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

[a_minute_younger]

Gary lets out a cackle. "Or maybe they just don't like you," he retorts with a teasing cadence to his voice. He seems to be teasing Bucky's protective impulses, too, as he spins on his heel and starts strolling backwards along the ledge. "With an attitude like that, I can see why!"

The errant tribble, meanwhile, has decided that its hiding place under the bench is not nearly warm enough for its liking, and has started migrating towards Bucky's foot to find somewhere better.

[tookthewheel]

Calling them protective impulses would be too generous. He's just watching at this point, like a curious spectator at a car race, waiting to see if someone would crash.

He should take into account the forcefield with his calculations, he'd yet to see what happened when an actual person hit it. Objects bounced back, did people as well? "I don't care if they don't like me."

Bucky looks down when the tribble makes it to his foot but makes no move to pick it up. In his pocket his own croons softly.

[a_minute_younger]

Unfortunately(?) Bucky isn't going to get his car crash any time soon, from the looks of things; Gary is reckless but his sense of balance continues to be uncanny as he continues his slow, backwards circuit of the roof. He actually has to shout, now, as he approaches the far corner of the courtyard.

"Now you don't have to lie about it," Gary tuts, waggling a teasing finger over the top of his handheld game. "Of course you care! Everyone cares. That's just a thing people do."

At least the tribble is willing to keep him company. It coos an enthusiastic answer to the one in Bucky's pocket and promptly attempts to crawl up his leg to join it.

[tookthewheel]

Bucky crouches down and offers out his hand to the tribble, gently lifting it from the cold ground and then standing. He rubs his thumb back and forth over its soft fur, almost completely like that of his own pets. It's tempting to ignore the kid on the railing and just pay attention to the tribble in his hand instead.

Which is why his response to Gary is slightly delayed, "Not lying." he doesn't bother raising his voice to make it easier for the kid to hear. It's annoying enough to be called a liar without having to shout over the distance and wind.

[a_minute_younger]

The tribble chirps and vibrates excitedly in Bucky's hands. Par for the course with tribbles, it is gleeful for the attention and warmth. Par for the course with Gary, he doesn't realize that Bucky has said anything and just keeps yelling from across the roof, as he would have regardless of if Bucky had agreed with him.

"If you didn't care, you wouldn't like tribbles so much!" Yes, Gary has less-than-optimal observation skills, but he recognizes his pets when he sees them. Bruiser's coat is just such a distinctive, perfect shade of brown... "That's what the poster said! 'Don't judge you.' You have tribbles because you don't want to be judged."

[tookthewheel]

Caring for tribbles didn't exactly equate to caring for people or their opinions in Bucky's book. He rolls his eyes, then looks up as the rest of what he's saying catches up to Bucky. Slowly he starts to pace forwards, unwilling to shout across the rooftop to be heard.

"What poster?"

[a_minute_younger]

Thankfully Gary is on the return circuit of his rooftop border walk, so he's approaching Bucky at the same time with his back turned. Amazingly, in spite of all distractions and purposeful obliviousness, he manages to catch that he's been asked a question.

"The one for the tribbles, ya bum!" Gary chides, as if this is the most obvious thing in the world. "The ones Signless put up when he was giving them out. That's where I got mine. You should ask him for a couple!"

[tookthewheel]

"Oh." yes, he remembers that one, it was in the elevator when Darcy took him up to get a tribble. It had in fact ruined it as the surprise she meant it to be, which was probably for the best as Bucky didn't always react well to surprises.

In answer to the suggestion he doesn't speak, just transfers Gary's tribble to his left hand and slips the right into his pocket, pulling out his own tribble to demonstrate he already had one. The tiger striped tribble immediately warbles in the cool air, pulled from its cosy resting place.

[a_minute_younger]

The lack of answer gets Gary to actually stop and look over his shoulder, at which point he realizes his mistake. He's not too torn up about this. "Ah!" Gary grins and, at last, hops off the roof's border and trots over to get a closer look and maybe give the little creature some enthusiastic pets. "See, I knew you were a tribble person! Point stands." Then, without giving Bucky time to correct him: "They have a name?"

