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Steve was feeling lighter, more comfortable in his skin than he’d felt in a long time. The moments where he felt like a stranger in a strange land diminished by surrounding himself with new friends and new experiences that made it easier to say goodbye to the life he had left behind. Plus, the food was so much better. A fact Sam kept going out of his way to prove to Steve with their nights out together.
That night Steve was treated to a Thai restaurant. And boy was it fantastic. The only thing better than the meal was simply being in Sam’s presence -- he was a big part of why Steve’s been feeling so good.
Steve quickly began to notice how it was just him in Sam’s presence during these nights out. It was never group outings with the rest of the team when Sam suggested a place for them to check out. And Steve knew it wasn’t because Sam didn’t like hanging out with the others. They loved Sam as equally as he loved them.
At first, Steve figured they were always hanging out as a pair was due to every destination picked by Sam being populated mainly by couples and not wanting to disrupt the intimate vibe with the Avengers’ rowdy nature when more than a few of them were all together.
But lately, that theory has gone out the window with the way Sam’s actions were swerving out of the close friends lane.
Feeding Steve from his plate across the table. The soft smiles and lingering looks directed at Steve when Sam didn’t think Steve noticed. How their hands seemed to always graze each other’s whether they were walking side by side or if Sam handed Steve something like a tray of appetizers. And how Sam always wanted to ride on the back of Steve’s bike instead of taking his car, clutching tight around Steve’s waist as they rode around the streets of New York City.
If Steve was reading the signals right, their close friendship was looking to become something more. And Steve was so happy about it.
Sam still had on Steve’s spare motorcycle helmet when he dropped them off at Sam’s place. Technically it was Steve’s helmet rather than a spare, but since he never used one it was designated for passengers. Specifically for Sam since he was the only one Steve ever had riding along with him.
Steve slipped off Sam’s helmet for him. Sam reflexively brushed a hand over his head.
“You know, you should try using that sometimes. Super soldier serums don’t make you immune to head injuries,” Sam said. But Steve shined a mirror on Sam about how he doesn’t wear one either when he’s in flight.
Sam could only shake his head and chuckle at that bit of truth thrown back at. “Well, aren’t we quite the pair.”
‘Pair of idiots with no regard for safety,’ Steve could hear the rest in his head.
Steve was still standing close to Sam. Close enough to see the anticipation glinting in the ring of umber in Sam’s eyes that mirrored Steve’s own feelings inside. And Steve was sure that he was a man in the right time.
And it made him reinterpret the meaning of Sam’s statement. Even if they were a pair of reckless idiots. They did feel like a perfect pair.
Just the two of them there, spirits high after a perfect night out. It was the perfect setup to their first kiss. So he leaned in.
But midway, with the speed of a bullet even Steve’s enhanced reflexes couldn’t dodge, came Natasha’s comment ringing in Steve’s head. “Was that your first kiss since 1945?” And Steve was screwed right then and there by his treacherous brain on Sam’s doorstep.
Natasha hadn’t said their kiss was bad but she didn’t say it was good either. And Steve hadn’t been lying when he said it wasn’t his first kiss since going under the ice. There wasn’t much of a spark anytime he had kissed someone hence why Nat felt she had to try setting him up thinking she could do better at picking dates than he could. And Steve began to wonder if the reason none of those kisses felt passionate was all due on his end.
Then that one little stray thought snowballed and Steve’s confidence was shot down. One bad kiss could ruin things before they had a chance to start. And Steve didn’t want to blow his shot with Sam.
Too bad he was too damn close to abort his move for a goodnight kiss. So he just went for it. He kissed Sam. On the nose.
And then booped where he pecked Sam for extra measure. He actually tapped a finger on Sam’s nose and uttered boop . Because WHAT THE FUCK! There was no possible good reason for doing what Steve did!
Steve was usually a lot better at improvisation on the battlefield. He tried not to make a big deal out of it and hoped Sam would let the awkward moment pass.
Steve smiled like nothing weird just happened and passed it off as some friendly custom from the past like the liar he claimed he wasn’t, which a bunch of forged military applications would disagree with, and shoved his free hand in his pockets because it couldn’t be trusted. Specifically, his nose-booping finger.
Sam just stared at him blankly. And Steve couldn’t blame him. Because it was so obviously a lie.
“Okay,” Sam stretched out. “Get home safe, Steve.”
Relief swam through Steve’s veins at being let off the hook. “Yeah. You, too.”
Yes. Get home safe to the apartment Sam was standing at the doorstep of. Another fantastic win, Rogers…
Sam looked amused at the big blond dummy that Steve is before heading inside after another goodbye. Steve walked to the curb where his motorcycle awaited, the only thing keeping him from using Sam’s helmet to knock some sense into his head was making that beautiful gap-toothed smile appear even if it came at Steve’s expense. Might as well take your wins where you can get it. Steve only hoped he wouldn’t take too long to try again.
He was about to secure Sam’s helmet on his motorcycle when he heard Sam call out to him.
“Hey, Steve!” Sam slowly closed the short distance between them, “Not sure if you know but these days goodnight kisses are done more like this.”
Sam leaned in and finished what Steve had set out to do. He pressed his lips firm against Steve’s.
Any doubts Steve had about his kissing skills didn’t matter in that moment. Instinct took over like the first time he held his shield and he knew just what to do. And it didn’t matter whether or not Steve trusted his hands anymore because they had their own agenda. Dropping the helmet to the ground, Steve’s hands rested on Sam’s hips to nudge him closer -- pressing their chests together but having enough restraint not press anything lower against each other. It was only their first kiss after all. That didn’t mean Steve couldn’t make the most of it. He added more pressure to their kiss shifting their gentle test drive to a more strap-in-your-seatbelt speed as he tasted their mango dessert from earlier on Sam’s tongue. Making his intentions as clear as the night’s sky that he wanted Sam.
Once they parted before things got too heated, Sam cleared his throat — suddenly feeling very dry. “I expect all of our future goodnights to end on that note.”
Steve took Sam’s raspy voice as a good review of their kiss. “That’s a promise I intend to keep.” Sam patted Steve on his chest before both men repeated their goodnights and went on their separate paths.
“Oh. Sam?”
Sam laughed. This goodnight thing was taking longer than it should have. “What’s up, man?”
“Can you tell Natasha about this?”
“Should I be concerned that Nat is your first thought after our kiss?”
“Just leave out the first part.”
“The part of where you kissed me on the nose?”
“Yeah.”
“Not a chance in hell. That might be the only part I tell.”
“Is that how it is?”
“That’s how it is.” Sam took a second of contemplation before continuing, “I’ll tell you what… Try using that helmet to get home and I’ll reconsider it.”
Steve pointedly grabbed Sam’s helmet from the ground where he dropped it and attached it to his motorcycle before hopping on and revving the engine. He had every intention of leaving Sam breathless every night like he promised but he had no intention of ever wearing a helmet.