The Best Friends to More Meme

[disassembling]

the best friends to more meme

There's nothing in this world quite like a true, blue best friend that you can rely on. They've been with you through thick and thin, good and bad. You want to have fun? They're the first person you look for, because they always know how to bring the best out in you. You need a shoulder to cry on? Don't worry, they're already here. You need to bury a body? ...you should probably reconsider your priorities, but you know your best friend will be there with a shovel and a smile. You'd never ruin this friendship for ANYTHING in the world.

Something's brewing that may do just that, though. One of you has feelings, has for a long time, and that spells trouble. Unless you keep that to yourself and remain platonic, of course. Repression in this case might be a good thing.

Only it's too late. The cat's out of the bag, whether it's by confession or by accident. What to do, what to do? If feelings aren't returned, can you turn down a friend, or will you force something that isn't there just to make them happy? If feelings are returned, will you risk changing the perfect thing you have?

Comments

[disassembling]

"I can't say that it bothers me," he said with a small shrug of his shoulders. He was far more pleased that she had been given the opportunity that she deserved after so long being teased and beaten down based on her size and refusal to back down from challenging against wrong. "I think I like the surprise better," he remarked before flashing another smile at her. "Besides, I wouldn't have believed I would be looking you in the eye even if you'd hinted at it. That sort of thing requires seeing for believing."

He supposed that he should have found this sort of situation awkward spilling his guts in a letter like that, but he knew better by now. He'd turned down a few girls himself and out here where life was not a guarantee, it seemed fitting that he declared his feelings. "It really doesn't matter what they thought about us because we had each other and our opinions of each other were all that mattered," he said as he rested his chin on his knees. "Do you think you could love me in return someday? Maybe after you wrap up this whole war thing?"

[eleutheria]

There’s a light chuckle at that, of course it doesn’t bothers him, she was sure that it wouldn’t since it was him and he always made a lot of exceptions with her, but she still had to apologize and all with him since she didn’t wanted to feel as if she was taking advantage of that little aspect of their dynamic –even though she sometimes kind of did, but with little things. “And what a surprise it was I suppose, at least you were spared the sight of seeing me as a bit of a chorus girl.”

She stays quiet then because he was right, they had never cared or minded what everyone thought about them or any opinion they had, if they had let such things get to them well they wouldn’t have lasted this long together, any comments just slid by and it was just there never getting past the bubble of their shared world. There’s a small sigh and she looks up at him, pondering on his questions before taking a deep breath. “…No.” Slowly she rests her hands over her lap and looks away for a bit. “You can’t ask to have something you already have, Buck.”

[disassembling]

Oh, the idea of her as a chorus girl was really amusing to think about and given how well she had done here saving so many of them, he suspected there was some video of her days dancing around. He'd get to see it; he's sweet talk his way into seeing it from other people and then tease her about it. "Well, not yet anyway. There's always time for enjoying a chorus show."

They were bonded early and inseparable, so he never minded what people said. He enjoyed their friendship and for him that was all that mattered; he and Stephanie had always easily gotten along with each other after all. Yet, her refusal momentarily froze him before she clarified, and he was certain she put it like that just to crush his hope for that split second. "So... being in love in a warzone can't be so bad? Too bad it's still life and death most of the time."

[eleutheria]

And now he’s getting a frown from her part. “No, you’re never seeing that, never.” It will kill whatever good image she might have earned while saving them, she didn’t though being able to manage to learn and not screw up a choreography while wearing a pair of heels and a miniskirt was that impressive, she will also need to get rid of her choir girl outfit before Bucky could see it and try to tease her for it, maybe Peggy could help her with that.

She sighed just a bit and shrugged. “Well it is not a crime.” But then, would that distract them on the field? She still wasn’t even sure if Bucky was going to be allowed back or not, she had heard something about discharge for him and she might still be shipped off somewhere, there were a lot of different probabilities in front of them. “Not a lot of people can, well, have this while being here right? So I guess that means we are lucky.”

Or at least she wanted to think they were.

[disassembling]

"Don't think you can hide those pretty new legs from me. I know how to swindle far better than you do," he said with a smirk that clearly said he was going to do the swindling to get a look now that he knew it bugged her. It was only fair because she had worn it in the first place, and he was her best friend. It was his job to collect all those embarrassing moments to tease her about them.

