Bucky had moved out.

       Since he saw Steve, a lot of things happened in the weeks that followed. One, she and Bucky finally revealed to the world that HYDRA was alive and well (they didn't know that it was secretly inside SHIELD). Bucky also outed himself as the Winter Soldier and took responsibility for all the crimes he had committed.

         With the backing of Steve, Captain America, Bucky was pardoned for all he did. He was now in therapy as a condition for his pardon. He still lived in Malibu as he wasn't ready to go back to Brooklyn yet; he knew if he did, he would remember everything.

             He was working through that with his therapist that would change once he moved back home (but he actually liked to think he was working through it by being around Eira). Steve even moved to Malibu until Bucky was ready to go back home; what they were supposed to do when the war ended seventy years ago. He wasn't leaving his best friend.

            Currently, Eira was with Bucky at a beachside restaurant. He looked so different from months ago as he cut his hair and he didn't seem as guarded. She was telling him about the birthday coming up she shared with Tony. Then halfway through she got distracted by the view of the beach outside.

        She pushed his arm as an idea filled her brain, "Oh, I should take you to beach one day."

          "With all those people?" Bucky frowned as he stared at all the bodies moving on the beach.

       "You can't be a shut in all your life, Bucky."

       "I like it so far," he muttered and she rolled her eyes.

        He quickly changed subjects, "So when is this party?"

        "You ask like you might have somewhere to be, old man," she teased.

          "Mean," he teased back and she told him when it was going to be. The date made his heart sink.

          _____

             It was the day of the birthday party and Tony had gotten her another necklace. It was a silver chain with a T pendant.

           She shook her head as she let him put it on her, "You really have to stake your claim, don't you?"

           "Snowflake, you know I do," Tony smirked a bit.

             "You're lucky that I like telling people that I'm yours or else we'd be having a very different conversation right now," she said.

              He wrapped his arms around her from behind and he laid a kiss on her shoulder, "And that's why we're perfect."

            She smiled before she turned around in his arms and gave him a warning look, "You're not going to ruin this birthday with some surprise kiss or with a revelation that you're dying, are you?"

            "Well, I plan to kiss you...a lot," he said which made her giggle. "But no ruining of any sort. Cross my heart."

               She smiled before she kissed him softly and sweetly. Then she pulled away slightly to look at him sheepishly, "I know you just gave me a gift but...I can't give you yours until after the party."

               "Really?" he smirked.

              She shook her head, "Don't think so dirty, Tony."

              "Snowflake, you know I always do," he still smirked.

              "I don't know why I put up with you sometimes."

             "Because you love me?"

             She sighed and agreed with a smile, "Because I love you."

            "That..." he traced her lips that had just spoken his favorite words. "Was all I wanted. It's all I'll ever want. I don't need any gift, Snowflake."

            She felt giddy and her chest felt featherlight as her heart raced from his words. She didn't have any response to say other than to kiss him. So she did.

             _____

         The party was now in full swing. She was only wearing jeans and a button-up shirt. She didn't really want to do the whole dress thing because of the scars on her back. Plus, she just wanted to be comfortable.

           But now she was talking to Pepper. The redhead was so happy that this party was actually going right. Pepper had hugged her before presenting her with a gift.

           "Many of these people will give you horrible gifts because they don't know you," Pepper said. "But I know you'll love this one."

            She opened up the wrapping paper to find a flower pot. It had the red marigolds that she'd gotten the first time she was with Pepper.

                "My flowers!" Eira squealed as she clutched it tightly before thanking Pepper.

             Tony was across the room with Rhodey and he commented as they both were looking at the birthday girl, "Do you ever think how lucky you are that you found a supermodel in a cave?"

            "I think about that on a daily basis, actually," Tony replied. "The answer is very, very lucky..."

              The party continued and she had put her flower pot down once Nat arrived so she could hug her. But she kept looking for one specific person to show up.

                He finally did.

            Bucky showed up to the party and her eyes widened once she saw him. She immediately ran over, "Bucky!"

          She hugged him and he smiled as he hugged her back with one arm, "Hey, butterfly."

