...
This was a bad idea, this was a terrible idea. Steve hated going to Tony's parties, well he didn't really mind, he sort of loved them, they were fun, and there was a lot of drinking and dancing, but every time he watched woman after woman hit on Bucky all the while they all pointedly ignore him, but he didn't mind that they ignored him. What tore his intestines out through his mouth was the way Bucky smiled and laughed with them, the way they would push their bodies against Bucky when they danced, the way they pressed their lips to his before they left. This of course meant that Steve would get drunk on the contents of Tony's fathers liquor cabinet while he would covertly watch Bucky, feeling like absolute shit.
It was horrible being in love with his best friend. Being in love with his straight friend, who despite looking like a fucking model, and was the best person that Steve knew, did not have a girlfriend, but he often had a woman by his side at these parties, perhaps not when he arrived, but by about halfway without fail, he wasn't alone. But tonight isn't a party not really, it's just a few of them, which means tonight won't be like countless others.
"Pining already? You just go here." Nat smiles as she extracts the glass of rum and coke from Steve's grip and takes a sip. Steve sighs but doesn't say anything in reply. Nat is the only one that knows Steve is totally and completely in love with Bucky, not that he told her, but she knows everything, and could hardly miss Steve attempting to covertly watch Bucky with wide adoring eyes on a daily basis.
"He does look good at that shirt though, don't you wonder what he'd look like without it?" Nat asks after a few seconds of silence, her voice is low, ensuring that no one hears them, but she needn't bother, the music is pounding and there aren't many people here, Tony wanted it to be just the gang tonight.
"I don't need to wonder." Steve sighs.
"Oh Stevie." Nat grins teasingly. Of course she knows, Steve and Bucky have been friends almost the minute they started high school, and now in their final year, of course Steve has seen Bucky shirtless, and since he discovered he was absolutely infatuated with him, it had become a problem of Steve's, not to gape at Bucky. "Baby!" Nat yells, her voice a little slurred as the front door opens and Clint walks in. Pushing Steve's empty glass into his hand, she almost runs towards Clint, before wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing a warm kiss to his lips.
An hour and two bottles of vodka later, Steve is starting to wonder whether he hasn't had nearly enough to drink. Sharon is sitting with Nat and Pepper in the corner, laughing about something, Tony is enviously watching the three of them and Clint and Bucky are having a serious discussion in the corner. Sam stands beside Steve, and they both take another sip of their drinks while they wait for Tony, to be well, Tony.
"Party game time." Tony grins as he stands up from the couch and takes a sweeping look around the room, commanding everyone's attention.
"Aren't we a bit old for party games Ton?" Nat says, barely looking up from her conversation.
"Too old for party games and too young to die." Bucky mutters, smiling over at Steve who can't help but grin back. Bucky's bright blue eyes meet Steve's and Steve tightens his grip on his glass, smiling back until Bucky looks away, back at Clint who whispers something. Steve can't help it, he's been in love with Bucky for years, but for the last few months it has almost being unbearable, even looking at him... shit, what was Tony saying.
"Spin the bottle!" Tony announces as he waves to all of them. There is an audible groan throughout the room, and although Steve sighs, he's grinning inside, this could actually work in his favour. Sure he isn't deluded enough to think that Bucky would fall in love with him with a simple kiss, but it could mean that he could do what he had been imagining for over a year now, sure not all of it, but he would take what he could get.
Maybe this isn't the best idea, with them all being a little tipsy, but before anyone says anything, they are sitting in a circle, with an empty bottle of tequila in the middle. Bucky is sitting almost opposite Steve, and Steve smiles inwardly, he may actually get to kiss him.
Nat spins first, Tony does a drumroll and grins when it lands on Sharon. Sharon and Nat have a quick kiss and then Sam spins the bottle. Music is playing in the background, and everyone is still talking, but Steve cannot focus on anything, he is imagining what Bucky's lips will feel like.
Five turns later, and it's suddenly Steve's turn to spin the bottle. His hands are shaking, even though he desperately wills for them to stop.
