The flight to Wakanda was an easy one with the quinjet on autopilot. Steve sat back in the captain's chair, a little anxiety flaring in his belly. He didn't need to be nervous; he had no reason to be. He was going to see his best friend. He chalked it up to anticipation and as the jet began its landing sequence, he shot Bucky a text.
Steve: Landing now. I'll wait for you at the palace.
Bucky: I'll be there as soon as I can. It's about a fifteen-minute run.
James finished screwing in a bolt that would hold the swing on the front porch, pocketed his phone, then took off at a jog down the path. It was almost afternoon, and he was surprised Steve had flown in so quickly. When he reached the steps that would lead him up to the palace, James slowed to a walk to climb them.
Steve found himself in conversation with T'Challa as he stood at the door of the palace, hands in his pockets. It wasn't until he heard footsteps that he turned his attention down to the stairs. A smile broke onto his face, and he looked at his watch. "I think you're getting old. It shouldn't have taken you that long," he joked.
"I'm getting old?" James retorted. "What does that say about you then?" He smiled as he reached his best friend and wrapped one arm around his shoulders for a hug. "It's good to see you."
Steve hugged Bucky in return, chuckling softly. "Hey, I never said I wasn't old. I just said that you are." As the hug ended, he kept his hand on Bucky's shoulder, eyes turning down to see his new arm for the first time in person.
"Wow. Shuri outdid herself with this," he scoffed in awe.
James lifted his bare arm for Steve to see, silently thankful that he'd up on a tank top that morning. "She did," he agreed. "I like it a lot better than the old one, that's for sure."
"Doesn't have that ugly old star," Steve observed. He turned to quickly shake T'Challa's hand before he turned his full attention back to his best friend. "So, should we head to your house? Your new house?"
He smiled and nodded at Steve. "C'mon man, I think you'll like it."
Steve reached down to pick up the bag he'd packed for himself before he joined Bucky in descending the stairs. "Thanks for giving me something to do. You know I don't do well when I have too much time on my hands," he said as he glanced in Bucky's direction.
"Any time," James assured. "It's a nice place. Shuri has been helping replace the old tech in it and order the things that Cleo and I like."
Steve's signature genuine smile settled onto his features. "So, you're literally playing house?" he asked, a grin showing just a few of his straight, white teeth. "Wow, Buck... I'm just amazed. Look at you now."
James grinned as they walked, although the conversation from that morning mulled in his mind. "There's... something missing from it all though."
Furrowing his brows a little, he glanced at Bucky again. "What do you think it is?" he asked.
"Not what," he answered. "Who... which is you."
Steve's head cocked to the side; brows raised in question. "What do you mean?" he asked, angling his body so that he could face Bucky a little more. "I'm already in your life, Buck. I'm sorry I haven't been able to be around more."
James rubbed the back of his neck, now feeling overly anxious. Cleo would be better at this than me. "Do you remember... before the war?"
Steve dropped his eyes in thought as he nodded. Before the war. It took only a moment to think about that little apartment they'd shared. His steps slowed without realizing it and eventually he paused, a pang aching deep in his now healthy heart. It hadn't been back then. Brooklyn. "Yeah, I... I remember," he acknowledged, raising his head to look at Bucky again. "You remember?" Holy shit.
"It... took a little while, but yeah. I've remembered for a few years now," he answered. James had stopped beside Steve, glancing over at him.
For a moment longer than he would admit, Steve almost felt dizzy. He'd told himself a long time ago to lock all of that away. It was over and it wasn't coming back. What was this? Am I misinterpreting him? "That was a long time ago..."
James nodded and slowly began walking again. "I know. I know it was. I just... sometimes it feels like it was yesterday."
Steve nodded lightly and took a slow breath, beginning to walk beside his friend again. "It does," he acknowledged. "I, uh... I dream about it a lot."
"You do?" James questioned. "Can I ask... what exactly you dream about?"
Another ball of anxiety formed in Steve's chest but he coached himself to breathe through it. This was territory neither of them had revisited. There just... hadn't been time. "Sometimes I dream about... that first Christmas in the apartment, just the two of us. Or that time I fell off the dock and you had to jump in to rescue me. You were so mad you had to get wet," he shared, a nostalgic smile at the corner of his lips.
James smiled as they walked. "Those are all good memories. I recall... that Christmas was the first time I kissed you."
And there it was, out in the space between them. Slipping his hands into his pockets as they walked, he nodded. "It was," he acknowledged. "I, uh... I think my heart palpitations kicked up. I remember that I felt dizzy."
