I'm With You To The End Of The Line [STUCKY]

Chapter 12

"It's nice out here, isn't it?" Steve hummed as he walked with Bucky through the green forest. He was following the soft rumbles of the waterfall in the distance. Bucky had been curious about it, and Steve figured it would be good for him to get some fresh air and sun.

"Yeah...Its much greener then the cities or Siberia." Bucky's eyes were following all the colourful flowers and plants that they passed, as if imprinting them into his memories. "Beautiful would be the word for it, I guess." Bucky smiled slightly and Steve's heart warmed at the lack of tenseness in Bucky's face.

"Yeah, beautiful." Steve wasn't looking at the flowers though. The rumbling got louder and Steve turned his eyes away from Bucky to look at the rushing water. "Come on, Buck. I want to go for a swim." Steve grinned and pulled Bucky along, much to the others protests at his childishness. Bucky didn't really mind though. He was happy to get his mind off everything and just indulge in his time with Steve.

The ground got softer as they ran closer, until stone was under the soles of their sandals. Under the waterfall was a stone-based lake of sorts. Steve didn't care much though, as he tugged his shirt off over his head. He turned to Bucky who was only watching the waterfall pound into the lake below it.

"Aren't you gonna swim?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess." Bucky used his flesh hand and grabbed the collar of his shirt and pull it over his head, but it got caught half way. Steve laughed and helped him take it off, much to Bucky's dismay. "I could have done that." He grumbled.

"Just let me take care of you, Buck, okay? It's a privilege." He joked slightly unbuckling Bucky's sandal before helping him discard his pants. Bucky didn't looked pleased in the slightest, being pampered over, but he didn't object. Steve stripped down to his underwear and jumped into the lake. He could stand in it, water up to his mid-chest. He thought it was hilarious when Bucky stepped him, the water up to his neck.

"Wipe that look off your face." Bucky grumbled, flicking water at him with one hand. Steve let himself laugh as he glided over to Bucky to push the hair out of his face to kiss his forehead.

"Sorry, it's kind of cute."

"Punk." Steve broke out in a grin.

"Jerk." Bucky flicked him with water again and slipped out of his grasp to float-swim around the pond happily. Steve enjoyed the relaxed expression he wore.

'Come on, Stevie, it's just water! I'll be right by ya.' Nine year old Bucky grinned at skinny, eight year old Steve with fluffy blond hair. His skin was tinted pink in the afternoon sun as the waves crashed against the shore of the beach. His ocean blue eyes gazed at the water cautiously.

'Ma says I shouldn't go in the water. I can't swim, Buck...' Steve said, seeming nervous.

'Don't be such a scaredy cat! Come on, I'll teach ya.' Bucky grabbed his arm and pulled him along into the water. Steve looked apprehensive at first, shuddering at the cold water, but he soon got used to it, letting Bucky lead him further into the deep blue beach, hand in his.

'It's so nice...' Steve said happily as Bucky laughed.

'Told ya so!' A wave crashed over them and Bucky only grinned before he realised Steve's hand wasn't in his anymore. 'Steve? Stevie?!' He felt panic settle in as he looked around the blue waters, reaching around him for even a inkling of the blond.

'Bucky!' Bucky dove towards the boy and held him above the water as the blond coughed up swallowed water with disgust. 'Geez, I thought I'd drown.' He shivered as Bucky pulled them out of the ocean water.

'I'm sorry! I didn't mean to let ya go!' Bucky apologised profusely and Steve could only smile as they sat on the sand, the grains stuck to their skin and soaked trunks.

'It's fine, you got me now, don't ya?'

'Still, I feel really bad now...'

'Don't feel bad. It was fun before I almost drowned.' Steve hugged him and Bucky returned it tightly. 'Thanks, Buck.' Bucky buried his face between the smaller boys neck and shoulder and couldn't help but feel so amazingly happy that Steve was his friend. This idiot was his bestest friend ever.

Bucky was interrupted from his memories by strong arms around him, stopping his floating.

"Hm?" He looked up at Steve in a slight daze, smiling a bit. Steve returned the smile with a broad grin and gave him a small kiss.

"You were looking real happy in your daydream, want were you thinking about?"

"Just about an idiot punk who scared the living day lights out of kid me by almost drowning."

"I think that has happened a few too many times in the past." Steve chuckled, grinning when Bucky smiled up at him. "What're you thinkin' about right now?"

"About you." Bucky said truthfully, not moving away when Steve captured his bottom lip between his own, kissing softly and slowly, like he was savouring the tiny droplets on Bucky's lips. Bucky turned his body around in Steve's arms, hand on his jaw and fingertips in his short blond hair. He let himself relish in the strangely familiar touch for who knows how long, could have been seconds or hours in that crystal clear lake. When Steve's hands slipped around his waist, he pulled away.

"That's enough." He knew he sounded breathless. "I can't...I don't want to go any further then this for now, Stevie. Not after last week." Steve frowned slightly, not because of rejection, but because Bucky was still plagued by that memory in the back of his head.

"Alright...Alright." Steve still held him close though, hands threading through his dark locks as the morning slowly turned to noon. Bucky didn't budge an inch, taking the comfort he knew he didn't deserve, but still indulged in. Because Steve was just like that. He could have been the worst person on earth (he felt he was close enough), and Steve would still love him with every beat of his righteous heart.

Bucky couldn't help but love that about him.

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He couldn't sleep. He feared to sleep and fall back into the Winter Soldier. The room was dark and quiet, the only light being from the moon that peered through the one window above his bedframe. He knew he couldn't continue on like this, fearing every waking and resting hour, waiting for the moment he might just snap and kill another. He couldn't bare to know he's hurt anyone else.

He needed to go away. He knew he couldn't just up and leave Wakanda, T'Challa had told him it was deeply disrespectful to leave an invitation from the king, and the man had helped him so much already. He needed to be contained was more of what he was going for.

He needed to be frozen again. Unable to hurt anyone else. I wanted to get rid of HYDRA's imprint on him, to remember everything again. The good and bad of the 1900's that he lived in before the war. He wanted to remember his times with Steve. He knew something's from what Steve had told him.

They loved each other. They had kissed, many times. They used to go to a bar, called the a Happy Clam...They had sex before. Bucky could feel the embarrassment on his face at those words, because he couldn't remember, but Steve did. Bucky wanted to remember more, not from Steve's words, but his own mind.

Maybe going under again and letting them fix him would help?

T'Challa would help him. He knew the king was serious in his words of service.

So with that decision made, he fell asleep.

12 LINES CUT