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"Excuse me. I'm looking for Agent Carter." Steve announces to the petite blonde secretary perched on her desk chair, nose in today's newspaper. Private Lorraine? Steve believes it to be her name.
"She's in with Colonel Phillips." The girl replies in a bored tone, not bothering to look up from her paper. Steve nods, looking around in the awkward pause that follows in the shadow of her blunt reply. His polite - or perhaps awkward - silence makes her look up, obviously double-taking as she identifies him.
"Of course, you're welcome to wait." She offers, eyebrows raised and voice suddenly smooth and suggesting. Steve breaths out an uncomfortable 'yeah', stiffly gesturing and moving away to lean himself against an unused desk. Although he hopes to be left alone, she seems to have found a new interest in small talk.
"I uh, read about what you did." She folds up the paper, showing him the heading printed largely across the page. 400 PRISONERS LIBERATED. She flicks the paper lazily to the desk behind her, no longer the focus of her attention.
"Oh! The.. yeah.." Steve acknowledges the paper with an uncertain hand gesture, nodding and not quite sure what to say, "well that's, you know?" he looks around the room as he spoke trying to avoid the girl's gaze which was sizing him up with a small, flirty smile. He pauses and gives an awkward sigh, "just doin' what had to be done."
"Sounded like more than that. You saved nearly four hundred men." She pushes in praise.
Steve continues to nod noncommittally, lost for the right words to say. They stare at each other in an unpleasant silence, until Steve manages to speak up again. Trying to dismiss the hanging topic. "Really, it's not a big deal."
She stands up, making her way towards him slowly. Oh shit. "Tell that to their wives," she murmurs. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before but he'd seen it enough to recognize the obvious intentions and lustful glare.
"Ah.. you know, I don't think they were all married." Steve points out in defense, nervously and tightly crossing his arms over his chest, shielding away from the approaching woman.
"You're a hero." She states surely.
Steve shrugs uncomfortably, "Well, that, no, that depends on the definition of it really..." Steve trails off, locking eyes with the woman right in front of him. Dazed and distracted, he gapes at her as she grasps the tie of his uniform and tugs him towards her.
"The women of America, they owe you their thanks." She purrs lowly. Stunned, Steve lets her drag him forwards and across the small space, "and uh seeing as they're not here..." her sentence falls away suggestively as she moves back so that they were concealed behind the bookshelf dividing the rooms. The kiss is anything but shy and Steve can feel his breath hitch as she works her lips against his boldly. He can't lie. It does feel good - physically that is - but it doesn't quite feel right. Regardless of his moral compass screeching at him to stop, Steve gently places his hands on her waist and guilty tilts his head into the kiss.
"Steve!" A distasteful, surprised scorn sounds loudly from behind him. Steve pulls away in an abrupt movement, wiping at his mouth as he snaps around to meet the darkened, hard-set gaze of Bucky's storm-riddled ocean eyes. "For gods sake. They're ready for you. If you're not otherwise occupied." Bucky scowls, spinning on his heels and stalking back from where he'd come from.
"Bucky, wait." Steve quickly moves into pursuit, scrambling to catch up to his friend's side.
He didn't slow down or turn to a knowledge Steve. "Good to know that you won't need me to set you up on dates anymore. Good to know that you really don't need me for anything, anymore." He grumbles to the man trailing beside him, his voice and face blank of emotion.
"Bucky, no that's not what you thought it was. Of course, I need you, I don't get what you're thinking." Steve whines apologetically, getting frustrated as to why Bucky seemed so pissed.
"Why, I don't think anything, Captain Rogers." Bucky mocks airily with a bitter emphasis on his name, "Not one thing. You always wanted to be a soldier and now you are. Just like all the rest of em bastards."
"What are you talking about? Geez Buck, why are you so worked up about this? Don't you see yourself with dames? They're always all over you." Steve argues, fairly confused.
Bucky comes to a sudden stop as if he'd run right into a brick wall. He turns to Steve, disbelief, and pain written subtly into his features. "Really, Steve? You've obviously kept all the bloody stupid for yourself haven't you," He scoffs, delivering Steve to the lab's door before sulking away.
****
"He's been through hell Steve, you're one of the only things familiar to him and he probably feels he's losing you as well. It's a lot to adjust to and you've must make an effort to be there through it for him." Peggy speaks softly as they make a tour around the weapons room.
