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A little something I wrote for @frostyemma who requested Stucky smut or fluff for my 100 Followers Celebration.
“Hey, Buck?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m heading out. Need me to grab anything on my way home?”
“Nah. I’m fine.”
Steve sighed quietly, looking back at Bucky sitting on the couch staring down at his lap. This past week it’d gotten to where he could barely even look Steve in the eyes. Steve didn’t know what had caused the change, but he knew that he would have to confront Bucky about it that evening when he got back. Bucky had been doing so much better, Steve really thought that he was making progress with his therapy and seemed happy. In fact, Steve hoped it was enough that he could finally confess his feelings to Bucky.
With a last look back, Steve closed the door and headed out for the Tower. He didn’t know what Tony thought was so important that Steve had to come in on a Saturday, with no missions coming up anytime soon. But Tony had insisted and then started going off in his “Stark-speak” that Steve was sure only Bruce understood, and at that point the only way to shut him up was to agree to come in.
“Natalia, what if this is a huge mistake?”
“It isn’t.”
“But, what if he thinks it’s stupid?”
“He won’t.”
“But, what if…”
“Bucky!” exasperated Nat gently grasped his jaw in her hands making him look at her, “Moy sladkiy mal'chik, he will love it. Take a deep breath and try to calm down.”
Nat, Clint, and Sam had all come over to help Bucky set up this little surprise party for Steve. Nat had even got Tony to distract Steve for the afternoon. Bucky couldn’t quite believe that Tony was helping him out, but figured his help was probably more a favor to Nat or Steve than to the former assassin who had unwillingly murdered his parents. Sigh. Due to the pain Buck felt in his chest, he knew he needed to bring that up again in his next therapy session.
“An update? That’s it? For fuck’s sake Tony, this couldn’t have waited until Monday?” Steve had a tight hold on his hips to hold in the anger he felt for having to spend the day without Bucky for a stupid phone update.
“Woah there, Cap! When did your language fall so far into the gutter? Is it from hanging out with your Winter Boo Bear so much?”
“Tony, please don’t start in on Buck again,” Steve asked with a tired sigh.
“I’m not, I’m not! I swear,” Tony held up three fingers, as if he had ever been a boy scout. Quietly, he continued, “He’s actually starting to grow on me.”
Steve looked up at Tony incredulously.
“What? He is. I’m not completely unable to change my feelings about people. Therapy is actually incredibly useful when you go to more than one session. And then continue going on a regular schedule.” Tony turned back to the computer where he had plugged Steve’s phone in for the not entirely unnecessary update.
“He’s a good guy, Cap. I’m…” Tony took a breath and let it out, “I’m sorry about Siberia. I was so blindsided by Zemo’s bombshell that I lost track of you, my friend. Ya know, Buck was just as much a victim in this whole clusterfuck, and I just kept treating him as the villain. So, you tell your boy that if his arm needs any tweaking or anything, to come on in and I’ll fix him up and hook him up with any of my latest tech that he might want.”
Steve just stood there with his mouth hanging open. He’d never heard Tony open up so much, and with so little snark.
“You tell anybody I got so mushy and I’ll tell them what a dirty, rotten liar Captain America is. You too, F.R.I.D.A.Y., this better get deleted from your archives, immediately.”
”Yes, Boss.”
“Tony, thank you,” Steve said just before catching him in a full-on hug. Pulling back, he said, “Uh, I think I need to get home, I really need to talk to Bucky. How much longer will this take?”
“What are you doing?? Don’t put that there?” Bucky started shouting at Clint.
“Sorry, man. Uh, where should I put it?” Clint looked around, not seeing a whole lot of alternative options.
“Here,” Bucky said, and with all seriousness, moved the telescope over an inch.
With a sigh that was begging for patience, Clint called out, “Nat, come get your boy before I throw him off the roof.” Bucky’s attention had already moved on, minutely rearranging things in the hope that if everything was in the exact right place, this whole setup would work.
Calling up through the open stairwell, Nat said, “Bucky, go help Sam bring the rest of the bags up from my car.”
“Natasha, I do not need help! I’m perfectly...” Sam trailed off under the heat of her glare. “Uh, hey Buck, come on,” he said with a resigned sigh, “It’s too much to get in one trip, anyway.”
“Mayday, mayday. I’ve lost the Capsicicle! He’s headed your way.”
“Tony, what the hell? You were supposed to keep him with you until six!”
