Chapter twenty one

Bucky laid across the couch in his and Steve's living room. It was a slow day and not to mention freezing! Fall was finally kicking in and the leaves were changing, but it also meant the temperature was going down as well. He didn't like it. He hated the cold. It reminded him too much of when he was put away after every mission. That's why he was currently bundled up in a pair of sweatpants, sweatshirt, and had a blanket wrapped around him.

He stared absentmindedly at the TV. He was watching Enlisted, chuckling occasionally. It was quiet. Steve was on another date with Sharon. He rolled his eyes, smirking. The two had been dating for two months now. He was wondering when the blonde woman would move in with his friend. He turned his gaze away from the TV and out the window as he thought of his own blonde. Tracey and him had been dating for nearly a month now. Things were going great with them. He couldn't be happier and he could only hope that Tracey was just as happy as he was.

"Bucky!"

He smiled to himself. Well that answered my question.

He looked up and saw Tracey standing at the end of the couch. She was grinning as she looked over the top of a large box in her arms. He smiled and raised an eyebrow.

"What's up, doll?" he greeted, sitting up and making room for Tracey.

"I've got a surprise for you," she said, sitting down and placing the box on the coffee table.

He laughed. "What's the surprise?"

"Open the box!" Her grin was getting bigger and he didn't know how much bigger it could get.

He rolled his eyes, chuckling. He reached for the cardboard box and hefted it onto his lap. The thing was heavier than he expected. What was in this thing? Tearing the tape off the lid and opening it he saw another box. He gave Tracey a look, she only shrugged. Guess she didn't know there'd be another box either.

"Just keep opening it," she urged him.

Pulling the second box out he saw a picture on it. It looked like a radio. It looked like a radio he would have had at his apartment back in the forties. He looked to Tracey and saw her grinning again.

"What do you think?" she asked. "I ordered it from Target. It's a radio, record player, CD player, and surprisingly a cassette player," she said, pointing to each word under the picture. "What do you think?" she repeated, looking at him hopefully.

A smile grew on his face. "Trace, this is awesome. You didn't have to though. How much was it? Let me pay you back," he said, as he pulled the radio out.

Tracey shook her head. "It's a gift. You don't have to pay me back. I thought you might like to listen to some music that you're used to. I also bought a Frank Sinatra and Glenn Miller Band record as well," she said, handing him a smaller and flatter box.

He smiled taking it, but quickly placed it down and pulled Tracey into his arms. "Thank you, Tracey. You really didn't have to."

"I know, I wanted to," she said, hugging him back. She grinned when they let go. "Come on! Let's open it and plug it in."

She grabbed his hand once he picked the radio up and dragged him to a corner of the room. Once he was done setting up the radio he turned to Tracey, who held out one of the records. Bucky chuckled as he took it. Soon the room was filled with music as the record spun in circles.

"What song is this?" Tracey asked, looking at the list of songs from the vinyl's album.

Bucky took the cover and set it down, taking her hand in his. "As Time Goes By," he answered.

He pulled her to him, smiling down at her. He began to sway, spinning them around as the song played. Tracey smiled contently as she leaned against him. She blushed lightly when she heard him sing the song to her. She rested her head against his chest, what with her five four stature, and smiled when Bucky leaned his head against hers.

"Tracey," Bucky broke the silence.

"Yeah?" Tracey said, looking up at him.

He stopped dancing and looked at her. He smiled as he looked into those brown eyes. He took the hand he was holding and brought it to his lips. He smiled again as he saw Tracey blush. He loved it when he was able to make her blush.

"Its been a month since we've dated," he began. "I-"

"You're not proposing are you?" Tracey asked, raising an eyebrow.

Bucky spluttered, going wide eyed. "N-no God no! I mean no I-"

Tracey's eyes crinkled as she giggled at her boyfriend. "I'm messing with you, Sergeant. Sorry, keep going," she said, still giggling.

He shook his head. This woman was either the best thing to happen to him or she was going to be the death of him. He put both arms around her waist, smiling down at her.

"You're annoying you, you know that?"

"Hey, you chose to date me."