"I know Peggy, I didn't mean for that to even happen let alone him walk in like that. I wish he'd just listen to me."
"He'll always listen to you if you go and honestly present yourself to him." There's an awkward beat of silence before Peggy gestures to a nearby workbench, "Stark took the liberty of coming up with some options." Steve scans the table and the selection of bulky metal shields it was offering, none of which seem the least bit enticing.
"This one's fun." Peggy states, her voice edging on sarcasm, "It's been fitted with electrical relays. Apparently, it'll allow you to..."
A round, smooth disc of shiny silver metal catches Steve's eye from where it lays tucked away under the bench. "What about this one?" He asks, ducking down and picking it up. It was impressively lightweight and well balanced.
"No! No, that's just a prototype," Peggy explains with a brief shake of her head, moving as though she was going to make an attempt to take it off of him.
"What's it made of?" Steve asks anyway, flipping the shield in his hands.
He obviously already had some sort of newly formed emotional attachment to it so Peggy simply went along with him, "Vibranium. It's stronger than steel and a third of the weight. It's completely vibration absorbent."
Steve studies it inquisitively and slipping his arm through the leather loops on the back. He inspects it and feels the way it comfortable sits on his arm. It was very impressive, he couldn't believe he hadn't seen such a thing around in the past "How come it's not a standard-issue?"
Peggy gave a little sigh "That's the rarest metal on earth. What you're holding there? That's pretty much all we've got." She shrugs earnestly.
This makes Steve gaze at the perfectly balanced frisbee of metal even more affectionately, possibly even in awe.
Bucky, who'd been milling around the back of the room, comes up beside them, "You quite finished here, ma'am? I'm sure the Cap here has some unfinished business he'd like to get back to." He announces smartly, leaning his body easily against a nearby workbench, his face drawn into a challenging, emotionless blank.
"Hey, Buck." Steve beams proudly, too wrapped up in his new shield to process Bucky's mood. Instead, he angles the shield to show Bucky and strikes a subtly cheesy Captain America pose "What do you think?"
Bucky watches him for a second, a filter of annoyance settling on his face. He snatches up a small pistol laying on the bench to his side and suddenly he was poised and armed. Steve barely had time to process and react - bring the shield up to his chest with a startled expression - before several gunshots were ringing in his ears and ricocheting off the smooth metal. Everything falls to a severe silence and Steve peeks out cautiously from behind the shield, everyone has stopped what they were doing to stare at the eruption of gunfire.
Bucky flashes him a tight, bitter smile, actually smile was putting it nicely, it was more so a sneer. "Yeah it works a treat Stevie." he shrugs with a disappointed air, placing the pistol back on the workbench, staring Steve down as he continues to walk by.
Steve drops his arms down, gazing sadly at the retreating figure. Peggy quietly comes to stand beside him. "See what I mean Peg? He's just... so.. god he's so mad at me. I don't know what's wrong with him."
"Gosh Rogers, he loves you," she states obviously.
"What? Oh. Yeah, well, I know that. Of course, he does. I mean I get that he's mad and all but he's still my best pal." Steve smiles obliviously.
Peggy's sigh edges on despair, "Steve I know this isn't my place. But he really does love you. More than you may want to accept." She speaks cautiously, picking her words like carefully placed steps.
Steve frowns at her in confusion, chewing over her words and tone thoroughly. He meets her eyes with a slight glint of fear. "You don't mean-" he starts in shock not being able to process the end of his sentence.
Peggy seems slightly flustered at what Steve was asking, speaking at a quickened pace, "I'm sorry you had to hear this from me and of course I'm not entirely certain but it would seem like a..." she quietens uncertainly, "...fairly fitting answer."
Steve gapes at her, innocent blue eyes set wide and a pale pink blush growing across his cheeks, "No. No no no Peggy he couldn't possibly.. he can't love me like that." He shakes his head desperately, forcefully in denial. "He shouldn't." Steve follows up in a slightly weaker voice.
Peggy looks at him pityingly, "Even if he doesn't - which I do in fact doubt - but you love him too, right? It's just - I'm sorry I'm not saying I think you're... it's just somewhat difficult to ignore the way you look at and, well, talk about Sargent Barnes."
