Chapter 13. Sunday

A chapter about sleeping in, relaxing and enjoying the one with you're with. Couldn't resist adding the part about the arm.

Hope didn't make it to Coney Island. After begging off her initial promise to go with her brother and his family, she explained by text that she hadn't slept well on Saturday night and needed more hours of sleep. Expecting to be chastised she smiled when she read her brother's response.

Bobby: It's all good. If I were you, I wouldn't want to get out of bed either, considering who was sharing it with me. Expect to see you both for dinner, as we're leaving tomorrow.

She sent her best wishes for their day, then put her phone down after muting it, and snuggled up to Bucky, smiling as he pulled her in close to the heat of his body. Their night spent lovemaking had taxed her, mostly with his physical need for her, but it had been a night where she received just as much. The way the man could literally go all night was something he warned her about but to experience it for herself had been a revelation. It would definitely have to be something confined to weekends if it took this much out of her. The soft and nurturing aftercare he provided, when all she wanted to do was curl up, close her eyes, and abandon herself to the deep slumber her body craved, was a gift. Had Bucky always been like this or was that part of his exploration of modern sexuality? Regardless, the man made her feel loved and cherished in a way Hope had never experienced before.

"Is Bobby okay with you cancelling?" His soothing voice rumbled against her forehead. "I'm sure the kids are disappointed."

"He's fine about it," she murmured back. "Said he could understand not wanting to leave your bed. We're to have dinner with them as they're leaving tomorrow."

"Hmm. We'll see." Threading his hand through her hair, he tilted her head back and kissed her languidly on the lips. "How do you feel?"

"Tired but in a good way. I slept like a log but could do with a few more hours of it."

"Well, then you take it. I have to feed Alpine and have a snack, but I'll be back soon."

When he tried to pull away, Hope held on to him, making a whining sound. Pressing several kisses onto her head, along with promising to be right back, Bucky finally succeeded in getting out of bed, and stepped out into the living room area. Taking care of Alpine's needs first, he then opened the fridge, removed a box of leftover pizza, placed two slices on a plate and heated it up. He glanced at his phone where he left it to charge, checking the current temperature as it was already quite warm in his flat. He noticed a voice message notification from Matt Murdock.

I'm assuming you saw the news last night. Wanted to let you know that Foggy and I are on it. Sounds like overreach on Ross's part once again. The first Accords were repealed because of the breach of civil rights and his "new" version doesn't sound much better. A lot of "ifs" have to happen for him to get away with it. Expect to hear about your back pay this week; the damages settlement is still taking its time. Call me if you need anything.

He liked having a lawyer who was proactive. Made him feel less ignored. Since he was already up, he decided to make a quick phone call, dialling Peter Parker's number. It went to voicemail, and he left a message for the young man to call him if he needed to talk to someone about this latest development. Chewing down the last bit of pizza, Bucky put the plate in the dishwasher, noticing it was almost full. There was a bit of tomato sauce on his left hand, that he was going to rinse under the tap, then he looked at the open dishwasher as a thought occurred to him.

"Hm."

He looked from his hand to the dishwasher again, then shrugged and removed his arm, sticking it in the open space inside the appliance. Opening the package of dishwasher tabs, he put one in the dispenser, then pulled the door up and latched it, before pressing regular wash. It should be okay. Before he got back into bed, he brushed his teeth then returned to the bedroom and slid under the covers. Hope immediately attached herself onto him, then opened her eyes, realizing that something was missing.

"Where's your arm?"

"In the dishwasher," he answered, rubbing the leg she had draped over his with his right hand.

"Is that safe?"

"Dunno," he admitted, "but I'll find out. It's hard to clean between the plates sometimes as I have to take it off to clean parts of it and it's tricky to do it with one hand. They said I could swim with it, so I figure the inside is waterproof."

She didn't answer at first, then he felt her smile against his shoulder. That led to her laughing a little before she raised herself up on her elbow and looked at him.

"You actually put your arm in the dishwasher?"

"Yeah, so?"

"What if we get frisky while the arm is being cleaned?"

