This Is Stella's Reality

February 1, 2015

My fingers clutched the curtains in the living room. It's snowing. I twirled to look back at Bucky. He was sitting at the bar and finishing our breakfast.

"Ducky," I called over to him.

He was so cute with his wide eyes and bed head. I grinned, "Can we have a snow day?"

A laugh blew through his nose as he swallowed a pancake whole. His eyes twinkled with mischief, "I thought you'd never ask, doll."

I skipped over to him and pressed a kiss to his lips. They were sticky with maple syrup. He smiled widely at me and whispered close to my ear, "Can we steal Steve's shield and go sledding?"

"Hey," Clint said as he bounded down the steps. He was holding one of Tony's Iron Man helmets. His eyes were wide, "You didn't see anything."

Bucky and I exchanged a look and nodded to him, "Got it." He hurried past us and out the patio door, stumbling through the fluffy snow that was gathering in the grass.

I laughed, "Looks like we aren't the only ones with plans today."

He stood, stretching. His shirt lifted, exposing the skin just below his navel. My fingers glided around his sides and held him close to me. His hands cupped my cheeks, "Follow me, doll. Not a sound." He winked and pulled me towards the training room.

Our footsteps echoed in the empty room. Bucky tiptoed over to the weapons closet and emerged with Steve's shield. I grinned.

"What are you doing?" We turned towards the entrance. Natasha was standing with an amused grin and her arms folded.

I gave her my best innocent look, "Nothing. What are you doing?" I touched her thoughts. They were almost always unreadable. I heard vague ideas about Tony's armor.

Her eyes narrowed at me, "Nothing." She paused and looked between Bucky, the shield, and me. "You didn't see me here."

"You didn't see us here," Bucky quipped back at her.

We all nodded and snuck past each other. My skin tingled and blood rushed through my ears. Steve would be so angry. I laughed at the thought.

Bucky was pulling me along, rushing us out of the compound before anyone else spotted us. The snow was thick, and my feet sunk through the blankets of white.

The brisk air bit at my face, and I laughed with excitement. Bucky's thoughts were loud but jumbled in my mind. He was happy, purely anticipating the thrill of sledding down a hill. My heart squeezed a bit. I love him so much.

We climbed a hill near the tree line. Our feet slipped, and every time, we screamed and clung to each other. It was freezing outside, but my skin burned. This was too fun.

Bucky steadied me as we reached the top. He tossed the shield onto the snow. It puffed up in a cloud that drifted in the air around us.

"Do you want to go together?" He was breathless, but his face was pulled into an excited grin.

I grinned at him, "Duh."

He knelt down and held the shield firmly so I could climb on. I fit snugly into the divet of the bowl. Bucky sat behind me and wrapped his legs around me. I leaned back against his chest and grinned up at him.

Bucky leaned down and littered my face with kisses. I squealed, overwhelmed with excitement.

I looked down at the compound. We were far away. I thought back to Halloween, remembering how I had run back to the compound. Bucky's steps had been quick behind me, and my chest heaved with effort.