fossilised | For Steve

Took the day off for the move, so I've got nowhere else to be if you haven't been bored to tears yet. Want another cup of coffee before I talk your ear off first?

[At first he thought James just had an incredible sweet tooth, until that last grimace. Well, he clearly does anyway, and Steve is maybe making a mental note to make sure he's always got a lot of sugar on hand in case Bucky drops by for coffee again.

Nothing is wrong with wanting to make your friends happy, okay. And he'd like to believe that him and James could be friends.

(Well ok he’d really like to be significantly more than friends, but that's still firmly parked in the territory of “Don't even kid yourself, Rogers”.)]

[Bucky flushes when he realises that he's been caught out in his coffee blunder, more embarrassed than he probably should be. It's stupid, Steve doesn't know anything about his past, he probably just assumes he did a dumb thing like people always do every day, not that he has memory issues.

Still, it makes him feel awkward even as he nods.]

I said I want to see your art, Rogers.

[It's easier to pretend there's nothing under the surface making him uncomfortable. He likes this guy, he's probably the first person that Bucky's spent time with since being back that he's actually smiled around, and they're going to be neighbours so sue him for wanting to make a good impression.]

You going to keep me waiting all day, build the suspense, or are you going to get with the art?

[Bucky even looks attractive when he goes red.

Shit, Steve hasn't had it this bad in a while. He takes a sip of his own coffee and averts his eyes in an attempt to hide his own blush in response before he sets the mug aside in favor of holding up his hands in a sign of surrender.]

You're the boss. Right this way, the light is better out here anyway.

[Steve takes two of the boxes from the small pile, setting them in the middle of the floor. Sketchpads and smaller canvases, as well as a couple framed pieces that he really was proud of and either didn't want to or couldn't sell. He likes drawing scenery and people most of all, it seems. His sketchpads also contain a few humorous cartoony doodles in the corners of blank space that were bothering him.

His friends group carried over from college are his most common subjects as far as people go, being the most easily accessible ‘models’ available. Natasha more than any of the others as they roomed together after college and her ballet, yoga, aerobics, and martial arts practices made her a very good subject to practice movement and the human figure on.

He's going to need a new main model what with not living with her anymore. Maybe he could convince James…

(Near the back of the most recent sketchpad he kind of actually already drew Bucky once from memory a few days ago. Which of course he's already forgotten about. Uh, oops.)]

[Bucky likes Steve a little bit more for not asking about the coffee or making a deal about it, he likes him for not asking why he always keeps his left hand in his pocket or wears long sleeves when it's such nice weather, because he's compassionate but not pitying and that's a rare thing to find. Jesus, he's starting to really like him, and he's only met the guy twice, this could be dangerous as hell.

He pads after him on silent bare feet, as if moving as quietly as possible is now second nature to him, over to where all the sketchpads and canvases are kept. He looks through the framed and bigger painted pieces first, giving each one time and proper consideration, before he moves onto the sketchpad. He doesn't speak, but the silence isn't a judgemental or awkward one, it's just because he's so absorbed in what he's looking at.

These are gorgeous.

Even the basic pencil drawings of people in his sketchpad. These ones that keep cropping up, of people he doesn't know. A man with a bow and arrow shooting in some kind of tournament, that same guy flopped on a sofa eating pizza, playing a video game, messing around with others. The ballerina in athletic poses, in martial arts gear, smiling in sweatpants. They're such simple lines, but they're full of life and vitality, almost like he knows the people just from the pictures.

And then he turns the last page and-- oh. That's him. Sat in profile with the hint of a six o'clock shadow, long hair escaping from the bun at the back of his head as he worked on the drawing of a boat. He looks intense, he looks handsome. His eyes flick up to Steve, something equally as intense in his eyes now.]

You drew me?

[It's neutral, not approving or disapproving. But he hasn't noticed any pictures of the rest of the class in this book.]

[Bucky’s neutral tone has Steve expecting the worst - his blush from before returns and deepens as he suddenly has to look anywhere else.]

Well - you have excellent bone structure.

[It's not a lie, but with how quickly he blurts it out it definitely sounds like the first excuse he could think of. Quick, Rogers, think of something better! Back to banter, banter works!]

