The Metropolis Not!Vengers in... Location, location, location!

[stands_for_hope]

[continued from here]

Steve wakes up slowly, happy and warm and content enough he's not sure where he is at first. The clues he gets initially aren't helpful because they're such universal parts of his life, as far as his hindbrain is concerned, that they're just a part of 'how he should wake up'.

There's a warm body up against him, deep brown hair pressed up against his nose and mouth that smells like home, a ratty old mattress beneath him that's too firm for anyone but someone like him--

And a metal arm across his stomach. Huh. That shakes some things loose.

It doesn't halt the grin on his face, though. That's... probably never going away, or at least it won't be budging anytime soon (probably until Jim looks at him, disgusted, and tells him to 'stop lookin' like a loon'). Instead, he just reaches over to grab his phone from the the bedside table (amazing the things that survive a plain crash when they're kept in the right pocket) and peers at the time.

Huh. Nearly two. That's fair. But--

"Hey, sleepyhead. You get some good rest?"

Comments

[kolodnoykovki]

"He grew up rich. Probably doesn't know any other way to be," Jim agreed. "And I think me and you were as close to homeless as you could get and still have a roof sometimes." But even in those times, there had still been some happy moments. Usually when they were curled up at night keeping warm by virtue of a thin blanket and the two of them in the same bed.

[justakidfrombrklyn]

"Pretty much," and he shrugged along with it, "He's the kind of guy who knows a lot, but doesn't understand much until he gets it in a knock to the face."

He held up a hand.

"Not that I've ever actually punched him, but it got close a time or two."

[kolodnoykovki]

"Well, we've gotta be careful who we punch, too," Jim reminded, but smiled. "I've still gotta teach Clark to fight. He has no idea how to throw a punch except to clench a fist and hope."

[justakidfrombrklyn]

That got a look.

"...seriously?"

He'd seen the guy lift a tank single-handed. And he didn't know how to throw a punch?

[kolodnoykovki]

"Dead serious," Jim nodded. "He never fought before. Ever. Kind of one of the reasons I keep stepping in. He's..."

Jim shrugged. "He's too nice to have to. And I've been on the butt end of a gun often enough that it doesn't make much difference to me."

[justakidfrombrklyn]

He wasn't going to say anything about Jim's choices. As far as he could see, they were pretty damn close to his own choices, to act when action was needed, to try and do what he could so as a soldier and as... whatever the Avengers were.

Heroes.

"I can't even imagine that," he admitted as they kept walking, "I mean, kids are kids. We got into plenty of scraps even outside of my, uh..."

His general tendency to defend anyone who needed defending.

"At least he's got a good teacher. You were, what, welterweight champ for Brooklyn before you left?"

[kolodnoykovki]

"Your memory's better than mine on that one, so I'll take your word for it," he chuckled. "But... y'know, it's..."

He took a breath then said, "I... should tell you the truth. Since you told me the truth. I left, but it wasn't because I signed up."

[justakidfrombrklyn]

Steve had been opening his mouth to say something, but he couldn't tell you what it was a moment later. His steps just stopped.

"What?"

He didn't sound disappointed or upset, exactly. Just... completely and utterly confused.

[kolodnoykovki]

When he realised Steve stopped, he did too - it was just luck that the streets weren't more crowded or people would've been pissed. "I was drafted, Stevie," he said. "I... got the letter while you were out. Hid it. Told you I enlisted, 'cause I knew you wanted to go."

[justakidfrombrklyn]

The first step is slow, starting up again. Then there's another one.

"Oh."

He wracks his mind, trying to think of what else he could say or what else he wants to say, but it's probably one of the biggest surprises of his life. Bucky... hadn't enlisted? Bucky'd... been drafted? One of the biggest moments of his life had a completely different flavor than it had a minute ago and he's not exactly sure if it he likes it better or worse or if there is a better or worse because they're so far down the line, it really shouldn't matter. He's not sure if it matters, though.

He thinks maybe it should matter, maybe he should be angry that Bucky'd lied to him, but he's not. Because he knows why he was lied to. He wonders if he'd have done anything different, if he'd known. If he wouldn't have tried so hard to get in if he'd known that Bucky hadn't actually wanted to go, if he'd have made less of a big deal of it. He doesn't think he could do.

