Hellooo.

It. Has. Been. Too. Long. And I'm not actually quite sure how to apologise for that. Life just went ahead and got crazy and a lot of things fell by the wayside, including this fanfiction. I am back though and I am happy to let you know that I have finished writing the entire fanfiction, that means there won't be huge delays anymore.
I promised myself I was going to post the next chapter this year still... so yeah xD
I hope you guys have an AMAZING start to 2018!
And... I really hope you enjoy and can forgive me for my lengthy absence!


Chapter 30

Flake jumped out of Sam's Mustang gracelessly, trying to figure out how to place her new leg. The metal gleamed in the sun as she moved, the small metal paw scraping across the asphalt a little while she manoeuvred her four limbs in a movement akin to walking. Bucky and Steve watched the dog in quiet amusement, waiting for her to find her footing before joining her on the sidewalk.

"You should start a taxi service." Bucky sauntered over to the driver's window, smirking down at Sam who was rolling his eyes.

"I hate you." Sam joked, chuckling when Bucky's smirk turned into a full-blown grin.

Steve and Bucky turned to the white house when they saw Flake rush past them, bounding across the front lawn, thoroughly enjoying her newly discovered quality of life. The over-excited dog had almost made it to the porch steps when she forgot about her metal prosthetic and tumbled to the floor with a shrill yelp of surprise.

"Hey Robocop. Go save your dog before she breaks that thing Stark made her." Sam took a jab at Bucky, rolling up his window as soon as he had as a precautionary measure. Bucky shot him a dirty look before following Sam's advice and jogging over to his panting dog.

"And I thought she was fast on three legs." Steve muttered to himself, giving Sam a quick wave before the Mustang peeled off the curb with a gurgling roar.

With a light smile, Steve joined Bucky who was crouching beside Flake. She was looking up at him sadly, feigning injury in the hopes of getting attention from her two favourite people.

"You know she's just pretending, right?" Bucky asked Steve when the blond started worrying over her, giving her all the affection and forehead kisses she wanted.

"I know." Steve grinned, enjoying the way her fur felt against his palms.

"You're such a dork." Bucky commented, giving Steve an adoring kiss on the cheek that had the blond blushing violently.

"Not… not in front of…" Steve looked up at Peggy's house, checking the windows to see if Peggy was watching.

Bucky huffed, shoving at Steve so hard that he toppled over, yelping when Flake took the opportunity to pepper his face with slobbery dog-kisses.

"Really Steve, we're two grown-ass men. We ain't in high school anymore."

"I know." Steve conceded, averting his eyes when he picked up on the annoyed furrow of Bucky's brow, "Just not yet alright?"


After wrestling with Flake a little, Steve joined Bucky on the porch, letting Bucky straighten out his creased and messy clothing.

"You're covered in dog hair." Bucky commented while he straightened out the collar of Steve's V-neck polo shirt.

"Well there's no fixing that now." Steve shrugged, waiting for Bucky to finish so that he could ring the doorbell.

The sound brought forth a mirage of fond memories to Bucky, memories that he now remembered so clearly that it felt to him as though he had never forgotten any of them. The house made him think of afternoons well spent with Steve, pestering him and making him laugh. The smell of freshly baked Christmas cookies wafted through his mind while he thought back to the Christmas carols Peggy always loved to sing. There were so many memoires that demanded Bucky's attention and he yearned to relive every single one of them.

He wasn't given the chance to though.

The woman that opened the door wasn't in any of his memories.

Taking a swift step back, Bucky managed to hide his metal arm behind Steve, sliding two silver fingers through one of the belt loops on the back of Steve's pants. It was only because of that that Bucky felt how tense Steve had become, the sensors on Bucky's arm soaking in all the information about what they were in contact with.

Steve's lower back was stone hard and he was pushing back contemplatively, as if trying to decide whether to stay put or to turn and run.

The woman, whose name still completely alluded Bucky, seemed equally as shocked as Steve but her surprise held more of a positive note while Steve's discomfort and horror stood in stark contrast to the brightness on her face.

She had roundish cheeks and a sharp chin. Her eyebrows were the same blond as her hair and thin, almost too feint to see. Her pink mouth bent into a coy smile while her eyes raked over Steve from top to bottom slowly, shamelessly, appreciatively.

Bucky bristled.

"Hey there Steve." The woman spoke up quietly.

Bucky clenched his jaw, stopping himself from blurting out the next best thing that came to his mind, forcing himself to let Steve take the lead on this one.

"Hello Sharon."

