revivalproject | 01 | Video | Steve Rogers Figures out Tech

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01 | Video | Steve Rogers Figures out Tech

OPEN

Steve is Not a fan of this. He's locked in this ship and has no idea where everyone else is. Has no idea where Bucky or Nat or Hux or anyone else is and isn't about to thank the Agrii for their social hour, here, until he gets more information. But he also realizes that if he is freaked out then so is everyone else here. Hero training kicks in and Steve takes a deep breath before turning on his comm for the network and making a video post.

He is smiling when he comes on screen, trying to look as settled as he can. "Hey everyone. I know that this is probably upsetting, being locked in. Just keep in mind we're all in the same boat and try to look out for each other. It's not gonna last forever, remember that. Take care of your crews and just keep an eye on that clock. Once we're all free again we can make sure the Agrii realize this was not acceptable. But for now, here is what is important:

We're not alone. We're not in any immediate danger. We have food, we have water, and we have shelter. We can all reach out to those we care about and I recommend we do so as much as possible. This isn't going to last forever."

He breathes in and out before trying to smile wider.

"That's all I had to say. Feel free to contact me whenever. We're in this together, everyone."

CLOSED TO BUCKY

Not again. All Steve can think of when he wakes up without Bucky is 'Not again'. The last time this happened he'd spent a year without his friend cum lover and, facing that again, he was almost sick to his stomach imagining it. Not again. The Agrii couldn't do that to him again. Steve had no idea what he would do if they did. Part of him was terrified of what he would do. None of it would be good.

He slams his finger into name for his boyfriend and a large, panicked face of Steve fills the screen as he sends a video to what he hopes is Bucky's comm. "C'mon, c'mon...." he chants over and over, waiting to see the other man.

"Bucky...sweetheart. Please, please say you're there...."

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Bucky sees the look in Steve's eyes; he may be smiling, but there's something deeply serious behind it. And isn't that just 100 percent Steve, he figures - it makes Bucky smile a little, too, if only because Steve is one of the most consistent pillars he has ever had to lean on, and sometimes it makes Bucky feel like the luckiest guy in the world, to know that Steve stands for things that he always has and always will stand for, and even when it's frustrating, that integrity will be there to support you.

Of course, he can't help the way he laughs a little, because, "Wow, Steve, that's weirdly specific," he snorts, not actually surprised in the least. "Way to not help a guy out. What kinda dates would you like?" Since that seems to be a reasonable question to ask: "I know you got a shitty history with 'em, but you've gotta be able to come up with something." He pauses, then holds up a finger. "Don't say sharing a foxhole while getting shelled. That ain't a date, you mook."

"Dates? Aw, Buck..."

He scrubs at his neck and has the words 'I don't know' racing out of his throat before he's even turned his thoughts toward it. It's a knee-jerk response; Bucky was the one who came up with dates and had romantic thoughts. Steve just tagged along like the sidekick he'd once been. He'd sat to the side in dance halls and bars and watched Bucky effortlessly charm everyone in the room. He'd smile and watch another girl fall in love with his dancing and his smooth words. And. Huh. Actually...

As Steve thinks about it, maybe he has an idea about a date he wants, after all.

"I like dancing with you," he says instead. "I really like dancing with you. I know I'm no good and we only did it once, but..."

Steve's cheeks pink as he remembers that night. The moment he kissed Bucky and everything slotted into place for the first time. A smile cracks his face in two as he ducks his head and continues scratching his neck.

"I always wanted to be the one you danced with, I think. It's nice being your partner for it, now..."

That's - actually not what Bucky had expected. At all. Because yes - Bucky remembers all those nights spent in dance halls; he remembers being swamped by girls, he remembers sometimes having trouble getting away from them, trying to catch sight of Steve and wishing, each time he had, that his best friend could find some way to have the same good time Bucky did, dancing and flirting. He'd always wished that one of the girls Bucky so effortlessly charmed would realize that Steve could be just as charming, if you'd give him half a chance and a second glance.

