Hm, if you feel inspired, maybe a cold-ridden Bucky and a partner with the kink? Or even just a partner thinking how absolutely adorable he is when he’s sneezing and his nose is all red and sniffly
yes, of COURSE!!! sorry for the delay — was swamped at work and logged off for a few days. i feel like i'm always apologizing for that... i really need to be more consistent, but thank you so much for your patience.
here's some miserable bucky + (sorta) kink!steve. this'll take place maybe in the late ’30s/early ’40s.
Steve continued to study him, watching the entire spectacle. Bucky was gearing up for another sneeze, and Steve was shamelessly watching.
He scrutinized his every move. Bucky’s eyelashes fluttered as he gasped, hitching his way to the next sneeze. The way his mouth stretched into an almost-yawn. And finally...
“H-hihH! Hih’RRRUSHHHHOO!”
Bucky shook his head and blearily opened his eyes to find Steve staring.
He groaned, sniffling thickly. “Were you watchig be?”
Steve blushed, suddenly pretending to erase a section of the sketch. “I’m sorry, I just... I mean, I’m supposed to be drawing you and—”
“Id’s jusd embarassig. I bean, you cad barely understand be.”
For whatever reason, Steve’s stomach flip-flopped at the sound of Bucky’s voice.
“Aw, don't be embarrassed. I think you—” He stopped, unsure of what he was going to say. Unsure of why he had this funny feeling every time Bucky scrubbed at his nose.
“Anyway, I appreciate you letting me bother you for a bit.”
“Id’s doe bother. I’b trabbed here in by roomb adyway.” His upper lip curled and his chest caught as the impending sneeze blossomed. “F-for fucg’s s-sake.”
He ducked into his cupped hands with a wet-sounding pair of sneezes. “H-huh’HURESSSSHHHOO! HahH! Hah’TSHHHHUH!”
Bucky groaned, in between desperate sniffles and the merciless scrubbing at his nose with his palm.
Steve was transfixed. Why did he think Bucky’s sneezes were... enjoyable?
He shivered and turned back to his sketch, ignoring the thrill he was feeling. Focus on the sketch. Focus on the sketch.
“Why didn’t you just text me? You know we have phones now, right?”
Steve shrugged sheepishly, holding two coffees. “I dunno. I just figured I’d drop by.”
He’d come to visit Bucky, unprompted, and found him on his couch at home, pressing a crumpled tissue to his streaming nose.
Steve gently kicked the door closed, trying his best not to spill the coffees he’d bought. He made his way to the couch and was just about to sit next to him when Bucky coughed, waving him away.
“Trust me, you don’t want this. It’s a super cold,” he said, through honking blows. Bucky wasn’t even embarrassed about it anymore; he felt too sick to care.
“And I have a super immune system,” Steve rolled his eyes, sitting down. “Move over.”
Bucky pulled his knees closer to his chest so that Steve could sit where his feet were. And just like that, he had to sneeze again.
It’d been happening all morning: the itch, the false start, the gasping, and his signature two sneezes. And Bucky was getting sick of it.
“Hh’GNNNT!” The first was stifled so successfully that his ears popped. Caught off guard, the second came full force. “Hh’RRSHSHHHHHSHHHH!”
“Bless you, Buck.” Steve set the coffees on the table and instead snatched a few tissues out of the box in front of them. “Those were some sneezes you got there.”
Bucky sniffled miserably, dabbing at his chapped nose. “Yeah, thad’s beed happeding a lot.”
Fuck. Come to think of it, his sinuses were already prickling again. Too quick for him to register, his breath caught and he geared up for another. “H-hUH! Huh’TSSSCHHSHHHH!”
Steve felt a bit of spray hit his hand, just barely misting it. The tissue in Bucky’s trembling hand was all but destroyed, and his quivering nostrils threatened to drip onto his upper lip. Steve watched him — this absolute spectacle unfolding before him — and felt frozen in place as Bucky’s chest rose and fell.
