A promise or a mission - Stucky story (moderate smut)

Do you know me?

lesssgo lads look who crawled out of the dark... apologies but it took me a LONG time to get over Endgame and back to stucky (yes I'm ignoring Steve's ending)

Basically, the bomb that killed T'Challa's dad happened and now Steve is after Bucky in earnest

(for the sake of feels we're gonna say they had way more time to kill in that apartment... (wait no not as in killing... as in they weren't interrupted as soon. Ha.))

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Steve was nervous and on high alert.

He cautiously and quietly stepped up the stairs towards where Bucky should be.

Breathe. 

He had time. Sam was a way off, scouting the area to give them space and deflect intruders. The authorities shouldn't arrive just yet.

The door was silent as he opened it. That made sense. The Winter Sol- no. Bucky. Bucky was bound to make sure he could slip away unheard at a moments notice.

Steve stepped into the room.

It was small and messy. It had the unattended look of somewhere temporary and soon to be moved out of.

Steve glanced around to gather his bearings, feeling unnerved by the emptiness.

Of course Buck wouldn't be here...

He would wait. He had time.

He turned off coms. This was private.

A notebook on the fridge caught his eye. Curiosity and hope winning over his moral sense of privacy, Steve leafed through a few pages.

He paused at the sight of a creased postcard- the sort you get at museums. On it was an old propaganda image from the war.

 He remembered when that was first published. He hadn't been so keen on Captain America back then.

Suddenly, Steve felt his insides knot and his chest hurt. He was overcome (not for the first time) by a great longing for his past. 

The war had been terrible but it had made sense. There was a clear sense of union within troops. He suddenly missed the Howling Commandos. He missed the laughter. And Bucky. 

God, he missed Bucky.

Steve sharply became aware of another presence in the room. 

He turned cautiously.

And he stood.

He looked nervous and wary. Steve resented that. 

Steve exhaled shakily. He'd prepared this scenario over countless sleepless nights, but now it all seemed so weak and useless. 

Helpless and maybe a little desperate he settled with "Do you know me?" 

He held back from saying anything more. He could not afford to mess this up. The man before him could be someone entirely new.

But he was Bucky... He had to be...

Steve anxiously hovered for an answer.

The man opposite took a steadying breath.

"You're Steve." He said, with confidence that surprised Steve.

But how his heart hopefully beat faster. Did Buck know him?

"I read about you in a museum."

Steve sighed despite himself. Some of his professional resolves left him.