Deja Brew

Sometimes Steve just needed to escape. He liked the other Avengers, he really did, but sometimes they were too much for him. Like right now. Stark was explaining to him, for the thousandth time in the five months since Steve had woken up in the future, how his tv worked.

Steve knew how his tv worked. He knew how to use a computer. He even had a smartphone. None of that stopped his teammates, excluding Thor, from trying to teach him technology. Just because he was technically 94 didn’t mean he was as technologically inept as a 94 year old. Biologically, he was only 27.

So he had to escape. He got out of the room as quickly as he could. He knew Stark thought it was because the poor old man was confused by the crazy tech of the future, but he didn’t care. Most of the time, the assumption worked in his favor like it was now. Sometimes, he even played it up to make his escape more efficient.

Thankfully, he managed to make it out of the tower without anyone stopping him. As long as he pretended that he was freaked out, no one would stop him from leaving to go calm down.

Whenever his teammates asked him where he ran off to, he would tell them he was wandering around aimlessly to get reacquainted with the city, which wasn’t a complete lie. The first few times he left the tower it was the truth. Then he found a coffee shop.

A month and a half after he had woken up, Steve was taking another one of his walks around Manhattan when he stumbled upon a cute little hole-in-the-wall coffee shop called Deja Brew. Steve chuckled to himself when he saw the name and decided to go in and get a drink.

The shop was small, but very homey. Mismatched couches lined the walls, mingling well with the wooden tables with mismatched chairs. On the walls, black and white photographs of iconic New York skylines were hung. In the back, there were hanging chalkboards that listed the names of the drinks, all of which were literary puns. The names were written in four different colors with no discernible pattern, at least to Steve.

The last thing that Steve noticed was the barista. He was a tall, lean man with the most vibrant blue eyes Steve had seen. His hands itched for his pastels so that he could try to recreate that color. His long chestnut brown hair was tied in a bun at the base of his neck, a few strands framing his face. When he caught Steve’s eye, he smiled. Steve made note of the adorable way the man’s nose scrunched up and his eyes crinkled.

“Welcome to Deja Brew. What can I get for you?” He asked Steve.

“I, um, not a clue. I’ve never really had these fancy coffees, so I don’t really know what anything is. But I do like the fact that the names are literary puns,” Steve sheepishly admitted to the beautiful barista.

“That’s okay,” he chuckled, “I’m happy to help. The drinks written in pink are coffee based drinks that can be served either hot or iced, the blue are hot or iced tea based drinks, the green are tea drinks that can only be served cold, and the yellow are blended drinks.”

“Ah, that makes sense. I figured there was a reason for the colors, but I couldn’t find a pattern. I definitely want something hot and full of caffeine.”

“Sadly, I am not for sale,” the barista smirks, making sure to add a wink as well. “I can recommend a few drinks for you. Are you looking for something simple, just coffee and milk? Or do you want something flavored?”

“Flavored for sure. I’m a sucker for sweet things,” Steve replied, making sure to look the barista up and down.

“Is that so? You look like a vanilla kind of guy.”

“I don’t mind vanilla, but I’m feeling adventurous. What do you have that’s a little…. unconventional?”

“How about Adventures of Strawberry Finn? It’s espresso with a strawberry infused cream. Is that unconventional enough for you?”

“Sounds perfect.”

The barista rang Steve up for his drink and began to make it. Steve watched with fascination as the man skillfully made the coffee. When he finished, he placed the cup down on the counter without the lid, showing off the heart that was drawn in pale pink foam.

The barista placed the lid back on and handed it over to Steve. He gave Steve a look, signaling him to try the drink.

Steve’s eyes widened as he took his first sip of the drink.

“This is amazing,” he told the barista with a smile.

“I’m glad you like it. I hope to see you back here soon.”

“Without a doubt. I really do love anything that is hot, sweet, and caffeinated.”

Steve gave the barista a little wave as he turned to head for the door. Before he could second guess himself, he turned and gave the barista wink before stepping out the door.

So here Steve was, walking into Deja Brew for the third time this week. At this point, he has become a regular at the shop. He has tried everything their menu has to offer. He’s met the other baristas that work there, Peter, Kate, and Darcy. Most importantly, he learned the name of his barista.

Bucky.

It was an odd name, but it seemed to fit the man.

Every time Bucky was working, he and Steve would flirt endlessly. Neither one of them took it any further than that, but Bucky’s coworkers liked to tease them. Like today. Darcy was manning the register, while Bucky was making the drinks.

“Hey Bucky, your beefcake, I mean boyfriend, has arrived,” Darcy said loud enough for Steve to hear.

“Haha Darce, you are so funny,” Bucky deadpanned. Then he turned to Steve with a smile. “Hey there Stevie. So what are you feeling today?”

“Well seeing you always makes me crave something hot and sweet. How about a Tinker Tailor Soldier Chai.”

“Coming right up.”

Darcy rang him up for the drink while Bucky started preparing it.

“Here you go,” Bucky said as he handed the drink over to Steve. “Enjoy.”

“I always do,” Steve replied with a smile. “I’ll see you guys soon.”

“Bye Steve!” Darcy shouted as he walked out the door.

Steve took his time walking back to the tower. He didn’t want to go back, but the sky was starting to look ominous. If it didn’t look like it was about to downpour, Steve would have walked to Central Park, or maybe even gone all the way back to Brooklyn to wander around there.

Luckily for Steve, he didn’t have to worry about being recognized. As far as the general public was concerned, Steve Rogers died in the Valkyrie in 1945 and the guy currently running around in star spangled tights was a SHIELD agent. This meant that he could go wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted.

He made it back to the tower right as the sky began to open up. He got a little wet, but not enough to justify going to get changed on his floor before heading to the common room.

Stark, Natasha, and Clint were in the common room when he was let off the elevator. Clint and Natasha were watching a movie. Natasha was sitting on the couch like a normal person. Clint, on the other hand, was perched on the back of it. Tony was sitting at the table fiddling with some piece of technology that he was either dismantling or building.

“Did you have a nice walk, Capsicle?” Stark asked without looking up at him.

“It would have been better if it didn’t start raining. I would have liked to take a walk in the park.”

“That’s a shame. But hey, at least you got a coffee. I hope you didn’t panic when you saw how much one cup costs. I know that used to be like half your rent.”

“It’s been five months Stark, I think Steve is starting to get used to inflation,” Natasha said from the couch.

“Thank you,” Steve said to her. Then he turned back to Tony. “I have come to accept that a cup of coffee is now $5. But this isn’t coffee. It’s tea.”

“Speaking of tea, you need to spill some,” Clint said from his perch.

“What? Why would I spill my tea?” Steve asked.

“It’s an expression. Tea means drama. So to spill the tea means to gossip. So I need you to spill the tea on the person that made your coffee.”

“Why?”

“Because she wrote her phone number on your cup.”

“She- What?”

Steve looked at his cup for the first time since Bucky had handed it to him. Clint was half right, there was a phone number written on the side of the cup. Bucky must have had his hand over it when he gave Steve the cup. He couldn’t help but smile.

“Oh there is definitely a story here. I know back in your day a gentleman would never kiss and tell,but times have changed. Spill grandpa,” Tony demanded.

“For once I agree with Tony,” Natasha pitched in. “What’s her name? Where does she work? What does she look like?”

“Why, so you can run a background check?”

“Yes,” Natasha And Tony said at the same time.

“A barista left their number on my cup. Yeah, it’s flattering, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to do anything about it,” Steve told them. To prove his point, he finished what was left of his tea and threw away his cup. None of them needed to know that he had already memorized the number and was planning on texting Bucky as soon as he got away from them.

“Can you at least tell us if she was hot?” Tony asked. “We have to know if the old man’s got game.”

“Yeah,” Steve started, making it clear that they wouldn’t get anything more from him.

“You’re no fun,” Tony pouted.

“I try,” then he looked up toward the ceiling. “He Jarvis, what's the next book on my list?”

“The next book on your list is Room by Emma Donahue. Shall I download it to your tablet?”

“Yes, please. Thank you Jarvis.”

“My pleasure sir.”

“I’ll see you all for dinner,” Steve said as he walked to the elevator.

He waited until he was in the privacy of his own room before pulling out his phone. He added Bucky to his contacts, but hesitated to text him. How did people go about initiating a text conversation with someone they liked?

Steve decided to just do what he does best.

Wing it.

To Bucky: Hey Bucky, it’s Steve.

Simple and to the point. Hopefully that would work.

Thankfully he got a reply quickly.

From Bucky: Hey Steve. I’m glad you texted me.

To Bucky: I hate to put this out into the universe because I know that he will sense this, but you’ll have to thank my friend Clint. I didn’t even notice your number was written on the cup until he pointed it out to me.

From Bucky: In your defense, I did try to cover it so you wouldn’t see it until after you left.

To Bucky: Well I’m glad you did it. I like talking to you.

From Bucky: I like talking to you too.

From Bucky: So, what are you up to? Hanging with this Clint person?

To Bucky: I’m hiding in my room actually. We live together and I don’t feel like dealing with him.

From Bucky: Why’s that?

To Bucky: Partly because I know he will make fun of me for smiling at my phone.

From Bucky: Am I making you smile at your phone?

To Bucky: Nope. I’m watching porn

From Bucky: Har de har. You are so funny Steve……

From Bucky: What’s the other reason you’re avoiding him? You said me making you smile was only part of it.

To Bucky: When he saw your number he assumed it was a woman who did it… I didn’t know how to tell him that he was wrong. I’m also very accustomed to bad reactions to that sort of thing in my line of work.

From Bucky: Oh…

From Bucky: What exactly do you do?

To Bucky: Used to be in the army. Now I work for the government.

From Bucky: Makes sense. Not the most accepting environment.

From Bucky: If I ask what you do for the government will your response be something along the lines of ‘if I tell you, then I’ll have to kill you’

To Bucky: I would have just said it’s classified, but I like what you said better.

From Bucky: I know you can’t see me right now, so just know I’m rolling my eyes

To Bucky: (:

To Bucky: Sadly, I have to go for now (team dinner as Clint likes to call it) will I see you tomorrow at the shop?

From Bucky: Nope. Darcy is covering my shift… I have a job interview actually

To Bucky: Good luck, and don’t fuck it up

From Bucky: Did you just quote mama Ru?

To Bucky: (;

———-

The next day, Steve and Natasha decided to go out to lunch. They went to a cute little cafe a block away from the tower. Since it was a beautiful day, they decided to eat outside.

“So Steve, how did your conversation with your barista friend go last night?” She asked him, smirking.

“You do recall me throwing away the cup as soon as Clint pointed it out, right?”

“Yup. I also recall that you have an eidetic memory. It only would have taken a glance for you to have the number committed to memory.”

“Doesn’t mean I texted them.”

“You were also uncharachtericaly happy at the team dinner. You didn’t threaten to injure Stark.”

“Maybe I’m just learning to put up with him better.”

“Or you had some nice phone sex with your barista boy toy before you joined us for dinner.”

Steve choked on his pasta.

“My what?” He asked when he could finally breathe.

“Barista boy toy. I’m a world class spy Steve. I notice things. Like the slight cringe when Clint and Tony were calling him ‘she.’ I’ve caught that you are avoiding gender pronouns. I don’t care if you’re gay Steve, I just want you to be happy. This guy seems to do that. Also, I pulled the cup out of the trash and ran the number. Just be thankful I got to it before Stark.”

“First, I’m bi. Second, I’m not happy that you ran a background check on him. Third, thanks for getting it before Stark. I can’t imagine what he would do if he realized a guy gave me his number.”

“He’d probably lecture you on the fact that homosexuality is not illegal and it’s not okay for you to homophobic. For some reason he thinks you have the morals of an alt right asshole.”

