That night Bucky slept in Steve's bed with them, but Steve was already up and showered by the time Bucky woke. Feeling a little disheartened by the fact he hadn't woke up with Steve's tiny form wrapped in his arms, he got up and walked back to his own room as quick as possible so no one would notice. This had clearly been a one-time thing, even though Steve said otherwise last night, and he didn't need the rest of the Avengers finding out about it.

Showering as quick as he can and getting dressed, he continued about his normal day, but slightly avoiding everyone. His heart had been fractured, it was still there, not broken but very fragile, and he didn't particularly want to be bothered by anyone today. He wasn't up for pretending to be happy and he really didn't want to explain. He'd just avoid everyone for a bit, they wouldn't judge, they expect the ex-assassin to get a bit distant at times. No one would even care.

It had been over a week since the 'incident' as Steve had began to call it in his mind and he hadn't seen Bucky once. They used to be best friends and boyfriends during the war and now it seemed they were nothing. It was breaking his heart to not see Bucky, he'd been dying to start a relationship with him ever since they rescued him from Hydra but he hadn't want to push Bucky too far in fear of hurting him or scaring him away. Now he'd been given a sliver of hope that was dying a little bit more every day he didn't see Bucky.

That had to change. Bucky couldn't avoid him forever.

"JARVIS where's Bucky?" Steve could spend forever walking around the tower looking for Bucky and he would still never find him, this way, he could find out his location and get there as quick as possible. Giving Bucky no chance to get away.

"The back corner of the Training Room, Sir." JARVIS spoke in his ridiculously polite British accent.

"Cheers, buddy"

Setting off in that direction, Steve couldn't help but notice his heart was racing and butterflies were begin to flutter excitedly in his stomach, getting more and more erratic the slower he got.

Opening the door as quietly as he could, he slipped inside. Steve had forgotten how easy it was to sneak around when you're a 90lb dweeb. He crossed the room silently and spotted Bucky. He was in the back corner as JARVIS had said and was currently throwing knifes at an innocent wall. He never missed a shot, reminding Steve that Bucky had changed too, he'd spent most of his life as an evil master assassin, but he was still his Bucky.

"Buck…?" Steve asked, slightly cowering. All the confidence he'd gained with the body the serum gave him had completely left now he was back to the way he used to be. When he'd first met Bucky he'd found him slightly intimidating but now it was worse, Steve was back to being tiny and Bucky was even more muscle-y than before! He had a metal arm specially designed for killing for God's sake!

Bucky turned, his eyes widening for a second before he turned away, blushing. He threw another knife exceptionally hard at the wall before taking a big sigh and turning to face Steve.

"Hey, little man" Bucky tried for a smile. Steve knew he was trying to be friendly, forcing a smile and using a nickname Steve hadn't heard him say in 80 years, but it was obvious Bucky was hurting. Steve was wringing his hands together as he looked up at Bucky, his posture making him look even smaller than his small frame normally did.

"We haven't spoken in forever, what's going on Buck?" Bucky blushed slightly as Steve spoke, unsure where to look. So many thoughts went racing through Bucky's mind as Steve asked the one question he didn't want to answer. He could tell him the truth - that Bucky loved him and he accepted that Steve didn't love him back even though it hurt - or he could tell any number of lies. He could say he'd been having some flashbacks from his Hydra Assassin days and needed a bit of space, or that he was just feeling a bit overwhelmed by how much everything had changed since they were kids.

But this was his Stevie. As much as he wanted to, he could never lie to him.

"That thing, that happened a few weeks ago, between us… it… I… I don't want to get to close to you…" Bucky's voice died in his throat as he saw the confusion on Steve's face. He was regretting his choice already but couldn't think of a way to talk his way out of it. Instead, he let his instincts take over as his eyes sort out all the exits and his brain began working on an escape strategy; there were some upsides to being an assassin.

