Chapter Text
This is the first of 11 Plotted Expanded Chapter story based on Entry No 36 (Two Perfect A**sholes) and Entry 37 (Shoes Maketh the Man) of the Heroes collection.
Chapter 1: Not Dating but Something
"So Steve found this fun?" James asked because he was taking people's advice and trying to live in the present. He was running around the monument, but it was hardly taxing his serum-enhanced body, so he was still jogging as he took the call. The modern world was weird, but the technology that let you talk through headphones was nifty for the exercise conscious person.
"He is your best friend," Darcy pointed out to him, "You tell me."
He loved the girl platonically because nothing phased her, and she was willing to call him an asshole to his face. In fact, she had stopped Jane from creating a black hole and thought to check on him and make sure he hadn't been swallowed up by the black hole of his emotions. "Although he wouldn't keep up with you now," she reminded him.
Bucky knew Steve couldn't keep up now he'd let age catch up with him. Although he could imagine him wanting to have a go. "He'd give it a go if you challenged him because he is a punk at heart."
Darcy snickered at the irony, and showing she had no fear gene, "You look in a mirror recently?"
"I cut my hair, didn't I?" James reminded Darcy as she had been nagging him. It was a not too subtle suggestion on her part, but it had helped him on his journey of rehabilitating his mind and image. Well, he wouldn't admit the last part because he was stubborn, but it was evident.
"You did and drop-dead gorgeous you look, and if I could only stop you scowling at everyone. You might get a date." She finished. Darcy did have Steve's dogged minded persistence when she believed in something.
"I can find a date," James felt obliged to defend himself. He could if he wanted to, but what right did he have to get someone caught up with his messy life.
"Paying doesn't count," Darcy replies sweetly.
He should have expected the smart-mouthed response. Darcy had zero shame and used her blunt sarcasm as effectively as any weapon. "Bite your tongue. I have never had to pay for a date."
He would deny it until his dying breath, but Darcy's comment distracted him badly. So much so, he clattered into a runner, and they went down in a pile of limbs.
James blushed at his clumsiness. "Darcy, you're a menace." He hissed and end his call. He turned his attention to the man he'd mown down in a hurry, "I'm so sorry."
James noticed how cute the guy was, and he would totally blame Darcy for his boldness. It turns out, old patterns of behaviour were hard to break, and he asked with a wicked grin. "Did I break anything?"
"You're not heavy." The cute guy replied with a winning smile.
James knew the smile and moves as he used them himself. It was weird but not unsettling to be on the other side of the equation. It helped that there was no visible reaction from passers-by at two men flirting in front of them. He was told by everyone that things had changed, but old habits are difficult to break.
James was so glad that he hadn't hit him with the vibranium arm. If he had, then it would be light-hearted flirting but rather a trip to the hospital, "You're a lucky guy."
Cutie smirked, "Is that a line, and before I even know your name?"
James shook his head in disbelief, but the smile didn't leave his face. He was honest with the guy, "You're smooth, but I am trouble."
The hot guy wasn't easily deterred. His grin turned into the best type of wicked promise, "Is this supposed to put me off?"
"I have even crazier hours than you, Agent," James explained, guessing the man was an agent from his instincts and demeanour.
The man didn't correct his assumption, so James must have got it right. The man's grin turned rueful, "I'm pretty sure I am wearing Dior, not Fed cologne."
James found himself smiling, and it was clear the cute guy saw someone he could flirt with but didn't recognise him. "You don't, but I know an Agent when I see one."
The guy sighed as if he recognised the tone. He wasn't trying to run away. In fact, he picked up the conversation thread, asking James. "And what branch do you belong to?"
"Army." Which wasn't a lie. When he'd enlisted, he'd gone into the Army. It was just a while since he had been on official active duty. It was not his fault that he'd been made a lab rat. At least he'd accepted that much, thanks to therapy.
This was a relief to the cute guy, who explained, "Oh good. I would have hated there to be a conflict of interest if you were Navy or Marines."
James realised he couldn't keep calling the guy hot guy or some variant. "I knock you to the ground, and I didn't even ask your name. I'm sorry. I usually have better manners."
"I'm Tony," Tony surprised him one last time as he raced away. "See you around, James."
Asshole. The man had known who he was from the first second but spoke to him like a regular guy. He didn't know what that looked like as he hadn't been an average guy since 1941. He figured he might go running again at the same time next week and hoped to run into Tony again.
This way, if Darcy started to nag him, he could give her some good news. He was planning on talking to a human being that wasn't her, his therapist or Steve.
~*~
Tony was pleased to see his new friend there once more the following week. He knew that Barnes would have stayed away or picked a new time if he wanted to avoid an awkward second chat. He was sweating from his run but felt bold enough for a second chat.
"Hey, stranger."
