Darcy Lewis (tasergoddess) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2023-03-13 15:59:00 |
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Entry tags: | !closed, !completed gdoc, !log, ~2023 march, ~~bucky barnes (centenarian), ~~~~ darcy lewis (tasergoddess) |
Who: Bucky and Darcy
What: A visit
When: early March
Where: Darcy and Steve’s Home
Warning: nope
Status: Completed via Gdoc
Bucky had dreamed of this. Not this specifically, but the idea of running around in a normal place, with his best friend, without the weight of the world on their shoulders. It was peaceful and pleasant, a little sleepy when crazy things weren’t happening… it was just what Bucky wanted. Both for him, and for Steve. They deserved it.
He wanted to hang out with his friend and tell him about how the Speed Dating went. They’d talked briefly about it, but Buck felt that maybe this was more of a have a beer and chat in person kind of conversation. So he headed to Steve’s home and rang the bell.
*
The doorbell ringing was nothing unusual and Darcy didn’t think twice about going to answer the door even though she was enjoying a few hours of peace and quiet to give herself a couple of spa treatments. She was likely quite a sight when she opened the door, her face covered in a blue mud mask, hair pulled back in a severe ponytail, and foam toe separators between her toes, which were a shiny, sparkly purple.
“Hey, Bucky,” she said with a grin. “Steve’s not home, but you’re welcome to wait for him. He and Steph went to the park.” Darcy glanced at her watch. “They probably won’t be more than an hour. There’s a fresh pot of coffee in the kitchen.”
*
Bucky couldn’t help the grin that crossed his lips at the sight of her in her blue face and pink toes. He raised a playful eyebrow, then nodded. “Thanks, Darcy,” he said gently, entering the room at her beckoning. He closed the door behind himself. “Shall I pour us both a cup?”
Actually, it might be nice to spend a little time with Steve’s better half. He often imagined Steve marrying his sister when they were kids. And then they grew up, and didn’t have a chance to get to know each other’s girlfriends. (He hadn’t had one since the 1940s, anyway.) This was a nice chance to do something he’d wanted to do for so long.
“Cream and sugar?” Of course, he was willing to make himself at home in Steve’s kitchen.
*
“Sure, that’d be great,” Darcy said as she did the patented waddle back to the sofa to avoid bumping her still wet toes against anything that would chip the polish. “Thanks.” They didn’t stand on ceremony around here and their friends and family were welcome to make themselves at home so it didn’t phase her at all that he headed straight to the kitchen.
She put her feet up on the ottoman and waited for Bucky to return with their coffee. When he did, she gave him another grin. “So, anything special bring you by today?”
*
Bucky wandered the kitchen digging in cupboards to find mugs, drawers to find spoons. He found milk in the fridge and sugar in a container. He dolled up two mugs of coffee and brought them both into the living room to sit with her and pass the mug over.
“I thought I’d give Steve the rundown on how things went during Speed Dating,” he said, lifting the mug to his lips for a sip. “I suppose I should extend you the same courtesy. --If you’re interested.”
*
Darcy still had a good ten minutes before she needed to remove her face mask, so that was plenty of time to hear how Bucky’s dates went. “Oh, yes, please,” she said, carefully lifting her mug to her lips, making sure to sip without sloshing any liquid over the hardening mud. “I tried to keep an eye on you, but there was so much happening that I couldn’t really pay close attention.” That was always the case with speed dating.
“Tell me everything,” she said eagerly. Even if he wasn’t her husband’s best friend, she would want to know how his experience was. His relationship with Steve only made her that much more invested in his potential happiness.
*
“It’s all right. You had your hands full.” Bucky set his own coffee mug aside as he settled back on the sofa. His eyes wandered the room, taking in the place where Steve--his best friend--lived. With his wife. And step-child. It was a lot for Bucky to appreciate, though he was doing his best to acclimate.
“It was… well, I’ve never been on a five minute date before,” he said, having to preface the explanation with the fact that he was completely out of his element. “But it was good, y’know? I met some pretty great ladies.”
*
A lot of people were out of their element when it came to speed dating for the first time. That’s why Darcy always put those flyers with questions around, no matter how cheesy they might be. It at least gave people a way to break the ice if needed.
“Good, I’m glad,” she said. “Anyone you think you might see again?” If he got involved with someone that she didn’t know well, Darcy would definitely be doing some research, probably even asking Micah to look at digital records. She was protective of her husband’s best friend.
*
Normally Bucky would have been fine. He didn’t need sentence starters to strike up a conversation with a beautiful woman. At the same time, this was far from normal. He was far from normal. About eighty years far from normal, actually. It’d been a long time since he’d dated, speed or regular.
Still, he’d had a good time.