“Yes, I know Romanoff! However, if Captain America gets it into his mind that he needs to get home, guess what? He’s going to do it. I don’t really fancy putting on my suit and getting into a fight with him right now!”
“Okay, Tony, okay. Can you at least keep up with him? Track his progress?”
“Of course.”
“Okay, do that and send the info to my phone.” sighing, Nat put her phone in her back pocket and prepared herself to tell Bucky about Steve prematurely leaving the Tower.
“Hey, Bucky?” Nat called warily from the kitchen, “Steve’s headed back a little earlier than we anticipated.”
“What?? But, it’s not dark yet!” Dammit Steven! You couldn’t be patient, just this once? Starting to get a bit panicky, he asked, “Uh, okay, what should we do Talia?”
“Since you’re the only one here who physically has a chance, you get to stall him in here while we finish up on the roof,” she explained as Bucky followed her to the door that led to the roof terrace.
“Talia, what if…” Bucky started again in a small voice.
“James, he will love it as he loves you. This has not ruined your plan to tell him how you feel. I promise this will all work out.”
Looking down with a small smile, Bucky said, “Thank you, Natalia.”
For some reason that he couldn't quite name, Steve just could not wait any longer to get home to Bucky. He had grabbed his phone out of Tony’s hand and darted out the door. It was as if a switch had been thrown and he had to tell Bucky how he felt. Steve had already waited over 70 years, you would think he could wait another hour as Tony tried to get him to do. But no, he felt as if he couldn’t wait even another minute. His love for Bucky was about to explode out of his chest, and sink or swim, he had to tell him. He didn’t even know what he would say first, but he knew he had to say something.
Steve was so stuck in his thoughts that he nearly started running home, when he remembered that he’d ridden his bike to the tower. In less than a minute he was roaring through the streets of Manhattan on his quest to get home to Buck.
Bucky was waiting just inside their condo while Nat, Clint, and Sam were up on the roof terrace waiting with Steve’s surprise. Bucky heard the Harley coming from down the street, listened to Steve pull in fast, heard the engine turn off, then the pounding of his boots as Steve ran up the stairs to their shared apartment. The closer the sounds got, the more nervous Bucky became.
The front door practically slammed open, “Bucky? Buck, where are you?”
Bucky was attempting to nonchalantly be in the kitchen, as if he didn’t feel like his whole life was hanging in the balance. He cleared his throat, “In the kitchen, Steve.”
Steve was instantly in the doorway. “Hey, how was the Tower? What did Ton…” Bucky was cut off due to Steve’s lips pressing against his own. For a few seconds, Bucky didn’t even respond to the kiss because he was so in shock. Then, just as he thought to move his own lips and return the kiss, Steve pulled back slightly and rested his forehead on Buck’s. Pulling back a bit more, Steve anxiously looked into his eyes as words started rushing out of his mouth.
“Bucky. I love you. And not like a friend. Although I do love you that way, too. I love you like a lover, a boyfriend, a partner. I’m in love with you. And I’m so sorry if this ruins everything because you don’t feel the same for me, but I just couldn’t keep it in anymore. I’ve waited so long to tell you. I’ve wasted so much time not being truthful with you about my deepest feelings. I just…” Now it was Steve’s turn to be cut off with a kiss.
Bucky was all over Steve, trying to speak and kiss at the same time. Kiss. “I love you so much, Stevie.” Kiss. “In love with you.” Kiss. “You are my whole world.” Kiss. “I love you.” Kiss. “I love you.” Kiss. “I love you.”
With this, the rest of their apartment and even the world seemed to melt away. Steve pulled Buck impossibly closer and then slammed him to the wall beside the fridge. His hands moved down Bucky’s back to his butt. Steve squeezed his hands around Bucky’s firm ass, pulling deep groans from both of them.
“Fuck, Steven.”
“Oh, I plan to, James.”
Steve leaned forward to continue kissing Bucky when they heard a knock, and not from the front door. It came from the skylight above their heads. Glancing up, they saw Nat, Sam, and Clint all grinning like damn fools down at the pair of super soldiers nearly dry humping in the kitchen.
“Guess it went well after all, huh Bucky,” Nat called down, “still want the surprise?”
“Surprise?” Steve’s head popped up with a look of joy on his face.
“Yeah, uh, they all helped me set up a picnic and a few telescopes up on the rooftop, so we can watch the lunar eclipse you were so excited about.”
With a near giddy laugh Steve said, “Oh, I do love you, James Buchanan Barnes,” and he pulled Bucky up stairs holding his hand.