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~o~
The man stirs something up inside of him.
Some feeling that makes him pause from its familiarity.
Which is strange, because he can't remember where it could be coming from.
But it feels like he knows it- he knows it, and he knows the blonde man that's dodging his strikes as if his life depended on it (which it did, but he's so good at dodging, so so good), but he can't remember where from.
But the feeling- it's there, rooted deep inside of him and forming such a large part of him, and it's too much. His heart feels strange. So strange. It beats too fast, but he doesn't feel the choking fear or boiling anger that usually comes with his heart beating so fast during a fight -
The man, blue eyes so wide and darting around so fast to keep track of the relentless swipes aimed at him, finally manages to grab his round shield (he knows the shield too, but from where-) and he moves so beautifully with the shield in hand. The disk forms a part of him, and he fights so much better with.
Those eyes -oh, those blue eyes, they're so familiar and the man was staring at him now, pretty brows crinkled in confusion because they'd stopped fighting, and why were they even fighting, he doesn't feel like fighting, it doesn't feel right.
They shouldn't be fighting. He wants to see where that familiar feeling that's making him dove forward leads him, and why wouldn't he- why wouldn't anyone -just look at that man, his bewildered face is so cute, and he's going to kiss that face, he's going to do it, because that's what the tugging at his heart is telling him to do, and oh shit he still has his mask on, he should've taken it off before leaning in to claim those pink lips parted invitingly as the man tries to catch his breath-
There's a loud bang and he finds himself stumbling back dazedly out of shock, glad for the mask protecting him from the shield that the blonde had just used to ward him away.
~o~
The Winter Soldier comes at him with this weird headbutt.
Like- the guy just dives at him, face first, and it's a move that Steve has never seen in before, and that's saying something because he's fought aliens in New York city not long ago.
Maybe the move is usually accompanied with something more that leads to it actually working, because all Steve had to do was put his shield up and the man's face hits the shield and bounces right off of it.
And then the man looks kind of confused- so confused, as if he wasn't expecting Steve to protect himself.
Either the guy is plain stupid or Steve is missing something really obvious here.
~o~
They meet again, when he's assigned to follow two level six targets and he turns out to be one of them.
Him and this redhead that he's starting to dislike a great deal.
Like, really really really dislike, because the blonde bends over to adjust the shoes he's clearly uncomfortable in and the redhead doesn't even bother being secretive about staring at his ass. It must be a really nice ass that he can't see from his view of them (that annoys him a great deal, it really does) because she smirks appreciatively and has a hard time tearing her eyes away and yeah, he hates her.
He takes great joy in making her life extremely miserable later when one of the idiots that's supposed to be assisting him gives them away and so they end up caught in a scuffle.
He's feeling it in his heart again. Like, it's dark and the blonde was too busy taking on three of the mercenaries to notice someone creeping up on him, and gosh, the clever way the blonde takes down the remaining three and the witty remark he makes about the two heads that takes the place of that one hydra head getting cut off must have half the brain of the original and okay he's not listening anymore because the sound of the man's dry tone draws him to the man, and the man's really broad back and slim waist- so slim, he could circle his arms around it and why shouldn't he, the man belongs there in his arms and-
The man is in his arms now, and he fits in perfectly in his arms, just made to fit in there, the shape of him, that warmth of his back, he wants to sink right into the man-
The elbow to his gut has him doubling over with a groan, but he's fast enough to dodge the kick from the blonde that cuts through the air so fast that it makes a whoosh of a sound.
~o~
What the hell sort of a fighting style has Hydra been teaching its agents?
It seems like the Winter Soldier was- well-holding on to him from behind(?).
Maybe the man was trying to lift him up and throw him on the ground or something (which is such a Thor thing to do, when is Thor visiting Earth again-), because he had just come up behind Steve and grabbed on to his waist, plastered himself to Steve's back and stayed there. It had caused Steve to freeze momentarily because of the lack of aggressiveness, and he's lucky that the assassin hadn't brought out a knife to slice into him with.
