[The scruffy looking one, she says. Yup, that's the one. He ducks his head and gives a bashful little smile.]
"Great, thanks. I appreciate it, ma'am."
[He gives her a little wink as he heads off. He doesn't look back, but he can feel her gaze still lingering. He lets himself shake off the feeling once he walks past the doors. It's just a few steps before Bucky's in sight and Steve lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding.]
"Hey, Buck."
[He turns the officers nearby and they stand up just a bit straighter. One officer tries to hold back a smile, while the other seems to be sizing Steve up. He takes a few minutes to talk to them, make casual conversation. It goes on a little longer than he'd like, but he finally manages to defrost the second officer. He offers to give a few autographs after bailing Bucky out, and that seems to appease them.
They step outside, and as Steve hears the sound of scurrying, he figures he'll have more than a few things to sign before they leave. When he finally turns back to Bucky, he shrugs his shoulders.]
"So, what was this about me hugging you? 'Cause so far, a bar fight doesn't seem very hug-worthy."
[Bucky raises his head when Steve comes through the door. He’s used to this: people talking around but not directly to him. He appreciates being acknowledged before the schmoozing starts, but it still reminds him a bit of HYDRA.
When Steve turns toward him, Bucky shrugs, looking away.]
I called you. Thought that counted for something.
[A few months ago, he would have let himself sit in jail instead of calling for help.]
"Technically, you didn't call. You texted. But still a fair point."
[Steve looks him over a bit and lets out a small tsk. He can still see some blood on his temple, a bit on the lip, and probably dirt on his face as well. He doesn't look bad, but he definitely looks worse than normal.]
"Did you win?"
[He pulls a handkerchief from his back pocket with one hand, and gestures for Bucky to get closer. Sure, it's a little out dated, but it comes in handy at times. He can't wait for them to get home so he can get Bucky cleaned up.]
"You got some blood at on your face. C'mere. Anywhere hurt more than it should?"
[Bucky really isn't that bad off, especially since he can take more of a beating than any one else in the group that decided his face wasn't up to par. As Steve starts cleaning him up, Bucky shakes his head.]
I got jumped by six guys. [Nevermind that he's really trying to keep away from violence since emerging from HYDRA.] There's no winning that fight.
[Either he technically wins and there's six dead people to atone for or he takes a beating and wins on a different metric while losing the fight.]
[Steve goes quiet at that. Six? He takes a deep breath in through his nose, and hands Bucky the handkerchief. He has half a mind to go out there and start raising hell.
SIX?! If it were any other person that could be attempted murder! The only reason they're still alive, is because Bucky has enough self control for the both of them. The more Steve thinks about it, the more furious he becomes.
SIX.]
"You keep cleaning up. I'm going to go...have a chat with...someone."
[He can practically feel the thread his control is hanging off of snap. If he goes out there, he's raising hell. Bucky's going to have to be the one to bail him out. Maybe they should call Stark, or Pepper.]
Steve. [Bucky tries to say something, but the bruising on his jaw has started to really hurt. He's not about to try and start a fight with anyone else tonight. Hell, if they still want to put him behind bars, he won't argue with them. He's far too tired to deal with all of that.
However, he's pretty sure Steve won't let him sit behind bars.]
Steve.
[Don't do this, he wants to say. I'm not worth it, he wants to follow up with, but the swelling in his jaw is silencing him.]
[When people say 'it takes everything inside him to...' most of the time they don't understand, but not Steve. He's given everything inside him, and more, several times over, but when he hears Bucky call out to him...
He's back there, keeping the chopper from flying away, holding onto the railing for dear life. He can feel his muscles tear and heal, tear and heal as he tries to bring it down.
He's right back there again, except this time he's in the police station downtown and the chopper is his own anger. And Bucky?
He takes a deep breath, then turns around.]
"I can't just let them do this to ya. It's not right."
[Instead of leaving, though, he goes back and inspects Bucky's jaw. His body needing to do something.]
"What did they tell you? They pressin' charges? Do we need to get Pepper down here?"
He’s in for disorderly conduct, Captain. [One of the officers provides and Bucky sighs quietly. He could break out of these cuffs in an instant but he doesn’t want to cause more trouble.]
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"Great, thanks. I appreciate it, ma'am."
[He gives her a little wink as he heads off. He doesn't look back, but he can feel her gaze still lingering. He lets himself shake off the feeling once he walks past the doors. It's just a few steps before Bucky's in sight and Steve lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding.]
"Hey, Buck."
[He turns the officers nearby and they stand up just a bit straighter. One officer tries to hold back a smile, while the other seems to be sizing Steve up. He takes a few minutes to talk to them, make casual conversation. It goes on a little longer than he'd like, but he finally manages to defrost the second officer. He offers to give a few autographs after bailing Bucky out, and that seems to appease them.
They step outside, and as Steve hears the sound of scurrying, he figures he'll have more than a few things to sign before they leave. When he finally turns back to Bucky, he shrugs his shoulders.]
"So, what was this about me hugging you? 'Cause so far, a bar fight doesn't seem very hug-worthy."
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When Steve turns toward him, Bucky shrugs, looking away.]
I called you. Thought that counted for something.
[A few months ago, he would have let himself sit in jail instead of calling for help.]
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[Steve looks him over a bit and lets out a small tsk. He can still see some blood on his temple, a bit on the lip, and probably dirt on his face as well. He doesn't look bad, but he definitely looks worse than normal.]
"Did you win?"
[He pulls a handkerchief from his back pocket with one hand, and gestures for Bucky to get closer. Sure, it's a little out dated, but it comes in handy at times. He can't wait for them to get home so he can get Bucky cleaned up.]
"You got some blood at on your face. C'mere. Anywhere hurt more than it should?"
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I got jumped by six guys. [Nevermind that he's really trying to keep away from violence since emerging from HYDRA.] There's no winning that fight.
[Either he technically wins and there's six dead people to atone for or he takes a beating and wins on a different metric while losing the fight.]
Nothing that won't heal on its own.
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SIX?! If it were any other person that could be attempted murder! The only reason they're still alive, is because Bucky has enough self control for the both of them. The more Steve thinks about it, the more furious he becomes.
SIX.]
"You keep cleaning up. I'm going to go...have a chat with...someone."
[He can practically feel the thread his control is hanging off of snap. If he goes out there, he's raising hell. Bucky's going to have to be the one to bail him out. Maybe they should call Stark, or Pepper.]
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However, he's pretty sure Steve won't let him sit behind bars.]
Steve.
[Don't do this, he wants to say. I'm not worth it, he wants to follow up with, but the swelling in his jaw is silencing him.]
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He's back there, keeping the chopper from flying away, holding onto the railing for dear life. He can feel his muscles tear and heal, tear and heal as he tries to bring it down.
He's right back there again, except this time he's in the police station downtown and the chopper is his own anger. And Bucky?
He takes a deep breath, then turns around.]
"I can't just let them do this to ya. It's not right."
[Instead of leaving, though, he goes back and inspects Bucky's jaw. His body needing to do something.]
"What did they tell you? They pressin' charges? Do we need to get Pepper down here?"
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You don’t gotta get anyone involved.