Steve had actually put a lot of thought into that. Hypothetical scenarios where the war had never happened, or even just the absence of the serum. Where would he have ended up? What would have happened to them? In a perfect world, they wouldn't have needed to be neighbors. They'd be living in that cute little house together, happily married with a dog or two running around the yard.
But the perfect world didn't exist and they were left to deal with the cards they had been dealt. And it was a shitty hand. It really was. Steve had dreamt of white picket fences and maybe a garden out back and instead, he had been given a spangly outfit and a shield.
That being said, this particular moment was better than any white picket fence or a garden full of flowers. Steve was happy. Truly, authentically happy. And from the sound of things, Bucky felt the same way. "Maybe we can still have that.. A boring life, together."
Steve laughed. What an uninteresting thing to strive for. And yet, it was all he wanted. And maybe, at least for a little while, they could have exactly that. He was quiet for a moment, enjoying the feel of Bucky against him, the warmth of his head nestled in the crook of his neck. Every bit of it was perfect, and Steve wouldn't have traded it for the world. "Bucky," he whispered, leaning down just enough to brush the tips of their noses together, "I love you."