Which he could have done.
Pick up any of the stray weapons off of the unconscious Hydra agents and come at Steve with, that is.
Maybe the guy is high or something.
He disappears into the dark before Steve can ask.
Moments later, Natasha staggers in with bruises and cuts all over, twigs in her hair and a furious glower on her face.
"Why did the Winter Soldier come at me and not at you?" She asks with accusation, as if it's somehow Steve's fault.
~o~
It must be fate (well, not really- it's just that he works for Hydra and the man is trying to stop Hydra-) because they meet again and the blonde is covered in dirt.
It's from the tuck and roll he had done down the hill to get away from the machine gun and towards his shield and now he was covered in dirt from head to toe.
Yep, there it is. That feeling again. It fills his heart with warmth and makes him want to go right over and start rubbing the dirt off of those cheekbones.
He tries not to do it- he really does, because he's not supposed to engage them and the blonde moves so swiftly with such determination that he can't keep his eyes off of the man and that's alright because he's just supposed to watch- but the man looks so ridiculous covered in dirt that he wants to slide right down the hill they were perched atop and start dusting the man. And then maybe take him home and patch him up- which is a strange thought to have and he has no idea where it could be coming from, he really doesn't.
There's another guy with the blonde this time and he flies of all things and moments later, they've been made.
The blonde uses the sleeve of his jacket to try and wipe some of the mud off of his cheeks but doesn't succeed. His dirty jacket just smears more dirt across the arc of his cheekbones.
The way the blonde- oh his hair had become ruffled too maybe he can get a comb to fix it but he looks better with his hair so untidy - wrinkles his nose in annoyance on realizing that there was no getting rid of the dirt is just too much, the corners of his mouth are pulled down in dismay now and he's just so-
He extends a hand towards one of the mercenaries assisting him and orders the guy to hand over the white handkerchief he'd spied in the truck earlier.
"But...." The guy sputters, so he turns his head very slowly to the direction of the guy and waits till the guy breaks out of fear and surrenders the white cloth with a trembling hand.
Ignoring the last remaining Hydra agent getting shot down, he slides down the hill and jumps across the river over to the other side.
The blonde spins around and reaches for his shield only to realize that it's embedded in the chopper behind him and now he's whipped his head around to eye the handkerchief being shoved towards him with huge suspicion-
The blonde dodges to avoid the handerchief as if it were radioactive, looking at the asset as if he were a lunatic, and then the man with the wings starts shooting at him and he drops the handkerchief as he makes his escape-
And really, it's such a shame, the blonde is so stubborn about not letting anyone take care of him. He has no idea how he knows that about the man, but the knowledge makes his chest well up with fondness and ugh the man with the wings probably gets to clean the blonde up and that is so not fair.
~o~
"I wouldn't touch that if I were you." Steve points at this white handkerchief lying on the ground and warns Sam off.
Sam studies the handkerchief. It looks innocent enough, but Steve was regarding it as if it were about to blow up with a 10-mile impact radius.
"Uh- it's just a handkerchief, man." Sam points out but Steve doesn't look convinced and pulls Sam along with him as they back away from the handkerchief, Steve keeping his narrowed eyes trained on the thing.
"The Winter Soldier was using it." Steve offers as an explanation.
"..... To what, wipe breadcrumbs off his mouth?"
Now Steve doesn't look too sure about the little piece of white cloth sitting motionless on the ground being a threat.
"Well- he came at me with it."
Sam slips his goggles off and looks at the handkerchief again.
A few moments pass and it's still just a handkerchief.
"Maybe it's soaked in chloroform." Steve wonders as he frowns at the thing for being innocent. "Or some biohazard chemical."
"Like germs?" Sam guesses slowly. "That came from the Winter Soldier sneezing on it?"
Steve just looks annoyed now, glaring at the handkerchief as if holding it responsible for all their troubles.
~o~
They're on a bridge and the man has the red head and the brunette with him.
There's a nagging at the back of his mind that's convinced that the blonde used to be smaller.