"Frisky?" He gave her a mischievous grin. "Is that what we're calling it?" He reached for her body, pulling her to sit on him. "I guess you're on top then."

A chirping sound that reminded Hope of a cricket interrupted them and Bucky groaned.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Ignore it," he said, pulling himself to a sitting position while she was still on his lap. "It's nothing important."

The sound persisted, until he sighed and reached with his right hand to open the nightstand drawer next to him. He fished around a little then pulled out a bracelet of beads, slipping it onto his wrist.

"You might want to get under the covers," he said. "The display feature on this bracelet is a full 360." He waited for Hope to cover up, then he used his thumb to activate a bead. Hope watched with fascination as a face, in full 3D, appeared. "Hey, Princess. How's it going?"

"What are you doing to your arm, Sergeant Barnes?" The woman, whose accent was not familiar to Hope, was not amused. "Sensors are indicating it is in a hot wet environment." Bucky licked his bottom lip. "What have you done?"

"Nothing." Even if she didn't know otherwise, Hope could tell he was lying. The lip licking was a definite tell for anxiety. "Cleaning it." The woman in the display raised her eyebrows slightly. "It's hard to thoroughly clean it sometimes because I can't reach the upper parts of it unless I remove it, then it's hard to keep it stable with one hand and clean it at the same time. I never seem to get everything that's in between the plates."

"Go on."

"I thought I could put it in the dishwasher and clean it that way." Hope stifled a laugh, causing the woman in the display to look at him incredulously, as if she just noticed he didn't have a shirt on.

"Are you with someone right now, intimately?"

He glanced down at Hope, who was still grinning. "Sort of. We just woke up. It's not like we're in the middle of something. Do you want to meet her? She's my girlfriend."

The face of the woman on the display softened. "You have a girlfriend? That's wonderful!" She sighed, then smiled. "Call me back when you are not indisposed and you're both dressed. I would be honoured to meet your girlfriend under the proper circumstances." She checked something that was offscreen. "I'll monitor the arm systems. Hopefully, this attempt to deep clean it doesn't damage it. If it does, we may have to consider an upgrade."

The display shut down and Bucky worked the bracelet off, placing it back in the drawer, then sliding back under the covers with Hope. As they entangled their legs together, she looked at him questioningly.

"You're not in trouble, are you?"

"No." He rolled his eyes a little. "Maybe. That was Princess Shuri. She designed the arm and fixed my brain so that the Winter Soldier trigger words no longer worked."

"She's awfully young."

Bucky nodded. "She wasn't even 18 when she first helped me, then she was turned to dust by the Snap. She's a genius." He smirked. "I feel old around her." Hope bit her lip, trying not to laugh. "Okay, I feel old around most people. Do you think I'm too old?"

She repositioned herself so she was lying on top of him. "Do I think the man who still listens to 1940s music on records is too old?" He rolled his eyes. "I've seen your podcast list on your phone; like the one that are all those old radio shows like Abbott and Costello." She kissed him. "You like old things but you're not too old. Younger men could learn a lot from you on how to treat a woman. I have no complaints."

Resting her chin on her interlaced hands positioned on his chest, she gazed at him, smiling softly. Squeezing her shoulder with his right hand, he slid it down her back to her rounded bottom, cupping the cheek and making her smile more. That brought out an immediate reaction from his groin which led to more of what they spent the night doing. After disposing of that condom, Bucky returned to the bed, still craving contact with Hope. He was definitely touch deprived, a term he picked up in his readings on mental health. Although it had become better since becoming friends with Joyce, who hugged him often, the type of touch he was getting from Hope was much more satisfying and he enjoyed returning it to her, knowing she needed it as much as he did. Just the skin contact alone calmed him, making him feel mellow.

"Bucky?" Her voice, tinged with a tone that came from not enough sleep, drew him out of his thoughts.

"Hmmm?" He nuzzled against her forehead.

"There are no classes in mid-October," she murmured. "We could go away for a weekend, somewhere warm maybe."

A fall break? That would be nice. It would be a good time to visit Rebecca.

"Would you like to meet my sister?" he asked. "She lives in Tampa."

