~~~ 1 year later~~~
Bucky wakes at 4 AM with a start, a loud crash from the kitchen sends him stalking down the hallway with his pistol in hand. As he rounds the corner he breathes a sigh of relief when he realizes it's just Darcy.
"What the hell?!" Darcy says, eyeing the gun in his hand, "Geez Louise, you really are overprotective of your Oreos, Steve was right."
Bucky shoves the gun in his waistband and pulls Darcy close, "I'm sorry, Darc, I heard a crash and it woke me up. Got spooked 'is all."
She smiled up at him and gave him a peck on the lips. In the soft moonlight filtering through the curtains he could just make out her silhouette, and he gently caressed her newly swollen stomach.
"I got up to get a snack, and I couldn't reach, and I knocked over the blender. Too fat, stumpy legs, T-rex arms."
Bucky chuckled softly and fetched the Oreos from the shelf for her. He was still in awe of the life they had created with one another, and the new lives that were on their way to join them.
Bucky had proposed to Darcy in August, by the fountain in the park that she always said reminded her of the TV show 'Friends'. They hadn't exactly been able to get married, since Bucky was technically listed as deceased by the state of New York. But they were able to have a Wakandan ceremony, which was beautiful and truly everything they could have wanted. They honeymooned on one of Stark's private islands, and it was there they discovered that 100 year old sperm apparently does still have the potential to impregnate a very healthy 30 year old… Poor Darcy spent the last three days of their trip feeling rather nauseous, and not being able to enjoy any more pina coladas...
When they arrived back home, Tony's doctor confirmed Darcy's pregnancy, and just about sent the both of them to the grave with his other bit of insight: it was with twins.
"I hope our daughter inherits your T-rex arms," Bucky said, kissing the top of Darcy's head.
"And I hope our son doesn't inherit your inability to share food."
One boy and one girl. 'Now all we need is a white picket fence and a Golden Retriever named Duke' Darcy had said right after finding out, which honestly sounded perfect to Bucky. But for now they were content nesting in their apartment, close by to loved ones who were ready to pitch in and help care for the twins once they arrived.
Winnifred Jane & James Grant Lewis, named after Bucky's mother, Jane, Bucky's father, and Steve, respectively. And not to be left out, Sam, Nat, Tony, and Pepper were set to be the godparents. It was Bucky's idea to use Darcy's surname, it felt more important to him for her name to be carried on than his. 'Plus, the world doesn't need a James Barnes running around.'
Bucky's train of thought is interrupted by Darcy loudly crunching on a cookie. "You want a glass of milk with those?" She nodded gleefully and went to sit down, so he poured them each a glass before joining her at the kitchen table. Bucky had never fancied himself one to settle down with a wife and kids, but this felt right. Everything he knew about the Bucky Barnes from before he'd been captured suggested he was destined to spend his life filling some void with meaningless one night stands. It was almost like he'd needed to have the pause button hit on his life, for the last 70 some odd years, in order for that hole to be filled once and for all. Since, there had been no Darcy back then, to make him feel like the luckiest man on Earth.
"Don't forget we have birthing class on Wednesday," Darcy said, wiping her milk mustache with her sleeve, "And then tomorrow we need to hit Walmart for some supplies."
"This is not how I was planning on spending my retirement years," Bucky joked, "I was thinking Bingo and all you can eat buffets, not birthing classes and burp rags."
"Then next time don't assume you're shooting blanks, Barnes," Darcy said coyly.
"Maybe if you weren't so damn sexy this wouldn't have happened," he shot back.
Darcy waggled her eyebrows at him and chomped another cookie, "Well your only mission from now on is to make sure you wrap it before you tap it, because we are not doing this again. Two is plenty. Two is perfect."
"Copy that," Bucky said, taking another Oreo and shoving it in his mouth.
They sat in silence, other than their munching. They succeeded in polishing off the rest of the cookies before Darcy let out a yawn, and Bucky carried her back to bed. He gently tucked her in before sliding under the sheets next to her.
"Love you, Lewis," he whispered.
"Love you, Barnes," she whispered back.
As he fell into a relaxing slumber, it occurred to him that this is what heaven must be like. Peace, love, comfort, and someone important to share all of that with. Finally, after decades of yearning to feel like he was where he was meant to be, he finally was: he was home.
/ERROR CODE 025: NO THREAT LEVEL DETECTED/
[11.02.2020: ATTEMPTED SYSTEM REBOOT]
/REBOOT FAILED, ASSET STATUS = OFFLINE
/ERROR CODE 001: ASSET DEACTIVATED/
tysm to everyone who read, liked, & commented! i hope you like that i gave bucky the fluffy cute ending we all know he deserves!