Which is confusing as hell because the man is clearly not tiny by any means.
But it still feels like he used to be tiny, though.
Tiny enough to stumble on his own feet when someone throws an arm around his fragile shoulders and drags him along.
Tiny enough to fall back on his skinny ass at the smallest of shoves.
Tiny enough that someone of average built can easily curl up around him like a blanket.
But the man definitely does not look tiny now. No average person can do those things to him, nope.
But then again, the asset's not any average person. He's definitely above average- enough that the blonde can get overwhelmed by one punch from his left arm.
That knowledge makes his chest puff up in pride a little.
They're facing off yet again, and he's guilty of staring in awe for a few moments because the blonde moves as if he doesn't weigh more than his shield.
Like- he just kicks off the ground and does this spin mid-air that enables him to put more momentum in his kick, and -okay, that was a close one, he seriously needs to stop staring at the blonde and start attacking like he's supposed to.
'Supposed to'- he feels like he's supposed to stretch his arms out to catch the blonde or something and it's kind of confusing enough that his head hurts a little.
It's accompanied by that familiar lurch of his heart that kind of makes his breath catch on his throat and has him want to hold his arms out for the blonde to jump into-
Which he can totally see happening because the blonde was throwing himself towards him with his teeth clenched in determination, and there's this intensity in his blue eyes that is focused solely on him and -
The man collides with him mid-kick and the asset had spun around from the impact, but he was standing stably on his own two feet and the man was in his arms now, feet well off the floor, holding on to him as if his life depended on it. There's this tingly feeling that spreads to the tip of his toes and he feels like he's going to start floating off the ground any moment now, because he was carrying the man and oh shit the man was looking at him with those comically widened crystal blue eyes of his. They're touching everywhere and he can feel the blonde's chest expanding against him when he breathes and the firm muscles on his thighs flex as the blonde tries to climb up his body for some reason but he doesn't mind-
The blonde dives right out of his arms, over the edge of the bridge, and towards the brunette with the wings.
Huh.
He's -
He's feeling a little listless right now.
His heart feels like a stone dragging him down as he watches the brunette land with the blonde.
Well.
The brunette may be attractive, but he's clearly not good enough for the blonde, if the grimace of effort on his face and the way he almost crashed to the ground on trying to catch the blonde is anything to go by.
The blonde chose poorly. Won't be long before the man realizes it. Seriously, the only thing that makes the brunette so special is that winged suit of his- that's right, they're not even real wings.
That thought comforts him enough that he can put his arms down and stalk away from the edge of the bridge and get something with enough firepower to blast a car off.
~o~
The Winter Soldier was about to throw him off the side of the fly-over.
He was trying to kick the guy, but the assassin had just caught his leg and used the momentum to lift Steve and dangle him over the railing that lined the edge of the bridge.
Good thing Sam was nearby with the suit on.
~o~
At this rate, he might actually accomplish his mission.
It’s a thought that doesn’t sit too well with him, for some reason.
It just doesn’t feel right.
But he’s still feeling unsettled over the blonde jumping off a bridge to get away from him, so he’s going to finish his mission.
……. On second thought, missions come and go, blondes like this one don’t. Like, seriously he wants to grab the man by the collar and maybe mold their bodies together (like, where in the world is this thought coming from he needs to go back to base and ask someone who the hell this man is-), and that is turning out to be highly probably because they are so close right now, so close, he could just-
He gets tossed in the air by the head of all body parts and his mask comes off.
"Bucky?"
He freezes on hearing that name.
"Who the hell's Bucky?" It's the first time they've spoken to each other and the blonde looks like he's seeing a ghost or something.
…………He doesn’t look weird or something, does he? Did the mark leave marks or something? No wait- Those nerds at the lab have been drawing on his face again, haven’t they?
~o~
"Buck- you remember those strange moves you used to come at me with when we used to fight?" Steve asks him one day in a lab full of the sadistic man-and-woman-childs people mistake to be earth's mightiest heroes.
He remembers.