At the mention of that name and the way that Steve had said it, Bucky's mind shorted out for a solid second, taking him back to a hazy memory of Steve telling a still completely dehumanized version of himself about a woman that he had loved but who had been too obsessed with her career to care about Steve. She had hurt Steve... she'd broken his heart.

This was Sharon Carter.

"What are you doing here?" Sharon asked Steve, taking a step closer to him timidly. Her long hair slid over her shoulders and even Bucky had to begrudgingly admit that she was pretty.

"I'm here to visit Peggy." Steve answered in a small voice.

"Peggy?" Sharon looked surprised, "Why're you visiting Aunt Peggy?"

"Aunt Peggy?" Steve frowned.

"Sharon honey, who is it?" Peggy's voice cut the tension in the air like a knife through butter and Bucky felt Steve relax a little.

Moments later, the elderly woman appeared beside Sharon, her warm eyes lighting up when she saw who was standing on her porch. "James! Steve!" Without hesitation, she pulled both men into a hug but Bucky was too hellbent on keeping his fingers in Steve's beltloop to hug her back properly.

There was an uncomfortable feeling building up in Bucky's stomach, like the herald of a bad stomach ache. Thinking back, he could faintly recall having felt like this before. It was a long time ago when Bucky was still chasing skirts and harassing Steve into doing the same. It was on one particular date, when the girl that Bucky had found for Steve had actually taken quite a liking to the feisty blond. It had made Bucky sick to the stomach to image Steve going off with her and doing whatever Steve would do with a girl after a first date, even if it was just a kiss on the cheek and a stuttered goodnight.

This time around though, Bucky didn't have alcohol in which to drown that feeling of selfish possessiveness and now that he was free from Hydra's mind control, his brain-to-mouth filter seemed to have suffered and so Bucky wrung with himself to keep quiet.

"Sharon, this is Steve." Peggy pointed to Steve before motioning to Bucky and saying, "And this here is James but his friends-."

"Just James." Bucky interrupted stiffly, removing his metal hand from Steve's belt loops to hold it out for the woman to shake.
Upon seeing Bucky's bare cybernetic arm with all its shifting plates and the blood red star on its side, Sharon hesitated, looking equally as shocked as she did horrified.

Bucky arched an eyebrow at her, his protruding eyes daring her to be rude enough to turn down the offer to shake his hand.

Visibly flustered and uncomfortable, Sharon hesitated for a considerable moment before taking Bucky's hand and giving it a weak shake. The sensors covering the metal palm sent Bucky the information that Sharon's hand was shaking.

If that gave him a sense of satisfaction- no one needed to know.

Bucky's gesture ripped Steve out of his shock and he became acutely aware of the tension radiating off of his boyfriend. Flake had noticed it too because she was edging closer to Bucky in an attempt to comfort him, shoving her wet nose against the back of his flesh hand.


Bucky watched Sharon carry a tray full of tea over to the coffee table in Peggy's living room. She smiled at Steve as she put it down, worrying over the tray senselessly in order to stay around Steve a little longer before retreating to the kitchen to help Peggy.

Bucky's skin felt like it was on fire. He wanted to kiss Steve, show Sharon to back the hell off but Steve had been clear about how he wanted Bucky to act around Peggy and so he was going to do just that- he didn't want to upset Steve.

Once Peggy had brought the plate of freshly baked brownies to the table, the quartet settled down for some tea and coffee.

Bucky drank his coffee black, hoping it would be bitter enough to snap him out of his mood. Steve on the other hand, had a green tea without milk but with a little bit of sugar. Sharon had made a big show out of how she still remembered what tea Steve enjoyed drinking.

"So where do the two of you know each other from?" Peggy enquired curiously, nestling her porcelain cup in her hands carefully, enjoying the warmth it gave off.

"Oh!" Sharon lit up like a Christmas tree, much to Bucky's annoyance, "I met Steve at a political function! Shield's Strike Team had been called in for security on that day because Nick Fury was going to be making an appearance there. At the time, Steve was the captain of the Strike Team. Everyone called him Cap because of it." She giggled, "I couldn't really help but go talk to him considering how handsome he looked in his uniform." She paused, flashing Steve a blinding smile, "Tell Peggy what happened next Stevie."

Bucky felt his metal arm want to twitch so he put his cup down and stuffed his metal hand into his hoodie pocket angrily, clenching it where no one could see what he was doing.

"We exchanged numbers." Steve replied stiffly, chewing his lip nervously.

"Don't be so shy!" Sharon giggled, "You haven't changed one bit Steve!" She took a large sip from her coffee, putting in a thoughtful pause before filling in the parts Steve had chosen to omit. "He asked me out on a date about two weeks in and I said yes. Things went so well that it was only a matter of time before we became official."

