LESSONS IN LOVE
Chapter One - One More Robot/Sympathy 3000-21 (Part. 1)
Cast of Characters:
Anthony Stark
- Edwin Jarvis
Stephen Strange
Steve Rogers
- James "Bucky" Barnes
The Surveillant Council
- Charles Xavier
(X-Men Surveillant)
The Ancient One
(Mystic Arts Surveillant)
Nick Fury
(S.H.I.E.L.D. Surveillant)
Roma
(Omniverse Surveillant)
Howard and Maria Stark
(Council Surveillant)
(Earth 3000-21)
Date: February 26th, 1937.
Location: Apartment in Brooklyn, New York. Home of Sarah and Steve Rogers.
Steve was sitting in the living room of the small apartment that he had lived in since he was a kid. He wasn't alone, but he was staring aimlessly at the living room floor.
His friend Bucky told him that he would be right back. He took Steve out on the town, and he tried to boost his spirits.
Steve hated feeling like a downer, but he couldn't get a few things off his mind. His mother passed away on October 16th. It had been a few months, and the young man barely spoke about it.
They just packed up her belongings, and Steve got to thinking that Bucky didn't want to leave him alone.
He kept taking him out on double dates, but Steve never took the bait. He tried. And, he told himself that going out on dates was supposed to be "normal".
Steve reminded himself that he was eighteen years old, and he was supposed to enjoy those dates. The thoughts about it filled his mind, as Bucky walked back into the quiet apartment.
It felt empty. Steve looked around, as Bucky slowly sat down beside him. Steve was sitting in front of the couch, so Bucky had a long journey down to the floor.
Steve glanced over at his friend. Bucky was bigger than him, but his frame was a hair over medium size. He saw the bottle of alcohol in Bucky's hand, and Steve slowly smiled.
They grew up during something called "prohibition". It ended when they were just kids, but stealing alcohol was one of Bucky's specialties. Steve didn't mind taking a few sips.
He didn't necessarily like the taste of it, but it always helped him feel relaxed. Bucky started taking a drink, and he passed it over to Steve.
He accepted the drink, and he listened to Bucky. His friend brought up the two women that they spent some time with. Steve was very aware that the women were only interested in the person that sat directly beside him.
He understood why. Steve thought that Bucky was very funny. He was charming, confident, and Steve thought that Bucky was everything that he wasn't. Steve thought of that, as he took a really big drink of alcohol.
"They both were, very nice."
Steve responded to what Bucky was saying. His friend wanted him to like one of them. It felt like Bucky wanted him to become distracted. Steve kept staring down at the floor, and that bottle eventually made it's way back to him.
Steve kept drinking. He drank much more than normal. His thoughts kept him going, and before long, he started to really feel it. The alcohol swirled around in his head, and he asked Bucky a question.
Steve asked him, "Why do you spend time with me?"
Bucky looked very surprised. Steve kept staring at his face, and he listened to the response that he came up with. Steve heard that he was very brave. His mind translated what he was hearing in its own way.
Steve wasn't very confident about his appearance. He was picked on all the time, and Bucky always had his back. It made him wonder why Bucky was his friend.
Steve thought of himself as, exhausting. He didn't understand, and when he drank, he often questioned Bucky's behavior. Steve kept looking over at his friend, and he thought that the room was heating up.
He looked at the shape of Bucky's eyes. They were a little sharp, but friendly. Steve kept thinking, and he went ahead and did something that he had been wanting to do for a long time. He leaned his drunk self closer to Bucky, and he started kissing his friend.
Steve closed his eyes, and his entire body became warm. He failed to realized what he initiated, and he snapped out of it when Bucky's lips separated from his own.
Steve started breathing quickly, and he slowly forced his eyes to open.
Bucky looked confused. He gently took the bottle from Steve's hand.
"I'm.."
The rest of Steve's sentence got caught in his throat. He didn't realize that he actually acted out his thought. He didn't think that he actually had that thought. Steve panicked a bit, and he kept looking up at his friend.
Steve didn't mean to do that. He felt a flood of anxiety fill up his entire body. He looked away from his friend, and he heard Bucky ask him something.
Steve was asked to explain. Bucky wanted to know why he did that. Steve said that he didn't know. He said that he was sorry, and that he didn't know.
He just ... kissed his only friend. Steve was beyond himself, and he thought that he was going to drop dead. Bucky was pretty calm after a while. Steve saw him smile a few times, and he set that bottle aside.
"Steve you're grieving. Don't lose your lid. You have too much going on. It's ok."
No, it wasn't ok. Steve felt sick with stupid. He remained where he was, and he brought one of his legs up to his chest. Steve hugged his thin leg, and he pressed his very warm face against the top of his knee.
He began to realize that he was attracted to Bucky. Steve stared in the opposite direction, as he thought it all through. What he thought and felt started to scare him to death.
"I think you just need some sleep."
"Those girls weren't that nice, Bucky. I didn't..."
Steve interrupted his friend. Bucky was going to tell him that he intended to stay over until Steve fell asleep. Bucky acknowledged that he was kissed, and he needed to process it.
Steve put a stop to the rest of his thought. He changed the subject to the two young women that they spent the evening with. Bucky saw them often. He saw Steve look back in his direction, and he understood what was really being said.
"You didn't like them. I see that. I get it."
Bucky started speaking gently. He recognized what was happening, and he didn't want to hurt his friend. Steve was much smaller, but he had an inner ferocity to him that always amazed Bucky.
He admired Steve. Bucky knew that he would admire and respect Steve Rogers until the day he took his last breath.
Steve was about to tell Bucky who he actually liked. He wanted his friend to know who he really enjoyed spending time with. Steve was so close to saying it, but Bucky delicately spoke first.
"But, Steve, I do like them. I'm pretty stuck on one of them. It's just, well I like ..."
Bucky was about to tell him that he liked women. Bucky was only interested in being with women, but he couldn't bring himself to finish what he started to say.
Steve was able to read between the lines. He was a little drunk, but he picked up on the undertones of what was being said. It made him go back to pressing his face against his knee. Steve felt very foolish.
He closed his eyes, as something slowly built beneath his eyelids. That was not how he intended things to go, and he was surprised that it even happened.
"You don't have to explain Buck. You're right, I've had too much on my mind."
Steve looked over at his bedroom door. He wanted to hide in there and try to put what happened behind him.
He told his friend that he was tired, and they came to an agreement that they would talk the next day. Bucky took the booze with him, and he left the quiet apartment.
Steve remained alone, and he kept his eyes closed. It took him a long while, but Steve slowly stood up and he walked it off.
Chapter One: END
Thank you for reading, and welcome to a new continuation.
Think of it as a What If?
Some of you out there might have read my writing before. I promise that this story will not (might not) be as long.
And, this is a new story that has been re-imagined. And, there will be similar elements from the previous series in the story that I wrote. I'd call it a gentle continuation.
So, onward we go!