A/N: heyyyyyy guys sorry for the wait and for my general lack of presence here on FF as of late (especially with TDDUP), I have no excuses other than the usual ones of real life getting in the way and kids taking up most of my time (as they should, lol) and my muse deserting me in everything besides Stucky, so... here we are lol. But I love you all dearly and I hope you'll like this chapter :) you can follow me on Tumblr if ya wanna at murder-daddy-bucky (or just yell at me for taking a zillion years to write anything, I'll understand lol), I love & miss you guys :') and for this particular story, only one left and it's finished! Hope you guys likey and again... I'm sorry ahhhhhhhh lol *hugs*

"How is it that you've got friends everywhere," Sam asked Natasha in between stuffing his face with the vaguely mysterious but delicious concoction on his plate, "all over the damn globe, and almost all of them just happen to be connected to food?"

"Are you complaining?" Natasha retorted playfully, raising an eyebrow at him from across their small table in the restaurant's corner. "I think expanding your culinary horizons is an unexpected benefit of our little secret missions."

"It is but I'm just saying," Sam gestured to their surroundings. "We're in the middle of nowhere, Turkey, and I have no idea what I'm eating but it might be the best thing I've ever had. Isn't this the best thing you've ever had, Steve?"

Steve looked up from his plate and considered that for a moment, chewing his latest bite and swallowing before ultimately replying, "It's pretty damn good, but no. Not quite the best."

"And what's the best?" Natasha asked. "Some burger you could only get a certain soda fountain in Brooklyn back in the good ol' days?"

Steve gave her an amused look and shook his head. "Close, but no. Actually... to be honest, the food in Wakanda's the best."

Sam groaned and tossed his hands in the air as he leaned back in his seat. "Aw hell, you're gonna rub it in like that? How long you gonna hold out on us?"

"Relax," Natasha chuckled. "You know it's safer this way."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it. When do I get my Wakandan vacation? Can I complain to HR? Oh wait that's right - we're international fugitives and I've got nobody to report my cruel and unusual treatment to."

"I'll get right on that," Steve replied, wry grin on his face. "At least Nat keeps us well fed, right?"

Sam made a pfft noise and stood up, replying, "And I keep us well hydrated. More drinks?"

"Please," Nat smiled as Sam walked off to grab another round. She then turned her gaze to Steve who had pulled out his phone and was now smiling at it softly, and she knew the look well by now. He only smiled like that for one person. "How's the boyfriend?"

Steve sighed and raised his eyes to hers. "Do you have to call him that?"

"What else would you like me to call him? Your loverboy? Friend with benefits? Pretty sure boyfriend covers it best."

Steve glanced back at his phone and gave a small shrug, smile growing a little. "To answer your question, he's doing great. Got a new arm."

"Oh, fancy new Vibranium arm?" Natasha replied lightly. "That should be fun."

"Yeah," Steve replied absently, reading over his and Bucky's texts without really paying attention. Then he blinked and realized what she was getting at, tossing her another slightly exasperated look before muttering, "You just can't help yourself, can you?"

She shook her head and he merely smiled and turned his attention back to his phone. He wasn't sure where he'd be without Natasha, all good natured teasing aside.

He and Bucky had been chatting off and on all day during their travels. They were chasing a lead through Turkey and would leave in the morning for Cyprus, but Steve always made time when he could to check his phone and see what Bucky was up to. Bucky had been particularly chatty today, both nervous and excited prior to heading to Shuri's lab to be fitted with the new prosthetic limb, and once it was on he'd sent Steve no less than three pictures and, rather adorably, a string of emojis expressing how pleased he was with it.

It's so much lighter, he'd said. I can feel more with it, too. And it doesn't have the fucking star which might be the best part

That's great, Steve had replied. Hurt at all?

Not at all. The kids are fascinated by it. I just lifted all three of them and swung them around at the same time with it

Jesus, be careful, came Steve's reply. But I'm real glad you like it

I do. When you think you'll come by again?

Not sure, Steve had replied honestly. Things were as unpredictable as ever these days. Who's asking?

Just a guy thinking about everything he can do with two hands

;)

The silly winking emoji is what had caused Steve's little smile that Natasha had caught, and now, back in the present moment, he was typing his reply. Can't imagine what all that might be. He then locked his phone and set it on his thigh, reaching for his water glass and noticing out of the corner of his eye the way Nat was still watching him cheekily as he raised the glass to his lips. "What?"

"You top, right?"

He choked on the mouthful of water he'd picked the absolute worst time to drink, and Sam returned with drinks in hand before he could sputter out any kind of reply or Nat could press any further.

Then, after assuring Sam he was fine and glaring at Nat a little bit for good measure, his phone buzzed and the lingering blush on his cheeks definitely wasn't going anywhere once he read Bucky's incoming text.

You don't have to imagine anything cause I'm gonna show you next time I see you

Steve read the words and willed himself to stay calm and ignore the sudden thrill in his veins and all the little images that burst forth in his head at lightning speed. Before he could do anything Bucky sent yet another message.

Miss you, Steve

Steve blew out a breath lightly, vaguely hearing Sam and Nat bickering amicably about something or another as his thumb tapped away at the keyboard. He didn't have to think about his reply, the words coming automatically.

Miss you too. Wish I was there.

And he truly did. He loved Sam and Nat and believed in what they were doing with everything in him, but at the risk of sounding unbearably sentimental... he'd left his heart in Wakanda. It was the only place he felt whole and like peace wasn't just some pleasant sounding but ultimately nonexistent concept.

Wish you were too, Bucky replied quickly, Steve reading the words quietly as he ate. Your hands always feel better than mine.

Steve tried his best to hide the little grin trying to break through the surface but he just couldn't help himself. The instant flash of memories through his mind left a flush on his cheeks, each of them vivid enough to feel. The way Bucky's lips parted as he moaned into Steve's mouth when Steve touched him, stroking him the way he liked it, hard and smooth and pulsing under his hand...

Wish I had my hands on you right now, Steve replied, feeling a rush of excitement in sending those words that he hadn't anticipated. It was also extremely bad timing for the entire idea but he couldn't change that now. All he could do was set his phone back down and join back in on the conversation while his mind continued to drift further and further away, wondering what Bucky was doing during this particular exchange and what he'd say next.

