Fandom: Captain America movies Relationship: Bucky & Steve Rating: Teen Word Count: 600
A New Beginning
The funny thing--the awful thing--is that he says it in almost exactly the same way Steve first heard him say it: surprised, confused. There's no real heat in it, he's just taken aback as he stares at Steve with absolutely no sign of recognition.
"Who the hell is Bucky?"
The tone fits better here, in Steve's kitchen, where Bucky is half-dressed and obviously in the middle of making coffee, than it did in a chaotic street fight. It breaks his heart worse than it did when it was merely a pause in Bucky's spirited attempts to kill him, which Steve wouldn't have thought was possible.
Bucky frowns when Steve doesn't answer the question. He looks to one side like he might find the answer on the cupboards, the refrigerator.
"I don't..." He rubs a hand through his hair then stops and stares at it, seeming to realize for the first time that it's made of metal. "What the... Is it me? Does this happen a lot?"
Steve takes a cautious half-step forward and tries to match his tone to Bucky's, confused but still not really upset. "Does what happen a lot?"
Bucky drops his left hand to his side and shoots him a withering look that's so familiar Steve wants to cry. "Do I forget my own name a lot? And... shit, I can't remember anything. But I woke up and I wanted some coffee so I just came out here. I didn't know where I was or how I got here or that I had a metal arm, but it didn't seem that weird until I didn't know who you were talking to. That's... I should've noticed, right? Normal people probably notice when they don't know where they are or why or when their arm is made of metal. And you don't seem that surprised either. So do I forget everything all the time? Isn't there a movie where it happens like that?"
Bucky frowns harder, looking away again, chasing the elusive information. "Why do I know that and I don't know my name?"
"You do know your name," Steve says firmly, because whatever happened to Bucky's brain overnight, while he was sleeping safely in Steve's apartment and all the HYDRA shit was supposed to be over, they're still here together and they can figure it out. Even if Bucky turns out to be like the guy from Memento now, they can figure that out. He won't even need Polaroids; he can keep all the pictures on his phone. "Your name is Bucky."
"Bucky," he repeats, sounding dubious about the name but not suspicious. He's not looking for a lie or a trap. He has no idea why he should. "Well who the hell are you, then?"
Steve takes another step forward, close enough to offer his hand. "I'm Steve. I'm your best friend."
"Steve," Bucky repeats, taking his hand and shaking it. His grip, and his gun calluses, are the same as ever. "My best friend, huh, just like that?"
"Just like that," Steve agrees.
Bucky smiles like the sun coming up. It's an easy, careless grin Steve hasn't seen since 1943, and he feels like a traitor but he thinks whatever happened last night might not be the worst thing that's happened to Bucky lately. If they have to start all over, at least they get to start all over from this bright morning together.
"Well, best friend," Bucky squeezes before letting go of his hand, and turns back toward the kitchen counter. "Here's another thing I don't know: how do you like your coffee?"
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timeasmymeasure
A New Beginning
Date: 2016-01-08 02:36 pm (UTC)Relationship: Bucky & Steve
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 600
The funny thing--the awful thing--is that he says it in almost exactly the same way Steve first heard him say it: surprised, confused. There's no real heat in it, he's just taken aback as he stares at Steve with absolutely no sign of recognition.
"Who the hell is Bucky?"
The tone fits better here, in Steve's kitchen, where Bucky is half-dressed and obviously in the middle of making coffee, than it did in a chaotic street fight. It breaks his heart worse than it did when it was merely a pause in Bucky's spirited attempts to kill him, which Steve wouldn't have thought was possible.
Bucky frowns when Steve doesn't answer the question. He looks to one side like he might find the answer on the cupboards, the refrigerator.
"I don't..." He rubs a hand through his hair then stops and stares at it, seeming to realize for the first time that it's made of metal. "What the... Is it me? Does this happen a lot?"
Steve takes a cautious half-step forward and tries to match his tone to Bucky's, confused but still not really upset. "Does what happen a lot?"
Bucky drops his left hand to his side and shoots him a withering look that's so familiar Steve wants to cry. "Do I forget my own name a lot? And... shit, I can't remember anything. But I woke up and I wanted some coffee so I just came out here. I didn't know where I was or how I got here or that I had a metal arm, but it didn't seem that weird until I didn't know who you were talking to. That's... I should've noticed, right? Normal people probably notice when they don't know where they are or why or when their arm is made of metal. And you don't seem that surprised either. So do I forget everything all the time? Isn't there a movie where it happens like that?"
Bucky frowns harder, looking away again, chasing the elusive information. "Why do I know that and I don't know my name?"
"You do know your name," Steve says firmly, because whatever happened to Bucky's brain overnight, while he was sleeping safely in Steve's apartment and all the HYDRA shit was supposed to be over, they're still here together and they can figure it out. Even if Bucky turns out to be like the guy from Memento now, they can figure that out. He won't even need Polaroids; he can keep all the pictures on his phone. "Your name is Bucky."
"Bucky," he repeats, sounding dubious about the name but not suspicious. He's not looking for a lie or a trap. He has no idea why he should. "Well who the hell are you, then?"
Steve takes another step forward, close enough to offer his hand. "I'm Steve. I'm your best friend."
"Steve," Bucky repeats, taking his hand and shaking it. His grip, and his gun calluses, are the same as ever. "My best friend, huh, just like that?"
"Just like that," Steve agrees.
Bucky smiles like the sun coming up. It's an easy, careless grin Steve hasn't seen since 1943, and he feels like a traitor but he thinks whatever happened last night might not be the worst thing that's happened to Bucky lately. If they have to start all over, at least they get to start all over from this bright morning together.
"Well, best friend," Bucky squeezes before letting go of his hand, and turns back toward the kitchen counter. "Here's another thing I don't know: how do you like your coffee?"