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“Stevie, c’mon hurry up.”
“What you think I’m doin’, takin’ my sweet time? There’s only so fast someone can go with this.”
“It’s goin’ too smooth, you know I don’t like when it's smooth. It piles up all the bad-“
“Until we’re swimmin’ in it and we got all up to our necks in filth yeah yeah Buck.”
“As long as you know my stance on the matter.”
“As long as your stance can keep a lookout.”
“Yeah yeah. How’s the safe lookin’?”
“You’re lookin’ at it.”
“Fuckin’ punk.”
“Jerk.”
“Why couldn’t we just blow it up again?”
“Cause Sheriff's wants our heads on a noose and explosions is gonna draw his eyes like nothin' else. I’m lookin’ to live past today, thanks.”
Steve clapped his hands and stepped back, grabbing the handle of the safe and swinging it open.
“You an’ your fuckin’ beautiful skills you fuckin' Stevie!”
“Took the words outta my mouth.”
The two grab their bags and launch at the piles of cash with as much reckless abandon they can afford.
“Lookit all this fuckin' beautiful cash, Stevie, it's beautiful. All ripe and waitin' for us to pick it.”
“Yeah, yeah, as long as you’re pickin’ fast enough we can make it out before anyone sees us.”
“Stevie, baby, honey, we got this, sweetie. We’re all good, we’re golden, there’s fuckin’ gold, we’re beautiful baby. You’re fuckin’ beautiful and your fuckin’ one good ear that can hear fuckin’ everything is fuckin' beautiful, you beautiful bastard.”
“Yeah yeah. Same to you.”
“You and your fuckin’ sweet words.”
“Just lemme whisper them nothings in your ear.”
“Everythings a something when it comes from your lips, honeydew. Could hang off every word that comes outta your mouth.”
“Just trying to balance you out.”
They were almost done when a man saw the unconscious bodies littered through the bank and started hollering for the sheriff.
“Shit!”
“Leave the rest, let’s go!”
The two barreled through to the exit, Bucky knocking out the man with the back of a rifle as they passed, and Steve had never been more coordinated when running for his life. He threw himself on the horse with a grace that he could only bring out when adrenaline was pumping through his veins.
They headed out of town at a full gallop, Schmidt and his men starting after them from far enough away that if no one got a lucky shot they would be in the clear.
“You cursed us, I swear, all that talk of ‘too smooth’ and then talkin’ how we’re golden.” Steve brought up the cloth around his neck to cover the better part of his face so all the dust being kicked up by the horses didn't ruin his lungs.
“I’ll make it up, babydoll.” Bucky said casually, one hand anchoring himself to the horse while the other shot his gun behind them.
“Save up your ammo!”
“Baby, you’re killin’ me. I got enough guns for each of them.”
Steve didn’t reply, but Bucky could imagine him pointing out that all the ammo in the world wasn’t enough when he shot nothing but the ground, and then Bucky would respond that it made sure that they kept their distance so they didn’t need to have murder charges added on the theft, and on and on they would go but Bucky would still be shooting and Steve would still be riding beside him.
“The sheriff is closing in.” Steve tells him.
“What’s his name again? Thought of him as ‘asshole’ this whole time.”
“Schmidt. Name or not, he’s still closing in.”
“Pull ahead of me, baby.”
“Planning on doing something stupid?”
“You got the direction all fixed in your head, and I got the aim to make sure Sheriff Asshole ain’t gonna follow us.”
“You fall off your horse I ain’t coming to pick you up.”
“Baby, as much as I wish you would smart up, we both know how that would end.”
Even as they’re arguing, Steve pulls ahead, and Bucky is twisting around, lining up the shot, and everything stops for him. The world goes silent. His eyes go tunnel vision and there is nothing but that stupid look on that asshole face who dared to touch his Stevie. He makes his mind go blank last. His finger is steady and gently caresses the trigger and Schmidt stupid look is blown off his stupid face.
He turns back and pulls beside Steve.
It starts like this.
Steven Grant Rogers is born small and sickly and it's a miracle he's alive. His father is a miner who dies in a cave in before he can form full sentences. His mother’s father is the town physician and she a doctor in all but name. His grandfather dies of old age and a drinking problem and his mother holds on as long as she can, but eventually she catches something big and Steve has learned the family trade enough to make it comfortable for her as she passes.
James Buchanan Barnes is born loud and with more energy he knows how to do with. He’s in a family with too many siblings to take care of and half of them take up space and the other half works to keep the house going. James doesn't want to be either. James learns his name is common, and common doesn’t get anywhere in a house his size. He learns how to talk to get more than he’s given, learns how to take when talking isn’t good enough, and names himself Bucky so there’s nothing common about him.
