Rude Boy: Blue Series 1 (Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes Modern California AU)

Forty-Two

Pulling up along the curb outside of Bucky's apartment, Steve put his Mustang in park. Not for the first time, Steve realized that no matter how many hours Steve spent with Bucky, it always seemed too abrupt whenever Bucky had to go. It made it all that more pronounced when Steve had to drop Bucky off.

Steve reasoned with himself that there would never be enough hours spent with Bucky. Just like his mother had said: the only regret was that it took entirely too long for them to meet. And in this specific case: it took them entirely too long to get together.

For a moment, Steve just sat there in the passenger seat. Steve didn't want to get his hopes up, but he desperately wanted to believe that Bucky didn't want to go as much as Steve didn't want him to go. In that moment, both men were consciously looking at one another while also trying to consciously not look at each other.

"Would you," Bucky broke the silence with an audible huff of air. Biting his bottom lip, Bucky looked down at his lap and tucked his brown locks behind his ear before trying again, "Would you, uh." Steve was pathetically holding his breath as Bucky offered, "Do you want to stay the night?"

Steve's eyebrows arched high up on his forehead, as though they were trying to take solace in his hairline. Out of all the times that Steve had stayed the night with Bucky, they hadn't been entirely planned. They had just happened. Either from being too buzzed to drive home. Or being exhausted after a night of their sexual escapades. It was a new development and despite Steve wanting to stay the night, he couldn't help but to think that was the last thing that he could do.

"I don't think Brock would be too keen about me staying," Steve began to reluctantly decline the too good to be real offer.

"Oh, c'mon," Bucky playfully pleaded. He argued, "Friends have sleepovers! Trying to persuade Steve, he repeated, "Friends have sleepovers all the time!"

"Not friends like us," Steve clarified.

With a smirk on his face, Bucky quirked a brow as he questioned, "Are you telling me that you and Sharon never have sleepovers?"

Steve pressed his lips together before teasing, "I plead the fifth."

"See," Bucky pointed accusingly at Steve. Then Bucky grabbed Steve's hand and tugged at it while he implored, "C'mon. Please?"

To some degree, Steve had always been a pushover. With Bucky though, Steve was a goddamn doormat. Some might have even called Steve whipped; and he would've agreed. Steve found that he was incapable of refusing Bucky anything that he wanted. Especially when it was something as simple and as invaluable as Steve's time.

So, feigning annoyance, Steve agreed. Since Steve agreed, Bucky did a little happy dance in the passenger seat. Which consisted of wiggling his hips that caused Steve to throw his head back as he loudly laughed. That was one of the many things that Steve had missed about Bucky.

Bucky bumped Steve's shoulder with his own and he said, "C'mon."

Theatrically, Steve let out a long, loud sigh. Bucky simply laughed and climbed out of the Mustang. Steve followed, not wanting to miss one precious second. Rushing to catch up with Bucky, Steve had his own grocery bags in one hand and attempted to carry Bucky's as well.

"I got it, okay, pal?" Bucky mocked while he unlocked the apartment complex entrance.

"Alright," Steve held his hands up in surrender. Of course, just because Bucky refused to let him carry his bags, didn't deter Steve from holding the door open. Or the door after that.

"Do you have to do that?" Bucky questioned, taking a sideways glance at Steve once they were in the elevator.

Steve smirked, "Do what?"

"I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer," Bucky scoffed in jest.

When the elevator arrived at Bucky's floor, Steve held the door open for Bucky. Feigning suspicion, Bucky narrowed his eyes at Steve, causing Steve to softly chuckle. Steve would've loved to have kept it up, but Bucky made sure to quickly open his apartment door before Steve could have the satisfaction of holding that door open too.

"You're no fun," Steve benignly pouted while setting his bags on the counter.

Bucky chuckled in protest, "You know that's not true."

There wasn't anything that Steve could do, so he simply agreed. Bucky set his bags down as well before turning on his iHome. Both men expressed a few humble moves as they allowed the music to help them unpack.

Once the groceries were in their designated places, Steve grabbed Bucky's hand and effortlessly spun the brunet into him. The pleasantly surprised expression on Bucky's face was priceless. What made it even better was when Steve expertly dipped Bucky and Bucky could only stare up at Steve in stunned silence.

Bringing Bucky upright, Steve spun him out, away from himself, all to the beat of the melodies of Lana Del Rey. Pulling Bucky close again, Steve settled his hand on Bucky's lower back. Bucky's free hand snaked its way up to the back of Steve's neck, so Bucky could tangle his slender fingers in Steve's tousled blond tresses.

As the two men swayed to the beat, Bucky stared up at Steve as though he was the most phenomenal work of art he had ever seen. Steve held Bucky even closer, as though he was trying to fuse them together, so they'd never be without the other.

Awestruck, Bucky quietly mused, "I didn't know you could dance."

"Well," Steve smirked, "Now you do."

Eventually, the song changed, but Steve and Bucky didn't care enough to notice. They simple moved to the previous beat and ignored the more upbeat song entirely. Sap that he was becoming -- sap that he had always been -- Steve brought their clasped hands up to his mouth where he pressed a tender kiss to the back of Bucky's hand.

At the gesture, a small, sweet smile played on Bucky's lips. In that moment, there wasn't anywhere else in the entire world where Steve would rather be. And when Bucky rested his head on Steve's broad shoulder, Steve hoped that Bucky felt the same.