It was 4:58 pm, aka late.
I grabbed a comb from the top of the dresser and gave my hair a quick touch up, then adjusted it again. Maybe I was obsessing. But, it was Bucky's birthday party. I'm his best friend, so I guess I just want to look my best.
As I straightened my tie, I looked at myself in the mirror. I had put on my best suit- the one that had obviously struck something in Bucky, causing him to push me into a corner (literally) and pay for it with our rent money.
With a sigh, I walked to the front door and grabbed my coat. Feeling urgent, I ran back to my bedroom to look at myself one last time in the mirror. I licked my finger and slicked back a strand of hair that had fallen into my face, possibly during my flurry to the front door. I spritzed a bit of my (as well as Bucky's) favorite cologne onto my wrists and neck, and, with a little bit of self-assurance, I grabbed the keys and walked out the front door.
Perfection never hurts, right?
When I arrived at the party, I was stunned by the venue. Bucky wasn't typically a frugal person, but this-this was definitely a splurge. I decided I was going to have to talk to him about our financial situation after the party was over. Oh well, it is his birthday after all.
I walked up the staircase, still in awe of the building. When I reached the top, I was greeted by a man in a tux. "Would you like me to take your coat for you, sir?"
"Uh, yes, please. Thank you." I took off my coat and fumbled in my pocket, searching for a tip. He insisted that he didn't need anything, so I reluctantly stopped looking. I gave him a small smile, and continued on my way to the main doors.
Inside, there was an actual jazz band that was performing. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, somehow heightening the glamour of the room, even when I thought it couldn't get any better. I scanned the room, looking for Bucky, but to no avail. I started to get nervous, until a hush washed over the crowd as they turned their attention toward the grand staircase. There was Bucky, dressed head-to-toe in the remainder of their rent money. Well, guess that's the last of it. I thought to myself. After my small mourning session for any future in financial stability, I pulled myself out of my misery, told our rent money to rest in peace, and directed my attention to Bucky.
"Good evening, everyone!" said Bucky, stumbling a little as he took a step forward. "I, the host of this party and! and, the leading man of this day, March 10, would like to formally-" he hiccuped.
Oh, God. He's drunk. This can't be good. I cleared my throat, and tried to find some sort of reassurance that this evening wasn't going to end in a disaster.
"-welcome you all to my birthday party!"
The crowd cheered, and Bucky bowed in self appreciation. "Thank you, thank you, you're all so kind. You know-" He took a sip of the glass of champagne he was holding. "As I've gotten older, and not to mention wiser, I've come to learn the meaning of life."
Bucky was failing horribly at trying to look the least bit serious. "As the Chinese philosopher Confusion, as I like to call him," The crowd let out a small chuckle. "-says that, to really appreciate life, like," He made a dramatic gesture with his hands. "really appreciate it, you have to be drunk enough that you forget about all the bad stuff in life!"
Everyone laughed. "No no no, it's tr- it's true!" Bucky was struggling to not crack up. "See? Look at- look at me. Now, how many of you- raise your hands, raise your hands- think that I'm...drunk?"
Everyone in the room raised their hands, breaking out in laughter as Bucky raised his hand with them. "Alright, alright, now! Who isn't drunk here?" No hands went up. Bucky laughed. "Ok, so now, how many of you, how many of you, bet that I'm gonna have the worst hangover in the history of hangovers tomorrow morning?"
Bucky raised his hand with the already hysterically laughing crowd. I was beyond worried by now. I began to push my way past some people, trying to make my way to Bucky.
When I finally reached the landing where Bucky was standing, he smiled and gave me a hug. "Steve! Hey, pal!"
I put my mouth to his ear. "Buck! What do you think you're doing! You're drunk! You're gonna do stuff you'll regret later and feel terrible in the morning!" He laughed, and turned to the crowd. "Everyone!" The crowd looked up. "This is my best, best, friend, Steve. I'm sure you all know about him. You know, Captain Rogers, serving in the army. What a gorgeous man." He ran a finger under my chin, sending shivers down my spine. Everyone in the room let out an "oooooh!"
I was panicking. "Buck! What do you think you're doing!" I whispered, a little more nervously now.
He laughed again, and turned his attention to the crowd. "Now, what a letdown! Ladies and gentlemen, did you hear that? He says that I should be careful not to drink too much because I'm gonna feel sick in the morning. I mean, just listen to that negative point of view! Why, my friends, if someone starts spilling all of that out of their mouth, what do you think they need?"
The crowd shrugged their shoulders in reply, and talked quietly amongst themselves. Bucky waved his hand dismissively, and placed it on his chest knowingly. "Now, I'm no doctor, but what I think this man, this remarkable man needs, is another drink!" Everyone cheered. "And- going back to my Confusion point, what could be a better way to look at this situation?" Everyone chatted for a bit, and looked back at Bucky. "Well, I'll tell you! Number 1: I feel great! Number 2: Live in the present! And most importantly, number 3: there's a chance I might get someone in my bed before the night's over!" As he said this, Bucky looked at me. Everyone let out a loud cheer.
Oh, God, Bucky! This was terrible. To my surprise, I felt blood rushing to my face. Me? He wants to-
"See? This is what I'm talking about! Now, while I get Stevie a drink, I want all of you to get yourselves something, and try thinking of how you could look at life with a more positive perspective! Now, a toast to Confusion, Stevie, and of course, myself!" Everyone raised their glasses. "To Bucky!" they said, as they took a sip of their champagne.
