There were few things Bucky loved more in the world than his boyfriend and fall. However, his boyfriend and fall didn’t mix well. Steve was very much a spring person. He loved the rain, new grass, and just the emergence of new life all together. He liked summer as well, but he hated when it started getting cold out. Bucky loved the cold. It was hard to convince Steve to go do things fall things with him, but Bucky loved the idea of aesthetic dates. The only thing Bucky could get Steve to agree to was going to the apple orchard.
When Bucky was a little kid, his mom would bring him to the apple orchard every October to get some fresh and organic apples. As he got older and more busy, the tradition ended. Bucky wanted to make it a tradition again, but this time with Steve.
There were plenty of things to do at the orchard that both fit the fall aesthetic and were date worthy. Bucky’s personal favorite was buying caramel apples. Something about the mixture of apples, caramel, and nuts was just perfect. There were also hayrides that happened throughout the day and an easy little corn maze. Of course, there was also the apple picking itself.
Bucky drove over to Steve’s house on a Saturday afternoon to bring him to the apple orchard. It was, in Bucky’s opinion, the most exciting date they had ever been on.
“Hey,” Steve greeted, getting into Bucky’s car.
Bucky leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Hi. Ready for the best date ever?”
“I don’t know if it can top the butterfly garden date,” Steve said.
Bucky smiled. “Yeah?”
“Yeah, that was the best,” Steve stated. “It was, like, magical. I wanna go to the butterfly garden again this summer.”
“We can definitely do that,” Bucky promised.
Bucky spent more time than he was willing to admit planning cute dates. It was really easy in the summer because there was so much time. Now that it was fall, they were so busy with school. Bucky was happy to get at least one cute date this season.
“So, we’re gonna pick some apples?” Steve asked.
“Oh, we’re gonna do so much more than just that,” Bucky answered.
The apple orchard was just as cute as Bucky had remembered it. There were cute scarecrows, pumpkins, and hay bales everywhere. It fit into the family friendly fall activities, which Bucky much prefered to the spooky ones. Seeing as it was a Saturday in October, there were quite a few other people there; mainly families. The little kids with their parents brought Bucky back to when he used to come as a child. It was always one of the most magical parts of his fall.
“I feel like we came here at the perfect time of the year,” Steve said, getting out of Bucky’s car. “The leaves are honestly really pretty.”
Bucky smiled at him. “See? Fall is a good season.”
“You’ve yet to convince me of that,” Steve said.
“Oh, just you wait,” Bucky responded.
They walked in through the entrance and straight towards the apple cider booth. Candy apples would have to be last, they were too sticky to be first. Steve and Bucky both got a cup full of hot cider and took them into the orchard area. Well, the tree area of the orchard, that is.
“Do you actually want to pick an entire crate of apples?” Steve asked.
“I mean, I’m honestly not that into apples. I just like coming here. Maybe we should just each pick, like, two,” Bucky suggested.
“Well I want this one,” Steve said, reaching up and pulling down an apple.
“You haven’t even looked at other apples long enough to know that that’s one of the two that you want,” Bucky protested.
“I’ve gotta save the best ones for you,” Steve said, smiling at him.
God, Steve was such a sweet guy. He was always so polite and nice and just overall great. Bucky couldn’t get over the fact that they were dating. It honestly felt like pure luck. Bucky watched him as he looked at all the trees, surveying which apple he wanted to pick next. It was such a wholesome moment, Bucky was so ready for them to have traditions like this when they finally had their own family.
“I think I’ve found my perfect apple,” Bucky said, halfway through the orchard.
“Which one?” Steve asked.
“It’s that shiny one right there,” Bucky said, pointing to an apple at the top of a tree.
“And how exactly do you plan on getting that down?”
“Well, I was hoping for your help with that one.”
“I’m only, like, an inch and a half taller than you.”
“I think we can figure it out.”
Steve and Bucky ended up getting absolutely no apples. Bucky was set on getting that one apple, but it was too high up for either of them to reach. So, Steve decided that he would just climb up the tree to get it for him. It was a bad idea. An employee came over and told them they couldn’t climb the trees, leaving them with no apples. But there were still other things they could do.
“I hate mazes, I refuse to go through the corn maze with you,” Steve stated.
Bucky pouted. “For real? It’s one of the cute aesthetic activities they have here, though. And we didn’t even get any apples.”
“It’s, like, barely even a maze,” Steve said. “It’s built for actual children. But I will go through it with you if you want.”
Steve grabbed Bucky’s hand and smiled at him. He was so wholesome.
“It’s okay, we don’t have to do the maze. Let’s just get some caramel apples.”
Bucky picked out the apple with the most nuts on the outside. He really liked the combination of the three flavors. Steve, on the other hand, got a s’mores caramel apple. It sounded like the most disgusting thing ever to Bucky, but to each their own. It was covered in chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, and graham cracker crumbs.
“Let’s take these things onto the hayride,” Steve suggested, leading Bucky over to the big tractor.
There were other people on the ride, but Steve and Bucky didn’t care. They didn’t need to be alone to have a good time. They sat as close together as they could without being on top of each other. Steve didn’t let go of Bucky’s hand the entire time. It was a really sweet fall moment. Bucky sat, watching the beautiful fall scenery float by, and just enjoyed the nice time with his boyfriend. He loved him more than he knew he was capable of.
“Hey Buck?” Steve asked, gently squeezing Bucky’s hand.
“Yeah?” Bucky responded.
The way Steve was looking at him in that moment was absolutely magical. It was a look of pure admiration.
Steve rested his forehead against Bucky’s and smiled at him. “I think I finally understand the appeal of fall.