Chapter 61: One Year Later

An entire year passed.

A year's worth of happiness, of homesickness, of late night talks and early morning cups of coffee. A year's worth of new people, new traditions, new holidays and experiences. They'd celebrated a thirtieth birthday, a hundredth birthday, and two actual birth days. A year's worth of nightmares receding, of peace growing, of basking in the warmth of the African sun. A year's worth of I'm staying, and we belong together, and I love you, I love you, I love you.

Bucky ducked quickly, avoiding a quick swing from Mika's arm. A year's worth of training had done her well, and since he was currently down an appendage, she could really, actually, almost keep up with him. It helped that she'd been working out with Kanoni too, when she wasn't on duty with the Dora Milaje. The warriors of the King's guard had a fighting style that he'd never seen before, quick and sharp and fluid in a way that reminded him of the hurricane in a tube he'd seen at one World's Fair. Mika took to it easily, even faster than when he was teaching her back in their little gym in Bucharest, which definitely made their little sparring sessions much more difficult.

He caught her leg as she sent it out at him, trying to pull her off her balance. But her balance was much improved after a year of practice, and she used the momentum to launch herself onto him, her thighs gripping around his ribs as she knocked him back. Luckily his muscles were strong enough to (mostly) maintain his posture, his ribs straining against her hold; a lesser man would have the wind knocked out of him, but since he was a genetically engineered super soldier, he only lost about half of his. He stumbled backwards as her weight settled high on him, threatening to tip them over. If he had two arms, he could hold onto her and cushion their descent to the ground, but he only had one...which she knew. And because she was a fast learner and he was a good teacher, she used that information to her advantage. Often.

He moved backwards until his back touched the wall, kicking off of it and using it to change his direction. Now that he had his body back under control, he could let go of her and tickle her ribs, getting her to squirm and hop off of him, smacking his hand away as she put just enough space between them so he couldn't reach. She glared at him, but all he could do was grin.

"That's cheating." she said, pouting. He took a step towards her, and she took a step back. She didn't even have to think about it anymore, which made his heart swell with pride.

"It's not cheating, there's no rules." he replied, once again slowly advancing. She kept the distance between them, waiting for him to make a move or for her to spot an opening. He might be missing an arm, but he still knew how to cover it; the first decade with his prosthesis, he'd done everything in his power not to use it, the only rebellion that he could fashion in his situation. She perked an eyebrow.

"There's a few rules." she said, a light implication under her tone. She couldn't hide the small smirk on her face, and he knew exactly to what she was referring.

"I don't know if those count as rules." he said, still advancing on her in a controlled manner. "They're more...wagers."

"Wagers have rules." she pointed out, waiting until he stepped over his other foot to lunge at him. He ducked down to avoid her again, his hand stopping her knee and pushing it away as she tried to drive it up towards him, then immediately grabbed her around the waist again. However, his grip was different time, allowing him to stand up and flip her upside down, holding her as if she were a small child. She certainly squealed like one, her hands going to the floor to steady herself. Once stable, she moved her legs quickly, surprising him by wrapping them around his neck and removing her hands, using her weight to drop them both to the ground. He tried to sit up quickly, but she scrambled on top of him, and while he could remove her if he so chose, he decided he didn't mind losing if they ended up like this. Though he was going to have to have a word with Natasha about teaching Mika new moves when he wasn't looking.

"And it looks like you've won this one." he said with a smirk as she laid her hands on his chest. "So what'll it be? Breakfast, or…?"

"Hmm," she hummed, tapping his chest as the pretended to think. She smiled, leaning down to give him a deep and lingering kiss. "I think I can get breakfast at the lab."

"I like that idea." he replied, his hand going behind her head to pull her in for another kiss. They were both hot, and sweaty, and more than a little tired from their workout that morning, but there was a silent agreement that they could rally.

He'd just gotten her shirt and sports bra off and was halfway down the trail of kisses over her stomach when they heard a vehicle pull up in front of the house. They paused their activities, Mika trying to slow her breath so that Bucky could use his enhanced hearing to his full advantage.

