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[lefthandfree]

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[lefthandfree]

[Bucky nudges back instinctively and watches his friend hover to his other side with a mild smile on his face. Steve is like a damn kid still sometimes, and he fucking loves it.]

What? Didja win the lottery? Are we movin’ to an apartment on top of the Eiffel Tower?

[Ha, wouldn’t that be great. Those aren’t wishes of Bucky’s at all. Because obviously they’re unrealistic and stupid.]

[battletested]

[ It's only around Bucky. Steve ducks his head into an unguarded smile as Bucky rattles off guesses that are deliberately so far off the mark. ]

Even better. C'mon.

[lefthandfree]

Yeah? Better than winnin’ the lottery?

[He nudges Steve gently with his left shoulder, lightly enough that it won’t be too hard because of the metal.]

Did you get us tickets to the Dodgers?

[He doesn’t know yet.]

[battletested]

[ Steve rubs at the back of his neck, self-conscious. Bringing it up now doesn't seem relevant. ]

Even better than that. This way.

[ There's a staircase that leads up directly to the roof and down directly to the ground floor in case of a fire, and Steve jogs up it, constantly looking back to see if Bucky is keeping pace. ]

[lefthandfree]

[Bucky’s keeping pace all right. And when he realizes where they’re going, he can’t stop grinning up at Steve as he jogs up after him.

Shit, Steve’s such a great guy. People just don't understand.]

[battletested]

[ They come up to the door with the sign hanging off the handle, and Steve shifts his weight to his other foot waiting. Excitement radiates off him, but so does nervousness. ]

Go on buddy, open the door.

[lefthandfree]

[His brows raise at the sign and a small laugh escapes when he recognizes it. He looks back at Steve with the most pleased expression that’s been on his face in years; it feels so unused and alien.]

You’re the best guy anyone could have, y’know that Steve?

[Because he needs to say it so the Steve knows how grateful he is, how much all of this means to him.

He turns back to the door and opens it carefully, not wanting to knock the sign off. Natural light floods in, and Bucky feels like he’s soaring.]

[battletested]

[ Well he's only got to measure up to Bucky in the best friend department, and though he'll never get there it won't stop a fella from trying. Steve's heart balloons at the smile, it should be easier to breathe than it is. ]

There's refreshments in the icebox. You wanna start with the tent?

[lefthandfree]

[Steve really went all out. All for him. He’s touched in a way that makes his chest sting even though he’s on cloud nine. He wants to press into Steve and hold on because he doesn’t want any of this to slip away, because it will. It always does.

He walks out, just watching the sky for a moment, before he nods.]

Yeah, sure.

[He actually doesn’t know what he’s agreeing too. He’s still blown away. But the words do eventually register, and he looks back down again and spots what he thinks is the tent.]

Uh. That it? [He gestures with a nod of his head.]

[battletested]

Yeah. It's a lot bigger on the inside, so I'm told.

[ Steve tucks his hands into his pockets, then immediately takes them out, and sort of... well, hovers, before he thinks there's maybe something more productive he should be doing. There's a rolled up mat by the icebox, so he busies himself spreading it next to the telescopes. ]

[lefthandfree]

Fingers crossed.

[He throws it out wryly, like he used to do, and saunters over to inspect it. He doubts Steve would get it if it weren’t good for them. Steve has always been that sort, the kind who took a little longer than everyone else deciding because he wanted the best choice and not just what everyone else said was supposed to be the best. It’s an endearing trait, and it’s how he knows that even though Steve is playing dumb about it that Steve probably picked it out specifically for Bucky.

He picks up the supposed tent, curious at the flat design. When the other layers start slipping gently from the initial tent pancake it had been, realization slowly dawns on him. He flicks it lightly in the air, and the layers slip a bit more. More sense is made, and he flicks it one more time, a little harder. The tent pops up proper, and he has the biggest smile on his face. This is the cleverest thing in the world.]

Holy shit, Steve! Steve!

[He laughs and wiggles the tent in the air a bit before setting it down, smile still plastered to his face. Damn, the world is full of so many amazing things. He loves it so goddamn much.]

[battletested]

[ Steve is deliberately taking a ridiculously long time with this mat, and definitely not looking over to see how Bucky's getting along with the tent. He's not worried, but keeping an eye on him is an instinct he can't and won't silence. ]

Yeah, Buck?

[ He's trying (and failing) to contain how much he's beaming. The wonders of the world to him are wonders, true, but they don't sink in and inspire the same excitement they always did — do — in Bucky. He was always the one filling up the silences between them with Verne or Wells, dragging Steve to the shop to get comics. ]

[lefthandfree]

[He’s laughing again as he runs his eyes over the tent. It's probably not the best for field camping, but he's plenty pleased that it works just fine for what they need right now. And Steve is a damn genius.]

