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It was the night of the twenty-fifth of December… Well, it was technically past midnight, so it was the twenty-sixth, but neither Bucky nor Sam were too concerned with the specifics.
All that mattered to them, is the fact it was their first Christmas together as a couple.
They had spent the whole day with Sarah and the kids, with several community members popping in and out all day. Laughs were shared, gifts were exchanged and unforgettable memories had been made.
Now, as he and Sam were driving home. Bucky had never been more happy that his car had no gears; so he could hold his boyfriend’s warm hand.
“Good day?” Sam prods gently, tightening his hand around Bucky’s colder flesh one. A small smile instantly grows on Bucky’s face, at the mere sound of Sam’s honey voice.
“Yeah, best Christmas since the Depression; the one in the nineteen-twenties, that is.” He hears Sam chuckle at the joke in the dark, and immediately the whole night manages to become even better, impossible as that might have seemed a minute ago.
Sam brings Bucky’s hand up to his mouth to kiss, and god does he wish he could take his eyes off the road to just stare at the other. “I’m glad,” Sam mumbles quietly against his skin “Sarah and kids love having you around, you’re good with them.”
A little bit of always-there tension in Bucky’s chest loosens at that, he’s always held a bit of hesitation around Sam’s family, but as the months had gone on it had lessened bit by bit, but never quite disappeared.
Bucky hesitates for a moment before speaking. “It feels nice; to have a family again.” He admits into the quiet car, feeling the way Sam just tightens his grip again, anchoring him down to earth.
“Good. Because this is your family now, no skipping out on celebrations, even the loud kids birthday parties.” Bucky laughs quietly “I’ll look forward to all of them.” He replies. With a little tug he mirrors what Sam did earlier, kissing his heated skin in wordless love.
The rest of the drive goes quietly.
As Bucky parks them in the driveway of Sam’s (and now Bucky’s) house, Bucky is quick to gently catch the Captain’s face in his hands, laying a lingering kiss on his lips. He feels Sam’s mouth morph into a smile under his own lips.
“What was that for?” Sam prods sweetly, smoothing a hand down Bucky’s chest, flattening the wrinkles of the dressshirt Sam made him wear.
Once upon a time, initiating like this, or speaking openly of his love for Sam might have stopped him dead or made him feel awkward, but not now, not when it’s just them alone, in the dark of night.
“I just love you.” Bucky says easily, enjoying the way Sam’s dark eyes widen, before crinkling almost shut from the smile that grows even wider on his face. “I love you too.” Sam replies, placing a chaste kiss on Bucky’s waiting lips.
“Now, I know we said ‘no gifts’ exchanged between the two of us, but I couldn’t help myself.” Sam says cheekily.
This time, it’s Bucky’s turn to show surprise; morphing into affectionate annoyance, as Sam’s smile transitions into a familiar shit eating grin.
Sam opens his own car door and steps out, followed by Bucky on the other side. In a silent agreement they begin hauling in the gifts from the other Wilson household.
“Well, I had a feeling you’d betray our deal— so I cheated too.” Bucky says with just as teasing of a grin that Sam had worn half a minute ago. Sam’s head pops up from behind the car door to look at his boyfriend, the smile on Bucky’s face only grows at the annoyance targeted at him.
“I guess I should have seen that coming.” Sam bemoans, hauling his heavy box of goods out of the car and slamming the door shut with his foot. His eyes nearly rolls to the back of his head as he spots a grinning Bucky at the porch step, holding his own filled box easily with one hand, his free hand fiddling with his keys to get the front door.
“I hate you.” Sam grunts, now more irritated.
Bucky gets the front door open “you’re just trying to goad me into saying ‘I love you again’” and honestly; yeah.
With the front door closed and locked, and their boxes placed by the living room sofa, the two men wordlessly split up to retrieve their hidden gifts.
Sam makes it back first, holding a square and narrow packaged box. Next, Bucky joins him with his own box, it’s less broad, but has more height.
They share a look, then they both extend a hand and begin shaking their fists up and down in a fixed rhythm.
“Rock, paper, scissors.” They both say, throwing out their choice.
“Yes!” Bucky celebrates, holding a closed fist in front of Sam's choice of scissors. Sam groans, his free hand falling back to his side.
Surprisingly, Bucky hands Sam his gift.
“But… you won?” Sam questions, setting his gift for Bucky on the kitchen table, to grab the box from his boyfriend. Bucky gives a weak shrug “I’ve always preferred giving more than receiving.” Sam has to smack a hand to his own mouth as a wave of giggles leaves him “yeah you do.” He manages to push out in between laughs. This time it is Bucky’s time to groan.
“You make me so mad.”
“Love you too, baby.”
The present in Sam’s hands is wrapped neatly, almost to a military degree, with not a crease out of place. It’s very Bucky which makes it perfect. “Thank you.” Sam says, as he begins to peel it open.
“You haven’t even opened it.” Bucky says, eying every movement Sam’s hands makes. “Eh, I know I’ll love it; you gave it to me.” Bucky feels his cheeks slightly flush at this, but decides to keep quiet as Sam gets all the paper off, and the box opened.
Inside are three labeled containers for soap bars, Sam quickly recognizes the brand name on the boxes, he knows they’re very expensive. Beside them is a sizable see-through bag of Sam’s favorite kind of candies.
“I’m not really the best at gifts,” Bucky begins, crossing his arms in a slightly self conscious manner “but I hope you like this. Back in the day, soaps, candy, kitchenware and even gas masks were the common type of gifts, so yeah.” He finishes off, eying how Sam opens one of the soap bar cases to smell it with a smile.
Sam places the box next to his own gift on the kitchen table, then steps forward to kiss Bucky on his lips. “I told you I would love it.” Sam says, kissing Bucky one final time on the cheek before grabbing his own gift.
“Yeah, you’re um, you’re welcome.” Bucky says, gently taking the gift from Sam.
It’s wrapped almost as neatly as Bucky’s own, but god does Sam love to overuse tape. If Bucky didn’t have superstrength, he wonders if we would be able to tear it open at all.
As he gets all the paper off, he pries the narrow box open, before carefully sliding its content onto the kitchen table. Out slides several vinyl records, printed with aged covers Bucky hadn’t seen in almost a hundred years.
“I tried researching what would have been popular around Brooklyn when you were still young and spry.” Sam chimes in, as he watches Bucky flip through the records. “I know you like my records, but I wanted our music collection to have a bit of your style too.” His amazing lover adds on.
Bucky whirls around, momentarily surprising Sam before he scoops his Cap up in his arms. He places kiss after kiss all over Sam’s face, prompting the other to laugh all over. “So I take it, you like my gift?” He says between loving kisses.
Bucky hums, as he locks their lips together again. With ease, Bucky gets Sam’s legs up and around his hips, and automatically Sam winds his arms around Bucky’s neck to deepen the kiss.
“I hope you don’t have anywhere to be tomorrow,” Bucky smoothly says, as he begins to kiss down the column on Sam’s neck “because you’re not leaving our bedroom.”
Sam’s thighs squeeze around Bucky’s hips pleasantly at that. “Lucky me,” he moans as Bucky sucks a hickey into his neck, “a second gift, all for me.”
Bucky smiles against the dark skin, as he begins walking them to their bedroom “a second gift, for us both to share.”