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021-2: Aim for Summer
Title: Aim for Summer
Prompter:![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thetyro | Prompt
Rating: T+
Word Count: 1,398
Synopsis: Bucky needs a friend to be a Not Friend. To the surprise of absolutely no one, he turns to Steve.
A/N: SO, I was writing another fic to submit for this, but the plot was getting too complicated, and the fic was going to take FOREVER to finish, and like fuck was I going to submit an incomplete, so I just wrote a completely different fic. I am hopeful that the other one is much better, or at least more amusing. I'll be finishing that one next week (to use athetyroism), after Blind Go (which is due May) and my final papers (...also May).
--
Steve tugged at his collar. “Is this really necessary?”
Bucky tightened his grip on Steve’s other hand warningly. “You don’t know what she’s like, Stevie. I can’t live like this anymore.”
“Bucky,” Steve sighed, rolling his eyes. “I have met your grandma before, remember? She used to sit with me when all the other kids were racing in the street and I wasn’t allowed. She gave me ice cream. She’s great.”
“That was before she expected me to already be married with kids. Everything is different, now. Everytime I walk away from her, I get this horrible feeling, like my life is already over and I missed all my chances. I’m twenty-five, Stevie. Twenty-five, and working my dream job. My life is amazing, or it would be, if Grandnan would stop making me feel ancient.”
“I’m sure you’re imagining it, Bucky. I mean, I don’t mind doing you a favour, but I think it would have been fine if I’d just come as your friend. Do we really need to pretend we’re dating?”
Their conversation was interrupted by a sighting of one of Bucky’s many aunts, who was wandering in the direction of their staked-out corner. Bucky and Steve recharged their social smiles in preparation.
When Bucky’s aunt arrived, she immediately placed her hands on his shoulders and stared tearfully up at him. “James! Look at you! You’ve grown so much since I last saw you!”
“Hey, Auntie,” Bucky grinned. “Have you met Steve? He’s my--”
“Oh, of course I remember Steve. How are you, dear?”
“I’m well, thank you. It was very kind of you to consider me in your invitation.”
“Not at all! I’m so glad you finally came--I can’t think why James didn’t invite you before! Well, I need to go make sure your uncle hasn’t started any more fights. I hope you two enjoy yourselves!” With a somewhat ominous wink, Bucky’s aunt moved away to where her husband was having a spirited conversation with one of his five-year old nephews.
Steve leaned in close to Bucky. “Didn’t you just see her last week?” he whispered, still smiling in the direction of Bucky’s aunt.
“Yeah, at the barbeque,” Bucky muttered back. “They always talk about how much I’ve grown. It’s a thing.” He shot a sidelong glance up and down Steve’s body. “A thing you should be well used to.”
Steve cleared his throat, trying to draw attention away from his red ears. “And do they always invite me, too? Have I had a standing invitation this whole time, and you’ve never told me? That’s cold, Barnes.”
“Shut up, asshole. You’ve been my excuse for dodging these things half the time; how could I invite you? Anyway, why would you have even wanted to come?”
“It’s nice! It’s just me and my mom, so you know I’m not used to these big family gatherings, but it seems nice. Warm, homey.”
“You and your mom are what I escape to when I can’t take anymore of this, Stevie.”
Steve’s fixed smile faded into something softer and more genuine as he turned away from the room to face Bucky. “Seems like we’ve both got what the other guy’s missing. We make a pretty good--”
“STEVE!”
Bucky groaned. “Oh, no, not--”
But Steve had already identified the shouter who was fighting her way across the room and waved back enthusiastically. “Becca! Back from LA?”
“Steve!” Becca yelled again, launching herself at him once she’d come within range. “Finally!”
Steve raised his eyebrows at Bucky over Becca’s shoulder. “Finally what?”
“Everyone’s been waiting for Bucky to finally lock you down. I was starting to think he’d never grow the balls!”
“Becca!” Bucky protested, flushed bright red. “I--I didn’t--I mean, I--”
“So tell me--how did he ask? Was it romantic? Was it awkward? Did Bucky make a total fool out of himself? Inquiring minds need to know!”
Steve was laughing too hard to talk, so Becca turned imperiously to Bucky, demanding the answer from him.
