“Yeah,” Steve agrees under his breath. He’s embarrassed, Bucky can tell. “I just— I mean, technically, I could just go ahead and kiss the next person who happens to ask and get it over with, but…it’s not what I want. Not really.”
“Too bad,” Bucky says, “and here I was, trying to gather enough courage to offer myself up.”
“What?”
Bucky freezes. He had meant the comment as a joke, at least mostly, and he had been convinced that Steve would interpret it as such, like he always does. Instead, when Bucky looks up to meet with Steve’s gaze, Steve is staring at him with eyes wide in shock, and Bucky feels his throat run dry.
Practice kissing turning into so much more… A delicious take on a delicious trope!