Chapter 55: Thanksgiving
November 23, 1944
There was something different about today. Bucky could feel it.
At first glance, it seemed normal. There was that stupid English chill in the air when they woke up too early, and it had been a battle to get Lu to let him out from under the covers to make them coffee and toast. They still had some time before the first snow was due, but that just meant they had to layer up against the icy winds that cut to the bone. The only good thing about the layers was that it was easier to hide the ring. He'd actually gotten it cleaned the other day, finding that it was covered in mud after a mission. Why the hell he'd brought it on a mission he had no idea, but he learned that lesson after the first offense.
The day crawled, as every Limbo day did. They had pre mission days, and post-mission days, and of course, mission days. But all the days that didn't fit into those categories? Limbo. Still a little work to do, but not enough to feel like it was actually important. Most of the other guys grumbled about it, but Bucky actually liked Limbo days. It almost felt like he was back at the precinct in Brooklyn, earning his stripes.
"Fucking Limbo day, and Agent Carter still won't let us off early for Thanksgiving." Morita sank into the chair next to Bucky, rotating it in small angles to elicit the most obnoxious squeaking.
"Technically it's not a national holiday here." Steve reminded him from across the desk. "Remember Fourth of July?"
"I guess half our holidays really are about escaping the British, huh? No wonder she gets so surly when we ask." Dugan added, kicking a foot out to stop Morita's fidgeting on the squeaky chair.
"Watch it." Steve muttered. He didn't care about Morita or the chair, just the (accurate) slight towards Agent Carter.
"Just cause she's pretty doesn't mean she doesn't get surly." Morita said. "After all, just look at Doc."
"You're cruising for a bruising, bud." Bucky said, using the leverage of Dugan's foot to kick Morita's chair backwards. He flailed his arms wildly for a comically long time before regaining his balance.
"Ah, he's just jealous, Buck." Steve said with a grin.
"Hell yea I am. Hey, if you don't tie her down, I will." Morita said. He was joking, Bucky knew that. Didn't stop him from seeing red.
"Touch her and see what happens." he growled. The air shifted in the room, the others waiting to see how this would go down. It was high time for them to develop a little cabin fever, spending so much time with each other. Luckily Morita just scoffed, shaking his head.
"It's called a joke, Barnes. Cut the shit." he said. "Besides, you're the only one of us getting laid regularly, I'd say you're free and clear for the win."
"Speak for yourself." Falsworth said from across the room. He was wedged into the corner, his hat pulled over his eyes as he blatantly tried to sleep on the job. Morita went slack jawed, and with a round of laughter they returned to baseline.
"Morita brings up a good point though, Buck." Steve said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. Bucky's eyebrows shot up, wondering exactly where he was going with this. Their work, however minimal, was now completely forgotten. "When are you gonna pop the question?"
"All in due time, fellas." he said, very aware of the weight of the ring in his pocket. "I'm just waiting for the right time."
"Any time you're alive is the right time." Jones said, gesturing toward him with a screwdriver. His radio was in parts on the table, and Bucky couldn't tell if he was fixing it or breaking it. "My mama always said that the Lord only guarantees today, and even that is only half-promised."
"And mama's always right." Steve said, one hundred percent sincere. If he was honest, the phrase sounded like something Sarah Rogers would say.
"Quit bustin' my chops. It'll happen when it happens, and none of you knuckleheads are gonna be there." Bucky said. That was his only prerequisite for his proposal: it would be him, and Lu, and no one else. Sure, they'd celebrate with their friends after, but that moment was just for them. A general uproar arose at the sentiment, but Bucky held fast. "I said what I said. Now, what are we doing for Thanksgiving?"
"Well, the city is currently out of…" Steve pulled a notebook from his pocket, running down the list.
"Everything. The city is out of everything." Dugan supplied. "But me and Jones managed to find a few sides of pork, and the girl that lives two doors from the flats gifted us some vegetables yesterday."
"Sounds like stew is the new turkey." Steve said. Bucky shrugged; he was fine with stew. They'd definitely eaten worse things, even in the last week.
"I couldn't find any cake or pie for Doc. Sorry, Bucky." Dugan said, genuinely sounding apologetic.
"Nah, I get it. I couldn't find it either." he said. He'd scoured as much of London as he could without arising suspicions, but the bakeries were pretty much down to small loaves of sourdough bread. He grabbed a couple the day before, not knowing if there'd still be some today. "We got bread and meat, we should probably be grateful for that."
