“C’mon Steve, just get out there!” Bucky shoved his friend lightly. “Buck, you know I can’t dance. And besides, I’m not really feeling it tonight” Steve looked up at his friend from the spot he was standing. Bucky stayed silent. “You know I got two left feet! Just go on, I’ll see you later, Buck.” Steve turned around to head back to their apartment, only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder. “No. I’m coming with you.” Said Bucky, “Then c’mon then, it’s getting cold and I don’t wanna be here anyway” They started down the alleyway to the apartment.
Bucky pulled his friend into his side, “Can I ask you something?” Steve nodded, “Anything, Buck. I don’t care.” “Why don’t you wanna go dancing? It’s been for the past couple weeks now, I’m kinda worrying about ya,”
Steve stopped at the doorway, unlocking the door to the apartment. “I told you, Bucky, I just can’t dance. And I didn’t wanna embarrass you in front of the girls” He hung his coat, slowly sitting down on the couch. Bucky took a seat in the small leather chair. “There’s no way you can embarrass me, Steve,” he paused for a second. “But I’ve seen you go out on so many dates with so many girls, but none of ‘em seem to stick with you.” Steve stared at the ground.
He stood up. “Listen, let’s just not talk about it right now. The only reason is I can’t dance. I’ve got two left feet, Buck. Have since we were in grade school.” Bucky stood up, grabbing his hand. It sent a pulse through Steve’s body. “If ya can’t dance, I can just teach ya.”
Steve stared in shock as Bucky twisted his arm around Steve's small waist. “You put your hands around the girls waist like this,” he continued. “And you put your hands around my neck, like the girl would.” He grabbed Steve’s hands, placing them around his neck.
“Now, it’s real simple. You just move your legs to the beat.” Bucky guided their feet along, earning some good steps on the toes from Steve.
“Sorry,” Steve would repeatedly say. Bucky giggled, continuing to show Steve the different moves. “See, not so hard huh? It’s easy. Once you stop stepping on their feet and get the hang of it.” Steve looked down, smiling. “Thanks, Buck. But I think that’s enough for tonight, your feet are gonna be sore tomorrow if I don’t stop.”
They both sat down, Bucky laughing a bit as he placed himself back in the leather chair. Steve exhaled, smiling a bit. They sat in silence for a while, Steve still processing what had just happened.
“You know you can tell me anything, right Steve?” Steve nodded, resting his elbows on his knees. “Is it someone else? Everyone I’ve set ya up with you seem to have no interest in. You like someone else?” Steve froze. Should I tell him? He thought. Bucky was his best friend. He could tell him anything.
Steve slowly nodded his head.
“I knew it!” Bucky exclaimed. “Who is she? Do I know her?” Steve paused, looking up at Bucky. “Is-is it a guy? If it is it’s okay Steve, you can like who ya like. It’s not gonna change how I see you”
Steve nodded again. He studied the expressions of his friends face as he said that, examining the blue of his eyes, and the curvature of his lips. He smiled a bit. “Yeah, it’s a guy. He’s real sweet.” Bucky smiled. “Have I met him before? Do I know him?” Steve shook his head. “Buck, I don’t think you’ve met him.”
“Hmm, well tell me a bit about him. Gotta make sure he’s good for my Steve” Bucky joked, cracking another beautiful smile. Steve leaned back, taking in a breath. “Well, uh. He’s real sweet. I’ve known him for a while. I just-“ Steve paused. “I’ve liked him for a while, you know? And I’m not sure he, y’know, likes me back.”
Bucky sat for a second, his brow slightly furrowed. Steve put his face in his hands, “God, I sound like a little kid.” Bucky rested his hand on Steve’s knee. “No, no. I get it. This guy seems real nice.”
Their faces were inches apart. They sat in silence, Steve trying not to make eye contact with Bucky. “Can I ask you something? Again?” Steve nodded. “Buck, you don’t gotta ask. Just ask me.”
“Is it me?”
Horror spread throughout Steve’s body. He stared up at Bucky, eyes wide. “Buck . . .” He trailed off. He could tell him. Bucky wouldn’t leave him. They’d been friends for too long. He could.
Steve slowly nodded his head, terrified. Bucky stared into his eyes. “Oh, Steve.” Bucky stood up, grabbing Steve’s hand and pulling him into a hug. “Steve, it’s okay. It really is.” Bucky grabbed Steve’s shoulders, looking him in the eye.
“You know something? I like you too. A lot.” Bucky smiled a little. “I like how you’re smaller than me, so I feel obligated to protect you. I like the color of your eyes. I like how you don’t NEED me to protect you. I like you.” Steve stared, something he seemed to be doing a lot at the moment. “God, we’re so fucking cliche. Two best friends fall in love and confess it on a cold winter night, after the other has been dropping hints for some time now.” Bucky smiled widely.
“Yeah. That’s how we’ve always been. The cliche best friends.” Steve said. Bucky wrapped his hands around Steve’s petite figure, kissing him slowly. Steve smiled into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Bucky’s neck.
Bucky started to slowly sway them from side to side. Steve rested his head on Bucky’s chest.
They stayed like that for a while. “You know, your footings gotten a lot better in the span of 15 minutes,” Steve lifted his head from Bucky’s chest, looking up at him. “Yeah, I’ve only stepped on your feet 9 times.” “Counting, are we?” They smiled at each other.
“Well, it is almost midnight, and the heater isn’t working. So, I don’t know about you, but I’m grabbing some extra blankets and heading to bed.” Steve watched Bucky head down the small hallway, to his bedroom.
Steve changed into a different shirt, not bothering to put on pajama pants. He walked to Bucky’s room in boxers, regardless that it was currently 20 degrees in their apartment. He knocked lightly on the door, opening it. “Hey, Buck, are you up?” He opened the door, revealing Bucky laying on his twin bed. Bucky rolled over, looking at Steve. “Hey. Yeah, what’s up?” Steve walked over, sitting down on the end of his bed.
“I just wanted to say thank you. I was so worried you weren’t going to like me and you’d just stop talking to me and-“ Bucky sat up, cutting Steve off. “Steve, I would never do that. Even if I didn’t like you, I’ve known you since you were that small kid on the playground in elementary. I wouldn’t ever do that to you.” Steve smiled.
“C’mon, sleep in here tonight. It’s cold as hell in here. Two people equals two times the body heat, am I right?” Steve laughed.
“Are ya sure? I can sleep in my room.” “If I wanted you to sleep in your room I wouldn’t have asked you.” Bucky lifted up the duvet and three small blankets. “C'mon,” Steve crawled under the blankets, Bucky throwing them back over the both of them. He felt Bucky’s arm snake around his body. Steve wrapped HIS arm around Bucky, burying his head in Bucky’s shoulder.
And they lay like that, warming each other under the blankets from the cold. Bucky slightly snoring, rocking Steve to sleep. In each other’s embrace, til the end of time.