No, it wasn't a crime. Nurses and soldiers were apparently quite frequent about their trysts, so he couldn't imagine anyone being anything but jealous of them. Once he was a little more rested and ready for deployment, he thought they could maybe catch a mission together. Maybe he could even transfer to whatever unit she was running, being a Captain and all. "I don't think luck has much to do with it," he reflected before scooting down the cot closer to her and leaning in to plant a kiss on her cheek. "We've always had each other."

and mother hen/waifu steph appears

[eleutheria]

She flushed just a bit at the comment about her legs, she really didn’t thought her legs were that worth to mention, never mind how fitting the costume was and the way she saw it, her body was practical for battle and she hadn’t stopped to appreciate or notice if her new appearance was more aesthetically pleasing or not, besides she was also sure part of his motivation was to have further ammo to tease her. “No, really you don’t need to see me parading about in heels and a skirt!”

Actually she was now wondering if there were rules against this kind of relationships, but even if they were she doubted they will be the first ones trying to work around them and why was she even thinking of this? It’s not as if they had changed their relationship from friends to being more, sure they had pretty much exposed feelings but hadn’t gone that far yet. A small smirk appeared on her cheek. “Well geez Barnes, my first kiss and you give me a kiss on the cheek; you sure know how to woo a woman.” She shook her head. “Now you need to get more rest or are you hungry? I could go get something for you.”

LOL she's brilliant to deal with

[disassembling]

He gave her a knowing look but said nothing more on it, aware that he would get to see her in skirt and heels before the day was out. It was now his mission, and he was certain some of the show girls still around would be more than happy to point him in the direction if he winked and flirted a bit. He even thought about showering and cleaning up now that he had opportunity to do so.

He figured there were no rules given she was really the only high ranked military officer who was also a woman. Besides, who was going to tell Captain America she couldn't date someone? The love story would be beautiful in the tabloids back home. He smirked at her chiding. "That wasn't a first kiss, Steph. It has to be on the lips for first kiss." He reached out and caught her chin, cutting off any thought of her wandering away from his bedside as he kissed her full on the lips, putting every effort into making it feel nice and be memorable. "No, I'm fine with you here." He was hungry and still tired, but he didn't care. She was more important.

lol isn't she lovely this lil brooklyn girl

[eleutheria]

She narrowed her eyes at him, oh she knew him alright and she knew he was going to try and find that chorus girl thing, why had she listened and thought it was a good idea to do this? Damn politician that had somehow smooth talked her into it, she didn’t even had hope the rest of the girls will say nothing if Bucky approached them, her only hope was for them to be gone and soon, which they were meant to do anyway since the Fate of the tour was now up in the air.

But now that she thought about rules, she wasn’t sure if they could apply to her since her rank wasn’t exactly military wise and it had been just given for the tour, maybe that will change now that she had managed to bring back all of them. Before she could say something about teasing him and all, she was now actually getting her first kiss, in a tent in the middle of a warzone where anyone could come in and with her best friend, now something she’s not sure of, still recovering and well it wasn’t how she envisioned but it didn’t took away from the importance or what she was feeling at the moment.

Her lips were tingling a bit when he pulled back and just a bit unconsciously, she licked her lips to try and well she didn’t know what, before she focused her attention on him again. “Are you sure? I wouldn’t take too long and I am sure you must be hungry.”

He's going into smooth talk mode. Beware

[disassembling]

James had kissed girls in more public areas, and he thought that anyone who thought to walk in on them deserved to be teased about the whole lip-locking thing. Besides, he wasn't about to complain about anything right now because he was live, just stolen Stephanie's first kiss, and she hadn't refused to date him either. Today was a good day, and he wasn't going to let opportunity pass him by regardless of an open tent camp.

The corner of his lips quirked in a knowing smile when she licked her lips, giving her a wink of approval. His focus was on her though, so he could ignore the cramping of his belly that said he should eat something. Later, he told himself. The isolation ward had made him feel strange after all, and he was still working through the kinks of what they had injected him with.

"Nah, I just had a snack, so I'm good," he said, thinking the kiss was enough to sustain him. "If you wanted to come over and lay down on the cot to keep me warm though, I wouldn't complain about that. It'd be like old times, though I'm still outer spoon."

omg she is not sure how to deal with his smooth talk aimed at her

[eleutheria]

While she was more than aware that he didn’t mind or cared about such displays of affection, hell she had seen him engaging in those before much to her chagrin, well she was different that him and she wasn’t used to such displays considering she never had the chance to get used to it, she had always been overseen and never given a second glance if someone did happened to notice her once, and it’s probable she might not get used to it unless he tries hard to get her used to it.

