Hey guys!
So this chapter is a little longer. Chapter 31 and 32 used to be one chapter but I had to split them up and this one got the majority of the writing.
I also apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes- I am dead tired xD


Chapter 32

"Surprise!"

Steve froze in the doorway to the living room, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. He hadn't even taken in all of the people present before his attention was drawn in by the colourful banners and Happy Birthday balloons floating around the ceiling like colourful clouds with strings.

"What's… what's going on?" Steve asked breathlessly, looking from the decoration to Bucky who was grinning at him.

"You didn't think I forgot your birthday, did ya Stevie?"

A weight fell off of Steve's shoulders and he started laughing, falling into Bucky's side while his happiness continued to bubble over without his permission.
Bucky remembered! Not only did Bucky remember, but all of his friends had planned a surprise birthday party for him! He was overcome with joy, the sort of joy that he hadn't felt in years. Teary-eyed and giddy, he pulled away from Bucky to look at his applauding friends. Standing in a half-circle around Steve were Tony and a ginger-haired woman; Clint, Natasha and Sam, Dum-Dum and another one of his former SWAT comrades, Falsworth. Even Dr Bruce Banner and Steve's former boss, Nick Fury were present.

"Thank you, guys." Steve stuttered sincerely, his cheeks turning a rosy pink, "This means so much to me!"

Sam, Natasha and Clint were the first ones to break away from the crowd, each giving Steve a big hug to congratulate him. Clint quickly disappeared into the crowd again to fuss over Flake, soon joined by Natasha who wanted to have a closer look at Tony's prosthesis for the dog.

Flake greeted Natasha and Clint like family, wagging her tail enthusiastically when the two knelt down next to her, her tongue lolling out of her open mouth lazily.

"Well, well- look who fixed Dr Brainwash." Tony sauntered up to Steve and Bucky casually, "Also, you guys are a sickeningly cute couple- which needs to stop. Pepper and I need to be the cutest."

"Don't listen to him." The beautiful redhead drew up next to Tony, hooking her arm with his confidently, "My name is Pepper Potts. It's so nice to finally meet you- I've heard so much about you both!" She shook Steve's hand firmly before doing the same with Bucky, not even flinching when he gave her his left hand to shake because his right one was occupied.

"I hope Tony's only told you the good stuff." Steve said with an easy smile.

"Only the best." She assured him with a wink.

"So, you're the remarkable woman who manages to keep this tyrant in check?" Bucky nodded his head in Tony's direction, looking especially self-satisfied when Tony shot him a glare.

"Something like that." Pepper agreed with a giggle, looking over at Tony adoringly while the dark-haired man continued to glare at Bucky as fiercely as he could.

"I think I liked you better when you didn't know how to talk." Tony muttered, cringing when Pepper rammed her elbow into his side reproachfully, hushing him angrily.

Steve watched Bucky curiously, wondering what his boyfriend's reaction to Tony's jab would be. Much to Steve's delight, Bucky smirked, waving off Tony's retort with a casual, "You ain't seen nothing yet, Stark."

"Well," Pepper cocked an eyebrow at Tony, "He is a handful."

"Just a handful?" Bucky quipped.

"Damnit Barnes!" Tony threw his hands up in the air dramatically.

"But Bucky's right;" Steve interrupted Bucky and Tony in hopes of keeping things civil between the two men, "you're definitely a remarkable woman. It was a pleasure meeting you Pepper."

"Thank you both." Pepper smiled, "Well, I'd hate to steal all of your time, I'm sure there are others waiting to talk to you. Besides, Tony's getting hungry and he's unbearable when he's hungry." She ignored Tony's indignant complaints, giving Bucky and Steve quick hugs before saying, "Congratulations on your Birthday Steve! And thank you for the invitation James."

"Please, call me Bucky." Bucky offered.

"Or you could call him Dr Brainwash." Tony chipped in, batting his eyes at Pepper.

Pepper rolled her eyes, dragging her boyfriend away with the words "I'm not adopting your stupid nicknames for everyone, Tony."

"They are way cuter than us." Bucky conceded, sounding so horrified by this, that Steve couldn't help the guffaw that escaped him.


