[ And he's just going to make a beeline, because he wants to touch those fluffy dogs and also maybe get to see Steve's face when he's meeting dogs. A grown man made of 110% muscle has no business being this cute, but Bucky will fight anyone who says he isn't. ]
[ Bucky shows up pretty quickly in a soft henley and jeans with his brown leather collar sitting over his submissive mark. Some days, it's easier to not look in the mirror at all, but other times, it's a comfort that at least he's got Steve here. This is the man he's given all that power to and he's just as cute as the dogs are. Truly. ]
[which sounds a little muffled, given that he's currently buried beneath one of them while the other continues their full frontal assault on his face. but at least bucky's approach is enough to distract the one on his chest long enough for him to roll away and sit back up again.
his grin is wide as he looks up at bucky, an arm looping around one of the dogs in something akin to a hug. it at least means that the other man only needs to deal with one of the pair as she heads over to investigate the (mostly) unfamiliar scent.]
[the relief he feels at those words releases a knot of tension that's been there since the day bucky first told him what he'd paid. his expression softens in response, and he wastes no time in nudging the second dog off his lap so he can shuffle over to sit beside bucky instead.]
I'm not going to start being rough with you either.
[though it does mean he has no qualms about twisting a hand into the front of bucky's jacket and tugging him in for a kiss.
...right up until he feels a wet tongue on the side of his face and he's back to wrestling with a dog instead.]
[ Oh, Bucky's definitely got a quip for that, but then Steve's moving in to kiss him and Bucky can remind him that it's okay to be a little rough later.
Too bad he only gets a hint of that kiss before they're interrupted.
Bucky starts to laugh, but then he's got to close his mouth against a dog tongue assault of his own. ]
Think they like us.
[ The words are pinched out through closed lips because he doesn't have it in him to push the dog away. ]
[he's back to looping his arm around the dog he's still half buried under, doing his best to keep him in place.]
They've been here for a while, apparently. I want us to say yes, but I don't think it'd be fair on them. Not while we live in that apartment.
[plus, of course, peggy would need to meet them first too. he may have brought up the possibility before, but this is the first time he's actually been near the pound.]
[ He's managed to get his dog to sit, tail wagging quickly as he pets her and scratches her ears. ]
I don't need much space, though. I just want to be wherever you and Peggy are.
[ Because he can have that. It still floors him that he gets any amount of this. They all get this, even if it isn't some permanent thing. He wants whatever he can get. ]
[he bumps a shoulder against bucky, smile softening further at the words. their apartment back in brooklyn had been tiny, even for the time. but somehow, the two of them still managed to make it work. the fact that they're in a situation where an apartment as big as the one they have now is still too small is a novelty to him. doubly so when combined with the knowledge that they can (hopefully) afford to find something bigger too.]
You know I'd live in a box if you were there with me. But you two both deserve a whole lot better than that. Especially if we're planning on taking these two back home with us.
[and with all three of them on it, he has no doubt they can get this all sorted in no time.]
I'm not sure how much I really deserve, Steve. Feels like just having you here is already more than that.
[ He can't help the sad smile he throws at Steve. For all that he tries to push back a lot of his guilt, it's still there under the surface. He knows he doesn't deserve any of this. The sweet dogs, the second chance with Steve, Peggy's friendship. He's done terrible things and very little to make up for any of it and now Tony's gone and he can't even make any of that right. ]
[with the dog seemingly content to just use his lap as a cushion, steve is free enough to wind an arm around bucky's waist, his hand settling on his hip. he wastes no time in slipping his fingers under the edge of his shirt, thumb rubbing gently against the warm skin beneath it.]
You deserve everything, Buck. And I know you're never going to believe that. But I'll tell you every single day if I have to.
[ Bucky practically melts against Steve's side. He doesn't deserve any of this, but he'll always be a little too selfish to give it up. He's been alone and on the run once and he doesn't want to do it again. There's survival and there's living. Bucky's really only good at the former, but he's starting to remember how to live again. ]
You really still feel that way now that you remember everything I did?
[ He's got his own dog settling in his lap and he finds that as long as he keeps scratching behind her ears, she's content to be relatively still with him. ]
You mean keeping my ass safe for half my life? Taking me in when I had no one else? Following me headfirst into every Hydra base we could find?
[which is a very generalized overview that barely covers even a fraction of just what bucky has done for him during their lives. without the other man, steve would have died a hundred times over. would have given up on building any kind of life for himself. his friendship with bucky is the single best thing that's ever happened to him, and he refuses to ever give that up again.]
Then there's the part where you managed to break through decades of programming to save me when I needed you the most. You did that, Buck. You came back to me.
[his hold on bucky grows firmer, half way to tugging him into his lap, dogs be damned. he wants to be able to pull the other man close though. to drag him back home again, back to their bed. to prove just how little he blames bucky for everything that happened.]
