No-One But You (The Mystic Consultant) - Part 2
Chapter 19: Wide-Eyed, Wrapped in Love (Part 9)
Tony wasn't in a hurry, but he left the elevator before Bucky and Steve could blink.
He made his way into the apartment without looking back at them either. The two "not-so-broke" boys from Brooklyn clearly had some things to discuss. Tony wasn't in the mood to stick around for any sort of conversation.
He actually wanted to shower and unwind a little bit. Tony needed to settle his nerves. Steve could sense Tony's vibe as he watched him leave the elevator.
Bucky took a step toward the open door, but Steve quickly brought up his hand. The blonde gently placed his hand in the center of Bucky's chest.
The gesture stopped Bucky's forward movement. The not-so-winter soldier was unable to move forward. He glanced over at Steve just as the elevator door closed in front of them.
Steve pressed in a sequence of buttons with his other hand, and it stopped the elevator from moving. Bucky took in Steve's behavior pretty quickly and he gave a soft sigh.
Lecture time? Bucky was almost amused.
"What did you think of Tony's show?"
Steve put both of his hands back down toward his sides. He established some eye contact with his best friend for a moment. Bucky seemed a bit indifferent with the question. He shrugged at first, then he took in a little more of Steve's behavior.
"Can't you read my mind about it?"
"Yes, but I'd prefer to hear it from you."
Steve's tone was leaning more toward sounding stern. Bucky also noticed that he was behaving a bit more like "Cap" in that moment. Steve was even standing differently. His shoulders were broader. He seemed… bigger.
Bucky was aware of every layer Steve Rogers had to offer, but the version of him standing in the elevator only appeared when Steve was out there "working."
"Tony's show surprised me. I think he was finally being honest, or whatever."
There. Bucky answered his question, and he hoped it would bring back the normal Steve. The "normal" Steve would move on hours ago and let things go. The common version of Steve was the one Bucky was used to.
He was also a bit more submissive and Bucky could get away with picking on Tony.
"You thought he was being honest, about what?"
"…."
Bucky drew in a slow breath. He was trying to get a read on Steve's question and demeanor. Bucky could tell he didn't really have the upper hand any longer when it came down to Steve.
Steve moved on from what happened between them years ago. Bucky never really dwelled on it, but it made things interesting with Tony in the mix.
"I think… he was finally being honest about himself, his life and all the fucked up shit he's been through. It's almost as if, he shed some skin."
Tony clearly purged out as much of the bullshit as he could. Bucky didn't understand the theatrics, so he shrugged his shoulders upward again.
Steve listened to Bucky's response, and he also listened to what he wasn't saying out loud. Bucky didn't know it, but the version of Steve standing in the elevator was far more possessive than the "normal" Steve.
"Cap" had been keeping an eye on his best friend for a while, and he caught onto a slow moving change in Bucky's behavior. Steve Rogers wasn't blind.
"That's pretty spot on Bucky, so, would you like to try being honest? For once?"
Steve's mood was clear. Bucky arched a brow, then he watched his bestie turn a bit more in his direction. The blonde started looking a little more than stern. Steve was calm, but his tone seemed kinda lethal.
Honest. Ok, honest about what? Bucky almost rolled his eyes, but he ran his hand through his hair instead. His hair was getting a little longer than he liked…
Bucky kept his mind focused on that, because apparently Steve and Tony picked up some telepathy skills from their third wheel Stephen Strange.
Steve studied Bucky's face when his mind migrated toward Stephen. You see…Tony, Steve and Stephen used to operate as a threesome, back in the day.
Bucky picked up on that too, years ago, and he started wondering how that all worked out. He also wondered how it ended and his mind immediately blamed Stephen's marriage to Clea Strange.
Steve Rogers slowly inhaled when he picked up Bucky's intrusive thoughts. He kept waiting for some amount of truth to finally emerge from his mouth, but his best friend wouldn't budge.
The blonde brought his hand up to the control panel again. He held a cold stare in Bucky's direction, as the elevator door opened.
Chapter: END
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