They had made it halfway through the living room when Bucky and Steve were cornered by Dum-Dum who had brought Falsworth as well, the Frenchman making a big show out of seeing Steve again.

Seeing his old SHIELD comrades again, especially on an occasion like this, made Steve even more giddy. His cheeks had begun to ache as a result of how much he was smiling, and a dull burn was developing in his diaphragm from all the laughing he was doing.

"It has been far too long!" Falsworth whined, wrapping both arms around one of Steve's thick arms and jostling him a little, "How have you been Steven?"

"Busy." Steve confessed with a chuckle, "But better. A lot better." With those words, he turned to give Bucky a thankful smile- a smile that was happily reciprocated until Bucky was being spoken to.

"It's good to finally meet you in person Sergeant Barnes." Dum-Dum shook Bucky's hand, also without flinching or giving the metal appendage much of a reaction at all. His broad smile was warm and contagious, his blue eyes sparkling with mirth.

"You… kinda seem familiar." Bucky admitted, eyes narrowing while he gave himself a moment to think before turning to Steve when his mind didn't come up with anything helpful, "Should I be remembering something?"

Before Steve could reply, Dum-Dum raised his hand, jumping at the opportunity to explain, "Strictly speaking, we've met before. It's been over a year though, closer to the beginning of your rehabilitation. I also accompanied Cap to that Hydra base. I was the one that got shot."

"Oh. Right." Bucky nodded, "Sorry for not remembering you."

"No hard feelings!" Dum-Dum clapped Bucky on the shoulder, "We got the whole evening to share embarrassing stories 'bout the Captain here so I ain't upset at all!"

"Please tell me I'm invited!" Falsworth chipped in, detaching himself from Steve's shoulders in favour of crowding closer to Bucky.

"O'course you are but I know one guy who isn't." Bucky grinned at Steve who gave a self-deprecating laugh. He knew that he was going to regret introducing his former Strike members to his lifelong best friend.


The garden was set up beautifully with party lights strung up around the edges, just waiting for night time in order to light everything up in bright red, blue and greens. A large foldable table was set out in the middle of the lawn, covered in a disposable tablecloth that had lots of small American flags printed on it.

Steve almost couldn't hold back his laughter when he spotted his former boss, Nick Fury, complete with a Kiss the Cook apron, standing at the grill with Clint and Dr Bruce Banner, each of them nursing a beer while they appreciatively watched the meat sizzle. Natasha had given Flake a large bowl of water and had placed it underneath the table where the dog now lay, sniffing out all the interesting smells around her and listening to the conversations happing at the table. Nat was seated at the table with two people Steve didn't recognize and a third that he did, begrudgingly, recognize.

When Sharon looked up and met Steve's wary glance, she smiled crookedly.

"Why'd you invite her?" Steve asked Bucky, cringing when the young woman got up and began approaching them.

"Just wait and see." Bucky whispered in Steve's ear, straightening up again when Sharon reached them.

"Hey there! Bucky, Steve."

"Hello Sharon." Steve returned the greeting tightly, "What're you doing here?"

"Well, your boyfriend invited me here to celebrate the birthday of a pretty special guy." She explained sheepishly, not oblivious to the frown on Steve's handsome face, "And although I may not have been very fair to you in the past, you still mean a lot to me and I wouldn't miss a special day like this for the world. And… I also needed an opportunity to apologize to you for how I acted… so… if it's alright for me to stop hiding away in the kitchen, I really hope you'll let me stay. And… I hope you can forgive me for being such a..." She hesitated, searching for the right word.

"Bitch?" Bucky offered, almost making Steve choke on his spit.

With a sigh, Sharon nodded, saying, "Yeah… I was kinda acting like a bitch before and… I'm really sorry Steve."

Steve stared at her dumbly for a few seconds until Bucky nudged him gently, snapping him out of it. Realizing that Sharon was waiting for an answer from him, he laughed apologetically, running a hand through his blond hair while he spoke. "Thanks Sharon. I don't really know what to say."

"C'mon Steve just tell her it's fine." Bucky rolled his eyes, making Sharon giggle and Steve blush.