Everything the Winter Soldier did is on Hydra, not you. You we're never given a choice in any of it. So yeah, you deserve the world. Because despite everything that was done to you, you're still the same cocky bastard that I'm somehow lucky enough to call my best friend.
text. 1/4
no subject
Bucky.
no subject
JAMES BUCHANAN BARNES YOU NEED TO GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!
no subject
so no, this really isn't an emergency. but somebody is excited right now]
no subject
where is here?
no subject
In my defense, I did warn you. Hold on.
[because he's just going to send over the address. it's a whole lot easier that way]
no subject
[ And he's just going to make a beeline, because he wants to touch those fluffy dogs and also maybe get to see Steve's face when he's meeting dogs. A grown man made of 110% muscle has no business being this cute, but Bucky will fight anyone who says he isn't. ]
no subject
just ignore the audio, before he adds--]We'll be waiting.
no subject
They look so soft.
no subject
[which sounds a little muffled, given that he's currently buried beneath one of them while the other continues their full frontal assault on his face. but at least bucky's approach is enough to distract the one on his chest long enough for him to roll away and sit back up again.
his grin is wide as he looks up at bucky, an arm looping around one of the dogs in something akin to a hug. it at least means that the other man only needs to deal with one of the pair as she heads over to investigate the (mostly) unfamiliar scent.]
no subject
Hi.
[ He lets the dog sniff him patiently and then goes in for a gentle pet, attention split between the dog and Steve. ]
Whatever Stark did seems to be working, by the way. I haven't felt sore at all, so you can stop handling me like I'm made of glass.
no subject
I'm not going to start being rough with you either.
[though it does mean he has no qualms about twisting a hand into the front of bucky's jacket and tugging him in for a kiss.
...right up until he feels a wet tongue on the side of his face and he's back to wrestling with a dog instead.]
no subject
Too bad he only gets a hint of that kiss before they're interrupted.
Bucky starts to laugh, but then he's got to close his mouth against a dog tongue assault of his own. ]
Think they like us.
[ The words are pinched out through closed lips because he doesn't have it in him to push the dog away. ]
no subject
[he's back to looping his arm around the dog he's still half buried under, doing his best to keep him in place.]
They've been here for a while, apparently. I want us to say yes, but I don't think it'd be fair on them. Not while we live in that apartment.
[plus, of course, peggy would need to meet them first too. he may have brought up the possibility before, but this is the first time he's actually been near the pound.]
no subject
[ He's managed to get his dog to sit, tail wagging quickly as he pets her and scratches her ears. ]
I don't need much space, though. I just want to be wherever you and Peggy are.
[ Because he can have that. It still floors him that he gets any amount of this. They all get this, even if it isn't some permanent thing. He wants whatever he can get. ]
I don't even have that much stuff.
no subject
You know I'd live in a box if you were there with me. But you two both deserve a whole lot better than that. Especially if we're planning on taking these two back home with us.
[and with all three of them on it, he has no doubt they can get this all sorted in no time.]
no subject
[ He can't help the sad smile he throws at Steve. For all that he tries to push back a lot of his guilt, it's still there under the surface. He knows he doesn't deserve any of this. The sweet dogs, the second chance with Steve, Peggy's friendship. He's done terrible things and very little to make up for any of it and now Tony's gone and he can't even make any of that right. ]
no subject
[with the dog seemingly content to just use his lap as a cushion, steve is free enough to wind an arm around bucky's waist, his hand settling on his hip. he wastes no time in slipping his fingers under the edge of his shirt, thumb rubbing gently against the warm skin beneath it.]
You deserve everything, Buck. And I know you're never going to believe that. But I'll tell you every single day if I have to.
no subject
You really still feel that way now that you remember everything I did?
[ He's got his own dog settling in his lap and he finds that as long as he keeps scratching behind her ears, she's content to be relatively still with him. ]
no subject
[which is a very generalized overview that barely covers even a fraction of just what bucky has done for him during their lives. without the other man, steve would have died a hundred times over. would have given up on building any kind of life for himself. his friendship with bucky is the single best thing that's ever happened to him, and he refuses to ever give that up again.]
Then there's the part where you managed to break through decades of programming to save me when I needed you the most. You did that, Buck. You came back to me.
[his hold on bucky grows firmer, half way to tugging him into his lap, dogs be damned. he wants to be able to pull the other man close though. to drag him back home again, back to their bed. to prove just how little he blames bucky for everything that happened.]
Everything the Winter Soldier did is on Hydra, not you. You we're never given a choice in any of it. So yeah, you deserve the world. Because despite everything that was done to you, you're still the same cocky bastard that I'm somehow lucky enough to call my best friend.