Chapter Text
After Bucky had left for work in the morning, Steve decided- stupidly I may add- that the cold October sky framed the city perfectly. Just enough hues of blue that he was just itching to put on paper. And in Steve's mind, going on to the roof in his flannel pajamas and robe was a good idea. And as you can guess, it was not.
For two hours he sat on the concrete, scetching and colouring the blue sky. Then, he sneezed. With a rush, the trance he was in was replaced by ice cold fingers and watery eyes. But all he could think in the midst of rushing back inside was: "Bucky's going to be pissed."
And he was.
**
The door slammed, Steve placed his hot tea on the counter. "Steve?" Bucky hollered. Steve heard the man removing his jacket and he nodded, bracing himself: "In the kitchen."
Bucky walked in with a grin on his face, with his black tie pulled loose around his neck, and the top two buttons of his white shirt were undone. He looked at Steve for a moment, like assessing the situation and then he frowned. "What?" Steve asked and sipped on his tea. Bucky looked at him for a moment longer then said: "Are you okay?" Steve nodded and held in a cough: "Yes. Now why did you look like you just met your future wife?" Bucky nodded, suspicious, but then grinned again: "I got a raise."
Steve was now grinning also: "That's great!" Buckys eyes crinckled as he smiled: "Yeah! It's not official yet, but my boss said to come meet him tomorr-" Steve coughed. "-ow. Steve?" Steve shook his head and sipped his tea again: " 'M fine, Buck. Go on." But as always, Bucky saw through Steve's bullshit. He stepped next to Steve and pressed his palm against Steves forehead- which was absolutely blazing hot. Bucky groaned.
He walked in to the bathroom and rummaged through the cabinets, while Steve sipped his tea and made his way to Bucky, his bare feet patting on the wooden floor. Steve sat on the edge of the bathtub and waited as Bucky huffed at the box of pain killers he had found. Steve extended his hand and received a pill on his palm. He gulped it down, accompanied by tea. Bucky was frowning at him again, Steve didn't like when Bucky frowned. "Stop that," Steve demanded.
Bucky sighed. "Stop looking at me like that. This ain't my fault," Steve said. Bucky laughed: "Oh? So you didn't go out in the cold? You were just sitting inside and all of a sudden you were burning up? Really?" The smaller man rolled his eyes. The action made his brain hurt. Steve winced at the pain and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Bucky sighed: "Come here."
Steve did. Bucky wrapped his arms around the man and said: "You should be sleeping." "I tried. Couldn't." "Okay," Bucky rubbed his hand up and down Steve's back, making his eyes close and his mouth let out content sighs.
Bucky pulled away after a minute of silence: "Go lay in bed and I'll be right there." Steve yawned. Bucky smiled. Then he exited the bathroom and headed back in to the kitchen. Steve dragged himself to bed. He was wearing a giant sweater, pajama pants and covered with two blankets, but yet, he was freezing to the core.
All the while Steve was in bed, Bucky was in the role of the mother hen, struggling to fry eggs and bacon for his best friend. It was nine o'clock at night, and he was making breakfast. He's a special soul.
He sipped some of the water from Steve's glass and then made his way to their bedroom. He placed the plate of food on Steve's lap and the glass on the night stand. "Eat." Bucky demanded as he walked to his closet. "I don't wanna. I feel kinda sick." Steve said as Bucky stripped out of his shirt. Steve stared.
Bucky turned to him with a grey t shirt in his hand and pointed at him: "I swear to god if you don't eat, you are going to have to sleep on the floor." Steve laughed. He knew Bucky's threats were as believable as santa claus, but he took a bite of his bacon anyway. Bucky pulled on the shirt.
Bucky stripped away his pants. He came to bed in boxers. Steve was still eating when Bucky stole a strip of bacon from the plate. Steve didn't mind. They sat in silence, Steve eating, Bucky watching Steve eat. He watched as Steve's plump lips surrounded the fork and pulled away. Every once and a while he grabbed a piece of bacon from the pile on Steve's plate. Bucky ate most of the meat.
"What did you do today?" Bucky asked. Steve swallowed his food and shrugged: "Not much. I went on-" He stopped. "Steve?" Bucky asked. Steve bursted in to a fit of coughs and placed the plate on to his night stand. "I went on the roof to draw." Steve repeated himself after his eyes had stopped watering. Bucky hugged his pillow under his chest and placed his head on it, facing Steve. "What did you draw?" he asked. Steve drank some water and shivered: "The sky."