She flushes just a bit at the wink, how was she supposed to keep up with him? She wasn’t the kind of girls he was used to have around, she wasn’t even sure if she would be able to keep his attention for long or something, and really she should think about stuff like this right now, she didn’t wanted to ruin this moment between them. And she will try to oversee the fact her heart is now beating a bit faster than usual.

“I don’t think a kiss can sustain you for long, Buck, you need actual food.” She ponders on his offer for a bit, it is a rather tempting one, but her ‘take care of him’ instincts are kicking still. “Can I get you something to it and then lay down with you so you can spoon me as long as you want?”

She's pretty much given him permission to flirt with her all the time

[disassembling]

He appreciated the flush that stained her cheeks, finding that he hadn't earned one of them from her in a very long time. Normally flushes came to her face to indicate an asthma attack or after fighting someone in an alleyway, so this was far more pleasant and something to be savoured. She loved him after all, and he loved her, which was pretty much the only excuse to flirt with her and see if she would blossom up before him. He knew she wasn't like the others; she was a keeper after all.

"You'd be surprised how long a kiss can sustain me when I know there's more coming down the line," he replied with his best charming smile for her. He had never used his charms on her, and he was doing it now to see if he could earn more blushing out of her. "You can come and lay down and all will be well, Stevie."

when did she do that?

[eleutheria]

Well she might need to get used to having the look he was currently giving her aimed at her, not that she hadn’t seen it before but yes first time it was meant for her and she was bravely trying not to flush even more, she knew he was probably enjoying it way too much and she didn’t wanted to give him that satisfaction just yet. Somehow she doubted their relationship was going to change that much, except with the fact there might be more smooth talking and flirting from his part, okay and maybe kissing oh…God…how was she going to deal with that!?

And yes her attempts at keeping the flush on her cheeks at bay suffered such a painful and slow death right now, she really thought she was a bit more immune to his charms. “Fine,” She looked down for a bit, trying to hide her face now. “I will lie down with you for a bit, but after that you’re going to get something to eat, alright?”

She said she loved him; that's open season for his charm

[disassembling]

James knew for a fact that she was getting flustered from his looks, and he was amused by that more than anything. After so much fear and pain, it was nice to have something to smile about, something to tease her with. They had been parted many months with little communication with one another, but it was so easy to fall back into old times with her because they knew each other so well. It didn't matter that they loved each other; they were always together regardless of the mutual feelings involved. The war didn't seem like such a bad place now that she was here.

He shifted back on the small cot he had been sleeping in, turning on his side to make room for her as he lifting the flimsy standard issue blanket in the same inviting way he had done when they were kids. "Sure, just a bit," he said with a shrug. He suspected it would be longer than she thought as he planned on snuggling up and getting her some much needed rest as well.

well okay then who would have thought that was all that was needed.

[eleutheria]

As unused as she was to the looks and the attention, it made him happy and given all that he had gone through –from being on the field, which had apparently been an experience that had been so hard for him and then being kidnapped, tortured even, being able to give him a bit happiness over this mayhem was good for her and well, she was probably going to get used to all the attention and probably even enjoy it, considering how close they already were the transition really shouldn’t be that hard from friendship to more and she was more than sure everyone was going to realize the change right away.

A small smile appeared on Steph’s face at the rather familiar motion, with a mild of her eyes she moved to take a seat on the cot and moved to take off her boots, she wasn’t going to get in there and dirty the sheets giving more trouble to others, before she moved to lie down on her side and just looked at him with another amused smile. “Are you happy now, Buck?”

Yep, all he needed was to exchange love

[disassembling]

He knew that she would give in if he made it clear that he was not going to let her get up to get him something to eat when he would prefer to snuggle down and possibly doze with her instead. It was a rare opportunity in these times, so he wasn't about to pass it up for pitiful nutrition anyway. What man actually would?

He smoothed the flat of his hand up her back as she stripped off her boots and moved to join him like old times. He probably shouldn't have felt any different about it, but after all that had happened, the warmth of her body next to his was a comfort. He tucked the blanket around them and settled down behind her, slipping an arm around her waist. "When am I not happy about things where you're involved?"

wow think of all the time they could have saved

[eleutheria]

It was probably a bit sad how easily she could give in to some of his requests sometimes, the whole reason she had agreed to those silly double dates he planned was due to him poking her enough, and it shouldn’t be surprising that it wouldn’t be different right now, but then it wouldn’t hurt to indulge him and it’s not like if he couldn’t eat something later, even if she still thought that was something he needed to do before cuddling her.

