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

Thirty-Nine

Once at the Barnes' lake house, Sam carefully removed Tibby from the backseat of Steve's Silverado. With Tibby clutching Blue in her arms in one of his arms and the booster seat in the other, Sam headed up to the front door. The door was typically unlocked, so Sam was able to let himself in despite Bucky remaining in the passenger seat.

Noticing that Steve hadn't turned his truck off, Bucky looked over at him with furrowed brows and asked, "Aren't you joining?"

"Oh, uh," Steve started, keeping his attention on his steering wheel as he forced nonchalance, "No, I don't think so. I don't want to intrude."

"You're not intruding," Bucky reassured, hoping that Steve would turn off his truck and follow him inside.

"Thanks," Steve smirked, chewing on his lower lip while bashfully glancing up at Bucky from beneath his lashes. "But I've had like a month with you all to myself, so..."

"Well, if we're judging by that, Sam's had me for four years," Bucky scoffed. Steve rolled his eyes, but his grin grew nonetheless. Bucky reached over and grasped his hand onto Steve's broad shoulder. Momentarily distracted as he felt the strong muscle beneath his fingertips. Practically digging his fingertips into the muscle as he reassured Steve, "You're not intruding."

Briefly, Steve glanced at Bucky's hand on his shoulder before turning those sky blue eyes up at Bucky. Bucky tried to seem casual, but he knew that Steve had noticed the way that his breath had hitched. Dropping his hand from Steve's shoulder and his gaze from Steve's, Bucky opened the passenger door.

"C'mon," Bucky insisted over his shoulder as he jumped down from the truck. When Steve still didn't turn the truck off, Bucky leaned into the cab of the truck and pleaded, "I want you to. Plus, I think you'll really like Sam."

Pressing his lips together, Steve exaggerated an exasperated sigh before finally shutting the truck off. "Fine," Steve declared. Climbing out of his truck, he met up with Bucky at the front of the truck and informed, "But just know one thing."

Bucky's brows furrowed and he cautiously questioned, "What?"

"You were my friend first," Steve smirked, heading towards the house.

Breathe, Bucky had to remind himself. Attempting to remain grounded, he raked his hand through his brown hair and followed Steve up the porch steps. Yet, when Steve turned, checking to see if Bucky was there, Bucky's breath hitched again. How could he not lose his breath when Steve looked at him with such warmness that it felt like a sunburn to his soul?

Closing the door behind them, Bucky allowed his gaze to travel up Steve's body as he slipped off his sandals. Watching the way that Steve's muscles moved with his elegant, light steps down the hallway. Bucky wondered if everyone found Steve's walk to be so intriguing, or if Steve simply danced his way into only his heart.

Following Steve through the living room, Bucky noticed the way that Steve hesitated just before the kitchen. His brows furrowed and he looked around Steve's broad frame to find Sam at the island, making sandwiches.

"Hey," Sam greeted, glancing up from cutting a sandwich, "Ya hungry?"

"Duh," Bucky deadpanned, walking around Steve to enter the kitchen. Glancing behind himself, Bucky noted that Steve was following, causing his heart to stutter in his chest. And although Sam's question was meant for both of them, Bucky still felt the need to ask Steve, "Are you hungry?"

Placing his hands on the back of the stool at the island, Steve puffed out his cheeks as he feigned thought and asked Sam, "Whatcha making?"

"Simple," Sam answered, cutting a second sandwich diagonally in half, "Turkey and Swiss on rye with spicy mustard and lettuce."

"Um," Steve started while Bucky explained, "We've been going the classic fluffernutter route."

That caught Sam's attention. Pausing, Sam looked at Steve and then looked over at Bucky. His brows furrowed and he stated, "But you hate fluffernutter sandwiches."

Bucky's eyes went wide and his body went rigid: Busted. Bucky felt Steve's gaze on him and Bucky feigned breeziness as he claimed, "I don't hate fluffernutter --"

"Yes, you do," Sam corrected. Remembering, Sam stated, "You said that you can't eat them because of some boating incident where you got sick, and so now all you can taste is puke. It's also why you can't eat marshmallows."

Nervously, Bucky chuckled and scratched at the back of his neck while he attempted to think of a way out of the corner that he had painted himself into. However, all he could think was a stream of: shitshitshitshitshit. Thickly swallowing, Bucky stuttered out a, "That's, uh, that's not... No, that's, um --"

"I think he's broken," Steve teased, directing his gaze to Sam.

"He gets like that when he's hungry," Sam confirmed, placing a plate in front of Bucky. Playfully condescendingly, Sam said, "Your favorite."

A bit sheepishly, Bucky muttered, "Thanks."

Happy with himself, Sam nodded and turned his attention to Steve. Quirking a brow, Sam asked, "So, what'll it be. Chef Samuel will make you whatever you want."

Steve briefly glanced over at Bucky and told Sam, "I'll have whatever he's having."

Causing Bucky to nearly choke on his bite of sandwich as he thought about the scene of When Harry Met Sally, where that line is typically quoted from. From beside him, Steve rubbed Bucky's back in hopes of stopping his coughing. Steve reassured, "I know the Heimlich, if you need it."

"No," Bucky wheezed. Sam placed a glass of water in front of him and Bucky gladly chugged half of it. Gasping, Bucky stated, "I'm okay. Wrong pipe."

Steve's hand was still rubbing soothing circles along Bucky's back, and Bucky could feel the heat from Steve's hand through his t-shirt. He could also feel the blood rush in opposite directions: to his face, and his dick.

With his eyes going wide, Bucky pushed himself away from the kitchen island, knocking the stool over in the process, and nearly knocking Steve over too. Loudly, the stool clanged on the floor, but Bucky didn't stick around. Instead, making a mad dash to the bathroom, even though Steve and Sam were both questioning if he was okay.

Bucky yelled back, "Yup," then lied, "Just gotta pee!"

Managing to close the door in the half bath just off the mud room, Bucky heard Tibby crying upstairs and momentarily thought about going to her. Luckily though, Big Brother Sam was already on it. Leaving Bucky to try and make his boner disappear without actually touching it.