courtings | open post (steve rogers)

[Steve can't help smiling as Bucky's toes press into his stomach. It's such a small action, something Bucky could easily do without thinking much about it, and yet Steve finds a whole lot of comfort in it. He takes the phone with one hand, but uses the other to rub up and down the bottom of Bucky's foot, massaging.]

What, did I take a while? [Steve shrugs and then opens up the Instagram app that Darcy no doubt installed on Bucky's phone. It doesn't take him long to navigate to his own page, which has a few pictures that he took of places around Brooklyn -- of those few locations that haven't actually changed that much from what he remembers of home.

He takes a moment to look at them himself before he silently hands the phone back to Bucky.]

[ Bucky shrugs in response. He still doesn't talk as much as he used to, still seems like he's feeling his way around with both Steve's reactions and his own behavior, testing out what seems right based on Steve's reactions or what little he remembers. Talking, though, talking doesn't come too often.

The phone gets handed back and Bucky thumbs through them, pausing over one that he thinks he remembers but isn't sure about. It takes him a moment of frowning at it before he moves on, gradually more frustrated as he goes through them. ]

Should I know them?

[Steve hadn't meant this to be some kind of test. He's only showed Bucky these photos because he asked -- in fact, he'd completely forgotten about them until the topic of Instagram came up.

The silence makes it difficult to know what's rolling around inside Bucky's head, but Steve remains quiet and calm and waits until he speaks up.]

Some of them, yeah. [All of them, really, but Steve doesn't want Bucky to feel any more pressured than he probably already does.] I can take you to them, if you're interested. [A walk down memory lane. Steve has no idea if it would actually lead to anything, but it all depends on how curious Bucky is about it.]

[ It's not Steve's fault. None of this is, it's just Bucky hadn't realized the frustration he'd feel at looking at these until he realized the sorts of pictures Steve would take.

They're good pictures, too; Bucky knows enough to make sense of that. But Christ, he squints a little too hard at one, and maybe not enough at another to make any sense of them. It's frustrating. ]

Can't hurt.

[Prospect Park and Coney Island alike would be good destinations, and Steve adds them to his mental list even before Bucky agrees. At least he's open to it, that counts for a lot. Steve tries not to put on too much pressure, in the hope that Bucky will come around on his own. Usually he does.]

It's a date, then. [His smile doesn't make it all that clear whether he means it as a joke or not.] So, the agreement was you show me yours now.

[Even if Bucky only put one picture on his Instagram, Steve would like to know what he chose to photograph.]

[ Whether or not it's a joke or not doesn't really matter. Bucky glances over at him, weighs it for a moment and then realizes if it is or isn't, it doesn't have an effect on anything at the moment. That's something to hash out at a later point in time when he can actually bother to think about it.

Bucky pulls out his phone and hands it over, lips twisting up just faintly. There is more than just one photo - one of a building, the gold filigree on the side of a building in DC, and another of him, post-workout, hair tied back. Selfies, Darcy had explained, were a thing everyone did. He'd done it, half-amused, and forgotten about it. ]

Not much to look at. At least yours are of things.

[There are actually a couple of photos to look at. The building doesn't mean much to Steve, even if he does recognize it from his time in DC. The one Bucky took of himself causes him to smile instantly, though.]

What are you talking about? Anyone can take a picture of a landmark. Yours is way more personal.

[He uses two fingers to zoom in on the selfie and studies it for a few seconds, long enough to make anyone a little nervous.]

Your hair looks good like that. [There's a part of Steve that still wishes that Bucky would cut it and style it the way he's used to, but he isn't about to push Bucky to do anything he doesn't want to. Too many people have done that to him already, and even if this would be something harmless, Steve still refuses to reinforce that kind of behavior.]

[ Bucky snorts quietly. He wouldn't exactly call that terribly personal or deep, but hey, he's not going to argue the fact too much with Steve. Instead, he waits for Steve to say something else.

