AHAHA. Okay, in poor Steve's defense, he is actually handling this 10000% better than Matt is. Like in the Sam/Steve version of this fic that I may or may not ever write, Steve actually was planning on asking Sam out eventually (unlike a certain other goober who shall not be named). But right now his priority's on rehabilitating Bucky, and Sam's already given up so much of his life for him, and it would be unfair to all three of them for him to ask for more when his world pretty much revolves around one person right now.
But he did have plans for when Bucky got stable enough to support himself! Like full on roses, Marvin Gaye playing in the background, etc etc etc. And then Sam comes in one day going 'so you know the lawyer Daredevil works with, turns out he's actually really cute' and Steve's like...oh. Okay then, that's cool. So yeah, he's a little disappointed and a lot resigned, but not even remotely close to Matt's level of I fucked up I fucked up because he knows that he wouldn't have done anything differently even if he'd seen this coming (plus he doesn't have half the abandonment and self-loathing issues Matt does). And he actually means it when he says he doesn't want to be a bother, because he remembers being that awkward skinny kid that Bucky dragged along to all his dates and please don't make him go through that again Sam please he doesn't even understand half the things Foggy says.
Meanwhile, Bucky is just facepalming in a corner, because it's been seventy years Steve seriously how are you still so bad at this. And then he takes it upon himself to be the wingman Steve clearly needs and is exactly as terrible at it as you would expect from a guy who's been a brainwashed assassin for half a decade (Hey Sam, did you know Steve can do a thousand push-ups with one hand, can your lawyer friend do that, I'm just saying???).
author!anon
But he did have plans for when Bucky got stable enough to support himself! Like full on roses, Marvin Gaye playing in the background, etc etc etc. And then Sam comes in one day going 'so you know the lawyer Daredevil works with, turns out he's actually really cute' and Steve's like...oh. Okay then, that's cool. So yeah, he's a little disappointed and a lot resigned, but not even remotely close to Matt's level of I fucked up I fucked up because he knows that he wouldn't have done anything differently even if he'd seen this coming (plus he doesn't have half the abandonment and self-loathing issues Matt does). And he actually means it when he says he doesn't want to be a bother, because he remembers being that awkward skinny kid that Bucky dragged along to all his dates and please don't make him go through that again Sam please he doesn't even understand half the things Foggy says.
Meanwhile, Bucky is just facepalming in a corner, because it's been seventy years Steve seriously how are you still so bad at this. And then he takes it upon himself to be the wingman Steve clearly needs and is exactly as terrible at it as you would expect from a guy who's been a brainwashed assassin for half a decade (Hey Sam, did you know Steve can do a thousand push-ups with one hand, can your lawyer friend do that, I'm just saying???).