"And beer." Falsworth reminded them, still talking from underneath his hat. "I got a half keg off a mate up the way. It's not much, but it's better than nothing."
"And you just scored yourself the invite as the first Brit to celebrate Thanksgiving." Steve said, joyous. The boys weren't strangers to the foul temptress alcohol, but lately Steve's tolerance rivaled Bucky's, and he wondered if the other man had been drinking a lot in the past year. Or maybe there was something in that magic serum that gave him a higher tolerance. Falsworth grumbled something they couldn't hear, moving his hat lower.
"Give me a couple hours after we get out of here, and we'll be good." Dugan said. The men all agreed, but if they said they got any more work done that day, they'd be lying. For once, they really and truly wasted military resources completely dicking around in the office.
When quitting time finally showed its face, they all happily punched their time cards and practically flew out the front doors. Lu tucked her hand into Bucky's elbow, and as they all started towards the flats, he decided he wanted to take a little detour.
"We'll see you guys later!" Bucky called, pulling Lu down a different street. He really had no place in mind, he just wanted to enjoy some alone time with her. Sure, they could have gone back to one of their flats, but there was no guarantee that someone wouldn't come knocking. Plus he'd be tempted to spend the whole time in bed, which would probably lead to them skipping Thanksgiving and facing an irate band of misfits tomorrow.
"Where are we going?" she asked, curling into his side now that their colleagues were out of sight. He shrugged, making her head bounce and knocking her hat askew. He quickly reached up to right it, making sure to cover her ears from the cold.
"Don't know yet. It's a mystery for both of us." he said with a grin. She looked up at him through her lashes, clearly not as enthralled with the idea of a romantic winter walk as she was. "We'll get somewhere warm soon."
"Thank you." she said, letting him lead her again. Dammit, now he had to find somewhere warm for them to hide. He tried to appear nonchalant as he analyzed the shop signs and windows. A clothing store? No, Lu enjoyed alternating between fatigues, her nursing uniform, and sundresses that came with her from Italy. A bakery? No, they already had enough bread, and she would just be saddened by the lack of sugar on the premises. A bookstore?
A bookstore.
Perfect.
"This way." he said, acting like he'd known where he was going all along. If he was lucky, she hadn't discovered this little hole in the wall during her time on her own. After all, who knew what she'd gotten up to during missions when she had to stay behind.
He didn't want to think about that right at this moment.
"Oh!" she said as they stopped at the front door, excited by their arrival. Please don't say it, please don't say it, please don't say it - "I didn't know this was here!" Jackpot!
"Really? Well, here you go." he said, opening the door for her with a flourish. After all, he totally knew this was here the whole time, no question. A bell tinkled above them, and a man at the register looked up and gave them a solemn nod. He could be anywhere between the ages of thirty and seventy depending on the light, and dressed in a sweater vest and coke bottle glasses he looked every bit the bookshop owner. Lu smiled and waved politely, and Bucky bowed his head back, not really wanting to get into conversation with the man.
The shelves were well stocked, if not a little dusty. He imagined people didn't exactly have a lot of spare pounds to be spending nowadays, especially when there were a few libraries still open. Not that he went to libraries anymore, he'd learned that hard lesson from a different blonde back in New York. He scanned the shop, but there weren't any other patrons.
But there was a little display for Fry's Chocolate Cream bars.
He snuck a glance at Lu, but she was rubbing her hands together, trying to get a little warmth back in them. Her eyes were already wandering over the aisle cards, clocking the maps and histories and mysteries and classics. He watched as her eyes settled on the little placard that read Romance. She pretended that wasn't her objective of course, idly moving away from him and down the row that held gardening books - as if she had any interest in gardening. Bucky slipped off his gloves and put his hands in his pockets, rolling the ring around in his fingers.
Now. Now was the perfect time.
"Excuse me," he went up to the front desk, startling the man. He looked like he'd already forgotten they were there.
"Um, yes, sir?" he asked, apparently not used to such direct speech or eye contact.
"What would be the absolute worst book of poetry in here?" he whispered. He had a plan, and the man was not going to like it. He was obviously confused, pinching his eyebrows together.
