lefthandfree | [meme] open post / picture prompt catch-all

Hubble?

[What the fuck is a hubble? Stupid Internet things sound so fake.

But he chuckles at the latter remark.]

Yeah, I noticed. Damn shame, really. They’re all missin’ out, and they don’t even know it.

But, y'know, if we spent hours without a telescope before, I gotta wonder if we’ll even end up gettin' any sleep with one of those suckers.

[He smiles fondly at the idea regardless. Just him and Steve and the goddamn universe. Sounds like a perfectly good reason to stay awake.]

Hubble Telescope. It was launched into low orbit in 1990.

[ You know what, Steve wastes no time closing the distance between them, and sprawls half-on Bucky, his head resting over Buck's heart, and turns to grin at him. ]

Last I checked, I didn't need a lotta sleep. What d'you say pal? We can take a tent up if you start feelin' nostalgic.

[ He's not as funny as he thinks he is, probably. ]

[Oh. Like a satellite thing. That’s...pretty cool, now that he understands better. He’ll have to figure out how to look up those pictures.

As soon as Steve rolls over on him, he can’t stop the grin that plasters itself on his face. He tells himself it’s because it’s comfortable. The blood pumping through his veins is real now and not thick like mud. He chuckles before he knows it.]

Y’know what? I think that sounds perfect, Stevie. Yeah, let’s do it. Tent and blankets. The whole shebang. I’ll make the cocoa, and you can make the popcorn.

[Is he really talking about this? Are they really doing this? His heart races, and he looks down at Steve to make sure he’s really there. He is.]

[ Hard not to quite drown in the intensity of the smile, when Buck's had so little cause to use the muscles over the long years. Steve returns it, and then turns his head up to look at the lightening sky. A few clouds drift, but otherwise it's endless. ]

All right. After dinner.

[ Making plans could slip through their fingers, but that thought is far from his mind. He looks at Buck again. ]

What've you got for today? Another physical?

[The joy crashes in on him at the reminder. As much as he wishes, it’s not just the two of them, and there are other obligations that mean less time with Steve and more time pretending he isn’t gasping desperately for air. He takes a deep breath and lets out a slow sigh.]

Yeah. They wanna make sure my nerves are taking to the cleanup okay. There’s no major damage so far, but checking is important to keeping it that way or somethin’, so they say.

[But Bucky just never liked doctors even on the best of days. He doesn't like being touched by strangers.]

...you gonna be poppin’ in to watch again?

[’Cause he always likes it when Steve does. Steve won’t let them do anything weird to him. Steve knows him best.]

Wouldn't be anywhere else.

[ The doctors here are the best in the world, and ain't one of them going to treat Buck like HYDRA did but hell — call it worry. Steve hangs near the door, looking over the screens, and sometimes T'Challa is there too, another silent guardian. ]

You just say the word.

[ He never wants to leave Bucky by himself if he can help it — but it's also important to respect the man's space. ]

[He pretends he isn’t all nerves about being checked over like a science project again. He knows why they do it and why they need to. He knows why T’Challa even pops in sometimes. But he just wants to spend time with Steve and let the rest of the world fuck off.]

Which word, punk? ’Cause I ain’t sayin’ please.

[Even though he just did. Because he really does want to, but he doesn’t know how to say it right anymore. The word doesn't feel right in his mouth, just like half of what he wants to say to Steve.]

Jerk.

[ The tone is as openly fond as the smile he quirks, reflexively. It's good to know that some things survive the ravages of time, and he tries his hardest not to fall into a pit of nostalgia. Or anything that might make Buck think the good old days Steve never believed in were easier. Their lives were just different then, untouched by the War. They had an equilibrium that felt wired into them instead of grown and they are both working for it now. ]

They said anything about a new arm?

[He chuckles at the expected reply, and he grins with his teeth showing. This small comfort grounds him, despite how distant it feels. But it fades like the mist in the sky above them.

His hand seeks out Steve’s shoulder idly. It’s a lot thicker than his hand remembers, but it’s warm, and it’s Steve, and everything is okay.]

Yeah, they've got some prototype in the lab already. Very bare bones. Nothing fancy. Might still be a while before I even see it.

[His thumb traces the curve of muscle beneath Steve’s shirt.]

Y’think he’ll hook me up with some vibranium?