"Who is it?" she asked quietly. He could hear the door open, the feet hit the ground. Just one pair this time. Their herding dog, Luna, popped her head up from where she'd been passed out on the couch, her ears perked as she listened too. Bucky wondered if he looked like that when he was straining to hear something far away.

"Steve. Just Steve." he said, sitting up with a resigned sigh. She groaned, pulling her clothes back on, making a face as the sweaty fabric stuck against her skin and fought against her. "What, were you hoping for a different answer?"

"If it was Natasha, or Kanoni, I didn't have to put this nasty thing back on." she said, snapping the strap of her bra. He laughed, shaking his head as he stood up, watching her continue to struggle as she couldn't find a comfortable way to wear the offending article.

"I don't think Steve would mind." Bucky said, grinning. Really, he just wanted to Steve slightly uncomfortable as he tried to look anywhere but in that direction. She gave him an annoyed look as she took his outstretched hand, joining him in standing just as Steve pushed open the front door.

"Did I interrupt something?" he asked, limping into the house and reaching down with his free hand to greet Luna, who was welcoming him with a wagging tail. Bruises blossomed on his neck from underneath his uniform, and a knife slash had torn through one of his sleeves. He gave a half-hearted smile, as if even the small gesture hurt.

"No." Mika said at the same time Bucky said, "Yes." She sent a glare his direction, going up to Steve to hug him and kiss his cheek, avoiding the abrasions that she could see now that she was close to him.

"You look terrible. Go get cleaned up, we'll get breakfast ready." she said, making Steve laugh.

"Sad thing is, this is cleaned up." he said, nodding at Bucky and hobbling to the guest room. Mika paused for a moment, looking like she was thinking really hard about something, but ended up just shaking her head and going into the kitchen. Bucky let out a sigh, resigning himself to the fact that his morning was not going to be as great as he thought it would be.

Freshly showered and out of his uniform, Steve somehow looked even worse. The short sleeved shirt showed off even more cuts and bruises, and the way he sat at the kitchen table - slightly leaning towards his left side - gave away the likely injury to his ribs. But he still smiled, gratefully accepting the large cup of coffee that Mika handed to him and spooning just a little bit of sugar into it. Bucky knew the look he had as he carefully stirred it; no matter what, they couldn't get over the fact that sugar was so easily accessible now. Mika ladeled it into coffee, tea, and half of her baked goods without a second thought, but Bucky still remembered his little sister crying when his mother brought home bread and fruit preserves instead of a cake for her birthday. Maybe that's why he didn't like sweets now?

He let go of that train of thought as he brought breakfast to the table. At short notice, he wasn't able to prepare anything more than oatmeal while Mika chopped up the last of the fruit they'd gotten from the market a couple days before. He'd have to send the kids to go get them more later today; they always knew the best sellers, and who had the best harvests, though Bucky also had the sneaking suspicion that they just got their favorites or bought from their friends. But since they hadn't gone wrong with any of their purchases, he didn't feel the need to address it.

"So where were you this time?" Mika asked as they settled at the table, Luna curling up next to Steve's chair (where she was most likely to get a snack from the table). She followed their example, piling fruit into her bowl, but added some whipped cream and honey to go with it. Bucky, used to this, paid it no mind, but Steve watched her for a second before deciding to try cream with his breakfast as well. Mika thought he was just trying to avoid the question for a second longer.

"Syria." he said after a moment, looking at his bowl instead of at her so he didn't have to see the mother hen look she was giving him. There was a long silence as they tried to outlast each other; Steve was stubborn, but he had nothing on Mika when she was trying to keep her friend safe. He finally gave in, and looked up at her, almost against his will.

"Sounds dangerous." she said pointedly, her eyes obviously glancing over his list of injuries. She took a slow, dramatic bite of breakfast. "And you're hurt."

"You should see the other guys." Steve replied, though the cheeky grin he tried to give fell flat under her intense gaze.

