A Boy Who Likes a Boy Is a Dead Boy

"Well, you must appear to be listening to them then." Steve said, shrugging his shoulders. He didn't really have any other explanation as to why so many women seemed to flock to his friend. Of course, as Bucky had pointed out earlier, he hadn't really had much luck with any of those women, but he had better luck than Steve did. "Not that it really matters. I think that they'll still talk to you about these things regardless."

"And some day, you'll find a dame who wants to talk your ear off with all her problems," He shrugged casually, raising an arm so he could wave to the girls waiting outside the burger joint for the both of them. "You just gotta give it time." He was filled with a small sense of dread and guilt as the approached the two girls. Whilst he wanted to keep Steve happy, and make sure his friend did meet someone he could fall in love with, he was fooling everyone else. He was sacrificing his own happiness, and leading countless girls on. It all seemed worth it so long as no one found out how he felt about his best friend.

Steve nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He said. A part of him wanted to argue with Bucky, not believing that he'd find a dame...ever, but he knew better than to do that. He and his friend argued about things like that every so often, and it always put Bucky off. That wasn't something that Steve wanted to do right now, not when they were about to meet up with those two girls. It would only make the next hour or two sufficiently more awkward and tense than it necessarily needed to be.

Bucky just hated seeing the people he cared about the most in life being put down all the time. It wasn't fair, whether it was happening to Steve or anyone else. He wouldn't stand for it, and he simply couldn't understand it either. Steve was one of the single greatest people he knew, and how other people didn't see that was beyond him. In his eyes, Steve deserved the world and more... And part of him still wanted to be the one who would give him that happiness. Bucky knew his friend didn't believe anything he said, and it did hurt to know, but he had become somewhat of a master at faking happiness in front of others. He had to bite his tongue and smile on these dates, and this one was no different. "Hello girls," Bucky chimed happily, his disposition one of the relaxed young man that many thought he was. "Steve, this is Nancy." He motioned casually with his hand to the brunette of the two girls. "Nancy, Steve."

Steve really only went out on these dates to humor Bucky. If he knew that his friend wasn't happy going on these dates, he'd probably be a little tiffed at first. Though, more than likely, he'd wonder how he hadn't noticed his friend's unhappiness more than anything else. He sent a small smile the brunette's way, and gave a small, almost awkward, wave. "Nice to meet you." He was terrible at this. He never knew how to talk to girls, and he felt as though he always said the wrong thing too.

How awkward Steve was around girls was almost enough to make Bucky grimace. It was clear to him that a lack of confidence in himself resulted in a lack of confidence around women... It was all frustrating for Bucky. He just wanted people to see Steve as he did, and for Steve to realise what a great person he was... But no one took Bucky seriously when he tried. Girls were interested in him instead, and only seemed to humour him in order to get what they wanted. That was what made it hard for him to actually like any of these girls... Steve would always come first, regardless of Bucky's feelings for him. He'd never pick a girl over Steve. "Nancy is saving up for art school, Steve." He offered the mutual interest, vaguely paying attention to his own date as she eagerly slipped her arms around his. Bucky could only hope it was enough to strike up some sort of interest between the two of them.

Steve was completely helpless when it came to talking to girls. He was awkward, and nervous, and he always seemed to say the wrong things at the wrong times. If it weren't for Bucky, he'd probably find himself in much worse situations that he normally found himself in. Of course, he wouldn't be drowning in his own conversations if his friend hadn't set up these dates in the first place, but that was something to worry about on a different day. "Really? Where are you looking to go?" He asked, thankful that his friend was there. Once a conversation got started, it wasn't so bad, it did lessen the tension a bit, but this was only the start of the date. Steve knew that the night was still young and that anything could really happen.

The problem seemed to be that even though the night was indeed young, nothing ever seemed to happen. At least not for Steve. Maybe Bucky would get some cheap thrill in the form of a rather unwanted kiss from his date, but Steve was just as helpless at the end of the date as he was at the start. Hopefully, this one would be different... But Bucky always seemed to wish that. With some sort of conversation between Steve and Nancy going, Bucky and his date lead the way into the burger joint. It was so hard for him, not to glance back at his friend to see what was happening. It was equally hard for him not to be jealous. It was petty of him, and incredibly conflicting... To want this for his friend, and to wish it would go terribly wrong. It left him feeling uneasy and uncomfortable as he slid into a free booth by the window of the place.

Nothing ever happened on these stupid double dates. Steve knew that, Bucky knew that, and he was pretty sure that most of the girls knew that beforehand too. He never seemed to get along with any of the girls, they hardly ever had anything to talk about, though maybe he'd have more in common with Nancy than the others. It already seemed to be the case. Though one mutual interest didn't necessarily mean anything. The night was still young, though there was a chance that this one would end just as uneventfully as the ones before it had.

Settling in the booth beside his date, Bucky immediately took on a relaxed posture. With his arm resting on the back of the chair already, he already seemed comfortable and confident beside his date. But this was as far as his affections seemed to go. He came across as some cool, relaxed guy, but he was far from it in his own mind. These dates were as excruciating for him as they were for Steve. He often asked himself why he put the both of them through it. His own date seemed as happy as she could be, with Bucky's arm hovering behind her in some faux affection... But the silence and discomfort between Nancy and Steve was just unbearable for Bucky. It always hurt to know that his efforts never seemed to make his friend happy, especially when he was making himself just as unhappy in the process.

