A Pirate's Life

Chapter 11

Captain Bucky and Commodore Steve slowly, achingly slowly got to know each other more and more, each time lessening the hate of each other. They started to know about each other, but not too much. They worked together on the boat first in silence, then in anger, then in grudging talk, then just normal talk.

Steve realized that Bucky was just a guy who had a rough life that led to piracy, and Bucky realized that Steve was just doing his job. It's not the person, it's the job. After months of this, Bucky finally gave Steve his sword back.

Steve looks up in surprise as Bucky shoves the blade towards Steve, the handle within Steve's reach. Bucky doesn't say anything, which was per the usual when he was mourning his crew. Steve mourned as well, of course. Just quietly where he couldn't be seen.

"You trust I won't slice you're head off of your shoulders?" Steve asks with a raised eyebrow.

"You trust I haven't put a toxic poison on the handle of the blade now eating away at your skin?" Bucky retaliates and Steve huffs.

"Thank you." He mumbles, Bucky sighs and nods.

Weeks pass and they get even more talkative, which was easy to do when you're the only two on an island. If you don't talk then it's too quiet and you're trapped inside your brain, and you start to go nuts. The boat was almost finished at this point.

Once Bucky was acting totally strange. He thought he had a crush on Steve. As stupid, as idiotic, as lame as that sounded even to his own ears, he could never deny his feelings. As difficult as that is to accept, Bucky had an actual honest to goodness crush on Steve. He even thought it was weird.

It turns to night on the island and Steve was in his area, curled up against the cold. Bucky was in his area, doing the same thing, mimicking Steve. He was lonely and needed to talk or else he would lose his mind. Bucky gets up and goes into Steve's area, Steve looks up as Bucky sits down next to him.

Steve was confused, this was the first time Bucky had crossed their line.

"What are you doing here?" Steve demands, sitting up and smoothing out his messed up, dirty blonde hair. Bucky shrugs and bits his lip.

"I can't come see your set up here? Why, got something I can't see?" He challenges, Steve sighs and shakes his head.

"I needed to talk. Sheesh, if it's a big deal, punk, I'll go." Bucky huffs, Steve shrugs.

"I don't care either way." Steve says offhandedly, though he did. He was better at hiding his feelings, which was good. Because Bucky was growing on him. In the way that Steve was starting to grow a crush for him. Which was absolutely ridiculous to consider, but hey. Whatever.

They sit quietly for a while, neither of then moving. Steve huffs when Bucky doesn't say anything.

"Well? You said you needed to talk, jerk. So..." Steve gestures as if to say go on.