"Yeah…" he said, staring at her with a smile. "Tracey, Steve, he uh found something of mine from the war that I never thought I'd see again," he said, pulling his dog tags out from under his sweatshirt. He looked at them, still amazed that Steve had them. He was grateful for everything Steve did. How was he going to pay he back. He turned back to Tracey as she stared at the tags, a smile on her face.

"Are those your dog tags?" she asked, reaching a hand up to read what it said.

"Yeah," he said, still watching her as she examined them. "Trace, I want you to have them."

Tracey blinked, staring at the soldier with wide eyes. "What? Bucky, I can't. They're your dog tags. I can't take them."

Bucky smirked and took the necklace off. He placed it around Tracey's neck. "I want you to have them. I'm going to be going on missions soon, I don't want to lose them and I can't think of giving them to anyone else, but you."

Tracey smiled at him, pink dusting her cheeks. She looked down at the tags, lightly touching them. She looked back up at him. "I'll take care of them."

"Good," he said, smiling. "And when I'm gone, you'll have something to remind you of me."

She rolled her eyes. "That's so cheesy," she laughed.

"You know you like it, darling," he winked.

"How many forties nicknames are you going to give me?"

"What I can't call you darling?"

"It's kinda an old thing to say, isn't it?"

"Do you not like it?"

"No, I never said that. I'm just now realizing that I'm dating an old man," she smirked.

He smirked back. "You chose to date me," he mocked.

She punched his chest making him laugh. "Don't make fun of me."

"I wouldn't dream of it, doll," Bucky said.

He smiled down at her, watching as she looked at the tags. The way he pictured her wearing the tags when he first got them back wasn't how it was now. Seeing her wear them made his heart swell. Tracey was the girl for him. He now realized that living in the twenty first century was where he was supposed to be. Being with some girl back in the forties wouldn't have been the same. He wouldn't feel the same as he did with Tracey.

He opened his mouth to say something to her only to be interrupted by the ringing from his phone. Looking at the screen he saw it was from Steve. Bucky rolled his eyes while Tracey laughed. She smiled as she watched Bucky fiddle with the device. He had just gotten the phone two weeks ago and had successfully figured out how to work most of it, but had some slip ups here and there.

"What's up?" Bucky greeted.

"There's an emergency down in the city. Some building collapsed. I need your help," Steve said quickly. Bucky could hear the sounds of people screaming and sirens blaring in the background.

"Alright, I'm on my way," Bucky said. He turned to Tracey. "Something's happening, I have to go. I'll see you later?"

Tracey laughed. "I better. I actually have to get going. I just bought some groceries and some of them are probably melting by now." She kissed his cheek. "Bye, Sergeant."

"Bye, doll."

ooOOo

Bucky trudged into the tower. He was tired. After rescuing people through the collapsed building he and Steve were bombarded with press and cameras. Questions were flown at them from every which way. Once one news reporter realized who he was everyone was surrounding him. He was just grateful Steve was there to help get them to back off or else Bucky wasn't sure what would have happened. It was just an uncomfortable situation. That is until a little girl he had rescued ran up and gave him a hug. That made the effort worthwhile.

Entering Tracey's floor he saw the blonde on the couch with the TV on and computer in front of her. She turned around and greeted him with a smile. He sighed, relieved and out of exhaustion and made his way over to her. He plopped himself down next to her, resting his head on the back of the couch.

"Are you tired, Sergeant?" Tracey asked, running her hand through his hair.

"Just a little, darling," he said, taking her hand a kissing it.

"I saw you on the news," she commented, smiling as he ran a hand down his face. "You were great. They're calling you the new Avenger."

He smiled. "I like the sound of that."

"You were also a hit with the ladies," she smirked. "Other than the little girl of course."

Bucky cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Tracey laughed and changed the channel to the news. There were two women, about Tracey's age – possibly younger – talking to a news reporter. One was going on about Captain America and the other was talking about Bucky.

He shook his head, laughing at the reporter's comment about him being the new heartthrob Avenger. "Is this what it was like when the Avengers formed?"

