Originally posted in November 2014 as part of a 30 day writing challenge on Archive of Our Own.

No matter what Bucky says, Steve maintains that the fight really was his last resort. Bucky doubts that's true (because honestly, he's only known the guy two years but that's more than long enough to see how quickly fights can break out when Steve's in a mood) but he lets it slide. There's only so long you can berate a guy as he sulks in the ER looking pathetic without feeling a little guilty.

So Bucky's been regaling him with tales of his latest project in Professor Erskine's lab as Steve grows more and more sullen and sinks farther and farther down his chair. He's in the midst of describing how they're using radio frequencies when he notices Steve perk up and he does his best not to look around too obviously.

He gets his answer as he glances around at the other patients, eyes catching on a blonde and a brunette sitting across the room, a few yards from where Steve and Bucky are situated. The blonde looks bored, one towel-wrapped hand in his lap and the other propping up his chin. The brunette's mouth moves every once in a while, but for the most part her hands move about in the air in something Bucky thinks is-

"No way," Bucky crows, turning back to Steve. "Is that Library Guy?"

Steve slowly turns redder and redder, his pointed silence telling Bucky all that he needs to know, his eyes carefully locked on the floor between his feet.

Bucky glances back over his shoulder, watches as the blonde signs something with his good hand. Bucky's no expert, but from what Steve's taught him he thinks it might be something about a dog. "What are the odds, huh?" He bumps his shoulder against Steve's, laughs when he receives a sharp kick to the shin.

"I swear to god, Bucky, if you say anything-"

Bucky leans in close to Steve's ear, whispers, "Library Guy is totally staring at you, Steve."

"What?" Steve's head shoots up so fast that Bucky's excellent reflexes are the only reason he doesn't get a face-full of his friend's skull.

Library Guy is still watching his friend and Steve punches Bucky's arm with surprising force for a guy his size. Bucky's pretty sure the strangled sound that comes out of Steve's throat is supposed to be an "Eff you" that gets stuck when Library Guy really does look over and freezes like a deer in headlights when he catches sight of Bucky and Steve staring back. His face does an interesting twist before he sinks lower in his chair, lips moving fast as he mutters something to his friend.

"You should ask him out," Bucky says and Steve does another impression of a strangled duck.

"Bucky, I can't just ask out someone I met in the emergency room-"

"Well, yeah, you met him in the library. That's kind of why I've been calling him Library Guy."

"We've never spoken-"

"You literally come back to the apartment multiple times a week telling me how funny he is."

"We sign to each other from down the aisles, mostly just jokes and stuff, that's hardly-"

"I'll do it for you," Bucky offers, and that's enough to make Steve fall silent. "Yes? No? Give me something to work with here, Steve."

Steve's beet red again, but he nods slowly and Bucky grins, extracts his arm from behind Steve's shoulders and starts walking over to Library Guy and his friend before Steve can change his mind.

Library Guy is hissing something else to his friend as Bucky approaches, and he's pretty sure he hears something along the lines of "told you he probably has a boyfriend or something, Maria-" before he's standing in front of them and they're both watching him wordlessly.

"Hey," he says. Waves a little. "So my friend, Steve?" He points over his shoulder, turns and waves at Steve a little. Steve looks ready to die but he waves back. When Bucky returns his focus to Library Guy and Friend (Maria?), Library Guy looks nervous and Maria looks amused. "For the past, like, month, you're all he talks about every time he gets back from the library, and he'd be over here himself asking if you want to get a coffee sometime if he wasn't so worried that you're not interested at all."

Maria smirks a little wider, turns it on Library Guy after a few seconds.

"What?" Library Guy splutters. "You mean you're not- The two of you aren't- Coffee?"

"Yeah, I mean, unless you hate coffee. Then he'd like to get some pizza or see a movie or something. I promise he doesn't bite."

Library Guy just sits there staring past Bucky at Steve for a few minutes until his friend sighs and nudges him. "Clint."

"Yes!" Library Guy – Clint – blurts. "I mean – I love coffee, yes, I'd like to get some. With Steve. If he wants."

Bucky nods. "He does." He grins and jerks a thumb towards Steve again. "So I'll just go let him know you said yes, and I'll send him over so you can figure out when you're both free?"

"I- Yeah, yeah that'd be good."

Bucky schools his features into neutrality as he walks back to Steve, sighs heavily when he plops back down in the seat next to his friend.

"Sorry, Steve," he says, and Steve looks down at the floor. "I didn't know what your schedule's like this week so you're gonna have to go and set up the rest of your coffee date with Clint yourself."

The second punch is totally worth the look on Steve's face when he realizes what Bucky's just said.

Despite his best efforts not to, Bucky still bursts out laughing when Steve, impossibly, blushes even harder after Clint waves to him from across the room.