daybreak - b. barnes

- 𝐧𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 ; 𝐛𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐬 ⋆˚𝜗𝜚˚⋆

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: its bucky's birthday and you throw him a party, which he does not want.

𝐓𝐚𝐠𝐬: Cussing, Angst, Fighting, Break-up.

         the tower gleamed against the new york skyline, the sun dipping low and spilling gold across the glass.

inside, the usually quiet ballroom was alive with motion — streamers, twinkling lights, and balloons of navy and silver floated through the air as you stood in the middle of it all, trying to make every little detail perfect.

it was bucky's birthday. one hundred and two years old.

he hadn't celebrated since the 1940s — since before the war, before hydra, before he lost himself. you knew that. but you also knew he deserved joy again, that he deserved to feel loved.

loki was on the ladder, adjusting the banner that read "Happy Birthday, Buck!" in bold silver letters.
"tell me again why i'm the one doing this?" loki complained, voice muffled by the tape in his mouth.
you laughed, "because you're the tallest, and you owe me for that coffee explosion last week."

natasha, perched on one of the tables while blowing up balloons, smirked at you. "relax, y/n. he's going to love this. you always overthink."

you smiled nervously, adjusting the placement of the cake. "yeah, i just...i want it to be perfect, you know?"

natasha's eyes softened. "he loves you. that's all he needs."

you tried to believe her.

meanwhile, blocks away, bucky, steve, and sam were walking down the street, laughing and sipping on coffee. bucky's metal hand glinted as he gestured while talking about some ridiculous story from his mission with sam last week.

"so, what's the plan tonight, buckaroo?" Sam interrupted laughing, grinning. "y/n's got anything planned for you?"

bucky chuckled, shaking his head. "i hope nothing too much. i don't really feel like doing much this year... or any year. just wanna spend time with my girl and alpine. and definitely no party."

the laughter died instantly.

steve froze mid-step, his jaw tightening. sam's eyes widened just slightly — the kind of look that said "oh, shit."

bucky noticed the silence and frowned. "what? what'd i say?"

"uh—nothing, man," sam muttered, taking a long sip of his coffee.

steve gave a forced laugh. "yeah, nothing. you'll, uh, have a nice quiet evening. i'm sure of it."

but the tone of his voice made Bucky narrow his eyes.

a few hours later, you stood in the middle of the ballroom, surrounded by perfection. the lights were dimmed, the cake glowed under soft candles, and the banner sparkled in the golden light. you exhaled deeply, hands on your hips, and smiled to yourself.

"okay," you whispered, "he's gonna love this."

the team, having helped set up, had already gone to their rooms to get ready. you cleaned up the last bit of tape, then hurried to the elevator, excitement bubbling in your chest.

when you reached your shared room, bucky was sprawled across the bed with alpine, the little white cat curled against his chest as he munched on popcorn and watched a black-and-white movie.