"Oh!" Peggy exclaimed, her eyes panning between Sharon and Steve for a moment, "I didn't realize you knew each other that well. In fact, I didn't know you knew each other at all." Peggy's eyes found Bucky's and she held eye contact for a moment before sighing, averting her eyes to look at Steve when he started talking.

"Well Sharon never told me she was your niece."

"Well I didn't exactly think that you were friends with my aunt. I mean you mentioned Peggy but it could just as well have been another one." Sharon defended herself, waving at Steve dismissively as though he was being silly, "Between your talking about Sam and your endless stories about your long lost best friend who died overseas- it was difficult to keep track."

Flake, who had been lying at Bucky's feet, jumped up with a bark just as Bucky's metal hand tore its way through his hoodie pocket, the shoulder plates spasming, snapping the arm to the side violently. Bucky gritted his teeth and bowed his head, rounding his back as though he had been punched in the stomach.

Dutifully, Flake pushed her nose against Bucky's right hand, the wetness of it usually snapping Bucky out of his daze.

He didn't respond.

"Buck?" Steve whispered, bowing his head and edging closer to his boyfriend carefully, "You don't gotta say anything, just… give me a sign if you're still with me."

Bucky gave a weak nod, his head sinking a little lower.

A mixture of panic and anger rose up in Steve's gut, making his stomach ache.

"Did I say something wrong?" Sharon asked quietly, eyeing Bucky warily.

"I would appreciate it if you wouldn't bring up old stories." Steve muttered tersely, "Some of them can do more harm than good when spoken about now."

"I don't understand." Sharon cocked her head to the side, annoyance pulling her eyebrows together, "What is going on he-." Her voice broke off when Peggy put her hand on her niece's shoulder to quieten her.

"Bucky do you need to go outside?" Steve ignored Sharon completely, turning his back on her in favour of facing Bucky.

"So you have two friends who have the same name?" Sharon continued obstinately.

"Sharon!" Peggy hissed, "It's enough. Keep quiet for a moment, will you?"

"Buck. C'mon. Work with me here." Steve begged him, putting his hand on Bucky's right one gently, stroking his thumb over the back of his knuckles.

The gesture made Bucky want to lash out but he sat through it, waiting for the urge to pass. Once it had, Steve's loving touch drained the tension from Bucky's shoulders and he let out a sigh. Flake backed off, settling back down at Bucky's feet with a groan and a huff.
Relieved, Steve fell against Bucky's side gently, the contact coaxing Bucky back to reality.
The ex-assassin raised his head slowly, offering Steve an apologetic smile.
"Don't even think about saying you're sorry." Steve grinned, "You didn't do anything wrong Buck."

Giving Steve a thankful smirk, Bucky turned his attention to Peggy who was watching him with a concerned frown. "I'm fine." He assured her gently before asking, "Is there anything you have for me to do in the garden? I think I could use the fresh air."


The late June sun was beating down on the garden mercilessly, catching the metal of Bucky's arm as if it were a disco ball. Bucky and Steve both made quick work of the narrow steps leading down to the garden while Peggy and Sharon took them a little slower and far more gracefully.

"Now," Peggy drew up next to Bucky, putting a hand on his back comfortingly, "The gardening centre down the road brought by some small boulders that I wanted to put at the sides of the flowerbeds."

"That'll look really nice Pegs." Steve commented appreciatively, his bright eyes finding the pile of small, round boulders near the garden gate. The waist-high boulders looked like they had been polished, resembling skipping stones in appearance but not size.

"I can do that." Bucky affirmed, sizing up the boulders in his mind's eye.

"Perfect!" Peggy clapped her hands together happily, "I suppose I'll leave the three of you to it then. I still have some cleaning up to do in the kitchen before my evening telenovela so if you don't mind, I'll be excusing myself." With a vague wave and a smile, Peggy made her way back inside much more swiftly than was allowed for a woman her age.

"Guess I'll start with those boulders then." Bucky mumbled.

"Let me help you with those boulders okay? I think I need the exercise." Steve enthused.

"You're fine." Sharon interjected obnoxiously, "I'll call the gardening centre tomorrow to send over some handymen. They needed three men to carry one of those, I don't think the two of you can pull it off, especially with only three arms. Besides Steve, you're not his babysitter, you don't have to be chained to his side the whole day like you have been." Sharon was joking, Steve knew it but Bucky was practically seething, "Don't you wanna go for a walk so the two of us can do some catching up?"

"Yeah Stevie, go do some catching up." Bucky growled venomously, "I wouldn't wanna make ya feel like you're chained to me." And with that, Bucky marched off towards the boulders with clenched fists.