"You were," James nodded. "But I had you. I'd never let you fall." He dared to glance over at Steve, seeing the faint smile present on his face, making him smile. "Do you remember when we... were first intimate?" he asked, his voice just a whisper.
I let you fall. Guilt roiled in his chest, tightening his throat. He cleared it quietly, Bucky's question drawing a slow nod. "I do," he replied, voice similarly hushed. "It was raining that day. My umbrella broke and I got soaked. We both knew I would get sick again if I didn't get warmed up quick."
James grinned as they made the turn off the main path, going towards the house. "It was beautiful though... so was every time after that." He looked up towards the house, a gentle smile on his face.
That ache in Steve's chest wasn't letting up anymore. Bucky was smiling, he glanced up to check. He seemed so comfortable talking about something they'd had to hide for a long time. "Yeah... then the war called," he mused. Twice.
"I know," James replied quietly. "I wish I could change parts of my past... but I never would have met Cleo if the worst didn't happen." He turned to his best friend and grabbed for his hand, making him stop walking. "What if... we could get what we had back?"
There it was, exactly the reason why this felt too risky to talk about. Cleo. Bucky was with Cleo. He was happy, he loved her. As Steve turned to face him, his forehead wrinkled as he knitted his eyebrows. "What do you mean?" he asked, shaking his head faintly. "Buck, you're with Cleo and I really am so happy for you..."
"Thank you Steve," James smiled. "But... There is a way. If you're open to it."
Steve adjusted his stance and faced his best friend directly, one another's blue eyes reflecting pools of blue. "I don't understand," he admitted, feeling a little mixed up and confused. "Buck, what are you talking about?"
"Cleo can explain it better than I can, but there's a type of relationship that has three people in it," James replied.
Three people? God, things are so different now. It felt a little unbelievable. "You and Cleo... and me?" he questioned, raising his brows. "How... how would that even work?"
James shrugged as he began to walk again, keeping a hold of his hand. "We would figure it out. One day at a time."
Steve swallowed the lump that continued to try to form in his throat and his eyes dropped to take in the sight of their hands. My hand used to feel a lot smaller in his. "I take it you've already talked to Cleo about this?" he asked simply to confirm.
He nodded as the house came into view. "It was actually her idea. I told her about us early this morning."
The house caught Steve's attention and for a moment the lines of his face relaxed. "Wow, the place looks grand from the outside," he observed as they continued their approach. His was quiet for a few beats, his gears turning. "So you would still be with Cleo, and you would also be with me?"
James nodded. "Exactly... we would all be with each other. A weird concept, but only if you're up for it."
"Wait, if we're all with each other..." Steve questioned, the realization just dawning on him. "Am I with Cleo too?"
"Only if you want to be," James answered. As they reached the front deck steps, James let go of Steve's hand to climb them and continue working on the porch swing.
In Steve's experience, anything that sounded too good to be true often ended up a veil for something else. The idea sort of bobbled Steve's old fashioned mind. He'd grown a lot, opened himself up to new ideas over the years but it still took a moment to get used to. "I, uh..." he began, blushing without realizing it. "I will admit...there's something captivating about Cleo."
"She's a brilliant woman," James agreed as he began screwing in the second bolt for the swing. "She amazes me every day."
Steve stepped up to the swing and picked up the instructions he saw laid out. He tried to focus on the words on the page but his mind was spinning. I'm Captain America, for God's sake. That's all I've been for so long. It was Steve Rogers he felt like he didn't know how to be. A faint scoff of disbelief escaped him and he set the instruction back down. "This is really a thing? You're not trying to mess with my delicate sensibilities?"
James snorted and looked over at him. "Your delicate what? I'm not messing with you. If you want, you can ask Cleo herself when she gets home from the clinic."
Steve rested his hands on his hips in that way of his, and turned his eyes up to the clear blue sky, blushing more than he liked. "Uh, no, if I asked her that I think I might actually explode," he offered with a diffusing laugh and awkward smile.
"Why is that?" James questioned. He bent down to get a wrench before he tightened the bolts that would be holding the swing up. "There's no pressure Steve. If you don't want to do this, you don't have to. It can stay like it has been."
"No, it's not..." Steve tried to explain with a sigh. "I'm just not used to... talking about these things, you know?". This had been a private secret shared between two people. To be able to talk about it now was a change he had to adjust to. "I blush talking about how pretty a girl is. You think I can ask one about being in some kind of newfangled relationship?"
