fossilised | For Steve

[To be looked at like Steve is looking at him now is something special; it didn't used to be because he used to be assured of his looks and his appeal to others, but with how he feels about himself these days it's amazing. He can't help it, he takes a step closer to their already close proximity and presses a light kiss to Steve's lips. God and that's sinful because he wants to do it again as soon as he steps back.]

I'm kinda hoping that I'm not single, you're right.

[That is way too forward for a first date but it comes blurting out anyway. Jesus, Barnes, cool it or he'll go running a mile.]

Sorry, uh, I mean... this is Yasha, my dog.

[Unfair, Barnes, unfair. Steve doesn't really kiss back, but it's pretty clear why right away. That one light kiss alone has left him dazed, like Bucky might as well have just pinned him to the wall for an extended makeout session.

Get it together, Rogers.]

Uh, right, right!

Good to meet you, Yasha.

We should head down before the food gets cold. I, I'm, I got her some dog treats too yesterday, if that's okay.

[Yasha is a very well behaved and well trained dog so, unless Steve pets her specifically, she won't actually leave Bucky's side while he's out of the apartment. That's her job.

Bucky looks a little flushed, but he's grinning when he realises Steve isn't mad that he went for the kiss or that he might have insinuated that he wants this to be more than just one date.]

Sure, that's okay by me. Lead the way, Steve, I'm in your hands.

[He can't help it, buoyed by his success so far his flirty side comes back out, and that low purr makes it out of his lips again.]

Well-- not in your hands yet, maybe later.

At least wait until you try the pancakes.

[Steve's protests do not sound at all upset, and he's certainly flushed as well as he leads the way down to his apartment - which smells very much like pancakes and fresh coffee and a bunch of different kinds of fruit ... and a little bacon and eggs too - pancakes are the focus (most are plain but some are fancyish recipes he found on pinterest) but they're there for a well balanced meal if Bucky wants! He's even set up the kitchen island as a makeshift table and acquired an additional chair for it.

That's not even getting into him almost entirely rearranging the area where his bed and drawing desk are to catch the best light and move all the other lights in his apartment to in the event it goes long enough to get dark.

Basically Steve panicked, and when Steve panics Steve over-prepares.]

Have a seat, everything should be on the table, uh - let me know if you want anything else? Oh! I'll get a bowl of water out for Yasha.

[He can't deny that he's impressed with what Steve's done with the space in only a few days, it looks like a real home now. Everything smells good, looks inviting, but there's such an air of tension. It's like they're both trying too hard and he doesn't want this to get weird and strained.

So he stops Steve as he goes to grab a bowl and fill it with water, hand clasping over his wrist firmly, and tugs him to sit down.]

Uh-uh, she had some water a little bit ago, she can wait. We're gonna play twenty questions.

[It's so stupid, but he can remember it working as an ice breaker in other situations. Questions leading to conversation, leading to relaxing.]

I get to start, so-- my first question, is it true you were arrested for running nude on your college campus?

[Steve is happy enough to follow any direction Bucky gives. Until he goes and brings up that. That tears it, he's calling Bruce about the date when it's over with, not Natasha. Steve groans and covers his face with his hands.]

I wasn't arrested. ... it was campus security, not the cops. Campus security can't actually arrest you.

[He manages not to laugh through a Herculean effort, though there's definite amusement in his voice.]

Still counts. So-- were you trying to be sneaky, all crouched low and hands over your junk, or did you just go for it free and loose?

[Steve peeks out at Bucky from between his fingers.]

I’m not going to get out of this without just telling the whole story, am I?

Nope.

[He pops the P at the end of the word, sounding incredibly pleased with himself.]

Make it a good story and you get the next question.

[Steve groans again.]

Alright, alright. Might as well just rip that band-aid off.

As you already know, Clint pulled the stealing clothes prank on me. I didn’t know that at the time, I mean, I knew it was some prank but I assumed it was Tony. Not that it mattered. It was late enough that I thought there was a genuine possibility of getting back to my dorm unseen, and my dorm wasn’t actually that far either. I would have not attempted it otherwise. That part of the campus also had a lot of overgrown foliage, so plenty of hiding places provided you don’t stumble on someone using it to smoke weed or spend some personal time with their significant other.

Except for that last stretch of the quad - Just a lot of empty lawn and some sidewalk. Going around would mean three or four times as long. I’m not sure if it was brave or stupid but I just went for it. Aaaand of course that was when campus security was going through.

He gave me a blanket when he carted me into the office at least. I guess with how readily I took it and the fact that I was a bit of a known boy scout had him easily believe I was the victim of a prank rather than the perpetrator of one.

Also he clearly found the whole thing hilarious, himself.

My roommate at the time Phil was in the dorm and kind enough to bring me some clothes at the security office. I thought they were the only ones to witness that whole terrible thing but, uh. Evidently not, because there were pictures the next day. It took like a year to die down. I think Natasha still has copies for blackmail purposes.

There, that’s the whole thing. Good enough?

[Bucky hasn't been able to resist the allure of pancakes while Steve talks, piling his plate with the fluffy treats, along with enough syrup and sugar to give several people diabetes. It's a wonder that he's not the size of a house with the sweet tooth that he has, but he can thank the army and the gym for that.

He ends up laughing helplessly, unable to stop picturing the idea of Steve's mortified face as he realises that campus security have caught him mid-run. He's going to have to get Natasha to show him any copies she still has.]

