thecapitol | [Closed] You've been inside your head for too long

Entry tags:

[Closed] You've been inside your head for too long

Who| Jet, Sam, Terezi, Bucky
What| Jet gathers what's left of his family under his wings
Where| The Heinrich Apartment between floors 2 and 3
When| After the hacked post, but before the next arena
Warnings/Notes| Sad sacks pile together

It had been a hard few months for all of them. Jet had finally heard from Albert and it had helped, even if it had very nearly ended in an argument and hurt feelings, but it hadn't lifted the suffocating quiet or the empty loneliness or the fact there wasn't someone Jet felt he could turn to when the one person he wanted to collapse on was miles away. Better than dead, but not easy. But, ever since the end of the last arena with Albert's disappearance, things had gone from bad to worse. Now it was Initiate and Steve too and it wasn't hard to notice the effect of the absences.

Bucky had gone from Okay to Not Okay at All. Sam was usually the pillar, the man with a smile and comfort at hand, but Jet could see the cracks and the way the smiles were harder these days. Terezi, too, was usually bright and ready with a toothy grin and a snarky comment, but that luster had been lost as well. Jet wasn't as polished and ready to shine as he used to be either, but what he could do was try and pull them together and make the sunshine a little brighter while it lasted.

Of course, he'd decided this about midday and nothing was prepared, so he'd vanished the rest of the day to prepare. Around early evening, a voice message was sent to all of them that simply said 'Come to the apartment between floors 2 and 3 as soon as you can. Wear whatever you sleep in and bring whatever makes you comfortable.' And then he waited.

Whenever they got there, they'd find the door unlocked. Opening it would reveal that every available floor space had been covered in pillows and blankets and even a few bean bag cushions he'd found in the city. One of the game systems stashed on one of the floors had seemed to 'accidentally' make it's way into the room and hooked up to the t.v. there were also movies that might or might not have conveniently slipped into his pockets and wound up in a pile near the system. Funny how a life of petty larceny could come back to a guy in a time of need.

From wall to wall, the apartment was decked out in warmth and comfort and dimmed lighting, aided by the unprofessionally painted walls that were a mixture of bright blue and deep red. Except for one wall that held a carefully and beautifully done rainbow. Even the kitchen was set up, the fridge and counters were stocked with everything sugary and delicious he could find, food and drinks. If it could be conceived as a comfort food, it was there. That had been the part that had taken the longest: bringing all the food he needed from the downstairs kitchens to the apartment. There was no way he was using the avoxes for this or anything else if he could help it. Jet himself was dressed in long pants and a tank top and he was lounging on the floor against one of the bean bag chairs to wait for his guests.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Terezi isn't sure what to make of the message at first. She understands the intent--comfortable things and sleep clothes are pretty telling, but it's such a strange request. Still, she's not about to pass up Jet's company. She's been sleeping alone these past several nights for the first time in a long time, and... It's been difficult. Some nights, she doesn't manage to actually sleep. Some nights, she just drifts in and out of consciousness and cries a little to herself where no one can see her. But tonight isn't going to be one of those nights.

When she shows up at Jet's apartment, there's a bundle of red blanket in her arms. Inside the blanket are several soft cooing things: her Tribbles, and the Initiate's as well. That's six Tribbles in all, stashed away in that blanket. There are other things that she could have brought--things that belonged to the Initiate before his Avoxing. But she could only carry so much, and she didn't want the rest of it to get lost.

She tries to shift the blanket around, but she's afraid that the Tribbles might fall out. Instead, she kicks at the door as a substitute for knocking.

Sam's not often alone these days. He's got no idea if his friends feel like he needs to be babysat the way he sometimes suspects some of them feel about keeping an eye on Bucky, but it doesn't really matter. He seeks them out, because he knows enough about himself to realize it's a bad idea for him to be alone too much right now.

He's pretty much holding himself together with ducttape and chewing gum, and he has a feeling he's not fooling anyone who's close enough to see the cracks, but that doesn't matter, either. The only people he gives a shit about fooling are the ones who won't look close enough.

There's a plastic container under one arm as he approaches the suite, and he's using his other hand to pick small bits of purple fluff off of his sleeves and out of his hair. Kate's reached the molting stage, and he's just coming from passing the bird off to Clint for the night.

"Hey," he greets when he spots Terezi kicking at the door, pulling one from the neck of his teeshirt that actually resembles a lavender feather and offering it to her on impulse.

