POV: Sam Wilson
I wipe the back of my hand across my forehead, smearing the beads of sweat across it.
I reach back down, tightening the bolt on the side of the boat, sitting back on my heels as it twists into position.
My eyes scan over to Bucky as he pulls an old beam down, tossing it effortlessly over to the pile of scraps on the dock.
He looks over at me, catching my gaze for a moment, allowing the corner of his mouth to twitch up into a soft smile before turning to the next broken piece of the boat, ripping it from the framework and tossing it aside.
I turn back to the panels I’m working on, smiling to myself as I lay the next sheet of metal over the side, reaching over to tighten it into place.
The sun beats down on us as we work, baking my skin and sending more sweat beading along my brow.
I stand up as I tighten the last screw into place, lifting the hem of my shirt to wipe my face with.
As I drop the fabric back down, Bucky awkwardly shifts his gaze away from me.
I grin at the back of his head, laughing to myself at the idea of catching him looking.
I look over the edge of the boat into the clear, blue water, before stepping up onto the ledge and slowly peeling my damp shirt off.
“What the hell are you doing?” Bucky asks, looking over at me with wide eyes.
I drop the shirt onto the deck.
“Going for a swim.” I answer, smiling at him. “Care to join?”
He cocks one eyebrow at me as he sets down the plank in his hand.
“Can you swim with the arm?” I ask, genuinely wondering.
He rolls his eyes as he jumps up onto the ledge beside me.
“What?” I ask, sarcastically now. “I needed to know if I need to get an oil can for you, Tin Man.”
He rolls his eyes again, but lets a smile fall across his lips as he pulls off his shirt.
The muscles across his stomach and chest ripple at the action, his biceps contracting as he pulls it over his head and drops it onto the deck behind us.
I drop my gaze, as I kick off my shoes, throwing them and my socks behind me onto the deck.
I avoid Bucky’s eyes as I pull my belt open and unbutton my jeans before sliding them down, dropping them on the deck of the boat as well.
I look out over the water as I hear Bucky’s boots clomp along the wood, and a moment later the metallic clang of his belt as his jeans hit the deck.
I risk a look over at him, and find his eyes locked on me.
My breath catches in my throat as I look at him, my eyes grazing over the contours of his body once, quickly.
I jump off the edge of the boat, doing a flip before splashing into the cold water below.
My body floats up to the surface, and I look up at Bucky as I break out of the water.
“Coming in?” I ask with a smile.
He laughs, shaking his head as he plugs his nose, tucking his knees to his chest and splashing into the water in a huge cannonball.
His head bobs up out of the water to look at me, and he takes a big breath of air as he lets go of his nose.
“The Super Solider can’t hold his breath?” I ask, chuckling at him as we tread water.
He looks up at me through wet eyelashes.
“He can.” He states simply. “I just—well I don’t like when water gets in my nose, alright? It’s gross.”
I laugh, taking a breath as I dip back under the water, swimming out further into the lake.
Bucky follows behind me, swimming quickly, but not putting his head entirely under the water.
We stop after a couple minutes, looking at each other as we float in the middle of the lake.
“This is nice.” Bucky remarks, pushing backwards to float on his back. “Did you swim here as a kid?”
I continue treading water beside him, admiring the way the water glistens off the metal of his arm in the sun.
“Yeah, me and Sarah and our cousins would swim out here for hours.” I answer. “Then we’d have barbeques with the whole family or play games up there by the dock, it was always fun.”
He listens with his eyes closed, smiling serenely up at the sky as I talk.
“Did you spend much time with family as a kid?” I ask him.
He shakes his head gently.
“No.” He answers. “My mother died when we were pretty young, and my sister Rebecca went to a boarding school not long after my father died a few years later.”
He doesn’t open his eyes as he talks, but a small crease forms on the bridge of his nose.
“My family really ended up being Steve once we met.” He continues. “But that kid was so scrawny there’s no way in hell he would’ve survived a swim in this cold-ass lake.”
His mouth twists up into a smirk as his eyes open slightly to look at me in a sideways glance.
“Oh so now my lake’s too cold?” I ask.
His smirk threatens to pull into a smile, but he holds it tightly.
“I mean, I’m just sayin’.” He answers.
I nod, raising my eyebrows as I dip below the water.
I swim below Bucky, placing a hand gently on each side of his hips before pulling him below the water.
His arms and legs flail around frantically as he pushes me away, and I pull us back to the surface a moment later, laughing as we break free from the water.
“Sam what the hell!” He laughs as he faces me. “You are so lucky I had time to plug my nose.”
I laugh, suddenly aware that my hands still rest on either side of his hips.
He seems to become aware of it at the same time, his smile fading to a soft line, lips slightly parted as he looks at me.
“It’s warming up now.” He murmurs, his hands sliding up my chest and hooking lightly behind my neck, his metal fingers surprising me with their gentle touch.
I don’t say anything, instead leaning forward to press a soft kiss against his lips.
It’s short, barely a moment before I pull away, giving him the chance to swim away if he wanted.
Instead I’m caught off guard by Bucky’s body pressing closer, almost throwing off my rhythm as I tread with my legs and sending me under the water as he kisses me again, deeper and more intense than the first time.
We tread water simultaneously as my hands drag slowly up and down the sides of his muscular torso, pulling him closer still when my hands land back onto his hips.
His fingers trail along my neck, reaching up to cup my face as his lips gently part mine.
Eventually the kiss dissipates, leaving his forehead pressed against mine as my eyes lock onto his.
“That was—” I breathe, unsure how to finish the sentence.
“Yeah.” He answers, understanding everything I couldn’t find the words to say.
I smile pulls at my lips as his eyes drop, a slight flush filling his cheeks.
“You ready to head back?” I ask, nodding towards the boat.
He nods, smiling softly as we slowly swim back towards the docks.
I get out, climbing up onto the dock and walking back into the boat, Bucky following right behind me.
We dry off with clean rags and dress together in silence.
We sit on the ledge of the boat again as we lace our shoes back up.
“So, now what?” Bucky asks in a quiet voice.
I know what he’s asking, how he’s wondering if we’re going to pretend nothing happened or if we’re going to be something different now.
I reach over, pressing one hand against his cheek and pulling his face towards me to kiss him again.
His hand falls against my leg as he leans into it, kissing me back warmly.
I pull away after a moment, looking at his flushed face again.
“I was thinking dinner?” I ask with a grin.
He rolls his eyes with a soft smile before taking my hand in his and squeezing it gently.