Not Without You {Steve/Bucky Fic} COMPLETED

Chapter Seven

Bucky stared at his reflection in the mirror, trying to determine whether he looked decent or not. He still hadn't quite grasped the new age fashion, but Natasha had helped him pick this outfit out, so it couldn't be that bad.

The man wore a black hooded sweatshirt over a white tee shirt, black "skinny" jeans (Bucky thought they should be called suffocating jeans) , and white Converse. Natasha had helped him earlier that day pull his long, dark hair into a pony tail at the nape of his neck.

Bucky decided that he had to look good for his date with Steve.

Well, not officially a date.

He had subtly suggested earlier that day to Steve that he would like to go to the carnival that was in town.

Bucky never asked Steve for much, but what little he did ask for, Steve gave him in a heartbeat.

"Sounds fun, Buck! " Steve had practically beamed. "We can go tonight. "

Bucky's heart beat a little faster at just the thought of getting to spend the evening with Steve.

Now Bucky stood in front of the full length mirror in his room trying to figure out if the man he wasn't even dating would think that he looked good or not.

Never really leaving the house, Bucky usually just roamed around Steve's apartment in pajama shorts and a tee shirt.

That would never do if he wanted to accompany Captain America on a "date. "

He took a deep breath and walked away from the mirror, repeatedly telling himself that he looked good, making it into a mantra.

He exited his room to see Steve sitting in the sofa, wearing simple jeans and a faded shirt with the American flag on it.

Bucky would've chuckled at his friend's constant patriotism if he wasn't so caught up in how good his friend look.

Steve stood up from the sofa. "You look good, Buck. " he said, patting him playfully on the back. "You sure you're not meeting a dame at the carnival?" he laughed.

Bucky smiled shyly, telling himself not to blush, and mumbled, "You never know, Stevie. "

The two men exited the apartment building and climbed into Steve's car.

Steve turned the keys in the ignition, only to sigh and curse under his breath.

"What's wrong? "

Steve sighed again as he leaned back in his seat. "Forgot to fill up the gas tank when I was out with Tony. There's not enough in there to get us to the carnival. "

Bucky's mood darkened. "Oh, " he said quietly.

Steve looked disappointed for a moment. "I'm real sorry, Buck. "

Bucky shook his head a strand of his hair falling loose from his pony tail and onto his face. "Don't worry about it, Steve. Was just a dumb carnival. " He mumbled, opening the car door.

"Wait! We can take the motorcycle!" Steve exclaimed, his face once again bright.

Bucky stopped. "The two of us on a motorcycle?" he laughed.

Steve chuckled. "We could do it. Come on! "

Moments later, the two men were both trying to squeeze onto Steve's Harley Davidson.

"This isn't going to work, Stevie. "

"Yes, it will. " Steve grunted. "We'll just be pressed together awfully tight. "

Bucky blushed red at that, and was thankful that Steve was seated in front of him.

Steve turned the key, and the two of them were slowly making their way to the carnival.

Bucky grimaced as Steve kept taking several sharp turns.

"You might want to to hand on to something!" Steve shouted barely audible against the rushing traffic.

"There's nothing to hang on to! "

"Last I checked, I was here! "

Bucky blushed deep this time as he gingerly wrapped his arms around the taller man's waist. He was almost shaking from excitement.

We couldn't look any more gay right now, Bucky chuckled to himself.

Stop it, he scolded himself.

He gasped as Steve slammed on the breaks, sending them both lurching forward, Steve onto the handlebars, Bucky onto Steve's back.

"Sorry! " Steve apologized to Bucky as he cursed the car that had whipped out in front of them.

Bucky mumbled under his breath as he tried to pry his thoughts away from how good Steve had smelled.

A few minutes later, the two men pulled up at the carnival.

Bucky grinned as he led an unwilling Steve to a ride that flipped the carts up, down, upside down and in circles.

"If Captain America can't take a kiddy carnival ride, should he really be protecting us from rogue gods and haywire robots? " Bucky joked as he dragged Steve into the line.

Steve reluctantly complied.

Several rides later, the two men were both tired and giddy from roller coasters that twisted, bumper cars that crashed, and carnival games that they failed at.

"I'm tired, Buck. " Steve whined.

The other man chuckled. "You're such a dame. Want me to take you out to dinner and tuck you in, Stevie? " He couldn't help but think how much he would like to do that.

Bucky could've sworn he saw Steve Rogers turn pink at the retort.

"Let's go on the Ferris wheel," Steve suggested. "You can't go to a carnival and not go on the Ferris wheel. "

Bucky rolled his eyes at how old fashioned his friend was, but agreed.

The two squeezed into a small cart together, which Bucky didn't mind, but struggled to hide his glee.

With a creak and a squeak, the ride slowly began to take the carts into the air.

"This thing must be as old as us, " Bucky commented, wiping dust from the side of the red cart that they sat in.

Steve chuckled, but said nothing, his baby blue eyes fixed on the gold and violet sunset that sat before them, the sun waving good bye, the moon making it's nightly appearance.

Bucky sighed happily to himself as he admired the man beside him out the corner of his eyes, taking in his beauty as his friend took in the sky's.

His heart began to beat fast as he thought about the future possibilities he could have with this man if he could just work up the guts to tell him how he felt.

Bucky's palms began to sweat as he nervously clenched his fist onto the bar that held him and Steve in the cart.

The motion of the carnival ride was beginning to upset his stomach, rhetoric butterflies beating their wings against his chest.

"Hey Buck, you okay over there? " Steve asked, frowning as the wheel placed the two men at the top of the ride.

Bucky didn't answer, his heart in his throat, his words taken by the wind.

The brunette man, not even thinking straight, leaned his body towards the blonde's, pressed both of his hands to the back of his friend's neck.

Steve's eyes grew enormous, but didn't have enough time to react any further before Bucky Barnes planted his lips on his.