"Will this be your first kiss?" Tony asks, with a sly smile. Steve sighs audibly before he places his fingers on the bottle, he almost closes his eyes before he spins, wanting to hesitate for a moment, wanting to prepare himself, but he can feel eyes on him, so he quickly spins it, watching it and wishing it lands on someone particular, but knowing that he isn't exactly lucky in that department.
Like at all.
Sure it may be his first kiss, but wouldn't that be perfect, his first kiss, would be with Bucky, how…
It stops, and Steve can barely breath, his heart is pounding against his chest and he is desperately trying not to give anything away, not to show what he is feeling, as he wills himself not to splay his emotions across his face.
The bottle is pointing at Bucky.
"You guys don't have to do it, you know if you're..." Nat starts as the rest of them 'ooh', and grin. Bucky and Steve look over at each other, shocked expressions but also smiles. Steve isn't shocked, he's hopeful but he doesn't want to show it.
"No we'll do it." Bucky interrupts, and Nat grins over at Steve, a grin that no one can read, no one but Steve. Steve sits still for a moment, wondering what to do. Bucky gives him a small smile, a smile that is no doubt supposed to relax him but does the opposite, now Steve is even more nervous. Trying desperately not to show it, Steve leans forward, sitting on his knees now as he leans towards the centre of the circle. Bucky meets him in the middle and quickly presses his mouth against Steve before pulling away. Clint whoops, Sam whistles and Steve ignores them both as he sits back down. It only lasted a second, but that was long enough, it was perfect, god, Steve has to fight the urge to place his fingers to his lips, his lips that just touched Bucky's…
Steve is still trying to calm himself down when a few spins later, the bottle points at him. His gaze shifts from the bottle as he scans the faces, wondering who spun it. When he sees the grin on Nat's face he knows, he knows exactly who spun the damn thing. Tony is sitting there smiling to himself, he just kissed Pepper, sure it only lasted a second just like Bucky and Steve's, but Steve can tell he is wanting a longer one.
"Oh second time boys." Sam says with a smile. Steve can barely hear him over the pounding of his heart. He can't believe it, he wishes, oh he wishes... Clearing his head enough so that he can lean forward, leaning across the circle, over the bottle and towards Bucky, towards Bucky who is smiling at him, Bucky who is being egged on by Nat, Steve could kiss Nat right now, and then Tony for suggesting this game, but no, Bucky comes first. And before Steve knows it, Bucky's lips are on his, his soft warm lips are against his, and Steve melts into him for only two seconds and then Bucky is pulling away and Steve pulls away, but they don't move far.
"No! You guys need to kiss kiss." Clint insists, after Nat sends him a look. Steve doesn't miss it, but he's pretty sure that everyone else did, or at least he hopes.
"What?" Steve asks, surprised that he can even talk. He is slowly sitting back down, glad he is wearing very tight jeans, hoping that nothing is showing, or at least obviously. He can still feel Bucky's lips against his, or at least the shadow of the kiss, and he is finding it very hard to focus on anything, but at the mention of another kiss, he can't not notice that...
"First time, quick peek. Second kiss kiss. Third tongue." Tony answers with a grin.
"That's shit Ton, you just want to..." Sam starts but promptly stops when Tony gives him a sharp dig into his ribs. "Okay yeah." Sam adds with a smile before taking another sip of orange juice, trying to sober up a little. He was loving this game, he'd kissed Nat, Clint and Sharon. The first two he didn't care about, but the third, he was hoping to kiss Sharon again, twice, perhaps three times... which meant this rule could work for him.
"Next time tongue Stevie." Bucky says with a grin, and Steve cannot even breathe. Bucky is smiling at him, looking into his blue eyes, a glint of mischievousness, and all Steve can imagine is what Bucky's... shit, no, he places his hands on his lap, and hopes to god no one can notice...
The bottle spins a few more times, but Steve cannot focus, he can't focus on anything, nothing but trying to remain seemingly nonchalant about the whole affair, which is proving completely and utterly fucking impossible. For years, he had imagined what Bucky would taste like, what his lips would feel like against his, what... oh this was not helping.
He spins the bottle again, and this time gets Pepper. He leans over the circle and kisses him quickly before sitting back down. The bottle spins a few more times before it lands on him again, this time he kisses Clint, while Nat wolf whistles.
