Steve/Bucky One Shots

Cowboys and Indians

[1927]

"Steeeve," Bucky whines, "do somethin' with me I'm bored." His Brooklyn accent is strong despite his being only 10 years old.

"Buck I'm readin'. If you really want to do somethin' go outside. I'm sure there's someone else in this city willing to put up with you," Steve responds. Secretly, he wishes he could go outside and play with the other boys, but he can't on account of his asthma. His momma said that they shouldn't risk it 'cause of all the pollen.

"You boys could always play something in here," Mrs. Rogers says from the kitchen where she is baking apple cake. Bucky gives Steve a look.

"Nope. Uh-uh. Not gonna happen," Steve responds adamantly. Bucky grins mischievously.

"What if I let you be the cowboy this time?" Steve thinks about it for a second.

"Fine."

Ten minutes later Bucky has a scarf tied around his head with feathers sticking out of the top. Steve is wearing a cowboy hat. The living room is a mess of couch cushions.

"I shot you Buck! You're dead! I got you!" Steve is cackling and jumping up and down excitedly.

"Nu-uh. I dodged it," Bucky whines with his arms crossed tightly against his chest. He is pursing his lips and Sarah Rogers can't help but laugh at the antics of her boys.

"Steve, James! The apple cake is ready," She calls to distract them from their argument.

Game forgotten, they run to the kitchen and revel in the freedom of childish innocence.

[1933]

"Buck. No. We're 16. We're too old for this game," Steve explains for what feels like the millionth time.

"You're just saying that because you're scared you'll lose...again," Bucky smirks in a desperate attempt to lighten the mood. A massive blizzard made it impossible for anyone who was lucky enough to have a job to get to work and he couldn't help but notice how dangerously barren the Rogers' cupboards were.

"I am not afraid to lose, but we both know that I'd kick your ass if we did play," Steve counters.

"All I'm hearin' is excuses Stevie," Bucky taunts.

"Fine. Just this once. But only 'cause we both know I'll win," the tiny asthmatic blonde relents.

"Whatever you have to tell yourself."

Within minutes, they're running around like children. As they duck and argue, their worries are chased from their minds, temporarily forgotten.

[1944]

Even though Steve can't get drunk and Bucky isn't in the mood for alcohol, they play along. No one is quite sure how it happened,  but the Howling Commandos and Peggy are very drunk and playing Cowboys and Indians.

"Okay who's the damsel in distress this time?"

"I vote Cap!" Dum Dum says before anyone can nominate him a third time.

"Traitor," Steve says with no real heat as he is taken to the small thicket of trees to be held hostage.

"Don't worry Stevie; I'll rescue you!" Bucky calls after him chuckling and grinning.

The soldiers played well into the night. One by one they passed out. It was easy on those nights to forget about the war raging around them and all the pain they had endured.

[2017]

Bucky is finally back and Steve can hardly believe it. He could hardly believe that after 70 years Bucky still insisted on being the cowboy. And that he still insisted that he had dodged the arrow. That was how the rest of the Avengers found them hours later; armed to the teeth with toy guns and a bow and arrow having trashed the recreation area.

"I got you! I got you! I shot you in the arm!" Steve almost sings in delight.

"Nu-uh. I'm too fast for you," Bucky responds indignantly, jaw clenched and hair flopping into his eyes.

"I hit you! I can prove it. There are cameras all over the place. One of them must have caught it," the Avengers, unnoticed, look on in shock.

"Well even if you did, it's Vibranium. An arrow ain't gonna do nothin' to it," the former assassin argues.

"That's cheatin' Buck. Plus, what if I hit it just right and it shorted out and electrocuted you? You're dead. I win."

"Goin' by that logic, I would've won hours ago. You woulda bled out by now, supersoldier or not," Natasha clears her throat to get their attention. They both look at her.

"Is something burning?"

"THE APPLE CAKE!!!" They sprint to the kitchen, argument temporarily forgotten.

The Avengers just stare in silence at the overturned couches and discarded weapons.