#captainamerica

The sun dips low, painting the common room in soft gold. Bucky’s sprawled back against the couch cushions, Nat curled tight into his side—her head resting on his chest, his arm slung loose around her shoulders, their legs tangled together under the throw blanket. You’re tucked right beside Steve, your feet propped comfortably over his thighs, his hand resting light and warm on your calf like it’s always been there.

A comfortable quiet settles over you all, only broken when Nat lifts her head, eyes flicking between you and Steve with a little curious tilt of her chin.

“Wait a second,” she says, like something just clicked. “Have you two ever actually been together?”

You snort out a laugh, heat rushing to your cheeks as you drop your gaze, twisting the edge of your sleeve between your fingers. Before you can even tease or dodge, Steve’s thumb strokes slow over your thigh, and he nods easy, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“Mhm. Yeah, we have.”

Nat’s eyes go wide, and she nearly bolts right off the couch—Bucky fumbles to catch her before she topples sideways—as she lets out a sharp, delighted scream. “WHAT?!”

You double over laughing, shoulders shaking so hard your feet slip a little on Steve’s lap, and even Bucky’s grinning so wide his cheeks dimple. Steve just huffs a quiet laugh, squeezing your thigh gently while Nat gapes at you both like you’ve just told her aliens are real.

“You—you mean to tell me I’ve known you two for years and you never said a word?!” she exclaims, still half-off the couch, clutching Bucky’s arm for balance.

“Never came up,” Steve says, shrugging, but he’s smiling down at you like he’s pretty fond of the secret.

You just grin back, and for the first time all evening, that soft, aching twist in your chest feels light, instead of heavy

Nat doesn’t let up for a second—she leans right over the gap between the couches, firing off question after question like she’s interrogating a suspect: Since when? Who kissed who first? How did we all not notice? Did you hide it on purpose?

Then she pauses, eyes glinting mischievously, and drops her voice like she’s sharing top secret intel. “Okay, real question. Have you two ever… y’know… done it here in the tower?”

Steve snorts so loud Bucky chokes on his drink. He wraps his arm tighter around your waist, grinning unapologetically, and nods.

“Yep. Last night and this morning for one. And plenty of times before that.”

Your eyes blow wide and you gasp so loud it echoes. “Steve!” You shriek, shoving his shoulder hard as heat floods your face, but you’re laughing so hard you can barely hold yourself upright. “You actually have zero filter!”

Nat whoops so loud the windows rattle, clapping her hands like she just won the lottery, and even Bucky’s shaking his head, grinning from ear to ear. “Of course you did,” he teases, throwing a throw pillow straight at Steve’s face. “Typical Rogers.”

Steve just catches the pillow one-handed, pulling you closer to press a kiss to your flushing cheek, still laughing. “What? She asked!”

Nat’s smirk only grows, sharp and playful as she leans forward, propping her chin in her hand like she’s just uncovered the best secret of all. “Wait a minute,” she teases, waggling her eyebrows between you and Steve, “so let me get this straight—you go all soft and starry-eyed for him once, and now you’ve got a type? You both have a thing for super soldiers? That’s adorable. And very on-brand for this tower, honestly.”

You groan so loud it comes out half-laugh, half-sob, covering your burning face with both hands. “Okay! Okay! This conversation is officially over! I’m revoking your question privileges—effective immediately!” You try to push yourself upright to escape, but Steve’s arm loops loose and warm around your waist, tugging you right back against his side like he’s not letting you get away that easy.

Nat just chuckles, completely unbothered by your dramatic protest, and leans in a little closer, her voice dropping to that teasing, knowing tone she only uses when she’s got you exactly where she wants you. “Oh no, you don’t—you can’t just drop that bombshell and then run away. I need the full picture here. So… what actually is this? Are you two properly together? Like, official, exclusive, call each other yours? Or is it just… fun? Friends with benefits, no strings attached?”

The room goes quiet for half a second, Bucky watching with a lazy, curious smile from where he’s still got his arm draped over Nat’s shoulders, while you freeze for a moment, your gaze darting from Nat’s expectant face up to Steve. He’s already looking down at you—all that easy amusement softening into something warm and steady, his thumb brushing slow and gentle over your hip where his hand rests.

You take a breath, then let out a shaky little laugh, shrugging one shoulder like it’s no big deal, even though your heart’s thumping a little faster than before. “Uh… well…” You start, then pause, glancing back up at him. “We… we didn’t really put a label on it at first, y’know? It just… happened. We were friends first, for ages, and then one thing led to another, and it was nice—really nice—and we didn’t want to mess it up by overthinking what we were.”

Steve nods slowly, his eyes never leaving yours as he picks up where you left off, his voice quiet but sure, like he’s saying it just as much to you as to them. “But somewhere along the way… ‘just fun’ stopped feeling like enough. And ‘friends’ never felt like the right word anymore, not after all this.” He turns his gaze back to Nat, and there’s no hesitation at all when he finishes, his arm tightening just a little around you. “So yeah—we’re together. Properly. Have been for a while now. We just… kept it quiet for a bit. Wanted to figure it out ourselves first before we let everyone else have their say.”

