Weeks went by as the two men celebrated their love for each other more and more each day. The way they would look at and touch each other ever so gently, as if in fear of breaking the other, showed the way they fell in love over again every single day. They became inseparable; always going on cute little dates and whenever they were both off work, or had a significant amount of time to spend with each other, one of the two men always made sure something was planned.
Steve explained all of this to Natasha over the phone as she squealed with excitement from the other end. He couldn't stop repeating to her how content he was that Buck was in his life.
"I did hear you the first 100 times, Steve." She laughed.
"Sorry! I know I keep going on about it but hey I just want to say thank you for giving me the push to talk about my feelings."
"That's okay, I know a damsel in distress when I see one so I thought I would do my bit to help." Nat joked over the phone while Steve responded with a sarcastic laugh.
The blonde's tongue became tied as he managed to tell Natasha that he had to go. They said their goodbyes and Steve put down the phone on the kitchen counter which he had his back leaned against. As Buck came down the stairs, rubbing his eyes to adjust to the light, Steve shook his head, looking down, and laughed to himself.
"I wake up to you every damn day but yet you still manage to take my breath away every time you appear in front of me."
Buck's lips curled into a smile as he made his way to his boyfriend.
"Happy one month, Stevie." The brunette mumbled, his voice still deep from waking up, as he pulled Steve into a tight hug.
The other man wrapped his arms around Buck's neck and breathed in deeply, inhaling the brunette's scent which he loved so much.
"Happy one month, jerk." He joked, letting go from the hug "I was thinking, we could go and see my parents today for lunch and I could take you out somewhere nice for dinner to celebrate."
"Don't you have work today?"
"I did, but I want to be with you so I moved all my appointments for tomorrow instead."
Bucky raised his normal arm and stroked Steve's cheek with the pad of his thumb. He leaned in and pressed his lips against the blonde's.
"That sounds like a great plan, I love it." the brunette assured him, shooting him a warm smile.
Steve turned around and grabbed a pan, turning the stove on to heat it up.
"What ya doing baby?" Buck asked.
"I'm making us some pancakes for before we leave to go to my parent's house. You should go get ready because knowing you, you'll be dressing to impress on this occasion." He responded with a calm and relaxed tone of voice.
Approaching closer to Steve, Buck rolled his eyes and placed his arms around the man's waist, making the blonde's breath hitch under his touch. His hands gained a mind of their own as they explored Steve's body like they had done so many times before. His boyfriend tried to concentrate on making the pancakes until Bucky began planting kisses on Steve's neck which were followed by soft biting and suckling. Without warning, the brunette's hands grasped his waist tightly.
"Buck, go and get rea-"
"Shhhh."
Steve did as commanded while Buck nibbled on the man's ear lovingly and pressed his body tightly against the blonde's, causing Steve to bend over the kitchen counter slightly. They both moaned at that movement and Bucky thrust his hips against the other man's gently.
"You could leave the pancakes and we could skip breakfast." Buck taunted.
"Save it for later, go and get ready!"
Buck grunted and rolled his eyes, leaving one last kiss on his partner before making his way upstairs.
**********
The day had been successful and gratifying. Steve's parents were jubilant when they met Buck. They had known from Steve's teenage years that their son was gay and right from the very start they embraced their son's sexuality. Bucky felt welcome at their home and throughout the whole of his and Steve's visit, he felt like he finally had some sort of family again. The four of them enjoyed a savory home-cooked meal and once Steve told them that today marked his and Buck's one month, they told him that they didn't want to interrupt their commemorations but that they would've loved to have met Buck sooner.
Even as he sat in front of the man he cherished the most, at a luxurious restaurant, that's what Buck's mind kept replaying. The sweet memory of just a few hours before and how safe and wanted Steve and his parents had made him feel.
"Bucky, you ready to leave?" Steve asked, interrupting the man's train of thought.
"Oh, yeah! We can go now. You're going to let me pitch in on the bill though." He got his wallet out, knowing how stubborn his boyfriend could be.
"I said I was going to take you somewhere nice, meaning I'm treating you to this. Put your wallet away."
"You never let me pay anything, I think it's only fair that I-"
"Look," Steve lowered his voice and a devilish grin grew on the blonde's lips "I'll let you pay me later, deal?"
Bucky sighed, a sensual look playing in his expression.
"Deal."
Steve asked for the bill and payed for it as soon as it came, making sure to leave a tip. The two men got up and began to leave the restaurant as Buck reached out for his partner's waist, pulling him closer. Once they got outside, a man crashed into Buck. The brunette grabbed the man to stop him from falling.
"I'm so sorry! I'm in a rush and I didn't even see you there!" The stranger said as he recollected himself and patted Bucky on the arm. "Thank you!"
Before Buck could say a word, the man carried returned to running. The couple laughed as they got in Steve's car and made their way home.