“I’m not shocked, the history books left out the fact that I was a socialist.”

Now it was Natasha’s turn to choke. Steve couldn’t help but smile at that. He knew it took a lot to shock someone like Natasha.

The rest of their lunch went smoothly with no more choking from either of them. They made small talk about avengers business. Natasha told stories about Clint falling off of things. She made a point not to bring up Bucky, which Steve was thankful for.

By the time they got back to the tower, it was nearly 2pm. They were walking through the lobby when Steve heard a familiar voice shouting his name. He turned towards it to see none other than Bucky walking with Stark. Steve’s as fucked.

“Bucky? Hey, what are you doing here?” Steve asked when they were standing in front of each other.

“Like I said yesterday, job interview. What are you doing here?”

“Like I said yesterday, if I told you I’d have to kill you.”

“Technically I said that. You just agreed that it sounded better than just saying it’s classified.”

“You two know each other?” Tony asked.

“Yeah, Stevie’s been coming to the coffee shop I currently work at for the last few months.”

“Oh really,” Tony smirked. “So you can tell us about the girl you work with who slipped Steve her number via coffee cup yesterday. Come on Barnes, you gotta tell me something about her. Steve isn’t saying anything.”

Bucky’s eyes darted to Steve before answering. The look of panic on Steve’s face must have been clear, because Bucky didn’t say a word. He only mimed zipping his lips shut and locking it with a key.

“You’re no fun. If I can’t tease Capsicle with you then why did I hire you?”

“Because in two weeks I will have a PhD in biomedical engineering. I’m here so you can take advantage of my knowledge of that, not Steve. Plus, you found out I knew him after you hired me.”

“Touché.”

“I’ve got to head out. Thanks again Mr. Stark. It was good seeing you Steve.”

“Bye, Bucky.”

“Bye Bye Barnes.”

Then Tony gave Steve a devilish grin as he whipped out his phone. He typed for a minute before putting his phone up to his ear.

“Hi, were you working yesterday afternoon? Great! I think I left my wallet there when I stopped in, I was wondering if anyone found it. No? I must have left it in my office then. Thank you, have a nice day.” Then he turned to Steve and Natasha. “So, tell me about Darcy.”

“Darcy?”

“Yup. She’s the barista who was working at Deja Brew yesterday afternoon. If you don’t tell me, I’ll just look her up.”

“Have fun with that Tony. I have some reading to go catch up on. I’ll see you guys for dinner.” With that, Steve headed over to the elevator to go to his room.

Once he was back in the safety of his own room, he figured he should call Bucky to explain.

“Hello,” Bucky said, answering after the third ring.

“Hey. I, um, thanks for earlier.”

“You’re welcome? Why am I being thanked?”

“For not telling Tony that it was you who wrote your number on the cup.”

“Oh. Well when we were talking yesterday you said you were used to getting bad reactions to being bi in your line of work. I figured if your roommate didn’t know, then Stark didn’t either.”

“I really appreciate that. I know Tony won’t care, but I’ve been hiding it for so long I’m kind of scared to say it. Only two people know. You and Natasha, the redhead I was with earlier. And you are the one I actually told. Natasha used her scary spy powers to figure it out.”

“I honored that I was the first person you voluntarily told.”

“I’m glad. It would be kind of weird for me to ask you on a date if you thought I was straight.”

“You want to ask me on a date?”

“Yeah. I mean, unless you don’t want to. But I think you’re cute and sweet.”

“I’d like that. I also happen to think you’re cute and sweet.”

“Then when are you free? And what are your thoughts on art?”

“I’m free on Saturday, and I love art.”

“Great! I was thinking we could spend the afternoon at the Met and get dinner after.”

“That sounds amazing. What time do you want to meet there?”

“How does one sound?”

“Sounds great. I’ll see you then Stevie.”

“See you soon Buck.”

When they finally hung up, Steve found himself staring at his phone with a huge smile on his face.

Only three more days until his date with Bucky.