Bucky wakes up to an empty bed. He grumbles and prepares for the day before trying to locate his wayward boyfriend.
He finds Steve staring into space beside the kitchen sink.
"Mornin," Bucky says, to no response. Steve stays staring blankly, and Bucky cranes his head to pinpoint what he's seeing. There's nothing of import.
"Steve?" Bucky says hesitantly. Steve looks toward the sink, and grabs a cup from the drying rack. He fills it and drains it in one go.
Steve turns around, stilted yet smiling, "What are your hobbies?"
Bucky frowns, "Have you been drinking?"
As if on queue, Steve refills the cup and takes a sip. Bucky sighs, and leaves him to it while he starts on breakfast.
Steve sits at the kitchen table, and drinks. The brightness of his smile is felt on Bucky's back as he mixes pancake batter. Presumably done with the water, Bucky can hear his boyfriend get up from the table.
And toss his cup into the trash can.
Bucky grimaces as the glass thumps against their other trash, "The hell? Was it cracked?"
He decides to inspect for himself, but can't see anything wrong with the glass. Another thump sounds from behind him. Bucky whirls around, and Steve is dropping the bowl, batter and all, into a garbage bag.
"Are you mad at me?"
Steve sidesteps him to throw the garbage bag in the trash.
Bucky grasps his wrist, and scowls, "Silent treatment, really? Grow up."
Steve springs to life, putting on his best puppy dog eyes. He clasps his hands in front of his chest, interlacing the fingers.
He shakes his fists, beseeching, "Please forgive me! I'm sorry!"
Bucky raises an eyebrow, "Y'know, I'd just really like an explanation."
Steve brightens, all his pleading gone in a moment. He sits at the table, "How is your day?"
Bucky sighs, and says passive aggressively, "Could be better."
Steve stands, and sits down at a different seat. His back faces Bucky as he says, "I like your outfit today."
Alright. If Steve wants to be childish, he can do that alone. Bucky leaves to get breakfast to go, hoping his boyfriend has gotten over himself by the time he returns.
No such luck.
Steve is out shoveling snow in a random patch of land outside of the tower. Bucky's irritated with himself that he buckled and got Steve some food as well. If Steve throws this breakfast sandwich away, they may have a full blown argument on their hands.
"Get inside," Bucky hisses. Steve looks over, then promptly collapses on his back in what should be a painful manner. But Steve is grinning ear to ear, as he makes a snow angel.
He shows no sign of injury when he hops back up, and basically snatches the food out of Bucky's hands.
Bucky scowls, glaring at his back as they trudge back to their apartment.
Steve bypasses their living room to eat in their bathroom. Bucky watches in shock, as Steve perches on the bathtub ledge and bites into his meal ravenously.
Bucky shakes his head, and goes to lounge on their couch and watch T.V. Only his enhanced hearing tips him off that Steve is behind him. Bucky tilts his head up, and Steve stands beside the couch staring at the television screen.
Bucky ignores him. Until he can't because Steve starts singing.
"~ You have my heart~
~My love is undying~."
Bucky flinches. Offkey and offbeat is putting it kindly. But it's sweet.
He smiles at Steve, "Love you, too."
"~ You have my heart~
~My love is-"
Bucky cuts him off, "I get it. Same here."
He knows it's rude, but the awful singing is giving him a headache, "We're alright, ok? I'm not mad."
"Do you want a massage?" Steve asks. Bucky sighs, but he can't find it in himself to pass up.
"Sure." He shifts on the couch, so Steve can slide behind him but instead he remains standing. Bucky looks at him questionably, but Steve doesn't move.
Bucky stands with him; a massage is a massage either way. Steve immediately clamps his hands on Bucky's shoulders, and kneads them pleasantly.
It ends too quickly, but Steve walks in front of him. In one motion, he grasps Bucky's hand and dips him. Bucky squeaks slightly as he's tilted back toward the floor, and kissed close mouthed.
Bucky straightens and huffs, "I missed you this morning. Woulda loved to get my hands on you then."
Steve blows him a kiss, hand waving from his jaw into the air.
"Corny," Bucky teases, but the attention leaves him giddy. The seduction techniques could use some polishing, but he's flattered nonetheless.
Steve says, "Do you want to have sex? Accept or Decline."
Well that's blunt, and mildly unsexy. Still, Bucky wants to.
He grins salaciously, and decides to play along, "Accept."
Steve grabs his hand, and steps forward to whisper in his ear, "Do you want to have sex?
"Yep," Bucky says, and kisses him on the jaw. Steve leads them to the shower, which is a bit out of the norm for them but Bucky enjoys himself all the same.
Steve seems a bit more like his usual self during their love making, for which Bucky is thankful. Immediately afterward though, Steve washes his hands.
Bucky tries not to feel hurt, as Steve rubs his already wet hands under the faucet. He leaves his boyfriend to it, and discovers the bag that had Steve's breakfast sandwich in it on the floor behind the couch.
Bucky sighs roughly, and cleans up Steve's mess. He misses the trash can by a couple inches and the bag falls to the floor.
Steve appears beside him, and Bucky has no choice but to step back when he starts stomping on the trash.
Steve laughs, marching in place playfully, "Hurray! Woo!"
The bag crinkles underneath him. Bucky stares, gob smacked. Steve is pranking him, clearly, and Bucky refuses to rise to the bait.
Steve stops abruptly, jumping off the trash and holding his stomach. He shouts unintelligibly, waving his arm in the air.
"You aren't funny," Bucky says, crossing his arms.
Steve's thighs collapse together, and he waddles to their bathroom. A toilet flushes a few moments later.
Bucky sighs, and picks up after Steve again. When Steve gets his fill of thinking this prank is funny, he is in so much trouble.
