T'Chucky One Shots

{•5•}

Bucky Barnes has a crush on T'Challa. And Steve is the only one that can see it.

"Why don't you just take him out?" Steve asks Bucky, after he comes back up to their shared floor after another fight with T'Challa.

Bucky grins. "I just did. Sorta."

Steve rolls his eyes, walking into the kitchen to pour his friend a glass of water, which he accepts thankfully.

"I mean on a date." Steve clarifies, once Bucky is looking slightly less dead.

"What?" Bucky spits the water back into his cup, surprise written all over his face. "What for?"

Inwardly, Steve face palms. It's too early to deal with these idiots, both T'Challa and Bucky choosing to 'spar' early in the morning. Even on Sundays. When the world wasn't imploding. "You two are obviously into each other. Even I can see that."

"Sam's helping you be a bit more...perceptive, ain't he?" Bucky replies with a smirk. "But clearly, your skills still need some work. It's just sparring."

Steve blushes faintly. "My skills are in perfect working order. That 'sparring' your doing is clearly some weird mating call."

This time, it's Bucky who goes red. For him, this relationship stuff is new all over again. "No it isn't Steve. I'm not into him - even if I was, he's way out of my league."

"Maybe you aren't," Steve concedes, even though they both know he isn't really conceding to anything. "You're right, he's a great guy," Steve adds quietly. "But a great guy is exactly what you deserve."

*

Over the next few days, Bucky can't get T'Challa out of his mind. His smile, his laugh. His kindness even when he's kicking his ass six ways to Sunday. And his body?

God.

It wasn't until a few days later, body trapped under his did Bucky gather the strength to ask him out.

*

Bucky bounces into the apartment later that Sunday, looking even sweatier than usual. Steve hands him a bottle of water, used to it by now.

"You've got a spring in your step," Steve observes from the stove where he's scrambling eggs for breakfast.

"You're walking funny," Bucky shoots back. "Too much fun with Sam?"

Steve laughs. "Don't you know it, Buck." He laughs again when Bucky wrinkles his nose, muttering about not wanting to know all the details of his two best friends sex lives. With each other.

"Seriously, what happened?"

Bucky grins dopily. "I asked him out."

Steve wipes his hands on a dish towel, and brings two plates over to the island in the kitchen. "And?" he asks, prepared to kick some ass if necessary. T'Challa is a good guy, but Bucky is his best guy.

"I asked him, and he proceeded to kick my ass. Like even my toes hurt. I'm laying there on the mat, and he tells me he's been waiting for me to say something for months now. Months, Stevie!"

"Told you," he replies, taking a bite of his eggs.

Bucky sighs happily. "Thanks Steve."

He hides his smile behind his mug of coffee.

Moments later, JARVIS notifies them of a guest. It's T'Challa.

Instantly, Bucky is freaking out, combing a hand through his sweaty hair, tossing his dishes in the sink and fixing his clothes.

"Smell me, Steve."

"I'm not smelling you, Buck."

"We slept in the same bed for years."

"We slept in the same bed last week. I'm still not smelling you, asshole."

Steve let's JARVIS know it's ok for him to enter, and in walks T'Challa, looking five times more together than Bucky, though they'd been fighting together less than 45 minutes ago.

"Hey, Steve." he greets. "Hi, Bucky." T'Challa smiles in Bucky's direction and Steve can't believe Bucky didn't realize this guy was gone for him.

"Hey, 'Challa." Bucky greets shyly. "What's up?"

T'Challa reaches into his pocket and pulls out a hair tie that Steve instantly recognizes as Bucky's. It's pink and sparkly, jokingly picked out by Natasha. Bucky wears them religiously.

"I think you left this downstairs?" T'Challa asks, handing it to him.

Bucky blushes when their fingers touch, and thanks T'Challa profusely for going through all the trouble.

Steve asks him if he'd like to stay for breakfast, mostly to spite Bucky, but T'Challa politely declines, citing a meeting.

"Same time tomorrow?" Bucky asks hopefully, as he walks T'Challa to the door.

He smiles. "Same time tomorrow. But how about brunch after?"

Once T'Challa is out the door, Bucky's face contorted in fresh panic. "What the hell am I going to wear?"


Steve laughs.