A/N: I'm sticking this short little note up here at the top today, just... because :p Thank you guys so much for your feedback and continuing support! I love you all TONS, and I am super excited for this chapter, so I'm just gonna shut up now :D and big thanks to midnightwings96 for being a HUGE help as always *hugs her into infinity* :D Let me know what you guys think!
The next morning, Summer woke up at an utterly ungodly hour and couldn't go back to sleep. Her mind already racing with anxiety for the day's coming events, she made coffee and then decided to at least while the early hours away being productive rather than obsessively and pointlessly going over details for the benefit. Instead, she got to work editing her book.
With Bucky dead asleep and motionless in bed next to her, she tapped away on her laptop, slowly turning the story into something she could hopefully actually publish. After having bounced some ideas off of Natasha, who was quite helpful when it came to these things, she had decided to change the names of the characters and change such obviously recognizable features like Bucky's metal arm to a prosthetic leg and a badly burned left hand and arm. With those details changed, the story was safe to be read by the world, and since she had finished a full draft during her time recovering, she was fairly close now to being able to send it off to potential publishers.
She expected to have a hard time, since she would be merely one of many first-time authors trying to get their foot in the door, but the encouragement of those around her went a long way in keeping her optimistic. Bucky and Natasha were the first to read the draft, and after them, Paul had read it as well (though he had been very upfront about skimming the more interesting parts, to spare himself mental anguish), and Sarah had utterly gushed over how much she also loved it. Thanks to their help, she thought she might finally get to make good on her claim of being a writer.
By the time that the morning had grown bright and Bucky started stirring out of his sleep, her doctor's appointment was only an hour and a half away and she had just been about to wake him up herself. Instead, he rolled over towards her, squinting at her with sleep-heavy eyes, asking, "What time is it?"
"Almost time to leave," she said, computer still on her lap as she smiled at him.
He looked at her, noticing how she was already ready to go, then the laptop, and he asked, "How long have you been up?"
She smiled and cringed at the same time. "Like... three hours?"
He groaned and rubbed at his eyes, slowly sitting up. "Summer..."
"I know, I know, but I was way too nervous to go back to sleep. But hey, I was productive! Used a nifty little editing tool to change all the names in my story in like ten minutes. Then read through and edited like four chapters. Only three more to go and I might actually be done editing. Maybe."
He held out his hand expectantly, and she handed him the computer, watching him scroll down the page she had been currently on and reading through it with still-heavy eyes. He yawned, then chuckled and looked at her as he said, "So your fake name is May... and you named me after the crab in the mermaid movie."
She smiled and shrugged. "I thought it sounded pretty! And it's definitely very different from your real name." She paused. "Wait. You know the Little Mermaid crab?"
He blinked slowly and muttered, "Summer, I'm pretty sure I saw every single Disney movie in existence at least five times when you were in the hospital."
She laughed. It was true - David loved Disney movies of all kinds, even the supposedly more girly ones. "Oh, okay. Well, that makes sense. How sweet of you to sit through all of that."
He rolled his eyes at her slightly teasing smile, and then after reading through a few more paragraphs, he said, "Grant and Natalie, huh?"
"Too obvious?" She asked cautiously.
He shrugged to the negative. "I don't think so. It's gonna be next to impossible for anyone to connect the dots here."
Summer nodded, having spent far too long stressing over keeping all of the characters' secret identities under wraps, especially those of the Army buddy and her character's professional dancer friend, aka Grant and Natalie. But with the precautions she had taken, plus using a pen name to boot, really, she was pretty sure that she was safe.
Assuming she could get the damn thing published to begin with.
Bucky handed her laptop back to her and smiled. "Not much longer now."
She took the computer back and settled it in front of her, taking a nervous breath as she went about saving her work. "Maybe. If not, there's always self-publishing."
"Haven't you done that before?" Bucky asked with a slight squint. "Your brother said something about... an old... something he found, I don't remember what."
She cleared her throat, trying to keep a blush off of her cheeks as she replied, "It's called a blog, and I was seventeen. It wasn't self-publishing. Or I guess it kind of was. But we won't speak of that."
"What did you write?"
She calmly began to shut down her computer. "Nothing."
Bucky grinned lazily, leaning back against the headboard. "Oh, come on. Can't be that bad."
"It can, actually."
"What's 'slash' mean? Paul kept saying that but he wouldn't tell me what it means."
Unable to stop the blush now, she muttered, "It doesn't mean anything."
"The fact that you're the color of a tomato right now makes me not believe you."
She sighed and closed her laptop, gesturing impatiently with her hands and blurting, "I just really wanted to see hot dudes making out, okay? I never saw it in real life - still really haven't, actually - so I wrote weird things with people from movies." She shrugged. "Are you happy now?"
She glared at the way that he laughed at her, fully amused by how flustered she was as he replied, "Hey, calm down. Nothing wrong with that."
"No," she agreed, "but what I wrote was horrible, which is why I won't speak of it. Especially not before breakfast, speaking of which - we gotta get up and go."
She pushed her computer off of her lap then and tried to make her escape, but Bucky's hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back with a soft groan of, "Hey, not so fast."
It was hard to find the will to protest when he was hovering over top of her, pressing a soft kiss to her lips before running his down over her jaw and then to her neck. "We really have to go," she managed to say, though her hand on the back of his head wasn't discouraging.
"I know," he mumbled, raising his head back and looking at her with a certain something in his eye. "Today's gonna be a good day." He kissed her lips. "The doctor's gonna tell you you're pretty much all better." He kissed her cheek, and she smiled. "Then you're gonna have your party, and it's gonna be great." Having finally made his way to her ear, he kissed just under it and then said low into it, "Then you're gonna come back here to my room the minute it's over."
She smiled at him, cheeks burning a little as he looked down at her with a grin. "And then what?"
"Then we're gonna make up for lost time," he replied, his right-hand fingertips brushing across her cheek.
She smiled even more widely at him before saying, "Just so you know, you have done amazingly well at... you know... keeping me, uh, happy, while I've been recovering. Without sex. Well. You know." She gestured vaguely with her hands. "Without actual sex. Without your... uh... good Lord, I feel like I'm 12."
Bucky laughed quietly, looking down at her with clear affection in his eyes as she cringed at herself. "It's okay. I understand. One of these days you'll get the word out."
She eyed him skeptically. "I can't even write it, so... fat chance."
He shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me. I still love you even when you act 12."
She snorted in a way that she knew was rather unattractive, but it only made him smile more before he kissed her a few more times. They wasted a few more moments lingering in bed before they truly couldn't procrastinate anymore, but soon enough the moment came when it was time to get up and go.
She might have been nervous and stressed to the max, but she spent the rest of her morning with a big fat smile on her face that nothing could wipe away. The good news that she heard from the doctor later only made her smile even more.
"So I'm... good? I'm better?" Summer asked with hopeful eyes.
Stepping away from the X-Rays lit up on the wall, Summer's doctor tucked his hands inside the pockets of his lab coat and replied with a friendly smile, "In very simple terms, yes."
She broke out into a big smile and looked at Bucky, sitting next to her as he had during all of her previous appointments. He smiled back, and she turned back to the doctor and said, "Does that mean I can stop coming here every month?"
"What, you don't like our get-togethers?" the older man joked as he pulled up a stool and sat next to her.
"Honestly? Eh," she shrugged, still smiling.
"I'm hurt. But no, in all seriousness, your scans show us exactly what we want to see at this stage of healing. You can get back to all of your normal activities that you haven't yet - work, exercise, dancing, what have you. Of course, you need to still be careful and you don't want to overdo it, but... you've done a great job keeping up with physio. This is the proof."
Summer beamed and squeaked a little in joy. "Yay! I do have one question, though, because I've got this big party later that I'm coordinating, and I really miss high heels, but..."
"Yeah," the doctor squinted, "I'd hold off on those for now. Only because it's not worth the added risk of tripping and falling and re-injuring your leg."
