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Steve drifted awake to a feeling of utter contentment. Not only was he well fed from the post-mission binge last night, but he was wrapped up in Bucky's soft clean scent and steady warmth. The rhythmic beating of Bucky’s heart under Steve's ear, combined with the languorous tenderness of his hand in Steve's hair, would have been enough to set Steve to sleep again had it not been for the dull murmur of voices outside their bedroom door.
Considering the fact that Bucky was still relaxed in bed and letting Steve use him as a human cushion, the voices probably weren't anything nefarious, but Steve was curious enough about them to shift off of Bucky's chest and on to his own side of the bed. Glancing up, Steve found Bucky already looking at him, eyes all soft around the corners and practically glowing with loving affection. Irresistible, if you asked Steve. Sensing his own features morph in to a similar expression as his body struggled to contain a swell of pure fondness, Steve leant across to peck Bucky on the cheek. When he began to withdraw, Bucky clasped Steve's forearm gently to hold him in place.
"Don't I get something in return for hours of cuddling?" Bucky teased, trailing his hand along Steve's arm.
Smirking dopily, Steve edged forwards again. This time, he balanced on his knees, cradling Bucky's head in his hands and pressing thousands of loving kisses to his lips.
"Love you." Steve sighed, still stuck in the wonderland of Bucky's touch.
"Love you too." Bucky replied, taking Steve's hand in his and squeezing: their own secret code for 'I mean it, I'm not leaving'.
Steve shuffled closer, burying his head in the nook between Bucky's neck and his metal shoulder. The first time Steve had done it, Bucky had tensed and pushed Steve away, flushing in defiant embarrassment at his irrational fear. The second time, Bucky had flinched and angled the arm away from Steve, but not shrugged him off. The tenth time, Bucky had begun to relax in to the touch. Now, he simply wrapped his metal arm around Steve's middle and held him there.
"Oh!" Steve exclaimed, aware once more of the burble of conversation elsewhere in his home "Who's here?"
Bucky hummed "Guess."
Steve screwed his nose up pretending to think, which prompted Bucky to drop a feather light kiss onto the tip of it. Steve jerked back, pulling a face.
"It's adorable!" Bucky claimed at Steve's incredulous look.
"Okay?" Steve huffed, even though he was actually a little bit pleased "Is it Sam and Nat?"
"Right first time!"
Steve huffed again in amusement, shoving Bucky lightly. Today was going to be a good day, he could feel it. Always was when Bucky was in a playful mood.
An idea struck Steve. Grinning, he grabbed Bucky by the shoulders and rolled him around until they were both lying on their sides, Steve hugging Bucky like a teddy bear.
“Get off.” Bucky demanded half-heartedly. Steve, obviously, did the exact opposite and buried down further in to their nest of cotton sheets.
“I’m glad-” Bucky began, then stopped. Absentmindedly, Bucky’s hands- unusually supple owing to his latest obsession with hand cream- came up to cover Steve’s, stroking delicate patterns as Steve urged him to continue verbalising his thoughts.
Bucky flicked his hair out of his eyes, considering, and for a brief moment Steve worried that he’d misjudged the state of the day until-
“I’m glad we got to have this.” Bucky whispered.
Smiling helplessly, Steve tightened his arms. Every affirmation was a blessing in his eyes; every little thing Bucky did to show Steve he loved him sent an echo of that first euphoric realisation sizzling through his veins.
“I’m glad too. So glad.”
Bucky twisted to face Steve, smirking.
Steve sighed “Buck...”
Bucky grinned wickedly “I’m feeling glad all over,” he began to sing “Yes I’m.” Steve rolled away “Glad all over, baby I’m gla- hey!” Bucky squawked as Steve hit him with a pillow.
“No.” Steve commanded firmly, not that it would do any good. Once Bucky started he would never stop. All Steve could do now was prepare himself for a day of sixties classics.
“But I thought you loved my singing voice?” Bucky pouted, while Steve pointedly did not reply.
Natasha’s uproarious laugh penetrated loudly through the bedroom wall. When they’d bought the bungalow, Steve had wanted to do something about the fact that you could hear a mouse squeak on the other side of the property, but Bucky had been insistent that they let it lie. Whether it was an insistence borne from nostalgia or the desire to be quickly alerted to intruders, Steve didn’t want to ask.
