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It happens subtly, and it’s familiar enough that Steve doesn’t notice at first. An extra blanket finds its way onto Steve’s bed; Bucky just happens to have a pillow to toss at Steve when Steve sits on the ground during a movie; “Here Steve, I’m done with this—you eat it.” Steve doesn’t think anything of it until Tony brings it up one day as Bucky is pestering Steve to button his jacket up higher.
“Hey, come on, soldier, that ain’t regulation.” Bucky teases, grabbing hold of Steve’s lapels and fastening the last snap. Steve doesn’t even bat an eye, just lets him do it.
“The brainwashed assassin gets to mother hen you?” Tony asks with a raised eyebrow. But then, of course, Steve is busy being annoyed on Bucky’s behalf, so he still doesn’t quite get it.
“Tony.” Steve scolds. “Don’t call him that.”
“It’s a term of endearment.” Tony shrugs.
“Yeah, and I want him to remember the assassin part.” Bucky leers a little and Steve laughs when Tony actually looks a bit nervous.
“I just think it’s adorable,” Tony draws the word out and ignores the dark look Bruce is giving him. “The way he babies you.”
“I don’t baby him.” Bucky protests. “Steve doesn’t need anyone to baby him.”
“No, he doesn’t.” Bruce cuts in, still frowning at Tony. “You just care for him, that’s all.”
“Hey, pal, you trying to say something?” Bucky is on edge now, his face going tight, and Steve slings an arm around his shoulders.
“It’s alright, Buck, that’s not what he’s saying.” Steve assures him.
“I didn’t mean to offend you.” Bruce says, and then Bucky feels bad, because Bruce would never try to offend anyone. He opens his mouth to apologize and Bruce just shakes his head with a smile. Bucky really likes Bruce.
“Anyone else tries to get the great Captain America to button his jacket, he gives them a speech about his super-soldier serum. You grab him and button it, he sits still like a kitten.” Tony is almost whining, not that he would ever admit it. Luckily, they’re out, so Jarvis can’t capture the moment and replay it with his own commentary.
“Bucky always makes me button my jacket.” Steve says with a shrug.
“And gives you extra blankets. And food. And tells everyone to be quiet when you’re sleeping.”
Now that Tony’s listing it, Steve realizes he might have a point. After a lifetime of people fretting over his health, Steve hates to be coddled. Everyone treated him like he was going to break at any given moment, and he always wished they’d treat them the same as all the other guys.
“Well, it’s cold.” Bucky defends himself. “He always forgets the last button on his jacket because he’s making sure everyone else is ready. And he won’t ask for extra blankets because he doesn’t want to put anyone out, but his toes get cold at night. And he’s always hungry, but he feels bad eating too much. And we all know he doesn’t sleep enough, so everyone should keep it down when he finally does.” Bucky says it all almost carelessly, like what he’s saying doesn’t matter, like he doesn’t just know everything about Steve.
“Why does he need to button the last button?” Bruce asks experimentally. He has a theory he’d like to test.
“Because it’s cold.” Bucky responds, a hint of duh in his voice.
“But look at Tony—his jacket’s not buttoned at all.” Bruce points out gently. Bucky looks at Tony and realizes, yeah, Tony’s jacket is completely undone.
“Well…” Bucky looks a little confused. “I didn’t notice.”
“I’m hurt. I want my own super spy looking after me.”
“I…” Bucky bites his lip. “I guess I’m just used to it.”
“Because you had to take care of me before the war.” Steve looks chagrined.
“Oh, because you were a runt.” Tony reminds him helpfully. Steve rolls his eyes.
“No.” Bucky protests. “I mean—I guess, sorta. Your asthma got worse in the cold and if you got sick again one more time that winter in ’40 it probably would’ve been the end, but…” Bucky’s voice peters out a little and Steve forces a laugh.
“It’s alright, Buck, I’m not gonna die without a scarf anymore.” Steve hates being reminded of how weak he used to be.
“No, it’s not…I know.” Bucky says. “I know you’re healthy now.” He sighs. Putting his emotions into words had never exactly been easy, but after living as less than human for decades, it’s become almost impossible.
“You just want to take care of him the way he takes care of everyone else.” Bruce offers. Bucky mulls it over in his head.
“Well, yeah. But also…’cause he won’t do it himself. He—if anyone else didn’t want to ask for more food, Steve’d be all up in their business, you know?”
“Oh, we know.” Tony butts in.
“Yeah, and so he needs someone to do it for him. Even before the serum, he never wanted to ask for anything, never wanted to put anyone out. I mean, hell, he’d let his lungs shut down before he admitted he needed a doctor. So I had to notice.”
“You don’t need to worry about me.” Steve objects.
“But you accept it from Bucky the way you won’t accept it from anyone else.” Bruce wonders idly when he became some kind of relationship counselor.
“Well, that’s different; it’s Bucky.” Steve says easily with a shrug. Bruce and Tony both raise eyebrows and Steve and Bucky suddenly find themselves feeling a touch uncomfortable.
“Well…” Tony looks at Bruce. “We’re going to go not have this conversation anymore. You two geezers have fun. Don’t break any hips. Your own or anyone else’s.”
Steve and Bucky are quietly not looking at one another after Bruce and Tony split off. There seems to be something hanging between them in the air, and they’re left feeling off-kilter and confused.
“Sorry for babying you.” Bucky says in a small voice.
“I don’t mind.” Steve admits. “I know I needed a lot of help before.”
“It wasn’t just that.” Bucky looks down, scuffs a shoe across the pavement. “I, um...you coulda showed me another little runt with asthma who got scarlet fever all the time and I wouldn’t have noticed when his jacket wasn’t buttoned either.”
Steve feels his cheeks getting a little pink, a slow smile growing on his face. “So I’m special, that’s what you’re telling me?”
Bucky smiles back and rolls his eyes. “Don’t let your head get too big. You’ll always be a little punk.”
“Jerk.”
They walk back to the Tower, shoulders bumping gently every once in a while, talking occasionally, both smiling. When they get back, everyone tries to pretend Tony and Bruce (really, just Tony) weren’t gossiping, which doesn’t work because later that night everyone pauses and looks at Steve expectantly when Bucky absently says, “Here, Steve, eat some more.”
Steve just smiles and takes the offered fruit with a word of thanks for Bucky. He looks at the group and adds, “I like when you take care of me, Buck.”
“Good, because I’m not going to stop.” Bucky says without even looking up from the book he’s reading. “Now shut up and eat.”