Chapter Text
Steve clearly remembered the first time he laid eyes on Bucky, the twenty six year old had been pressed up against his bike, motor oil smudged across the grey henley he was wearing and black jeans so tight that Steve couldn't decided if the rips that were found just below Bucky's kneecaps were there because they came like that, or they had in fact ripped over time.
They had stood across from each other, a faint smirk clear on Bucky's lips as he stood on the ciggerette that had been hanging from his mouth. "Man, sorry I'm late. Uh- traffic was shit." Steve wasn't stupid, that man in front of him wearing worn out combat boots was clearly lying. Although he couldn't decide if he cared or not, he had been starving for the thirty- six minutes he had been waiting for his date- not like he was counting.
Nat had set up this 'date' if you could call it that anymore, and while Steve was not exactly happy about going on a blind date with Natasha's husbands best friend, he had never been able to let down his own friend. Apparently, Clint and Bucky had been friends all through high school and had shared a dorm at college- until Bucky had dropped out and got a job at his local broadcasting centre for sport. Steve had never met Bucky properly, but Steve had been best friends with Natasha long enough that he had heard a number of times about Bucky and his antics, antics that Steve could only label as an eighteen year old trapped in a twenty six year old's body. When Natasha and Clint got married, Steve and Bucky, unfortantly had some form of mutual attachment, and that attachment was their best friends, Nat and Clint.
Steve had remembered Bucky offering him a helmet for his bike, and steve figured that this was the time he drew a line. "No- no. We can take my car." He had argued, because the thought of having to sit on the back of Bucky's bike in just his cotton button up did not sound appealing. It had taken them ten minutes to finally end up in Steve's car, because there was many things Steve had inherited from his beautiful mother Sarah and that was not only her piercing blue eyes and blonde hair, but stubborness too. Bucky was clearly in distress that his ego had been wounded as he trailed after Steve and towards the car with a sigh that was loud enough to grab anyone's attention.
One of the many final straws occured when Bucky anwsered the phone while on their date, Steve was half way talking about his job- he owned a small bakery in New York City, something he was very proud of, clearly, Bucky was not too interested in his date's occupation when he pressed the green acceptance button that was lit up on his cracked iphone screen and pressed the phone to his ear. Steve had shot him a side glance and polietely, although awkwardly shot him a smile which read 'yeah that's okay, i was done talking anyway' when Bucky started talking down the line.
Steve had raised his eyebrow when Bucky started talking in a hushed whisper, leaning against the window of Steve's small car that was not large enough to fit two grown men (if you could class Bucky as a grown man), and the tension that was surrounding them. "Yeah, sorry baby- we could meet up after i've finished here-" Steve's eyes widened and he had held in a scoff while Bucky carried on talking to his- second date? on the phone. Steve had no idea how many people Bucky was seeing at this time, and he couldn't bring himself to care as Bucky continued to clearly flirt with the person he was talking too on the phone.
"Okay- you know, the resturant is most likely closed by now anyway." Steve had said, loud enough it would catch Bucky's attention over his phone call. Bucky had just starred at Steve with a head tilt and hung up his phone, bitting his lip as he studied the blonde closely. Steve had thought that Bucky might have tried to fix things, possibly offer another date that would be better and make up for whatever this had been, but amazingly- Bucky had just shrugged. "I mean, yeah. Resturants aren't really my thing anyway."
"Food isn't your thing?" Steve had realised that this was one of the first times he had properly looked at Bucky that night, the dark haired man had stubble scattered across his jaw, hair pulled up into a small bun and a small tattoo peeking just above his unbuttoned shirt. Steve wasn't blind, this guy was clearly attractive, but fuck, did Steve dislike him and the smirk that had made it's way back onto his lips. "What is your thing then?" Steve had asked, watching curiously as Bucky's smirk grew.
"Guess you weren't lucky enough to find out, Stevie." Bucky had chuckled before shooting Steve a wink and opening the car door, slamming it behind him. Steve had sat frozen for at least a minute, Stevie? Fucking-Stevie? He hadn't been called that nickname since he was eleven years old by his grandmother. Steve had quickly reached into his back pocket and pulled out his own phone, scrolling down his contacts until he reached Natasha's name before shooting her a quick, three worded text which read 'what the fuck????'.
That was the worst date ever.
Steve got used to seeing Bucky however, whether it was after he and Nat returned from the grocery store every tuesday (Nat and Steve were best friends, of course they shopped together) to see Bucky and Clint lounged on Clint and Nat's shared sofa playing some video game, or if it was more important matters such as Natasha and Clint's wedding where both Bucky and Steve played an important role in the wedding and as if the world hated him, Steve had been put next to Bucky on the seating plan. Although, Steve couldn't complain too much because he had hardly seen Bucky that night who spent most of the night flirting with the bartender.
