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Learning how to relax was something that had never come easily to Steve.
His whole childhood had been plagued by sickness and the worry of where he was going to get his next meal from. During the war, Steve had spent most of his very rare moments of free time fretting over the wellbeing of his team. And after he'd woken up from the ice, there had only ever been the next mission. Sometimes it felt like for his entire life, Steve had never really let himself have a single moment to just take a deep breath and do nothing.
Things were different since they'd found Bucky. Not only was Steve happy again in a way that he'd thought would be impossible for a very long time, but he'd stopped looking over his shoulder at every turn, had allowed himself to settle in this new life without feeling like he was betraying those he'd survived by doing so. Bucky brought some much-needed stability to his days, the knowledge that not everything he'd once loved was lost. And Steve was more grateful for it than he could say.
As a result, Steve had stopped throwing himself into every dangerous situation he came across without a second thought. Sure, he still went where he was needed, but he had more to live for now than the next fight. Which meant that he spent a lot more time at home or at SHIELD headquarters, overseeing routine strategy meetings and basically doing office work. To his surprise, he kind of liked it.
There was something soothing about listening to his fellow Avengers complain about mundane things. He knew that in many aspects, they were just like him – always on the back foot, expecting the worst out of any given situation and ready to rush into battle at the drop of a hat.
So today, after a long day at work, Steve was happy to report that the most exciting thing that had happened today was Tony forgetting his latest conquest's birthday and getting reamed out for it in the break room. Steve couldn't wait to tell Bucky all about it. There was nothing Bucky loved more than gossip, and Steve was always happy to rehash the latest Avengers drama.
He was in good spirits as he took his bike home, weaving through traffic with one eye on his watch. If he made it home in time, they could watch the final episode of the Great British Bake-Off while they ate dinner. Steve and Bucky had a bet going whether or not Peter Sawkins would manage to beat his competition.
Steve parked his bike in the garage, took the elevator up and got off on their floor, where the sound of water running led him straight into the kitchen. “I'm home,” he called out, only getting a noncommittal grunt in return, which probably meant that Bucky was busy. Steve stepped through the door, a greeting ready on his lips –
But he froze dead in his tracks as soon as he caught sight of Bucky.
His brain needed a second to fully comprehend what he was seeing. The first thing he noticed was the arm, which Bucky usually took great pains to hide during the day, but which was completely exposed by the slim-fitted tank top he was wearing. As unusual as that was though, Steve had the privilege of sleeping next to Bucky every night, so it wasn't as if he hadn't gotten to look his fill before.
No, what struck him about the picture was the other things Bucky was wearing. A bright red apron that was tied with a neat bow around his neck and waist each, his hair gathered up neatly by a hairband, the likes of which he remembered some of the USO girls favoring while they were doing their makeup and nails. Bucky looked cozy. Comfortable.
Why on earth Steve's cock decided to stir at the sight, he honestly had no idea. Still, his mouth went a little dry, his throat clicking when he tried to swallow before he asked, “What are you doing?”
Bucky glanced over his shoulder at him, raising an eyebrow. “What does it look like I'm doing?”
Being a menace, honestly. “You're wearing an apron,” Steve said, and Bucky huffed.
“Astute observation. Not an answer to my question though.”
Oh. Bucky was mad. That should probably be enough to snap Steve out of it, but unfortunately, he had very little control over the situation in his pants right now.
“You're cleaning?”
“Wow, what do you know? You got it in one.” Bucky slammed the sponge down on the counter with unnecessary force, turning around to lean back against the counter as he glared at Steve with his arms crossed over his chest. He was wearing rubber gloves too. It probably said something very strange about Steve that the sight made his cock twitch. “Do you know why I'm cleaning?”
“Uh.” It was kind of hard to think when all the blood in his body was currently making its way south. “Because –“
“Because the kitchen was a fucking mess when I came home,” Bucky cut in, waving his arm at the now spotless counter top. “How hard is it to clean up after yourself? You do it in the common rooms! In the bathroom! Why not here?”
“I'm sorry,” Steve said, because he did remember heading out in a hurry this morning, probably leaving things lying around and only putting his dishes in the sink instead of washing up. “I won't do it again.”
Bucky's face instantly softened, his arms sinking back to his sides as he sighed. “Okay. See that you don't.”
“I won't,” Steve promised, and Bucky smiled, walking over to give him a kiss on the cheek.
“I know. Sorry for yelling, I just –“ Bucky huffed, waving a hand at his head. “Bad day. How was work? Anything interesting?”
Steve would've loved to tell him. He'd had a whole speech prepared about that thing with Tony in the break room. But Bucky was standing right there, with that damned hairband wrapped around his bun, gloved hands resting on Steve's arms, and something about that was –
“Hey,” Bucky said, brows furrowing. “What's wrong?”