"What do you mean, Buck? You don't want to get close to me? We've been inseparable our whole lives? We were in love before and during the war and we're still bestfriends now?" Steve had no idea what Bucky was trying to say. Sure, a few weeks ago they'd had sex, but it wasn't something they hadn't done loads of times before when they'd been dating. It had been in secret then too, everyone was so homophobia back then, and still both Steve and Bucky felt they had to hide their sexuality. Views might well be changing, but being brought up hiding it, it was a scary thing to change.

"I mean… I mean I like you Stevie, I like you a lot. And getting close to you in that way, it hurts. I don't want to let myself believe that you could be mine again because you never will be and as long as the door is the tiniest bit open it will always hurt. And that incident a few weeks ago, it opened the door! It made me think i have chance with you when i never will!" Once Bucky started talking he couldn't seem to stop himself. All the feelings he'd bottled up after coming back into Steve's life just came pouring out. The moment he finally shut his mouth, he regretted opening it in the first place.

For a few moments there was a empty silence in the room, making Bucky feel like caged animal on display. With every second that passed Bucky just wanted to curl up and hide, far away from Steve and just cease to exist.

"You still like me?" Steve mumbled, barely above a whisper but Bucky heard him perfectly. The expression on Steve's small face gave him hope. Steve was looking at him with an expression of awe on his face and happiness in his eyes.

Bucky blushed and looked down at his feet, his head tilting slightly, and nodded.

"Do you - Do you still feel the same way you used to before the war?" Steve's expression had stayed the same, but his voice was slightly louder, a hint of joy ringing through. Bucky felt his heart rise, maybe Steve still felt the same, after all, and Bucky wouldn't have his heart crushed today.

Bucky nodded.

Steve tried to hide the smile spreading across his face but try as he might, he couldn't do it. Within seconds he was grinning from ear to ear, his eyes locked with Bucky's as his friend's face began to do the same thing. In his mind, Steve had imagined this situation a thousand times, and each time it ended with them admitting their love for each other and running into each other's arms for the best kiss of their life. That wasn't what was happening now.

Neither lad knew what to do now. They'd admitted their love for one another and of course they were both happy about it but they were also nervous. Their relationship hadn't exactly been smooth, with the war and Captain America and Hydra and the 70 years apart but one thing they did have in common ; they were both willing to work like hell on this relationship and make it work.

Bucky smiled at Steve, but he was slightly more daydreaming than paying attention to the bouncy, jolting movements of the bus they were in. There was a funny feeling in his stomach, at first he thought it was nerves but after a moment he remembered the correct word: anticipation! The closer they got to the end of their bus ride the more the sense of anticipation grew. The last time him and Steve had been they'd only been kids, trying to forget about the war.

"You aren't going to make me ride the cyclone again, are you?" Steve asked, looking at him. The smile on his face was there but Bucky could see the nervousness in his eyes at the memory of the cyclone. Bucky remembered the event as though it was yesterday, and not over 70 years back. Back in the days they'd been dating but it being the 1930s it really wasn't acceptable for two men to be together. Instead, they'd had to go with girls to try and cover it up, but there was only one problem with that; the girls were never interested in Steve (Bucky never did figure out why) and they always wanted him, leaving Steve lonely and jealous and Bucky never having any time for Steve. They'd gone on the cyclone and Steve had thrown up as soon as they got off the ride but the day hadn't been all bad! The girls they'd met up with baled as soon as they saw Steve, which did hurt a bit, but it gave them more time to themselves. Bucky had hit on some girl - he couldn't remember her name, Carol? Carolyn? - while Steve tried his luck at some random game trying to win some cuddly toy. The memory left him with a warm fuzzy feeling and he realized he hadn't answered Steve.

"You're Captain America! You've done much worse than ride a rollercoaster without a second though!" Bucky laughed as he said it and even managed to make Steve's nervous face giggle.

