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It was like the best day of Bucky’s life, meeting Captain America. It was not something he ever thought would happen. Bucky was just a normal guy working in a bar in a small town in Indiana to get by. He still lived with his mom and his sister, Becca, and didn't have much going on at all. Bucky was quite bored of his life actually. His friends were often mean to him and the ones who weren't mean didn't really stand up for him at all. And some of them were just so boring. All they talked about were their boyfriends and their husbands and their kids. Bucky thought they were actually quite miserable too but no one wanted to admit it. He'd started to hate hanging out with them. And his mom and sister weren't any better. No one wanted to have a decent conversation with him. No one actually cared.
So Bucky’s life was boring and a little bit sad and he was very lonely. Then Captain America, Steve Rogers, walked into the bar he worked at. He wore a disguise (though it wasn't a very good disguise, he just wore a crappy old baseball cap) and he had a beard. Bucky liked the beard. It made Steve look a lot more charming and handsome.
Steve sat down at the bar and ordered a beer.
"Here you go," Bucky said with a smile as he handed Steve his beer. "Is there anything else I can help you with, sir?"
"Some conversation?" Steve said with a self-deprecating chuckle.
"I've been dying for some conversation," Bucky said. "You want to tell me a story or are you happy to let me ramble on? I'm Bucky by the way."
He held out his hand and Steve shook it.
"I'm Steve. It's nice to meet you, Bucky. I'm happy to listen to you talk. You, uh, have a nice voice," Steve said, his cheeks a little red.
"Perfect," Bucky smiled.
He began to ramble about some movies he had watched, then talked about some other customers he encountered until finally the conversation turned to Bucky’s unhappiness about the place he lived and the people in his life.
"Ma only cares about Becca. It's always Becca this, Becca that. Perfect little Becca. And screw Bucky, I guess. And my friends are much the same," Bucky ranted. "They want me to lift them up and praise them but they're never there for me and they constantly put me down." He let out a deep sigh and grimaced. "Sorry to dump that all on you."
"It's okay, Bucky," Steve said. "I know a thing or two about being unhappy about the place you live and the people you live with. It's why I embarked on a crazy road trip across all the states. Just had to get away from it all." He paused. "And those friends of yours? They aren't friends at all. You deserve better Bucky. You are a sweet guy. Beautiful, too. It's a shame no one's been treating you right around here."
Bucky blushed. "Thank you, Steve," he whispered.
The evening had passed by quickly. Bucky had already served Steve a bunch of beers. Of course Steve couldn't get drunk but it was still a lot of booze.
"Bar's about to close. I gotta clean up but… but would you like to stick around? We can have some fun after," Bucky said.
"I'd love that, Bucky," Steve smiled.
He paid his bill and Bucky closed down the bar. He quickly cleaned the place up and Steve helped a little bit. Then they headed to Bucky’s car.
"Let's drive around," Bucky said.
Steve nodded and they drove around all night. Chatting and singing along to the radio. Bucky’s mom hadn't missed him, she never did. His friends hadn't texted him, they never did unless he texted them first. But Steve had noticed Bucky. He had looked at Bucky and talked to him and he still liked Bucky. It was an incredible feeling. He finally felt valued and appreciated.
"This might be a bit soon," Steve said, "but I'm continuing my road trip soon and… how would you feel about coming along?"
"I'd love to," Bucky said.
He didn't even have to think. He quit his job and wrote his mom a note. He quickly packed some of his belongings and was ready to leave with Steve. It was impulsive, yes. But it was the kind of new start Bucky needed.
"Buck?" Steve said as Bucky walked up to him with his bags.
"I'm ready to join you," Bucky said.
"Good," Steve smiled. "You should know though… I'm Captain America."
"I already knew, Steve," Bucky said. "But thank you for telling me."
Steve looked relieved to hear that. He put Bucky’s bags in the back of his campervan. There was only one bed. Not that Bucky minded.
"Hey, Steve," he said. "You should know… I really want to kiss you."
"I really want to kiss you too."
Steve moved closer to Bucky and pressed their lips together. It was the best first kiss Bucky had ever had. He wanted more. Much more. But he was going to be patient. This thing with Steve was moving quickly enough and Bucky didn't want to risk moving too fast and losing this. He had a feeling this could really turn into something good.
"Ready, baby?" Steve asked after their kiss.
"I'm ready," Bucky said.
He reached out and squeezed Steve’s hand, then pecked his lips again. Then they climbed into the car. Steve in front of the steering wheel and Bucky in the passenger seat. All ready to drive away and leave this town behind.
Bucky looked into the rearview mirror while his favorite song played on the radio. His little small town became smaller and smaller. Then he looked over at Steve and smiled. Yes. This was the best decision Bucky would ever make and meeting Steve was the best thing that would ever happen to him.
A new love, a new life. It was just what he needed. He was finally getting the happiness he deserved. No one could take this away from him. He wouldn’t let them.