It was a completely failed stifle.
Bucky didn’t prepare for such a wretched sneeze, nor the utterly disgusting sound that came out of him. “E-ehh’RGSHSHSHSHHFF!”
He felt his nose running onto his top lip and snuffled desperately into the back of his hand, trying to hide the fact that he’d snotted all over himself. He grabbed his nose with one hand, continuing to sniffle. “F-fuggk.”
Steve pressed a handful of tissues into Bucky’s free hand. “Bless you.”
You have some of the best fics I’ve ever read! May I ask for a Steve/Bucky fic? Maybe Steve has a head cold, and him not one to be dramatic, attempts to hide it until his emotional dam breaks, causing him to just break down because he feels so damn ill and just can’t get any reprieve between sneezing and coughing fits.
omg hell yeah!! thank you so much for the compliment — i've been really struggling w writer's block as of late. anywayyyyy here's the request >:)
also i just realized this isn't even a fic and more of a glorified drabble, but i really hope you still like it
Steve hated being sick. All it did was remind him of his childhood.
He sniffled miserably, quickly rubbing his nose with his knuckles.
“Hey, ready to go?” Bucky was leaning on their bedroom doorframe, grinning. “It’s not every day we get to go on a date, hmm?”
Steve smiled softly. “I don’t know if taking a walk by the harbor is considered a date, but yeah, I’m ready.”
He felt the familiar itch in the back of his sinuses and sniffed, trying to keep it at bay. Bucky didn’t know that Steve was coming down with something, but Steve had a sneaking suspicion that he was on the path to figuring it out.
***
They walked side by side, watching the men unload cargo from the biggest ships Steve had ever seen. They sure didn’t have these when he was growing up.
Without warning, Steve’s nostrils flared and he barely had time to catch it in his cupped hands.
“Hih’TSHHH!”
“Bless you,” Bucky said as they walked along.
Steve blinked back tears, ready to blame them on the biting cold wind coming off the water. The incessant tickling in his sinuses was making his eyes water.
“G-got one m-more,” he choked out before diving into his jacket sleeve. “H-hehh... Hah’ESCHHH!”
Steve’s nose started to run and he began to feel dizzy. He shook his head as if to clear it. Sniffling, he not-so-discreetly wiped his nose on his sleeve.
“Feeling OK?”
Steve forced a laugh. “Of course. Just a little winded from sneezing I guess.”
This time it was Bucky’s turn to laugh. “Winded? Since when have you been winded as Cap?”
Steve started to answer, but before he could get anything out, his nostrils were flaring again.
“Bless—”
“Ahh... h-haH! Hah’ESCHHHOO! Hh'NNNGT!”
He tried to hold the last one in, but as soon as he did, he regretted it.
Bucky furrowed his eyebrows. “You OK? You look a little pale.”
No sooner than the words had left his lips, Steve felt a wave of heat wash over him, and his vision went black.
Bucky caught him as his knees buckled, and Steve collapsed into his arms.
***
By the time Steve was waking up, Bucky had already taken off his own jacket to give to Steve.
“We’re going home,” Bucky said matter-of-factly, almost annoyed. “You have a fever you know.”
Steve squinted, breath caught.
“Bless y—”
“Nn’TSHHHH! H-hah’PSSSHHHF!”
The last one was very poorly stifled. Bucky pressed his handkerchief into Steve’s shaking hands.
“You need to tell me when you’re not feeling well, OK?”
Steve nodded, scrubbing his irritated nose with the cloth.
Bucky placed his hand on Steve's lower back to steady him. “We’re going home. And hold onto that handkerchief for me, would you?”
His lip curled into a snarl and all Bucky could do was watch. “G-gotta sd-sdeeze,” he choked out, burying his twitching nose in the cloth. “Ehh... h-hiH! TSHHHH! A-ah'SHHHHP!”
“Man. That’s one hell of a cold you got. And for god’s sake, let those sneezes out.”
