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The final bell before lunch had rung, but Bob wasn't moving.
He stood in the hallway just beyond the cafeteria, pacing between two lockers with his earbuds in, not because he was listening to anything—he just didn’t want anyone talking to him right now. His brain was screaming now or never, and his heart was threatening to stage a full mutiny.
“I’m gonna do it.” He mumbled under his breath, staring at the floor like it held all the answers.
“I need to let him know how I feel.”
From across the hallway, Yelena watched him like she was spectating a live soap opera.
“He’s gonna combust before he even says hello.” She said, arms crossed.
“He’s psyching himself out,” Ava replied, squatting on the bench next to her. “I say he stares at John’s mouth, mumbles some nonsense, then flees the building.”
“Ten bucks?” Yelena raised an eyebrow.
“You’re on.”
Bucky joined them, a smirk already pulling at his lips. “You’re both wrong. He’s gonna kiss him.”
Yelena turned to him. “You’re very confident in your fellow emotionally unstable golden retriever.”
“He’s been crushing on Walker for months. There's no way this'll turn out wrong"
A second later, Sam and Joaquin walked up, trays still in hand from the cafeteria.
“What did we miss?” Joaquin asked.
“Bob’s about to confess to Walker.” Ava said casually.
“Oh. Damn.” Sam grinned and sat down next to Bucky. “I’m in. Ten says Bob gets halfway through it and John ruins it by being... an asshole.”
“Bucky?” Yelena prompted. “Place your bet.”
Bucky didn’t even hesitate. “Kiss. In front of the locker. Bob’ll panic, confess a bunch of tragic feelings, and then—bam—John kisses him back. Cue teen rom-com ending.”
Everyone looked at each other.
“Damn it,” Sam muttered. “He does watch ‘10 Things I Hate About You’ on loop. He’s probably right.”
Across the hall, Bob stood frozen, watching John. He was chatting with Lemar. However, Lemar said goodbye to Walker leaving him alone.
Bob clutched the straps of his backpack and muttered. “If I don’t do this, I’ll explode.”
He made his move. His legs felt like jelly, but somehow, he made it across the distance.
“Hey, uh… John?”
Walker turned, looking surprised but pleased. “Hey, man. What’s up?”
Bob’s voice caught in his throat. This wasn’t supposed to be this hard.
John tilted his head. “You okay?”
And then, Bob did it.
He leaned forward and kissed him.
It wasn’t perfect. It was a little awkward, too fast, a brush of lips more full of panic than romance. But it meant something. It meant everything.
When Bob pulled away, his face flushed to the tips of his ears. John's expression was stunned and silent.
Bob’s heart collapsed in on itself.
“I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “God, I’m so sorry. I know I just ruined everything, and I didn’t mean to—no, I did, but I shouldn’t have. We’re friends, and I probably just nuked that, didn’t I?”
John still wasn’t saying anything.
“I know you probably don’t feel the same, and I get it, really, I do. So just—just give me a few days, okay? I’ll pretend it never happened. I’ll act normal. I’ll be your friend like I always was. I’ll laugh at your jokes and ask you about football practice and pretend I’m not dying inside. I just… I don’t want to lose you, John. I don’t.”
Then, all at once, John reached forward, grabbed the front of Bob’s hoodie, and pulled him into a second kiss.
This time, it was slower and more deliberate. John's hand slid to the back of Bob’s neck, fingers threading through his curly brown hair, pulling him in closer.
The kiss deepened, and Bob felt his pulse race, every nervous thought flooding away under the intensity of John's lips against his. John’s thumb brushed against the nape of Bob’s neck, and he couldn’t help but shiver, his breath catching in the space between their mouths.
Bob’s hands found their way to John’s shoulders, gripping tight, as if grounding himself in the reality of what was happening.
When they pulled away, their foreheads rested against each other, and Bob’s breath was a little ragged, his chest heaving in time with John’s.
“You done freaking out?”
Bob stared at him, lips parted. “Maybe.”
“Hope you’re free tonight.” He said casually. “Because I want to take you on a proper date. We should, y’know… make this upgrade official.”
Bob’s breath caught. His heart did somersaults.
“Yeah.” He said, blinking through the smile spreading across his face. “Yeah. I’m free.”
Across the hallway, the gang had gone dead silent.
Then Bucky, arms crossed and grin smug as ever, held out his hand.
“Pay. Up.”
Yelena groaned dramatically and slapped a ten in his hand. Ava threw a snack bar at him in defeat. Sam grumbled while fishing out his wallet, and Joaquin just started clapping slowly.
“You’re unbearable.” Sam said, shoving the bills into Bucky’s palm.
“And yet...”
“Don’t.” Sam warned, already smiling.
Bucky leaned in, smug. “You love me.”
“I will deny that in a court of law.”
“Sure you will, sweetheart.”
Yelena sighed. “God. The straights are in shambles, and the gays are thriving. I love this school.”