staring_problem | (no subject)

I could go by my middle name? [ He shrugs and shoves another bite of bagel in his mouth. It's a thought for the future. He'll get to it. ]

What about you? [ He gives him a look. ]

Grant could work. [He nods, sipping at his coffee] It's just the right kind of pretentious without being too try-hard.

[His brow furrows at the question, not entirely sure how to interpret that particular look, he's getting better at it, but it's rarely an exact science] What about me, what?

What are you going to do? [ He could mean with the rest of today. He could mean for the next six months. Steve's curious where Bucky's mind is at because they're talking about Steve's future but not Bucky's. ]

Besides look after my hungover self.

[He can't help but smile at that, just a little] That's all I've on the schedule for today, actually.

[The smile goes wry, one brow lifting for a moment] Which is better than the 'maybe watch TV' that was on it before.

[ He rolls his eyes a little bit. ] I don't need you to babysit me. I'm sober now and just feeling kind of awful.

[ Which is pretty common for him so Steve's not that bothered by it. He can get through the day without Bucky hovering. ]

You should go out and do something.

Such as? [There's that incredulous brow-arch again]

You should know by now I'm not really a daytime outings kind of guy.

You went and got breakfast. [ It's a small thing but it matters. ] I bet I'll be fine by lunch. We could go out somewhere.

Getting bagels is an errand, not an outing. They aren't the same thing.

[He's unfortunately serious about that fact, but if asked he probably won't have an explanation as to the difference.]

But if you've got somewhere you want to see, we can figure it out.

[ Steve's doing his best to drag Bucky back into the world. ]

Let's go to the Met. And then get some lunch. Unless you want to see a different museum?

[He nods, because really it's less about being out in the world and more about someone always keeping tabs on him when he's not at home. It's not paranoia if they really are watching your every move, or something like that.] Sure, Met works, lot of good places around there to eat, too.

[A thoughtful little sound, sipping his coffee again] I think they've still got the Geddings Gray collection Fabergé eggs on display. [A head shake, grabbing another bagel and spread, talking as he went about preparing seconds] It's only three of them, but it's still a collection, and there's always something going on at the Met, not like we'll show up and there won't be anything to look at.

[ One of these days Steve will figure out how to ditch that tail so they can have a nice day out without an audience. ] We can always check.

[ He looks around for a second and then sighs. ] I left my phone on the couch. Hang on.

[ Time to go dig it out from between the couch cushions where he was wallowing in his hungover misery. ]

[Bucky can definitely give him some pointers on that one, the fact that they've only worked on his own tail a handful of times is irrelevant.] You want a second coffee?

[Since he's getting up to get one himself, he can refill Steve's mug at the same time, it's only fair.]

Yeah, I'm going to need it. [ He shoves his bagel in his mouth to bring with him as he pops up and goes to get his phone from the couch.

When he comes back he's got the Met page open and he's looking through the listed galleries. ] Ooh, there's a new sculpture exhibit. It looks good.

[It takes about the same amount of time for Bucky to finish with the coffee refills, turning from the counter with a mug in each hand as Steve returns] Sure, start there, keep going until we get hungry, then go get some lunch.

[He sets Steve's mug down before sitting back down with his own] Sounds like an afternoon. [Despite the bland tone, he is actually interested it's just that actual emoting -besides 'total sarcasm'- is something he's still getting used to.]

[ Steve reaches for the coffee blindly and drags it over. He scrolls through his phone with one hand while taking a sip. ]

Oh, they've got a whole exhibit about Berenice Abbot's photos! [ He turns his phone so Bucky can see. ] A whole album from 1929! That's going to be great. Abbot was one of the first photographic artists. I've seen her Paris stuff but not New York.

[ Now, he's really excited, hangover pushed back to be ignored. ]

[He can't help the smile that settles into place, he likes seeing Steve excited, regardless of the circumstances, because while art and photography -and the intersections between the two- have never been Bucky's thing, they're undeniably Steve's, and that excitement is infectious] So what you're saying is that we'll be there a while so you can explain the movement to me.

[It's not a complaint, far from it, he actually enjoys it quite a bit when Steve flips over into what Bucky refers to -to himself at least- as 'professor mode' because the explanations aren't condescending, or even disbelieving that Bucky doesn't already know about the things Steve's excited about.]

It's great. I think you'll like it. She took a lot of pictures of everyday people and poor people especially. Seriously. [ Steve's a passionate guy whether it's about art or the things he believes in. This is the good kind of excitement where he won't get into a fight over things. ] And if you don't like it, I promise we can go make fun of modern art.

[ Because he wants Bucky to have fun when they go see art. He wants him to enjoy it because he knows Bucky's doing it for him. ]

[Even if it does turn into the other kind it's probably not the first time anyone's been thrown out of the Met for brawling, though Bucky's pretty sure that isn't something they'll have to worry about, at least this visit.] We can always do that afterwards anyway.

[He shakes his head, hiding a smile in his coffee again] People need to stop asking if aliens helped build the pyramids and start asking if they helped Rothko with his enormous brushstrokes. [Despite the fact that the statement is in his usual level tone, it's definitely a joke, or something like one, but likewise the kind of thing he'll say within earshot of strangers just to see what the reaction is.]

[ Steve rolls his eyes but he's smiling because Bucky remembered an artist and what they're known for. Which means he was probably listening to one of Steve's ramblings the last time they went to the Met. ] All you need is a big brush for something like a Rothko.

Besides, we know aliens didn't help with the pyramids. They're more interested in tearing them down.

[He definitely retains some things some of the time, though that particular instance was because it wasn't always large strokes but long ones, and that was something that Bucky had compared to people who did classic car detailing, who could maintain a steady hand for yards at a time, even while the rest of them was moving]

Yeah, that's... true, actually. [He shakes his head, sipping at his coffee once more] Makes me wonder what aliens have against landmarks.

It's part of the psychological aspect of warfare. It really hurts people's spirits if the things they treasure and look up to are gone. [ He shrugs like they're not talking about anything important. That's what aliens are these days. Just another bad guy. ]

But we're not going to worry about that today. We've got bagels and plans!

[He'd mostly been joking, or at least attempting to, clearly tone is something that still needs work.

Either way he nods at the follow-up, making a half-toast towards Steve with what's left of the bagel in his hand.] Which is better than we used to do, with just plans. And usually only half of one of those.

You don't think we're going to make up where we're going to eat? [ Steve raises a challenging eyebrow at him. ] Because I don't have a place in mind? Just not the Met cafeteria. It's way too overpriced.

[He shakes his head, looking grim for a moment] Definitely not the cafeteria. But there's pretty much any other kind of food you could want within a block, block and a half of the place, depending which direction you go.

You been itching for anything in particular?

[ He thinks about it for a moment while chewing on his last bite of bagel. ]

Soup dumplings. Dim sum. Something different from pizza and our usual Chinese order.