"You should have seen the news. That's all they were talking about for two weeks. Steve told me that a lot of girls would giggle when he walked by them. Heck, every one of the guys has fangirls. Even Natasha. Now you too."

"That's fine by me, they can fawn over me all they want," he said, laughing when he saw Tracey roll her eyes. He put an arm around her, pulling her to him. "But I've got a girl already."

"You're a real charmer, Buck," she laughed. "Now let me go. I need to get the rest of the files sorted."

She leaned forward on the edge of her seat as she worked on her laptop. She typed away at the keyboard, looking up occasionally to see what they were talking about on the news. Bucky leaned back in his seat, smiling as he watched Tracey work. He reached a hand out and ran his it up and down her back as he watched the news. They remained like that for a few more minutes before Tracey spoke up.

"Bucky…"

The soldier raised a brow. There was hesitation in her voice when she said his name. He leaned forward, resting his hand on the middle of her back. "Baby, what's wrong."

Tracey didn't turn around, only stared at her computer screen. She bit her lip. "I found some files…"

"What files? Tracey, what did you find?" he asked, his brow arching up. What was making her act this way?

"Bucky…they're the files on you…" she said, looking up at him. She searched his face, worried what his reaction would be.

Bucky's face hardened as he stared at the file on the screen. Everything about him and what he had done over the years was on there. He knew that. His glare darkened as he continued to stare at it. His brow furrowed.

"Get rid of it."

"What?" Tracey blinked.

"Get rid of it. I don't care. Whatever is on there needs to be deleted. HYDRA will use it again if they can't have me. No one should go through what I've been through. No one. Get rid of it," he said, never taking his eyes off the computer.

Tracey nodded quickly and set to work. After a few quick minutes she pressed a final key and the file disappeared off the screen. She turned back to Bucky as he continued to stare at the spot where the file used to be. She reached up and brushed his hair back, placing her hand on his cheek.

"Bucky, what you did wasn't your fault. I know you've probably heard that from everyone, but it's true. You were in no control. You didn't know what was wrong and what was good. You fought with HYDRA because you didn't remember who you were or who they were. You fought with them because you thought they were the good guys. You were brainwashed to believe that what they were doing was for good. I believe a part of you was still with the Winter Soldier wanting to fight for good. You're not a bad man, Bucky. You're one of the bravest and kindest person I've met. You're brave to finally stand up for yourself and against HYDRA after all these years. Your past doesn't define you. It's how you learn from it and become a better person. You're kind. You protect people. You just helped save people's lives today. Not to mention you've saved me. You're a good man. I'm proud of what you've done since you've gotten your memories back."

Bucky gave her a small smile, holding her hand against his cheek. "Thank you, Tracey."

He placed his hand on her cheek, rubbing his thumb across her cheek bone. She was this amazing woman and no matter what he did or say, she never thought badly of him. He smiled as he stared at her, receiving a smile from her. He leaned forward. But just as he did the elevator doors opened to Steve and Tony.

"Hey, Winter Wonderman!" Tony called out. "Get up, we need you downstairs for a quick meeting."

Bucky closed his eyes, growling. Tracey giggled, pushing him up. The soldier reluctantly got up and followed the two out of the elevator. He glared at the billionaire once the elevator moved.

"What?" Tony asked, genuinely confused as to why he was receiving the death glare.

Steve chuckled. "I think you may have ruined a moment for Bucky."

"Again…" the brunet super soldier glowered.

"You were going to kiss, Mona Lisa," Tony grinned.

"'Were' being the key word," Steve said, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall.

"Haven't you kissed her yet?" Tony asked.

"No," Bucky answered, running a hand through his hair. "I uh haven't found the right moment."

"The right moment? Oh god, Robocop! Come on!" Tony said, throwing his hands in the air. "Just kiss her!" His face grew serious as he looked at the dark haired man next to him. "If I were you, I'd do it before these missions start. Once they do you'll be gone for who knows how long. You don't want to leave before you get the chance, pal."

"Tony's right, Buck," Steve spoke up. "We don't know when the first mission will be and we don't know who will be the first to go. These missions could take longer than we might think. You could be gone for weeks on one. Don't do that to yourself."