Barnes smiled, stopping to talk rather than run off into the distance. "Hey, I thought I scared you off."
Tony shook his head, "Case out of town, just finished." Tony offered, wanting to be honest but not seem too keen. He could guess that Barnes might be skittish. He figured the old adage of everyone had to eat might relax things. "So, have you been introduced to the delights of food truck cuisine yet?"
He saw the role of eyes and guessed this might be an old argument. "I'm old, not dead."
Tony fluttered his eyelashes and took full advantage of the opening. "And you look excellent for your age." He could tell that Bucky wasn't convinced, "You don't seem convinced by food trucks."
"I'm not," James replied, confirming what he already suspected.
Tony looked casually in the distance and grinned. "That food truck over there makes the best tacos' this far North. What do you say? My treat."
Barnes didn't blow him off, "That is quite the claim."
Tony smirked, but his confidence was growing with every passing second, "Let me prove it to you."
"Are you asking me on a date?" Bucky asked warily. He used to be much smoother, but his past meant that sometimes blunt honesty worked in his favour. He'd adjusted to many things, but the idea he could openly date a man was the one he was taking longer to handle.
Tony shrugged. "You're adorable. Think of it as a guy wanting to show another guy some good food. You can then think of the next trip, and then we will talk about dating."
"So you're saying this is like a taster date?" James wasn't rejecting the idea. It was novel to find someone who knew who he was and didn't want to kill him, fanboy over him, or, pushing their expectations of him.
Tony nodded in confirmation. He wanted James to feel relaxed, "Exactly. That way, we can chat with no expectations, and you can adjust to the idea of maybe dating me."
"You have no issues with confidence, huh." James smile showed he was teasing. He didn't know why he was so comfortable around Tony, but he wasn't going to complain too much right now.
"Zero," Tony replied with a confident smile. "In the interests of comfort, do you prefer James or Bucky?"
Wow, this was one of the first people who asked him what name he'd claimed as his own. He couldn't pretend that in the past, people presuming one way or the other had irritated him immensely, but he found himself offering, "Either from you."
~*~
The food truck smelled good at least, and James was converted with the first bite. He couldn't constrain his groan of approval. He didn't even say anything sarcastic about the smugness radiating from Tony.
Tony was sprawled across a few steps and looked pleased. "See. It is good."
James bit into the food eagerly and clocked the shift in Tony's position with a mental smirk of his own. "It is an improvement, but I do miss some dishes from before everything."
He wasn't quite sure how he could encapsulate in one word - serums, Hydra, captivity, the blip and everything else that had gone on, so he settled on everything.
Tony showing his compassion, didn't dig for the sake of curiosity. He simply asked, "What like?" He figured Barnes deserved to offer his story in his own time.
James closed his eyes and tried to summon up his favourite food. Nothing could beat trying to get to the hotdog stand on Conney Island, but he knew what his favourite dish back then had been. "Potato hotdog salad."
"Okay," Tony mulled over the idea in his mind. "How does that work?"
James found himself pretending to be serious. "Well, you take some hotdogs, potatoes and a few other ingredients, and you have a dinner."
Tony was grinning at the enthusiasm on Jame's face as he explained. He saw a glimpse of what the man was like before life got in his way. "They never show that dish in the movies from the period."
James snorted derisively, "They never do research properly in the new movies."
Tony played it cool and casual, but his heart was thumping, which was just ridiculous, "I meant the old movies that I adore, but you're welcome to watch them with me and correct any deficiencies in the research."
"To do that, we will need to swap numbers."
Tony handed his card over, "I'm guessing you need to keep your number off the grid. You can tell me where our not-date number 2 is going to be."
James threw his napkin in the bin, and he had a few ideas of what he could do. The trick would be to keep his nosey friends and acquaintances from finding out while he figured it out in his own head.
~*~
Tony was pleasantly surprised by the message a few days later from an unknown number. Up for my not-date today?"
Tony smiled at his screen before quickly typing, hell yeah.
Tony could definitely do with a distraction, and James Buchanan Barnes was a pretty great one. He would be lying if he didn't say the man had been on his mind. Their not date had been fun, but he could imagine that James had a lot to deal with, so he wouldn't have blamed him if he delayed.
Tony was quick to type back - Where?
Apollo theatre.
Tony knew of the place. The retrofitting made the cinema look like it was meant to back in 1940. This last case had been nasty, so this was a welcome distraction.
Tim snarked at Tony, seeing his good mood. "Are we boring you?"
Tony rolled his eyes but didn't rise to the bait. "Finish your report, McSlow ."
McGee was snide, "What's the matter. Did you strike out?"
Tony shook his head and knowing just how to wind up McGee because he was painfully predictable. "The Opposite McBoring ."
Tim scowled, "You know I hate when you butcher my name."
