Twenty five, don't recall a time I felt this alive (open)

[tookthewheel]

Who| MCU!Bucky Barnes and YOU
What| Bucky's back in the Capitol and dealing with things
Where| Anywhere around the Tribute Center, specify the location of your choice
When| After arena 12 goes boom
Warnings/Notes| The usual with this guy

Waking up was easier this time.

Maybe it's because he'd accepted and waited for death to come rather than fighting against it as he had before, with the same resignation and understanding of what was going to happen that had made it easier to go into the ice when his missions were done. He can count it as a bonus that waking up in a warm bed was far more pleasant than from the cryostasis tank.

Bucky gets up calmly but still with the feeling something is wrong, more than just how weak his limbs feel again after living a month with his full strength back. A feeling that persists as he heads for the shower first, then irritably shaves off the beard he always wakes up with and is coming to loathe, discovering at the same time that the brand has now gone from his cheek. Venturing into the kitchen area yields leftover casserole from the fridge which he wolfs down quickly before heading out of District 1 with Toro the tribble safely in his pocket. He needs to see his friends, check for himself that they're still here and make sure no more of them have vanished like the first Widow did.

He goes down to District 9 first, then down to the common area to start working his way upwards, choosing to take the stairs rather than the elevator as he moves through the training and district levels before finally emerging up onto the roof. There he habitually heads for his favourite spot to try and let the cold winter air blow out the still persistent cobwebs in his head.

Comments

[arrogantalloy]

Tony nodded when Bucky admitted to seeing it, there was a curious eyebrow raise. After all what kind of mission could he have been sent on that meant he had to kill someone probably of high importance during a ballet?

"When I was old enough to find out girls liked guys who played instruments, I might have put a little more effort into it." He smirks, but it doesn't last long when Bucky's question came next, though it didn't seem to change the pacing of his playing.

"Yeah, sometimes."

Other times he was just drunk or in Tony's mind didn't want to deal with him being near by.

[tookthewheel]

"Thought they liked guys who dance." he says, glad that Tony doesn't ask any questions about the time the Winter Soldier saw the Nutcracker performed. There were some memories he didn't want to go digging into, even when it was his fault for letting the information slip in the first place. It'd be too much to ask for his mind to let him pick and choose what he remembers.

It's only fair that he is able to recognise an answer that he shouldn't ask a follow up question about in return. Bucky's getting better at reading those signals from people, at least the one's he knows.

[arrogantalloy]

"The 60's happened. In between all the free love, bra burning, and general self-liberation. It was all about making the music instead of dancing to it."

He finally stops playing, and gives a little shrug.

"Remind me not to take you to a club, because it's not going to be what you call dancing. You'll feel old, believe me."

Tony knows that he doesn't go to clubs specifically because all the grinding and gyrating isn't nearly as fun as actual dancing... Or actual flirting for that matter.

[tookthewheel]

"I don't think I was active for those parts."

Given Bucky's vague memories of dancing and what he knows of modern clubs he suspects Tony is right. Even if they still did the kind of dancing he had one participated in (and he wonders if he still knows how to do) the sheer volume of music and the press of people inside would be overwhelming and likely not end well for anyone involved.

He shakes his head, "Wouldn't want that."

[arrogantalloy]

"Sometimes it's not that bad."

He does at least admit, because there has been the odd time where grinding against anonymous women and men wasn't the worst thing he could experience.

"I mean, it's as close as you can get to casual sex without having to actually leave them to wake up on their own in your bed the next morning." Something he's done so many times there was probably a badge given out for it. "Some how I really doubt it's your speed at all, so I'd encourage the whole not having to experience it, thing."

[tookthewheel]

Bucky couldn't say he had any interest in that part of it either. It's really not an area that has crossed his mind since he last got out of the ice and who knew for how long before that. There's a whole lot of blank space in his head where any idea of that sort of intimacy was concerned.

"No. I don't think it would be." he taps his fingers on the top of piano, making a neat clicking sound since it's the metal hand doing it. He withdraws his hand a moment later, stuffing it back into his pocket. In the other side of his jacket the tribble purrs. "They've tried to make me go out here before, I've always said no."

[arrogantalloy]

"Probably a good idea. You seem like you'd appreciate Big Band instead. Not that I would at all fault you on that."

Besides classic rock, Tony has always been a fan of big bands. It's something he probably picked up from his dad without realising, he's never put enough thought into it to really find out.

"Or, start up a band yourself. You could probably do interesting things to a trumpet."

[tookthewheel]

"I don't think instruments were part of my training." he says, completely straight-faced but with a glimmer of amusement in his eye. "I do have a lot of free time here, though." and he learned quickly, something his Handlers had always liked about him.

Starting a band, no. Learning an instrument, possibly.

"Could you teach me to play this?" he indicates the piano.

[arrogantalloy]

At the question Tony slows his playing until he gets to a stop, then moves to the higher end of the keys, patting the other side of him for Bucky to sit.

"This will probably come fairly easy to you, soldier."

He doesn't make another move until Bucky makes his.

[tookthewheel]

Bucky hesitates for a moment, but then he did ask.

He sits down beside Tony on the little seat, trying to make sure there is still space between them, not just out of thought for his own comfort but the other man's as well. After making himself semi-comfortable he looks patiently to Tony for further instruction.

[arrogantalloy]

Tony doesn't bother with teaching Bucky what keys are which notes, he personally never saw the point of them, getting your hands used to the right positions always helped him learn simply because he was a visual learner.

He puts his right hand above the keys he wants, they're in a higher scale than normal but Tony's only planing to show the man how the movements go before worrying about the right key to be in. He waits for Bucky to mimic, mentioning if he should move up of down the keyboard if the hand is in the wrong place then slowly starts to play the right hand part of March of the Toy Soldiers with Bucky in tow.

[tookthewheel]

He only glances at the positioning of Tony's hand before understanding he was supposed to mimic him. Bucky moves his own into position, adjusting carefully at any prompting before returning his eyes to watch Tony's hand on the keys.

It's easy enough to follow him, he's learned by directly copying the movements of someone else before. All he has to do is keep a close track and not lose his place on the keys.

Bucky finds it relaxing, as always, to focus on a simple task and let the world narrow to that focus on getting this one thing right. It's even better with the knowledge that any slip up on his part won't result in strict punishment.