Steve didn't run to the pool, he walked over to Tony instead, looking for a way to help with dinner. He'd seen Bucky and Y/N with his own eyes and now he knew they liked each other. Now it was sinking in that there was no possibility of any future with them together. That was two of his best friends and there was no getting in the middle.

Wanda and Natasha jumped in the pool together. They swam with Bucky and Y/N, every one of them fully clothed. Steve helped Tony with dinner while Vision helped Pepper in the kitchen. Sam came out of the house with a drink and lounged at the table.

Steve found himself looking over at the pool every so often, curious what she was doing. They usually talked and laughed all the time, finding humor in the same ridiculous things. Things had been off with her all day and now, it seemed like she and Bucky were flirting with each other. Steve swallowed his empty feelings, hoping to still have a good time on this trip.

"Whatsamatter, sport? You don't want to play with the other kids?" Tony teased.

"Maybe later," Steve laughed, watching Y/N briefly.

In the pool, the four of them now found themselves holding onto the edge of the cement, watching the ocean and talking.

"This is beautiful," Y/N said, resting her chin on her arms.

"Not as beautiful as you three ladies," Bucky chimed in. He looked over at Y/N who was now slightly turned away, remembering that dream again.

"You know, I think I am going to go get dried off before dinner," she said as she swam to the stairs. As she walked by the grill, she patted Steve on the back lightly and kept walking. She realized she was missing her good friend.

"Would you stop flirting with her?" Natasha said to Bucky, swatting him on the arm.

"What?" he smiled. "I flirt with all of you!"

"Yeah but it's like you're trying extra hard with her. Are you trying to make someone jealous?"

Bucky furrowed his brow at Natasha. "What do you mean?"

"You've got to be kidding... Wait, are you telling me you have a crush on Y/N?" she looked at him. "Is that what you're trying to say?"

"I don't know, I... I didn't really think about it," he said, looking out at the ocean. "Hold on a second, who would I be making jealous by flirting?"

Natasha just looked at him. Wanda stared him down too.

"Who?—" he turned back towards the house. "Steve? Is that who you mean? I—"

"Of course," Natasha answered gently. "Don't you think he likes her? I think he does."

"Ohhhh," Bucky said slowly, sounding like a tire letting out air. "I bet you're right." He turned back to look at Steve at the grill. "Oh shit, why didn't I see that before...?"

"So why were you flirting with her then?" Wanda asked.

Bucky sighed and searched his mind, "I don't know, I guess I was trying to make her feel like part of the team, trying to joke around with her. Maybe I just got a little carried away." Bucky stared at Steve with a far off look. "She's a fun girl and pretty cute, she's way out of my league though... she is perfect for him though," he said, pointing quickly at Steve.

A few minutes later, Y/N returned outside in shorts and a flowy tank top, her damp hair pulled up into a messy bun. "Smells amazing out here, guys," she said, stopping at the grill.

Steve grinned as he flipped burgers over, not looking away from the grill.

"Have a seat, kid, it'll be ready in a minute," Tony said.

Y/N called out to the three in the pool, "Dry off, guys, dinner's almost ready." She took a seat at the large outdoor table just as Pepper and Vision carried out the other food.

Pepper carried a wine bottle with her. "Wine?" she asked Y/N.

"Oh sure, twist my arm," Y/N said, raising her glass so Pepper could pour. "I'm going to regret this."

Soon everyone was sitting down eating. They talked and laughed, mostly poking fun at each other. It was always more fun when Pepper was around to help make fun at Tony's expense. The wine was flowing, those of them who could actually feel the effects of alcohol were definitely feeling it. The candles in the center of the table gave everyone a soft glow as the sun went down and the breeze got just a little cooler.

Pepper got up to start cleaning up dinner but Steve stood up and said, "Ladies, we've got this." He looked at the guys and they started clearing the table.

"Thanks, boys," Pepper called out. She poured more wine in each of their glasses. "Finally, time for some girl talk," she smiled, leaning closer to the ladies. "Give me some good gossip...."

Natasha sat up a little straighter, "Well, Y/N had a sex dream about Bucky and Steve."

Y/N playfully hung her head down as Pepper's mouth flew wide open. "What? I've got to hear about this!"

Y/N just shook her head and laughed lightly as the other three laughed much harder. The wine was certainly taking the edge off this story. In the kitchen, the guys looked towards the window when they heard the riot. Steve looked at Y/N and smiled before going back to wrapping up leftovers. She was laughing so hard, she was sliding down in her chair and slapping her shoulder with her own hand. It warmed his heart, he always enjoyed the way she laughed so big and hard. She was full of life and had a great sense of humor... she'd seemed off today... but then he wondered if it was just with him.

"I saw that," Bucky said from next to him, pulling him out of his own thoughts. "What do you think they're talking about?" he questioned as he leaned over on the countertop and looked outside.