He could feel Hope's eyelashes flutter open against his shoulder. "She's still alive?"

"Yeah, she's 94," he answered. "I saw her a few months ago. It was good. She's quite the woman. I would really like for you to meet her."

He wasn't aware of holding his breath while waiting for Hope's answer until he felt her hand on his chest, touching his dog tags and holding them. The slight click of the metal tags in her clutched hand drew his gaze to them and he breathed out at that moment.

"Do you think she'll like me?"

He placed his hand over the one that held his dog tags and turned to her.

"She'll like you," he answered, keeping their hands close to his chest. "I've already told her about you by phone. That was when we first started seeing each other. Now that we're serious, she'll want to meet you in person."

"Alright, I would like that."

"Do you have a bikini?" She looked up to see a grin on his face, the corner of his eyes crinkling as he eyed her. "We can get a place near the beach or with a pool, and when we're not with Rebecca I would like to see you in a bikini."

"Does that mean you'll wear swim trunks and go shirtless?" He smiled at the hopeful tone in her voice, then pondered if he was willing to show his body. "If we get a private house, instead of staying at a hotel or resort, then you can wear what you want. I'd like to see you show off your body. It's beautiful, you know." She released his dog tags and caressed his chest. "At least I think so."

"It's hard for me," he admitted. "If we can get a place that will give us privacy then yes, I'll go shirtless." Hope couldn't resist giving out a little squeal as she kissed Bucky several times. Her enthusiasm was infectious, and he kissed her back, pleased and a little surprised at how eager she was to go away for a weekend with him. Right now, though, they both needed some shuteye and if they kept this up it could be hours before they got it. "Now go back to sleep. We'll look together for a place to stay."

Despite the excitement that bubbled out of her, Hope eventually settled enough to fall asleep in his arms. Hearing her slow and steady breathing helped calm Bucky to the point where he finally dozed off.

It was a light touch on his chin that woke him. The soft pads of Alpine's paw were drawn across his face, followed by a bump of her head into him, and the soft chirp of a meow.

"Hey," he whispered, then he signed hello to her. Blinking his eyes he smiled at the tousled head of Hope, curled into him. "You awake?"

"Uh uh," came the barely audible reply, making him smile.

Shifting so he could get out of bed, Bucky noted that the light outside was overhead, meaning it was midday. He confirmed it by looking at his phone, left on the kitchen counter. With a smirk, he shook his head at the fact they slept in well past 1 pm. That was a first for him. Opening the dishwasher, he felt the rush of heated air from inside the appliance. His arm gleamed and he gingerly touched it, deciding to let it cool down before he put it back on. With his right hand, he set up his coffee maker and turned it on, then headed to the bathroom. After a quick shower, he returned to the bedroom, wearing a towel, where Hope was now buried under the covers. Lifting them up near the pillow he kneeled beside the bed.

"Hey, we should get up. It's the afternoon."

"No," came a muffled response. "I'm still sleeping."

"I'll take you to lunch."

There was no response then there was movement, and her head appeared, her hair completely awry. Softly gazing at her as she pulled the hair away from her face, he grinned.

"Good morning. You mustn't have got much sleep last night to sleep in so late today."

"You should know since you kept me up with your libido."

"Just releasing a lot of sexual tension, sweetheart. I didn't hear you complaining about it at the time."

She smiled sweetly. "I didn't, did I?" Breathing out noticeably, she stretched then looked at him knowingly. "I can't believe you just kept going. Is that normal?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "I never had the occasion to test it out like that. If it was too much for you, I can dial it back."

"Don't you dare," she laughed. "We'll just have to make sure it's not on a work night." She raised herself on one arm and kissed him. "I should have a shower."

"I'll change the sheets while you do," he said. "Might have to buy another set if we make a habit of these all-night marathons."

He stood up as Hope slid out of the bed. Placing his hand on her waist, he took advantage of her state of undress to kiss her again, loving the feel of her warm, soft skin against his, as he wore only the towel around his waist. Once again, he felt his body respond to her but instead of losing himself to the moment, he ended the kiss and stepped away.

"Tease," she murmured, grasping for his hand. "You got us both worked up."

