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“Hey, Barnes stole a jeep,” Howard screamed through the window, his nose almost touching the glass. Bucky tooted the horn.
“Come on Steve let’s go, you too Carter,” they needed to get moving before the French noticed the missing car. He looked around for suspicious eyes.
“Whoa hey, what’s going on?” Bucky’s head jerked over to Howard’s exclamation. “Oh no no no, you continue. Just pretend I am not here,” he only now noticed that Steve and Peggy were suspiciously close. Steve made eye contact with Bucky, trying to telepathically tell him to piss off. Growing up together was not for nothing, and he immediately understood what they intruded on. Not like Howard didn’t. He just wanted to stay and watch.
“Stark,” Bucky cleared his throat. “We are going.”
“Are we?” he looked at him disappointed but then hopped in next to him. “Peggy, go easy on him,” he screamed but Bucky stepped on the gas so they didn’t see the reaction.
He drove out of the village towards the fields. Howard was surprisingly quiet. He always had something to say, even if it was unwelcome, but now he looked lost in thoughts. They spent the next half an hour of the drive, in silence. Just enjoying the cool night air.
Bucky pulled over on the top of a little hill and parked next to a half-destroyed mill. He got out and sat down on the lonely bench, which seemed to be one of the only things that stayed intact. Howard followed him.
“A penny for your thoughts?” Bucky asked him.
“I am thinking about the future,” he said.
“Flying cars, am I right?” Bucky nudged him playfully.
“A bit closer to the present,” he smiled sadly. “Like after the war. Steve and Peggy, they deserve a normal life after this.”
“And you don’t?” he looked at the young man next to him. The most intelligent man he has ever met. Creative, innovative, a true visionary. And quite handsome.
“I feel like I forgot what normal is meant to be,” his eyes wandered to the sky. The stars were shining bright, the moon covering them in silver light.
“I get that,” he took a deep breath in. “I feel like I didn’t really know how to live before,” he purposely didn’t say the word war. “And I still don’t,” the wind changed and from a moment to the next the haunting smell of smoke was gone.
“Maybe, we shouldn’t settle for normal,” Howard’s brown eyes met Bucky’s and he felt like he was lost in the sweet, warm depth of them. His hand was resting on the bench and now Howard slowly put his on it. When he saw that Bucky wasn’t taking it away, he intertwined their fingers. They sat like that, hand in hand, watching the calm countryside, which was like a bubble of peace, created just for them.
The sun was coming up, the orange light turned the field into liquid gold.
“We should head back soon before anyone starts missing us. Or the jeep,” Bucky broke the moment reluctantly.
“Can’t we stay a bit longer?” Howard pulled him back on the bench. “This feels an awful lot like I am truly living for once.”
“I know,” he whispered and put his arm around Howard, while he rested his head on his shoulder.
“What about this,” Howard sounded like his cheery self again. Bucky could tell he had an idea. “When this is all over, you and I go and celebrate, just the two of us.”
“Sounds a lot like a date,” Bucky smiled and pulled him in closer.
“What if it is?” Howard looked at him with so much daring in his eyes.
“Only if you are paying,” Bucky looked into his eyes one last time, to remember it like this. To memorize every line, and save this moment until they can finally start living.
“Naturally,” Howard grinned. “We will have fondue,” he said and started walking back to the car.
“What the hell is fondue?” Bucky shook his head laughing.
“It’s cheese, just a bit better than normal,” Howard winked at him as they got in the jeep and headed back to the camp.