Summer's smile shrunk a little but she nodded, knowing he was right. "Okay. I guess I can save the heels for later, then. Oh, and you said dancing is okay now?"
He nodded. "Yeah, like I said, all your normal activities should be fine now. Don't expect everything to be the same or as easy as it used to be, though. That leg won't ever be the same, but don't let that hold you back."
She nodded, fully understanding. "I won't. I'm excited."
The doctor smiled and got up, patting her shoulder. "I'm glad to hear it. And I'm glad I won't be seeing your face for awhile, no offense. I never want to see any of my favorite patients. Terrible side effect of the job."
She chuckled. "Oh, I get it."
He smiled back and then said, "Well, good luck with your party, and good luck with the leg. I'll see you in about... oh... let's say six months. Then once a year after that."
"Much better than once a month," she grinned. "Let's do it."
The doctor then bade farewell, leaving Summer and Bucky alone in the very familiar exam room. She looked his way to find him grinning at her, and she smiled back and asked, "What?"
He shrugged. "Nothing. I was just right."
She rolled her eyes, smile growing. "Yeah, yeah. You and your undying faith in me."
His expression became a bit more serious as he replied, "Just returning the favor."
Her expression softened as well, and she reached her hand to his as she looked down and said, "Well... maybe now we can finally have those Friday night dates we talked about before."
Then she looked up, and there was no mistaking the pain that crossed his face when she said those words. She knew why. Those Friday nights had been one of the last things they had talked about before that car had come speeding out of nowhere and crushed her leg, setting her on a long but ultimately successful path to recovery.
"Hey," she said softly, sliding off of the exam seat and walking unassisted to him to prove just how far she had come. "I'm okay. I'm better."
He nodded, looking up at her when she sat down across his lap and smiled at him. He only just returned the smile, looking down at her leg and placing his hologram-disguised left hand on it as he said, "I just... I'll never forget seeing that happen."
She frowned, covering his hand with hers. She couldn't remember much of it herself. She remembered that split second of terror when she saw the car coming, and seeing that same terror on Bucky's face right before everything was something she would never forget. But Bucky had it worse in so many ways.
She knew he dreamed of it sometimes. She could tell because he'd jerk awake behind her, jarring her from sleep as well, and then she'd turn over to find him breathing heavily and looking around in the darkness with temporarily confused eyes. She'd tell him that she was there and everything was okay, and then after his eyes refocused and he knew that it had just been another dream, he'd hold her a little more tightly than usual and they would both quietly despise the torture that those dreams were.
He had endured so much in his life, and had so much to have nightmares about, more than what any one person should ever have to handle. She hated that she had inadvertently added something to that list, just as she hated seeing the pain from that day resurface as it was now.
"I'm okay," she assured him quietly, giving his hand a squeeze. "We're okay. We got through it."
He nodded, looking up at her and smiling softly after a moment. "You got through it."
"You helped me," she replied. "A lot. And now we get to put all of this behind us."
He nodded, and she decided to lean down and kiss away the last traces of sadness on his face. Today was a happy day, after all, and though she knew how easy it was for him to slip into the past and relive the memories he hated the most, she also knew that she could pull him out of it quicker than anyone.
It seemed to work, and his eyes were a little lighter when she pulled away. She smiled and said, "So, so far your predictions about today have been spot on. We'll see if you're right about the party too."
"I already know I am," he grinned.
"Well... we'll see. Like really soon. Wanna take me home so I can turn back into a giant ball of stress?"
He chuckled, nodded, and then kissed her again, and soon after, they walked out of the doctor's office together. One thing was for sure - she would never take walking for granted ever again.
Once they got back to the tower, Bucky didn't see Summer for hours. She headed up to the top of the tower to oversee how the final preparations were going for the benefit, leaving Bucky and David to figure out what to do to pass the time. Luckily, this wasn't nearly as hard as it used to be.
After a few hours spent snacking, playing a card game that David had recently become obsessed with, and then playing piano together, which left Bucky as impressed with the kid's talents like always, David ended up heading to his room to watch a movie. That usually meant a nap was in order, so Bucky left him in there and then wandered to the kitchen to grab a drink, contemplating taking a nap of his own. He had been out even later than usual the night before, after all, having confided in Steve after beating up the gang he'd targeted and then spent the rest of the night talking about his plans for himself and Summer.
He had a bottle of water in hand and these very serious thoughts on his mind when he closed the refrigerator, immediately pausing when he looked up and found Natasha on the other side of the now-closed door.
She grinned at him, then said knowingly, "I hear you've got something big in the works."
He looked at her for a moment, stepping aside so she could grab something from the fridge herself. "Steve didn't keep that one quiet for long."
"He only told me," she assured him. "At least I think."
"If you say a word to her..." Bucky said warningly, knowing how close the two girls had become over the months.
Natasha looked at him incredulously and closed the fridge. "Are you kidding me? She wouldn't get it out of me under torture. I wouldn't ruin her moment like that."
Bucky nodded, suddenly feeling stupid for having been worried in the first place. But, in his defense, this was very new territory.
"So, have you figured out how you're gonna do it yet?" Nat asked conversationally, leaning against the counter opposite Bucky.
He shook his head, absently turning the bottle in his hands over. "No. Not really."
"Do you want to do the big planned thing, or something more low-key?"
Bucky looked at her a little helplessly and asked, "Which do you think she'd like more?"
"Honestly," Natasha replied, "as long as it ends with you asking her to marry you, I don't think she'll particularly care what you do. You know she's not expecting it at all, right?"
"Yeah, I don't think she is," Bucky agreed.
"She's afraid to say the M-word, even with me," Nat chuckled. "I think actually that if you did something over-the-top, it might be a little too much."
He couldn't help but agree. "Yeah. Not really my style anyway."
Natasha chuckled. Their styles were similar, now that he thought of it. Subtle, controlled, precise, all things that people of their backgrounds and skills needed to do their jobs effectively. But how did one apply that to a marriage proposal?
"This is going to sound cliche," Natasha said, "and actually, it sounds like one of those overly dramatic things Steve would say, but... maybe you should just follow your heart. Do what feels right. You're going to make her the happiest girl in the city no matter how you ask. You really can't screw this one up, unless you chicken out."
"I don't chicken out," he half-smirked.
"I know," she smiled back. "Just don't wait around too long. You're not getting any younger, you know."
He raised an eyebrow at her as she walked around him, heading out of the kitchen. "Neither are you," he quipped.
She shot him a look over her shoulder, and his grin widened as she walked away.
She was right. He always told Summer to think less and simply do more. Maybe he needed to take his own advice for once.
But first, he still needed that nap.
Later, early in the evening, Summer found herself running from her bedroom to her bathroom in her last-minute haste to get ready, though it was more cautiously quick walking than actual running. Guests were set to arrive in an hour, and she needed to get back to the penthouse floor half an hour before that.
She had her dress on, which was a pretty floor-length dark blue gown that she could shockingly actually afford now with her new salary. Under it she wore comfortable, safe flats rather than her once-usual high heels, and when she heard her door open and footsteps pad in, she was fighting with her curling iron and mostly losing.
"Hey, Summer," Natasha's voice came wafting into the bathroom, "give me your opinion."
Summer turned in the middle of trying to curl one of the front pieces of her hair to find the other woman standing there causally in her dark lingerie, holding up two dresses that she was actually asking Summer's help with choosing from.
"Red or black?" Natasha asked as Summer stared somewhat dumbly.
"I... uh... you're actually asking my opinion?"
"Yeah." Natasha's eyes flickered to Summer's hair and then narrowed. "You're about to burn your hair."
Summer squeaked and then quickly dropped the curling iron on the counter. "Crap crap crap. I'm so behind, my hair is a mess, and..."
"Okay," Natasha said, hanging up her two dresses on the door for the time being and walking to Summer, taking the curling iron in hand herself. "Stop. Breathe. You're fine. I'll have your hair done in ten minutes. Do your makeup while I'm at it."