"It's… it's fine. Of course it is!" Steve assured her hastily, pulling her into an awkward hug, "And thank you for coming by."

"Thank Bucky over there." She directed a genuinely endeared smile at Bucky, "He's a really good guy. You went and got yourself a keeper, Rogers." She winked at Steve, giving him a slap on the shoulder before making her way back to Natasha.

Steve watched her go with a light smile, realizing only then how much of a burden the situation with Sharon had been. This short exchange with her had given him the closure he had needed ever since they had broken up, especially after how she had acted in front of Bucky. It felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

"You did all of this… for me?" Steve turned to Bucky who was yet to take his eyes off of a beaming Steve.

"O'course I did."

"Why?"

"Because you're worth all this, Steve." Bucky answered simply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "I ain't gonna let you celebrate one more birthday o'yours on your own."

"Bucky… I don't know what to say." Steve admitted tearfully, hands grabbing onto Bucky's grey Henley rather helplessly, fingers pulling on the fabric as if they belonged to a child wanting comfort during a thunderstorm.

"Ya don't gotta say nothing, Stevie." Bucky promised, "Just don't stop smiling the way ya are right now and I'll do this for ya every year if it means I can make you smile like that."

"Now who's the sappy one of us, jerk?" Steve murmured, embarrassed by the deep red blush that was already making its way down his neck.

"So Steve… how far does that blush of yours go?" Bucky teased him suggestively, grinning wolfishly when Steve choked, his blush becoming impossibly darker.

"Get a room you two!" Tony walked past, shoving at Bucky's shoulder so that Steve and Bucky went stumbling back a little.

"I can make this eighteen-plus if you don't stop annoying me, Stark." Bucky countered, propping a rattled Steve up against his chest caringly.

Laughing, Tony looked over his shoulder at Bucky, pulling his sunglasses down to wink at Bucky, who joined in the laughter.

"I find it disturbing that the two of you get along so well." Steve admitted, smoothing down his shirt while he waited for his blush to disappear.

"Would you rather we be fighting?" Bucky questioned, ignoring the eye-roll he got from Steve.

"No. That would probably be so much worse."

"Steve!" Sam's loud voice cut through their conversation.

A look of panic spread across Steve's face, looking so genuine that Bucky was worried for a moment.

"Stop him!" Steve begged Bucky in a hushed tone of voice.

Bucky looked up to see Sam sprinting from the house over to the two of them. Steve was no almost completely hidden behind Bucky's broad back. "Get out'a the way Bucky!" Sam warned, grinning mischievously.

With a light laugh, Bucky sidestepped, shrugging his shoulders at a severely betrayed-looking Steve.

A few seconds later, Steve was tackled to the ground by Sam, the two landing rather roughly on the grass. Steve squirmed and squealed, trying to get away from Sam who was tickling him mercilessly.

"You didn't think I was gonna miss your birthday, did ya?" Sam guffawed, "What part of I'm my own boss don't you understand?"

"Whatever Sam- get off!" Steve begged, his body wiggling from side to side like a trapped worm, the heels of his boots digging into Peggy's lawn.

A flash of a memory passed through Bucky's mind. It was the memory of having done something like that on one of Steve's birthdays. That's right… he loved teasing Steve when it was his birthday. All the attention he would receive on his birthday would already be enough to fluster Steve, meaning that if Bucky actually made an effort to tease Steve, the blond would get that shy, red-faced look that Bucky loved so much... That's why he had always loved to tease Steve… the blush had always suited him so well and Bucky liked that he could put that much colour on Steve's face.

Bucky blinked back to reality when Steve called out to him, begging him to get Sam off him.

With a heavy sigh, Bucky relented, wrapping his right arm around Sam's waist and lifting him off of Steve without much effort.

"Oh come on! Getting your super soldier boyfriend to help you isn't playing fair!" Sam complained, glaring at Steve and Bucky in turn.

"Listen, I gotta go home with Stevie tonight so I gotta do what he says otherwise he's gonna sulk all evening." Bucky defended his actions, feigning innocence.

