It took a solid ten minutes after the bullies had left that Steve Rogers was able to stand. The man he had helped was long gone, of course. As much as he wanted even just a "thank you" he couldn't blame the man too much for fleeing. Get caught fighting with the wrong people and the Winter Soldier would execute you then and there. Or worse, HYDRA would come later, snatch you up in the middle of the night, and take you away to do who knows what with you.
Steve groaned, shaking his head to dismiss those kinds of thoughts, as he kept one arm wrapped protectively around his aching ribs. The other hand trailed along the walls, helping Steve keep his balance despite the way the world swayed around him. The walk back to his little apartment was slow. There were a few people about, and some gave him sympathetic looks, but none dared to help him. The risk was too high that HYDRA agents had beat him up and if anyone helped they were fair game too. Steve couldn't blame them, as much as he wished for help as his lungs burned and his fingers shook. They were so weak he could barely use his keys to open his door.
He stumbled when it swung open with his meager weight and nearly crashed to the floor. The turn to close the door made the whole room twirl and he remained pressed against it until things settled. Even in the warmth of his room he was struggling to breath so Steve stumbled his way over to his inhaler, cursing himself for leaving it on the countertop of his kitchenette's bar. He used it twice then slowly rested his head against the cool counter.
As much as he wanted to remain here he knew he needed to tend to his wounds. Walking down the hall to the bathroom felt like a marathon, but by the time he got there he was able to breathe easier. His med kit was sitting on the counter from the last time he used it not three days ago. His shirt fell to the floor and he frowned at his reflection.
His ribs were showing and his chest was covered in bruises, both old and new. He could see the bones in his arms well enough he looked almost skeletal, with clear hand-shaped bruises to decorate the skin there. He was paler than before and his right eye was already swelling. There were small cuts littering his skin, but thankfully only a few. They hadn't had many rings on between them. It was easy enough to clean them up and bandage them.
After taking another look at himself he sighed again before he made his way into his bedroom. He was less dizzy now and able to take proper deep breaths. It wasn't until he saw his uniform hanging on the closet door he remembered he still had to go to his weekend job. Getting dressed was slow and he didn't have time to eat before he had to leave.
The outside air was a tiny bit warmer than it had been before but still Steve wrapped his arms around himself for warmth as he walked. He was very near the flower shop when he felt eyes on his back. Keeping his head down he looked around but he saw no one staring at him, well, not in the way that would give him chills. He moved a touch faster, hurrying inside the flower shop.
Once inside he took a deep breath. Since the plants were all bred to be allergic and asthmatic friendly it didn't bother his lungs to breath in their scent. The whole room was soothing to him, slightly moist but warm. Today Dr. Erskine had put on nature sounds, like birds chirping, rather than music and it made the whole room feel like the wilderness. "Dr. Erskine?" Steve called cautiously when he didn't see his friend and employer.
"Be right out!" Came the reply, from the back room. After a few seconds Dr. Erskine stumbled out of the back room, arms full of a box of daffodils. "Hi, Steve. Sorry about that. Can you get started on orders? We've got three coming in half an hour." He requested.
"Sure." Steve quickly grabbed his green apron and pulled up the orders on the computer. He studied them as he tied the apron on then went to work gathering everything he needed to complete the orders. No one came in and the store was quiet. He had just finished the first order when the phone rang. "Hello. This is Asthmatic Aesthetic. My name is Steve. How can I help you?" He said brightly, fingers hovered over the keyboard.
A painfully loud, angry female voice answered and it took Steve a few moments to decipher what she was saying. "The flowers are wrong and the wedding starts in two hours!"
"I see. Could you give me your name, mam?" Steve spoke calmly.
She screeched her name and Steve quickly looked it up. Nothing appeared out of ordinary; the request had been made and filled on time. Sam had taken it out to the venue this morning. "I don't see any issues from here…" Steve began.
"Well your employee brought the wrong flowers and then disappeared so there is an issue!" She interrupted angrily before he could continue.
"Sam disappeared?" Steve questioned. Instantly Dr. Erskine's head snapped towards him.
"You mean that african idiot who brought then took away the wrong flowers?! So now we have none?!" She snapped. Dr. Erskine started gesturing for Steve to give him the phone.
