Steve is pacing in his room. She'd said yes? He hadn't expected that, wasn't prepared for it. He didn't know what to do on real dates. Bucky and another girl had always been there. What was he to do without their intervention. He could barely hold a conversation with a woman for five minutes, much less a whole night. He leaves his room in a hurry, knocking on Bucky's door.

"Come in!" Bucky calls, and Steve finds him at his desk, doing homework. They'd been living together since Steve's mother passed. "You look nervous." Bucky says instantly after seeing Steve's face. "What's wrong?"

Steve drops to the floor, folding his legs underneath him. "Nothing. I just… I have a date tomorrow…" Steve blushes, staring at the carpet. "I"m not sure what to do."

Something in Bucky's stomach twists painfully at that news. He instantly doesn't like the idea, but he shoves it aside, and smiles at Steve. He has to be the good friend here. "What are you worried about? You've been on dates before! Besides, you'll do great. You're smart and fun to be around." He plops down in front of Steve, dipping his head to catch Steve's eye. "What's the problem?"

Steve's blush intensifies. "Well… this is the first time I'll be alone with a girl… and… and I don't know how to kiss." He finishes in a hurry, face burning.

Bucky looks at him, eyebrows raised. "That's not a big deal," he says comfortingly. "Besides, kissing girls is easy, and fun." He winks, not really feeling the humor he was projecting.

"Easy?" Steve questions. He doesn't believe it. It seems like the scariest thing in the world. What id he was terrible and she hated him.

"Yes. Easy." Bucky assures. He scoots closer, and wicked smirk on his face. "I can show you."

Steve cocks his head to the side. "Show me?" he asks. His stomach flips. Kissing Bucky doesn't sound scary. He stops his train of thought before he thinks to hard about what kissing Bucky would be like.

"Yeah. It's not hard. It's all about the approach, and the anticipation." He scoots up more, till their knees are pressed together.

Steve nods, subconsciously leaning closer. That anticipation Bucky had just mentioned was bubbling in his stomach.

Bucky reaches out, placing one hand on Steve's back, just below his neck. "First, just coax her in, see if she's into it. Trust me, she'll let you know if she doesn't want you to do it." He laughs a bit, remembering the many slaps in the face he'd gotten. "Then just lean in, real slow like." His eyes are fixed on Steve's and he notes how wide they are. How his pupils are blown out.

Steve nods slightly, his own hand coming up to Bucky's waist. He tries to relax. This was just a demonstration. He felt Bucky putting pressure on his back and he leans in further.

"Now just tilt your head a little, so you don't bump her nose." He shows Steve how, and watches as the blonde copies the movement. He can feel Steve's quick breaths on his face, and takes in Steve's parted lips.

"Like this?" he asks, voice barely above a whisper. He was pleased when Bucky nodded his approval. He leans in closer, getting a feel for how to move this close to someone else. Their lips are almost touching now.

Bucky's heart is pounding like a wild animal's. "Now," he says, voice matching Steve's quiet tone. "Touch her face," he says, hand moving from Steve's neck slowly, to cup his cheek. He felt Steve leaning into the touch. They were both far to caught up with this, but he couldn't make himself stop. "Stroke her cheek with your thumb." He does this to Steve, wondering how he had such soft skin.

Steve's other hand comes up to Bucky's face, mimicking what Bucky had done. His other hand it still clutching at Bucky's side. He brushes his fingers across Bucky's hairline.

Bucky's eyes drift close, and he wonders if Steve feels as high as he did. "Then guide her in a little more as you go in for it." Bucky mumbles, eyes still closed. He can feel heat coming from Steve's lips, and their mouths are just barely brushing together. "Then just move your lips on hers." he says, lips parting. He wants to go in for the real thing. Somehow he forces himself not to. "Then switch between kissing her upper and lower lip." He bares his teeth a bit, almost biting on Steve's full lower lip. "And if you think shes really into you bite her lip." His breathing is shaking.

Steve can hardly breathe. His chest is tight, and he wants to open his eyes, and see Bucky doing all this. But he's afraid that will ruin the moment. Bucky's lips were so close, so soft. He tries very hard not to think about that. His hands are gripping Bucky so hard he knows his knuckles are turning white. He opens his own mouth, barely nibbling at Bucky's lip. So little contact was made it almost broke Steve's heart that he couldn't actually do it. "Like this?" he asks again.

"Yes, perfect." Bucky breathes, barely coherent anymore.

They stay like that for a lot longer than Bucky felt they should have. He should end this, but it was nice. Ever so slowly, reality crept back around them, and they began to part, just as slowly and carefully as they'd come together.

Steve felt like he was tangled up with Bucky, and that it would take a long time to separate them completely. He wasn't sure though, that right then, he wanted that to happen.

Bucky clears his throat, and stands. "So, yeah. That's all there is to it." He says it nonchalantly, like they hadn't just been sitting there for half an hour almost kissing.

Steve is still trying to catch his breath when Bucky offers a hand to help him up. They wind up far too close again, hands lingering on each other, neither of them noticing it for a while.

Steve coughs, turning away suddenly. "Thanks."

He leaves without another word, cheeks blazing and trying to push aside the butterflies in his stomach.

Bucky watches him go, and thinks he'll never regret anything more for the rest of his life than not just kissing Steve right then.

Steve cancels his date an hour later.

It takes them both months to stop thinking about the lesson continuously. Another year goes by before they learn to how to not always be touching again. It doesn't seem like an improvement.