A Fresh Start
Bucky had convinced you to stay in the tower for a few days so he could plan the perfect date. He’d taken some time off from missions, although he was still on-call in case of an emergency, and you’d been spending a lot of time with him and Aspen. This morning, the three of you had gone to a small toy store downtown, and you realized just how wrapped around her finger he already was.
Every time Aspen found a toy she loved, he’d picked it up and added it to the basket. At first, it had been cute, but when he tried to add a rather loud singing toy you’d had to stop him. When you shook your head at him and put it back on the shelf he shot you a small pout.
“Do you want to hear that thing at all hours, non-stop? Because I swear that's what will happen” you laughed softly.
“But she loves it!” he frowned, sighing at the toy.
“Bucky, you’re already buying her half the store here. I promise you she won’t even remember the toy in a minute” you smiled at him.
Bucky tried to argue with you, and when that didn’t work he’d resorted to pleading. You laughed and dragged him away from the toy. It wasn’t long before Aspen - and Bucky - were playing with a set of blocks and they ended up in the basket too. Sure, Bucky couldn’t deny your baby girl a thing, but you weren’t sure you could deny him anything either.
You’d steered them to the front, making your purchases and had returned to the tower before you realized that he’d managed to sneak the noisy toy in. Aspen was sitting on the floor, happily playing with the blocks when you turned to look at Bucky, a mock glare on your face as you silently held up the toy. Of course, the moment you moved it the loud music kicked on and your daughter turned to you, clapping and reaching for the toy.
You’d given her the toy, and thrown a pillow at Bucky’s face. Twenty minutes later, it seemed like the tune had played for the millionth time. Every time the song started over, you shot a glare at Bucky who at least had the decency to flash you a sheepish grin. You’d finally excused yourself from the room to go get a snack, leaving Bucky behind to deal with the obnoxious toy.
As you stepped out of the guest room that you had claimed as your own, you paused, glancing across the hall at the room that had once been yours. You’d refused to step foot in there ever since that night. With the door shut behind you, you froze in the hallway, torn.
After a deep breath, you stepped forward and reached for the door handle. They’d never changed your permissions, and the door opened for you without resistance. As you walked in, shutting the door behind you, you flipped on the light switch and took in the scene in front of you.
The room looked almost as you remembered it. The pictures you’d taken with Bucky still covered the walls, and the Winter Soldier bedspread you’d bought as a joke was still on the bed. The closet door was open, and behind the clothes, you could make out cardboard boxes with your name written on them.
On top of the dresser sat the photo taken the day you’d gotten engaged, and you picked it up carefully. You were wearing your favorite sundress, and your hair was being blown around wildly by the wind. The trees behind you were gorgeous shades of red and gold, but that wasn’t what drew your eye. No, Bucky was kneeling, your hand in his as he asked you to be his wife.
The smile on his face was big enough to melt even the coldest heart, and you'd never imagined you could be as happy as you had been that day. Until the day you’d welcomed Aspen into the world, it had been the happiest day of your life. Now, it was just a bittersweet memory. You took a seat on the bed, looking around the room quietly, overwhelmed.
Memories of everything you’d lost began to race by and you struggled to fight back tears. A few moments later, the door opened and Bucky stepped in, shutting the door behind him again. You looked at him, puzzled, but before you could speak he beat you to it.
“Clint and Nat have her, and it’s time for us to go on that date” his voice was nervous, watching you cautiously, “Does that work for you? Do you need time to get ready or are you good to go now or…?”
“Um… can you give me 15?” you asked, nerves beginning to settle in and overtake the sadness of the past.
He shot you a soft smile, “I’ll meet you in 15 minutes, in the hall.”
You smiled back and slipped out of the room, back into yours. Clint and Nat were sitting in there, entertaining Aspen. Without saying a word to them, you took a seat on the bed and rested your head in your hands. Neither one spoke, both staying on the floor with Aspen as they waited for you to open up.
“What if this is a mistake?” you grumbled, “It’s been two years guys. What if we’re just better off as friends?”
