Dreamed

Sunrays creep into a room through three big windows and illuminate small particles of dust that flows lazily through the air. It is warm and it promises a lovely day and yet Steve and Bucky wallow in their big bed in the Avengers' tower and don't plan to change anything about it. Steve leans against the headboard with a sketchbook on his thighs and a pencil in hand. Bucky lies spread on the other side with mischievous grin upon his face. Steve ignores all the seductive moves Bucky makes and rather takes his time to draw them. When he first wanted to draw his lover naked, he was very shy to ask but once he did, Bucky agreed maybe a bit too enthusiastically. He obviously enjoyed the feeling of Steve's eyes all over his body; it felt almost as good as when they were touching. Steve concentrates on small details of Bucky's face and the latter doesn't dare to change his expression, afraid that if he did, Steve would be mad at him.

They worked hard for the last few months and almost wore themselves out. Neither spoke of it, but they thought that the sooner they get rid of what is to be found remaining of HYDRA, the better and that they won't have peace before they know Bucky's free. The other Avengers only saw them on a few occasions when the pair dropped by if it was convenient. At first neither dared to bring the subject up but when Steve fell asleep in the middle of a conversation, Natasha threatened she'll lock them in a room for three days separately and without food if they didn't take a break. At first they tried to object but their resistance only lasted a few minutes before they took a shower, fell into a bed and slept for almost a whole day. As if following Natasha's words, they almost didn't leave their room if not for food or to go into a bathroom.

What they were doing apart from the much too obvious actions everybody who was as close as a floor up or down from their room could hear too clearly – nobody understood how they could both be so loud when normally they were quite noiseless – nobody knew. From time to time Natasha, who was maybe a bit too thrilled about their relationship and did something that could only be described as stalking, could hear laughter and she supposed they were talking about the times before the war.

They truly were; Bucky once asked Steve if they could play a 'Real or not real' game he read about in the Hunger Games book (nobody ever asked why he chose to read that book in particular). Steve agreed, even though he thought Bucky had a different problem – his mind was blank while the original boy had his memories twisted and changed. Steve never said it aloud but he was grateful for that, because he thought he could give Bucky his memories back – or to simply wake them up – and didn't have to worry about what Bucky thinks of him.

As soon as they started this game though, Steve realised HYDRA has altered Bucky's recollections; not much, but they were different in details – America seemed a much filthier place than it was, the war seemed to have been provoked by everybody else but HYDRA and other small things that changed Bucky's view of the war. Fortunately for Steve, nobody considered Bucky's memory of his childhood best friend dangerous so they just took it away. That was proved wrong in the end as Steve was what brought James Buchanan Barnes to the surface from beneath the thick layers of the Winter Soldier, but it made Steve shiver anyway.

They agreed not to talk about it with anybody else; Bucky agreed because he didn't see how it was a deal at all now when he was free, but Steve seemed to find it important so he kept his promise. The truth was that Steve just realised how dangerous Bucky could have been back then when he was only getting his memories back and how reckless he was himself when he trusted the shadow of his best friend.

"And...finished. Do you like it, mademoiselle?" Steve turned the drawing towards Bucky who threw himself forward and stretched his stiff neck in the process. He lay down beside Steve and took the paper into his hands. He watched it for some time, pretending to be deep in thoughts before he handed it back and grinned.

"That was the most erotic moment in my life," he declared and they both laughed.

Natasha forced them to watch Titanic with her a few days ago and the pair has been making fun of it since then. Bucky thought he would never get tired of saying: "Draw me like one of your French girls!" even though he thought it was extremely cheesy and stupid.

"Yeah, I know," Steve grinned and threw the sketchbook onto the ground before lying on top of Bucky and kissing his neck. Bucky laughed and rolled them over.

"Not now. We're having a romantic moment." He breathed out, his hands pinning the other man down in a possessive manner anyway.

"Yeah, looks like that, Sergeant," Steve snarls back and smirks. The expression would surprise people if they saw it on Captain America's face. But it could not surprise Bucky who has long ago learnt that just because Steve is all smiles and kindness he doesn't necessarily have to be submissive.

"I think I'm gonna be disobedient today," Bucky bites Steve's lip as he says so and they kiss roughly for some time. Eventually, Bucky gives in and Steve pushes him on his back again.

"The more punishment for you," Rogers utters.

...

Later on, Steve lies with his head on Bucky's chest and draws small circles around Bucky's belly-button. It tickles a bit especially with the sweat still covering their skin but Bucky holds, deep in thoughts. Steve looks up at him because he thinks another question will come; that maybe Bucky recovered some memory and now he is going to ask Steve to verify it. When he looks into his lover's eyes though, he sees they're not confused and slowly a small smile creeps onto Bucky's lips.

"Enjoying yourself?" Steve asks without irony – or maybe just a little bit of it.

"You know, this is what I've dreamt about since I was like... fourteen." Bucky frowns a little at the time expression. "You and me naked in a bed, making out when we want, getting so much food we wouldn't be able to eat it, you drawing pictures of me, you being healthy so I wouldn't have to worry you'd collapse in my arms. This is a dream coming true."

"You're such a hopeless romantic, Bucky, you should write poems." Steve sits up with a mischievous light in his eyes. "Thy eyes are like diamonds that illuminate the path which I must take, thy tears are endless rivers I want to end, and thy lips are the sweetest fruit because they're forbidden, at the sight of thee my eyes widen."

"You sure it's not you who should write the poems?" Bucky grins.

"You're a jerk,"

"I love you, too,"