Work Text:
It was a rainy Wednesday morning. The Avengers team was having breakfast in the main kitchen of the Avengers Tower, gathered around the large glass table that stood proudly in the center of the room. The only ones missing were Clint, who was at the coffee machine keeping an eye on his mug being filled, and Bucky and Steve, who were perched on the tall stools at the kitchen island, chatting between themselves.
The peaceful, almost family-like atmosphere was suddenly interrupted by the sound of beeps coming from several of their communication bracelets. An urgent message from Fury. Apparently, a five-meter-tall alien had accidentally ended up on Earth, somewhere in Brazil, and was terrorizing the local population in its futile attempts to communicate. The creature seemed peaceful, just lost and desperate to know where it had landed. So, Fury hadn't deemed it necessary to send the entire Avengers team.
Only Stark, Clint, Thor, and... Steve were being sent. The super soldier shot an apologetic glance at his best friend. Bucky’s face had fallen into a worried frown, his eyes flicking from his own communication bracelet, which remained off, to Steve’s, which was lit up. He looked up at Steve as he placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t worry, Buck, I won’t be long…”
Bucky grimaced and placed his hand on Steve’s, his thumb gently stroking it. Steve gave him a small, tender smile, then removed his hand and, after a final reassuring nod, went off to prepare. Bucky watched him until he disappeared behind the door, then turned his attention back to the mug in front of him. His coffee had gone cold.
Natasha and Bruce were still seated at the table, the super spy focused on her phone, and the scientist slowly but steadily emptying the basket of croissants in front of him, when Steve reappeared, dressed in his suit, the shield on his back, ready to go. Bucky, who had been sipping his cold coffee with little motivation, jumped off his stool to hug the super soldier.
Up until then, nothing unusual. Natasha barely spared them a glance, used to their regular embraces. But what happened next raised more than one eyebrow.
The brief hug ended with a firm pat on Steve's shield on his back. Then, Bucky’s metal hand came to rest on his friend's cheek, and he leaned in to kiss him.
The kiss lasted no more than a few seconds and remained chaste (thank God!), but it was enough to drop both Bruce and Natasha's jaws. (Well, Natasha raised two eyebrows, but the shock was the same.)
Unaware of the shock they had caused, the two men pulled away. Bucky gently stroked Steve’s cheek one last time.
“Take care of yourself, and come back to me in one piece, okay?”
Steve’s eyes squinted as a tender smile spread across his lips.
“I’ll do my best.”
A final pat on Bucky’s shoulder, and Steve turned, disappearing down the hall. As Bucky returned to his coffee as naturally as possible, he caught their shocked expressions.
“What? I wasn’t going to let him leave without saying goodbye. We’re civilized, after all!”