"Okay," Summer nodded, taking a slightly calming breathe. "All right. I'm good. Just been panicking for like an hour now."
"Has anything gone wrong?" Nat asked, quickly getting to work on Summer's nearly waist-length hair.
"No," she admitted quietly. "I just feel kinda out of my element and like I am incredibly unqualified for this, which is nothing new, but..."
Natasha sighed, but with a smile on her face as she replied, "I'm not going to tell you that it'll be fine, because we've all been telling you that for weeks now. All I'm going to say is that you should just remember that it's a party and try to actually enjoy yourself. And if something goes wrong, just go with it. You're good at improvising."
"I am?" Summer squinted, pausing in applying eyeliner.
Natasha gave her a weary look. "Yes."
"I'm getting annoying, aren't I?" Summer cringed.
Natasha grinned. "Little bit."
Sighing and shutting up, Summer focused on getting the rest of her makeup on, and before she knew it, Natasha had curled her hair with almost lightning speed and then easily threw it up into a simple but elegant twist on the back of her head, with strategic pieces falling free and framing her face. She was an absolute lifesaver.
"Thank you," she said sincerely, turning and noticing that Nat still wasn't dressed herself yet. She glanced at the dresses on her door and then quickly decided, "The red one. Definitely the red one."
"I was leaning towards that one too," Natasha nodded. "I asked Steve and he was too busy staring at me to get a coherent answer out."
"Well," Summer shrugged, gesturing to Nat's body, "can't really blame the guy. I'm just still in shock because you asked me for an opinion. Me, who was burning my hair when you walked in."
Natasha rolled her eyes and grabbed the red dress, sliding it off the hanger as she replied, "You might be a mess sometimes, but the people you take care of aren't. Same goes for your work. Have you noticed that?"
Summer blinked and realized that she was right. She herself hadn't had a haircut in longer than she could even count, but Bucky and David were regularly among the most well-groomed dudes in the tower. "Oh. Yeah. I guess you're right."
"I'm always right," Natasha smirked, sliding the dress on. "Now stop doubting yourself and go to work."
Summer nodded, taking a breath and squaring her shoulders. "Right. Okay. I can do this. Hell yeah."
"Exactly," Natasha smiled. "And besides, if you freak out again, there will be plenty of alcohol at the party to distract you."
"Drinking on the job. Yes. A major perk," Summer smiled. "Okay. I'm gonna go now. You're gonna come right at eight, right?"
"Steve and I will be there, just like we talked about," Nat assured her.
"Good, good. Thank you again," Summer said, giving the shorter woman a slightly impromptu hug and not caring for personal space issues at the moment, too busy mentally scrolling through her list of things she still needed to do as she finished up getting ready and then headed out. She made one quick detour before she headed to the elevator.
Stopping outside Bucky's door, she knocked on it lightly and then pushed it open. She smiled at the sight of Bucky and David lounging lazily on the bed, David's tablet in Bucky's left hand as his right jabbed at it, probably trying to beat a level for him on one of his games. Then they both looked up and Bucky lowered the tablet, and Summer smiled as she said, "I'm leaving now. Just wanted to let you both know."
David eyed her hair and dress and then frowned, knowing that he wouldn't see her before he fell asleep, and the little pout on his face made her momentarily feel like crap before Bucky jumped up to his feet and started quickly heading her way.
He opened the door fully, then looked her up and down before grinning and meeting her eyes. "Good luck tonight."
He then drew her into his arms for a hug, and she sighed and embraced him back as she said, "Thanks. I can't wait until it's over."
"Me either," Bucky said, pulling away and still wearing that maddening grin on his face. "I like this dress."
"Me too," she smiled, glancing down at it.
"I'll like it better on the floor, though," he said, whispering for the sake of nearby little ears.
"Please don't put things in my head," she smiled, squirming a little. "I can barely focus as it is."
"Fine, fine," he relented, giving her a short little kiss. He tucked a curled piece of hair behind her ear and then leaned in and whispered against it, "Just remember... the minute it's over, come to my room. Don't make me wait."
She shivered a little, not only from his words but from the tone of his voice. She nodded as he drew away, and after a moment's pause, there was suddenly a little boy standing next to them, initiating a spur of the moment group hug by holding both of their legs and smiling brightly up at them.
"Oh, hey!" Summer laughed, she and Bucky both leaning down to hug him back. "I'm sorry I'll be gone all night, but we'll have all day together tomorrow, okay? Be good for Bucky."
David then narrowed his eyes at her and signed something with a distinct scolding attitude behind it. It took her a moment to realize that he was using his made-up sign for Bucky, then following it up with the word Daddy.
"Oh." She hadn't realized that David would be so adamant in using only that word now, but apparently he was, and it made her glance up at Bucky and smile. Then she nodded to David and said, "Okay. Be good for Daddy."
David smiled again, squeezed them both, then headed back off to bed, leaving them standing there and smiling at each other almost dumbly. She felt tears start trying to swell behind her eyes, and she blinked them away before they could ruin her makeup. "I'm so not used to that."
"I'm not either," Bucky replied.
"It's still okay, right?" she asked, just to make sure.
He smiled and rolled his eyes at her silly question. "Yes, Summer. I promise you, it's okay."
She couldn't doubt his words. Smiling, she replied, "Okay. I've gotta go now or I'm gonna be late."
He nodded, kissing her quickly one more time. "Go. I'll be waiting."
"Okay," she smiled, extricating herself from his arms and tearing her nervous eyes away from him to turn and finally head towards the elevator and meet her doom.
Luckily, though, when it was all said and done, it was as the others had predicted, and there was no doom to be found.
About one hour later, Summer was standing in the middle of the result of her hard work, and she had to admit... she hadn't done half bad.
The top floor of the tower was packed. Everybody had showed up and then some, and the alcohol was flowing and the band she'd hired were playing pleasant, jazzy covers of current hits, setting a tone that was every bit as elegant as she had envisioned in her head. "Fun and elegant" had been her idea, and she was starting to think that she'd hit a home run with this one.
"Not bad, kid," a voice said from behind her, and she turned around to find Tony dressed at his best and grinning at her.
"Thank you," she breathed, fiddling with the clutch in her hands and looking around at the crowd. "So far so good, right?"
"I'd say so," he agreed. "Everybody's halfway to drunk already, and that's good. Drunk rich people throw around more money than sober ones. Just ask Pepper, she knows."
She laughed. "Well, at least it's for a good cause. And hopefully you get some good press out of it."
Tony shrugged and crunched his face some. "Yeah, not holding my breath on that. But that's okay. So, when's the auction start?"
"Um..." She opened up her clutch and checked her phone, then replied, "About half an hour-ish."
"Cool. What do you think Steve would do if I bought the date with him? Think he'd mind? I'd totally buy him flowers and a nice dinner."
She laughed again. "Well, he did kiss you awhile ago, so..."
"Very true. Maybe he wants an encore."
"Who wants an encore?" asked the man himself, strolling up to Summer and Tony in a black suit that made her do a brief double take.
"Nobody," Tony smiled. "Anyway, I gotta go find Pepper. Good job so far."
He gave Summer's shoulder a pat, and she smiled and thanked him again before turning to Steve and smiling wider. "Thank you for coming, since you're one of my most prolific guests."
"No problem," he smiled back, hands in his pockets. He looked around and said, "Everything looks great. Looks like you're really on top of things."
"Well, there was almost an incident with the champagne because I specified extra-dry but they started serving the other kind, but luckily I caught it in time."
Steve smiled in amusement. "Yeah. Sounds like a real disaster."
She smiled back and shrugged. "Well. The night is young. So, you ready to auction yourself off to the highest bidder?"
Steve looked around and took a deep breath. "I hope so. If someone scary gets me, just remember, I'm suffering for your sake."
"Oh, I owe you big time," she smiled. "I'll like... make you a giant cake of your choice or something. I don't know. But I'll figure it out."
