InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "what is love? "

Steve Rogers (captainhandsome) wrote in snapthread,
@ 2019-12-18 08:43:00

Entry tags:

bucky barnes (mcu), steve rogers (mcu)

Who: Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes
What: I'm just a boy, standing in front of another boy, asking him to love me
Where: A black and white Christmas Wonderland
When: Today

They had a pretty good idea now what was waiting on the other side of the doors, either a snowy little postcard somewhere or something right off the big screen. It was fun, ridiculous sure, but fun and Steve found he was actually enjoying a trip through the doors for the first time. So of course he had to gather up his best friend and drag him through.

The lights came up on two orphan boys, building a snowman and wearing threadbare jackets and thin scarves. Despite their circumstances they play happily, their black and white faces alight with glee. The two embraced, holding each other tight. "I'm with you, Bucky, until the end of the line!" One said to the other.

Cut to modern day 1940's New York, a handsome Steve Rogers sat in his uniform in an old bar in Brooklyn, Christmas decorations line the walls but his face is anything but festive. The drink in front of him a very serious shade of grey. The friendly bartender looked at him with a pitying gaze and pats his shoulder. "I heard the news, Cap. The entire 107th are missing in action."

Steve looks into the distance and in his eyes you can see the reflection of gunfire before he blinks and finishes his drink. "But perhaps, it's Christmas Eve and you know anything can-" The bartender started and Steve cuts him off slamming down his now empty glass.

"Don't," he said simply, the pain of the moment too much to bare and Steve closed his eyes. "Don't."

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sgt_barnesjb
2019-12-18 03:23 pm UTC (link)

Ridiculous fun sounded like a good time. Nonsensical entertainment was the best kind, wasn't it? Getting to have that with his best friend sounded like a good way to spend his time, so Bucky agreed to go through the doors when Steve presented the idea. It was definitely a change, since he knew Steve typically avoided ventures through them whenever he could.

The situation was bleak. Bucky and Steve had both joined the army far too young, but with few other options for themselves. Being orphans in one of the poorer parts of Brooklyn, they didn't have a lot of opportunities to do much else. They'd promised to stick together, to be with each other til the end of the line, they always said. There was a love there that had never been spoken, never been pushed into the forefront but instead always hidden behind a close friendship.

As they rose through the ranks in the army, and the world went to war, the two did find themselves split apart. Bucky was sent with the 107th Infantry Regiment, leading a group of men who were all ultimately captured by their enemy. They'd been prisoners for nearly two weeks without word. It was going to take a Christmas miracle for them to come home.

A Christmas miracle, indeed.

A man came into the bar, stumbling from his wet boots as he hurried over to where Steve Rogers was seated. He was a lower ranked officer, who happened to know Steve was at the bar. "Cap -- Cap'n Rogers," he stammered. "It's a miracle. A real Christmas miracle. They're comin' in, down by the harbor. On a ship. The whole 107th, they're all safe. Word came in by morse code. We've been trying to find you. Sarge is on the boat. We got confirmation."

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captainhandsome
2019-12-19 10:12 am UTC (link)

He nearly didn't believe it, sitting there he could see his mouth moving and hear the words coming out, but it was somehow impossible to believe. He understood what was being said at yet. "You're sure?" Steve said because how could he be? How could this be happening?

But finally he jumped to attention, spurred into action and he slammed some money on the bar for his drink before he was running. The streets were slippery, ice on the cobblestones and Steve had left his jacket behind but it didn't matter, he wasn't hardly even aware of it so focused instead on just getting there. The harbor was quiet, the water inky black and Steve skidded around the corner watching the boat already at the dock.

There were people there, waiting and smoke, other soldiers and some press as well and Steve honestly didn't see any of them as he panted desperately trying to catch his breath and not tear his eyes from where the men had begun to unload.

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sgt_barnesjb
2019-12-20 04:23 pm UTC (link)

War was brutal. When he'd been sent off with the 107th he knew he was in for a rough stint overseas but he hadn't thought it would be as bad as it was. No one did. No one could've imagined what the war would become. But they'd gotten out. It was mostly luck, which they'd needed so much of, and he didn't want to relive it to tell the story but there were plenty of other survivors that could do it for him. He just wanted to go home, to get to Steve. That was all he cared about. He needed to find his best friend and feel their arms around each other and know it was real. That he wasn't still locked in a cell dreaming about him.

Most of the way back on the ship, he'd slept. Medics on board had treated all the men for their injuries and ailments, and Bucky had plenty of those, too. But by the time they reached the dock, he only had one thing in mind. He had to get off the boat and find Steve. He had to get to him immediately. He knew his best friend had to have been sick with worry, maybe even had lost hope that they'd ever see each other again. As soon as they'd docked, Bucky as up on his feet, wrapped in a military blanket, hobbling off the boat. It took some time; there was a crowd and he didn't want to get caught in it. He let the others go so they could be the ones who were stopped and asked questions. It allowed Bucky to slip past and maneuver through the crowds of people embracing the returning soldiers and press interviewing them.

It led him to Steve. Bucky dropped the blanket and his tired legs propelled him forward until he was all but collapsing into Steve, clutching and clinging to him. Tears were falling from his eyes and he didn't give a damn. He just held on tight. "It wasn't the end," he said, his voice a little muffled by Steve's shoulder. "It wasn't the end of the line yet, Stevie."

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captainhandsome
2019-12-28 11:08 am UTC (link)

There were so many men, in varying degrees of poor health and they bottlenecked as they unloaded. He looked at face after face, losing hope with every man who passed him until finally he caught a glimpse of someone. His face was in shadow, a blanket around his shoulders and Steve dodged a reporter to get closer, tracking him until the moonlight hit his face just right.

He opened his arms long before Bucky reached them, the two hurtling together like there was a magnet right in the depth of them that snapped one to the other. Steve was rough, rougher than you should have been with a man returning from war, hugging him fiercely and placing a kiss against his temple. "It's never the end," Steve agreed softly.

Steve held his face as he gave his cheek a gentle slap. "You had me real worried there," he said quietly as the scene brightened slightly from the flash from a camera exploded in the background.

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sgt_barnesjb
2019-12-28 12:31 pm UTC (link)

Although he'd been through hell, Steve being rough with him was fine. It was what he wanted. It showed him that much more that this was real. It wasn't some hopeful hallucination that was keeping Bucky alive in captivity. This was Steve. Steve was there and Steve was clutching at him and clinging to him and not handling him like a piece of glass. Nothing but raw, pure emotion was coming out between them and Bucky needed that however he could get it.

Probably not words. They both were shit at words. But the hugging, he could do. Even with camera flashes in their faces. Bucky didn't care about that. He probably should've cared about that. There was a big difference in how things would be skewed with a photo of two notable army men embracing and holding each other than if Bucky was holding up his best gal while she wept over his return. Right now though, the rest of the world could step off.

"Yeah?" He asked, a little weakly from his energy so depleted. "You oughta have more faith in me when it comes to getting back to you, pal." He chuckled, and pressed his face into Steve's neck. He was so warm, and Bucky felt like an icicle. "I wanna go home."

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