Peter was the one who started it.
He'd always been curious about the magnetic properties of Bucky's prosthetic arm, mostly when considering the tactical advantage a magnetic limb would supply to close-up magic. So when he arrived at Steve and Bucky's apartment to find the Winter Soldier was snoring peacefully on the couch, looking uncharacteristically serene, Peter couldn't resist any longer. He slowly crawled up the wall and into the kitchen, snatching a small, yellow smiley face from the fridge. He stopped for a second to silently giggle at the fact that this childish magnet was even on their fridge at all, before resuming the delicate operation. He retreated to the lounge, and oh so carefully dangled from the ceiling, brow furrowing in concentration. This was a dangerous mission, considering the man on the sofa was a highly trained assassin, but Peter was brave, so he placed the magnet as lightly as he could manage on Bucky's shoulder.
He was shocked when the man didn't so much as stir, and the relief that flooded his veins was exhilarating. He sprung from the roof like greased lightning, and returned to the patient stance he was in before as he waited for Steve to bring him the contraption Tony had requested he pick up.
When Steve finally reappeared from his bedroom, a complicated bundle of wires and what not in his hand, he looked over at the sleeping soldier with fond eyes and a soft sigh, adoration practically radiating from him. Peter smiled.
"Thank you, Mr Captain," Peter said politely as he was handed the very early prototype of whatever Tony was experimenting with this time. He was careful not to further entangle the device in his hands.
"Steve," the Captain replied, pulling a red woollen throw over Bucky's limp body. He tucked the dark brown hair that was strewn across his friend's face neatly behind his ear.
Peter nodded. "Thank you, Steve. Mr Stark will be super happy you didn't throw it out." He turned to leave, but hesitated slightly, looking back over his shoulder. "Oh, and Mr Captain?"
Steve, who was sliding onto the couch with an arm around the snoozing man's shoulders, flicked his eyes to the teenager with a hum of recognition, before returning his gaze to Bucky. Peter smiled again before continuing, because he was certain that Tony was wrong about the two super-soldiers.
From the day he'd first moved into the Avengers Facility with his Aunt May after their modest apartment was targeted in an anti-establishment attack (Tony was far too anxious for their safety to settle for them simply moving), Peter had been observing the other occupants of the building with a close eye out of pure curiosity, and no one fascinated him more than Captain America and his companion. They did almost everything together, from grocery shopping to working out to battling. And yet they still never got sick of each other, always lighting up when they came into contact and grumbling when they were separated. It was the kind of relationship that Peter aspired to replicate one day, but when he'd mentioned this to Tony, the older man had simply laughed until he was in stitches.
"You," Tony gasped between laughs. He grasped the teenager's shoulder for support. "You think that Capsicle and Capsicle 2.0 are together? This is hysterical, wait until Pepper hears about this."
But, later that day, when the Avengers were gathered for their weekly movie night, Tony looked over at the loveseat beside the sofa he resided on and did a double take. It was like Steve and Bucky were in their own little world, snuggled up against one another and giggling as the soldier threw popcorn at Bruce from across the room. Oh, shit, Tony thought. They are dating. How did I not notice?
Of course, he never mentioned his epiphany to Peter, because as if he'd let a fifteen year old prove him wrong. But as Peter watched the pair, so comfortable and affectionate, he knew that there was something there. Even if Steve and Bucky appeared to be just as clueless as Tony. Peter quirked a grin, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Please don't tell Mr Barnes I was here."
Steve smiled at him with a small salute, a silent promise.
Yet still, when Bucky returned to his room the following evening after an exhausting day of training Fury's young operatives in hand-to-hand combat, he muttered 'goddamn spider-boy' under his breath upon seeing something stupid and yellow smiling at him in the mirror. He carefully removed it with his organic fingers, wondering how the kid had done it.
Word got out that the almighty Bucky Barnes spent an entire Thursday with a smiley face magnet on his arm, and that was all it took to start a ridiculous competition amongst the Avengers.
At first, it was just Peter proving himself by resticking the yellow face onto the prosthetic, because barely anyone believed it was him and Tony promised him ten bucks if he pulled it off. Then Pepper bet twenty that she could get away with two magnets, to which Sam smirked and said 'double or nothing.' It was Tony who constructed a scoreboard in the basement, with a proud ruffle of Peter's hair when the kid received the first tallied points. Peter, desperate for more validation, attempted a third go at placing the face on Bucky's arm, only to have the soldier be far more prepared than he expected.
"Don't," growled Bucky. He had a short dagger in his flesh hand, metal gripping Peter's shoulder. The knife was pressed to the boy's throat, not hard enough to do any real damage, but the pressure made it clear that if the super-soldier wanted to hurt Peter, he could. Peter trembled and gulped and shrunk back against the wall his back was already pressed to.