“You never answered my question: why are Nat and Sam here?”
Bucky snorted. Tucking a longer piece of Steve’s fringe behind his ear he said “You never asked me, honey. They’re just here to eat cake and watch films.”
Steve’s brow furrowed “But we don’t have any cake.”
“Yet.”
Steve crossed his arms “So that’s why you were being sweet to me. Trying to butter me up so I make you cake.” he paused “None of the above puns intended.”
“They’re not even puns.” Bucky informed him gently.
“I hate you.” Steve deadpanned, making a show of flouncing off the bed and over to their wardrobe to pull out some day clothes.
“Aw baby, don’t be mad at me, I’ll make you feel good.” Bucky crooned.
Steve stiffened.
“Shit, sorry, sorry!” Bucky rushed to apologise.
“It’s fine.” Steve shook his head “It’s fine, you didn’t mean it.”
Steve knew for a fact Bucky meant it just about as much as Steve wanted him to, which was to say not at all. Apparently his sleep addled brain didn’t get the memo, though. Tentatively, Bucky padded up to join Steve at the wardrobe, and slid a hand on to his shoulder.
“I swear, I’d never.”
Steve clasped a hand over Bucky’s on his shoulder, squeezing in reassurance “I know. It’s just the last mission...hasn’t exactly put me in the mood for joking about it.”
Usually Steve was more than okay with his and Bucky’s innuendo driven verbal tennis matches, especially since they usually devolved in to increasingly bizarre propositions until they fell asleep curled up together, but Steve’s last mission had involved detaining a very drunk arms dealer who got extremely handsy. Frankly, Steve would have preferred the fistfight he was expecting.
Bucky’s lips tightened. Used to Bucky’s ability to skip straight past sympathy and in to protective anger- an ability that, if Steve was being honest, he himself shared- Steve nipped Bucky’s rant in the bud with a kiss on the lips.
“I’m okay. Nothing I didn’t experience on my USO tours.”
Bucky cuffed him on the back of the head.
“What was that for?” Steve spluttered.
“Making me fall in love with you.” Bucky growled.
“I didn’t exactly-” Steve began. Rolling his eyes, Bucky shoved Steve towards the en suit bathroom and began to disrobe “Get dressed and then we can actually be part of the hang out happening under our own roof.”
Steve did as he was told. Halfway through brushing his teeth, Steve heard Bucky call from the bedroom “And put on some cologne.”
Steve spat in to the sink, then cupped some water in to his mouth to rinse out before replying “Why?”
“Ha ha.” Bucky replied sarcastically.
“No, seriously, why?”
There was a pause. Then, Bucky yanked the bathroom door open. Appraising Steve, his face went through a magic lantern of minute changes until it settled on fond resignation “You doofus. Don’t get so caught up in your missions.” he reprimanded gently and, in Steve’s humble opinion, hypocritically “It’s our anniversary.”
Steve dropped his toothbrush in shock “Seriously?”
Amused, Bucky extracted his phone from his pocket and nodded at the lockscreen. Overlaying the picture of the two of them laughing amidst a pile of leaves, the date was displayed clear as day. A full week further in to the month than Steve had thought. He swore.
“I haven’t got you anything, I was going to do it after I got back from the mission. Sorry.”
“That’s it, the relationship is over.”
“Maybe it should be, if I’m this bad at being a boyfriend.” Steve muttered.
For the second time that morning, Bucky cuffed him round the head “Took you long enough to start this, arsehole, I’m not ending it yet.”
Steve winced.
Bucky grabbed the front of his t-shirt and reeled him for a kiss.
“Steve.” he said seriously, gaze boring in to Steve intensely “You give me a bunch of stuff all the time, you don’t need to get me something specifically for today. I’ll be happy enough if you make a cake.” he gave Steve a little shake “Seriously, having you here and safe and loving me is everything I could ever ask for and I’m just glad I’m alive and sane so that I can have it. Okay?”
Steve averted his gaze.
“Okay?” Bucky pressed, more insistent.
Steve sighed, leaning down to touch his forehead to Bucky’s “Okay. I love you, darling.”
Bucky smiled “I love you more. Now come on, time to bake!”