Chapter 7:
Bucky's lying on his bed when his phone vibrates aggressively on the bedside table. He doesn't bother to take his eyes away from the comic he holds in his hands. Before Natasha had left he told her to text him as soon as she returned safely at home. He knows nothing bad would have happened to her, she's a tough woman, but he can still be a bit protective of her at times like she is of him.
Eventually, he finishes the issue in his hands and carefully puts it away in a protective sleeve. As soon as Bucky deems it safe enough, he grabs his phone in his left hand and checks the time and his messages. He's surprised to see a message from a contact he honestly wasn't expecting to hear from.
A message notification and the name Steve Rogers in small letters underneath it appears proudly on the bar along the top of his screen. Bucky's finger hovers hesitantly over top of the message, his mind racing. For all he knows, Steve could be turning him down and telling him it was all a mistake, he had been thinking too hastily and that they should just delete each other as contacts and pretend nothing had ever happened.
He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, deciding that he has nothing to fear from a message on his phone. He taps the message notification and finally opens his eyes when he's sure he's given his phone enough time to load it.
'Hey,' Bucky reads. 'It's Steve, from that hotel in Salzburg? I told you that I would text you when I got back to America, and, well, I'm back. I was wondering how we could continue with the guitar lessons because I would like to have you continue teaching me, but I don't know how close we are to each other or how it would really work. So, I was thinking what if we did them over skype? It wouldn't be the most convenient, but it would work. Sorry if you don't want to talk to me again, I just wanted to let you know!'
Bucky can't keep the smile off of his face as he reads through the text the first time and goes back to read it a second. He bites his lower lip to reign the smile back in but he fails miserably. He quickly types out his response and lays back down on his bed. He doesn't have anything else planned for the rest of the day, he can be as lazy as he wants. He's also grateful that Natasha isn't here to pester him about smiling at his cell phone like a lovestruck moron.
'i'm glad ur still interested in lessons, i thought i wasn't going 2 hear from u again! skype would work fine, i have an account and everything. i can bring out my guitar 2 show u some stuff that can help.'
He doesn't bother to wait around to receive a response from Steve, that would be pushing it, even for him. Despite the fact that Bucky is interested, he isn't going to act completely gone. He opens his closet and pulls out the old guitar resting under a pile of his clothes he never bothered to hang back up once it had fallen to the ground.
Soon enough, he's liberated his much loved guitar from its prison of clothing. It looks a bit rough, but that's probably because of its age. The guitar is an acoustic with a light finish, it's nothing special or expensive considering how long he's had it for and when he originally bugged his mother to get him one, she didn't think he would continue playing it for more than a year.
Bucky's phone buzzes again and he snatches it up, unlocking it quickly.
'Don't laugh, my friend made my skype account for me! The username is star-spangled-man.'
Bucky snorts unattractively and thinks again that he's so grateful that Natasha has already gone home.
He quickly grabs his laptop from underneath his bed. He boots it up quickly and waits as it makes slightly worrying noises. By the time it's finished turning on, Bucky has already gone into the kitchen and back again to get himself a glass of water and a snack. He sits cross legged on top of his bed and logs into skype. A couple of notifications pop up telling him he has a couple messages from some people. He hadn't bothered checking skype since he's gotten back to America and he thinks he probably should have done it already.
Instead of looking at his messages, he types in the username Steve had given him and sends him an invite. He includes in the automatic message that it's Bucky who is messaging him and that he's not just some random guy from the internet who thinks the amount of friends he has in his contact list reflects his value as a person.
Bucky transfers the pictures he had taken in Salzburg to his computer and starts to edit the colours on them slightly. His website has been neglected lately and he really needs some more clients. He isn't low on cash or anything, he just appreciates having the work to do. Taking photographs for the paper can sometimes give him a lull in work and if he didn't do anything, he'd probably end up sitting in front of the TV marathoning whatever dumb sitcom was on and complaining about it to no one.
