Shopping for Christmas Lights with Steve and Bucky

Steve/Bucky, post-TWS
Fluff, so much fluff
Trigger warning: threatening. also, they are dads.

{ credit }

Christmas music fills the little apartment, it comes from Steve’s laptop on the table. Steve liked the classics that were playing in the radio and stores every Christmas, All I Want for Christmas Is You, Jingle Bell Rock, Jingle Bells, Here Comes Santa Claus, Feliz Navidad, Baby It’s Cold Outside, Little Drummer Boy, he had a whole playlist of them, fifty songs at least.

Bucky, on the contrary, listened to remixes and alternate versions of Christmas carols. He “physically can not stand those cheesy Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year” songs, as he stated.

However, Bucky is not yet at home, so Steve can listen to whatever he wants. That’s how it came about that Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is now playing on maximum volume through the speakers of Steve’s time-worn, rickety laptop.

Steve is standing on a barstool from IKEA and decorating the lampshade because everything has to be perfectly merry and jolly by the time Christmas Eve arrives. The apartment around him was already very decorated ‒ well, showy, with Bucky’s words ‒ but Steve liked it and Bucky was secretly happy too that they were able to afford it.

Done with the last touches, a satisfied Steve hops down from the barstool and backs to the door to take a look at the final product. The lamp is now covered with a red shade, filling the room with Christmas spirit.

Steve is deep in thought about where to put more decorations when the door slams open behind him.

“Daddy! Look what I made for you!”

A little girl rushes in through the open door. She stops in front of Steve and waves something in her hand.

“A Christmas tree ornament,” Steve identifies the ball, taking it from the girl. He remembers, worriedly, the three boxes of ornaments in the corner of the wardrobe but looks down at his daughter with a kind smile. “It’s beautiful, Maddy, thank you. Can I get a hug?”

The little girl jumps in Steve’s arm with a big smile.

“Hello, daddy,” stumbles into the apartment Bucky. He holds a small child in his metal arm and a huge bag in his right hand. “I haven’t made you anything but I got food.”

“Seems like that has to do from you,” Steve pulls a face mockingly. He leans in closer to his husband and gives him a kiss while taking the bag from him.

“Would you please change Tad’s diaper? I’ll unpack.”

“Come here, little one,” Steve smiles at the child in Bucky’s arm. “Let’s see what you’ve got here.”

“Maddy! Would you please give me the ornament you made?”

The head of the girl pops up from the door of her room. “But I made that for daddy… I’m making you something else.”

“I just want to put it somewhere where Santa Claus will surely see it.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Thank you!”

Bucky creeps to the laptop and starts a playlist on 8tracks named One Dub Christmas. As soon as the first song begins, Bucky’s face lights up and starts unpacking the results of grocery shopping to the rhythm.

Steve appears, holding Tad. “Bucky! Do you think this is something an almost three-year-old should hear?”

“Maybe. At least he’ll have a diverse taste in music. That’s always a good thing.”

Steve sighs and puts the child into the playpen, then makes his way to Bucky to help him.

“Admit it, it’s not that bad.”

“It’s not that bad.”

“I knew it,” smiles Bucky widely.

“But it doesn’t have the Christmas spirit.”

“But it does! Since these are just remixes, you can hear the original sound that has the spirit. Only, these are a bit more… exciting.”

“Come here,” whispers Steve, pulling his husband closer. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Steve kisses Bucky, then, energized from this, goes and pulls the barstool next to the full-wall window and sits down on the floor with a box. He starts pulling and untangling strings of Christmas lights from it.

“Why do we have this many lights?”

“Gee, I have no idea who goes to buy one every time.”

Steve’s eyes widen. “Every time?”

“Yeah, you’ve bought one in every single December so far,” Bucky shakes his head. “I’m glad you see now how‒”

“Bucky.”

“Hm?”

“I haven’t bought one this year.”

“Oh, how could I have thought‒”

“I knew, I felt something was missing.”

