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"I'm gonna use two bath bombs" Bucky groaned as he traipsed up the stairs behind Steve. Pausing to lean heavily against the handrail, the blonde shot a sceptical look over his shoulder, "what will that do?"
"No idea, but I'm gonna do it anyway. C'mon Rogers, move your ass before we both end up fallin' asleep on the stairs", Bucky prodded at him listlessly as they stumbled the final few steps to their bedroom.
"It's your fault we're so sore anyway" Steve grumbled under his breath as he sat gingerly on the end of the bed and bent to remove his socks.
"Hey!" Bucky protested, "You're the one who broke my thumb, pal!"
"You bit my ear, Buck!"
"Only 'cause you stuck your finger in my belly button!"
They stared each other down for a beat before laughing tiredly, "C'mon punk, let's have a bath" Bucky prompted as he pulled Steve off the bed and led him into the bathroom.
The bath had always been Bucky's domain so Steve sat on the closed lid of the toilet while he poured various concoctions under the running water, the blonde's eyes drooping as steam filled the room.
Bucky's soft "C'mere Stevie" dragged him back to awareness, gaze shooting up to where the other man was already submerged, back resting against the end of the bath, legs spread to leave room for Steve to slot between them and lean back against his chest. Which was exactly what he did, dropping his head back to rest against Bucky's shoulder with a sigh.
"Sorry I bit your ear, sweetheart" Bucky whispered some undetermined amount of time later, pressing a kiss under the lobe of the appendage in question, running his nose along the edge.
Steve chuckled as he turned his head to leave a kiss of his own on Bucky's neck, before tilting his chin up to catch his husband's lips with his own, "sorry I broke your thumb" he murmured when they parted.
As they settled back into a comfortable position, Steve swirled his hand through the bubbles around Bucky's knee before resting his palm against it, relishing the slightly cooler skin from being out of the water. "Was a good workout though" he teased, sending a sly grin Bucky's way."
Bucky pinched Steve's hip in retaliation before smoothing his hand across the blonde's submerged stomach, "y'always fight dirty when I don't let you have the shield. S'not surprising considerin' the amount of time I spent dragging you out of back alleys."
"Hey!" Steve objected with a laugh, "I'll show you dirty, Barnes."
"Oh yeah?" Bucky dropped his voice to a seductive purr as his grin widened and he wiggled his eyebrows, hoping to draw more laughter from Steve and relaxing his features when he succeeded.
A few more minutes passed before Bucky nudged Steve's toes with his own, "gonna have to get out soon Stevie, before we get wrinkly."
"Well... you are an old man, Buck."
"So are you!"
"But you're older, remember?" Steve teased, "you spent enough years tryin' to use that against me."
Bucky pouted but his eyes sparkled with joy, "never worked though did it, you punk."
"Doesn't matter, can't change your mind 'bout it now, jerk." But Steve still leant forward to pull the plug, before climbing out of the bath and wrapping a towel around his waist, turning to offer a hand to Bucky as the brunet followed him.
Looking at the mounds of bubbles left in the bath after the water had drained away, Steve prodded Bucky with a laugh, "how many bath bombs did you use?!"
Bucky huffed and stalked out of the bathroom with a snooty, "three, plus bubble bath. I like the bubbles."
"Such a scary assassin" Steve teased under his breath, grinning unrepentant when Bucky shot a faux glare back at him.
