This one's a bit shorter, sorry!
Considering it had taken Bucky a whole week to come to him after their first encounter, he's not expecting his friend to turn up for a few days at least, and much less expecting to find him at his door only two days later, waiting for him.
But here he is, and he even greets him with a shy "Hi…" when he sees him. It makes Steve want to hug him, but he holds back, settles for a "Hey!" and a welcoming smile instead, and invites him in.
"You're staying for lunch, right?" the blond asks, placing a paper bag on the counter. The older man shakes his head.
"I came to return your files" he says, as if that answered the question.
"Oh, you could've kept them, I don't really need them back. But since you're already here, why not stay? You used to like my cooking."
As soon as the words leave his mouth, Steve knows he's made a mistake.
Bucky tenses at the mention of the past life he can't remember, lays the folder down on the table and looks like he's about to leave, so Steve pulls a "Stray Cat" again, and like he did when he invited him home, he sets two plates on the table and hands him a beer without letting him answer. And the man yields and takes it.
They don't talk much as he cooks, Bucky just sitting at the table and occasionally taking small sips of his beer, but if Steve's not mistaken, he's also looking less uncomfortable and tense than before. He does not lower his guard again, however. More than out of fear, he seems like he's wanting to avoid Steve coming too close and touching him again, because every time Steve hovers just a bit too close, he shifts or pulls back a little, keeping the distance.
"So… how have you been? What've you been up to?" he starts conversationally after he puts the food in the oven and sits.
"I've been… I'm helping out at a coffee pub. And Moving boxes and… stuff."
"Wow. That's great, Sergeant! How did it happen?" It didn't really matter, but it kept Bucky talking, and at least now he knew he was earning some money and eating properly.
"An old couple runs it. I was… having dinner there on my third day here, chased out a few drunkards… They offered me a bedroom if I helped them out. I think they mistook me for a backpacker…"
Steve lets out a small chuckle at that, and the sound makes something move inside Bucky.
He still doesn't understand why he keeps getting weird feelings whenever he's with him. Ok, so maybe he knew him once, but he does not remember a single thing of that time, so why should that make a difference?
He doesn't know the answer, and that only makes it even more frustrating. All he knows is that a part of him, the part of him that he's sure about and he understands, keeps telling him that he's just analyzing his target, learning his traits, finding his weaknesses… but then there's also a part of him that just wants him to keep talking, smiling, and Bucky's not ready yet to admit how aware he is of that part.
"Smoked salmon and courgette quiche"
The blond's words bring him back to the present, and Bucky has to hold back the impulse of licking his lip, because the food he serves on the plate in front of him smells like heaven.
He does not try it until he sees Steve start eating, but when he does his eyes widen in surprise. He's not used to eating for pleasure, he's only done it as a biological process so far, and it's not like Hydra cared for hiring good chefs. Not even the food he has been eating these days has tasted so good, but that was expected considering he doesn't have much money and has been settling with basics.
"It's… It tastes really good" he says, and the man smiles. Of course he smiles, the guy's a fucking smile attached to a face. Bucky doubts he'll ever get used to it.
Simply cause Steve has always looked like he'd make a perfect cooking hubby to me, and after the fondue incident I imagine he made sure he was up to date with the cooking lingo.
- V7