Spiderwebs
Pairing: Steve Rogers x Female!Reader
Word Count: ~1.5k
Warnings: unrequited love angst
Summary: Steve is such a sweet guys, but there is something about him that’s not clicking with you. You just don’t feel the attraction he clearly has for you. How do you let him down gently without breaking his spirit?
Squares Filled: mechanic au for @marvelbingo
Author’s Note: this is based on the song “spiderwebs” by no doubt.
When you think of your parents, you think how right they are for one another. They support each other no matter what and share the love endlessly. When you think of Bucky Barnes and his girlfriend, you think that it might not last past the initial lust stage. Once that fades away, you know Bucky is going to dump her for another girl who can satisfy his needs. When you think of Steve... those feelings just aren’t there. He’s a good guy, and you love him as a friend, but all he’ll ever be is a friend…
But you don’t think he understands that.
You met him through Bucky since he was the second-best car mechanic in the area. Bucky offered to look at your car for you but considering what happened last time, you’d rather go to someone that he might recommend. He accidentally broke something that wasn’t broken in the first place and ended up doing more work to the car, which then turned into this whole mess. You needed work done since whatever Bucky did, didn’t hold up well.
Steve has been trying to get you to go out with him ever since he met you, but there wasn’t any spark between you two. There’s nothing wrong with him, but you’re not into guys like him. He’s super shy, he stutters when he’s nervous, and he doesn’t go for things he wants. He always asks if you’re doing alright and checks up on you which turns you off. You love a man who knows what he wants and grabs it. You would be with Bucky if you hadn’t grown up with him.
Steve is so sweet and thoughtful, but you don’t know how to tell him you’re just not interested.
You think that we connect That the chemistry's correct Your words walk right through my ears Presuming I like what I hear
“Bucky?” you call out when you enter the back shop he owns.
He’s doing pretty well for himself since he has at least five cars in the shop at any given time. One of them is yours, and when you spot it, you head over to see him underneath the hood with headphones in. They were so loud you could hear them where you stand, and you tried thinking of a way you could get his attention without scaring him. You reach for the toolbox in his line of view, and he jumps when he notices you standing there. He quickly takes out his headphones to greet you with a big smile.
“Hey, Y/N, what’s up? You look very nice,” he compliments with a blush.
“Thanks. Um, how’s my car coming along?”
“Oh, I still have maybe a couple more days still in the shop until she’s ready to go.”
“Great. Anything I can do to help speed up the process?”
“Unless you know how to fix the radiator, then no,” he chuckles.
“Yeah, I don’t know how to do that.”
“I’m glad you stopped by. I have something for you.”
“Really? You didn’t have to do that,” you try to decline since you don’t want to continue to lead him on.
Accepting whatever he has would mean you were encouraging him to pursue you. He waves you off and grabs a small bouquet of flowers he must have gotten before you arrived.
“Oh, wow,” you trail off, accepting them.
“I didn’t know your favorite kind, so I got a mix. Do you like it?”
“Yeah, they’re beautiful. Thanks, Steve.”
“It’s no problem, really,” he says, a light blush dusting over his cheeks.
“So, my car won’t be ready until hopefully, Friday?” you ask hopefully, trying to steer the conversation back to your car.
“Yeah, maybe sooner.”
“Great. Well, I have to get going. I have Bucky waiting, and I don’t want him to wait too long. Just give me a call when it’s ready, okay?”
“Oh, okay. It was nice to see you,” he stutters.
He wants you to stay and hang out, but he doesn't know how to ask you. He knows you’re a busy woman, but he really wants you to stay even if it’s for a minute. However, all you do is smile and leave the place, gripping the flowers tightly in your hands.
Sorry I'm not home right now I'm walking into spiderwebs So leave a message And I'll call you back A likely story, but leave a message And I'll call you back
“So, what’s Sam up to these days?” you ask, stuffing your mouth with a load of Chinese food.
Bucky was sleeping over at your place since he needed to be up super early, and your place is a lot closer to his work than he is. You don’t mind, you really like his company.