Steve’s practically begging. He’s been sick for nearly 2 weeks and just started feeling better when Bucky came down with his flu.
There’s a pregnant pause, and then what sounds like a sneeze muffled into a blanket. “H-hihH! Hh’TSHHHHP!” Another gasp. “HahH! Hih’TSSCHHHHH!”
He raps on Bucky’s bedroom door again with his knuckles. “I know you’re in there. I can hear you sneezing.”
“Go away, traitor,” Bucky huffs.
Steve sighs, resting his forehead on the door. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to get you sick. Don’t be such a pill. Besides, I made soup.”
“Fide,” Bucky croaks, sniffling.
Bucky sure is a sight for sore eyes. He’s sitting up in bed in his pajamas, nose pink and chapped, hair disheveled. His pajama top isn’t buttoned properly and exposes his whole chest.
“Oh, Bucky,” Steve says, setting the soup on the nightstand and sitting on the edge of the bed. “You really don’t look well.”
He doesn’t respond, but instead makes a wild grab for his handkerchief. “Sorry, I’ve godda sd-sdehhh...” His lip curls and it’s over. “H-huh’HHHRRRSHHHOO! Hh’PSSCSCHHHHOO!”
“God bless.”
“Th-thags,” Bucky chokes out before muffling another strong sneeze into the damp cloth. “H-hih’RRRMPPFT! Hoo.” He exhales, shaking his head a bit. “Sorry, thad last one sduck up od be.”
Bucky’s normally bright eyes are glazed and shining, and Steve guesses he has a fever.
“Why don’t you drink some water, huh?”
Once Bucky’s occupied, Steve takes the opportunity to button up his top. “You’ve gotta be just freezing.”
As if on cue, Bucky shivers when Steve’s icy hands brush across his bare chest. “Dot really. B-bud—”
He can’t stop himself and Steve’s hands are still all over him. “I’b godda— HURESHHHHHOO!” He barely turns his head to the side in time.
“Alright, hotshot.” Steve can’t help smiling at how adorable he looks right now, all tucked into bed. “In the mood for some soup?”
“I kdew you were cooking sobethig, but I couldn’t figure id out,” Bucky says thickly, scrubbing his itchy nose with the back of his hand.
“Navy bean soup,” Steve says, handing him the steaming bowl. “You’ll love it.”
“I already do,” Bucky says, the corners of his mouth twitching into a grin. “Thags, Sdeve.”
The corn maze was actually Steve’s idea. Bucky and Steve were on leave — or what they called leave, anyway — and since it was a particularly crisp autumn afternoon, they were at a fall fair.
Bucky grinned as he chomped on his caramel apple. “You know, at first I wasn’t convinced, but this wasn’t a bad idea, was it?”
Steve laughed. “I’m full of good ideas these days.”
The pair walked by what looked to be an expansive corn maze. While Bucky kept walking, Steve stopped in his tracks. “Hey, Buck,” he called, waiting for Bucky to turn back around. “C’mon, let’s check out this maze. Please?”
Bucky swallowed the bite of apple he was chewing and shrugged. “Sure. I could go either way, but if you wanna do it...”
“I do,” Steve smiled, grabbing his hand. “I’m sure you can get us out of this maze no problem, hm?”
“Is that a challenge, Rogers?”
He smirked, tugging Bucky along. “It could be.”
As they walked the dirt path in between the towering corn rows, Steve sniffled. Was he going to—
“Hih’GNNT!” He quickly stifled behind a closed fist before a second tried to sneak up on him. “H-hehH! Heh’XXXT!”
“Wow, bless you.” Bucky was still holding Steve’s hand, and he rubbed his thumb over the back of Steve’s hand. “Those sounded painful to hold in.”
Steve shook his head, as if to clear it, as they continued on. “Nah, not really. Although...” He sniffled, rubbing his nose vigorously with his free hand. “My nose still really itches for some r-rehhh... r-reason. Jesus.”