“Nothing,” Steve said quickly, and Bucky's eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“You sure?”
“Yep.” Steve couldn't keep his hands from wandering to Bucky's waist, and Bucky looked down at them, freezing when his eyes fell on the rather obvious bulge in Steve's pants. Bucky's eyebrows rose.
“Really?”
“Yeah,” Steve sighed, giving Bucky a sheepish smile. “If it helps, I didn't know this was a thing for me either.”
“What about this is doing it for you exactly?” Bucky asked with an amused glint in his eyes. Steve gestured at the apron.
“Just – all of it. You look really hot.”
“I'm wearing pink rubber gloves.”
Steve could feel a traitorous heat rising in his cheeks. “Yes, I'm aware.”
“Huh.” Bucky raised his hands, pulling at the edge of one glove and letting it snap back against his wrist. Despite knowing how ridiculous it was, it was one hell of a turn on. “You really like this, don't you?”
“I think it's the whole cleaning thing?” Steve said, though he wasn't entirely sure. Or, well – he wasn't sure until Bucky grabbed the lapels of Steve's jacket and tugged them into place absentmindedly, sending an unexpected thrill down his spine. Yeah, that was definitely it. “Could you maybe...”
“Take care of you after a long day at work? Is that it?” Bucky asked, and Steve couldn't hide the way those words went straight to his cock. Bucky obviously noticed, because he smirked. “You've been working so hard for the both of us. It's about time I return the favor.”
Oh, Jesus. “I have no idea why that's so hot,” Steve breathed, and Bucky chuckled, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the bathroom.
“Come on. I'll run you a bath.”
“Only if you join me,” Steve said, and Bucky tossed him a wink over his shoulder.
“Of course. Who else is going to rub you down?” Bucky eyed Steve's clothes with a critical eye. “Coming in here all filthy. I'm going to fix that for you.”
Steve's cock kicked in his pants, making him stumble. “Oh my god. Okay, that's –“
“Here.” Bucky pushed him down onto the edge of the tub, turning the water on before he started tugging at Steve's clothes. “Come on, give these to me. I'll do a load of laundry later.”
Steve undressed as quickly as possible, folding his hands in his lap when Bucky took his clothes away. He felt weirdly naked – not necessarily because he was naked, but because this was something they'd never done before. They always showered separately, because Bucky had some hang-ups about water in his face, and he was constantly trying to protect Steve from the ghosts of his past, even though Steve was downright desperate to help in any way he –
“Hey.” A snap right in front of his face startled Steve out of his thoughts. He looked up at Bucky's frowning face. “I think I lost you for a second there.”
“Sorry.” Steve grabbed Bucky's hand, pressing a kiss to it. The texture of the rubber glove against his lips made something tingle down his spine. “I'm good. Just thinking.”
“That's always dangerous.” Bucky quirked a smile before he stuck his hand in the half-filled tub and nodded. “Get in. It's nice and hot.”
Steve obediently stood up and lowered himself into the tub, sighing when the hot water rushed up to meet him. Same as with most things that could be considered an indulgence, Steve never really felt all that comfortable taking a bath for no reason, so he rarely ever used the tub unless he had to. But that just meant that he appreciated it all the more when he did, sinking into the warm embrace of the water and letting the heat creep into his bones.
He'd almost forgotten all about why Bucky was making him do this in the first place when Bucky's hand brushed over his still hard cock, making him suck in a breath – but Bucky ignored him, dipping the sponge he was holding into the water until it was sufficiently soaked. He grabbed the body wash and squeezed a generous portion onto the sponge, spreading it across the surface with his fingers.
“Alright. Scoot forward a little, I'll get your back first,” Bucky said, and Steve followed his command without protest, sitting up in the tub until Bucky could easily reach his back. The first brush of the sponge across his skin made his breathing hitch, his nerves tingling where Bucky was ever so gently massaging the tension out of his shoulders.
“That's nice,” Steve said, and Bucky smiled at his side, slowly but surely working his way down Steve's back. It shouldn't still surprise him how gentle Bucky could be after what HYDRA had put him through, a complete contrast to the Bucky from before, who'd always liked things a little harder and faster than Steve. Now, Bucky loved nothing more than to take his time, to make sure that he didn't cause Steve even the mildest discomfort whenever they touched. It was different, sure, but Steve had quickly grown to like it. He liked it a lot.
“Alright, lean back,” Bucky said once he was done, letting Steve rearrange himself before he brushed down each of Steve's arms, his legs and his face. Steve felt like he was drifting on a cloud, eyes closed and every muscle in his body relaxed as he listened to the gentle splashing of the water whenever Bucky dipped the sponge again, feeling the long strokes of warmth across his skin, washing away the dirt and sweat of the day.
