Into the War || A Captain America Love Story

43

DISCLAIMER:
a little lemon at the end of the chapter

TORI

After another eventful two days in Paris, Steven and I return home in New York. We had a good time, that I admit, but it's wonderful to be home.

We step inside of our house, turning on the lights. It's mid afternoon, and we're supposed to have Bucky here for dinner. Steve has told me that Bucky has something to tell us, but we aren't sure what that is yet. So in the meantime, we unpack and change into nicer attire. I'm curling my hair in the bathroom and Steve is buttoning up a blue and white shirt. I stand with the iron holding a lock of my brunette hair, gazing at Steve. He seems tense, but then too comfortable at the same time.

"You okay, honey?" I ask him, letting another curl fall from the iron.

He glances over at me, his eyebrows raised in question. "Hm? Yes, of course. Are you?"

"Yeah," I hum, looking him up and down. He seems a little too ready for Bucky to come, meaning he's ready for him to leave too. I'm not sure if I should be excited or nervous.

I spray a little hairspray in my hair, brushing it behind me and adjusting my short floral dress. I think I'm trying too hard. It's Steve and Bucky, both of whom I am beyond comfortable around. I just want to look nice because I've been in shorts and a t-shirt all day.

"I think the food should almost be ready," Steve tells me, heading towards the door exiting our room. "Buck should be here any second too."

"Okie dokie," I chime, stepping out of our bedroom. By the time I enter the kitchen, Steve is already tending to the food and turning off the burners. I creep up towards him, hugging him from behind. I can sense him smiling, and I embrace him tighter. He turns around and kisses me quickly on the top of my head.

"Love you," he whispers into my hair.

"I love you too," I reply, still grinning. Steve always makes me feel so wanted and special.

The doorbell rings, and Steve and I make a break for the door. Steve, being the super soldier he is, beats me and greets Bucky first. Bucky has his hair not sticking in every direction and cleanly combed back, also adorning a nice shirt. The boys quickly hug and Bucky gently hugs me.

"How was the honeymoon?" Barnes asks skeptically, raising his eyebrows at Steve with a smirk.

"Good, good," I say as Steve's face goes red. "We gave a small little interrogation while we were there. Some terrorist-like stuff is happening."

Bucky nods.

Steve, Bucky, and I just chat while we eat, catching up and enjoying ourselves. Ever since Bucky has been here, we've had a dinner like this every day (at least when he is staying here). It's nice seeing Steve so happy when his friend is here, so I find joy in just watching him react.

"So, what was the little surprise?" he eventually asks Bucky, taking a swig of his drink.

Bucky sighs softly, trying to put all of this words together quickly. "Well, I, uh, I wanted to have a serious conversation with you guys."

Steve and I sit attentively, leaning forward to listen to what he has to say.

"I-I've been thinking," Bucky begins, playing with his hands in his lap, "about how amazing it is. Life, seeing everything grow and change as time goes by. I don't really see myself as big as a threat anymore. I've kept myself under control and the burden of the arm is no longer with me.

"I'm still not used to this whole making big choices thing, but I think that I-I-I don't want to go back to Wakanda."

I light up, a smile spreading across my lips. Steve beams, his eyes gleaming with surprise and joy.

"I was looking for places in town with Tony, and he showed me some of the best spots. So in conclusion, thanks to Tony's reputation, I've moved into town since you've been gone," Barnes says.

Steve leans across the table, hugging his friend. "That's amazing! T-This is wonderful! I can't believe it."

I smile at Bucky. "Welcome to the neighborhood, Buck."

He scoffs, drinking his water. "You better come and visit me, Tori."

"Oh, yeah, of course. I'll come and see what's going on weekly."

We all laugh, continuing our little conversation about Bucky's amazing decision to stay.

The rest of the night is peaceful. Talk, laugh, repeat for hours and hours, maybe until the early hours of the morning. We eventually say farewell as Bucky heads off to his new apartment in New York. It's still so surreal that he's staying here. When I hang out with Natasha for a bit, Steve has someone to crawl to. He can have another person to goof around with.

We wave goodbye as Bucky drives out of our driveway and into the street, disappearing down the road. Steve and I head back inside, rubbing our eyes and cleaning up dishes. Bucky helped, but we forgot to do some. Steve and I meet glances as we clean, not daring to look away. I can't see what he's thinking, or what he's been thinking about recently. It's like he's actually succeeding at clouding his emotions for once.

I shyly brush a lock of my hair behind my ear as I catch Steve's eyes on me. They aren't on my face; they scan me from my feet to the top of my head. I return some of the same gazes, admiring his muscular physique as he dries pans. As I put the last clean dish away, I feel Steve crash into me, pressing his lips squarely on mine. It comes to me as a surprise for a moment, but I quickly sink into him. The kiss is sweet and long, but then his hands move down to my thigh. Now I can see his thoughts clearly, but I'm not going to run away from the storm that's brewing.

He pushes me against the cabinets, still kissing my hungrily. I pull him closer to me, and he brings me my legs up to wrap around his waist. I tightly hold onto him as he holds me up and takes me into our room. He gently sets me down on the edge of the bed, his hands on my hips. I swiftly unbutton his shirt, discarding it as soon as I pull it off him. Steve pulls my dress over my head, colliding back into me. His plump lips graze my neck as he makes his way back to my lips. His hands grab my hair, and I grab his. I pull him closer to me, causing a soft moan to escape through his parted lips.

Tonight is going to be interesting.