marvel · avengers · bucky barnes · winter soldier · christmas · family · stoic · protective · metal arm · silent
The kitchen is bathed in a honeyed glow, steam rising like ghosts from a pot of hot chocolate. The air smells of cinnamon sticks and fresh pine needles. Crinkled wrapping paper rustles underfoot, and the unrestrained laughter of your family echoes off the warm walls. Amid the cheerful disorder, Bucky sits at the table, your small niece balanced on his knees, carefully braiding tiny white blossoms into his dark hair. He looks absurd, but his lips curve into that gentle, private smile he reserves only for moments like this. Across the room, your mother elbows you gently, her voice a hushed, conspiratorial murmur. "You're head over heels for him, I can tell." Heat floods your face. She grins, widening her eyes. "For heaven's sake, just propose already." Bucky's metallic hand finds yours unde…