Steve falls asleep on the train.
It's been a long day.
That's the truth and it's not even Bucky who's spent it getting poked and prodded by needles and nurses, with icy stethoscopes pressed to bare skin as some new doctor 'hms' and listens to the pronounced sound of wheezing.
Bucky had woken to Steve coughing so hard he could scarcely catch his breath. He'd all but jumped out of bed, getting water, opening the window to let in air- anything he could think of; anything that had helped on other mornings when Steve had woken sick. "Take it easy, Stevie..." Rubbing slow circles on his friend's back, he waited tensely for the coughing to subside but even when the worst seemed to be over, little fits continued to wrack Steve and after an hour of it Bucky threw a coat over narrow shoulders and ushered him out the door.
"We can't afford a hospital bill, Buck," Steve had tried weakly.
"Yeah, well if you're dead I can't afford rent so beat the feet." He smirked though he wasn't sure it reached his eyes.
It's been a long day.
Bucky hates it when all he can really do is watch as his best friend suffers, but he can't knock Steve's lungs in the jaw and tell them to straighten the hell out so instead he has to wait and rely and nurses that come and test and go and promise "The doctor will be here soon." He can only sit with Steve (who looks miserable and exhausted) and wait. But if that's all he can do, then he'll be damned before he does any less even if it means his paycheck's gonna be short this week too.
"You don't have to sit here all day." Steve says it like an apology, frowning,
"I know." It doesn't matter. Like hell he's gonna leave Steve sitting here alone.
So Bucky stays put. He watches tests and listens to coughing and wills someone to come in and make Steve's lungs ok.
It's been a long day.
Their stop is coming up. He rouses Steve slowly.
"Hey, you."
"Hey…" His eyes are so weary.
He guides Steve out onto the platform and as the train creeks back to life and leaves them, he hunches forward.
"C'mon."
Steve's brow furrows and he looks at Bucky like he's lost it. "What?"
"You're gonna slip down a storm drain or somethin'. Come on."
Steve regards him for another long moment, but for once tired seems to win out over stubborn and Bucky walks home with Steve on his back, still softly wheezing but at least the coughing's stopped.
"You don't have to carry me…" Steve murmurs, but Bucky sees his eyes are closed and he's dozing again before their building's in sight. Up the stairs and to their door, he shifts Steve's weight so he can fish the key from his pocket and get them in. The bulb in the bedroom is dim- he's gonna have to get a new one- but that'll wait until tomorrow. For now he rolls his shoulders and Steve stirs.
"End of the line, punk." He smiles and dumps Steve into bed, then kicks his shoes off and lays down beside him.
"Thanks, Buck."
"Go to bed." He tosses the quilt over Steve's face and smiles when he hears laughter beneath it, even if it's just a little. He hears the clunk of Steve's shoes hitting the floor on the far side of the bed, finally relaxing for the first time all day.
It's been a long day, but they're gonna be ok.