• If I could turn back time •

10. No One Truly Forgets

"If you do good things, no one remembers.
If you do bad things, no one forgets."
———

After I showered and got dressed, I headed out into the kitchen to make breakfast for Steve since he was still asleep. I grabbed a plum from the fridge on my way in and nibbled on it while I figured out what to make. I remembered seeing someone make french toast on one of the cooking shows I watched. It didn't seem too hard, why not try it?

I finished my plum and tossed the pit in the nearby trash can, wandering over to the fridge again since most of the ingredients I needed were in there. I opened the door and scanned the contents, trying to remember what ingredients were used. Milk, eggs.... that sounded right. I set the pint of milk and the carton of eggs on the counter. Now I needed bread and cinnamon, easy enough. Once I had all my ingredients together, I started making the egg mixture that the bread would be dipped in. As I worked, I hummed the tune of the song that was playing at the ice rink that one night when Steve and I kissed. I smiled at the memory, gently swaying back and forth as I continued to hum.

Soon enough, I had the french toast sizzling in a nice pool of butter in the pan. It filled the kitchen with a heavenly smell and just lifted my spirits. Because I was too busy humming along and checking to see if the french toast was done, I didn't notice that Steve had woken up until I felt a pair of arms slip around my waist.

"Smells good, Buck. I didn't know you were such a good cook." He joked, giggling a bit as he leaned in to gently nuzzle my cheek. He set his chin on my shoulder and watched the french toast sizzle in the pan.

I smiled and focused on what I was doing so I wouldn't burn anything. "I actually learned a few things from those cooking shows I watch every now and then." I hummed, transferring the french toast to two plates and turning the stove off. My smile grew and I gently nudged Steve's stomach with my elbow. "If you keep hovering like that, you won't get anything." I chuckled as I got the plates.

Steve just whined and backed off, a grin still on his face as he went over to pour himself a cup of coffee. "You're making me wait? Tsk tsk." He teased playfully, pouring me a cup of coffee as well and heading over to the table. He nearly spilled coffee all over the floor because he was watching me instead of watching where he was going.

"Eyes front, soldier." I said with a smirk, taking a seat at the table. I felt him kick me under the table when he finally sat down and I shot him a playful glare.

Breakfast was good. I was surprised by how the french toast had turned out. Steve somehow managed to get syrup on his nose sometime during the meal, but I didn't tell him until he went to put his dishes away.

———

It was now 11 in the morning and since we had nothing better to do at the moment, Steve and I decided to watch a little television together. He showed me this channel called Animal Planet and I was immediately hooked. I kept teasing Steve by saying he looked liked the monkeys.

Around halfway through the show, I remembered something. "Hey Steve, I forgot to tell you something." I said, glancing at him.

Steve turned his attention to me, tilting his head a bit. "What is it?"

"You remember when you had to go do things the other day?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well..." I huffed, remembering the man that had been banging on Steve's door. I really wanted to give him a piece of my mind if I ever got to see him again. "This guy was banging on your door and shouting things for like ten minutes. I didn't open the door, of course."

"What was he saying?" Steve asked, his eyebrows furrowing into a small frown.

"He was saying stuff like 'Steve, we have to talk!' and 'Don't you ignore me!'. A real jerk, I'd say."

"Did you see what he was wearing?"

I pictured the man in my mind, with his nice suit and accessories. "A nice suit... and I think he was wearing sunglasses. Do you know him?"

Steve sighed heavily, obviously bothered by this information. He rubbed his eyes and grabbed his phone from the table, tapping a few things on the screen. "Yeah.... Yeah, I do. His name is Tony Stark."

'Stark'

That name didn't sit well with me. 'December 16th, 1991.'

"Good morning, soldier."

"Ready to comply."

"I have a mission for you. Sanction and extract. No witnesses."

I didn't realize I was trembling until Steve put a firm hand on my shoulder. I didn't move. I just stared at my hands, which were shaking so badly I could hardly keep them still. My breathing had become erratic and irregular, almost like I was hyperventilating. I think I'm having another episode, which only made things worse because I didn't want to hurt Steve.

"Buck? Bucky, are you alright? Look at me." Steve said calmly, gently gripping my shoulders and turning me so he could see my face. My eyes were wide with terror, but his were calm. "You're okay. It's okay." He flinched a little when I suddenly crumpled into his lap, but only sighed and gently ran his fingers through my hair to calm me down.

A/N: Dang the mood changed real quick.

Also, you'll see more of Tony. Just you wait