A HOUSE OF MANY MASKS

Hello! I’ll be more active on this account by Saturday. That being said, please reply to this post ( with the muse you’d like me to play ) if you’d like me to make you a starter! (Even if we have a thread, if you want to add another, I’m game!)

The hair at the back of his neck stood on end as Bucky made his way over. It was a good kind of sensation, though, the movement caught in the corner of his eye and sending a warmth drifting through Steve’s limbs. He bit his lip, trying to refrain from smiling; after all, he didn’t know whether Bucky might be coming over to throw the coffee in his face or to join him as a friend would. He hoped it would be the latter, though. Steve ached to spend time with the man again, to be in the presence of the one who had always known him best once more.

He had nothing now, truly. No longer an Avenger, the shield left behind, Steve had given up everything for Bucky- not that he regretted having done so in the least. It was just killing him to have lost the man to the world again. He didn’t know about Bucky, how he was handling things, but Steve couldn’t continue living like this. He didn’t like being alone, for all that he had chosen to be since he’d come out of the ice.

He looked away from the window as the chair across from him slid out and Steve sucked in a small breath as he looked his best friend over. He looked good, thankfully. Bucky seemed to be doing alright, but it wasn’t enough to bring him true comfort.

Finally, he allowed himself to smile softly at the question. Steve shrugged. “Not long. Couple days, I guess. You still drink your coffee the same? I wasn’t sure…”

Bucky swirled the contents of the cup around, nodding once in affirmative. He remembered when being in Steve’s presence was easy as breathing. Now, he didn’t even know how to be himself anymore let alone how he should approach being in the company of his long time friend. God, Steve still knew how he took his coffee for Christ’s sake. . . 

“Sweet enough to get tooth rot, yeah.” He watched a baby in a carriage swing a toy around without mercy. It must’ve rattled because he delighted in it, smashing it down on the little plastic table in front of him. A skater hit a crack in the sidewalk across the street and the ex-soldier watched as he narrowly avoided getting acquainted with the pavement. Bucky watched and he listened and when he finally got the courage, he glanced toward Steve.

How many versions of him had Bucky known? He’d grown up with the scrawny kid in Brooklyn, been saved by the Super Soldier during the war, tried to eliminate the Golden Boy of America, and fought beside the rogue Nomad. Which version of Steve was he talking to now? A lonelier one, he thought.

He could make his own coffee at home. Steve knew it was cheaper to do so, and he didn’t drink anything particularly fancy, but it was nice to be out and about with the rest of the public. And lately, he’d begun to notice he had a shadow that hung around the coffee shop. He didn’t respond to the recognition, though his heart had leapt into his throat when he realized he wasn’t alone there. Beyond that, he had become all the more determined to return day after day at the same exact time.

Today, he decided he needed to act… at least in some minor way. So when he ordered his coffee, he ordered a second one as well just the way Bucky had always liked it back in the day. He took the cup before the woman could write the name on it and, rather than give a name, he politely asked her to just take the cup over to him. Steve gave a hefty tip for the effort. Once he had his plain black coffee, he took his usual seat near the window and gazed out at the people going by.

Meanwhile, the barista arrived at Bucky’s table with the coffee she’d made him, in the cup Steve had written on. The message read, “I’m here for you. Always. You don’t need to be afraid to say hello. -S.”

The ex-soldier kept his eyes trained on his phone as he thumbed through the latest news. It was always the same; political nonsense, the occasional robbery and a feel good story to break up the terror. He did take note of several break ins, but they were little more than a blip on his radar. Random, no pattern.

He heard, rather than saw Steve enter, flicking his eyes up as the man ordered his coffee. Quarter to ten, right on time. Bucky watched the back of his head before looking elsewhere, fingers tensing around the slim cellular device.

It would be so easy to get up, walk out the door and come back; try again later. Teaming up, he rationed, was not enough to restore years of friendship. Not when said friendship had been mostly kept on ice for the past several decades. Not when it was held together with rubber bands, scotch tape and a promise he’d failed to keep. Bucky didn’t move as a cup entered his field of sight, grey eyes flicking up to the barista and then to the words scrawled carefully on the side. All the coiled tension left him on an exhale as he picked the beverage up and sipped. Tooth rotting sweet. Threat level: nil. 

He’d gotten up before he could talk himself out of it, weaving through college students and coffee-addicts to the spot where Steve sat. He settled down across from him, fixing his gaze on those passing by.

This was, by far, the best coffee shop in town. He hadn’t tried the coffee, but the testimonials on Google seemed promising. In the grand scheme of things, it didn’t matter; he came for the WI-Fi and assortment of muffins. Digging through his jacket, Bucky pulled out his phone (modified to no longer support GPS) and pulled up a news app. He always sat in the same spot; the seat nearest the door, back to the wall. From this vantage point, the threat level was next to nil. No windows, no way to be grappled from behind. Bucky pulled his hat a little lower and hunkered down in his seat, eyes scanning just over the top of his phone. 

Hello! To my new followers, thank you for being patient as I put this blog together. I’m super excited to start crafting some stories with you all!

I may not have all my icons set up but I promise to have them in the next month or so. If the lack of them doesn’t bother you, I’d love to start some threads! That being said, please reply to this post ( with the name of a muse you’d like me to play ) if you’d like me to make you a starter!