"It's okay," he assured her, still smiling. In fact, he was smiling at her a lot, more than usual, and at first she had thought that she was imagining it, but now she was starting to wonder.
He stood there, still beaming at her, and she looked around awkwardly for a moment before looking at him in mild confusion. "Is everything... okay, or..."
"Oh yeah," he chirped, shaking himself a little and shrinking the stupid smile some. "Yeah, everything's great. Actually, I'm gonna go see where Nat is, but I'll catch up with you before the auction, okay?"
"Okay," she nodded, smiling and watching him beam at her again before turning and disappearing into the crowd.
... What was the deal with him?
Before she could lend the question too much thought, there was chattering in her ear and something about one of the socialites in attendance hassling the wait staff. She started heading towards where the incident was occurring, only to be stopped by yet another familiar voice, though this one was one that she hadn't heard in a long time.
"... Oh. My. God."
She looked to her left when she heard those words and then stopped in her tracks, a smile coming to her face as she looked at two extremely well-dressed men coming her way. "Esteban?"
"Ah, it is you!" he half-exclaimed, dragging the guy with him by the hand as he grinned at Summer. "I never forget a face!"
"Yeah, I can tell," she laughed. "I didn't know you were coming here tonight. Which might be really bad because I read over the guest list like fifty times today..."
"Ah, well, I am here as my boyfriend's plus one, so that might be why you didn't see my name," he gestured to the taller, smiling man behind him.
Summer looked up to the other man and raised her eyebrows, a smile growing on her lips. "Oh. Wow. Hi."
"This is Nicolo," Esteban said as the other man reached forward to shake Summer's hand. "And Nicolo, this is Summer," he dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "who dates the Winter Soldier and lives with the Avengers here."
"Oh my," Nicolo smiled. "I have heard about you. It is nice to meet you."
Summer smiled goofily the minute he spoke. He had a clear Italian accent and was very pretty with his sparkly blue eyes and combed back, loose brown curls. "Yeah, you too. You're pretty."
Nicolo laughed and Esteban nodded enthusiastically. "I know! He's a photographer, and he's pretty and rich - what more could I ask for?"
"No, no," Nicolo waved his hand, closing his eyes briefly. "We have already decided on this. I am the lucky one."
Esteban rolled his eyes, and Summer smiled, "Actually, I think you're both lucky. How long have you been together?"
"Six months," Esteban replied. "We met when I caught him trying to buy an awful orange tie."
"It wasn't that bad," Nicolo sighed.
"It was disgusting," Esteban said, widening his eyes and cringing for effect, and Summer laughed. "But then, after I talked him into buying this beautiful maroon silk tie, he asked me out for coffee, and then we just..."
"Hated each other at first," Nicolo shrugged.
"It is true," Esteban nodded. "He insulted my country's football team."
"And when I showed him some of my best photos, he said they were 'too photoshopped'," Nicolo grumbled, like that one was still of significant personal annoyance.
She looked back and forth between them, totally able to picture all of this, and then she asked with full interest, "Then what happened?"
"Well, we ran into each other about a week later at a bar," Nicolo said.
"He was wearing the maroon tie," Esteban added, snatching a glass of champagne as it went by. He took a sip, and then casually added, "Then later that night I used it to tie him to my bed."
Summer's eyes popped out comedically, and Nicolo flushed and laughed slightly nervously as Esteban merely smirked and enjoyed their reactions.
"Whoa!" she laughed. "Now that's a story!"
"And he tells it to everyone," Nicolo said, scratching at the back of his neck. "And I do mean everyone."
Summer laughed, again, taking a moment to marvel at the sheer beauty of the men standing before her. She was a sucker for a good story, and when the story happened to revolve around two men who looked like they could live on the red carpet, well, that was just unfairly awesome.
Then she remembered that she was having a conversation and needed to actually say something. "Wow! Well, congrats, guys! And thanks for coming, too. I didn't think I'd see hardly anybody I actually know here and that made me kinda nervous, but..." She then gestured vaguely and explained, "I got a promotion, so now I'm in charge of planning these parties -"
"You are?" Esteban gasped.
"Yeah! And it's fun, but I've also been really nervous, and -"
"Everything looks fabulous!" Esteban assured her, waving his hand. "I am impressed! If you ever need help or an extra opinion, you know, I am definitely willing to lend a hand."
She smiled brightly. "Really? That would be great! I will probably definitely take you up on that. I love your taste, which you know."
He grinned. "You would be crazy not to! But everything looks great. And so do you! How have you been?"
"Well, I've had a rough summer because I got hit by a car like six months ago, but -"
Both men gasped. "What?" Esteban asked, hand on his chest.
She smiled at his instant concern and quickly went through the story, earning a few more gasps and expressions of horror along the way, but she was used to that.
"So yeah... but I'm better now, as you can see," she smiled. "Even left my pimp cane behind for the night."
"Oh, you poor thing," Esteban frowned, genuinely distressed by what she had told him. "But look at you! You look great, and I bet you are making the money now with this new job."
She grinned. "That I am, actually. It's kind of weird. I'm not used to this. Like, my son is autistic, and I got him into this really expensive school, and I still can't believe I can actually afford it. Or this dress."
"The dress is gorgeous," he grinned. "But my niece is autistic too. That's one of the reasons why I'm here. What school does your son go to? Is it down on Fifth and -"
"Luther?" Summer guessed, and Esteban nodded with a smile. "Are you telling me they both go to the same school?"
"I think so! Her name is Maria, and she's six."
Summer's eyes widened. She had heard of a Maria before, when David would tell her about his days at school. "Maria Maria? He told me about her - well, signed to me - because she's like him and doesn't talk."
"Wait - is your kid David?"
Summer's eyes got even bigger, and as the party continued flowing easily all around them, she and Esteban continued talking and marveling over what a very small world it was. She chatted with him for as long as she could before work drew her back, and after they parted ways for the time being, she found herself feeling overall quite lighter and a lot less stressed out than she had at the start of the evening.
She could do this. She could so do this.
With the exception of a few very minute hiccups, the night went off without a hitch, and one of the highlights for Summer was the much-awaited date-auctioning portion of the event. Steve was the very last one up for grabs, with a slew of famous and slightly less famous names going before him. Tony's theory ended up proving pretty accurate, with the sloshed attendees throwing their money around at a rate that surprised her, but it meant very good things for the foundation that the party was all about.
Pepper herself did the honors and played auctioneer, slightly drunk herself and quite enjoying it, and Summer, who was stone-cold sober, stood next to her and helped whenever it was needed. Then, when it was Steve's turn, he walked up on the little stage that the women were standing on, smiled sheepishly and humorously at the cheering and whistling crowd. He looked at Summer and she grinned, clapping along with the crowd, and he rolled his eyes and stood there with his hands going to his pockets.
In the crowd, she could see Esteban and Nicolo, both of them suddenly looking excited, and she stifled a laugh when she suddenly had an idea of what was about to happen.
"Okay," Pepper said, microphone in one hand and a flute of champagne in the other, "I know this is the date that a lot of you have been waiting for, so I'll get right to it. We all know who he is, and I don't know anyone who would turn down a chance to date Captain America..." The guests cheered again, and Pepper shot Steve a smile before saying, "So how about we start the bid at... let's say... $10,000?"
That was mere pocket change to most of these people - even Summer knew that. Still, she couldn't help but break out laughing when Tony, lounging at one of the tables with an entire champagne bottle to himself, was the first to shoot up his hand.
Pepper sighed. "Serious bids only, Tony."
"I am serious!" He called from the table, aggressively throwing his hand up again.
Steve rubbed at his eyes and sighed. Pepper shook her head, grinning. "Well. Okay, fine. Who's got 15?"
She got her answer quick, and from there, the bids piled up quickly. Tony bid everybody up on purpose, but towards the end, a rather aggressively bidding couple put an end to Tony's antics, and Summer watched with poorly concealed glee as Steve was auctioned off to none other than Esteban and Nicolo - the latter of whom must have indeed been quite rich, having ultimately dropped $55k on the date.