"Steve-"

"I know, I know." he interrupted. This wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation, and it would certainly not be the last. Bucky had to suppress a grin; he loved when someone else was on the receiving end of Mika's wrath, even though he definitely did everything in his power to avoid it nowadays. Maybe that's why she hassled Steve so often - Bucky was actually behaving himself, so she had to worry about someone else.

"If you know, then why do you keep doing it?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. She kind of reminded him of her mother in that moment, though he would never, ever admit that to her out loud. He filed it away in his brain to tell to her sister later, figuring Nicoletta would get a good laugh out of it.

"Because I'm an idiot, Meeks, haven't you figured that out yet?" he said, the comment finally breaking her tough facade and making her chuckle. "I'm old, but I'm not old enough to be ready to retire and live a farm life yet."

"Give it another year or two. You'll get there." Bucky said, his spoon scraping the bottom of the bowl as he finished his food. Luna perked her ears at the sound, but since he didn't put the bowl on the floor (like he did when Mika wasn't home), she didn't bother picking up her head.

"I've got a few decades in me yet, I think." Steve replied, finishing his food as well. Mika shot him a dark look, but chose not to comment, instead just picking up the dishes and taking them to the sink. Fed and happy, he sank back into the chair and looked officially exhausted. "After a solid nap, of course."

Mika coughed, covering up something in Romanian that sounded suspiciously like old man, the look he gave her telling her that he was starting to pick up on the other language now. But she didn't turn back around, instead focusing on her task. She checked her watch, then upped her pace; if she didn't get out of the house in the next few minutes, she would be late meeting Shuri, which would not go over well. As she reached up to put the bowls back in the cupboard, the cold fabric of her clothes sent a chill through her, reminding her that she still hadn't cleaned up from the sparring that morning. Shit, she still needed to shower.

"I've got to get ready and go. Good to see you in one piece, Steve." she said, ruffling his hair as she walked out of the kitchen, Luna trotting after her. They could hear the sound of the dog jumping on the bed (where she supposedly was not allowed) as Mika got into the shower, trying to quickly rinse off before going into the city center.

"You really okay?" Bucky asked Steve after a few minutes of sipping coffee. Nicoletta would want that update too, if she hadn't gotten it already. She always asked about Steve and Sam and Natasha, but Bucky thought she had a hierarchy to her concerns. He thought about it for a second, as if taking mental note of all his injuries, before finally nodding.

"Could be worse." he said with a lopsided grin, both of them agreeing with the sentiment. He took a long sip of coffee, and across the house, the shower turned off. "Thank you, for letting me hide out here sometimes."

"Glad you're finally taking me up on my offer. Only took seventy years." he replied. He didn't exactly remember details from Mrs. Rogers' funeral, but he remembered the feelings, and he remembered being annoyed that Steve was stubbornly staying in that tiny old apartment alone.

"Yea well, you have to have some social life. You're a fuckin' hermit nowadays." he said, his old Brooklyn accent lilting as he poked fun at his friend. Out of his Captain role, he could use as much colorful language as he desired. Bucky rolled his eyes.

"I'll have you know I socialized last week." he replied. One of his goats was acting funny and he had to take her to the vet, but Steve didn't need to know those details.

"With people?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"Yes, smartass." Bucky said. Technically only one person - the vet - but that was close enough. He'd smiled at a neighbor on the way back, that counted too. They had enough guests come around the house, he didn't feel the need to go into the city often. And if he didn't have to worry about the logistics and the traffic and the strangers, he didn't want to. He was too old and too tired to do anything besides what he wanted. He pushed his chair away from the table, grabbing both empty coffee mugs in his one hand. "Go sleep, you look fucked up."

"It always does wonders for my self esteem to visit you two." Steve remarked, but he got up as well. Across the house, they could hear the sound of Mika's shoes on the wood floor as she ran around the room getting ready. He offered to help with the dishes, but Bucky waved him away, allowing him to go to the guest room and happily pass out in the bed. Bucky went into his own room, admiring Mika's shape for a brief moment as she pinned her wet hair up. He was still a little sour that they'd missed out on their morning activities, but figured he'd just have to get over it, and instead went to the closet to get clothing more suitable for his chores. On the bed, Luna laid as flat as possible, nothing but her eyes moving as they got ready, as if she was hoping they wouldn't notice her where she wasn't supposed to be.