Bucky sighs with a smile.

“But Bucky! It’s the 23rd, late afternoon… We’ll never find Christmas lights anywhere! But it’s a tradition.”

“Alright.” Bucky grabs his phone. “We’ll take care of this, Stevie.”

“Who are you calling?”

“Nat? Hi. There’s a situation. Could you come over with Clint to watch the kids? Yeah, thanks, I owe you one.”

Steve blinks in surprise. “They can?”

“Sure. Get dressed, Steve, we’re going hunting.”

∆

“Okay. First stop, mall. Maybe they’ve got lights left in a shop.”

“If that shop is still open. Bucky, it won’t work. Nothing’s open now.”

“Stop whining! We’ll take care of this. Really. I’ll get you lights, Stevie.”

“Okay, so here’s what’s happening. This is my husband, Steve. Steve buys Christmas lights every year. He, for some reason, forgot this year. But, you know, we really love our traditions so it is very important to make up for it now. As a solution, we came to the mall. However, you see, every single fucking store is closed today. We don’t understand how it happened… I mean, we need those lights. And then you came into the picture. We spotted you closing your store. I poked Steve and we started running towards you, you know, instantly. Christmas gift or miracle or whatever. It is really important to us.”

“Yeah, look,” the man starts calmly, “we’re out of Christmas lights. But it was a very moving story. I hope you’ll find those lights. Happy holidays!”

“Hey, where are you going?” Bucky touches the man’s shoulder. “There’s no way there’s no more. Not one? We, kind customers, are standing here, wanting to buy one. And you, dear shop-person, are standing there, instead of finding us one.”

“Look, guys, I understand your despair but maybe next time try to think of Christmas shopping a little sooner. We don’t have any more left. I know because the previous buyer took the last one.”

“Funny. Could you describe that buyer?”

“Buck…”

“Uhm, I don’t think I should‒”

“See, I work somewhere where I could easily find that buyer. It would be much less trouble if you just told me.”

“Are you some kind of cop or‒”

“Better than that,” Bucky grins. “I could actually torture you until you tell me what I need to know and then I could cover it up. Or I could get something bigger‒”

Steve cuts him off. “Bucky, that’s enough. I’m sorry, my husband gets like this sometimes. Bucky, look, it’s fine. We’ll find lights without having to involve Bruce or anyone.”

“It would be so easy though… We could just call Tony and we’d have lights…”

“That’s not a bad idea, Buck!”

“What, seriously? I remember you saying you despise violence at Christmas.”

“But Tony could help. Listen to me.”

The poor shopkeeper is very scared. He decides to slowly and quietly walk away from the couple while he can.

“Steve, we’re losing our witness.”

The busted shopkeeper stops.

“Let him go, I’ve got a better idea.”

The man starts running towards the exit.

“Tell me,” Bucky sighs.

“Tony could help…”

Tony is staring at them blankly. “You want me to do what now?”

“Christmas lights. You know, colorful bulbs…”

“No challenge? I made these kinds of stuff when I was six.”

“Please, Tony?”

“Ah. Alright, coming right up.”

Steve is overflowing with joy. “Great! When should we come back?”

“Well, there’s no need for you to go at all, to be honest,” Tony mumbles, already deep into work.

Steve and Bucky sit down at a safe distance from the flashing machines Tony is working with.

After some time, Tony proudly marches from a back room, holding a box.

“You didn’t specify the length so I made a medium long one, I hope it’s okay. Use it safely and happy holidays.”

On their way home, Steve and Bucky were wondering why Tony was so weird.

When they get home, Steve and Bucky realize why Tony was so weird. Steve hangs the lights on the window and plugs it in. It starts blurting out remixes of Christmas carols and the lights flicker to the beat.

“Tony found the challenge in it,” Bucky states.

On Christmas Eve, the Avengers assemble in Steve and Bucky’s apartment and celebrate the holiday together, under the flickering musical lights.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!