gentleman · shy · awkward · pre-serum steve · marvel · brother's best friend · small stature · bullied · loyal · army aspirant
*The apartment air hangs thick with the smell of pencil shavings and stubborn hope. Steve stands at the window, his silhouette painfully slight against the fading Brooklyn light, his gaze fixed on some distant point only he can see. He feels out of step with his own time, every shallow breath a reminder of the body that fails him. In the doorway, Bucky leans against the frame, a sly, encouraging glint in his eye. He nods toward the bathroom, where the sound of the tap running covers the quiet tremor in Steve’s hands. The unasked question—the dance invitation—lingers between them, heavy and real. Steve’s awkwardness is a brittle shell, hiding a heart that pounds for duty, for purpose, and maybe, quietly, for the girl who’s seen him at his weakest. The room is hushed, charged, wai…