gone (stucky)

chapter 6 // the good, the bad, and the dirty

A/N: Softtttttttt

July 4, 2017

Today was Steve's birthday... and Bucky was still gone. Steve hadn't seen him since yesterday, yet it felt like forever since he last looked into his friends ocean grey-blue eyes.

Steve did his normal morning routine, minus his daily run with Sam, something about "no running on his birthday". In all honesty Steve didn't want to go out with the Avengers tonight. He had for the past 5 years since, but something about going without Bucky made him uneasy. Since he'd gotten him back, Steve dreamt of being able to take Bucky with them, seeing his face light up with the same color of the fireworks.

~meanwhile in Bucky-ville~

Bucky hadn't left town. It's all a gag for Steve's birthday, Bucky's always been sneaky like that when it comes to Steve's birthday.
Bucky left late last night from their apartment and got a hotel room for the rest of the day. He planned on surprising Steve for his birthday, something big.

~Bucky's POV~

I didn't want to leave Steve with a note like that, but it adds to the surprise yknow? I remember that I used to always do something big for Steve's birthday back when we were kids. I'd always take him to a place called a Coney Island, which i recently learned is still open in Brooklyn, one of the few things I'm familiar with.

I planned on taking him there again, of course first surprising him at that Avengers thing he always goes to. I only knew about it from how much he talked about it when I first moved in. I'd take him to Coney Island then to the fireworks I remember them having every year, since it's the 4th of July also. I really want tonight to go well, for both of us.

~time skip~

Sam and Natasha knocked on Steve's door at 8 pm on the nose to come pick him up, just like every other year when Natasha would come get him 'always on time' he thought. He drudgingly got up from his spot on the couch and roamed over to open the door and let his friends in. "Are you still bummed about Barnes?" Same questioned, the slightest bit of concern in his sarcastic tone. "Of course I am. He left before my birthday. The first birthday with him in decades and he leaves." Steve was trying his hardest to hide the emotions he was feeling, but as a single tear fell down his cheek, it was followed by many others. Steve broke down, he kept thinking about where Bucky might be. He could be cold, lost, he'll he could be the winter soldier somehow. Steve knew how crazy the outside world is to people like him and Bucky. That's why he always wanted the brunette by his side.

Sam and Natasha on the other hand, along with the other avengers, knew what Bucky was doing. He had ran into Sam on his morning run and told him. Sam of course proceeded to tell the rest of the team, which Bucky didn't mind.

~another one (time skip)~

Steve just arrived at the still new Avengers building at around 8:30. The fireworks always started at around 8:45, so he waited the 15 minutes and noticed something was off. He checked his watch, 8:50. It was past the time they usually started, even when the fireworks got delayed it wasn't for more than a few minutes. Steve got up from his spot in the grass and went to look for his other friends. He was in a secluded area so he could just be by himself, alone with his thoughts. "That's odd." He looked around and couldn't find any of his friends where they were when he arrived. Not Tony, or Wanda, not even Sam.

He wandered toward the building on his small quest to find at least one of his friends when he heard an all too familiar voice coming from the stage mic that was usually reserved for Tony to make some unimportant announcement on.

"Best friends since childhood, Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers were inseparable on both battlefield and playground."

Steve remembers that audio. It was in one of Bucky's exhibits at one of the many museums Steve had visited after coming out of the ice.

Steve teared up at the photos showing on the screen. Old photos of him and Bucky as kids, some with his mother, some of just them. And some of them with the rest of the Commandos. Steve was wondering why Tony was playing this, he knew what happened with Bucky yesterday. Why would he decide to play it now?

~~~~~

Bucky had walked out of the Avengers building and was searching for Steve, the video Tony had put up was luckily keeping him distracted so he won't know he's out here. Once he found his blonde best friend. He started creeping up on him, like a lion and it's prey (but yknow, in a cute way).

"Hey punk watch ya staring at?" There was a quite high quality photo of Bucky on the screen with some commentary in the background. Steve heard the familiar voice and whipped his head around, eyes locked in with beautiful ones that belonged to a certain brunette.

"Bucky!" Steve wrapped his arms around his friend like he hadn't seen him in ages. It felt amazing to have him in his arms again.

And you been gone so long
I forgot what you feel like
But I'm not gonna think about that right now

"Bucky, I- I thought you were gone? The note you left me?" Steve was really confused on how the ocean eyed man was actually in front of him. "You didn't think I'd actually leave you alone on your birthday, did you? I got a hotel room last night and planned a little something for tonight." He had his classic mischievous birthday grin on his face, the same one he had seen so many years earlier.

"Cmon Stevie, I've got a little surprise." The two men traveled over to Coney Island that night and rode all the same rides they rode when they were younger. "Hey Buck?" "Yeah Steve?" "How bout we ride the cyclone, I might not throw up this time." Bucky felt immensely happy for the first time in so long. "Of course. But if you do try to make it to the bathroom this time."

They made it off the rollercoaster with no vomit, just genuine laughs coming out of both of them.

"Steve" The brunette broke their shirt lived silence on their walk to the beach to watch the fireworks.
The *crack* is fireworks sound lmao

"I *crack* need to tell you something *crack*." "Yeah Buck?" The boys were basically shouting over the mix of firework sounds and the noises coming from the other people on the beach, the squeals from children, the laughter from adults and teens, all making both men happy to be with each other.

"Steve" The noise quieted down, almost like it was planned *wink wink*. "Do you remember your 18th birthday, I think it was? We gotten cornered by those bullies that had been bothering us for practically our entire school careers. But you were so plastered I doubt you remember anything from that night." The older man looked down at the sand.  "You wanted to tell me something that you said "could affect our friendship". Do you remember what it was?"

Truth was Steve did remember what he wanted and still wants to tell Bucky. He had no idea where the conversation was heading, so he just looked down at his feet.

"Yes" He said quite sheepishly. "I do Bucky. But I'm scared you might think less of me if I tell you. And truth is I still feel it too. You're gonna hate me if I tell you. That's why I thought it would affect it. So -" The blonde took a long pause. "I love you, Bucky. And not in the friend way. In the way that I'm ashamed of. I don't want you to think less of me. I understand if you don't want to be seen with me anymore. I know how awful this is for yo-" Steve was interrupted by a pair of lips belonging to his best friend. Their lips moved in sync with one another. Like they were meant for each other.

"I love you too Steve. More than words could describe." Bucky cupped the blondes head in his hands. "Do not degrade yourself like that ok? You are the most amazing, selfless, and caring person I've ever met. When I was this brainless former killer. You were there for me. You made me feel like a person again. Not a fugitive who didn't know who he was. I can never thank you enough."

A/N: So as of right now i don't know exactly where to take this story so please leave some suggestions of an additional story line to add to this!  i might also end this one and make a sequel? who knows. but if i come up with some more ideas i will definitely update!