A few more spins go by, and Bucky kisses Sharon, then Tony, and as the music continues, Steve starts to relax a little, starts to wonder…
The bottle points towards Bucky again, but it wasn't Steve who spun it. Steve has lost count of how many times Nat has spun it, but he knows this is the second time it has landed on Bucky. Bucky grins and raises his eyebrow, before leaning forward. Nat grins and crashes her lips against his. Steve watches, somewhat enviously, as they continue, and the kiss deepens, Nat's lips part slightly and Steve is memorised by Bucky, but also wants to look away, this is not helping at all...
"Hey third is tongue not second." Sharon smiles and Bucky gives Clint an apologetic smile but he just laughs and Nat gives him a quick kiss before leaning her head against his shoulder, her hand in his. Steve is still trying to not think of Bucky, or his lips, or how his... taking a sip of Sam's drink, Steve breathes out slowly, as Pepper spins the bottle.
"Wait no, how about we raise the stakes?" Nat declares, placing her hand on the bottle, stopping it mid spin as she smiles over at Steve before her gaze slides to Tony, for a second he looks agitated, wondering if he just missed out on another chance to kiss Pepper, but then a lazy grin spreads across his features, quickly concealing his look of agitation.
"What do you have in mind?" Tony answers smoothly. Steve is starting to think that maybe this wouldn't be the best idea… kissing Bucky was not helping the way he was looking at Bucky by any measures, and if they turned the heat up, he might ruin the only relationship that he has really ever cared about… well not only, but by far the most important.
"Seven minutes in heaven." Nat says, as a small sound catches in the back of Steve's throat. Then again, he thinks hopefully, it could be the best thing that has ever happened….
"Things. Just. Got. Interesting!" Clint is shouting now, as Nat hits him lightly for yelling in her ear, Clint simply tightens his grip and pulls her closer to him before he kisses her quickly on the forehead. Steve is staring at Tony now, somewhat intensely, as Tony attempts to make a decision.
"But what if we..." Pepper starts before Sharon sends her a glare, stopping her short.
"You can decline, if you know, you aren't game..." Bucky says with a grin, and Steve swears that when he meets his eyes, that Bucky's expression changes, just for a moment, his smile falters, but as suddenly as it appeared, splayed across his features for a fraction of a second, it's gone, and Steve doesn't know what to think… especially when Bucky's tongue slips between his lips and he drags it across his bottom lip, as his gaze falls on the wall, not looking at anyone, anything, and suddenly seven minutes in heaven is the best idea ever.
"Oh my god I love this song!" Nat yells as she leaps to her feet, almost trips over Tony who groans as she reaches the stereo and cranks up the volume.
The beat is just starting, but Nat already knows what song it is, she may be slightly drunk but that doesn't mean she isn't ever listening… the singing starts and Tony groans louder…
Oh Mickey you're so fine you're so fine you blow my mind hey mickey, hey mickey…. The stereo blares and Tony shakes his head.
The remote must be in Tony's hand as the volume suddenly sinks, but within a few seconds the remote is been twirled in Nat's fingers and the volume is once again cranked up. Sam simply shakes his head and spins the bottle, his fingers crossed by his side as he watches it spin.
"Well Sammy…" Clint grins as the bottle stops in front of him, he wiggles his eyebrows as Sam's hopeful smile drops and he sighs.
"You boys have fun." Nat smiles, her hand finding Clint's for a second as she squeezes it and then pushes him towards the closet as Tony whistles, and Steve sits there still trying not to embarrass himself, as he wonders if he will actually end up with Bucky in the closet… god he hopes so.
The song continues as Nat spins the bottle again, and Steve finds him humming along as he leans backwards, watching the bottle spin as he starts to sing, starts to sing outside of his head without thinking, he is singing quietly, so quietly and yet…
"What did you just say?" Bucky asks, looking at Steve, an odd look splayed across his features.