"Excuse me, mam, allow me to put you on with the store owner." Steve interrupted her as politely as possible and quickly handed the phone over before she could reply.
"Call Sam." Dr. Erskine whispered, almost mouthed, before he started talking to the customer.
Steve quickly pulled out his cellphone and called Sam. The man answered immediately, but Steve winced at the rush of static that came with. "Sam?" He asked.
"Oh, thank good. Steve. Listen. Somehow the labels on the wedding boxes got mixed so I ended up taking the wrong one. I was on my way back to get the right ones when my car broke down." Sam was hard to understand but Steve got the meaning.
"Sam, are you okay? Where are you?" Steve asked.
"I'm fine and about halfway between the venue and the store. There's only one road." He answered. Steve saw Dr. Erskine hang up and waited for his boss to speak.
"Where's Sam?" He asked.
"His car broke down on his way back to the store to get the right flowers." Steve said and Dr. Erskine sighed.
"Could you find the right ones, Steve, while I talk to him?" Dr. Erskine asked and Steve nodded. He gave Dr. Erskine his phone and stepped into the back room. In the cooler by the door were two boxes, orders set aside for today's weddings. Steve quickly opened the boxes and, using the tags, quickly identified which box had been mislabeled. He brought it out to Dr. Erskine just as Dr. Erskine was hanging up the phone.
"Here. I'm sorry. I must have mixed up the labels." Steve admitted, a bit embarrassed, but Dr. Erskine just gave him a smile.
"You are one of my best employees, Steve, but you are human. Everyone makes mistakes. At least this is a relatively easy fix. Can you man the store while I go pick up Sam and drop these off?" Dr. Erskine asked and Steve nodded.
"Of course I can." He agreed and Dr. Erskine grabbed his shoulder, giving him a quick squeeze before he grabbed the box from the counter and hurried out the door. Steve watched him go then let out a little breath. He quickly put the computer screen back on his daily order list and got back to working filling them.
He was completely caught up in his work and jumped slightly when the bell on the door rang. "Hi, welcome to Asthmatic Aesthetic. Can I help you at all?" He asked brightly. The man who had entered didn't look particularly pleased to be there as he huffed his way over to the counter.
"I'm here to pick up some flowers." He grumbled.
"Have you already placed an order for them?" Steve asked, keeping a polite smile on his face. It didn't help sooth the man at all.
"Don't know. My girlfriend told me to get them." He grumbled.
"What is her name?" Steve asked politely and the man gave it. Steve quickly looked through todays orders and found one, but it wasn't supposed to be picked up until much later. "For a white iris bouquet?" Steve asked, just to be sure he had the right one.
"I don't know. Just get it for me." He ordered and Steve let out a little breath. He was fairly certain they didn't have any white irises and a quick search through their supply on the computer proved him right.
"I'm afraid I can't fill your order at the moment. We won't have any white irises until our delivery arrives in about an hour and a half. I imagine that it why the pick up time was supposed to be later today." Steve informed him.
The man looked pissed and Steve swallowed, preparing himself for yet another beating. "You can't fill it?" He growled.
Steve shook his head. "Unfortunately not." He said. "If you can come back in a few hours, at 2 or preferably 3 when the original pick up time was, it will be ready." Steve assured him. The man suddenly reached across the counter and grabbed Steve's collar. The blond flinched as he was lifted and dragged partway across the counter, in range of the man's raised fist. Steve didn't cower; he refused to back down to a bully. Ever.
The man started to throw a punch when a gloved hand came out of nowhere and stopped his first. Both Steve and the angry man looked at the new arrival. He was dressed in all black; a black hoodie, a black ball cap over shoulder length brown hair, and a black glove on his left hand. Steve couldn't see them but he was willing to bet the man's pants were black too. His eyes had dark marks around them, but whether it was faded or smudged makeup or a lack of sleep Steve couldn't say. But it was the intenseness of his green eyes that really caught Steve's attention; they were fierce yet haunted and a contrast to the relative neutrality of the rest of his stunning face.
"You made the mistake by coming too early. So don't go beating up an innocent employee for it." The man practically growled, his words tinted with an accent though what exactly it was Steve couldn't say.
