March 2017, Wakanda
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Buckyyyyy… Happy birthday to you!"
Bucky looked up from his book, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he laughed, somewhat embarrassed when he saw - or, rather, heard - Jasmine walking through the door. She was carrying a cupcake, a single lit candle stuck in the top of it, her hand curled around it to keep the flame from going out as she walked towards him with a grin.
"I told you I didn't want a fuss."
Jas narrowed her eyes. "This isn't a fuss, it's a cupcake," she replied, carefully lowering herself to her knees and holding the cake out to him. "And you're a hundred years old so even if I did make a fuss, you deserve it. You gotta blow the candle out before the wax drips on to the icing though, Gramps."
Bucky rolled his eyes and leaned forwards, softly blowing out the candle, his heart swelling when Jas beamed at him. "What kind of cupcake is it?"
"It's an Oreo cupcake! Steve said you like Oreos," she held it out to him and Bucky took hold of it, eyeing it curiously.
"So… Where's the Oreo?"
"Well I- it's- it's a cookies and creme cake, really," Jas explained, waving a hand dismissively. "Like the icing on top has crushed up Oreos in, and there's more when you bite inside the cupcake, and… and- and I ate it, okay?!" she groaned, and Bucky scoffed. "I couldn't put the candle in with the cookie just perched on top of the cake! So it had to go, and it's a shame to waste an Oreo. So I ate it."
"You could have taken it off just before you put the candle in, and then given it to me once the candle was out."
"I could have," Jas nodded. "But I didn't. I needed energy for the long, long walk back from town. Sustenance in case I had to fight those unruly goats outside," she sighed dramatically.
Bucky gave her a look. "I'm not sure it's the goats who are the unruly ones," he quipped as he began trying to unwrap the cupcake.
"Oh, you got jokes now, old man?"
"You're the only person they don't like!" he laughed.
"That's because they know I'm a little bit scared of them-"
"A little bit?!" Bucky interrupted. "You almost crawled into my lap yesterday when Frodo got a little too close to you!"
"It's an intimidation tactic, Buck! They know they make me nervous so they do it all the more," she whined pitifully, wincing as she watched him fumble with the paper wrapper of the cupcake. "Do you, uhm, do you want me to take the wrapper off for you?"
"Oh - uh," Bucky stammered, his cheeks flushing as he handed it over to her. "Thanks. I'm- sometimes I-… I'm still getting used to doing stuff with one arm, you know?"
"I get it," Jas shrugged her shoulders as she peeled the case off and passed the cupcake back to Bucky. "It's an adjustment. You're doing better than I'd be doing," she told him, sucking her thumb into her mouth to get rid of the buttercream she'd accidentally swiped off the cupcake as Bucky took a big bite out of the cake. She let out a moan. "That buttercream is so good - hey, can I have a bite?"
"Hmm…" Bucky swallowed, humming thoughtfully before shooting her a smirk. "No," he told her, shoving the rest of the cake in his mouth in one go.
Jas' mouth fell open in shock and she stared at him for a few seconds, before letting out a snort of laughter and flopping down to sit beside him on the floor. "That was so rude, Bucky. Next time I won't bother getting you a birthday cake."
"Okay. I did say I didn't want a fuss."
"But you're a hundred years old," she whined. "Speaking off, for such an old man you're not one for comfort, are you? You're always sitting on the floor."
"S'comfier," he shrugged nonchalantly. "And I live in a hut," he added, and Jas hummed in agreement as she dug something out of her bag and held it out towards him, poking him in the chest with it. Bucky stared down at it suspiciously. "What's this?"
"It's a birthday present."
"I told you not to get me anything!"
"I didn't buy it!"
"Did you steal a gift for me?!"
"No!" Jas laughed. "God, you're so annoying. Just open it and I'll explain," she gestured towards the gift that was still sitting in Bucky's lap. He didn't need to unwrap it to know it was a book; he could feel the cracked spine through the thin wrapping paper as he turned it over in his hand, letting him know that it wasn't a new book and she was telling the truth, she hadn't bought anything for him, like he'd asked.
"You don't wanna open this for me, too?"
"Bucky!" she whined.
"Okay, alright," he laughed quietly, picking at the corner of a piece of sellotape with his fingernail as he balanced the book on his thigh and pulled the paper back.
He'd been right in assuming it wasn't a new book; the pages were discoloured with age, and it was the kind of thick that books only got after they'd been read numerous times. Turning it over in his hands, his gaze snapped to Jasmine when he read the title.
She bit down on her bottom lip. "Told you I didn't buy you anything," she whispered, pulling her legs up to her chest and resting her chin on her knees. "Sorry it's secondhand, but I didn't wanna break the rules."