"I heard that!" Steve mumbled, preoccupied with brushing all the grass and dirt from his clothes.

"Thanks for the invite, by the way." Sam changed the subject casually.

"Sure." Bucky replied, "You were the first one I thought of inviting."

Sam and Bucky shared a smile before Bucky moved to assist Steve in getting all of the dirt off of him.

"I think the food's almost done so I'll see you two later!" Sam announced before jogging off to the table to talk to Natasha eagerly.

"You could have stopped him." Steve muttered, mock-glaring at Bucky half-heartedly. It was difficult to pretend like he was mad at Bucky when Bucky was practically glowing with happiness. He was like a firework all on his own, drawing Steve's eyes to him against Steve's will, enrapturing Steve by showing him all the different colours and shades that he was made up of.

Steve really wanted to draw him.

"I wanted to see what he was gonna do." Bucky grinned, "It kinda reminded me of what I used to do with you."

"Oh." Steve's eyes grew big, "Oh no."

Bucky's grin widened. "Oh yes."

Without warning, Bucky scooped Steve up as though he weighed nothing, hoisting Steve over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The blond gave an appalled yelp, clawing at Bucky's back in an attempt to get back down.

"You still hate that?" Bucky laughed.

"Yes!" Steve croaked, "Let me down Buck! Let me down!"

"Nope!" Bucky replied, picturing the blush that was spreading across Steve's face. He was aware that others were watching, and he didn't mind- he knew that the attention was going to get to Steve, though.

"Buck!" Steve whined, slapping the brunet on the back, "C'mon! Let me down!"

"Once we get to the grill." Bucky promised, walking his boyfriend over to the grill that was nestled beneath the only tree in Peggy's garden.


"Ah there's the Birthday boy!" Banner exclaimed once Bucky had placed him safely back on the ground. Flustered and red-faced, Steve glared at Bucky. Bucky could feel himself fall in love all over again.

"Dr Banner!" Steve greeted him with a sheepish smile, turning his attention away from a dopily smiling Bucky.

"Good to see you!" Bruce commented before flashing Bucky a warm smile, "Your condition has improved a lot Sergeant. I'm really impressed."

"It's all thanks to Stevie over here." Bucky insisted, placing a hand against the small of Steve's back.

"Thank you so much for coming!" Steve exclaimed cheerily, trying to divert the attention away from him. By doing so, he had momentarily forgotten about the Director of Shield standing next to Bruce with a pair of metal tongs in his hand.

"Rogers!"

Out of reflex, Steve straightened, standing at attention. Next to him, Bucky only just managed to stifle a laugh while Banner chuckled and Clint grinned bemusedly.

Fury handed the tongs to Clint so that he could give Steve a firm handshake, something he did with Bucky as well.

"How are the two of you holding up?"

The question took Steve by surprise. Usually when Nick Fury asked a question, it was only in order to divulge information that could be of use to him. This question though, seemed like it was asked because Fury cared about the two of them. It was a realization that had Steve almost speechless.

"Good." Bucky took the lead smoothly, having noticed Steve's astonishment, "Steve's been taking real good care of this broken soldier."

"You ain't broken!" Steve snapped to attention, glaring at Bucky angrily.

For what it was worth, it had helped Steve get his voice back.

"We're doing really well." Steve informed Fury after giving Bucky another reproachful look, "We moved into a new apartment, Bucky has his service dog and-."

"And we arrested the last known Hydra operative last week." Fury interrupted, smiling lightly when Bucky and Steve exchanged bewildered glances.

"Does that mean…" Bucky didn't finish his sentence, almost as if he was afraid that if he did, Fury would give a negative, tell him that Hydra was still out there and that he would never be truly safe.

"It means that there is little to no threat to you anymore Sergeant Barnes and even if there is, we now have the intel and the recourses to stop them before they even reach the outskirts of New York City."

It took a moment before the shock on Bucky's face melted away to give way to pure joy.

"Oh my God…" Bucky breathed, dissolving into relieved laughter when he allowed himself to believe what Nick Fury had just told him.

The delight written all over Bucky's face was probably the greatest present Steve had received that day.

