Selfless Love

Chapter 5

As the weeks rolled by, you caught a glimpse of the man Bucky used to be and you loved it. He was charming, witty, generous and even a little cocky.

When he visited his sister, she lived in a nursing home in Brooklyn, she gave him a box filled with all sorts of trinkets and pictures. Steve stood next to him, offering moral support. That evening, you and Bucky were sitting on the floor at the foot of his bed, looking at the pictures.

You marvelled at how happy and carefree he looked. Even dressed in well-worn, everyday clothes, he still looked incredibly dashing.

"Where was this picture taken?" you asked, turning the photograph toward him.

He took it between his index finger and thumb. "Coney Island. We saw Mae West that day." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, she was a-"

"Movie star," you replied with a grin, "I know." You looked at the photos spread on the floor between you two. "Your sister took a lot of pictures."

"Yeah, my folks had an old brownie."

"A cake?"

Bucky laughed. "No, it's a camera. It was cheap, something like two dollars."

Your eyes widened. "Two dollars! Are you serious?"

"Yup, now you see why your seven-dollar coffee gives me heart palpitations."

You rolled your eyes playfully and continued to sort through the pictures. Steve looked cute, his hands always buried deep in his pockets. He smiled shyly, avoiding the camera while Bucky was practically posing.

"How much do you remember?"

He looked down at the picture in his hands, lost in thought for a long moment.

"I have no idea who these people are." He looked up at you and turned the photograph so you could see it. "Maybe one day I'll remember, but I'm no longer trying to remember my past. I want to move on, y'know?"

Bucky had that glazed, empty look in his eyes so you quickly changed the subject. "You looked good with short hair."

"I get that a lot." He shook his head, grinning.

"I bet you had tons of girls chasing you."

Bucky's nose scrunched in the cutest way. "I was popular, but it's not what you think. It was a different time. I mean, don't get me wrong, I've had my fair share of action, but most of the time it was just cuddles and kisses behind the church."

"A real heart-throb," you mocked.

He let out a small, guilty chuckle that made your stomach do flip-flops. Bucky heard your heart knocking hard inside your chest and his blood instantly warmed up. It was an amazing feeling, he hoped it would last forever.

A knock on the door broke the spell.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know you had company," Steve apologised and retreated, closing the door.

"No, come in," you said, pushing yourself off the floor. "I have to go anyway, Natasha's waiting for me."

You patted Steve on the arm as you brushed past him and left the room, closing the door behind you. Steve sat on the floor in front of Bucky and observed him silently. Bucky's jaw clenched. He took a deep breath to keep from groaning out his frustration.

"If you've got something to say, say it before I kick you in the groin," Bucky grunted, not meeting his friend's eyes.

"It's nice," Steve shrugged, "you and Y/n. Look, I'll tell you what I said to Banner. Don't wait too long. You both deserve a win."

"When did you become a love expert?" Bucky fought back a smirk.

"Buck."

"Steve," he shot back in the same exasperated tone.

They stared at each other for a moment, their eyes narrowed, before they burst out laughing. Bucky took an old photograph and handed it to Steve.

"We haven't changed that much." Steve smiled fondly at the picture.

"We changed plenty, pal."

"You're right," Steve replied, a sad smile turning up the corners of his mouth. "If we were still in the 30s, you would have sneaked off behind the church with Y/n and put your hand under her blouse."

"It's called cuddling," Bucky grumbled.

Steve tilted his head, smirking. "No, it's called fondling."

Steve was right. Back then, Bucky could have sweet-talked a girl into almost anything, but then HYDRA got their hands on him and everything turned sour. Now he was an emotionally and physically broken man, but there was something he never expected. You.

Flirting with you was so easy, like playing a game of cat and mouse, and he realized how much he had missed the thrill of the chase. He had never felt this way before, his whole body was burning, ready to be touched again. It was time to do something about it.