Work Text:
Steve sat on Sam’s couch, legs dangling over the armrest, sketchbook propped up against his slim thighs. Carefully shadowing his drawing, he looked up to Tony Stark, whom he promised a portrait for his girlfriend’s birthday. Pepper loved Steve’s art, the son of Stark Industries head Howard Stark had said. Now he finished the drawing of a shirtless Tony Stark after 3 hours.
“You can move. I fix your hair a bit more but you don’t need to sit for that.”
Tony jumped up and smiled brightly. “Amazing. Let me see. Come on, Rogers. Wanna see. Gimme.”
The young genius made grabby hands and Steve chuckled, holding out his sketchbook and Tony snatched it away. “Oh, you are amazing. Pepper will love it.”
Sam entered the room and took the book from Tony’s grasp and handed it back to the blond.
“You know the rules Stark. No snooping through Steve’s stuff.”
“I think the most surprising thing I could find would be nudes of Barnes and Rogers hasn’t seen that yet or we would KNOW.” Tony emphasized the last word and shot Sam a look. “Or he has a vivid imagination.”
The other rolled his eyes and shoved Tony from his chair, going into his room and shutting the door. Steve blushed lightly. First off, he couldn’t deal with compliments, second off were Tony and Sam the only ones who knew about his hopeless crush on their roommate. And they wouldn’t stop teasing him about it.
Tony struggled back up while Steve began working on his hair. They fell into a mutual silence, Tony tapping away on his phone while Steve finished his drawing. Then he tore out two of the pages of his sketchbook and laid them out on the table.
“This one” he pointed towards the drawing he just made of Stark, “is from you for her. The other one is from me. I made it a while back and I think she would appreciate it.” Tony took the drawings and took a look at the second one, showing both, himself and Pepper, on a blanket underneath a tree.
It was drawn on one of their monthly trip to Central Park where all of them spent time together, played Frisbee and hide ’n seek and tag. Pepper spent most of the time on the side, watching them all, one of them joining her once in a while. After having one of his asthma attacks during a game of tag, Steve had sat on the side and drawn the landscape and when Tony had sat down next to his long-time girlfriend, leaning against one another he had added them in his drawing.
Tony looked at the drawing, then back up at Steve, mouth hanging wide open. The blond smiled sheepishly.
“When she leaves me for you, I will hunt you down and have a talk with Barnes.” He glared and Steve winced. He was about to reply when the door of the apartment opened.
“Have a talk with me about what? I heard my name. That makes me curious.” Bucky threw his keys and wallet into a drawer by the door and plopped down on the couch next to the skinny boy.
“A talk about how awful Rogers is for trying to steal my girlfriend.” Tony answered matter-of-factly and Steve threw his arms in the air, exasperated.
“Stark. I think I never told you but you could draw a circle that’s how straight I am. Really. I mean it. No interest in your girlfriend here.” Steve let his sketchpad hit his face and groaned.
“Wait. You’re gay?” Bucky turned to Steve, who turned tomato red.
“Ever seen his drawings. No one straight could draw like this. Barnes.” Tony held up the portrait Steve had finished earlier, and Bucky gave an appreciative whistle.
“Just so you know, most famous artists were straight.” Steve muttered, and Tony shook his head lightly.
“I don’t think so. The historians just want you to believe they were because they are homophobes.” Stark replied and stood up, stretching.
“If you two don’t mind. I just go over to Pepper’s apartment. Her roommate is out tonight and I want to give her an early birthday present. See you tomorrow at her party.” He waved and slipped out of the door. Steve shook his head.
“This guy is unbelievable.” He muttered and Bucky snorted.
“You tell me. I have to live with him.”
“Touché.”
Bucky shrugged.
“You comin' tomorrow?” he asked, and Steve shook his head, looking at Bucky.
“No. I don’t like crowds. Pepper knows and made me promise to come over some other time and have a coffee with her.”
“I won’t tell Stark about your secret date with his girlfriend.” Bucky smiled and winked at Steve. The blond snorted.
“Why would she trade Stark for me? Come on. Look at me. I am flesh and bones.”
“And even funnier than Stark.” Bucky teased and Steve sighed, cocked his head to the side.
“That’s not really a challenge.”
It made Bucky laugh. Steve played with the corner of his sketchbook, trying not to let his glance linger on his crush (for the last TEN or so MONTHS) for too long.
Bucky tapped his hand lightly.
“May I? Sneak a glance? You are really good.” Bucky asked quietly, and Steve looked at the sketchbook.
It wasn’t as bad as Sam had made it out earlier.
There were many drawings of Bucky in there, yeah. But not much more than from Sam himself, Peggy, Thor and Jane (always both not once single) and some other of their friends. Most sketches he had of Bucky were in his apartment in a sketchbook underneath his mattress.
Steve nodded and pushed the book over, and Bucky took a last glance at Steve, making sure that he was sure and opened it. It was quiet, only the turning of pages heard once in a while.
