Outside MCA #4, Tuesday Evening

[shapethecentury]

Bucky was getting pretty okay about maneuvering his daily life with just the one arm, and yet situations could still very much catch him off-guard with how much easier they would've been to get through with two.

Like, say, right now: he had a six pack of generic beer in a bag that was hanging off the crook of his elbow, and he was balancing a family size pizza box with his hand. So far so good, he'd made it from town all the way to Jesse's door without dropping anything, or sending the pizza careening all around in its box.

Just, now that he was at Jesse's door, what was he supposed to knock or ring the door bell with? Without setting any of this crap down, that was.

"Jesse?"

He didn't have faith that calling for her through the door would work, but he was still gonna see if he got lucky. Less of a hassle if he did.

[ooc: For the lady with the two hands, natch.]

Comments

[weirderthanthou]

"I can see that."

She made a very strong effort not to smile.

[shapethecentury]

Would've been fine if she had.

Especially since Bucky didn't seem to be paying attention in the first place. He repeated the process with another can, getting so far as almost setting it down in front of her before hesitating, visibly.

[weirderthanthou]

Jesse-- reached for the can. "Thanks."

[shapethecentury]

"Thought maybe I should've asked," Bucky said, by way of explanation.

Half apologetic.

[weirderthanthou]

"I like beer," Jesse told him, amused. "Thank you."

[shapethecentury]

"Still," Bucky said, with half (a quarter of?) a shrug, then finally pulled out a chair for himself.

[weirderthanthou]

"I forgive you, James," Jesse said (had some fondness crept in with the amusement). "It was hard, but I got there."

[shapethecentury]

Bucky didn't look amused, just quiet.

"I don't want to assume," he said, as he sat down heavily.

[weirderthanthou]

Jesse's smile softened. "I know," she said.

She took a sip of the beer. Demonstrative? Maybe, but only a little bit.

[shapethecentury]

Bucky's own pull was more something automatic. He considered the can, after.

"Can't even get drunk anymore," he said. Not that that would have been the goal of pizza-and-beer anyway, but. You know. Just came to mind. "I ever tell you that?"

[weirderthanthou]

"I don't think so," Jesse said. She frowned, taking another sip. "Do you miss it?"

[shapethecentury]

Bucky considered for the length of another sip. And then while nudging the pizza box open, revealing a fairly generic pizza. Sauce, meat, mozzarella. That sort of thing.

"Popular way to relax, for soldiers," he said, finally. "Back in my day."

[weirderthanthou]

Jesse reached for a slice. "I've heard," she said.

[shapethecentury]

Bucky gave that a vague nod. "I guess I just miss the habit."

Missed the concept of relaxing, too, but that was too depressing to say out loud right now.

[weirderthanthou]

"The drinking or the getting drunk?" Jesse asked, settling back. She took a bite of her slice.

[shapethecentury]

"Either."

Sort of.

He watched her like he was checking to see if she thought the pizza was okay, although he tried not to be obvious about it.

"Never was really one to get, like... fully sauced, or anything."

[weirderthanthou]

Jesse wasn't really aware of the scrutiny. It was pizza, she was content. She swallowed, tilting her head.

"What were you like?" she said. "Like. How sauced did you get? What would you do to relax?"

[shapethecentury]

"Before or during?" Bucky asked in return, setting his beer aside to reach for a slice of his own. "War, I mean. Because those were two very different beasts."

[weirderthanthou]

Jesse chewed on that question.

"Before," she said finally. "I don't think you've told me much about that."

[shapethecentury]

No, he had not.

Bucky's expression immediately went a little wry. He was quiet for a moment, mulling it over. Like he was taking the question seriously.

"Back then... I have to say dates." Yeah. Yeah, he found that hard to reconcile with his present self, too. "And dancing, 'cause that was big back then. Dancing on dates, too. Didn't really get sauced at all for those, either."

[weirderthanthou]

"Is it bad if I say I have a hard time picturing you dancing on dates?" Jesse wondered. She took a sip of her beer. "I mean. Of course you probably got plenty of dates. But you know what I mean."

[shapethecentury]

Bucky gestured vaguely in the general area of his face and the tired unkemptness of it, with his pizza slice.

"Probably picturing the wrong one."

[weirderthanthou]

"Wrong one?"

[shapethecentury]

"I wasn't... this, then."

Rude of you to put so much on a simple 'this', Buck.

[weirderthanthou]

"Well, you were definitely younger," Jesse said, her mouth shifting briefly into a wry, lopsided smile.