"Jasmine, I-" Bucky let out a breath as he held the book out to her. "I can't accept this."
"What?" she frowned. "Why not?"
"I- it's your favourite book? And I know this is your copy, it's the one your Grandpa bought you, right? The one you've had since-"
"High school yeah," she nodded, pushing his hand back towards him. "And now it's yours, to borrow if you're so insistent on not being able to accept it. You need to read something that isn't by Tolkien and like you said, this is my favourite book, so I'd love it if you read it and told me what you think of it. Everyone deserves to get lost in Narnia at one point in their lives."
Bucky shook his head, staring down at the book in his hand.
He didn't know why she was so nice to him, why she was so kind. He'd done nothing to deserve it and yet here she was, gifting him a copy of her favourite book that she'd had since she was a teenager, complete with little notes and doodles in the margins, certain passages highlighted.
He'd almost killed her - twice - and here she was, giving him a gift that meant so much to her.
"This is-" Bucky's voice cracked, and he coughed to clear his throat. "This is really special, Jasmine. Thank you."
She quirked a brow curiously. "Not gonna cry on me are you, Barnes?" she teased lightly, and Bucky snorted as he reached over to shove her. Jas laughed, holding her phone up in front of them. "C'mon, we're taking a birthday selfie."
"Oh- no, I'm-"
"C'mere!" Jas threw an arm around his shoulders and Bucky rolled his eyes, shuffling closer to her knowing there was no way he was getting away with not taking a picture - if there was one thing he'd learnt about Jasmine since becoming her friend, it was that she was notoriously snap-happy and had to capture every moment she wanted to remember on camera.
"You're such a menace," he murmured.
"Shut up, you love me. Smile!"
Bucky didn't have time to react as Jas pressed her lips to his cheek and snapped the photo on her phone. He was sure he'd look like an idiot, his fears confirmed when he heard her giggling as she stared at her phone screen.
"Okay, no, that's terrible - take another one-"
"You just want me to kiss you again," she winked, and Bucky's cheeks flushed. "You do look shocked on this, though. I can't put this on my wall when you have your mouth hanging open. So, okay, we'll take another one," she shrugged, putting her arm around his neck and pulling him closer, mimicking their earlier pose, only this time Bucky was grinning widely at the camera. "I like this one," Jas smiled up at him. "Definitely one for my wall."
"You can't even see your face!"
"All I'm hearing is that you want another picture," she held the camera up again, laughing when Bucky held his hand up to cover his face. Wrapping her fingers around his wrist, Jas pulled his hand away from his face and Bucky's stomach flipped when he saw the smile she was giving him.
It was his favourite smile.
One that was sweet, that made her entire face light up and Bucky hoped it was a smile she reserved just for him, though he knew he didn't deserve it.
How could he?
She wasn't even his. Any smile like this should have been reserved for her boyfriend, not for Bucky, but he couldn't help himself. When Jasmine looked at him the way she often did, he felt as though he was burning up inside. She lit a fire inside of him like no one else ever had before, and he wanted so desperately to be cured.
To be better.
For her.
"You're doing that staring thing again, Buck," Jas told him softly, her voice laced with concern, and he shook his head quickly.
"Sorry," he apologised. "I was thinking."
"Well stop, because, look," she waved her phone in his face. "Steve is facetiming! Surprise!"
"What does that mean?" Bucky's face scrunched up in confusion. Jas just rolled her eyes in reply as she tapped at her phone and then suddenly Steve's face was taking up the screen.
"Hey, Buck!"
"Stevie you gotta move the phone back a bit, babe, we can see right up your nose," Jas giggled.
"Oh, okay, hold on…" he paused, fumbling with the phone and they got quick glimpses of the ceiling, the ground, Steve's feet, Sam lying asleep on a sofa behind him, Steve's chest, and then his face came back into view. "Is that better?" he asked, and Jas couldn't help but smile fondly. "Happy birthday, Buck!"
Bucky grinned. "Thanks, man."
"What are you guys up to today?"
"Oh, we've got plans."
Bucky turned to Jas with a confused frown. "We do?"
"Of course we do," she rolled her eyes. "You didn't think I was gonna let your 100th birthday go by with no plans, did you? C'mon, Barnes. You really thought I was just gonna get you a cupcake?"
Bucky shoved his face closer to the phone. "An Oreo cupcake, Steve! Except she ate the oreo!"
Jas yanked on Bucky's ponytail and scoffed, manoeuvring the phone away from him. "I was hungry, Steve! Honestly, your friend is so ungrateful. I hauled my ass all the way to town and back again and he begrudges me a tiny little cookie?"