But - well. Yeah, he hadn't expected Steve to say dancing was actually his ideal date. It's why Bucky had asked him, because he'd pretty much expected Steve to say anything but.

"Steve," he murmurs, half a laugh under his voice, because it's just the craziest thing. "Well - if that's what you want, pal. That's easy to do. First thing, when we get outta here, huh?" Because you can dance anywhere, anytime, and if that's what Steve wants, it's the easiest thing in the world to give him - if only they were in the same goddamned place.

"Gotta be honest, I didn't think it was your thing," Bucky admits, after a moment. "But it's kinda nice, to hear it is." Because those are the kind of dates Bucky's most comfortable with, and things he's comfortable with are frankly in short supply, and have been for years. Maybe it's true of Steve, too. He does laugh, now, saying, "Easier than finding a Starbucks for coffee, huh?"

Steve shrugs, just a little bit sheepish. "I liked watching you move. I liked watching you fight, too for the same reason. But I figure that dancing is a lot more romantic than sparring." Although... Fighting with Bucky would probably lead to more interesting things in short order. Maybe he should consider it a little more seriously, but that was for another day. Their next date after all of this separation had to be something sweet and romantic. If Steve could stop kissing Bucky long enough to manage it, that is.

"I might be a shit dancer myself, but with a partner I can manage. And then I get to be close to you. Hold you." His smile spreads over his face, mischievous and wide. "It's all really just an excuse to hold you."

Bucky laughs softly, smiling at the compliment. "Well, it'll probably result in fewer broken noses - although I guess we won't know 'till we try it." Although Steve's not wrong - Bucky could definitely see turning sparring into something a little more intimate, under the right circumstances. He's already learned the benefits of being manhandled - and of being able to manhandle your partner without worrying about propriety or safety.

Either way, he laughs again, because, "Yeah, that's what most people were usin' it for, during the war, wasn't it?" An excuse to hold each other, to stay close, and to pretend things weren't as shitty as they were. It seems like a reasonable strategy to apply here, too - not that things are quite as shitty, because he's got Steve. And they've got friends.

But they're still separated; Bucky blows out a breath, making a face. "God, this is frigging annoying. I don't know what the point of keeping us cooped up in ships like this is, but those doors better open when the counter hits zero or I'm gonna find out just how well these ships like getting up close and personal with some vibranium."

"Be ready to be tackled into the ground, pal," he teases with what is probably only 12% exaggeration. Steve reaches presses a kiss to the tips of his fingers and holds it against the screen, eyes focused on his lover, bright and warm.

"Minute that clock hits zero I'm coming for you. Everyone else better just clear a path."

Bucky just grins, but there's a warmth behind it, as his fingers press to the screen, too, like they can make that point of contact real. "I think they'll hear you comin' and know to get out of the way," he teases, but there's definite fondness in his voice.

And then, "You know, it's good we weren't, uh, doin' this during the war. I'd have to figure out how to write you letters that would make it past the censors. Probably would've gotten pretty interesting."

That's enough to startle a laugh out of Steve as he imagines the letters they would have written. Christ, how would they have kept everyone from knowing how head-over-heels they were for one another? How could Steve have written back and not risked Bucky being found out?

"Probably woulda needed to write to 'Stephanie'," he says with another laugh. "Either that or just really lean into all the 'pal' talk:

'God, Stevie. I miss you so badly, buddy. Can't wait to hold you again, friend.' "

Steve laughs again, cheered by how completely absurd that all was. "Or you coulda just not watched it at all and gotten shipped back home."

Bucky tilts his head, considering. "Yeah, we woulda had to go with Stephanie," he decides, with a grin that might be a little wicked. "I don't think anybody woulda bought the number of times you'dve written pal."

Because Bucky can be creative and sneaky, thankyouverymuch.

But still, it's nice to hear Steve laugh. It's a good sound, and one that he doesn't hear nearly often enough. "Yeah, that would've been one strategy," he points out. "But then, you woulda gotten yourself juiced up and we'dve just missed each other, think how that would've gone, huh?"

