So I was given a list of prompts and my friend wanted me to write them. This friend is a close friend of mine.

The prompts are up above; I'll be doing all five in this one update. And to my friend, who I hope will get to read this: I love you, I wish you the best in the future, and stay safe. Enjoy these one shots. :)

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"What about us? The life we wanted?"

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Steve knew he wasn't Bucky's number one, not like he said he was; Bucky had a gal, Bucky had a job, had friends. Steve had... Bucky.

It was hard not to feel like a side piece sometimes. Bucky always claimed he loved him - it was getting harder to believe when he spent more and more time with his pretend girlfriend than his actual boyfriend.

"So," Steve begins, crossing his arms and looking up at him. "The elephant in the room."

"Elephant?" Bucky turns from the mirror where he was attempting to tie a bowtie. He puts his hands on his hips and Steve looks at him and curses inwardly. Of course Bucky had to look good while Steve was initiating a conversation.

"You and Helen," Steve says awkwardly. Bucky looks down and nods a little, pursing his lips.

"Right."

"I know she's your cover, Buck -- "

"I don't want to break her heart." Bucky pauses. "She's a nice girl, Steve."

Steve looks away. "Yeah," he murmurs. "Buck..." He wasn't sure where to go with this. "What about us? The life we wanted?"

Bucky walks over to him and sits beside him, the bed dipping under his weight. He runs a hand through his hair and blows out a breath.

"I still... I still want that. I still want you," he says, glancing at him. "But right now, I just... can't. We can't, Steve, with the war going on? We have to lay low."

"I know, I'm only asking that -- "

"Helen is a nice girl, and you know she's only a cover. She knows it too," Bucky reminds.

"I know -- "

"Look, I love you, and that's the only reason I'm doing this," Bucky continues. Steve is quiet for a second.

"I know."

As if to prove a point, Bucky tilts Steve's chin towards him and kisses him gently, trying to express all the love he couldn't express using only words. "It's you or no one, doll," he says softly, the ghost of a grin on his face. "Trust me, okay?"

Steve works a smile onto his face. "Okay." He nods a little, looking down again. "I trust you."

Bucky smiles a little wider and strokes his thumb over his cheek. Steve leans against him and feels himself calming down. "Don't keep Helen waiting," he finally says and Bucky nods, standing up.

"I love you," Bucky repeats, and Steve smiles a little.

"I love you too." When he looks up again, Bucky's out the door. So Steve waits for him. He would wait as long as he had to.

He would wait for him.

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"You were my whole world."

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Steve leans against the wall, knowing he's about to die any minute now.

The Winter Soldier stares at him, blank, eyes empty, sitting across from him. All Steve could do was stare at him, and all the brunet can do was stare back.

"Who are you?" The Winter Soldier studies him.

All Steve can see is his husband, unrecognizable by anyone else. A ghost in a shell.

"I'm -- I was your husband," he says quietly. "You don't rememeber me, but..."

The soldier blinks at him and Steve glances away, his vision tilting as he does so. "I'm Steve, you're Bucky."

"Steve..?" The name sounds familiar, but the brunet can't seem to place it. Steve looks at him again, hope blooming, because maybe Bucky was starting to remember. Maybe that was all it took.

Then again -- maybe not. The Winter Soldier remains emotionless. "You were my whole world," Steve murmurs. The soldier huffs impatiently and steps closer, and freezes.

In a last attempt, Steve cups his cheek and searches his face. This was his last chance.

Bucky stares at him, eyes wide, confusion written on his face. He hadn't been handled gently in a long, long time. He doesn't move, save for raising his hand to touch Steve's, hesitantly.

"I love you," Steve breathes before slumping over, dead, a puddle of blood around him from where he'd been stabbed in the stomach and chest.

Bucky didn't understand until years later. By then, it was already too late.

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"I did it because I love you."

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Steve couldn't believe it. After everything they'd been through, and it had come down to this. He was in shock.

"Listen," Bucky begins, looking at him carefully. "I did it because I love you."

"How? How does that prove anything?"

Bucky raises his hands in surrender. "I didn't know it meant that much to you, Steve, I'm -- "

"You broke my trust, Buck. That isn't something I give away freely."

"Look, I can make it up to you," Bucky says, desperate to right the wrongs he'd done.

"Yeah? You can't. It's too late, okay? We missed that chance," Steve speaks, glancing away, looking at the wreckage left behind. "Nothing you can do can bring it back, so forget about it."

"If it really means that much to you then -- "

"You had no right," Steve interrupts, giving him a look. "You had no right to take that away from me."

Bucky raises his hands higher. "F****** H***, Steve, calm down!" He looks at him. "You can have the rest of my fries, okay?"

Steve studies him closely. "My fries are important," he states as he steals one from Bucky, as the brunet had stolen from him.

Bucky rolls his eyes and leans back. "Always so dramatic."

Steve doesn't argue with him, but he smiles to himself.

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"I guess I just thought... well, hoped, that you cared."

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They were fighting again. It seemed that they were fighting all the time now, and Steve was getting tired of it.

"I've got another mission coming up," Steve speaks, looking over at him. Bucky nods at the ground, thinking of something else. "So... it's about three months long."

Bucky looks away, crossing his arms. "Fine."

Steve sighs and leans over his knees, staring at him. "What did I do? This is getting really tiring."

"Oh, don't worry, you didn't do anything, as usual," he mutters.

"What the h*** is that supposed to mean?" His temper was shorter and shorter recently.

"Why bother telling me anything? It doesn't matter what I think, so why tell me?"

"I guess I just thought... well, hoped, that you cared," Steve murmurs and looks away. Silence settles over them and Steve stands up abruptly. "I'll be back in a couple months. Don't wait up."

Bucky lets him walk to the door before sighing, getting up and grabbing his hand. "Wait," he sighs. "Wait, I'm sorry."

Steve frowns, tense. "For what?"

Bucky bites his lip and looks away. "I... I've been... kinda depressed, and... you leaving all the time doesn't -- " He swallows nervously. Steve looks heartbroken as he studies him.

After a second, he pulls him close against him and Bucky presses his face against his chest, taking a shuddering breath.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Steve says softly, hugging him close. Bucky closes his eyes and squeezes him tight. "I'm sorry, I should have tried harder for you, I'm sorry."

Bucky begins tearing up and exhales shakily. It had been hard to hide it from Steve for months, but it had only gotten harder when they began to fight. Now that they were on good terms, Bucky could relax a little.

It would be okay.

I had no idea what to do with that one - I was banging my head against the wall. Any way.

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"I love you. Still, I love you."

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"I love you. Still, I love you," Steve speaks, looking at Bucky, who doesn't respond. He's asleep in a hospital bed, after a mission gone horribly wrong.

He wasn't waking up. It had been almost two years, and every day Steve would drop by and tell him that he loved him.

"He up yet?" Natasha walks in; she visited not as often, but still often enough. Steve shakes his head and leans back.

"No," he sighs. "Haven't heard any word on his status either." Natasha nods a little.

"He'll be okay, Steve."

And four months later, he would be. Steve was just about to leave when he heard something moving. He turns around, and watches while Bucky slowly wakes up, blinking. Steve walks over and grabs his hands, eyes wide.

"Buck? Baby, it's me," he says softly. Bucky stares up at him, holding onto his arms as he sits up.

"Steve? Oh, my God," he wavers, blinking back tears. Steve smiles tearfully at him and nods.

"I'm here, you're okay," he soothes, holding him close. Bucky closes his eyes and rests his forehead against Steve's. "You're safe."

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Wooo! This took me all night long and I almost couldn't get it up in time. But I did finally!