Steve watched Bucky’s finger, long and graceful, dance over the paper, trailing the lines of his face or turning the page once in a while, mostly lingering on drawings where he himself was in, either as the thing in focus or in the back.
“You should draw me once when you know I know you do, you know.” Bucky broke the silence, not looking at Steve but staring at a drawing of himself, leaning against his bike and having a smoke. Steve still knew when he had made the drawing. It had been about a week ago while they had all met up after school, planning for Pepper’s birthday. While everyone had been chattering and he had sat on the side, sandwiched between Sam and Peggy, sketching out this. Most of it he had drawn at home. No shame, but he could probably draw Bucky in his sleep and get it right.
Now he gaped at Bucky.
“You KNEW?” it was the brunette’s turn to smile sheepishly.
“Most of the time. Here I knew” he tapped on the paper twice, “and here as well.” He went back a few pages, pointing at a drawing of him with Sam and Sharon, Peggy’s cousin, in the library studying. Steve blushed.
“Why did you never…? You never said anything.”
“I do now.” Bucky shrugged and flushed a bit himself. Steve shook his head.
“Are you sure?” He saw Bucky nod.
“Just for me to get it right. You want me? You want ME to draw you?” Steve looked at Bucky, saw the brunette cracking a smile.
“I really want to. I want you to draw me like one of your French girls.”
Steve groaned, and they heard laugher coming from Sam’s room and a gasped “he didn’t”. Bucky flushed now, bright red, glowing like a traffic light.
“Shut it, Wilson.” He yelled, and Steve shook his head, biting his lip as a laugh threatened to slip out. Bucky glared at him, still bright red.
“Don’t,” he growled but his voice held no heat. More slight amusement and maybe light embarrassment. Steve just shook his head, trying to regain composure. After he few moments he gets out a quick “I won’t” and Bucky glared harder, but his eyes shone with amusement and also some contained laugher, despite the glare.
Taking a few more minutes to calm down, the blond nodded.
“Sure. I can draw you. Any wished how I should do you… uhmm… draw you…” this time Steve flushed bright red and again Sam in his room broke out into laugher.
“How about me, punching Sam?” Bucky asked, straight faced and Steve smiled.
“Sexy.” He drawled, but then shook his head. “But I don’t think it would do you justice.”
“Then how do YOU want me?” Bucky raised an eyebrow and suddenly Steve’s attention zoomed in on this one, single moment. Because during their teasing Bucky had come closer and closer, Steve’s sketchbook laying open on both of their tights and Bucky’s hand came up, slowly wrapping around his arm. Neither of them dared to move after that, sat there in silence but still it seemed like they were moving towards each other since all too soon their lips touched lightly, nothing more than a brush and it all clicked into place.
No panic, no fear. No unwanted thoughts.
A peaceful silence, just Bucky’s even breathing, the light touch of his lips against Steve’s. Then his lips curled up into a light smile, parting enough to sandwich Steve’s between them before releasing them a second later and pulling a bit farther away.
A loud, cheerful “FINALLY! Wilson get your ass out here.
Our boys got their shit together!” pulled them back into the here and now.
“Oh for fucks sake.” Bucky groaned, and Steve hid his face in Bucky’s shoulder, where a hand immediately settled in his short, blond hair.
“We should go to my apartment. Peggy and Sharon are gone for the weekend. I think we should talk about…”
Bucky nodded.
“Agreed. Let’s hurry up.” Bucky stood up and pulled the other man along, bypassing a cheering Tony Stark and Pepper, who smiled at them with a bit of pity, embarrassment and encouragement. Then they made it up the stairs and Steve pulled the door to his apartment open. Luckily no one in the building bothered to lock their apartments. Perks of living with all of their friends from college in one building.
This time, when they were in, Bucky turned the key and sighed.
“If we don’t they barge in here in about half an hour to pull us to a bar to celebrate.” He muttered and Steve nodded.
“Is that what Stars feel like when followed by crazy fans?”
Bucky pursed his lips and nodded thoughtfully.
“Yes. I think they do.”
Snorting Steve threw his sketchbook onto the couch and went to the kitchen.
“Coffee?”
“Please.”
Silence settled until they sat on the couch, coffee in their hands, both leaned against one of their armrests and Steve’s feet underneath Bucky’s thighs.
“So… about… down there.” Steve began and Bucky nodded.
“Yeah. About that… You never answered. How do you want me?” he smirked and Steve snorted.
“Jerk.”
“Your jerk. I mean… if you want?” Bucky looked at him, uncertain and Steve smiled. Nodded.
Smiled brighter.
Nodded again.
And Bucky squeezed his ankle lightly.
And when Tony knocked on the door about an hour later, demanding for them to stop fucking and come out for drinks, Steve was already working on a drawing capturing Bucky on the other end of the couch, with a book in hand.
And maybe shirtless.
But who would judge him? Bucky had asked him, after all.