Steve had barely settled in for the workday when his office chat app blooped.
BB: There is plenty of fish in the sea!
Steve sighed and sipped his latte and considered freelancing instead of office life for the millionth time that week. Freelancing meant he could sleep in and the amount of gossip about his failed attempts at a love life would go down drastically.
On the other hand, office life meant a steady paycheck.
BB: Just keep swimming!
SGR: ...I’m not an amnesiac fish.
BB: It means don’t give up!
BB: you’re a real catch!
SGR: pls stop
BB: c’mon don’t be koi I know you’re enjoying these
SGR: Never speak to me or my son Nemo again
BB: Awww I’m gonna miss little Bingo
SGR: Stop talking to me you freak. We’re both supposed to be working.
BB: alright, alright I’ll scale back
SGR:...I hate you
BB: But it’s Chinese food and Movie night.
Steve sighed and downed the rest of his coffee while opening his email. He was smiling so hard his cheeks ached and he really did have work to do.
“Have you and Barnes done any work yet today?”
Steve spun his chair around and laughed. Sharon worked in the cube directly behind him and was one of his best friends.
“It’s not my fault!” Steve cried out, laughing.
Sharon laughed too. “So that’s a no then.”
Steve’s face felt hot and he rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt while cursing his fair skin.
“He’s just trying to cheer me up,” Steve said running his fingers through his hair.
“Date was that bad, huh?”
“Honestly? No. It was fine but I don’t know, something was missing.”
Sharon’s teasing face went sly and knowing. “Something or someone?”
“Will you lower your voice? ” Steve whispered.
Sharon laughed again and scooted her chair a little closer to Steve’s.
“I’m telling you,” she said, laying her hand gently on his forearm, “Stop with the blind dates, the tinder scrolling, and ask him out.”
Steve sighed heavily and shook his head.
Two weeks earlier he and Sharon had gone out for a happy hour after work and Steve had had one too many rum and cokes. Buzzed and relaxed he’d spilled his biggest secret to his friend. He was in love with Bucky. Had been for more than a year. They’d started at SHIELD Designs on the same day and went through orientation together. The conversation had been so easy with Bucky, they’d laughed themselves silly until their supervisor Sam told them point-blank to “Shut the hell up”.
Movie nights and shared lunches became the norm from that day forward. Basically living in each other’s pockets when they weren’t working. It was a good thing that Bucky worked in legal on a different floor of the building or they would never get any work done.
Natasha, Bucky’s friend slash surrogate sister since grade school, came over and sat on the edge of Sharon’s desk. She passed Steve a folder with edits to his latest project in them and he rolled his eyes. Their current client, Hammer Industries were a complete pain in the ass. Their CEO Justin Hammer was a self-important, irresponsible playboy who was more concerned with showing up his rival Tony Stark, than with creating a quality product.
This was his fifth round of edits.
Steve kinda wanted to fight him.
“So, what are two of my favorite blondes whispering about today?” She asked, grinning.
“How many favorite blondes do you have?” Steve asked.
She winked.
“That is an after-hours question, Mister Rogers.”
Steve let out a bark of laughter and raised his hands, palms out in surrender.
“We’re just discussing-” Sharon said.
“My date!” Steve said loudly.
“Oh Steve,” Nat said, “Not another grindr adventure.”
“It wasn’t much of an adventure,” Steve admitted.
Nat tut-tutted and squeezed his shoulder. “You and James are hopeless,” she said.
“B-Bucky? What does he have to do with this?” Steve asked.
His face felt warm again.
“James is also hopeless when it comes to relationships despite my repeated attempts to help.”
Behind him, Steve’s chat app blooped again.
“Oh really?” Steve asked Nat, trying not to sound too interested, “What about Ali?”
“Ali?” Nat asked.
“Y-yeah,” Steve said, hoping he wasn’t outing his friend or revealing any secrets that weren’t his to reveal, “I called him last weekend to see if he wanted to catch a hockey game with me and he told me Ali was sick and he was staying home to comfort her.”
“Interesting,” Nat said, “But he’s never introduced you to her?”
“No, we always hang out at my place and since I’m single we haven’t done any double dates so I haven’t met her yet.”
Nat smiled, “Steve, do you like James?”
“Yeah, Bucky’s awesome. He’s my best friend.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Nat said.
“Nat. I just told you, I’m pretty sure he has a girlfriend.”
“But what if he didn’t,” she pressed.
Before they could take their conversation any further, Nick Fury, their department leader came striding down the aisle.
“Rogers. Carter. How’re we doing on the Hammer Project?” He asked, his voice carrying easily in the mostly quiet office.
Natasha hopped off the desk humming the imperial march as she strode off in the opposite direction of Fury.
“Oh! Umm,” Steve said spinning around to check the file Nat had handed him.
“We’re behind because Hammer wants more changes ,” Sharon stated, “Even though Steve’s art is exactly what he claimed to want last week.”
Fury rolled his one eye and held out his hand for the file. As he scanned the work, Steve glanced at his monitor.
BB: ?????
BB: we don’t have to hang
BB: I mean if you have other plans
SGR: I don’t have plans
SGR: I am looking forward to tonight
The chat bubble popped up again, indicating Bucky was typing. Steve stared at the screen and panicked. Did he sound too eager? Despite what Nat had said, he was pretty sure Bucky was seeing someone and didn’t want to push his friend away by coming off too strong.
SGR: I haven’t had good Chinese in weeks
Bucky disappeared from the chat for a second and Steve’s stomach dropped to his shoes. Then rocketed back into his throat when The stupid cat icon Bucky used for his avatar reappeared.
BB: me neither
BB: your place at 5?
SGR: yup
Bucky left the chat again and Steve did too. He spun around to see Fury and Sharon waiting for him.
