worth | darcy/steve/bucky, misunderstandings in love
“Bucky, come on,” she whined, tugging at his hair, and he laughed into her skin, licking his lips. “I have to get to the production meeting…”
“Patience is a virtue, darlin’,” he said huskily, swiping a thumb over her clit as he nipped at her inner thighs. “Shoulda thought ‘bout that before you went teasin’ me with that damn sucker.”
The cherry-flavored lollipop was left abandoned at her side, her hands twisting in Bucky’s hair as he licked into her cunt. He had his left arm pressed down on her hips, holding her in place, and he was stroking at her with his free hand, his fingers pumping into her languidly as he stared up at her face.
She threw her head back to avoid looking at him, ignoring the shame rolling in her stomach. Six months into whatever this was, and she was already in over her head – her heart would swell whenever he smiled at her, her hands turned clammy and sweaty when he’d tease, and her body gravitated towards him whenever they were in the same room. She knew the signs, and she couldn’t help the feeling of guilt that washed over her every time she thought of him instead of…
The image of her best friend came to mind, earnest and good, everything Darcy wanted but couldn’t have, and while she’d fallen into this fuck-buddy relationship with her co-star to try and move on, she’d just made everything more complicated.
And then Bucky crooked his fingers, sucking at her clit, and she came with a low moan of his name, hips jerking weakly against his face as she tightened her hold on his hair. Bucky lapped at her until her legs stopped quivering, pressing a gentle kiss to her thigh before pulling back, his chin wet and his smile smug and satisfied.
“Better get to that meeting, sweetheart,” he said, licking his fingers lewdly, and the low pulse of want that flickered through her at the sight of him was pushed away by a single glance at the clock.
“Fuck!” she gasped, pulling down the skirt bunched around her hips and struggling to comb through her hair. “I’m so late, the director’s gonna kill me.”
“I’d apologize, but can’t say I’m all that sorry,” Bucky said, lying boneless against the sofa and watching her scramble around her apartment with hooded eyes. His jeans were undone, and he had his hand in his boxer briefs – he looked thoroughly debauched and entirely too tempting, and she had to tear her eyes away when he flashed her a wicked grin. “Sure you don’t wanna just call in sick?”
“Can’t, I have lunch plans with Steve.” Darcy rolled her eyes, missing the way Bucky stiffened at the name. She leaned down to press a kiss to his mouth, the taste of herself mixing with something that she could only describe as Bucky. “I’ll see you later,” she called, giving her cat a scratch behind the ears as she stopped to put on her shoes. “Can you feed Darla before you go?”
“Don’t worry, your pussy is safe with me,” he winked, and she couldn’t help but laugh as she left, the ball of shame in her stomach growing.
As she walked out of the meeting room, she felt him walk up next to her. “ ’S not like you to be late to a meeting,” he said, and Darcy steeled herself as she turned to face him.
Steve looked down at her in concern, his longer hair falling messily across his forehead as he scratched at his beard. She couldn’t help but follow the movement, her mind wondering what it’d be like to have beard-burn on her skin, between her thighs, on her face –
“Just lost track of time, that’s all,” she said quickly, and he raised his eyebrows.
“Punctual, perfect Darcy, losing track of time?” he teased. “Never thought I’d see the day.”
She rolled her eyes, gesturing to him as she held out her arms. “C’mere, you giant Dorito.”
He laughed, loud and deep and genuine, and her stomach flipped as he pulled her into his chest, arms banding around her waist in a way that made her feel tiny and safe. She curled her fingers into his shirt, inhaling the smell of him as he nosed the hair at the crown of her head. “Missed you, Steve.”
“Missed you too, doll,” he said, and as she pulled back she noticed his nose wrinkled, a look on his face as if he was trying to figure something out, and Darcy realized in mortification that she still faintly smelt of sex after Bucky ambushed her earlier that morning. She could tell the moment he realized it, his eyes widening a little, and his gaze fell to her neck where a hickey was half-hidden by her blouse. Something in his expression darkened a little. “Bucky?”
She smiled weakly, hurriedly, pulling the sides of the blouse collar closed. “Yeah,” she said, and his responding smile didn’t reach his eyes.
“You guys finally steppin’ out together then?” he asked, less casual than he might’ve intended, but Darcy didn’t notice as she bit her lip.
“We’re just having fun,” she answered quietly, “It gets lonely sometimes, that’s all.”
Steve looked down at her, hesitating as if he wanted to say something, but instead he just nodded. “You know you can always call me, right?” He placed his hands on her shoulders, leaning down to meet her gaze. His lips quirked up. “I don’t take the title of ‘best friend’ lightly.”