"Peggy!" Steve hisses, his voice quiet and harsh. He looks around the semi idle room and pulls Peggy off to the side. "I-I don't.. I don't know... what.. I'm not.. I can't be and you know that!" The blush on his face flashes a shade more prominent and he fiddles with his hands and uniform in a fluster.
"Of course you can, well, I suppose not legally but it's not like you have a good track record of following that anyway. But, Steve... you might not get a second chance." There's a pause. Steve stares hard at the ground near his feet, kicking at scruff marks on the polished cement. "Steve." Peggy's voice is soft and comforting, "I think it would be wise to go talk to your friend. He's a good man." She offers quietly, a gentle suggestion toned firm enough to be an order.
Steve nods to the floor. Having lost the ability to sustain eye contact with the woman dragging out the secrets he thought to be deeply hidden in his heart right in front of him. "I'm sorry Peggy." He mumbles because he felt he'd let Peggy down in a way, that she'd discovered his deepest flaw, that Steve would never be able to love her.
"Don't be, don't you dare be sorry for who you are."
"I um I'm quite fond of you Peggy," Steve admits softly.
"And I you, now off you go Steve."
Of course she'd noticed the way he acted towards Bucky, he'd always thought it was kinda obvious. Then again, Bucky himself hadn't quite picked up on it yet. Let alone feel the same way.
He had to talk this out with him. Steve decides, making his way down the rows of army base halls. He wasn't in the weapons room or the canteen or the board room or the bunker. He wasn't with the commandos either. Steve finally finds himself standing outside Bucky's quarters. He might not even be here. He taps his knuckles lightly on the door, swinging it open gently. Bucky sat at his little desk, legs crossed, eyes glaring.
"Hey, Buck."
"Captain." He acknowledged blankly.
Steve tilts his head in exasperation. "Look. No one's ever, you know, touched me like that, wanted me, kissed me, hell no one ever even looked twice at me Buck!" Steve whines apologetically.
"I did," Bucky confesses softly, eyes cast to the ground, "Looked at you all the time. Still, look at you." His eyes flicker up to meet Steve's and it's heartbreaking to see fear in them, "I'm sorry."
"You mean? You mean... you like me?" Steve questions cautiously.
Bucky laughs a little, his expression loosening to a fond smile, half rolling his eyes at the man before him, "yes Steve I like you."
"Well I uh I like you too Buck."
Bucky stared at him. "Close the fucking door, Steve." Steve flusters and closes the door behind his back. Bucky softens with a sign, "You do?"
"Uh. Yeah."
"You idiot!" Bucky startles, "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"
Steve snaps into a defensive position, "Hey, you didn't say anything either!"
"Maybe not verbally but I was droppin' pins all over the place!"
Steve scoffs, "Not very clear ones!"
"Not my fault you're as oblivious as you are. Oblivious as a fucking brick wall."
"Ah yes cause you really come across as queer when you're going out with all those dames now don't you Buck?"
"I always brought you along!"
"Yeah to entertain her friend."
"To be with you! I just wanted you to be happy, meet a girl, have a normal life."
"Yeah, cause we're really leading normal lives here aren't we?"
"God damn war." Bucky curses under his breath. "C'mere." Bucky grabs at Steves's hand and drags himself up from his chair.
Bucky pulls himself close, smiling as Steves's hand finds his waist. They breathe together for a moment, Bucky's heart is acting up like he's never done this before, like he's never been this innocently close to Steve before. Bucky lets himself trail his free hand up the back of Steve's neck, flitting his fingers through the short golden hair there. Steve sighs and leans into his touch, eyelids flickering softly. The kiss is all small smiles and tense silence and Bucky feels as though he's never kissed anyone ever in his life. Steve is so different, so right and suddenly everything is new. He kisses Steve in long, tentative motions, softly pushing him back up against the door. Steve makes this little hitching breathe, as Bucky presses him against the door with his body, which makes Bucky have to hold back the whining groan that's been building in his throat. They separate, deep breathes and wet lips between them as they stare at each other in disbelief.
"Could've been doing this for the last ten fucking years," Bucky grumbles suddenly.
"Yeah, well, who's fault is that."
"Yours, you fucking punk."
"Jerk, I flung myself into a Nazi camp to save you. I think that's a pretty clear signal."
"Like you wouldn't have done that anyway."