[ Steve's not a counter, but something in the back of his mind is keeping track. The ebbing currents of tension in Buck, as the soldiers in both of them keep alert of their surroundings. The juxtaposition of that with how he seems more and more relaxed the more time they spend together. ]

[ Even Steve smiles more. Sam's noticed. ]

I bet if you bat your eyelashes at him real nice...

[The suggestion surprises him, and he laughs sharply, rather in disbelief that it was even suggested. It clears out some of the weight in his lungs, and he remembers laughing til his abs hurt when Steve got ice cream on his nose and didn’t notice for several minutes until Bucky couldn’t hold back his amusement anymore. Steve had whacked him on the shoulder, but he was smiling, and nothing else mattered.

Steve smiles a different smile nowadays.]

Pal, you know I ain’t convincin’ anyone of anything the way I look now. Even if I get cleaned up, you were always better at that shit than me. I had the grin, and you had the damn eyes.

[He chuckles fondly, remembering how even if Steve couldn’t talk his way out of a paper bag, he always knew how to make people weak-kneed with his puppy eyes.]

[ He knows enough about T'Challa. The man feels guilt, but he's driven by a strong sense of duty. He offers because he believes the recipient is worth it. Steve pushes at Buck's good shoulder, lightly, face stuck in a smile as the laughter rings through Buck's body. ]

You ain't stopped bein' persuasive.

[ Even if that persuasion was taught to mean violence, Buck was always a diplomat first. They used to joke, when they were up late, that the war wasn't needed, just send Bucky Barnes to talk to old Mussolini, and they'd have Italy at their side in the morning. ]

[ Besides, Captain America means nothing to these people. They don't need him to be a hero and they'll never see him as one when they have plenty of their own around, and someone who's already an example in their king. ]

Edited 2016-08-15 04:28 (UTC)

[A bit of breath escapes him, and his nerves tingle from the praise. Steve always knows the right words. It’s a gift and a curse bundled together, something the makes his heart swell but means he’ll do anything Steve asks him to. He knows better, but he grips on to it tightly, not wanting to let go.

He eyes Steve’s beaming grin. He can’t help but match it with his own.]

Well, I’ll give it a shot, if you think I’ve got it in me.

[He says it like he would in the old days, knowing the Steve knows just as well as him that he’s only saying it ’cause he wants to hear Steve tell him he can do anything, that he’s good and worth something. It feels so desperate now, but time never changed what Steve’s thoughts meant to him.]

I'd like that.

[ If only because seeing he's still capable of whatever he puts his mind to might be good for Buck. He can manage with one arm — they both know the inside and out of that word. Managing. It'd be nice to have something that wasn't wired into his body without care for his long-term health. They can do anything in that lab; Steve's overheard them discussing printing organs from their 3D printer. They could probably have a new arm in under an hour. ]

[He nods, smile weakening as he looks back to the sky.]

I’ll do it.

[He says it to remind himself he will, and to make the promise more real. He never wants to leave Steve hanging.

The sun’s almost up proper, but he doesn’t want to move. He wants to keep Steve at his chest and feel every little move his best friend makes. It hurts that time moves so quickly when it’s just them.]

You got any plans yourself? I hear Sam's been jogging solo the last couple of days.

[It’s the nicest way to ask, but Bucky wants to make sure things are still solid between the two of them too. Steve needs more than just Bucky. Someone better. Someone who isn’t a ghost.]

[ Sun's almost up. They're shaded from the rays directly by the trees, but light is filtering through the branches. ]

I thought about askin' if there was any work around.

[ He likes — needs — to keep busy. Twiddlin' thumbs waiting for the next crisis was never his style, and even here in Wakanda it doesn't feel right to be just passing the days doing nothing in return for people risking and doing so much to protect them. Sam volunteers and so does Wanda, and he knows Buck would want him out there doing what he feels good about. ]

[ Steve would never see it as being trapped inside with Buck. There is no cause less worthy than one's friends. ]

Just somethin' like construction. I'd stick out, but — what d'ya think?

Edited (words) 2016-08-15 05:31 (UTC)

[He figures it’s something like that, and the confirmation makes Bucky smile properly again. Steve has always been a doer, unable to lie in bed sick if he can sit up ’cause his hands are too fidgety, and he wants to draw. It’s definitely an endearing trait when it’s not annoying.

