HUD: Enjoy!

Bucky began to notice a few things. He noticed that he hardly smoked any more, because Steve wrinkled his nose but never said anything about it when Bucky would climb out to his fire escape; Bucky knew Steve didn't like it but respected him, so Bucky bought gum and patches and pretended to not notice Steve's small smile. Bucky didn't mind anyway, and liked the way the gum tasted.

He noticed that more and more things were creeping into his apartment, as sparse as it was. Before, he'd been a worldly guy with knick-knacks and photos and sentiment leaking from the cracks, but after, it mirrored his army life - thin, and if it wasn't a necessity to life, not around. After Winter, little splotches of colour appeared on the floor by the couch in feathers from destroyed toys or glitter from a new toy, and Bucky found he didn't much mind. He stopped cleaning it up, even if he almost broke his neck over a bright pink mouse a time or two, and didn't change that for Steve, either. If he had a problem with Winter, then Bucky told himself he could just go on 'cos it was her home, too, no skin off Bucky's teeth, nope. When Steve came over and almost killed himself over the very same mouse, grinning and blushing away as Bucky couldn't help but laugh at the big man sprawled inelegantly across his kitchen floor, Steve never said anything more than a grumble about Winter being out for him, and Bucky was more than pleased.

Winter's toys were bright and cheerful, much like the little thing herself, but it was Steve's things that Bucky loved the most. He spent more time with Bucky than at his own apartment, but Bucky never mentioned it. He never mentioned the blanket Steve brought in his duffle once when he'd crashed on Bucky's couch the night before without even a sheet because Bucky just used his bed. The soft blue throw was a favourite place for Winter to lay, and Bucky washed it with his sheets every week. Bucky never mentioned the assortment of new toys Steve brought for Winter, or the portion of his pantry that actually had spices like basil and parsley and paprika because sometimes Steve cooked stupid amazing things to decompress; he never mentioned the toothbrush that made it into the cup beside his or the foreign bottle of body wash now in his shower, and he especially didn't mention the small basket that wasn't his, the one that was filled with clothes that weren't his, too, all nicely folded.

He told himself - Steve spends so much time there, of course he would want to have something of his there; he told himself - it's what friends do for each other; he tells himself - it's no big deal.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Mrs. Keith noticed, of course, when several of his stories revolved around Steve, his friend, his best friend, whereas Mrs. Keith used to do all the talking and now Bucky's can't seem to shut up.

"How long have you two been seeing each other?" She asked casually one day weeks later, after Bucky's seen the toothbrush and feels his heart warm and stay that way, even hours later.

"I - what?" He answered dumbly, because no doubt he heard that wrong.

Mrs. Keith blinked and smiled at him. "You and Steve?"

"What, ah, what about me an' Stevie?"

Mrs. Keith recognized Bucky's denial better than he did, before he even realized it was denial. "Bucky, you should say something to him. It's obvious that you care about him, and if he's half as great as you say, I'm sure he feels the same."

Bucky twitched, his hand dropping to Winter's sleeping back. She stirred but didn't move. "I don't..."

Mrs. Keith smiled indulgently; she knew Bucky better than himself. "Something tells me you do."

Bucky bit his lip and pulled Winter into his lap. She struggled for a moment before settling again beneath his palms. It really was useless to lie to her. "I do, yeah, but I don't think he does. I don't...that's what friends do, right?"

Mrs. Keith leaned back in her seat and tapped her pen against her chin. Bucky felt like she was gonna drop a bomb on him.

"Friends get together, seek each other out, yes, that's true. They comfort one another, they fill the place where loneliness might be; from what you've told me, that's not all Steve is after, and neither are you. Maybe Steve leaving things around your apartment is his way of hinting at something else he wants from you."

Bucky didn't answer her, and Mrs. Keith sent him off with well wishes and a request to think about what she said and to really look at himself, look at how he feels about Steve.

When Bucky got home, he unclipped Winter's harness and found Steve milling about in Bucky's smallish kitchen. Steve had crashed on the couch the night before, and now looked fresh and clean; Bucky bet if he walked into his bathroom it would still smell like Steve's body wash.

"Hey Buck," he said, smiling that smile that makes his entire face light up. "Made pancakes if you're interested."