"Well-" Steve starts to ponder away. "Yeah, probably, but still!"
"Steve. Just- just shut up for a bit, yeah?"
"You started it." Steve jabs, ducking down to kiss Bucky again, for reasons absolutely not limited to being about to have the last word. Steve's kisses are clumsy and somewhat hesitant, his hands, however, are bold little fuckers as they slip into Bucky's loose army jacket and skirt up and down his torso and pull at his hips.
Bucky pulls away, leaving Steve standing there, his expression obscenely desperate and shocked at the sudden redaction of contact. Bucky drops himself heavily down onto the bed. He sits there staring at Steve in wonder. Wonder at how dumb he could be. "Hang on. Are you seriously saying that the whole 'I'm with you till the end of the line' thing never crossed your mind as being romantic?"
"Now that you've pointed it out yeah it kinda is," Steve grumbles sitting down beside him, body angled almost expectantly towards Bucky.
"Kinda? Gosh, you're slow Rogers." Bucky turns to kiss him again, slow and deep with his hands hooked around Steve's neck as he pushes forward and eagerly tilts their mouths together. Steve is quick to accept his motives, opening his mouth to Bucky and grasping at the other man's waist. Bucky takes what he's given and runs with it, easily pushing Steve downward and pressing him into the army issue mattress. Hands dragging over Steve's chest, pausing to grip his hips before sliding down to his thighs. Bucky pushes Steve to get his legs up onto the bed and crawls to reposition himself so that he's straddling Steve's lap.
Bucky pauses, pulling back to try and undo the row of stiff military buttons lining Steve's jacket "Geez how many layers of uniform have they got you wearing? Do they wash these in starch for you?" He complains, mumbling to himself, angrily fumbling at the polished brass buttons which were becoming very difficult to focus on due to Steve's hands brushing along his thighs and the heave of Steve's chest beneath his hands. Fucking buttons. Bucky growls discontentedly before finally beginning to get them undone.
"Uhm Buck?" Steve asks breathlessly, grasping Bucky's hands to stop their activities, "Maybe now, I mean like this and this happening right now, and uh here, isn't a great idea."
"Since when have any of our ideas been anywhere near great?" He scoffs back lightheartedly.
"Just, you know, someone might come in?"Steve warned weakly.
"I know you're new to this army thing, trust me, they definitely don't care about that as much as you'd think," Bucky explains smugly, giving Steve's hand a little squeeze.
"I dunno Buck." Steve trails off, still hesitant.
Bucky leans away and looks down at Steve softly, hand moving to softly tilt Steve's face to look at him. "Hey, Steve - look at me -it's fine, we really don't have to."
"I've never-"
"Oh," Bucky smiles that soft look he saves just for Steve, his voice quiet and comforting, "geez sorry I forgot.. that's okay. Um well, do you want to?"
"Yeah."
"Do you want to, now?"
Steve looks down bashfully, a rosy pink blush coming to his cheeks, "I'd say so."
Bucky snickers slightly, "It'll be alright, I promise. I'll be good to you," he smirks darkly, voice dropping to a deep rumble, "I'm gonna make you feel so good Steve and you just do whatever feels comfortable, whatever you want... you can touch me or ask for anything and we can stop whenever you want okay?"
"Yeah." Steve breathes, staring up at Bucky like he hung the fucking moon.
"So?" Bucky questions, hands working at Steve's uniform again, slowly popping the last buttons down his jacket "can I? Just checking you want this? That you know what you're in for?"
"Yeah come on I know, I know... yeah of course I want this god Bucky more than anything. I want you."
With that Bucky smiles, leaning back down and pressing their lips back together. Steve inhales sharply as Bucky drags his bottom lip between his teeth. Working Steve's mouth open again, they're soon kissing hotly into each other's mouths. Bucky pulls back, eyes dark, pupils blown wide as he stares hungrily at Steve.
"And how would you like me, Captain?" He asks lowly, shrugging Steve's jacket from his shoulders.
"Oh uh geez Buck I don't- I dunno." Wriggling to help remove his jacket.
"Given our.. let's say unprepared circumstances is it all good if I just suck you off?" Bucky asks calmly, letting Steve's jacket slip to the floor.
Steve cursed breathlessly "yes."
"Just, yes?"
"Please?" he guesses desperately, eyes wide, "please, yes Bucky."
