"Christ -- Steve, we're never gonna get this done in time," Bucky huffed as he sat cross-legged on the counter of all places -- he perched wherever he wanted. Steve claimed the stool next to him and grabbed handfuls of yarn.

Taking on the task of knitting sweaters and socks for Tony's kid a day before Christmas was a challenge neither of them really wanted, but they had committed -- and they wouldn't dare disappoint Morgan.

"We can do it," Steve promised. "We have to."

"Why didn't we just buy stuff?" Bucky said as he grabbed his own knitting needles. He was probably the most skilled knitter out of the two of them; still, they were undertaking a large task, and he worried about getting it done in time.

"Because we are the best uncles and we have to prove it." Steve was already starting on a row of colourful material, sloppily done, but the effort was there. Bucky found it amusing the way Steve held his tongue between his teeth while he focused, eyes squinted as he tried to concentrate.

Bucky nodded as he started a different row, organized better than Steve's.

An hour went by, then two -- Bucky had a full set of socks while Steve struggled with the sleeves of a sweater, steadily losing the patience that was about as thin as the thread he was knitting with.

"How you makin' out?"

Steve frowned. "Slowly."

Slowly wasn't quite fast enough in the end. Glancing at the clock, Bucky noticed it was already nearly 5:00, and only two pairs of socks were completed. He wondered why Steve claimed the larger task of the sweater, but it was commendable that he tried.

"No, just-- here, Steve -- " He moved to sit on the ground, beckoned Steve to sit with him: Steve sat on his lap, shuffled to get comfortable and watched Bucky move his hands into position so he could knit and Steve could see what he was doing.

"Okay," Bucky spoke. "See my hands?" He waved his knitting needles to enunciate his point. "Now watch, I'm going to show you how to knit-perl."

Steve, very much distracted by Bucky's warm arms encasing him, nodded distantly and watched his deft hands move, admiring the grace Bucky seemed to convey in such simple movements. Well practiced, he reasoned.

"You following?"

"Mhmm." Steve clumsily started to follow along, copying his movements slowly until he picked up speed.

With the two of them working together, meeting more or less in the middle, everything was finished by 7:00 and packaged carefully in a beautiful red box with a large silver bow.

Steve admired his wrapping job as Bucky slid the Christmas onto the table and rolled his wrists. They would deliver it tomorrow, when they visited the Starks in person.

"Good job, baby," he hummed in Steve's direction. Steve wrapped arms around him and grinned.

"You too."

////

They knit for their niece! Because all of the Avengers are legally Morgan's family, it's canon now.