He was listening to Natasha recount their last mission and how she'd saved Sam from having his head vaporized by the strange Chitauri tech they were hunting down ("Face it, Wilson, you'd be lost without me." "You're right, it's all dumb luck that I survived so long without you." "I'm glad you agree.") when he felt his phone buzz again. Heart thudding with another rush of nerves, he swiped the screen and got a whole lot more than he bargained for.

Guess I'll have to settle for mine instead was Bucky's reply, just underneath a picture he'd sent. And it wasn't just any picture. It was one he'd taken of himself, sprawled out on his little bed with his pants pushed down seemingly hastily with his brand new vibranium hand wrapped around his hard and very much exposed length, grasping it and showing it off and -

Steve's brows knit together and he stopped breathing without realizing it. He didn't hear Nat saying his name until it was too late, when she was leaning over to glance down and see what the hell was so interesting on his phone that he was ignoring her question of whether he wanted dessert or not.

"... Oh," she said remarkably nonchalantly, one eyebrow arched as she tilted her head. "That's a hell of a... cocker spaniel."

Choking on absolutely nothing, Steve then grasped his phone so clumsily and erratically that he ended up knocking it on the floor near his feet with a loud and conspicuous clank. He cursed and dove under the table to grab it, the screen still open to the damn picture, and when he banged his head on the edge of the table on his way up, he cursed again and Sam stared at him like he'd suddenly sprouted three new heads.

"You okay, man?"

"I'm fine," Steve shook his head, face aflame and body flushed with both the good and bad kinds of heat. He was gonna kill Bucky for this.

"... You sure about that?" Sam asked skeptically while Nat continued to remain incredibly passive, though the glimmer in her eye gave away just how much hell she was gonna give Steve later over this.

"Yes," Steve muttered through gritted teeth. "Excuse me," he added quickly, deciding he needed a moment or two or ten to collect himself. Phone shoved down into his pocket, he stood up and made a beeline for the men's room.

Back at the table, Sam blinked and asked Nat, "Did you say something about a dog?"

The bathroom was empty and small, only one stall to speak of, and Steve threw himself inside of it and locked it before letting out a deep sigh and leaning his head back against the door. Before he could think twice about his next course of action, he reached down and grabbed his phone, jabbed at the screen twice and then placed it to his ear.

Bucky answered after one and a half rings. "Hey, pal," he drawled, amusement more than clear in his teasing, velvety tone.

"The hell do you think you're doing, Buck?" Steve rasped, trying to sound angry but instead sounding merely uselessly aroused. "I'm at a restaurant."

"Well, how was I supposed to know that?" Bucky chuckled, entirely unfazed. "Figured you were in bed too, the way you were talking to me."

Steve dragged his free hand over his face, rubbing at his eyes. "You can't just... can't just send me pictures like that outta nowhere. I need some warning."

"All right, fair enough," Bucky mused. "From now on I'll let you know first whenever I feel like showing you what I'm doin' to myself."

Steve paused, biting his lip unconsciously. "Yeah. Please do."

"... But you liked it, right?"

Steve's eyes rolled shut and he knocked his head back against the door again. His pants were entirely too tight and he just wanted to reach down and take himself in hand and... but he couldn't and damn Bucky for doing this to him. "What do you think?"

Bucky's chuckle was entirely too self-satisfied for Steve's liking. "Thought you would. God I miss you, Steve."

"I miss you too," Steve replied tenderly, unable to help himself. His eyes flew open when Bucky responded with a moan, low and faint but unmistakable. "Bucky, are you -"

"Just the sound of your voice, fuck," Bucky nearly gasped, undoubtedly working himself with each word he spoke, maybe even with the new vibranium hand like in the picture. "You're killing me, Steve."

"... I'm killing you?" Steve asked incredulously. "Buck -"

"God if you were here," Bucky murmured, interrupting whatever Steve had planned to sputter out. "If you were here I'd hold you down and ride you til we both fuckin' lost it."

The sound that left Steve's throat was some kind of strangled mix of a moan and a gasp, and his free hand slipped down to rub over the growing hardness in his pants seemingly of its own will. "You gotta stop, Buck, or I'm..."

"You're what? Gonna come all over yourself? Wouldn't be so bad, would it?"

"Fuck," Steve groaned, touching himself more firmly, more purposefully, all the reasons why he shouldn't do this seeming to fade under the desire. "You never fuckin' listen, do you?"

Bucky chuckled, knowing he had him now. "Shut up and let me hear you moan, Steve."

"You're gonna pay for this later," Steve muttered, unzipping his pants and taking himself fully in hand, damn all his better judgment. Bucky had no idea what he was in for once Steve made his way back to Wakanda, that much was certain.

"I sure fuckin' hope so."

As unexpected as the little bathroom incident was for Steve, even more so was the rough turn the mission took in Cyprus. Their target was well prepared in his little bunker, more so than they had anticipated, and while they still took him and his terror cell down in the end, it cost Sam the use of his right arm for the next six weeks or so.

It was stupid, stupid, and Steve had watched the whole thing as it happened. Sam had been covering Nat on the ground, dropping down from the sky to intervene when they were pinned down. Eventually he ran out of ammo in his guns and it came down to hand to hand, and his arm had snapped under the booted foot of a particularly large thug.

Sam, of course, brushed it off after the fact like it was nothing. He'd broken his arm on a playground when he was 9, he said - same one and everything. No big deal, it'd heal, and the injury wasn't anyone's fault but the man who'd inflicted it.

But the thing was, Steve already internalized a ridiculous amount of guilt and Sam's broken arm was the straw that broke the camel's back. When he had first met Sam he had been living a stable life with a stable, valuable job, the rest of his life ahead of him to do whatever the hell he wanted. Now he was an international fugitive who had to watch out for police and traffic cams, his life on hold while he risked it on their secret missions. This time it was a broken arm but maybe next time...

But of course, Sam wasn't having any of that. In fact, once Steve's brooding became unbearable, Sam all but threw Steve out of their safe house one afternoon and said, "Go get on the Quinjet and go take another vacation."

Steve had, naturally, protested immediately. "But Sam -"

"But nothing," Natasha interjected, tossing Steve's own bag at him which she had taken the liberty of packing for him. "Go before you drive us both up the wall."

Steve eyed them both with a distinct lack of amusement. "You can't just banish me to Wakanda."

"The hell I can't," Sam retorted. "You always come back all bright and shiny and shit and you could use some of that right now, so..." He gestured to the front door with his good arm. "Go on, man."

