Who: Seamus and Jo (Bucky and Johanna) What: Things getting cozier When: Backdated, 10 minutes after this conversation Where: Her place Warning: Schmoop, Ignoring Golden Girls and Chex Mix Status: Completed via Gdoc
True to his word, Bucky showed up to Jo’s apartment with a bottle of whiskey and a smirk. The photo she’d sent him where she was wearing her sweats and fuzzy socks made him want to be that favorite body pillow. So he was at her door in ten minutes, bottle in hand, knocking gently. He hadn’t changed out of his clothes for the day; black, faded jeans, a simple t-shirt, leather jacket, work boots. It was basically what he’d worn since he arrived in Madison Valley, though that was probably going to change soon. He needed a job. Yesterday.
The door opened and his spine straightened a little on instinct--whether that was a self-preservation thing or a way to look a little taller for a prospective romantic interest was anyone’s guess.
Johanna had considered sending Seamus a nude, or something with lingerie, then decided against it. Not only was she comfortable as is, she didn’t want to break his brain, and they were supposed to be taking things slow. Lingerie pics could wait, but her plans for that were beginning to include sending them to him at the worst possible time.
Her magicks sensed his presence so she called out from the living room. “In here. Dun bother with glasses.” Not that she needed to get drunk, but why dirty things unnecessarily.
In the living room she’d tossed all the cushions off the couch and chairs to the floor, covered them all with a blanket to make a nest of sorts. She’d also gathered various snacks and nibbles to be within reach. Meanwhile, she’d curled up under a quilt while she looked through Netflix for something they could watch.
Bucky was a little concerned when the door opened and there was no one there. But he heard the voice coming from the other room and let himself inside her home. Pushing the door closed behind him, he called out, “you know, you really should check your locks. Might let some weirdos into your place.”
He toed his shoes off by the front door, then wandered further in, only to find her wrapped in a blanket… on the floor?... in the living room.
“When you said cozier, you really meant it.” The amusement was apparent in his voice as he moved further into the room. He bent down to offer the bottle, but when she reached for it he’d swing down and steal a quick, playful kiss from her lips.
The wards she had in place would only allow people she approved of to enter her apartment, and with the people she knew, “weirdos” were par for the course.
The kiss trick was amusing. Johanna chuckled into it then grinned. “Don’t usually like surprises, mate, but I’ll take that all day.”
She took the bottle when he let her have it this time then scooted over. “One thing led t’another and I’m feelin’ lazy.”
Thankfully the kiss was taken well, and Bucky passed over the bottle before settling down beside her. “What brought this on?” He asked, settling down beside her on the cushions. His legs tucked under the blanket, and he lifted an arm to wrap around her shoulders.
“Not that I mind being summoned as the best body pillow ever.”
“Didn’t have nuthin else planned f’the night and thought y’might want t’do nuthin with me.”
Johanna snuggled up against Seamus’ side when he offered to put his arm around her. She grabbed a bowl of Chex Mix to place gently in his lap. “So what kinda shows or movies d’ya like? We covered the big crappy parts of ourselves. We should try somethin’ more mundane.”
It was a good idea as far as she was concerned. They needed to see the parts of them that were kind of normal so they didn’t continue to think of themselves as bad.
Bucky’s arm draped gently around her shoulders and sort of squeezed her in against his side. He turned and pressed his nose into her hair for just a moment, breathing her in. A little smirk crossed his lips and got stuck there.
“We’ve reached that point, have we?” He asked, playfully. “Doing nothing together?” Fingertips trailed up and down her bicep for a moment.
“I’ll watch whatever you want to watch.” He lifted a gloved, metal hand to poke at the Chex Mix in his lap. “What’s this?”
The hair sniffing gave Johanna happy, fluttery feelings inside she would never admit to, but she at least smiled. This was right comfortable in her opinion, being squished against him with his nose in her hair. She could definitely get used to it.
“Hey, we wanna give this a try we gotta do the droll things, too.” Doing nothing sounded perfect when compared with the rest of her life. Back home she didn’t get much time to just do nothing. Not and have her guard down, anyway.
“Nothin’ but pure indulgence,” she said as she grabbed a handful. “Dun have this crap back in Jolly Ol’. Comes in different flavors, too. Oh!” She stopped flipping through channels. “Golden Girls! Perfect!”
There was plenty more where that came from. Bucky hadn’t had a ton of serious partners back before the war, but now that he was headed down that road with her, he was going to be one of those ridiculous, lovesick fellas. He already couldn’t get enough of her, which was surprising in and of itself. It amazed him that he had permission to be all over her this way. He wasn’t planning on stopping unless she asked him to.
“I guess so,” he responded gently. He was very much looking forward to all the boring stuff--cooking together. Cleaning together. Hanging around and doing nothing together. Listening to music in the car. Going for a walk just to check out migrating birds, or whatever. They might have to brainstorm what normal people did when the world wasn’t ending.
“Huh.” He lifted a piece. It looked like cereal he might have eaten as a child. He popped it into his mouth, then startled slightly when she said Oh! and his eyes turned to the television. “Golden Girls?”
So many things came around during the time he was a sleeping assassin.
Johanna had always been less touchy/feely outside the bedroom, but something made her more inclined to such nonsense. Maybe it was their similar backgrounds, and that touch was a big comfort. Maybe it was her pride that had never allowed her to admit she not just enjoyed the comfort, but needed it. It didn’t really matter the reason. She wasn’t going to shove him off her. Not when it scratched an itch that’d needed attention for a long time now.
“Good show from across the pond. From the 80s or 90s. Whenever.” Johanna grinned as she shifted her position so she was leaning back against him. “Four old bats shack up together in Florida. Bloody hilarious.” She began to point at the tv. “That’s Rose. Dimmest bulb ever. That’s Blanche. She’s a slag from Georgia. That’s Dorothy, and her mum, Sofia. She calls Dorothy ‘pussy cat’. Love it!”
Television had certainly changed from his day. Not that television was all that popular in his day. It was actually quite rare. Mostly he’d gone to newsreels or films, or listened to news or radio shows. He was interested, though. He could get into these programs. And if she liked it? All the better.
“So, people are really interested in watching the hijinks of four old women living in Florida?” He asked, a little surprised. His gloved, metal hand snatched more of the Chex mix. “I find it hard to believe.”
“On the face of it, most things sound like trash.” She snitched some Chex mix from his hand. Being a cheeky bitch came with a playful streak. “But these old bats are the best. There’s a whole social circle jerk thing around them.”
”Your heart’s in the right place, but I don’t know where the Hell your brain is.”
Johanna laughed as she chewed on the mix. “Best thing? The gal that plays the mum is actually younger than all the others.”
“Circle jerk?” Bucky asked. He really had no idea what was going on with these old ladies. Was this… attractive to people in the future? --well, now the past? He chuckled softly, and shook his head. “It’s a pretty good makeup job, I’ll give you that,” he added.
Then he leaned in to bury his nose in her hair again. His lips moved down to her temple, then her ear. He could distract her from this silly show as well as any other.
She laughed. “Strangely enough it’s not makeup. She just looks that old.” Sophie might as well be Johanna’s spirit animal.
If his goal was to distract her then mission accomplished. He stepped up his game from just being in her hair to nibbles and kisses. Johanna grinned as she tilted her head, enjoying the attention for a moment. Then she grabbed the bowl from Seamus’ lap.
“Enough dumb shit for the night,” she declared as she straddled his lap. She sunk her fingers into his hair as she greedily claimed a kiss.
This wasn’t where she’d thought the night would go, but it was definitely a happy and, in her opinion, a long overdue surprise.