[ in the event of dates spending time over at Sam's, rest assured Bucky will be on his best behaviour. either that, or just really, really sneaky - put those stealth skills to use when sneaking snacks from the kitchen and going back into hiding. Sam will never know.
-- and that's probably a good idea. it's already pretty late and Bucky did say he'd keep in contact. he sighs a little as he nods his head, fishing his phone out of his back pocket. upon turning it on, however, he grimaces. ]
Three missed calls.
[ sorry Steve. he types up a quick message to Steve, telling him he forgot to turn his phone on and he's been hanging out with Sam. hopefully that will be enough to ease his worries, and hopefully Steve hasn't been scouring the streets for him. ]
It's still weird, being on this side of things. [ being worried about instead of doing the worrying himself. he shrugs and reaches for one of the last few tacos left. ] You sure you don't want any more?
[He winces at the thought of Steve getting all worked up over not being able to reach Bucky. They all know how he can get.]
To be fair, if he's really worried, he'd have called or texted me by now asking if I'd seen you.
[It's happened before. He's surprised Steve hasn't tried to get in contact with him yet, considering how often he and Bucky have been hanging out lately. Or maybe that's exactly the reason why Steve hadn't bothered, perhaps assuming (correctly, in this case) that they were off somewhere together.]
Yeah? He used to pull stunts like this on you back then? And yeah, I'm pretty stuffed now.
[ it's a good point that Sam brings up. he knows Steve is close with Sam too, it makes sense that he'd call or message him too if he was really concerned. and Steve knows that sometimes, Bucky just needs space. he was probably just trying to check in on him, and that's understandable.
but it's also Steve and he's probably going to stay up all night until he hears from Bucky, so he makes sure that text is as reassuring and unassuming as possible, and slips his phone back into his pocket after. ]
Sort of. [ shrug ] If you didn't have him in direct sight, it was pretty safe to assume he was getting himself into trouble. Little shit.
[ strangely enough, the memories themselves as well as the fact that he remembers it at all brings a small, but fond smile to his face. the last of the tacos gets polished off soon enough, once Sam's sure he's had enough. ]
Guess I'm just not used to that yet. Being worried about, instead of being the worrier.
[It's no surprise to Sam when Bucky's phone chimes not too long later, likely Steve replying to the message sent to him.
He grins wryly at the thought of younger Steve - skinny, asthmatic Steve with a hell of a lot of health problems if the history books are correct - going out and into all kinds of trouble.]
To be fair, he still gets into a lot of trouble these days - he's just bigger now. It's why he needs us both to look out for him.
And I'm pretty sure Steve worried about you even back then, Buck.
[This last part is said gently because their relationship now isn't just Steve trying to return the favor of Bucky watching his back when they were kids. It's the sign of a bond where that care and comradery had been mutual, and that kind of thing is a hard habit to break.
[ barely half a minute after slipping his phone back into his pocket is when it rings again, and Bucky can't help rolling his eyes a bit as he brings it back out to check Steve's immediate reply (didn't even have to second guess it.) it's just a quick answer, that he's glad Bucky's okay and hopes he's having fun, and a note to tell Sam not to keep him out too late because he's cranky when he doesn't get enough sleep (which is true enough but tch, punk.) his next reply is just to tell Steve he'll call him in the morning "is that okay with you, mom" and then his phone's back in his pocket for the night.
he's just bigger now, huh. apparently that included a sudden spontaneous need to mother hen over everyone around him. ]
Yeah. [ he says it with a mix of fondness and ... something he's not quite sure what - he's proud of Steve, make no mistake about that, but. it's complicated. of course Steve worried about him, even when he didn't have to. it was just different when he was practically half Bucky's size and still incapable of saving his own ass. ] Still a little shit, no matter what.
[ but thinking on how things are now with Steve isn't the best after-dinner conversation, and fried ice cream sounds very intriguing, he has to admit. and Bucky's stomach is essentially bottomless so he nods his head, grabbing his hat from beside him on the seat. ]
Sure, sounds like it could be interesting. [ another one of those future things he just has to try. and better to have Sam's company for it, to recommend the better things and tell him to steer away from others. ] One Hell of an I.O.U. I've got going.
[Judging from the texts that Bucky received and sent before tucking his phone away, Steve's well aware of their cover story by now. Hopefully, that won't come out and bite them in the ass later on - Steve could be amazingly (and annoying) perceptive when he wanted to be.
There's a bunch of mixed emotions that pass over Bucky's face before he jumps at the offered change in topic, and Sam has to smile. Waving over the server, he orders 2 of the fried ice cream before turning back to his friend.]
You don't have to worry about that. It's not like I'm really keeping count on this kind of thing. [Smile turning mischievous, Sam laughs a little.] Though I wouldn't say no to you helping out more around my place if you really want to pay me back. Besides the garage thing, okay.
[ chances are, if he has a few minutes to think about it, Steve's probably going to suspect something happened. but, Bucky's sure they can come up with a handful of other excuses - he just would prefer that Steve doesn't find out about the whole getting arrested thing. the last thing he needs is more worry and concern over him, or worse: more supervision.
a late night out for tacos and whatever deep fried ice cream will be, that sounds much better. even if he still doesn't really understand how that works. ]
Besides the garage thing? [ and an eyebrow goes up at that ] Just how much of a mess is your place anyway?