In the end, Steve couldn't argue with either one of them. He hugged them both and made them promise to contact him at the slightest hiccup, and then he was off and using the coordinates he'd long since memorized to visit Wakanda once again.

He felt lighter as soon as he entered the hidden nation's airspace. It was early afternoon when he touched down and made directly for Bucky's hut, knowing that their gracious royal hosts wouldn't mind if Steve skipped the formalities for now.

He saw Bucky as soon as he began his descent down the hill that led to the farm, working on the fencing and hammering away on a section that he was repairing. His new left arm glinted in the sunlight, dark metal overlaying the golden vibranium base, and to Steve's surprise... he was shirtless.

He was also alone, not surrounded by the neighbor children like Steve was used to. Steve didn't realize how much he was smiling already until Bucky paused in his hammering and glanced over his shoulder, long hair down and a mess around his face. Bucky's expression instantly shifted from focused and slightly grumpy to surprised and then delighted, a gorgeous crooked smile gracing his features as he dropped the hammer to the ground and straightened up as Steve approached.

"Would it kill you to give me some warning one of these days?" Bucky asked, grin widening as Steve closed in on him.

"In my defense, I didn't know I was coming today either," Steve chuckled, opening his arms and pulling Bucky into a warm hug. He was sweaty and sticky and smelled like the farm and Steve couldn't have possibly cared less. Everything about him felt like home.

"I guess I can let it slide," Bucky murmured as they pulled away just far enough to look at each other. "How long you here this time?"

"Don't know yet," Steve replied, looking over Bucky's new arm and reaching down to take his hand. He lifted it up to gaze at his fingers, the intricate design and details fascinating him. He rubbed his fingers over his knuckles and then pressed a kiss to them, feeling a little silly about it until he peeked up and saw the way that Bucky was looking at him.

Reaching his flesh hand behind Steve's head, Bucky pulled him close and kissed him slow and sweet. Their hands still entangled, Steve kissed him back and slid his free arm around Bucky's waist, every point of contact between them a soothing balm to his very soul.

The kiss was lazy and perfect, neither of them wanting to part when they did but needing the air. Steve leaned his forehead against Bucky's and muttered, "I've missed you, Buck."

Bucky grinned at him. "Missed you too, pal." Then they were kissing again, hands untangling to hold each other closer as they kissed more deeply this time.

Bucky was so warm and tasted so sweet and so comforting, everything about him making every inch of Steve come to life. The very moment their tongues brushed together and Bucky's hands grasped Steve's hips through his jeans, Steve was ready to drag Bucky inside and toss him down on the bed, pull his pants off and slip between those strong legs of his and -

Thwack.

Steve jolted away from Bucky with a loud smack of their lips, having just been pelted in the head with - what the hell was that? "What the -"

Bucky merely sighed and rolled his eyes, gesturing to the nearby large tree that his goats were basking in the shade of. "It's the kids. They're up in the tree."

Steve furrowed his brows at Bucky and then squinted up at the tree, where he did indeed spot the three laughing children as they began to toss more tree nuts their way. Steve sighed and waved at the kids, smiling when they began to shout their nickname for him - uzulani, or nomad - along with a string of other words Steve couldn't understand.

"What are they saying?"

Bucky grinned at Steve and shrugged, "Pretty sure I heard the word husband in there somewhere."

Steve chuckled and shook his head, glancing up at the kids again and catching one of the nuts mid-air. He tossed it back to them with a precision that made them ooh and ahh, and then Steve turned back to Bucky and said, "Can we go inside for a few minutes?"

"Why?" Bucky smirked despite knowing exactly why.

"Because," Steve replied quietly, reaching between them and looping his index finger into one of the belt loops of Bucky's weathered jeans. He looked Bucky in the eyes and added, "I wanna... talk to you a minute."

Glancing down at Steve's finger curled around his belt loop, Bucky chuckled, "Talk, huh? Is that all you wanna do?"

"What do you think?" Steve asked rhetorically before stealing another kiss, both of them smiling into it.

"Easy there, pal," Bucky grinned, gently pushing him away. "I've gotta finish this damn fence."

Steve tried not to pout, he really did, but he might have anyway. Just a little bit. "I'll help you finish it later."

Bucky shook his head, backing up and picking the hammer up off of the ground. "Work first, play later."

Steve narrowed his eyes at him playfully, running a hand through his now-mussed hair and watching as Bucky turned around and got back to work. He wasn't surprised - Bucky had always been the responsible one, after all.

He took a deep breath full of the warm, clean air and then stepped up next to Bucky, grabbing a piece of wood and getting to work with him. They shared a brief, knowing grin and then worked together to get the fence done, finishing it in half the time Bucky would have spent on it otherwise.

And the minute it was done, Steve dragged Bucky into the hut for the talk that he'd wanted to have with him so badly.

"Fuck, Steve," Bucky moaned breathlessly as he rocked himself up and down in Steve's lap, both of them naked and slick with sweat and clinging to each other tightly as they moved together. Steve's hands were on Bucky's hips but Bucky didn't need any support to fuck himself on Steve's cock as hard and fast as he wanted, metal hand curled in Steve's hair and the other clutching his shoulder, body rolling with the motions like some kind of dream that Steve couldn't take his eyes off of.

Steve watched him in awe, overcome with the sensations and the sights and the perfection of it all, the way that they fit and moved together and how easy and right it was. The slight furrow of Bucky's brow, the sweat-dampened long dark hair in his face, the way that his gorgeous mouth hung open and let out the sweetest sounds... how had Steve ever lived without this?

"Buck," Steve groaned, hands sliding up his back and then down again, smoothing over his ass before gripping it tight. Steve kissed over Bucky's chest and collarbone, lips kissing and dragging over the jagged scars on his left shoulder and not shying away from them, groaning into his skin as Bucky rode him relentlessly.

Bucky gripped his hair and wrenched his head back, leaning down for a gloriously sloppy kiss that both of them moaned into. "Close, Steve?" Bucky asked against his lips, body trembling and thrusts growing erratic.

"So close," Steve panted, reaching up to brush back Bucky's hair from both of their faces. "Faster, baby, please..."

He hadn't meant to let that word slip out, the term of endearment feeling silly the minute it hit his ears, but his knee-jerk embarrassment faded when he peeked up to find a sweet, surprised smile on Bucky's face. Bucky cupped his jaw and leaned in for another kiss, this one slower and sweeter even as his body started moving faster, driving them both to the edge of bliss. They tumbled over together, holding each other tight and gasping against each other's lips, their reunion as sweet and as exquisite as Steve had hoped that it would be.