"Sold to the two very pretty men on the left," Pepper announced happily, glancing at Steve, who was blushing a little and laughing at his fate.
Summer then watched with a huge smile on her face as the couple made their way up to "claim their prize", so to speak, and she and Esteban shared an excited look just before he subtly pointed at Nicolo with his thumb and mouthed, "Huge crush."
"Oh," she mouthed back, grinning as Steve stepped down to them and shook hands with both of them. Nicolo was so visibly excited and trying to hold it together that it was probably the equivalent of how Esteban would have acted had they won a date with Thor. He was nearly bouncing on his heels, and coupled with Steve's slight embarrassment, it was all utterly adorable, and the best part was all the cameras snapping lots of pictures of the three of them.
Then, in the midst of happily watching her friends, Pepper shoved the mic into Summer's hand and completely took her by surprise.
"What?" Summer asked dumbly, looking at the microphone like it might blow up any minute.
"Take a minute to thank all the guests for coming," Pepper smiled. "All of this was because of you, Summer. They should know that."
"But I... how do I talk to that many people?" Summer asked, panic suddenly clawing its way up her throat.
"Trust me," Pepper said quietly, "I used to be the same way. You're only nervous because you've never done it before, but once you do, you'll see that it's no big deal. And you don't have to make a speech. Just introduce yourself and thank them. That's all."
Though she would rather crawl under a table and hide than do this and she kind of hated Pepper at the moment, she closed her hand over the microphone and cleared her throat, nodding and trading places with Pepper. She looked out at all of the guests, noticed Steve and Natasha talking with Esteban and Nicolo not too far away, and she gulped down her sudden paralyzing fear of public speaking.
"... Hi."
The loudness of her voice over the speakers made her cringe, but she hid it, readjusted her hold on the mic and then added, "I'm... Summer... McAdams. And I'm the event planner for this branch of Stark Industries. I just got the job recently, actually, and I was... super nervous about tonight. I'm also super nervous about talking right now, as you can all probably tell. Sorry about that. Also sorry if I throw up, because I think I might."
Everybody laughed, and she smiled, feeling slightly better now that they weren't all just staring at her. She glanced back towards Steve and Natasha, and the subtly encouraging smile on Nat's face worked wonders for getting her through the rest of her little speech.
"Anyway... I put this together because my son is autistic, and I just really feel strongly about..." She paused, trying to find the right words. "Helping kids with autism and not making them feel like they're disabled or less than everybody else. Money can't fix everything but it does help. I know, because money keeps the school that my son goes to open, and he loves it there. He's nonverbal and he's been labeled 'disabled' since he was two, but it's pretty hard to look at him and use that word when he's so smart that he taught himself to play piano on an iPad."
She felt like she was rambling and should probably shut up, but then she heard clapping, and she looked up to find the guests fully listening to her, most of them smiling and others clapping softly at the mention of her son. She blinked and smiled, her initial anxiety taking a massive blow.
"Yeah, he's... he's pretty great. I didn't know what autism was when he was diagnosed, because I was 20 and basically still a kid myself, so I thought that it was something horrible. And it is, if you don't understand it or if you're afraid of it, but the truth is..." She trailed off, then shook her head and added, "It's challenging. It can be really hard. I know other parents have had a lot harder of a time than me. But it's not the end of the world. And if I could snap my fingers and make my kid wake up totally normal tomorrow, I don't think I would. I'd change how the world sees him instead and make them see how he's perfect just the way he is."
Then everybody really clapped, and Summer couldn't believe it. There was even one or two people recording with their cell phones, and she had no idea why in the world they'd bother, but she wasn't going to object, that was for sure.
"Anyway," she smiled, "thank you all for coming - every single one of you - and thank you for your donations. Every little bit helps." She then paused, trying to figure out how to end it, then decided on shrugging and saying, "... I guess it's time to dance now?"
To her undying relief, everybody seemed to like her, and they laughed quietly at her clueless wrap-up as she blushed with a mixture of embarrassment and relief and handed the microphone back to Pepper.
"I said you didn't have to make a speech," Pepper chuckled, giving her a one-armed hug.
"... Oops?" Summer smiled, finally allowing herself to relax for the first time that night.
Everything continued to go beautifully for the rest of the night. She did, however, save her own dance for after the party, knowing that someone was waiting for her to get back so that they could share their first dance together in months.
She couldn't wait.
Summer stepped off the elevator on her floor much later that night, well after midnight, her feet aching and legs more sore than they would have been had she not recently recovered from a major injury. Though she was tired, she was also nearly trembling with anticipation as she made a beeline for Bucky's room, just as she had promised him she would as soon as she got back.
She had downed two glasses of champagne in the last hour, in celebration of her first major event being a success, making her blood feel extra warm in her veins as she got to Bucky's door and then paused before opening it. She could hear the soft sounds of the piano playing on the other side, and she smiled to herself before opening it and slowly stepping inside.
Bucky looked up, but his fingers' movements didn't halt on the keys as she walked in. He grinned at her, and she smiled back and closed the door behind her. She recognized the song that he was playing as she headed towards the bed, sitting down on the edge of it and taking off her shoes without her taking her eyes off of him. It was a song they had danced to before, either in this room or the living room, and this was the first time he had ever knowingly played something for her before.
A few moments passed where she watched his hands move and make it all look effortless, but she knew it really wasn't. Having two entirely different kinds of hands had to make playing more challenging, and he had said as much before, but she couldn't tell by watching or by listening. The best part, though, was watching his face and seeing the peace and calm upon it as he played through the song.
After he played the last few notes, he drew his hands away from the keys and met her gaze again, a small smile touching his lips as he quickly stood up. "So, how did it go?"
"Just like you said it would," she replied, watching him walk her way. "It was actually awesome."
He smiled, and when he reached her, he leaned down and kissed her softly before murmuring, "Congratulations. I told you you had nothing to worry about."
She smiled back and nodded. "Yep you did. Once again... you're always right."
"Don't forget it," he grinned before drawing back, then heading towards the other side of the room.
She frowned a little at his departure, but then she looked around and realized that everything was rearranged. The room was more open than it normally was, and when she looked back to him to find him setting up the record player, she realized what he was doing.
As the first strains of the song he had chosen echoed softly through the room, he turned around and walked the short distance back to her, reaching out to her as he smiled. "Dance with me?"
Placing her hand into his, she nodded and bit her lip, letting him pull her up to her feet and then gently lead her towards the most open part of the room. They were a bit mismatched, with her in her gown and him in jeans and a black t-shirt, but she didn't care. The only thing currently on her mind was her hope that after all she had been through, she still could dance.
"We'll go slow," told her when they came to a stop. He drew her close, his right hand holding her left and his metal hand going to her lower back. "And if anything hurts..."
"I'll tell you right away," she nodded quickly, smiling a bit nervously.
He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Okay. Ready?"
She nodded, as ready as she would ever be. He then pulled her closer, and in another breath, they were dancing for the first time since the accident.
It felt strange at first, like if one quit driving for six months just after learning how, then jumped behind the wheel only to find themselves nearly back to square one. But he moved with her incredibly slowly and carefully, giving her time to remember the steps, and eventually, it started to feel a little more familiar.
The first time he carefully and slowly spun her out, she followed just fine, but her leg was much more stiff than she had remembered it being before the accident. She made it work, however, and when he pulled her back in against his chest, she couldn't help the smile that she flashed him. He smiled back, and after that, it was like falling into an old and sorely missed routine.
It wasn't perfect, and she couldn't move quite like she used to - yet, anyway - but she was still dancing. There had been days where she had feared she'd never do this again, and that something they had grown to love doing together had been taken from them. But she had fought and he had never lost faith in her, and now here they were, dancing around his room and grinning like blessedly happy idiots.
