• If I could turn back time •

11. A Good Man

"Not a perfect soldier, but a good man."
———

We didn't speak of Tony or the Stark name for the next few days.

It was steadily getting closer to Christmas and Steve had insisted on decorating his apartment. He had lights, a Christmas tree, and something he had kept a secret from me. I was carrying a cardboard box of ornaments into the living room when I saw something hanging on the door frame. It was mistletoe. Before I could even open my mouth to say anything, Steve had already come over and kissed me. The kiss was so deep and passionate, I nearly dropped the box I was holding in my arms.

When we finally pulled apart, I let out a soft chuckle and gave Steve a look. "How long were you planning to do that?" I asked, kissing him on the cheek before I carried the box into the living room and set it down.

"Ever since I bought the mistletoe at the store." He admitted with a blush, smiling as he followed me into the living room. He helped me unbox the ornaments and then started to decorate the tree, his height helping him reach the higher spots on the tree.

I just sat there and watched him, a fond gleam in my eyes. Although I would never admit it to him now, I was really just admiring his perfect body. This was the man I loved so dearly. He was perfect. He didn't seem to have any flaws in my eyes. But when I looked at myself, I was nothing but flaws. I was not perfect like him. I was not a good man like him. How could someone so perfect fall in love with someone so flawed? I pondered on that while I watched him, soon forgetting about it when I saw how happy he was. If he was happy, I was happy.

After he finished decorating the tree, he came back over to the couch with a book in hand and sat down next to me. I pulled over a blanket that covered both of us and snuggled up against him, sighing softly in content.

"You comfortable?" Steve asked me as he opened his book, glancing down at me with a soft smile. His perfect face just had this wonderful glow to it from the lights and I swore he might've had a halo above his head.

I nodded and rubbed my cheek against his sweater, sighing again as I let myself relax. "Mhm..." I hummed, already feeling drowsy. I yawned and curled up into a ball, closing my eyes. This happened a lot. Steve would read a book while I took a nap or had a snack. It was moments like these that just made me love him even more.

———

I was coaxed out of my restful slumber when someone gently shook me. I blinked a few times and yawned, stretching my arms and legs. "What...?" I murmured drowsily, rubbing my eyes with my knuckles as I sat upright on the couch. Steve was standing in front of me, his thick eyebrows furrowed with worry. I was immediately concerned. "What's wrong?"

He didn't say anything at first, only glancing over his shoulder to look at the front door before turning back to me. "Tony's here, Bucky. I don't know what for, but I need you to go hang out in my room until he leaves." He murmured, gently pulling me up by my shoulder and hurriedly leading me to his room.

"What? No, I'm not leaving you alone with him." I firmly stated, pulling my arm out of his grip. Steve took my hand this time and held it tightly, looking me in the eyes. That's when I knew. "He's after me, isn't he?"

"Buck, there are a lot of people after you. I'm sure you know that... I just need you to stay out of sight, okay? If he knows you're here, he'll take you away. I'll tell you if you need to run."

My gaze wavered, but I nodded and bit my lip. I had been on the run before, I knew the drill. I just didn't want to be ripped away from the only place I called home and the person I loved with all my heart. My heart was pounding as Steve led me to his room, but I kept myself relatively calm.

Until someone started banging on the door.

Both of us froze. I stared at the front door, eyes wide, until Steve pulled me aside and looked at me. And then he uttered the words that I never wanted to come out of his mouth.

"Bucky... Run."

I stared at him for a second, not believing what I just heard. My body eventually caught up with my mind and I was able to move again. "Steve, my bag. I need my bag...." I frantically murmured, rushing past him into his room. I snatched my black backpack out of his closet and strapped it on, turning around on my heel and going back out. I pulled Steve into a quick goodbye kiss before I bolted to the window, quickly opening it skillfully without any problems.

I took one last look at Steve. I knew he didn't want this to happen, his facial expression said it all. It hurt to see him like that. I didn't want to leave him, but I had no other choice. He could be hurt if I stayed.

As I climbed out the window, I heard Steve raise his voice. Though, the sound of footsteps soon overwhelmed his stern voice. It wasn't just Tony, there were more people in there. My heart felt like it was going to pound out of my chest when I realized I hadn't closed the window yet.

I never got the chance to.

"He's escaped through the window! Send in the ground forces!"

I cursed to myself and scrambled up the metal ladder that scaled the wall, eventually reaching the roof. As soon as my shoes hit concrete, I ran like hell. The cold air burned my lungs with each breath, but I kept running. I leapt from rooftop to rooftop, the familiar thrill of such activity not present because I knew I was being hunted. It wasn't just fun and games anymore.

I was running for my life once again.

Yet all I could think about was Steve.

A/N: Oh boy, things are heating up! What do you think will happen?