They eventually get up and slowly walk back. Not hand in hand. Just side by side, Buchanan with his arms stretched tense, Cap with his arms crossed in distress. Silent at first. Then Steve starts to berate himself: “I should have known, I should have noticed...” Bucks quickly intervenes: “How? How were you supposed to know, explain that to me?” Steve reminds him: “We've always been attracted to each other...”, but his buddy replies: “Because we were friends and we love each other!”, to which Cap bears the question: “But what if that's the reason?” Bucky argues: “And what if the tests are wrong? What if it's not even true? What if our DNA is just alike because we got the serum!? Then what?” Steve wants to object: “But Bucky... the other factors...” “What if they're also wrong?”, his buddy defies, but Cap shakes his head: “You can't just ignore it, Bucky!”
They're back at the tower, but Steve takes the side entrance. He doesn't want to meet anyone and Bucks follows him. When they're in the elevator to their floor, Bucks addresses him again: “Stevie, honestly... I love you! And not because you could be my brother, but regardless! Simply because you are you!” His sweetheart looks at him discouraged and whispers: “Bucky...”, yet he already adds: "Seriously Steve, we... we always wanted to be together! You felt that too, didn't you? And that's why we've always been close friends. Because we loved each other even then. But back then we weren't allowed to be together because we are men. And now we're not supposed to be together again because we may have the same blood? Dammit Steve... when is this going to stop?” His lover looks at him questioning: “What?”, but he clarifies: “When are you going to stop letting others tell you if you can love me? When are you going to stop letting society dictate what's okay, when it's just between you and your partner? When will you finally decide for yourself?”
They've arrived at their floor, and together they go to Steve's room. Looking around, he opens the door, pondering: “That... It's... It's just wrong! It's gross...” “So is taking cock up the ass!”, Bucky throws in with a suggestive grin, and Steve quickly shuts the door behind him, blushing: “Darn Bucks... if you put it that way, sure, it is...” “But you got used to it anyway! And now you love it. Right?”, Bucky continues to tease as they sit down. Steve can't look at him and Bucks adds: “I know you're still embarrassed. You were brought up much stricter than me, because your Ma had to do everything by herself and was so concerned with your health. And you always listened to her, like a good boy. But now you know that it's actually not a bad thing!”, he reaches out and lifts his chin, so that Steve looks at him, “Those were old rules, old laws, but they're rubbish! I thought we agreed on that.”
“But Bucky, incest, that's something much worse! There's, there are reasons, why it's disgusting...”, Steve throws in, but Bucky interrupts: “But those don't apply to us! We're not perverts, we don't want to have sex to do something forbidden, but because we love each other! And nothing bad can grow from our love, so why should it be evil?” Still miserable, Steve stays silent, but puts one hand on Bucky's to snuggle it briefly against his cheek. Bucky gives him an encouraging smile. Cap starts anew: “But what will people think?” His boyfriend frowns and huffs in dispair: “Who cares?! And anyways, only our friends know about it. Do you honestly think they'll go and announce it somewhere, to make people gossip about us?”, he looks at him firm, “Even Rhodes and Loki sided with us before, when people got upset or accused me of turning you gay! Noone's gonna tell. Or do you want that?” Steve looks serious at his friend and explains: “I'm afraid I'll spill it myself. Like I did the other day. You know me, I'm an honest person, I don't want to lie! What if I mess up, and it slips out?” Bucky drops his hand and looks down in resignation. Steve crosses his arms in front of his chest, staring at his feet as well. Then Bucks says quietly: “If it bothers you that much, then there's really no point in us staying together. Then we have to break up.”
Steve closes his eyes, trying to hold back tears. Then he hears Bucky getting up. He says nothing more, just turns away and walks towards the door. Steve's heart is beating faster, he's angry, desperate, but at the same time hears his inner voice tell him: 'He's right. It's for the best.' But just as Bucks turns the handle, Steve hears him in his head, again questioning: 'For whom?' His love opens the door and is about to leave when Steve quickly says: “Wait!” He opens his eyes and looks back at his friend, but he keeps moving forward as if he hadn't heard him. Steve puts his arms down and calls again: “Wait!”, but Bucky, halfway out the door, just murmurs: “It's not like we'll never see each other again. We just won't touch each other like we used to. And maybe we'll both find someone new to make us happy.”