"Yeah, I know." He stepped back even further. "You better get in the shower before I give in and ravish you."

"Ravish?" Hope grinned and stepped towards him, shifting her view from his face to lower. "I like the sound of that. I think you do as well."

"Careful, I might keep you in bed for the rest of the day."

With her hands were on Bucky's waist, she rubbed herself against him. His breathing quickened as he looked down at her, stroking her arm with his right hand. He slipped his tongue along the edge of his teeth, allowing his arousal to build.

"Hope," he groaned. "Baby, you're making it hard ..."

"I know," she smiled, her hands on where the towel was tucked in. "I'm making up for lost time."

"Let me get my arm on," he said, stepping away from her.

He didn't come back right away, and she left the bedroom, looking to where he was standing at the kitchen counter, reading a text message. When he changed his view to her, she saw the emotion on his face.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Your mom," he began, then noticed Hope's face falling. "She's okay but she just heard from Tom's brother. He's had a heart attack. You didn't answer your phone, but I didn't hear it ring or go off."

"I muted it," she replied, then she hurried back to the bedroom, calling out as she did. "Tell her I'm on my way."

"I'm coming too," he called back, as he texted Joyce then headed to his room.

Hope was in the bathroom, quickly washing up. He put underwear and socks on, then pulled his jeans up. She came out while he was slipping his T-shirt on, then his cloth jacket.

"You don't have to come," she said, not looking at him, as she fumbled with the drawer that held her underwear. It didn't open right away, and she yanked it open, then began to cry. "Shit, dammit."

Firmly, he placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around, wrapping her in his arms. She buried her face into his chest and wept then nodded her head as she regained control.

"He's going to be okay," said Bucky. "He's physically fit, and he's already in the hospital. She's trying to get a flight there as we speak."

"But I should have had my phone on for her call. Instead, I muted it so we wouldn't be interrupted."

"It only just happened," he replied. "Don't blame yourself for this, Hope. You did nothing wrong. I kept my phone out here for the same reason. I wanted time alone with just you, and it was great." He smiled at her, then kissed her forehead. "It was fun and flirty and made me feel like a normal guy. Don't feel guilty about it because I sure don't."

She gazed up at him, with a soft smile on her face. "It was really something, wasn't it?" He kissed her again, sweetly on the lips and she nodded. "Alright, I'll get dressed and we'll go over there together."

By the time they got to Joyce's house, she had more information for them. Doctors had determined one of Tom's coronary arteries had become blocked. He was to have an angioplasty as soon as they could fit him in. She booked a flight out for early evening and was already packing a bag. After accepting a hug from each of them, she looked at the body language between them and smiled.

"Are you two, okay?"

"Yeah, we're good," smiled Hope. She giggled as she looked Bucky. "You'll never guess what he did." At first Joyce blushed, not sure she wanted to hear if it was something intimate. "He cleaned his arm in the dishwasher. Took it off and put it through a cycle."

He scowled a little and shrugged as Joyce grinned at him. "Seriously?"

"Made sense at the time," he said. "Got a call from the Wakandan scientist who designed the arm. I'm supposed to call her back but then we got your message." He took his jacket off, showing her how clean it was. "I think it looks great."

"As long as it doesn't hurt it, I guess," replied Joyce, chuckling. "I called Bobby. They're on their way back. At least they got a few hours in at Coney Island. You can do take out for dinner, although I already have some steaks in a marinade for the barbecue."

"We can do the steaks," said Hope, looking at Bucky. "Right?"

"I've never done them on a barbecue before, but I'm willing to give it a go. What else did you have planned?"

Joyce showed them the fresh corn on the cobs she had, as well as the baking potatoes, salad fixings and a no-bake cheesecake she made. Since they hadn't eaten yet, Joyce decided they could cook everything up for an early dinner. When Bobby and his family arrived, she assigned him and Bucky to barbecue the meat and roast the corn. With a couple of beers in hand, the two men talked while they took care of that.

"That place was jumping," said Bobby. "I can see why you didn't want to go. The ride and food lineups were ridiculous, and I was counting down the time until we could leave."

