it appeared, would always be the hardest for you.
You were in the kitchen with Bucky while Steve sat with your nearly two year old, playing with a new toy Wanda and Vis had given him when you heard a crash and a yelp from Steve.
“What on earth?” you asked. Bucky was doubled over laughing. Your husband sat in the remains of your coffee table while your son giggled.
“He’s uh, stronger than I thought,” Steve explained.
“Are you telling me our two year old son managed to push you over?” you asked, a brow raised.
“I think that’s exactly what he’s saying, doll,” Bucky said as another fit of laughter came over him. You couldn’t help yourself either, wishing you had been able to see it, before you remembered that FRIDAY likely had a recording. You caught Bucky’s eye and you saw Steve’s eyes widen.
“No, no, you don’t need to see that,” Steve argued as he scrambled to his feet. It was too late. Bucky had already asked FRIDAY who gladly brought up a hologram showing the incident on replay as you and Bucky doubled over.
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Glad your husband getting hurt is so funny,” Steve grumbled. You looked at him, a hand on your hip and a look of incredulity on your face.
“It already stopped hurting,” Steve grumbled.
“That’s what I thought. But, if you want, I can kiss it better later,” you said, quiet enough that only he and Bucky picked up on it.
“You’re trouble,” Steve said before coming closer to pull you into a kiss.
You heard someone calling for you, pulling you out of your thoughts once more. Tasha was standing beside you, holding a slice of cake out for you.
“Are you alright, mom?” she asked, quietly.
“I’m fine, sweetheart, just lost in thought,” you said, taking the plate from her. Steve was sitting, waiting for you. You made your way over to him. His once blond hair was now fully grey, his smooth skin now full of wrinkles and signs of a life well lived.
The party was winding down by the early evening, your family members reluctantly heading out. You and Steve weren’t as young as you used to be, and late nights were a thing of the past for you both, instead spending the evenings together, talking about anything and everything. The loss of Bucky was still heavily felt by you both. The empty space in your bed, the chair that sat empty at the kitchen table. The mug that still sat beside the coffee machine.
“Ready, sweetheart?” Steve asked as the two of you sat on the couch, watching a re-run of some show.
“Yeah, I think I am,” you said, taking his hand as he turned off the television, before he led you to your bedroom. The two of you got ready for bed in a comfortable silence, settling in beside each other.
“I love you,” Steve murmured.
“I love you too,” you replied, before he placed a soft kiss on your lips. The two of you drifted off, forever ahead of you.
You swore you could hear Bucky’s voice as you fell asleep, distant and distorted at first before it became clear. You saw him in front of you, looking as young as the day you’d met, a warm smile on his face. You glanced to your left, Steve’s fingers still laced with yours, his features slowly shifting as he started to resemble his younger self.
“Buck?” Steve asked.
“Happy birthday, Stevie. A flair for the dramatic, hm?” Bucky asked.
“Am I dreaming?” you asked.
“No, doll. This is real. Always had a feeling the two of you would go together,” Bucky replied. You and Steve looked at one another.
“Go together? Are you saying?” you asked not able to find the words. Bucky simply nodded. You looked around. It looked like you were on the grounds of the Avengers compound, where all of the original team had settled down with homes in a secluded portion. A way to keep their families safe.
“Nat?” you said, seeing the familiar redhead. One by one, your teammates, your friends, your family came out of their homes. It had been so long since Nat had been lost. A mission gone wrong in Arizona. You had carried the guilt for years. You cried as she hugged you.
Later, you and your boys had time for yourselves. Time to just be together. Neither you or Steve were willing to leave Bucky’s side, and in Bucky’s opinion, well, that was just fine.