"That's so selfish, Buck," Steve told him with a smirk, and Bucky rolled his eyes. "Hey, I'm sorry I can't be there to celebrate with you guys-"
"Why can't you?" Jas interrupted him and, after hearing Steve's heavy sigh, Bucky winced slightly. "I mean, I get the whole fugitive thing, I really do, but Nat's visited twice. I saw Sam a couple weeks ago. I haven't- Steve, we haven't seen each other since- since Bucky went under."
"Jasmine," Steve sighed again as though he was already sick of talking about the topic, and Bucky cleared his throat as he flipped open the book Jas had gifted him, deciding it would be best if he focused on something else and removed himself from this conversation. "You know I can't. If anyone found out-"
"You know T'Challa wouldn't tell anyone."
"I can't keep asking favours of him-"
"He offered, Stevie," Jas said quietly. "Or I could- I could come to wherever you are."
"You know why that's not a good idea, honey. They'll… Tony will know, if you go somewhere, that you're coming to me. They'll have you followed. I can't risk anything happening to you."
"They'll have me followed? Really?" she scoffed. "Because I've made it to Wakanda and back a whole bunch of times and no one has tried to stop me. I went to see Sam and no one tailed me and believe me, I was checking. Nat's drilled her own paranoia into me. If you don't want to see us, Steve, you can just-"
"Enough!" Steve barked, his voice deepening as his Captain persona took over. Bucky paused his reading when he felt Jas tense beside him and he frowned, looking up at the screen. "We've been over this! I'll see you when it's safe to do so, and not a moment before then. Do not bring it up again."
"Hey!" Bucky snapped, his book falling into his lap as his fingers wrapped around Jas' wrist and he pulled the phone towards him. "Don't speak to her like that. She misses you."
Steve didn't say anything for a good few seconds, his head cocked to the side as he watched his best friend through the screen and Bucky swallowed thickly. Perhaps he'd overstepped, he shouldn't have said anything, shouldn't be getting involved in their relationship but if Steve was waiting for an apology from Bucky for his outburst, then he'd be waiting a long time. He wasn't going to apologise for something he wasn't sorry for.
Steve didn't know how lucky he was, to have someone like Jasmine who would wait for him.
"…You're right," Steve cleared his throat. "You're right, Buck. I'm sorry, Jas, things have been a little… stressed around here, lately. We're all going a little stir-crazy and we miss home. I miss you. Both of you."
"We miss you too, Stevie," Jas whispered, her teeth sinking in to her bottom lip as she glanced at Bucky out of the corner of her eye. "Uhm, do you two wanna, you know, talk? I can just go wait outside. With the goats," she shuddered, and Steve laughed quietly.
"It's okay, honey. We should probably keep the calls short, anyway."
"Right," Jas nodded. "Of course. Just in case."
"Just in case," he repeated quietly, before clearing his throat. "Hey, Buck, have a good rest of your birthday, alright? Don't let her steal any more food off of you," Steve raised his eyebrows, both he and Bucky grinning when Jas let out a loud scoff. "And take care of my girl, alright?"
His girl.
Steve's girl.
A reminder.
Bucky gulped. Steve knew. He nodded slowly, running his hand through his hair.
"Sure, Steve," he smiled weakly. "Not much to protect her from here in Wakanda, though."
"Well, there's the goats," Steve hummed, and Bucky laughed quietly.
"Yeah, right. I'll protect her from the goats, even though she can run faster than they can."
"You know what?" Jas huffed. "I'm ending this call if you're both just going to make fun of my very real, totally not irrational fear of those goats. I'm hanging up now. Call back later okay, Steve? I love you."
Steve grinned. "Ditto. Bye, Buck! Have fun you guys!"
"I never should have made him watch that damn movie," she grumbled under her breath as the call ended, the screen going back. Bucky tilted his head to the side in confusion, and Jas shook her head. "Ditto. It's- it's something from a movie- you know, it doesn't matter? It's a movie I'm gonna make you watch someday, too. I have a whole list of things to get you back to this year."
"Oh, God," Bucky groaned, laughing when Jas elbowed him with an offended squeak. "So… We've got plans?" he raised his eyebrows expectantly and Jas beamed, giving him that smile as she clapped her hands together.
"You bet we do, Bucko!" Jas wiggled her eyebrows. "I hope you're ready, because I'm about to make sure you have the best birthday of your whole entire life."
hi this took me 84 years to update i'm sorry, i really struggled with this chapter and i'm still not entirely sure i'm happy with it! also ps i promise i don't hate steve, he's my favourite character lol
anyways let me know what you think!
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