"I'll be home for supper." Mika said, getting his attention with a hand on his shoulder. He smiled, letting her step closer and give him a kiss goodbye. He caught her around the waist then, pulling her in for one last kiss.

"You better be. I still have a wager to repay." he said against her lips, making her giggle. He still didn't release her.

"And you'll repay it in full, whenever Steve leaves." she said, making him groan and tilt his head back.

"He's an adult. He can handle it." he said, and Mika looked shocked for a moment.

"He's an adult with super hearing." she pointed out. She never was much of an exhibitionist - at least not on purpose.

"Then we'll just have to be quiet for once."

"And whose fault is it when I'm not?" she countered with a look. He rolled his eyes at her.

"I hate everything." he muttered, making her laugh.

"You're rather salty for having your friend visit." she teased, putting her arms around his neck. He let out a noise that resembled a growl.

"He needed to visit about thirty minutes later." he replied shortly, and she grinned, giving him one last kiss.

"I'll see you later." she said, untangling from his arm and walking out of the bathroom. She gave Luna a kiss and scratched her ears before finally leaving for work. Bucky let out a long breath, once again rolling his eyes at the turn of events this morning, then finished getting dressed. He realized too little too late that he hadn't gotten Mika to put his hair up for him before she left, which was going to make things that much more annoying.

"C'mon, you've gotta work now." he said to the dog, who stayed very still and pretended not to hear him. He tried to push her, but she was adamant in her position. He knelt down so they were eye to eye. "If you come work, I'll let you sleep in the bed tonight."

As if she could understand him, she jumped off said bed, her claws clicking on the floor as she trotted over to the door. She didn't need to know that he meant Steve's bed, not his and Mika's. He met her there, pulling on his boots and pausing one last moment to listen in the direction of the guest room. Steve was completely still, and he figured the man was asleep. Good.

It was a mild supposedly winter day, the warm winds from the plains telling him that spring was right around the corner. The goats were lazy, and the cattle even moreso, but none so lackadaisical as his so-called working dog. She did her job for the morning, but by the afternoon she was under the tree with his three little buddies from across the way, leaving him to work the garden while the four of them watched. It would soon be time to change the crops for more summer varieties. When he started tilling the fresh earth, that's when they decided to get involved, throwing clumps of dirt at each other and at him. He obliged them for a while, picking them up and tossing them so they landed on their feet on the soft dirt while they giggled and chased each other around. But soon they needed a distraction, and he made it until mid afternoon before sending the kids to the market with instructions to buy "whatever looks good," and sending Luna with them as a guard. Only then was he actually able to get his work done.

He was in a considerably better mood by the time the kids returned with their spoils, three large baskets filled with vegetables and fruits. They were very excited to tell him about the friend they saw, and how the woman at the jewelry stand had pretty necklaces for "Birdie," which is what they called Mika. He thanked them for the errand and the information, and sent them on their way home so they weren't late for supper again. Luna, exhausted from her work and travels, sprawled out on the tile floor and made it very obvious that she would not be moving again for a very long time. Steve was still sound asleep, so he showered and made some more coffee, preparing everything he would need to make supper later while the hot drink brewed. With everything done, he took his cup and went to sit on the front porch, enjoying the breeze and the quiet and the slowly descending sun.

An hour or so later, the front door opened, and Steve joined him on the porch swing, a box in his hands. "What's that?" Bucky asked, eyeing it. He had his hypothesis, but didn't want to get his hopes up. Steve smiled, nostalgic as he ran his hand over the cardboard box.

"Took me for-fucking-ever, but I finally tracked down the contents of your safe deposit box." he said, sliding it over to him. The weight didn't feel familiar, and his heart skipped a beat as he tried to remember what could be in it, besides the one thing he wanted to still be in there. Who knew how many people handled it before it got locked away with the SSR stuff? "Looking for something in particular?"