James laughed as he looked over at Steve, amused by his reddened face. "Where's the bold man that used to ask for what he wanted? You haven't changed much in the romance department, have you?"
Steve exhaled with a laugh of his own. "That bold guy used to lie a lot to get what he wanted," he pointed out. How many times had he tried to enlist? "It's pretty hard to change when the last time you kissed someone was decades ago."
James shook his head. "You kissed Sharon. I witnessed it. So did your buddy Sam."
Steve exhaled a faint laugh. "Okay, okay. I kissed Sharon once, and Natasha kissed me once," he admitted. He smoothed his hands over his face. "But neither of those were like the way you kissed me."
"Maybe I should remind you how it feels," James teased, trying to get Steve to see just how possible things were.
His head whipped in Bucky's direction and instantly blushed in what was probably a very familiar way. "I, uh..." he muttered, a breathy laugh escaping as he dropped his head. I really am the guy that waits too long. He took a moment or two before a small smirk slipped onto the corner of his lips before he looked up at his best friend. "Like I'd let you just walk up and kiss me like that," he scoffed. "I like to be romanced, Barnes."
James rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "I recall you begging me to kiss you."
"What, the first time?" Steve questioned, pivoting in Bucky's direction. "Yeah, because I was cold, and wet, and tired of fighting the one thing that I thought might finally make me happy..." He sighed, one hand resting on his hip as the other reached to massage his neck.
He walked around the swing that sat on the floor and towards his friend. "You did it after that too."
Steve dropped his head and rested his hands on his hips again. "After all you did for me? Yeah, I did," he acknowledged before he took a long, slow breath. "Buck, you saved my life. Without you, Captain America wouldn't even exist." There were suddenly so many things begging to be said, it made his chest ache.
"I think you would've been Captain America without me. You wanted to enlist so badly, to be someone. Even though you were reckless, I'm still proud of you," he said softly.
Steve's heart ached and a frown settled on his lightly aging features. "You don't get it, Buck," he began to explain, his voice a bit raspy in his throat. "Every time I landed in the hospital... you found a way to pay the bill. Every medication I couldn't afford, you made sure I had 'em. You never let me fall." Something he'd been carrying for so many decades now was burning a hole in his chest. "But I let you fall. The one time you needed me. I'm... so sorry."
James frowned before closing the gap between them and wrapping his arms tightly around his shoulders. "It wasn't your fault. I don't blame you, Steve. I never have," he whispered. "I never will."
"You were there because of me," Steve argued, his throat tight. The closeness of Bucky pulled Steve's arms around his center. Most of the time, Steve was put together. He didn't lose control, he didn't have outbursts of emotion. He was Mr. Reliable. But this was a pain that he kept pushed deep down inside of himself. "I should have looked harder for you..."
Putting one hand in Steve's hair, James held him tight against his chest, daring to turn and kiss his cheek. "It's in the past. I could never blame you. You saved me three times, Steven. Three. You did everything in your power to help me."
The blonde soldier stifled a sob that threatened to escape. He held his friend tightly, tears slipping down his cheeks. "I can't lose you again, Buck, I..." he muttered. He wouldn't survive it again.
"I'm not going anywhere," James soothed, combing one hand through his hair. "I promise you, I'm going to be right here."
Steve was always strong but with Bucky, he... he didn't have to be. Bucky had been there with him at his worst. He breathed a few slow trembling breaths; standing there in James's arms, he felt like that small, sickly boy again. "We were both supposed to come back from the war," he said with a husky tightness in his voice.
"You brought me back when you could do so," James said quietly. He pulled back and wiped the tears from Steve's eyes. "I am okay now. Both of us are."
Steve continued to breathe, knowing his chest was heaving but he was working to slow it down. He was pulled into focus by his best friend's eyes as he listened carefully to his words. We're okay. Finally. It was so hard to believe but as they stood there this close together, breathing the same air, it was hard to argue with his conclusion.
"You really want to be with me?" he asked nervously, but this all seemed too good to be true.
James nodded. "I do. Cleo is open to it too."
Steve considered it quietly for another few moments before he nodded. "I miss you, Buck."
"There's no need to anymore," he breathed before cupping his head in his hands and closing the gap to kiss him.
With Bucky's warm lips pressed against his, any will that Steve had to contain this vanished and he returned the kiss fervently. He took his friend's face in hands just as Bucky had done to him and he stepped in to bring their bodies closer together.
James deepened the kiss, exploring Steve's mouth with a renewed vigor, moving to grip onto the front of his shirt.