Not that he had ever really had a doubt. Bucky stayed right where he was as they recovered, arms wrapped around Steve and head resting on his shoulder, bodies still very much joined together. Steve closed his eyes and enjoyed the closeness, fingertips tracing along Bucky's spine and mind more at peace than it had been since... well, since the last time he'd been here with him.

"Fuck," Bucky groaned when he finally straightened up, expression one of pure satisfaction as he looked Steve over. He leaned back and dragged his eyes over the mess he'd made on Steve's stomach and chest, lips quirking up in a smirk. "You know, Steve," he said lowly, eyes lifting back up to meet Steve's hooded ones, "You look good covered in my come."

Steve raised an eyebrow, pretending that those words and the low purr of Bucky's voice hadn't made him shiver. He licked his lips and pondered his answer, settling on the first one that came to mind. "You look good with my cock inside you."

Bucky chuckled and leaned in to kiss him, muttering, "I bet I do," before capturing his lips in a sweet, lazy kiss. "Sure feels good."

"Yeah?" Steve murmured, tucking his hair behind his ear. "What's it feel like?"

Bucky paused, searching for the right words. "It's... hard to even put into words," he began, biting his lip as his eyes drifted down. "It feels... full. More full than you can imagine. It's so different from anything else, but it's fuckin' amazing and... then when you hit that spot over and over..." He shook his head and grinned up at Steve. "You know what it does to me."

"Yeah," Steve mused, mulling those words over, expression contemplative.

"Why? You curious?" Bucky grinned.

Steve gave a non-committal shrug, trying to play it cool. "Maybe."

"Maybe?" Bucky repeated with amusement. "You been thinking about takin' my cock up that pretty little ass, Steve?"

Steve's blush was instant and uncontrollable, unpleasantly hot in his cheeks as he sighed and replied, "Pretty?"

"Everything about you's pretty," Bucky pointed out, stealing a quick little kiss from his lips. "Always has been."

Steve stared at him, a little surprised at those words as they hung between them. He opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by a sudden and quick series of little knocks on the door.

"Fuckin' hell," Bucky grumbled before quickly sliding off of Steve's lap, both of them immediately on a mission to clean up as quickly as possible. Bucky tossed Steve a towel and then yelled towards the door to wait a minute as they quickly toweled off and then tossed clothes on, Bucky grabbing Steve's shirt and throwing it on and leaving Steve with just his jeans to redress in. He'd just finished buckling his belt when Bucky opened the door just enough to stick his head out.

Steve hung back and listened as Bucky spoke in Xhosa to the kids, who were the unsurprising culprits for the interruption. They talked back and forth for a moment until Bucky sent them back on their way and shut the door, turning around and grinning, "Sorry about that."

"What'd they want?"

"There's a festival in the village today," Bucky replied. "Sounds like it might be fun. They wanted to know if we wanted to go."

Steve nodded. "Do you want to?"

"Only if you want to," Bucky replied with a slight shrug.

Steve nodded again, not really having to contemplate the matter. How long had it been since he'd done anything just for fun, let alone just for fun with Bucky by his side? "Well... I'll need a shirt."

Bucky kept Steve's shirt and lent him one of his own. Steve liked that, even though the shirt was just barely a bit too snug on him.

They went to the festival as planned, the afternoon and early evening cooling down with the help of a luxurious breeze that swept through their little corner of the nation. The village was an outlying one found on the other side of the hill, a smaller but lively one that came together to have a good time that night.

There was musicians playing catchy and hypnotic tunes, merchants selling handmade goods, mouthwatering foods of all different sorts being cooked to order, and most important of all, people talking and laughing and enjoying one another's company. It had been way too long since Steve had seen anything like it.

The kids quickly caught up with them and started leading them around, pointing them in the direction of the best food and making sure they tried everything they could. Steve could see in Bucky's eyes and genuine smiles how much he loved it here and how much he loved the people, the kids, everything about Wakanda. It made Steve's heart feel less heavy and burdened to see him so happy and so free, but it didn't lift the weight of the world from his own shoulders. He wished that it did.

As they strolled through the festival, Steve's mind eventually drifted a million miles away only to be pulled back to the present by Bucky unexpectedly taking his hand in his flesh one and interlacing their fingers, walking together like any regular couple would. Steve glanced at Bucky in surprise and Bucky only smiled, no words needed.

It really was a perfect day, Steve had to admit. And yet by the end of it, as they made their way back to Bucky's hut, Steve still felt that heaviness that he just couldn't shake. He knew that it showed on his face and that Bucky knew it.

"So... let me guess," Bucky said as he sat down in the grass on the hill overlooking the river he liked to swim in, the same one he and Steve had slept beneath the stars on some months prior. "Mission went bad?"

Steve sighed and sat down next to him, staring down at his hands as he dropped them to his lap. "That obvious?"

"I can tell when something's eating you," Bucky replied softly. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't wanna."

Steve gave a brief shake of his head. "Sam got hurt. Nothing critical, just a broken arm, but... it's not the injury itself. It's what could have happened. It's... it's the whole damn mess I've dragged him and everyone else I care about into."

Bucky nodded, fiddling with a blade of grass between his metal fingers. "They chose that, though. They could have chosen the other side."

"Still not right," Steve muttered. "Sam, he had a life before all of this. So did Nat, so did Wanda. Everyone."

"What about you?"

Steve huffed a humorless laugh. "Yeah, what about me."

Bucky lifted his eyes from the grass to his friend, his tone gentle as he murmured, "Steve..."

"That's part of what's getting to me," Steve said, brows furrowed and eyes still cast down on his fidgeting fingers. "I can't see past the next fight. I haven't been able to in a long time. And when I'm here with you, I feel better, I feel... I feel okay. But I know it won't last and that soon enough I'll go back and... I don't know what I'm doing."

"You're helping people," Bucky replied. "It's all you've ever done. You fight the battles they can't."

"That's what I've tried to do," Steve stressed. "But I don't know if I am anymore."

"Then stop," Bucky shrugged. "Stay here with me. You've given the world enough, Steve. You gave it enough a long time ago."

Steve finally met Bucky's gaze, a brokenness evident in his eyes that Bucky hated to see but knew all too well. "Would you believe me if I said staying scares me more than leaving?"