-- and well if you didn't come back to class I was considering putting up missing person signs so I needed something.

[Well, it sure is Steve’s turn to take the borderline pleading tone in hopes that Bucky goes for the joke instead. He doesn't want to make things weird, not when they're still so early on in knowing each other.]

[He certainly doesn't think that Steve finds him attractive, there's not much about him to be attractive now and Steve-- God, look at him. The man might be the most gorgeous thing in the world, he has to be taken. Maybe by the ballerina he's clearly drawn with such affection in the book.

Bucky really doesn't know why he's been drawn, maybe it was as simple as good bone structure in his face, but the desperate joke does at least make him twitch his lips up.]

I don't think anyone's ever drawn me before.

[At least he doesn't sound mad.]

It wouldn't work as a wanted poster, you've used too much artistic license. Hell, if I looked that good, I'd be a goddamn model and living in a penthouse somewhere. But it's good, really good. Should I be flattered or creeped out?

[Steve doesn't think Bucky is taken - only because Steve can't imagine having someone like Bucky as a significant other and not wanting to be glued at the hip and making sure he was okay. Probably Bucky wants to be alone.

For fuck's sake, Rogers, statistically, Bucky is probably straight. And even if he was gayer than a two dollar bill he'd still be miles out of Steve's league.

He's relieved when Bucky doesn't sound mad, at least. Still certain he's been found out but Bucky is doing the kind thing and pretending to not notice, Steve is grateful, even.]

I did mot use any artistic license here, okay. Maybe you don't have any mirrors in your apartment, but I promise that is what you look like.

[Was Rogers hitting on him?

No. No way, he couldn't be. The man had to be straight, all those pictures of the ballerina were so filled with love that it was impossible to imagine they might not be a couple, he was probably just trying to be kind.]

I guess I better go and call Calvin Klein tomorrow and start my new career then, huh?

[He snorts and finally closes the sketchbook, concealing the picture of himself.]

It's Bucky, by the way, not James. [If they're going to be neighbours and hopefully spending a little time together, then he doesn't want to be James. Only his Ma and SO used James.] James Buchanan Barnes, Bucky comes from Buchanan. Don't laugh, I know it's dumb, being named after the most forgotten president.

Well, he was followed by Lincoln who was pretty damn memorable, so it's not really his fault he got overshadowed. Probably for the better, since most historians blame him for the civil war since he didn't take any hard stances on abolition versus slavery.

[Because, of fucking course, Steve totally knows about President James Buchanan and has an opinion on him.]

Bucky it is, though. I just go by Steve. Well, Natasha and Tony have a laundry list of nicknames but I'd rather most of them not get repeated. And my middle name is 'Grant', thankfully my mom didn't go for Ulysses as a first name. Lord knows I didn't need any help being unpopular growing up.

[Of course Steve had an opinion and knowledge on even the past presidents, how was this guy even real? His first instinct when Steve mentions not being popular is to laugh, he can't imagine this guy being anything except popular, but he doesn't because he doesn't know.

People change all the time, and he doesn't know what's happened in this guy's past. But he can't imagine his personality has changed a whole lot.]

Kids are dumb, proof in point.

[Anyone who wouldn't be friends with Steve is an actual moron.]

Unless your name really is Ulysses and you're just trying to cover by telling me it's Steve. It's okay, you can tell me, I'll only laugh a bit.

[Steve laughs and shakes his head a bit bashfully, falling back into the comfortable spot again now that they've moved away from his (in his mind) very obvious attraction to Bucky.]

It's actually Steve, I promise. I'd trust you with the truth if it was Ulysses though. I don't exactly have a lot of secrets.

[There's no way Bucky believes that. A guy like this, looking this good and so apparently perfect, has to have a few secrets. Nobody is this likeable, this talented, and this hot. Nobody. He has to have some skeletons in the closet, but he doesn't probe for them right now. That's not his business, he's met the guy all of twice.]

Sure thing, Ulysses.

[He throws Steve a grin and sets his coffee mug down, getting up to put it on the kitchen counter.]