[ Sam doesn't get any further messages from Steve either, which is a bit of a relief. He doesn't like lying to Steve, even if it's just by omission. Steve's just so earnest about things that it makes it difficult to hide stuff from him without feeling guilty.
(Though when he's being a punk, it's a little easier.) ]
Not all at once, man. [ Rolling his eyes good-naturedly, he grins. ] I mean you helping me keep things in order from time to time aside from the garage thing. Doing chores and stuff when you feel up for it.
I'm not that messy. [ Just a little bit. Sometimes. Besides, it'll be good experience for Bucky to learn what to do around the house for when he wants to move into a place of his own, if it ever gets to that point. ]
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-- and that's probably a good idea. it's already pretty late and Bucky did say he'd keep in contact. he sighs a little as he nods his head, fishing his phone out of his back pocket. upon turning it on, however, he grimaces. ]
Three missed calls.
[ sorry Steve. he types up a quick message to Steve, telling him he forgot to turn his phone on and he's been hanging out with Sam. hopefully that will be enough to ease his worries, and hopefully Steve hasn't been scouring the streets for him. ]
It's still weird, being on this side of things. [ being worried about instead of doing the worrying himself. he shrugs and reaches for one of the last few tacos left. ] You sure you don't want any more?
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To be fair, if he's really worried, he'd have called or texted me by now asking if I'd seen you.
[It's happened before. He's surprised Steve hasn't tried to get in contact with him yet, considering how often he and Bucky have been hanging out lately. Or maybe that's exactly the reason why Steve hadn't bothered, perhaps assuming (correctly, in this case) that they were off somewhere together.]
Yeah? He used to pull stunts like this on you back then? And yeah, I'm pretty stuffed now.
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but it's also Steve and he's probably going to stay up all night until he hears from Bucky, so he makes sure that text is as reassuring and unassuming as possible, and slips his phone back into his pocket after. ]
Sort of. [ shrug ] If you didn't have him in direct sight, it was pretty safe to assume he was getting himself into trouble. Little shit.
[ strangely enough, the memories themselves as well as the fact that he remembers it at all brings a small, but fond smile to his face. the last of the tacos gets polished off soon enough, once Sam's sure he's had enough. ]
Guess I'm just not used to that yet. Being worried about, instead of being the worrier.
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He grins wryly at the thought of younger Steve - skinny, asthmatic Steve with a hell of a lot of health problems if the history books are correct - going out and into all kinds of trouble.]
To be fair, he still gets into a lot of trouble these days - he's just bigger now. It's why he needs us both to look out for him.
And I'm pretty sure Steve worried about you even back then, Buck.
[This last part is said gently because their relationship now isn't just Steve trying to return the favor of Bucky watching his back when they were kids. It's the sign of a bond where that care and comradery had been mutual, and that kind of thing is a hard habit to break.
Seeing that Bucky's done, his eyebrows go up.]
So. Still up for that fried ice cream?
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he's just bigger now, huh. apparently that included a sudden spontaneous need to mother hen over everyone around him. ]
Yeah. [ he says it with a mix of fondness and ... something he's not quite sure what - he's proud of Steve, make no mistake about that, but. it's complicated. of course Steve worried about him, even when he didn't have to. it was just different when he was practically half Bucky's size and still incapable of saving his own ass. ] Still a little shit, no matter what.
[ but thinking on how things are now with Steve isn't the best after-dinner conversation, and fried ice cream sounds very intriguing, he has to admit. and Bucky's stomach is essentially bottomless so he nods his head, grabbing his hat from beside him on the seat. ]
Sure, sounds like it could be interesting. [ another one of those future things he just has to try. and better to have Sam's company for it, to recommend the better things and tell him to steer away from others. ] One Hell of an I.O.U. I've got going.
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There's a bunch of mixed emotions that pass over Bucky's face before he jumps at the offered change in topic, and Sam has to smile. Waving over the server, he orders 2 of the fried ice cream before turning back to his friend.]
You don't have to worry about that. It's not like I'm really keeping count on this kind of thing. [Smile turning mischievous, Sam laughs a little.] Though I wouldn't say no to you helping out more around my place if you really want to pay me back. Besides the garage thing, okay.
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a late night out for tacos and whatever deep fried ice cream will be, that sounds much better. even if he still doesn't really understand how that works. ]
Besides the garage thing? [ and an eyebrow goes up at that ] Just how much of a mess is your place anyway?
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(Though when he's being a punk, it's a little easier.) ]
Not all at once, man. [ Rolling his eyes good-naturedly, he grins. ] I mean you helping me keep things in order from time to time aside from the garage thing. Doing chores and stuff when you feel up for it.
I'm not that messy. [ Just a little bit. Sometimes. Besides, it'll be good experience for Bucky to learn what to do around the house for when he wants to move into a place of his own, if it ever gets to that point. ]