“You don’t have to tell me that,” Bucky laughed, watching him struggle.
“Ah’KKNNT!” Steve gasped before sneezing again, this time into the collar of his t-shirt. “Hh’TSSH! KHSHH!” He felt the wetness on his shirt and blushed, hoping Bucky hadn’t noticed.
But Bucky was staring right at his shirt. “Those are some pretty intense sneezes.”
Steve rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Well I— HRRSHH! H-hahh... hihH! Hih— guhh...” He exhaled as the last sneeze fizzled out. “F-false alarm.”
“Man, your shirt’s getting kinda... wet.”
He blushed, adjusting his t-shirt while trying not to sneeze. “I h-have no idea why I’m sn-snehhh... sneezing so much,” he said, gasping again. “TZSSHHHOO!”
He just barely had time to turn away from Bucky, and couldn’t hide the fact that he’d sprayed everywhere. And on top of that, Steve could feel the congestion and watery eyes setting in. He needed a tissue. Bad. And he still had to sneeze.
“B-Bucky, do you h-hahhhh...” Steve used the heel of his palm to scrub his nose, but it did little to quell the tickle. “H-have a t-tissue?”
Bucky shook his head, watching the ordeal in complete silence as his mouth watered. Why was his mouth watering?
“I’b g-gahhh... g-godda sdeeze,” Steve managed to get out before sneezing messily into his shirt. “H-heh’TSSHHUH! Hih’PSHH! H-hAH!”
Bucky watched as Steve’s breath hitched uncontrollably. He could see a strand of snot dangling from Steve’s nostrils and wondered how long it would last. As it turns out, not long at all.
Steve reared up and pitched forward with the most ferocious sneeze Bucky’d ever heard. “H-heh’TZSSHHHUH!” The strand of snot landed on the very front of Steve’s t-shirt, much to his humilation.
“F-fugg,” he cursed, blushing. “God, this is so ebarrassig.”
“It’s not,” Bucky said, kissing his cheek. “Oh, and uh, here’s that tissue you asked for earlier.”
“Did you have this the whole fugging time?” Steve grumbled through his congestion, snatching the tissue away from him.
“You should be more comfortable here,” Steve said, easing Bucky into an olive green recliner that could’ve been from the ’70s. In fact, it probably was.
Bucky winced as he was lowered into the chair. He’d broken his ankle during a recent training session and although it was in a cast, he was still in a bit of pain. Steve was taking care of him at his apartment.
“Does that feel OK?” he asked once Bucky was situated. The other man nodded.
“Mmhm. Yeah, thanks, Steve.” He sighed, adjusting his position. “I’ve never been in this room before.” Bucky looked around, studying his surroundings — a habit he couldn’t shake.
Steve laughed. “Yeah, probably because this is the guest room and you usually just stay in my bedroom.”
The room was pleasant. There was a small TV (definitely from the ’70s), a twin bed, a claw-foot nightstand with a vase of flowers, and an open window, the curtains fluttering in the afternoon breeze.
“What do you want to watch?”
Bucky shrugged. “Anything, really.”
They settled in together, Bucky in his recliner and Steve in an adjacent chair, to watch “Bringing Up Baby” — a film they’d actually seen in the movie theatre some 100 years ago.
Bucky sniffled, feeling an intense, sudden itch deep in his sinuses. Without warning, he gasped and sneezed away from Steve at the last second. “HEH’IHSSCHOO!”
Steve raised an eyebrow. “Bless you. Where’d that come from?”
Bucky waved him off, quickly turning away again. “Hh’HURESHHHOO!” His breath caught again and he ducked into the collar of his t-shirt with a shuddering sneeze. “Huh’RRREEHSHH!”
He shook his head, as if to shake the unbearable urge to sneeze from his now-red nose.
“Fuck.” Bucky scrubbed his nose with the heel of his palm, snuffling loudly.
