This story was not a request but it is especially for someone! Shout-out to my friend Becca, who is one of my favorite writers and the sweetest, funniest girl. Happy birthday! Enjoy your Infinity War birthday (it will be hard to top that in years to come, I'm sure)! BeccaAnne814

This story gets the Captain's "language" warning. Sorry, it just slipped out.

I do not own these characters, I just write them as a way to love and care for them.

"Come on, come on, come on," he spurts out quickly.

He sounds impatient but I know better. There's a hint of amusement in his voice as he spins around my room, grabbing things and shoving them in a duffle bag. His chin length hair flies away from his face as he turns this way and that. I'm on my way to the bathroom, stumbling in the dim lighting, shuffling my feet from the tiredness that's plaguing my entire body and mind.

"What are you doing?" I sigh. "Where are we going? What time is it? —It's the middle of the night, isn't it?" I pummel him with a barrage of grumpy questions as I stand in the bathroom doorway.

He puts my baseball hat on top of the bag and smiles at me, finally walking over to turn me around and give me a little nudge inside the bathroom. "Come on, brush your teeth and wash your face," he laughs, patting my bottom. "Oh, and don't forget to pee."

I hear drawers opening from my bedroom as I'm brushing my teeth. "I'm mahhh-aht-ooh," I call out in a growly foam, toothbrush still in my mouth. "—I sawwhee, I-uvv-ooh."

He sticks his head in the door and grins, the bottom of his face peeking out from under his black baseball hat. "You're mad at me? - I love you, too." Walking away, he calls out "Where's your music?"

I pull the toothbrush out of my mouth to spit. "Check my nightstand drawer, there's a thumb drive already loaded."

"Got it," he calls out again. "Hurry up, babe."

I'm barely functioning anymore because the amount of missions we've been sent on lately... well, it's endless. Then Buck goes and wakes me up ass-early. The sun's not even up yet, for crying out loud. I don't even know what time zone I'm in.

Walking back in my bedroom, I see that he's laid out a sweatshirt and jeans for me, along with a pair of sneakers. He's opening my door quietly with the duffle bag over his arm. "Meet me in the garage, okay?" he whispers, now that the door is open.

"I didn't even do my hair yet — Buck—"

He looks at me from the hallway, the door only cracked. "Ponytail," he whispers.

I laugh to myself as he closes the door. That man's like a whirlwind. How anyone can be so awake at this time of the morning is beyond me. Oh wait, then there's his best friend, the "I-wake-up-ass-early-to-run-outside" blondie-blonde boy, Captain Perfect Teeth.

Boy, I am bit-ter when rudely awakened... I had no idea. I'm almost ashamed.

As the elevator doors open up to the parking level of the compound, I grip the ends of my sweatshirt sleeves in my hands, my purse thrown over the crook of my left arm. It's dark out there past the cement pillars of the garage. There's Bucky, leaning against one of the sporty trucks we're allowed to use when we need to drive somewhere. He's grinning from ear to ear and if I weren't so cranky, I'd want to kiss him. He smacks his hands together a few times quickly and it echoes throughout the whole garage. "Come on, babe. Move it!" He cracks himself up.

A grunt is the only sound I make but I have to smile when I get close and he opens the door. Instead of a kiss on the mouth, he leans down and kisses my neck repeatedly, making little smacking noises... and he's got me laughing as I climb up in the cab. "Where are we going so early?" I laugh as he stands outside my door.

He tilts his head back like he's thinking, a little hum coming from his grin. "Mmm, not gonna tell you." He laughs as he closes my door and walks around to the driver's side.

Climbing in, he looks at me humorously. "I was going to suggest you wear a blindfold but I figured you'd rip me a new one..."

"Smart... that's smart," I say.

It's so dark and I can't stop yawning as we drive. I can tell he feels a little bad about this because he tells me I can fall asleep, "I promise I won't be offended."

"Nah, I'm already awake now." I slink down into my seat, looking for the sweet spot while yawning into the crook of my arm. He reaches over and lays a warm hand on my jeans and I can't even be mad at him. Whatever he's doing, he has his reasons. "So how much longer?" I ask, trying to sound cool as a cucumber.

He looks at the clock radio. "Mmm, about 35 more minutes."

Okay, I can make it 35 more minutes. I decide not to be whiney and just enjoy the time with him. Although there have been a lot of missions lately, not all of them have been all of us together. We've been on plenty of missions separately, too.

