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“…You're adorable when you’re all blushy like that.”
“Adorable?” – the boy repeated, offended, stopping in his tracks in the middle of the street on their way to the nearest café to grab a pick me up. – “Like, what, a teddybear? Gosh when you'll stop treating me like a kid? I thought we were finally past that-.”
“Hey, heyheyheyhey... Calm down.” – he assured him quickly getting them out of the way of other pedestrians, learning slightly over the smaller, cardigan clad frame. – “You know we'll never really see eye to eye about this matter, but I'm here, ok? Too late to turn back now. And that’s not at all what I was saying. It's just... you're all small, cute and shy and so easily flustered...
“Awkward, that's what you mean. You can call me awkward, y'know? Not gonna argue that.”
“Well, it's sweet.”
“... Thanks, I guess.” – retorted him still a bit salty and pretty flustered, making the older one go all soft and stupid.
“But I do feel like I'm taking advantage.” – he ran his big fat mouth, feeling the boy stiffening beside him at his words, and intervened before he could do more than open his cute rosy mouth and inhale and indignant breath. – “I can’t help it! I mean-, forget all the shit we already discussed and look at us. I'm the type of guy people give a wide berth when they noticed around and you... You’re all prim and proper all around, like the type of guy who would help an old lady cross the street. You're precious, Pete, you really are.”
“... You can be pretty intimidating, but it's hot, y'know?” – the young man said, mollified by the lack of guilty-talk about age gaps and everything else he had to power through to get Barnes to finally kiss him and stop being stupid. – “Specialty because underneath it all you're so... I mean, you're such a nerd. I love it. And you do make me feel like that all the time. Well-, at least when you're not being a patronizing shit just to rile me up, I mean. You make me feel like that. ‘Precious’...”
“Now you just sounded like Gollum...”
“... Like I said: Nerd.”
“Can’t argue with that, apparently. Read The Hobbit when it first came out back in 37’ and everything. The green one, with the mountains on the cover.”
“Oh wow…”
“Sam almost had a stroke when I told him that. I think it was a first edit? He told me it was a big deal, but back then when it first came out it was the only edition, so…”
“That’s so weird…”
“Well, I am 107...”
“You are not 107. You just kinda… travelled through time the long way.”
“Nice one. Maybe I’ll use that next time someone try to talk shit, calling me gramps.” – he shrugged, getting his regular arm around the kid’s shoulders when they resume walking, metal hand hidden deep in his leather jacket’s pocket.
“You’re welcome.”
“… Read Lord of the Rings recently. Tolkien got even more descriptive while I was away…”
“But it’s so good…”
“Yeah… Nerd.”
“Pot, kettle.” – the brunette answered, pointing from one to another and back again with both arms, making him laugh and shake him gently in his arm.
“Such a little shit…”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah… So. You saw the movies? LotR came first, a looong time ago, but for a 2000’s piece the CGI still looks relatively decent, I think.”
“We’re in. what? 2025?... And sometimes I still can’t wrap my mind around the turn of the century. It’s surreal… like living in a Syfy piece.”
“I told you’re a time traveler, man! But you’re not answering: Did you see the movie?”
“I don’t think I did…”
“Ooh, I can’t wait to show you! You’ll love it! We can even see the Hobbit ones too!”
.
After they had their coffee in hands, they decided to take a walk around the nearest park.
And after they finally found a place to sit down and enjoy their beverage as well as each other’s company in peace, Peter got all blushy and shy again with the easy, intimate setting, making the soldier laugh, free and happy, throwing his arm over his shoulders again, thighs touching each other all cozy and familiar.
“God, I love to see you all shy like that, sweetheart.”
“Well-…” – Peter started to answer but was interrupted by a by-passing lady pushing a baby stroller.
“Is he bothering you, sweety?” – she asked sharply, looking directly at the boy with warm concerned eyes, making Bucky balk, shrinking back and looking down with a disturbed, troubled face.
“He’s my boyfriend, ma’m.” – he replied firmly, making an aborted attempt to hold the soldier’s hand, but giving up at the visible flinch his movement caused. – “I’m quite all right.”
“…You’re sure?” – she asked again, skeptically.
“’100%.”
“How old are you?”
“I’m 17, ma’m. There’s nothing wrong, really.”
“All right-…” – the lady agreed hesitantly, looking to the young figure to the leather clad one and back again doubtfully, but startled at the scratchy, broken voice of the older man.
“…Thank you.” – he tried to say, clearing his throat. – “For asking, that is. I know how this looks, so…”
“Yeah, yeah, thank you ma’m, have a good walk.” – Peter cut through, smiling overly brightly, until the lady walked away hesitantly.
He waited until he lost her from view before turning to the blue-eyed man, taking his hand firmly on both of his, this time. – “James…”
“Told ya.”
“No-, that wasn’t right… She-.”
“Saw a grown ass man all over a sweet-faced boy and thought it trouble.”
“God, I hate this! It’s not right! The whole world will make you feel like shit because I look like a defenseless deer and it’s not your fault.”
“Sure it isn’t, champ.”
“Please don’t get all distant and sarcastic with me James. It’s not. I asked for this. Repeatedly. Remember?... I’ll use my ID pinned to the chest if I need to, but please don’t push me away…”
“I’m sorry, love. But I-…”
“I get it. Me being me doesn’t make things any easier on you.”
“You know you’re not the problem here, Pete.”
“Look-, nothing of this will be easy, apparently. So if you really want to, you can bail. I-… I won’t blame you. I just… I just really, really don’t want you to.”
“Peter-.”
“I like you a lot, James.”
“… I like you too, sugar.” – he replied softly, getting a small, sweet smile from the young man.
“Well… Good.” – the boy said, blushing one more time in that adorably awkward way he did when he’s caught off guard, making the vice holding the brunette’s heart loose its unforgiving grip.
“… And I thought I told you to call me Bucky, Peter, c’mon.”
“But that’s your name!”
“It feels too impersonal…”
“No, it sounds endearing-, look: ‘James’… See? It rolls right out of the tongue. Like a caress. Er, I mean…Y’know? So… Y-yeah…” – he defended himself assuredly until he said that part of his name sounding like a caress. Then he just blushed even more violently, stuttering clumsily over his own affirmative.
And, Jesus Christ, he could feel it already: he was so, so screwed…