Didn't think you needed someone to open it for you. [ But he's teasing, hovering by his own door for a few seconds longer before opening it. He never usually locks it, which is probably a bad habit to have, and Steve just stands there and looks at him. ]
[ Bucky gives him a quick once-over, and after assessing that he's unhurt and not missing vital parts, he stares back at him, awkward and unclear about what to do.
Things were easier when he was James Buchanan Barnes. MEET HIM HALFWAY HERE, DORK. ]
I look the same as when I last saw you. [ His mouth is sort of set into a thin line, staring back as if he's trying to decide what this is supposed to be, if he's reading the situation wrong, and eventually, Steve just steps back to give him more space. ] You can come in.
[ Maybe that's something else they should talk about too. ]
Bucky steps in when invited and looks around, quietly fascinated. It's not quite like the room he's shared with Eggsy and Fatima; and for one it definitely feels empty and depressing. ]
[ If anything, Steve's room is hardly much aside from the beds, but at least there had been something there when it had been filled with the two others in it. Now, it's a reflection of what's growing inside him, and he hates it. ]
Not that I know of. [ His smile is slight. ] You know someone who's looking?
[ A part of him wants to fix it, to reach out and take his hand and squeeze it, to do anything to make the pain that lurks behind his eyes go away. He meets his eyes briefly before he nods, his smile a fleeting one. ]
You mean no one's beating down your door with offers?
Not yet. [ It's sort of strange to be teasing back and forth, even as subtle as it is, but it's familiar in a way nothing else has been in the longest time. Steve moves back and wanders in the direction of his bed. There's a pause, and then: ] I'm okay, you know.
[ It is strange, but there's everything familiar about Steve back in his orbit, even if they have a long way to go to make things right again. The important thing is that Steve's alive.
Bucky's quiet for a moment, thinking about how he'd watched over him in that tank while he slept, a ball of fear and anger in the pit of his stomach, the dread that Steve had been taken, forced to do what Bucky did in those years. ]
You don't look okay. [ He says at last. He sees the shadows in those eyes -- and really, he's always going to worry. ] Something wrong?
[ He doesn't know if he should bring it up. They're still trying to get back to something besides what they had been on that bridge, what they'd become when Steve had been on his knees and had thrown down his shield, but if he doesn't give just a little, they're never going to make it somewhere other than this awkward back and forth they've achieved. When Steve sits, it's almost heavy, and there's silence for at least a solid minute before he decides to tackle it. ]
This is the second time I've woken up to things being different. [ Not so drastically as being seventy years in the future, but there hadn't been any control over it. ] I'm glad you're still here.
[ This is a good step forward, and he feels the tension loosen just a little -- it's a real start from the emotionally-charged moments, a conversation that Bucky doesn't have to stonewall even if guilt curls in his stomach.
He takes a step or two, bridging the distance between them as he looks him over. He'll be here more often than not; he finds that he can't quite bring himself to leave him. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
no subject
no subject
no subject
your closed door's a funny way to consent.
no subject
Didn't think you needed someone to open it for you. [ But he's teasing, hovering by his own door for a few seconds longer before opening it. He never usually locks it, which is probably a bad habit to have, and Steve just stands there and looks at him. ]
no subject
Things were easier when he was James Buchanan Barnes. MEET HIM HALFWAY HERE, DORK. ]
You look like crap.
no subject
[ Maybe that's something else they should talk about too. ]
no subject
[ It was an attempt at humor, but forget it.
Bucky steps in when invited and looks around, quietly fascinated. It's not quite like the room he's shared with Eggsy and Fatima; and for one it definitely feels empty and depressing. ]
Any plans to get new roommates.
no subject
Not that I know of. [ His smile is slight. ] You know someone who's looking?
no subject
You mean no one's beating down your door with offers?
no subject
[ You don't have to worry. ]
no subject
Bucky's quiet for a moment, thinking about how he'd watched over him in that tank while he slept, a ball of fear and anger in the pit of his stomach, the dread that Steve had been taken, forced to do what Bucky did in those years. ]
You don't look okay. [ He says at last. He sees the shadows in those eyes -- and really, he's always going to worry. ] Something wrong?
no subject
This is the second time I've woken up to things being different. [ Not so drastically as being seventy years in the future, but there hadn't been any control over it. ] I'm glad you're still here.
no subject
He takes a step or two, bridging the distance between them as he looks him over. He'll be here more often than not; he finds that he can't quite bring himself to leave him. ]
Did someone important to you leave?