"Not like this I'm not! I'm not Captain America until we can find a way to get me back to normal. Whatever that stuff was, it reversed the super-soldier serum and I won't be Captain America again until we can find out how to activate the serum again." Steve had been smiling when he had began talking but the more he said the more serious his face became again. Bucky could tell that Steve was absolutely terrified that he would never become Captain America again. It had been the only chance Steve had been given to properly do some good and it had been taken from him without any notice, way before Steve would have been willing to give it up. Bucky knew he had to try and get his mind off it - hence this trip today - and had to quickly make Steve laugh again.

"Fine, you don't have to go on the cyclone with me, " he paused, turned to look at Steve for a little dramatic effect. " As long as you don't annoy me too much, if you do i'll tie you to the ride and never let you off" He'd been trying to keep a straight face, even though Steve knew he was joking, but by the end of the sentence he was full-on grinning.

There wasn't really a need for any more words. Steve rested his head on Bucky's shoulder and smiled a small smile to himself. Despite having the worry of never being Captain America again, Steve couldn't have been happier right now. He was with his boyfriend and on his way to one of his favourite places in the world. It couldn't get more perfect.

They'd finally arrived! Steve practically jumped out of his seat on the bus, pulling Bucky after him. Once out on the street, looking up at all the rides of Coney Island, Steve felt like a kid again, desperate to jump up and down clapping his hands in excitement. Obviously he couldn't, being 98 had those sorts of limitations. After a quick glance at one another they started forward and walked towards the rides, hand in hand.

Knowing how much Bucky wanted to go on the cyclone, Steve made a bee-line straight for the rollercoaster. At first Bucky looked a little confused, knowing Steve didn't want anything to do with the cyclone, but soon accepted it as he knew he would get at least one go on his favourite ride. They only had to wait a matter of minutes before they were at the front of the queue and it was their turn to enjoy the ride. Bucky looked over at Steve, a questioning expression on his face. Steve didn't need Bucky to actually say anything, they knew each other so well that they could tell exactly what the other was thinking just by the facial expression. Steve nodded back, he didn't want to go on the ride, but it would make Bucky happy. Plus it was better to go on the ride now then later on after they'd eaten. He was sure that wouldn't end well.

Steve felt the nervousness rising as he got into the car and strapped himself in, Bucky's hand still in his. Bucky was grinning, so excited for the ride and deep down, he was proud that Steve had gotten on the ride with him. Once everyone was safely strapped in, the ride began to move. Slowly, at first, but picking up more and more speed each second. Within seconds the ride was racing along, people screaming, some holding on and some waving their arms about. It zipped around each bend, up each slope and even faster down the other side. Bucky was sat screaming and whooping to his heart's content but Steve was doing everything he could not to throw up, and it was growing more and more difficult with each second. The force of the ride was taking its effect on his tiny frame and he was finding it more and more difficult to stay awake. Soon that was a much bigger problem than trying not to throw up, the thought of being sick.

After the next few seconds the ride came to a stop but it took a full minute before Steve could properly begin to relax. They got off the ride, Bucky beaming like he'd just won the lottery whilst Steve was just stumbling around. Bucky put his arm around Steve's shoulders to steady him and dragged him away from the ride towards the food stalls.

"Hotdog?"

Steve just smiled at him and Bucky knew he wanted one, despite the sickness he was feeling. Bucky ordered two hotdogs, one with ketchup and one with mustard and ketchup. They only had to wait a minute or two before they were ready and Bucky handed over the cash as Steve took the hotdogs, and handed Bucky his. They walked around for a little while, eating their food and laughing when the other got sauce around his mouth or on his nose.

They weren't paying any kind of attention as to where they were going, they just walked and joked and had a laugh. Before they knew it they had ended up on the beach. The two boys decided to take a break and sit down on the soft sand; they had loads of time before they needed to be heading back to Stark Tower.

"Do you think I'll ever get back to normal?" Steve asked out of the middle of nowhere, taking Bucky by surprise. He looked at Steve, stared straight into his eyes, but didn't answer for quite a while. He took his time thinking about his answer.

