Steve had been planning this day for months. Everything was supposed to be perfect. It was the first time that he had spent Bucky’s birthday with him in nearly 80 years. With everything that they had been through together, Steve wanted to give him one perfect day.
Naturally, some asshole mad scientist had to fuck up his plans.
It was 3:27 a.m. when they got the call. Some guy, who was calling himself Einstine, was threatening to release his army of zombie animals. Steve assumed that the incorrect spelling of Einstein was a reference to Frankenstein. That, or the guy just couldn’t spell. Peter thought it was a reference to some author that Steve had never heard of.
He and Bucky were sitting next to each other on the quinjet listening to Peter babble on about these books that reminded him about his childhood. Bucky tiredly nodded along to what the kid was saying, but Steve was fuming.
He and Bucky were supposed to be snuggling in bed right now, not flying to Italy to deal with another wannabe villain. He closed his eyes and tried to push down his rage. It would be better for him to save his anger for when he was dealing with the nutcase.
The quinjet landed around what would have been 6:30 a.m. in New York. He should have just been waking up, leaving Bucky to sleep in. He should have been getting ready for his morning run. But the universe was out to get him, so here he was.
The team split up once they were on the ground. Bucky, Clint, and Wanda were off to get the scientist, since stealth was more their thing. Steve, Peter, and Strange were on the ground to deal with the zombies and civilians. Strange focused more on making portals to evacuate the civilians, while Steve and Peter were fighting off reanimated rabbits, foxes, and whatever other animals this guy was able to get his hands on.
A small part of Steve felt bad for the animals, but they were ruining his day. Well, Bucky’s day, but Steve planned it all.
Strange managed to get all the civilians evacuated and joined them in the fight. It took a few hours, but the three of them managed to get all of the animals contained. In that time, Bucky, Clint, and Wanda had managed to capture the scientist and load him onto the quinjet.
At 9:30 they were all on their way back to New York. Steve should have been bringing Bucky breakfast in bed right now. He was going to make him eggs Benedict with smoked salmon. Steve had been practicing how to make it for weeks, using Sam’s kitchen to keep Bucky out of the loop. Instead, they were both eating super soldier protein bars that Bruce and Tony had created for them for after missions. They didn’t taste that good, but they made up for all the energy exerted by fighting.
Bucky put his head on Steve’s shoulder and drifted off to sleep. Steve, on the other hand, was furiously texting Sam in the hopes that he could somehow salvage the day. They wouldn’t be back in New York until around 1 p.m. and they would still have a mission debrief.
Steve had an idea that he thought could make up for the day. He told Sam, who agreed that it would be perfect. Sam told Steve that he would talk to Pepper and make sure that everything was in place when the debrief was over.
Bucky woke up as the quinjet landed on the roof of Avengers tower. He looked up at Steve with a soft smile. Steve offered his hand to Bucky, who quickly took it. They walked hand-in-hand to the conference room, where they would spend the next three hours of their day. Throughout the entire debrief, Bucky’s hand never left Steve’s.
Once the debrief ended, they headed back to their floor in the tower to get out of their dirty uniforms and shower. Luckily for Steve, Bucky always took forever to shower after missions. He used it as an excuse to deep condition his hair.
While Bucky was still in the shower, Pepper came up to the floor and handed Steve two sets of keys. She assured him that everything would be in place for them when they arrived at their destination. Steve smiled and thanked her profusely for helping to salvage their day.
Bucky eventually exited the bathroom, dressed in his comfiest sweats and fuzzy pink socks. He went to sit down on the, but Steve stopped him. He told him that they had plans for the night. He told Bucky that he could stay in his comfy clothes, but he needed to at least put on some shoes. Bucky slipped on a pair of Uggs and followed Steve to the elevator.
They exited the elevator in the garage, and Steve led Bucky to the car that Pepper was lending them. They got in the car and began their journey. The pair made small talk between lapses of comfortable silence.
When Steve pulled off the highway at the exit for the Hamptons, Bucky looked at him with a quirked eyebrow. Steve told him to trust him as he continued on their route.
After a few more minutes, they pulled up to a beautiful mansion that sat right on the beach. Steve explained that it belonged to the Stark’s, but it was theirs for the night.
They exited the car and walked into the house. The pair looked around the foyer, awestruck by its beauty. Steve led Bucky to the kitchen, where Pepper had told him dinner would already be prepared.
Steve poured the soup on the stove into two bowls and handed one to Bucky. They walked together up to the roof of the house.
Bucky looked over at Steve with a soft smile at the scene set up before him. There was a loveseat covered in fluffy blankets and pillows. In front of the loveseat was a telescope pointed at the sky over the ocean.
Steve smiled back at Bucky and led him over to the loveseat. They nestled into the blankets so that they could eat while watching the sunset. They cuddled up together and silently watched the sky change to black.
Once the stars were visible, they took turns pointing out different constellations and looking through the telescope. Bucky was smiling the entire night, enjoying that he could spend time geeking out over the stars with the man he loves.
After spending hours on the roof, the finally went inside to get in bed. Bucky snuggled up into Steve’s arms, thanking him for such a wonderful night. Steve kisses him on the forehead and pulled him closer.
Before he drifted off Steve whispered, “Happy birthday, Buck.”