So-- uh, why don't you hit me up when you want to work on a route to get to work? I should let you go grocery shopping or you won't have any food for when you're done unpacking.

Yeah, of course.

[He should do that, and let Bucky go about his day and not horde all his time. Clinginess is one of Steve's worse traits and he knows how off-putting it is. Besides, any crisis that came up was averted, they're ending on a good note, better to end it here.]

Would the day after tomorrow be too soon? If you aren't busy with other plans.

[Other plans. Sure.

He's supposed to have appointments at the VA most days, and some physical therapy at the hospital, but he's been blowing all those off since the art class, he can keep blowing them off for a few more days. Or forever, whatever.]

Don't you have to be back in work tomorrow?

[Didn't he just take the one day off for a move?]

I kind of thought-- maybe later tonight, after you're done unpacking.

[Is that too keen? Maybe it's too keen, Steve probably has his other friends - hell, even his girlfriend - coming by to help straighten things out.]

But the day after tomorrow is fine, sure. I can work with that.

Ah, no, I mean - I do have work tomorrow, I figured I'd just give myself extra time to get lost and not really figure out the best way. I didn't want to like - I mean. You have a life of your own and all -

[Oh god Steve you're babbling shut it shut it right now]

If you're still free later tonight that'd be great. I just didn't want to assume, you know? I'll get you dinner as a thank you.

[Bucky felt himself grin, it was almost adorable that Steve was babbling as if he cared what his stupid bare-foot grungy neighbour thought about him. Accepting dinner might be a bit dicey; he knew it was just a polite thank you, he wasn't dumb enough to think it was a date, but it could mean one of two things.

A take out would be great, but dinner out somewhere would probably be a disaster. Still, he didn't want to fuck this fledgling friendship up, so he nodded.]

Sure. Let me go and change, find some boots, and you can come up when you're done unpacking. 4C, right above you.

I won't take too long and keep you up waiting, promise.

[This is going great! He is thinking take-out as well, if only because of how anxious class made Bucky when it was set up to be a relaxing setting as much as possible. Also there's something traditional about breaking in a new apartment with take-out.]

[He snorts and gives Steve an almost wicked sort of smile, figuring he might as well flirt since Steve must be used to it with that sort of Adonis body, but he left it with a simple goodbye before disappearing back up the stairs on silent feet.

Well, shit.

First thing, shower. He hasn't washed his hair in too long, but before long it's damp and smelling slightly of citrus, the rest of him smelling a damn sight better too. He digs through his backpack of extremely limited wardrobe options to pull on his least damaged jeans and t-shirt, hoodie over the top to hide the prosthetic.

There's not much he can do to make the place look lived in. A single air-mattress and a big backpack have never looked more pathetic to him, maybe he can open and close the door quick enough that Rogers won't notice?

After that, it's just pacing back and forth in loosely laced army-issue boots, waiting for the knock at his door.]

[Steve isn't as quick as he planned on being - for one, that last smile Bucky gave him left him staring off into space several times, fingers itching to grab for some paper and graphite and commit it down asap. He's got self control, though, and managed to stop himself from taking that time. If he did that, next thing he'd know it'd be two in the morning. Also after putting everything away he's worked up quite a sweat himself so he takes a very quick ten minute shower and pulls on some clean clothes.

A slightly too tight tee-shirt (it was the only thing clean that wasn't formal) and jeans, mostly. Light jacket since it's later in the day. Sneakers. The usual.

Even if he takes more time than usual trying to get his hair to behave.

It's not a date, it's just a walk and a thank you dinner. He did that with Natasha all the time.

Natasha's smile didn't twist him up inside like this, though.]

Don't screw this up, Rogers.

[With that order to his reflection, he locks up and jogs upstairs to 4C, hemming and hawing over whether he should knock loudly or softly or if Bucky would even care or judge the loudness of his knock before he just bites his lip, counts to five and knocks.]

[Bucky has been pacing for what feels like forever. It's stupid, he knows this isn't a date, but he's nervous just for a friend. He has a couple, he supposes he'd count Sam as a friend even if the man is his therapist, and his little sister Becca is always making sure that he comes over for dinner. But he hasn't really got out there to meet anyone new since he got discharged, and making a new friend feels like a big deal.