“It was fine! I mean, I did alright, didn’t I, Steve?” Bucky tried to communicate his desperation in Steve-only waves. Becca’s expression grew even less impressed with him, though, so she might have cracked the code.
Steve finally calmed down enough to say, “Aw, Becca, don’t look at him like that. It was nice! It wasn’t super romantic or anything,” he shot Bucky an apologetic smile, “but I wouldn’t have wanted that anyway.”
“So? What did he say? How did you react? Were you expecting it, or were you shocked? Was there any drama? OH MY GOD, WERE YOU ALREADY WITH OTHER PEOPLE WHEN YOU REALISED?”
Little pockets of Bucky’s relatives turned in their direction at Becca’s raised voice, and Bucky shook his head into his hands, mortified.
“What--no!” Steve said, bumping shoulders with Bucky comfortingly. They hadn’t discussed the origins of their fabricated relationship, but it wasn’t too difficult to imagine how it would have gone. “No drama--definitely no other people! I wasn’t expecting it, but I guess I wasn’t really shocked, either?”
“And?”
“And what?”
“That’s it?”
Bucky peered up through his fingers to exchange looks with Steve. “Uh,” said Steve. “Yes?”
Becca shook her head at them in resignation. “You guys are so boring. I don’t even know what to do with you. Ugh.”
“I’m sorry you can’t use our relationship as a basis for a new lifetime movie, Becca,” Bucky snarked, finally relaxing into himself again.
Steve snatched up Bucky’s hand again as it fell from his face. “I’m not,” he said, smiling at him.
“Ugh,” Becca repeated, but she looked pleased.
“Rebecca! James! Steven!”
Becca froze, her expression chased.
“Grandnan!” Bucky cheered. “Do you remember Steve, then?”
“Steven, finally! What took you so long?”
Steve glanced at Bucky quickly, nervous. “I--”
“I know, right?” Becca interrupted, smug. “How long does it take two morons to get together?”
“And what about you, Rebecca? Did you come alone again?”
Becca blanched. “Well…”
“And you nearly thirty!”
“I’m twenty-two, Grandnan, and even if I were thirty, that’s not--”
“Yeah, Becca,” Bucky smirked nastily. He slid his hand from Steve’s grasp to wrap his arm around Steve’s waist. “I’ve got my man--where’s yours?”
Becca shot him a dark glare.
Bucky’s grandmother nodded at him seriously. “So you do, James. And when did you say the wedding was?”
Bucky and Steve exchanged panicked glances. “The… wedding?”
“You can’t keep Steven waiting forever, James!”
Steve cleared his throat. “We’re still discussing dates, ma’am,” he managed.
“Make sure it’s a summer wedding,” Bucky’s grandmother advised, “but not too close to your birthday, Steven. It should be its own day, with its own meaning.”
Steve nodded, looking touched. Bucky tightened his grip around Steve’s waist and said, “Of course, Grandnan. Thanks.”
When Bucky’s grandmother finally excused herself by yanking on Becca’s arm and dragging her off to speak with one of Bucky and Becca’s male cousins, who presumably had single male friends, Bucky and Steve were left staring at each other, wide-eyed.
---
Steve was still shaken from the encounter when he and Bucky managed to escape.
“I feel so old, Bucky,” he complained as they walked down the street toward the metro together, hand in hand. “What just happened?”
“Didn’t I tell you, Stevie? Now just imagine what it would have been like if I’d been there alone.”
“I don’t need to--I saw what happened with Becca.” Steve shuddered.
Bucky laughed. “Stevie? Thanks for coming. I really appreciate it.”
“It was no problem, Bucky. It was nice. Mostly.”
Bucky glanced at Steve sidelong, expression unreadable. “About the wedding stuff…”
“I’m not--I’m not ready for that, Bucky. It’s just too fast, and I--”
“Oh, thank fuck. You seemed--”
“No, I--”
“Good.”
“Right, good. Okay.”
The rest of their trip back to their shared flat was more comfortable, and they were even able to laugh about their conversation with Bucky’s grandmother. It wasn’t until they’d both gotten into their separate beds in their separate bedrooms that they realised that they’d been treating the entire night as though they really were together. After a pause, they both, independently and simultaneously, decided not to remind the other one of their actual relationship status. And so began the long-awaited Barnes and Rogers romance.
Becca would have been so disappointed.
