tushanshu_logs | open; out and about.

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Entry tags:

open; out and about.

Characters: Bucky Barnes and open
Location: Around - outside the city included. State if you have preference!
Situation: Bucky is out and about, now that he's got a lot less excuse to be reclusive...
Warnings/Rating: None for now.
A/N: Prose and actionspam both welcome.

Bucky was... well. One word he couldn't quite process in conjunction with 'dead' was 'happy,' but for all intents and purposes... all right. Maybe not happy, but the brooding, the feeling of doom and despair that he'd had to struggle against during the first weeks after he showed up had greatly receded. He was brighter, lighter, and found himself with a lot more time - a lot more genuine willingness, he guessed - to be out and about.

Of course, he wasn't crowding his friends. They hung out, as they tended to, but this place... (and Peggy) required that they do some work, and some exploring, on his own.

Bucky kept up with the lessons with Rikki, and the occasional patrol with her; also kept his own schedule and routes across the rooftops. And, sometimes, just walking the streets, trying to blend as much as a non-shapeshifter could. Sometimes, being quiet and unobtrusive (or charming) worked well enough, to get information.

And he even ventured outside the city (the last couple of years had cured a lot of his reluctance to visit the countryside), to explore the whole of the surface that was available to him. He hadn't quite managed to save enough to buy a vehicle, but he did rent a sturdy bike. He thought it suited him.

Anytime, anywhere, he stopped to talk with people, or to help them, or to just ask questions or lend a hand.

He was - not completely gone. Steve was here - even more, Steve seemed... happy. That was plenty good enough for Bucky.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Steph all but flips off the back of the bike, and if she notices Bucky's decision to stay a little longer, she's not going to comment on it. She isn't great at sitting still, even if they've taken breaks along the way, and she's currently running through a basic acro routine to help stretch her muscles out. And to show off a little, because she can.

Not that it'll stop her talking, even when she's halfway through a backwards walkover, "It's a hell of a trip."

And then she sort of catches on what that pause was for, and laughs, "Did you just stop yourself from cursing for my sake?"

How sweet.

Yeah, it takes him a couple of minutes until he's sure it's not entirely embarrassing to stand up. Then he joins her in stretching, rolling his shoulders and making a few squats to get the circulation going again properly. And away from... ahem.

"Better than being cramped into a track for this kind of distance, though. Or," small grin, "in the back of a cart pulled by animals."

He's cracking his neck when the question comes. "Yeah. Been told it's... polite."

"God, they really need to work out a better system for that, I was ready to straight up murder someone," Slight exaggeration there, but that jounrey from the ocean really awful, "I've much preferred this trip."

Bucky is a lot cuter than the kedan.

And that comment gets a laugh as she straightens up, "I've explained modern sex toys to you, I think you're allowed to cuss around me."

Steph that's probably not helping.

"That might be a business to start. Contract the kedan, hire a local guide, get a proper comfortable car, and hang around the coast for new arrival a couple of days a week."

... just listen to him. Dreaming about doing normal things like starting a business like that was ever an option. But he can at least dream, right?

"Sure I'm allowed. Don't mean I should, though, does it?" After a moment, he smirks. "Besides, I strongly suspect you only explained some of them. I'll be willing to listen about more, when you think of them.

"Race you to the water!"

After all, is there a better way to work out the stiffness from the ride than running?

Steph is impressed by that idea and it shows on her face, "That'd be great. Might take a little work, but it'd make things easier on a lot of people. Dunno how the kedan would feel about it though."

"I'll draw you some diagrams one day," Her grin echoes his, and as the word race comes out of his mouth, Steph is off like a shot. She's already dropped her backpack on the ground, and her boots skid slightly on the shell as she runs, not bothering to slow herself down even if she probably should.

The question is whether Bucky can keep up.

He doesn't have time to really register properly that she was actually impressed, answering automatically, "only one way to find out, right?"

And then she's off, and, yes, Bucky can keep up - he's last been training in winter conditions with Steve Rogers, he's been pushing himself more than he would if training with any unenhanced human. With soldier gear.
And then parkouring with Rikki. Who 'cheats' by using vibranium boots.

On the other hand, he's not really that interested in winning at any cost. Her pace is good enough and he races by her side, but not ahead. All for a nice, friendly, challenging run.

... damn. He could shed his shirt on the go, but he can't dive straight from the run, all the stuff in his pockets would just go.

Steph is totally interested in winning at any cost; she has a competitive streak a mile long, and she can't really turn down a challenge. As soon as she realizes he can keep up, she increase her own pace, pushing herself just a little bit harder.

Still, she's laughing as she runs.