"Fucking hell it works!" Nat exclaims with a grin. Steve still hasn't quite worked out what he was singing, or that the two of them had heard him. The remote is dropped to the floor, the music is blaring now and Nat pulls Bucky to his feet as she begins to sing, "Hey Bucky you're so fine, you're so fine, you blow my mind hey Bucky, hey Bucky." Bucky is laughing and grinning, and the rest of them stop, the bottle lands on Sharon but no one is paying attention, as Nat drags Pepper to her feet and before Steve knows it, Bucky is holding a hand out to him and pulling him off the ground. The neighbours will no doubt be pissed, but as Nat starts singing at the top of her lungs, "Hey Pepper you're so fine…" none of them seem to care.
Bucky's hand is no longer clasping Steve's but as the six of them dance, the music still blaring, Bucky grins at Steve, a grin that curls Bucky's lips and crinkles his eyes and makes Steve blush, blush at the way Bucky's eyes are on him, and he wants to stop dancing, but as Bucky's mouth opens, he finds that he can't stop dancing, as he can't think. Nat is silent for a moment as Bucky starts to sing, "Hey Stevie you're so fine." Steve can't help the grin that smacks itself on his face, and as Nat, Pepper, Tony and Sharon join in, he dances, his eyes fixed to the floor, as he hopes to god his jeans are tight enough.
The song is playing for the second time, and the six of them are still dancing, Steve drawing slowly closer and closer to Bucky's side when he hears voices behind them. Tony's hand is resting on Pepper's hip as he smiles down at her, somewhat shyly, and as Steve turns he finds Sam standing behind him, his eyebrow raised questioningly, but Steve just smiles and shrugs. As Steve turns back, Clint's arm is wrapped around Nat's waist as he sings, "Hey Natasha" even though it doesn't fit, and she smiles goofily back at him before shutting him up with a kiss.
Tony spins the bottle, even though it isn't his turn, but no one really cares, and he lets out a whoop of excitement, which is hurriedly concealed, when it lands on Pepper. The grin on her face makes Steve laugh, and as the two of them head towards the closet, Steve wiggles his eyebrows at Bucky who grins and continues to dance.
Seven minutes later the bottle spins again.
This time Nat gets Bucky.
The music is playing, and everyone is dancing, even Steve, but his heart isn't in it. Despite himself, he keeps glancing over at the closet he knows that Nat and Bucky are squished into. The music blares, Pepper laughs, and Steve takes a swig of the last bottle of vodka. Clint is dancing with Sam and Sharon, and Steve is leaning against the back of the couch, not staring at the closet, simply watching the five of them dancing, wondering whether he'll get Bucky, wonder if the bottle will even land on him again.
When the timer goes off, the closet door is still shut. The others don't notice, Tony is dancing as the rest of them watch him, wondering whether or not he will remember crumping in the morning. Another minute passes, and Steve gaze keeps finding its way back to the door.
"Oh Stev-o." Clint smiles as he leans against the couch beside him, prying the bottle of vodka from Steve's drink before sealing it and dropping it on the couch behind.
"God don't you fucking start as well." Steve moans. He knows he looks pathetic, god he feels pathetic, pining after his best friend, although he thought he was far better at hiding it. But then again, with Bucky's lips against his not even an hour ago, how could he hide how he felt?
"I didn't say a word." Clint says, a smile still on his face, a smile far to knowing for Steve's liking. The music quietens as the song ends and in the moment of silence Steve can make out a giggle from the closet, Clint follows his gaze and pats Steve on the back. The door opens and Nat all but falls out, her hair slightly frizzy and the shoulder of her shirt slipping down her arm. Behind her, Bucky is grinning, his hair ruffled and the buttons on his shirt done up wrong, he missed the bottom one, and his whole shirt is lopsided. Nat giggles again, an odd sound coming out of her mouth Steve decides, as she notices, and before Steve can breathe, she is unbuttoning it.
The next song starts and Nat shrieks, "This is totally my jam!"
"Your jam?" Bucky asks as Nat grabs his hand and drags him towards the rest of them, his shirt apparently forgotten about, still unbuttoned, as Clint grins at Steve as Steve's lips part, his are resting on the top of Bucky's black boxers that are just above his jeans. Dropping Bucky's hand, Nat rushes towards Clint, her legs wrapping around his waist as she pushes her lips against his.
