Stranger Who Knows All My Secrets [A Marvel FanFic]

Chapter 46: Five to Eight Pounds of Human

Most people would agree that a century was far too long for anyone to live, and no one agreed with that more than Bucky. It had been an unbearably long hundred and eight years of which most days weren't worth reliving but recently... Well recently, there were moments that Bucky wished he could have lived in forever like the moment Elena turned into a puddle on the dock when she looked at him with those wildly sweet eyes and decided she wanted to be more than whatever it was they were before.

With his fingers hooked into her belt loop, and a stupid smile on his face, Bucky found it hard to resist the urge to smother Elena in kisses but he didn't, and only because he was sure she'd toss herself into the water out of embarrassment. She wasn't quite ready for public displays of affection, nor was she ready for the boyfriend/girlfriend realm but she liked the sound of romantic friends, the kind who didn't see other people, held hands, kissed a lot and maybe even went on dates now and then. Bucky liked the sound of it too and after taming the fire in his heart, he shooed her away, warning her that if she stuck around much longer looking as cute as she did he couldn't be held responsible for his actions.

Elena practically floated away like the clumsiest leaf on the wind, tripping twice over nothing when she looked back at him with bashful eyes. She was giddy and nervous, Bucky was too and he plopped himself in a seat by Carlos' boat in an attempt to ground himself, watching her disappear into the crowd gathered on the lawn. Carlos came to sit with him, tossing himself in the seat next to Bucky and trying to figure out when his knees had started aching while handing him a beer which he nursed quietly while the man talked about everything from fishing to hurricanes and and the alligator that ate Sam's childhood dog.

Bucky was distracted, partly by the head of curls he was tracking across the yard when it reappeared and partly because he suddenly remembered that Lorraine was carrying precious cargo with Sam's genetics attached to it. He couldn't even begin to imagine how Sam would react though he expected it to be dramatic and most likely traumatizing for everyone involved because, as Lorraine had pointed out several times, they had only been together for six months, and was that even enough time to decide if you wanted to have a child with someone?

Carlos could tell he had a lot on his mind, but he didn't pry, he just rummaged around his boat for some beers which Bucky took appreciatively. They drank and talked some more about everything but nothing in particular. Football, the best dinners to woo a woman, beer, subtle ways to let your lover know you love her, the stock of spotted sea bass, date night ideas, the price of eggs, how soon was too soon to know if a woman was the one and what kind of pie reigned supreme over all others which they agreed was pecan bit somehow, nobody brought one to the party.

At one point both of their stomachs growled and Carlos flashed Bucky his signature smile before making a complaint about the lack of food he was eating, groaning like an old man as he got out of his chair and headed toward Sarah so he could protest. Carlos wanted answers as to why there was so much damn food on the buffet tables that no one was allowed to touch even after they had gone out of their way to show up. Bucky laughed and stayed in his spot, crossing his arms and looking out over the party guests, and of course, he couldn't help but think about Elena as he did.

That woman truly had a heart of gold under all the chaos she left in her wake. She was busy rolling around in the grass with AJ and some of the other younger kids, getting dirt on her jeans, and setting the younglings up for a scolding from their parents for messing up their nice clothes. The look Sarah gave her and AJ when she spotted them climbing a tree was priceless but the mother of two simply conceded, leading to both of them scrambling up to the highest branches. It ended up being a terrible idea because Elena fell several feet onto her back causing Bucky to jump out of his seat and run across the yard toward her and Natasha just shook her head in disappointment from where she stood next to Lorraine by the shed.