It pops out on its own! Did you see?

[And he knows Steve saw because he felt Steve’s eyes on him, but he pretends because they always do. He turns back to Steve, unable to stop smiling and laughs again.]

You picked a good one, that’s for damn sure.

[battletested]

I saw.

[ One-handed. Score one for Rogers. Steve smooths over the corner of the mat and stands, grins at Bucky. ]

C'mere and help me fiddle with the telescopes, would ya?

[lefthandfree]

[He gives the tent on last satisfied smile before he turns away and trots toward the telescopes. He’s been wanting to touch them since he saw them earlier when picking up the tent, but he played it cool because he knows they’ll be in the thick of it soon enough.

Casually, he throws out his concern.]

I ain’t never used on before though, Rogers. You gonna teach me?

[battletested]

Would if I knew how.

[ He picks up one of the manuals and opens it to a page showing them how to change the lens focus. The one facing is tripod adjustment. The star chart, he hands to Bucky. ]

Anything you wanna look at first?

[lefthandfree]

[He takes the chart and skims it. It takes a split second for him to realize there are way too many things on the page, and he leans back from the chart a bit.]

Uh.

How you feelin’ about the moon?

[It’s the biggest in the damn sky anyway, and it doesn’t need a chart.]

[battletested]

[ Steve laughs, quietly. ]

Let's try Mars or Jupiter.

[lefthandfree]

Aw, Stevie, you don’t wanna moon with me? [He teases with a small laugh.] But okay. Mars first then.

[And he leans into the chart again, poring over it properly this time. It takes him a little to get the hang of reading it, but eventually he starts making sense of all the markings on the page and the positioning indicators. It reminds him of orienteering during the war, that feeling of zeroing in on something he can’t see with his bare eyes yet. The memory trips him up a little, but he takes a breath and lowers the chart with a flat smile.]

Okay. I think we gotta point ’em around that a ways first.

[He points. The telescopes need to be turned about a quarter. Even being stuck here, Bucky made sure to find out which way was North and South, though the sun made that clear every morning anyway.]

[battletested]

You gotta ask me properly, Barnes.

[ Still grinning. Steve bumps Bucky's right shoulder with his before he follows his gaze over the map. The palace is at the equator, almost, and it's absolutely clear, spread with a sea of stars. He moves the other telescope a little away so they have space to flank one, and turns it. ]

Focusing left.... [ fiddling with the knobs ] here, have a look.

[lefthandfree]

[He doesn’t answer Steve’s jab back. It’s just silliness—they both know.

Bucky watches intently as Steve gets to work. There’s always been something satisfying for him about watching Steve get a job done. Maybe because Steve used to rarely feel well enough to finish anything. His gaze goes fond now, glad that Steve’s here right in front of him. When he’s invited to look, he steps forward to take a peek.

He’s surprised he recognizes Mars. He hasn’t seen it in so long, and here it is through the little eyepiece, a glimmering, red dot—sure, larger than he used to see—and it looks gorgeous. He adjust the position a bit, centering it better for Steve, and he messes with the knobs a little to try and figure them out on the fly. It works well enough, and he’s even zoomed in a little more.

Bucky stands tall again and takes a step back with a please smile on his face.]

All yours, Rogers.

[battletested]

[ The silliness is familiarity — Steve just hopes (there it is again, ever present where Buck is concerned) it feels real enough for Bucky. To let himself have it, and not think it's some horrific standard he needs to keep measuring up to (especially) when he can't do it. ]

[ Steve leans in, resting his chin on Bucky's shoulder, withdrawing when he straightens. ]

Wow, they weren't kidding about these.

[lefthandfree]

[There's joy in his eyes as he looks up from where he stands, trying to see if he can spot Mars on his own. It takes a couple seconds, and then his eyes come back down to watch Steve. He laughs quietly at Steve’s idle observation while running a hand through his hair.]

I think that's the understatement of the century, pal.

[He gives Steve's shoulder a hearty pat before grasping on with a squeeze.]

There’s so much to see and hardly enough time to see it all with.

[Clearly another star-gazing session needs to be arranged to satiate Bucky’s curiosity.]

[battletested]

We are gonna be here all night.

[ Which is still not enough time. Steve straightens only to adjust the telescope towards Saturn instead of Jupiter — nice surprise for Buck to see the rings with how clear this lens is. ]

If you're thirsty there's drinks in the box.

[lefthandfree]

One night’s not enough, Stevie! There’s a whole universe just waiting for us!

[He’s beaming in that way he does when he’s talking about the wonders of life and the world around them. Obviously, this part of Bucky has never changed, and he wears it without any shame or doubts. Things like this always light a fire in him, a love for existence and everything in between.

He's not thirsty yet, but he doesn't wonder,]

What'd ya bring?