Bucky sighed. "I know…"

"Tracey's good for you," the blonde soldier continued. "I haven't heard you have another nightmare since you started dating."

"Yeah…" he said, smiling lightly.

"Come on, Casanova," Tony said as the elevator stopped. "You can have your chance with Mona Lisa after the meeting."

Bucky rolled his eyes as he and Steve followed the scientist off.

ooOOoo

Tracey smiled as she searched through the pantry. She had just found the old recipe book her mother gave her a month ago and found the Devil's Food Cake recipe she loved as a kid. She had nothing going on at the moment now that she had finished up with her bit of file searching for the day and thought baking a cake would be something fun to do. Not to mention the team would appreciate it. She laughed knowing that Barry, Clint, and Thor would devour the entire thing on their own if they were given the chance.

She grabbed the flour, sugar, chocolate, and everything else needed for the cake, setting to work.

Bucky walked off the elevator to her floor just as Tracey was setting things out and bustling around the kitchen. He smiled and quickly and quietly moved over to where she was as her back was turned. Standing behind her, he leaned his head next to her ear and as he poked her sides he shouted "Boo".

Tracey jumped, whirling around to her assailant. "Oh my lord, Bucky! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" she laughed.

He grinned. "Basically."

She rolled her eyes. "Ha ha." She paused as she pulled out a bowl. "How was the meeting?"

"It was just us discussing what our plans for finding the HYDRA bases were. We'll be splitting up into teams on each mission. Right now Natasha and Clint are gone to the first one. Thanks to your files of course," he said with a wink making her giggle. "So what are you doing?" he asked, dipping his finger in the chocolate she had just melted.

"I'm making a cake," she said, smacking his hand away. "And that's not for you. I need that." She laughed when Bucky just stuck his finger in his mouth, eating the chocolate with a grin. She shook her head, rolling her eyes. "Go find something else to eat if you're hungry, not my chocolate."

He laughed as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. He rested his chin on her shoulder. "Do you need any help?"

She smiled at him, poking his nose. "Sure, as long as you don't eat the ingredients," she joked.

He smiled and walked over to the other side of her. Looking at the ingredients and bowls he couldn't help but smile. Seeing all of it reminded him of how his mother would bake cakes for his and Rebecca's birthday. He'd had always wanted to help his mother out just a bit, but never got the chance to ask. He'd always keep Rebecca out of the kitchen so she wouldn't see the cake. He smiled over at Tracey as she grabbed some eggs out of the fridge. Maybe now he'd get the chance to see what baking a cake was all about.

"Can you mix the flour and eggs together for me?" Tracey asked, sliding the metal bowl towards him. "I'm going to start on the icing."

"Not a problem, doll," he said. He smiled when he saw the light dusting of pink on her cheeks at his nickname for her. He turned to the bowl in front of him and saw the eggs and flour already in it. Looking around, he couldn't find the spoon to mix them together. However, he found a strange thing that had two whisks at the end. "Trace," he said, looking at the switch on the top. "What does this thi- Shit!"

He had flipped the device on. Unfortunately he had held it too close to the bowl which resulted in eggs and flour flying all over the place. Tracey had turned around, ready to answer his question, only to get hit in the face with the egg and flour mixture.

"That would be the mixer," she said, wiping her face off. "You're supposed to put it in the bowl or this will happened."

Originally she was annoyed, having the ingredients all over her and that she'd have to clean up the mess, but she tried to hold in laughter when she saw Bucky's face. He was white as a ghost. She burst out laughing.

She snorted. "You have a little something on your face," she said, pointing to her own cheek. "And here, and here," she said pointing to her chin, forehead and other cheek. "But you missed a spot," she said, taking the egg on her hands and wiping it on his nose.

Bucky blinked, mouth slightly ajar. It turned into a smirk as he grabbed a handful of flour that was still leftover in the bowl. "I think we might need more flour," he said and threw it on her face.

Tracey coughed as the cloud of flour cleared up. She narrowed her eyes at the dark haired man and soon smirked as she grabbed her own handful of flour.

