#battletrio

wordlessly, he plops down on the couch next to him; wriggling his way under john's arm and resting his head on his chest, one hand going to john's free one. sleepily, through heavily-lidded eyes, he glances at the screen, just at his eyeline---the last thing he sees before his eyes fully close, is a picture of john, and some other handsome man---they're grinning, arms around one another. he makes a mental note to ask john about it later, but right now.........sleep is calling.

❝ --you seem stressed. ❞ lemar pushes himself off of the parked swat car he's leaned on; going over to where john was standing. ❝ lemme help. can't have my man goin' out there lookin' like hell froze over. ❞ a chuckle leaves his lips, as he raises his hands to john's shoulders, starting to rub them a little bit. thumbs dug into the new u.s. agent-uniform clad neck of john, before he's leaning around to look at the other.

❝ dig the new beard, by the way. always told 'liv; that you look good a little less clean-shaven. ❞ hands travelled lower, to the flat of his shoulders; fingers tucking slightly under john's arms. ❝ damn, johnny---you really gotta relax. ❞ another easy smile comes to his lips, now dropping his hands from john's back, opting for one instead to grasp his. ❝ you realize what day it is? ❞ thumb swipes over john's hand, before he's tugging him along, and into an empty alleyway, making sure the coast is clear before he's pushing him into the wall gently. ❝ it's our anniversary. ❞ hand lets go of john's, moving it up to the other's face, fingers running through john's beard. ❝ this is really a good look on you. don't know how i feel about this, though. ❞ fingers flick the beret on top of his head, before he lets it travel back to john's cheek. ❝ did you forget, johnny? ❞ he's teasing, a bit; before he leans in, face hovering inches from the other's face. ❝ think you owe me a kiss, 'cuz you forgot our anniversary. ❞

both of his hands come to settle on john's chest then; fingers tracing over the lines on his uniform, to the star in the corner, not looking away from john. ❝ spare a kiss, soldier? ❞ he's inched impossibly closer, touching his nose to john's.

Shit. He was hoping no one would notice that.

getting   a   hold   of   the   us   agent   had   been   far   more   complicated   than   she   thought.   took   a   lot   of   phone   calls,   trying   to   reach   out   to   the   people   who   might   know   him   on   social   media,   pacing   outside   the   unfinished   avengers   headquarters   in   the   heart   of   the   city.   she   thought   she   was   coming   off   as   some   crazy   fan   girl   but   he   was   a   lot   more   to   her   than   all   those   various   titles   he   had   held.   but   she   finally   got   in   touch,   now   in   some   private   part   of   the   building   that   looked   like   it   was   still   being   worked   on—   random   tarps   and   buckets   of   paints   and   ladders.   she   paced,   a   bouncing   baby   girl   with   curly   blonde   hair   and   big   blue   eyes   tucked   at   her   hip,   wearing   a   winnie   the   pooh   romper   and   drooling   all   down   her   front   like   an   adorable   little   caveman.   

“   hey—   you.   ”   she   managed   to   get   out   as   she   heard   him   turn   the   corner   to   where   they   were,   the   incredulous   expression   on   his   face   hard   to   ignore.   this   was   probably   weird—   confusing.   and   all   she   had   said   was   hey.            “   sorry   to   sort   of   just…   spring   this   on   you   like   this.   i   didn’t   know   how   else   to   reach   out   and   then   i   saw   you   on   the   news   and   thought—   holy   shit   that’s—   that’s—   ”  

He doesn’t find himself typically laughing at things John says, because they’re not exactly friends, and Bucky can’t help the underlying apprehension he still feels in his gut around him. There’s plenty of reasons for that— and shockingly, the entire fight that happened with the shield isn’t where it all stems from. A lot of it’s not even John’s fault— there’s a, well, Steve element to it. The way he watched some other blonde haired, blue eyed, all American soldier take up the Captain America mantle while Bucky was still bruised from— 

It doesn’t matter. Some of it does come from John’s choices anyway— him taking the serum made Bucky feel an overwhelming frustration that he’s not sure he’s taken the time to deconstruct and understand. In fact, he hasn’t really taken the time to examine his complicated feelings about John at all. Just simply accepted it’s not a completely comfortable feeling.

Regardless, he’s here, he’s working with the guy because despite it all, John is now enhanced which means he can be helpful. And more than that, Bucky knows he wants to do good.

But Christ, the guy fills the very purposeful silences Bucky is trying to keep. 

At least Bucky is actually a little interested in what John is saying, because the subject is something personally special to him: New York City. 

@battletrio

“Well, since we’ve got some time alone, how about a chat? I don’t know if you realize this, but Uncle Sam, and the federal government don’t exactly have the best track record, with super powered individuals. Some commission at the United Nations came a hair trigger away, from blowing New York City up with a nuke, when Thor’s brother Loki and that alien army came here, stirring up trouble.”

“And you’re from Harlem, right?” He smacked the cue ball with his stick, and broke the striped and solid billiard balls and sent them careening all over the table. 

“Yours and my hometown. And you’re part of the superhero community now, with your powers. Hancuffs, and redtape never works well with the federal government, having a leash on the Avengers.”

He was grateful that he got a pardon from the presidenti and he at least decided to take Walker up on his invitation to see what his whole ‘campaign’ was about, as the new Captain America. Like he was going to be a consultant, on the remake of a movie in Hollywood that him and Steve and him starred in years ago.

“What’s the angle, Hoskins? You guys really seem deadset, on having me be involved in this. A tired old man like me. I’m technically retired. The fight with Thanos was planned to be my swan song. I’m still listed as killed in action, from 1944.”