When Steve came home dipping from the rainstorm outside Bucky resolutely ushered him into the bathroom.

"I can't get sick", Steve protested but Bucky muffled his objections with a towel.

"I've seen you sick more times than I care to remember to test your theory", Bucky replied.

"You're the biggest mother hen on this planet", Steve smiled, obviously having decided to indulge Bucky and climbed into the tub.

"If I hadn't been there your scrawny ass wouldn't have made it past fifteen."

"You could come in", Steve suggested, catching Bucky by his metal wrist.

"Nice try but I'm making breakfast. And no falling asleep. I'm going to check up on you in 20."

"Mother hen", Steve said affectionately.

"Pneumonia", Bucky replied in the same tone. "Four times."

"Not gonna happen."

"So you say and in the end you will be a heap of misery on the couch and I will tell you I told you so and let Stark deal with you while I take a nice vacation with Nat."

"You wouldn't be so cruel."

"Don't test me, Steve. I'm a ruthless killer wanted in a dozen countries."

15 minutes later Steve left the warm water of his own, padding into the kitchen with nothing but the towel around his waist.

"Get dressed", Bucky said without looking up from the stove. Steve walked up behind him and wrapped his arms around Bucky's waist.

"You're wet", Bucky complained.

Steve hummed in agreement and nuzzled Bucky's neck.

"Stop molesting me. I'm cooking."

"I'm not molesting you. I'm showing my appreciation of you."

"I will burn the pancakes if you don't keep your appreciation to yourself", Bucky said as Steve's hands slipped lower, thumbs hooked in the waistband of Bucky's jeans.

"Maybe I like burned."

Bucky snorted and before Steve could reply anything his stomach rumbled loudly.

"Get dressed and there'll be breakfast", Bucky promised him. He could feel Steve's head tilt where it rested on his shoulder to eye the stack of pancakes that were already done and sat waiting on a plate next to the stove.

"No", Bucky said.

Steve stepped a little away from him, enough that he could give Bucky his best puppy dog eye look. "Have I mentioned lately how much I love you?"

"You're just hungry." Bucky grinned at Steve's enthusiastic nod. "I bet you'd even eat Sister Agnes' blood pudding if I cooked it right now."

"You wouldn't do that. It'd be cruel to starve your one true love after everything we've been through."

"My one true love, huh? You're thinking pretty highly of yourself, don't you Steve?" He flipped the pancake over.

Steve caught his eyes again and asked, voice dropping. "Do I?"

And fuck Bucky wanted to know how Steve did that because that because that voice made him want to get his hands on Steve right in this moment, to lay him out on the kitchen table naked and flushed, breakfast be damned.

"Clothes, Steve or I will make you blood pudding."

"You're a cruel man." But Steve didn't seem to mind too much because he was kissing him anyways before leaving for their bedroom. He did drop his towel on the way there but Bucky had enough fortitude to withstand the temptation.

They settled on the couch with their breakfast and the two cups of coffee Steve had made once he came back dressed.

"Did I get it right? I wasn't sure if I remembered everything", Bucky admitted, looking a little apprehensive after Steve had taken the first bite.

"It's perfect", Steve assured him. "Although I wasn't sure how you got the recipe in the first place. Sister Agnes guarded her kitchen book more fiercely than the Bible.

"She gave it to me when we left the orphanage. Told me to take care of you."

"That was the only time you ever listened to her, didn't you?"

"Did a pretty good job, didn't I?"

"Never said anything else", Steve said and kissed him.