In fact, he got back last night from Kandahar and this is the first I've seen him. We take the time to talk about what happened while he was there and before you know it, he says we're almost at our destination.

"Saratoga Lake?" I ask as we drive towards a large green highway sign. "Is that where we're going?"

"I thought you'd be too tired to notice, but yes." He seems bummed that I've ruined my surprise but he takes it well.

He pulls into the parking lot of a beach area and the sky is just starting to resemble something other than pitch black, though the sun isn't up yet. Popping into the back seat for a couple of bags and blankets, Bucky still manages to have a free arm to loop with mine and walk me down to the beach. He makes quick work of spreading out a blanket for us and he pulls me down onto the blanket by grabbing my waist and giving it a little tickle. I lose all control, flailing my arms, and he just pulls me down like I weigh 20 pounds. Which I don't.

I end up laying on my back with my head on his lap, looking up at him sideways and backwards. In the dim light, looking up at his chin while he looks out at the horizon, he's so handsome. I reach my cold fingers up to scratch his chin lightly and he giggles and looks down at me. "Happy birthday, babydoll."

Oh, how...?

How did I?

I guess with all the traveling, I lost track of time. I'm doing the math now and yeah, it's definitely my birthday. Shit.

I start to sit up and he knows the look on my face. "You forgot your own birthday?" he laughs adorably. "No wonder you thought I was crazy this morning." He puts his right arm around me as I scooch closer to him. His face is very close to mine and his breathing is peaceful, "I just thought it would be nice to watch the sunrise together on your special day."

"You're the best," I say, putting my head down on his shoulder and snuggling it into his neck, like I'm 5 and also a koala bear.

"Oh but there's more," he says, holding up one metal finger before reaching back behind him to pull out a blanket. He covers me up with a microfleece blanket. I'm like the warmest, happiest burrito ever. I'm practically purring. He brings out a bag and carefully takes out a plastic container with 4 chocolate cupcakes in it, finally fishing in the bag again for candles. I watch him in awe as he tucks a candle into each of the four cupcakes and then lights them with a lighter.

"Babe..." I whisper but just then he looks at me and his face is all lit up by the candlelight. It makes me freeze right where I am. He's amazingly handsome, sometimes I just forget.

The wind makes quick work of three of the flames before he can hold his hand up to shield the fourth candle.

"One's all you really need to make a wish, I guess. Go ahead, doll." His eyes are so soft and gentle, still the reflection of one candle flicker sparking in them.

I lean forward to blow out that one candle and then I grab for his face, laying a passionate kiss on his lips. He's grinning like an idiot when I let him go. "Thank you, baby. You are so sweet."

"Breakfast?" he asks, holding up the container a little higher. "Or I brought some actual breakfast-like food if you'd rather—"

Before he can finish, I've stolen a cupcake and it's halfway to my mouth. "Breakfast of champions," I smile.

"Hey, it's your birthday. Have the cupcake, you only live once." He reaches into a cooler bag and hands me a little bottle of milk.

I laugh and stare at him. "YOLO."

"What?" he chuckles.

"YOLO - you only live once," I say. "I know, I hate it, too."

He swipes his finger into the icing and wipes it on the side of my mouth. "You have a little—" he points to my face as his mouth hovers closer. I can feel his breath on me. "I'm just gonna..." he breathes as his lips reach mine, dusting over them softly. He kisses the icing off gently before looking at me with that devilish grin. But his eyes flutter closed and his forehead presses mine and he says, "Happy birthday, baby. Love you."

"I love you," I say, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck and giving him a vigorous eskimo kiss.

The big, tough, scary Winter Soldier giggles like a happy kid. I have him wrapped around my little finger and don't think I don't know it. I'd never take advantage of him but he'd do anything for me. And I am a fool for him. That grin makes me melt like butter. The way his eyelashes hover over his eyes when he looks at me...

We look at the horizon again, where there's a sliver of bright, glowing orange. The glow is so bright, it looks like a long, neon tube laying on the water. I'm starting to be able to see the ripples on the lake now.

Bucky's arm is around me, keeping me warm. The cool breeze with the warmth coming off him is delicious and I could stay this way all day. I don't know what he has planned for the rest of today but this is all I need in the whole world.

If you liked this, don't forget to vote! Comments are more than welcome and I enjoy talking with you - so don't hesitate. Lots more requests up my sleeve. They're coming, albeit, slowly... but they're coming.