Steve just has time to move out of their way, and as his hand reaches out to grab the vodka bottle, Bucky's voice interrupts him, "My spin right?" The question isn't just for Steve, but as he turns and Bucky's eyes meet his he can't help but nod stupidly.
"Everyone gather round." Bucky asks, and Nat sighs, before untangling herself for Clint, and standing obediently beside Steve in the circle. The bottle spins, and Steve cannot breath, he isn't really sure why, perhaps it's the way Clint is making suggestive faces at him that no one else can see, or maybe it's because of the way Bucky is staring down at the bottle as it spins, his teeth brushing across his lower lip, his briefs poking over the top of his jeans, his shirt still unbuttoned.
The bottle stops.
As does Steve's heart.
The bottle isn't pointing at anyone, not really. It is pointing between Steve and Sharon, and the look in Bucky's eyes, when his blues meet Steve's doesn't help Steve at all.
"Spin again or-" Tony asks, missing the obvious tension in his drunken haze, his fingers are linked with Pepper's, so at this point he is past caring about anyone else tonight.
"Can I pick?" Bucky asks, his voice edged with something other than a dash of alcohol, Steve isn't sure what it is, but as he continues to ignore the faces Clint is making at him, he lets out a breath he wasn't entirely sure he knew he was holding. Steve's shoulders sag and he leans back against the couch, wondering how on earth he could ever think that Bucky could possibly… but something interrupts that thought, a single word, a single word that never sounds more perfect than when it does bouncing off Bucky's tongue, "Steve."
Clint whoops and Nat grins as she turns up the music, taking the focus away from them. Bucky is looking over at Steve, almost hesitantly, but as Steve gives him a small smile, Bucky smiles back. "Feels like I haven't spoken to you all night." Steve says.
Bucky offers a "yeah" in reply, as the two of them head towards the closet. Steve wants to say something, needs to say something more, but he is still thinking something up as he steps into the closet. Bucky shuts the door behind him, letting the darkness wraps around them as Steve's heart pounds against his ribs and he wonders whether Bucky didn't pick Sharon since Sam so obviously likes her, or if perhaps it was because the two of them would just be able to chat for seven minutes in the closet, no pressure for anything else.
"So uhh..." Steve starts nervously. Bucky is looking at him, his eyes inquisitive in the darkened closet. Sure Tony has a huge house, but he wanted to be traditional, so it had to a bloody small closet.
"This is.." Bucky starts, his voice is shaking slightly. Maybe it's the way his hands shake or the way he isn't able to look Steve in the eye, or maybe it's the nervous smile on his lips, or perhaps it's the alcohol that Steve is full of, urged forward by hormones and the memory of Bucky's lips against his, Steve finally has the nerve to say it, to tell him. "Was I your first kiss?" Bucky asks after a few seconds.
"That bad huh?" Steve replies with a small smile, he is already losing his nerve. This is Bucky, he can't tell him, he can't tell him that he loves him, that he is in love with him. That whenever he sees him his heart pounds and he feels like grinning from ear to ear, that he can barely focus sometimes, that he...
"No, I just meant, well you're always really vague-" Bucky answers. There is that shaking of his hands again, and he isn't looking Steve in the eye, his eyes sort of glide of Steve, making him feel flustered before Bucky looks down at the ground. Steve takes a deep breath, he has to tell him, he has to do this, he can't not.
"Yes. This was my first kiss. And while I don't really have much experience under my belt, you're a really good kisser. Like really good, and I mean we're in here for seven minutes, and you're a good kisser and I well..." Steve starts, his voice shaking. God he hopes no one has their ear pressed against the door, or left a phone in here to hear them. This is embarrassing enough and as his voice catches, and he looks up at Bucky who is staring at him, his blue eyes intense and wonderful, and he is holding Steve in his gaze and Steve can't think. He can't remember what he was going to say, all he wants to do is be held in Bucky's gaze, to be here, in this moment, and melt against Bucky...
"Steve." Bucky's voice is hesitant, and he looks uncertain before he takes a small breath and shakes his head. Steve opens his mouth but Bucky shakes his head again. "I sorta kinda love you, not like in a 'you're my brother' way, well yeah I sorta do, but also in a 'I want to do things to you in this closet' sort of way." Bucky adds, he talks fast, his voice shaking as he stares straight at Steve who can do nothing but gape at him. Sure he imagined that Bucky would feel the same way, but he never thought it was at all plausible and yet...
