Schwarzwald Forest
"Hey!" His friend called, a sleepy huff in his voice as he tumbled up out of his cot and towards where he was flipping through the starched papers. His mind raced back to simpler days as Steve reached to tug them out of his hands, but stopped, worried they'd rip. Steve's fingers hovered over the papers and Bucky conceded handing them over to the upset man.
"Sorry," He chuckled, not meaning it. Steve gave him a questioning pout as he rifled through the drawings. "I guess... I just guess it seemed normal," He laughed nervously as he pointed to Steve's drawing. The early morning tension seemed to leak away with his admission. It was true, too.
"Normal," Steve shook his head, and Bucky could see a reflection of his own thoughts. "Been awhile since that, hasn't it? Couple Hydra bases back I think."
"Yeah," He smiled terse. The things they kept seeing... it would be impossible to accept if it wasn't for the fact that his best friend was physically transformed into America's greatest soldier against the Nazi's. Or Hydra... or whoever they were battling anymore. It didn't make the rest of it easier to figure out, but he had to at least accept it was true when Steve could do the things he could do now. The two of them were far from the boys that left for the war. They must both be thinking similarly because they fell into a silence as Steve stared blankly at the drawings Bucky had snuck in to look at.
"Can I ask you a question?" Bucky asked, and Steve looked at him suddenly confidently.
"Of course," He said in a firm softness.
"What's with the monkey?" He tapped the papers Steve was holding at his leg. A bit of a blush rose to Steve's cheeks.
"It was before I joined the front. Back in the states. I suppose I just didn't see the point of what I was doing... I wasn't really fighting like I thought I should when I drew it. I was just... "
"I saw the picture," Bucky said with a slight smirk. He might as well not make Steve say aloud him parading around on stage. Steve groaned, moving to sit down on his cot. "Dugan showed me, you sure never told me ya could sing!"
"It was so humiliating," Steve groaned. "Not close to what I signed up for. Being honest, Captain America was a bit of a joke."
He was moved by the disheartened look in Steve's eye and he glanced over a shoulder before her reached out to push the drawings down.
"What you're doing now? What you did-?" He let out a heavy breath and pointed out past the tent's flap into the dark. "You charged in there, alone, for all of us."
"Well, actually, I went there for you," Steve admitted, shaking his head as if that changed what he'd done in some way. Bucky swallowed the emotions, clenching both his hands into fists as he pushed away the memories of being tortured by the sick pup scientists Germany had in there with them. But of course he did... Steve was a reckless punk as usual. But his hand to God, Steve saved his life. He owed Steve everything. Not for the first time, but he had thought it would be his last. Steve saved Bucky from that.
"Maybe. But you came out with all of us, when no one else woulda," He smiled brightly at his friend. "Not one of those generals would have risked their lives for one platoon. They damned us... and in one night you did more than I did in seven months in a trench.... what you're doing now, it actually means something Steve. This is why men really go to war." He added fiercely, looking at Steve in admiration. He really had saved their lives, he had given Bucky back a reason for all he'd just been through. James sure as hell wouldn't hear one word of self doubt from this idiot.
Steve reached up to rub the back of his neck, shrugging as he was clearly embarrassed. "It really wasn't..."
"But it was," Bucky cut him off, ending any argument he could have. Steve just smiled at him, an unspoken appreciation shared between the two. "One things for sure," James said as he stood up and made his way to the tents entrance.
"What's that Buck?" Steve asked, smiling at him. Bucky grinned back and held the flap up to the dark woods they were camping in.
"Ya're sure not in some factory," He smirked as Steve grinned fully at him and laughed once. He nodded and they bid each other goodnight before Bucky walked out into the crisp air of Schwarzwald forest.