The Red String

by The Wayward Angel

It was snowing out and Steve had a cold. Those were the two things Bucky focused on. Their heating had been cut off two days prior and Steve had taken to burning old sketches and drawings to try to keep warm. Bucky had started sleeping next to Steve at night to keep him warm. *Alpha/Omega AU*

10. Chapter Ten

Author: The Wayward Angel
Story: The Red String
Rating: M
Word Count: 619
Chapter: 10/?
Pairings: Starbuck
Spoilers: Captain America: The Winter Soldier spoilers apply
Trigger Warnings: a/b/o dynamics, alpha!Bucky, omega!Steve, explicit sex
Summary: It was snowing out and Steve had a cold. Those were the two things Bucky focused on. Their heating had been cut off two days prior and Steve had taken to burning old sketches and drawings to try to keep warm. Bucky had started sleeping next to Steve at night to keep him warm. *Alpha/Omega AU*
Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.

Unbeta'd. All mistakes are mine. Please feel free to point out any grammatical or spelling errors.

The Red String
Chapter Ten

December 2014
Manhattan, NY

Bucky was drinking coffee in a Starbucks just a few blocks from the Avengers tower. The normalcy of it –Bucky with his hair tied back and a long sleeve shirt and glove to hide the metal arm, just lounging in a Starbucks in Manhattan- threw Steve for a loop. In fact Steve stood in the doorway of the Starbucks for a solid minute, shirt stuck to his skin with sweat from his morning run, before he finally took a breath and walked fully inside the store. He ordered a coffee; keeping the Alpha in his line of sight, almost as if he looked away Bucky might disappear.

Coffee in hand, Steve slowly approached the table. Bucky wasn't looking at him, just staring straight out the window, unmoving. "It was snowing, and you had a cold." The Alpha said softly.

Steve stopped, standing next to the table, "Wha-"

"The day I claimed you, Steve." Bucky side eyed him, "It was snowing, you had a cold, and you dropped your pills down the sink. I came home and you were in Heat, prettiest thing I'd ever seen all curled up in bed and shaking with need."

The Omega shook his head, a small smile pulling at his lips, "Yeah, well, it was your fault for trusting me to take my own medication you jerk." Bucky snorted and tilted his head in invitation for Steve to sit with him. Steve sat down in the chair across from his mate, picking at the coffee sleeve. "So does this mean you have your memories back?" He finally asked.

The Alpha took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, tilting it back on two legs, "I remember a lot about before I was captured by HYDRA, most of the- the Winter Soldier stuff is a little fuzzy, but yeah, I've got pretty much everything back."

"I'm guessing it's not a coincidence, me bumping into you at a Starbucks after looking for you all over Europe for the past six months."

Bucky shrugged, "I may or may not have figured out your running pattern and discovered that you stop at this Starbucks every morning after your run."

"You're still such a jerk." Steve said, ducking his head down. He felt like he might cry. Finding Bucky again, his Bucky, and being able to talk to him and see him was almost too much. The Alpha's flesh hand reached out across the table and grabbed his hand. "I looked for you," Steve said tightly, gripping his mate's hand almost too hard, "After the train I looked for you. And after DC, Sam and I started looking in Russia. I lost you twice Buck."

"I know." Bucky said, smile a little sad, "But I'm back now. And I'm actually back. Maybe a little faulty wiring but I'm mostly me again."

Steve laughed, looking up at the Alpha, "How do we keep getting so many chances?"

"Don't know," Bucky replied, "But I'm sure as hell glad we do."

To be continued…