Always There (Stucky One Shots and Short Stories)

Pre-Serum Stucky

Bucky had sounded pretty stressed out on the phone so Steve invited him over. Bucky had said something about a big secret that could ruin everything and Steve was wondering now if the brunette had found out something horrible about the girl he was interested in. Not that Steve cared about the girls Bucky liked. He pretended to care for his friend's benefit, because he knew that that's what good friends did. They didn't confess their unrequited love and expect things to still be okay.

Steve was sitting on the couch, twiddling his thumbs in time to Beethoven's Fifth when Bucky entered his humble abode. He brought with him a gust of cold air; it was mid February. Steve stood up from his perch on the sofa and approached his friend, a concerned look in his blue-grey eyes.

Bucky gave Steve a look the blond had caught a few times in his friend's eyes, but had never lingered. Every time he saw it, it just made him more confused, but this time the look wasn't leaving and Steve was more confused than ever.

"Are you okay?" He asked, looking up at Bucky and frowning. Bucky looked okay, so what was going on?

"Yeah." This time, a different emotion flashed through Bucky's eyes. It looked like...fear. "Let's sit."

Steve resumed his seat on the couch, now more nervous than he was before. Bucky looked pretty serious. Had someone died? Was he getting married? Steve didn't know if his heart could handle an announcement like that. Was he- No. It would do no good to think about all the possibilities and get worked up over it when Bucky was right here, and going to tell him.

"What did you want to talk about?" The blond asked feebly, looking over and trying to keep his hands from shaking.

Bucky now looked just as nervous as Steve felt. "I have something really important to tell you and it could very well ruin our entire friendship." He shifted on the sofa to face Steve at an angle and made eye contact. This made Steve even more nervous, and he felt that tight knot of anxiety in the pit of his stomach grow. "I can't keep this a secret anymore." Bucky breathed deeply and took both of Steve's hands in his own. "Please don't be upset with me, okay?" He begged, those crystal blue eyes showing exactly how desperate he was. How could Steve refuse when Bucky was asking like this? He nodded, though he was becoming increasingly more worried. Content that Steve would keep to his word, Bucky took another deep breath and geared himself up. "I love you."

For a split second, Steve was ecstatic, but he quickly reminded himself that this was the real world, and things like that only happened in movies. Bucky must mean something else. He was never very good at telling Steve he loved him, as a friend of course. "As a best friend, I know." Steve smiled softly, still finding himself wishing it had been what he was hoping it was.

Bucky's face fell at Steve's words and he shook his head, swallowing hard. "No, Steve." He gripped his small friend's hands tighter. "I /love/ you. Like I'm expected to love all the women I date."

Steve didn't know how to react to this. It was a little early for an April Fool's prank, but Bucky always did like to mess with him a little bit. He was resolutely determined not to get his hopes up, or betray any of his own emotions. "That's not something you joke about, Bucky." He gave the brunette a stern look and made to get up off the couch.

"Please!" Bucky pulled him back down and Steve could see tears brimming in his friend's eyes. He sure looked serious. But there was no way this could be real. "You have to believe me." Bucky was pleading with him, those clear blue eyes desperate.

"I," How was Steve supposed to react to this? This was the sort of declaration he'd been waiting for since he was thirteen years old. But it was definitely too good to be true. Maybe he was dreaming. "It's not possible." He said slowly. Some dreams felt really real, and this must be one of those. "Do you know why?" He gave Bucky a sad sort of smile and the brunette inclined his head, his brow furrowed with an emotion Steve couldn't place. "Because I'm not that lucky." With that Steve closed his eyes and pinched his arm.