"Yep." he said, not elaborating before settling the box on his lap before pulling the lid off of it. There were the usual things one might find in a safe deposit box in the 1940's: the social security cards of his whole family, the birth certificates for him and his sister, the death certificates for his parents. There were a few things that Steve must have added after his supposed death, like his dog tags, the written death notification for his next of kin, and the flag that they draped over the empty casket at his funeral. He rummaged through the box to the very bottom, his fingers stopping as he felt crushed velvet. He pulled out the small box, the navy fabric flattened and faded from years of being smushed into the corner of the box.

"Oh ho ho, didn't realize you were this serious, Buck." Steve said, clapping him on the shoulder.

"I'm always serious." he remarked, only partially kidding. His focus was on the box in front of him, the hinges squealing in protest as he awkwardly pushed it open. His mother's Edwardian engagement ring glittered from its depths, still sparkling impressively considering it hadn't seen the sun in ages. Steve let out a low whistle, and Bucky couldn't help but grin. It would need a bit of polishing, but it would do rather nicely, he thought.

"We need to celebrate." Steve said, standing up quickly and forgetting for a moment that something was hurt on his leg. Bucky perked an eyebrow.

"But she hasn't said yes yet. I haven't even asked, officially." he said. Steve ignored him, going back into the house. Bucky waited, curious, until he returned, a small flask in his hands. It was very ornately carved, and smaller than most flasks (at least the ones he often kept in his cargo pocket). He sighed. "I can't get drunk."

"Neither can I." Steve said, though he did not sound sad at all. Instead, he sounded like he had a secret that he was very excited about. "Except with this. Full Asgardian liquor, aged in barrels for a millenia, and bartered off an old buddy named Hjalmar a hundred miles outside of Oslo."

"What in the hell are you talking about?" Bucky asked, suspicious. Steve perked a challenging eyebrow, uncapping the flask and taking a long draught from it before handing it over.

"Trust me, buddy." he said, gesturing with it once more. Bucky hesitated before plucking it from his fingers - after all, what's the worst that could happen, poison? - and putting it to his lips. The liquor was surprisingly smooth for something aged for a thousand years, coating his throat and stomach with a buzzing warmth. Steve was smirking at him, waiting and trying hard not to laugh. His cheeks were already flushed red, just like they were kids sneaking pulls of whiskey from his dad's liquor cabinet. "How long does it...oh." He stopped as his body started buzzing, his mind ascending to the clouds with the familiar floating feeling of pleasant tipsiness. Steve started laughing then, great and booming, and soon Bucky was joining him, laughing in a way that he very rarely did after his escape. He went to take another drink, but Steve stopped him.

"No, no, trust me, it's still going. Ya gotta savor it." he drawled, gesturing with his hands.

"Oh my God." Bucky said, handing the flask back to Steve and figuring he could follow his lead on this. "I forgot what this was like. Holy shit."

"I know, right?" Steve said, once again dissolving into laughter. "When's the last time you got drunk, huh?"

"Uh…" Bucky's memory was hazy even at the best of times, but now with space liquor addling his brain, it was even more unreliable. "London, maybe? Before we went across the channel to go into Germany. They had this whiskey - they said it was Irish but there's no way - it was awful, but it was cheap, and there was this girl that kept bringing it to me-"

"Ah, ah, careful, you don't want Meeks to hear this bawdy talk." Steve interjected. Bucky waved him off.

"Oh, she's got nothing on Mika. She was pretty, don't get me wrong, but so soft. Mika is…" he leaned his head against the back of the swing, his mind going in seventeen different directions as he thought of all of her qualities.

"Spit it out, old man!" Steve exclaimed, punching him in the ribs for good measure. That jarred Bucky's mind a little bit.

"Fucking brilliant." he said, curtailing his words before he said anything too lascivious. Steve took another drink from the flask and handed it over so his partner could take one as well. The effects compounded, making his head swim in the best way.