“These edits aren’t really worth the effort Rogers,” Nick said, “I’m going to let Hammer know that if he wants to change the designs we’ve already submitted to him, we’ll be amending his contract and raising our fee.”
“Yes sir,” Steve said.
“You’ve done good work,” Nick continued, “I want us to bid for the Stark Foundation’s clean energy project. I emailed you the specifics so start drafting some ideas and we’ll meet Friday.”
“Thank you, sir,” Steve said.
“Stop calling me sir, Rogers,” Nick said tiredly, “And stop flirting with Barnes on the clock.”
All the color drained from Steve’s face and Sharon choked on her water, sputtering loudly as she tried not to laugh.
“I wasn’t! I mean, I haven’t!” Steve protested, “We aren’t flirting, we’re just friends.”
His heart was racing and he thought he would burst into flames in embarrassment. Could you burn alive from shame? He felt like he was going to find out.
Nick grunted not convinced.
Internally praying that he wasn’t going to lose his job, Steve continued, “Did Nat say something because she just likes to mess with me and I just told her-”
Fury chuckled, “None of you are as quiet out here as you think you are,” he said, “I hear a lot more in my office than I think any of your realize, including your conversation with Romanov just now. You’re not in trouble Rogers, as long as you keep meeting your deadlines and keep it PG during work hours.”
“We’re not dating,” Steve protested again, realizing that his boss was just giving him shit like everyone else, “I’m pretty sure he has a girlfriend.”
“Ten bucks says you’re wrong,” Nick said.
Steve didn’t shake on the bet, he just groaned loudly and turned his back on his boss and friend as they laughed. He had drafting to do.
*****
At five minutes to five, Steve’s apartment door buzzed and he hopped up from the couch and fussed with his hair a bit as he went to let his friend in.
What are you doing? He berated himself. This isn’t a date. It’s Bucky.
Annoyed with himself, Steve swung open the door and pasted on a smile. He was happy to see Bucky, too happy and it made him feel guilty. Normally they’d hug but the teasing from his coworkers had him feeling self-conscious and so he stepped back when Bucky stepped in leading to an awkward dance in the doorway.
“You okay pal?” Bucky asked, “You’re being weird.”
“You’re weird.”
“Nice Stevie, real nice,” Bucky said, “You gonna let me in?”
Steve moved out of the way and Bucky entered the apartment. Steve took the bags of Chinese food into the kitchen while his friend took off his boots and hung his coat.
They dished up the food quickly, Bucky was over so often that he knew where the plates and silverware are kept and Steve had grabbed their favorite beer on his way home so they were camped out on the couch with their meal in record time.
Steve shoveled a huge bite of kung pao into his mouth to keep himself from overthinking how great of team they made and how nice and domestic they tended to be.
Stop it.
“What do you wanna watch?” Steve asked, mouth full so it came out more like "Wa'd oo wan wash?"
“Gonna watch you choke on your dinner you pig,” Bucky teased, “Maybe chew your food before talking, huh big guy?”
Steve opened his mouth and showed Bucky his ABC food and Bucky punched his arm lightly.
“You’re lucky I love you because that was fucking disgusting,” Bucky said before taking a drink.
Steve froze.
“W-what?” he asked, “What did you say?”
“I think you heard me, Rogers,” Bucky said setting down his beer and facing his friend.
“I think I need you to say it again.”
Bucky gently took the plate from Steve’s hand and set it on the table then took his friend’s hands into his own.
“Nat came by my office today, told me to get my head out of my ass before I lost my chance,” Bucky said, “Told me if I wasn’t honest with you tonight she’d come to my apartment and kidnap my cat.”
“You have a cat?”
“Steve.”
“Right, right. Sorry.”
Bucky sighed and shook his head.
“You don’t have to apologize, Stevie, I do. I wanted to tell you. So many times I nearly did but then you were going on all those dates. I just figured you didn’t see me that way.”
“You have a girlfriend,” Steve argued, “I didn’t want to do anything to mess that up.”
“Girlfriend?” Bucky asked.
Steve stared at Bucky feeling so confused it was almost painful and Bucky stared back looking like he felt the same.
“Ali?” Steve asked, “You couldn’t go to the hockey game with me because she needed you. Which is totally fine. Obviously, you can spend time with anyone you want because we’re just friends. Which is great. So great. You’re like the best friend I’ve ever had and I-”
Bucky let go of Steve’s hand and leaned forward slowly, telegraphing every move as he cupped Steve’s jaw and cut off his rambling with a gentle kiss.
“Steve. Ali is Alpine and Alpine is my cat,” he said softly when he pulled away, “I don’t have a girlfriend and I don’t want one. All I want is you.”
“I want you too,” Steve admitted then kissed Bucky again, “I only went on those dates because I thought I couldn’t have this with you. I love you too.”
Bucky sighed and climbed into Steve's lap before kissing him again.
*****
The next morning Steve arrived at work and tried to focus.
He started up his computer and sipped his coffee while memories of the night he’d spent with his boyfriend played in his head.
“What’re you smiling about?” Sharon asked as she strolled in and settled into her cube, “Finally break the bad date streak?”
“As a matter of fact, I did,” Steve said, grinning.
“Oh really? Anyone, I know?” Nat asked as she joined them.
“You know what, Romanov?” Steve teased.
“All of you have work to do!” Nick called from his office, “And Rogers? You owe me ten bucks!”
Steve groaned and turned away from his laughing friends, his face burning.
SGR: I hate our coworkers
SGR: Everyone on this floor knows
BB: don’t worry about them Stevie
BB: I think you’re fin-tastic!
SGR: I’m regretting this already
BB: Don’t worry I’m done
BB: I’ve already caught you
SGR: You’re lucky I love you
BB: I reel-y reel-y am
BB: Love you too
Fin.