The individual who had developed the complicated concept of fastening a tie needed to be shot. It was time-consuming enough to judge the manageable lengths of each side, only to find yourself faced with the complexity of what end slipped under which first. Out of frustration, Barnes pulled his 'attempt' apart before heftily dropping his hands back at his sides. Formal wear was hardly his forte, but attending a dinner surrounded by superior members of the S.H.I.E.L.D, board required a little more thought than a clip-on tie and a dapper hairstyle.
"You doing okay?" The caring tone was almost expected, having already caught familiar if not subtle footsteps click against the marble flooring before stopping at the entrance way. The veteran soldier hardly felt the need to look up, knowing Steve, as predictable as ever, would have fulfilled a laid back posture by leaning against the door frame, tugging delicately at his shirt cuffs peeking from beneath his dinner jacket. "It was Natasha who let slip about you scrubbing up well, she - wasn't wrong."
Feeling the corners of his lips pick up into a smirk, Bucky directed his attention to meet the others surprisingly shy gaze "So ... Are you just here to pass on her approval? or maybe like a true friend, you sensed my struggle and actually came to help?" His humour remained dry as once again he picked up each end of the tailored material, tugging at them in turn to once again adjust the length. "It feels like a lifetime ago, that I remembered how to fasten one of these."
"In our case, it pretty much was but we're adjusting, and considering everything we've had thrown at us, your only complaint thus far is recalling what loops over what. I'd say that's pretty good going." Having closed the gap, the All-American hero reached out to unfold the others crisp collar, his fingers brushing tentatively over a combination of warm skin and cool metal, his focus forced upon the stripped pattern decorating the expensive material as he tugged the slightly wider end lower. "This really isn't as fiddly as it's making you believe. You just gotta cross these two over then … move this end round to tuck it up through here and … down through this gap to form the –"
The cut-off motion from Barnes was subtle, if not unexpected, his warm fingers quickly reached to cradle the back of the Captain's neck, drawing him closer for a surprisingly tender kiss, halting the attempt at commentary. He was thankful and for the moment felt surer of himself as he dared to part his lips slightly, allowing the tip of his tongue to edge closer wanting to tease the other into some kind of submission. His fingers had just started combing through the blondes short hair when he felt the other pulling away. His brief and uplifting sense of confidence had been immediately replaced with a deafening silence and strange sense of insecurity when he caught his name.
"Bucky?! I --"
"Steve wait - I know what you're going to say" A heated blush crept across the talented soldier's cheeks as he took a step back further widening the gap lingering between them. A sigh pressing on his lips. "That was 'my' first kiss since 1945 and - I'm glad it was with you. You're my best friend and the only person who was willing to stand in my corner when everyone had labelled me a lost cause. I have done a lot of things I'm not proud of, well except that and deep down I'm still me and I know you can see that."
"I know Buck and believe it or not I am flattered it's just -." Reclosing the gap, Rogers stepped up, a little closer than deemed necessary adjusting the loosely hanging tie before folding over the collar and soothing out imagined creases. A smile spreading across his features carrying the incentive that all was still well between them. Under his hand, he could feel his comrade's heart racing. "We're already risking tardiness with the board of directors, though next time and there will be a next time, some fair warning wouldn't hurt and maybe you wearing this suit."