Basil woke to hands patting down his chest. He groaned and blinked, vision blurry and disorienting. There was something wet on his face and his head was pounding. It hurt worse than his hangover on Christmas eve before he signed up. He groaned again and blinked as his vision began to focus. He dimly recognised Steve in front of him. The man was visibly panicking, hands still patting down Basil's chest.

"There's no blood. Why is there no blood?"

"I'm pretty sure my head is bleeding", Basil slurred he winced. "Ouch".

Steve flipped open Basil's jacked and stopped. He sat up a bit and laughed in disbelief. The noise high with hysteria and exhaustion. Basil reached out to the place he had been shot. He felt the bullet hole in his clothes but his chest wasn't hurting. It felt like it had been bruised but not nearly enough pain for a bullet wound. Steve looked at him with wide eyes. "Fucking hell Basil. You must be the luckiest sucker alive". He laughed again and helped him sit up.

Basil's head pounded but the impact must not have been as severe as he first thought. He must have only been unconscious for a few minutes. He looked down at his chest. No blood, no pain. Just a round bullet hole in his uniform. His hand twitched as he reached inside his breast pocket and pulled out the two books he had been keeping in there. Over the months the little notebook which had only been half an inch thick before had grown thick with letters from his brother. Thick enough that it barely stayed closed now. His battered copy of Frankenstein wasn't small either. It was only about fifteen centimetres in length but that meant that the amount of words had made it thicker. Basil pulled them both out and held them up in surprise. There, right through the middle of them was a round bullet hole. He turned them both round and on the back of the leather bound notebook was a tiny hole where the top of metal bullet poked through.

Basil began laughing. A cackle drunk on adrenaline and relief. Once he started he couldn't stop. His head was hurting and he could still feel blood dripping down his face but his mouth was wide as he giggled. Steve chuckled and pulled him onto his feet. Basil stumbled. Adrenaline making him jittery and dizzy. Steve let him lean on him. "The men are going to love this", he murmured as Basil continued giggling. "Bucky!" Steve shouted as he waved.

In the distance the familiar form of Bucky was running towards them. As he got closer he slowed to a jog and eventually stopped. His blue eyes were wide and he was panting, his sniper rifle hanging over a shoulder. "I saw Parrish go down on my scope. What happened?" He crossed over and Steve propped Basil up so that Bucky to check over him.

"Basil here is the luckiest bastard ever", he declared in amusement.

"I got shot in the chest", Basil laughed. He gestured to the hole in his jacket then held up his books, waving them at Bucky as he and Steve snorted.

Bucky took in the hole in Basil's jacket then he turned to the books. His eyes widened and he sighed in relief. "Jesus Christ Parrish", he muttered with a grin. He held out his arms and let Basil lean on him as Steve picked up their fallen gear. "You gave me a right scare there. Thought we'd have to replace our medic".

Basil giggled and rested his head on Bucky's shoulder, the bump still sore. "Don't worry Sarge, I'm pretty hard to get rid off".

Bucky chuckled. "Yeah you're a goddamn cockroach. Come on. Let's get that cut seen too". They continued walking towards the gates and away from the ruins of the hydra base.

——

The rest of the howling commandos found the whole scare as funny as they did. All of them took glances at the hole in Basil's uniform and books as they ate their dinner of rations. "Bloody hell", Monty remarked. "The chances of that".

"Are you a cat?" Gabe asked suspiciously. "Because it seems like you have nine lives. First the experiments, all of us thought you died by the time they had taken Bucky. But when we escaped, there you two were. Now this", he threw his hands up. "What luck are you drinking and can I have some?" Frenchie muttered a long string of French and Gabe responded back in kind. The both of them burst out laughing and Frenchie slapped Basil on the back cheerfully.

"Mad doctor", Dum Dum sniffed with a chuckle. "It fits. Have you got enough books for the rest of us?"

"I should write home and ask my wife to send me our thickest novel", Pinky shook his head and waved his fork. "Glad you're not dead. Couldn't find a medic as mad as you".

"Awww. Glad you care", Basil smiled. It was disturbed by a yawn. The sky had darkened and the tents had been set up. Another medic had checked his head wound and bandaged it up. He hadn't had a concussion, which seemed unusual. Basil would have thought that he would have a concussion at lest, with the way he had hit his head and the fact that he had lost consciousness. But no, his pupils responded to light and he was no longer slurring his words. (Accelerated healing maybe? It was something he had suspected he'd and Bucky'd had for a while. It was one of the things the super soldier serum they had been testing on them was intended to do. It needed more testing but neither of them really wanted too so it was just a hypothesis now).

"I'm exhausted", he sighed. "I'm going to go and kip. Which tent is mine?" He dropped his plate and fork into the bucket of water they had gathered for washing up.

