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Bucky walks into the conference room Monday morning with clammy hands and butterflies in his stomach. Today is the day. He’s going to put it all out there; tell Steve how he feels and hope for the best. He’s not actually expecting Steve to share his feelings, but hopefully they can still stay friends after this. Over the past several months since his Love Revelation, his therapist, Tracy, has arduously convinced him that telling the truth is the best way forward.
It’s been a whole thing. Bucky has hyped himself up for it over the weekend in between freakouts on the phone to Clint. Hell, he even bought a box of fancy chocolates from the shop near his apartment. They’re the kind he and Steve used to stare at and pretend not to drool over when they were kids in the 20s. Back then, they hadn’t had enough money to spend on the decadent treats.
With his back pay from the army, Bucky has much more than enough now, though. Even so, he knows that if he were to spend it all spoiling Steve, it wouldn’t come close to expressing how he felt. Which is why, assuming he can go through with it, he’s using his words, as Tracy’s so fond of saying. Bucky bounces a few times on the balls of his feet and wrings his hands. He can do this. He can so, totally, maybe … do this.
Steve walks into the room with Nat and Sam flanking him, and Bucky’s hope dies a little in his chest. How can he do this with them here? He’d been expecting Steve to come in alone ahead of time to set up like usual. What was different about today? As he catalogs their expressions and body language, Bucky notices the glint in Nat’s eye, the smirk playing on Sam’s lips, and the glances they keep shooting Steve every two seconds. And Steve, he’s … well, he looks nervous. His shoulders are curled in like he wants to appear smaller, and he’s absentmindedly biting his lips. If that wasn’t enough to tell, he keeps wiping his palms on his jeans and fidgeting with the bag he’s holding.
God, he really can’t keep anything hidden, can he? Bucky smiles at the thought. When he’d mentioned that to Tracy, she’d frowned and disagreed, saying that she’d only ever seen Steve incapable of hiding his emotions around Bucky.
Steve clears his throat and rubs a hand over the back of his neck. “Hey, Buck.”
“Hey. Um, can we talk? Uh, privately?” Bucky looks pointedly to Nat and Sam. They’re hanging back by the door, but are still very much in the room.
Steve turns and scowls at them, “Guys, go in the hall, at least. Please?”
Once he’s satisfied they’re at least out of sight, Bucky picks up the chocolates he’d set on the table and thrusts them towards Steve. “Here. I, um, got these. For you.” God, he sounds like an idiot. He practiced this, for Chrissake!
“Oh, thanks…” Steve’s voice rises at the end like it’s a question, but he takes the chocolates nevertheless.
If he’s going to do this, he’s gotta do it now, before he loses his nerve and makes up an excuse for the gift. Bucky steels himself like he used to in the army. Feet planted, shoulders squared, face forward. He even takes a deep breath for good measure. Tracy would be proud.
“Ilikeyou,” he breathes into the space between him and Steve.
“You … what?” For his part, Steve looks completely surprised.
“I like you,” Bucky repeats, slower this time.
“I … what’re you saying, Buck? What does that mean?” There’s a faint blush spreading from the tips of Steve’s ears, across his cheeks, and down his neck.
“It means I like you, Punk,” he says again. Steve still has that dumb, surprised look on his face. Open mouth, wide eyes, and all. Bucky takes pity on him and adds in a softer voice, “I love you, Stevie.”
Then he hears it. Sam and Nat are laughing in the hallway. Actually laughing at him. Shushing each other and, from the muffled sounds, trading light punches. Bucky frowns. He knew they were listening, knows he and Sam have a complicated friendship, but he expected them to have a bit more tact. But no, they are very obviously mocking him.
Natasha is the first to walk back into the room. “Oh come on, Steve. Just show him already,” she says with crossed arms and a pointed look to the bag in Steve’s hands.
Steve looks back at her, and they seem to have a conversation comprised entirely of eyebrows, facial ticks, and annoyed huffs. After a minute, Steve faces him again with a darker blush and downcast eyes.
“I, uh, have something for you, too,” he mumbles sheepishly. Then he reaches into the bag and pulls out a box of chocolates not dissimilar to the one Bucky had just handed him. This one has a cute little card with Bucky written in a pretty cursive script. “There are, um.” Steve stops, shakes his head, and starts again. “I like you too, Bucky. Love you. I have for a long time, I think. Just … took me a while to realize it.” He says it quickly and still won’t make eye contact, staring instead at a fascinating spot on the carpet.
Bucky can feel his heart rate spiking. Is this really happening? Not only is Steve not storming out, but he’s actually saying it back? He’s so busy focusing on not hyperventilating, he doesn’t realize Sam is pushing Steve closer toward him until he’s staring at the freckle on Steve’s cheek, their chests almost touching.
“Just kiss him already, man,” Sam says, chuckling.
Bucky thinks he’s the first one to move, but really it could have been Steve. Their lips meet and, as cliche as it sounds, Bucky feels electricity race through him. His whole body flushes as his heart rate skyrockets. One of Steve’s hands grasps at his shirt while the other finds its way to his nape, fingers pushing into his hair. Bucky wraps his arms around Steve’s waist and runs his tongue against his lips. When Steve lets him in, Bucky nips at his lower lip before curling his tongue into his mouth. Out of all the memories he could have gotten back, Bucky’s so happy he remembers how to kiss someone and make their knees weak. Sure enough, Steve lets out a soft moan into his mouth and tries to press even tighter against Bucky.
Over the sound of his heartbeat, Bucky hears Nat say, “I would suggest we leave, but Fury’s coming to this meeting, and I don’t think he’d like to walk in on that.”
As the words register, Bucky knows she’s right. He reluctantly slows the kiss until he’s just pressing little pecks against Steve’s lips. They’re both smiling like idiots in love. Which, Bucky thinks with a smile, they are. He can’t bring himself to turn away from Steve’s face, but he sees Sam hand Nat a ten-dollar bill out of the corner of his eye.