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

Fifty-Two

"Remember that one summer where it rained for practically a week straight?" Steve softly questioned in the quiet dark.

Silently, Bucky nodded and added, "Yeah. That was the summer that we got into Don't Enter."

"No, that was the summer prior," Steve corrected, his eyes twinkling from the moonlight streaming in through the cracked curtains. Bucky's brows furrowed as he thought, and Steve continued, "I'm talking about when we went to my grandma's house."

"Grandma's house," Bucky repeated trying to remember, but finding great difficulty to think of anything other than Steve's eagerness and the way that his blue eyes were twinkling.

"Oh, c'mon," Steve quietly teased, trying not to wake up Sam and Clint who were asleep on the sofa. Laying in his bed beside Bucky, Steve purposely bumped his knee against Bucky's as he questioned, "You seriously don't remember?"

Bucky pressed his lips as he thought, but apparently it was taking so long because Steve started talking again. In hopes that Bucky would remember, Steve continued, "The cable cut out and we had nothing to do, so we decided to play hide-n-seek. And we decided to hide --"

"In the closet," Bucky finished, remembering now. How could he forget though? It was a week or so after Steve had comforted him during the storm and Bucky had been conflicted. As they hung out at Nana Rogers' house, Bucky was afraid of the storm that was starting to pick up. But more than that, Bucky was trying to figure out his feelings for Steve.

"Yeah," Steve confirmed, pressing in slightly closer.

Bucky bit back his grin as he questioned, "What about it?"

Steve lifted his head to look over at the sofa on the other side of the room. Placing his head back on the pillow, he slightly ducked his head as he whispered, "I wanted you to kiss me that day."

"Shut up," Bucky scoffed, shocked. Playfully, he shoved at Steve's shoulder and, in disbelief, stated, "There's no way."

"Why not?" Steve chuckled under his breath, moving his arm so it was pressed along Bucky's.

Bucky bit his lip before bashfully confessing, "Because I wanted you to kiss me."

For a moment, the pair just stared at each other. Bucky wished that he had known that earlier. Maybe he would have done more. Made more of an effort to stay connected after Grandpa died. Maybe he would have kissed Steve back then, the way that both of them had wanted him to.

Briefly, Steve pressed his lips together before he sincerely confessed, "I really want to kiss you right now."

Bucky bit his own lower lip because, god help me, so do I. Instead, Bucky playfully whined, "Stevie."

"I'm sorry," Steve said, even though the grin was evident in his soft tone. "It's just... it's just that I..." Steve paused. Glancing down as he extended his pinkie, so he could tenderly link it with Bucky's as he admitted, "I-- You drive me... you drive me crazy, Buck. You always have."

And although Steve didn't say it, Bucky could feel it. The promise. The silent promise. The you always will, because Bucky felt it too. It had always been Steve and it would always be Steve. It was really as simple as that.

Bucky made sure that his pinkie held onto Steve's and leaned over to press a soft kiss to the back of Steve's thumb. Returning to his previous position, Bucky looked up at Steve and good humoredly sighed, "You're such an idiot."

"Takes one to know one," Steve childishly retorted.

"Punk," Bucky playfully, gently, bumped his knee against Steve's.

Retaliating with a bump of his own to Bucky's knee, Steve replied, "Jerk."

"God, why do I have a crush on you again?" Bucky playfully rolled his eyes and raked his hand through his own hair as he teasingly muttered, "Honestly."

Bashfully, Steve questioned, "You have a crush on me?"

"Oh my god," Bucky scoffed, playfully shoving Steve's broad shoulder. Steve quietly giggled and Bucky stated, "You're insufferable, you know that? Simply unbearable."

Steve pressed his lips together and fully took Bucky's hand in his once Bucky returned his arm to the space between them. Lacing their fingers, Steve pressed in just a tiny bit closer. Butterflies were fluttering in Bucky's chest as Bucky half-teased, "Purely platonic, huh?"

"Hand holding is platonic," Steve whispered. Bucky playfully rolled his eyes, and although Bucky wasn't entirely convinced that Steve could see him rolling his eyes in the dark, Bucky knew that Steve knew him well enough to know that Bucky didn't believe his statement in the slightest. Steve amended, "Hand holding can be platonic."

Bucky bit back his grin -- and his yawn -- as he questioned, "Is it even possible to be platonic when all you wanna do is make out with the person you're holding hands with?"

Steve yawned too as he conceded, "I guess you're right."

As Steve started to remove his hand from Bucky's, Bucky held on just a tad bit tighter. Steve paused before settling into his spot once again as Bucky informed, "I never said that you had to stop."