lost boy

“We are going to talk about the past today. Everything that happened and does not correlate with the present. Think of it as Past Simple if you wish; things that happened at a specific day, in a given year, things that do not longer concern us…”

That’s when Steve stopped listening to Ms. Santiago and started doodling in his notebook. He wanted to focus on the subject, he really did, but the week was crazy in terms of both work and uni assignments, and he was dead on his feet by the time Thursday rolled around. His coworker agreed to take his today’s shift, so only this Spanish lesson separates him from his bed and, most importantly, the weekend.

So, of course, by the time they have to do exercises, Steve finds himself lost. He has no idea how to conjugate the verbs or whether the tense is appropriate or not. He sighs, running a hand through his hair, and goes for the easy way out, which is the Internet. He finds a website that conjugates verbs for him, so he only has to write them down. He feels bad about it, knowing he’ll have to do all the work by himself, but at this moment he couldn’t care less. He just wants to be home, order takeout and spend the evening watching Netflix.

With his luck, he’s asked to read every other example and most of them turn out to be good. He’d mentally pat himself on the back, if he actually did them himself. As the class comes to an end, he quickly packs his bag and flees the room, leaving all the other students behind him for once.

*

Steve drops his bag and his jacket in the entry hallway and goes straight to his room. He’s got another four or five hours till Sarah gets back home, so he figures he’ll wait with ordering dinner. He knows she’d appreciate if he cooked something himself but he’s spent, and they hardly ever order takeout, so he thinks he can treat them both every once in a while. He falls flat on his bed, thanking himself mentally for making it this morning, and reaches for his laptop. While waiting for it to fire up, he fishes his phone out of the jeans pocket and checks for any new messages.

Aces

Peggy: Steve I’m at starbucks why aren’t you here

Shar: I was outside ur classroom again but u werent there either

Sam: is he sick again

Sam: oh man, dont tell me ur sick

Peggy: Steve?

Sam: I’ve got news yall gotta meet me tomorrow

Shar: did u get it?

Sam: rude

Sam: also yes

Shar: atta boy

Peggy: you’re both disgusting

Steve groans, as he usually does when their group chat comes to life, then starts typing.

Steve: im not sick

Steve: just switched shifts and left the classroom first

Steve: and yeah ur gross

Sam: look whos back

Steve: aaaaand gone again

He mutes the conversation, knowing that otherwise it would have no end. They’re either not texting at all or texting for hours with no end. He goes to turn the screen off when he sees there’s another message.

Bucky Barnes: someone was in a hurry

Steve Rogers: what can i say

Bucky Barnes: ur ok tho?

Steve Rogers: just tired

Bucky Barnes: who wouldnt be after nailin those exercises

Steve Rogers: internet

Steve Rogers: so helpful

Bucky Barnes: cheater

Steve Rogers: guilty as charged

Bucky Barnes: y tho?

Bucky Barnes: s easy

Steve Rogers: if you listened to anythin ms santiago said then I bet

Bucky Barnes: at least you werent starin at me again

Steve Rogers: again, i wasnt!!

Bucky Barnes: sure pal

Bucky Barnes: for real tho hmu if u need any help

Steve Rogers: thanks

Bucky Barnes: or if i had to kick another ass for ya

Steve Rogers: that was one time

Bucky Barnes: one too many stevie

He smiles at the nickname, feeling a blush spreading on his cheeks. He rolls onto his stomach, laptop long forgotten, and starts typing again.

Steve Rogers: how will i ever repay u

Bucky Barnes: dunno

Bucky Barnes: gotta think of smth real good for all the struggle

Steve Rogers: just name it

Bucky Barnes: ur gonna regret that

Bucky Barnes: seriously tho, u busy tmr?

Steve Rogers: not really

Bucky Barnes: lets go get coffee

Bucky Barnes: i’ll help u with spanish

Steve Rogers: how is that repaying u

Bucky Barnes: dunno

Bucky Barnes: keepin me company

Steve Rogers: deal

Steve Rogers: but im paying

Bucky Barnes: deal

Steve Rogers: see u tmr then buck

Bucky Barnes: :)

Seeing that emoji, Steve fights a smile of his own.