"This is the girl you wanna marry, and all you can give me is two words?" he asked, taking the flask back. "One of 'em doesn't even count!"

"It does too!" Bucky said. The alcohol made him forget to hold his tongue now. "She's so goddamn smart, smart as shit, and so snarky - I'd never met a woman who has a mouth on her like that."

"Oh yea?" Steve asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Not like that." Bucky amended, though he thought of a few nights prior. "Well, also like that though."

"Hot damn!" Steve said, laughing. "You always did talk too much when you were drunk."

"And you were always bugging me for details cause you were too shy to get laid yourself." Bucky retaliated. Steve looked affronted, but before he could respond, Bucky continued. "You know, you very much did interrupt something this morning. Tell me, are you still a virgin, or have you finally pulled the trigger? I need to know if you understand my pain."

"A man does not kiss and tell." Steve said, though the back of his neck was turning red now that the tables were turned on him. Bucky howled with laughter.

"Bull shit!" he said, his voice going higher with the exclamation. "Fucking finally. God, I thought I was gonna bury you as the chaste Catholic boy your ma thought you were after you died from celibacy."

"You're the worst." he said, the blush creeping into his ears. Bucky shoved him, harder than he meant to but not harder than Steve could handle.

"I've been waiting literal decades for this. Speak up, punk." Bucky said. Steve sighed, relenting with little fight.

"She was...someone I worked with. Before all this." he said, gesturing vaguely to the world around them.

"And?" he asked, drawing the word out. They were silent for a minute before Steve started laughing.

"Fucking brilliant." he parroted, leaning back further in the chair and stretching his leg out in front of him. Bucky smacked his arm again.

"Did you do everything I told you to?" he asked, eyebrows raised as if this was the most important question he'd ever asked him. Steve gave him a devilish smirk.

"And then some." he said, making Bucky laugh loudly.

"Atta boy!" he said, making his counterpart let out a hiss of laughter. "Proud of you, kid."

"What are you two yelling about?" Mika asked, coming around the corner and surprising them. Both men clammed up, looking at her as innocently as possible. They were silent, both of them tense as they tried not to buckle under her gaze.

"Nothing." Steve said, his voice high and strained with smothered laughter. She lowered her eyebrows, looking between them and waiting for one to crack. Bucky let out a snort of laughter and tried to stifle it, but his break led to Steve's armor cracking, and soon they were both cackling with laughter, holding their stomachs as tears formed in the corners of their eyes. Mika was caught somewhere between amused and appalled, having never seen either of them act this way before.

"Are you okay?" she asked, chuckling herself as she went to check Bucky's forehead for a fever. His arm shot out, grabbing her waistband and pulling her onto his lap so he could nuzzle into her neck. She squeaked, her arms going around his shoulders as she tried to steady herself on the shifting porch swing.

"Fucking brilliant." he said, causing another round of laughter between the two of them. Mika didn't get the inside joke, but she still giggled. She spotted the flask in Steve's hand and sat back, looking at their faces again.

"Are you two drunk?" she asked, her jaw dropped in shock. They both tried to be silent again, but it barely lasted before they gave in, nodding and giggling like two kids caught sneaking a drink. "Oh my God, I've never gotten to see you drunk."

"He gets chatty," Steve warned, "and also, I'm told, handsy."

"That's unreliable information!" Bucky admonished. "Well, not the chatty part. I do get damn chatty when I've had a couple."

"Can confirm the handsy as well." Mika said slyly, pulling his hand out of the waistband of her jeans and settling it onto her hip.

"Told you." Steve said, pointing at the offending hand, which was trying to creep back to its prior position. She grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers, preventing it from exploring further. He was suddenly aware of the weight of the ring in his pocket, but even his alcohol-addled brain knew it would be a bad idea to bring it out now.

"Shut up." Bucky said. "When Stevie's drunk, he always used to whine about his bad luck with women. But now - now! - he's finally lost his virginity!"