The final time that he spun her, drew her back, and then dipped her, he didn't drop her very far in order to keep her legs from straining. When he pulled her back up, they smiled at each other and then fell still for a moment, long enough for her to say quietly, "I can't believe we're dancing again."
"I can," he said, his tone quietly reverent as his eyes dropped down to her lips and then back up to her eyes. "You're stronger than you think you are."
He started swaying her slowly again, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, tilting her head to the side as she said, "Well, I did do some public speaking tonight, so... I'm starting to think that you're right."
"Wish I could have been there," he said a bit wistfully. It had just been too public of an event, and far too many cameras around to have risked it.
"You're here now," she smiled. "And we're dancing. I wouldn't change a thing."
He smiled back and then kissed her softly, and as she kissed him back, the song playing lowly in the background drew to a close. They stopped swaying, and in the course of a moment, the kiss turned from soft and slow into something deeper and longer.
His arms wrapped around her and pulled her as close as she could get to him, and her hands slid to his hair as the moment dragged on, setting her nerves alight as the tone of the moment slowly became more intense.
He broke away first, his eyes meeting hers and holding her gaze as one of his hands went to her hair and carefully took it down. After her hair fell free in loosely curled waves, he buried his hand in it and kissed her again, harder this time, and her stomach erupted in pleasant flutters when he turned her around and started walking her backwards.
Her back hit the wall, and she grinned against his lips as she felt his body press into hers in a way that she hadn't for far too long. Everything they had done since the accident had been so careful, almost all of it done sitting or lying down for safety's sake, and now at last, she had the freedom and the ability to do whatever she wanted, however she wanted.
... Where to even start?
The next time Bucky drew away, it was to slide his hand to her back and find the zipper of her dress. He pressed hot kisses to her neck and quickly slid the zipper down, and she bit her lip and felt her cheeks heat up as he pulled at the dress until it was a pool around her feet.
She opened her eyes and watched him stop what he was doing and let his eyes drop heavily over every inch of her body, which was unexpectedly bare following her dress hitting the floor. It wasn't her usual sort of move, but... she had wanted to draw the sort of reaction from him that she was getting right in that moment.
"You..." He licked his lips, utterly surprised by what he was seeing, and he seemed torn in terms of what to do - drop to his knees before her, pick her up and push her harder against the wall, or just stand there and keep gaping at her in admiration. "You were like this all night..."
She nodded, her hands going to his face to lift it back to hers as she grinned shyly. "Yeah. Figured I'd... uh... come prepared?"
He grinned back and then kissed her madly, though not before murmuring breathlessly, "God, you're so perfect."
She giggled and then, right when his hands moved to the back of her thighs to undoubtedly pick her up, she turned the tables and switched their positions, pushing him against the wall, immediately yanking at his shirt to pull it up over his head.
Once it was off and on top of her dress on the floor, they were kissing again, and she broke away only to pant as she started undoing his belt, "You know how last night you were telling me all the things we used to do before my accident that you miss?"
He nodded, making it hard for her to concentrate on her task when his hands were everywhere and his lips could hardly stay away from hers for more than a second at a time.
"I've missed some things, too," she said, finally getting his pants undone and pushing them down, then pausing exactly the same way that he had when he had gotten her dress off. He had apparently had the same idea about unnecessary clothing barriers as she had.
Dragging her eyes up from where they had been glued to, she met his gaze and saw the grin on his face as he shrugged, "Coming prepared, right?"
He reached for her again, but she pushed him to the wall by his shoulders and shook her head. "Not yet, Bucky. I've been waiting a really long time to be able to do this."
"Do what?"
She merely kissed him one more time before slowly, almost torturously, sinking down to her knees in front of him, kissing teasingly down his body the whole way there. She looked up at him as her knees made contact with the carpeted floor, both of his hands in her hair as he stared down at her in anticipation. Her bad knee didn't feel great like this, but she could take it, and it was worth the mild discomfort to have this part of her life back. She had always liked this, after all, and Bucky had a way of making her feel like the most powerful woman in the world when she was on her knees.
"I can... I can sit if you want me to," he said, uncharacteristically stammering a bit, holding his breath as she teased her hands down his hips.
She looked up and shook her head, biting her lip again and unable to hide her grin as she said, "No, just..."
"What?" he asked a little desperately. "Tell me."
She had basically made a public speech tonight, right? If she could do that, surely she could say something back to him that wasn't all blushes and silly words and chickening out at the end.
Inches from where she needed to be, she released her lip from between her teeth and blurted out, "Watch me. The whole time. Don't... uh... don't close your eyes."
She cringed immediately, feeling like an idiot and almost losing her nerve as her face started burning, but that embarrassment faded away the minute she dared to peek up at him. His eyes were even darker now, and she felt her heart flutter when a grin slowly spread across his lips.
"What happens if I do close them?"
She paused, unsure of how to answer. She'd only had the courage to say the one thing, and now she had to get her nerve up all over again.
"I'll... stop?"
His grin widened and he dropped his head against the wall, never taking his eyes off of her. "You have no idea what you do to me, Summer."
She grinned back, nerves lifting thanks to those words, and then she closed her eyes and started kissing a trail that ended with both of them moaning, her much more muffled than he, and his hand in her hair tightening and causing the kind of pain that felt amazing.
Everything was finally, finally back to the way it was supposed to be. What better way to celebrate?
He tried to follow her instructions, he truly did, but she was simply too good at what she was doing. Bucky's eyes closed so many times over the next few moments that it was almost embarrassing, but lucky for him, Summer didn't want to punish him by stopping. He got the feeling that she'd be punishing herself as much as she would be him.
He was loud and he didn't care, getting caught up and relishing every last bit of it all, how it felt, how she looked down on her knees, how her hair felt tangled and tight between his fingers, and all too soon, it was over. Everything went white for a moment, and he didn't come back into his own mind until he had sunk down to the floor, panting and loose and sated - for the time being - while being drawn into the comforting arms of the woman he loved.
"You okay?" she asked near his ear after a few moments.
He nodded, lifting his head from where it had been slumped on her shoulder, and a lazy grin lit his face. "Yeah. I'm... great. That was..."
She smiled that little falsely shy smile of hers, her legs tangled with his on the floor. "Yeah. Thought so. I... uh... I liked it too."
Drawing her closer with his arm around her, Bucky looked at her with wonder in his eyes and said, "That was what you missed being able to do?"
She shrugged and looked down, but he tipped up her chin to make her keep looking him in the eye. "Yeah. I just... I don't know. I like it. I mean, I miss the other stuff too, duh, but... you've been so good and so selfless to me. I just really wanted to... blow your mind." She paused, squinting slightly. "No pun intended."
He kept a straight face long enough to nod and reply, "Consider me... blown."
She burst out laughing the minute the words left his mouth, and he started laughing right with her. She covered her face with her hands and he tugged her closer, utterly adoring her and loving how easy it was to laugh with her like this. Everything was so easy, even effortless sometimes, and yet nothing was less intense or more boring because of it. He didn't know how that was even possible, but it was something he'd never ever take for granted.
"Come on, sweetheart," he eventually said quietly, getting up first and then scooping her up into his arms. He carried her to the bed and, rather than lay her down carefully on it like he normally did, he took advantage of her good health and gently tossed her down on top of it. She giggled the minute she hit the mattress, but that lighthearted feeling only lingered for a few more moments before the fire came back and chased the whole world away.
He was still careful with her leg, and he suspected that he always would be. The difference was that now that leg was no longer an obstacle or a hindrance, and he proved this to Summer by taking his time in kissing every last inch of it.
There was scarring along where it had been broken and operated on, but the marks were already a little better than they had been before. Most were around her knee and below it, jagged and asymmetrical as they marred what had once been perfectly smooth skin. She had been remarkable so far in accepting the scars and not appearing overly insecure about them, but just in case, he wanted her to know that he accepted them as wholly as she accepted his.