Terezi starts in a way that looks like she might have a guilty conscience. For a moment she thinks Maybe I shouldn't be here, What if someone catches me, What if they know before she realizes that it's only Sam. She relaxes the tension from her shoulders and tries not to crush the wiggling fluffballs in her blanket.

"Hey," she answers back, a little tiredly, even if she's glad it's him. She tries to reach for the feather, but her arms are full of blanket and hidden Tribbles. No good. "Put it in my hair," she directs him, leaning her head forward a little.

He's no stranger to any kind of exaggerated startle response, so he just offers her a smile somewhere between tired and sympathetic when he sees the recognition in her eyes.

His smile grows a little at her request, and he carefully tucks it in her hair. "That's from Kate," he tells her. "I'd've brought her tonight, but she's at the stage where she's found her bird calls, and she's using them."

"That would have been okay. I grew up around birds." Bird calls aren't really anything that bother her, and she doesn't expect to be getting blissful sleep anyway. Maybe if she's lucky, she can just never sleep again. That would suit her just fine.

"We could have been friends. Me and Kate. You should have brought her." Terezi shifts her bundle a little bit, letting the edge of the blanket fall back to reveal... fuzzy balls of fluff. "I brought friends."

There's bits of brown and indigo and white and red in the pile, and it's difficult to discern exactly which bit of fluff belongs to it's own tribble.

Edited 2015-05-14 03:36 (UTC)

"Sam."

Bucky didn't mean to sneak up on his friend, it just sort of happened. It's been that sort of week -- that sort of existence really since the mission that he doesn't think much of remembering not to move quietly by habit. He's all dark circled eyes and pale skin, body held taut like its waiting for an attack to come at any moment.

Coming here tonight is testament of how much he cares for Jet, and maybe how much he needs to take every distraction he can get than soaking in his own misery and concocting futile plan after futile plan when he doesn't even know if there's anyone left to rescue.

It's a good surprise to find that Sam was invited too, but his eyes flicker warily to the stranger, someone - a troll, that he doesn't know.

His smile brightens, just a little, at that. He can’t help it, all right, birds are kind of his thing. “Yeah? I did, too. Maybe I’ll give Clint a call later, tell him to bring her over. He’ll probably be up with her.”

Sam’s leaning in to get a look at her friends - tribbles, he doesn’t have one, but enough of his friends do that he knows them instantly - when he hears his name. There’s a brief startle before he recognizes the voice, and the straight set of his shoulders fades. He’s not relaxed, by any means, but he’s definitely a little less tense than before Bucky got there.

He’s been trying to find a balance with Bucky, between spending more time around him and not overwhelming him, he just hasn’t yet. Sam’s maybe been edging more into ‘not wanting to overwhelm him,’ because these days he’s not sure if hanging around him’d be for Bucky’s benefit or his own, but he’s still happy to see him.

“Bucky,” he replies softly, then looks back over at Terezi. "This is Terezi, she's a friend."

Terezi nods, seeming please with the idea of calling Clint to bring over Kate the Bird. She doesn't know who Clint is, but if it's a friend of Sam, then that is probably okay by her.

Speaking of friends of Sam, Terezi frowns at the stranger that just showed up. While the idea of meeting one is fine, but having one show up suddenly is another matter. It doesn't make her feel any better with the way that he's looking at her without saying anything. She can't help but feel uneasy, even if Sam smells less tense next to her. At least she refrains from ducking behind Sam, but she does shift the blanket back over the Tribbles, concealing them from view.

At least the introduction helps a little. She tries to roll with that. "Hi. I'd shake your hand, but mine are kind of full."

"I didn't know Jet asked anyone else." he doesn't sound like he's against that fact, at least not yet. He trusts Jet as a friend, certain he would not ask Bucky to a situation he would be uncomfortable with, or that anyone Jet trusted enough to invite would be need for concern.

Still, he can't help feeling concern, no matter how harmless someone might look.

Bucky nods to her, "That's okay." a relief, actually. He glances down at the blanket in her arms, did he just hear something purring inside?

The sound of someone kicking the door was confusing, not the kind of response he'd been expecting. For one moment his brain instantly jumped to the worst case scenario involving Peacekeepers, but if they'd been the ones kicking at his door, it would have been a lot meaner and a lot more violent. Probably not worst case.

Jet collected the silver tribble sitting on the bed and tucked it against his hip like a ball as he opened the door. Only to find everyone already out there.

