Captain America and Bucky Barnes Imagines

15. STEVE: Lover Boy

Words: 2K

Warnings: None

The bright blue ribbon holding up the apron tightens around your waist. Expertly you maneuver around two small children who play between the aisles with a tray of pancakes above your head. It's an early morning at Denny's where you work five days a week as a server to try and pay the bills. When you're not here you're taking your classes online while your annoying roommate plays Guitar Hero and smokes weed. Of course this isn't your dream, but it's the daily grind that's propelling you closer to your life goals. There's not much that drives you out of bed in the morning besides your dreams.

That... and the chance that you might see your workplace crush.

He's not a coworker. He's not your boss. He's a customer: one that's been coming in for almost two months now. It started back in February with an empty corner booth and a cup of black coffee. You'd barely been able to see his face over the top of the menu, but when he finally lowered it, you swear your heart stopped. He's got shaggy blond hair trimmed just above his ears, clean shaven cheeks, bright denim blue eyes, and the most glorious smile you've ever seen. He wears a pair of adorably dorky glasses and always—always—a blue baseball cap. His sweatshirt is always zipped real tight, leaving you to wonder what it is that he looks like underneath all the layers of fabric.

A repetitive 90s song plays on the radio while you skitter around the diner. Your coworker Stacy with the big hoop earrings grabs you by the arm before you can pass. "Hey! Loser! Lover boy is here," she hisses at you. "He's at my table! I'll switch you."

You grin. "You're the best, Stacey."

She winks at you. "No worries. Ask him if he'll share his sausage." She wiggles those blonde eyebrows suggestively before you can smack her arm. "Or maybe if he'd want to try whipped cream with your..."

"That's enough, Stacey, I think I got it." You cackle a bit and then hurry off to deliver your dishes so that you can see mystery boy. All your coworkers call him by a different name: Stacey refers to him as lover boy, but most of them know him as "Waffle Abs". He's never ordered waffles, nor have any of you seen his abs, it's all purely speculation.

You? You just long for the day you get to call him by his real name. He's never given it to you, but you've never been brave enough to ask. You keep hoping that one of these days he'll pay with card or check. But every time he comes in (which is at least three days a week now, all on your shifts) he pays with cash.

Carefully you smooth your apron and wild ponytail hair before daring to step up to your crush's table. He's seated alone by a window with his menu on the table in front of him. He always looks over it as if he doesn't already know what he's going to get.

"Hi."

Those gorgeous, glimmering sapphire eyes dart up. They sparkle brighter when they register you standing there. "Hello."

"How are you?" You bite your cheek to keep from smiling too eagerly.

The man nods, "I'm good, thank you. And how are you, Y/N?"

Every damn time he reads your nametag you want to melt into a puddle. His voice is just so smooth and sexy!

"I'm doing well," your reply is calm and collected even though you are most certainly neither of those things right now. You tap your pen to the side of your notepad. "What can I get started for ya?"

The man chuckles. "Got any guesses?"

Your smile makes him turn slightly closer in his chair. You playfully tap the pen to your chin in thought. "I'd say a double stack with extra bacon and strawberry syrup, but there's always the chance you could surprise me." You don't know how this man can eat so much and stay so fit! He's built like a god. He must work out a lot, you assume.