*

Steve groans turning off the alarm on a Saturday morning. He’s made plans with both Bucky and his friends and he has to get a move on if he’s to be on time. He rubs his eyes, then sits up and pops his spine. Then, Steve pads down to the bathroom to relieve himself and takes a quick shower. He washes his hair and scrubs himself down, then puts a towel around his waist and goes back to his bedroom. He hears his Ma singing along with the radio in the kitchen and smiles to himself, closing the doors behind him. He goes to his closet and thinks about what to wear. Steve doesn’t want to look like he’s trying too hard, but he also doesn’t want to look like he’s just woken up and threw on whatever he found on the floor. He decides on black skinny jeans and a white tee, shrugging on his burgundy cardigan. Then, he puts on his glasses, running a hand through his still wet hair and, once he’s done making the bed, goes to join his Ma.

“Mornin’,” Steve says, coming into the kitchen and giving Sarah a quick peck on the cheek, then indicating his right ear to let her now he’s not wearing his hearing-aid.

“Good morning, leanbh,” she responds slowly so he could read her lips, with a smile on her face. “Don’t you look nice!” She says a bit louder, putting a hand on his shoulder and looking him up and down. “Where are you going?”

“Oh, umm…” Steve feels his cheeks burning. “I’m gonna go out to study and then see Sam, Peggs, and Sharon.”

“Since when are you going out to study?” Sarah smiles. “Who are you?” She chuckles, seeing him all flustered.

“Come on, Ma, ‘s no big deal,” he squirms on a stool, not meeting her eyes.

“Of course it’s not,” she dismisses, putting a plate of hot pancakes in front of him.

Steve takes his usual dosage of meds, then drinks a glass of water before digging in.

“So, who are you going with?” Sarah asks, sitting opposite Steve with her own plate an a cup of tea.

“Bucky," Steve mumbles, looking down, not wanting her to get the wrong idea.

She senses his hesistant mood, just nodding and not saying anything. They eat in silence, the only sound coming from the radio. Once they’re both done, Steve takes their plates to the sink and washes them.

“So…” Sarah starts, standing on his left. “Say hello from me to your friends.”

“I will,” Steve promises, drying the dishes.

“Bucky included,” she smirks, seeing his cheeks turning pink again.

“Ma…” he whines.

“What?” She chuckles. “I’m not saying anything, Stevie.”

He sighs. “Okay,” then, he dries his hands and turns to her. “I’ll be back in the late afternoon so don’t worry.”

“Tell Peggy, Sharon and Sam I’ll have a pie waiting for them tomorrow,” Sarah squeezes his shoulder, smiling.

“Will do,” Steve promises again, then leaves the kitchen and goes back to his bedroom.

He puts his Spanish books in his bag along with his notebook and one of his sketchbooks, then puts on his hearing aid and reaches for his phone. He runs his hands through his hair again, making it look more presentable and leaves the room. He puts on his coat and wraps a scarf around his neck.

“See ya, Ma!” Steve says in the general direction of the kitchen, then leaves the apartment.

Steve fishes his phone out of his pocket once he’s downstairs and shoots a quick text to Bucky.

Steve Rogers: omw!

*

“Steve!”

The blonde stops in his tracks, still in the doorway, looking to his left, and sure enough, Bucky’s seated at one of a smallest tables near the window, waving at him with a smile in his face. Steve grins himself, going towards the brunette.

They agreed on meeting in a small, local coffee shop about 15 minutes walk from Steve’s apartment. The place is called Asgard and the owners are brothers, both tall Norwegian guys, one with blonde long hair and a full beard, the other with long black hair, often clean shaven. Thor, the blonde, is full of positive energy and his booming voice always greets everyone coming through the door. He’s friendly and likes to know everything there is about his regulars. He’s also huge, his muscles almost ripping all of his shirts. Steve may or may not have done a couple of drawings of the guy, as always fascinated with the man’s physique. Loki, the other man, is a complete opposite of his brother. He’s quiet and often comes across as closed off. He barely speaks to anyone but Thor, or the staff of Asgard, his eyes assessing all the customers suspiciously. Steve’d tried talking to him a couple times but without any luck.