"Hello," Steve says warmly somewhere in the apartment, "I would like to invite you over to hang out."
"Steve," Bucky hisses, hightailing it out the kitchen to find him.
Steve smiles, and ends the call after saying, "See you soon."
"Who were you talking to?" Bucky bites out.
"We're acquaintances now, but we're almost friends."
"Who," Bucky snaps.
Steve claps his hands over his mouth, eyes widening.
Bucky's irritation gives way to concern as Steve gasps, spreading his hands as he stares at the floor.
"What?"
Steve stays silent, meandering toward the couch. He sits down, and stretches dramatically. In the next moment, he curls up horizontally and drifts to sleep.
Bucky scowls, and he's forced to answer the door for their mysterious visitor an hour later. He trusts Steve, so he opens the door without any weapons, but it's a near thing.
His mouth parts as the man smiles.
"You look just like Jim-"
"Morita? That's me, Mr. Barnes."
"Bucky," he says, shocked.
"Is this about the videos?" Morita continues sternly, "Look. Those videos work. Many of my students have turned their lives around after viewing Rappin' with Cap clips."
"Rappin' with-," Bucky chuckles incredulously, "What?"
"Come in, Come in!" Steve says, and ushers Morita in.
Bucky jumps in surprise, but moves away from the door to let Morita in.
"Nice to see you," Morita says, shaking hands with Steve.
Steve says contently, "How is your day?"
"Busy," Morita sighs, "But this is a well needed break."
"Glad to brighten your day," Steve grins, then completely turns away, and waves his open arms fluidly toward Bucky.
"~ You have my heart~
~My love is undying~."
Bucky's face heats, grimacing as Morita stares at them.
Steve abruptly stops, and swaggers to the kitchen.
Bucky says, "So, uh, what're you up to these days?"
To his credit, Morita doesn't probe, "I'm a principal aka kid wrangler."
Bucky huffs good naturedly. He could use some wrangling right now, if only to get Steve to stop being so immature.
"Lunch time!" Steve hollers.
Morita lights up, and Bucky sighs, "Temper your expectations."
Morita deflates, as they both stare at the apple sauce poured onto a plate.
Steve beams, turning away to refill a cup with water from the tap.
"Don't throw that in the trash," Bucky warns testily.
Steve finishes the cup, and thankfully puts it in the sink. He washes his hands afterward, then gives another shocked gasp to the floor.
Then stretches by twisting his upper half.
"I would like to send you home," Steve says to Morita.
"I'll show myself out," Morita says tightly, and looks glad to leave. Bucky doesn't blame him. He follows his friend's grandson to the door.
"Best to come back another time," Bucky says apologetically.
Morita nods, and disappears down the hall.
"Do you want to have sex? Accept or Decline."
"Decline," Bucky snaps, "That was a really asshole thing to do Stevie."
"I'm a criminal mastermind," Steve giggles, clutching his stomach.
Bucky groans, resolute to ignore him. He goes to the bathroom to relieve himself, and jolts as Steve starts shouting when he moves to wash his hands.
"Help! I'm stuck! Help!"
Steve sounds genuinely panicked, and Bucky races into the living room. He immediately scowls. Steve somehow managed to wedge himself behind a chair, and bald fear overtakes his face.
"That's it," Bucky says, "I'm taking you to the hospital."
Besides his behavior, Steve doesn't have the typical signs of being drugged, but it would ease Bucky's mind to check just in case. He reaches to grab Steve's belt, and hoists him over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes.
"What?" Steve says groggily, "Wait, this isn't right."
"Too bad," Bucky says, marching toward the front door, witnesses be damned.
"No, Buck. Wait," Steve squirms out of his grip, and lands on his feet gracefully.
He grabs Bucky's hands, and says urgently, "Please tell me you haven't been breaking and repairing our tea kettle."
Bucky pulls his hands away, "We don't even have a tea kettle."
Shoulders slumping in relief, Steve mutters, "Thank God."
"What about you? Gonna make me listen to your singing some more?"
"Buck," Steve says seriously, "That wasn't me. I have no idea where I was. But it wasn't here."
"Ok?"
"I'm not kidding. You were there, but it wasn't you," Steve looks devastated.
Bucky swallows, "I believe you. What did he do?"
"Staring. At nothing," Steve says, voice shaky, "then he collapsed on the floor and passed out."
Bucky winces, "I'm here now."
"Uh, that's not all he did."
Bucky raises an eyebrow. Steve corrals him to the couch, and rubs the back of his head.
"Are you interested in marriage?" Steve blurts out.
Bucky's heartbeat speeds up, and flutters in his chest, "'Course."
"Great," Steve says, smile radiant.
Bucky smiles back, "Are we engaged now?"
Steve widens his eyes, "No. Not yet."
Bucky shoots him a hurt look.
Steve grimaces, "I mean I want to do it right. You deserve more than me bending to one knee in the bathroom."
Bucky smirks, hurt abated, "Sounds like there's a story there."
"You have no idea," Steve mutters.
Bucky shakes his head, "Other me was the one popping the question. Who's to say you'll be the one proposing?"
Steve scoffs playfully, "It was my idea."
Bucky kisses him, secretly formulating how to beat Steve to the punch. He owes it to the love of his life to propose a bit better than the careless version of himself.
"On another note," Steve says when they break away, "Do you know anyone named Don Lothario?"
Bucky tilts his head in thought, "Doesn't sound familiar. Why?"
"No reason," Steve rushes to say.
"I've got a question for you too," Bucky smirks.
Wariness crowds Steve's face, but he nods for him to go on.
"What's this about Rappin' with Cap?"