"Well folks, this concludes my speech. Please, go enjoy yourselves! Have another drink!" The crowd broke up, and the band resumed playing.
Bucky threw his arm around me. Before he could say anything, I began my sentence: "Bucky! What-" He put a finger to my lips. "Shhh...Steve, it's my birthday! I can get drunk if I want!"
"Yeah, I know, I know, I just- I just care about you. And what was up with that speech, huh?" Bucky let out a chuckle. "I'm so glad you liked it. And how about my outfit, huh? You like?" He smiled, and did a small spin, showcasing his suit. "Yeah, I really do Buck. But-"
"Stevie! It's my birthday! You should be enjoying yourself. C'mon! I'll get you a drink."
"Alright, maybe just one," I said, as he led me to the bar.
"You know, I've always wondered what life's really about. You know? Like, we're all friends, we're all humans, but here we are, fighting eachother." I said, as I was sitting on the counter at the bar.
Bucky sipped his whiskey thoughtfully. "Yeah, but there's one difference."
"Oh yeah? What's that?"
He stood on the counter. "The Germans don't know how to hold their liquor! Am I right, Rogers?"
"Damn right!" I said, as I finished the last sip of my drink. I stood up, feeling a bit wobbly.
"Wanna dance?" I extended my hand to Bucky.
"Why, I'd love to, Rogers." Giving me a smile, he took it, and we walked to the center of the room. Before I knew what I was doing, my hand was on his hip, and the other was intertwined with his hand. We began to dance to the slow song the band was playing. As we danced, I suddenly got the feeling that I belonged with this man, which was weird, considering the fact that we were friends. Would this ruin our relationship? Did he feel the same way?
No, what was I thinking? How could this even go anywhere? What-
My rationale was fading. I could tell the alcohol was beginning to affect me. I took a chance, and moved my hand a little lower, causing Bucky to look at me. He cocked an eyebrow. "Rogers...behave yourself" he teased.
"Why should I?" I said, pulling him closer to me. Bucky wasn't trying to stop me. In fact, I think this is what he wanted. Totally at the mercy of our impulses, we moved closer until our noses were touching. His lips were so close. I couldn't stop myself. My heart was pounding, and I felt desire taking over my brain.
The next moment, we were lip locked, and the last thing I remembered was stumbling into our flat and unbuttoning our shirts.
The alarm clock was going off. Groggily, I reached over to the nightstand and tried to turn it off. However, I ended up pushing it off the edge and onto the floor.
"Ugh, screw it."
I rolled over, and to my surprise, I saw Bucky. His hair was tousled, and he was sleeping with a peaceful look on his face. But, something was missing.
His shirt. I paused. "Wait a second, where's-" I realized I didn't have a shirt either. Panicked, I sat up in bed and immediately laid back down after a sharp pain went to my head.
Great, now I'm hungover. I paused. "Wait, I have a hangover? Then I must have-"
Oh, God...how could this day get any worse? I got out of bed, and, with the help of the mirror, I realized I was completely naked.
"How- what-?" I rushed to the closet and put on my robe, tying just in time: Bucky had woken up.
"Steve?" he said groggily, as he stretched his arms up. "What am I doing in your room?" I just sort of stared at him, and found myself not being able to say anything.
Bucky sat up in bed, looked around the room, and then- "Ohhhh I remember." A smile slowly made its way to his lips.
"What? What happened?" I asked, thoroughly confused and panicked.
He just sat there and smiled at me. The only other clues I got from him were an eyebrow raise and a gesture to the clothes we had worn to his party in a pile on the floor.
"Oh. Ohhh. Oh, no." My head was spinning. Bucky laughed. "How you feelin', Stevie?"
I slowly made my way back to the bed. Even though my head was in my hands, I could hear the sheets shifting and soon felt his arms wrap around me.
"Hey. It's ok. I didn't know you felt the same way."
"What way?"
Bucky sighed.
"Oh." I lifted my head up and turned to him. "But, is it ok? Oh, God, we actually-"
"Shh, it's ok. Seriously, it's gonna be ok." He gently stroked my hair. "The only thing you lost from this is-"
He paused for a second and laughed. "Well, your virginity." He laughed again.
"James..." I said, trying to keep the worried tone in my voice. It didn't work. I ended up laughing too. After we enjoyed laughing about his comment, he moved closer to me and gestured to the bed. "Hey, come back in. It's Saturday morning; we don't have anywhere to rush off to."
I gave in and climbed back under the sheets. The bed was so warm. I shifted so I could look at Bucky. Maybe this wasn't so bad. Even though I was talking like I felt bad, I didn't feel anything inside me that felt guilty. There were no inner voices telling me it was wrong.
"Hey, Stevie." He pulled me closer. "Out of all the birthday presents I got, yours was the best." He winked, making me look away and blush.
"You know something, Buck?"
"What's that?"
"I think we're going to be together 'til we're a hundred years old."
Bucky looked up at me. "Well Rogers, I can't disagree with that."
I pushed aside a strand of hair that had fallen over his face and gently leaned in for a kiss.
This must be what heaven feels like.
