Sunshadow

Photo frames

He watched her press her hands to her head, obviously thinking about something bad. Maybe it was the reason she doesn't like birthdays.

Everyone else was oblivious, caught up in the excited bubble of exhaustion, as Kiki stood up and wove her way through the crowd to the door. Bucky apologised to the drunk agent who was trying to talk to him and followed her.

Ki stood outside, tracing a circle on the top of her leg that looked like the shape of a gun wound.

"Hey," he said softly. She blinked, her hand pausing. "Are you okay?"

"It was.. really nice of everyone to do this. Really. I've had a great time, for the first time in ages. But if we celebrate it means that we forget what happened 20 years ago."

"We don't forget, Ki. But you deserve to be happy, and that's what they would want. I don't know what happened, but I know Nova kinda went over the top. Sol spent half the time trying to calm her down."

She laughed quickly. "Thank her for me, then. She understands, she was there."

"That must be why she didn't allow streamers. The pop might have sounded like a gunshot." She nodded grimly.

Bucky fingered the frames in his pocket. He was a little scared of what Kiki's reaction would be. "Ki, I know that you lost a lot, and I wanted to find something that might make it a little easier for you. So I did a little digging, and I found these."

Before he could change his mind, he pulled the photos out of his pocket and thrust them into Kiki's hands.

☾

She stared in shock. It was two photos, taken on her ninth birthday, of her and her family, being happy. She didn't even know there were photos from that day, let alone one with her parents in. A tear rolled down her face.

Bucky's face scrunched up as he tried to read her expression. "Oh no. I'm sorry, Ki, I thought you might like to have these. I didn't want you to think I'd forgotten your birthday (and Sol didn't exactly give me much time) so I went out and bought some frames too. If you don't like the frames we can get different ones, its not like they were particularly expensive. Oh no, that's not what I meant. I didn't get the cheapest ones, just the ones I thought you would like best, but-"

"No, Barnes. I love it. It's just... thank you. I never thought I would have any happy memories of that day, but now I remember the fun bits too. It the best thing you could have gotten me." God, she was full on blubbering now. She must look like a wreck.

But Bucky just smiled softly. "How about we go get you ready for a proper party, then?" He took her hand and led her through the crowd into the corridor and all the way to her room. He kept holding it as he turned the doorknob and pulled her inside.

☾

Sol had gotten bored standing around talking to all the people who were too boring to dance. It wasn't that she was boring, it was that she didn't dance. Ever.

So she had snuck out just in time to see Bucky take Al's hand and smile. She had watched as they practically skipped through the mass of bodies, who didn't even notice them. She followed them all the way to Kiki's room (still holding hands!) and grinned as the door closed behind them.

"Did you see that too?" She whipped around as she heard Azeria's voice behind her. She was obviously not enjoying the party Nova had planned, as it involved none of her suggestions. They had been cut from the list rather early on, due to their... violent nature.

"Mhm. It's all coming together." She replied.

"We'd better not let Rosa go in there." If Azeria was thinking what Sol was, that was probably a good idea.

"Hey, hey. You have not read any of the books I have. Besides, they are my OTP."

"When the hell did you get here, Rosa?"

☾

Contrary to Sol's thoughts, nothing was happening in Kiki's room. Although Bucky kinda wished it was.

No, no. She was his friend. She had said that before, and he wouldn't make her uncomfortable on the day she needed support most. Not on ANY day.

But he did kinda wish she would take a little notice of him.

Seriously? Sam? Again?

In fact, he was sat on the bed as Kiki held up dress after dress that all looked the same to him. He nodded yes and no depending on her facial expression, until she sighed and sat on the bed next to him, leaning her head onto his shoulder.

"You're not being much help, Barnes."

"I'm sorry, I'm not good at this stuff!"

They sat in silence like that for another minute, until she stood up suddenly and yelled, "I've got it!"

She ran over to the closet in the corner of her room and rooted through it, looking for one specific item.

At last, she pulled out a rather childish dress. It was pink, with a blue sash that could be tied at the back. It looked remarkably like...

Oh.

Well, that did make sense. He assumed it wasn't the original, since that would probably have been taken away by the police and wouldn't fit anymore anyway. And it had a fuller skirt and a lower neckline that a 9-year-old would never have been allowed to wear, but that was getting off topic.

"It's perfect." He said simply, and at that she allowed herself a little smile.