'Till The End Of The Line

Truth (Part 5)

Oblivious, Bucky stepped back into the room and closed the door behind him, before seeing that Steve was sat up in his bed. "Oh-oh my God, Steve!! Y-you're awake?!" The biggest and happiest smile spread across Bucky's face as he rushed to his bedside. "i, i'm so happy you're alright!" Almost breathless, Bucky was exasperated as he beamed, until he noticed the blank expression of confusion on Steve's face. "M-maybe i should get Nat? She'll be so happy. And uh - Tony, he was actually the one that paid for you to be here." his excitable tone faded and a slight frown crept onto his face. "Uh, Steve?" He smiled confusingly and awkwardly chuckled; sub-consciously he knew what had happened.

A long silence passed between the two until Steve cleared his throat, and looked Bucky straight in the eyes. 

"Buck. I'm all drugged up, i'm tired, I've got second degree burns and my mind is in a state - forgive my confusion, i just-" He stopped himself at this point, and frowned, lost inside a deep thought.

"Steve?" Bucky leaned forward slightly in an attempt to interrupt his thought process.

"Oh, uh what?" He snapped out of it and almost regained clarity. "Nothing, sorry, like i said i'm all drugged up" He smirked slightly and chuckled, maintaining a dismissive attitude. "I just uh - i thought you said something earlier, that's all."

"W-what did you, you think i said?" Bucky stammered. A slight flutter of panic swept across his stomach and his eyes darted across the room, as if to avoid Steve's gaze.

"Just - something about love. I don't know Buck, a story from Brooklyn - i'm just tired, ignore me." He smiled and cursed under his breath slightly as he re-positioned himself. 

"I-i'll get Natasha, i'm sure everyone would love to see you-" Bucky stood up and desperately left the room, ignoring Steve as he called out to him.

Almost sprinting down the hall, Bucky hid himself behind the corner of a nearby corridor. His breaths began to slow and he muttered to himself as he tried to stop hyperventilating. "Shit shit shit. Holy shit that was close." He bent over slightly and leaned the back of his head against the wall, sliding down to the floor and crouching. "I can't do this." Conscious of his surroundings, he made an effort not to cry, but he couldn't stop that one tear from emerging out of the corner of his eye.

Suddenly, a tender hand gently placed itself upon Bucky's knee, and the comforting voice of Natasha surrounded him. "N-Natalia... i told him. I-it was an accident, i told him wh-when i thought he was sleeping. He thinks it was a dream." She sighed sympathetically, took his hand and pulled him up. "Come on James. It's about damn time you got in there and told him the truth - you've been waiting for 80 years."

With both excitement and pure fear Bucky burst into the room and spluttered out the words.

"Steve, it wasn't a dream" He panted. "I love you."