The place itself is a perfect mix of the brothers’ personalities. There are big tables in the center, with lots of chairs and stools but there are also tables in the back, with one or two chairs, not really visible from the outside of the cafe. The walls are grey, some of them covered in dark bricks, and there are barely any flowers. The menu board behind the bar is just a blackboard with drinks scribbled down in white chalk. The counter and all the shelves are made of dark wood that matches the bricks on the walls. It’s all raw and simple, looking very rustic and very much like the perfect mix between Thor and Loki.

“Hi, Buck,” Steve says once he’s close enough.

“Hi,” the guy smiles softly, his cheeks slightly pink.

Steve starts unwrapping his scarf, then shrugs his coat off. “Thanks for doin’ this.”

“Sure,” Bucky shrugs, taking in all the books Steve’s fishing out of his bag.

Once he’s done taking his books out, Steve finally looks at the table and furrows his brows, seeing a cup of coffee and two muffins sitting there.

Bucky sees his expression, but takes it the wrong way. “Oh, uhh, sorry, I didn’t know how you take your coffee,” he says sheepishly, fiddling with the hem if his left sleeve, his hair falling on his face.

“No, it’s um… I thought I was payin’?” Steve says quickly.

“Well, yeah, but, uhh, I dunno, I didn’t wanna just sit there so…” Bucky trails off, looking up at Steve and giving him a shy smile.

Steve blinks. “Lemme repay you then," he states, reaching for his wallet.

“What, no, Steve, c’mon!” Bucky protests, putting his hair behind his ear. A couple of curls escape, though, falling on his cheek, and Steve finds himself mesmerized with the man’s cheekbones yet again. “Just go get yourself a cup and we can start.”

Buck’s looking everywhere but at Steve, and he senses how uncomfortable that is, so he sighs and goes up to the counter. Steve greets Thor, the guy giving him a strong hug from behind the counter, and then says hello to Loki, knowing there won’t be any reply. He sees Sif through the back doors and waves at her, too. Finally, Steve orders a large caramel macchiato with soy milk, chatting with Thor while waiting for his drink, and goes back to their table. He sits opposite Bucky, taking a sip of his drink and straight out moans. He’s always had a sweeth tooth and a sickeningly sweet caramel coffee is exactly what he needs right now.

“You’ve got uhh…” Bucky says quietly, his hand pointing at Steve’s lips.

The blonde realizes he’s got cream on his upper lip and licks it off quickly. “Thanks,” he says, looking up at the other man.

“Sure,” Bucky clears his throat looking down and Steve could’ve sworn the brunette was looking at his lips. “So, should we get to it?”

They get to work right after that. Spending a couple hours going through Steve’s books and notebooks, Bucky explains to him how the tense works and when to use it. They go through a long list of exceptions verbs and their conjugations, then decide to do exercises and homework. Taking the opportunity, Steve also asks Bucky about the things he didn’t understand during their previous lessons, the brunette explaining everything he can. Once they’re done, Steve feels way better about his Spanish and he’s finally not stressed about their next class. After they’re finished with homework, the conversation flows easily, both of them jumping from one topic to another, from their favorite subject to the drinks they both hate. Steve finds himself enjoying the conversation with Bucky, once again swearing at himself mentally for judging the guy so quickly. They both talk about their families and Steve’s surprised to find that Bucky’s parents live in Indiana.

“Why do ya study here, then?” The blonde asks, genuinely curious.

“Nat was going here and I’ve always liked it here. I, uh... I had an aunt here, she moved to Indiana, too,a couple years ago, but we’d always come here in the summer,” Bucky shrugs. “I dunno, I--I guess I’ve always liked big cities.”

“Your parents are cool with you living that far?” Steve takes a bite of his muffin, then takes a drink of his long cold coffee.

“Yeah. We’re still close, and it’s only two hours flight, so,” Bucky shrugs again, playing with his empty cup. “Anyways, I don’t wanna bore you with my family stories,” he smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes and Steve can tell something is off, so he decides to change the subject.

“You’re ready for midterms?” Steve asks, finishing his coffee.

“Can you ever be ready for that?” Bucky chuckles, more comfortable now. he sits back, running a hand down his face. “Hell no, I’ve still got a paper to write that’s due in two weeks and then gotta study. You?”

Steve sighs. “Same. I’ve done all my papers, but still have to do one painting that’s a pain in the ass.”

