Notes
Let's pretend this happened and no weird things in the comics happened.
(Then again, comics and movies are very different)
No Staron here, or if there were well... it's been 10 years and they broke up or something.
It's been far too long, Steve thinks. The world keeps moving, but he-he doesn't change.
It's been a decade already.
He stares at his hands, still the same after years. The serum keeps his body from aging, and he wonders if he'll stay like this forever.
"Steve," Wanda calls him, on her hands are the twins, Tommy and Billy. "Can you hold Billy for a moment, please?"
Steve nods, offering his hands to take Billy from Wanda. He's quite fond with the boys, especially when Billy looks at him with his big eyes and squeals in his arms.
"Where's Vision?" He asks.
Wanda shrugs, "With Tony. Tony also told me that you need to go to his lab this evening."
"What for?"
"I don't know, Steve. T'challa will also be there."
"He will?" Steve asks and Wanda nods, her hand caressed Tommy gently.
"Well... I wonder what it's about," He says. Blue eyes follow the chubby hands of Billy's trying to grasp his fingers.
He walks to the lab where he can hear Tony is tinkering on a quite complicated looking machine.
"Tony?"
Tony looks up, "Ah, Cap! Here your are! Come here!"
Steve approaches him, staring at the machine warily. "Why are you calling me for?"
"Cap, I present to you my new invention. This beautiful machine is called-"
"It's for Mr. Barnes." T'challa interrupts and Tony pouts. "With this machine, I believe we have the sufficient technology to help Mr. Barnes's mind."
The first thing Bucky wakes up to, is the white ceiling. The second thing is that he's lying on the bed, and there's a warmth holding his hand.
He glances at his side, blond head on broad shoulders. "Steve?" He calls, voice rasp and small.
Still, it jolts Steve to wake up. "Bucky?" Blue eyes staring at him in wonder. "You're awake." Fingers clutch his hand tighter. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine, I-What happened Steve?"
"What do you remember?" He asks.
Bucky thinks, his head is hurt but memories come easily to him. "That I was in Cryo again," He glances at Steve. "Does this mean, The Winter Soldier-"
"It won't happen again," Steve shakes his head. "Now we have technology for you. Tony made it."
"Tony?" Dark brow raises.
The door opens, interrupting whatever Steve going to say. On the door is T'challa, looking obviously older than the last time Bucky sees him.
"Mr. Barnes, you're awake," He smiles.
He nods in confusion. "Yes, thank you. I-" Bucky gulps, "How many years has it been?"
"10 years, Mr. Barnes," He answers, eyes glancing at Steve who sits beside Bucky. "I'll go get the doctor. I believe you have some things to ask your friend."
He closes the door and Bucky's eyes go to Steve. "Steve, why don't you look older?"
"Bucky, this isn't the time-"
"Answer me," He says. "Is it because the serum?"
Blue eyes close for a while. "Yes," He replies softly. "The serum keeps me from aging. I-I will be like this forever, I think." He looks straight at Bucky. "I still might die from natural or accident but, not from aging it seems."
Dark brows frowned, because even though Steve looks young, so young, but his eyes... his eyes are older, and tired. Even though there are sparks in them, especially when his eyes on Bucky.
"I'm sorry," Bucky squeezes the fingers on his palm.
Steve grins, "I reckon you'll say that."
They keep silent, eyes on their clasping hands and Bucky thinks how lonely it is, for Steve. When everyone is getting older than him.
"Bucky, you haven't answered my question, are you okay?"
He rolls his eyes, "I already say I'm fine, Rogers." At Steve's dubious face, he says, "Don't look at me like that. It's the truth." He sighs. "My head a little hurt but it's because the memories... they aren't all pleasant you know?" He chuckles to himself, "I guess I have to see a shrink, eh?"
Steve snorts, "Well you probably should. Because you're a nerd."
"Hey! Robots are cool!" He teases, and then his eyes get bigger in surprise. "Wait, before didn't you say Tony built the tech?"
"He did."
"Seriously?" Dark brows furrowing, "But I-"
"It's not your fault," Steve tells him resolutely. "Tony knows it and has accepted it for years."
"But it's still my fault-"
"No, it's not," His voice hardens and the blue orbs are alight with resolute. "Bucky, please."
He doesn't want to fight Steve, so he lets it go. "Okay."
Steve stares at him, bottom lip worrying between his teeth.
"What is it, Steve? What are you going to say?" He asks, but Steve still looks hesitant. "Is it because... the serum?" The serum running down his veins are alike with the one on Steve's. Which means... "I'm like you," He stated. Because all the years in Hydra, although he was kept in Cryo but for all the times he got out, he still didn't get older. "I won't age too."
"Yes," He replies. "Sorry Bucky."
He shrugs, "Yeah well. It's fine with me." Steve looks at him in surprise. "Because it means you ain't getting rid of me, punk."
Slowly, a smile begins to form on Steve's face. "Of course Bucky, and I'm not a punk."
"Say what you think Rogers."
Knocks on the door catch their attention. "May we come in?"
"Yes," Steve replies.
The doctors come in, they quickly do the necessary check on Bucky. It takes one hour to finish and Steve never moves from his seat. There's nothing can move him away from Bucky now.
Although the doctors don't ask him to leave either, it seems they know that Steve is glued to Bucky's side.
Bucky yawns when the doctors are finished. "You may go to sleep, Mr. Barnes," He says.
"What about the results?" Steve asks anxiously.
"He's fine, both from the Cryo and hormones in his brain, there are no harm," Another doctor replies. "But he needs his rest," She stares down at them. "And you too, Mr. Rogers." She adds at Steve's obvious dark bags under his eyes.
Steve winces, but the doctors are already out the door.
"You hear what she said, punk. Go to sleep," Bucky says.
"Yeah, yeah. Later."
"How about we sleep in the same bed like in Brooklyn?"
"Bucky, that's a small bed." There is no way two big men could fit in such small hospital bed.
Bucky shrugs. "It's just a suggestion."
"Go to sleep, Bucky." Fingers stroke the dark hair.
"Will you-will you be here?" He asks softly and Steve remembers when they were young. Bucky had always been a confident person, but every time Steve was sick, Bucky would always worry about him. Until that mission where Bucky was kept as prisoner of war, where it took a quite long time for his nightmare to dissipate. Not completely, but enough for him to sleep.
And Steve will do anything for Bucky. "Always, 'till the end of line, Bucky."
"'Till the end of line, punk," Bucky says, voice slurred from sleepiness.
Steve looks at their hands, the warmth he'd been missing for a long time now is in his hands. How much longing he keeps for the man sleeping on the bed. Years he spent thinking about him. But Steve will wait forever for Bucky, because to have him back in his arms is the best thing that ever happen.
Years ahead will be long, not aging like the rest of the world, where they stay like this forever.
Steve doesn't mind though, with Bucky by his side... He feels like he can do anything. Especially if it's Bucky that he will see for the rest of his life. All the nights before he sleeps, all the mornings when he wakes up.
Forever seems less daunting.
He's sure, by the smile quirks on Bucky's sleeping face, that he feels the same thing too.
Notes
Just pretend they aren't getting older okay.