Peter & Bucky Are Pals

Chapter 30

Esther, Lidia, and Ollie showed up an hour later, around eleven. Esther brought Eleanor, who managed to soften the lines in Bucky’s face. Lidia brought sernik, which was delicious. Ollie brought a deck of cards; he promptly challenged Steve to a game, which might’ve been a mistake on his part. Peter had no idea that Steve was good at cards. Steve wasn’t smiling by the end, but it was better than the pinched-up expression he’d held earlier.

“Who was knitting?” Esther asked, picking up Steve’s tight-stitched beginning of a scarf. “Jimmy, did you do this?”

Bucky shook his head. “My knitting’s over there. That was Steve.”

“Just when you thought he couldn’t get any better,” Lidia said, and Steve’s face went pink.

“My ma taught me. I was sick a lot, might as well have been doing something useful. I used to knit socks to give to the poor. And then to the Army.”

Esther reached up and patted Steve’s cheek fondly. “Such a good boy.”

“He’s not a dog,” Ollie said, lips twitching, and Esther gave him a glare.

“It’s a figure of speech, Oliver.” She gripped the knitting needles properly and continued Steve’s work; the quick click-click-clicking was like gentle music to Peter.

“Ollie,” said Bucky.

Ollie looked up brightly. “What is it, Jim?”

“Do you like darts.”

“Darts? I was never much good, but they’re fun. How come?”

Bucky reached over and scooped up a small box, flipping it open to show Ollie the dart set.

“Fancy,” Ollie said, eyes twinkling. “Are these magnets? Excellent, I won’t stab anyone by mistake.”

Bucky’s lips twitched. He silently passed Peter the target; Peter hung it up on the wall and gave them a thumbs-up.

As it turned out, Ollie really was terrible at darts. Only one out of the ten he threw ended up on the target, the others clattering to the floor. When Ollie moved to pick them up, Bucky pressed the little button on the corresponding bracelet; Ollie shrieked when the darts came flying back at them. Bucky caught them all deftly, huffing out something akin to a laugh.

“Oh, you try, then. If you’re so good,” Ollie told him, pouting.

Bucky hurled the first dart; it hit the center of the board dead-on with a resounding clack. He used the bracelet to call it back before throwing another, which hit exactly where the first one had been. This continued until Ollie threw up his hands.

“Well, then. I see how it is, Jimmy, you show-off.”

Bucky gave him a who, me? expression so innocent that he burst out laughing, though it was more like wheezing.

“Can I try?” Lidia asked, and Bucky handed her the darts and bracelet in favor of scooping up his knitting. He watched as Lidia threw the darts; the first two fell short, but the others stuck to the board in varying proximities to the center. Ollie looked grudgingly impressed. Lidia was kind of a badass.