Pre-serum Steve x Bucky
Fluff/Angst
———

1936

Bucky came home late that night, his dark brown hair messily combed and his coat soaking wet from the rain. It was another cold, miserable night. With a heavy sigh, he slipped off his coat and hung it up to dry on a hook. He set down his bag by the door and made sure to lock it, he had heard rumors of people's homes and apartments getting broken into at night.

He stood there for a moment, lost in thought, until his mind landed on Steve and he went to look for him. He found him in the living room, passed out on the couch with a thin blanket wrapped tightly around him. The poor blond was shivering violently because of the sickness that was currently ravaging his body. Steve always got sick when the weather was bad.

Bucky shook his head and sighed again, silently making his way over to the couch. He bent over and carefully lifted Steve into his arms, making sure he was secure before bringing him into the bedroom. He carefully laid him in the bed and pulled the covers over him, a small smile tugging at his lips when he saw Steve cuddle up in the blankets. The brunet then left the bedroom to go to the bathroom and freshen up before he went to bed.

As he was brushing his teeth, he heard Steve coughing and trying to call his name in his raspy voice. He quickly finished up and rinsed out his mouth, grabbing a white t-shirt on his way out and pulling it on. "What, Stevie? You should be asleep." Bucky murmured, his dark eyes scanning over his sick friend.

"I-I'm cold.... I d-don't wanna d—die..." Steve rasped, coughing hoarsely several times and continuing to shiver. He clung to the blankets for dear life and kept his eyes shut tight even though tears were gathering in them.

"You're not gonna die." Bucky firmly stated, though he was unsure about that. He got under the covers and wrapped his arms around Steve, pulling him close so that he could warm him up. "God, you're freezing...." He mumbled softly.

Some time passed and Steve eventually started to warm up, his shivers ceasing and his breathing steadying slowly. He curled up into a ball and absorbed the warmth that was radiating from Bucky.

Bucky noticed that Steve had relaxed and let out a sigh of relief. He nuzzled the back of the blond's neck and gently kissed the bare skin. "Feeling better?"

"Y-Yeah..." Steve murmured. He couldn't help but smile when he felt Bucky kiss the back of his neck. "Am I always gonna be the little spoon?" He asked with a chuckle, opening his eyes and staring at the wall.

Bucky snickered at that and kissed Steve's neck again. "As long as I'm bigger than you, yep." He replied, gently brushing his hands against Steve's arms.

"One day, I'm gonna be bigger than you."

"And get into more street fights?"

"Well... yeah. If I'm bigger, I can take more punches."

"You know the saying, Stevie. The bigger they are...."

"....the harder they fall. Yeah, I know. I'm just tired of being the little guy."

"Your time'll come, punk. You just gotta be patient."

"Alright."

"....."

"Do you think they'll let me join the army?"

"One thing at a time, Steve."

570 words