"I'm so sorry Mr Barnes, sir, I won't do it again, I promise, please don't kill me, my aunt'll get mad at me if you do-"
Bucky softened and released his hold. This was just a kid. "My name is Bucky," he said, before walking out of the room, leaving a traumatized Spider-man in his wake.
Tony emerged from the adjoining room, clapping Peter, who was still shaking, on the back. "You okay, kid?"
"You... you saw all of that and you didn't stop him? He could have killed me!" Peter gasped.
"Don't worry. He'll get his fair share of karma," Tony said, conspiratorially grinning. No one messed with his kid except him, and according to Tony, karma was just another word for revenge. Ideas began whizzing around his head, and from that point on, the challenge snowballed out of control.
Unsurprisingly, Tony was the first to up the ante, manufacturing a sort of snipe gun that could pepper Bucky's arm with stars from a safe distance. Then it got complicated, and Wanda was insistent that she should receive extra points for the week it took Bucky to realize he was sporting a butterfly by his elbow. Natasha argued that she should receive even more than Wanda because her magnet said 'kick me' on it. Then Peter was teaching Thor about online shopping, and once the bag of magnetic letters arrived, there was no stopping him either (although, he had to deal with the Winter Soldier's wrath upon realization of what was spelled out on his arm, because 'Thor was here' was a little obvious).
When Steve found out about it, he'd laughed at the seriousness of the game.
"Magnets that will cause any damage to the arm are strictly prohibited," Bruce was sternly stating when Steve walked in. "As well as any that will harm its owner. I'm looking at you, Tony."
The Captain chuckled. "I should have guessed that it wasn't just Peter that was messing with Buck." A dozen odd eyes looked over at him, half guilty and half annoyed at being caught. No one stopped Steve as he strolled over to the stupidly high-tech leaderboard, snickering when he saw Sam's score of zero.
"Don't you dare tell him about the scoreboard, Mr Goody Two Shoes," Tony threatened. "We're having too much fun."
"You mean we were, before Bruce had to make it boring with all his dumb rules," complained Natasha, who appeared to be carving a stick into a spike with a pocket knife.
"They're not dumb! They're necessary!" Bruce argued. The list of rules (and consequences for breaking them) was ridiculously long, although when it came to this group, one could never be too cautious. Natasha popped her gum loudly in response, kicking her feet up on the table.
Albeit slightly offended that he hadn't even been asked to join, the Captain hadn't wanted in, but before he could so much as voice his opinion on the matter most people argued that Steve would have an unfair advantage, due to the fact that he and Bucky shared an apartment. To Steve, it was a disadvantage, if anything, because now that Bucky was constantly complaining about the decorations covering his arm, Steve would get his ass fully beat if he donated to the cause. But despite this logic, after a vote, he was disqualified. Steve just shrugged. He hadn't wanted to waste his time pissing off his best friend anyway.
Especially not after he realized how Bucky felt about the whole ordeal.
"Steve. Steve," Bucky whined. He was splayed across both the sofa and Steve, one arm around his best friend's waist and the other dangling beside the couch. The Captain's hand was absentmindedly carding through Bucky's hair. Some nostalgic old television show Fury had given Steve a tape of to ease him into the modern era was playing in black and white on the screen in front of them, but the second Bucky spoke Steve's name, the sounds coming from the speakers were just white noise. "I can't take it anymore. I feel like I'm going crazy."
Steve's hand stilled. "What do you mean?"
"The goddamn magnets," Bucky snarled, holding up his metal arm and checking it for any 'I heart New York's he'd missed. He turned his head to look at Steve with pleading eyes, and damn it if there was ever a time that he'd looked at Steve like that without the other man bending over backwards to get him whatever he wanted. "Steve. I know it's a joke, but I... it's like I'm having to be on high alert all the time, y'know? Like I'm back in the war, or back at Hydra, and everyone's out to get me."
Steve frowned sadly, softly running a thumb over Bucky's cheek.
"It's dumb," continued Bucky. "I know that. But I'm sick of always having to watch my back, second guess everyone around me. I'm tired."
"God, Bucky. I didn't know it was affecting you this badly." Steve felt like his heart was breaking right in front of him as he looked into those terrified blue eyes. "I'll talk to them. They won't do it again. I promise."
Bucky smiled, capturing Steve's hand and lacing their fingers together. "Thanks, punk."
Steve squeezed Bucky's hand. He ignored the erratic pace of the pounding in his chest, and first thing the next morning, he snuck down into the basement.
Tony was not impressed to find that his precious scoreboard had mysteriously disappeared. He had totally been winning after he'd crafted a handful of magnets (with his face on them) that were more than just a little reluctant to be removed, without fully breaking Banner's rulebook. He was also not impressed when Steve called a meeting and threatened anyone who dared to abuse Bucky's prosthetic ever again, although he couldn't say he was surprised. "Jesus Christ, Frank Farmer," Tony said with an exaggerated eye roll. He was secretly hoping that no one understood that reference, because he wouldn't be caught dead watching a sappy rom-com, especially one featuring Whitney Houston. "You're taking this protective boyfriend thing a little too far."
