AN- okay this is less an AU and more just shameless fluff but hey, fluff never hurt anyone! I have sold my soul to these two dumb Brooklyn boys and I'm not sorry at all. Best friends are good for talking you out of doing dumb shit or sitting with you through the aftermath.
Prompt:
Imagine pre-serum Steve Rogers selflessly going out and running errands for all his neighbors... in the middle of a blizzard
"Steve."
"I know what you're gonna say Buck, but listen; Ms. Anders needed milk for the baby, you know how bad his colic is—"
"Steve."
"And Miguel needed juice for his boy and the triplet's ma was sick and needed some medicine so I figured I might as well just—"
"Steven Grant Rogers, its negative seven outside and there's three feet of snow what the hell were you thinking? Wait, I know, you weren't."
Steve puffed out his chest a bit, trying to look as big and strong as he could considering he was soaking wet and shivering and just about blue in the face from cold. Bucky had a point—okay Bucky had a lot of points, but he wasn't just going to sit there in his apartment when his neighbors needed help. Granted, he'd hoped to beat Bucky back home so he wouldn't know but it looked like the stars were not in alignment for him today.
"M'fine Buck, don't worry." He tried to sound as convincing as possible, but of course his lungs would pick that time to sneeze, the kind that made his ribs hurt. Bucky looked at him critically, head canting to the side the slightest bit and jaw set.
"Alright, out." Bucky motioned to his sopping jacket, stepping out of the doorway only after he'd peeled it off. "You're not getting everything wet. Go sit on the couch; I'll be back ina sec." Steve did as he said, knowing that even though Bucky sounded mad he was just disappointed. Bucky had vanished into the other room and Steve quickly curled up on the couch, knees pulled up to his chest to keep as much body heat as he could. Okay, yeah, that had been a pretty stupid thing to do but he got everything he needed so it was worth it.
Bucky returned about ten minutes later holding a thick quilt, the one that Sarah had made a few years back. He sat down heavy next to Steve, wrapping him up in it like a cocoon. It was toasty warm, Buck having likely thrown it over the radiator, and Steve damn near melted into it. A second later Bucky had hooked his arm around him and pulled him against him, wrapping them both up in the biggest blanket they had so none of their body heat could escape.
"Fine, huh." He said flatly although he broke into a smirk a moment later, "What am I going to do with you, Stevie. I leave for five minutes and you get the brilliant idea to walk half a mile in this weather? I swear one of these days you're gonna end up frozen solid from some fool's errand." His voice was teasing and Steve responded by huffing, plopping dejectedly against his chest with his bony shoulders and elbows right in Bucky's ribs, sighing in mock hurt. He was still ice cold, Bucky having jumped when he squashed himself up against him, but the warmth from both Bucky and the blanket was quick to ease the sting out of his skin.
"Yeah yeah very funny Buck," he rolled his eyes, moving a bit so instead of leaning right against his chest he was tucked up under Bucky's arm which was a bit more comfortable for the both of them, "but you'd be right there with me since you've always gotta pull me out of the shit I get myself into." Bucky huffed up a laugh at that, elbowing him slightly in the ribs.
"Damn straight. End of the line, right? Even if that line ends in some stupid snowbank because you're a damn fool punk with stupid ideas." He replied with a lazy smirk, "But that was stupid as hell, Stevie. If you get pneumonia again I'm going to lock you in the apartment 'til spring so you can't go catch your damn death running around in the snow."