Chapter Four
The A/C bit at his bare skin, taunting and twisting around him. Bucky kept his eyes down until Tony whistled.
"Daaaaamn," he drawled, yet his tone wasn't mocking or horrified. It was impressed? Bucky glanced at himself. If you ignored the scars and the missing limb, he didn't look awful. Bucky still exercised a shit ton.
Steve looked like he'd just silently choked.
"Alright," Tony shook his head distractedly. "Alright. Let's figure out your dimensions, big guy, so we can get this partay started. JARVIS, lights."
"Yes sir. Would you like me to bring up Project Soldier?" A disembodied British voice inquired. Bukcy startled, searching the now lit room for the speaker.
"Yeah. I have Just A Rather Very Intelligent System in my lab. He's AI." Tony explained. Bucky nodded shortly, flicking his t-shirt over his shoulder and following Tony towards the tables.
"Ms. Potts wants me to remind you that you have a date with her in an hour." JARVIS notified Tony. Steve's lips quirked into an amused smile, and Bucky slowed. It wasn't directed at him, but he noted how a smile changed Steve's face from noteworthy to downright wonderful. It wasn't something he could remember thinking about someone - er, somedemon - what was his life? He shook his head. Just because Steve was handsome didn't mean he had to notice it. He focused on Tony, fiddling with screens and tools, beckoning briefly at Bucky.
Bucky advanced, and Tony tossed him a handheld thingie. Bucky caught it. "Measure your arm, yeah?" Tony said. Bucky raised an eyebrow. JARVIS spoke up: "Sir." Tony looked back and realized his mistake, but as he fumbled for words, Steve stepped up and held out a hand for the device so matter of factly that Bucky handed over the device without realizing.
"May I?" Steve murmured. Bucky shrugged. Steve took that for a yes and stepped close. He began tracing the device over Bucky's shoulder, a look of concentration on his face. His eyes had dimmed to an almost mahogany shade of red, and he pressed his lips together lightly, his eyebrows furrowed. He slowly moved it over Bucky's skin, precise, methodical.
What would it be like to kiss a demon? Bucky wondered all of a sudden. He looked away abruptly, berating himself sharply. What the hell was he thinking? Bucky kept his eyes up like military training had taught him as Steve grabbed his hand and held it up for the device, but his awareness was sharply focused on the soft roughness of Steve's hands, the gentle way he cradled Bucky's arm as if it were precious, the warm seeping between them. When he made himself snap out of it, he saw he was looking at a screen mirroring him with glowing instructions blipping under his image.
Steve didn't have to look at the screen though. Bucky grimaced. Steve and Tony obviously knew each other, and Steve had known about Tony's project. Steve had probably brought tons of other blown up vets here. Bucky wasn't special or unique or crap. He was just another thing to be fixed. Maybe Steve thought an arm would make Bucky feel like sticking around, make his job easier. This wasn't a gesture, it was a bargain with strings attached.
Bucky had to get his head straightened out. Straight-ened. Hah. As if Bucky was ever gonna be straight. Ever since Grant, he'd known he was bi. Bucky squinted at Steve. Like Grant, he was smaller, almost delicate, but fierce and stubborn. Had - had Steve picked one of Bucky's types? He squinted harder.
"What?" Steve asked quietly. "Are you okay with this?" He still held Bucky's hand. Bucky hesitated. Was he okay with an arm? He'd resigned himself to not having one, and now ...
"You got the measurements?" Tony interrupted. "Come look at your design options. This is my favorite." He pointed out an Ironman-esque arm in red and gold. Steve smirked. Bucky frowned. He wasn't going to be a walking piece of fan-whatever for Tony Stark, even if the guy was giving him an arm for free.
His eyes fell off a sleek and powerful looking silver piece, shifting plates and black lines. -That looked - good. Simple yet ruthless. The kind of thing that might discourage glances.
"That one." He said decisively