Lessons In Love: Chapter Thirty-One: Blood In The Cut (Part 4)

Stephen and Victor scrubbed on one end of the long hallway, while Bucky and Steve scrubbed on the other.

They only talked about two things. Bucky brought up Stephen possibly being a mutant again, and then he later mentioned that Tony disappeared.

He better be off scrubbing something...

Bucky didn't like the idea of everyone scrubbing floors, while Steve's boyfriend did nothing. He kept those thoughts to himself, as Steve got up to fill up his bucket.

Bucky's water was pretty dirty, and Steve mentioned that he would change the water for him. The older brunette shook his head, and he got up to join Steve as he went.

"I got it."

He didn't want Steve doing stuff for him. He could change his own water, and carry around his own bags. Bucky could even open his own doors, and pull out his own chairs.

He thought of that for a moment, as Steve pumped some water in the bucket. The blonde felt like they were alone, so he decided to finally strike.

"What was that at the hotel Bucky? That was out of line."

Steve didn't like his behavior, and it surprised him. The would-be-captain set the full bucket on the ground. He brought both of his hands up to his hips, and he waited for a response.

Bucky looked at Steve's posture. He looked disappointed, and the would-be-soldier gave out a sigh. He wasn't used to the two of them almost standing at an equal height. Steve's appearance was very different, and Bucky didn't know when it would become normal for him to see.

He knew that Steve was upset with him, so he tried to focus on a response. Bucky decided to answer honestly. Redemption might have been an objective, so the rowdy brunette started his confession.

"I was bothered."

Bothered? Oh, ok. He set off a fire alarm and woke up the whole town because, he was bothered? Bucky purposefully put Tony in an awkward place.

Plus, Tony was charged a large fee. None of that was necessary. Steve brought his arms upward, and he slowly crossed them. The blonde wanted a better explanation.

"I was laying there, hearing you two.. and I was, bothered."

There. Happy? Bucky tried to use the stupid pump. He started filling up his bucket, and Steve remained silent. That response made the would-be-captain feel several things. He swallowed down what he felt, and took a small step toward the pump.

Tony and Steve didn't make it to fourth base in the hotel, but they were getting pretty close to it. The blonde tried to keep it down in the room, so his mind started overthinking what Bucky might have listened to.

He wanted to know what bothered him. Steve almost asked, but Bucky started to speak.

"I'm starting to think a little differently, about things that I've said before. I'm not sure if I should say anything else."

Bucky tossed the sponge in the bucket, and Steve took in a slow breath. Thinking differently, how? Wait what? Steve felt an inward panic. His big heart started going crazy. Bucky kept looking at him.

What did Bucky say before? HOLD ON. Steve started freaking out. His friend could see the wave of confusion take over his expression. Bucky only focused on Steve, and he started feeling guilty about what he was doing.

Bucky felt like he had to do it. That fire alarm woke him up to something as well, and he was processing it just like everyone else.

"I told you that I was very taken with women. Particularly one woman, after you kissed me."

Whoa whoa whoaaa ... Steve Rogers was not ready to talk about that failure of a kiss. The blonde's face filled with warmth immediately, and he awkwardly picked up the bucket.

Steve almost spilled the water all over his shoe, because Bucky kept his confession going. Steve felt so nervous, he was about to faint.

"I said that to you, but I lied. I lied about that, and so I was bothered."

Steve wasn't supposed to actually replace him. Bucky held those thoughts, but he was pretty confused with everything that he was going on in his mind. None of it was clear to him, until Steve started spending time with someone else.

Bucky stepped back from the pump, and he decided that he had said enough. Steve was very quiet, but his heartbeat was very loud. Bucky lied? He lied.. so that meant.

Steve processed what that actually meant. He started heating up, and he had to move his body around where he stood.

His clothes felt big, and the would-be-captain needed to go. Steve ditched the water, the bucket, and the confession. He hurried off as fast as he could, because he needed to move.

Steve actually needed to scream. He couldn't believe what he heard, and he had no idea what to do. The blonde wandered far far away from his friend, until he saw some random tree. He felt alone as he approached it, and he brought one of his hands up to his forehead.

What. Did. That. Mean? Did Bucky want to be doing ... what... Tony.. was... doing?

Oh dear. Steve was pretty red. He stared at the tree and tried to form a rational thought. Steve felt very alone by the tree, until he heard a gentle voice.

"On your left."

What? Steve immediately looked to his left, and he saw someone sitting underneath the tree. That someone was sketching something in a notebook, and he looked just like the would-be-captain.

Steve Rogers looked directly at his older self, and the idea of screaming again filled his mind. Baby Steve was SO SUPER STRESSEDDDDD. He currently agonized over what to do, and the older Steve closed his notebook.

He stood up from the base of the tree and he looked at his younger self. Their clothes were similar. Both versions of Steve had on a white shirt, with light colored jeans. The younger Steve's shirt buttoned up. That was the only difference between them.

"How... this, oh lord. I can't think."

Baby's Steve's brain felt like a hefty serving of mashed potatoes. His older self could see the frustration in his face, and he decided to take their conversation to a more secluded location.

The mirror dimension began to close around them, and the older Steve asked him if he was ok.

What? Ok? Baby Steve was not ok. His brain was broken, and he had no idea what to do about two very unruly brunettes.

Chapter: END

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