Tony chuckled to himself, "Probably laughing at you getting hit in the beanbags, Barnes."

Steve started to laugh so hard, he slumped down on the counter and reached over to slap Bucky on the chest.

"Such a dork," Bucky mumbled loud enough for Steve to hear. "You two are perfect for each other."

"Tony's not my type," Steve grinned, glancing over at Bucky cheekily.

"Yeah, that's what he meant, Steve," Tony smirked, taking his phone out and walking around the living area. He queued some soft jazz music over the speaker system that played indoors and outdoors. "Come on, Vision, help me take some fresh drinks out to the ladies." Tony nodded to Steve and Bucky as Vision and Sam followed him outside with drinks.

Steve slipped the last of the leftovers in the refrigerator. "Beer?" he asked.

Bucky reached his hand out to take the beer. "But you like her, right?"

Leaning down onto the countertop again and letting out a long sigh, Steve glanced out the window at Y/N and then looked down at his beer. "I mean... yeah, I... I like her."

"And the problem is...?" Bucky asked, looking directly at him.

Gulping before trying to answer, Steve chose his words diplomatically, "I thought you and she... kind of had a thing going."

Bucky's forehead wrinkled in question. "Why would you think that? - Because of the pool earlier?"

Steve laughed softly, "You've gotta be kidding me, Buck. You flirt with her all the time. You two have just seemed cozier lately, I guess."

"Geeze, Steve, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that... I was just kidding around with her. She gets so red when I flirt with her, it's cute" Bucky laughed. "I wanted to make her feel like part of the team. She's pretty though..." He gave Steve a knowing look. "You two oughta get together."

"I don't know, Buck, I'm sure she doesn't—"

Bucky pursed his lips at Steve. "Ughhh, Steve... at the very least, she considers you a good friend. You two are always laughing at each other's corny jokes. Friendship is the best way to start." Bucky gripped Steve's shoulder, "Come on, let's go back out. I expect something great to come from this pep talk."

Steve just shook his head and chuckled as they walked back outside. A little flutter quaked in his chest, knowing things were looking up. Outside, sitting in the soft candlelight, Steve looked around at the faces and noticed Y/N wasn't there.

"Down at the beach," Tony said, nodding his head towards the ocean with a grin.

Steve nodded and walked towards the beach, seeing Y/N standing there talking to Wanda. The sliver of moon in the sky lit up their faces. "Hi, ladies," he smiled.

Wanda turned towards him and patted Y/N on the arm, "I'm getting chilly down here, I'm going back up." She walked back towards the house.

Y/N smiled at Steve and shoved her hands into her pockets. "Have you ever been here before?"

"No, first time actually," he smiled. "It's beautiful here."

"It is," she said, looking longingly at the ocean meeting the sand. "I gotta stick my feet in... I've never been to the Caribbean before." She had a big grin as she walked up a few feet to the water and motioned for him to follow.

Standing ankle-deep in the water, Steve watched their feet lightly sink into the sand. "When did you find time to paint your toes?" he laughed.

Y/N laughed to herself, "I just keep them painted all the time... on account of my man feet."

"What?" Steve cried out, his voice going up a few octaves. He couldn't control his shocked laughter. "You don't have man feet, you have cute, normal little feet."

She couldn't help but notice he said the word cute. She felt a bit of heat rise to her cheeks but with the darkness, she didn't think he would notice.

"Bucky's right, you are adorable when you blush," he said, softly and sincerely.

She looked down at her feet, shoving her hands deeper into her pockets, making her shoulders rise up. He watched as a little smile grew on her face and her cheeks rose. He knew if he was going to follow through, now was the time.

"He must have taught you a thing or two," she said, finally looking back up at him.

"Once upon a time, yeah," he sighed out calmly, looking out at the horizon line.

The breeze picked up and she took her hands out of her pockets, rubbing them up and down her arms quickly to warm up.

Steve looked down at her. "You have goosebumps."

"Guess it's time to get my feet out of the water," she smiled.

Steve held his hand out to her and she took it. "Do you want to go back up to the house?"

"We probably should," she said, "but... I kind of like it down here." She turned towards Steve and looked up at him, trying to gauge his reaction.

"Yeah," he whispered, "me too." He turned to her as she brought her other hand to the one he was already holding and she gently played with his fingers, feeling how warm and strong they were. A smile spread over Steve's face, his eyes wrinkled and he looked down at the sand, softly shuffling it with one of his feet. "I'm glad you're not mad at me anymore."

"I was never mad at you," she said lightly and with urgency, looking into his face. She wanted to reach out and touch his face so he'd look at her but suddenly her stomach felt like a bundle of raw nerves.

"I'm glad, I missed you today," he said, gently brushing a finger over the tip of her nose. He felt a little more confident now so he went with it. "I didn't know what to do without my best friend."

"What about Bucky and Sam and Nat?"

