Steve had spent a large portion of his adult life with an ear cocked for danger, even when asleep so the fact that he didn’t so much as stir when Bucky slipped out of the room was an indication of just how exhausted the man was. That and the fact that he was sleeping in an insanely uncomfortable chair that even Methuselah would having trouble sleeping in didn’t help either
( ... )
"Aren't you worried about Lukin?" Steve asked suspiciously. Maybe he'd been overly tired last night but Bucky had lead him to believe he was terrified of the Russian. "You can sew? There's a Chinese laundry in town but I don't know if they're hiring." Steve bought most of his clothing from the general store and had no idea if the town even had a tailor or not.
Bucky frowned. He didn’t want to work at a Chinese laundry. He shrugged in response to Steve’s other question. “Don’t got no family, don’t got nowhere else to go. I’d rather not strike all alone in a new town especially with his guys after me. If he really wants to find me, he’ll do it whether or not I’m in town. At least this way, I’ve got you to defend my honor.” He grinned, batting his lashes at the man.
It was a good thing Bucky didn't voice that particular opinion or he would have found himself being pinned with a disapproving look. "Really? You don't want the chance at a fresh start and a new life somewhere else?"
He asked doubtfully. Especially since Bucky's next words had wariness creeping through the blond man. Steve set down what remained of his second helping of bread and ham with a serious look on his face. "Don't say things like that. I'm committed to upholding the laws of this town and I'd rather not have to hang you for baiting Lukin or his men into attacking you only so you can try and take them out.
“Hang me? That’d be a hangin’ offense?” He shrugged. “Good to know. Not that I’d do it.” Like he would ever be so petty. “I can also do some basic leatherwork. Very basic...”
"You deliberately baiting people into attacking them would be if your only motivation was gunning them down in the street would be." Steve pointed out direly. It wasn't a charitable opinion of the man but they had met after Bucky shot another man dead so could you blame him? "Maybe the livery stable is looking for someone then."
"Uh huh. Well, like I said, I ain't really that type of person." Like how he wasn't the kind of person who would shoot a man in the back. "That sounds good." Much better than working the laundry, at any rate. That wasn't exactly the kind of work where he could reassert his masculinity.
"Alright then, I'll see what I can do, Mr. Barnes." After eating the last sandwich, Steve dug into his slice of pie with much more care and relish. "So, is there anything you can tell me about Lukin that'll help me take him down and thereby save your bacon from the fire?"
He started on his own dessert, thinking it over. "Maybe it'd be best to talk to Natasha about that, since she's on the inside 'n' all." Or maybe he could talk to her about it. He wouldn't mind spending more time with the gorgeous redhead.
"If it's not too much trouble, maybe you could schedule a time for us to meet. If it's not too much trouble for you, what with your already doin' so much for me." He gave the man a gracious smile. Bucky Barnes was quite the skilled manipulator, though he wasn't always that way. He became that way because he had to, even just to survive.
"I wasn't suggest throwing you to the wolves or anything, I just thought maybe you'd heard something." And though Steve wouldn't say it out loud, he was worried about getting Natasha anymore embroiled in Lukin's affairs.
The blond sheriff didn't smile back or seemed like he was going to take the bait. "I'm only doing the Christian thing, Mr. Barnes. But that being said, don't try and play me like one of your clients. Alright?"
His own smile vanished almost instantly. How was Steve catching on to him so quickly? Alright, that was a stupid question. The man dealt with criminals for a living. Just because he came across as sweet and innocent didn’t mean he was naïve. Bucky nodded slowly, signaling his understanding. “Understood, sir.”
"Thank you," he said, the model of civility. Once Steve finished off his pie, he gathered up the dishes so he could wash them. His prickly landlady couldn't abide any kind of mess or dirty dishes left around.
Bucky finished off his own dessert and went with Steve to help wash the dishes. Maybe it was because guilt over having been caught or the need to show that he could be good, too, or maybe it was something else that compelled him to help the man. "Does she leave dinner for you often?"
He shot him a small smile when Bucky moved to dry the dishes Steve was washing. "Uh, yes, when it looks like I'm going to miss dinner she'll usually put something back for me."
Which happened at least a couple of times a week, if he were to be honest. "Knowing I'll have a meal waiting for me when I get off is a major reason I'm still here rather than having taken up the offer for the use of the house they usually set aside for the sheriff. A unmarried fellow like me, it doesn't really make much sense to use a whole household when my room here suits me fine."
He caught that small smile and returned it. It took conscious effort to keep his smile from widening as Steve began talking about his life. Unmarried, huh? Was he trying to tell him something? Highly unlikely. The guy seemed pretty clueless when it came to romance...among other things. Which begged the question whose jewelry was it in his drawer? Bucky found himself curious, wanting to know more about the man.
“’m not married, either,” he offered. “Obviously. Wouldn’t mind being one day, if I could find the right gal. Don’t see why you aren’t, though. Married to your work or what?” Give and take. He offered up a bit about himself in hopes of getting Steve to open up more.
A troubled look flickered across the man's face when Bucky asked him why he wasn't married. "There was this one girl back home. We met in the middle of the war. I was going to ask her to marry me once we got out of it but she didn't make it." The war had been over for years, that was a hell of a long time to mourn a girl but maybe he was the kind of guy that only got one change at love and couldn't bring himself to try again.
Once the dishes were cleaned, he went to place them in their appropriate places.
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He asked doubtfully. Especially since Bucky's next words had wariness creeping through the blond man. Steve set down what remained of his second helping of bread and ham with a serious look on his face. "Don't say things like that. I'm committed to upholding the laws of this town and I'd rather not have to hang you for baiting Lukin or his men into attacking you only so you can try and take them out.
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"If it's not too much trouble, maybe you could schedule a time for us to meet. If it's not too much trouble for you, what with your already doin' so much for me." He gave the man a gracious smile. Bucky Barnes was quite the skilled manipulator, though he wasn't always that way. He became that way because he had to, even just to survive.
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The blond sheriff didn't smile back or seemed like he was going to take the bait. "I'm only doing the Christian thing, Mr. Barnes. But that being said, don't try and play me like one of your clients. Alright?"
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Which happened at least a couple of times a week, if he were to be honest. "Knowing I'll have a meal waiting for me when I get off is a major reason I'm still here rather than having taken up the offer for the use of the house they usually set aside for the sheriff. A unmarried fellow like me, it doesn't really make much sense to use a whole household when my room here suits me fine."
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“’m not married, either,” he offered. “Obviously. Wouldn’t mind being one day, if I could find the right gal. Don’t see why you aren’t, though. Married to your work or what?” Give and take. He offered up a bit about himself in hopes of getting Steve to open up more.
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Once the dishes were cleaned, he went to place them in their appropriate places.
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