Bucky smiled back and nodded.

Bucky woke with a yawn and a stretch, rolling over onto his side. Sometimes he took naps during the day, the side-effect of too much time on his hands. He felt around slightly for Winter, but couldn't find her. He blinked and sat up, finding the door to his room closed. He never closed it anymore.

Bucky pushed open the door a crack and saw Steve sitting on the floor with his legs crossed and Winter in his lap. She was swatting at his fingers, dangling just out of her reach from where she sat. He was smiling, his eyes crinkled at the corners, and still dressed from the meeting he'd had that morning. White cat hair was all over his black slacks, but Bucky knew Steve didn't care.

The sound of the door pulled Winter's attention; she meowed loudly and rolled off of Steve's lap to the carpet. Steve laughed at her and watched her slink over to Bucky. "Heya pal."

Bucky grinned lightly. "Hey, yourself," Bucky answered, his voice still thick and raspy from sleep. He must still be dizzy from it too, because he had to have imagined Steve's eyes darkening. Had to. "How'd your meeting go?"

Steve groaned, his head dropping back to expose his throat. Bucky swallowed. "Annoying; no one wants to listen to us, Buck, it's frustrating."

"More budget cuts?" Bucky offered, dropping down to join his friend and cat on the floor. Winter placed her paws on his shoulders and rubbed against the stubble on his jaw. He smiled and nuzzled back at her.

"Yeah," Steve answered, and there was something off about his tone that made Bucky look back at him. Steve was smiling fondly at them, and Bucky amended his traitorous thoughts to Steve looking fondly at Winter. Bucky wanted to scream at Mrs. Keith for putting those weird thoughts into his head.

Not weird if she's just statin' what she sees.

Bucky cleared his throat and looked back at his Winter, his safe zone. "How 'bout those fundraisers? Got any planned?"

Steve shrugged and wrapped his hands around his ankles. "A few, yeah. Nothin' too big, just a bake sale comin' up and maybe a bachelor auction."

Bucky couldn't help but snort. "A what?" Bucky's grin grew as a dark blush stained Steve's cheeks. "Couldn't just pose for a sexy calendar or somethin', Rogers?"

"Shut up, jerk," Steve said with little heat, but still avoided Bucky's eyes. "I, well, it wasn't my idea."

Bucky nodded. "But you got drafted, huh?"

Steve nodded miserably. Bucky laughed at his friend, even with such a morose expression on his face. As terrible as it was, Bucky couldn't help but think that even pouting, Steve was beautiful. He nudged Winter in the ribs until she sat up and looked at him; Bucky picked her up and offered her towards Steve. Winter took the hint and crawled the few feet over to him. Bucky felt his chest warm whenever Steve and Winter cuddled, and right then was no exception.

"Actually, Buck," Steve began, keeping his eyes down on Winter rolling around in his lap. "I wanna ask ya somethin'."

Bucky hummed, leaning back on his palms and stretching his legs out. His ankles stopped inches from where Steve sat and drew the man's attention. Steve seemed to steel himself before he spoke.

"I was hopin' you'd wanna help us, maybe," he paused. "Help me, actually."

Bucky tilted his chin up. "Whatcha need, Stevie?"

A light flush crept up Steve's neck again; it was terribly distracting. "I was kinda hopin' you'd, uh, that is, would you...ah, could you, if you wouldn't mind - "

Bucky absolutely couldn't help it - he laughed at Steve's adorable fumbling, because for all of Steve's size and confidence he sure did stumble over words a lot. Bucky used to be better himself, but Steve has helped him more than even Mrs. Keith.

"Want me to help out at the bake sale?" Bucky offered. Steve sighed in relief and nodded.

"Yeah, if you could?" Steve smiled. Bucky nodded.

"When is it?"

"Two Saturdays away," Steve supplied. Bucky nodded again - he could do that. Steve looked back down at Winter again, dropping his hands to her soft fur and scratching her belly furiously. "I was hopin' you'd make a few of those cakes, too."

Bucky smiled; he'd had a bad day, a few weeks back, and he'd busted out his old recipes, one being for a cake his ma used to make for him. It was an apple cake, not really something you'd see too often. Steve had called to be buzzed in and found Bucky in a flour-covered kitchen with the most heavenly scent wafting from the oven. Bucky cut him a slice after it cooled and the man literally fell in love. Bucky swore it, anyway.