“You OK?” Steve chuckled, rubbing his back. “That was some sneeze. Sneezes,” he corrected himself. Fucking adorable.
“Sorry, I’m n-nahhh... n-not sure what’s—” He took a series of quick, shaky breaths before diving into cupped hands to cover. “Heh’URUSSHuhh!”
Bucky blinked, trying to see Steve through his watery eyes. “Jesus Christ,” he choked out. “I’ve g-godda sd-sdehhh... sdeeze agaid!”
Steve watched in complete adoration as Bucky placed a trembling finger under his nose to stifle the sneeze. “NNNGNT! Hahh... haH! Hh’SHHHP!”
He groaned and scrubbed his itchy nose with the back of his wrist. The resulting squelching sounds made Steve squirm. He tried to swallow his smile.
“Bless you, Buck. It’s gotta be those allergies of yours, right? What are you allergic to again?”
“I’b—” Bucky gave a liquid sniffle before continuing. “I’b dot sure, bud I think id’s r-ahhhhh... hoo.” He exhaled shakily. “Ragweed. I have doe fuckig clue though.”
“Let’s start by shutting this window,” Steve said, kissing Bucky on the check. “And I’ll go grab some tissues and ibuprofen.”
“Th-thags,” Bucky gasped, already on the verge of another sneeze.
Disobedient sneezy sub!Bucky with a dom!Cap!Steve who is caring even if he wants to show who is in charge :) pleaseeeeee
eeee what a cute prompt!!! obviously, bucky's a birdwatcher. nobody's surprised by that.
w: (slight) mess warning
***
Steve can’t say he’s pleased by the sight before him. It’s Bucky, shivering in a chair on their back deck, nose, lips and cheeks chapped.
It’s lightly snowing, but expected to pick up in the late afternoon. At least Bucky’s got on Steve’s coat and knit hat. Still, he can tell Bucky’s shivering. Steve sighs, frowns and opens the sliding glass door.
Though Bucky normally turns at the sound, he doesn’t this time. he knows who it is. Plus, he’s fucking freezing.
“What the hell are you doing out here?”
Bucky chuckles, pulling the collar up a little bit higher, attempting to cover his exposed neck. He blearily blinks before wrenching forward with a volley of ticklish sneezes. “H-Hih! Hh’XXXNT! Hih’KNNT! H-hoo. Sorry, those sduck up od be.”
He pulls something out of his pocket with shaking hands. “G-got a light?”
It’s his fucking vape.
“Very funny,” Steve snaps. “Now come inside.”
“Aw, c’mon, I’b fiiiiide,” Bucky wines, pouting a little. His nose starts to run and he desperately needs to sniffle, but decides against it. Of course, the cold is making his sinuses prickle, and suddenly he’s gasping again.
“KXXXXGNT!”
Steve winces at the sound. Bucky’s always stifled his sneezes.
“You’ve got a cold, Buck. I told you not to stay outside too long. What are you even doing out here?”
When Steve says ‘hear,’ he gestures to the blanket of snow and scattered, icy trees in front of them. It’s quiet.
“Oh, I’b jusd bird wadching.”
Steve sees the corner’s of Bucky’s nostrils glistening and instinctively pats himself, searching for his handkerchief. “Here,” Steve says, handing it to him.
“Ew,” Bucky says, snatching it anyway. “These are so gross. I cad’t believe you sdill use one of these. Dod’t people use like, tissues dow?”
“Yeah, right, right.” Steve shrugs, rubbing the back of his head. “Guess it’s just one of those old habits right?”
Nostrils flaring, Bucky desperately shakes open the handkerchief and buries his nose into it with another pair of squelching stifles. “H-hih’XXXXT! KKKKNT!”
“Yeah, exactly,” Steve grins. “Like that. Now come inside, I’ve got some broth on the stove.”
“Oh, sobe br-broth? You tryig to woo be?” Bucky says sarcastically.