A sound passed between the men's mouths, a sound of longing. Steve slipped a hand into Bucky's hair as their tongues danced. He heard the crackle of... what was that, gravel? Someone was coming. He stepped back and released his friend, cheeks flushed red as a car appeared.
Cleo had spent all morning at the clinic and decided to return home close to lunchtime. She had time, she could eat with James and Steve, if he was there. As she ascended the hill to their house, the porch came into view and she saw two figures. Must be Bucky and Steve. What she just barely caught a glimpse of, assured her that it was as a smile passed over her expression.
Parking the car beside the house, she waved up at the two men before she opened the car door and stepped out, a smile still on her face. She moved her glance between the two of them before landing on James. "Are we welcoming Steve?" she asked as she pushed the car door closed.
James smiled sweetly, keeping one arm around Steve while reaching out to Cleo. "We are."
Cleo climbed the steps, a smile ever present on her face and leaned into James as she reached him, stepping up onto her toes to kiss him. As the kiss lingered, her eyes fluttered open and she turned to Steve. "You guys have talked?" she asked.
Steve's heart pounded wildly, still very aware of Bucky's arm around him. He smiled down at Cleo as he met her warm, kind eyes and he nodded. "We have... it's a little wild to think about," he admitted.
Cleo reached out and took one of Steve's hands into hers and she gave it a gentle squeeze. "I know. But you deserve to have what you want, Steve."
James grinned, watching as Steve gripped Cleo's hand tightly. "She's right. Both of us deserve to have what we want for once in our lives. This... this can be ours."
This can be ours. It still felt too good to be true, but as Steve looked down into Cleo's chocolate brown eyes, he felt a distinct warmth settle into him. He could be with Bucky and have a woman in his life. He turned his eyes up to his best friend's and smiled. "I want it," he admitted out loud.
"You... you want to be with us?" James asked, wanting to make sure he'd heard Steve correctly. It had been so long, he wasn't sure Steve would accept.
The question hung in the air for another moment or two as Steve gave it one more thought. I want this. I know that I do. Casting his eyes Bucky and Cleo, he allowed his smile to change softly. "I want to be with you," he affirmed.
James grinned, squeezing Steve's hip gently. "Should all of us go inside then, after I hang up the swing? I'm sure one of us could whip up some lunch. I'm starved."
Cleo stepped on her toes again to press a soft kiss against James's cheek. "Steve, you can join me inside if you'd like," she invited gently before she stepped away to go inside the house and start on lunch.
Steve released Cleo's hand as she moved away from them and his eyes followed her longingly before he caught Bucky's eyes again. "Here we go, I guess..." he said with a faint laugh.
"I know that look," James smirked, then slowly licked his lips. "I can't wait to explore so many things with the both of you." He turned and bent down to pick up the chains before reaching up and attaching them to the bolts on the roof of the porch.
Steve narrowed his eyes on his friend. "What look?" he asked innocently as he meandered to the other side of the swing to grab the other chains and do as Bucky did.
"You want her," he stated simply, waiting for Steve to finish attaching the chain before bending to pick up the swing. "It was all over your face."
"I..." Steve began, but he knew there was really no getting that past Bucky. "I think that Cleo is a beautiful woman. She... she kind of reminds me of Peggy," he shared with a soft sigh. "She says what's on her mind. She's strong, passionate..."
"She's stubborn like Peggy," James chuckled. "But I love that woman with everything I have. Just like I love you."
Steve chuckled at Bucky's description of Peggy and Cleo. His smile softened, though, as his friend continued. "I guess the idea that... you could love two people at the same time never occurred to me." He has been in love with two people; Peggy and Bucky. He just never thought he could have both. "Are you sure about... sharing her?" he asked a little more tentatively.
James grinned as he attached the chain to the side of the swing he held. "I am. We'll be sharing you too, just as much as she is sharing me. I assume you would want to revisit what we used to do, after all." He didn't know where his boldness was coming from, but he was going with it.
Steve hadn't considered that... he would be part of the sharing also. Cleo could have him if she wanted him. He closed his eyes and blushed as Bucky reminded him of their intimacy. "I... just might," he affirmed, however shyly. "Honestly, I've done more with you than I have with anyone else."
He walked over to the other side of the swing, happy that Steve hand grabbed and held it. James attached the chains before daring to boldly lean over and kiss his cheek. "I'm looking forward to it. I've even gotten Cleo into a bit of the more exciting things."
Steve blushed at the kiss on his cheek and his brows raised as Bucky's comment drew his attention. "You have?" he asked, surprised. "Wow... you really did meet the perfect woman."