_____
After arriving, they poured themselves some wine and went into their bedroom where they made themselves comfortable. Steve sat upright on the bed with Buck's head on his lap. The man played with Bucky's soft, brown tufts.
"I know I probably don't say this enough but I'm very happy you came into my life Buck. I've been so happy ever since I met you and you've become such a major part of my life." Steve's expression was indulgent and compassionate.
Bucky smiled as he laced their fingers together, kissing the blonde's hand before opening his mouth to speak.
"What about me Steve? Where would I be if you hadn't come into my life. I'd still be living in that small apartment, scared to go out in case I hurt someone. That's no way to live. You've shown me what it's like to truly be alive. You've made me experience every single positive emotion possible. I now know what it's like to love. To appreciate. Heck, even to live happily. It's all thanks to you Steve and I truly wouldn't have it any other way."
Steve's pupils widened as he looked down at Buck. He kissed the man gently and briefly.
"James.. I love you."
Bucky was taken back by Steve using his first name but beamed when he realised that Steve wanted it to really mean something to him.
"I love-"
Their bedroom door was kicked open by a man with a gun. Steve and Bucky looked up and shot up from the positions they were in, placing themselves so they were both facing the man. Another one of these strangers came into sight holding a gun also.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Star crossed lovers?" The man's voice had an accent to it, definitely not American.
Bucky's body froze as his heart sunk and his eyes widened.
"Ah, I see you've recognised the sound of my voice. It's good to see you again, winter soldier." The man continued.
"Buck...?" Steve asked, his bottom lip trembling and his voice cracking.
"Don't say a word Steve, and stay out of it."
"Good, do as your little boyfriend says, blondie. Soldier, one wrong move and your boy toy dies, do you understand?"
Bucky was still unable to speak so he nodded instead. His first instinct became to protect Steve as he knew Hydra would go to every length to get what they wanted. After some thought, Buck spoke up.
"How did you find me?" his blood boiled, anger filling his veins.
"Ah, well, you should never trust a strange man who taps you for no good reason." His Russian accent penetrated Buck's ears and made his breath become hitched.
The man got out a small red book from one of his coat pockets, opening it and turning a couple of pages. Buck began mumbling 'no' repeatedly, getting progressively louder. His pleading was ignored.
"Are you ready soldier?"
Buck shifted but the two men reminded him of what could happen if he misbehaved. Terror spread over Steve's face as he saw the one he loved crack at the seems. The stranger started reading Buck's activation words in Russian, one by one. As he carried on, Steve's eyes filled with hot tears as Bucky yelled, pain taking over his body, at the top of his lungs. The man carried on. Steve called out to Bucky, agony in his voice, but it was no use; Buck couldn't do anything as he was too scared they'd kill Steve. The brunette took it in and let the man carry on. As the last trigger words were said, Buck's face turned emotionless. The Bucky which Steve had once known disappeared and the brunette and Hydra worker exchanged some words which Steve didn't understand.
Buck had been activated. He had completed the activation by replying that he was ready to comply. The stranger smirked, a proud look spreading across his face. He returned to English after that.
"Soldier, kill this man. We can't have any witnesses." He ordered.
Steve's eyes widened, salty tears still streaming down his face.
"Buck, no."
It was no longer Buck. It was the winter soldier. He took a gun from one of the men and made his way to the blonde, pushing him down on the bed by his neck. Steve struggled and clawed at Bucky's arm as he noticed the man's other arm raising a gun to his temple. Steve began to choke.
"It's me Bucky... it's me." He managed to whisper before giving up on fighting the man's grasp.
At that moment, the soldier snapped. His thoughts had came rushing back to him and his mind reminded him of the exact moment when he had nearly strangled Steve after being woken up by the blonde. He remembered how Steve had said those exact words.
It's me Bucky. It's me.
The words echoed in his head as the other man's body began losing strength underneath Buck's tight grip. Bucky aimed the gun at the two men watching and shot them one after the other, horror spreading across his face as he realised what had just happened. Tears began strolling down his face as he turned his attention to Steve again who had started gasping for air.
"Bucky" His breath was still short. "Bucky.. you did it.. you snapped out of it."
As the man began pushing himself up to hug his boyfriend, Buck looked down at his hands in dread and fear.
"I'm sorry Steve.. You have to stay away from me.. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you." Both Bucky's voice and feelings were unstable as the man began to move away from Steve.
"Wait what? What do you mean? It's okay now you can-"
"It's not okay Steve!" Buck hissed. "Stay away from me and don't contact me again, do you understand?"
With that, Buck began running out of the room without looking back. Unable to move, Steve sat on his bed in shock at the words which managed to shatter his whole entire being. A few moments later, he heard the front door slam loudly.
Bucky was gone.
// That's it guys! I hope you enjoyed this story! Because of the way I finished it, I might do a part 2 to it depending on the feedback I get. Make sure to leave a comment if you'd like me to do a sequel to this. Thanks for reading
-Dani //