It wasn't even nine o'clock in the morning yet and the summer heat was already weighing the city down with a muggy haze. Steve had his bedroom window open, trying to get some air flowing through his room while he drew. He was tempted to take off his white sleep shirt, but he knew his mother would have a fit if she found him sitting shirtless on the windowsill. She'd probably say something along the lines of "you'll catch a cold or something bein' exposed like that!" despite the fact that it was nearly ninety degrees outside. He decided he'd rather sweat it out than be yelled at by his mother.

A cardinal perched on the branch of a tree just within viewing distance, its brilliant red feathers glimmering like rubies in the sunlight. Steve found himself admiring its beauty, his current drawing forgotten. The thought to draw the cardinal crossed his mind, but he was only able to get a rough sketch down before something spooked the bird. Looking down, he could see Bucky clambering over the wooden fence that separated his backyard from the neighbor's. He was wearing a nice cotton t-shirt, shorts, high socks, and his casual dress shoes. A smart choice of clothing considering how hot it was outside. Steve didn't realize he was gawking until Bucky's voice snapped him out of it.

"Hey Steve! Geez, it's hot out here, isn't it? What're you doin' still in your pajamas? Did you just wake up or somethin'?" Bucky joked, craning his neck to look up at Steve while he stood in the backyard with his hands on his hips.

"I- No! I just thought I'd draw for a bit." Steve replied, wondering why he felt so anxious all of a sudden. Was it because Bucky most definitely saw him staring? He himself didn't even realize he was staring! His fingers gripped the edge of his sketchbook as he tried to compose himself. "Why? What's the occasion?"

"I thought you wanted to go to Coney Island today! It's the perfect day for a dip in the ocean, don't ya think?"

Coney Island? Steve had completely forgotten about that! He remembered talking about it with Bucky a few days back, but didn't realize that today was the day! "Y-Yeah! Right! I almost forgot! Just lemme get dressed and I'll be downstairs. My mom will probably want me to eat something before we leave."

Bucky nodded, rocking back on his heels. "Alright, I'll meet you in the kitchen!" He said, already striding towards the back door.

Steve scrambled off the windowsill, tossing his sketchbook onto his bed. He ran over to his small dresser and grabbed a pair of shorts and socks from a drawer. The shorts were too loose around his waist, so he had to wear a belt in order to keep them up. After grabbing the first short sleeve shirt he saw and tucking it into his shorts, he swiped his shoes on the way out of his bedroom and hurried down the stairs. Bucky was already in the kitchen having a conversation with his mother while she fried some eggs on the stove. She had probably convinced him to have some already judging by how many eggs were currently in the pan. Steve didn't mind. Bucky always seemed to be hungry.

"My goodness, Steve. Did you even comb your hair this morning? You look like you just rolled out of bed!" His mother said when she caught a glimpse of him entering the kitchen.

"He always looks like that." Bucky said jokingly, leaning across the table to ruffle Steve's hair with his fingers. "Anyways, I've got some money to pay for our bus ride. There should be enough left over for us to play a few carnival games and get some food."

"I have some money I can give too. I want you boys to be able to splurge a bit." Steve's mother chimed in as she served them their fried eggs and bacon.

"Mom-" Steve began to say, but was silenced by his mother while she poured him a tall glass of orange juice.

"You're only young once, Stevie. I want you two to just have fun and relax. You don't need to worry about anything, okay?" She said, bending down to give him a kiss on the cheek. She ruffled Bucky's hair when she passed him and chuckled. "Make sure he has fun, Bucky."

Bucky grinned and nodded. "I will, Mrs. Rogers. You don't have to worry about that." He snickered when Steve gave him a slight look, pretending that he never said anything as he began eating his eggs.

Steve scoffed and rolled his eyes, picking up his fork. While he was excited to go to Coney Island with Bucky, it worried him that his mother was giving them that much money. She worked really hard for the money and it was hard enough as it is trying to pay the bills without his father there to help. He sighed, focusing on his food instead. If he thought too much, he'd get an upset stomach.

***

"So what do you wanna do first? We could go swimmin', play carnival games, go on a ride..." Bucky listed off the things they could do on his fingers, making sure Steve was keeping up with him as he walked.

Steve weighed his options, tugging on the collar of his shirt to try and cool off. It felt even hotter down here than it did back home and being around a bunch of people didn't really help that much. The sweat was making his skin feel sticky. "How about we go swimmin' first? We've already got our swim trunks on and it's too hot to keep walkin' around like this. I'll pass out from heatstroke before we even reach the first game!"

Bucky laughed and hooked his arm around Steve's shoulders, pulling him close. He changed directions to start walking down the boardwalk that led to the beach. "Alright! Just try not to almost drown this time, okay?" He teased, jostling Steve around a bit.

"That was one time! A wave knocked me down!" Steve huffed, elbowing Bucky in the side.

Bucky simply rolled his eyes and laughed. "Whatever you say! I still think it was because you couldn't touch the bottom."

"It was not!"

The two kept bickering the entire walk to the beach, catching the attention of a few people and the unfriendly stares of parents with their small children. When they finally reached the beach, they picked out a spot that was pretty far away from most people.

Bucky laid out a towel for himself and tossed his backpack with his clothes and money in it on the towel. He pulled off his shirt and stuffed it into the bag, letting out a sigh when he felt the breeze against his exposed skin. "I'm glad you decided to go swimmin' first. I was practically steaming in that shirt." He snorted in amusement.

"Yeah, me too." Steve agreed, pulling off his shirt and putting it in his small backpack. He sat down so he could take off his shoes and socks, being careful so he didn't get sand in them. When he glanced up to see if Bucky was ready, however, he was disappointed to see that he was already in the water. He was about to yell something at him, but watching him pop out of the crystal blue water like that left him speechless. The water on his tan skin made his muscles glisten in the sunlight and Steve couldn't tear his gaze away. After a few seconds, he realized what he was doing and quickly shook his head. No, stop doing that! He mentally scolded himself, shaking his head again to rid himself of the thoughts that were filtering into his mind. What's wrong with me?

"Steve! Are ya comin' or what?" Bucky shouted over the sound of the crashing waves, looking in Steve's direction.

Steve felt heat rising to his cheeks out of embarrassment and scolded himself further, scrambling to his feet. He ran across the scalding hot sand, trying to shove those thoughts of Bucky into the back of his mind. What was wrong with him? Was he sick or something? Why was he thinking of things like that? He shouldn't be doing that. It was wrong. He should be admiring the pretty girls on the beach, not his best friend!