Besides in a way she kind of needed the comfort of his closeness and to further reassure herself that he was here and alive, she had after all gone through that suicidal mission for him. A small sigh escapes her lips when he settles behind her, basking in the familiar comfort of the position despite where they are at the moment. “Well you were not happy when I ended picking fight with bullies on a nearly daily basis, remember?”

It was more fun with the awkwardness though

[disassembling]

James was way too used to getting his way around her in some cases, so this was really just saving him having to really bribe her to come to his side. He knew that she needed the down time, the return to something so familiar to them, as he did and there was no denying how much they had always enjoyed it. Before it had been a friendly gesture, a bonding of them together. He didn't let it feel any different even if he knew that others might think of it that way now that she had filled out and saved his life. He had always believed in her.

He slipped an arm around her waist, nestling down behind her comfortably. "I didn't like picking you up on the other side of them, but I respected that you stood up for what you believed in. That was more important," he replied, resting his cheek against her eat, allowing himself to relax against her. "I'm glad you never change."

lol they have been awkward all of their lives

[eleutheria]

Stephanie supposed that right now there was supposed to be a different meaning for them doing this, but it didn’t exactly felt different altogether, except for the fact they had apparently stopped beating around the bush when it came to feelings, not that she thought they had been exactly doing that all these years, no matter what their parents and rest of the people around them had claimed, in that case she supposed this shift in their feelings had happened as the natural course of things like most aspects of their friendship.

There’s a light laugh at that and she shook her head a bit. “It wouldn’t have hurt you to tell me that more often, instead of scolding me so much.” And God, he had nagged at her so much back then and it was clear she wasn’t the only one that could do that, with a small smile she moved to press a bit more against him. “Let’s see if you keep thinking like that later.”

Just makes this more sweet

[disassembling]

Without much care, he shifted his head forward and nestled his nose and face into the soft blond hair, breathing in her scent as he relaxed against her back. Despite the warzone, the pain and stiffness of his body, he didn't think he was doing too bad at all. Soon enough when he was alone again, the anger would come back. She soothed him, and her laughter brought an easy smile to his lips in response. "Well, it would be very ungentlemanly of me to encourage a woman fighting, so I had to scold and nag you about it." If he was there in time, he would smash anyone taking her on, saving her the pain of punches for a day or even just a few hours.

"I won't change my mind," he replied to her words, aware that if he had lived with her long enough where he didn't mind her behaviour now so it wouldn't in future. "Besides, that way of thinking and stubbornness just saved my life and the lives of over one hundred and fifty men. Don't ever change."

they are sweet dorks in love

[eleutheria]

It really wasn’t till she was lying down with him pressed against her back that she realized just how tired she was, there really hadn’t been much of a chance for her to catch a bit of a break, she had been moving around telling everything that she remembered of what she had seen in the base and taking the time to check on the rest of the men she had helped to bring back to the camp, she hadn’t wanted felt comfortable not knowing how they were doing and only then she finally had time to come check on Bucky. She rolled her eyes a bit. “Well I don’t think anyone would have encouraged that, but really some of them just had it coming.” Honestly it had been a bit appealing to her morals just how some people could be. “Besides I am sure you wouldn’t have been happy if I just, well, allowed some to take liberties they shouldn’t with my person.”

She’s quiet for a bit, listening to the still ongoing activity around the camp and kind of being thankful no one had come to look for her yet, she wasn’t exactly pleased at the prospect of this moment ending too quickly. “Yes, it got me in some trouble, but it was so worth it.” Not only had she aided so many, but she had brought Bucky back and she had a bit proud at the look and words Peggy gave her when she returned, happy that she hadn’t made the woman place her faith in her for nothing. “…I…I really don’t want to imagine what would have happened if I hadn’t arrived when I did.”

So cute

[disassembling]

He suspected that neither of them would last long in the land of the wake. The military was one of those places where one got sleep when one could and a missed opportunity could be paid for with one's life at a later date. Even with his muscles aching and his guts clenching almost uncomfortably, he took a great amount of pleasure of the freedom to hold her with his feelings exposed and the soothing nature of her presence with his own. "Yeah, they did, and you showed them every time." Actually, she got beat up a lot and he wandered into the midst and broke up the fight, maybe taking a punch or two himself. "I was never worried about you. I had your back."

