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(closed) Return the favor

Characters: Natasha Romanoff and Bucky Barnes; Rikki Barnes and Bucky Barnes; Jack Frost and Bucky Barnes, Kyle Rayner and Bucky Barnes
Date: Soonish
Location: Fire Sector, Natasha's suite.
Situation: Natasha's checked up on him a couple of weeks back; now he's doing the same for her.
Warnings/Rating: Possibly violence or the potential for it, probably language.

Steve told Bucky he sent Natasha to explore the underground. In his stead.

Which is fine, in its way, because if Steve thought her the right person for the job, then she probably was. But - she'd been pretty damn silent, after that. Not that he thinks that he could notice her if she doesn't want to be noticed, or that she'd be overly talkative after the last time they met - when she sought him out and he was a mess, and then he was almost more of a mess - but still. She came to him. Now it's time for him to come to her.

And if she doesn't let him in, he can hang out with Steve, right?

He doesn't even try to sneak up to her. Just shows up at her door and knocks. And brings take-out food.

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He considers that as he steps inside. "I think that's better than 'you should have avoided doing that,' really." Small shrug. "I think we all do a fair bit of things we don't have to. Hopefully, it's better when we do them, anyhow."

Yes, he's talking more than he needs to. Both to let her know that he's steadier, and because it lets him keep an eye on her without making it - scrutinizing.

Natasha shuts the door behind him, turning the lock automatically. She has to wonder a little if he has a reason to think she might not be alright, if Steve's told him anything... and if it would bother her if she did. Honestly, she's not sure.

"I suppose that's true." She leads the way to the couch, curls up with her legs underneath her, and gestures for him to join her. "The dinner's certainly appreciated. I've been a little distracted lately. Haven't really managed much grocery shopping..."

Oh, oh, he can answer this one!

"Steve said you went down to explore." His voice, even though this is her place and probably under her security, lowers. "Didn't think you'd be this quiet if that'd gone well."

Too distracted for groceries... ah, hell.

"Busy times?"

"Something like that. The return trip wasn't as easy as I anticipated."

Translation: she spent a little time as a 'guest' of the Emperor. A lot more comfortable than plenty of other situations she's been in, intentionally or otherwise, but when all she wanted to do was start taking people apart until she found the person responsible for what happened to Clint... No, it wasn't pleasant.

Being back here in the city, free to act and not actually doing anything... That's worse.

"And since I got back... I've been worried about other things. Steve filled you in?"

"I was doing more of the updating, to be honest."

He's mostly busy taking over her kitchen to serve the meal he's brought. Or some of it. Some will be majorly fresh leftovers, after he's left.

"Was it worth it? The trip down, I mean."

"I noticed," she says wryly. Not that she minds, or blames him, but it was obvious Steve's... less than pleased with her now that he knows. There's not a lot she can do about that now.

Natasha leans her head against the back of the couch, eyes apparently on the ceiling, though the position keeps Bucky in the corner of her vision as he moves around the kitchen - habit, more than real wariness.

"Worth the information, yes, but it's hardly good news. It turns out the people who disappear here aren't going home after all."

Small sigh. "He'll see that - when you spoke up about it doesn't make a difference." The downside to how easily and completely Steve gives his trust is that, when he's let down, it hurts a lot. But they'll figure it out, among the three of them. Four, probably, because Peggy, God.

Five? Rikki? Sigh.

Then he focuses on the news she informs him of, and. Frowns.

"Like how? They're just kept somewhere?"

"No. They're being... experimented on, I think. There's a lab under the city..."

She sighs, and leans forward again, rubbing tiredly at her forehead. She hasn't slept much since she went down there, and it's starting to show.

"A couple of them were... alive, conscious, but not really there. Empty. And there was a body." Her tone is calm, neutral, detached... just enough to suggest it's more than a little personal for her.

Bucky considers that, for a little while.

"Yeah, it's not like they can send back the bodies of the - clones, was that the word? - can they? They'd be two of those people back home, then."

"No, I don't think they can. But these..." She draws a breath, shaking her head. "They didn't just die. They were taken. They disappeared, and they ended up being taken apart there while we thought they were home."

