a/n- At the moment this is a cute little one shot about Bucky's life about 10 years post endgame. I just want him to be happy you guys, he deserves it.
Lydia absentmindedly hummed to herself as she gently combed out her hair, closing her eyes as the teeth massaged her scalp. A stifled giggle made her pry open her left eye as the right side of her mouth quirked up in a smirk. "I know you're there." She warned, but there came no reply. She sighed softly and continued to comb through her locks until a creaky floorboard betrayed her predator. She looked down over her shoulder and was met with a pair of wide blue eyes staring back at her accompanied by a pouty lip.
"How did you know?!" The little girl whined.
"You're not as slick as your father, kiddo." She chuckled as she set down the comb. "But you know you would have got me… if you weren't so giggly!" She pounced on the little girl, tickling her sides wildly until she screamed and wriggled out of her grasp.
Still laughing the little one spoke again. "That's not fair! Daddy said I was sure to get you this time!"
"Oh did he now?" She asked with raised eyebrows. "Well you know what?"
"What?" The little girl echoed.
Lydia bent her knees so she was eye level with the little girl. "I bet we could get daddy this time."
The pair snuck slowly down the stairs without a sound, following the sound of pots clanging in the kitchen. The little one stuck her head around the doorway and came back to give a confirmatory nod to her mother. They silently made their way into the room and spotted their target, with his back to them, at the stove, one hand stirring the pot and metal arm holding a babbling baby who seemed incredibly engrossed in his father's cooking. She looked down to her little partner and brought a finger up to her lips as the little one tried to stifle a giggle that threatened to escape. Then with a nod they began to stalk forward, one foot at a time, making sure to avoid all the floorboards they knew would give away their position. Their target still entirely engrossed in stirring the pasta, they waited patiently for him to put down the spoon so they could pounce, but their patience would be their folly. The baby chose this time to turn his attention out to the kitchen and a wide smile filled his face when he saw the two ladies waiting there. The little girl put her finger to her lips in a vain attempt to keep him quiet, but it was futile. "Mama!" The baby cried as he pointed out to his mother. She rolled her eyes as the plan was ruined. Their target turned around and he couldn't help but laugh as he saw his wife and daughter half crouched in the middle of the kitchen.
"What are you doing?" He chuckled as the baby in his arms reached out to his mother.
Lydia swooped forward and scooped him up. "Traitor!" She laughed as she raised him up in the air. "You betrayed our position! How could you?!" She settled him down on her hip and he only laughed in her face, clapping his hands together with glee.
"We almost had you Daddy!" The little girl pointed a finger up at him. "We were this close!"
"Of course you were, Becs." He ruffled a hand in her dark hair, laughing to himself.
"Hey, we were!" His wife defended the little girl. "We would have had you if this little monster didn't betray us." She protested as she tickled the little boy in her arms.
"Mama said we were sure to get you this time!" Little Becca continued her rant.
"Oh did she now?" Bucky asked as he quirked an eyebrow at his wife.
"Well we were just steps away." Lydia insisted again. "You need to get your hearing tested, old man." She teased, smirking at him.
"Yeah, old man!" The little girl parroted her mother with her hands on her hips.
"Oh you're in for it now." He warned before swooping forward and picking up his daughter with ease, tickling her sides violently. She protested between laughs and kicked out wildly but she was no match for him, his metal arm pinning her to his side with ease as his free hand continued his onslaught.
"No fair, no fair!" Becca screamed. "Daddy! Mama help!" She reached out for help, still squirming against Bucky's side.
Lydia thought fast and found an empty plastic bottle on the side, handing it quickly to the baby and running into the fray. "Quick Stevie, bop him!" Little Stevie wasn't very good at following instructions though and just swung the bottle wildly, nearly hitting his mother in the process. "You traitor!" She faked shock. "Only fighting for the boy's side!"
"Stevie no!" Becca cried out between laughs.
Bucky chuckled as he let up his onslaught and sat his daughter on the counter top. "All this talk of traitors when you're the one using the skills I taught you against me!" His eyebrows were high as he threw out his accusation.
"Well hey," His wife stepped in. "You gotta work harder to keep her on side."
"Oh bribery is it?" He sighed. "So what's it gonna take, kiddo?"
Becca thought hard for a second, screwing up her face in concentration. Finally she had a revelation and threw her arms in the air. "Chocolate cake for dinner!" Her little brother copied her, throwing his hands up and screaming in excitement, although he probably didn't understand what she just said.
Bucky chuckled at his little girl. "How about a compromise? Chocolate cake for dessert? After pasta."
"Hmmm…" Becca considered his offer for a moment. "Deal." She held her hand out for him to shake, which he did begrudgingly.
"Well then I suppose we gotta whip up some chocolate cake!" Lydia chimed in with a giggle.
"Cake!" Little Stevie shouted as he clapped his hands together.
"He must have learnt that one from you." Bucky teased his wife as he nipped her side and then rested his hand on her waist.
