Ella was halfway through chopping the vegetables for Thanksgiving dinner when she sliced her finger open with the tip of the knife.
"Shit," she muttered, trying not to get blood on the sweet potatoes. She stood up and walked over to the sink, washing the cut under cold water. Ella's mom dug a band-aid out of the medicine cabinet as she did.
"It's not too deep is it?" Sarah asked with concern.
"No, it's not too bad," she replied as she took the band-aid. She wrapped it around her finger tightly and got back to the vegetables.
"Be careful," her mom warned.
Ella smiled up at her from her stool at the island, "yeah, sorry, just distracted."
She sat there for a few more minutes, her finger was throbbing as she made her way onto the Brussels sprouts. She had to stop and put on a fresh band-aid, as she did she leant on the counter. She looked at the half-finished vegetables and sighed. She couldn't sit there any longer, her thoughts were eating away at her.
"Mom, I need to go out. I'll be like ten minutes, maybe fifteen. I'll finish up when I get back."
She darted out of the kitchen before her mom could complain and got in the car, driving over to Bucky's house. When she pulled up she noticed his car was the only one on the driveway, she found that odd.
She walked up to his door and knocked. The house was eerily quiet, she was sure if someone stood outside her own house they'd be able to hear the hum of ESPN coming from the living room or her mom's music playing in the kitchen.
When Bucky opened the door he couldn't hide the surprise on his face. He looked like he'd just rolled out of bed, he was wearing plaid pajama pants and no shirt. Ella let her eyes wander over his toned chest and abs before remembering she had come over for a reason besides admiring his half-naked body.
"What are you doing here?" He asked hesitantly.
"I had this funny feeling I guess. I've kind of had it since I asked you about Thanksgiving on Monday," she replied, inviting another question from him.
"A funny feeling?"
"Yeah, I don't know. You just seemed off when I brought it up, I suppose I'm here cause I just wanted to make sure you were okay," she half-smiled.
He seemed a little defensive when he replied, "I'm fine."
Ella looked over his shoulder, from the front door you could see right through to the kitchen. It looked empty. Weird.
"Are you home alone?" She asked in surprise, realizing too late she probably could've said it with a little more tact.
Bucky very briefly considered lying, or at least coming up with an acceptable excuse, but this was Ella he was talking to. She'd see straight through him.
"Yeah," he nodded. "My mom and sister are with my dad."
Ella pushed aside thoughts of how strange she assumed that dynamic would be and asked "you didn't want to go?"
He shook his head, "no. I can't say I wanted to see him."
Ella looked him over with worried eyes, she couldn't work out why he hadn't told her. Was he ashamed of himself for not wanting to see his father, or was he embarrassed by the fact his mom and sister had gone without him? She assumed it was something along those lines but decided it didn't really matter at that moment.
She stepped forward and kissed his cheek, "well, I guess that means you're coming back with me."
She gave him a look that very clearly said 'I'm not taking no for an answer' before he could put up a fight.
They went upstairs, Ella perched on his bed while he collected a change of clothes, she'd said he could shower when they got to hers. She knew she needed to get back quickly to help her mom, and he hurried to get his things together when she told him this. He didn't even bother changing out of his pajama pants, he just threw a sweatshirt on with them.
When everything he needed was in a bag, Bucky walked over to Ella. He leaned over and cupped her face in his hands before kissing her, he didn't pull away for a few seconds. Just letting his actions tell her everything he was struggling to put into words.
He was grateful that she hadn't probed, he would talk to her about it at some point, but he didn't want to just then. He was also surprised at how little judgment he'd felt from her, he didn't see her as a particularly judgemental person at all, but he thought maybe given the strangeness of the situation, she might have made a comment or at least given him a look.
When they were in her car he turned to her, "will your parents mind?"
"Not at all," she quickly shook her head. "They'll be happy to see you."
When they got back to her house, Ella shouted to her mom, "I brought company."
Sarah appeared from the kitchen, apron on, turkey baster in hand. Despite noticing Bucky's slightly disheveled appearance she didn't mention it.
"Hi, Bucky. Let me guess, she kidnapped you?" she smiled, trying to piece together the full picture.
Bucky nodded, "yeah, she didn't give me much of a choice."
He was relieved that Sarah, like her daughter, wasn't probing. The prospect of talking to Ella about this was one thing but the prospect of talking to anyone else, even Sarah who was one of the loveliest people he'd ever met, was something else entirely.