“Oh?” Bucky cocks his eyebrow.

“Hafta paint someone in the nude and turn it in with the person’s signature,” Steve groans, running a hand through his hair.

The brunette chuckles. “And that’s a pain in the ass because…” he drifts off, looking at Steve expectantly.

“I don’t have a model!” Steve exclaims, slumping on his chair.

“What about your friends?” Bucky asks, leaning forward.

“I--I can’t ask them,” the blonde mumbles, not looking at the other man.

“Why not?”

“I couldn’t look them in the eyes after. Besides, none of them could keep a straight face or sit still that long,” Steve shakes his head.

They sit in silence for a while, Steve eating bits of his muffin and Bucky worrying his lower lip in his teeth. Then, “I’ll do it,” Bucky says, his eyes fixated on the table.

Steve chokes on his muffin. “Wha--What?” He chokes out, coughing.

“I’ll do it,” Bucky repeats, stronger this time, looking straight at the blonde.

“Why?” Steve asks, bewildered.

“Well, you... you need someone. And I can keep a straight face and sit still for hours so,” he shrugs. “Why not.”

Steve’s eyebrows skyrocket. “You’re willing to sit still for hours while I paint you. Naked,” he repeats, still disbelieving.

“Yeah. Sounds like fun,” Bucky sends him a devilish smirk. At that moment, his phone starts to ring, but he looks at it and turns the sound off.

Steve cocks his brow. “You’re not gonna take this?”

“Nope,” the brunette responds, popping the ‘p’ and shrugging one shoulder. “So, when do you need me?

“Oh, umm… I’m usually free Thursday mornings and the weekends. Are you sure though?” Steve furrows his brows, looking at Bucky intently.

“Thursdays work for me,” the brunette smiles.

Steve swallows down. He’s grateful, of course he is, but… But. he’s not sure why he isn’t excited. He’s been wanting to draw Bucky for ages, the itch in his fingers being there more often than not. Hell, he’s drawn Bucky even without realizing it before. It’s a great opportunity, and he can’t say he can’t wait to get to it. Bucky’s got a great body, his muscles looking sharp and hard. If Steve could capture the brunette’s strength, highlighting his sharp edges, as well as his soft side, the painting could turn out great. He’s still hesitant though. They have a good relationship and he’d hate to see it fall apart because of something stupid like that. He has to admit he had a hard time warming up to Bucky, but now that they’re here, he can’t believe how stupid he was. The brunette’s a great guy and talking to him is as easy as talking to Sam, if not easier.

Steve doesn’t have time to dwell on this, though, as Bucky’s phone rings again, this time with a text. The brunette glances at it and then his brows furrow. He reads the message and sucks in a breath.

“Son of a bitch!” Bucky exclaims, dropping his phone on the table as his face pales.

“Bucky?” Steve asks, looking at him puzzled and a bit worried.

“Shit, fuck, I’m sorry,” Bucky says quickly, then stands up. “I’m sorry, I hafta go,” he throws all his stuff in his backpack and zips it up.

“What happened?”

“I’m sorry, Stevie, I hafta run,” Bucky shrugs on his jacket and slings his backpack on his right shoulder. “I’ll text ya about that painting,” he sends Steve a half smile, then takes his phone and all but flees from the cafe.

*

“So what, he just ran?” Peggy asks, her eyebrow arched in disbelief.

“Yeah, he… yeah,” Steve sighs, slumping down in his chair.

The four of them, including Sam and Sharon, are seated in their usual meeting place. Steve had texted their group chat after Bucky fled from Asgard, telling them he’ll be there earlier. They all wanted to know what happened right away, but Steve promised he’ll tell them everything once they meet. He gathered his books, said goodbye to Thor and left the cafe, heading straight for the subway. The walk there took him only a couple minutes, then it was about fifteen minutes on the train and he was standing right outside their usual spot. He waited for the rest inside, ordering another caramel coffee, decaf this time, minding his poor heart condition, and doodling in his sketchbook. If he sketched a certain pair of big icy blue eyes, hidden behind a curtain of soft brown curls, so what. He’s just getting used to his model, that’s all.