And then Lexi came along, beautiful, adorable Lexi. The daughter of Clint and Natasha, Steve and Bucky had spent the night in the waiting room at the hospital while Nat was in labour waiting for news. Both had fallen asleep on the chairs and had woken up against each other, Steve's head on Bucky's shoulder and Bucky's hand laid comfortably on Steve's knee, the second they had realised their poisition they had jumped up and shot each other a glare, and that's also when they looked up to the doorway to see Clint smiling with a baby girl wrapped in a pink blanket in his arms. Lexi had been born.
--
One year later.
Steve knocked on the front door that was all so fimilar to him, a pink bag of presents hanging from his mouth while he balanced the one year old's birthday cake in one arm and a balloon in the other. Steve's smile dropped when the door opened and Bucky stood in front of him, dressed in his usual attire of a black fitted shirt and black jeans, "Aw shit, i didn't realise it was you." Bucky muttered, going to close the door of Clint and Natasha's family home until Steve found his strength and barged through the door and past Bucky, while muttering 'language' it was a one year old's birthday party after all.
"Steve!" Steve span around to see his beautiful best friend rush towards him, Natasha had Lexi on her hip who looked so much like her mother. "Aw, look Lex! Look what your favourite godfather brought" Steve smirked as Bucky walked past him and rolled his eyes, heading towards the backgarden where Steve could see Clint bouncing up and down on a princess bouncy castle. Steve sighed in relief the second his hands were free and he was reaching out and taking Lexi from Nat's arms. "Hey sweetheart, happy birthday!" the one year old reached out and placed her small hands against Steve's face, a smile on her lips. Steve chuckled, this tiny angel really made him want a family.
"I see your daddy is enjoying your party" Steve said, refering to Clint who was walking through the kitchen with a princess crown covering his blonde hair, Bucky following his best friend closely with a beer in his grip. "Aw, but no crown for Bucky. Not special enough, huh?" Steve teased as he tickled the baby, before Bucky came up behind him and stole the baby from his grip, holding the one year old above his head, Lexi giggled and reached for the loose hair that had fallen from Bucky's bun, instantly tugging on a strand much to her (and Steve's) amusement.
"Where is- what's his name? Luke? or is it Jaedon this week?" Steve questioned, earning a warning glare from Nat who was preparing the birthday cake with Clint. Bucky looked away from the baby and towards Steve, an eyebrow quirked.
"You sound awfully interested in my life." he shot back. "I'm single, so who cares who i sleep with? And single is the way i plan on staying, forever."
Steve hummed, taking the beer that Bucky had been drinking and had left stranded on the kitchen island while he held Lexi and took it for himself, he had been awake most of the morning making a child's birthday cake in his bakery. Bucky shot Steve a glare, about to open his mouth and shout something back but before he had the chance Clint was covering his best friends mouth and motioning towards the small child, "Be nice." he ordered, before taking his daughter and rushing off to play outside. Steve couldn't decide if it was for Lexi's amusment or his own.
Steve watched from afar, seeing Clint pull Nat into his arms as he held their daughter. A small smile pulled at Steve's lips as he watched the family, he had known Nat his whole life, they had gone through everything together, she had been the one to support him as he grieved Sarah, the one who would chill out by his hospital bed side as a kid and read him comic books when he used to get sick, before he made his large transformation and finally grew and bulked up around nineteen. He was so happy she was happy. Steve was pulled from his thoughts when Bucky knocked into him, leaning over and snatching his beer bottle back, Steve was about to argue but soon realised that it was in fact Bucky's first so who was he to judge?
"Come on, come on- cake time." Clint broke the silence, rushing past Steve and Bucky while Nat trailed behind him, Lexi hanging from her arms as she followed her daddy with her eyes. Steve headed through the door and into the large dining room where both fimiliar and unfimiliar faces sat, waiting to sing Lexi happy birthday. Steve watched with a warm smile as everybody sang to Lexi, and the one year old clapped her tiny hands as if she knew all the attention was on her. Steve glanced across the room and his eyes landed on Bucky who was smiling too, eyes focused on Lexi as he did.
Steve decided that although he and Bucky hate each other, they have one mutual love and that is Lexi.
The year passed quickly, Steve's bakery became busier throughout summer and calmed down again through winter. Nat and Clint had taken Lexi on a plane for the first time a couple of weeks ago, Nat sending Steve multiple snapchats of the one year old as on holiday, Steve went on a few dates, all of them not going anywhere, which never came as a suprise. It was when Steve was packing up some of the cakes just before closing time that a blonde women entered the bakery, biting her lip nervously as she studied Steve. "sorry? am i too late? is it closing time?" she panicked, to be fair Steve was just about to walk around the counter and turn the open side around till it read closing but he was never one to refuse.
