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(no subject)

Who: steve rogers (crau) & bucky barnes
When: late march
Where: kauto r5/residence 04
What: steve lures a stray with a trail of plums
Warnings: n/a

[some people would say that he hasn't done much, but steve's proud of what he's done. he's found a place, drawn to region five by the random things that seem familiar to him, streets and buildings that could almost be 1940's brooklyn. it's not quite home, but steve's been so long gone from that that he's forgotten what 'home' is.

or maybe he just has a new definition, one that involves his best friend. he has two of those here, but one seems a little worse off. steve wonders about him, worries at the end of the day when his body is ironically too tired from his odd jobs to let him sleep.

he's coming home late again today, but it's not fatigue or carelessness that makes him leave the door of his modest apartment open behind him. steve turns to face the empty space in the doorway before finally speaking.]

You can come in, you know. I know you're out there.

[he has a little experienced with being stalked by now.]

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[ It helps that Steve's already desensitised to getting stalked by quiet and withdrawn ex-winter soldiers who can't seem to walk away from a troublemaking Brooklyn runt whose heart is easily ten, twenty times bigger than his small, frail frame. Steve has always been larger than life, and Bucky is aware of it -- through memory and story, the outline he's memorised by heart at the Smithsonian.

He steps out of the shadows when Steve bids him to, only slightly abashed at being called out. Steve looks tired, weary at the end of a long day, but at least he hasn't gotten himself into too much trouble. This is a new place, a different place, where Steve doesn't necessarily end up taken to the back of alleyways and shown what's what.

Bucky would probably beat the shit out of anyone who tries, all things considered. ]

How did you know?

For starters, it's you.

[it's a simple answer, one a lot of people wouldn't understand. maybe bucky doesn't fully understand it himself. steve, he just accepts it. just as bucky was always able to find him right before he got the life beat out of him, steve's able to sense when this bucky is nearby.

well. maybe there's another clue.]

Besides, everyone started giving me a little extra space for a couple of blocks now.

[he smiles faintly. steve isn't that intimidating. bucky, on the other hand.]

Close the door. We're having sandwiches.

[ Bucky's not quite sure what to make of that, but he's grimly pleased that people around Steve -- especially the ones who may be plotting him harm -- have enough presence of mind not to fuck with him. ]

Good. You don't know what kind of people are out there.

[ He says simply. Bucky might sometimes instinctively shrink into himself, consciously seeking to take up less space than he does -- but with Steve, with this small, fragile, ferociously brave one -- he finds his size an advantage. He hesitates, before closing the door behind him. ]

Sandwiches?

Mostly good. A lot of 'em are in the same situation as we are, you know.

[it's the cave's influence on him. whether it was monsters or the gods playing around with them, steve saw so many different people pulling together. it left an impression.]

Yeah. You know, those things you eat. [he arches a brow, glancing him up and down.] When's the last time you ate?

[ Bucky says nothing to that -- Steve's optimism is just like him, his staunch belief in people, their better natures. Bucky harbors no such thing, even if there are a few people he's formed bonds with. ]

A few hours ago. [ This morning. He's inspecting the room, discreetly making sure that it's not bugged with devices, or any kind of incendiary knick-knacks. ] Can I help?

It's not that complicated, but...sure.

[steve can understand the need to pull your own weight better than most. bucky will probably find that the most suspicious thing about the room is the lack of anything in it beyond the bunk beds, a handful of necessities, and the few items that steve brought with him.

he turns back around, loaf of bread and what must be jars of peanut butter and jelly close to being an armful for arms as skinny as steve.]

We can talk while we do it.

[ Bucky takes in the jars of peanut butter and jelly, the loaf of bread, and helps him with it, idly deciding that he should probably go out and re-stock this particular larder if that is all Steve is eating.

The making of the food is acceptable -- the talking? A lot less so. But this is Steve and Bucky can't quite leave him even if he wants to; not as he is now. ]

About what?

Whatever you want.

[steve does have more direct questions in mind, but he's learned from past experience. he would chase his friend to the ends of the world, any world, but sometimes it's better to let bucky come to him.

he pours them each a glass of milk before sitting down.]

Tell me something that's happened to you and I'll do the same.

[ And Bucky does come to him, tentative -- as if Steve could slip through his fingers at any moment. He helps him with the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, setting one for himself and one for Steve. ]

I've been here more than a year. A lot's happened. [ He pauses, then he reaches into his shirt, pulling the dogtags over his head, before offering it to him. It's Steve's, a gift in one of those boxes awhile ago. ]

I kept this safe for you.

[steve frowns, hoping that time at least passed quickly for him. steve wasn't in the cave for hardly as long, but almost. he kept busy, and that helped.

he looks up in interest, and then surprise when bucky offers him the dog tags. steve's hand goes to his own chest, feeling the shape of them under his shirt. after a moment he takes them off from over his own head, offering them as a trade.]

Thanks. Since you did such a good job, you can do the same with these.

[ Bucky is surprised when he hands the other set over, and he is so startled he forgets to refuse it. Curious, he looks over the ones he receives, still warm from Steve's small, small body.

But this is important. This has been with Steve longer, and is therefore more precious. He closes his fingers around it after a few moments, then puts it on, slipping it under his shirt quietly. ]

What did you do? Before you came here.

[steve can't help smiling as he watches bucky. it's like he just handed him the keys to new york or something. but he also finds himself keenly aware of the metal of the tags that bucky kept safe against his skin.]

Let's talk about what we're going to do now. Fresh start and all. What do you say?

[ Fresh start? It doesn't escape him that Steve doesn't tell him much about where he's from, but it doesn't matter. He feels a familiar, answering flicker of a smile, quietly tentative. ]

Well, what are you going to do now, aside from having that sandwich?

[there it is, just a ghost at first, the same way that bucky was. but steve saw that smile, and he's found his friend, and he's not willing to just let either of those things go for a long time.]

Does calling top bunk count? [he takes a bite before nodding his head in the direction of the beds.] It's gonna be a heck of a challenge getting down to go to the bathroom at night, but I don't think you'd feel comfortable even breathing on the top one.

You calling me fat, Rogers?

[ And there it is, another glimmer of the old spark because Steve brings it out of him, because there's something charming about memories and that quick wit, and he finds that he's missed it -- missed him. ]

[in that moment, he sounds so much like bucky, the one that he knew back in brooklyn, the one who could manage to be cocky and charming at the same time. steve finds himself smirking at him, his own blue eyes brighter with mischief.]

What if I am? [he's not.] You sure called me 'skinny' enough times.

[ he definitely can't deny that. somehow this feels familiar, welcome, and he shakes his head at him, smiling. ]

You're still a punk.

And you're still a jerk.

[he's full of fondness as he says it. bucky might not look the same as he did back in brooklyn, but he sounds more like him, and that smile suits him no matter what his appearance is.]

But if you really want the other bunk, I'll give it to you. I slept in the same broken down bed my whole life, so it makes no real difference to me.

[ bucky's already checking out the bottom bunk, inspecting the foundations and testing its sturdiness. he remembers the bed steve's slept in, how the one spring always dug into his back, and his smile is tentative and wry. ]

You can have it. I wouldn't want you sneaking off at night.

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