Now that he told his friends everything that’s happened, he still has trouble understanding the situation. Something must’ve obviously happened, otherwise Bucky wouldn’t turn pale and all but run from the cafe. He was shocked and upset and Steve can’t stop thinking about the look on the guy’s face. It was terrifying, seeing Bucky being this scared and Steve wishes there was something he could do. He already texted the brunette, asking if everything’s okay, but he’s still waiting for a reply.

“Maybe he just forgot to turn in a paper or something,” Sharon shrugs, trying to stay positive. She’s done it before and they all went through the process of writing a 10 pages essay in a day with her.

Steve sends her a weak smile, all of them knowing that’s just not something Bucky would do. He’s known from being on top of all his classes, he wouldn’t just forget about something that important.

“Don’t worry about him, Steve. He’s said he’ll text you, you just have to wait,” Peggy squeezes his hand reassuringly.

“I know, I just… The look on his face…” Steve trails off, shaking his head. He shouldn’t worry that much. They’re barely friends and even that might change after the painting. Still, here he is, worrying about the guy that saved his ass, not the other way around.

“We’ll start worryin’ if he won’t text you by Monday, how ‘bout that?” Sam asks, looking around the table. Everyone nods their heads and Sam clasps Steve on his arm. “So, y’all read to hear about Riley?” He asks, happiness radiating from the smile stretching his face.

“Bring it on!” Sharon exclaims, then leans forward resting her arms against the table. Peggy chuckles and throws her arm around her cousin, looking at Sam expectantly. Steve shakes his head, but he leans forward as well, the three of them being all ears.

“So, this was hands down the best date I’ve ever been on, man! The guy’s crazy, lemme tell ya. We went to the cinema and y’all know how there’s this Hitchcock month, right? So, I’m standin’ there, lookin’ at the Psycho poster, y’know how I love this movie, so I’m standin’ there waitin’ for him, and he comes up from behind giving me a hug. Scared the shit outta me, but damn, this guy’s hugs,” Sam shakes his head fondly, remembering. “So anyways, we start talkin’, and I ask him what he wants to see, and he says he’s already got tickets and it’s a surprise. So we go into the room and sit down, waitin’ for it to get dark and what starts playing? Psycho! Almost lost it, swear.”

“Get it, Sam!” Sharon laughs, bumping his shoulder. They all smile, knowing how much Sam loves Hitchcock’s work.

“It’s not even all! After the movie we grabbed a pizza and just wandered around the city. We talked for hours and damn, man, if he’s not the one.”

“Holy shit, Sam!” Steve exclaims, at the same time as Peggy says “Oh my God!”

“Don’t I know that!” Sam laughs, his grin taking all over his face. “We went to my place after, drank a couple beers and, Steve cover your ears, banged like there was no tomorrow.”

They all double with laughter, even Steve, who’s shaking his head. “You’re crazy,” he says, swatting his friend on the arm.

“Warned you, didn’t I,” Sam winks, then leans back. “For real though, he’s amazing. Can’t wait to see him again.”

“Aww, Wilson,” Sharon cooes, resting her head on Peggy’s shoulder.

“Stop, he’ll get shy,” Peggy chuckles.

“Who, Sam? Do you even know him?” Steve laughs, seeing the expression on the other man’s face.

Sam shrugs after a bit, though. “True.”

Steve shakes his head as Sam sticks out his tongue at him.

“So, since y’all now know that my love life’s amazin’ how ‘bout you?” Sam smirks, the bastard. “Sharon? Updates on Natasha?”

Said girl turns pink and quickly looks around. “Keep your fucking voice down, Wilson,” she hisses, then groans. “Jesus. No,” Sharon looks around again, making sure no one knows them here. “Saw her when I was waiting for Steve after their Spanish class but that’s pretty much it. Every time I saw her on campus she was either with that Clint guy or Bucky. She smiles at me every time, though,” she looks down, her cheeks still a little bit hot.

“You’ll get her,” Peggy smiles softly at her cousin, squeezing her tighter.

“How ‘bout you, Peggs?” Sam asks, his focus on the other Carter now. “I heard about this girl, now what was her name…” he drifts off, his arched eyebrow and a smirk betraying him.

“Oh, shut it Wilson, you know damn well. She’s Angie and we’re doing great, thanks,” Peggy rolls her eyes, her face in a perfectly stoic expression.