"You got it, punk," Bucky answered fondly, and Steve's blinding smile was more than worth it.

Mrs. Keith was by far Bucky's favourite psychiatrist; she went so far out of her way to make sure that Bucky was happy and healthy and Bucky never could think of a proper way to thank her. The government paid for her services when she saw him, but if Bucky could tip her he would. The day before the bake sale, Bucky stopped by her office with a tray of lemon bars. She squealed and grabbed him for a fierce hug.

"To what do I owe this wonderful visit?" She asked, holding her hand under her chin as she bit into a fresh bar. Powered sugar dusted her top lip.

"I'm helpin' out Stevie tomorrow, and I wanted to drop somethin' by 'fore it's all gone."

Mrs. Keith quirked an eyebrow at him, and Bucky felt his face heat. "What are you helping with?"

Bucky had been careful to not mention the sale to her, and now felt a little guilty at leaving her out. "Bake sale for his fire department. He needed some extra help an' asked me."

Mrs. Keith hummed. "I see."

Bucky swallowed as she took another bite. "These are delicious, Bucky."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Steve's a lucky man."

Bucky bit his lip but didn't deny anything.

Steve stayed the night before the sale and helped Bucky put out the finishing touches on a few things. He pulled cream from the fridge and watched Bucky whip up a light frosting for his chocolate chip cupcakes, reaching over to scoop a bit out for Winter.

"She still okay to come?" Bucky asked after they were both dressed and ready. One of Steve's buddies was going to call up when he was close and help them load the bed of his truck. Steve nodded.

"Of course! Winter can be our mascot," he said with a large grin, bending down to plop Winter up on the counter. Bucky smiled back, but he felt it was a little forced. Steve must have noticed, his own grin dimming. "You okay?"

Bucky nodded, once, before sighing and frowning. Even though they'd only been friends for a few months, Bucky found himself opening up more and more to Steve and had to struggle to fool the man if he wasn't feeling one-hundred percent.

"I just," he started, shuffling his weight. "'M not good at this. Might be too much." Bucky gestured to his arm, to his everything. Steve frowned and shook his head.

"Don't talk about yourself like that, Bucky," Steve said. He leaned against Bucky's counter and crossed his arms over his chest, his brows furrowed. He was wearing worn jeans over his usual work boots with a well-loved FDNY blue shirt that stretched across his chest and was tucked into his jeans because Steve Rogers was really too adult sometimes. Bucky couldn't help but think about how good he looked leaning against Bucky's counter like he belonged there.

That's 'cos he does.

"You're gonna do fine," Steve continued, and Bucky wondered if he noticed him checking out of the conversation. "All the guys'll be nearby, and they like you plenty." Steve's expression turned less severe. "'Sides, I want you there, Buck."

Bucky ducked his head, looking up when he felt Steve's hand on his shoulder. His friend was smiling softly, his eyes shining so bright and blue, and Bucky couldn't help but get a little lost in them. "I'm with ya all the way."

Bucky bit his lip but nodded, and Steve squeezed his shoulder. He looked like he wanted to say more, but his phone started buzzing on the counter and startled a yelp out of Winter.

"Smooth, doll," Bucky commented to Winter's glare as Steve turned to answer the phone. After a short conversation, Steve slipped his wallet and phone into his pocket and grinned.

"Sam's here." Steve moved into the kitchen and started pilling plastic bins and foil tins together. Bucky clipped Winter's harness around her and stuffed her leash into his windbreaker's pocket. He packed one of her blankets and a few toys into a reusable tote and helped Steve with the rest of the goods. A knock came to his door and Steve slipped behind him to answer it.

Steve came back around the corner with Sam, whom Bucky had only met once before, a handsome man with kind eyes and a slight gap in his front teeth. "Hey Buck, you remember Sam?"

Bucky nodded and offered a smile, reaching over the counter to shake Sam's hand in his right. "Yeah, Sam Wilson, right?"

Sam nodded. "You got it, Bucky. Steve conned you into this, too?"