"But the people... I mean, the personality, with the memories and all, that you talked with while they were here - they maybe did go home?"

He's trying to figure out how it all makes sense, is all.

Edited 2013-04-01 14:38 (UTC)

Natasha turns to give him a long look, silently dubious. "You really think they'd bother? Or that they can?"

If they're clones... sending them back home would cause the same problems taking Bucky back in their time would, and Natasha can't see where it's worth the expenditure of energy on the part of the kedan. And if they're not... then they're right back to just one of them, and Clint's still dead.

"I don't know, Natasha." He sighs, and no, he doesn't know. And he wishes he did. "But you said they weren't themselves, so that - themselves - it had to go somewhere, right? And there are people who know each other from... relatively later, so it stands to reason that the personality went back."

Beat.

"Optimistic reason, I'll grant you, but still."

And another beat.

"You did see the announcement about the clones... thing, didn't you?"

Edited 2013-04-03 09:02 (UTC)

"No," she says flatly in answer to his first question. "Sometimes people lose themselves, and they're just gone."

She doesn't say more, but then, she doesn't have to - the lines of her face say it all, old fear and pain only now surfacing because the only one to see it is the man who was there with her... even if he hasn't been yet. She's had her self wrenched out of her more times than she could possibly remember, and she somehow managed to piece a coherent whole together after the fact, but not everyone does. Some people are simply gone, and he might be - might have been - one of them.

She blows out a breath, recomposing herself as she shakes her head and the mask slides back into place - not all the way, but enough to hide the girl she was when she knew him.

"I saw it. I don't know how much it changes things when... Well, I could do with a little more information, but I don't think Steve would appreciate me acting on my own initiative right now."

Especially since in the mood she's in, her means of gathering information would be... less subtle and much bloodier than usual. Whatever's going on here, she needs the Captain on her side, which means letting him call the shots for now.

"Hey, hey..." Bucky doesn't think about it - he just. Acts. He reaches across the distance between them and wraps his arms about her, tugging lightly to draw her into a hug. "I get it. Sometimes they don't, but we'll try to get it right for everyone."

It's just a guess that what she knows of him - now and what she remembers - isn't helping with this particular discussion.

"I just meant, like... Stark. He's from before Steve got defrosted, right? At least that's what I understood, when Steve was bringing me up to speed. But when Steve did get unfrozen, Stark was there and was himself and you became a team and everything. So his personality has to have come back at some point."

And he huffs out a soft breath. "Steve's not exactly been known for not showing initiative against his superiors' better judgment, you know. If the opportunity presents itself..." He almost doesn't hesitate. "Hey, if you work me out some, we can both go."

Because he obviously could become good enough, right? So he will.

Natasha stiffens initially as he pulls her into a hug. Casual contact is rare for her, and when she's not on the job, when she's not being someone else... it's only ever really come from Clint. And him, briefly, a long time ago. After a moment she relaxes intentionally, silently accepting the gesture.

She lets out a breath and shakes her head, lips pursed while she considers his logic. "I don't think that's it. I know Stark, he wouldn't have been able to keep his mouth shut if he knew about all of this before us. If it's true, and we are clones, I think it's more likely they got... snapshots of our personalities. They go on living there, and..."

She shrugs. That's the only way this makes sense to her, really. Maybe she should have seen it earlier, with Stark, just like she should have looked for Clint earlier. She's been letting things slide too long. She does manage a small smile, though, at Bucky's last comment.

"You may regret that offer."

Bucky doesn't let go quite immediately. Because. He knows Natasha is not weak, or needing anyone. But, sometimes, physical contact does help. And she probably knows it, too, by the way the stiffness melts. So, yes. She gets some of this, just. Contact. Close touch.

And he considers.

"That... does make sense, yeah. Wow, that's kinda depressing. We're just temporary copies of us and then we just - go into the nothing? That's... motivating." Beat. "Then where did those snapshots go, from the people you found, down there, I wonder..."

That... was gonna take some thinking over.

Then he leaned back enough to grin down at her. "You're sayin' that like it's gonna be a first."

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