Call It What You Want: Home Series 1 (Trans!Steve and Pan!Bucky Summer AU)

Sixty-Four

Spotting his family standing there waiting for him, caused Steve to race over to them. Sure, Steve had talked to them on the phone and remained somewhat active on his social media pages. But seeing his family standing there in the airport was different. And Steve immediately ran to them, greeting Sarah first with a crash. Nearly toppling his petite mom in a hug.

"I missed you, too," Sarah confirmed, securing Steve in her grasp and hugging him tightly to her frame.

"Stevie," Eddie excitedly tugged on Steve's gray basketball shorts. "Hey, Stevie. Stevie, look!"

Sniffling, Steve kept his face buried in Sarah's shoulder a moment longer to gather himself before pulling back. Glancing down at his brother and greeting him by ruffling his auburn hair. Eddie flashed him a missing teeth smile and Steve exaggerated, "You lost a tooth?!"

"Uh huh," Eddie proudly tilted his chin up before tackling Steve into a hug. Steve smiled down at him and ran his fingers through Eddie's messy mop of hair as Eddie confessed, "I missed you a lot, a lot."

"Yeah?" Steve questioned, tears still building in his eyes. Eddie nodded his confirmation and Steve reassured, "I missed you, too."

"Hey, what about me?" Natasha playfully complained. Eddie pulled away from Steve and tackled Natasha in a hug of the same fashion as the one he gave Steve. After all, Natasha was the sister that Eddie never had.

"Ya hungry?" Joseph questioned with a large grin.

"Starving," Natasha exaggerated, earning a giggle from Eddie.

As the group moved from the airport to the parking lot, Eddie held Steve and Natasha's hands while Joseph wrapped an arm around Sarah's frame. Reassuring Steve that love existed and that sometimes people just knew. Just like how Steve had known from the moment they met Joseph that he was going to marry Sarah, Steve knew that Bucky was that person for him.

At dinner, they told stories of what each other missed in their absences. Missing teeth, newborn kittens, and Goat Steve. Sarah laughed so hard that tears dotted the corners of her eyes. A smile on Steve's face as he tried to settle back into who he was before Arkansas.

Eddie was the one who spotted Natasha's bruised knuckles, and Natasha felt obliged to inform the Rogers family, "Had to defend Stevie's honor."

Eyebrows arched high on their foreheads, Sarah and Joseph exchanged a look. Clearly, they had to know the story now. And Steve -- red faced -- simply explained, "Some doorknob who kept misgendering me."

Joseph's jaw clenched then and Sarah narrowed her eyes as though she could glare at Brock all the way from New York. Hell, maybe she could! Firmly, Sarah commented, "They're damn lucky that I wasn't there."

"Don't worry," Natasha smirked, wrapping her arm around Steve's shoulders, "I set 'im straight."

"Good," Joseph confirmed, relaxing in his seat.

The meal consisted of more stories and exaggerated gestures. Laughs and teasing. Even featuring Eddie shoving straws up his nose and exclaiming that he was a walrus. Although Sarah attempted to be stern as she told the youngest Rogers to get the straws out of his nose, a smile fought to break free. It was everything that Steve had missed and then some.

Piling into the Rogers' black 2015 Chrysler Town & Country minivan, Steve eased in his seat, taking in a deep breath. Sarah drove, holding Joseph's hand. Effectively warming Steve's heart and breaking it all in one.

As they pulled into the Romanoff's driveway, Natasha exaggerated a sigh and reached over to ruffle Eddie's auburn hair. Opening the door, Natasha reached over and gave Steve's hand a squeeze as she informed, "I'll text ya later."

"You better," Steve weakly smiled, tiredly resting his head on the back of the seat as he waved after Natasha as she closed the door.

Closing his eyes, Steve kept his tears in. Making a deal with himself that he could cry all he wanted once he was back home in his bed by himself. Until he could do that, he kept quiet in the middle seat section and listened as Eddie sang along to the classic rock song from the back.

Not realizing that he had fallen asleep until Sarah gently shook him awake. Eddie and Joseph were already inside, and Sarah affectionately pushed Steve's hair away from his face as she sweetly promised, "You go nap and I'll make some chocolate mousse."

"Okay," Steve agreed, stumbling out of the van and walking up the familiar walk to his house. Having lived in a log cabin on an isolated plot of land made Steve's heart pang: have the neighbors always been that close?

Climbing the stairs, Steve passed the photos that lined the wall. Missing teeth grins. Petting zoos. Snuggled up close in Sarah's arms. This was home. But Steve couldn't deny that something was missing.

Joseph had placed Steve's bag on his bed, and although Steve wanted to sleep until he could see Bucky again, he knew he needed to unpack. Only then did Steve wish that he had let Bucky win him something at the County Fair. After all, he didn't have anything he could hold that reminded him of Bucky. Sure, he had sketches that he planned on hanging up along his room, but it just wasn't the same.

Internally berating himself, Steve unzipped the bag and paused. His heart racing in his chest as he reached out with shaky hands. There, nestled in the middle of his clothes, laid the ceramic mint green bowl with the little pink flowers and gold interior.

Taking the bowl into his hands, Steve looked into the bag to see if there was a note. There wasn't. So, Steve turned his gaze to the bowl. The bowl that Bucky had first given Steve to use. The bowl that Bucky would place on the counter for Steve in the mornings every Monday after.

Running his fingers along the smooth surface, Steve paused when his thumb rubbed against an unusual spot on the bottom of the bowl. Flipping the bowl over, Steve's breath hitched. There, on the bottom of the bowl was a messy inscription:

James Barnes
6th grade

Affectionately cradling the bowl to his chest, Steve smiled as the tears fell from his eyes and landed on the ceramic bowl. Never once before had Steve taken the time to ask about the bowl. Always assuming that it was special merely because Bucky let him use it. Now knowing that it was special because he made it. Knowing that Steve was special because Bucky gave it to him.

It wasn't goodbye.