For a moment, it's strange - part of him thinks he ought to be a little concerned it's taking this long but the rest of him is used to it - wait til you're addressed, til you're spoken to. ]

Yeah?

[ He hadn't really thought about it; Darcy'd given him a hair tie and it'd taken him ages to actually put his hair up. ]

I think so, anyway. [Steve rolls his shoulders into a shrug and then hands the phone back to Bucky.]

Well, now you know the wonders of the internet. You've got all the knowledge you could ever want at your fingertips, but people use it to post pictures of food.

[It's a little strange, Steve has to admit, but he certainly makes good use of what the internet has to offer. Wikipedia is an actual godsend when it comes to playing catch-up, and YouTube has its uses too.]

And animals. There were some cat videos.

[ Bucky says it with an entirely straight face, lips twitching up a tad as he watches Steve. The internet - hell, the future, they're weird as hell and it feels like he's racing the rest of the world to catch up when he knows there's no real chance of it happening, but it could be worse.

His head tilts just a touch as he pockets his phone and tilts both feet to rest against Cap's chest, watching him. ]

So word is you owe me a date, pal.

[Steve glances over, and he has to wonder just how many hours Bucky has dedicated to watching videos of cats. He would put down money on a good number, if he were a betting type.

But he isn't. Even though he's at a point where he doesn't have to worry about money, he's still not going to throw it away.

He huffs out a laugh when Bucky's feet settle on his chest, and without really thinking his hand shifts down so that he can try and tickle him. If he remembers right, the undersides of Bucky's feet are pretty sensitive.]

Oh, that's the word, is it? So when did you want to go?

[ Dude they're not even going to talk about that, okay, it was kind of freakishly soothing.

Bucky watches his hand dip down, and it doesn't really click what he's doing until he feels fingers at the underside of his feet and he jerks, kicking away from him, startled until it registers. ]

Jesus, Steve, I could've broken your nose.

[ He kicks him for good measure, realizing he hasn't been tickled in -- in Christ, what, seventy years? Jesus. Another kick for good measure, and Bucky watches him warily in case he tries it again, but the edges of a smile tug at his lips. ]

Don't know. Look at my schedule. It's awful busy.

[ doing fucking nothing, okay, he's gonna go stir crazy. ]

[Tickle fights are definitely a thing that had happened back when they'd been dumb kids having sleepovers at each other's homes. It's kind of nice to go back to that, even if it's only for a split second. Bucky kicks Steve way harder now than he ever would have back then, but that's because Steve can take it without even flinching now.

He's got an infectious grin on, too, because Bucky's being a total punk about this and it feels right in a way that not many things have these days.

Bucky doesn't try to get him back for that, though, which does come as a surprise. Steve shrugs and then tosses his arms behind his head as he considers what they should do.]

Well, the rest of my day is free, if you want to go now.

[ Reciprocation is still difficult; the metal hand isn't used for tickling. He still has issues using it for anything around Steve, too worried that one day he'll actually hurt him. Professor Xavier had assured him the triggers were removed, that there shouldn't be anything that would put Steve in danger, but he couldn't shake the feeling that was wrong.

So he doesn't tickle back, keeps his hands to himself, and instead nudges Steve with his knee. ]

We can.

[ It's said easily enough. There was a time a while back when Bucky didn't want to leave the house, didn't want to deal with the outside world where he was making his own decisions and interacting with people and not knowing how, just knowing he was piss poor at it.

Now, it's easier; he lets Steve lead, but that's fine. He remembers enough to know that's how it should be, him followin' the dumb kid who always got into trouble. ]

[That's as close to an agreement as Steve's going to get as this point, so he tosses Bucky's legs off of him and then stands, offering his hand so he can yank him up off of the couch.

Even if Bucky prefers to keep close to him and follow his lead with things, Steve doesn't mind that. That much is natural at least, and Bucky's improved a good deal over the past few months. Anything that will allow him to heal some more counts as a good idea in Steve's book.