Tony smirked, "So?"
McGee huffed and went back to his reports. If he'd been thinking about it, he would have perhaps asked himself why Tony wanted to distract him.
~*~
Tony kept his clothes low-key, jeans that showed his ass off to perfection and a white shirt. He topped it off with a leather jacket, and Tony noticed that James had put similar thought into his outfit. It spoke of promise for their continued not-dates , but Tony hoped to move to actual dates soon enough.
"So what are we watching, James?" Tony asked, eager to see which film the man would pick for them.
James didn't shy away from Tony, pulling him in for a quick hug. It was odd to have someone willing to touch him without flinching. "The film is 'To have and have not'."
Tony lit up, knowing the movie, and he was a big fan of the Boggart movies. The lines and style in the old films were what Tony always adored as a kid. He knew it was everything he wished his Dad, Senior, could be but never would be able to manage. He said none of these heavy thoughts to James as this was only a second unofficial date. "A Bogart and Bacall movie before they got married sounds good to me."
James nodded, "Okay, so you have great taste in movies. We can be friends."
Tony and James chose to sit toward the back of the cinema. James was touched by the fact it was a conscious choice on Tony's part. "You want to enjoy the movie, not freak out because you can't see the exits."
James shrugged. "I would have managed, but thank you."
The movie was good, and the two men were able to keep an easy conversation between them. Bucky talked about Europe, and Tony talked about growing up in Long Island.
James kissed Tony good night. "Be seeing you soon, handsome. You wanna go for a run on Monday?"
Tony nodded, "Sounds perfect. I will let you know if I can't make it."
~*~
James had been debating it for a few minutes, but there was one person he trusted to have an honest chat with him. He hadn't let anyone else know because Steve had deserved his shot at a normal life, but Bucky needed his best friend.
"Hey, Punk."
Steve smirked at him as he accepted the FaceTime chat. The lines were no heavier than last time, which was a comfort. Bucky wasn't ready to live in a world without Steve in it just yet. Steve showing he hadn't lost his sass, "I'd say you look like the punk, Buck."
"I'm older than you, asshole by a whole year." James felt obliged to point out. He knew if anyone saw their face time, they would be horrified by their call. It would look to the outside world like he was picking on his grandpa.
"Well, you've aged a hell of a lot better," Steve replied without missing a beat.
Buck rolled his eyes, "And yet you got the girl. No one would have predicted that back then."
It was one of the best things he'd learned in this crazy period. He didn't blame Steve for living his best life with Peggy Carter.
Steve looked serene, "And how about you? Has a girl ... or guy caught your interest?"
"There is ..." James trailed off.
"Buck, don't be shy. Who?" Steve seized upon the small opening. He knew Bucky too well and wanted his friend to gain some happiness like he had with Peggy.
James sighed but figured if he didn't share the details with Steve, he would be ridiculous. "A Federal Agent, Tony, but my brain tells me I shouldn't want it."
Steve's face showed empathy and understanding in a way that no one else would truly understand. "Times are different, Buck, and if he is an Agent. He will be able to protect himself."
Buck could see his point, and in his head, it was a fair point. He knew this objectively, but it felt wrong to let someone get wrapped up in his bullshit. His baggage had baggage, and James didn't think all the therapy in the world would improve his issues. At the same time, he knew when he had been talking with Tony, he felt lighter.
James bit his lip but confessed, "I don't know if I should saddle him with my crap."
Steve hummed, and that was another thing about his best friend - He would always listen. "Well, that's a valid point of view, but do you have the right to choose for him?"
"Why you gotta be wise? I wanted a punk." James pouted, but he was already starting to consider asking Tony on a proper date. He was looking for excuses to say no. He should have known that Steve wouldn't give him the easy way out.
"I had to grow up at some point, asshole." Steve snarked back, "You know you deserve to be happy."
James couldn't hide his bitterness, "My record would disagree."
Steve wasn't going to let him wallow. He challenged him, "You mean when you were a brainwashed prisoner of war?"
"I still remember it as me, Stevie," Buck replied, showing way more vulnerability than he was comfortable showing. If only his therapist knew to find Steve Rogers, she would get all the insight she could need.
Steve's face showed so much sorrow. Bucky wasn't trying to guilt Steve and was quick to reassure him, "Hey, it's not your fault, and I would still follow you to the end of the line."
Steve chuckled weakly because he was trying to help Bucky, not the other way around. "Yeah, but Buck, it is great to have a partner to walk it with you."
"Smartass."
Steve smirked, and it was like a flashback to the posters in the War. It seemed Steve was done debating this with him, "Call this Tony and stop being a dumbass, Buck."
Well, if the original Captain America ordered it, then he should probably do it. He found himself typing before he talked himself out of it,
So what would we do for a proper date after our not dates?