He had closed his eyes by this point, just smelling her hair and resting in the cot that was probably supposed to be uncomfortable but felt like heaven to him right now. He grunted softly at her thought on what might have happened. "We would have all eventually died," he said simply, with a coldness that one had to develop in war, seeing friends and comrades die.

and then train will happen...look at me ruining the cute moment

[eleutheria]

Falling asleep was just such a sweet and tempting possibility right now, in retrospect, if she tried enough she could pretend they were back in Brooklyn and their rundown apartment, maybe a small part of her wouldn’t have minded if that had been the case, but there were other things going on in the world and maybe once those were over they could think about it, as it was she wasn’t sure if they were even going to be together after he recovered or not. “Well at least with my words I did, I think I got more hits than what I could deliver.” And wasn’t that the truth, just like afterwards she was left with a feeling of disgust and dread that that people had not cared she was a woman to try and beat her up, making her wonder just how many more like that were in the world. “That’s why I never worried, I always knew that.”

Her body tenses a bit at that deliberately cold yet truthful words, if she had been a few days late maybe Bucky would have died and just the thought of losing him, it’s really something she will rather not think about. “Well then, good I arrived when I did.” With a small sigh she moved to rest one of her hands over the arm that was draped over her waist, as if it belonged there and it probably did now. “How…how are you feeling after…everything?” She hadn’t been able to ask him that either and she wanted to know if he was fine or needed to talk about it to get closer to being fine.

Oh you

[disassembling]

James knew that she had taken far more hits than she had ever delivered, but her efforts were worth a lot more to him on that matter. She had taken on boys far bigger than her and had never backed down from a single one even when it had probably been better that she did. He admired both her gall and, in some regards, stupidity in such fights. She had showed the world that no bully would stand between her and justice. "You showed the world that it was the way you are. You stood up to everyone that you could."

He hummed a sound of agreement to her words, nestling his nose deeper into her hair and tightening in his arm on her waist in a silent thank you for finding him. He relaxed as her arm fell over his, the place he thought that it was good to be. Yet, her question caused his eyes to open and peer at the back of her head. No one knew what had been done to him, what he had been injected with or the affect. He didn't even know, so he went with the simplest truth he thought he could give to her. "Nothing some food and rest can't cure." He paused, feeling his muscles in a way he hadn't before. "And maybe some whiskey."

i had to ruin the lovely moment with that reminder

[eleutheria]

“I tried at the very least even if the outcome rarely paid off and it ended with you getting in trouble as well trying to get me out of being killed.” And come to think of it, he had kept her alive in more than one occasion, it wasn’t only the fighting but also the wars that her own body started during the winters or the start of spring, or when she was unlucky enough to get sick, if he hadn’t been there she would have surely died.

She supposed that in a way going to find him could count as returning the favor, but she knew his motivation to take care of her had been the same one she had when she went to look for him. There was a small frown at his answer, it was the truth but at the same time it wasn’t, maybe he wasn’t ready to talk about all the things that had happened and she knew the military wouldn’t care if he was or not when they decided to question him. Rather careful and slowly, she turned around to face him and studied his expression, she couldn’t begin to start to imagine what they had done to him, she rested a hand on his chest and smiled at him –deciding she wasn’t going to press for answers right now. “Well I can’t promise the whiskey, but at least I will try to see if I can find decent food for you.”

You're a ruiner

[disassembling]

He never thought any of the school yard fights or the ones everywhere else in the streets were bad enough for her death, though her medical conditions made it debatable actually. He had never wanted her to fail, but he knew that he couldn't always be there to save her either and she had to make her point clear. He would always step in when things got bad enough, but he let her have her swings when he could. "Well, what are friends for if not to pick you up after a fight?"

He shifted his arm up so that she could turn without hindrance, though her new strength made him wonder if she could actually overpower him now. He settled his arm back around her waist, but he allowed his fingers to caress the small of her back though her clothing and gave her a little smile. He knew she knew he wasn't talking, that he wasn't telling how his muscles burned and ached in his body, how his guts occasionally felt like they'd turn to ice at any moment. There was no reason to concern her; he had made the thirty mile walk back through hostile territory. "Decent, no. Food, probably. You don't need to baby-sit me; I'm a big boy and don't worry about me, okay? I'm alive and that's all thanks to you." Because it was easier to turn the conversation about her than face some unknown factor.