Sometimes he has to push Bucky to do things that make him uncomfortable, because healing isn't always easy, but at least Bucky doesn't fight him so much on it anymore.]

Hungry?

[They can go into Brooklyn, grab a bite, and see the sights. It really does sound like a date, now that he thinks on it, but Steve will take any chance to spend time with his best friend.]

I could eat.

[ That's not saying much. These days he feels like he could always eat, mostly because he forgets, he doesn't remember when the last time he's eaten was, or what he ate mostly because he goes on auto pilot.

When Steve drags him out, he at least gets some kind of food that's not a sandwich in his system.

Bucky toes his shoes on carefully, and slides a jacket on, along with a glove over the metal hand, and after a moment of his hand hovering over the hat, he goes without it. Sam'd got him a pair of sunglasses, earlier, and he had set them down next to the hat hoping maybe he'd pick them up. Why not.

They feel weird, settled over his nose - they're not the goggles they'd given him in Hydra, but they aren't bad. ]

Ready.

[Steve hadn't done much other than take his shoes off when he got here, so he quickly pulls those back on and then waits for Bucky to get ready.

Bucky usually never goes out if he doesn't have that baseball cap on, and so Steve watches quietly from the door when Bucky passes it over and replaces it with a pair of sunglasses.

It's an odd sight, if only because Steve's never seen Bucky wear them before. But it's a new world that they're living in now, and that means both of them have to make some changes. After a small pause, Steve quirks a smile and then nods.]

Good. You wanna take the bike or the subway?

[Steve prefers to use his motorcycle, but he'd rather give Bucky the choice whenever there is one, since he still needs to get used to making them.]

Bike.

[ There's no hesitation in his voice, for once. Sometimes decisions like that which both lead to the same final point mean that he struggles with them, but right now, he's fully certain about what he wants.

The subway isn't terrible (a lie, he thinks it's awful, but for anyone not him it's likely not.) It's a necessary evil sometimes, but he'll take great pains not to ride it when there are so many people that he can't take stock of entrances and exits, can't keep track of everyone.

Steve's motorcycle is another thing he can't control, but at the very least, it's arguably less stressful and he knows Steve's the best there is, probably. ]

[That's the answer that Steve wanted to hear, and he smiles as he leads Bucky out the door and down the hall, slinging his arm over his shoulders as they go.

He's not sure where the rest of the team is -- some might be out on assignment, or down in the gym, but they don't end up running into anyone as they make their way into the elevator.

Steve pushes the button for the ground floor and then leans against the elevator's back wall, arms crossed.]

You like it here? In the tower, I mean.

[It'd been generous of Stark to offer the space, and Bucky's usually given enough privacy that it isn't a problem, but Steve still thinks it's worth checking in from time to time.]

[ There's a long pause at the question, because these kinds of things throw him off, sometimes. It's not that he worries over what to say, it's more that he doesn't know what the proper thing to say is.

Steve's arm curls around his shoulders, and there's the briefest flash of confusion (shouldn't it be the other way around?) before he matches step with Steve's long paces. ]

It's a place to stay.

[ Steve's there. Steve's friends are here. He has a room, and food, which are basically his only two consistent needs. It functions well enough for what it's supposed to be. ]

[Maybe it should be the other way around, but Bucky isn't much for wrapping his arm around anyone's shoulders these days, and Steve doesn't mind picking up the slack here and there, even with these minor things.

He considers that response. It's neutral, apathetic even -- like a lot of what Bucky says, really. Steve used to struggle with it a lot, all he wants Bucky to do is express himself, but now he's come to realize that he needs to be patient. This is going to take time, and regardless of everything else, they have a lot of that.]

Yeah. Maybe not home yet, but... [Who knows? Maybe someday.

He leaves it at that, as the elevator reaches the garage level and Steve steps out. Stark's cars take up most of the space, but his bike is parked off in the corner. He heads in that direction, but glances over his shoulder as he goes.] Want a helmet?