The ex-assassin ran his metal hand over his face, as if trying to make sure that he wasn't asleep. His lips were parted in a wholehearted smile and his shoulders shook with the echoes of his laughter.

"It's over." Steve worded Bucky's thoughts, leaning into Bucky's side fondly.

"It's over." Bucky echoed, removing his hand from his face to look first at a beaming Steve and then at a far more composed Nick Fury, "Thank you."

"No need to thank me Sergeant. SHIELD should be thanking you." Fury replied, "Without the information you gave us, we would never have been able to put an end to Hydra's threat to the world."

"Well, if you put it that way…" Bucky paused to let out a short laugh, "It was my genuine pleasure Director Fury."

The Director allowed a small smile before straightening up and giving Bucky a salute.

The gesture surprised Bucky at first but he composed himself quickly, huffing a laugh before returning the salute, a content smile on his face all the while.


From his seat on Peggy's garden shed, Steve could see all of his friends sitting at the table in the middle of the lawn. The sun had set and the party lights were illuminating the garden in an array of different colours. The grill had cooled down, the coals still glowing in the dark like fireflies. Natasha, Clint and Bruce were gathered around the grill, roasting marshmallows and laughing about something Clint was saying. Peggy, Sam, Sharon, Dum-Dum and Falsworth were listening intently to one of Tony's stories while Pepper looked on with an adoring smile. The two unfamiliar faces turned out to belong to Pietro and his twin sister Wanda, two orphaned Russian teenagers that now lived with Clint and Natasha as their apprentices, helping around the animal shelter. The two had been very shy at first but they had quickly warmed up to everyone and were now laughing along.

"What's going through your mind?" Bucky asked Steve, drawing his attention back to him.

"I don't even know." Steve admitted, "It's just been a really long time since I've been this happy."

"Me too pal, me too." Bucky chimed with a sigh, leaning into Steve's side gently until he could rest his head on Steve's muscular shoulder.

"Thanks Buck."

"Sure thing, Stevie." Bucky hummed, looking up at what he could see of the sky, "So when do these things usually start?"

"So, you really don't remember this part?"

"I'm not sure actually." Bucky admitted sombrely, eyes raised to look up at the stars overhead. He looked thoughtful, so Steve waited.

"I think I used to enjoy the fireworks?" He looked to Steve for confirmation, continuing only when Steve nodded, "I feel like I remember being excited about them. Not so much because of the fireworks though… I used to think that they were less about Independence Day and more about you."

"Yeah?" Steve smiled a silly, reminiscent smile.

"Yeah. I had forgotten all about them until you mentioned them this morning. Guess your birthday was more important to remember than some fireworks."

"You loved the fireworks." Steve recollected quietly, watching the stars now also, "You'd drag me up here every time they started."

"Probably 'cause I told myself every damn year that I'd kiss you when they start. Why the hell didn't I?" Bucky exclaimed, his genuine annoyance making Steve laugh.

"Why didn't you Buck?" Steve teased him, laughing even more when Bucky directed an irate glare at him. Bucky's exasperation only lasted for a short instant before he was chuckling too, shaking his head at Steve's infectious joyfulness.

"So are you gonna tell me what time they start?" Bucky asked Steve, nudging him gently with his shoulder.

"Anytime now." Steve supplied. His legs were dangling off the roof of the garden shed, his foot bumping into Bucky's every now and then. Without a word, Steve entwined his fingers with Bucky's metal ones, giving the sturdy hand a gentle squeeze.

"What's up?" Bucky asked quietly.

"Just making sure that you know that I'm here." Steve explained.

"Why's that?"

But before Steve could answer, a missile was launched into the sky with a shrill screech, followed a burst of red and gold light. Just as Steve had anticipated, Bucky's metal hand clenched with bruising force. The body attached to the cybernetic arm went rigid and Bucky gasped as though someone had just knocked the wind right out of him.

"Buck." Steve turned to Bucky quickly, "Hey…" he rested his free hand on Bucky's cheek gently, letting his fingers caress his skin comfortingly.

"Stevie?" Bucky stuttered, eyes wide and panicked.