“Don’t bullshit me, Carter, I saw the eyes you two are givin’ each other! Don’t forget she’s in my department,” Sam narrows his eyes and the look on Peggy’s face hardens.

“What are you saying?” The brunette asks, folding her arms on the table.

“I’m sayin’ you both are into each other but none will actually make the move.”

“Are you calling me a coward?” Peggy asks leaning forward, her British accent thickening whenever she’s angry.

“Oh, I never said that,” Sam smirks, knowing his little game is working.

“Just implied,” Peggy says, and oh, if looks could kill.

“Don’t mind me, I obviously have no idea what I’m talkin’ about,” Sam backs off, raising his palms in surrender. “That leaves just you, Cap. Anyone we should know about?” He raises his eyebrow.

“Didn’t we talk about it already?” Sharon asks without thinking, then freezes, looking at Sam. He keeps his expression neutral, turning to look at Peggy, who gives them both a sharp look.

Steve arches his eyebrow. “Somethin’ I should know about?” He looks at all his friends. He knows what, or rather who, they mean but he still wants them to say it.

Peggy takes it on herself. “Look, Steve. So, we’ve been talking--“

“Don’t get mad or anything, it’s nothing really, just a thought,” Sharon says quickly, shrugging, then letting Peggy continue.

“You seem to be talking a lot about Bucky lately,” Peggy states, looking him straight in the eye.

“Okay?” Steve holds her gaze, wanting to hear what they have to say.

“And so we’ve been thinkin’, y’know, about maybe you likin’ the guy?” Sam asks, scratching his chin. “In your way, of course.”

“Like, don’t get us wrong Steve, but your hatred for him at first seemed just so weird, and now you’re kinda friends and, umm, well, we just thought that maybe that’s why,” Sharon says on one breath, then quickly inhales, looking down.

Steve stays silent for a minute. He knows what they’re talking about and he’d be lying if he said the thought has never crossed his mind. He wants to deny, say they’re just friends and nothing more, but he can’t really lie to himself anymore.

The thought has been coming to him ever since Bucky saved his ass. At first Steve just found the brunette captivating and blamed his sudden interest on being tired and beaten. Then he started catching himself looking at Bucky, discovering every detail in his behavior or appearance, like the way he'd bite his lower lip when he's insecure, or the small bump on his right ear. They were texting more and more, and Steve found himself enjoying talking to the guy, checking his phone more and waiting for his reply.

When he realized he might like like Bucky, Steve was terrified. He was sitting in his room, sketching for his classes, when the brunette sent him a link to a song. Steve dropped his pencil in an instant and put the song on, a smile stretching his lips when the first note started. It was “Only in My Dreams” by The Marias. Bucky must've remembered Steve talking about one of their songs and checked the album. Steve lied down on his bed texting back “like it?” and the reply came almost immediately: “love it.” He bit down on his lower lip, to keep the smile from spreading, and wanted to reply, when the thought came and he froze. He liked Bucky, he was into Bucky. The way the brunette smiles, laughs, scratches his neck when he's self-conscious. The way he talks about his studies, and how engrossed he is in the subject. Of course Steve can’t deny Bucky’s handsome, but he’s way more into his personality, how he manages to bring the best out of people, and has that easygoing aura around himself.

So, Steve looks down and lets out a quiet breath. “Okay,” he mumbles, fiddling with his cup.

“Okay?” Peggy repeats, arching an eyebrow at him.

“Okay, as in, you may be right,” he slumps his shoulders, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“Uh, I’m sorry, are you Steve Rogers? The stubborn asshole who’d never admit someone else was right?” Sam blinks at him, a smile playing on his lips.

“Shut your mouth Wilson, you’re gonna spook him!” Sharon hisses, her lips stretching in a smile.

“Fuck you all,” Steve laughs, then sighs. “I may like him. But I don’t have any feelings for him, so don’t get ahead of yourselves,” he points his finger at Sam, who raises his palms at surrender.

“Yes sir, captain sir!” Sam mocks a salute and Steve rolls his eyes.

“Oh, will you stop with that captain bullshit already, it was one time!” Steve groans.

