Heartlines | Steve Rogers

XXXIX

THIRTY NINE
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"Sarah, get back here!" Sam exclaimed, his frustrated tone echoing throughout the walls of the large wedding venue. It'd taken them a while to get it fully decorated considering how large the place was. They were expecting many guests. Pepper was getting pretty stressed out, but they ended up having it all done in time. It looked gorgeous. The theme was royal blue with lots of bright shades of pink and hints of peaches and oranges. The bridesmaids— which included Pepper as the Maid of Honor, Wanda, Valkyrie, Carol, Marzia, and Kamryn in that order— would wear gorgeous, royal blue, satin dresses. Though, Carol and Valkyrie opted to wear jumpsuits instead. Meredith didn't mind, considering they looked great and matched the theme. All of them would carry big, vibrant pink bouquets to match the rest of the flowers decorating the place. Bucky as the Best Man, Sam, Thor, T'Challa, Scott, and Rhodey were the Groomsmen in that order. Everything is finally coming together, and they're finally going to get their special day. "You think this is funny?! It's not fair! I'm a lot older than you, you know! Do I look like I'm laughing?"

Rhodey sat in the corner, chuckling at the exchange. It was pretty entertaining to all of them, especially considering all they had to do was call her over and she'd stop running away from him. Sarah loved to mess with Sam, because his frustration was hilarious to her. She probably would've loved to see the fight between him and Scott, when they first met. Sam was extremely embarrassed about that, and to this day, Steve still doesn't know what went down between the two.

"Sarah! Stop! You're going to break something!" Sam called after her exasperatedly as she was short enough to run beneath tables and throw him off course. She was laughing so hard, her crystal blue eyes glistening and her light blond hair getting messier by the second.

"Come here, Shortcake!" A voice called, and Sarah instantly stopped. She looked around the room until she spotted him, then ran as fast as she could to him. He scooped her up into his arms and squeezed her tightly, as did she.

"Uncle Bucky!" She exclaimed as she rested her head on his chest. She began to breathe softly, and that's how he knew she was exhausted from all those games with Sam.

"Hey, sweetheart. Are you having fun messing with Uncle Sam?" He asked her as he brushed her hair out of her eyes. She looked him all over for a moment.

"It's fun 'cause he can't catch me." She answered, then paused. "Why you look different?"

"I cut my hair. Do you like it?" He tilted his head to the side as he looked at her. She reached up and brushed her hands through the quiff of his hair. She nodded quickly. All the others were amazed to see him that way. He hadn't had it cut much, and to see him with his hair done in such a way was refreshing. He was a new person, having broken free from HYDRA all those years ago and becoming a hero, an Avenger, rather than being regarded as a villain. Oftentimes, haircuts typically represented that type of thing. He looked great, healthy, and happy. They were all just glad he was finally doing better.

"I think it looks great. You're gonna get all the ladies tonight." Sam winked at him, and Bucky dismissed his comments as he laughed and rolled his eyes. He just couldn't believe he was here, at his best friend's wedding, holding his daughter in his arms, and with so many people he loved and could call his family. Things were so good, even if he'd missed five years, he was here now. And he had people who fought to bring him back. He was forever in their debt.

"It looks excellent, Bucky!" Thor exclaimed and walked over to him, patting him on the back. Sarah gave him an odd look, and Bucky chuckled at that.

"Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. I thought it was time for a change." He smiled at them, and they nodded in agreement. He looked down as Sarah tugged on his suit jacket. It was plain black and white with a boutonniere to match the bouquets, as were the rest of the Groomsmens suits. Steve was going to be wearing a navy blue suit with brown shoes, though.