[tookthewheel]

When Gary comes closer Bucky's shoulder set, there's nothing threatening in the young man's appearance or intent, yet he's still cautious about the approach. His fingers curl a little more around his own tribble, even as he holds out the hand holding Gary's (covered by a glove) to return it.

"It's called Toro." a name suggested by a friend.

whoops, bad tribble name continuity, good jorb past me

[a_minute_younger]

Interestingly, Gary flinches back. It's a very quick sort of hesitation, and he almost immediately forgets that he's done it and returns to fretting over the tribbles, but somewhere in the back of his mind it unsettles him. Only one major Arena in and already he's starting to notice those little jumps and starts, the reactions to a threat, or threats themselves. Worse yet, he's starting to take them seriously. There's no need for that, Gary tells himself. This guy just needs to unclench.

"Cute," he says, almost teasing with the way he waggles an eyebrow to egg Bucky on. Gary stuffs his portable game in his pocket and reaches out to accept his aggressively purring tribble. "This is Rasputin! And I'm Gary." Because now is a perfectly good time for introductions, isn't it? "Who are you supposed to be?"

[tookthewheel]

There's for more reason for Bucky to be distrusting of a strangers approach, reasons that go much further back than his participation in the Capitol's games. He's probably never going to stop being wary of people he doesn't know but maybe in the future he can stop telegraphing that fact to everyone he meets.

Gary takes his tribble and Bucky immediately retracts his hand, setting it on top of Toro to stroke the creatures soft fur. The tribble is a method of calming and reassuring himself on its own. "Bucky."

[a_minute_younger]

Bucky. The name is familiar, much like his face--Gary's sure he's heard of him before. The television, he thinks. They've all had a bit of airtime. A bit more dedicated watching might reveal a segment covering action at the Cornucopia from the last Arena and the more direct reason for this odd sense of déjà vu, but for the moment (probably for the best) it remains a peculiar recognition.

Gary tilts his head slightly. "Yeah, I've heard of you," he says, by way of waving off that unplaced familiarity. Then it's right back to being amused at the tribbles. "Look at you," Gary teases. Just to be sure that Bucky understands exactly what he looks like, Gary imitates him by holding Rasputin up vertically, dancing it around and speaking in an exaggerated deep voice from behind. "'I'm Bucky and I don't need any friends. I am deep and grumpy and no one understands me, except this cute lil' tribble in my pocket. Grump grump grump.'"

[tookthewheel]

Gary's teasing and impression falls flat on this individual. Bucky's eyes narrow as his jaw sets, he doesn't like being mocked, especially when it involves being accused of things that aren't true.

"I have friends." he growls, the tone of his voice is a warning all on its own. He doesn't turn to keep track of Gary, trusting his ears to tell him where the teenager is. When he came up to the roof it wasn't to be subjected to this.

I think we can wrap this up!

[a_minute_younger]

Gary laughs but has just enough good sense in his thick head to put the tribble away, set on his shoulder where it can roam freely along his back. He's pressed enough buttons. Better let this guy cool down before his luck runs out.

"Oh, I'm only teasing!" he insists with an emphatic wave of his hand, reaching into his pocket for his earphones. "I'm sure you do! Everybody's got friends. I bet yours are really nice ones, too." A double-edged claim, that is--Gary judges that it'll either bolster Bucky's ego if it's right, or make him uncomfortable enough to reevaluate the conversation otherwise. Both ways, Gary wins. "I'll let you get back to pondering the universe or brooding or whatever, alright?"

yep yep!

[tookthewheel]

Bucky stares at him like he's trying to work out if there's sarcasm in that comment or not. Ultimately he's still irritated by this kid and if this was the arena he might've dropped him on his ass by now. Unfortunately in the Capitol they're bound by certain rules about fighting.

He doesn't bother answering, just gently puts his tribble back into his pocket and turns smartly on his heel to walk away.