"No- it's okay. I have time." he shot her a small smile, and laughed slightly when she breathed out a sigh of relief.
"Phew. It's my aunt's birthday and i totally forgot to pick up a cake." the women smiled. "I'm Sharon, by the way." She was beautiful, and Steve found himself smiling back at her, until he realised he was starting to seem creepy and he cleared his throat, nodding towards where he still had a few cakes left on the stand. "The one with the flowers could be an aunts birthday cake? I could box it up right now?" Sharon's smile grew and she nodded, "Thank you so much-" the pause told steve all he needed to know. "Oh sorry, it's uhm Steve." He realised he had taken his pinny which contained his name id off a couple of minutes before Sharon entered the shop. "Nice to meet you."
Sharon smiled bashfully before they were interrupted by a phone ringing, realising it was her own she quickly apologised before walking away from the counter to take the call. Steve wiped the smile from his face and headed towards the back where he would get the cake for Sharon's aunt.
Steve hadn't been in a proper relationship for years, too busy being focused on his career and caring for his mother as she passed. Sharon was pretty, and from the looks of it she wasn't married, at least there was no ring indicating that. Then again, there was also the chance that Sharon didn't see Steve like that, and the embrassment of that would be enough to put him off asking for a date.
Surprisingly, as steve placed the cake in front of Sharon to take, the blonde women pushed a small piece of paper towards him and thanked him once more before swiftly exiting the shop. Steve waited until he heard the engine roar of her small car before he glanced down and opened the small piece of paper to see she had scribbled her phone number onto it, well shit, maybe he wasn't so bad at picking up signals.
It was gone 10pm by the time Steve got to his apartment, throwing his car keys and jacket onto the nearest table, he shrugged out of his sweater and started to undo his belt as he headed upstairs, alreading planning the bath he was about to run. Steve was about to kick his jeans off when his phone- which he had left downstairs started to ring, Steve sighed and pulled his jeans back up, watching as Sharon's number that had been placed in his back pocket fell out and onto the floor.
"Shit, shit-" he muttered under his breath as he threw his couch cushions out of the way and reached for the phone that had been hiding underneath them from when he threw it down before.
"Hey-uhm- sorry who is this?" Steve said breathlessly, realising he had not let the no caller id speak first. That seemed like a stupid thing to do now.
"Is this Steven Rogers?" To say that Steve's blood instantly ran cold when he heard a serious tone down the line was an understatement, he had gone through a phone call similar to this a few years back, when the paramedic had rang him to announce they tried to save his mother but couldn't-
Steve had passed at least three stop signs on his way to the police station, he didn't notice though, and if he was being completely honest, the usual innocence that was steve didn't care. The flashing lights of numberous NYPD police cars blinded his vision as he rushed through the car park, shakily shoving his keys into the pocket of his jacket, he ran straight towards the front desk where a small women was sat, a headset on above her red hair- like Natasha's-
Steve held back a sob as he announced his arrival, barley listening when the women told him where to go.
Steve headed down the corridor, seeing people in the waiting room, a reminder that life goes on even after you have suffered a loss.
Steve hardly listened as the police officer told him what happened, a car accident, a lorry had appeared from nowhere knocking them off the road, they died instantly-
Natasha and Clint, they were dead.
"P-please. Tell me their daughter was not in the car." Steve cried, hands holding tightly onto his blonde hair. The thought of anything happening to Lexi, the little girl- please don't let her be gone- "The little girl is alive and well, she was at a babysitters at the time. The only people in the car were Mr and Mrs Barton. Lexi is now spending one night in a foster family until we have read over Mr and Mrs Barton's requests in their will."
And then steve was alone.
Doctors, nurses, police officers, and people passed him, while he just stood in the middle of the corridor- attempting to swallow the news that his best friends were dead, and lexi was an official orphan.
"Steve?" The blonde turned around to see Bucky stood in front of him, a confused expression splashed across his face. The brunette had his bike helmet that he had tried to force steve to wear the first time they met hooked under his left arm and his hair was messed up, he had clearly been in a rush. Bucky took in Steve's appearance, "God, what's happened?"
And then steve told him, sobbing into his hands as he gasped out what happened, they were dead, lexi was in a strangers care for the night, he heard bucky mutter a number of swear words under his breath before he was storming towards Steve, the sound of his combat boots hitting against the floor, at first Steve wasn't sure what bucky was about to do, scream, go punch a wall, attempt to see them-
Instead, Steve felt a pair of strong arms wrap around his body, pulling him close. And steve let him, hands holding tightly onto Bucky's leather jacket as he shoved his face into the brunettes neck, continuing to cry.
if there was one thing that Bucky and Steve shared, it had been Natasha and Clint.