He eventually uploads the best pictures he had taken on his vacation to his website and updates some of the information.
It's then when he hears the squeaky noise that indicates that he's received a message on skype. He clicks on the little blue icon pinned onto the taskbar and the page opens to the window he had sent Steve the invitation message on.
'Hey :),' Bucky reads. He shakes his head. Of course Steve would be one to use smileys in his messages.
'hey,' Bucky types in response, a small smile on his face. He doesn't have to wait too long for a reply. As soon as he opens up his website again, he hears the squeaky sound of a skype notification.
'I thought my skype name was weird, but winterschildren tops mine. Where did you come up with that?' Steve asks him. Bucky isn't sure if he's actually intrigued about where he came up with the name or if he's being teasing about it. It's one thing he doesn't like about instant messaging and texting, you can't tell what someone's intentions are a lot of the time.
'i don't even know where i came up with that. i was wondering if u would like 2 do a skype call tho, i prefer talking face to face,' Bucky sends. He hopes he isn't being too forward, but he does miss Steve's face. And voice. And his smile, and laugh.
He just misses Steve altogether. It's difficult to have a long distance friendship, but it's worth it in the end, he thinks.
'Yeah, I'd love to!' Steve sends in response to Bucky's suggestion. Bucky feels some anxiousness that he had felt building up ease. A grin breaks out across his face as he clicks on the video call button and waits for Steve to accept.
He doesn't have to wait too long before Steve's face appears on his screen, a smile on his face that seems to light up the room.
"Hey," Steve says, his smile becomes more shy.
"Hi." Bucky continues to grin. He adjusts the laptop and leans back against the headboard of his bed. Might as well get comfortable now before he gets too wrapped up in conversation. "How's your guitar playing going, Steve?"
Steve laughs. "Well, I can't say I've really been practising. I've been too busy with travelling around with Sam and getting settled back at home. I did have time to get some sketches done." He scratches the side of his nose, eyes looking off to the side slightly.
"I can't believe you Steve, you should be ashamed of yourself," Bucky jokes. "Sketching instead of practising the guitar. But more importantly, you're an artist?"
Steve shrugs. "I guess so. I didn't go to school for it or anything, it's more of a hobby."
"That's pretty cool! I have some basic knowledge about art things, but I can't really draw to save my life. I don't know how I managed to pass that art course I needed to get into the Photography program," Bucky tells him. He'll admit that he's great with composition, but he just doesn't have the ability to draw what he sees.
"You should show me some of your photographs sometime," Steve says enthusiastically.
"Only if you show me some of you art."
Steve sighs. "Fine, I'll see what I can do."
"I'm sure your art is great, pal, you shouldn't be embarrassed about showing it to me. I used to be so embarrassed about showing people my photographs at first, as ridiculous as that sounds."
"No, it doesn't sound ridiculous. Photography can be personal to, it's like showing people how you see the world, isn't it?"
"Well, yeah, if you put it that way."
"How is the photography business doing anyway?" Steve asks. "Because a lot of people take pictures with their phones and stuff so it seems like professionals aren't needed as much anymore."
"Don't get me started on this, Steve," Bucky groans. "I could talk about this topic all day if you let me."
The blond laughs at him, the laugh that shows the laugh lines at the corner of his eyes. Bucky's eyes soften at the sight. Steve really is something else. He hasn't even known him too long and he already knows that Steve is special.
"Alright, I'll subject myself to that rant at a later date then." That makes Bucky feel something inside him swell a bit knowing that Steve would want to talk to him again after this. It's good that he would want to, that'll let them to get to know each other more. And that is something Bucky definitely wants. He wants to know everything about Steve; his favourite colour, his favourite food, a food he absolutely can't stand, a bad movie that he adores, anything.
"So Steve," Bucky says and adjusts his position on the bed so he can feel his legs again. "You should tell me about yourself."
Steve smiles at him, a slightly mischievous look to it. "Not unless you tell me about yourself first."