He glanced up at her occasionally as he kissed his way up the leg, and she laid there and watched with a quietly content look on her face. She'd grin when his eyes would meet hers, and he'd grin back before closing his eyes and devoting all of his attention to his task. Before he knew it, he had passed her knee and was dragging his lips up the inside of her thigh. He felt her tense and shift with anticipation, but when he was almost there, he bypassed it and began kissing up her stomach inside.
There was no mistaking the slight disappointment on her face, but it only made him grin before kissing her lips and then flipping them so that she was on top of him, straddling his hips. She squeaked a little at the change, then smiled and pressed her chest to his as she leaned down and kissed him feverishly.
A few moments passed before she broke away, then sat up and blushed a little bit as he ran his eyes down the sight that she provided.
"So," she said, trailing her hands along his chest while his skimmed up her hips and her sides, "I got to do what I wanted... I guess it's your turn now."
He nodded, feigning a contemplative look as he watched both of his hands slide over her breasts, then caress down the sides of them before he met her gaze. "... I think I want you on top."
She smiled and looked to the right before pointing out, "I already am on top."
"... Of my face," he clarified.
He wished he could have recorded the way that her smile froze on her face and her eyes widened in what was surely a moment of pure panic. Her silly reactions to things like his rather filthy suggestions were one of the many things he loved about her.
"... Oh!"
He raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Yeah."
"Um..." The overwhelming blush on her face was also present on her neck, and even her chest was turning red. As much as he loved it and could spend all night enjoying her squirming, he knew what he had to do next.
He sat up, hands going to her hips as hers went uneasily to his shoulders, and he said gently, "You don't have to do it if you really don't want to, but..."
"... But you want me to?" she asked quietly.
He looked her in the eyes and said with pure sincerity, "I've wanted it for a long time. I just didn't think you'd want to, so I've waited. But I just..." He trailed off, licking his lips, unsure of how to put his feelings into words.
"I mean... I know it's not like it's actually any different from what you already do, but... just... man."
He nodded. "I know. And like I said, you don't have to. But... you asked what I wanted, so..." he smiled, shrugging slightly.
She stared at him blankly. "... Why?"
His smile slowly disappeared, and suddenly, rather than have to fight to find the right words, they were all somehow on the tip of his tongue. "Because you are amazing, Summer, but you think too much. The only time you stop thinking is when you feel so good that you stop caring about how you look or how you're acting. And you're perfect." Her eyes widened a little bit again, though not in shock like before, and he gently touched her face as he repeated softly, "You're perfect. And when I try to imagine how you'd look riding my face..."
Her mouth fell open and the instant blush returned, and he couldn't help but smile, though his own words made his heart rate pick up a bit.
She was speechless and dumbstruck, so he kissed her softly, then tried to distract her with sweet but heated kisses across her jaw and down her neck. He spent some time on her favorite spots, sucking and nipping before lazily kissing back up her neck, until he reached her ear. He kissed under it, then bit playfully at her ear lobe before murmuring against it, "Please, baby, for me."
He heard her actually whimper, and he pulled back to see her staring at him with fully dilated eyes and her mouth still open.
"You..." She blinked and smiled, "You've never called me that before."
"You like that?" he grinned.
She nodded, biting her lip. "Yeah. And okay."
He raised his eyebrows hopefully. "Okay?"
Her blush deepened and she nodded. "Yeah. Just... don't let me fall or... suffocate you or... drown... you..."
He couldn't help but smile widely in response and shrug, "Okay. Can't think of a better way to go, though."
She rolled her eyes and playfully smacked his shoulder, and it only made him grin wider. He was aware that he was smiling like a teenage boy about to get to see his crush naked for the first time, and he just didn't care, because dammit, he was excited.
"And after?" she asked, smiling as he peppered her with small but enthusiastic kisses.
"After," he replied, "I'm gonna make love to you until you make me stop."
He could see her swallow, and her voice came out as barely more than a squeak. "Okay."
He bit his lip and then kissed her, holding her to him as he leaned back and let himself fall on the bed, taking her with him. He'd never understand how he got so lucky as to find this brave, endearing, beautiful creature, but one thing was for sure. He was never letting her go, and the only thing stopping him from asking her to marry him right then was the overwhelming need to prove to her that she was nothing short of a goddess among women.
And if she still wasn't convinced once the night was over, then he'd believe it for the both of them, especially after the sight of her doing what he had asked of her ended up being one of the highlights of his entire life.
Morning came all too early the next day, but Summer couldn't find it in her to even begin to complain.
The room was perfectly warm, and the sun was bright but not too bright outside of the windows as she awoke and gently stretched her limbs through the messy sheets. Bucky was behind her, flesh arm thrown over her waist and still asleep, at least for the moment.
She was sore, especially in her legs, but it was the good kind of sore, the sort that brought a smile to her face as she opened her sleepy eyes and settled in closer to the warm body behind hers.
What a day yesterday had been. And what a night had followed it.
Some small part of her had expected to wake up and somewhat cringe at a certain part of the night, but she felt absolutely nothing but amazing about every last thing that had transpired. Bucky's request had been an exercise in trust and confidence-building - not to mention the whole mind-blowing pleasure thing too - and now she just felt silly for having had such a terrified initial reaction to it. The rest of the night had been more familiar territory but no less amazing, and they had utterly relished finally being able to do everything they wanted, with no fear of aggravating or worsening an injury on accident.
There was also something almost imperceptibly different about it all, but she hadn't been able to put her finger on it. It was something about the way that he had looked at her and held her, told her that he loved her as he slid within her, but she just couldn't tell what it was.
What she could tell was how incredibly happy he seemed to be.
She was thinking about his big, carefree smiles that had been so commonplace that night when she felt him stir against her. He tightened his arm around her, groaned softly, and then pulled her closer against his chest, all without opening his eyes once. She smiled and settled against him, wanting to purr like a cat when his fingers started trailing up and down her side.
She was nearly back to sleep when those comforting, warm fingers suddenly started tickling her and made her squeal like a very loudly dying mouse.
"Holy crap, why?!" she asked through half-terrified giggles when he stopped, turning over to find him quite awake and grinning at her distress. "Why would you do that?"
"Sorry," he shrugged innocently, voice heavy with sleep. "Just checking if you were awake yet."
"... Well, I think you took care of that one," she said, chest heaving still. She flopped down on her pillow and eyed him pointedly. "Next time you want to check if I'm asleep, feel free to... you know... do something else with your fingers to check."
His lazy grin didn't budge. "All right. Next time."
She sighed and then, despite still kind of wanting to smack him, scooted closer to him and snuggled up to his chest, though her intentions weren't entirely pure. She waited until he had wrapped his arm back around her and tucked her head under his chin, and then she started tracing pointless lines down his chest and, eventually, his stomach.
There was exactly one place on his entire body where he was significantly ticklish, at least as far as she currently knew. She had found it by accident, months ago, and this was the first time she would be able to use it to her advantage.
"What time is it?" he asked, voice still sleepy.
She traced just near the spot, beneath his navel and towards his right hip, and she answered softly, "Almost nine."
He groaned his acknowledgment and then pressed a kiss in her hair, and she smiled and waited for him to completely relax before striking. And when that moment came, she brushed her fingertip across that one ticklish zone, and he jerked immediately.
Before he could say a word, she grinned and then launched an all-out assault in retaliation of his earlier one, and she couldn't believe it, but he actually giggled in the middle of flailing and trying to get her off of him. It was a sound she'd never forget.
"Stop, stop, stop," he laughed, both of her wrists in his hands when he wrestled her (rather easily) to her back, and she couldn't help but dissolve into her own giggles all over again.
"You giggled!" she squeaked, not minding how he was pinning her to the bed in the least. "Oh my God! You totally giggled like a little girl!"
He scoffed while in the midst of still laughing, and he moved both of her wrists to one hand as he shook his head at her. "No I didn't."
She raised both eyebrows pointedly. "Oh yes you did."