Bucky's expression grew pained, a tightness in his features that made Steve's heart ache. "I already know that. And I get why you feel that way. I do. When you're fighting and focusing on the next mission you don't have time to sit and wonder what the hell you're doing with your life and what's gonna be left of it when you're old."

The mere mention of such an idea left Steve's skin feeling prickly, his nerves on edge. He hated feeling that way more than anything but he didn't know how to stop. He looked away, taking a deep breath and trying to center himself before a panic attack could take root and ruin the entire rest of the night.

"Hey," Bucky murmured gently, getting up to his feet and reaching for Steve's hand. "C'mon, get up." When Steve looked up at him hesitant and unsure, Bucky added, "We're both broken kids in the wrong year and the wrong place. Nothing's ever gonna fix that. But it doesn't mean we gotta be miserable."

Steve took his hand and let Bucky pull him up to his feet, his brain needing a moment to decipher what it was about that sentence that struck him as so very different. Then he realized it - everyone had been calling him an old man for so long that he'd almost started to believe it. But in truth he and Bucky were so very, very young, barely in their 30s in terms of actual lived years. They were too young to carry so much, too young to have seen so much and endure the things that they had.

But yet here they were, still standing and still breathing and, even more odds-defying, still together. Steve stared at Bucky, wondering what he had up his sleeve as he glanced up at the beautiful, clear starry night sky above them.

"Y'know," Bucky said, eyes still on the stars, "I remember I used to be real romantic. Or I tried to be, anyway."

"Yeah, you were," Steve mused. "The girls loved you."

Bucky nodded, eyes falling to the ground beneath their feet as he chuckled, "I remember taking one up on a roof in Brooklyn on a night like this in the summer - '38, maybe - and dancing with her under the stars. She loved it."

"I bet she did," Steve replied with a half-smile, looking out over the hill towards the river. It was the picture of serenity, and just looking at it made Steve feel a little more at ease.

"Wanna dance with me, Steve?"

Steve whipped his head around in surprise, finding Bucky looking a bit unsure as he smiled at him and waited for his answer. Steve blinked and raised his eyebrows. "Me?"

"Yeah you," Bucky laughed softly, shifting on his feet a bit and suddenly Steve realized - he was nervous.

"I don't... I've still never danced," Steve replied, now nervous too. "And there's no music, either."

Bucky was quick to fish his phone out of his pocket, noting with a grin, "I can change that."

Steve watched in surprise as Bucky scrolled through what appeared to be a fairly lengthy music library before settling on one, checking that the volume was as high as it would go and then setting up the phone on the ground. Then as the opening notes to the song began to play, Steve recognizing the tune instantly, Bucky held out his right hand in an open invitation, expression still just a little nervous, and Steve couldn't help but smile.

"Don't complain when I step on your feet," Steve said, taking Bucky's hand and letting him pull himself closer. He felt a little awkward and irrationally nervous but the minute Bucky's metal arm was around his waist and his right hand fingers interlacing with his own, he immediately felt more at home.

"I think I can handle it," Bucky replied with a smile mirroring Steve's own, and then he started slowly moving them about, the vibrant green grass rustling beneath their feet.

I'll be seeing you

In all the old familiar places

That this heart of mine embraces

All day and through

The music washing over them, Steve let out a deep breath and let himself relax as Bucky led their dance. He simply felt too comfortable in Bucky's arms to be nervous, knowing that if he did step on his feet or make a fool out of himself, Bucky wouldn't care. And as they swayed about, Steve had to admit... it was kinda nice.

In that small cafe

The park across the way

The children's carousel

The chestnut trees, the wishing well

I'll be seeing you

In every lovely summer's day

In everything that's light and gay

I'll always think of you that way

"You ever dance to this with a girl, back in the day?" Steve asked. He felt Bucky's slight chuckle against his neck.

"Probably. Some of those memories are fuzzy," he admitted. "You probably remember better than I do."

Steve sighed, those words definitely ringing true. He laid his head down on Bucky's shoulder and watched as fireflies flickered by, replying, "You always made it look so easy."

"It's only really easy when it's with the right person," Bucky murmured, nuzzling the back of Steve's head. "See?"

Steve smiled to himself and closed his eyes. "Yeah. Guess you're right."

I'll find you in the morning sun

And when the night is new

I'll be looking at the moon

But I'll be seeing you

All those years, Steve never would have guessed that one day the right person would be Bucky. But every new step they took together, including sharing Steve's first-ever dance under the stars, never felt anything but natural and right. It was a balm to Steve's soul, a much-needed one in his current state.

Then Bucky brought a wide smile to Steve's face by gently putting distance between them only so that he could slowly twirl Steve out and then pull him back in. Steve laughed until they were chest to chest again, not thinking anything of pulling him in for a kiss the moment they were close enough. They both smiled into the kiss, the song that they'd danced to coming to a close and leaving them standing in the near-silence of the night.

Bucky ran his fingers through Steve's hair, eyes falling to Steve's lips and slowly flickering back up as he murmured, "I've got an idea."

"What's that?" Steve asked quietly, hands finding Bucky's hips over his jeans.

"Let's go home," Bucky said, leaning in for one more short, sweet kiss, "and I'll show you."

Steve quirked an eyebrow but Bucky merely smirked and picked up his phone, pushing it into his pocket before taking Steve's hand and leading him back to his hut.

Steve wasn't sure to what to expect, but the luxury of trusting Bucky fully in whatever it might be was something he'd never take for granted.

"Clothes off. Lay back on the bed."

Steve tilted his head and smirked as he reached down for the hem of his shirt. "Givin' me orders tonight, Buck?"

Bucky grinned as he stepped out of his boots, undressing as Steve did the same. "Not really. That's not what I wanna do."

Shirt on the floor, Steve quickly did away with the rest of his clothes and then laid back on the bed, pushing up until his head hit the pillow. "What do you wanna do?"

Bucky, his shirt gone and stepping out of his jeans, now as naked as Steve was, lifted his eyes and let them rake over the sight that Steve made. He was sprawled out on the small bed, one arm laying behind his head and his other hand resting low on his stomach, not quite touching his already semi-hardness. After letting his eyes feast for a moment, Bucky smirked and made his way to the bed.

He slowly climbed over Steve and crawled his way up until he was sitting on his hips. Then he leaned back and started tying up his hair into a messy knot as he replied, "What I wanna do is take care of you, Steve."