"I'm not overprotective," grumbled Steve. The rosy blush that dusted his cheeks proved that there were some vulnerabilities that the serum did not dissolve all those years ago. Tony laughed, because of course the part of that accusation the Captain would deny was his overprotectiveness. Steve pointed a finger at him with a glare. "Shut up, Stark. I'm not his boyfriend either."
"No!" Thor cried unexpectedly, slamming his palm on the table and effectively shocking everyone in the board room. Natasha's mouth turned up at the corners, like she knew something no one else did. "Does this mean that you and Barnes are no longer romantically involved? This is devastating. You two were-" he turned to Peter, face screwed up in determination. "-what was it again, Spiderling? Relationship ambitions?"
Peter's eyes flitted nervously to Steve before he shook his head at the Norse god. "Goals. And it's Spider-man, not Spider-ling, I thought we were past that."
"What?" Steve's blush moved from just his cheeks to his neck and his ears and the tip of his nose. Natasha's grin widened. "We were never... we don't... that's, that's not..." Steve trailed off hopelessly, flustered beyond control. They weren't like that. Of course, he'd always wished that they were. All those frostbitten nights back in Brooklyn when they'd huddled together in bed, hopelessly tangled in a desperate attempt to prevent another of Steve's colds. Bucky had always feared that the next round of pneumonia would be the last, so he wrapped his arms around his best friend until the sun rose the next morning, warming the room with its rays. And Steve would sleep fitfully, because all he wanted was to nuzzle into Bucky's neck and kiss him on the jaw and tell him he'd be okay. But he never did, and he had accepted that he never would. He was satisfied with being the soldier's friend, roommate, and sole confidant. That was all he needed. What he didn't need was the Avengers destroying the delicate balance between friendship and love he'd taken years to construct.
"Sure thing, Captain," Tony chuckled, glancing at Natasha. Steve got the feeling that the two were bonding over this humiliating experience. Fantastic.
"Tony. Don't be so rude," Pepper scolded. Only Pepper could tell Tony what to do and get away with it, which was evident in the way he shut his mouth after she fixed him a look. Steve was endlessly grateful for that woman, particularly her Stark-wrangling gifts. He probably wouldn't survive a single meeting without her. "The poor man obviously hasn't realized that they're in love yet."
"I what now?" Steve faltered. He looked around the room, and to his surprise, not a single face looked shocked by this suggestion. Apparently, he wasn't as good at hiding his feelings as he previously thought. He took a second to pray that Bucky didn't know. "You can't be serious. Bucky and I are best friends. That's it." He cleared his throat, not allowing anyone to respond to his argument. "But that's irrelevant. I only came here to confiscate the magnets."
"Confiscate? What are we, five? This is ridiculous, Steve," Wanda huffed.
"It's what I have to do," he shrugged simply. Half the team sighed in exasperation then, because if the Captain saw it as the right thing to do, there was no way they could stop him.
Each pocket was emptied of the decorations, the pile growing stupidly large very quickly. Thor dropped his bag of letters onto the table with a thud, and after a quick investigation, Steve decided that he'd raided their entire supply. He threatened each of them a final time before taking his leave, sack of magnets slung over his shoulder.
"He sucks the fun out of everything," whined Tony, slumping his head on his fist like a child. Pepper slapped him across the back of the head.
"You humans make no sense. If they are in love why are they not courting?" Thor pondered, always slow on the uptake. He tossed his hammer carelessly into the air, making Tony flinch each time it came close to touching the expensive glass table. Just because he was willing to house a team of superheroes did not mean he was okay with them trashing the place.
"Because they're stupid," Wanda said gruffly.
"They're just cautious. Remember that they grew up in the thirties, guys. It was very homophobic back then," reasoned Bruce calmly, as if he was speaking to a pack of savages.
"Cautious and stupid," said Natasha. Bruce couldn't argue with that.
"Surely Barnes will show his appreciation towards Steven due to the ending of the prank?" Thor suggested innocently, but no one else in the room took the comment as purely as it was intended. Wanda looked vaguely scandalized, making a face at Vision, who had been trying his best to stay out of all this.
"Fifty bucks says they'll last a week before finally getting it together," Tony beamed, always the avid gambler. He felt confident in his wager, imagining the lovesick grin on Bucky's face when he saw the stolen stockpile.
True to Tony's imagination, Bucky smiled when he arrived at the apartment and saw that the fridge was completely covered in magnets. He recognized most of them, like Bruce's carbon chains and Natasha's assorted insults. Pondering for a second just how much money they all spent on these decorations, Bucky ran his finger absentmindedly over a tiny replica of Steve's shield. Steve was the only constant in Bucky's life, and he wouldn't have it any other way.
