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Every year, Steve and Bucky’s high school sold flowers around Valentine’s Day. The idea was that you could send your friends or dates valentines, but neither Steve nor Bucky had ever bought one. It wasn’t like they didn’t know about it, because it was definitely shoved in their faces every year. It was more that everyone else laughed at boys who sent flowers to boys. It just didn’t really happen.
This year, though, Steve was kind of done with hearing that. It was their last year in high school and neither one had sent flowers to their best friend. So, really, what could go wrong, right?
Steve bought a couple red roses--red is Bucky’s favorite color--and wrote a little note that was basically just “happy valentine’s day <3 steve.” The girl selling the flowers looked at him a little weird, but he just winked and gave her Bucky’s name.
Steve just hoped Bucky liked the flowers.
***
The flowers were delivered the next day, on Valentine’s Day. Bucky was in his English class when the student volunteers walked in wearing almost ridiculously festive outfits and started handing out the little bouquets.
He wasn’t expecting to get one. He wasn’t, like, unpopular, but he didn’t think any of his friends would be willing to buy him flowers, especially since he didn’t have a girlfriend. He watched with only mild interest as other students--mostly girls--received their flowers.
That’s why he was more than a little surprised when a student in a shiny pink tutu stopped in front of his desk.
“Bucky Barnes, right?” she asked, smiling.
“Uh, yeah, that’s me,” Bucky said.
“These are for you,” she said, handing him a small bouquet of red roses, tied together with a white ribbon and a note.
“Oh, thank you,” he said, trying to sound less confused than he was. She just smiled and nodded and moved on to the next desk.
Who the hell would send him flowers? And red roses? If Bucky knew flower meanings, which he did, that meant that someone was confessing their love for him.
Oh, right. Maybe he should actually read the note.
He read the note, looked up, and read it again. Yep, it was the same message as the first time: “happy valentine’s day <3 steve.” That was it.
Wait, Steve? Confessing his love? Uh, okay. Sure. Why not?
Honestly, Bucky had had a lowkey crush on Steve for years, but it wasn’t like he was going to say anything to him about it. But this, this was the perfect opportunity. After all, Steve admitted his feelings first.
***
Bucky found Steve sitting at their usual lunch table the next period.
“Hey, Steve,” he said, sitting down in the chair across from him.
“Hey, Buck,” Steve said, smiling brightly.
“So, uh, sorry I didn’t get you flowers, but-” Bucky started.
“Oh, right! Did you like them?” Steve asked, interrupting.
“Yeah. Yeah, I did,” Bucky said. “And I made you this.” He handed Steve a card made out of folded binder paper--somewhat hastily made in his last class--with a pink highlighter heart on the front and “Happy Valentine’s Day, Steve. <3 Bucky” on the inside in his very best handwriting.
“Oh, thanks!” Steve said, tucking the card safely in the clear cover of his binder.
“Hey, I was wondering if you might want to go get lunch with me? After school?” Bucky asked, looking a little too nervous for what he was asking, Steve thought.
“Sure!” he said. “Wanna just meet me after school and I can drive us over?”
“Sounds good,” Bucky said, relieved.
***
Steve was leaning against his car--a vintage Volkswagen Bug--waiting for Bucky when they got out of class. He opened the passenger door with a flourish and Bucky laughed as he sat down and buckled his seatbelt.
The drive over to their favorite diner was overwhelmingly average, and Bucky was starting to freak out a little. This is weird, right?
But as he watched Steve drive, focused but comfortable, he felt a little better. The note and roses proved that Steve had a crush on him, and Bucky definitely had a crush on Steve. Okay, this is fine.
The ensuing lunch was also unbearably normal. Bucky was suffering but Steve barely seemed to notice that anything was wrong. He kept chatting and smiling and eating an insane amount of french fries while Bucky tried to look like this was just another bros-being-bros diner date.
Why in the actual hell did Steve send him red roses if he was going to pretend like nothing changed?
Okay. Time to be brave, Bucky guessed.
“Hey, do you want to go on a walk after this?” he asked, sort of interrupting the end of Steve’s story about something that happened in his last class.
“Oh, yeah, sure,” Steve said, “are you done?”
“Yeah, let’s go,” Bucky said.
***
Twenty minutes later and they were walking down the path of a sunny park just a few blocks from the diner.
Okay. Time to be really brave.
Bucky reached out to grab Steve’s hand, shyly intertwining their fingers. Steve looked down, confused, and then smiled a little and kept walking.
“Uh, okay,” Steve said.
“Is this okay?” Bucky asked, worried.
“Yeah, I’m just… a little confused,” Steve said.
“I thought,” Bucky started before trailing off. They were still walking hand-in-hand, slowly making their way down to a small lake. Steve waited for Bucky to continue, looking over curiously.
“You sent me roses?” he said it like a question.
“I did,” Steve agreed.
“Red roses,” Bucky said.
“Uh, yeah,” Steve said. “Red’s your favorite color, right?”
“Oh. Oh, yeah, it is. I’m sorry, I think I made a mistake,” Bucky said, pulling his hand out of Steve’s and walking by himself to the end of a dock over the water.
Steve followed after him, with just about zero idea what just happened.
“Buck? Bucky, what’s going on?” he asked when he finally caught up.
“I just- I’m just an idiot,” Bucky laughed.
“Okay, one, no you’re not, and two, please just tell me,” Steve said.
“Okay, fine,” Bucky said. “I thought you were asking me out. Red roses mean true love, and I guess I thought you knew that. Sorry.”
“I honestly didn’t know that,” Steve said. “I really picked them because I thought you would like the color.”
“So, you know, sorry I tried to hold your hand,” Bucky said after a moment, keeping his eyes on the water.
“Don’t be,” Steve said before reaching out to grab Bucky’s hand again. Bucky finally turned to look at him. “I, um, I really like you, Buck.”
“Like, you like like me?” Bucky asked, feeling like he was twelve years old.
“Yeah,” Steve laughed. “Yes. I really do. I just didn’t think you liked me back.”
“Of course I do,” Bucky said, eyes searching Steve’s face. “I always have. I mean, you’re- you’re my best friend.”
“Yeah, I know,” Steve said. “You know, I’m glad I decided to send you flowers this year. And that I had no idea what I was saying. Otherwise we wouldn’t be here.”
“I’ve been so confused all day,” Bucky laughed. “But it’s worth it? I guess?”
“Hey, I mean, you got me, so, I would say totally worth it,” Steve teased.
“Hmmm,” Bucky pretended to think about it, tapping one finger on his chin as Steve looked on, acting offended. “Yeah, worth it.”
“I thought so,” Steve said, squeezing Bucky’s hand and turning back to the water.