The other customer looked ready to argue or object or fight, something, when his expression slowly became pained as the man in black squeezed his fist. After a long tense moment of silence he ripped his hand free. He stormed out the door and Steve let out a small breath. His feet slid back to the ground and he set his head on the counter. After taking a moment to compose himself he straightened up, a smile on his face.
The man in black was studying him seriously and Steve felt just a little bit uncomfortable under his scrutiny. It felt like the man knew everything about him in an instant. "Thank you for your help, but you didn't need to do that." Steve said.
"He was going to hurt you." Was all the man offered as a reply and Steve nodded.
"Yes, but if he's part of the wrong crowd you could get in serious trouble." Steve reminded.
The man studied his face for a moment before answering. "The wrong crowd?"
Steve huffed a laugh. "You must be new to town. We've got three major gangs, any number of minor ones, jerks who just beat people up for whatever reason they want, and worst of all the HYDRA agents that rule the territory to worry about. Anger any of them, or help someone who has, and at best you get a broken window or slashed tires as a warning. At worst you get taken." Steve informed him.
Surprisingly the man just laughed, though it did not sound particularly happy. "I can handle myself." He promised and Steve found he wanted to agree.
"Well, based on the way you handled him, I would suppose so. And I do appreciate it. But that doesn't mean HYDRA won't still take you." Steve warned but the man just snorted, like the thought was amusing to him. There was long moment of silence where neither man spoke.
"I'm Bucky. Bucky Barnes." He announced suddenly, offering his right hand. Steve shook it.
"Steve Rogers. Um, I can't offer much, but if you're here for flowers I can give you a bouquet on me. As a thank you." Steve offered, but Bucky shook his head.
"I didn't come in here for flowers." He said.
That caught Steve by surprise and it took him a moment to answer. "Then, why did you come in here?" He asked as politely as he could.
Bucky stepped around the counter suddenly and quickly had Steve trapped between his body and the counter. Steve swallowed, harder than he meant to as his back hit the counters edge, but Bucky just smiled. "I came in here because of you." He announced. He reached out and gently brushed Steve's bruised cheekbone, making the blond wince slightly.
"Because of me?" Steve asked softly and Bucky nodded, moving a half step closer until their bodies were pressed chest to chest. Steve's heart was racing and he felt dangerously close to having an asthma attack. His cheeks were flushed with embarrassment. But still, he couldn't say he didn't like the warmth coming off Bucky's body nor how protected he felt practically surrounded by the man.
"If you'd really like to thank me, go on a date with me." Bucky requested. His tone was smooth and it was very clear to Steve this wasn't his first time flirting with someone.
"Are you sure? I'm not… I'm not that interesting." He mumbled but Bucky chuckled.
"You're very interesting to me, doll. Give me a chance to get to know you better." Bucky moved just slightly closer still, pushing his knee between Steve's legs until his thigh was pressed against Steve's member. Steve let out an embarrassing little yelp that just made Bucky chuckle again. "I promise I won't do anything you don't want on our date, perfect gentleman, but I also promise that I will rock your world if you let me take you to bed afterwards."
Steve's panting had gotten worse, the beginnings of an asthma attack, but despite everything he nodded. He didn't know what about the mysterious man in black intrigued him enough to say yes, but he was interested and clearly the man was interested in him. There was no harm in seeing where it went.
"I'll pick you up for dinner Tuesday night, at 7. Text me your address." Bucky declared firmly but softly in his ear. He kissed Steve's cheek then, in what felt like a blink, he was by the door to the flower shop. "And don't get too dressed up. It won't be anywhere that fancy." Bucky added before he left.
The door shut with a jingle of the bell and Steve finally took a shuttering deep breath. He had to take a few more before his head stopped feeling fuzzy, but as it did he became aware of the aching hard on in his pants. Slowly he took a seat on the stool and, after taking another breath, he noticed a piece of paper on the counter. On it was a phone number. Steve couldn't help but smile at it. He quickly entered the number into his phone before he turned back to the daily orders list. He had ten minutes to get two bouquets together; thinking about the stunningly handsome man who wanted to take him on a date would have to wait until he was off work.