“I know.” She reached up to one of his hands, squeezing it gratefully as she closed her eyes and leant into his touch. “It’s just… it’s complicated. Love is hard,” she said softly, and when she opened her eyes again he looked stricken, the expression lingering despite how he tried to mask it with an understanding smile. Combined, it looked like he was slightly hurt – possibly even a little heartbroken.
“Yeah,” he murmured, and he let his hand fall away. “It is.”
Darcy shrugged, shuffling at her feet and wishing that she’d never fallen in love with her best friend in the first place. “That’s life, I guess,” she said flippantly, and changed the subject as she asked, “Wanna grab lunch at Judy’s before the afternoon meetings?”
“I’d love to,” Steve said, and while the response was no less honest and earnest than any other time she’d invited him to lunch, it was different as he reached down and wrapped his hand in hers. “Let’s go.”
They held hands the entire walk there, even as the paparazzi caught up to them, even when she tugged at her hand and he refused to let go. She knew the tabloids would make it something more than it was, but for those brief fifteen minutes, Darcy pretended like it meant more than it really did.
“You’re back.” Steve remarked casually as his roommate entered their shared apartment. “How was dinner?”
Bucky gave him an unamused look. “How was lunch?” he retorted, and Steve pursed his lips, refusing to say a word.
Bucky rolled his eyes, helping himself to a beer and settling onto the couch next to Steve. “If you must know, it was delicious,” he said, eyes glazing over in memory of the past few hours. “She made roast, we ate, and then I ate her out. Multiple times.”
“Jesus, Buck, I don’t need to hear all the details,” Steve snapped sharply, his ears burning from embarrassment and his cheeks flushed from the anger he was trying desperately to suppress. “Give her some goddamn respect, will you?”
“I do respect her – worship her, in fact.” Bucky leered at him. “You gonna join us anytime soon?”
Steve sent him a dirty look. “You don’t need to rub it in,” he bit out. “It’s hard enough seeing hickeys on her neck, but I had to sit through lunch trying to pretend like I couldn’t smell the sex coming from her like fucking deodorant.”
The words were biting, bitter and resentful as Steve couldn’t hold himself back, and although Bucky looked half smug there was a larger part of him that let himself fall into the guilt of hurting his closest friend. Sighing heavily, he took a swig, leaning back to stare at the ceiling with a sigh. Steve was still and quiet beside him, and Bucky murmured, “What the hell are we doing, punk?”
“You’re fucking my best friend,” Steve said bluntly, and Bucky scowled.
“Who you’re in love with,” he muttered, laughing shortly as he shook his head. “Who I’m in love with. Christ, we’re a couple o’ fools.”
“At least you get to talk to her on a regular basis… You’re not the one she’s tryin’ to avoid,” Steve muttered, knocking back the remainder of his beer and playing with the empty bottle. “And you get to touch her – you’ve got no idea how many times… ”
“Anything you’re imagining, she’s better,” Bucky said. “Trust me.”
Steve nodded, then laughed a little incredulously. “I can’t believe we’re talkin’ ‘bout a dame like this,” he confessed a little ashamedly, but Bucky shrugged.
“This whole thing is fucked up, don’t feel bad.” He toyed with his lighter, flicking the flame on and off to busy hid hands. “Like something out of a bad rom-com.”
Steve shrugged. “Who’s to say she’ll want what we’re proposin’?” he mused, and Bucky winced. “If we’re shoved to the side, we’re gonna have to watch her date someone else.”
“You think she’ll be up for it?” Bucky’s nervousness was only betrayed by the way he fumbled with his lighter, nearly dropping it as he flicked the cap open and closed.
“Worth a shot, right?” Steve murmured, the hollow feeling of fear and anxiety gnawing at his stomach. “It’s all up to her.”
“What makes you think she’ll say yes?”
“I have a feeling,” Steve said, refusing to elaborate further, but Bucky wasn’t satisfied.
“What kind of feeling?” he pressed.
“Just…” Steve shrugged helplessly. “I dunno. Sometimes she looks like she wants something more when she’s around the two of us, but she’s holdin’ herself back. Maybe because she thinks it’s one-sided on her end or something.”
Bucky laughed at that. “Everyone and their mother knows we’re gone on her,” he said. “Everyone except her.”
“She’s grown up thinkin’ that she’s someone who’s gotta be worth something to deserve love.” Steve paused, then said, “ ‘s hard on her – she’s got a couple of cheating exes, couple o’ assholes who told her she wasn’t good enough.”
“Fucking idiots,” Bucky scoffed, and Steve hummed in agreement.
“Bottom line, she has a hard time accepting good things in her life,” he continued. “She seems to think that she’s gotta earn it, otherwise she doesn’t deserve to be happy.”
“So then we just hafta show that she deserves us both,” Bucky mused, and then sighed. “Easier said than done.”
“But it’ll be worth it,” Steve murmured, and Bucky nodded.
“It’ll be so worth it.”