"Hey!" She countered. "Cake is good for the soul, and I don't see you complaining everytime I bake."
"How could I ever complain about any of this?" He spoke sincerely as he leaned in for a kiss, but before his lips could meet hers a voice came from beside them on the counter.
"Ewwww." Becs covered her eyes and stuck her tongue out in disgust. Bucky looked at Lydia and knew they were both thinking the same thing. Completely in sync they turned their attentions to their little girl and started covering her cheeks and forehead in sloppy kisses, complete with cartoon smoochy sounds. Becca quickly dissolved into a fit of giggles and Stevie followed suit, and soon the Barnes household was filled with laughter, as it was almost every night.
Later that evening Bucky came back down to the kitchen to find Lydia washing the dishes, humming softly to herself, completely in her own little world. He leaned against the door frame just watching her for a minute, silently thanking whoever it was that had blessed him with this life. He had found her not long after the snap had been reversed, when he had moved back to Brooklyn, trying to figure out his next step without Steve. He would wander the streets he knew as a kid trying to reclaim as many of his old memories as he could. That's when he'd seen her, busking outside the old dance hall. Voice of an angel, he'd told her years later, that's what had made him stop. He made sure then to pass the dance hall everyday, telling himself that he was just trying to trigger some memories of going out dancing. But then he'd started buying two coffees, guessing what she might have liked and dropping it off at her feet, along with a dollar or two. She never stopped singing but always sent him an appreciative grin, which always made his heart flutter. After two weeks of coffees he'd finally worked up enough courage to leave a note with one of them, his name and number. At one o'clock that same day she sent him a simple text. 'Lunch?'. He'd had to stop himself from running down to the dance hall, where he'd found her packing up her guitar. "Took you long enough." She had teased him before heading down to the cafe on the corner. And now here they were almost ten years later. Living the life that Bucky could have only dreamed of back in the 40's. Two perfect kids, a beautiful wife, and a brownstone in Brooklyn. It was everything he had ever wanted.
He came up behind her, resting his hands gently on her waist. "Both kids bathed and in bed, all before 9pm." He grinned as she looked back up at him.
"Wow, super dad strikes again!" She chuckled, turning her attention back to the dishes. She picked up the bowl that she had used to make the cake, scraping out some of the batter with her finger and holding it up to him. He hummed as he sucked it off her finger and chuckled as he heard her sharp intake of breath. As she began to wash the bowl he stepped up closer to her, pushing himself flush against her back and dropping his head down to place featherlight kisses on her neck.
"And now we have the night all to ourselves." He mumbled against her skin. "There's a bottle of wine in the fridge and it's your turn to pick the movie." He said, although he had no intention of actually watching a movie tonight. An intention that he made clear to her as his hands started moving up her front and his mouth moved to start nipping at her ear. She sighed as she put the bowl on the drainer and then moved around in his arms to face him, grinning as she balled her fists in his shirt and reached up on her toes to kiss him. Effortlessly he picked her up and placed her on the countertop, her legs instantly spreading to let him close. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled at his hair as his hands moved down to rest on her thighs. Just as he was about to push them further up a shrill cry broke the silence of the house. Their kiss instantly broke apart, her head lolled back and his fell forward onto her shoulder. They sighed in unison as Stevie continued to wail.
"I swear I only just put him down, he was sound asleep." Bucky mumbled.
Just as Lydia was about to hop down off the counter and head upstairs another voice called out. "Mama?" Becca called as loud as she could.
"Which one do you want?" She asked, still combing her hands through his hair. Bucky pulled his head up and smirked at her, instantly she knew what he was doing.
"Not the baby!" They both insisted at the exact same time, both laughing at the other.
"Mama!" Becca called out again as Stevie continued to wail.
Lydia quickly presented her clasped fist between them, and Bucky recognised it as a silent challenge. They had used Rock, Paper, Scissors to settle all debates since they couldn't agree on which bar to go to on their third date.
"Paper beats rock!" She declared after they had chosen their fate, sticking her tongue out at him as she hopped down off the counter. "Coming Becs!" She called as she lead out of the kitchen, Bucky following not far behind. He smirked to himself as he followed her up the stairs, reaching out to squeeze her ass. She swatted him away but still turned with a grin and a giggle. As she headed into Becca's room he peeled off at the nursery. Stevie's wails had dissolved into whines and a little smile played on his face as he saw his dad walk into the room. Bucky swooped down and bundled him up in his arms, bouncing him and shushing him softly. "Come on now little man." He whispered to him as the baby's tears finally came to a stop. As his son fell asleep in his arms and he heard his wife singing a lullaby to his little girl in the next room his heart tightened in his chest and he felt tears pick behind his eyes. One thought ran through his mind. What on earth did I ever do to deserve all this?
a/n- I can certainly see me coming up with more ideas to build on the Barnes family's story so let me know how you liked this and if you want to see more of this type of stuff!