After You

|9| The Greatest Change

pov steve~

It was the same as any other Sunday, I was just sitting on the couch in the living room with Natasha watching her flip through channels.

"You'd think you'd have picked a show by now," I chuckled. "We've gone through the same list three times over already."

She sent me a glare. "I know, there's just nothing on that's good."

"Maybe just throw on the news, then?" I suggested.

"Pshh," she scoffed. "We're probably on the news, and if we're not, you're gonna find something going on right now that requires Captain America and propel the whole team into hero mode," she laughed. "No way, it's a Sunday."

"Heroes don't rest, you know," I smiled at her.

"I'm no hero, then," she folded her arms and held my gaze. "Take special agent girlfriend with you."

I laughed. "Right."

She made a face at me. "Why not? She's got all the same skills I have, only without the serum."

"That's just it-"

"Oh, so you need a partner with the serum, then?" she surmised.

I felt myself blush, but didn't want to think about the implied person she was mentioning, so I just brushed it off. "Did you finally decide on the channel?" I wondered, pointing at the screen.

"No, it just landed on this, whatever this is," she motioned for the television with the remote in her hand.

"Looks like some kind of cooking show."

"I hate these," she groaned. "Always make me hungry."

I smiled, "me too."

"Hey," I heard from behind us. I quickly turned to see Bucky approaching us.

"Hey," Natasha lilted, turning to look at him. He looked at her strangely, like there was something they knew that I didn't, and by god did that make me want to know so much more.

"What's up?" I broke the silence abruptly.

"I uh... can I- can we talk?" he was looking at me when he said that.

"Y- uh, yea. Yea," I stood awkwardly while Natasha made a face at me. I followed Bucky to the other room where he stood waiting for me at the large window across from Stark's desk. "Something the matter?"

"No, nothing's wrong, per se," he had turned to face me and was staring deep into my eyes. "I just... I thought we should talk."

"What about?"

"A lot of things," his voice rumbled. "So many things."

"Just take it from the beginning, then," I instructed him, he turned around.

"It's your girlfriend."

I was taken back by the abruptness in his voice, the lack of tolerance and almost anger rippling through the air. "She has a name, you know," I said, probably a little bit too confrontationally.

He chuckled. "One thing I wish I could forget, I suppose."

My face contorted. "What, exactly, are you getting at?"

"I can't fucking stand her, Steve," he spun to face me.

"Where is this coming from?" I questioned. "I mean, you've barely even held a conversation with her that was longer than 'hello' and 'goodbye.'"

"That's why I'm telling you this," he came back, getting in my face about it. "I barely know her and I've barely talked with her but I hate her, Steve, more than anything."

"Why?"

"I- can't," he faltered, taking a step back.

"Tell me, damn it," he shouted.

"It's because-" I yelled back. "It's because," I lowered my voice. "I'm jealous."

Jealous.

"So, you-"

"No, before you go there, I don't remember anything about us," he cut me off. "About what you told me. But, it must mean something, this feeling."

"I think so, too," I smiled at him. "If that's any consolation."

He smiled back without another word.

We never looked away from one another, and I watched him as he wavered like he wasn't sure what he'd say next. Like he was gauging my reaction to what he'd said for some reason.

Without asking and without saying anything else, he grabbed my face and pushed his lips onto mine, slamming my back onto the glass. I grabbed him back and kissed him with everything I had, my soul filling with life again for the first time in forever.

He hummed into my mouth and dragged out the kiss, biting down on my lower lip before pulling back slightly, only to come back in seconds later. His lips were soft, but his stubble rubbed on my face like something of a dream, something I couldn't explain.

My hands touched every part of him that I haven't been able to touch since we've reconnected. I needed to savor this, for I may never get the chance again.

As if I jinxed it, he pulled off of me and started backing away quickly. Practically running out the door, he didn't say a single word.

He didn't have to.