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Steve and Bucky are sitting side-by-side in front of the campfire, the rest of the Howlies around them. Bucky is telling the others about the stupid dares Steve had taken over the years they’ve known each other.
Dum-Dum smirks mischievously and turns to Steve. “So. You can’t say no to a dare?”
Steve sighs, but nods. “Within reason, as long as it’s not hurting anyone.”
Dernier grins and whispers something to Gabe, who laughs.
“Steve, Dernier says he dares you to kiss Sarge.”
Steve blushes bright red and freezes. “I-…” he looks at Bucky, questioningly. Want me to refuse?
Bucky sighs and smirks. He rolls his eyes and gives a pointed look to Steve’s lips.
Steve nods and leans in, kissing Bucky, the man he’s been in love with since he was 14. Bucky kisses back, and Steve gasps when he feels Bucky’s tongue lick at the seam of his lips, allowing him to enter his mouth. They forget about the others, nothing else matters but the fact that he’s kissing Bucky, and Bucky’s kissing back.
They break apart when someone clears their throat pointedly. Both are blushing furiously. The Howlies keep a straight face for all of 10 seconds before laughing.
“So…” Monty starts. “Was that your first kiss, or have you two been secretly a thing this whole time?”
“What?” Steve freezes.
“Cap, it’s obvious that you and Sarge are madly in love, we all see the way you two look at each other.” Morita explains exasperatedly.
“I- we have never done anything like that before.” Steve says, meekly.
“Well, guess Dernier and Dum-Dum are the winners of the betting pool.” Gabe says.
Steve groans and looks at Bucky, who’s been awfully quiet since they broke apart.
Bucky gets up and excuses himself, claiming he’s tired and entering their shared tent.
Steve watches him go, before turning to the others. “You don’t care that I like him, right?” He asks, terrified of their response.
Morita smiles gently. “We don’t care, Cap. Hell, we thought you’d been a thing since the first month on the team.”
He smiles gratefully. “Thank you.”
The others nod.
“Now that that’s cleared up, what’s up with Sarge? Why’d he react like that?” Dum-Dum asks.
“I-… don’t know… one of the main reasons why I haven’t confessed to Bucky is because I’m terrified he’ll react negatively, that he’d leave. Or hate me…” he confesses.
Dernier puts a hand on his shoulder. “Je te promis, il senti la même.”
“His reaction says otherwise.” He says miserably.
Monty sighs and gets up, pulling Steve up, he pushes the super soldier towards the tent. “Go talk to him.” He grumbles.
Steve sighs and nervously enters the tent, seeing Bucky curled up on the extra cot, back to the entrance. He pads quietly forwards, making sure to make some noise so as to not trigger Bucky’s trauma. He ends up standing over the cot, and just watches Bucky for a moment.
“Buck.” He whispers. “You okay?”
Bucky doesn’t answer, doesn’t do anything to acknowledge Steve’s presence in general.
“Bucky… I- I’m sorry… I- I shouldn’t’a taken the dare. C-can we just forget about it…?” He pleads, his chest hurts at the thought of forgetting the kiss, of going back to his unrequited feelings for his best friend, after knowing what he could’ve had. But if it’s between the memory of the kiss and keeping Bucky as his best friend, he knows what he needs to do.
Surprisingly, however, Bucky flinches slightly at his words, curling in on himself more.
“Bucky?” He questions. “Please talk to me. What’s wrong?”
That seems to be the wrong thing to say as Bucky flinches more violently and says, “what’s wrong are these feelings I’ve got for you. You did it because of a dare. I did it because I want you. And I know you’re not a homosexual like me, I know you’re better than me, because there’s no way you want the things that I want.”
Steve hugs him. “You jerk, I love you. Since I was 14, I’ve wanted to kiss you and wanted you to be mine, like all the other fellas and their dames. I was terrified you’d hate me and leave.”
Bucky freezes, before melting into Steve’s hold and turning to face him. They stare into each other’s eyes, before their lips connect and they’re kissing again, and Steve doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to the feeling of Bucky’s lips on his. Bucky’s tongue slips into his mouth and he lets out a sound he’d never admit to making.
Bucky whispers into his mouth, “I love you, Stevie.”
And Steve’s about to respond when Bucky bites his lower lip and his brain turns to mush.
And if the next morning both the Captain and Sargent exit their tent at the same time, looking equally flustered and have a few marks on their collarbones that their uniforms only just hide, well, the Howlies aren’t gonna tell.
A week later, Sargent Barnes falls from a train in the alps, a week after that, Captain America crashes a plane into the Arctic.
The Avengers sit in the living room of the Avengers Tower, playing games, ‘Two Truths and a Lie,’ ‘Never Have I Ever,’ and ‘Truth or Dare.’
It’s Steve’s turn for Truth or Dare.
Tony turns to him. “Cap, Truth or Dare?”
Steve hums, “dare.”
Tony smirks. “Dare you to kiss Barnes.”
Steve looks at Bucky and its déjà vu, sitting in a circle with his team, Bucky beside him, being dared to kiss him. Except this Bucky doesn’t know, doesn’t remember the true nature of their relationship. Doesn’t remember how this went last time. So he once again, silently asks for permission.
Bucky looks caught off guard, but there’s a familiar gleam in his eye and he nods subtly.
Steve leans in and kisses him, and he’s forgotten what it felt like, kissing Bucky Barnes. Tony wolf whistles and Steve flips him off, still kissing Bucky. He never wants to stop, but they have to come up for air eventually, and when they do, Steve knows he’s got a stupid goofy grin on his face, but it doesn’t matter, ‘cause he got to kiss Bucky again.
Everyone is staring at them now, and Steve feels Bucky shrink beside him under their gazes. Steve finds he doesn’t care as he pulls Bucky off the couch and into the elevator, up to the privacy of their floor. And if no one sees them for the rest of the week, if they come down to breakfast both sporting marks that look suspicious like hickies, well, one glare from Bucky is enough to shut down any questions.