So sue him if the guy is also a goddamn Greek God in human form.

He's just about decided that Steve has changed his mind and isn't coming up when the knock at the door nearly makes him jump out of his skin. Taking a moment to make sure the prosthetic is concealed and his hair is tied back neatly, he opens the door and tries to fill as much of the doorway as possible to keep Steve from seeing what a sparse apartment he has.]

You ready to do some walking?

[He pulls the door shut behind him fairly quickly, until he's out in the hall with Steve.]

Okay, so hit me, where exactly is your office building? I can help you with a route, but only if I know the end goal.

[Oh, goddamn.

Goddamn.

Bucky looked good even disheveled and unshowered. Now, well. Goddamn. Steve is a little too distracted by looking at him to even try to get a look at his apartment. He kind of forgets there's the rest of the hallway or building until the sound of the door closing snaps him out of it.

He coughs again to try and hide that, walking along the hallway with Bucky. Quick, Steve, start talking.]

It's about four blocks east of where the art classes were held and ... two and a half blocks north, I think? That's the clearest path I take when I walk anyway, I'm not sure if there are any shortcuts. It's the squat building that was built when the renaissance revival architecture was really popular, especially for government buildings. I think it was once a sage green color but now it's that vague mixture of pink and brown waste paint used to cover up graffiti.

[Bucky knew Brooklyn fairly well from his time as a kid, though he had moved away as a teenager and only come back after being discharged. Luckily for this particular situation, even if it wasn't the healthiest of coping mechanisms, Bucky had spent a lot of time after being discharged wandering his neighbourhood and the surrounding areas late at night. Mapping out possible escape routes, weak points, places good for an ambush. It means he knows how to get from point A to point B pretty damn well.]

Oh yeah, I know that building. Jesus, how are you not one of those bitter clerks working in a dump like that?

[Oh, good job, Barnes, just insult the guy's work.

He's light on his feet as he jogs down the stairs, quiet but powerful, all skills he learned overseas and never lost. He grins up at Steve to take the sting out of his word. God, but he thinks he's smiled more at this man than he has at the whole rest of the population, and that tells him that he might be in trouble already.]

On the plus side, there's that amazing independent bakery just around the corner that does the best cream cheese bagel ever.

[Steve laughs at the first question, and it doesn't sound forced or uncomfortable. Safe to say he took it as a joke, or at least didn't take offense. He's trying not to get distracted by the way Bucky moves, but there's so much natural confidence to it in spite of all he's been through -

Steve has got to get Bucky to be his go-to model.]

Seriously? I've never noticed it before, you gotta point it out when we get near it. Don't suppose it's still open at this hour?

Yeah, it's open to pretty late, and we should be able to get there in like twenty minutes.

[He's already mentally mapping the way to go. If he takes a short-cut through the mall, and then ducks down into the warren of alleys, he can get them there in that amount of time.

Confident, he walks off, sure that Steve is going to follow him.]

So what kind of dinner am I being paid in? It might change how good the route in. You know, like... pizza is a half hour route, Thai food gets you twenty five minutes.

[A beep comes in from Steve's phone as Bucky's talking, a text:

FROM: Nat
TO: Steve

How'd unpacking go? Clint made his dog barf pizza so we're escaping the smell for a few hours, want to grab some dinner?]

[Steve is a little surprised when his phone goes off - belatedly he knows he should have expected Nat to at least want to check in on him, but he waits until Bucky is done talking to even take it out of his pocket.]

Haha - sliding scale rates? Alright, anything better than Thai available?

[Normally Steve is too self conscious and overthinking to get too obviously flirtatious with his tone, but when he's distracted by reading and replying to Nat's text, well, it comes out.

FROM: Steve
TO: Nat

Unpacking went ok, but I'm catching dinner with a neighbor who did come to introduce himself. :) One of the students in my art class!

Nevermind that Steve only really mentioned one, the hot vet.]

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feel free to fudge it/make shit up, I know nothing about Brooklyn/New York geography haha

woohoo, same. my east coast experience is "uh, Boston once like 15 years ago?"

I've never even been to America, so you've got me beat

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