“He and Sharon are going to try for a baby. That’s cool, I guess.”
“Really? That's awesome! They’ve been trying for what, almost a year?”
“Yeah, I really hope this time it sticks because I want a niece or nephew to spoil,” he chuckles.
“Ever think about settling down and having your own kids?”
“Nah, I’m having too much fun,” he laughs.
Just then, your landline starts ringing, and one look at the caller ID makes your eyes roll in annoyance. Steve is calling yet again, but you decide to let your machine pick it up. You really don’t have anything against him, but the more he calls and tries to get with you, the more you don’t like him. He’s a damn good mechanic, but you’re not into him at all. You feel so bad for treating him this way, but he's been really clingy lately, and that’s not a good trait to have. The machine beeps, signalling to Steve to start recording his message.
“Hey, Y/N, it’s me, Steve. I just wanted to let you know that your car is ready. I don’t know when you want to pick it up, but you can call me when you get this, and we’ll set a date. N-not like an actual date, b-but… anyway, I’d really like to see you again so call me when you get this, please. It’s Steve. Okay, bye.”
“Still dodging his calls?” Bucky chuckles.
“I don’t know what to do, Buck. He keeps calling me and tells me I’m pretty and gives me flowers, and I don’t know how to tell him I’m not interested.”
“Whatever you decide to do, don’t lead him on. Steve's a good guy, and he can spend his energy on someone else. You have to tell him.”
“I know, but how? It’ll break his heart.”
“Yeah, but he can start to move on. He’s a big boy, he can handle himself.”
“I sure hope you’re right,” you sigh and shove another mouthful of food onto your mouth.
And now I'm stuck in the web You're spinning You've got me for your prey
“Steve?” you call out when you enter the shop the next day.
“Back here!” he responds.
You head towards the back of his shop to see him closing your hood. He wipes off the dust on his jeans and smiles once he sees you.
“Is she ready?”
“All done! You know, I’m going to miss working on her because now you won’t come around here anymore. Unless you ever want to hang out with me,” he suggests in a hopeful tone.
“How much do I owe you?” you try to keep the conversation on the car and only on it.
“Oh, that’ll be $250. Bucky provided the rest since he felt bad for breaking it in the first place.”
“Okay, that’s nice of him.”
“You know, I heard this new restaurant opened up downtown, and maybe if you’re not busy tonight, we could go? They have all kinds of food, so don’t worry about not liking something there.”
“Here you go,” you smile and hand him the money.
“Oh, thanks,” he takes the money.
All you want to do is leave without answering him, so you grip your door handle to get inside, but you’re not fast enough.
“You want to go with me tonight? Maybe we can take a walk in the park afterward. The weather is nice enough for it,” he asks.
You just know that if you turn to look into his eyes, you will cave in and say yes. Bucky told you not to lead him on, and that’s exactly what you’re not going to do. It’s not fair to him that you’re keeping him from finding someone who will love him for him. Taking a deep breath, you turn to tell him exactly that. However, when you see how bright and hopeful his eyes are, your shoulders sag slightly.
“Sure. I’d love to go,” you blurt out.
“Great!” he says excitedly. His smile is too wide to wipe off, and all you can give him in return was a tight one. “I’ll pick you up at seven. Does that work for you?”
“Yeah, it does.”
“Great! I’ll see you then!”
“Can’t wait,” you say flatly.
You can already hear Bucky calling you a pussy, and you can see him shaking his head in disappointment. How were you ever going to let Steve down now without hurting his feelings and crushing his soul?
If you want to be tagged, add yourself to this document! If your tag doesn’t work, find out why!
@thejourneyneverendsx @mrspeacem1nusone @miraclesoflove @moonstar86 @mogaruke @broimjustvibin @notyourtypicalrose @awkwardfangirl2014 @alex12948 @kendall-michele @niall2017 @bangtan-serendipity @kiwihoee @justalonely-nerd @casseythebee @welcometothefandommultiverse @deliciousangelfestival @babypink224221 @wittysunflower @confuscita @1marvelnerd3000