"Well, sir, that depends entirely on your taste-"
"No, I need the one that you absolutely hate. And is cheap. One that you wouldn't miss if it wasn't here." he said. The man opened and closed his mouth a couple times before sliding off his stool, going to a different row in the store. Lu had finally made it to her original target, completely absorbed in her task and unaware of what was going on just a few feet from her.
The man returned with a little pink book, its cover hideously floral and lacy and proclaiming to profess the deepest levels of love. Perfect!
"A bit too…superficial for my tastes." he said, a direct contradiction to the title. Even better.
"Perfect. I'll take that, and a bar of the chocolate. And, uh, hide the rest." he said, plucking the book from his hand and checking over his shoulder again. Lu was further into the aisle, completely out of view. The man rang him up, the cash register sounding so incredibly loud in the tiny shop. But luckily, for the first time in a year, Lu's sensitive hearing didn't get the best of her. He gave over a few coins, adding to it until the man was satisfied. One last check, and then he pulled out his pocket knife.
"Sir, I don't-" the man paled, holding his hands up. Bucky flipped the knife open, casually gesturing with the blade.
"This isn't for you." he said, flipping open the book and thumbing a couple pages into it. "You might want to look away for this part, though."
The man didn't make a noise as Bucky sank the knife into the pages, but he did look like he'd rather Bucky knife him instead. Bucky paid no mind, sawing through the pages until little squares of paper fluttered to the ground like snowflakes. He'd warned the guy to look away, it's not his fault the man didn't listen. The ring went into the new cubby, the book went into the inner pocket of his coat, and the chocolate went into the outside. Sure, his heart was in his throat and threatening to completely rupture, but that was beside the point.
Lu finally came back to the front, two novels clutched in her hands. She was trying to contain her excitement, but he could see right through her at this point. She blinked at the cashier, who still looked a little shocked at the turn his day was taking. His eyes went between Lu and Bucky as he started connecting the dots. Lu looked to him, and Bucky just gave her a happy smile.
"Two of 'em?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. He was pretty proud of how smooth his voice was. She didn't suspect a thing.
"We've been deployed for a while. Apparently my favorite author didn't have much to do the past year." she said, clutching the books to her chest. She looked around the shop again. "Aren't you going to get anything?"
"Already got everything I need." he said. He remembered that he was currently hiding all his purchases, so he threw an arm over her shoulder. She blushed, looking at the cashier out of the corner of her eye. Public displays of affection would always do that to her, he thought. She handed her books over and the man rang her up, and she had no issue counting out the correct coins. She held the books close to her as they left, the spines digging into his arm as they ducked back out into the cold. Lu made to go back to their usual street, but he pulled her the opposite direction again.
"Where are we going now?" she asked, though she didn't fight him on the change.
"We still got some time." he said. He led her through the gates to a little park, most people deciding the cold was too much for a stroll. It just made the walk more romantic, even if the sky was grey and most of the trees were bare. "Sometimes I like it when it's just you and me."
"Good, cause I like it too." she said. He nodded towards her chest.
"What books did you get?" he asked, immediately bringing a blush to her cold cheeks.
"Just a couple romances." she replied, purposefully not telling him the titles. That was fine, he could read them later when they got back to one of their flats. If he was lucky, she'd even let him read a passage or two from it, and perhaps act on it.
Speaking of which…
"Let's take a break." he said, leading her to a bench and sitting down. She sat down next to him, their sides flush together as she leaned her head against his shoulder, sighing in contentment. They rarely got quiet moments like this, and he almost hated to ruin it by what was in his coat. Almost, but not quite.
"I got you something." he said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out the chocolate bar, watching as her eyes lit up.
"You found chocolate?" she asked, sitting up straight and reaching for it with grabby hands. He laughed, fumbling through his gloves to open it for her while she planted a firm kiss on his cheek. He could feel where her lipstick stuck to his skin, but he didn't care. He'd wear her lipstick kiss loud and proud any day of the week. He finally got it open, breaking off one of the squares and handing it to her. She took a nibble off the corner, then popped the whole thing in her mouth, humming and closing her eyes as the sweetness hit her.
"Like it?" he asked, unable to keep himself from smiling widely.
"Mhmm." she hummed, nodding emphatically. He broke off a piece for himself; luckily the chocolate was darker so it wasn't as sweet, though the fondant in the middle certainly made up for it. It was probably the most sugar he'd had in one bite in the past decade. He went to fold up the package, knowing she probably wanted to save the other three squares for a different time, but the look on her face made him relent one more to her before doing so. She smiled, her face towards what meager sun made it through the clouds as the chocolate gently melted away.
"Good?" he asked, a little breathless. She was so beautiful and perfect; how did he end up so lucky?
"Really good, thank you." she said, pressing a lingering kiss to his mouth. The chocolate tasted better coming from her lips. "What did I do to deserve such a treat?"
"Just wanted to spoil you a little." he said, kissing her again. Could she hear his heart beating? He could barely hear her over it. He'd taken down Nazis and survived a death camp, why in the hell was he so nervous right now? "I actually, uh, got you something else too."
"Oh?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. Her blonde curls tumbled over her shoulder, letting the scent of her floral shampoo waft towards him. Every morning he woke up with that scent all over him, and he loved it. He pulled the book out of his inner pocket, making sure to keep the cover closed.
"Thought we could have a little romance moment of our own." he said, handing it to her. She took one look at the cover before biting her lip, trying to stifle her laughter.
"It's beautiful." she choked out, her gloves rustling the lace of the front binding.
"Thank you, the man at the shop helped me pick it." he said, completely knowledgeable on how hideous the book was. Open it, open it!
"I don't know if poetry is my thing, I've never really given it a try." she said, still letting the book sit closed on her lap. He was about to pick the book back up and smack her on the forehead with it.
"Humor me." he said. She rolled her eyes, picking it up and holding it at a dangerous angle. He could hear the ring shift within its cutout, and knew she had to feel it. Before she could open it, he pushed it down back to her lap, imagining a horrifying moment where the ring went bouncing along the cobblestones. She gave him an odd look but obliged, opening to the first poem.
"'Unending love / a lonesome dove / reminds me of / the stars above-' Barnes, this is terrible." she laughed, shaking her head.
"Just give it a chance." he said, even if he agreed that it was, in fact, terrible. "Maybe try the next one."
She flipped the page, quirking an eyebrow at the title. After skimming through it, she turned to the next one, and then the next.
And then, there it was.
His ring.
Her breath caught, her hands froze, and she looked at the ring as if she thought she might be hallucinating. He slipped a hand into hers, pulling her attention to him as he slid off the bench and onto one knee.
"I love you." he said, his voice cracking as he caught her eyes shining with tears. "I love you more than anything, more than life. You are my everything." The words that had been circling in his head for months came tumbling out, and he hoped they were in the right order.
"Oh, Barnes-" the hand he wasn't holding went to her mouth, her bottom lip quivering.
"Let me finish." he said, her laughter causing one tear to spill onto her rosy cheek. If he didn't get it out now, he never would. "I wouldn't have made it through this past year and a half without you. And I honestly don't think I'll be able to make it through the rest of my life without you. You're my girl, my love, my partner. Please - marry me?"
A beat. A pause. He thought he was going to throw up.
"Of course!" she squeaked, vibrating in her excitement. He could barely hear her over the rushing in her ears.
"Really?" he asked, as if they hadn't been talking about it for a while, as if he didn't believe she'd actually say yes when the time came. He honestly wasn't sure that he hadn't imagined the whole thing, just hoping that she would agree.
"Yes!" she exclaimed. She pulled off her glove, her hand shaking as he picked up the ring and carefully slid it onto her finger. The poetry book fell to the side, but that didn't matter anymore, it had served its purpose. In a breath he was back on the bench with her, kissing her soundly without care who saw them. The cold metal of the ring froze a tiny part of his cheek as she kissed him back, leaving a lovely lipstick mark on his mouth now. He didn't care about that either. She pulled back suddenly, holding her hand out to admire her new jewelry.
"I'll get you a bigger one someday-" he wanted to qualify his purchase, to tell her that she was worth the biggest diamond the world had ever seen, but she shook her head.
"This one is perfect." she said, breathless. Even in the barely there light of the cloudy day, the diamonds still managed to sparkle. "I love it, Barnes."
"That's my last name." he said with a cheeky grin. "You want it?"
"I do." she said, her words purposeful. He couldn't help grinning like the cat that got the canary, pulling her in for another deep kiss. His heart nearly tore out of his chest, trying to fly into the air and announce to the world that, Ha Ha Suckers, he got the best girl in the world!
"Is your mom going to be pissed?" he asked, putting space between them. "Shit, I didn't even ask your dad-"
"They'll get over it." she said, kissing him again. She'd mentioned him in her letters to them, so they at least knew of his existence. She'd stopped prioritizing their opinions a long time ago. He stopped kissing her just so he could pull her close, breathing in the scent of London winter and her shampoo and something quintessentially her. He really got to live every day for the rest of his life with this woman!
"I love you." he murmured again. He'd always dreamed of love, and never thought he'd actually achieve it. But here they were.
"I love you too." she said into his neck, clutching him just as tight. Against all odds, they'd made it, and they'd made it together.
—
They were fashionably late to Thanksgiving, having to stop back at the flat to fix Lu's lipstick and get as much of it off Bucky's lips as they could.
"Yea, there they are." Dugan called from the kitchen. "Bout damn time."
"Did you get lost?" Morita asked, folding the mismatched napkins and laying them on the table, adding some mismatched spoons to go with them. Bucky added their bowls to their spots.
"Well I was trying to avoid this whole thing but you know how Doc gets with social calls." he said, helping her detangle her scarf from her neck. She gave him a conspiratory grin, tugging her hat off and handing it to him so she could fix her curls.
"What, you don't wanna partake in a quality American tradition with us?" Jones asked. He was toasting bread over the open flame of the stove, which probably wasn't the safest option but was definitely the tastiest.
"Yea, what are we, chopped liver?" Steve added from where he poured wine into any glasses that he could find.
"Depends on who's liver. Ma Capolini could make a mad liver loaf and you know it." Bucky said, taking Lu's coat and hanging it up next to his own. Last came her gloves, and though the ring wasn't big, he noticed it immediately. He wondered how long it would take the guys to notice.
"Well Ma Capolini ain't here, God rest her soul." Steve said, crossing himself as if he'd actually been to church since his mother passed. Some habits were too ingrained to die. "So you're stuck with us."
"I suppose it could be worse." Bucky said, grinning over at Lu. She was suddenly shy and quiet, wringing her hands ever so slightly. If she was with Angela or Peggy or any of the other women she worked with, he hoped she'd be flaunting her ring. But they were with the boys, so she had to pretend to be tough. He didn't like it. He wanted to show it off. Did any of these chuckleheads get engaged today? Nope. Sucked to be them.
"C'mon, Doc, you'll need this for tonight." Steve said, holding out a glass of wine. From the looks of the bottle, it was a homemade concoction. But beggars couldn't be choosers. Lu hesitated for a second before reaching for it, using her left hand. Bucky watched in slow motion as Steve, with his now unhindered eyesight, caught the bit of sparkle now adorning her finger. "Whoa, there, what the hell is that?"
"What?" Lu asked, though her cheeks were straining with her smile. Steve put the glass down, snatching her hand before she could pull it away.
"I'll be damned!" he said, his voice an octave higher than usual. "Boys! Doc is officially off the market!"
"The fuck-" Bucky started, but everyone ignored him, howling in despair.
"I thought I had more time-"
"You haven't said your vows yet-"
"But Doc, I thought we had something-"
"Holy shit, that's a ring right there-"
"Alright, alright." Bucky interrupted, coming to put a protective arm around her, pushing into the tight group. "That's enough now. Look, but don't touch."
"Congrats, you two." Jones was the first to speak again, smiling broadly.
"Yea, yea, I guess congrats." Morita said, Dugan echoing the sentiments. Steve was last, grinning like a goddamned fool.
"Welcome to the family, Doc." he said, handing her a glass again. This time, she was allowed to take it.
"Thank you, Steve." she breathed. Bucky caught her staring down at the ring, smiling to herself.
"To Doc and Buck!" Steve said, holding up his glass. The men scrambled for their own wine, holding it up to match.
"Cheers!" they called, the glass clanking dangerously as they toasted with gusto. Bucky took a good luck drink and pressed a kiss to her hair, loving the way she leaned into him. After all this time, they were finally here. They finally got to be engaged, and happy.
What a day for celebration.
AAAAAAH! I know I'm getting old because I cried writing this engagement scene lol. I hope y'all thought it was cute!
Thank you for sticking with me for 55 whole chapters to get to this point! Our angels are in loooove and engaaaaaged and nothing bad is going to happen ever. Yup.
I really hope y'all liked this chapter, it was one of my favorites to write. Please please please let me know what you thought! I love every bit of feedback that I get. Thank you for reading!
-XM
