Steve first gets Bucky back and spends a long time rehabilitating him from all the trauma he survived as the winter soldier and the two enter into a relationship and it seems like everything is going to be fine.
Until he gets kidnapped by HYDRA and sustains a serious head injury.
Bucky rescues him and thinks that everything will be fine because the serum but Steve just. doesn't. get better. (whatever you think this injury entails. like if it messes up his motor function or perhaps sends him back to a childish state.)
Bucky realizes he has to basically take care of Steve all the time from then on and that he didn't even get to keep the perfect little world he'd built post-HYDRA.
But also like a lot of struggle around consent and sex because Bucky is no longer sure that Steve can consent to those things but Steve sure as hell wants those things (and maybe he doesn't even know what's appropriate anymore? like trying to go down on Bucky when they have company over or loudly oversharing their bedroom habits when they're visiting a friend?) So Bucky, at first, turns down all of Steve's advances or attempts to keep their relationship what he remembered it being prior to the injury but Steve becomes /very upset/ when Bucky doesn't respond to him romantically or sexually the way he wants and it eventually just sort of makes Bucky cave? So then Bucky has to live with the guilt of never being completely sure he's not taking advantage of Steve.
+Bucky dealing with feeling overwhelmed and inadequate to be Steve's primary caregiver but he doesn't trust anyone else to look after Steve and Steve doesn't trust anyone else / kicks up a fit when left with someone else so it has to Bucky.
Steve with a head injury, stucky
Until he gets kidnapped by HYDRA and sustains a serious head injury.
Bucky rescues him and thinks that everything will be fine because the serum but Steve just. doesn't. get better. (whatever you think this injury entails. like if it messes up his motor function or perhaps sends him back to a childish state.)
Bucky realizes he has to basically take care of Steve all the time from then on and that he didn't even get to keep the perfect little world he'd built post-HYDRA.
But also like a lot of struggle around consent and sex because Bucky is no longer sure that Steve can consent to those things but Steve sure as hell wants those things (and maybe he doesn't even know what's appropriate anymore? like trying to go down on Bucky when they have company over or loudly oversharing their bedroom habits when they're visiting a friend?) So Bucky, at first, turns down all of Steve's advances or attempts to keep their relationship what he remembered it being prior to the injury but Steve becomes /very upset/ when Bucky doesn't respond to him romantically or sexually the way he wants and it eventually just sort of makes Bucky cave? So then Bucky has to live with the guilt of never being completely sure he's not taking advantage of Steve.
+Bucky dealing with feeling overwhelmed and inadequate to be Steve's primary caregiver but he doesn't trust anyone else to look after Steve and Steve doesn't trust anyone else / kicks up a fit when left with someone else so it has to Bucky.