"Of course, you'll be back to being Captain America in no time! It does sometimes throw me off a bit though, turning around and seeing your small frame instead of the usual Captain America looming over me. If I didn't have my metal arm to remind and all this technology I would have thought the war hadn't even started yet. In some ways it's reassuring, I can imagine that all the Hydra and Winter Soldier shit never even happened! Honestly, I wouldn't mind it if you never changed back, I think you're adorable like this but I know you'll be happier once you're back." He smiled pleasantly at his smaller boyfriend. Steve still looked unsure but he was happy about all the stuff Bucky had said.

"You really think I'm adorable like this?" Steve couldn't help but grin at him as he spoke.

"I do, can't you remember all those compliments I gave you before the war?" Bucky raised an eyebrow at the question but he laughed at the same time. Steve didn't answer him, instead he leaned forward and connected their lips, telling Bucky that he loved him in every way except words. Bucky wasted no time in kissing him back.

Bucky's metal hand went up to cup Steve's face as they continued kissing. Steve's tiny hands grabbed fistfuls of Bucky's t-shirt and pulled him closer. Bucky took a second to pull away and check the surroundings. There were some rocks to their right, piled up quite high so no one could see them from that direction and to the left there was a couple empty boarded up buildings and no people in sight. It turned out they'd walked quite a way away from the rides.

After noticing no one was around, he turned back to Steve and basically threw himself atop Steve, their lips connecting again. Steve fell back with the force of Bucky above him so that he was lying with his back on the sand, his arms wrapped around Bucky's neck. Bucky had his metal arm under Steve's neck and had himself propped up against it while his flesh hand roamed all over Steve's tiny body. Both men knew where this was going and neither of them minded, they were in fact, excited.

Bucky's moved his knee in between Steve's legs, making his moan against Bucky's lips. Steve was beginning to get impatient and started pulling at Bucky's clothes, desperate to get them off. Bucky got the message and pulled his t-shirt off. Instead of going straight back to kissing Bucky, Steve stared at his body, mainly the point where his metal arm met his skin, running his hand over the scars before lightly pressing his lips onto the cold metal, making the edge of Bucky's lips turn up. Within a matter of minutes both boys had their clothes off and were pushing their bodies together in a desperate need for friction.

"We didn't really think this - this through, Buck" Steve huffed out, pushing Bucky's face away from his for a moment so he could speak. Bucky looked confused for a moment before realising that Steve meant they hadn't brought any lube or condoms with them, it wasn't everyday you got to have sex with your superhero boyfriend on the beach.

"Do you want to stop?" Bucky was silently praying he was going to say no, but he wasn't going to push him if he did. Steve took a moment to consider, but he didn't really want to stop either so quickly shook his head and moved his lips back to Bucky's, and the boys began kissing and moving their bodies against each other again.

"Bucky, please" No context was needed, Bucky knew what Steve needed from him and didn't want to wait any longer either. Spitting as much as he could on his hand, as a substitute for lube, he began rubbing his hand against Steve's opening and his own cock, trying to prep them as quick as he could. Steve started moving his small frame against Bucky's hand, desperate for attention.

Bucky had done all he could, there was nothing more he could do to prep them both, so he lined himself up with Steve and pushed in slowly, more cautious than usual because of the lack of prep. Steve's small frame tensed and his eyes closed as Bucky moved further inside him. Bucky gasped several times; Steve was small and tight. Once Bucky was all the way in he paused, waiting for Steve to adjust to the feeling of him inside him. After a while, Steve opened his eyes and looked at Bucky, nodding with a small smile on his face.

Bucky pulled out slowly, still unsure if he was hurting Steve or not. Once he was almost completely out, he pushed back in, making Steve's mouth make a little 'o' shape and his eyes flutter shut again. He repeated the motion until it was clear Steve was comfortable, then Bucky began to really push into Steve, with one hand on Steve's tiny hip creating bruises where his fingertips pressed into his skin, and his other hand covering Steve's mouth to stop him screaming and getting other people's attention.

