It's our boys' birthday!! 101-102 if I'm correct? Either way, an old man. So of course I had to write a little something.

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Bucky wasn't home alone, but he might as well have been -- sitting on the couch surrounded by people, he had never felt so alone.

Well, maybe that was a little dramatic, but he just felt... separated. Maybe because the one he really wanted to be around the most was the farthest from him, literally and emotionally.

Steve was in the kitchen, chatting with Nat and Wanda about various birthday things they wanted to do. Bucky watches them quietly as Steve laughs. He sinks back into the couch and tries to pay attention to Clint and Thor, engaging in a teasing conversation about past birthdays and the disasters they'd brought.

"Remember when Cap accidentally set your shirt on fire?" Clint chuckles, glancing at the culprit. Bucky laughs a little and follows his gaze, smiling.

"Methinks Rogers just wanted to see Bucky remove his shirt," Thor murmurs with a grin before taking a chug of his drink. Clint stares at him incredulously.

"My God, you've grown," he whispers, awed. Thor smiles proudly.

"I think you mean, my gods," Loki corrects with a gracious bow as he walks through the door. He smiles at Bucky and nods his head. "Congratulations, Barnes, you're an old man."

"Like you're one to talk," he scoffs, keeping his eyes from drifting back towards Steve. Loki takes a drink and sits next to Thor, pretending he'd rather be anywhere else but in all honesty just thankful for the company; even if Clint shifts a little ways away from him, turning to look at Natasha.

"C'mon, a watched pot doesn't boil and all that. Come into the living room, we're making fun of Bucky," he calls and the trio in the kitchen look at him.

"Fine, you've swayed me," Nat comments as she walks over, and the other two follow suit.

Steve sits next to Bucky and Clint moves to sit beside him, squishing Bucky and Steve closer. Bucky pretends to be unbothered by this. The conversation starts up again, and Bucky prays his face isn't as red as it feels.

This birthday was... tough. Two weeks earlier, it had all gone down, and... Bucky wasn't liking how it was turning out. Steve wasn't the same towards him.

//

"Hey, can I talk to you for a second?"

Steve's heart stutters in his chest, and he nods before following Bucky upstairs, where it was quiet. Tony, Bruce, Thor and Nat were hanging out in the living room downstairs. Whatever Bucky had to say to him, he wanted it to remain a secret to the others.

That wasn't a good sign.

"What's up?" Steve leans against the wall and folds his arms, looking at him. Bucky paces a step or two, pauses, takes a shaky breath and looks at him.

"I've never been good at stuff like this," he mutters and clears his throat, looks down at his hands.

"I... I think I like you?" He's answered by silence, and he rushes to continue. "I mean, I'm pretty sure, and I know we're just friends but -- I wanted you to know, because it was only fair." He exhales quickly. "I don't know what to do," he finally says, helplessly.

Steve nods a little, swallows, and says, "Okay. Um... Buck, can we talk about this in a bit?" His voice is soft, his eyes more pleading. "I'm sorry, I just... need time to think. Is that okay?"

Bucky feels a force like anxiety slam into his stomach, pushing out the air and forcing his throat to close up. Oh.

"Sure, yeah," he breathes. "Yeah, I'm just, uh... " he clears his throat again, swallows painfully. "I'm gonna... " He points down the stairs, gives him a pained smile, and hurries back down, arranging his face into something that looks neutral.

Steve comes down shortly after, and it's a little quieter after that.

//

"I think it's about time to cut the cake," Wanda says, and Bucky blinks and looks around. He hadn't even heard the timer go off, so lost in his thoughts it didn't register. "C'mon, birthday boy."

They move into the kitchen and gather around for the red and white velvet cake that Steve, Nat and Wanda had worked on all afternoon. Once everyone is gathered, the cake with only ten candles on it is set in front of Bucky. One hundred would have been a little much, so they improvised.

"Make a wish," Steve says, and Bucky glances at him. He was smiling, like almost everyone else, but there was something else there in that look he gave him.

Bucky ignores it, and blows out the candles. Cheers and congratulations, and then they dig in.

An hour passes, then two, and when everyone else is socialising, Steve comes up to Bucky.

"Hey, Buck?"

"Oh, we're on proper speaking terms now?" Bucky mumbles into his mug of coffee, trying to keep himself awake for the rest of the night -- an old man needed something to keep him going.

"Can we talk?" Steve asks in a quiet voice. Bucky considers it and, with a sigh, gets to his feet and follows Steve onto the balcony.

"Had to be outside, huh? What, want me to freeze to death?" Bucky tries to work the frustration he'd felt out of his system, hating when it turns to sadness.

"Buck," Steve begins. Bucky studies him closely. Steve wasn't exactly the type to be at a loss for words. "I'm sorry I took so long." He takes a hesitant step closer, and Bucky lets him.

"What do you -- "

"I've liked you for years," he confesses, looking away, his face burning. "When you told me, I-I panicked. I've known I've liked you for a really long time, and... I don't know, it just startled me that you liked me back. And I started overthinking things."

Bucky doesn't say anything as he stares out into the city, processing his words.

"Bucky, I'm sorry," he murmurs. A beat of silence, then Bucky turns to face him, stepping closer, his heart beating out of his chest.

"Yeah?" He tilts his head, studying him, a playful grin on his face, eyes soft. "Prove it, Rogers."

Steve looks surprised for a second before easily moving in, cupping his cheeks and kissing him. Bucky wraps his arms around his neck and Steve gets a better hold on him, kissing him harder.

"I'm sorry," he mumbles as they pull away, their bodies flushed in the cold March night.

"Don't be," Bucky says quietly, resting his hands on his chest. "If there's one thing I know about Steve Rogers, he takes years to do anything," he teases, and Steve smiles and rolls his eyes playfully.

"Not anymore." He kisses him again, softer, and Bucky sinks against him as Steve pulls him close, as if afraid that if he lets go, he'll lose him.

And all Bucky can think of in that moment is that his wish came true. He smiles to himself, and lets the moment wash over him.

"Happy birthday, Buck."

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This was super fun to write! I hope you guys enjoyed. :)