Steve slid both hands up and over Bucky's legs, smoothing over his thighs, watching Bucky's muscles roll and stretch with his movements as he replied, "Yeah? What d'you have in mind?"

Bucky grinned, hair back now save for a few messy face-framing pieces. "Why don't you turn over and find out?"

Never one to back down from a challenge, Steve responded with a little smirk before easily rolling over beneath him. He hugged the pillow under his head to get comfortable and glanced back as Bucky reached over to the tiny little stand next to his bed.

"You've been so tense since you got here," Bucky said quietly, voice the tone of velvet. "Even after we fucked earlier. Wanna get you relaxed and loose for me..."

Steve would have raised an eyebrow at Bucky's choice of words had he not been distracted by a warm drizzle of what he soon realized was massage oil across his broad shoulders. Two hands, one warm and soft and the other cool and hard, rubbed it gently into his skin as Bucky shifted into a more comfortable position over his hips. Then he started massaging Steve's tight muscles, gentle but firm, and Steve couldn't help but close his eyes and groan into his pillow.

"Feel good?" Bucky grinned, carefully working out each knot that he found. Steve merely groaned again and sunk further into the sheets, and Bucky was quite pleased with himself as he kept on.

Bucky was thorough in his efforts, leaving no part of his back untouched and paying attention to his arms too, even rubbing his thumbs into Steve's palms. It was oddly incredible, Steve thought, soaking each and every touch up until he was a boneless pile of relaxation just as Bucky had wanted. Even the cool, unyielding touch of the vibranium felt like heaven.

"When the hell did you get so good at that?" Steve asked, eyes closed and half asleep as Bucky leaned down and pressed a kiss between his shoulder blades. "Fuck."

"Still with me, or do you need a nap?" Bucky asked teasingly, kissing up to the back of Steve's neck as his hardness rubbed against Steve's ass. "'Cause I'm only getting started." Then he bit down sharply before soothing over the spot with his tongue, and Steve jolted with a moan.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm awake," he grinned, trying to look at Bucky over his shoulder. Bucky grinned back and leaned in just long to steal one single kiss that didn't last nearly long enough, and then he was slowly trailing his lips down Steve's spine and peeking up as Steve continued to watch.

Steve laid his head back down once Bucky's lips had reached his lower back, flesh and metal hands reaching up to cup his ass and gently knead it. Bucky pulled away just far enough to admire and watch his hands play and touch, licking his lips before murmuring, "Gotta admit... I've always loved this cute little ass."

Steve opened his mouth to retort but fell silent when Bucky's thumbs softly pulled his cheeks apart, leaving him feeling suddenly very exposed. He felt his face grow hot and pressed it further into the pillow, listening as Bucky added casually, "And I might have gotten off a few times thinking about getting my cock inside of it."

Groaning softly at those words, Steve was on the verge of asking for elaboration when Bucky rendered him speechless with a sharp little slap to his ass with his right hand. Steve gasped and reeled, whipping his head around and looking at Bucky in surprise and more heat than even Bucky had expected.

"You like that?" Bucky asked with a grin before delivering another slap, sending Steve's head back down to the pillow and another moan flying from his lips. Bucky bit his lip and murmured, "I'll take that as a yes. Wonder what else you might like..."

Steve was once again cut off from answering by Bucky gripping his hips and yanking him up to his knees, chest still flat on the bed and hands gripping the sheets as he was pulled away from the pillow. It was a vulnerable position and Steve felt even more exposed now but then there was Bucky's lips kissing up his back and his right hand on Steve's cock, stroking slow and lazy as Steve groaned into mattress. "God, Buck..."

Bucky's metal hand slid up Steve's spine to the back of his neck, closing around it in a gentle hold without pressure. It took Steve's breath away in the best way, made him feel as powerless as it did safe. He couldn't make sense of it but he didn't need to - this was Bucky, and that was all he needed. He was all he needed.

But that didn't mean Steve was suddenly a docile, submissive creature. On the contrary, he was running out of patience thanks to Bucky's leisurely pace and the soft kisses he was peppering all over his skin.

"You gonna fuck me or what, Buck?"

At that, Bucky went still. Then he chuckled and slowly pulled away, metal hand drifting back down Steve's spine as he replied, "That's the plan. Gotta take my time, though. You're gonna be so fuckin' tight..."

"So open me up," Steve demanded, tossing Bucky a heated look. He was nervous but he needed this, needed more, and he needed it now.

Bucky responded by spanking him hard twice in a row, grinning at the way Steve moaned and pushed himself towards the impact rather than away from it. "Jesus, Steve," Bucky intoned as he smoothed his palms over the quickly reddening flesh, admiring how pretty his ass looked like that, pushing and pulling his cheeks apart again. "You that eager to get fucked?"

"You gonna tease me all night?" Steve shot back. "Cause I can just do it myself if -"

Steve's words died on a gasp that flew from his mouth, his body freezing and brain blanking as he felt... what had he just felt? He whipped his head around again and promptly blushed harder than he ever had before in his entire life upon realizing that what he'd felt was Bucky's tongue.

Bucky simply smirked at him. "Lemme try this. Stop me if you don't like it." Then he lowered his head back down and Steve watched him take another taste, his own mouth falling open and a sound escaping his throat that he'd never heard from himself before.

"Fuck," Steve gasped as he let his head fall forward again, unable to keep it up any longer under the onslaught of foreign sensations. It was a lot considering he'd never really played there before, and at first all he could do was grip the sheets tight and shudder and gasp as Bucky experimented with different strokes, motions and pressures. But once he got through that initial shock and relaxed into it, letting himself feel what Bucky was doing and not fighting it, that strangeness became a very new and curious form of pleasure that he found himself chasing.

Cheek pressed to the mattress, eyes closed and lips parted, strands of stray blonde hair falling into his eyes, Steve made quite the sight as he moaned softly at the mercy of Bucky's mouth. He was pulsing, throbbing, needing more and not getting it, pushing back to get more and his ass getting a hard, deliciously painful squeeze from a metal hand in response.

Steve started babbling, not even realizing it until his own voice hit his ears. "Bucky, fucking - dammit, I'm -"

Bucky pulled away with a groan, spanking him again and growling, "You're so fuckin' impatient, Steve. Here I am trying to take my time and you're just fuckin' ready to go, aren't you? So bossy even when I've got you all spread out like this."

