the tables have turned | steve/bucky

chapter twenty five (part two)

Clint hooked an arm around Nat's waist playfully, pulling her into his chest. She lifted herself up onto her tippy toes and mumbled something into his ear. He squirmed and then gave her a tempting smile. Their blatant flirting worried me. I thought Bucky was either going to drink himself to death or perhaps literally blow up. According to the Internet, spontaneous human combustion was a thing. So instead of watching the Widow and the Hawk be disgustingly cute, I grabbed Bucky's wiry arm and led him to the dance floor. More than half of the guests were out there just swirling and swaying like flowers in the wind. The band was playing something slow, something romantic. Perfect.

"C'mon, Steve," Bucky whined after we came together in an empty spot. "I was busy seething." Even when he was mildly complaining, Bucky still held onto me like a monkey on a tree. We danced a little. Mostly I just dragged my feet around rhythmically and prayed to god no body noticed that I didn't have clue what to do. But, of course, Bucky caught on to my act.

"Steve, you're stiffer than morning wood. Who the hell taught you how to dance?"

I scoffed. "I taught myself."

"You're a shitty teacher."

"Well maybe if you weren't so busy chasing skirts when we were younger you could have taught me." I spun him slowly. However, the subtle movement couldn't break the tension building up.

"The only person I ever chased was you, Mr. Back-Alley-Hero. Mr. I'm-Going-To-Join-The-Army-Even-Though-Bucky-Told-Me-Not-To. Mr. I-Won't-Have-Sex-With-My-Long-Lost-Boyfriend-Because-I-Think-I'll-Hurt-Him. You know, I used to be the one scared to hurt you. God, you don't even wanna know how many times I thought of bending you over a table and making you mine. But you had paper skin and glass bones, Steve. So, yeah, I had to find other ways to... fulfill my needs. So shut up... bitch."

He had me there. Sighing, I pursed my lips and looked Bucky in the eyes. As the violins behind us whispered their melodies, I think, perhaps (if it was even possible at that point), I fell in love with Bucky even more. I felt like Alice did when she fell down that endless rabbit hole. But don't get it twisted; being in love with a complex person like Bucky sure as hell ain't like frolicking in Wonderland. It's closer to tip-toeing past the gates of hell. But still, I craved it; the pain, the aggravation. With a pinch of Bucky's love, I was addicted to something I couldn't even touch. 

Suddenly I didn't care about the weird thing Bucky had with Natasha, or the fact that because of him HYDRA probably had us at the top of their hit-list, or even that he made me wait almost a century to tell me that he loved me.

All I knew was, I wanted him. Forever.

I had an idea suddenly. Maybe it spawned from the dancers on the ceiling or the people slow dancing all around or maybe it came from the way Bucky pressed his head against my heart.

Taking Bucky's face into my hands, I looked deep into his eyes.

"I love you, Bucky. And I know it sounds simple, but it's not. Trust me. But I don't care about complexity, though. Our love could be a rubix cube the size of Jupiter, and I'd solve it every day if you asked me to. Hell, Buck, I'd do anything for you. Do I even have to tell you that?" I took a long, shaky breath. Exhaling, I went on. "I guess there's no point in beating around the bush anymore. I mean, look how long I've done it thus far. Look, I'm going to be very frank with you, okay? Okay. Here it goes..." I felt like my heart was going to make a mad dash out of my chest. "James Buchanan Barnes, I want to spend the rest of my forever with you, however long that turns out to be--"

"Steve," Bucky interrupted. "A...Are you...?"

"Marry me,"I blurted out. "I'm asking you to marry me." I felt something wet come streaming down both cheeks. Maybe I was crying because I was scared of how he'd respond, or maybe I was crying because of how happy I was to finally propose out loud. I've asked Bucky to marry me in my head plenty of times before. But this? This was the real deal. I really asked him this time.

"S...Steve..." he whispered ever so quietly. We were completely still now, parted slightly. He was looking me in the eye, and then suddenly he wasn't. It took me almost too long to realize that he'd jumped up. He was kissing my face, hollering, "About damn time you asked!" 

"So it's a yes?" I asked.

"Duh!" Bucky attacked my face with a million more kisses. Evidently, he was as thrilled as I was. I could feel his vibrating heart against my own chest as we hugged. "I'm so happy!" he sang.

But as quickly as things were good, things were bad.

Bucky's ragged breathing was a little too loud in my ear. I hastily pulled back from his embrace to examine him. He was panting like a dog. His prized smile then melted off slowly, and before I knew it he bent over and gripped his chest, his face twisting in agony.

"I... I can't... I can't... breathe," Bucky choked out. In the blink of an eye, he went ghost-faced and started tumbling backwards...

--

AND THE CLIFFHANGER! BWUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

YOU SHALL RECEIVE YOUR CONCLUSION BY MIDNIGHT.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.