Bucky scoffed playfully. "Like it'd make you a bad meal," he replied, though he knew the comment hadn't been about his cooking skills. It was easier to joke about that then worry about trying to convince Steve he was worthy of just as much, if not more, celebration than that of US Independence. "But I've got a couple years to make up for so may as well make sure it's a good one." Good meaning the way Steve wanted to celebrate.

They didn't talk too much about the five years apart, but he knew it weighed heavily on Steve. He'd known the minute he saw Steve on the battlefield, knew it better still after the fighting had ended. There'd been a minute there when he was worried Steve wouldn't come back from putting the stones back in their proper place. He hadn't had the courage to ask Steve beforehand to come back and he'd breathed a sigh of relief when he had. Bucky didn't think he was ready to press the way he probably needed to, but they had time. Thanks to the serum, they had a lot more time than most.

"I may have gotten you a birthday present though," he warned, still lighthearted. Bucky'd gone with some nice art supplies, a good notebook and a mess of good pencils to draw with. Simple, but good quality stuff, the kind he'd never been able to afford way back when. The kind of stuff Steve had always deserved to have.