Steve looked over his shoulder again as Bucky rose up on his knees behind him. "Well maybe if you'd put your money where your mouth is -"

Bucky cut him off with an incredulous smirk. "Steve, we both know where my mouth just was and you sure fuckin' seemed to like it."

Then Bucky yet again took Steve by surprise by sliding two slick fingers over his only slightly loosened entrance, taking his breath away and making him curse into the mattress. Steve hadn't even seen or noticed him grabbing the lube, clearly too far gone already to notice such details, and the way that Bucky chuckled at him made him want to both deck him and beg for more.

"You just wait, Steve," Bucky murmured, draping himself over Steve's body as his fingers played around to relax him, get him used to the touch. He kissed the back of his shoulder and added, "It's gonna hurt a little at first but then fuck you're gonna feel so damn good it'll make you cry."

"You gonna do it or you gonna keep talkin'?" Steve asked breathlessly, knowing he was asking for it at this point but... ah, to hell with it.

Bucky, without missing a beat, slid one finger inside of him and hummed nonchalantly, "I don't know, Steve, you tell me."

Steve reeled from the sudden penetration, gasping and shaking and struggling under the unexpectedly deep touch. Bucky's tongue had paved the way, however, and he knew that this initial burn was unavoidable. But he'd had far worse in the past and damn he wanted to know what it was like to have more, to experience for himself what made Bucky so blissed out and out of his mind with pleasure.

"I know, I know," Bucky told him soothingly, kissing across his upper back and nuzzling the back of his neck. "Just try to relax. This part doesn't last long, I promise. Breathe for me, Steve."

And Steve did, just as he had ages ago when his asthma would wreak its havoc and Bucky would calm him down one breath at a time. He breathed in and out and slowly adjusted to the feeling, Bucky's finger working as slow and easy as he needed. Once he was relaxed and not fighting it anymore, resistance almost completely gone, Bucky started whispering words of praise into his skin and going deeper, and Steve let out a soft moan of pleasure for the first time.

"There you go," Bucky grinned, biting at him and soothing the nip with his tongue. "Feels good, doesn't it?"

Steve started rocking back to meet each thrust of Bucky's hand, pushing up on his hands to get better leverage. Once he was fully comfortable and the ache was gone, he groaned and demanded, "More, Buck, give me more."

Bucky answered not with words but with a second finger, starting the adjustment process all over again. But this time Steve was better prepared for it and relaxed into it earlier, accommodating the added girth and enjoying it much more now, especially with the way that Bucky kissed and praised him through it.

"You're so fuckin' tight, Steve, damn," Bucky marveled. "Gonna strangle my cock, aren't you?"

Head hanging low and body trembling around the sensations sparking through it, Steve moaned and replied breathlessly, "More, fuck, I need more -"

"I'm gonna give you so much more," Bucky groaned as he curled his fingers once, twice, and then Steve shouted and stumbled off of his hands and knees as he quaked in pleasure. Bucky smiled like he'd just hit the damn jackpot because he had. "There it is."

Then he did it again, and again, and again, showing Steve no mercy and leaving him gripping the sheets and writhing in pleasure that he'd never known before. It was like nothing else he'd ever felt and it was amazing, beyond his ability to even comprehend in those frantic, unbelievable moments. Bucky slipped in a third finger as Steve was all but sobbing into the mattress and fucking himself back on his fingers, the slight pain of it only heightening the pleasure and making him feel like he was splitting apart at the seams.

No wonder Bucky loved this so much.

Bucky's metal hand slid around to grip the top of Steve's hair as he quickened his rhythm, Steve rolling back to match it and rubbing his cock against the mattress in the process. He was moaning louder and less coherently than he ever had before, out of his mind as Bucky made sure to hit that spot every single time, and he could feel his orgasm building higher and higher with each thrust.

"Go on Steve," Bucky murmured as he sucked a deep mark into his neck, sounding breathless and dazed himself. "Come for me. I can feel how bad you need it."

Two more thrusts of Bucky's hand and Steve was seeing stars, making a mess on himself and the bed as he came so hard he almost blacked out for a moment. Whatever he had been expecting or hoping for... this had dramatically surpassed it. And he'd only had Bucky's fingers so far.

Bucky took care of him in the aftermath, gently removing his fingers and carefully rolling him to his back. Steve was little more than a large lump of useless and boneless limbs, eyes shut until he felt a warm and familiar tongue licking up the mess on his stomach. He looked down and watched as Bucky cleaned him up, Steve still half-hard and more than a little sore but he didn't care and he certainly wasn't done yet.

Then Bucky grinned as he made his way to Steve's lips, kissing him shamelessly deeply and it felt filthy but Steve loved it. He cupped Bucky's face with both hands and they got lost in it, Bucky grinding himself against Steve's hip and groaning at the friction, his own needs having been ignored for so long.

"So," Bucky grinned after the kiss broke, Steve gently pulling his hair free from its bun so that it hung loose around his shoulders. "What do you think?"

"I think..." Steve grinned and then flipped them over, Bucky's back hitting the mattress and Steve straddling his hips, "that I'm gonna like this."

"Think I am too," Bucky smiled back, blindly reaching for the lube in the sheets as Steve leaned down to kiss him some more. It took a bit but he finally found it, handing it over to Steve after they pulled away from their kiss panting.

Steve maintained eye contact with Bucky as he popped it open, reaching behind himself to slather Bucky in it. Bucky didn't lay idle, wrapping his right hand around Steve's cock to stroke him lazily while Steve did the same to him, and they managed to distract one another long enough that Steve eventually had to growl and push Bucky's hand away and ask, "We gonna do this or what?"

"Waitin' on you, beautiful," Bucky shot back, and the word choice threw Steve for a loop. He wasn't sure whether to laugh or to blush, and in the end he opted to smile crookedly and glance down before returning to the task at hand, lifting up and lining them up. He knew that this was gonna be a lot more to take than a few fingers but he was ready and he wanted more, wanted to give Bucky everything he could possibly want in a lover.

With that in mind, Steve began to slowly sink down and take Bucky in, and as prepared as he thought he was... he truly wasn't. His mouth dropped open and it was hard to breathe again, eyes shut and brows furrowed and body straining as it stretched to accommodate the considerable intrusion. Bucky made it look so easy, he thought as sweat formed on his brow.

"Easy, Steve," Bucky murmured, hands running up and down Steve's back and sides to soothe him, gaze almost reverent as he watched. "Just keep breathing. You feel fuckin' amazing."

