Chapter Text
“This was a great idea,” Steve chirps from across the diner booth, looking a little worn but smiling from ear to ear. An hour ago they finished moving all of the boxes they’d packed, along with their furniture, into their new apartment. After a joint shower to christen the place, the boys headed out to the closest brunch spot, eager to see how it stacked up against their favorite.
“Mhmmm,” Bucky hums in agreement as he reaches across the table with his right hand, lacing his fingers with Steve’s when they make contact. “We don’t even have a kitchen right now with all the boxes. Gonna be a few take-out days ‘til we can get unpacked,” he reasons, his smile blooming wider as Steve strokes a big thumb over the side of his own.
“I think we’ll make do.” Steve draws his hand up for a moment and sets a kiss on each knuckle, still drawing pink into his cheeks despite nearing their second anniversary.
Bucky turns his gaze out the window for a moment, his eyes roaming over the street before him. Despite being in the same neighborhood, in a diner they’ve passed a hundred times, things feel different.
Sure, they’ve been living together for nearly two years (a year and nine months by Steve’s count), but it’s something else entirely to now live in a place that is just theirs. Both of their names are on the lease. They signed the papers together. The space wasn’t Steve’s or Bucky’s before the other, but rather a fresh start for the two of them. A blank canvas, as Steve had said.
He tunes back into the sound of approaching footsteps, his eyes moving to Steve before looking up at the woman wearing all black save for the patterned apron tied around her waist, mottled flowers that make him feel like he’s looking at Steve’s art book on Monet. Better mention that to Steve, he thinks to himself, knowing it’ll make his man smile.
“Hi guys. I’m Julie, and I’ll be your server today. Can I get you started with coffee?” the woman asks, smiling warm and friendly in a way that doesn’t feel contrived.
“Sounds perfect,” Steve answers, continuing to rub his thumb over Bucky’s hand while giving Julie his best polite smile. Exhaustion might be hanging in bags under Steve’s eyes, but Bucky knows he’d rather tire himself out more than seem rude.
“I’ll be right back with that,” she says, her eyes seeming to follow the movement on the table. He watches her gaze settle on their joined hands, and after a brief pause, Julie gives them both a brighter smile that crinkles the corners of her eyes before she walks off.
There’s always a risk when they’re affectionate that it’ll go wrong — dirty looks, refusal of service, cruel comments — but Bucky knows Steve would rather fight than not touch him, would risk a bloody nose to make sure his best guy knows he’s loved. Their neighborhood, minus a couple special folks, is more interested in minding its own business than prying into theirs.
“Are we gonna unpack when we get back?” Bucky asks, his free hand smoothing two fingers over the edge of the table. It’s the last thing he wants to do, but he knows how much better they’ll feel when their space isn’t brimming with boxes.
Steve hums thoughtfully from across the table and flips their joined hands over. He loosens their fingers and then splays Bucky’s palm out, using the tip of his index finger to trace the creases in his man’s palm. “Just a little, I think? Bathroom and clothes so we don’t have to rummage for the goods when we’re tired,” he reasons, watching Bucky’s palm twitch a little with sensitivity.
A grumble meets Steve’s ears in response, but the bright laugh it draws from him has Bucky smiling again quickly. Steve’s always right, though sometimes he hates to admit it. “I guess that’s fine,” Bucky says, ending in a put-upon sigh just to make Steve smile.
“Once you’ve got some coffee in you,” Steve says, “then you’ll feel better about doing stuff. It’s still early.” It feels a bit like blasphemy, having done so much before the cock has even hit double-digits, but Bucky knows it was their best bet to get everything out in one go so they could send the moving truck back on its way.
As if on cue, Julie reappears with a tray featuring two mugs and coffee fixings, and has a full pot of coffee in her other hand. The bitter-strong scent meets Bucky’s nose and he sighs out happily, leaving Steve to greet the person responsible for his man’s delight.
“Thanks so much,” Steve says as she sets down the coffee pot and proceeds to dole out their mugs and the coffee fixings. Without question, she fills their mugs and then draws away the pot.
“Do we know what we’re having, gentlemen?” Julie asks, drawing her notepad from a pocket in her apron.
Bucky and Steve exchange a brief look and a nod, not having picked up the menu but knowing a breakfast platter was in store for each of them. “Can we each do a full breakfast? Eggs, bacon, homefries, the works?” Steve requests, handing his untouched menu over to Bucky so the brunet can stack them.
“Did you want the full breakfast with the side of pancakes or french toast, or just extra meat?” Julie says, beginning to write on her notepad.
“One with pancakes and one with french toast, please” Steve answers, not needing to ask to know they’ll end up sharing both sides.
“Sounds good. How do you like your eggs?”
“One scrambled and one over easy. Doesn’t matter which,” Steve supplies, earning himself a warm smile from Bucky. There’s a deep warmth that bubbles in Bucky’s belly every time Steve orders for him as if Steve knows him better than he knows himself. It feels like another promise of forever.
“I’ll have that up soon as they can,” Julie says before capping her pen and taking the coffee pot with her.
Steve returns his full attention to Bucky and is met with a look of pure love on Bucky’s face.
“What?” Steve says, his voice lowered just for the two of them.
“I just love you, that’s all,” Bucky returns, lacing his fingers back with Steve’s and squeezing at the man’s hand lightly.
“I love you too, Buck.” Steve’s cheeks warm a little from the attention, from the clear affection. Bucky feels like he could float away into the stratosphere, buoyed by how deeply in love he is.
Soon, they’ll eat breakfast, swapping sweet treats back and forth and making each other laugh. They’ll walk back to their new apartment to unpack and end up taking breaks to lounge on the couch, slightly sweaty and tangled together but unbearably happy to begin this chapter of their lives together.