Steve really just didn't know what it was. He didn't know why things never seemed to really click with any of the girls Bucky tried to set him up with. Surely there had to be at least one girl in New York City that he could get on well with. That didn't seem to be the case so far though. Hell, he and Nancy actually had a lot in common, something he could never really say about the girls Bucky tried to set him up with, and things were still pretty tense and awkward. It just didn't make any sense to Steve at all and, if he was being completely honest, he was getting tired of waiting and hoping for the best.

The tension between Steve and Nancy was enough to make Bucky and his own date feel awkward. Perhaps it was the fact that Bucky had such a hard time tearing his eyes away from Steve, or to keep his eyes off him for long enough so that it didn't seem that he was staring. It was so conflicting, and confusing, for him. Enough so to make him feel slightly sick. He cleared his throat after a moment, shifting in his seat as he fixed his glance to the table between them all. There had to be something Steve could do, or say, that would kickstart their date. There was just no chemistry, between any of them... And it was becoming increasingly more awkward. "So... The game was pretty spectacular, huh?"

[Seriously, tell me next time if I haven't posted ]

This wasn't going well. Steve wasn't at all surprised though. This was normally how all of the dates Bucky set up went for him. He and his date never got on well, and things were just tense and awkward the entire time. He didn't understand why his friend still insisted on dragging him into these things in the first place. They never ended well for him at all. Steve sometimes felt like he was dragging Bucky down with him. He was better off just taking the girl out dancing or something without him. He nodded. "Yeah, it was."

[I figured you had writers block for Steve of something! ]

Considering how both their dates seemed to shuffle awkwardly at the talk, Bucky could only guess that baseball wasn't a common ground between them all. In fact, he barely knew the girls... He had little knowledge as to what they were interested in. The silence between the four of them was killing him, and he was soon growing to regret the date. He already felt awkward enough. He had half a mind to think that next time, he would just tell Steve they got stood up so they could come to the diner alone. It would be far less awkward if they didn't have girls to worry about. He blew out a deep breath, nodding his head slowly as he tried to think of a way to break the silence, and shake the thoughts of taking his friend out on a date from his mind. "...I think I'm gonna have a root beer float." He mused aloud, heading still nodding slowly. "Haven't had one of those in a while."

[No, not at all!]
This date was a disaster already, and it had only just started. Steve was half tempted to make up an excuse to leave, let Bucky spend the rest of the evening with the girls. He was sure that things would be much less awkward, and run much more smoothly without him there to mess it all up. "The root beer floats are good here..." He agreed. "I might get an egg cream."

The silence from the girls was enough to make Bucky want to hit his head down against the table. He had tried to encourage a conversation several times, yet nothing seemed to stick. He was starting to think he was becoming just as hopeless with girls as Steve was. He swore he was about to start sweating at any moment. If girls could maybe just get over the fact Steve wasn't the perfect specimen they always dreamt off, things would be a lot easier. "What about you girls?" He asked after a moment, glancing between the two dates. "A shake, a float, soda?"

This was an absolute disaster. Steve could tell that Bucky was attempting to start up a conversation, he'd tried several times actually, but nothing seemed to work. Things were still awkward and tense, and it didn't seem very likely that they'd improve. He glanced over to the girls, wondering if they realized how disastrous this whole thing really was too. Before either of them could answer Bucky's question, Steve stood and quickly exited the diner. "Excuse me." He didn't think that he could sit there much longer, not with how everything seemed to be panning out.

His friend's sudden exit startled Bucky more than it did anyone else. For a moment, he was filled with the dread that he had pushed his friend too far this time. He looked between the two girls awkwardly for a moment, before muttering "I'm sorry", and making his own brisk entrance. With the speed that he followed Steve, it was very unlikely that the girls even heard him. Part of Bucky actually felt sick as he made his way through the dinner. He'd never meant to upset Steve, or do anything to hurt him... And now he was watching his friend flee. "Steve!" He called out after him, finally catching up with him outside the diner. Bucky caught him by the elbow, only to pull him to a stop once they were outside. "Steve..."

Steve couldn't stand to sit there anymore. Not with how tense and awkward everything was. He just didn't think that he belonged there. He hadn't hit it off with Nancy as he was sure Bucky was hoping he would, and he felt as though he was dragging all of them down. They'd all be better off without him there. Bucky would still be able to have a good time with the girls if he wasn't there. That was how he saw it at least. He heard his friend calling out to him, letting out a soft sigh and shoving his hands into his pockets as he kept on walking. Of course Bucky caught up to him soon after though. "You shouldn't have followed me, Buck."

"Shouldn't have..." Bucky's brow furrowed, confusion etched across his face as he attempted to gain his breath. He'd panicked more than he thought, worried what his friend might be thinking of him now. "C'mon, Steve. Don't be like that..." The truth of it was that Bucky would follow Steve anywhere if it was necessary. They were inseparable at the best of times, so when difficult situations like this arose, Bucky would be damned if he wasn't right by Steve's side. Now that they were stood still, it was clear to Bucky just how uncomfortable his friend was. For once, he stood silent as he looked at his friend. He didn't know why he kept doing this, not when it was clear just how unhappy it made the both of them. He was only making himself feel worse, what with the amount of girls he failed to make a connection with... And no one could look past Steve's small frame to see his big heart. It was making the both of them incredibly uncomfortable. Breathing out a heavy sigh, Bucky wrapped his arm around Steve's small shoulders, pulling him tightly against his side as he started to walk them both down the street away from the diner. "C'mon."