[Stucky One Shots and Drabbles]

Warmth

                     
             I feel like I haven't updated in forever?? Welp,  here's three thousand words to make up for it and a picture of Sebastian Stan.

Not exactly Stucky, more like Steve pining over Bucky with some angst.

            It's just another night.
Nothing exciting had happened throughout the day, Steve had went for a jog with Sam first thing that morning,  then the two went for coffee. He'd gotten home and found that Bucky was still sleeping,  so Steve had given himself the honors of making Bucky chocolate chip pancakes.

Bucky liked them.

Or at least, Steve thinks he liked them.

He ate three of them at a slow pace, but the stoic expression that's consistently painted on his face made it impossible for Steve to tell if he was enjoying them or not.
He decided not to ask and left the kitchen to take a shower.

Bucky's been living with Steve for almost four months now.
When he offered for Bucky to move in with him and Bucky had accepted,  Steve was ecstatic.  He told himself that it would be just like old times- Steve and Bucky, taking on the world. Steve had plenty of fantasies about Bucky and him catching up on modern movies together, sightseeing,  and maybe, maybe one day Steve would have the guts to ask Bucky out on a date.

None of the above were anywhere close to happening,  even four months later.

At the beginning,  Bucky had shut himself in the guest room- his room, as Steve often had to remind him- and wouldn't speak, eat, or look at Steve.
Steve would sit on the bed next to Bucky and beg for him to say something.  Bucky never would.

After hours of pleading, Steve would eventually give up. He'd solemnly exit the bedroom,  feeling like he failed his best friend. 
Only after Steve left and was in his own room, usually reading,  trying to distract his mind,  would Bucky make his way out of the room and could be heard rummaging through the refrigerator or showering.

Slowly,  at a snail's pace, things finally started to progress. Bucky began to talk more and more. He even agreed to go see a therapist twice a week.

Things weren't perfect; Steve had eventually come to peace with the fact that they probably never would be,  but they were better, and Steve would take their imperfect,  flawed situation over living another day without his Bucky. 

Today had been one of the two days out of the week when Bucky went to therapy.  While he's gone, Steve visits a nearby school for gifted youngsters and teaches an art class.  Afterwards, he picked Bucky up, stopped by the grocery store to get a few items, and the two of them headed back to Steve's little house in Brooklyn.
Simple enough.

He'd made dinner for the two of them, and they'd enjoyed it together while making small talk and sharing a few laughs.
Steve wishes he could say that he loves it.
He wishes he could honestly say he's simply happy with Bucky being here with him, that he's just happy to have his friend back.
And he is. He's eternally grateful to any force of nature or any deity that gave him his Bucky back.
But a part deep inside of him, the part that most people don't even know exists, is bitter. Hydra ruined his best friend, and if given the chance, he would gladly snap the necks of those who even laid a single finger on Bucky without hesitation. 
His life has become a paradox, he both loves and hates living with Bucky at the same time. Steve loves just knowing that his friend is finally safe, but he hates that at the same time, it feels like he's living with a complete stranger.