Winter's First Snow

Fresh Snow in His Palms.

He was like fresh snow when they first met. He was cold at first, but fresh snow is soft. And it melts just as easily as chocolate on a summer day. But it was winter, and it was a weird one for steve. Bucky wasnt there, and the snow had just fallen. It reminded Steve of when they were in the park that day they first met. Steve was playing with his dog and Bucky was sitting alone. it all happened so fast Steve didnt really know how to react. it started out as a sneeze and a little sniffle. But he started coughing. And he couldn't stop. He couldn't breathe. His breaths came in shallow pants, his hands clutching his chest. He was shaking, his vision was blurring. He thought he was dying; and he was terrified. He remembered seeing bucky before he had this asthma attack. he remembered noticing him but not thinking much of it. But the young man who sat on the park bench at the start of winter just to watch Steve Rogers play with his dog was the one to save his life. Steve sat alone in his apartment dinking tea.
That reminded him of Bucky too. When Steve's mom died, Bucky insisted on staying with him to make sure Steve was okay. To make sure he wasn't alone. He would make tea. Bucky himself hated--no--despised the drink, but Steve loved it. and Bucky was all about what Steve wanted. And Steve loved the way Bucky made it. It was perfect, not too strong not too weak, but amazing, perfect. delicious. Bucky had gone off to war. and no Bucky meant steve had to take care of himself. Which wasn't that big of a deal, but steve really missed Bucky. and with no one to take care of him he had to go shopping and go to the doctors to have prescriptions filled and to have checkups. His asthma was getting worse and he was starting to sleep very restlessly. He worried constantly about Bucky. When would he be coming home, did he get shot, would he come home? Steve dreamt that a man came to his door with a flag folded and proceeded to tell him that "James Buchannan Barnes of the 107th had been shot and killed in action". Steve woke up in tears that night and couldnt even force himself to fall back asleep. He wrote letters of course but he never truly knew whether or not bucky was reading them. He hoped he was.
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Bucky wasnt supposed to be awake. It was too early... Going on about three A.M. but there he lay. Trying not to think about the people who hes killed in this war. Trying not to think about Steve. Steve's memory didnt belong in a place like this. But Bucky worried about little Stevie back home. Worried that he was sick and in a hospital somewhere where the doctors didn't know how to treat him and he didn't have any tea to help his throat or anything to soothe his asthma. It's not that Bucky didn't trust Steve to take care of himself but sometimes when you're sick and you dont realize it, it can get really bad. And Steve was always sick so that definitely didn't calm Bucky down. Bucky growled at himself for letting his mind wander like that. He needed to stop, go back to sleep, or at least wait silently for the rest of his battalion to wake. It didn't help that there were a few gunshots in the distance that seemed to keep Bucky from thinking about anything but staying alive for steve. To protect steve. That was bucky's mission. To make sure steve was okay.
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The knock on the door woke Steve from where he was asleep on the couch. and I guess you could say that's a weird place for a grown man to sleep being unmarried and all, and also having a nice queen sized bed in his very own bedroom. But steve just didn't feel right sleeping in such a big bed all alone. Steve groaned and rolled himself off of the couch and stumbled to
the door, wheezing the whole way there. He went to open the door but
startled himself when it was prevented from opening by the lock and dead bolt. Steve sighed at the door and ulocked it. Opening it slowly to see who it was and giving the man an odd look when he said nothing at all. No: "Good day I'd like to sell you something" Or "Your rent is due Mr. Rogers." Nothing.
The man just stood there and watched Steve until Steve went to turn away and the man spoke up. "I have a letter for you Mr. Rogers. It's from a Sergeant James-" Steve snatched the letter from the mail carriers hand, said a short thank you and slammed the door in his face. "Bucky" Steve whispered to himself as he grabbed for the letter opener that was on the table. He gently tore open the envelope and slid the letter out. It was shortly worded and the hand writing was just as steve remembered it, if not worse. The letter read: "Heya stevie?, How are you holding up? I'll be home soon punk. Dont you worry 'kay? Ive got about three weeks left. Think you'll be okay till then? see you soon Stevie. -Bucky Barnes"
Steves eyes water a little bit. which he will not admit to Bucky when he gets back for the life of him. Steve stumbles through the house into his room to grab a pen and paper to immediately write back to Bucky. Its short. A little longer than what bucky said but still short. Short enough to write it and run out of his apartment and half fall, half run down the stairs to catch the mail man before he leaves. Steve smiles to himself. Because his bucky was going to be home soon.