"You're fine." Steve assured him caringly, "We're at Peggy's… remember?"

Bucky nodded slowly.

"It's my birthday. You remembered this year. We're here celebrating with everyone. Even Nick Fury is here."

Another missile was launched, and another bang had Bucky wincing visibly, eyes growing wider again.

"Those aren't real missiles. They're not bombs- they're fireworks. It's Independence Day. You're at home. You're safe."

Again, Bucky gave Steve a stiff nod.

"Kiss me?" Steve requested sweetly.

The third explosion made Bucky flinch and duck his head, but the large man did as his boyfriend requested, leaning forward tentatively until their lips fell together in a kiss.

Steve released Bucky's metal hand that immediately took a hold of Steve's shirt, looking for something to hold onto, to ground him. Alternatively, Steve lifted his hands to frame Bucky's face, thumbs caressing his skin lovingly. At first, Bucky was rigid, every new explosion plunging his body into a brief moment of shock before he had to make a conscious effort to relax, acutely aware of the unnatural strength his body possessed. The longer he kissed Steve though, and with the help of the serotonin that was being released into his bloodstream, Bucky's body began relaxing, his mind slowing down from its panicky high. Eventually Bucky was able to focus more on the sensation of kissing Steve than his military training that was yelling things to do with bombs, missiles and danger.

"You always know what works." Bucky muttered once they'd separated, slightly tipsy with the sensation of kissing Steve.

"Lucky guess." Steve smiled.

"Yeah no shit." Bucky exclaimed, smirking when Steve frowned at him, "I got no regrets for that one Stevie."

"Then you get no more kisses tonight." Steve retorted childishly, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Aw come on Stevie." Bucky whined, "Don't be like that."

"I'm gonna be however I wanna be Buck." Steve pursed his lips, "It is my birthday after all."

"Exactly!" Bucky insisted with a charming smile, "It's your birthday Stevie!"

Steve would recognize that smile anywhere. It was the kind of smile that made Steve's heart flutter and made his knees feel weak. It was the kind of smile Bucky always used to smile when taking out girls to the club to dance with them. Even after all of the things that had been done to him, Bucky hadn't lost it after all.

"Stop it." Steve muttered helplessly, feeling his face become increasingly warm.

"Stop what?" Bucky asked innocently.

"Stop looking at me like that."

"I ain't doing anything, doll." Bucky insisted, his hand finding Steve's thigh.

"Is this how you got your way with all your girls?" Steve asked Bucky half-bitterly, noting how the hand on his thigh stalled for a moment.

He could hear Bucky let out a huff of air before his hand began roaming again a little.

"It's how I'm going to treat you. Only you. If I could'a had you back then, I would'a Steve."

"You're just saying that." Steve muttered, keeping his eyes on the fireworks stubbornly.

"I mean it."

Steve knew he did.

"I mean every single word I say to ya Steve. I've never been this sure about something in my entire life. That day I left with the 107th, I saw soldiers kissing their gals goodbye at the station and I wanted to run back to your apartment and kiss you because I was afraid that I'd missed my chance."

Steve swallowed heavily. His heart was beating against his chest and his cheeks were flaming hot by then. With a defeated smile, pushed Bucky down to lie on his back and leant over Bucky, pressing his lips to Bucky's in the gentlest, most intimate kiss that the two of them had ever shared. It was the kiss they should have had all those years back. It was the way they should have kissed before Bucky had left.

It was the way Steve regretted not kissing Bucky as he gave his speech at Bucky's memorial service.

It was the kiss Bucky yearned to share with Steve as he was being strapped to a metal chair and forced to forget.

"I'm sorry that I didn't go the station with you Buck."

"I'm sorry that I left you Stevie."

"You got nothing to apologize for." Steve insisted, "You did the right thing! You probably saved loads of people overseas."

"And you saved me."

Steve pulled away enough to see Bucky's face. His skin was lit up in rainbow colours, his eyes reflecting the sparks from the fireworks.

Steve could remember all of his past birthdays before Bucky had shipped out and yet, none could compare to this one.


Happy fluffy Stucky for y'all.
Let me know what you think!