He did reach over and put his hand on Jim's shoulder, reassure him. Ultimately, ultimately, it didn't matter. Because they were here and things had already happened and he didn't regret anything enough to wish he hadn't done it. But it was a bit to take in.

"Makes sense now. Why you were so angry at me. When I kept trying to join up."

[kolodnoykovki]

"That wasn't it." Jim shook his head. "That wasn't why I didn't want you there. I didn't want you to sign up because I'd already worked my ass off to try to keep you alive and I didn't want you somewhere getting shot at because that was already too close to happening to you here. I was selfish. I wanted you to be... safer, even if it wasn't safe, than if you were over there."

He wasn't looking up. Steve had told him about being attracted to him, and he'd turned around, bit his head off, snarled at him, made himself sound no better than the jerks he'd thrown off Steve hundreds of times before. Now he was making himself sound like a different kind of jerk.

Well, at least it was honest.

[justakidfrombrklyn]

He couldn't help it. It wasn't the smart response or the best response, but it was the one he had.

Which was why his face broke into a slightly manic laugh.

"You'd put all that work in... and you didn't want anyone undoing a lifetime of... scraping me off the floor because of some war off somewhere, eh, Buck?"

He didn't even realize he'd slipped because it was all just... insane. Ridiculous. Utterly him.

"That... explains why you looked half ready to kill me when I showed up to drag you out of that factory. Half confused, half ready to kill me yourself. Damn. Just... damn."

[kolodnoykovki]

"I wanted you to be safe," he protested. "You were... You were important. You were the reason I had to get back from the war, and then I woke up, and I was either hallucinating or dead because there you were, two feet too big and dragging me out of that damn place... And I wondered why the hell they'd let you get there because you were too important to risk to these arrogant idiots with guns."

[justakidfrombrklyn]

"Eleven inches," he said, a little less... wild. Nodding and smiling crooked. He gave Jim's shoulder a squeeze.

"But, Jim... you were important too. If I hadn't gotten that ride from Stark, I was aimin' to steal a truck. And when I ran outta gas, I woulda walked the rest of the way."

He finally found Jim's eyes.

"And I woulda done that at 5'4'' too."

[kolodnoykovki]

"I know you would'a," Jim said quietly, "and you probably would'a got killed doing it. And then both of us would'a been dead."

[justakidfrombrklyn]

"And now we're not."

Because that's the important thing. Both about what Jim'd originally mentioned and all the rest.

"We're alive, and we're... us. And 'us' too."

[kolodnoykovki]

He nudged Steve sideways. "You always were a lucky little punk."

[justakidfrombrklyn]

"Except when I have to turn," he said, nudging back, back in step towards the sporting goods store.

[kolodnoykovki]

"Good thing you're durable." He led Steve into the store and back to the area he'd gotten used to shopping at. He'd bought a few colours of sleeve, just so he could toss it up now and then, but this was the first one he'd actually managed to tear up.

He went right to the department where he'd found the others and started prodding around.

[justakidfrombrklyn]

Steve gave him a pat on the back and went to go look for jeans, picking out a few pairs and grabbing a few pairs of khakis as well.

[kolodnoykovki]

He ended up choosing a neon green one and then headed over to find Steve, sneaking up behind him to run a finger up his back.

[justakidfrombrklyn]

Jim would feel the muscles there practically ripple, each one relaxing in turn as he picked out a plaid shirt or two. His basket already had a couple of packs of briefs and socks, Clark was going to donate the t-shirts...

"Hey."

[kolodnoykovki]

"Hey," he answered, peering over Steve's shoulder to see what he had. His arm slid around Steve from behind, stealing a moment. "Looks like you've found some stuff."

[justakidfrombrklyn]

"Found what you needed?" he asked, glancing over to check Jim's basket.

He added the plaid shirt to the basket, making sure to cover up the tiny visible corner of a certain white button up shirt he'd grabbed earlier.

[kolodnoykovki]

"Yep, for now. Think I wanna stop by this grocery store I know of on the way home, just to get some stuff for around the house, but I got my sleeve thing. Think green suits me?" He held it up and it truly was an embarrassing shade of green, but the colour choice was limited.