Summary: Accepting compliments really isn't Bucky's strong suit.

"Mhmmph!" Bucky moans out. His face flames up and he covers his mouth quickly. Steve laughs and kisses the hand covering it.

"You're adorable."

"S-shut up," he mutters, the embarrassment clear as day on his face. He hasn't made a sound like that in a long time, which just goes to show how out of practice he is. One thing had led to another and well, it ended up with Bucky pinned against the wall and Steve's hand down his pants. And right now, Bucky is mewling and writhing and Steve is obviously torturing him right now. He really feels like he's going to burst out of his pants if this keeps up.

"You're cute," Steve continues as he kisses up and down Bucky's face. His hand moves around in Bucky's underwear and squeezes. Bucky makes another moan and decides to focus all his attention on the floor to keep from coming in his pants like a fucking teenage boy.

Steve gives another squeeze, this time taking the full length of Bucky's cock and balls. His knees buckle a little. His face is flushed and he's panting heavily now.

Steve bites his ear and he makes a strangled noise from the back of his throat.

"Cute."

Bucky's breath hitches and at this point he has no choice but to look at Steve's face. Which turns out to be a big mistake because Steve's face is also pretty flushed and dammit he looks hot. In fact, he looks immaculate. There's not even a hair out of place. On the other hand, Bucky looks like a fucking mess and he is most likely disgusting and drenched with sweat. This is so not fair.

"Ergh.. 'm not.. c-cute, ya punk," he pants out.

"Of course you are, jerk."

It takes less than five minutes and Bucky already finds himself slumped against the wall with Steve supporting most of his weight. His pants feel icky and gross, but he could really care less right now. He's so far gone and his mind feels like it's floating in another universe or something.

"Yeah. Really, really cute," Steve murmurs.

Bucky scowls and puffs out his cheeks. "Go get your damn eyes checked out."

Steve, unfortunately, doesn't find much bite in this and just laughs as he kisses the length of Bucky's neck. Goddammit if this was anyone else Bucky would be fuming, but instead he finds himself growing hot red in embarrassment.

He tenses up as Steve bites down on a particular sensitive part on his neck. Seriously, he's not sure how he has this much toleration for someone.

"How far are y-you.. going.. w-with this?" Bucky somehow manages to strain out.

He can actually feel the little punk smirking against his neck. "I don't know. How far would you like me to go?" Steve lifts his head up and bites his lip and wow that is like the most sexy thing Steve has done today.

"I don't know. 'M not really sure you can handle all of this." Bucky gestures to himself and smirks right back.

Steve looks at him for a minute before he bends down.

"What are you doing?"

Suddenly Bucky is lifted up in the air and Steve is carrying him towards the bedroom bridal style. Steve (again, that little punk) ignores all of Bucky's protests and swings the door shut with his foot.

Bucky has never considered himself as 'cute.' He's nowhere near it. It's not like kittens and puppies come flocking to his side. He's kind of more on the gruff end of the spectrum, and people usually run away upon first glance. The only person who seems to think otherwise is Steve.

He's not sure how it started, but it's stuck ever since and Steve won't stop calling him cute. And even if he doesn't say anything, Bucky can automatically tell from the look on Steve's face.

He actually finds Bucky cute. It's really troubling him and he just doesn't know why. After yesterday Bucky went home without saying much to Steve, brushing him off with hurried responses and trying to high-tail it out of there. And yes he realized it was a very asshole-like move, but Steve didn't seem to think much of it (goes to show what a saint he is).

"I think you're reading too into this," Natasha says across the phone.

"No, Nat it's really weird. He thinks I'm actually cute. I'm not cute. I'm like the complete opposite of cute. I—"

"Look like a homeless person on a daily basis, my hair is a bird's nest which really needs a trimming soon, and what kinda person would want to date someone with one arm?"

Bucky blinks and opens and clothes his mouth.

"Was that pretty spot on?" She asks after a while.

He scowls even though she can't see it. "Fuck you."

"And I love you too. But James, you need to stop putting yourself down."

"I don't—"

"Yes, yes you do. Obviously Steve the Good Samaritan likes you for who you are and finds you very endearing. So put a sock on it and take the damn compliment like a normal human being."

He's about to protest when she cuts him off again. "And I know you're going to say you're not normal compared to most people and blah blah so you can put a sock in that one too."

Again Bucky doesn't know how to respond to that. He would never admit this (it would only fuel up her ego and dammit she's actually right), but there is some truth to her words. He really is thankful for Natasha, honestly. If it wasn't for her, this thing he has going on with Steve would only be a half-hearted effort on his part. He's trying, god he's trying so hard.

Accepting compliments like 'you're cute' though? Still not something he's quite used to yet.

"Do you think I'm cute?" He teases.

"I think you're a free-loading asshole sometimes, but sure. If that's what you want me to think."

"Fuck you," but this time Bucky is laughing.

"Right back at you," Natasha says, her voice a little lighter.

They hang up on that.

The next time Steve comes over its raining. It's not that heavy, so they decide to hang their feet over the stairwell outside Bucky's apartment and enjoy it while it lasts.

"So you think I'm cute?" Bucky asks, his arms crossed over the railing with his chin perched on top.

Steve doesn't shift his gaze from the rain, but he twitches slightly and his mouth quirks up a bit. "I always think you're cute."

This time he does shift his gaze and stares at Bucky intently.

Bucky snorts and knocks his shoulder against Steve's.

"I'm serious!"

"Never doubted you for a second buddy."

He almost doesn't hear the question when Steve asks "Do you not like it when I call you that?" in a very small voice.

He turns his head sharply to see Steve's face bunched up in worry. There are frown lines on his forehead and Bucky is very tempted to smooth out the creases. Even if he doesn't say it out loud, somehow Steve seems to know everything that's on Bucky's mind.

"…It's not bad, if that's what you're wondering," Bucky says slowly.

"But you don't like it?"

"I never said that."

"Your face says otherwise."

"My face is beautiful," Bucky says with a dramatic flourish of his hand.

Steve lets out an exasperated sigh and shoves playfully at him. "Don't change the topic."

"I'm not, I'm not," he quickly reassures. Steve still doesn't look convinced.

Bucky scoots closer and tentatively places his head on Steve's shoulder. "Seriously, 'm fine. Call me cute all you want, because you're the only person I'm gonnna allow that from."

"So I'm the exception?" A slow smile blooms across Steve's face.

"You're always the exception," Bucky says.

Steve purses his lips to hide the obvious joy on his face and slings an arm around Bucky.

"You're cute."

Bucky splutters and turns very very red. And Bucky is.. actually okay with that. He's not panicking over what to do next or calling Natasha in a frantic fit or trying to find another compliment to counter Steve's. He's okay. It's nice, even if he still finds it hard to believe.