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Steve gets up. Suddenly he remembers a scene from his childhood. How his mother would bathe them together, when they got dirty playing, because Bucky's mum would get mad. How they would hold each other and play around. How he and Bucky laughed. How happy they were together. Over and over. All their life, making each other happy. And he thinks about how now, in this day and age, they were allowed to stand by each other, allowed to finally show, and live their love for each other. And he doesn't want to give that up.
Bucky is already in the hall, when Steve runs after him. His friend turns around in surprise, as he flings himself into his arms, hugs him tightly and states: “I don't want that!” Bucky looks at him confused, puts his arms on his shoulders and is about to argue with him, when Steve goes off: “I want to sit in the bathtub with you! And I want to shower with you, and cuddle with you, and sleep with you, and hold you!”, he looks at him firmly, “I want to ride my motorcycle with you, and feel how you press against me, and hold on to me. I want to hold hands with you when we go for a walk!”, he gets more and more euphoric and louder, “And I want to kiss you when you are happy, and kiss you when you are angry, and kiss you when you are sad, and just kiss you, morning, noon, and night, just like that!” Bucky stares at him and has to hold his breath for a moment, when Steve puts his money where his mouth is, and kisses him with heated passion. Then he concludes: “I don't want to give you up. I don't want anyone else to make me happy, you make me happy! I want us to be together, and I want to make love to you, and I finally want to goddamn marry you!”
Bucky looks at him with a mixture of hope and doubt, so Steve just picks him up and insists: “I love you, Bucky! I don't want to lose you. Never again.” His sweetheart looks down at him completely overwhelmed and replies amused: “And that's why you want to put a ring on it and drag me into your cave, or what's this gonna be?” Steve has to chuckle and lets him down, and Bucky laughs with him. And then some more people laugh. Steve turns around to see Nat, Tony and Rhodes standing in the hallway, looking at them with friendly smiles. He doesn't even flinch. Just smiles back. Tony simply asks: “Did you finally jump over your shadow, Rogers? Are you guys back together now?”
Steve raises a brow at Bucky, who looks a little embarrassed. And then he just gets on his knees. His buddy looks at him nervously as he takes his hands and gulps, to explains softly: “I'm sorry I was such a coward! I promise, from now on I will always fight for you, no matter who or what my opponent is, even if it is me! I miss you so much Bucky. That's why I want to officially ask you, and in front of witnesses: James Buchanan Barnes, will you marry me?”
Bucks looks at him with an embarrassed smile. He opens his mouth, but can't say anything. He tries again, but nothing comes out. So he closes his eyes, and a few tears fall to the floor, as he simply nods. Steve quickly gets up and takes him in his arms, when Bucky finally howls: “YES! Yes, dammit yes. Yes, I want to marry you, you stubborn, overly correct, dutiful bastard! I love you!” And they hug each other tight. Their friends applaud, Rhodes puts two fingers in his mouth for a piercing whistle, and Tony pulls out his cell phone, snaps a photo and sends it to the group, adding: “Rogers just proposed to Barnes! He said yes!”
Steve just keeps holding his sweetheart, who hugs him overjoyed. He continues to whisper: “I'm so sorry, I was so scared, I should have known better. I love you, please forgive me!” “It's okay Stevie!”, his lover whispers back, “I just missed you so much, my heart nearly broke. I thought I was dying!” Steve hugs him even tighter and when the clapping slowly dies down, he pulls him back into his room, throws the door shut and his cell phone, which suddenly begins to beep and vibrate like crazy, on the wardrobe. Bucky also takes his out to put away, when Steve kisses him again and explains: “I've got a lot to make up for. Do you feel like it?” When Bucky sees the sparkle in his eyes and the hopeful look, he has to smile again, and more than willingly lets Steve pull him into the bedroom.