Sunnyside (a Sebastian Stan story)

Out There Now

I needed something greasy and cheap after all the cuisine we'd enjoyed the night before, and Seb was looking his Winter Soldier diet restrictions in the face and wanted one last hurrah before his nutritionist starting keeping track of his intake, so we decided on burgers. We hit up a diner that was a few blocks away from my place and squeezed into a booth. The vinyl groaned as I slid in closest to the window, Sebastian beside me and Iz flopped into the seat across from us. She had one booted foot up on the seat, and it twitched back and forth as she fired questions at us. "How was the food? Did you stuff yourselves?" and "Did you bid on anything?", followed by "Did you drool when you saw that dress, Sebastian?"

He laughed. "You know, let's say I did. People actually do that, right?"

His phone chose that moment to ring, and Sebastian out a finger up. "Hold that thought, ladies," he said as he slid out of the booth. "I'll be right back." He leaned over and kissed me quickly, mouthing the words "I love you" before answering his phone in Romanian and heading outside.

"Is he speaking in tongues?" Isabel asked.

"Romanian. Must be his mom," I answered, amused and waiting for realization to catch up with her. Sebastian pulled open the door and the bell over it chimed, perfectly accenting the look on my sister's face. Ah, there it was.

"Did he say 'I love you'?" Her voice was a bit high pitched, as it was prone to be when she was excited.

"He did!" I smiled, seeing the way this obviously pleased my sister.

"When did that happen?"

I thought it over, knowing the answer she was looking for was 'while we were dancing', but unwilling to give her the straightforward response. "Who can say for sure? It happened gradually, and took me by surprise."

"You know what I mean," she pouted.

"Bonnie made a comment about falling in love while we were dancing, and it hit me, really."

"You and Bonnie were dancing? Together?" She chuckled at her own lame joke.

"You know what I mean," I retorted, flinging her words back at her. "Anyway, it kind of jolted me, like, yeah. You know what? I have fallen in love with him. I think I'd just been doing it so gradually that I hadn't really noticed until I was neck deep in it." Isabel reached across the table and grabbed my hand, pressing it firmly between her palms, locking her fingers and studying my face. "I knew you loved him. And my god, I knew he loved you. I like him. I want to keep him. Can we keep him?" Sebastian reappeared at the table, overhearing her last words, and grinning. "You're talking about me like I'm a stray dog. But yeah, Winnie? Can you keep me? I'll be a good boy." He seated himself next to me again and kissed my cheek. "Well, maybe not too good."

"Dammit, Seb. You get another point," Iz huffed.

I felt my cheeks for any telltale heat. "I'm not blushing, Isabel."

"But isn't it interesting that you had to check?" She winked at me, and we fell back into interrogation mode. She wanted to know everything. What the decor was like, who was there, what suit Sebastian had worn.

"I wish I could have taken some pictures of you guys," she pouted.

"There was a photographer there. I'm sure you'll see pictures," Sebastian said, trying to make her feel better.

"Oh my god," I said. "Do you think those are gonna get out to 'the public'?" I asked, making air quotations with my fingers. I hadn't thought of that until just now. Sebastian shrugged. "Probably. They always seem to. It's okay though, right? I mean, people know about us now."