"You feel... big," Steve admitted with a breathless chuckle, sliding down another inch. "Fuck..."

Bucky bit his lip and forced himself to remain completely still, no small feat as Steve's warmth engulfed him more and more deeply with each passing second. "There you go, just a little bit more..."

Steve let out the breath he'd been holding for far too long when he was finally fully seated, filled to the brim and breathing hard as he let both hands fall to Bucky's chest and his head hang as he breathed deep and heavy. When he'd nearly caught his breath, Bucky gently pulled him down for a kiss that they both melted into as Steve stayed motionless otherwise, relaxing and adjusting to having another man inside of him.

It was an intimate moment that was made all the sweeter by how tightly Steve clung to Bucky and how attentive Bucky was, kissing and caressing him all over in an impeccable display of patience. Eventually they were forehead to forehead, breathing into the negligible space between them when Steve gave the first tiny, careful roll of his hips. Bucky's breath hitched and Steve did it again, a little deeper this time as the feeling grew less foreign, and slowly but surely he worked himself up and down until he'd created a real, if still careful and slow, rhythm.

And God it was truly something else. Being filled like that and watching Bucky be overcome by pleasure as he laid beneath him, hair spread out on the pillows and kiss-swollen lips the prettiest shade of red Steve had ever seen... why hadn't they done this before?

As Steve's last twinges of discomfort faded, he pulled away and sat up straighter, rocking back and forth and trying out a few angles until he found one that hit him just right and made his head fall back as a long, deep moan left his mouth. That same mind-bending burst of pleasure he'd felt with Bucky's fingers came back with each thrust and it spurred him on, moving faster and truly riding Bucky now.

And Steve wasn't the only one in bliss. Bucky's hands were all over Steve as they moved together, on his legs and his thighs and his waist and chest, eyes glued to his sweat-slick form and rolling muscles, the furrow of his brow and the way that his blonde hair fell into his face. He truly was gorgeous, Bucky thought as he watched Steve's hand slip down to grip himself, only to get snatched and yanked away by a cool metal fist.

Steve's eyes flew open and he fell still, and before he knew it Bucky had them flipped over. Suddenly Steve was on his back and underneath Bucky's grinning face, their eyes locked as Bucky purred, "I don't think so, Steve. My cock's makin' you come, nothing else." He punctuated his words with a sharp, deep thrust that sent Steve's head flying back, crying out in sheer pleasure as Bucky took the reins and started having his way with him. "God you really are fuckin' beautiful, Steve," Bucky marveled as he watched Steve fully give himself over, letting Bucky fuck him just the way that he craved.

One hand clinging to Bucky's back and the other clutching his long, messy hair, Steve moaned loudly and mindlessly as Bucky drove into him relentlessly. There were no words spoken between them, just breathless noises and groans, the sound of skin on skin and sloppy kisses filling the warm air around them, and later Steve would wonder if he'd ever felt as free as he did in those incredible moments.

When it all began to come to a head, Bucky pressed his forehead to Steve's, his hair falling in curtains around them as they kissed frantically and teetered on the edge together. Then Bucky gasped, "God Steve, I'm gonna -"

"Do it," Steve groaned, reaching up with one hand and brushing his hair back, holding it there so he could look into his eyes. "Come inside me, Buck, I want it."

Bucky growled at those words and hung on just long enough for Steve to let go first, coming untouched for the second time that night and spilling between them with a silent cry, all gasps and back arched and face a beautiful picture of ecstasy. Bucky followed right behind him, the sight of Steve like that pushing him over until he was spent, the two of them clinging to one another through every last aftershock and moving together until it was over and they were deep in the afterglow.

Steve enjoyed having the weight of Bucky on top of him, his body warm and loose and stretched out above him, and Steve was tempted to simply fall asleep like that, using Bucky as a blanket. But Bucky moved before Steve could nod off, lifting up his head from Steve's neck and carefully sliding out of him with a sigh before flopping over, taking Steve with him so that they laid side by side and face to face, limbs entangled and holding one another.

Steve leaned in and kissed Bucky softly, smiling as he pulled away and muttered, "Wow."

Bucky grinned and let out a breathless laugh. "All of that and you say wow."

Steve laughed back, shaking his head. "Honestly... I don't think there's any words that can really do justice to what I'm thinking."

"Try your best," Bucky grinned back. "Can't be worse than wow."

Smile stuck to his face, Steve took a moment and enjoyed the view as he mulled it over. He ran his fingers through Bucky's hair, tucking the strands behind his ear and rubbing his thumb along Bucky's jawline, wondering what could possibly express what he was feeling.

He felt like his burden had been lifted from his shoulders. It would be back in time, he knew, but for the night at least he felt free. He and Bucky had shared a day he'd never forget, from the festival to their dance and then... some of the most mind blowing pleasure Steve had ever known.

They'd just had their first real date, he realized, and he hadn't even known it until that moment. Bucky had taken him out on the town, given him his first dance under the stars, then brought him back home to make love to him. He couldn't imagine anyone possibly knowing him any better, anyone else alive having the ability to pinpoint what it was he needed and provide it so seemingly effortlessly. It was second nature - they were second nature - and he realized there were was only a handful of words that could possibly be worthy of this tender, quiet moment between them.

He smiled softly and looked Bucky in the eyes, his voice a deep but quiet near-whisper as he told him, "I love you." Bucky blinked in surprise, but it only lasted for a beat and then he was smiling wide. Steve added quickly but lightly, "Not that you don't already know that, and haven't always known that. S'like saying the sky's blue at this point, but... yeah."

Bucky licked his lips and lazily ran his metal fingers along Steve's spine, his expression the very picture of peace and contentment. "Well... that's a hell of a lot better than wow."

Steve rolled his eyes and scoffed. "You know what, Buck..."

"Shut up," Bucky grinned, moving closer and leaning in for another kiss. Just before their lips touched he breathed, "Love you too, punk." Then they kissed, and nothing could have possibly made the moment any sweeter.

Eventually they would drag themselves out of bed to clean themselves up and get ready for bed, Bucky teasing Steve about how sore he was and how much more he'd feel it in the morning, the two men carrying on as they ever had until sleep called their names. That night Steve slept in Bucky's arms, using him like a body pillow with his head on Bucky's chest, curled around him and sleeping soundly, saving his worries and his troubles for another day.

He could deal with all of that, he decided, so long as he always got to come home to Bucky in the end.