âI need to see you,â Steve says. âWeâll fix this.â
ââŚSteve,â Bucky starts, the name sounding weird to Steveâs ears. Like Bucky rolls it on his tongue, testing out the sound. He hasnât heard him say it in years, not even during their brief encounter and the fall of SHIELD and HYDRA weeks earlier. Itâs a step towards recognition, Steve thinks, and another step towards the deep end, bottom dropping from his stomach at the thought of Bucky. âCanât do that.â
Steve toes off his boots, pulling off his shirt. âAbout seventy years too late. Iâmââ
âDonât,â Bucky snaps.
Steve hesitates, shifting the phone to his metal hand. He wipes his face, frowning at the foreign texture and three days worth of beard. âBuck, you gotta let me try.â
âYouâre my mission,â Bucky hisses, Steveâs own voice pitched low in anger. âThe only reason youâre still alive is becauseââ
âBecause youâre my friend,â Steve points out.
Bucky groans. âThought youâd get some sense.â
âYou know me,â Steve says wryly, trying not to stare at hisâBuckyâsâreflection in the dresser mirror.