December 15: "YOU DON'T LIKE MARSHMALLOWS IN YOUR HOT CHOCOLATE? WHY DO YOU HATE LOVE"
Bucky and Steve had their differences. Bucky was tall and muscular, and Steve was short and bony; Bucky had dark hair that always looked immaculate and Steve had golden yellow hair that was always messed up due to his fingers running through it; Bucky liked girls and Steve liked Bucky. They also had their similarities. They both enjoyed baseball; both of them loved to listen to jazz music; they both loved hot chocolate.
Steve had been the hot chocolate maker since they became friends. Sarah had an amazing recipe for hot chocolate that she had shared with Steve that was to die for and Steve refused to share it with Bucky. So Steve was in charge of their beloved drink. during the winter months, every evening after supper, Steve would make them both a cup of creamy hot chocolate that was topped with those tiny marshmallows that made life worth living and they would drink it as they watched a movie together, or just talked about their day.
Steve always assumed that Bucky liked his hot chocolate the way Steve made it because Bucky had never complained about it, but that all fell apart one day when they were visiting Natasha. Steve was in the living room and Bucky was in the kitchen with Natasha where she was making them cups of hot chocolate when he heard Bucky say it.
"Can you leave the marshmallows out of mine?" He asked. "I don't like them in my hot chocolate."
It was a very simple phrase that shouldn't have shocked Steve so much, but he sat reeling from the unexpected information. Bucky didn't like marshmallows? He drank them in his hot chocolate every night and never complained or said anything about it. It was like Steve's world had turned upside down.
He was still sitting in shock when Natasha and Bucky came back into the room with their drinks. He shook himself out of his confusion and tried to continue having normal conversation. He could see Natasha and Bucky giving him strange looks at his behavior, nut he couldn't help it. why was he acting so weird about this?
They talked with Natasha for another hour or so until it started to get dark outside. Steve and Bucky said their goodbyes and then both started the short trek home. They didn't say much on the way home, but that was not unusual for them. It was a comfortable silence, just them walking side by side with their arms bumping against each other.
When they reached their apartment, Steve immediately went about preparing their dinner-vegitable soup-while Bucky started tidying their all apartment. By the time Bucky finished, the soup was simmering on the stove and Steve was changing into his warmest pajamas.
There was more talking during dinner, Bucky telling him the local gossip from work and Steve doing the same with the people he worked for. They got through dinner with no notable incidents and afterwards Bucky suggested they watch a movie. Per usual, Bucky picked the movie and Steve made their drinks.
Steve nervously stood at the stove as he contemplate what to do. Why was this such a big deal? He decided to just make it like he usually did and wait for a reaction.
Once they were sitting on the couch with drinks in hand, Steve watched Bucky closely as he took a drink of his hot chocolate with those tiny marshmallows covering the top and...nothing. He just looked up and grinned at Steve and said, "I've got to say, your's is definitely better than Natasha's."
Steve felt his brow furrow and he blurted out, "I thought you liked marshmallows."
Bucky froze with his mug just touching his lips drink his face turning an interesting shade of red. "Um I-What?" he stuttered out.
Steve turned his body until he was looking Bucky straight on. "When we were at Natasha's, you asked for no marshmallows in your hot chocolate, but with me you always just smile and drink it. What gives?" He said.
Bucky's face continued to turn a darker shade of red and he had such an embarrassed look on his face that Steve nearly just told him to forget it and drop the subject, but before he could, Bucky spoke up.
"It is really dumb." He said.
Steve crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Since when have I cared about that kind of thing?" He asked.
Bucky groaned. "Okay, I'll tell you. Just promise not to laugh." he said and only continued after Steve promised. "After we first met and I came over for the first time and your mom made us hot chocolate, your mom asked us if we wanted marshmallows in our hot chocolate." He paused and gave a pointed look at Steve. "You started waxing poetic about how amazing marshmallows were and how anyone who didn't like marshmallows in their hot chocolate was a villain I panicked and agreed with you because I kind of had a little crush in you and so here we are."
Steve tried to hold it in, he really did, but laughter came bubbling from his chest anyway and soon he whole body was shaking in laughter.
Bucky huffed at Steve's laughter, but he couldn't stay upset for long and soon, he too was wracked with laughs. They laughed until both their sides ached and there was one too many droplets of hot chocolate on their couch.
After his laughs quieted down, Steve wiped tears from the corners of his eyes. "I can honestly say that that is the dumbest reason to drink something you didn't like in the whole word." he said.
Bucky was still giggling a little bit. "Hey! I was trying to impress you." he said.
Steve raised both eyebrows at his friend. "And are you still trying to impress me?" he asked, gesturing to Bucky's mug.
Bucky flushed again and looked down. "Shut up." He said, embarrassed.
Steve found himself blushing too. "That's sweet, Buck, but you don't need to do that to impress me." he said. "You impress me by just being you."
Bucky looked up to meet Steve's eyes and said, "Really?"
"Really." Steve gave an encouraging smile. "You've always impressed me."
Bucky grinned brightly at Steve before turning back to the TV. "So, do you still want to watch the movie or-?"
"Wait." Steve interrupted. "You had a crush on me?" he asked.
"Yeah, 'had'." Bucky huffed under his breath, obviously not expecting Steve to hear. "Maybe."
Steve got a wicked grin on his face before he grabbed Bucky's chin in his hand and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. He pulled back and looked into Bucky's wide opened, shocked eyes. "I had a crush on you too." He said.
Bucky seemed to catch up to reality. "Wait, 'had'?" He asked.
Steve glanced down at Bucky lips quickly. "It may be a little more recent than that." He said.
"Good, me too." Bucky said before pressing their lips together again. He pulled back to whisper, "Does this mean I can drink my hot chocolate without marshmallows now?" He asked before continuing their kiss.
Steve pulled away suddenly. "Oh yeah, I nearly forgot." He took a deep breath before continuing. "How can you not like marshmallows in your hot chocolate. It is like heaven on your tongue." he said. "The marshmallows complete the drink. Drinking it without them should be a sin. I should-"
This time it was Steve who was interrupted by Bucky's lips on his. He didn't mind.
Part of a 25 part Christmas AU series.