Steve Rogers wasn´t the jealous type.
He didn’t think that he owned the time or person of his affections. No sir, he wasn’t like that.
Instead, he was the kind of person who loved from a distance and observed from afar while uttering a breathless “oh…”
with a shaky and distraught tone of voice when he saw the person he liked kissing someone else.
He tried to control himself, and put distance from the pain and heartbreak that something like that signified for him.
Wherever that was emotionally or physically.
He had plenty of experience after all.
Feeling shattered once more was a piece of cake for him.
He had plenty of crushes in his long life. He could keep doing that all the time.
but only one love -and he didn’t want him. will never want him-.
So, what was falling in love once again?
-no, not love, never in love, they were just crushes. He only wanted him-
If not something he could endure? Even if he ended up disappointed and with a new crack in his heart?
.
.
.
He didn’t try to make this crush obvious, he swears! It’s just that Natasha took him off guard
-he was concentrated, because the corner of the mouth didn’t look right-
and she stole his sketchbook with the evidence of this silly little crush with her.
“Nat! give that back,now!”
He said with the confidence he wasn’t feeling at the moment.
He was terrified, after all most of their teammates were with them in the room.
He saw Bucky look at him with curiosity.
He could hear the fear in his voice and see it in his demeanor, Steve was sure of it.
“What do we have here!? Oh…”
Of course Pietro would be the one to take the damn sketchbook right of Nat’s hands, typical.
Nothing ever goes his way.
“Hey hey! I was looking at that, you little shit! What did Stark say? No powers in the common areas!”
“He said that because he’s a jealous old man! Anyway! that’s irrelevant”
the young man tried to hide a pleased smile, while he looked at the various pages that had his face and upper body
plastered in charcoal and pencil strokes
“If you wanted to draw me Captain… you just needed to ask”
Bucky felt annoyed at that.
What? What does he mean that Steve was drawing him? Multiple pages even?
No. That couldn’t be right. Steve usually drew the team, sure.
But a single sketch was all he did mostly. not multiple pages.
That was reserved for him and him only. This was wrong. It couldn’t be because that would mean that Steve had a…
See, Bucky was a jealous man.
He wasn’t good at sharing. Ironic because he had three sisters once upon a time.
But yes, he’s a jealous man and he also tried to make jealous the only object of his affections in his long and tiring life.
But… That. Never.Seemed.To.Work.
No matter the age, no matter the context.
No matter the help he had on this ploy of his, it never worked.
Sure in the past he tried to seem normal arranging double dates for him and Steve,
but he knew that would never be a problem for him.
That it would never work, because Steve would never date someone that didn’t share his ideals and who had similar living plans.
Steve wanted a long lasting relationship, he wanted to dedicate his time and affections to a single person.
He didn’t do casual, the punk sap.
Bucky wanted the exact same thing…
So this was surprising in a horrible kind of way.
What does that fast little shit mean when he said Steve drew him multiple times?
Oh no, Steve is making that face when he’s been caught doing something embarrassing.
So it was true.
Steve has a crush.
And he was doing something about it! Most of the time Steve just looked longingly at someone.
But he never drew them.
He never did.
This is officially the worst day of Bucky’s life.
“You know Captain… you can ask me to model for you anytime you want, I won’t say no”
Pietro knew the ex-assassin was looking right at him like he wanted him dead
-that made him nostalgic, is not the first time someone looked at him like that. Wanda almost cracked his ribs while he was in the hospital bed.
Not everyday you wake up from an almost deadly situation to someone trying to end you while being a sobbing mess-.
Not the time, focus.
He knew of the supersoldiers mutual affection, who couldn’t? Sure, he thinks Steve is a total babe, but what about it?
He has eyes.
He didn’t think that something significant would be born out of this mutual attraction that seemed to be going on.
Not with Barnes in the picture anyways, and he didn’t want to be involved in that.
He was just… helping the pair of oblivious idiots. They should thank him!
Bucky couldn’t take it anymore.
He took the sketchbook away from that irritating white haired bastard without damaging it
-oh, how he wanted to do exactly that, but that was Steve’s property and he treasured everything that punk put work on-
And took the Blond’s hand in his, and got away from the common area to the elevators.
Steve tried to protest, to make him talk to him.
Everything without taking his hand away. Without screaming at him in disgust or annoyance.
Without taking his eyes out of him…
That should mean something, right?
Friday opened the doors and took them to their apartment without saying anything.
Good.
He didn’t have the energy to ask for stupid shit at the moment.
“Hey hey, Buck! Wait a minute. What happened there?”
Steve was going red. not in embarrassment. Not in anger. Not in any negative emotion.
He seemed… pleased. Even if his words didn’t reflect that.
That was also good. More than good.
That was great.
That meant he wouldn’t regret what he was planning to do.
When they arrived at their apartment he softly left the sketchbook on the coffee table and pushed Steve to the sofa.
He couldn’t wait any longer. And he didn’t.
He kissed Steve.
And Steve was kissing him back, with fervor and hunger.
Yes.
Everything in Bucky’s life was good.
Even if it wasn’t.
He was finally kissing the man that he had loved for forever.
And he seemed to be loved in return too.
After all Steve doesn't do casual.