“Well, I know you guys still have chemistry” Clint smirked, “I still have nightmares about walking in on you two in the lab!”
You let out a low chuckle when you heard his quiet yelp as Nat smacked his shoulder. You shot her a grateful smile and you waited anxiously to hear what she’d say. She had always been known to give you some pretty great advice.
“First off, if you think you two would be better off as friends that’s completely fine. You don’t need to date him to have him in Aspen’s life, so don’t feel like you need to do this. However, I also know you are still in love with him, and I think you owe it to yourself to find out where this goes and you’ll regret it if you don’t” she chose her words carefully, watching you.
“I do want to give him another chance... I want this but what if he does this again? If he breaks my heart I don’t know how I’ll face him. And then how will that work with Aspen?” you gently chewed your lower lip.
“I can’t tell you what’s right for you. But, I know that no matter what happens, you’ve got this. Things will work out with Aspen, I promise. You are both adults and you both adore this little girl, nothing will stop you from making sure she gets to be a part of both of your lives. If you want to try this, just focus on you and him tonight, just don’t worry about all this” Nat smiled softly at you.
“Come on [Y/N]. Don’t be a coward, go get laid” Clint laughed, grabbing Aspen up and skipping out of Nat’s way before she could smack him again.
“Are you seriously using my daughter as a shield right now?!” you stared at him, shooting him a playful glare.
You could see the thoughts racing across his face as he slowly set Aspen down by Nat and backed away. Once she was safely in Nat’s arms, you grabbed one of Aspen’s blocks and threw it at his head, and while he was distracted blocking that one you threw another one at his shin. He cursed, grabbing his leg while you got to your feet.
“You’re right, Nat.” you quickly brushed out your hair and changed in the bathroom before stepping back into the hallway at exactly the 15-minute mark.
Bucky was wearing a maroon button-up shirt, and his hair was tucked back behind his ears. A soft smile graced his face as he looked you over. You smiled nervously at him, wringing your hands nervously in front of you.
“You look gorgeous, Doll” Bucky held out his hand to you.
“Thanks, Bucky, you look good too. Where we off to?” you asked, slipping your hand into his.
He shot you a smirk, “You’ll see!”
The two of you bundled into Bucky’s car and began to drive. The ride was nice, peaceful as the two of you talked. Eventually, you’d turned on the radio and had begun to sing along with some obnoxious pop music. Bucky rolled his eyes at you, but he couldn’t keep the grin off his face. The drive to the shore passed quickly, the two of you lost in the moment.
You paused as he led you up to the familiar diner, eyebrows drawing together curiously as you turned to look at him. He grinned, turning to face you again.
“We never got to go on the date you planned, I thought maybe it was time” his voice trailed off like a question, suddenly doubting he’d made the right choice.
A slow smile crept across his face as you pulled him towards the door, “It’s perfect, Bucky.”
~~~~~~
The evening passed in a blur. The food had been great and the two of you spent the evening laughing and talking. It had seemed like no time had passed at all, and as the sun began to set you headed out onto the shore. The crashing of the waves on the sand drew you in and you kicked off your shoes, strolling through the shallow surf.
As the sun sank down below the horizon, Bucky pulled you down onto the sand next to him. The sky lit up in vibrant shades of red, pink and purple. You tucked yourself into his side, resting comfortably as night fell.
“I love you, [Y/N]” Bucky’s voice was quiet as he spoke, as if afraid to break the spell that had fallen over the shore.
“Bucky… I love you too” you gently pressed your lips to his cheek before leaning back, “But we need to talk about all this. If we want to do this, if we want to try again, we need to go slow. I can’t risk this going south, it would only hurt Aspen.”
He smiled softly at you, pulling you close again, “I’m okay with that, Doll. We can take this as slow as you want. I’ll do whatever it takes to prove that I love you, and I hope I can earn back your trust..”
“I’d like that, Bucky” a small grin crept across your face as you curled up into him.