"Being together is more important than how we're together."
"You really mean that?" she whispered and reached up to push a strand of hair out of his face, letting her fingertips linger on his cheek.
He leaned down to place a gentle kiss against he...
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"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Kyla asked as she bent over to zip her knee-high black boots.
"For the hundredth time, Kyla...YES, I'm okay with this!" Bucky laughed, which made the corners of his eyes crinkle in a smile.
The weeks of December had flown by, and suddenly it was Christmas Eve, and that night was Tony's annual Christmas Party at the Tower. Besides the Avengers and Kyla, Tony had invited a ton of other people - most of which he'd only met one time if that. When he was told about the party, Bucky immediately turned the invitation down - despite living at the Tower - with the reason being that he wasn't ready to be around that many people and that someone needed to babysit Jade for Kyla. There was no changing his mind about it, but Kyla still tried.
"I know, I know," she sighed. "But I feel bad leaving you here by yourself. It is Christmas Eve, Buck." Kyla straightened and went over to the closet to look for her purse. "You know...I don't really have to go. We can watch Christmas movies here or something else if you-"
"No!" Bucky said firmly and almost too quickly.
Kyla blinked in surprise. "Sorry?"
Bucky took a deep breath and tried again. "I mean, no. You need to go, as much as I'd like having a night in with you. You rarely, if ever, go have fun anymore."
"What! Yes, I do!"
Crossing his arms, Bucky leaned on one hip and gave her a stern look. "Spending most of your free time with me and Jade doesn't count."
"But I like you guys, so its fun to me," Kyla scoffed, slightly offended as she took her winter coat of the hangar.
"Kyla," Bucky sighed exasperatedly and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I want you to tell me the last time you went to a party like this or hung out with people closer to your age."
Her fingers faltered on the buttons of her jacket, and she glanced down at Jade, who sat on the fluffy rug intently watching the conversation between the two adults towering above her. "It's been...huh. I guess it's been a while."
"I know it has." Bucky stepped into the kitchen, and tossed Kyla her scarf that she'd left over the back of a chair. "And that's why I'm not gonna let you spend another night at home with a three-year-old and someone who's old enough to be your grandpa when you can go have fun instead."
"Whatever you say, old man," Kyla giggled, rolling her eyes. A car horn beeped twice from outside. Kyla hurriedly swooped Jade up in her arms, giving her a hug and getting a light kiss on the cheek in return. "You're gonna be good for Bucky, right?" she asked Jade while rubbing their noses together in an Eskimo kiss.
"Yah! Buee!" Jade laughed, squirming away from Kyla as she reached for the assassin, who couldn't help but smile at the way she consistently left the 'ck' sound out of his name.