Bucky kisses Steve before he can answer, before he can even formulate his thoughts into words, and Steve is suddenly linking his arms around Bucky's neck to pull him close as Bucky's lips are on Steve's, caressing and tugging at Steve, demanding more, needing more. He can tell that at first Bucky is unsure how Steve feels, but with his arms around his neck, Steve's mouth pressed against his, with Steve's tongue slipping between Bucky's lips, Bucky is no longer unsure. Without words he knows Steve feels the exact same way.
Bucky's hands settle on Steve's waist, holding him firmly, Steve doesn't think, he just pushes Bucky against the door, he doesn't care if they can hear them outside, he presses his body against his as Bucky deepens the kiss. Steve moans his appreciation at that, and at the way Bucky's tongue brushes against his. Through the door music is playing, and the others are still dancing, waiting for the seven minutes to be over, but for Steve, he's on a different plane, behind the door isn't even there, all there is this closet, Bucky's lips and the way his body feels against his.
"I love you." Steve breathes against Bucky's lips as he pulls apart for air. He didn't realise that one hand is pushing Bucky's shirt over his shoulders, or that the other is running through Bucky's hair, or that Bucky is pulling him towards him, his fingers hooked on the front of Steve's jeans. Bucky smiles, oh he smiles that smile that Steve loves, and Steve cannot do anything when Bucky flips them, and the groan that forms at the top of Steve's throat is more pleasure than pain as he back hits the door, and without a thought he crashes his lips back against Bucky's as he grins against Bucky's mouth, a grin that is transformed into a moan as their hips align.
"Wait." Steve says breathlessly, pulling his lips from Bucky's. "Did you and Nat…" he doesn't want to ask, but he can't help the words that tumble out of his mouth, he almost looks as desperate as he feels, he knows Nat is dating Clint, he knows, but right now, he can't think, and for a second he regrets saying it, but Bucky just smiles.
"No, she thought it would be funny to mess with you." Bucky answers, pressing his forehead against Steve's, their lips almost touching, and Steve can barely think, let alone breath, as Bucky boxes him in even more, his hands now resting on Steve's hips, slowly edging his shirt up, exposing more skin as Bucky's fingers grip into him, almost as if he needs to remind himself this is real, almost as if he wants this as much as Steve, and god, he does.
"Then why did you take so-" Steve starts, the question escaping his lips before he can stop it, he knows he sounds needy, but he doesn't care, with his body pressed against Bucky's, he knows Bucky can feel how needy he is, and for the first time in his life, he can feel that Bucky wants him just as much as he wants him.
"We watched that video you showed me in calc." Bucky breathes, the words coming out much faster than they need to, but Bucky doesn't bother with the rest of the sentence as his lips are against Steve's, hot and demanding, and without thinking he rolls his hips, and Steve finds himself moaning before he nibbles on Bucky's lip, turning the soft sigh travelling up Bucky's throat into a moan as his eyelids flutter, and his fingertips dig into Steve's skin.
…
The timer goes off, and the seven minutes is up, but Steve and Bucky don't hear it beep, they don't hear Tony's voice telling them their time is up, because as far as they're concerned they're just getting started.
Another few minutes passes, but so lost in each other's lips, each other's touch, each other's taste, time isn't linear in the closest, they don't notice that they've doubled their time.
Nat is loudly knocking on the door for a full thirty second before the door opens a split and Bucky's face pops through the gap, he grins at Nat, a hickey already darkening on his neck. "We'll just be a minute."
Nat stands there for a second, taking it all in, as a slow smile etches itself across her face before she asks, "Did he tell you?" Bucky is trying his best to keep his expression as neutral as he can and keep the rest of his body hidden behind the door, and pauses at Nat's question.
"Huh?" Bucky asks, his eyes searching Nat's expression for the question, but all he can focus on now is Steve's hands.
