Superman, Firebrand, and the Metropolis Gang in... the World's Mightiest Duckling

[stands_for_hope]

[continued from here]

It took a few weeks, but soon enough, the apartment had become an entirely settled little commune between the five of them. Steve's things had arrived as Clint had promised, they'd been installed in the new apartment, and the group had made the changes they'd discussed for everyone's comfort with one addition: with Steve bunking with Jim, the room he'd initially intended to take had become a general office/library/art room for everyone to use when they felt like a bit of time alone. For as silly as the concept sounded, all of them had ended up using the room a time or two and it had definitely kept things peaceful despite the addition of two new people.

Considering that the apartment was home to four superheroes and a world-famous journalist, it was amazing how easily they all fell into a routine. Jim, Lois, and Clark would usually leave for work around the same time and Steve, always an early riser, had taken to making them something to munch for breakfast on the way after he returned from his morning run. Having also gotten a position at the community center (teaching kids art and art history), Steve would leave with Diana an hour or so after that. Everyone filtered back into the apartment at different times and whoever was feeling up to cooking would usually start dinner when they got in. If no one was feeling up cooking, one of the two 'old' men would treat takeout.

Today, however, Jim's site was currently closed for due to an issue with the plumbing contractors and some unfortunate flooding that had occurred overnight. That was why Clark texted Jim and invited him to come visit he and Lois at the Daily Planet offices and go out for lunch together.

Comments

[kolodnoykovki]

"I think taking turns is fair..." He touched his toe to Steve's ankle. "Gives me something to worry about."

[justakidfrombrklyn]

"Worrying I'll drag you around an art museum?" But he was grinning.

[kolodnoykovki]

"Worrying I'll decide to cut everything short and take you to a hotel instead, maybe."

[justakidfrombrklyn]

Steve smirked just a little.

"I had an idea for the boardwalk that might help."

[kolodnoykovki]

"Oh really." He arched an eyebrow in that expression he was so very good at. "And what was that?"

[justakidfrombrklyn]

That eyebrow raise melted his insides, but he soldiered on.

"I was thinking we could pull off our shoes and walk below the boardwalk. Lots of dark corners to duck into for a minute... And the sand should be nice."

[kolodnoykovki]

"Now that sounds good," he smiled. "Get some ice cream, some cotton candy, and then go disappear for a while..."

[justakidfrombrklyn]

"See? This is why you keep me around. My brilliant ideas."

[kolodnoykovki]

"Nah, I keep you around because you're pretty." Jim winked at him across the table, innocently eating another mussel. Those things were damned good.

[justakidfrombrklyn]

Steve blushed and let out a little laugh.

"Good thing I clean up nice," he said before taking another mussel. And if he let that noise slip out again, utterly earnest in his enjoyment, well, let it never be said that Steve Rogers didn't play dirty.

They were very good, after all.

[kolodnoykovki]

"Mm, you dirty up nice, too." That sound... Steve was going to have him undone by the time they were finished eating at this rate. "So... So do I owe you a dream once we get back out to the car?"

[justakidfrombrklyn]

"I'm hoping so," he admitted, eating a mussel with much less ado as the server slipped his soup into the table. He switched to start on the soup with a satisfied smile.

"I'm genuinely curious."

[kolodnoykovki]

"I'll have to decide which one to tell you. You've shown up in my dreams a lot." And he wasn't going to tell Steve a nightmare. There was no way.

[justakidfrombrklyn]

"Entirely up to you," he said magnanimously, grinning a little. He couldn't help it. Jim made it so easy to smile.

"Can I get two if I play my cards right?"

[kolodnoykovki]

He picked up another mussel, looking at it thoughtfully as he mused, "Well. I guess I could tell you two. How about... one before, one after, like you?"

[justakidfrombrklyn]

"Sounds good," he agreed. "Then maybe you get two more. If you're interested."

[kolodnoykovki]

"Well you better tell me, Stevie, or else I won't be able to make it happen." And that was a fun idea. Making each other's dreams of what it would feel like to be together come true.

[justakidfrombrklyn]

"Right back atcha," he said with a little chuckle.

"Though this soup is pretty fantastic. Not quite my dream, but pretty good."

[kolodnoykovki]

This time, the look Jim gave him was flatly amused. "You dreamed about soup?"

[justakidfrombrklyn]

"When I was hungry? Hell yeah," he said with a flat look right back.

"Though I think I said 'not quite my dream', Jim. Dream'd require the two of us tucked up in every blanket we own in our old apartment sharing it. Consider that one a freebie."

[kolodnoykovki]

He laughed softly. "Yeah, that would be a dream. What really happened wasn't ever quite that ... sweet." When there were all those blankets, it was either freezing or Steve was sick or both, and when there was soup with those blankets, then Steve was definitely sick, and he was spooning the watery soup between Steve's slightly-blue lips.

[justakidfrombrklyn]

"Nope," and his voice was soft, far away. A little bittersweet.

"I always wished we could... enjoy things more. That you didn't have to worry about me so much. Sometimes, I think I picked more fights than I needed to just because...well," his voice dropped a little "that was what I could control. Let you get mad at me for bein' an idiot 'cause I know you couldn't get mad at me when my lungs went out or I was half dead from a cold."

[kolodnoykovki]

"Stevie, I liked worrying about you." Jim sighed, looking across and giving the smallest smile. "I liked feeling like somebody needed me. And that I wasn't going to end up alone again, 'cause you were there. I even always figured that after some girl figured out how great you were and you two got married, that I'd find a way to live down the street."

[justakidfrombrklyn]

He nudged Jim under the table a little more firmly.

"Even if I was fit as a fiddle, you weren't gonna end up alone ever, far as I was concerned."

He took a few spoonfuls of soup, which was good, very good, but a little rich for him. The enhanced senses he had made super-rich food a little overwhelming, but he wasn't about to let it go to waste. Not how he'd grown up.

"I had a whole speech worked out too, you know. For when you found a dame and wanted to make an honest woman of her. A whole proposal, lookin' to rent a room from the two of you, how I'd help with the cleaning and the babysitting and all that, do my part, you know?"

Because he'd never really planned on having someone. Because the only person, to his mind, that he'd ever imagined putting up with him was Bucky.

[kolodnoykovki]

He laughed softly, shaking his head. "I couldn't ever imagine getting married. Every girl walked out just as easy as she walked in - even if a few of 'em stayed a little longer than the rest. I never saw any of 'em as maybe permanent. You... were what was permanent. I don't think there was a day we spent completely apart until I went for training."

And damn it had been strange, waking up to the bugle and not seeing his five feet of best friend close by. Eating without Steve there. He'd caught himself still saving half of his food until he realised he couldn't take it home.