Work Text:
“You’re gonna ruin me, kid,” Mario roars when Bucky drops a plate and it shatters on the floor. That’s the third one today and by now even he is astonished to find a hint of amusement in his boss’ voice. Bucky’s been a bundle of nerves all day and on top of the smashed plates, he’s also ruined a batch of sauce and burned onions to crisp which is why the whole kitchen still smells like the deepest, darkest pit of hell.
Of course, his boss knows about Bucky’s plans for tonight and has played a huge part in making it happen. He’s been working at Fratinelli’s for the past four years. As a dishwasher at first but by now he does a little bit of everything and Mario’s taken to treating him like one of his own sons. So he’s also been around when Bucky broke up with Jay, his lying, cheating ex-boyfriend, and when he needed a place to stay and finally found Steve who desperately needed a roomie to share the rent with.
Pretty much from day one, Mario’s witnessed firsthand as what started out as a crush grew steadily into something much bigger, much more intense. So he knows how important tonight really is for Bucky.
If anyone was to ask Bucky what it is he likes so much about Steve, he wouldn’t even be able to describe it. He knows they seem like an unlikely pair at first, with him being tall and muscular and Steve being so small and skinny. And he’s willing to admit that when he first saw him, something like pity sparked inside him because at first glance, Steve seems fragile, like he needs someone to protect him all the times. But then he starts speaking, with this dark, warm voice of his, and you realize how smart he is and how opinionated and strong. And the more they talked, the more Bucky learned they had in common. Both of them have a love for tattoos, music and books. They both have a tragic family background and were pretty much on their own before they met each other. And while both of them originally only wanted someone to live and share the rent with, they soon gained a best friend. By now Bucky and Steve are rarely seen apart from each other. They go to concerts together, hang out with their by now shared group of friends or just sit in their apartment sipping coffee and talking about their numerous shared interests.
Everything is good as it is but Bucky’s feelings have slowly spiraled out of control. He’s always had a little crush on Steve but at some point this became more, too big for him to handle and while he’s scared of breaking something he can’t fix, he knows he has to do something. There’ve been moments when he thought there was a chemistry between them but he can’t tell if that’s just wishful thinking or not. If there’s one thing he knows it’s that Steve is very cuddly and sweet when he likes someone, so Bucky may just expect too much.
It’s the day before Steve’s birthday. Tomorrow’s gonna be a huge party again, as every year. Bucky has to admit that Steve had one of the best birth dates because he gets free fireworks every year and no matter where they go or what they’re doing, a party is already in full swing. As far as birth dates go, Bucky figures only Halloween beats the fourth of July.
Tonight is a first, though. They don’t usually do anything on the day before their birthdays and as far as Steve is concerned, that hasn’t changed. Being the one with a car and plenty time to spare, he’s picking Bucky up as he usually does when his friend is working late. Steve’s an artist and while commissions and freelancing jobs have picked up a lot in the past year, he still gets to decide when to work and where. So he’s fallen into a habit of working while Bucky’s busy at the restaurant and otherwise arranging his schedule around his friend’s. In return, Bucky usually brings home massive amounts of food. Not so different from a couple, he often finds himself thinking.
What Steve doesn’t know is they won’t head straight home tonight.
When the restaurant closes, Bucky does his usual job of cleaning everything up in the kitchen. One by one, the other staff members wave him goodbye and finally Mario leaves, too. Before he goes he gives him a mock lecture about this being a serious business and please don’t turn it into a mess, at which Bucky can only grin and blush a little. Normally, their exchanges are a lot wittier but his nerves are getting the best of him right now.
Once alone, he changes into the clothes he’s brought for the occasion. Nothing too fancy, just a tight black sweater over his favorite pair of black jeans. This is supposed to be a surprise and he doesn’t want it to start with Steve feeling underdressed. His hair is a bit greasy from working in the kitchen all night but there’s no way to wash it here, so he pulls it back into a loose bun, with stray parts still framing his face.
Then he checks on everything and starts getting things ready. The restaurant seems a bit eerie, all empty, no decoration or cutlery on the dark oakwood tables, except for one. That one has a cheesy red and white squared tablecloth on top of it, as well as a thick white candle, and it’s set for two. Despite being a traditional Italian restaurant, Fratinelli’s usually goes without most of the clichés, the tables being set in a more tasteful and simple way. But Bucky knows this is gonna make Steve laugh, so he had Mario bring out some of the old stuff from before he took the place over from his uncle.
He checks his watch and rolls his eyes with a grin when he sees that it’s already twelve minutes past midnight. Steve’s late which Bucky knows means that Steve got caught up with something he’s working on right now. He’s witnessed him losing all track of time and space once he gets started and he can’t even get mad about that. Right now it isn’t helping with his nerves, though.
A few minutes later he hears a car horn outside and knows that’s his cue to come out. He doesn’t react to it, though, knowing perfectly well that that will make Steve come up to the door. And sure enough, a minute later the back door opens and Steve sticks his head inside. “Buck? C’mon, what’s taking you so long?”