Nat lets out a long, dramatic sigh, but she’s grinning so wide her eyes crinkle at the corners, nudging Bucky hard with her elbow. “See? Told you they weren’t just messing around!” She looks back at you both, softening just a little, that familiar warmth shining through her teasing. “Good. I’m glad. You two fit together better than anyone I know.”

You lean your head against Steve’s shoulder, feeling him press a kiss to the top of your head, and smile—for the first time all afternoon, there’s not a single ache or doubt left in your chest.

Nat cackles so hard she snorts, leaning into Bucky’s side. “Oh come on—now it all makes sense! That panicked look you get every time Steve’s about to ship out? And the way you walk like you’ve been bucked off a stallion some mornings? I knew there was more to it!”

You bury your face in Steve’s neck, shaking with laughter, while Steve just groans and drops his head back against the cushions. “You are the worst people I know.”

Just then the common room doors slide open, and Tony strolls in with a half-empty coffee cup. The whole room goes dead quiet instantly—you freeze, Nat sits up straight, even Bucky stops grinning.

Tony pauses, glances around at all of you, and snorts. “Relax, I’m not blind. Or deaf. Or clueless.” He smirks, tossing his cup onto the side table. “I’ve known Rogers and his little shadow have been sneaking off together for months.”

Steve blinks. “You… you knew?”

“Please. This is my tower. Jarvis is everywhere” Tony leans against the doorframe, grinning wider. “And for the record? I’m the one who had his room soundproofed. Couldn’t have the rest of the team waking up at 3 a.m. wondering if someone was testing heavy equipment up there.”

Your face burns bright red, and Steve just stares at Tony like he can’t decide whether to be mortified or grateful. Bucky bursts out laughing, clapping a hand over Steve’s shoulder. “Man, you owe him a drink. Or five.”

“Tell me about it,” Tony says, pointing a finger at you both. “Don’t make me regret it, though—keep it down, or I’m installing a karaoke machine right outside his door.”

Bucky leans forward, grinning like he’s just found his new favourite hobby, and prods Steve’s chest with his metal finger. “Wait a second—soundproofed? That’s the real tea. All those times you’d slip out of briefings early, saying you had ‘reports to finish’? You were just sneaking off, weren’t you?”

“Or the way you’d turn up to training late,” Nat jumps in, waggling her eyebrows, “hair all messy and neck covered in very suspicious marks you tried to hide with a high collar. We all thought you’d gotten into a fight with a tree branch!”

Tony snorts, crossing his arms. “Oh please, I’ve seen the security logs. ‘Captain Rogers: heading to private quarters at 02:17 am. Returning to kitchen at 02:48 am for snacks.’ Snacks. Sure, Rogers. That’s what we’re calling it now.”

You hide your face in your hands, but you’re laughing so hard your shoulders shake. “Okay okay, enough! You’re all horrible!”

“Nah, we’re impressed,” Bucky says, throwing his hands up. “Old man’s still got it. Though for the record—next time, leave the shield outside the door. Tripped over it twice last week.”

Steve’s face goes bright red, and he throws a pillow straight at Bucky’s head. “Shut up, Barnes! At least I don’t—”

“At least he doesn’t what?” Nat cuts in instantly, eyes sparkling. “Go on, Steve. Don’t leave us hanging.”

“—at least I don’t leave my combat boots scattered all over the hallway!” Steve finishes quickly, but he’s smiling so wide he can’t even look mad.

Tony claps his hands together. “Alright, ground rules. Number one: glad you two are happy. Number two: if you break the soundproofing? You’re paying for the repairs. Number three—” he points at you “—if Rogers ever does anything to upset you? You come straight to me. I’ve got plenty of very embarrassing photos of him from the 40s to use as blackmail.”

“Hey!” Steve protests, pulling you tighter against his side. “No blackmailing my girlfriend!”

“Girlfriend!” Bucky and Nat cheer in unison, like they’ve just won a bet, and Tony winks at you. “There we go. Finally said it out loud.”

Bucky leans back, grinning so wide his eyes crinkle, and nods at Steve like he’s doing him a huge favour. “Hey, just so you know—if you ever run low, don’t go sneaking to the med bay. I’ve got a full stash in my drawer. Help yourself, no judgment.”

Steve snorts so hard he nearly chokes on his soda, shaking his head. “Condoms? Please. Pull out game’s working perfectly fine so far.”

The whole room erupts—Nat cackles so loud she snorts, Tony whoops and claps his hands, even Bucky bends over laughing. You bury your burning face right into Steve’s shoulder, wanting nothing more than to vanish into the couch cushions, mortified beyond words.

Bucky wipes at his eyes when he calms down a little, raising an eyebrow. “Alright, tough guy. But c’mon—what if there’s an accident? Super soldier swimmers are no joke, y’know. You think that serum didn’t crank everything up to eleven?”

Steve’s arm tightens comfortably around you, and he shrugs easy, like he’s not discussing this in front of three of the most chaotic people he knows. “If it happens, it happens. We’re adults—we’d handle it. Honestly? Wouldn’t be the worst thing that ever happened to either of us.” He glances down at you softens, then adds quickly, “But hey—we’re not actively trying or anything. We’re just… us. Taking it as it comes.”