"Birthday Headcanon 3"

Headcanon: One of the things that Steve has told the team is that Bucky used to say 'Find a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck', which has led to debates about old wives' tales and superstitions and the like. Phil definitely doesn't believe in any superstitions, other than that saying 'Nothing will go wrong' invariable leads to a mission going FUBAR. One day, he's walking along, tailing someone who's been behaving suspiciously and has a high-tech mechanical arm – which Natasha says could mean the Winter Soldier – when he sees a penny on the sidewalk. He's lost track of the suspicious person, so he picks up the penny, intending to drop it into a charity box or give it to a busker, when good luck strikes. He runs – perhaps literally? – into the Winter Soldier, recognises him as Bucky Barnes, and then takes him back to the tower. Then months later…

"Phil, what's this?" Bucky asked, pawing through Phil's underwear drawer for bugs.

"I have no idea," Phil said, not bothering to look up from his book. "Good morning to you, too, Bucky."

"It's a penny," Bucky said, ignoring the subtle admonishment, and held it up as he turned around. The tips of Phil's ears reddened, and he sank down in the covers.

"Oh," he said. "That." Bucky continued to give him a questioning look. "Uh, that's the penny I picked off the ground the day I found you. I decided that it must've been good luck, so I kept it. I mean, things have been as usual with work a-and with the Avengers, but things keep getting better with you. I figured that if some old wives' tale was responsible, better not to spit in the face of fate."

Bucky grinned as he bounced over to the bed, then hopped onto the covers.

"Most people who know you wouldn't guess how romantic you can be," he remarked.

"Not romantic. Just…"

"Sappy."

Phil sniffed. "If you want to go with that, then yes. Sappy."

Bucky kissed him on the top of his head. "Phil, you never needed a coin to keep me. Even if I was a gold-digger, you can't do much with a penny. But…" He hurried to put the coin back, then returned to perch beside Phil. "Maybe we should keep it, just in case. I don't wanna risk bad luck, in case I lose you."

"Now who's being sappy?"

This is for Shikasgirl10 on AO3. In celebration of Lost Penny Day.

Please review! Feel free to send in your birthday requests.