Oh, how well he remembers.
"Um." Is all he can say because everyone was staring at him now, probably thinking that these 'weird moves' Steve was talking about were of some relevance.
"What weird moves."
Shit. He panicked and this is bad, so bad, because Steve was in front of him now, taking him by the collar and going "I think it was something like this?" to demonstrate one of those times Bucky tried to kiss him in the middle of a fight and yeah, this isn't going to turn out well.
"Oh my god, get a room." Stark complains amongst groans and squeals and Thor just waggles his eyebrows suggestively and yeah, he's so screwed.
"What?" Steve frowns at the room in general because everyone else realizes it but Steve doesn't.
He- he kind of wants to fling himself out of a window right now.
Natasha was actually looking at Bucky with pity. Bird-man on the other hand had crumpled to a heap of a laughing spasm on the ground.
"Steve, does that really seem like it could be a...." Bruce tries to help out but no one comes to his rescue because this was the most entertainment they've had in days. "Fight move to you?" He finishes lamely and Steve just looks confused now.
He takes in everyone's faces with extreme concern and the furrow between his brows deepens when he still doesn't get it.
"Maybe we should let the two of you talk this out." Sam suggests, giving everyone else a pointed look but no one moves from their spots.
"Go on. Talk." Pietro encourages them.
Steve looks to Bucky for help.
Everyone else waits patiently for Bucky's demise.
Stupid Hydra wiping his stupid memories and making him forget that he has to hold back on his stupid feelings and not make any stupid moves that could jeopardize his fucking fantastic friendship with his Stevie and fuck his life why him goddammit.
"You might wanna sit down for this." Bucky advices Steve while prying the blonde's fists away from his collar.
Now Steve's eyes were widened minutely in worry at the defeat in Bucky's voice.
"I think I can handle it." Steve tries softly, probably meaning to reassure him or something and Stark had brought out a packet of chips that he shares with Wanda as they all watch Bucky ruin the best damn thing in his life.
"That wasn't a fight move, Steve." Steve nods, paying great attention to Bucky's words and Sam was actually looking away with a murmur of something that sounded like "I can't watch this" on Bucky's behalf and that was kind of nice of him, "That was me trying to kiss you."
There's complete silence in the room as everyone holds their breaths.
Steve stares blankly at Bucky.
"What." He manages shortly after a few moments.
Bucky grimaces, shrugging his shoulders easily in apology- a wide contrast to the speedy thrumming of his heart.
Steve just stays frozen for a few moments, as if he can't believe what he was hearing before he blinks and goes "What?" again, this time with more disbelief.
"He says he was trying to kiss you." Clint yells in quite the same fashion Bucky used to yell for his grandma and Steve momentarily casts his eyes towards the heavens in a silent prayer for strength.
"You were-" Steve gets stuck, finally realizing that he was hearing things right and Bucky nods solemnly that yes, he was indeed trying to kiss Steve all those times, "-but then you're-" Bucky speeds things up by nodding affirmatively again to acknowledge that yes he's attracted to men as well, "-and that means you-" Steve points at himself this time and Bucky presses his lips into a thin line and nods vehemently to signal that yes, he feels that way about Steve.
Steve looks like he's going to need a bag to breathe into.
"How do they know what the other one is saying?" Vision wonders in fascination.
"The power of love." Scott whispers with awe.
"Rhodey's gonna regret missing this." Tony grins mercilessly and Wanda crunches a handful of chips noisily into her mouth.
Steve's shoulders sag and a small "Oh" escapes his lips as he finally comes to terms with Bucky’s unprecedented and totally unwilling confession.
Then the blonde's face starts heating up when he realizes that all of this was happening in a room full of people who used to find him and Bucky intimidating.
"But... You stopped doing it after you started getting your memories back." Steve notes weakly.
"I know, but- still wanted to do it." Bucky admits, because there's really not much left to hide now, and in some ways this is kind of liberating in the same way death probably is.