"Well, you go and do whatever you need to do and Ella, you still need to help me in the kitchen," she said as she jokingly waved the turkey baster at Ella as a threat.
Ella gave Bucky a quick kiss before he disappeared upstairs. When he was gone she stuck her head in the living room to talk to her dad and Steve.
"Hey guys, Bucky is joining us today. Don't ask questions," she warned. They both looked at her bemused but nodded in response.
Having finished chopping the vegetables, her mom freed her from the kitchen. She collected a couple of beers as she left and popped the caps off before joining Steve and her dad in the living room. The Patriots game had just kicked off, and both men were sitting in their jerseys. Ella rolled her eyes as they shouted at the TV, complaining about a referee decision. A few minutes later Bucky appeared downstairs looking much more put-together in his jeans and shirt. Ella offered him a beer which he gladly accepted and she cuddled up to him on the couch, feeling complete.
Dinner was at 2:30, so they stayed put for the next couple of hours, Joe disappeared off now and then to lend a helping hand, but stuck his head back in the room every time a celebration or cursing from Steve grabbed his attention. Cursing in the Rogers household was a no-go, except when it came to football, and Steve made the most of it. Even Bucky who wasn't particularly interested in football was getting into it thanks to Steve's enthusiasm.
When dinner was ready they all piled into the dining room, they were greeted by mountains of food. Sarah and Joe had still gone to town despite their group being smaller than usual.
"This looks amazing, thank you," Bucky smiled over to Ella's parents.
"You're welcome, sweetie," Sarah said with a warm smile, pulling out her chair.
Steve passed the plates around, as he handed one to Bucky he said, "it's every man for themselves here, Buck, so dig in."
Bucky gave Ella's thigh a quick squeeze under the table, wanting her to know just how grateful he was at that moment for her coming and rescuing him from a day alone. Ella let her hand rest on top of his and began dishing up one-handed.
As they ate, quiet fell over the room, the only sound was the occasional compliment from the kids as they tucked into something new. Once they were finished eating, they cleared up the dining room and Ella turned to Bucky.
"We usually go to the cemetery after dinner, you can stay here if you like," she said, hoping he wouldn't take her up on that particular offer.
Bucky looked up and met Ella's gaze. Her eyes were glassy, she was trying her best not to let her tears spill over.
"I'll come with you if that's okay?" He said gently, pulling her into his arms.
Relief filled Ella's chest and she nodded. "Thank you," she whispered into his chest.
They all put on their coats and Ella collected the flowers she and her mom had picked out at the florist the day before, and they piled into the car. Ella sat in the back, sandwiched between Steve and Bucky. She rested her head on Bucky's shoulder and discreetly tried to wipe away a stray tear that had escaped but Bucky beat her to it, brushing it away with his thumb. Bucky gripped her hand in his, trying to offer her a shred of comfort.
When they got to the cemetery they all huddled together, Joe pulling his family into an embrace. Steve leaned up against Sarah, wrapping his arm around his mom as Ella laid the flowers by Laura's headstone. Ella's lip trembled as she tried to hold it together, she stumbled backward into Bucky's waiting arms, and let herself cry. They didn't stay long, it was bitterly cold and they all still found it too painful. So they all said a few words, wishing Laura a happy Thanksgiving, and climbed somberly back into the car. As Joe drove, he thought back to their last Thanksgiving as a family of five.
"Do you guys remember the Thanksgiving when Laura came home from college? I don't think I've ever seen a person eat so much in my life. I'm pretty sure she stayed at the table for a good couple of hours," Joe joked. Everyone in the car laughed in response. To say Laura was an awful cook was an understatement so it was probably the first proper meal she'd had the entire semester. She went back for seconds, and thirds, and fourths. And then she finished off one of Sarah's pies by herself. The memory cheered them all up and for the rest of the car ride, they shared light-hearted stories about Thanksgivings when the kids were younger, much to Bucky's amusement.
When they got home, the five of them settled into the Rogers' usual Thanksgiving afternoon traditions: board games played to the sound of every Friends Thanksgiving episode, with regular breaks for Sarah's pies. This year she'd made one pumpkin and one cherry, and they were both polished off over the course of the evening.
This carried on into the night, punctuated by the occasional argument between Steve and Ella as they squabbled over cheating accusations and rules of the games. However, it never got heated. One of them would use some ridiculous insult towards the other, something along the lines of 'doofus', and they'd all break out into laughter, the argument would soon be forgotten about.
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