Brilliant, you've definitely earned your question in return.

[See? This is good, relaxed. He's already laughing, something he doesn't really do with anyone else. And if he's sort of planning how he might be able to kiss Steve again, that's not a bad thing.]

[okay, so maybe hearing Bucky laugh and seeing him smile and be so at ease is worth the embarrassment of it all. As long as Bucky doesn't think Steve isn't worth associating with after that.]

Your turn to tell an embarrassing story - I told one, I need to feel less mortified and misery loves company. [All this being said with a laugh and a smile, of course.]

Okay, okay.

[He thinks for a second, not that he hasn't got a huge variety to choose from with the amount of dumb stuff he's done in his life.]

Oh right, I've got one. Okay, so when we were little, my Ma used to get matching Halloween costumes for me and Becca, because she thought it was sweet. Obviously we grew out of it, but after she died, we decided it would be cute to do it again in her memory. But we couldn't agree on what to go as, and we kind of-- have a bit of a competitive problem. So we had this bet and whoever won it got to pick the costume the other person had to wear all of Halloween, no matter what they were doing.

I lost.

I had to go to my senior yearbook photos and class all day as Jessica Rabbit, in the slit dress and everything. She even made me sing that song in the cafeteria at lunch.

[It's Steve's turn to eat and listen to Bucky's story, and there's no mistaking which one he'd paying more attention to - he's hanging on Bucky's every word. Steve winced sympathetically but laughs too. He doesn't even notice he's got a bit of syrup on the corner of his mouth.]

Oh my god- how did you keep the dress up?

[That's adorable and if Steve doesn't wipe his mouth soon, Bucky might just have to lean over and lick it off him.]

I stuffed one of Becca's bras and wore that underneath. You can laugh, but I looked damn good.

[Steve continues to not notice, he's too busy paying attention to Bucky, here.

Bucky's eyes are straight up dreamy, okay.]

I don't doubt it. Did you do the makeup too?

Oh sure, mascara, lipstick, the works.

[He shakes his loose hair so half falls in front of his face and assumes a sultry sort of look, voice a purr.]

I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way.

[He leans across the kitchen counter at that and cheekily licks the syrup from the side of Steve's mouth, ending in another kiss, this one a little more confident than the first.]

[Oooooohhhhh goodness.

It's like watching a car accident in slow motion, except no, that's not right. Instead it's something wonderful and each second leading up to it seems to stretch off into an eternity while Steve is just kind of stunned wondering 'Wait, is he really going to-?'

He's got a little more time for this kiss, enough to break out of the stunned and dazed bliss to turn his head just so in order to kiss Bucky in return.]

[He will never say this out loud because it's humiliating and would come off as creepy and over invested, but Steve tastes like home. For so long he's only been able to taste blood and sand, even long after he got back, but Steve erases all of that. It's stupid and dangerous to be this into a guy he's literally just met, but god... doesn't he deserve a bit of stupid happiness after everything, even if it won't last?

So he takes Steve finally kissing him back as an invitation. Not to go too far, but he does deepen the kiss properly and doesn't back off until he genuinely needs to breathe or die. Panting a little and not just from lack of breath, Bucky smiles ever so innocently.]

You had syrup on your lips, I just wanted to help out.

Huh?

[Sorry Bucky, you're going to have to give Steve a few more moments here. You've gone and kissed the boy stupid.

Eyes very unfocused, breathing rough, his lips are a little red now, too.

He gives a little breathless laugh when he manages to get his focus again. He's known Bucky for may be a week now. He s in love. He's considering proposing then and there.]

Oh? That's mighty thoughtful of you. You sure you got it all?

[God, how isn't Steve married with about a dozen boyfriends on the side by now? He should be master of a harem somewhere, not adorably grinning at a fucked up vet on a Saturday morning.]

I'm not so sure, I might have to check again later.

[Sue him, he feels like a teenager in puppy love again, about ready to grin stupidly all day. Yasha, having noticed her human is as relaxed as he's about to get, has flopped down in a corner to go to sleep for a while.]

Well that's a terribly kind service of you to provide - anytime, really. I'm always in desperate need of that help.

[Oh god is he even saying the things he's saying? Was that actual sort of suggestive flirting? From Steve Rogers? Everyone except Thor would probably have a heart attack.

Thor would give him a thump on the back and say he knew he had it in him.]

Um, did you, uh. Have another question? Wait, can I ask mine first? You liking the pancakes?

[Bucky grins wickedly when Steve flirts back with him, it's good to see that he isn't all apple pie and American flags. Not that he doesn't already love that boy scout side of him too.]

Seriously? That's what you're gonna waste a question on? You could ask my deepest and darkest secret and you wanna know if I like your pancakes?

[He fixes Steve with a smouldering intense look, voice suggestive.]

Steve, yours are the best pancakes I've ever tasted.

[Steve goes red all over again at that look, needing to cover his face before he lets his hand drop to just rest his chin in. He can't stop smiling.]

It's not a waste if I value the answer. I wanted to make sure you wouldn't try to spare my feelings if they were bad. ... and also to hear you say how much you liked them.

[Just to prove how much he likes them, Bucky takes another big bite of pancakes before contemplating his next question.]

I still say it was a waste, you could ask something good like I'm going to. Hm... like... most embarrassing story from school? Unless it was the naked campus thing, in which case, first kiss story.

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