When Bucky doesn’t react, Steve walks in and for a moment, Bucky’s heart sinks. It’s one thing planning all of this but now that his friend is standing here in his black skinny jeans and his loose fitting white v-neck shirt, it all seems way too real. It doesn’t help that he’s hopelessly attracted to him. Many people only see Steve as this small guy but what Bucky sees is golden hair - now a little tousled on the top of his head -, bright blue eyes, a colorful sleeve of ink adorning one of his arms and full pink lips, adorned by snakebite piercings.
Shaking himself out of his stupor, he walks over and gathers a surprised Steve in his arms. “Happy Birthday, Stevie,” he says, glad to know that Steve can’t see him cringe when he hears how high and shaky his own voice sounds.
He feels his friends body shake with a little laugh and then Steve pulls back. “Thank you, but…” He trails off and peeks over Bucky’s shoulder, takes in the steaming pot on the stove and beyond that, through the open kitchen door, the set table. “Are there any plans for tonight that I should be aware of?”
Bucky feels his cheeks flush. He can tell that Steve already knows something’s up but he just isn’t ready to spill the beans just yet. “No, you most definitely shouldn’t. That would defeat the purpose of a surprise.” He takes a hold of Steve’s hand and drags him into the guest area of the restaurant where the candle and the glow from the kitchen are the only sources of light illuminating the room. “So...surprise!” he says lamely, letting go of Steve’s hand to gesture at the table as if revealing a grand prize.
He feels stupid all of a sudden, not sure how much of a good idea this really was. Maybe Steve will think this is too cheesy. They’ve never really done birthday surprises, never even spent them with just the two of them.
But after a moment of gaping at everything, Steve turns around and throws his arms around Bucky’s broad frame, snuggling his face against his chest. “Thank you so much, Buck.” His voice is muffled, every other syllable swallowed by the fabric of Bucky’s shirt. To his surprise, Steve seems to be so touched that he gets all embarrassed by it. “No one’s ever done something like this for me before,” he adds after a moment and that makes Bucky’s heart ache. A guy like Steve should have people lining up to do nice things for him all the time.
He allows him an extra moment of just standing there hugging each other and then pulls back with an apologetic shrug. “I gotta go check on the sauce. You sit down and get comfy, alright?” Bucky’s made it halfway to the kitchen when he turns around and points at the small wrapped package he’s placed next to the wineglass on Steve’s side of the table. “Oh, and no peeking at that yet. Patience is a virtue!” For us both, he adds silently. Because as soon as Steve sees what’s inside, there’ll be no way back and Bucky’s simultaneously excited and crippled by fear of what’ll happen after tonight.
Everything is ready to be served, having been prepared by Mario before he left. Even the spaghetti are just on point and all Bucky has to do is fill two plates with them and pour steaming tomato sauce and meatballs all over them. Maybe he should have considered that this would be a little too Lady and the Tramp but it’s too late now and anyway, he knows that Steve lives and dies for this dish, so it can’t be too wrong.
“Here you go,” he says as he sets both plates down on the table and slides into the chair across from Steve. He picks up the bottle of red wine and fills both their glasses, then does the same with the table water. If he’s gonna do this, he’s gonna do it right. When he looks over at Steve, he’s leaning over his plate with his eyes closed and sniffing the food with a dreamy expression, humming a pleased “Mmmhh”. With his fork in midair, Bucky halts to take him in. Steve really is the very definition of perfection and Bucky could spend a lifetime just watching him and never get bored.
“So how do I deserve this?” Steve asks after he’s finally picked up his fork and spoon and starts swirling up some of the pasta.
“What? Can’t I treat my best friend to a little birthday surprise?” Bucky replies with a mock offended glare. Inside he wonders if he should have treated and surprised Steve more often. If this is such a big surprise, it’s clear that he hasn’t been doing him justice.
To his astonishment, Steve blushes and looks down at his plate. “Sure you can,” he says, and Bucky can’t tell if he’s just being humble or if there’s a melancholy hint in his voice. “Really, thank you, Buck. This is great!”
Bucky watches as Steve pushes a forkful into his mouth with another little hum. There’s just something beautiful about the way his friend always enjoys everything to the fullest. Bucky’s witnessed him going completely excited over a beautiful sunny day before and that’s probably his favorite trait of Steve’s.
They eat and talk their way through the main course and then through a large helping of Fratinelli’s famous homemade panna cotta before Bucky finally finds the courage to move on. But it’s Steve who gets the ball rolling.
“Are you gonna tell me why you’re a nervous mess tonight,” he asks through the last mouthful of dessert. Bucky can’t be sure but it almost sounds as if he’s a bit anxious by now, too, and it makes him feel guilty. He doesn’t want his friend to assume that something terrifying is about to happen, or even that there’s a wrong thing to say now. He’s gone through this in his head before. Whatever happens, he’s not gonna hold anything against Steve. It’s gonna be fine. He’s been telling himself this like a mantra all day and it’s worked well enough until Steve got here and Bucky made the mistake of looking into his ridiculously blue eyes and now there’s nothing that helps to calm his nerves anymore.