The sound of the door opening alerted Bucky that Steve was home, and he grinned to himself as he rounded the corner to greet him. Steve looked only mildly surprised when the soldier flung himself onto him, dropping the bags of groceries he held and wrapping his arms instinctively around Bucky's waist. Bucky squeezed the back of Steve's neck with his flesh hand, the other grasping at the tight grey shirt that hugged the Captain's back, face pressed to his neck as he muttered, "Thank you, Stevie."
Steve noticeably relaxed into the embrace, sighing softly and tightening his grip. "'S no problem. They barely even put up a fight." He chose not to mention the obscenely long string of vulgar insults Tony let out when Steve told him that the scoreboard had been compressed to the size of a key-chain.
"You didn't tell them why, did you?" Bucky loosened his grip so he could look Steve in the eyes. Steve stared back, momentarily forgetting the question at hand. Those eyes were so mesmerizing, always had been. A complicated braid of grey and blue and suddenly the phrase 'lost in their eyes' made sense. He felt his mind drifting back to earlier when Pepper said they were in love, and then that was all Steve could think of. She had said it as if it was a two-sided attraction, and for a second Steve allowed himself the luxury of fantasizing that Bucky felt the same way.
But that was impossible. There was no chance that Bucky loved Steve the way that Steve loved Bucky. Steve was infatuated by every part of him. He loved Bucky's eyes, and the gentle curve of his smile, and the rich laughter that often accompanied it. He loved the overgrown chestnut hair, and the way Bucky absentmindedly tucked it behind his ear now and again. How he bit his lip when he was concentrating, the tap of his foot when an old tune would play. How overly gentle he was when touching Steve with his metal arm. How he only ever opened up around Steve. How he threw himself in front of Steve at the very first sign of danger. Steve worshiped Bucky, adored him endlessly, yearned for him laughably. There was no chance that those feelings could be reciprocated, and Steve had come to accept that. He wasn't going to let Pepper's choice of words get to him.
He was okay with just friends, he reminded himself. He'd had years of experience practicing how to be okay with just friends.
The Captain snapped back into reality when Bucky said his name. "Huh?" He replied eloquently. Bucky's brow furrowed, face littered with concern.
"Are you alright?" Those gorgeous eyes scanned over his body and Steve tried not to whimper at the loss of contact as Bucky held him at arm's length. "Natasha didn't duel you for the magnets, did she?"
"No, she didn't, I'm fine. Just tired," said Steve charily, a lazily forced smile gracing his features. "Want to watch a movie?"
Bucky's frown deepened at the change of subject, but he didn't protest. "Yeah, okay. I'm choosing, though."
The smile stretched to Steve's eyes. "I'll make the popcorn."
An hour later, Bucky was tossing kernels into the air and catching them in his mouth. His flawless accuracy with a gun was certainly not lost on his food catching skills. "Remember when popcorn was a luxury?" He thought aloud.
"Saved up for months for both of us to go to the movies, and a couple more for the snacks," Steve recalled. He also remembered Bucky grasping his forearm at jump-scares, and the way his heart rate picked up exponentially when he did. He'd always found it strange that Bucky always chose to see horror films when they got the chance to attend the cinemas, because the way he clung onto him like a baby monkey indicated that he wasn't the biggest fan of scary movies. But, Steve wasn't exactly complaining.
"Worth it. Kids these days don't appreciate what they have," Bucky huffed. He grunted then sat up, as if lifting his head from where it had been resting on Steve's lap was the most difficult task he'd ever attempted. Steve knew from the look in Bucky's eyes that his best friend was about to get serious. "You never answered my question before. Did you tell the team why I didn't want them to keep sticking magnets on my arm?"
"Of course not, Buck. I just told them not to do it. Threatened them a little, but that was it." He paused, quieting. "I would never betray your trust like that."
Bucky let out a breath. "Okay. Yeah. I shoulda known you'd never do that to me. I'm sorry."
"Hey, it's okay," comforted Steve, placing his hand on Bucky's bionic arm. The movie was well forgotten by now, despite the fact that the climax had just been reached. But if Bucky was talking to him, he didn't care about CGI robots.
The soldier stared at the hand on his arm for a few long moments before speaking. "You never did it, did you? You never joined in the game."
"Of course not."
"Why?" Bucky's eyes flicked up, searching.
"They disqualified me." Steve regretted saying it the instant the words left his mouth. He sounded insensitive and uncaring, and he knew that. It was his natural instinct to protect his feelings, to not risk exposing how much he truly cared about Bucky, but seeing the hurt on Bucky's face snapped him out of his selfish tendencies. "I mean, I wouldn't have anyway... because, uh... I..." He could almost feel the dirt packing around him as he dug his own figurative grave deeper.
Bucky looked disappointed, shrugging out of Steve's touch. "Right. You didn't because they wouldn't let you, not because you actually care about me."
"Bucky-"
"You know, I don't think I would have minded as much if the messages were coming from you." Then he turned back to the movie, pretending to care about the protagonist as she held her love interest's limp body in her arms. Steve's jaw went slack. He wanted to kiss Bucky on the mouth, show how much he loved and respected his friend, but he didn't. He knew Bucky well enough to leave the topic alone until the other man was willing to bring it up. Steve sunk into the sofa and stared blankly at the screen.