"I woulda gone home." Steve says it plainly as though there is no possible other option. And there isn't from where he sits. "The only reason Captain America became what he was is because I went after you. Once I knew you were home my tour woulda ended real fast."

He smiles again and offers a small laugh as he shakes his head.

"Ever wonder what woulda happened if your number didn't get called? If you had stayed in Brooklyn when Erskine came knocking on my door?" His smile fades into a serious expression tinged with curiosity.

"Would you have stopped me?"

Bucky's mouth twists, but - maybe Steve would have. If all he'd ever been was a dancing monkey, then who's to say he wouldn't have given it up?

But - somehow that just seems wrong. Steve's Captain America - a real hero, not a puppet - and taking that away from the world, from Steve, seems worse than everything that's happened to them, despite it all. Bucky's not sure whether that makes him a good person or a bad one, thinking that way, but he can't stop the way he feels, either.

Of course, at the question - at the question, he's silent. For a long, long time. Because wow, that is a question. Would he have?

"I - don't know," he finally has to admit. "I think I would've tried. And - I think you and the world would've been worse off for it," he adds, voice quiet, maybe a little ashamed. "It would've been selfish... but I can't say I wouldn't have done it, to try to keep you safe, even if the next flu might've done you in."

At least the flu, or whatever Steve would've caught next, would have been a known danger. Letting Steve walk into Project Rebirth... "Would you have wanted to, so badly, if I hadn't been drafted?" Bucky asks, turning the question right around on Steve, even as he knows he shouldn't.

"Sorry - you don't have to answer that."

The question hits him sideways. Steve has barely had time to process Bucky's answer before he is contemplating his own, but the answer comes fast. For better or worse, he knows what he would have done.

"Yeah. Yeah, I would have wanted to just as bad." He sighs and can't help the self-deprecating smile that comes over him. "I wanted to keep up with you. I wanted to be you. I grew up my whole life not being able to follow as close as I wanted to and those days were over. I wanted to make money and not live in fear of every wheeze.

"And, yeah. I wanted to go to war. To protect you and to protect America. Even if you had been at home, I still wanted to do that. But the fact that you were out there being shot at without me made it a no brainer."

Bucky lets out a breath that shudders a little. He... knew that. He knew all of that, really, before Steve even had to say it out loud. He's known it his whole life, how badly Steve wanted to be - just normal, just healthy, not sick all the time. How much he wanted to serve his country. How much he'd wanted to be like his father.

He just nods, because, "I would've tried to stop you," he says again, "but I don't think it would've worked - and I don't think I would've expected it to."

He knows that, just as well as he knows, "If you'd done it, and gotten shipped off... I woulda enlisted."

"I know you would have." All of it. Steve knows Bucky would have done all of that. He smiles thinking about it, honestly. Back then they were so in each other's pocket that it isn't even a question that one would chase after the other. "And I would have waited for you, over there. However I needed to, I would have waited to fight by your side."

Steve's smile fades a little as he looks over Bucky's expression, wishing so badly to be where he was. It itches underneath his skin like a hive breaking out.

"I wonder if there is some universe where that happened," Steve says more to distract themselves than anything else. "Some place where we both went through the program and fought. Because I'm sure Erskine would have wanted you, too. If he'd had a chance...it woulda been both of us."

Bucky gives him a shaky smile; "We make a good team. Seems like that's true in any universe, you know?" It's comforting, in a way, knowing that they fit together somehow regardless of the details.

He does hum thoughtfully at the suggestion, cocking his head a little. "You think he'd have taken us both?" It's - flattering, frankly, even if Bucky's eyes go a little darker, and he admits, quietly, "I'm not you, Steve. He made the right choice."

Bucky knows by now what the serum does: Makes good great, bad worse. It's not always a comfort, given his own track record. Being a sniper is... it's dirty work. Necessary, but dirty. And it takes a certain kind of person to do it. He can do his best to walk Steve's walk, to talk his talk, but he will always, inherently, do better behind the scenes. Some days, he's more painfully aware of that than others.