It means that she's going full tilt by the time they hit the surf, and she ends up sliding about knee deep into the water before she comes to a halt, only not going further thanks to the grippy soles of her boots.

"Oops."

Bucky just laughs at that. It comes no more broken by gasps than her breathing, and it's a good sound.

"That slippery, or a momentum problem?" He squints up at the light. "Don't know if there'd be a better time for an actual dip than now, though - on this trip, at least."

Because it is going to cool down as the afternoon wanes, and colds are never fun.

It takes her a moment to regain her breath, but even so, the amusement is clear in her voice, "I think it was a combination of the two."

Note to self: turtle shells are slippery.

His comment earns a raised eyebrow, "I didn't bring a swimming costume with me, Sergeant Barnes."

That's not a no. She even walks out of the water to find a dry spot to sit down and take off her boots. But she keeps her expression hidden for a moment, in case the worry crosses her face. She'd have no problem stripping down to her underwear to swim, but her scars complicate matters.

"Well, that makes sense, considering how far the shore is from the city. Hardly accessible on foot."

Not like she can know that the exact looks of a body were less... repugnant, for somebody who grew up with Steve Rogers.

Beat. And then he adds, thoughtfully, "I could sacrifice my shirt for your modesty. It'd dry out soon enough."

There is only a slight lilt of irony to the modesty part. Considering some of their topics - the ones she picked - on the way here.

It'd cover her torso, but he's not quite tall enough that his shirt would cover enough of her legs. She's so sick of having to consider all this shit, when all she wants to do is go for a swim with a cute boy.

That thought in mind, Steph huffs out a breath, ruffling her bangs, and then holds up a finger to make a turn around gesture at Bucky.

"Give a girl some privacy?"

If she gets in the water before him, she can just stay submerged enough to hide her scars.

His turn to quirk an eyebrow at her, but he shrugs.

"Yes, ma'am."

And he sets back towards the bike in an easy lope. He can bring her backpack, just because, even as huge as the shell is? It's better to have stuff in sight. If nothing else, in case she needed something from it. Soldier, gear, habits.

Not that the privacy is that difficult to ensure. But might as well be useful while he's at it.

When he's about to get back in sight, he calls out, "all clear now?"

Once he's a little distance away, Steph strips down to her underwear and bra, folding her clothes in a neat pile to leave with her boots. She could strip completely, but she's swimming in familiar water in an unfamiliar place with an unfamiliar boy.

By the time he's back, Steph has already dived into the water and swum out a few good feet. The shell inclines slowly, there's no sudden drop (at least not yet) but she's deep enough that her feet just touch the shell. It feels more like a swimming pool than the ocean, except for the smell of salt.

"We're good!" She lets herself float back a little, giving him a wave when he's visible again.

"Perfect."

He sets her backpack by the pile of her clothes, then unlaces his boots and strips down to underwear easily.

Sure, he has scars, too. A single one from his early days with the 107th, and a few burns from Dr. Zola's work on him that Steve interrupted. He doesn't even think much of them, anymore.

Instead, he wades into the water with a lot of splashing.

Steph ducks her head under the water while he's getting undressed just because it seems a little much to watch him, pushing her hair back from her face when she resurfaces. She does get to take a decent look at him when he's walking into the water. He's an army boy and she's only human, so sue her.

The scars are noted and filed, but she doesn't see much point on commenting.

"I think it's been like two years since I've been in the ocean. I need to make an effort to do it more."

Gotham's in a bay, sure, but only crazy people would go in the water near there. The last time she went swimming was on a beach in Africa, with some kids who she'd met at one of the clinics Leslie and her had been working at. It'd been the first time she'd actually had fun since the gang war. It's a nice memory.

Edited 2012-09-20 09:48 (UTC)

"Anytime you need a ride, Steph. Just give me a call and all."

He finishes the splashing by a dive. His swimming is not very good, but he's relatively decent, coming up for air after some distance and long strokes, taking him far.

When he resurfaces, he's laughing, wiping water from his eyes.

"Been less for me, but then, haven't been back States-side for almost two years, really."

"You volunteering to be my personal escort service?" She could pick a different word there, but she's not going to.

She's decided she likes his laugh, even if it seems like it's not something he does all that often. But then, he's come from a war, where he probably died; Steph can't really blame him.

"Where were you serving? If you don't mind me asking," She'd guess Germany, based on the year he's from, but she knows the Allies were fighting in more than just one country.

"For getting proper exposure to, ah, fresh air and salty water? Sure. Or if you really need somewhere else."

No, not nearly enough. Although with Steve here, that sort of is changing. Sure, this is, in a way, also war. But it isn't the same variety as the World War.

