Charlie and the Mocha Factory
“I don’t know what to do!” Steve shouted as he walked onto his floor.
“I don’t know what you should do either,” Natasha responded, munching on a bowl of popcorn. “Maybe tell me the problem.”
“Everything was going perfect until we were having dinner.”
“Is he a messy eater? Does he chew with his mouth open?” Natasha interrupted.
“None of the above. Now please let me finish. We were talking about our lives and all the normal first date stuff, but then I decided to ask how he knew he was gay. You know what he said?”
“What did he say?”
“That when he was eight his dad made him watch those stupid fucking propaganda films the army made me do. Aparently at the end of one of them I punched a nazi in the face and then winked that the camera. Me punching nazis in the face made Bucky realize he was gay.”
“Holy shit Steve.”
“Oh it gets worse. When I asked him what he thought about the new Cap running around he said he had a conspiracy theory. Said theory involved the original Cap being very much alive and kicking, literally. And his sister is doing her fucking undergrad thesis on me, and she agrees with him! She noticed that my fighting style is the same as it was seventy years ago.”
“Holy fuck. What are you going to do?”
“I don’t have a fucking clue Nat. I really like him. He’s so sweet, and we had a great time at the museum. He listened to me ramble on about art for hours and seemed to actually enjoy it. And when we kissed it felt like coming home.”
“You’re fucked.”
“You’re useless.”
Nat threw a piece of popcorn at his head instead of answering.
“I asked you to come here in the hopes of getting some advice. Please tell me you have something.”
“You can’t tell him, but you also can’t not tell him.”
“Wow, real helpful.”
“You can’t tell him because the only people who know have the highest clearance in the government. If you tell some random guy, what happens if he decides to tell the world? What if he is secretly working for A.I.M? What if he isn’t, but his sister is and he tells her. There are so many things that can go wrong if you tell him.”
“But he works for Tony now. He had to have gone through a rigorous vetting process.”
“So did I when SHIELD planted me. If the organization is good enough, you will pass the background check.”
“Shit.”
“Mhm. But there will also be major problems if you don’t tell him. You would be lying about your identity to him. Yeah, he would know your name, but he wouldn’t know much else. And if it got out that you are Cap, he will feel betrayed that you didn’t tell him. He will be hurt that you didn’t trust him enough to let him in to that part of your life. He will be pissed that he told you about his nearly life long crush on you, and you just sat there and said nothing. There isn’t a right way to go about this.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah. And the worst part is that he works with Tony now. We both know what man will say something stupid at some point.”
“Holy shit! Nat you’re a fucking genius.”
“What did I do?”
“I’m gonna go talk to Tony.”
“That’s a terrible idea.”
“Thanks so much for your help Nat,” Steve said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head before running into the elevator. “Jarvis, take to Tony please.”
“As you wish, Captain Rogers.”
The elevator brought him up to Tony’s lab. There was rock music blasting through the room, but it was lowered as Steve stepped out of the elevator.
“Jarvis, turn it back up,” Tony demanded, without looking up from whatever he was tinkering with.
“You have company sir,” The A.I. told him.
“I have, oh? Hi Cap. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Remember the new guy you hired, Bucky?”
“The one who works with your barista girlfriend? Sounds familiar. Why?”
“In what capacity will he be working here?”
“Full time.”
“I meant what kind of access will he have to the team.”
“Why? You scared he’s gonna tell your girlfriend your little secret?”
“Tony.”
“Ugh, you’re no fun right now. Buck-a-boo will be working with me and Bruce on the prosthetics program. But there is also a chance that he could get used for some team related things. Don’t worry, on Monday Pepper is going to make him sign so many NDA’s that his wrist will be hurting more than when he was a teenager. So he won’t tell her a thing.”
“He’s the one who gave me his number.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Bucky and I have been flirting the past few months whenever I go to his coffee shop. That day, he was the one who wrote his number on the cup. And I took him out on a date tonight.”