Just like he's painfully aware of the fact that he'd hidden a lot from Steve, from the Army, after Azzano. "Maybe I shoulda said something. After you pulled me out of that factory." He pauses, before stating (not really asking): "If it had been you. You would've said something."

"You're not me."

It's obvious and something Steve is often thankful for. He watches the complicated emotions dance on Bucky's face and, yeah. If that doesn't highlight their differences, nothing would. But it's not bad. None of it is bad. In fact, Steve exhales hard himself and shakes his head, considering how awful things could have been if Bucky had been a bit more like him.

"And you're right. I probably woulda said something. I woulda and then I'd have gotten dragged off somewhere for testing instead of fighting next to you. How many people did we save, Buck? You and me. Without you, who knows how things would have turned out. Maybe they would have unlocked the serum. Maybe every soldier would have ended up being like us."

Steve wants so badly to not be separated from Bucky. He wants so badly to touch him. He can almost taste it on the back of his throat.

"I love you, Buck. You're not me. But you're what I need."

"You always do know what to say, dumbass. It's why I let you make all the speeches."

It's... part of the reason, anyway. But it's also true. Steve does always - or almost always - seem to know what to say. How to hit at Bucky just right, in bad ways and good.

Right now, it's good, for all that he still feels a little off kilter. And Steve's not the only one wishing they weren't separated. God, Bucky wants to touch him so badly - he isn't sure it was even ever this bad, during the war, separated by an ocean and more.

But then, they'd only been best friends, back then. Now it's more. So much more. And the look on Steve's face, the soud of his voice, they're overwhelming.

"I guess we'll find out, if any more of us show up," is really all he can say to that, because there are so many could'ves, should'ves, would'ves, it's impossible to keep them straight, or to stay sane trying to follow each one of those threads. Maybe it's better not to. Maybe it's better to stick with the two paths they'e taken, to get here, because two is certainly enough.

"You sure as hell don't need another guy just like you, you wouldn't last a day," Bucky says, laughing a little, even if there's the tiniest bit of wetness under it, and his eyes are just a little - just a little - bright through the feed. "I love you too, you dumb punk. You. For everything you are, when it's easy - and when it's hard. God knows we got more of one than the other."

Steve's heart melts when he sees that wetness. God, he wants to be where his boyfriend is. He makes a small noise of sadness but it's gone immediately when Bucky starts talking about how he loves him, too. Even though Steve knows, he can't help but love hearing it. It still takes the air out of his lungs, knowing that Bucky is all his. Knowing that the feeling he holds inside himself is returned.

"When we get outta here, I'm gonna get revenge for that dumb punk comment," he says. His face is all warm affection which suggests just what form that revenge will be in. Steve sighs a little and lays back onto his bed, eyes not leaving Bucky's face.

"Maybe we should try that whole...you stay on the comm overnight so I can hear you snore?"

He doesn't care if it's sappy and pathetic. He misses his boyfriend and still has days to go before he can hold him again. He'll handle being accused of being clingy and sentimental.

Bucky smiles - and it does reach his eyes, for all that they're still a bit too bright. "Yeah? You do that. I'll be waitin' to see what you cook up."

But the truth is... the truth is, that's the truth. He wants Steve here, with him, whether it's to smack him on the arms - or kiss him smack on the lips. Or something else. Anything and everything is pretty much fine with Bucky, as long as Steve's close by to do it.

And at Steve's suggestion, he blows out a soft breath, that smile turning softer, too, as he slides down to curl up on the bunk. "Yeah, sure. We can try that." He can't say how many nights he fell asleep to the sound of Steve's breathing - when they were younger, he was always trying to just make sure another breath actually came after the last.

During the war, he was just glad to hear that every breath was clear, easy, wheeze-free.

And now... now, he can't say it won't be just as comforting for him as it seems like it'll be for Steve. "Hope I don't bother your bunkmates," he points out, sarcastically, although he doesn't snore (he's pretty sure) so it's a moot point. "I'm still surprised you don't, with the number of times your nose's been broken."

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01 | Video | Steve Rogers Figures out Tech

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