His tone was light and teasing, but Steve huffed. Bucky grinned. "You could say that."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Alright guys, we got people waitin' on us. Let's go."

Sam and Steve managed to carry everything except one container between the two of them, leaving Bucky with his tote of Winter's things, the cat herself, and what little was left. He locked the door and all of them piled into Sam's single cab truck, Steve opting to sit in the middle.

"Just keep outta my space, Rogers," Sam threatened, making Steve laugh and throw his arm over the seat and Bucky's shoulders. Winter had her paws against the armrest of the door, staring out the window.

"'S fine, then. Buck, you don't mind me, do ya?"

Bucky couldn't help but grin. "Well, you showered today, so..."

Sam's laughter was loud in the cab but Steve's blush was worth it.

Bucky set up Winter's little area carefully, placing her blanket down and wrapping her leash around the leg of his table. He didn't think she'd take off, but was more concerned about someone trying to take off with her. Sam hung around to help Bucky lay out his goods while Steve was off talking to the rest of his team.

"So, got something to ask you, pal," Sam said after Steve stopped by to check on them.

Bucky fanned out a few napkins for the samples at the front of the table. "Yeah?"

"Steve's been pretty happy lately," Sam began, and Bucky really should have seen that coming. Sam was one of Steve's closest friends. "Haven't really seen him much lately, either. That's because of you, yeah?"

Bucky hesitated. "Dunno about the happy part, Steve's always in a good mood, but yeah, he's over a lot."

Sam leaned his hip against the edge of the table. "I saw the blanket his ma made him over the back of your couch."

Bucky felt his face flush; he hadn't known that. He knew Steve's parents had passed, that he was close with his mom, which must make that blanket pretty important. "He brought it over to crash on the couch with."

"I figured," Sam continued. "He's a big guy, Steve, but he's got a heart to match it. I just wanna make sure you know that. He's important to me, and he's been through some shit. So don't think I won't make it my business if I think he's going through more."

Bucky looked over at Sam, at his crossed arms and his sharp eyes and couldn't help but smirk. "Don't know what you're worried about, Sam. I've got no ulterior motives."

"Maybe not, but he does," Sam said with an answering smirk, just as sharp as his eyes. "Steve's a good guy. Just remember that, will ya?"

Bucky looked over Sam's shoulder, to where Steve stood with a clipboard, checking in on the other tables; he felt his smirk soften. "Don't gotta tell me twice."

The bake sale was a huge success. Bucky sold out of everything rapidly, hardly having enough to keep the table full. Steve and Sam brought over the extras others made from the kitchen to keep up with the crowds, but even that didn't seem to help. Bucky felt like his old self for once; after his initial awkwardness, having Steve so close and supporting him made the old Bucky come out, the one that had a way with words that could make anyone stammer and who smiled wide and easy. Bucky denied that he did anything to help, that it was all just his baking, but Steve quickly shot him down.

"You were great, Buck," he gushed, wrapping his arms around Bucky's waist and hauling him in for a tight hug. "You sold everything, even Betty's burnt cookies!"

Bucky couldn't help the flush from staining his cheeks. "They weren't that bad - "

"I think I chipped my tooth on one, man," Sam called from where he sat on the tile, playing with Winter. Steve laughed, the sound rumbling through his chest and right into Bucky. If Bucky tightened his grip because of it, Steve didn't seem to mind.

Steve let him go after a moment, but kept his hands on Bucky's waist. "Let's get everything put away and grab some food."

"Sure," Bucky answered, his hands resting on Steve's board shoulders. Steve was smiling at him softly, his eyes crinkling like Bucky liked. Bucky was close enough to notice a little bit of green in his blue eyes, too.

"I'm goin' too!" Sam said, breaking their eye contact. Steve's grin grew. "And you're paying for me, Rogers. I spent my day off helping your sorry asses."

Steve laughed from his belly and finally pulled away from Bucky. "Fine, but you gotta help break tables down."

Sam squawked about labour laws and demanding a break that just made Steve laugh harder. Bucky smiled, watching him. Maybe, Mrs. Keith was on to something. Maybe Sam was, too.

Hell, maybe Bucky was.

Maybe.

A/N: One more after this, maybe two. Dunno yet. Let you know what you thought!