"What about the kids?"

"They loved it. It's the last Sunday before school starts on Thursday so they thought it was a great way to end summer. Next weekend I'm going to sleep in on Sunday for as long as I can." He took a drink of his beer, then fussed with the food again. Finally, he breathed out. "Screw it. Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Depends on what it is," answered Bucky, having an idea of what Bobby wanted to ask, being aware of the rumours about him. "I am a gentleman, and I don't kiss and tell."

Bobby nodded. "Good to know. That's not what I wanted to ask." He put the utensils down and faced Bucky. "Ma told me that the Flag Smashers targeted her, but you took care of it. What would you have done if they had hurt her?"

"It didn't come to that," he answered, carefully. "I did take a pair of them into custody, but I didn't hurt them physically. Hurt their feelings maybe." Bobby continued to stare at him. "If they had taken her, I would have torn New York apart to find her and when I did, I wouldn't have held back on the people who had her. Captain America would have been with me because he's fond of your mom as well. I don't have many friends, and only a few that are like family to me. Your mom is one of them."

"Yeah." Bobby sighed and faced the steaks again. "Thank you for watching out for her. I feel better knowing she's got you."

"I'm not trying to replace you."

"I know." He frowned, then shook his head. "I've been feeling guilty for not being here since Dad died and I tried to push her to move to Baltimore, thinking that's what a good son would do. But being independent makes her happy and that's more important. Knowing you're just minutes away if she needs help means a lot and it takes a load off my mind."

There it was, a son's guilt at not being around for his mother. Even though it wasn't said out loud, Bucky realized that Bobby was facing his own set of pressures with his responsibilities to his business, his wife, and kids. He was living that life of quiet desperation, trying to fulfill his own sense of duty, and probably feeling like a failure. No wonder the guy had been antagonistic to him at first. He smirked at himself for realizing he was actually learning things from therapy.

"Can I tell you something?" asked Bucky. Bobby looked at him blankly. "Take it or leave it, but I never saw my parents again after I shipped out. Letters took forever to reach the front, and, in those days, I would gloss over my feelings towards them when I did get around to writing them back. Didn't want them to worry, you know?" He swallowed. "I'd give anything to hug them one more time, tell them I loved them and to say how sorry I was that I didn't come home. Maybe out of everything I've been through that's my biggest regret. Call Joyce as often as you can, tell her your feelings. She knows you're busy and she understands. She'll be there for you, if you let her."

Both men looked at her through the window into the kitchen and smiled. They said nothing more between them, but they didn't have to. Before that Sunday was over, Bucky put Bobby's contact information into his smart phone. Bobby did the same with Bucky's.

After their early barbecue dinner, Bobby drove Joyce to LaGuardia Airport for the one-hour flight to Boston. While he was gone, Bucky took his leave, saying goodbye to Kathy and the kids. He got hugs from all three of them, and the formal declaration from both Stacey and David that he was a pretty cool guy. With the sun just setting, he stood on the sidewalk while Hope stood on the bottom step. They held hands, just gazing at each other, then sighed at the same time, prompting a chuckle from them.

"I have meetings tomorrow," she said. "Faculty staff meeting, then department. Tuesday, I'll be setting up the studio. We'll both be busy once this first day of classes begins Wednesday."

"Yeah, I have my list of resources that I have to pick up. Maybe tomorrow won't be as crowded as Wednesday will be at the bookstore. All those freshmen who leave it to the first day of classes and don't know where to go."

"You're going to college," she smiled. "I'm so proud of you. So's Mom."

"Finally there after 90 years," he answered. Sliding their combined hands around her back, he pulled her closer, then kissed her, letting his lips linger near hers for several sweet moments. "I really liked sleeping in with you today. I've never done that before, and I think it's something that we could do most Sundays."

"It was really nice, wasn't it?" She kissed him this time, then whispered in his ear. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Reluctantly, he released one hand and stepped away from her. They still held the other hand until they were stretched too far apart to hold on. Slowly, he walked away, looking back as Hope watched him while the dusk deepened. Sunday had definitely become his favourite day.