"Who confessed their undying love first?" Nat asks, the slow smile only grows as she takes in all she can of the little that Bucky is showing through the crack in the door, the smile on his lips now, the clarity and utter calm in his eyes, is making her want to hug him with happiness.
"Uh.." Bucky starts, his brain far too slowly catching up, but who can blame him, with the memory of Steve's lips against his still fresh in his mind, and his hands still on him.
"Technically Buck." Steve's breathless voice replies from within the closet.
"I fucking knew it!" Nat declares, her voice is slurred, but only slightly, and she grins at Bucky before she turns on her heel and makes a beeline to Sam, her hand placed out in front of her as she does so, "Sammy, you and Barton owe me 20 bucks."
"Buck told him?" Pepper asks, and Nat nods in reply. Without words, Pepper turns to Tony with a grin and sticks her hand out in front of her.
"Those assholes took bets?" Steve's voice comes from the cupboard again, and Sam can hear the annoyed expression that is no doubt forming on Steve's face especially as Bucky laughs. "How did they all know?" Steve adds with a groan.
Steve's annoyance only grows when Tony sighs, "Goddammit "just loud enough for Steve and Bucky to hear, before he clambers off the couch in search for his wallet. From the cupboard Nat can hear Bucky laugh as Steve sighs, before the door shuts, and a few seconds later there is another thud, then a soft sound that is quickly concealed.
"I was so sure Stev-o would be the one to crack." Clint is saying as Nat drops onto the couch beside him, a victorious grin dancing across her expression. Back in the closest Steve's lips are curled into a smile as they press against Bucky's lips, the kiss hot and demanding, as Steve can taste Bucky, and as his fingers grip into his hips and pull him closer, he wonders why they waited so god damn long.
"Now Pepper…" Tony starts, his wallet in one hand and smirk on his lips. Sam is reluctantly handing Nat the money he owes her before handing Sharon a glass of water, and giving her a shy smile.
"I won fair and square, pay up Ton." Pepper cuts him off with a shake of her head.
"I will, I will, but.." Tony's head is shaking, not shaking in disagreement, shaking with, Sam's lips part as he watches the two of them, wondering how he didn't see this coming.
"God what's the clause?" Pepper moans, her hand is still held out in front of her, and she can't notice the way Nat's lip is curling or the look that Clint and Nat exchange behind her. Tony is drunk sure, but the look on his face isn't due to drinking, it's something else, something she can't quite figure out with her mind a little fuzzy.
"Out with me tomorrow night?" Tony says, the words coming out too quickly, so he bites down on the inside of his cheek wondering if he should start again.
"Sur- what like on a date?" Pepper asks, her eyebrow slightly raised as she watches Tony, completely ignorant of the grin on Clint's face now or how four of them are watching her and Tony, waiting. In the closet, Bucky pauses for a moment, his eyes raking of Steve's face as he grins down at him, still for a moment, wondering how this night even happened, how any of this could be real.
"If you wouldn-" Tony starts, but Pepper swallows the rest of the question as Tony's wallet falls to the floor and his arms go to Pepper's waist as she presses her lips against his, soft and tender, before she is snaking her arms around his neck, a smile on her lips as Tony reciprocates, his kisses more rushed and hungry, but perfect all the same. Clint whoops and Sam groans.
"You owe me 50 Wilson." A voice comes from the closet causing Sam to groan only louder. "Ow." The voice adds in a softer tone, as Steve hits Bucky for yelling in his ear. Next to Sam, Nat makes a soft sigh and hands Clint back the money she gave him, before Clint pushes himself off the couch and takes the twenty bucks that Sharon begrudgingly places on his palm.
"I'll kiss it better." Steve breathes, his lips brushing against Bucky's skin, and Bucky's eyelids flutter before his hands roam Steve's skin, no longer caring what is happening outside of the closest. If it wasn't for the marks Steve was leaving in his skin, the feel of Steve's skin against his or the fact that he could still taste him, Bucky would have sworn this was just a dream, some elaborate fantasy his drunken mind had made up, but as his eyes locked on Steve's he knew that it wasn't. The smile that curved Steve's lips and the texture of his palm against his skin, gave him utter surety that this was all real, that this was happening.
And for the first time in his life, Bucky was perfectly and utterly content.
...