Who: Steve, open to Peggy and Bucky or narrative What: Presents and Planning Where: Cottage When: Late Christmas Eve (backdated) Rating: Low
Steve was up late, playing Santa while he let Peggy and Bucky get a little extra rest. He didn't need as much sleep as they did, especially Peggy now that she was pregnant and he didn't want to make her go to bed alone so he'd convinced Bucky go with her. He hadn't been rushing much, just watching movies he'd never seen on tv while he wrapped gifts and stuck them under the tree.
It was about midnight that he finished up with the kids gifts and got up, picking up the plate that once held cookies and milk to bring it to the kitchen. When he got back a few minutes later he noticed a few extra gifts under the tree, including a very small one for him that had a tag with bold lettering:
Steve-OPEN IMMEDIATELY
He shrugged a little bit but figured there wouldn't be any harm in opening one gift a little bit early, they had to be from the island anyway so he wouldn't be depriving anyone the chance to see him open it. He tore off the wrapping and found two instantly-recognizable rings inside and he smiled wide. He'd been trying to think of a way to offer a vow renewal to Peggy and Bucky, wanting to give them a chance at a wedding the way they wanted it, not just what his heaven provided. He wanted to go all out, proposing properly, going through all the planning steps and traditions, bachelor and bachelorette parties, but he hadn't figured out how yet. Now that he held both of their rings and was surrounded by empty boxes and rolls of wrapping paper he knew exactly what he wanted to do.
He gathered a few more supplies and all the boxes he could find, stacking them up in two huge piles. He started wrapping again, putting each wrapped box in another then wrapping that one too, over and over until there were just two giant boxes and the rings still in his pockets. The one with Bucky's name on it may also have had a few layers with duct tape or saran wrap coating them but he needed to make it fair and with the belly it'd take Peggy a bit longer to get around the larger boxes. He knew it'd drive them a little bonkers, but it'd give him a chance to get himself in place on one knee behind them and give a bit of a surprise too.
It had taken almost an extra hour but he was excited for the morning now and-after making sure the rings wouldn't fall out of his pocket in the night-he joined them in bed, feeling a bit like he did on Christmas Eve as a kid, ready and excited for morning to come.