First Love || Bucky Barnes

Chapter Thirteen: Bucky's 21st Birthday

~March 10, 1938~

Winnifred Barnes quietly crept up the stairs of the Barnes Household while holding a tray. She then walks down the hall and pauses in front of her son's door. She opens the door slowly and tiptoes into the room with the tray.

She stops by the bed and smiles softly down at her son, Bucky, who was still sound asleep. To her, he looked so peaceful when he was asleep and she didn't want to wake him up but today was a special day.

She places the tray down on his nightstand and walks over to his windows. She pulls the curtains apart, letting the sunlight into the room, brightening it up a bit. She then walks back over to the bed and opens her mouth.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMES!" 

Bucky flutters his eyes open and close as he lets out a soft groan before turning over on his side and pulling his pillow over his ears as his mother began to sing the 'For He's a Jolly Good Fellow' song. When she was done, Bucky lowers the pillow down and open his eyes as he sits up in his bed to see his mother smiling down at him.

"I made you breakfast in bed since it's your special day," Winnifred tells Bucky, showing him the tray which had a bowl of cornflakes, a muffin, toast with butter and a tall glass of milk. The smell of the muffin filled his nose and he smiles up at his mom. "Thank you, mom."

Winnifred bends down and wraps her arm around his shoulders. Bucky hugs back as she presses a kiss to the top of his head. She pulls away and picks up the tray, placing it on his bed. "When you're done eating, get ready for the day because a special someone is stopping by for a visit," she tells him, leaving the room.

"Wait, who?" Bucky asks as Winnifred pauses by the door. "You will see soon," she tells him with a wink before closing his door. Bucky shakes his head at his mom but a laugh slip through his lips as he picks up a muffin and takes a bite out of it.

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After finishing his breakfast, Bucky got dressed for the day and was now walking down the stairs, carrying the now empty tray into the kitchen. He places it on the counter and hears the doorbell ring.

"James!" he hears his mother shout from upstairs. "May you please get that?!" 

"Yes mom!" Bucky yells back before jogging over to the door, getting excited that the special someone was here. He opens the door and grins when he sees his best friend. 

"Hello Steve!" 

"Hello Bucky!"

Bucky steps aside and lets Steve into the house. He closes the door behind him and puts his hands into his pockets. "Where's E-" The house phone begins to ring and Bucky apologizes to Steve before running over to the phone.

"Hello?"

Bucky hears a cough on the other end followed by a loud sniffle. 

"Happy birthday, Bucky." 

Bucky leans against the wall, holding the phone to his ear and smiling when he hears the sound of her voice but frowns when he hears another cough. "Thank you, doll. Are you feeling well? You sound a bit stuffy." 

"Unfortunately not, Bucky. I wasn't feeling too well last night and this morning woke up with a cough and a stuffy nose." Elizabeth explains in her sick voice. "Lizzie-" Elizabeth sniffs over the phone. "I feel so bad that I am missing your birthday today." "Lizzie, don't worry about it. We can celebrate my birthday another day."