[Steve usually doesn't wear one, not unless he's in uniform, but it seems only right to ask.]

[ Home's a weird concept, though. It isn't that he doesn't know what one is, it's just he hasn't had one for so long that the idea is abstract. He has a place to live, a place where he puts what little he owns. That's enough, he supposes.

They make it down the elevator and Steve's arm slips away at some point; Bucky notices the lack of warmth but doesn't comment on it past that. ]

I doubt I need it.

[ It goes unsaid that Bucky's pretty sure that if he can survive a fall as vicious as the one he took years ago, he's pretty sure he can survive anything that they run into while Steve's around.

He waits for Steve to hop on, and then slides on behind him, the motion practiced, easy, his hands sliding around Steve's waist to bunch in the material of his jacket. ]

[Steve also hasn't had a real home in a long time. During the war, there had been so much moving around, and a grouping of tents and cots didn't really count as home. Everything had always felt far too temporary and yet crushingly permanent during that time.

It's something he and Bucky had talked about once. How each decision made during war time could decide not only your life or death, but that of your comrades.

Maybe that's why both of them are a little more reckless than they should be. Maybe that's why they shrug their shoulders and settle down on his bike without bothering with any helmets.

They've both got some serum in them, and Steve realizes in some ways that's the worst thing. He and Bucky hadn't been particularly good at taking of themselves even beforehand. Now they've got an easy excuse for why they don't exert more caution.

Still, they can take care of each other pretty well, so Steve figures it all balances out. Now that Bucky's here with him, it's the closest he's really felt to home in a long time. Which, appropriately enough, is where they're headed now.

Steve leans back against Bucky, soaks in his warmth for a moment, and then turns his bike on. It comes to life with a sweet purr, and Steve speeds them out of the garage in no time.]

Should take about half an hour to make our way over there. Hold on tight.

[It's said mainly as a joke. Steve knows Bucky won't let go of him, not for the world.]

[ He ought to maybe insist that Steve wears a helmet before he gets his brains spilled out across the pavement, but he knows that honestly, out of the two of them, Steve has a better shot at surviving an accident anyway.

His feet shift, finding the best position, and his hands wind around his waist, holding tightly just as instructed. There's no chance in Hell he'd let go but they both know that, so he lets Steve say it and listens to the rumble of the bike under them.

Sometimes, it's a little jarring to realize how things have changed. Not just him - the world, Steve, everything. The Steve he knew back then probably would have been in his spot, holding onto Bucky on the bike, and Bucky would have made him wear at least nine layers of some kind of protection just in case.

Now, he's pressed up against broad shoulders and muscles and it's still weird, like seeing double vision sometimes, remembering the man Steve used to be and the one he is now. ]

[Steve had really only started riding a bike during the war, as it was a fast way of transport but more easily maneuverable between rough terrain when compared to a car. Bucky had rode on the back a handful of times, but more often he'd followed on foot with his rifle to keep Steve's path clear.

Now they're in an urban jungle instead, and while the world isn't perfect, there are pockets of peace where they can lick their wounds and Steve can work at putting Bucky back together.

So the ride is pleasant, at least for Steve, as they leave Manhattan over the bridge and then transition into Brooklyn. Through streets and neighborhoods that Steve still remembers, even though they've changed so much now.

Even if Bucky had those memories, he still wouldn't recognize most of this. That's why Steve aims to take him somewhere that's more preserved.]

You okay back there? [He asks it when they're stopped at a light, and even then he has to speak up to make sure that he's heard over the sound of the engine.] Any preference on where we go? [There had been a few photographs on his account, after all.]

open post (steve rogers)

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i tried to find that goddamn pic and can't

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I AM ASSUMING THINGS HERE lmk if not okay

always ok

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i'm so lazy with my icons sigh. NOT A BUCKY ICON BUT W/E

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