“A date? Like the romantic kind?”
“Yes Tony.”
“But you can’t be gay, you’re Captian America. What about Peggy.”
“Have you ever heard of this magical thing called bisexuality? I didn’t know there was a term for it until I came out of the ice, but I felt it since I was about thirteen.”
“Okay cool. So, do you not want him to know you are Cap? Cuz it’s going to be hard to keep it from him. Fury even added him to the list of people who are permitted to know.”
“I want to be the one to tell him. Do you think you can keep your mouth shut about it until after Friday night? I’m going to invite him to my place for dinner and tell him then.”
“I think I can manage. Jarvis, inform the necessary people that no one can tell Buckaroo that Steve is the good Captain until at least next Saturday.”
“I’ve just sent them all emails.”
“Thank you Jarvis.”
“Thanks Tony, it means a lot to me.”
“I know. Now tell me about your date.”
————
Today was Bucky’s first day working at Stark Tower. Steve knew that he was going to spend most of the day in Pepper’s office, but he wanted to do something special for him.
Yesterday, he texted Pepper to ask her what time Bucky would be with her. When she told him, he put his plan into motion.
Since Bucky was coming in at 9, Steve left at 9:05 to avoid them. He walked as fast as he could over to Deja Brew. He smiled when he saw Darcy behind the counter this time.
“Hey Steve!” She said excitedly. “Just a warning, Bucky isn’t working here anymore. He got a fancy new job.”
“I know. I actually ran into him after his interview. I work in Stark Tower too.”
“Oh that so cool! Are you two going to get to work together?”
“We might at some point, but we are in different departments.”
“Awesome. So what can I get for you today?”
“That depends. Do you happen to know what Bucky’s favorite drink is?”
“Charlie and the Mocha Factory.”
“Then I’ll have one of those, a Murder on the Orient Espresso, and a Crime and Punish-Mint please.”
“Sure thing.”
Once she finished making the drinks, Darcy handed them over to Steve in a carrier. He noticed that one of the cups had hearts drawn all over it and gave her a look.
“That one is Bucky’s.”
“Of course it is. Thanks Darcy.”
“No problem. Don’t be a stranger, even if your boyfriend doesn’t work here anymore.”
He rolled his eyes at her, earning him a laugh, and then headed back to the tower.
Fifteen minutes later, he was in the elevator on his way up to Pepper’s office. He knocked on the door and waited for Pepper to grant him entry.
“Stevie?” Bucky said, clearly shocked to see him.
“Stevie?” Pepper mouthed at him with a smile.
“Hey Buck, Pepper. Since today is your first official day at Stark, I figured I'd surprise you with some coffee. I know how tedious all this can be.” Then he passed the drinks out. “A mint tea for you, Pepper.”
“What, you’re not going to tell me what mine is?” Bucky asked jokingly.
“Nope. You used to work at the shop. You tell me what I got you.”
“That would explain the hearts on the cup. Was it Darcy?”
“Yup. Now stop stalling and put your barista skills to the test.”
“If I die because Darcy decided to mess with me and make something gross, it’s your fault,” Bucky told him. He hesitantly took a sip of the coffee. Once he realized what it was, he looked up at Steve with a soft smile. “This is my favorite drink from there, you know.”
“I do actually. I asked her what your favorite drink was.”
“Aw, that was really sweet of you Steve,” Pepper said, effectively killing the moment. “As much as I enjoy watching you two make heart eyes at each other, Bucky and I do have work to do.”
“Right. Sorry. Bye Pepper. Bye Buck. See you.”
“Bye Stevie.”
Steve decided to go back to his floor and do some painting.
When he first got out of the ice, he couldn’t find the motivation to do much of anything. He was seeing a SHIELD approved therapist, who advised him to something that he loved before. He started small. He bought himself a sketchbook and a few different pencils. He would draw the view from his floor, the furniture around the room, his teammates.