He remembers arguing with Steve so many times about how Steve can’t come with him to the docks or the scrapyard, how his skills are better put to use with other things. Back then, Steve had everything to prove and too much to lose. ~~So much even for Bucky to lose.~~ ‘What do you want me to do, collect scrap metal in my little, red wagon?’ Yes, because it means Steve will live even if Bucky can’t.

But now it’s different. It’s so different, and it’s still jarring that Steve is who he is now and not the same guy Bucky grew up trying his damned best to protect. While he loves that Steve has found his place, he hates that they also gave him every single chance to die.

At least today isn’t the day Steve’s askin’ Bucky if it’s okay for him to do that.]

I think you’d do swell, pal. You were always good with your hands. Hell, you fixed our cabinets enough times while I was out. They’d be damn lucky to get someone like you helpin’ ’em.

[ He put his mind to use doing other things. Buck working long hours meant he wouldn't have time or energy to cook or clean, so Steve handled that. He had a steady job bagging produce, when Buck wasn't nagging at him to go to art school. Even then, Buck thought the world of him. Steve is closing his hands over that cautiously now, because it means something he's not so sure about. ]

All right. I'll ask around.

[ It does mean less time with Buck. Steve elbows him in the side playfully. ]

Why don't you come jogging with us in the morning?

[ Yeah, things are okay between him and Sam. Steve's made sure his ma and sister know he's all right, or there'll be a galvanising social movement (#wheresfalcon) which might mean people getting hurt when they don't have to be. It'd be nice to have Buck around with them in the morning runs, too; he knows Sam would like the opportunity to know him better. Steve might roll his eyes at their sniping, but it's all in good fun, and besides, Buck needs Sam. Someone who's free to form his own impressions and takes him as he is. Not Steve, who's holding both their memories as well as what they are now. He's not one for letting go.]

[While he’s glad Steve is going to venture out, he does feel rather envious that he can’t go with him. It brings up so many regrets in his mind that Bucky has to shove it all down to keep from needing a moment. He can’t ruin this right now. He’s got Steve.]

Jogging? It’s bad enough they make me do it on a treadmill for half an hour for the damn physical.

[He gripes, but it really doesn’t bother him. He just needs something to fill the air while he tries to clear his head. It takes him a few extra seconds to get there, but he does and hopes silently it’s not jarring enough that Steve will get all worried about it.]

...sure, I’ll come. Just didn’t want to intrude on anything without your say so.

[ You would never. Steve opens his mouth to say it, then, thoughtful, and quietly, ]

I'll ask Sam.

[ Let Bucky be nowhere he's not wanted, and there'll be time to build the kind of belonging. Still getting used to that — sure the JCTC's after them but Steve figures it'll be a little while before anyone knows they have a safe haven here. ]

[There’s some relief in that. He knows Steve will say yes to everything when it comes to him, but his concern is out of respect for both parties, not just Steve.]

Thanks, kid.

[He squeezes Steve’s shoulder gently, the current equivalent to a pat on the shoulder with the way they're laying.]

And even if he says no, we’ve got plenty of other things we can do. There’s all those board games in the lounge.

[Just a reminder. In case Steve has already become dead set on wanting Bucky along, ’cause he doesn’t want to make Steve think he doesn’t want to hang out with him and Sam. Sam’s good. Bucky likes Sam. He’s just not Steve, and Steve is the best.]

And there's Casablanca.

[ Which is not something Steve has a particular need to do, honestly, he just flashes Buck a shit-eating grin. ]

[He’s not the keenest on rewatching Casablanca if a personal choice is involved, but he’s there if Steve wants to go down memory lane.

And there’s also the fact that maybe—just maybe—he can actually talk to Steve this time about why he went so quiet before, that it brought up so many thoughts that he didn’t know how to put into words, especially to his dearest friend that already carried more than was necessary.

Actually, now that he's thinking about it, that's mildly terrifying.]

Yeah. You rewatched Wizard of Oz yet?

[ Steve hums in the affirmative as he sits up, reaching for the sketchbook and flipping it open to the half-finished drawing. He rests his palm flat over Buck's heart, briefly. ]

Don't go anywhere.

[Instinctively, he wants to rise—ask if he said something wrong—but Steve’s hand reassures him, and he settles back down the inch that his head had raised in concern.]

Guess that’s out, then. [Idly, as he watches Steve with an intense curiosity that’s likely familiar.]

City Lights?

[Nothing like a little Chaplin to grease Bucky’s smile.]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject