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Steve and Bucky make their excuses early, casually retreating out of the gawdy, loud Tower lounge straight after lunch, promising to come back the next day to pick up all their presents.
They walk, leisurely, arm-in-arm along the icy street. The air is crisp and still and lit from all angles by sparkling lights hanging from lampposts, trees, and porches alike.
A door opens ahead of them releasing a burst of laughter and music, and a cheery, rosy-cheeked young woman. She catches their eyes, grins, and hops across the pavement in front of them, unlocks a car, grabs a bottle off the backseat and locks up again.
“Merry Christmas!” The woman calls to them, raising the bottle in a ‘cheers’ gesture.
“Merry Christmas!” Steve and Bucky chorus back in unison, raising their linked hands. The woman giggles, disappearing back into the house, and taking the happy sounds with her.
Bucky leans his head on Steve’s shoulder and hums, softly. Steve slides their hands into Bucky’s pocket.
A few blocks later, in a third story window, two small children appear either side of a heavily-decorated tree, pressing their faces against the glass, apparently on the look-out for snow. They spot Steve and Bucky, recognize them instantly, and wave furiously, banging and hollering. The kids muffled voices reach their ears just as their faces vanish from the window, and a moment later they have barged out onto the front steps of the building, followed by a smiling and apologetic mother.
“Hi, so sorry, couldn’t keep them contained.” She laughs, placing a hand on each of the kids’ heads.
“Mom! Look! It’s Captain America and Bucky Barnes! Mom, it’s Captain America!!”
“I can see that, love,”
“It’s no problem,” Steve says, laughing, and ducking down to chat to the small girl who is still clutching shyly to her mother’s skirts. “Merry Christmas to you, my friend, are you having a good day?”
“Mhmm, I got a new lego set! I’m gonna build a castle!”
“Really? That sounds fantastic, I’m sure it will be a wonderful castle!”
The girl beams, hiding her face.
Steve straightens again, and looks around to see Bucky swinging the boy around above his head as he giggles and shrieks “Woah! Mom! Look at me! Look at his arm!” and Bucky just grins and swings him higher, before placing him safely on the ground again. He totters off, swaying, and the mother thanks them, and they are all swallowed into their building again.
Bucky and Steve walk on.
They cross a park, wander along beside the river, look out across the city.
As they reach their apartment the sun is beginning to set, turning the hazy sky to rose.
They go up slowly, shedding outer layers and heavy boots, gloves, hats. They fall gratefully onto the couch, wrapping around each other, snuggling deep into the cushions. Steve presses play on the remote and the tinkling sound of Christmas music floats through their tiny lounge, now suffused in golden light. Bucky grabs an afghan off the armchair and drapes it over them, tucking it in snugly around their legs.
“Have yourself a merry little Christmas,” sings the low, smooth voice. ??
Steve presses his lips against Bucky’s hair, rests his chin on his head, tightens his arms around him protectively.
Bucky hums along for a moment and then “Make the Yuletide gay,” he mutters, in tune, under his breath.
“Well, if you insist!” Steve laughs, and pulls Bucky around, and smacks him a big kiss.
“Here we are as in olden days,
Happy golden days of yore,” sings the CD, and then Steve joins in, huskily, lost in memory.
“Faithful friends who are dear to us
Will be near to us once more.”
Bucky sniffs, and then coughs, and then laughs, in a slightly wet kind of way.
There’s a minute of breathy, warm, peaceful silence. Bucky’s mouth trails along Steve’s jaw.
"Let your heart be light,
From now on our troubles will be out of sight,”
A few fluffy snowflakes float past the window, like sparks burning in the rays of the setting sun.
Steve breathes in, deeply, and then out again, Bucky rising and falling slowly on his chest.
Seconds stretch into minutes stretch into hours.
“And have yourself a merry little Christmas, now.”