Summer In Your Eyes: Seasons Series 1 (Lifeguard!Steve x Bucky Barnes Summer AU)

Fifty-One

"Well, I better let you boys be, too," Natasha declared with a heavy sigh.

"Wait," Steve pouted, "You're leaving?"

"Yeah," Natasha confirmed, wrapping Steve up in a warm embrace, "Figured the birthday boy would want his own bed."

"It's only my birthday for like, ten more minutes," Steve complained, resting his chin on the top of Natasha's head.

"Ya know," Natasha started, backing away from Steve and moving to hug Bucky. Teasing, she continued, "If you don't want to sleep alone, I'm sure that Bucky wouldn't mind."

Bucky's grip tightened just a little bit more while Clint jokingly informed Steve, "Hell, I'll cuddle with you if it means I don't have to sleep on the floor!"

"Sounds more like any opportunity to slide up next to me," Steve mocked. Quickly wrapping Clint in his embrace and pressing a playful kiss to Clint's forehead as he said, "All you have to do is ask, baby."

Clint rolled his eyes and pushed against Steve, escaping from the muscular blond's strong hold. Natasha poked at Bucky's sides in a see? kind of way, causing Bucky to drop his arms from around her slender frame and squirm away. Bucky gave Natasha a pointed look and she just laughed.

Laughed all the way to the end of the driveway and continued laughing all the way inside her house. Leaving the four boys standing there. Sam was the first to turn towards the house, but Clint was the first to enter. Steve following along, but Bucky stopped him.

Pausing, Steve glanced down at Bucky's hand wrapped around his wrist and then followed the length of Bucky's arm up to his face. A smirk tugged at the corner of Steve's lips and he took a step towards Bucky.

With Steve standing close, Bucky's heart stuttered. But mainly it was because of the way that Steve was looking at him. Like Steve wanted to do nothing more than hold Bucky the way that he did earlier. Like he was physically holding himself back when all he really wanted to do was kiss Bucky the way he did on the side of his house.

Glancing over his shoulder towards the house where the other two boys had gone inside, Steve turned back to look at Bucky. There was a gleeful glint in his blue eyes that was simply contagious as he affectionately gazed at Bucky.

Wanting to end Steve's birthday with a bang, Bucky leaned forward. Before he could press his lips to Steve's however, Steve stopped him with a well-placed hand to his chest. Bucky's brows furrowed and he tried not to take it too personally. But considering how Steve was jumping his bones earlier, and how he wasn't now...

"I," Steve paused. Worrying his own lower lip with his teeth, Steve admitted, "I didn't break up with Sharon."

Bucky's brows furrowed further. Feeling like it was somehow his fault. As though Steve had truly meant to break up with Sharon, but once he had her in his grasp, he changed his mind. Feeling as though it was because Steve knew what Bucky knew: that Bucky would never be able to give Steve the things Sharon could.

Averting his gaze and taking a step back, out of Steve's grasp, Bucky chewed the inside of his cheek in hopes of willing the tears to stop collecting in the rims of his eyes. Snot was trickling down his nose and quickly, Bucky stepped around Steve to head inside the Rogers' house. But Steve stopped him.

Just as Bucky had done to him, Steve grabbed onto Bucky's wrist, causing him to stop short. Unlike Steve though, Bucky didn't turn to glance back at him. Bucky didn't want Steve to see the way he was fighting off tears. Bucky knew that it wasn't Steve's fault for not breaking up with his girlfriend.

Bucky also knew that one look at Steve through the blur of his building tears would send them spilling forth. And Bucky refused to make Steve feel guilty. It was he, who needed to feel guilty. Guilty about wanting Steve to kiss him. Wishing for all those years that he would. That was all on --

"Buck?" Steve softly questioned, rubbing soothing circles into Bucky's soft wrist.

"I'm okay," Bucky lied. Normally, Bucky could fib his way out of an uncomfortable situation, and maybe he would've been able to then too. If he didn't sniffle.

Steve took a step forward. Still rubbing at Bucky's wrist, he started, "I..."

"It's okay," Bucky tried again. Shrugging, Bucky glanced up at Steve and tried to play it off like his heart wasn't shattering to a million pieces on the Rogers' doorstep. Deciding to be at least half-truthful, Bucky reassured, "Sharon's great. She'd make a good girlfriend for anyone. And I'm glad it's you because you deserve it."

"Oh," Steve stated, dropping his hand. His brows in a heavy furrow, Steve confessed, "I didn't... it didn't... seem, um, right. To break up with her in front of our friends."

"Right," Bucky falsely agreed, "That would be pretty shitty."

"Exactly," Steve nodded, placing his hands back into his pockets. Looking down at the ground, Steve continued, "Which is why I planned on doing it this weekend."

Bucky snapped his gaze to Steve, but Steve was staring at the ground. His heart strumming in his chest, Bucky asked, "You were? You are?"

Glancing up to gauge Bucky's expression, Steve nodded his confirmation. The solemnness seeping out of him as he reassured, "Yeah. I mean, I was already kind of dickish as is, considering..."

"Right," Bucky blushed knowing exactly what Steve was hinting at. Obviously, how could he not?

"And I know that --" Steve blew out a puff of air, running his hand through his hair as he continued, "But you're right, Sharon's great. She doesn't deserve to be publicly humiliated, let alone hurt. Since I already fucked up, it seemed like the least I could do by not doing that in front of everyone."

Silently, Bucky nodded and headed inside of the house. Glancing over his shoulder, he found Steve following him and playfully reminded, "Purely platonic."

"Scout's honor," Steve mocked. Earning an eye roll and a playful swat from Bucky.