[ Laughing is better than the kind of lethargy he's been displaying, so he just lets it slide. It does sound ridiculous like that, anyway. ]
It was part of the recon. Didn't realize it had happened until after. [ There's a pause. ] Ask Bucky about it when you see him. [ And after that, he sends a pic of the mark around his finger - a band of simple stars - that obviously doesn't look like it's going anywhere any time soon. ] Not yet, but we're working on it.
I thought there was usually some kinda ceremony involved with that that's sorta hard to miss. [ steven, how did you even accomplish this. what did you do. bless your precious, innocent, adorable heart. and then the mention of the spouse in this arrangement is brought up, almost with the telling band of stars, and if andyr didn't lose his shit before, he certain is now. ]
Buck-- Oh my god, I love this, it was Bucky? [ laughing. his. ass. off. oh lord. he wishes he could've been flower girl for this. the mind theatre alone is priceless. just think of the winter soldier in a floraly veil, basically. ]
That's perfect. So where you headed for the honeymoon, Mrs. Barnes?
[ He supposes he deserves that. Steve rubs at the back of his neck, kind of shrugging. ]
They asked a bunch of questions and paired us without explaining that part. [ Something about matching the person with the same mark on their finger, not that he'd ever assumed he'd have been standing right next to that person, and after a second or two, Steve sort of frowns. ] I don't know if he really got what it meant. [ A pause. ] Do you think it means anything?
[ Because his relationship with Bucky is complicated beyond what they are to each other, and asking Andyr probably isn't the best way to determine any of that. He shakes his head. ] Never mind. I guess I'll have to figure that part out as soon as we leave.
[ andyr pauses a second, giving some honest thought to it. it doesn't really surprise him much, honestly, that they'd been matched. they're attached at the hip, and endlessly tangled up in each other. even with how skewed bucky is now from what he was, he's still intrinsically in sync with steve most days. ]
Think it just means you could love your best friend. [ romantically love, and really, andyr doesn't think that's something that should be unusual. considering he maybe sort of loves his oops we're not talking about it. if there's someone you can be that close to and feel that open with, then yeah, love should be a possibility. maybe it wouldn't work out for a large number of reasons, but that's everything in life. ] Or you're just a good team.
[ isn't that what marriage is supposed to be? going at life tag team? hell, what does he even know about it? he only ever remembers his father raising him, and what he has in his mind of his mom are glimpses and blurred memories of a nurturing woman. either way - ]
I don't think that's a bad thing, Steve. Or anything shocking.
[ all it takes is that 'maybe', and andyr's ready to take control of this again; ease steve back and give him something better than skin on skin, but steve seems to have already committed himself to the concept, as andyr watching him make his way down his body. he isn't sure, at first, if that's what he's going for, and he'd hardly complain if he got lower and abandoned the idea, but all it takes is that first, exploratory like, and andyr's losing what little sense he had left. he's almost mournful of having steve absent from his arms, but watching the man curiously tasting andyr from the hand he'd been stroking him with sends his mind into a mad reel, enough that it's shoved to the side, and andyr's pushing up on an elbow to watch steve carefully push his lips down around him - a sensation that leaves him feeling weak and blissfully distracted from everything in the world that isn't steve fucking rogers.
a hand's settled on his shoulder, giving an encouraging squeeze, but ready to pull him back up to his lips the second he seems to find himself in over his head. it's a lot to ask of someone who hasn't done something like this before, and especially someone like steve, who puts so much thought into every little thing he does. but steve doesn't see at all ready to stop, and andyr's a mess of thighs shaking under his hands holding him spread, and low moans and hitched gasps. andyr's fingers push into his hair, and it's an effort to keep his eyes open, and his head from falling back, his body from melting, but he wants to see, wants to watch steve's lips, full and red, around his cock, as he feels his tongue dragging up the underside of him, the insides of his cheeks hugging tight against him. ]
Steve... God, you feel so good. [ andyr gasps out, as the hand in his hair tightens reflexively at a particularly good swipe of his tongue, andyr's eyes squeezing closed, head dropping to lay his cheek against the raised shoulder where he's propped himself up. it's an effort to stay present, but he blinks open again, lips parted and chest heaving with quaking pants, as he drinks in the sight of it. steve rogers, steve fucking rogers, bowed down between his legs, licking and sucking at him like he's something holy, looking at him like he's just wanting to get approval, just to make andyr happy. it fills him with a kind of overwhelming fondness andyr doesn't know what to do with it, other than pet his damp hair back, and smooth his palm along his cheek adoringly, thumb sweeping over a high cheekbone. ] You're freaking gorgeous, you know? S'like a dream.
[ words all languid and slow, but honest. steve's an incredible person, with a beautiful soul most can only hope to strive for - big as he is now, or small as he was when they were younger. andyr couldn't care less which version of him was between his legs now, or arched over him, or kissing him as sweetly as steve's been. for a moment, he thinks of that younger steve, his stiffness and his awkward little smile and the simple, honest look to his eyes. watches steve, and thinks he still sees that boy in him, andyr's lips pulling in a breathless and tired, but blissful, little smile. beautiful, sweet, honest, righteous, stubborn, gorgeous steve.
searching, andyr's hand reaches for steve's, the one not occupied circling the base of his dick, and runs his palm over the back of steve's hand, to thread their fingers together just like that. pulling at him, he drags the warm sweep of his palm up along his stomach and chest, before his fingers curl in completely, holding tight to him through the throes of this. ]
[ it takes a couple hours for andyr to send him a reply, about three, really, but it's good he does wait, given it wouldn't have been a pleasant talk otherwise. look at him, learning and all. ]
[ it's okay, ronan. andyr's idea of texting to check up on people is just delivering gross or scary fish trivia. he's hardly offended by ronan showing up in person, though andyr is immediately concerned, seeing him with his knees pulled up, waiting quietly in his tent as if it's some kind of safe place. ]
Hey. Everything okay?
[ andyr wouldn't be offended if he came to him just for some kind of emotional stability or help, he considers that part of what he wants to be a provider of for any of the people he considers friends, not just ronan alone. that is the first concern, though, when he spots him there, crawling into the tent and tugging the flap closed, before he kneels down a little further back, prying petra out of he passenger seat inside his sweater to let her run around free. ]
[Ronan looks up when Andyr enters the tent, but he doesn't move otherwise. This isn't particularly indicative of anything. Ronan has a tendency to strike a pose and hold it for too long. One of many just-slightly-unsettling details about him.]
I told Adam.
[That sounds deceptive. He clarifies:]
I told him I'd been with other people. He didn't want details.
[ it's nothing disturbing to andyr, though he tends to be the opposite - always needing to move, too much energy thrumming under his skin. if nothing else, ronan's stillness feels calming to him. ]
Yeah? So what'd he say?
[ for this, though, andyr's keeping himself busy, going through bags and piles and stashes of clothes and rations, pulling out cat food and water for petra. a gradual constant of movement.
he's not sure what he's afraid he'll hear, but it feels like holding his breath. ]
[Ronan scoffs when he says it. Not because he finds it disdainful, but because he can hardly believe it.]
That he'll always love me. That he'd do anything for me. He asked me if he was enough, as if... As if he'd done something wrong, like it was his fault I did this.
Page 9 of 20