"S***."

Bucky stares at the pitch black splotch on his left shoulder, looking like a hole carved out of him. He studies it in the mirror and curses again. "S***, f***, d***," he hisses as he pulls his sleeve over his arm.

Bucky was not ready for this kind of commitment. He scrambles for his phone and calls his best friend -- Steve Rogers.

"I got my mark!" he yells as he paces the floor.

"Wow! Why are you yelling!" Steve says loudly back with as much enthusiasm.

"Because -- I just -- ugh," Bucky groans and face flops onto the couch. "I need pizza and beer."

"I will always be glad to eat. Be right over," Steve replies. Sure enough, after fifteen minutes, Steve stands in the doorway with two pizzas and a six-pack of beer.

Bucky yanks the door open and stares at him, wide-eyed. "Oh God. I got my mark."

Steve grins and spreads his hands out, showing the beer and pizza. "You did. Congrats."

Bucky steps back and continues his pacing, running his hands through his hair. Steve sets the food aside and watches him for a second.

"I am freaking out," Bucky confesses, looking at him. Steve shakes his head.

"Look, it's great you're meeting your soulmate," Steve says, smiling at him. "It isn't every day this sorta thing happens, so don't worry about it."

Bucky stares at him helplessly for a second. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Steve agrees as he sits beside him and sets the food and drinks on the coffee table. Bucky smiles and nods, scratching the back of his neck.

"Okay. Okay," he breathes. "I mean, maybe I've met them already. Right?"

"Right."

"And soul mates are usually perfect or whatever, right?"

"Right." Steve opens the pizza box and takes a slice. Bucky takes a beer and looks at him.

"You still haven't met yours, have you?"

Steve had gotten his mark years ago, but still hadn't bumped into his soulmate. The marks showed where one's soulmate would first touch them. Steve's was on the side of his neck, like Bucky's was on his shoulder.

"Well, maybe," he defends and Bucky nods as he cracks the lid open and takes a drink.

"Wanna put some mindless show on?" he asks as he looks over at his best friend. Steve smiles and settles in, drinking his beer.

"It's like you read my mind."

////

The Goosebumps show wasn't supposed to scare adults, but Bucky proved it to be true. He accidentally cuddles closer to Steve, who smirks at him. They were both bundled in blankets, barely touching -- Bucky's apartment had a heating issue, so blankets would have to do.

"Oh, no," he whispers as a doll pounces onto the screen, wide eyes flashing. Steve shakes his head a little, unfazed. He smirks over at the brunet as he sinks lower and lower into the couch.

Steve keeps his attention on the screen as he gets up to grab another slice of pizza. That's when, quite out of the blue, after a flashing scene on the tv, Steve collapses to the ground with no warning.

Bucky yells a shout of surprise as he jumps back, eyes wide. He leaps to Steve's side and panics, unsure of what to do. He was lying there, his body giving out to unprompted spasms. Bucky kneels beside him and hesitates to touch him, afraid.

"Steve?"

And then it's over before it's started. Steve struggles to push himself up, shaking his head slightly. He looks disoriented. When he sinks back onto his knees, Bucky's hand comes to rest on the side of his neck to keep him steady, while Steve's hand clutches Bucky's shoulder for support.

"What the h*** was that?"

Steve opens his mouth to speak, looking confused. "I... what -- " He shakes his head as if to dislodge the information of what happened, but nothing comes to him. Bucky searches his face, noting his bewildered expression.

"You just -- you just plummeted, are you okay?"

Steve glances away, rubbing his head, his eyes still distant.

"I can bring you to a hospital, can you stand?"

Steve's busy looking down at the glow coming from his neck. Bucky follows his gaze, and slowly looks down at his own arm.

Silence settles over them as Bucky momentarily forgets the brief scare. He stares wide-eyed at Steve, who was bashfully smiling back, despite still looking a little loopy.

"Oh," Bucky breathes as he stares at him, in awe.

As it turned out, Steve had had epilepsy and that was a seizure, the only one Bucky had ever seen. Apparently, they happened quite often, but Steve forgot to take his medication before heading out for the day. After Bucky insisted on taking him to the hospital, Steve assured him that he was just a little out of it and had a slight headache.

Still, they allowed him a room overnight to keep tabs on him, and Bucky was determined to stay the entire time.

"So. What a night," he finally says as he leans back and shoots Steve a slightly amused look. "Think that's record timing for meeting a soulmate, huh?"

Steve smiles in agreement. "You know, I had always hoped..." He trails off, blushing. "I always hoped in the back of my mind that it would be you all along. I, uh, I've sorta liked you for years now."

"Bulls***," Bucky laughs as he leans closer. "Really? Steve -- "

"Yeah, I know -- "

"I liked you since, what, ten years ago?"

Steve stares at him. "Isn't that when we... met..?"

It's Bucky's turn to look embarrassed. "Yeah, it is," he confesses. He meets Steve's eyes again and blushes. Steve smiles back and takes his hand. "Hey, you feeling any better?"

"Yeah, my headache's starting to go away, I think," he answers and Bucky nods, relieved.

"Good, 'cause the sooner we get out of here, the sooner I can ask you on a date," he says and Steve grins.

"I'll hold you to that, Barnes."

Bucky smiles. He was ready to commit himself to Steve; they had all the time in the world, right? He couldn't wait to see what could happen.