Prompter:
thetyro | PromptRating: T+
Word Count: 1,398
Synopsis: Bucky needs a friend to be a Not Friend. To the surprise of absolutely no one, he turns to Steve.
A/N: SO, I was writing another fic to submit for this, but the plot was getting too complicated, and the fic was going to take FOREVER to finish, and like fuck was I going to submit an incomplete, so I just wrote a completely different fic. I am hopeful that the other one is much better, or at least more amusing. I'll be finishing that one next week (to use a
thetyroism), after Blind Go (which is due May) and my final papers (...also May).--
Steve tugged at his collar. “Is this really necessary?”
Bucky tightened his grip on Steve’s other hand warningly. “You don’t know what she’s like, Stevie. I can’t live like this anymore.”
“Bucky,” Steve sighed, rolling his eyes. “I have met your grandma before, remember? She used to sit with me when all the other kids were racing in the street and I wasn’t allowed. She gave me ice cream. She’s great.”
“That was before she expected me to already be married with kids. Everything is different, now. Everytime I walk away from her, I get this horrible feeling, like my life is already over and I missed all my chances. I’m twenty-five, Stevie. Twenty-five, and working my dream job. My life is amazing, or it would be, if Grandnan would stop making me feel ancient.”
“I’m sure you’re imagining it, Bucky. I mean, I don’t mind doing you a favour, but I think it would have been fine if I’d just come as your friend. Do we really need to pretend we’re dating?”
Their conversation was interrupted by a sighting of one of Bucky’s many aunts, who was wandering in the direction of their staked-out corner. Bucky and Steve recharged their social smiles in preparation.
When Bucky’s aunt arrived, she immediately placed her hands on his shoulders and stared tearfully up at him. “James! Look at you! You’ve grown so much since I last saw you!”
“Hey, Auntie,” Bucky grinned. “Have you met Steve? He’s my--”
“Oh, of course I remember Steve. How are you, dear?”
“I’m well, thank you. It was very kind of you to consider me in your invitation.”
“Not at all! I’m so glad you finally came--I can’t think why James didn’t invite you before! Well, I need to go make sure your uncle hasn’t started any more fights. I hope you two enjoy yourselves!” With a somewhat ominous wink, Bucky’s aunt moved away to where her husband was having a spirited conversation with one of his five-year old nephews.
Steve leaned in close to Bucky. “Didn’t you just see her last week?” he whispered, still smiling in the direction of Bucky’s aunt.
“Yeah, at the barbeque,” Bucky muttered back. “They always talk about how much I’ve grown. It’s a thing.” He shot a sidelong glance up and down Steve’s body. “A thing you should be well used to.”
Steve cleared his throat, trying to draw attention away from his red ears. “And do they always invite me, too? Have I had a standing invitation this whole time, and you’ve never told me? That’s cold, Barnes.”
“Shut up, asshole. You’ve been my excuse for dodging these things half the time; how could I invite you? Anyway, why would you have even wanted to come?”
“It’s nice! It’s just me and my mom, so you know I’m not used to these big family gatherings, but it seems nice. Warm, homey.”
“You and your mom are what I escape to when I can’t take anymore of this, Stevie.”
Steve’s fixed smile faded into something softer and more genuine as he turned away from the room to face Bucky. “Seems like we’ve both got what the other guy’s missing. We make a pretty good--”
“STEVE!”
Bucky groaned. “Oh, no, not--”
But Steve had already identified the shouter who was fighting her way across the room and waved back enthusiastically. “Becca! Back from LA?”
“Steve!” Becca yelled again, launching herself at him once she’d come within range. “Finally!”
Steve raised his eyebrows at Bucky over Becca’s shoulder. “Finally what?”
“Everyone’s been waiting for Bucky to finally lock you down. I was starting to think he’d never grow the balls!”
“Becca!” Bucky protested, flushed bright red. “I--I didn’t--I mean, I--”
“So tell me--how did he ask? Was it romantic? Was it awkward? Did Bucky make a total fool out of himself? Inquiring minds need to know!”
Steve was laughing too hard to talk, so Becca turned imperiously to Bucky, demanding the answer from him.
“It was fine! I mean, I did alright, didn’t I, Steve?” Bucky tried to communicate his desperation in Steve-only waves. Becca’s expression grew even less impressed with him, though, so she might have cracked the code.
Steve finally calmed down enough to say, “Aw, Becca, don’t look at him like that. It was nice! It wasn’t super romantic or anything,” he shot Bucky an apologetic smile, “but I wouldn’t have wanted that anyway.”
“So? What did he say? How did you react? Were you expecting it, or were you shocked? Was there any drama? OH MY GOD, WERE YOU ALREADY WITH OTHER PEOPLE WHEN YOU REALISED?”
Little pockets of Bucky’s relatives turned in their direction at Becca’s raised voice, and Bucky shook his head into his hands, mortified.
“What--no!” Steve said, bumping shoulders with Bucky comfortingly. They hadn’t discussed the origins of their fabricated relationship, but it wasn’t too difficult to imagine how it would have gone. “No drama--definitely no other people! I wasn’t expecting it, but I guess I wasn’t really shocked, either?”
“And?”
“And what?”
“That’s it?”
Bucky peered up through his fingers to exchange looks with Steve. “Uh,” said Steve. “Yes?”
Becca shook her head at them in resignation. “You guys are so boring. I don’t even know what to do with you. Ugh.”
“I’m sorry you can’t use our relationship as a basis for a new lifetime movie, Becca,” Bucky snarked, finally relaxing into himself again.
Steve snatched up Bucky’s hand again as it fell from his face. “I’m not,” he said, smiling at him.
“Ugh,” Becca repeated, but she looked pleased.
“Rebecca! James! Steven!”
Becca froze, her expression chased.
“Grandnan!” Bucky cheered. “Do you remember Steve, then?”
“Steven, finally! What took you so long?”
Steve glanced at Bucky quickly, nervous. “I--”
“I know, right?” Becca interrupted, smug. “How long does it take two morons to get together?”
“And what about you, Rebecca? Did you come alone again?”
Becca blanched. “Well…”
“And you nearly thirty!”
“I’m twenty-two, Grandnan, and even if I were thirty, that’s not--”
“Yeah, Becca,” Bucky smirked nastily. He slid his hand from Steve’s grasp to wrap his arm around Steve’s waist. “I’ve got my man--where’s yours?”
Becca shot him a dark glare.
Bucky’s grandmother nodded at him seriously. “So you do, James. And when did you say the wedding was?”
Bucky and Steve exchanged panicked glances. “The… wedding?”
“You can’t keep Steven waiting forever, James!”
Steve cleared his throat. “We’re still discussing dates, ma’am,” he managed.
“Make sure it’s a summer wedding,” Bucky’s grandmother advised, “but not too close to your birthday, Steven. It should be its own day, with its own meaning.”
Steve nodded, looking touched. Bucky tightened his grip around Steve’s waist and said, “Of course, Grandnan. Thanks.”
When Bucky’s grandmother finally excused herself by yanking on Becca’s arm and dragging her off to speak with one of Bucky and Becca’s male cousins, who presumably had single male friends, Bucky and Steve were left staring at each other, wide-eyed.
---
Steve was still shaken from the encounter when he and Bucky managed to escape.
“I feel so old, Bucky,” he complained as they walked down the street toward the metro together, hand in hand. “What just happened?”
“Didn’t I tell you, Stevie? Now just imagine what it would have been like if I’d been there alone.”
“I don’t need to--I saw what happened with Becca.” Steve shuddered.
Bucky laughed. “Stevie? Thanks for coming. I really appreciate it.”
“It was no problem, Bucky. It was nice. Mostly.”
Bucky glanced at Steve sidelong, expression unreadable. “About the wedding stuff…”
“I’m not--I’m not ready for that, Bucky. It’s just too fast, and I--”
“Oh, thank fuck. You seemed--”
“No, I--”
“Good.”
“Right, good. Okay.”
The rest of their trip back to their shared flat was more comfortable, and they were even able to laugh about their conversation with Bucky’s grandmother. It wasn’t until they’d both gotten into their separate beds in their separate bedrooms that they realised that they’d been treating the entire night as though they really were together. After a pause, they both, independently and simultaneously, decided not to remind the other one of their actual relationship status. And so began the long-awaited Barnes and Rogers romance.
Becca would have been so disappointed.
no subject
And yes, Becca would have been very disappointed. For shame.