When he started to get back into the swing of things, he went out and bought more art supplies. He got charcoal, pastels, and piles of pastel paper. He bought all of the things that he dreamed of getting when he was younger. He had canvases of every size, at least that he could fit into the room he designated as his studio. He bought the good watercolor, acrylics, and oil paints. He bought the best quality brushes that he could. The shelves of his studio were packed full of everything he could ever need for his work.
He was in a good mood after seeing Bucky, so he decided to paint something from when he was younger. He chose to paint a portrait of his mother sitting in the park, eating a popsicle.
When he was a child, his mother barely made enough money for them to get by. Whenever she has a spare nickel, she would give it to Steve to get a sweet treat.
This particular time, Steve was eight. It was a warm afternoon in June. His mom thought it would be fun for the two of them to go for a walk in the park. While they were walking, they saw a vendor selling ice cream and popsicles.
Even though he was so young, Steve knew they didn’t have the money to spare on something so frivolous. He was determined to walk past it without even looking at it. His mom had a different idea. She reached into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out a nickel.
“Steven,” she said to him. “Why don’t you go over there and get yourself a treat.”
Steve remembered how shocked he was by this. He remembered how he felt a little dizzy after nodding his head too enthusiastically. He remembered using both hands to clutch the nickel, holding it up to his chest, scared that he would lose it on the way.
When he got to the front of the line, the vendor asked him what he wanted. Without thinking twice, Steve pointed to the popsicle with two sticks. He handed over his nickel, and the man handed him the popsicle.
He walked back over to where his mom was, now sitting under a tree. When he got over to where she was, she looked up at him with a smile.
“What kind of treat did you get love?”
“I got an orange one mama. Can you help me open it?”
“Of course I can. Hand it here,” she said, taking the popsicle from his hand.
Once he handed it back to him, he put one tiny hand on each of the sticks and pulled them apart. He happily licked his half of the popsicle and handed the other half to his mom.
“Oh Steven, you don’t have to share your treat with me,” she told him in a soft voice.
“I know mama, but I want to,” he stated matter-of-factly.
“Well, thank you dear. That was very kind of you. You’re such a sweet boy,” she smiled, eating her half of the popsicle.
By the time Steve had the basic outline of the painting sketched onto the canvas, he had tears running down his cheeks. He decided that he was at a good stopping point and went to the kitchen to make lunch.
Along with getting back into art, Steve has taken up cooking since waking up. He figured that now that he could afford food and had the time, he should start teaching himself how to cook. He started off simple, but he learned fast. Last night he made lasagna. Now, he was heating up the rest of it for his lunch.
Once it was warmed up, he sat on his couch and turned on some children’s cartoons. He ate his lasagna as he finished watching the episode of whatever show he was watching. When he was finished eating, he shot off the tv and cleaned up his dishes.
He then made his way back into his studio to finish his painting. He lost himself in the painting, doing his best to recreate every detail he remembered from that day. He lost himself in his work.
He had no idea how long he had been zoned out working, when his phone vibrating in his back pocket pulled him back to reality. When he looked up, he noticed that the sun was starting to set.
When he pulled his phone out of his pocket, he saw that he had a missed call from Bucky. He immediately pressed call back.
“Hey Stevie,” Bucky said cheerfully as he answered.
“Hey Buck. Sorry I missed your call. I was working on a painting. What’s up.”
“Nothing much. I just finished up my first official day as a Stark Industries employee. I’ve spent most of the afternoon playing in his lab. I figured I’d see if you were up for grabbing dinner.”
“Dinner sounds great. Which reminds me, do you want to come for dinner on Friday?”
“Are you asking me on another date?”
“Yes, I am.”
“I’d love to, Stevie.”
“Great. Now back to our plans for tonight. What were you thinking?”
“Chinese take out?”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Great. Do you want to come over to mine?”
“I’m already home, so why don’t you come here.”
“Sounds great. I’m walking over to the elevator now. Text me your address and I’ll come right over.”