“Yeah, okay, let me just…” he starts and reaches for their plates but aborts the mission when he realizes how much his hands are shaking. “No, forget it, I can do that later. I think...I think you should open your gift now. Y’know, it’ll make it easier to explain.”
Bucky doesn’t know if he feels relieved or guilty when he sees Steve’s fingers trembling just as much as he reaches for the package and tugs on the delicate bow. “You can just rip it open,” he says helpfully but already knows that Steve will ignore that and continue unwrapping the gift slowly, step by painful step. When the bow and wrap are gone, he lifts the lid off the tiny box and gasps when he sees the silver necklace inside. “Buck…” he gasps and lifts it out of the box to inspect the small pendant. It’s shaped like a key, with three tiny black rhinestones around where the keyring would normally be attached.
Bucky clears his throat as he watches Steve take it all in with his mouth open. This isn’t the first time Bucky has given him a gift, of course not, but it’s never been anything this valuable and never really been anything outside of the realm of useful and practical, maybe the occasional book or record, but certainly never jewelry. Bucky knows Steve lost the necklace he’s worn since high school a few months ago, but replacing that isn’t the main purpose here. “You like it?” he asks, forcing himself to put the napkin down that he’s been playing with since Steve picked up the gift.
“I love it,” Steve replies and looks up at him, with seemingly great effort because that means looking away from the pendant.
“Good because,” Bucky pauses and swallows, forcing himself to look Steve in the eye even though he can feel his cheeks burn and knows what’s about to happen, “there’s more to this. When I needed a place to stay and was just looking for a roof over my head, you took me in like a stray cat and gave me much more than just a room somewhere. When you handed me the key to our apartment, you ended up giving me friendship and warmth and acceptance along with it, and also a lot more that I’m not sure you even have any idea about. So it was about time I gave you a key back.”
Bucky stops himself before he can say something cheesy about the key to his heart. But even so, he can see something in Steve’s head click. It’s in the way his eyes suddenly widen and his mouth falls open in a breathy “Buck…”
But Bucky isn’t ready yet. He doesn’t think he can take a reply yet, positive or not. So he holds up his hand and shakes his head apologetically to indicate he isn’t finished, yet.
“Just so you know, there are no expectations. Well, maybe there are. There always are. But I won’t be mad either way and nothing will change if this isn’t what you want, I promise.” He swallows again and shrugs, finding himself reaching for the napkin again after all because there’s no way he’ll get through this without fidgeting. “It’s just...I love you, Steve. Have done so for a pretty long time now. And it’s okay if you don’t feel the same or don’t want things to change, but...but I just needed you to know. ‘Cause you’re great, amazing even, the best person I know.” At this, he pauses again and is about to draw a breath to talk even more when he’s cut off by Steve.
“I love you, too,” he blurts out and yeah, that does shut Bucky up.
Steve looks as if he’s just as shocked and so they just stare at each other for a long moment. It’s so quiet that when a group of drunk kids outside suddenly starts singing loudly, both of them jump and Bucky is relieved to see that not only he is surprised to still find himself in the real world.
Again, it’s Steve who speaks first. “I’m sorry. It’s just, you have no idea how long I’ve felt this way about you. And I just never thought you’d feel the same.”
This seems like the most ridiculous thing Bucky’s ever heard and he leaves no doubt to it as he shakes his head in disbelief. “Why on earth wouldn’t I feel the same?”
Steve’s response would be almost comical if he didn’t look so dead serious as he scoffs and gestures at himself with a ‘Duh’ expression. “Bucky, would you look at me? And then at your…”
He doesn’t get to finish because within two seconds, Bucky’s on his feet and made it around the table to crush his mouth to Steve’s, simultaneously shutting him up and finally doing what he’s been dying to do for so very long now. “I don’t wanna hear any of that bullshit,” he mumbles without lifting his lips off Steve’s, so his words are barely coherent but they get the job done and Steve doesn’t try to argue. Much to the contrary, he seems just as eager as Bucky to deepen the kiss.
Silence settles around them as Bucky kneels on the floor next to Steve’s chair and they continue to share the taste of vanilla and red berries that’s still lingering on their tongues from dessert. Bucky expected for there to be so much explaining to do, had even laid out an apology for the worst case scenario. But now none of those words are needed anymore, both of them communicating through kisses and looks and touches.
It is way past three when they finally make it out to the car after having cleaned up and filling a Tupperware box with leftovers. They drive in silence for a while until they hit a red light and Steve turns to Bucky with a blissful little smile on his face. “Thanks, Buck, this is the best birthday of my life. And completely without fireworks.”
“Oh, there’ll be fireworks alright!” Bucky replies, a mischievous smirk playing around his mouth but his friend-slash-boyfriend just smiles in response.
“Yeah, I’m sure there’ll be some great ones at the party tonight when...oh!” He suddenly breaks off and Bucky laughs out loud at the hilarious expression on Steve’s face when he suddenly catches on to the meaning of Bucky’s words.
And the blush that lights up Steve’s cheeks as he quickly turns away to start driving after the lights changed to green is just about the most beautiful thing Bucky has ever seen.