"What about now?" Steve asks quietly and Bucky only realizes that he's looked away from Steve when he notes Tony put T’Challa up in a conference call so that his life falling apart is broadcasted all the way to Africa.
"The feeling is still there."
Steve seems to have stopped breathing. Bucky is tempted to look at him, but he wills himself to not in case he falls to his knees and starts begging Steve to not end their friendship just because Bucky wants to do unspeakable things to Steve sometimes.
Bucky spies Steve shift his weight from one foot to another as the blonde deliberates on something, and then Steve leans into Bucky's ears.
Bucky has to hold himself so still that he's barely breathing- because he has urges when Steve is so near, and his heart is a beating drum right now and he can feel Steve's breath stir up his hair as the blonde casually whispers, "You know- If you try kissing me now, then I'll let you."
Fuck.
“Did you guys hear that?” Scott gets excited and Natasha covers his mouth with her hand to maintain the silence in the room.
Now he has to look at Steve and he does and oh hell Steve looks serious as hell. His eyes were hopeful -as if he wants Bucky to kiss him, and then he tilts his head in the tiniest of motions that registers in Bucky's brain because if Bucky were to lean in right now then he could kiss Steve without their noses getting in the way, and why shouldn't he -he should because Steve just gave him permission to and even Carol was hissing "Kiss him" furiously and Steve was waiting for him to so he dives right in and-
They're kissing and Steve makes this tiny sigh at the back of his throat as if their lips coming in contact is the most satisfying thing he's ever done and Bucky presses his lips more firmly against the soft ones he's claiming right now. He’s barely daring to breathe - Steve is so close, and his lips were a lot luscious than he imagined. He wants to reach out and touch the man with his hands as well but he’s frozen in his spot because Steve Rogers was letting James Buchanan ‘Bucky’ Barnes a.k.a. the Winter Soldier, born 1917 and everything kiss him right now oh god Steve’s breath just hitched-
There's a distant sound of Tony complaining about needing therapy, and Wanda choking, and Scott squealing, and he doesn't care because Steve Rogers is letting Bucky kiss him and enjoying it too if the way Steve chases his lips when Bucky tries to break their kiss off is anything to go by, and why should they stop kissing-
Steve turns his head away with a joyous laugh to break their kiss off, and it's a good thing that he does because Bucky wasn't feeling like stopping, because Steve tastes so good and that kiss was way too short-
"Congrats, man." Sam croaks out and he looks like he's going to start crying, and, well Bucky feels this overwhelming feeling bubbling up inside of him too, but luckily he doesn't feel like crying- although the smile on his face is too wide and it kind of hurts his face to the point that he fears he might start crying.
Bruce points out on how they should move Steve and Bucky's stuff one of the large condos made for sharing and Natasha mumbles something about surveillance tapes keeping records and marches out of the room like a person on a mission. T’Challa seems to be replaying every moment he spent with them on a loop in his head because “Wait- they were not together before?” and Thor just claps them both on their shoulders and congratulates them on “Finally getting together. If I had known that you were in need of a push then I would surely have volunteered.”
Steve bumps their hands together and Bucky catches it -and Steve lets him, and even hooks their fingers together. He looks at Bucky with such fondness that Bucky has to listen to Bruce's request of them getting a room and drag Steve away, because they're really going to need a room for what he plans on doing to Steve next-
And fuck, the look on Steve's face says that he's going let Bucky do those things to him.
~o~
“Ha ha- that’s very funny.” Rhodey doesn’t believe Tony when he calls to tell him that Steve and Bucky are together. He’s so lazy about the prank that he doesn’t even bother to find Rhodey although they’re in the same building. Seriously, no one’s falling for something so poorly thought out.
“They’re just friends. Everyone knows that.”
“You- you never saw it?” Tony questions. “Seriously? That looks like friendship to you?”
“Yes it does- because they are just friends.” Rhodey maintains.
And then he walks in on Steve attempting to kiss Barnes through a wall before Barnes drags him into the Cap’s private room and slams the door shut.
“Okay, yeah, that does not look like friendship to me, nope.”