“I’ve seen Johanna Constantine since,” he commented. She was beautiful, fun, intelligent. They’d connected after Speed Dating. Bucky thought it was probably proper for him to ask her out to dinner, considering. The old-fashioned gentleman in him was trying to reconcile the idea that they’d spent time together without him doing the right thing.
“I don’t want you thinking that’s all I’m looking for,” he added, frowning thoughtfully. It was important to him that Steve’s wife have a good impression of him. “Just being here is a second chance for me. I’m not going to waste it.”
*
The last person in Madison Valley who would judge Bucky for having a casual hook up was Darcy though she managed not to laugh at his justifications. “You deserve to be happy,” she said. “It took a while to convince Steve of that. I’m glad you seem to be figuring it out faster than he did.” She had worked hard to get him to loosen up and was very pleased by his progress.
“I don’t know Johanna,” she added, making a mental note of the name so she could look up the other woman. “There are a lot of people here who are getting a second chance though. It’s good that you’re planning to make the most of it.”
*
Bucky wasn’t really one for casual hook ups. But maybe there was a first time for everything? And maybe a second, too. Bucky and Johanna had had a really, really good time. It made him want more. But did he want more because he liked her, or did he want more because sex was good in general? That was neither here nor there.
“Definitely. Planning on hanging around here with you and Steve, and my little niece.” He was proud and honored to be welcomed into the Rogers-Lewis family. “And get a job. It seems like I’m going to be in Madison Valley for a while.”
*
“I hope you are,” Darcy said. “Having you around makes Steve happy and I like when my husband is happy.” Even if it was still a little weird to refer to him as such despite them being married for six months now. Her phone buzzed and she reached over to swipe off her alarm. “Be right back. Time to wash this off,” she explained, gesturing at her face.
She set down her coffee and ran upstairs so she could wash off the face mask. Her toes were dry, so she also removed the toe separators. When she returned to the living room a few minutes later, Darcy was fresh faced and had her glasses on again. “What kind of job are you thinking about getting?” she asked.
*
Bucky smirked softly. “I should hope so. Happy husbands are a good thing, so my sisters always told me.” He liked seeing Steve happy, too. Darcy seemed to be a really good influence on his best friend.
Then she pulled out her phone and excused herself. Bucky took a moment to pull himself up out of the chair and slowly wander the room, looking around at the pictures on the walls, and the other little odds and ends that made up a person’s life. He was looking at a wedding portrait of Darcy and Steve when she came back into the room.
“I have no idea,” Bucky said, turning around to face her. “I’m pretty good with cars. Maybe… a mechanic shop needs another set of hands?”
*
The walls of the living room were full of photographs of people and places in Madison Valley, some that Bucky would recognize and some that were no longer around, like Haymitch and Molly. Darcy would be happy to answer questions if he had them though she sat back down and picked up her coffee cup.
“I’m sure that would be possible,” she said. “There’s a few garages around and they’ve hired displaced folks before.” From what she knew of Bucky, that would be a good fit for him.
*
When she came back into the room, Bucky turned to wander back over and sit with her again. He was warm from the inside at the idea that Steve was surrounded by so many people who loved him. That’s all he wanted for his best friend. Steve deserved a life full of love and happiness.
With a nod, he settled back into his seat with his coffee. “I’ll have to look into it.” He was running low on money, anyway. “Good to know that there are places that hire displaced people.” He’d noticed a slight schism between the natives and the arrivals.
*
Darcy gave him a smile when he sat near her. “It hasn’t always been easy,” she admitted. “But at this point, the locals know it’s not our fault and we mostly co-exist peacefully.” Things had evolved a lot since her initial arrival and she was grateful for it. “And, hey, if nothing else, I’m sure Phil and I can find you something at the casino.” He was family so she would do what she could to take care of him.
“Are you going to be able to stick around a while?” she asked. “I was planning to make spaghetti for dinner if you’d like to join us.” Cooking for superheroes meant making pounds of pasta with meat sauce and serving it with garlic bread and salads. Most of their kitchen was outfitted with commercial appliances and supplies.
*
Bucky nodded. It was nice to feel welcome, even though he knew that the people of this world wouldn't be of they knew what was in his past. "That's great. Thanks." Having a backup plan if he couldn't find a mechanic job was also a load off.
"So long as it's no trouble," Bucky responded. A home cooked meal sounded great. He wasn't much of a cook himself, even after so much time on his own on the run. Food had become fuel, for the most part. A sit- down, family meal sounded amazing to the former winter soldier. "And as long a you promise to put me to use." He could wash dishes or chop vegetables to earn his keep.
*
“Deal,” Darcy said. “In the meantime, until Steve and Steph get home, why don’t you entertain me with some stories about Steve’s youth? In exchange, I’ll share embarrassing photos I have.” It seemed like a fair trade to her.
*
Bucky laughed. "You have yourself a deal."