Catherine arrives with the pizza delivery woman. When Steve opens the door with a handful of cash, the two women are chatting happily.
"You weren't kidding," the pizza woman laughs when she sees Steve. "Captain America!"
"Yup," Catherine replies with a smile. She squeals as Bucky rushes over, scooping her up with one arm and taking the pizzas with the other. He runs to his room, leaving Steve shaking his head and chuckling as he hands over the pizza money.
"Bucky," he groans as he trudges down the hall, "I'm hungry!"
Bucky pokes his head into the hallway, a mischievous smile on his face. "You can't have any," he says. Catherine can be heard laughing in the background. His head disappears and the door closes. It's unlocked though, so Steve pushes it open. Bucky is leaning over Catherine, placing kisses on her lips. Steve takes advantage of the fact that his guard is down.
"Surprise!" he calls, heaving Bucky over his shoulder. Bucky moans and beats against Steve's back.
"C'mon, not in front of the lady," he whines as Steve carries him into the living room.
"You left me no choice," Steve replies, trying to keep a straight face. "Catherine, will you bring the pizza?"
"Already got it," she replies.
Natasha seems to relax when she sees the two men horsing around. They all sit down around an open box and chat for the rest of the afternoon. Natasha excuses herself when her phone rings, waving goodbye as she greets the person on the other line.
"I should probably head out too," Catherine says. Bucky kisses the top of her head before unfolding his arms so she can stand. She thanks them for the pizza and leaves. Steve and Bucky sit in comfortable silence until Steve's cell phone rings.
"Hello," Steve says. He chuckles as the person on the other line talks excitedly. "Just a second, let me ask Bucky." Steve presses the phone to his chest and whispers, "Hey Buck, you want to go out with Sam?"
It's starting to get late, and he needs to go out tonight. He has a lead on a lab in the back of a bar. Steve wants him to go, though, and the whole point of all this is to get better for Steve. He nods, pushing his face into a smile. Smiles are something else he needs to work on. Sometimes they come naturally, but when they don't, his forced smiles look like grimaces. Steve seems to know their intent, however.
"Yeah, we'll be there soon, Sam. Thanks."
Steve has a car now. He uses his Harley when he's going places alone. They agreed it would be a bit odd to have Bucky riding on the back. They find a spot to park and join Sam inside a busy sports bar. There's a baseball game on, and the buzz of conversation is occasionally drowned out by cheers. Bucky can't get drunk either, and he thinks it's a pity. It'd make it easier to forget his time as the Winter Soldier. He watches Sam and Steve joke around, and he can feel a bubble of nostalgic jealousy rising in him. The old Bucky was Steve's best friend. He's working on finding that Bucky, but for now, he leans in to join to conversation. Steve sees this and smiles. Every small triumph brings his best friend closer to him, and he revels in that. Bucky begins to relax despite the crowd, and though he is watching everyone, the majority of his focus goes to the conversation. They're exchanging childhood memories when Bucky sees someone who catches his eye.
A man seems to be talking to himself, but as he turns, Bucky can see an earpiece tucked in his ear. He doesn't like the look of the man, so when he goes to the restroom, Bucky excuses himself as well. The restroom has one other occupant, but under Bucky's harsh gaze, he leaves in a rush. Once the man in question finishes his business, he turns and comes face to face with Bucky.
"What are you doing," Bucky questions, his voice low.
"Geez, man, I'm taking a leak. How drunk are you?" The man tries to step past Bucky, but he's like a wall.
"You have an earpiece, and you're talking to someone. Who?"
"None of your damn busi—" the man is cut off by a cybernetic hand around his neck. Bucky pushes him against the door to ensure that he's not interrupted.
"Are you after Captain America?" Bucky asks, his face inches from the man's.
"What's it to you?" the man challenges, and the only reply is fingers closing tighter around his neck. "Hail Hydra," the man hisses, and it's more than enough to set Bucky off. His face goes cold as he crushes the man's windpipe and locks him in a bathroom stall.