The obnoxious ringing of Steve's phone woke him up the next morning. Natasha was asking him to accompany her on a stealth mission, which was less of a request and more of a demand. He pretended to argue for a few minutes, then reluctantly showered and dressed, looking into Bucky's room before he left. The soldier was sleeping peacefully, tangled in his sheets and wearing a soft expression. Steve's breath caught in his throat. He looked so much more zen when he was asleep, no longer afraid of the world and himself. Then he remembered making Bucky upset last night, and he couldn't just leave without apologizing.
He ducked into the kitchen, taking a minute to pluck various letters from the fridge. He would never thank Peter to his face, but he was grateful in that moment. He carefully snuck back into Bucky's room and laid them out on his friend's forearm.
Resisting the urge to press a chaste kiss to Bucky's temple, Steve lightly brushed the brown hair from his face before leaving to meet Natasha in the lobby.
It wasn't long after that Bucky stirred, and he knew that Steve had left the second he'd woken. Usually, he'd hear Steve's 40's pop music drawling from the kitchen; on good days, it'd be accompanied by the Captain's off-key singing too. He'd roll out of bed at the smell of bacon, and slump lazily against the kitchen counter until his best friend slid him a mug of black coffee. Then he'd smile, drink the coffee, and they'd eat breakfast together, talking about everything from what they were going to have for dinner to how much they resented the social agenda of 1939 to the rumor that Pepper was pregnant. And Bucky savoured every moment of it, because the routine was so domestic that it was almost painful (and Bucky was nothing if not a masochist).
So when silence rang in Bucky's ears like a siren, his heart sank. He knew he'd been harsh the night before, and he knew that he had no right to be angry, and he knew that Steve would take it to heart. Yet still he'd snapped at the man he cared about more than anything, and he hated himself for it. It wasn't Steve's fault that he didn't feel the same way. Only Bucky could be blamed for the fluttering in his stomach when Steve looked his way, or the wave of affection that overcame him each time his friend so much as spoke.
Bucky sighed, feeling sorry for himself as he dragged his exhausted body from his bed. Of course he'd gone and fallen in love with his best friend. His life was just one tragic event after another, and decades of emotional torture and brainwashing aside, seventy-something years of useless pining was the most ridiculous of his hardships. "Get it together, Barnes," he muttered to himself as he splashed his face with icy cold water from the bathroom sink.
Then his eyes caught on something on his arm as he glared at his reflection in the mirror, and he'd be lying if he said that his breath didn't hitch upon seeing the stupid magnetic letters.
SORRY 4 MAKING U SAD HAVE A GR8 DAY
The sentence was punctuated with a red heart and Bucky's brain short-circuited.
He stared at the message for a good minute, trying to cease the swelling of his heart. It hit Bucky like punch to the gut that Steve felt at fault here, the self-critical bastard. And Bucky would readily die before he let his best friend take the blame for his moody actions. He quickly showered and dressed before heading out to find what he needed to put a smile back on Steve's face.
Smoke was billowing from the kitchen when Bucky returned to the apartment. Immediately, he dropped the items in his arms as his heart started racing and his guard went up, the training that was drilled into him kicking in. Warily, he crept down the hall, eyes quickly assessing his surroundings for danger. He was expecting there to be a Hydra agent or two by the dining table, ready to take him back to their headquarters, or maybe a threat burned into the wallpaper by some reckless anti-hero vigilante. What he didn't expect was Steve, hastily waving a baking tray at a flaming saucepan, swearing heavily under his breath.
"Scared the living daylights outta me, Steve," Bucky grinned, taking a tray from Steve's hands and covering the flames. They burned out until all that lingered in the air was a dull, ashy smell.
Steve stared at him, blinking blankly. He thought Bucky would be out for much longer, so he'd have time to clean up the mess and shower before facing his best friend. But of course, here he was, saving Steve's dumb ass as per usual. It had always been this way, back in Brooklyn and even after the serum, because that was just how it was between them. Steve would be so ridiculously lost without him.
"Well? Why the hell were you trying to burn down the building?" Bucky joked.
"I, uh... I was trying to make you a nice dinner, actually. To apologize."
Bucky practically melted. Steve was looking at him with those pleading puppy-dog eyes, face full of regret, and Bucky couldn't possibly be mad. Especially when the whole thing was his fault anyway. He gave a lopsided smile, making shy eye contact. "Oh, Steve. You didn't have to do that." Then he remembered the pile of soft toys in the doorway, and the corners of his mouth turned up involuntarily. "Although, I did something for you, too."
