Summer In Your Eyes: Seasons Series 1 (Lifeguard!Steve x Bucky Barnes Summer AU)

Fifteen

"Around the corner!" Natasha yelled.

"Yeah, I see 'em," Steve replied through clenched teeth. He was hitting a combination of buttons on the controller, trying to get his character, John, to fight against some of the cannibalistic undead. When more zombies started to ambush him, he swore, "Fuck!"

"Told ya," Natasha smugly stated.

"Not helping," Bucky told her and rushed his character, Leon, through the maze of hallways in the abandoned hospital until he could help John.

In reply, Natasha suggested, "Maybe you should give me the controller."

Bucky rolled his eyes and perked when Leon finally reached John. Pressing all the combinations of buttons that he could think of that would help in that situation. Eventually instructing Leon to fight off the horde surrounding John.

"Thank fuck!" Steve praised as the game went to a cutscene. Steve relaxed into the sofa cushion and he turned to look at Bucky. Informing the brunet, "Seriously, I wouldn't have made it this far without you."

On the other side of Steve, Clint feigned offense and theatrically scoffed, "Excuse me?"

Of course, Steve and Bucky both owed a lot to Clint. Being the third player, and a key member to their group, Clint had managed to get the pair out of a lot of awful, bloody situations. In fact, the reason that they made it this far in the game could be boiled down to Clint.

Steve smirked and patted Clint's knee as he brushed off his dramatics, "Oh, you know that I appreciate you too."

"Yeah, sure," Clint mockingly pouted.

"At least you got to play," Natasha chimed in, causing Bucky to smirk at how petty she could be sometimes.

"You can play," Clint instantly offered, clearly already wrapped around her finger.

"No, it's okay," Natasha reassured and then pointedly looked at Steve, "Someone should've told me that their fourth controller broke! At least then I could've brought my own."

"It's an old console!" Steve defended himself while Clint sided with Natasha and mocked, "Yeah, Steve. God, can't you think of someone else for a change."

"Excuse me?!" Steve scoffed, incredulous. Looking over at Bucky, Steve asked, "Can you believe them?!"

In reply, Bucky could only grin. Especially once Clint exaggerated, "Oh great, now I've been replaced!"

"Oh, don't be like that, baby," Steve teased, pulling Clint into a tight embrace.

Bucky's jaw clenched. Hell, his whole body tensed. Bucky knew that Clint and Steve were just goofing around, but with the way that Steve could so easily play like that, it didn't seem fair to Bucky that Steve wasn't that way with him.

So, Bucky focused remaining bits of his brain function on the cutscene playing out in front of them. John and Leon were making their way back to the survivor village with the much needed necessities...

Steve pulled Clint closer. Wrapping his legs around Clint's torso to immobilize him.

Focus!

John and Leon were joking. Meeting up with Michael, Clint's character.

Clint.

Clint was tickling Steve. Doing what was necessary to get Steve to let go. It was working. Laughing, Steve dropped his legs from Clint.

Focus, for the love of a Norse God!

Aggressively, Bucky bit down on his lower lip, harshly. So harshly that he could taste blood as he tried everything to ignore the two roughhousing boys beside him.

"Enough!" Natasha demanded. As Clint and Steve tugged at their own clothing so it was in place and attempted to fix their hair, Natasha suggested, "Or you can give me the remote."

"Pfft," Steve exhaled and raked his hand through his disheveled hair. His cheeks were attractively red and when Bucky glanced over, he knew it was a mistake. Steve quirked a brow and asked, "Ya ready?"

"Born ready," Bucky replied, a little too breathlessly to his own ears. Silently, Steve simply flashed one of those wide-grins at him and Bucky pressed his lips together to keep his own grin small.

Focusing on the game, Bucky wasn't as pleased as he thought he would be when Steve did the same. And when Natasha dramatically sighed a few seats away, Bucky couldn't help but relate completely. Even if it was for a different reason entirely.

"Stop backseat gaming," Steve finally told Natasha.

"But it's no fun just sitting here while everyone else plays," Natasha whined. Leaning across Clint to tug at Steve's arm, Natasha pleaded, "Let's do something that we can all do."

Since Natasha was distracting Clint and Steve with her antics, they weren't able to properly execute the combinations needed to get their characters to safety. Sadly, John was bitten, and Steve's part of the screen splattered with digital blood. The title card game over! popped up. Steve groaned in annoyance and set his controller down on his lap before leaning back and rubbing the heels of his hands into his perfect blue eyes.

"Fine," Steve sighed in defeat, "What do you want to do?"

"What is there to do?" Natasha asked, settling back onto her cushion.

Clint scoffed, "There's not much."

Resting the remote on the arm of the chair, Bucky offered, "Pizza and movies?"

"Pizza and movies!" Steve enthusiastically repeated as though he was having some sort of an epiphany. He smiled over at Bucky, causing a blush to burn on Bucky's high cheekbones while complimenting the brunet, "That is a marvelous idea!"

"Well, that's me," Bucky chewed on the inside of his cheek as he attempted to be as nonchalant as possible, "Tons of good ideas."

Steve looked over Bucky's face for a moment longer than he expected Steve to, and Bucky's heart started racing in his chest. Every time that Bucky assumed that his crush on Steve was in the past, he did something that reminded Bucky that it was (1) still there and (2) stronger than ever. Especially in moments like now, where Steve's eyes were on Bucky. Bucky could only pray that Steve could feel even a sliver of how Bucky felt.