Not So Trapped and Vulnerable Anymore (Trapped and Vulnerable 2)
The snow was falling thickly on the streets of New York the day before Christmas. You’d stolen one of Tony’s many limitless credit cards and spent the last 2 weeks adorning the tower with the most festive decorations you could find. The living room was home to an 8 foot tall pine tree covered in red, silver and gold decorations. Tinsel was artfully wrapped around every balustrade and, after much convincing, you’d managed to bribe Sam into wrapping Christmas lights around the big A on the front of the tower. It had taken 3 batches of your famous brownies to convince him but the baking was worth the reward.
The clock struck 5pm and you excitedly jumped up out of your office chair, throwing your pager into your bag along with your phone. Grabbing your black coat off the peg on the door you swung it on before rushing down the corridor to the elevator.
As the silver doors swung closed you couldn’t help but smile at the memory of the elevator’s fateful malfunction three weeks ago. Ever since then your lunch breaks had more often than not include a visit from the Winter Soldier, although he was no where near as frosty anymore. Your friendship had grown strong in such a short amount of time that you even had a Christmas present for him.
Heart racing in your chest, you exited the elevator at Bucky’s floor. You poked your head out of the door and saw no movement in the corridor, so you hurried down to the door you know lead to Bucky’s room and slipped the pale yellow envelope under the door before running back into the elevator and closing the doors behind you.
Bucky.
I was sitting on the bed, putting the final touches on the presents I’d bought for my friends when a soft noise came from the edge of the door. Leaning over I could see a small envelope lying on the grey carpet.
I crossed the room to pick it up, and a smile pulled at my lips as I recognised the gentle curve of Y/N’s handwriting. Sitting back down on the soft mattress I opened the envelope to reveal a piece of matching paper.
You’ve been such a good boy this year you can have your present early. Meet me at the Central Park Zoo at 11.30pm.
You.
You waited nervously outside the zoo, shivering slightly in the cold. Your hands were stuffed deeply into the pockets of your black wool coat and a cream beanie covered the top of your head. Looking through the flurry of snow you noticed a dark figure approaching and you beamed happily when you realised it was Bucky.
“Heaps of milk and two sugars” he smiled, handing you a to-go cup of coffee. You smiled before taking a sip, letting it warm up your freezing hands.
“Ready for your present?” you teased, beginning to walk him over to the surprise.
“I’m still trying to decide if I trust this is going to be a good surprise or not” he teased, bumping his shoulder into yours. You blushed pink despite the cold as the two of you made your way through the park.
“You need to have a little faith, Barnes” you pointed out, taking another sip of your coffee.
“Only once you tell me where we’re going” he said and you sighed dramatically but grinned when you noticed the bright white lights of the Wollman Rink come into view. Trying to keep some of the surprise alive you grabbed Bucky’s arm, pulling him to a stop.
“Okay, you ready?” you asked and he nodded almost excitedly. “When I asked you last month what you wanted for Christmas, you said that you haven’t had a lot of ‘things’ recently” you started, and Bucky nodded at the memory, a small smile crossing his face. “So, I thought, maybe ‘things’ aren’t really your style” you continued to explain, slowly walking up the hill towards the rink. “That’s why you and I are going ice skating!” you announced dramatically, throwing your arms forward to point out the empty rink.
“There’s no one there” he pointed out, gesturing to the deserted rink. Rolling your eyes dramatically you grabbed his arm, pulling him towards his present.
“I booked out the whole thing. It’s just you and me” you dared to gaze up at your reluctant skating partner, but instead of disappointment you saw a warm smile. “I guessed that crowds aren’t your favourite thing”
“You would be correct, doll” he agreed with a nod. You grinned, glad to see him warming up to the idea.
“Come on. Lets get you some skates, Frosty”
“You’re going to have to let go of the railing sometime” Bucky sang from the centre of the ice. Sticking your middle finger up at him you continued to inch your way around the edge, shuffling your skates gingerly across the ice.
“Great idea Y/N. Plan a romantic skating date while forgetting that you can’t fucking skate” you grumbled murderously to yourself, keeping your eyes focussed on the frozen ground. The scraping sound of steel on ice echoed around the rink and a deep voice came from over your shoulder.
“Need some help there, doll?” Bucky’s velvety voice asked and it surprised you so much you lost your balance and started to fall backwards. Thanks to Bucky’s lightning fast reflexes, he reached out and grabbed you under the arms, holding you upright. You could hear your heartbeat thundering in your ears as you tried to calm your breathing. “Yeah, you definitely need help” he chuckled before gently turning you around so you were facing him. “It’s not that hard. Just slowly walk towards me”
You nodded, ears and cheeks burning red as you tried to follow his instructions. The skates stumbled across the ice as you tried to follow Bucky’s instructions but you were too distracted by the feeling of his strong hands gripping yours. “If you keep looking at the ice you’re going to end up kissing it” he teased in a sing song voice.
“Does that mean if I look up you I have to kiss you?” you asked jokingly, looking up into Bucky’s sparkling blue eyes. Instead of laughing like you expected, he blushed slightly pink and cleared his throat nervously.
“I mean, if you want to I won't stop you” he sighed, that cheeky glint returning to his eyes.
“Nah, you gotta earn kisses from me, Barnes” you joked back, and he stopped all of a sudden, and you realised that you had both made your way into the middle of the ice. Looking around the rink you admired the small strings of gold fairy lights that hung in the trees around the park. All the bows of the trees looked like they were covered in tiny diamonds, glittering in the distance.
“Would you like your present now?” Bucky asked gently and you looked up at him in surprise. He smiled softly and tucked a strand of loose hair behind your ear. “If I’ve been good enough to earn an early present, you definitely have”
You bit your lip nervously but nodded. Bucky grinned widely before reaching into his grey jacket pocket. Out of the coat he produced a small black leather box.
The thudding in your chest increased in speed as you lifted the lid of the box. Sitting on a bed of red velvet was an elegant, rectangular gold watch face attached to a patent black leather strap. “It’s vintage” Bucky blurted out almost nervously as sweat covered his hands. “It’s actually from 1945. The year”
“of the train” you finished off for him, still staring in awe at your present. “Would you help me put it on?” you asked quietly and he smiled, his whole face lighting up with joy. With very gentle fingers Bucky removed the watch from its case, wrapped it around your wrist and fastened it tight.
“Perfect fit” he whispered, causing you to look up into his sapphire eyes.
“I..uh..I” you stammered, suddenly crushingly aware of how close you were to Bucky. His face was only an inch from yours and you feel his hot breath grazing your skin. “I think you’ve earned-”
You didn’t even get a chance to finish your sentence as Bucky gently pressed his lips to yours. You heart stammered in your chest before you wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him closer to you. He replied in kind, his arms snaking around your waist to hold you flush against his body. His lips were soft and warm, just as you’d imagined. They felt like home.
Opening your eyes for a moment to look at your new watch you realised the time. Reluctantly you pulled away, your breathing slightly uneven and cheeks flushed. “It’s midnight” you murmured, causing Bucky to smile tenderly.
“Happy Christmas, doll” he whispered, cradling the side of your face in his gloved hand.
“Merry Christmas, Bucky”