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[pursuitofcappiness]

Steve Rogers

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[pursuitofcappiness]

Hey, come on. It isn't. You're still the Bucky I've always known.

If you weren't, you wouldn't be fighting so hard.

[lednikovyy]

[ Bucky doesn't have the heart to correct Steve. He's still a part of that Bucky, sure, but he's missing parts and what's left in their place are jagged edges. Steve always wants to see the best in people and Bucky knows he's no exception to that. Still, it stings a little to think that one day he's going to let Steve down. ]

It's not the 1940s anymore. We don't have to want the things we wanted back then.

[pursuitofcappiness]

No, we don't. But that's not what makes you who you are.

[ Steve doesn't let go of this because Bucky's still Bucky and always will be, the guy that follows him into the jaws of death and ribs him about his love life and supports him, always. That's the core essence of Bucky and he hasn't gone anywhere. ]

[lednikovyy]

Well, you're just as stubborn as ever.

[ He kicks Steve's foot gently, but when he smiles this time, there's something real to it that reaches his eyes. Steve's grown, but he's never changed. He's still the Steve Bucky's loved for decades and there's so much comfort in that for him. He's not even sure he could express it in words to Steve. ]

I'm just Bucky Barnes: Best Friend of Steve Rogers.

[pursuitofcappiness]

Only if I'm just Steve Rogers: Best friend of Bucky Barnes.

[ He gently elbows Bucky in the arm, but it's the metal one, so it probably doesn't hurt.

It was always that way growing up... Bucky, and his best friend Steve. But he never minded. He doesn't mind it now. ]

[lednikovyy]

I only have room in my life for one best friend and you're it, punk.

[ And maybe it's just like that, but even though Bucky knows he's pretty broken, Steve at least makes him feel like he's been taped back together. He's a reminder of who Bucky is, or at least who he knows he wants to be. ]

I really don't know where I'd be without you.

[pursuitofcappiness]

Probably off moaning by yourself. Or with Lefty.

[ He'll always be here to tape Bucky back together, fill up his edges with gold and call him perfect. ]

[lednikovyy]

Hey, I could also be howling with Rip. She likes a good bark at the moon.

[pursuitofcappiness]

Yeah, yeah, or howling with Rip.

How's she doing? You both go out running at night?

[lednikovyy]

I run. She kind of pads after me like a giant, lazy good-for-nothing.

[ He laughs, clearly full of love for the dog he's shared his bed with for over a year just about every night that he wasn't sharing it with Skye. ]

She's like the opposite of you when we were kids. Giant and menacing-looking and all she wants to do is nap.

[pursuitofcappiness]

[ He laughs at the comparison. ]

Not a hunter, huh? Well, good.

[ He can imagine instead that they go out on the prowl just to find somewhere to lay their heads. ]

It'll slow you down. Do you think she knows?

[lednikovyy]

Yeah. She can smell me and she's a smart girl. Definitely not a hunter, though. I'd have to hunt for the both of us if we were lost together.

[ Which is really part of why Bucky had fallen in love with her so easily. She's a great dog, sweet and loving and very careful for her size. ]

I can control myself most of the time, but she knows how to lead me when I can't.

[pursuitofcappiness]

[ He's relieved to hear all this, mostly because... well, he knows Bucky doesn't like not being in charge and honestly, neither does Steve. ]

She is a smart girl. Maybe we could all go out on a run sometime.