"Buck-"
"One second." Bucky raced to the door, scooping up the plush animals and turning back to show Steve. "Remember when we used to go to Coney Island when we had enough spare change? And I'd promise to win you something but we both knew how bad a shot I was. I'm not so bad a shot anymore-" Bucky tried not to let his mind slip back to his time at Hydra. "-and so I went back. Sorry it took so long to come true on my promise."
Steve's whole composure softened. He hadn't even realized how tense he was until he relaxed, tears of appreciation beginning to sting in his eyes. Of course he remembered going there with Bucky, and the rides on the Cyclone he endured, and the photo-booths they'd sat in together. It was impossible to forget the joy in his best friend's eyes. "I'm sorry."
"No, I'm sorry. I was exhausted and irritable and I took it out on you. You don't deserve that."
Steve opened his arms, inviting Bucky in. The shorter man dropped the carnival prizes and practically threw himself into the embrace, burying his face in Steve's neck. The blonde chuckled, tightened his grip on Bucky's lithe waist, and completely at ease, feeling their bodies slot together like puzzle pieces. "Can we just forget about last night?"
"Definitely," Bucky exhaled. Then he recoiled slightly, grimacing. "Now go have a shower, you stink. What were you fighting, a decaying corpse?"
Steve laughed, and Bucky's heart soared. "Fine. Order the pizza while I'm gone."
Bucky did, requesting that the large supreme be void of prawns, because even if Steve wasn't allergic anymore, Bucky still felt better being safe rather than sorry. And of course Steve noticed, leaving Bucky a playful 'I HEART SHELLFISH' by his elbow the next day.
After that, it became a sort of tradition for Steve to leave Bucky messages on his arm. While the practice had previously made him ridiculously anxious, Bucky found himself falling deeper with each note, even when it was something as trivial as 'WE R OUT OF MILK.'
"How come you're allowed to but we're not?" Tony whined, kicking a rock across the ground. He was just like a child sometimes, if the pout he showcased when he spotted the 'KICK SOME ASS' by Bucky's shoulder was anything to go by.
"Tony, we're on a mission," sighed Steve, throwing his shield almost effortlessly. It sliced a tentacle clean off the strange alien thing they were fighting off. "Can we talk about this later?"
"It's because I actually like Steve," piped Bucky. "And he leaves nice, supportive messages."
"How is a picture of my face not nice and supportive?"
Bucky scoffed, before running straight into the mouth of the alien and slashing at it from the inside. The Captain held his breath until his best friend was safely out of the creature, mentally noting to lecture him later about not doing dumb shit. Tony was still glowering when Bucky returned, grumbling as the three of them headed back to the rendezvous point to meet up with the rest of the team. "I shouldn't have to date a guy to be able to stick magnets on his arm. You guys suck."
Neither of them said anything in response, only averted their gazes and blushed at their feet like teenagers.
It was only a few months later that Steve swallowed his pride and laid out his feelings on Bucky's arm, knowing fully that they wouldn't be interpreted in the way he wanted. He slipped out of the apartment tracelessly, unable to face Bucky's reaction. It was easy to throw himself into paperwork and meetings with contacts of Tony's, so he did just that.
Bucky didn't think a thing of his friend's unannounced disappearance, nor did he notice the letters until the early afternoon. But when he did, it was too much to bare.
I LOVE YOU
All those feelings that he had been stamping out ever since they appeared in his teenage years hit him with full force. It was like a tsunami of unadulterated adoration, and all it took was one message for the floodgates to open. He was so in love with Steve that he was close to breaking, and didn't know how much longer he'd be able to keep bottling it up.
It was clear to him that Steve didn't mean he was in love with Bucky, but was merely trying to express his gratitude for their everlasting friendship. And somehow that hurt worse than knowing that Steve didn't love Bucky at all, and the soldier had no clue how he was going to deal with the nausea that had settled in his stomach.
So he made his way down to the gym, where he desperately beat a punching bag until he was too drained to think straight. He didn't take notice of anyone else there, nor did he properly strap his organic hand. By the time he was finished his knuckles were aching and most other patrons had evacuated in fear. He didn't care about the pain, or the people. He just slumped against the wall, panting and thinking about the dumb magnets.
"Jesus," said Natasha, nose wrinkling as she noticed the layer of sweat coating his body. "What's got you so fired up?"
"Steve," Bucky automatically replied.
The redhead sighed, sitting beside him. She was much more fearless than most people, who didn't dare touch him with a ten foot pole. But Natasha could read people impeccably well, and after her first conversation with Bucky, she knew that he was absolutely harmless. She also realized immediately that him and Steve were definitely into each other, and had relished in the endless entertainment supplied by their interactions for months before the complete oblivion started to piss her off. "What's he done this time?"
"'S not him." The man rubbed his face roughly with his hands, as if trying to scrub the worries from his mind. "I'm so stupid."
Natasha rolled her eyes. "Alright. What've you done this time?"
"Fell in love with him. About eighty years ago." Around half a second after he'd spoken, Bucky's head snapped up, fear shining in his steely blue eyes. It was all Natasha could do not to smirk at him. "I didn't mean to say that."