He was so lost in the feeling that he didn't even think about where this was headed until Bucky brushed the sponge over Steve's sensitive stomach, dangerously close to his dick. Steve sucked in a breath, looking down at where his cock was standing up straight from his lap, tinged pink at the tip with a visible vein throbbing near the base. He'd barely even noticed how hard he was through the blissed out haze that Bucky had lulled him into, but oh boy, was he feeling it now.
“Sit up on your knees.”
Steve blinked, looking over at Bucky. “What? Why?”
Bucky raised an eyebrow before he darted his eyes down to Steve's backside. “I haven't gotten to that part yet.”
Steve was sure his face flushed bright red when he caught Bucky's meaning. “Oh. You don't have to – I mean, I can –“
“What part of this makes you think that I don't want to touch you there?” Bucky asked, and – oh fuck, Bucky's eyes were really dark, pupils blown with desire. Steve wordlessly shifted forward until he was on his knees, careful not to upset the water too much so it didn't spill over the edge of the tub in the process.
It was a bit of an undignified maneuver, but it was worth it when Bucky wetted the sponge again and set it against Steve's tailbone, slowly dragging it down. Steve held his breath as the sponge slipped right between his asscheeks, gliding over the skin of his hole and then traveling even further down until it touched his balls. Then Bucky dipped the sponge again, squeezed some of the water out of it and repeated the motion, putting a little more pressure behind it this time.
“Hey, relax,” Bucky murmured, which made Steve realize that he was trembling faintly, pushing back into Bucky's hand to get more. “I've got you.”
Steve moaned when Bucky deliberately pressed the sponge right against his hole, circling it over and over again in an intimate massage that made Steve's thighs shake. His cock was probably leaking precome, but the water was washing it away as quickly as it came, holding his cock in a warm, wet embrace. It felt obscenely good, and Steve wished that Bucky would touch him there already, make him come so Steve could get all the way clean –
As if he'd heard his thoughts, Bucky reached into the water and grabbed Steve's cock, making him twitch when the slick texture of the rubber glove caught on his sensitive skin. It should probably have felt uncomfortable, and on some level it did, but all Steve could think about was the fact that Bucky was keeping his hands clean even during this, getting the filth out of Steve as quickly and clinically as he could –
“Fuck,” he gasped, thrusting into Bucky's grip and making the water slosh dangerously close to the edge of the tub. Bucky pressed the sponge tightly against his balls, hot and slightly coarse, and oh god, Steve wasn't going to last – “Buck, please, I need to –“
“That's right. Get it all out.” Bucky's lips pressed against his shoulder as Bucky fondled his cock, barely moving his fingers at all, but oh shit, Steve could already tell that it would be enough to make him come – “Make a mess. Don't worry, I'll clean you up after.”
Steve's eyes rolled shut as he rutted forward once, twice, and then he was coming, gasping through the intense wave of pleasure as he emptied his cock in Bucky's waiting hand. He was still twitching through the aftershocks when Bucky pulled the plug of the tub, allowing the water to slowly drain out, washing all of Steve's filth away with it. There was something oddly satisfying about watching it go, even more so when Bucky picked up a small washcloth and gave Steve another quick rub down, avoiding his oversensitive cock until the very end.
“Sorry, sorry,” Bucky said when Steve hissed as the cloth patted across his dick, leaning up press a quick kiss against Steve's lips. “There you go, all done. Let's get you out of there.”
Bucky helped him stand on unsteady legs, toweled him dry and urged him into the adjacent bedroom to put on some clothes. Steve felt vaguely like he was floating on air as he slipped into a soft shirt and sweatpants before he collapsed on the bed, staring at the ceiling. When Bucky joined him a few minutes later, Steve immediately rolled over to press his face into Bucky's chest, humming contentedly.
“Feeling good?” Bucky asked with a smile in his voice, and Steve nodded, patting his hand down Bucky's chest until he reached his cock – and feeling utterly betrayed when he realized that Bucky was entirely soft. Bucky must have seen the look on his face, because he laughed quietly, carding his metal fingers through Steve's hair. “Sorry, I took care of it in the bathroom Thought you'd be asleep by the time I was done, to be honest.”
“I would've helped,” Steve grumbled, but Bucky shushed him with a gentle kiss, tucking Steve a little more firmly into his side.
“I know, sweetheart. You can make it up to me tomorrow, okay?”
“Morning blowjobs?” Steve mumbled into the pillow, already halfway off to sleep, and smiled when Bucky's breath tickled the top of his head as Bucky chuckled.
“Whatever you want, darling. Whatever you want.”