(no subject)

[onlyforthedream]

The Winchester was gracious enough, in the aftermath of the mess that was Halloween, to let me make off with some of their beer. I get to Bucky's in the early afternoon and wrap my knuckles twice against his door before sitting on the stoop and unpacking the still relatively cold drinks.

It's not much of a celebration, but then, I don't think we really feel like celebrating. Still, the day deserves to be marked.

Comments

[onlyapassenger]

"...Steve?"

Bucky doesn't come from inside, instead poking his head around the corner of the porch. He'd been out back, doing a bit of mindless maintenance on a bike he'll never be able to ride anywhere, a streak of grease running down one cheek while the rest stains his hands. Grabbing the dirty rag that's hanging out of his back pocket, he attempts to clean himself off, dismissing it as a lost cause as far as his metal hand is concerned as he hops up the stairs.

His eyes immediately land on the beer, and a question is at the tip of his tongue before he remembers the date.

"Christ, it's that time of year already?"

[onlyforthedream]

"Snuck up on us this time around," I agree, offering him a bottle.

"Didn't think a big to-do was called for."

[onlyapassenger]

"No," Bucky sighs, accepting the beer and sinking down onto a lower step. Wasting no time, he unscrews the top with a flick of his thumb and tips the bottle towards Steve in an impromptu toast.

"To... lost friends and good soldiers."

[onlyforthedream]

I nod and tip my own bottle toward him in return.

"To keeping the company of heroes." I swallow some of the barely-cold beer then rest my elbows on my knees, absently folding my hands around the bottle.

[onlyapassenger]

Bucky takes a long drag from his own bottle, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand once he's downed about half of it. After working outside for the better part of the afternoon, a drink's more than called for, even if this one's on the warm side.

"How you holding up?" he asks after a prolonged moment. It's not a question he asks too often out of desire to not have to lie should the same one fall to him, but given the events of the past few weeks, it seems a necessary talking point.

[onlyforthedream]

"All right," I tell him, "better than some." Teddy Altman comes to mind.

"I was nominated again, for the council. I think I have to decline. How about you?"

[onlyapassenger]

He flashes Steve a puzzled look.

"...why?"

[onlyforthedream]

"Because I'm not very good at it?" I reply, scrubbing a hand over the back of my neck.

"Halloween was a mess, we haven't done half the things I said we aimed to. I'm not sure what the point of my holding the position is."

[onlyapassenger]

Halloween was a mess. Bucky's not about to deny that. They lost a kid and not even his own people on the ITF had been unaffected by the waking nightmares -- Wolverine, particularly. So he's not going to sit here and blow smoke in Steve's face; it'd be a disservice to both of them. Things undoubtedly could've been handled better.

But they could've also been handled a lot worse.

"...all right," he allows, the words oddly measured. He takes another sip from his beer. "So name one person on this rock who'd be better at it than you."