The Mimic - One-Shots

Stars and stories

Overview: During their nightly stargaze, Bucky decides to tell y/n yet another story from his childhood.

Word count: 1,159

Warnings: None!

*****

The stars had always been a part of y/n and Bucky's relationship.

No matter where they were, no matter the weather, the stars were always there. It was like the night sky was the third person in their relationship. Silent, impossibly beautiful, and great at listening. It was the only other person that knew their secrets.

Even on the frost-bitten nights, the pair were outside. They'd drag blankets, pillows, coats, and whatever else they needed to keep warm, to wherever they wanted to stargaze. Whether it be up a mountain in Wakanda, on the compound roof, or in the middle of a park.

Luckily tonight wasn't one of those freezing nights.

It had been a blisteringly hot day in Wakanda. Hell, it had even been hot enough for Bucky to ask y/n to help him put his hair up. His excuse had been that he couldn't do it with only one hand, but the pair both knew that he just wanted to find y/n and distract her from whatever she was doing.

The pair were currently laying on the grass, allowing the cool night breeze to wash over them every now and again. Y/n's head rested comfortably on Bucky's chest, laying in a way their bodies created a right angle - that was the good thing about him only having one harm, she could lay sideways without cutting any circulation off in his arm.

The pair definitely weren't good at stargazing. They didn't know any terms or names for the stars, they just liked to look at them. To admire the beauty of something so far away - well, that was what y/n did. The vastness of everything gave her a sense of calm. Bucky just liked to try and make stupid shapes out of the stars to make y/n laugh. God, he could listen to her laugh forever.

Bucky let out a quiet breath, smoothing a few stray hairs out of his face as he gazed up at the stars. Without y/n, he would've never started to do this. He and Steve weren't typically the ones that liked to slow down. "I've got a story for you." Bucky spoke, breaking the comfortable silence that had formed.

Y/n gasped in excitement, tilting her head to the side so she could look at Bucky. She always loved to listen to his stories. Y/n could ramble for hours about the smallest things, but nothing was ever as good as Bucky's stories. It was like being told you have a safe full of gold, and every month you get sent a singular gold coin. The stories were few and far between, but, god, they were cherished.

A fond smile appeared on Bucky's face as he heard y/n gasp. He didn't think his stories were that great. It was nice to have someone that appreciated small things like this. "From when we were kids until we left high school, Steve thought that his birthday was a national holiday." He started, already unable to stop smiling as he heard y/n laugh.

"His birthday is the 4th of July. Independence Day. So I guess he was sort of right, but he genuinely thought that everyone was celebrating his birthday." He chuckled, reminiscing on the happier times. "As a kid, I believed him, too. We used to take his birthday cake to the fireworks. A huge cake made by his mom, stolen from the kitchen by two dumb kids." He laughed. "We were taught not to take knives out of the kitchen, which was a good rule, but not on those days. We never had anything to cut the cake. So, we'd sit and watch the fireworks, eating handfuls of the greatest chocolate cake ever."

If he closed his eyes, Bucky would be able to see those days perfectly. The days when their only worry was the idea of a monster being under the bed. God, if he could go back and tell his younger self everything that was in store, the kid would never believe him.

"We'd get screamed at for coming back covered in icing, but neither of us cared. It was the day we looked forward to every year, especially Steve." He smiled, lifting his head up so he could rest it on his arm. "He'd get sick a lot, and if he wasn't sick, he'd be getting beat up in some hallway or alleyway after school, so the idea of everyone celebrating his birthday was a big thing for him. He felt special. It just sucks that it had to take being a super soldier for everyone else to appreciate him."

Y/n couldn't wipe the fond smile from her face as she listened to Bucky talk. She loved hearing about his childhood with Steve. He held him up on such a high pedestal, it was sweet. "Aww, are you getting all sappy?" She teased, earning an audible groan from the super soldier. She laughed, rolling onto her front so she could pepper a few kisses against his beard-covered jaw. "You're too cute, Barnes."

Bucky laughed, closing his eyes as y/n pressed a few kisses against his jaw. If it wasn't for the dim lighting, y/n would be laughing at the deep shade of red covering his cheeks. "Yeah, yeah." He hummed in a sarcastic tone. "You love it, really." He grinned, pressing a few kisses back when y/n reached his lips. He'd melted that tough exterior with his sappiness, and there was no way she could deny that.

"You're right." Y/n admitted, keeping her face just a few inches away from Bucky's before she finally pulled away. She sat up, resting her arms on her knees as she gazed out at the city lights in the centre of Wakanda. "I just think it's so sweet that Steve's the real-life Rapunzel."

"Oh my god." Bucky laughed, copying y/n as he moved to sit up. "Is that the only thing you picked up from the story?" He asked in an amused tone. She wasn't wrong, to be fair. It was just funny that y/n was able to make connections like that so fast. Wanda and her movie marathons were to blame.

Y/n giggled, turning to face the happy super soldier. "Am I wrong?" She asked. "Rapunzel's blonde - kind of." She started to list, holding her hand out so she could count all the points on her fingers. "She loves to draw, and I've seen Steve's notebooks." Y/n nodded, making Bucky wonder if she stopped listening after the first few sentences. She'd put so much thought into it. "The floating lanterns always appeared on her birthday - just like Steve with the fireworks. And just like how the floating lanterns were actually for her, I think the fireworks are for him, now." She continued to list. "Sounds like a lot of similarities, Buck. What're your thoughts on your best friend being a Disney princess?"

"My thoughts are that you need to go to bed."