"Figured. Would it make you feel any better if I told you I already knew?"
Bucky groaned. "That obvious?"
"Pretty obvious." She let a smile play at her lips, considering whether or not to end the ridiculous pining here and now. While it was pretty funny watching Steve's face heat every time Bucky purposefully brushed against him, Natasha knew that at the end of the day, they'd both been through enough, and deserved happiness. Plus, Tony had given up on betting on their relationship, so she wouldn't be short a couple hundred. She bumped Bucky with her shoulder, looking at him meaningfully. "You're still not as obvious as Steve, though."
"Of course," huffed Bucky. He snatched up his bandages, frowning at the floor. The woman tilted her head in confusion at his outburst. "Of course he's in love with someone else. God knows he deserves to be appreciated. Who is it? Is it that receptionist at Stark's? Is it Stark?"
Natasha knew he was stupid, but she didn't realize he was this stupid. She eyed the heartfelt message on the shiny prosthetic with a scowl. Seriously, for a man nearing one hundred years of life experience, Bucky Barnes was tragically incompetent. "Barnes, you are an absolute idiot. It's you."
Bucky's jaw dropped open. Then it clamped shut, and he fixed her a glare so cold that Natasha was surprised she didn't freeze over. "Don't you dare-"
"If you so much as suggest that I'm only saying that to lead you on, I will slap you so hard you'll go cross-eyed," Natasha interrupted. She wasn't phased by his threatening looks, only wondered how it was possible for a man who was trained as a spy at the highest level to be so blind (because honestly, she was sure you could see Steve's pining from space). "Your complete obliviousness is driving me insane."
There was a long pause. Natasha was patient as Bucky seemed to filter through a million thoughts, face as blank as a canvas.
"You really think so?" Bucky finally asked, hesitant but hopeful.
Natasha rolled her eyes incredulously. "You are absolutely shocking, James, I swear to God." She pulled herself up from the gym floor, dusting off her thighs. Bucky scrambled after her unceremoniously, much unlike his usual effortless grace, as she resolved to go find herself a new mission. Ignoring him, she nimbly sauntered towards the lift.
"Nat! Are you certain?" Bucky walked briskly alongside Natasha, trying to keep up with her ridiculous pace.
"Yes. Now please, go make out with your boyfriend and leave me alone. Some of us have real work to do." And on that note, she scanned a small card on the electronic pad beside the elevator and disappeared beyond the pair of sliding doors.
Bucky stood, staring at the closed doors, trying to decide what to believe. His mind, that was telling him that Steve could never want him, or Natasha, who appeared completely convinced that the feeling was mutual. The reflective metal of the elevator doors faced Bucky with the image of himself, and upon seeing the words on his bionic arm, his mind was made up.
He fired a quick text to Natasha asking if she knew where Steve was, to which she replied unnaturally fast with the number of one of Tony's board rooms.
Far too impatient to wait for the lift, he raced to the stairs, taking them two at a time. He was so full of adrenaline that his body forgot to be puffed, and he made it to the seventh floor without trouble. Only a few people stared at him as he ran through the halls and he ignored each and every one of them. The only thing bouncing inside his head was Steve's name, and Bucky had to see him before he lost his nerve.
He skidded to a stop in front of the glass doors of the board room. Glancing inside, he could see the Captain sitting in a swivel chair, pretending to be interested in whichever politician was talking to him today and whatever completely important and terribly fatal threat he was expected to eradicate this time. It was clear from the look on his face and the scratch of his pencil against the paper on the table that he was sketching instead of listening, and Bucky smiled. It was now or never.
"Steve?" He said as he pushed open the door. He didn't notice Tony and a handful of businessmen staring in blank confusion, because Steve looked delighted to see him. "Can I talk to you outside for a minute?"
The blonde's face warped with concern, taking in Bucky's bleeding knuckles and sweat-soaked attire. He assured the roomful of people that he would be back in a moment and closed the glass door behind him and his best friend. "Are you okay?" He asked immediately. His hands twitched at his sides, and he nervously shifted his weight from foot to foot.
"I think so," pondered Bucky, tentatively reaching out his flesh hand to touch Steve's face. The taller man froze, eyes widening, and Bucky tried to hold onto his courage. His fingers dragged gently down Steve's cheek, traced the lines of his neck, came to rest on his chest. Observing the sharp inhale and the hands that hovered awkwardly in the air, unsure of whether or not they should touch Bucky, he smiled and took a step forward. "I think I could be better, though."
"Yeah?" Squeaked Steve, heart beginning to race as Bucky crowded him against the wall. He could hear the pounding of blood in his ears and wouldn't be surprised if Bucky could too. They were usually close, squeezed up together on the couch or arms slung around the other's shoulders during meetings, but this was much more intimate. If Steve's knees weakened a little and his jaw fell slack, he couldn't really be blamed.
