𝕾𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕾𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗 - [𝗦𝘁𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻]

𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐢𝐢. 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 - kiss and tell

━━━━━━━

 𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐈𝐍 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐋𝐄𝐅𝐓 only moments ago, leaving behind a bathroom filled with unhurriedly disintegrating laughter and ever-building tension.

 Scarlet knew it had to be now. She couldn't keep dragging things out, letting Steve's feelings build only to tease and then turn away. But... she also couldn't keep suffocating her own feelings, actually, she just didn't want to. Glimpsing at him now; his head thrown back with eyes cast to the ceiling as he leaned against the bathroom counter, trying with all his might to regain his breath... it was about time.

 "Steve?" she whispered, sure that he could barely hear her voice.

 The uptick of his lips was visible, and all he did was drop his head to the side, looking down through slitted eyes. They were still warm, glittering with the aftermath of laughter. He hummed, a light buzz on the very tip of his tongue like the shock of sour candy; he didn't want to devastate the peaceful silence, he wanted to relish in their moment.

 Scarlet kept her eyes forwards, thoroughly scanning each of the coloured tiles slapped upon the wall, "I uh —" She wavered, blowing out a short breath.

 She just needed to come straight out with it, tell him that she'd heard everything, that she'd known for months now... that she felt the same. It was just so daunting. Scarlet wasn't somebody to open up and spill her feelings over the floor; she preferred to keep them close, to coddle them like scared little children, just so that they'd stay safe... so that she would be safe.

 Steve had finally twisted his body to face her, a hand planted just beside her knee as he leaned closer, "Hey, you okay?"

 Scarlet wasn't exactly known to stammer and stutter, she wasn't known to do anything less than speak her mind. So to see her wringing her hands, picking at her fingers all the while avoiding his gaze... Steve swallowed, he felt the bob of his throat; he hated when she fell silent.

 Time to bite the bullet.

 Scarlet carried her eyes to his own. She had to see his face when she spilled it all, she wanted to see those eyes of his, the way his cheeks grew pink... there was just something about it.

 "I heard everything." She finally spouted, fingers tangling with a stray thread on her shorts.

 "Everything? What do you —" His jaw tumbled, "Ev — Everything? As in... Oh God. You don't have to — I mean I understand if — Like it's me so —"

 "Steve."

 His voice evaporated. Every little bit of air in his lungs was plucked and tossed away, and he couldn't even bring himself to keep up the eye contact. But there was something in the way she'd said his name. No teasing. No firm tone. No little nicknames... just Steve, in that sweet-as-honey voice. Something about it smoothed over his nerves.