Once he was sure Bucky was out of hearing distance, Steve turned to Sharon angrily, eyes alight with anger. "What was that?"

"Come on Steve, he's acting like some sort of crazy person."

"He isn't crazy!" Steve said warningly.

"Listen Stevie-."

"It's Steve." Steve interjected shortly, crossing his muscular arms across his chest, "And how about you listen to me for a change Sharon?"

Sharon pulled a face, clearly offended but she stayed quiet, rolling her eyes angrily.

"The two of us are over. You broke up with me because you cared more about your job than our relationship. A relationship isn't something you can pause when its inconvenient and then resume when you feel like it."

"Woah." The surprise in her voice got Steve to follow her gaze, his eyes landing on Bucky who was busy carrying one of the boulders. "I can't believe that handy-capped guy can lift that-."

"His name is Bucky!" Steve snapped, "If you knew a bloody thing about Bucky, you wouldn't be talking about him like that. Yes, he lost his arm- he lost it in an explosion before having a metal one welded to his skin by a Neo-Nazi Organization that tortured him for almost five years."

"Steve-."

"No!" Steve interrupted her mercilessly, his anger getting the better of him,"I'm not done Sharon! That man I told you about? All those stories that used to annoy you because you said I needed to move on? Bucky is that guy!"

Sharon's eyes widened and she looked past Steve at Bucky for a long moment. Then, just as quickly as her surprise came, it vanished again. "So, you're like his VA councillor?" Sharon scoffed defensively, "Is that it? So you really are his babysitter."

"Hey Buck! Mind coming over here for a second?" Steve called over to Bucky who dropped the boulder he had been carrying and jogged over to Steve immediately.

Tensely, he tried to assess the situation, tried to deduce in what kind of state Steve was and what the two of them had been talking about.

One second Bucky could still see Sharon and the next thing he knew, he was being pulled towards Steve. Then, Steve's lips crashed against his in a messy, possessive kiss that made Bucky feel like a teenager all over again. Once he'd gotten over his surprise, Bucky reciprocated the kiss readily, wrapping his arms around Steve possessively, eager to show Sharon just how much Steve didn't belong to her.

"You have got to be shitting me."

Bucky broke the kiss, pulling away from Steve to glare at a horrified Sharon. "You should really watch your language Carter, Steve doesn't like that kind of talk."

Steve watched adoringly as Bucky's signature smirk spread across his face and Steve couldn't help but lean in for another kiss, not caring whether Sharon was there or whether Peggy might see them.


"Wow Steve… a girl like that, really?" Bucky snickered, watching the clouds dance across a pink and orange sky.

"She isn't usually like that." Steve pointed out, stretching his legs across the grass they were lying on, "I guess she sensed that there was something going on between us."

"Good." Bucky muttered.

"Hey…" Steve paused, moving onto his side so he could look at Bucky. Bucky's arms were jammed behind his head, serving as a pillow. "Were you jealous?"

"Why the hell would I be jealous?" Bucky mumbled, eyes narrowing.

"Then what was with giving her your metal hand? You never do that. And you usually don't mind people calling you Bucky."

"She hurt you." Bucky pointed out evasively, "Course I don't like her for it."

"Is that it?"

Bucky sighed, watching the way Steve's earnest eyes were searching his. "Guess it got to me that she kept trying to hit on you."

"So you were jealous?"

"Not jealous. Protective." Bucky corrected, "I don't want some girl messing with you. You've been through enough."

"Thanks Buck." Steve smiled at him briefly before lying back down on the grass with an airy sigh. Next to him, Steve could hear the grass rustle a little; then a cold arm slid underneath his shirt to wrap around his waist. The contrast in temperature between his sun soaked shirt and Bucky's metal arm made Steve shiver.

"You know what else got me upset?" Bucky leant over Steve, smirking down at a very curious looking man.

"What?"

"I guess I really don't like it when someone else flirts with my boyfriend as if I ain't even there."

"I knew it." Steve grinned, pulling Bucky down for a long kiss, "But Buck… you know that I only care about you in that way, right?"

"I do." Bucky assured him, smiling down at Steve. Then something seemed to cross his mind and he was snickering, letting his head down on Steve's chest.

"What's up?" Steve asked curiously.

"When you told her…"

"What about it?

"Her face." Bucky laughed.

"Buck!"

"No but Stevie! Her face!"

Steve shook his head, feeling a chuckle build up in his chest.

"Yeah." He agreed bemusedly, enjoying the sound of Bucky giggling into his shirt.


Ok so please don't hate me for what I did to Sharon! Dx
So this was more of a filler chapter I guess but I really hope you still enjoyed it!