Bucky grins and tugs at Steve's tie, dragging the knot loose around his neck. Unbuttoning the top of his shirt, quickly following the exposed path of Steve's throat with his mouth. He nuzzles beneath Steve's collar and leaves open kisses up his neck and along his jaw. His hands continue to work down the buttons of Steve's shirt, fingertips flicking down in exploration of the newly exposed skin.
"You're so beautiful, baby." He murmurs, making Steve squeak in surprise as Bucky moves his further mouth down. Trailing hot kisses down every inch of skin Bucky can get his mouth on, he's especially careful not to leave any marks high enough to be seen over his uniform. As tempting as marking Steve as his for all to see, it probably wouldn't sit well with authorities. Instead, he settles for sucking love bites along the dip of his shoulders and collar bones. Steve shudders beneath him, his breath heavy and hands tangled through Bucky's short hair and shoving under his own shirt.
Bucky slots his thigh between Steve's legs. The sudden application of pressure and friction makes Steve grasp at Bucky's hair, hand wrapped around the back of his neck as he lets out an unexpected moan and shifts his hips closer. Bucky's fingers dig firmly into his hips as to grind down against Steve.
"Tell me how much you want me?" Bucky teases, voice deep and raspy, ghosting his lips close to Steve's ear.
Steve scowls momentarily at the mocking tone, Bucky pressing against him again, and Steve whimpers. "God yes, Bucky, yes hell I- I want you. So bad Bucky. Please." Steve groans, desperately arching and pressing his hips against Bucky's thigh.
Bucky smiles and chuckles against Steve's skin, warm breath sending shivers down his spine. Closing his mouth around Steve's earlobe he sucks and drags his teeth across it making. Steve groans softly. Bucky pulls back, shifting down Steve's body, hands working on Steve's belt and lips skimming his hips. The feathering touches Bucky uses to undo and drag his pants across his thighs drives Steve crazy and he seriously considers kneeing Bucky for being such a tease. But Bucky looks up at him with dark eyes and a shit-eating smirk, before Steve can gather any sense of control of said knee needed for his plotted assault, and takes Steve fully into his mouth without warning. Everything's so warm and slick and he could feel himself bumping at the back of Bucky's throat, feel himself against the press of Bucky's tongue. Steve's string of gasping moans is enthusiastically returned by the deep groans that Bucky lets vibrate around Steve.
Because what a sight Steve is, Bucky can barely stay focused. Steve, with one hand, thrown above his own head and the other cradled at the top of Bucky's head, gripping in and out of his hair in surges of pleasure.
The flickering eye contact, that Steve struggles to maintain, he can barely look at Bucky without-
"Bucky." He hears himself gasp, "Bucky". Bucky works Steve through it, mouth hot and persistence, hands pressing Steve down into the bed as his orgasm convulses through his body.
Bucky only pulls away once Steve has stilled, breathing heavily and staring wide-eyed. "Holy shit Buck. Bucky... Bucky." He lies there, breathing and watching Bucky as he wiped his mouth and grins. "Shit, can I?" Steve asks, sitting up and clambering down to where Bucky now knelt, hands reaching for Bucky's waistband.
"Yes, Steve. Fuck yes, you absolutely can."
Steve kneels beside him, unbuttoning his shirt but leaving it to hang around his shoulders along with his jacket. Bucky feels extra dirty doing this in his uniform and privately considers that Steve's getting off on the fact they're fooling around in, what is technically, government property, the little punk. Steve's hot mouth melts into the side of Bucky's neck, alternating in a hypnotic pattern of sucking along his jaw and then up to tugging at his ear lobe. Bucky grips at Steve's bare shoulders, the muscle these rolling under his touch as Steve's hands work their way into his pants, eventually taking Bucky in his hand. Bucky doesn't last long and he's not even embarrassed because it's Steve, with his big, warm hands and perfect mouth and softly murmured words that the government would shut him down for even thinking, let alone promising into Bucky's ear. Steve can definitely paint one hell of a mental image, goddamn artist. And Steve turns his head and kisses him at the last moment, working him through his orgasm and lapping up the little moans Bucky feeds him and holy shit it's perfect and it's just, it's Steve.
"Well fuck." Steve breathes, staring at Bucky in awe. "Now, this- I could do this all day."