“One was enough,” Sam laughs, giving Steve a friendly pat on his shoulder.

“Can we please get back to the topic?” Sharon rolls her eyes to which Sam reacts with sticking his tongue at her. “Steve!” She leans on the table, her hands grabbing his palm. “Tell us!” Her eyes sparkle with excitement, and Steve thanks whoever is up there for his friends.

“I ahh... There isn’t much to say, really. We’ve been talking more after he saved my ass and came to my place. That’s when I first realized that he’s, y’know… he’s such an amazing person. Like, hell, he’s funny and just so smart and he’s just… I--I dunno, we kinda clicked, I guess,” Steve talks with his hands, then looks down, slightly embarrassed. “He’s gonna model for me,” Steve mumbles, feeling his cheeks getting pink.

“Model as in…” Peggy drifts off, a tiny smirk on her lips.

“That nude painting, yeah,” Steve looks up, then groans seeing the grins his friends are giving him.

“Dude!” Sam beams, clasping Steve on his back.

“How did you even ask?” Sharon chuckles, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Okay, whatever you’re thinking about? Gross,” Steve laughs, pointing a finger at her, as she rolls her eyes. “Besides, I didn’t. He offered,” Steve shrugs.

“And Bucky, the knight in the shinin’ armor he is, just couldn’t not jump on the opportunity,” Sam shakes his head, laughing loudly.

“Oh jesus,” Steve drags a hand down his face, feeling hairs ears getting hot. “He’s probably not even bi, get your head outta your ass, Wilson,” he gets an elbow to his ribs for that.

“Oh, he is gay, alright,” Peggy says without missing a bit, her lips stretching into an amused smirk seeing Steve’s are widen.

“Sorry, umm, what?!” Sharon exclaimes, blinking at her cousin.

“Remember pride month last year?” They all nod, buzzing with excitement, and she smiles, throwing her hair back. “Well, our department had this ‘pride day’ when we were encouraged to show our support and wear flags and pins and all that. They were giving out pins with different flags to anyone who wanted one, and I was taking mine right after Bucky. He’d chosen a rainbow one and one that said ‘#GAYAF’,” Peggy leans back on her chair, looking at everyone else, satisfied.

“Okay, that doesn’t mean nothin’,” Steve points out, not wanting to jump to any conclusions.

“‘Sides, how come it’s the first time we’re hearing it?” Sam arches his eyebrows.

“Look, I wasn’t saying anything because I figured it’s none of my business. He’s out but I guess none of you cared before,” Peggy shrugs, her expression blank.

“But there wasn’t even any picture!” Sharon exclaims, looking at her cousin still confused.

“That was a safe space so we weren’t taking any as to not out anyone,” Peggy rolls her eyes like the answer was obvious enough. “He’s out though, don’t worry,” She adds, seeing Steve’s furrowed brows.

“How do you know?” Steve asks, not quite comfortable with what she told them.

“The same way I know about you, Rogers. We’ve had projects together and it came up, he was never hiding it. He’s just not announcing it to everyone he meets. Do you really think I’d told you if I knew he wasn’t out?” She asks, her voice slightly hurt.

Steve blinks, then shakes his head. “No, ‘course not, sorry. It’s just new, ‘s all,” he offers her a small, apologetic smile and she nods in return.

“So,” Sharon clasps her hands. “What are we gonna do about it?”

“About what exactly?” Steve asks, even though he knows the answer.

“You and Bucky, obviously. You’re interested, he’s gay and interested, I can already smell the romance.”

“Okay, first of all, we don’t know if he’s interested,” Steve gets an unimpressed look from all three of his friends, so he just shakes his head and continues. “And second, he currently dropped from the face of the Earth so,” he sighs, checking his phone once again. Still no text from Bucky.

“What did I tell you, man? We’ll start worrying on Monday. Right now, we need a Plan with capital 'P,"” Sam nudges Steve’s shoulder to get his attention. “I’m already thinking about your couple name.”

“Buckrogers!” Sharon chimes in, which makes Steve groan.

“Please don’t,” Steve whines, dragging a hand down his face.

“Stevebucky sure has a nice ring to it,” Sam smirks, as both Peggy and Sharon start chuckling.

“I hate you,” Steve mumbles, hiding his face in his hands.