And there isn't Hydra, with its hyper advanced weapons and research on living people. And whatever worse madness Schmidt manages to cook up--

He wrenches his thoughts away from that, and his eyes are only slightly clouded when he answers.

"HQ is ... was. HQ was technically in London. We got to go wherever we were needed though, Captain America and the Howling Commandos. Before he showed up? Wherever the front was, but I didn't spend that long with the 107th. So you could say... Western Europe?"

Small pause as he sinks down a bit, until his chin is under the surface. "Last action was up in the Alps." A smile quirks his lips, only partially tinged by amusement (and that, at how small European countries sometimes are). "The train was moving kinda fast, I might lie to you which country in particular we were in."

"I'll keep that in mind," She won't abuse the privilege too much.

That clouded look doesn't escape her notice, and she feels a twinge of guilt for even asking in the first place, but - he answers, despite the fact she gave him the option not to, so maybe it's okay.

That doesn't make it any easier to know how to respond, though she echoes his smile for a brief moment.

"I'm sorry," It's the only thing that seems acceptable. She figures he'll know what she's apologizing for.

He doesn't have a reason to hide it, and if she's curious... Well, why not?

He manages a smile that's far more relaxed, and reaches his eyes, and he dips underwater and comes up with a toss of his hair.

"Thanks, although there's no need. I was doing what I needed to do, and there's one person who'd be missing me in particular, back home, and he's here, so I'm... good. Nowhere to get back to, but that's how things go. Not the only one, which, I suppose, makes sense for a place between life, death, and dreaming."

The smile widened, and he splashed at her lightly. "One with rather nice ocean water, I must say. What's your favorite swimming style?"

Question for question, right?

His response surprises her a little, and it's clear in her expression, but. It also impresses her, a lot of the people here who've died seem to be taking it well. She thought most people wouldn't.

"That seems like a pretty good attitude to have to it all," She can't tell how she'd react in the same situation, she knows she's not dead, "I'm glad - I mean, that you're okay with it?"

Sort of a question, just because she feels like she phrased it awkwardly and she's worried she's made some sort of faux pas. How do you talk to dead people?

His question makes her grin, though, "The one where I'm not drowning. I'm not a great swimmer."

She can tread water and do all the rescue swimming perfectly, because she was trained in that specfically. But she actually hadn't learnt to swim before she started working as Spoiler.

"Well, not like I have much of other options. This is a sort of a second chance, complete with my best pal here and possibly people to save. Why waste it on what I can't change, right?" He laughs, quietly. "They even gave me an actual job that keeps me well above struggling. Trust me, that alone is extra, when you've grown up an orphan in the City."

He has too many reasons to be grateful for allowing himself any resentment.

And if there are days of dark moods and worries... well. He can hide those away easily enough. The city's large, and the whole shell even larger.

He shakes his head, then laughs at the last part. "Not drowning's definitely encouraged, yeah. And, hey, if you're not in a rush to get anywhere, you don't really need much more. Plus, splashing around is all sorts of fun."

Head-tilt, and a small smirk. "Lemme know if you want a boost. Best splashes require some altitude, and this shore doesn't really feature any cliffs."

"I can understand that," All of it, really, but especially the bit about having a job, "I'm really digging the free housing and utilities, it's nice not to have to choose between electricity and food."

But that's not really something she wants to dwell on, so she grins when Bucky laughs, "Can't argue with that, some of the best fun I had was at the Port St Johns, there were plenty of high spots to jump off and I was with a bunch of locals who kept egging me on."

Not that it's hard to get Steph to do something, just make it challenge. Speaking of, she's going to quirk an eyebrow at him, "A boost, huh?"

Bucky blinks slightly, actually relaxing a small degree of tension that he didn't even realize he was holding at the info that she's no stranger to this kind of choice. And his answer to that part is a quiet, "it's good, but free housing can be taken away. While a job is... something else."

But he doesn't push the conversation that way. Curiosity or not, he knows the desire to put that out of your mind, and he's not going to get in the way.

Instead, his eyes fill with laughter as he chuckles at the egging part, and shows his hands over the water, fingers laced so she can step on them. "Boost."

And he holds them down, for her to take that or not.

Her smile is a small thing, but understanding, and she nods, "You been squirelling your money away, too?"

Because he's right, free housing can be taken away, and while a job can, too, if you keep your money hidden they can't take that. Steph has assorted hiding spots, not all of them even in her suite.

She eyes his hands, then his face, and worries her bottom lip between her teeth. It's clear that she wants to, but there's something stopping her.

Fuck that, is what she eventually decides as she swims over to him, puts a hand on his shoulder to make sure she keeps her balance, then uses his laced fingers as a step to leap off. If he gives a decent enough boost, she's going to do a tuck flip before landing back in the water.

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