Bucky yawned. Steve did too.
Steve pulled the blankets tighter around his body, in a desperate attempt to find warmth. Bucky yawned again. Steve shivered. "Good night, punk." Bucky said, his eyes shut. "Good night, Buck." Steve turned his back to Bucky. Steve shivered.
Bucky, with his eyes still closed, reached his arm out to Steves waist and forcefully pulled him against his chest. Steve was startled, but Bucky just kept his eyes closed. "You're cold," Bucky explained briefly, setting his head behind Steve's, his breath fanning the back of the blonde's neck. They both ignored the fast beating of their hearts and fell asleep.
**
Bucky was never a still sleeper. He was always moving and talking, making it usually very clear what he was dreaming of. And that was not the best quality of Bucky's in his own opinion. He had bruised Steve multiple times by kicking and pushing his sleepy body around. Bucky usually couldn't keep secrets from Steve, since he would blurt them out in his sleep. And the worst part of his sleeping habits would come up during wet dreams.
He was very vocal during sex, the ladies he slept with appreciated the oddity seeing as most other times they themselves were stuck listening to heavy pants and the rare groan here and there. It was refreshing.
**
Steve woke up to a moan, right next to his ear. Bucky was moving behind him. His eyes widened. Bucky was lazily grinding on him. Steve panicked: "Bucky?" He was responded with a few incoherent mumbles and a moan. Steve pulled away from his friend and turned to look at him with wide eyes. Bucky was laying there, his eyes shut blissfully. Steve just sat there, watching him let out moans and turn in his sleep. This is wrong, Steve thought. I shouldn't be watching, he thought, as he kept staring at his best friend let out raunchy sounds he rarely heard from anyone.
Bucky mumbled something again. Steve was listening intently. "Steve..." He quietly moaned. Steve's heart was trying to escape his chest. "Fuck-I- I love you, Steve..." The man whispered. But Steve heard it, he couldn't stop his mouth: "What?!" Bucky woke up startled, looking around the room for danger, his eyes settling on Steve's wide eyes and the blush he knew reached everywhere. Steve was a whole body blusher. It was cute. "What are you shouting about?" Bucky grumbled, rubbing the side of his head.
The blonde couldn't keep his mouth shut: "You wh- You what? You're gay? Wh.....What?" Bucky's eyes widened: "What?" They spent a moment staring at eachother and quietly chanting the word, both men confused and slightly scared.
Bucky was scared of his best friend, he didn't know why, and it was scaring him even more. Steve was the only person he didn't want to- have to be scared of, but there he was, afraid of every word Steve could say.
It was quiet now. "I'm sorry." Bucky said. "What?" Steve blurted out. Bucky stuttered: "I said I'm-" "No. What? No. You're not sorry. You shouldn't be. You're a god damn fairy and you're proud of it." Steve nodded after his words. Like he confirmed something. Then he sneezed.
Again the much repeated word was said: "What?"
Steve ignored him: "I'm sorry, Buck. It's just that you're my best friend, and you hadn't told me yet. But I guess I've always kinda known? Like, I've seen you flirt with men before, you didn't do it on purpose though, I think it just slipped or something. But I'm cool with it." He smiled. Bucky was teary eyed. Steve sneezed again.
Then, like his mind had just prosessed it, he quietly asked: "You what?" Now Bucky was even more confused: "Huh?" Steve explained carefully: "You um... You love me?"
Bucky wasn't even aware that Steve had gotten all of this information from his sleeping self, he was stuttering: "Uh- How did you..? Who told..? What?" He found it hard to breathe, like he imagined having asthma felt like.
"You were sleeping." Steve nodded, his legs crossed and his hands in his lap. He had now processed the infromation he recieved, and realized that he didn't mind. It was nice that someone was in love with him, especially if it was as beautiful of a man as his best friend. He felt flattered.
"Oh." Bucky sighed. "I am sorry about that. I didn't mean to?"
Steve smiled: "It's okay. I think it's quite nice that you love me." Bucky sighed: "Why are you so nice?" He buried his face in to his pillow. "Because you're my best friend, Bucky. And I'd be an idiot if I got mad at you for something so adorable." Steve laughed to himself. Bucky groaned.
"But I'm gonna have to tell you, that I haven't really though about you that way." Steve said as he laid down in to the bed. Bucky sighed: "I know." His voice was muffled in to the pillow, but Steve heard him. He smiled: "But I could begin to."