Becky chuckled under her breath as her friend made his way up to the counter carrying a large stack of books. The librarian shook her head fondly as he stumbled slightly and almost dropped half of them, before catching his balance and setting the books on the counter.
"Got enough books for the day there Johnnie?" She asked jokingly as she started to write the names and authors of the books on the check-out list.
"There were a few more, but I wouldn't be able to carry them," Johnnie replied, throwing a wistful look toward the back section of the library which he had previously occupied.
Becky laughed quietly and nodded, "I know the feeling. Be careful going home alright? You can barely see over these."
Johnnie nodded as he gathered the books up again and headed for the door, "Will do. See you later Becky."
Johnnie walked quietly down the bustling street, taking the shortest route home, when he suddenly collided with what seemed to be a brick wall and dropped half of the books he carried.
When he looked up, he was mortified when he realized that the brick wall was actually none other than Sargent Barnes; his idol and not-so-secret crush.
"Oh, I'm so sorry Mr. Barnes, I wasn't paying attention!" He stuttered out as he scrambled to pick up the tower of books he was carrying from the library.
Sargent Barnes smiled and bent down to pick up the last few books, flashing John a dashing smile that had his knees shaking.
"Just call me Bucky. Need some help with these?" Bucky asked, still holding the fallen books.
"Oh, um, s-sure. Thank you Mr. Bar- uh, I mean, Bucky. Thank you," John said as a blush spread over his cheeks.
"Sure thing, Doll."
The blush on Johnnie's face deepened, and he stood there with his mouth open, trying to figure out if he'd heard correctly.
"Take a picture, Doll, it'll last longer," Bucky quipped nudging Johnnie lightly with his shoulder.
If possible, Johnnie's face became even more red, and he mumbled something incoherently under his breath, then cleared his throat.
"Right, um...this way..." he said quietly, then continued on down the street.
Bucky chuckled and followed him to his apartment.
Johnnie fumbled with the key for a moment, but finally unlocked the door and held it open for Bucky to enter. After setting the books on the coffee table in the living room, he stood awkwardly to the side while Bucky set down the books he'd been carrying for him.
"So uh, my name's John, but most of my friends call me Johnnie..." he said, not wanting to look at Bucky, but at the same time not wanting to look anywhere but Bucky.
Bucky chuckled and walked over to him, "Nice to meet you Johnnie. Though, if it's alright with you, I think I'll just stick with Doll."
Johnnie's eyes widened and his voice cracked as he answered, "Yea- um, yeah sure," he cleared his throat nervously, "that's uh, that's fine."
Bucky smiled and Johnnie thought he might faint.
"Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?" Bucky wondered aloud.
"Um...n-no?" Johnnie said, his heart rate picking up as Bucky moved closer.
"That's a shame. You really are, you know? That's why I call you Doll. Because your beautiful skin looks perfect, just like a doll's; especially when you blush so prettily. Your deep eyes sparkle like they're made of glass, and your lips..." Bucky trailed off, bringing a hand up slowly to rub his thumb gently over Johnnie's lower lip.
Johnnie was sure his face was completely red by now. He couldn't believe that this was happening, and he stood still for fear of it all disappearing if he moved at all.
Bucky continued to lightly stroke Johnnie's lower lip, but moved his own mouth by Johnnie's ear and whispered lowly, "I just want to kiss them. May I?"
Johnnie's breath caught in his throat, and he nodded, eyes wide.
"Y-Yes, you may."
Bucky smiled softly and gently lifted Johnnie's face, leaning down slightly to press a soft kiss to his lips.
Johnnie's eyes fluttered closed as he tentatively kissed back, heart pounding in his chest and hands shaking as he lifted them to rest on Bucky's shoulders.
He could feel Bucky smile against his lips and he smiled back, feeling like a million fireworks were going off in his stomach.
Time seemed to stand still to Johnnie, and he couldn't tell if they'd been kissing for a minute or an hour. It all felt like a blur to him, and all he knew was the soft lips on his, and the strong hands resting gently on his waist, the intoxicating smell that he couldn't describe as anything other than Bucky Barnes. He was oblivious to anything else other than Bucky, and he couldn't care less.