"I think you're right, we do need more flour," she stated throwing it in his face. A satisfied smile crossed her face as she crossed her arms.

Bucky smirked and grabbed the bottle of vanilla extract from the counter. He quickly flicked some of it onto his girlfriend's face. "Needed to be a bit sweeter," he said with a smile and a shrug.

She grabbed an egg from the carton. "I think we forgot an egg." Before he could react she smashed it on his head. She grinned victoriously at him.

He shook his head, sighing. "Tracey, you shouldn't have done that." He quickly grabbed the bowl of chocolate and poured it on the top of the blonde's head.

She gasped, mouth open as the chocolate dripped down her head and face. She raised her eyes up to him. "You're gonna pay for that." She reached for the bowl, trying to snatch it from him.

"Nope!" Bucky grinned, pulling bowl away from her. He moved his arm above his head as she tried to reach for it again.

"I swear to God, Bucky…" she said, glaring up at him with a tiny smile that she was trying to suppress.

He laughed as he set the bottle down. He grinned as he looked at the chocolate dripping down her face. He began to wipe it off. God she was beautiful! How did he deserve someone like her?

He leaned down, closing the space between them. Tracey felt her cheeks heat up as she smiled lightly up at him. She leaned up.

Their lips met and Bucky slowly wrapped his arms around Tracey's waist, pulling her close to him. He smiled into the kiss when he felt her arms wrap around his neck. His first kiss in seventy years and he couldn't have been happier. This kiss made him feel like he was flying.

He put a hand on her head, tangling his fingers in her hair as he deepened the kiss. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip and smiled lightly when she opened her mouth. His hand on her back rested on her lower back, holding her close to him. She smiled as they kissed when he did so. He didn't want this to end, but they eventually needed air.

Tracey smiled up at him as he smiled down at her. "Finally."

Bucky laughed. "Sorry," he said, moving the hand in her hair to rest on her back again.

She leaned up and kissed him. "Don't be." She blushed as she grinned up at him as he rested his forehead against hers, a similar grin on his face. "I'd hate to kill the mood, but you're going to have to help clean this before Dexter gets to the chocolate," she said pointing to the dog that was sniffing the area. "Dexter no!" She called out just as he was about to eat some. He froze and stared at her before walking away. "Come on," she said to Bucky with a smile.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him. He kissed her once more. "You know, you're a lot sweeter than cake." He grinned widely when he saw her turn red and try to hide the smile on her face.

"Come on, Sergeant," she said, still blushing.

"Alright, darling," he said, kissing her cheek as she handed him cleaning supplies.

It finally happened! Trucky finally had their first kiss! And this is also my longest chapter! We have Bucky giving Tracey his dog tags, a quick (sorry) intro to Bucky being seen by the world as the new Avenger, Tracey teaching him how to bake, and then their kiss! I really hope you liked it!

A big thanks to mokonahapuuuuuu for helping me figure out how I wanted their first kiss to play out!

I got this chapter done in one day surprisingly. Usually it takes me a couple of days to get a chapter done. Again it is 2 am and I'm an idiot for being up. I'm a night owl. Someone help me haha. But I'm posting this now because tomorrow I might not get a chance. It's my university's first home football game and I'll most likely be out with friends all day.

If you'd like to ask the Avengers and Madison twins any questions feel free. I have a tumblr account just for this story, ask the Avengers, and Marvel related posts. I honestly LOVE getting questions for the guys to answer and I love to hear from my followers even if they just want to talk with me.

Also that record player in this chapter exists! I have it and I'm in LOVE with it!

PLEASE READ: Since this story is coming to an end real soon I am planning on doing a story with oneshots for each chapter of what goes on in the lives of the Avengers, the Madison twins, and Trucky. I have a few ideas already planned out, but if you guys have anything you'd like to see, please send me a prompt at my tumblr account.

winter-is-ending

I love hearing your thoughts on each chapter so feel free to leave a review. They make me smile every time I see them! I love you guys! Thank you so so much!You guys are AMAZING!