Better Together: Green Series 6 (Pre-Serum Omega!Steve x Alpha!Bucky AU)

Nineteen

From a room off to the side, Bubbe Ruth entered, wearing a beautiful floral green dress. Steve was entirely convinced in that moment that Zayde Harold requested everyone wear green simply because it looked amazing on his mate.  Beside her, Bubbe Ruth clutched onto Aunt Cecilia in a metallic green dress with shoulder pads fit for a prom more than a funeral, but it was green.

            Holding onto George, Winnie entered the room in a lime green corduroy pant suit.  Her hair pulled back, off her face, the way Zayde Harold was always trying to get her to do.  Although Steve couldn't see any tears falling from her eyes, there were still stains on her cheeks.  When she took her seat in front of Bucky, he reached forward to squeeze her shoulder. Lovingly, she reached up to give his hand a squeeze.  Just as she did when her daughters did the same.

            With the funeral home director taking his place at the podium, Steve scented Finn.  Not wanting to think about anything.  Not how much he hated funerals, nor how it was too soon for him to be at another funeral.  Mainly knowing that if he didn't get a grip on himself, he'd probably have a panic attack.  And that was the last thing that Steve needed.

            "Although I never had the pleasure of meeting Harold, I have spent some time with his family," the director started. "With help from his beloved wife, Ruth, and their adoring daughters, Winifred and Cecilia, I've been given a clear impression of who Harold was.

            "Harold was a good man.  A kind man.  The type of man that empowered and inspired the people around him.  Whether it was his ever-growing family or the friends he made wherever he went, he had a big heart and he shared love with everyone.  Everyone here is a testament to that."

            Hearing the shaky exhale from Bucky, Steve glanced over at him.  Seeing the steady stream of tears escaping Bucky's eyes, Steve reached out, extending his hand for him.  Palm up and inviting, Steve offered his husband the only comfort he could do with both their pups cuddled up to him.

            Thankfully, Bucky accepted.  Lacing their fingers and bringing Steve's slender hand up to his mouth so he could press a kiss to the back of it.

            "Born and raised in Brooklyn, Harold grew up with five older siblings.  Being the youngest allowed his love for practical jokes to flourish, even if they were played on him.  Particularly when his children and grandchildren started learning how to do them.

            "Being an animal lover at a young age, he would lure cats home and give them table scraps.  As I've been told, he did this so often that one morning his father woke up to find fifteen cats waiting on their front porch."

            Softly, chuckles and sniffles came from the grieving group, and Steve could only think about how Bucky was like his grandfather.  How their own cat was there because Bucky had started feeding her at the garage.  Looking down at their sons, a small smile tugged at his lips as he imagined either – or both – of them doing the same.

            "A poet and romantic at heart, Harold and Ruth met when they were teens.  Not even old enough to drive, but Harold was set on spending the rest of his life with Ruth.  Something that took some time for both their parents to get used to.  But Harold was a reliable, determined man, who did everything he could once he set his mind to it.  Proving that he was someone that people could trust, someone that anyone would be glad to have in their lives.

            "A hard worker, Harold took over the family plumbing business.  Being a plumber, Harold made sure that his daughters knew how to snake a drain and passed that same knowledge onto his nieces and nephews, and down to his grandchildren, when the time came. Reminding them that sometimes in life, pipe dreams are  okay, and to always remember to wear a belt.