Free, or Six Scenes from a Life (Barnes/Rogers)
Six.
Steve still struggles with the pronouns.
Ze forgives him for that since he tries so hard, but sometimes, it hurts more than ze'd like to admit.
Two.
Jamie cuts hir hair into a soft pixie style one afternoon, the first step toward molding hir's body into something far less foreign; Steve smiles when he sees it, brushing a stray lock from hir's eyes and asking, “Do I call you beautiful or handsome?”
“Beautiful works.”
The kiss is gentle, and Steve keeps their foreheads together when they part.
One.
Steve's glad Bruce is here.
“I just... can you explain it again?” he asks.
Bucky growls. “I should have known... you're just... Fuck,” he bites out and slams himself away from the table, nearly to the door where Tony stops him with a hand.
“Take a breath, big guy. Another. Keep doing that.” Okay, so Steve is glad Tony is as well, especially when he manages to get the man back into a chair.
“You gotta let me figure it out,” Steve says, hesitantly, a few moments later, “I'm not being one of those bigots from home, Buck, I just gotta get it into terms I understand. And...” he swallows thickly, “how I'm supposed to treat you.”
“Meaning?”
“Well, you're gonna keep calling me a punk, I know that, but do I still call you jerk?”
It's simple, it's nothing, but Bucky licks his lips and replies, “I'm still me, you mook.”
Five.
Sometimes Steve wakes up in the middle of the night. He doesn't really know what wakes him, but when he rolls over and Jamie's hair brushes his lips, zir's legs tangling in with his without zir waking, his heart beats a little faster and he's glad for those precious moments.
Four.
It's a tee shirt and skinny jeans day, only because ze hasn't shaved in days so the maxi skirt is out.
The Tower is quiet: Thor is off with his Jane and her Darcy—those crazy Asgardians—and Bruce is out with Natasha; Tony and Pepper have been enjoying fairly rigorous make up sex following a series of spectacular arguments about the Iron Man suit, sequestering themselves to their floor. Phil, Clint, and Phil's team are doing something covert on an upper level, which could either be coordinating a take down of a HYDRA cell or planning a surprise birthday party for Hill and Fury.
Which all goes to say that when Steve walks into the movie room (aka the second living room that houses walls and walls of Blu-Rays, DVDs, and CDs) it's with the knowledge that they are, delightfully, alone.
“Hey, sailor.”
“That's the Navy.”
Jamie rolls hir eyes. “Go with the spirit of it, will ya?” ze says, “Get over here and decide what we're gonna watch. It's either Spaceballs, Serenity, or Skyfall.”
Ze has decided to spend each month watching films of a particular letter. This month, apparently, is 'S'.
Steve tells zir, “Spaceballs. I don't think I can effectively snuggle when you're cursing technique at the TV.”
“It was one time!”
“It's every time.”
“Shut up and get over here before I decide I'd rather kick you in the balls than suck 'em.”
The blush lights Steve's face from neck to hairline.
Three.
Barton doesn't make the transition easy: he runs from the room when Jamie appears and he's tense through team meals and movie nights. Things are fine in the field, thankfully, but after a while, after Steve's watched how it makes Jamie grouchy, he decides he needs to intervene.
Phil intercepts him in the elevator; he looks up at the floor numbers for a second, before slapping the emergency stop. JARVIS, apparently in on this, doesn't speak up.
“Clint was born female,” Steve is told then, Phil still looking straight ahead, “He had a hard time accepting himself and his brother did not make it easier.” He turns, faces Steve, “Seeing Jamie deal with this is bringing up memories.”
“Oh.”
(Later that week, Clint is curled up on the couch when Jamie comes into the room. Ze's wearing a white spring dress, eyelet fabric, with well worn combat boots and a stroke of mascara, none of which makes zir think twice about plopping down in the chair next to Clint with a leg tossed over the arm.
“Whatcha watching?”
“Kinky Boots.” Clint glances up at zir, twitches, and says, “You'll like it.”)