"Buck!" Steve said, shoving him and turning the same shade as a tomato as Bucky threw his head back in laughter. Mika made a pretend proud face, her hands clutching her heart.

"Finally? Oh, Steve, I can't believe it! Only took ninety-nine years-" she said, ganging up on him.

"It wasn't recently, it was a couple years ago!" he interrupted, and Bucky's mouth formed an 'o' at the admission.

"Oh shit, so boy's got experience by now!" he said, making Steve drop his head into his hands. He turned to Mika. "I taught him everything he knows."

"Oh did you now?" she asked, with a lot of implication for four short words. Both Steve and Bucky were quick to defend themselves.

"No! Not like that!" they said together, adding various forms of the same statement. Now it was her turn to laugh, letting them go on for longer than was necessary before holding up her hands and getting them to quiet down.

"I play, I play. Not that I could judge either way." she said with a shrug. Now that they were settled, she made herself a little more comfortable on her seat, leaning heavily against Bucky's chest. "I feel like I need to catch up to you two."

"You do!" Steve said, brandishing the flask, but Bucky pushed it away with a scared look.

"No! It'll kill her!" he whispered, sounding pained as he said it. Steve made a comically frightened face, looking down at the flask.

"You're right." he said. He looked up again, an idea bright on his face. He pushed off the porch swing, stumbling lightly as the blood dropped from his head. "Sangria. I'll get you sangria."

"Good man!" Mika agreed as Steve went into the house. With a moment to themselves, Bucky burrowed into her neck again, holding her close and breathing in the scent of her skin. "And why exactly were you two drinking?"

"Celebrating." he said shortly, pressing his lips together before he spilled out too many details. Her fingers were in his hair, lightly massaging his scalp and running through the long locks.

"Celebrating what?" she asked lightly, wondering if he knew something she didn't. He did, of course, but he wasn't going to admit to that. He kissed her neck once before leaning up to capture her lips in a searing kiss.

"Life, my love." he said lowly, sounding completely sober for a moment. She smiled back at him, brushing his hair away from his face so she could see his blue eyes.

"Good." she replied. She still remembered the days when he didn't celebrate life, when he thought himself a ghost waiting to disappear. But now he was here, with her. She adjusted her position again - something in his pocket was digging into her leg, and she moved so it wasn't. "You've got a lot of life to celebrate."

"You're right." he said. Steve came back out then, an incredibly full glass of sangria in his hand. He gave it to Mika, then raised the flask in a toast.

"To love." he said, an emotion flickering over his face so fast that neither of them could interpret it.

"To life." Mika added, clinking her glass against the flask. Steve took a sip from it, then handed it to Bucky.

"To the Asgardians, and their amazing liquor." he said with a grin, touching it to Mika's glass again and taking a long drink. Mika followed his example, taking a few heavy gulps of the sangria, trying to catch up. The alcohol loosened their lips and their inhibitions, and she felt like she was getting a glimpse to the true Bucky, the way he'd been before all the horrible things that happened to him. He and Steve regaled her with embarrassing stories at each other's expense, interrupting each other with commentary. They played Never Have I Ever (which neither Bucky nor Steve had played before) like a bunch of university students, Mika losing the game way faster than either of them. And just like in university, they were too lazy and drunk to cook by the time the hunger hit, and munched on the chopped veggies and fruits that Bucky had prepared earlier while Mika drunkenly baked something, following her heart instead of a recipe. They laughed, danced, messed around, and in general, had fun.

For one night, they weren't two super soldiers and a woman mixed up in it all. They were just friends, celebrating life.

Ah man, I do love a good slice of life chapter! And all these saucy nuggets messing around. Do you know how long I've been waiting to write about that ring? And drunk Bucky and Steve? I hope y'all enjoyed it as much as I did!

Thank you thank you! For the reviews! There weren't as many as usual last chapter, but no matter, I understand people are busy and have lives! Just know that I love and cherish every note I get from y'all, they seriously keep me going.

I hope y'all liked this chapter! Please please please let me know what you thought!

-XM