The two meet when Steve is six and Bucky is seven. A big lug is harassing some dog and Steve steps in to protect the dog and ends up with the boys fist in his face over and over again. Bucky steps in to protect him because a soft wind should blow the boy over, but he keeps getting back up again to get hit in the face and Bucky respects that kind of stupid.
They stay in that pattern, Steve starting fights, Bucky jumping in after, and they become inseparable in the process. The town gets too small for them, always has been, and they decide to take the world by storm.
Steve still has a hero streak a mile wide and gets into fights like he breathes righteous fury.
Bucky still talks a big storm and takes what he wants, but what he wants now is Steve’s happiness and he would take on the world just for a smile.
Together they root out corruption, save the innocent and downtrodden, make friends and enemies across the country, and drink till they're sick.
In this particular town corruption is at an all time high. Johann Schmidt is a sheriff who gets off on high taxes and debtors prison like no one they’ve ever seen, and there is no mercy, just the noose. All of the money in the town, it’s not the people’s, it belongs to Schmidt and Zola and Pierce. Schmidt also has an eye out for his Stevie, after he got in a fight with Rumlow who was hassling one of Romanov's girls, and the expressions keep switching from lust to suspicion to wrath and all Bucky knows is that all of them are bad.
They lock Bucky up one night after he’s had a few drinks in the saloon, taking him when he goes outside for a breath of fresh air. Public indecency. Zola, the deputy, keeps a beady eye on Bucky the whole night, and when he stumbles back to their room hungover in the morning Stevie’s shirt is ripped and Peggy Carter is standing over him with a rag and dabbing at a scratch on his cheek. It turns out wrath had won over on Schmidt’s expressions, but didn't count on someone as small as Stevie being a scrapper born with his hands curled up in fists. Bucky vows then and there to put a bullet between his eyes.
They meet Phillips, the former sheriff and current town drunk, and a plan forms. The money locked up in the safe should be for the people, and they are the outlaws to draw out the sheriff and his men. When the sheriff’s men make their way back to town, Philips will be back in power, Carter the new deputy rallying everyone into a united front, and after everything is settled Howard Stark will ride into town with the money stolen from the safe and the town will be another name on the list of Steve and Bucky’s good deeds.
The things that he would do for this man.
It’s half a day’s ride before they get to where Stark is holed up in his mansion the next town over and they spend the rest of the day drinking the most expensive liquor they’ve ever tasted. He puts them up for the night and the bed they end up in is the softest and biggest bed Bucky’s ever felt in his life.
His head is buried in Steve’s hair, eyes wide open and thin strands of gold tickling his eyelashes. He is lying down on clouds and his Stevie is the sun and his hair rays of light. He is Icarus and he hasn’t been burned yet so he’ll keep pushing his luck and get closer and closer. He is the brightest thing in Bucky’s life and he is beautiful and he is too good for his wretched soul. If he closes his eyes he might lose this. This light. He would rather burn.
“Think Phillips sobered up by now?” Steve asks, his voice quiet compared to the roar of thoughts in Bucky’s head.
“With that rousing speech you gave him? Think that Peggy’s already got him shaved and tucked in ready for a big day at work tomorrow bein’ a good man.”
“That’s a hell of a woman.”
“I know.” Bucky is quiet for a moment, and his arms and legs that are wrapped around Steve’s wiry body tighten, “There’s a bounty on my head, you know.”
“Mine too.”
“I'm the one with the blood on my hands. You're free to go anytime."
“I’m not. You know I’m not.“
“That Peggy had her eye on you.”
“My eye's on you.”
“Well-“
“Well nothing. If you think I could ever even think about leaving your fool self you’re a bigger idiot than I thought. There was never a choice about it.”
“You’d be the bigger fool for sticking with me. I’m nothing but trouble. All I do is throw my stupid at you.”
“We’re both trouble, it’s all we’re good for. I think it’s been working out for us so far."
Steve’s arms, previously resting at his side, wraps around and cradles Bucky’s head. He lifts him up so their eyes are looking at each other and Bucky is floating in clear blue skies.
“I'm never gonna say this again so listen up, okay? You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. You're my other half. The world is pretty good trying to take away what I got, but nothing's gonna take you away from me. If you leave me-"
Bucky opens his mouth to protest but Steve talks over him.
"If you leave me, it's not gonna be because you're trying to be noble. It's gonna be cause you find someone better. Cause you're it for me."
"You know that nothing's better than you, Stevie. And if you're fool enough to stick with me, I'm with you. All the way."
Something settles in Bucky and he’s comforted enough to finally close his eyes, the image of the sky and sun burned into his memories.
"Till the end of the line."