"Yeah, they're my best friends, too. It's.... It's a little different with you though," he breathed out. He rubbed his thumbs over her hands slowly. "It's different with you because... I like you."

Y/N tried not to bare a look of shock on her face as she thought about the fact that no guy she'd ever known had been that honest with her before. But then, this was Steve.

Steve watched her face. "I'm sorry to just blurt it out, I—"

"Don't be sorry," she grinned, searching his eyes. "I like you, too." She laughed, "I can't believe I just said that out loud."

Steve joined in the laughing. "It's out there now. It's floating around in the air."

Y/N gave his hands a little squeeze and looked out at the water.

"I'd like to take you out," he said.

"I'd like that," she grinned at him. She wanted to say something more but the words didn't find their way to her. She let out a nervous little laugh, "I'm sorry, I was so not expecting you to say that."

"Why not?" His crystal blue eyes burned into her skin. "You're funny, you're gorgeous... why would I not like you?" Steve was quiet for a second as she watched him, then he brought a hand up to either side of her head, rubbing his thumbs on her cheeks gently. Both their hearts were beating faster now as Steve locked his eyes onto hers. As she was contemplating taking a small step closer to him, Steve bent his head down to hers and kissed her. His lips brushed over hers softly and tenderly, sending new chills up her arms as her fingers reached out for his waist. His nose dusted over her cheek as he would pause his kiss for a millisecond here or there to take in a small breath over her lips. The pauses made her breathlessly delirious and wanting more.

Steve slowly pulled away and rested his forehead on hers. She let out a little laugh, "That was nice."

He grinned, "Better than I imagined."

"So you've thought about this before?" she teased.

"Quite a few times," he nodded. "Even had a dream about it," he said bashfully.

Y/N's eyes grew wide as he reached for her hand and they turned to walk back up to the house. "Funny you should mention that..." she confessed.

Steve looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Kind of had a dream like that this morning," her eyes looking anywhere but at him.

"Ohhhhh, really?" he chuckled.

She groaned, "Boy, it's like I have verbal diarrhea."

Steve laughed, "But you don't have to tell me if you're uncomfortable..."

"I should just rip the band-aid off," she shrugged. "It wasn't x-rated or anything. Uhhh, Bucky, he... he was there. Yeah," she pursed her lips, "And um, you were there, too."

Steve's face looked surprised. He was figuring out how to take it. "It wasn't me and B—"

"NO!" she giggled, "No, it wasn't. Actually, the whole thing was weird. He came in my room and... started making out with me."

"Sounds like Buck," he smiled.

"Yeah, I guess," she chuckled. "I couldn't figure out why he was doing it but I couldn't get a word out and then you showed up and..."

He watched her as she stopped dead in her tracks. Her face opened up and then she shook her head.

"I think I get it now," she said. "When you came into the room, I was trying to say something to you but he wouldn't stop. I think I was trying to tell you it didn't mean anything. But you left and I was trying to tell you to wait."

"Ahh, I see," he said. "Your brain was trying to tell you something."

"Yeah," she whispered, slipping her arm through his and pulling him against her side. "That was the end, that's when I woke up... and the day went downhill from there, except... for tonight."

"So it was probably pretty awkward that I paired you up with Bucky today then," he shook his head with a grin. "Sorry about that."

"That's okay because I got to have you show me a thing or two... and that wasn't so bad."

"No, it wasn't. And truthfully, I was somewhat relieved when you elbowed Buck because I was having... let's just say... a lot of trouble concentrating on sparring, ohhhhh poor Buck," he laughed.

When the reached the patio, the music was still playing but the rest of the team was conspicuously missing. Steve grinned at her, squeezing her hand. "How about a dance?"

Y/N gave him a tight lipped smile and nodded before he took her hand and led her to the perfect spot near the infinity pool. Underwater lights lit the pool and the soft wavy light beams reflected off her face as she looked up at him. Steve's heart skipped a beat as he put his hand up for her to hold and pulled her closer with the other. The heat from his body was keeping her warm but she craved being closer still so she put her head down on his chest.

"Steve?"

"Yeah?"

Y/N pointed up to the second story window of the house. Steve saw the team standing at the window watching them. Wanda and Sam gave them a wave while Bucky nodded his head at them with a sly grin. Tony was handing a stack of cash to Natasha.

Y/N laughed into his chest and Steve put his chin on to of her head and chuckled. "I guess this is big news," he said as the crowd dissipated. The two danced a little while longer before they decided to call it a night. They walked up the stairs hand in hand and walked to the place where their rooms faced each other.

"Well... goodnight," Y/N said.

"Sweet dreams," Steve whispered as he gave her a squeeze. They both walked inside their bedrooms. "Y/N?" he called out softly.

She turned around to face him. He slowly shuffled his feet forward and leaned out the door, hanging onto the door frame with one hand. Y/N did the same and when their faces were close, he gave her a gentle peck on the mouth. "Goodnight, sweetheart."

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