libertycaps:
@ghxstwinter
It had reached the point in Steve’s life where he’d spent almost as much time in his new body as he had in the one he was born in. Erskine’s creation had always felt like he was wearing a suit of armor in his own right, walking around in the world as an inauthentic, gifted version of himself, at least until recently. Now, Steve was starting to revel in the abilities he’d been given, and when he was teleported into his old body … well, he was referring to it as old. It didn’t feel like his chest, anymore, that rattled with each breath, or his knees that clicked when he stood up from the seat.
It stood to reason, though, that the first person who would see him like this would be Bucky. They lived together, and Bucky always had a sixth sense to know when Steve needed him, even before Steve knew himself. He woke up in a cold sweat and had only a matter of moments to look down at skin-and-bone arms, eyes flickering to the pumpkin pie on the counter, before the front door of their apartment was opening, and he spotted his friend rounding the corner.
“Don’t eat the pie!” were the first words out of his mouth, hand going up to prevent Bucky from doing his usual and sticking his finger right into the centre of the dessert. “Enchanted pumpkins!”
***
Bucky wished that he could start being surprised at the weird things that occurred in his life. It seemed like a frequent carousel of just weird. He had heard various things happening around the city, pumpkins seemingly robbing people. Animals talking? (He’s concerned about what that exactly means for Alpine. He was sure the cat had plenty to say.) So arriving home without incident was a seemingly a miracle in itself. There was something in the back of his mind urging him to get home, to check on Steve, a nagging sort of need to do just that. He could remember flashes of this same feeling, all but racing back from the docks to make sure that Steve was still breathing on the couch cushions. That taunt feeling in his chest immediately loosening when he realized the rise and fall of the man’s chest was still present.
(There were too many times where he feared he’d come too late. That one goodbye would be the last. Instead, he was the one who left his friend first, for a fate that was far worse than death.)
The door opened, nothing too weird so far. Though, it seemed he spoke too soon. Making his way to the pie that laid unassuming on the table top only to be stopped. Bucky stared at his friend, unblinking before he rubbed at his eyes and shook his head. “What the fuck?” He blurted out, eyes narrowed and he moved forward slowly. His metal hand reached out, thumping Steve promptly on the forehead. “You’re real. And you’re...small again. What the hell? How the hell did this even happen?” He asked.