Steve's hips began bucking towards to meet Bucky's, both men getting more and more desperate. Soon Bucky's thrusts got more and more erratic as he got closer, his hands holding onto Steve for dear life, no longer caring how much noise they made. Steve's hand were either trying to grip Bucky's back and failing, scratching red marks along the surface, or clutching at the sand, which didn't really work either.

It was only a few minutes before Bucky couldn't hold back any longer and be came, deep inside Steve. The feeling of Bucky releasing deep inside him pushed Steve over the edge too and both men came at the same time. Steve's body tensed while Bucky made sloppy thrusts until both men were done. They stayed still, Bucky lying on top of Steve for a minute or two before they pulled apart with one last kiss. They began pulling their clothes back on as they giggled nervously.

Once fulling dressed they decided to go to the rides, and make the most of their day. They found themselves next to a hook a duck, with all the various prizes hanging down waiting to be won. In amongst the minions and the unicorns there was a giant teddy bear and suddenly Bucky had an idea.

Paying the guy, Bucky began desperately trying to hook a duck while Steve laughed at his miserable attempts behind him. He missed each duck by a few centimeters, the plastic duck sailing past without a care in the world. After this happened another 8 or 9 times, Bucky finally managed to get the little hook through the tiny loop on the plastic duck's head. The guy picked it up and turned it over, revealing the Bucky had won a small bag of sweets and not the giant teddy as he had planned. Frustrated at this, he paid for another go as Steve ate the sweets.

"Considering the Winter Soldier has perfect aim, I think you're going to have to give me that title!" Steve laughed as yet another duck bobbed past. It took another 4 gos before Bucky managed to convince the guy to swap all 4 prizes they'd won (they couldn't give him the sweets back, Steve had eaten them all) in exchange for the giant teddy, which Bucky threw at Steve the minute he was handed it.

"Bucky, I'm 98! I don't need a teddy bear!" Steve laughed again but as he was speaking he hugged the bear close to his chest.

"I know, but I'm your boyfriend and isn't that what boyfriends are supposed to do?" They both laughed as Bucky put his arm around Steve, walking away from the hook a duck stand. Walking past an ice cream stand, they both grabbed a 99 covered in sprinkles and strawberry sauce, laughing at dirty jokes they made when they accidentally made eye contact while licking their ice cream.

Steve grabbed Bucky's sleeve, making him jump and pulled him in the direction of a ferris wheel, one of the few rides he could go on without feeling ill.

"I went on your favourite ride, now you can go on mind!" Steve almost yelled as they joined the queue. People were getting off the ride every couple of minutes so they didn't have to wait very long before it was their turn. The little box they were in resembled a small cage, the bottom half had a colourful blue pattern while they was white bars on the top half to keep people from falling out with the blue pattern on the lid as well. Steve pressed his face against the bars as much as possible, trying to see as much of the city as possible. He always loved seeing the buildings from high up, it was one of the things he liked about being in Stark Tower.

It only took them a minute to reach the top of the ride, but when they did, Bucky put his hand in Steve's and pulled him away from the view to kiss him as softly as he could, his hand going up to cup his face. They broke apart as the ride moved again suddenly and they began making their way back down again.

They had only been on the ride for a few minutes but still Steve got off feeling content, the view had been beautiful and the kiss Bucky had given him had been so loving. They were just finishing off the rest of their ice creams as the sky was beginning to get dark when Bucky spoke.

"I think that's enough for today, don't you babe?" Steve smiled at the pet name and nodded. They walked back towards the bus stop, ready to go home. They'd had a fantastic day, and Steve couldn't help but feel like things we're back to how they used to before the war, when they were happy. Bucky had been so sweet today, winning him the teddy bear.

As the got on the bus, Steve couldn't help but think that maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he never got the chance to be Captain America again