"Yeah," Bucky breathed, barely a whisper, before he let his eyes flutter closed and pressed his lips softly against Steve's. Steve tensed up completely in paralyzing shock. Then it hit him like a bolt of lightning that Bucky goddamn Barnes was kissing him and he lost himself in the taste of his best friend's mouth. His hands made their way into that long brown hair, and he yanked Bucky closer, so their chests were pressed together and Bucky gasped a breathy little moan that Steve savoured every moment of. Bucky's tongue swiped across Steve's bottom lip and his metal hand gripped his friend's waist and Steve forgot his own name.
It was hot and wet and desperate. Steve was crushed against the wall, eyes shut tightly, Bucky's hands roaming all over his body. The cool metal of Bucky's prosthetic slipped under Steve's shirt and pressed against the smooth skin of his back, tearing a shiver and a groan from the taller man. Bucky grinned against his lips, swallowing the frantic sounds. Steve wondered idly if there was far too much tongue involved for a fairly public area, but the thought was lost when Bucky gently bit down on his lip.
"Could you do this on your own time? I kind of need Steve to sign some papers," Tony said, sounding bored.
They jumped apart, faces flushed and embarrassed. Tony was leaning up against the glass door, arms crossed against his chest, a smirk on his face and a smile in his eyes. Bucky dared a glance at Steve, and God was Tony dignified in that all-knowing grin. The blonde's hair was a tousled mess, and his pupils were blown ridiculously, and his lips were slick and swollen and Bucky wanted to-
"Come on, Stark," Bucky whined without thinking. "I've been waiting eighty years for that."
Steve stared at him, a stupid grin on his face.
Tony chuckled. "Don't act all innocent. I'd have to be the biggest idiot alive to believe that you two haven't been at it like rabbits ever since Terminator here moved in. Just save it till after the Vice President is gone, alright?"
"Give us one minute, then he'll be back inside, deal?" Bucky supplied when Steve just gaped dumbly like a fish out of water. Tony gestured that he'd be counting before slipping back inside the room, making up some bullshit excuse for the political leaders inside. A lazy smile on his face, Bucky started to wordlessly fix up Steve's hair, grinning wider when his best friend practically purred and leaned into his touch.
"Were you serious before, Buck? You've wanted this since we were teenagers?" Steve said quietly once Bucky was done. The brunet straightened the Captain's collar, running his bionic hand down Steve's chest ever so gently.
"'Course I have. How could I not fall in love with ninety-five pounds of pure justice that was never smart enough to back down from a fight? And you turning into a goddamn knockout didn't exactly help, either. Not that you weren't gorgeous before, but-" Bucky pressed both hands to Steve's abdomen, causing the other man to blush. "-y'know."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Didn't think you felt the same way. And it was illegal back then, us being together. I just learned to live with it."
"So did I," Steve sighed. He tilted his head to look at Bucky, really look at him, the way he never did for fear of being caught staring. Happiness washed over him as he took in those sparkling grey-blue eyes, that goofy, lopsided grin, the curve of his breathtaking face. How the light played off his cheekbones, and the relaxed set of his jaw - because now, he could finally admire his best friend the way he'd always wanted to. "We're both idiots."
Bucky laughed richly. Then he pressed forward, laying the soft, sweet kind of kiss on Steve's lips that made him dizzy. It was short, but if it were any longer Steve was sure he'd have fainted. "I'll see you back at home?" Bucky asked, hands trailing mindlessly down Steve's arms.
"Absolutely."
Steve pressed his fingers to his lips in disbelief as his friend practically skipped down the hall, before smiling and going back inside to apologize to Tony and the Vice President, despite the fact that he was not sorry at all.
"They're so disgustingly cute together," Natasha said a week later, and it was as close to swooning she'd ever gotten. The infamous pair were in the kitchen of Peter and May's apartment, giggling and tussling like little kids as they prepared snacks for the movie night. Natasha sat on the dining room table watching them, legs swinging absentmindedly. "I feel responsible for condemning the world to such raw happiness. It's unnatural and overwhelming."
"Hey! This was my doing!" Peter huffed. "I was the one that first stuck that magnet on Mr Barnes' arm. This is all thanks to me."
"I didn't see you giving Barnes the long overdue pep talk that turned his life around," she responded. Peter crossed his arms over his chest, torn between not wanting to pick a fight with the most dangerous woman he'd ever met and knowing that if he hadn't stuck that smiley face on a certain metal arm, the Captain wouldn't have swooped in like a knight in shining armour and rode off into the sunset with a well-deserved happily ever after. His desire to prove himself won, and he shot the redhead a smile.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Miss Romanov," he dared, springing into the lounge room and stuffing himself between Tony and Bruce for protection. Natasha grinned, because she was beginning to like the kid, even if he didn't give her enough credit for giving Bucky a verbal slap across the face.
She got the credit she deserved from Bucky, though, when she was the first one he called a year later when he found the words 'MARRY ME?' splayed across his forearm.