"You and Bucky are in that one", Steve gestured then went back to eating. He was on his second plate. The super soldier serum requiring more food than the rest of them but even then Steve was on rations.

Basil nodded and trudged towards the tent. He pushed back the flap and half collapsed on the nearest bed roll, not caring if it was his or Bucky's. He rolled around like a fish for a bit to struggle out of his jacket and boots. When that didn't work and just became awkward, he reluctantly sat up to pull his shirt off. He glanced down at the red shape on his chest. The impact of the bullet nothing but a large sore bruise. He could tell that the bruise would form into a rainbow of colours by the morrow and it was painful to the touch.

He sighed at it, hearing the men talking outside. The tent flap rustled and he looked up as Bucky entered. The man flopped down on the other bed roll as the tent flap shut behind him. Basil watched quietly as Bucky began pulling off his boots. The man's hands working the laces with east dexterity. "Thanks for the save earlier", Basil spoke up. "I feel secure knowing that you're up high somewhere watching our backs".

Bucky looked up and there was something in his dark blue eyes that Basil couldn't read. They looked stormy. He reached out and Basil shivered as Bucky's fingertips brushed over the bruising on his chest. Bucky sighed heavily and pulled his hand away. Basil wanted to snatch it back and press it to his skin. He felt starved for contact. "You and your tenacity", Bucky mumbled with a amused quirk to his lips. He looked up and met Basil's eyes. "Are you not going to ask today?"

Basil felt his breath catch and he swallowed. "Why should I ask if all you say is tomorrow?"

"Have you given up then?"

Basil shook his head and grinned. There was butterflies in his stomach and anticipation in the air. "Have I ever given up Sarge?" He grinned wider.

Bucky sighed but smiled as he shook his head, "what will I do with you Basil?" The question was undeniably fond.

Basil tilted his head, grin forming into a smirk. "I'm yours to command Sarge". He flicked his fingers up into a lazy salute. Bucky laughed.

His blue eyes were dark against green and he leaned closer. "Are you? Will you do as I say?" His voice was breathy.

Basil licked his lips and let his eyes flick between Bucky's own lips and his eyes. "You know my track record", he smiled. "If I don't will you discipline me?"

"Oh I'm sure you can be good", Bucky grinned. "Corporal".

"Don't bet on it Sarge".

"You're a brat Parrish". The statement made Basil's breath hitch. Bucky leaned closer and his eyes dropped to Basil's lips. "You gave me a scare today", he continued. "Watching that soldier shoot you. I haven't been scared like that in a while".

"What are you saying?" Basil asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Bucky leaned close enough for their breath to mingle. Their noses close enough to brush. Basil could feel the heat of his body without touching. "Are you going to ask, or shall I?" Bucky matched his volume. Words so quiet that Basil could barely hear it.

Basil licked his lips. "Can I have a kiss Sarge?"

Bucky's reply was a hand on his cheek as he leaned in the final distance. Basil felt his eyes flutter closed as their lips met. The contact was electrifying and he was sagging with a sigh into Bucky's hold. Their lips moved slowly. Learning and savouring rather than devouring. It was the final build up of the tension that had been rising between them ever since their first meeting. It was everything and nothing at once. The rising and overflowing of emotions and yet it was a kiss. A press of lips that Basil had experienced a dozen times. He guessed that what they said was true, that feeling really did play a role. He had never had a kiss like this. It was slow and deep. Bucky leading and Basil being swept away by the tide. He felt like he could do this forever.

Their lips made a soft sound as they parted. Both men breathing heavily. Basil nuzzled his nose along the stubble of Bucky's jaw, eyes still closed as he recovered. His arms had come up to loop round Bucky's neck at some point and he held the man close. Bucky's hands were on his waist. The bare skin above Basil's trousers tingling at the touch. "Can I have a kiss Sarge?" Basil breathed again.

"Asking for two?" Bucky smirked. Basil felt the movement and pressed their foreheads together. "That's greedy Parrish".

"Sarge", Basil whined breathlessly. "I almost died. Take pity on poor me".

Bucky chuckled. "It is barely a bruise".

"But I thought I was going to die. I was scared Sarge". Basil's tone was half between whining and pleading. He shifted and pressed closer, seeking more warmth.

"Shut up", Bucky huffed. His thumbs were rubbing circles into the bones of Basil's hips. He shivered at the pressure.

"Make me".

Bucky grumbled as if he was being forced to do his chores, but there was a teasing note in the tone. Basil grinned and Bucky pressed a hard peck to his lips. "You are such a pain Parrish", he mumbled then he was leaning back in. Basil sank into the kiss gratefully.

Unedited

Finally guys. Was all the tension worth it?