“Sounds good. See you in a few.”
“See ya.”
“Jarvis?” Steve asked.
“James Barnes is already on his way to your floor, if that is what you were about to request.”
“You’re the best Jarvis.”
“It’s what I was created to do sir.”
Steve made his way to the elevator to greet Bucky when he got off. We had just walked into the living room when the doors opened. Bucky looked up from his phone confused.
“Hey, um, Jarvis? I think you brought me to the wrong place. This looks like someone’s home.”
“And here I was thinking you wanted to come over for dinner,” Steve teased him.
Bucky whipped his head over to Steve, eyes wide and mouth agape.
“You live here?” He asked, clearly shocked.
“Yup.”
“I thought only Tony and the Avengers lived here?”
Fuck, I should tell him, Steve though to himself.
“And a few of his close friends. Which is lucky for me in my line of work.”
Idiot.
“Oh yeah, you’re a spy. I almost forgot.”
“I’m a spy?”
“Yup. You do super classified work for the government. It’s the only rational explanation.”
“Based on the conspiracy theories I’ve heard from you, I question what is classified as rational to you. Now, weren’t we going to order Chinese?”
Bucky perks up at the mention of food, and they place an order. To avoid any questions he doesn’t want to answer, he asks Bucky about his day at work. Bucky immediately starts rambling a bunch of science stuff that Steve doesn’t understand, but he still smiles and nods in all the right places.
When the food finally arrived, they spread it all out on the coffee table and put on Mulan. Bucky jokingly suggested Hercules, but Steve turned it down immediately. He was still slightly traumatized from their date.
Bucky made a point to sing along to every song as loudly as he could. When I’ll Make a Man Out of You started, he got up and began to sing to Steve. He even used his chopsticks as a microphone. Steve was definitely planning on drawing that later.
Once the movie ended, they packed up what was left of the Chinese food and put it in Steve's fridge.
“So, what was the painting you were working on? If you don’t mind me asking,” Bucky asked when they finished cleaning up.
“I was working on a portrait of my mom. I can show you if you want.”
“I’d love that Stevie. If the drawing of flowers you gave me is anything to go by, you got some serious art skills.”
When they got into the studio, Bucky’s jaw dropped. He was staring at the unfinished painting sitting on the easel, eyes tearing up.
“I know it’s not done yet, but I didn’t think it was so bad that it would make someone cry,” Steve joked.
Bucky choked out a laugh and wiped his eyes.
“It’s beautiful,” he whispered. “She’s beautiful. Why did you pick this scene?”
So Steve told him, leaving out the details that would show his age. He told Bucky all about the day in the park. How special it was for him to get that little treat. By the time he finished, they both had tears running down their faces.
“So you’ve been a sweetheart since you were little,” Bucky said as Steve moved to wipe the tears off his face.
“My ma always told me, ‘Steven, we might not have much but kindness is free.’ I’ve tried my best to live by that,” Steve told him, mimicking his mother’s Irish accent when he quoted her.
“Your mom was Irish?”
“Yeah. She came over with my dad when they got engaged. She was 18.”
“She sounds great. I wish I could have met her.”
“She would have loved you.”
Bucky smiled softly, then turned his attention back to the painting. He stared at it for a minute before cocking his head to the side.
“Huh,” he said.
“What?” Steve asked.
“Nothing, she just looks kind of familiar. And not because of her resemblance to you. But I feel like I’ve seen her before. What was her name?”
“Sarah. Sarah Rogers.”
“Ha, Steve and Sarah. That’s so…” Bucky trailed off, thinking. Then he looked at Steve, wide eyed. “That’s not possible.”
“What’s not possible?” Steve asked, panic setting in. What could Bucky be thinking.
“A few weeks ago Becca, my dad, and I were talking about her thesis. She was showing us some pictures she had found in her research. One of them was of Captain America’s mother, who immigrated from Ireland when she was 18. Sarah Rogers.”