He shook his head again, and she missed how his now-free hand was sneaking down the bed, heading for her side. "No I didn't. This is giggling like a little girl."
She then nearly screamed with almost painful laughter as he mercilessly attacked her side, and with that, the tickle wars had officially commenced. Both of them being rather stubborn, neither were willing to concede defeat for some time, and the morning became one full of laughter, breathless pleas to stop, and sweet kisses interspersed between brutal tickle attacks.
They had many, many good mornings under their metaphorical belt, but she was pretty sure that this one was in a category all its own.
When they both finally agreed to a draw, they collapsed next to each other in the bed, Bucky on his front and her on her back, covered just barely by a thin sheet. He wasn't covered by anything, however, and it was more than just slightly distracting.
He caught her staring and cracked open an eye at her as she smiled. "Well, that was fun."
He grinned and shifted to his side, propping his head up on his hand as she sat up a bit. "Yeah. Wasn't how I planned to spend the morning, but..."
"How did you plan to spend the morning?" she asked, grinning suggestively.
"Don't know," he said, evading a real answer. "But we've still got time for a few things I had in mind."
"Just as long as they don't involve my legs," she said. "Because they're like noodles right now. Definitely gonna need my pimp cane today."
"Yeah?" he grinned, free hand slipping under the sheet to trail softly - not ticklishly - over her stomach.
She nodded. "Entirely too much riding of... several... parts of you, probably."
He laughed, deeply enough that his eyes shut for a moment, then replied, "Sorry."
"No you're not."
He nodded. "I'm not."
Then it was her turn to laugh, and she sighed before turning to him and simply staring for a moment. She just couldn't help it - his hair was beyond mussed, his cheeks were still slightly flushed from all the tickling, and he was looking at her like that again. That peculiar way that she just couldn't figure out, and at the moment, she didn't care to try to.
"I love you," she said quietly, smiling and reaching to tangle her fingers with his metal ones.
He smiled back, but rather than say the words back, he pulled her hand to his lips and laid a soft, unexpected kiss on the back of it, near her knuckles. Then he grinned up at her in that strange way, and she finally figured out what it was. It was an I know something you don't know sort of grin, but that actually only served to confuse her more.
She slid closer to him, lowering her face down near his level, and she smiled as she asked, "Okay, what? What are you smiling so much about?
"Me?" he asked innocently.
"Yes, you," she rolled her eyes, still smiling. "Something's up. What is it?"
To her surprise, the grin then fell off of his face, and his expression slowly became one of complete and utter seriousness. She suddenly wondered if she had said something wrong, or read him completely inaccurately.
Then his metal fingers laced with her normal ones, and his eyes grew softer and determined at the same time, never leaving hers. Seconds passed, and she grew more confused with each one, but she didn't dare open her mouth to ask what was wrong, because she wasn't sure if she had ever seen him so suddenly and wholly serious before. And that was saying something.
But then, just a little bit, his eyes lightened, and he drew a breath. And with that breath, and with just a ghost of a smile on his lips, he softly spoke three words and changed her life forever.
"Marry me, Summer."
It was the very last thing she expected to come out of his mouth.
She stopped breathing, her heart nearly stopped beating, and if the Earth had stopped spinning at that moment and hurtled directly into the sun, she wouldn't have noticed or cared in the least.
She had done a lot of open-mouthed, wide-eyed staring in her lifetime, especially when it came to this particular man, but the look on her face in that moment put all of those previous ones to utter shame. And all the while, he was staring at her with hope and fear and happiness and vulnerability in his eyes, and holding her hand in his like it was a lifeline.
And when she finally found her voice and managed to give him an answer, it was nothing short of being entirely her.
Her voice was barely above a whisper and somewhere under a squeak. "Okay."
Then she immediately shook her head and blinked several times, quickly amending, "Oh my God, not 'okay'. Yes. Yes. Yes, I'll - am I hallucinating, or did you really just ask me to marry you?"
He smiled, and it was the kind of smile that could break her heart and stitch it back together again. It was the single biggest, happiest smile she had ever seen on his face, and she could have sworn that he, who as a rule really did not cry ever, was getting pretty damn close, judging by the way his eyes were shining. "Yes I did."
This was real. She wasn't dreaming.
He had just proposed to her.
"Oh my God," she replied, heart racing and a tidal wave of happy tears about to burst forth like a broken dam, and then she was watching with saucers for eyes as Bucky smiled with elation and then rolled over towards his bedside table.
He grabbed something out of it hurriedly and then rolled back over to her. His metal hand reached for her left, and then his right hand - which was shaking - opened to reveal his grandmother's ring.
The ring was what made it all real. And once it was real - undeniably real - she started crying.
"I don't know if this'll fit," he said, his voice trembling as much as his hand was, and her eyes flickered from his face to his fingers as they slowly slid the ring onto her left ring finger. "If not then I'm sure we can fix it, or... if you don't like it, I could find something else, or..."
He was rambling. This had never happened before.
She held up her left hand in front of her face, testing the ring's fit and staring at the gorgeous opal that sat in the old-fashioned setting, and she felt a tear escape her eye as she said with a huge smile, "No, I love it. And it fits. It fits fine. See?"
She held out her hand for him to see for himself, and once he did, the smile on his face returned with full force. He took her hand and clutched it tightly, watery eyes meeting her freely-crying ones as he asked, "You mean it? You really want to marry me?"
"Oh my God, yes," she assured him, sniffing back more tears. "I'm just - I'm in shock. I didn't think you'd ask me for like... years, and we never talked about it."
"I know," he replied. "I know, but I've been thinking about it and waiting for the right time and... I just couldn't wait anymore. I didn't want to wait."
She beamed, then paused and said excitedly, "David! David is going to freak out."
"He already knew I was asking you," Bucky grinned.
Her eyes widened. "What?"
"He was the first person I told. I asked for his permission to ask you, and he gave me his blessing."
And just like that, Summer melted to the floor and fell in love with him all over again.
"I love you," she said, squeezing his hand. It was all she could say in that moment. It just kept getting better, and she wasn't sure how much more she could take before she simply just died.
"God, I love you too," he smiled, grabbing her face with his free hand and kissing her with every ounce of joy that was in his being, and at the moment, it was a lot. She kissed him back in pure bliss, the weight of the ring on her finger a welcome burden that she'd gladly carry for the rest of her days.
She hadn't seen this coming, not one bit, and the surprise and the shock of it made it all the sweeter. She wasn't sure how long they spent like that, kissing and holding each other and laughing softly every time their eyes would meet, but her first coherent thought after a little bit of the shock had worn off wasn't what she would have expected.
"You know..." She looked at him and the sheets barely covering their bodies, then grinned, "You proposed to me while we were both naked."
He grinned and stole another kiss, flesh fingers running over the ring and the finger that it now sat upon. "Maybe that was my plan."
She smiled back and caught the glint in his still-shiny, unbearably happy eyes, and then she simply couldn't herself. She pounced on him, and his head hit his pillow with a satisfying woosh as she climbed on top of him and said, "We're engaged."
His smile was every bit as wide and silly as hers. "We're engaged."
"You're my fiancé now," she said, leaning down and kissing him, then pulling back and adding, "That's super hot."
He laughed at her words, closing his eyes as her mouth went to his neck. But he couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure you don't want to get up now and... start telling people, or..."
Her head popped up, and then she shook it. "Nope. They can wait. I can't."
He growled his agreement, and then he turned them over, kissing her deeply and entwining their hands again so that her left was joined to his right, and before they got carried away in the moment, he had one last thing to tell her.
"Thank you for saying yes," he said softly, eyes full of emotion and love that she'd never ever be able to doubt again.
As usual, she said the first thing that popped into her head. "Thank you for passing out in front of my old house like a million years ago."
His smile grew and then he kissed her once more, and together they rang in their first day as an engaged couple the best way they knew. And it was perfect.
The previous day had been a pretty good one. But all future days had a hell of a job to do to ever even hope to live up to this one.