         "You came," she said happily as she pulled back.

        "Yeah, but..." Bucky looked around at all the people he didn't know and he just felt uncomfortable. "You don't mind if I leave early, do you?"

         "No," she said softly. "I don't mind."

           Bucky thought about how Eira was probably the only person on the planet that understood how he didn't want to be around people. He was grateful for that.

          "Well, here is your present, birthday girl," he smiled as he held out a small box in one hand.

            She grabbed it gently, "You didn't have to get me anything."

          "I'm pretty sure that's what people do on birthdays but, uh, don't open it until I'm gone, okay?"

          "Okay."

         "I thought I'd also tell you..." he said nervously. "That I'm moving back to Brooklyn."

         "You are?" she asked and he nodded. "When are you going?"

          "Uh..." he scratched his head. "Tonight, actually."

          Her eyes widened before she said sadly, "I'll miss you."

         "I'll miss you, too, butterfly," he hugged her again but tightly before he stepped back with a small smirk. "I think I should probably get out of here now before your boyfriend murders me for hugging you too much."

           She looked back at Tony to see him not so discreetly staring and she rolled her eyes before looking back at Bucky, "He's so jealous of you."

        "Yeah, but who could blame him? I get to spend a lot of time with someone as amazing as you."

        She couldn't help but blush a bit before tears gathered in her eyes, "Don't so say goodbye, okay? Because I'm gonna come visit you and you're gonna come visit me and there's no goodbye to be said."

       "Okay," he agreed as he placed his hands in his pockets with a small, amused smile before looking at her softly. "I'll just say thank you then."

          "For what?"

        "For finding me," he said gratefully before he turned to leave. "Happy birthday, butterfly."

          She wanted to cry as he left and she opened up the box he got her. Her heart squeezed painfully. Inside was something elegant but olden like it was from another time; something only Bucky could pick out. It was a necklace and on the silver chain was a delicate, yellow butterfly pendant.

           _____

              The party was over and Tony was staring at the butterfly necklace, "He gave you a gift?"

              "You're really focusing on that?" she sighed.

            "What should I be focusing on?" he asked.

            She came over to him with mischievous eyes before she ran her hands up his torso, "The fact that we're alone."

            "Oh," Tony swallowed and he felt like he could barely breath with the touch of her hands. He was utterly and completely frozen.

              "So kiss me..." she quietly demanded and he could never resist any of her demands as he quickly leaned his head down to collide his lips with hers.

               They kissed hungrily as Tony wrapped his arms around her and slid them down her back. She felt the electricity of his touch and he felt the gravity of her lips.

           He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her to their bedroom where he laid her on the bed before climbing over her. One of his hands moved up and down her thigh as they kissed and consumed one another.

           His lips moved to her neck while she moved his hands to his hair. His hand moved to the buttons of her shirt. He started to undo them, revealing the skin of her stomach before she breathed, "Tony..."

                "I'll stop," he lifted his head, thinking she was going to tell him to stop.

But his hands had touched her and those goosebumps invaded her skin where he did so. A slow, crippling warmth set in along with them that she didn't want to end; like a fire she could step into and blaze with because it was only like life in the sun.

She wanted him to form those goosebumps everywhere. And she had already decided that this was what she wanted a week ago.

"Tony...this is your gift," she clued him in.

His mouthed opened and closed in surprise before he looked at her intensely and started to ramble, "You're sure? Because if you're not ready and you're just doing this to make me happy..."

She cut him off with a kiss, "You make me happy."

He smiled before he kissed her again and his hands went to the buttons of her shirt where he finished unbuttoning them. Her shirt came off along with his and her scars were completely revealed. He ran his fingers across them so gently as she asked nervously, "You still think they're beautiful?"

"You're always beautiful," he stared at her intensely. "Scars and all, angel."

She smiled before she kissed him again and eventually they got lost in the gravity of each other. From that day on, she wished for forever.

AN: and that's a wrap on part 3. I don't know when I'll update again. I have a test this week, the week after, and the week after that so we'll see but this is a good little stopping point for right now

I also want to thank you guys for 20k on this story and I hope you guys are all enjoying it