James couldn't help but smirk. "I didn't rush her, and I kept her in mind the entire time, but she says she rather enjoys it." He walked around and tentatively sat on the swing, testing if it could hold his weight. "Who knows, she could end up liking more."
"You'll have to tell me what she likes. Or, I guess... I could find out for myself," Steve said, blushing again. He dropped his head and ran his hand over his face. "I hope I eventually stop blushing."
"You will. It didn't take you long to stop blushing with me," he recalled, then patted the space beside him. "Everything is new for all of us. We have to learn what we all like."
Steve moved around the swing and carefully lowered himself onto it next to Bucky. "I guess I didn't realize until now just how much time I spent as Captain America. Being this... image. I had to have hope when nobody else did. Cap did," he shared. He sat back and looked out at the beautiful trees and hills that hid the house. "Steve got lost. But with you I can feel him again."
James nodded as he slowly began to move the swing back and forth. "I didn't feel like I knew myself at all until you started piecing me back together. Then I met Cleo. She rescued me from the darkness." He looked over at Steve before nudging his shoulder with his own. "You can still be Cap and Steve you know."
What a novel concept. "That feels easier to do now that I have you back," he shared, turning his head to meet Bucky's eyes. "And I have to admit... I do like having a girl to spoil."
"I do too," he agreed easily. "Our girl saves lives every day. She deserves to be spoiled."
"Our girl," Steve echoed, trying the words out for himself. "I like how that sounds." He allowed the quiet to settle for a moment as he sighed softly. He glanced back at the door then and smiled softly. "Speaking of, should we go check in on lunch?"
James chuckled. "Possibly." He stopped the swing with a smile. "Let's go check on our girl."
Cleo stood in the kitchen finishing up making sandwiches for lunch as she heard the boys' footsteps move into the house. "Who's there?" she asked in a sing-song voice, knowing exactly who it was. "I hope it's two hungry soldiers."
Steve's face lit up, albeit a little nervously and he exhaled a soft chuckle. "Reporting for duty, ma'am," he replied in his old fashioned way.
James smirked at the way Cleo quickly blushed, hearing Steve's greeting. It seems Steve isn't the only one that is nervous. He walked over to the fridge and got out a couple bottles of water before turning and handing one to Steve.
Steve accepted the water and moved to sit at the table beside Bucky as Cleo brought over their plates.
Cleo set a plate down in front of James and leaned down to press a kiss against his cheek. She moved over to Steve then and rested his plate in front of him before she leaned in to press a kiss to his cheek as well.
Steve's face blushed and he chuckled softly at himself. "Thank you, Cleo."
"You're welcome, handsome," she replied as she retrieved her own plate and walked over to the table to sit with them.
James nudged Steve playfully as he began eating his sandwich. "Are you headed back to the clinic after lunch, doll?" He asked. "Or are you home for the day?"
Cleo took a bite of her sandwich, eyes resting on James. "I'm home at least for a few hours. I'll run back later tonight to make sure everyone is settled in," she shared. "I was hoping maybe we could spend some time together."
"Of course," James smiled. "What would you like to do? Do you have anything in mind?"
"Nothing specific in mind. I'd like to get to know Steve more," Cleo shared, turning her gaze to smile at the blonde man.
Steve offered her a warm smile. "I'd like that too," Steve agreed before he took another bite of his sandwich.
"You already know him quite well," Cleo added as she turned her eyes to James and she nudged him a little under the table.
James chuckled and nodded as he wiped mayo from the corner of his mouth. "Yes, I do. Do you want time alone? Or do you want me to stick around? I can always work on the downstairs bathroom if you want time with each other."
Cleo shifted her gaze to Steve and held his blue eyes. "Why don't you give us a little time and then we'll invite you up?" she proposed, angling her head so that she could look between the two of them. "If that's okay with Steve, of course."
Steve shrugged as he finished the last bite of his sandwich. "I don't mind. It'd be nice to get to know you too," he smiled.
James grinned. "It's settled then."
Cleo smiled and bit her lip lightly. "Okay, great," she agreed, reaching out to take James's hand. She pulled it to her lips and pressed a few kisses there. "Could you clean up from lunch, baby?"
"Sure," he answered as he ran his thumb along her lower lip. "Dishwasher, right?"
Cleo nodded, smile never fading. "You know what to do," she assured him before she released his hand. She turned to glance at Steve and as she met his eyes, she stood to get up from her chair. "Shall we?"
Steve nodded and stood up before offering his hand out to her. "Lead the way," he said softly.