"Dang. The thing was unlocked, you know, you didn't have to start the party without me." He smirked and stepped aside as invitation for them to come in. "I hope it's cozy enough for all of you."

"Bucky's one of my best friends," he tells Terezi, hoping to break the ice between them a little. "With how many of you have tribbles, I'm starting to think I should get one of my own, once I can trust Kate not to use it as a toy."

Jet answering the door with yet another tribble is only proving his point, really. Sam gives him a smile, flicking a small piece of purple fluff at him as he heads inside.

"Back where I'm from, 'cozy' is keyword for small. I'm sure it's fine, man."

Well, Jet wasn't entirely wrong at there being a Peacekeeper at his door, but it was just Terezi. And Bucky and Sam, but they didn't count in that regard. Anyway, she could forgive him the mistake.

He answers the door before she really gets a chance to respond to Sam's icebreaker, but more of the tension leeches out of her shoulders when he confirms that Bucky is a good friend. If Jet invited him and if Sam likes him that much, then he's probably okay. Enough that she won't mind hanging around him, at least.

"You said to bring things. I only have so many hands," she explains to Jet as she scoots in quickly after Sam. The blanket bundle is deposited along the edge of the wall where it won't be stepped on and unfurled to reveal the four tribbles hiding inside. There are six of them--three plain brown, one indigo with white spots, one bright red, and one pure white.

She checks to make sure they're all cooing happily after their trip before coming back to Jet, hugging him around the middle and butting her head against his chest. She promised Albert that she was going to take care of him--and that means more affection than she's usually used to showing. She figures he wouldn't have asked them over if he didn't need it badly.

"Hey." that was the extent of what Bucky said when Jet opened the door. He hangs back, hands stuffed into the pockets of his pants to let Sam and Terezi enter first. When he followed suit he cast a quick glance around the room, checking there was no sign of danger or surveillance above the normal with the Capitol.

While Terezi hugs Jet he turns his attention to the Tribbles, ambling over to take a look at the collection that has just been deposited on the floor. Just like Sam said, it seems like most everyone has Tribbles now, though usually just one apiece.

"Well, it's not a full studio, but it's probly bigger than what you've got." He teased Sam back, glad for the levity he could already feel. There was some tension mixed in, but no matter the source, it was understandable. That was part of why he'd even set this up: to give a sort of safe area where the people he cared about could relax a little more.

When Terezi set the blanket down and the tribbles inside were revealed, it took a moment to place the familiarity he felt: they were the ones Initiate had described to Jet before the mission, his tribbles. They were supposed to have gone to find a tiger striped one after it was over.

The unexpected hug pulled him out of his thoughts, but he returned it quickly (only taking a moment to toss Albert's tribble at Sam), hoping to offer that same comfort she was looking to give him. He'd seen the conversation between her and Albert and he didn't need to be near his partner to know what he'd been thinking: telling Terezi to look after Jet gave her something to do and stopped her from dwelling and it would give Jet a chance to look after her in return.

"I'm glad you all showed. There's food and crap to watch or play or places to sleep, whatever you want, just get comfortable. I figured, something like this, it might be helpful." 'Sleepover' was too girly a term for him to be comfortable using, but it was...similar.

"Next thing I know you're gonna tell me to break out the fingernail painting," Sam teases. Sleepover is exactly what Sam's calling it - he has too many neices who just love sleepovers not to make the connection.

Sam catches the Tribble tossed at him, settling it on his shoulder like he would with Kate. It's not the same as his bird, but he won't deny that there's something comforting about them. There's a moment where he eyes Jet and Terezi, considering, then decides what the hell. He sets his container of cupcakes on the counter before joining in, sandwiching Terezi between him and Jet in a group hug.

He knows Bucky's concern about physical contact with people, so he doesn't actually ask him to join. But he does glance his way, eyebrows raised in a silent offer, if Bucky wants it.

Nail painting sounds kind of fun. Terezi might not be the type to be into girly things, but she'd try everything at least once. Just like she intends to try whatever games Jet has collected for them. And she intends to beat everyone, too.

But first things first.

She's sandwiched between Jet and Sam, and for a moment she's okay with just that. It's comforting to have people around her like this. She doesn't have to worry as much. But it's very obvious that there's one person in the room who isn't joining in yet... And Terezi's offer to Bucky isn't quite as silent as Sam's.

"Wow, do you know what this dumb hug sandwich needs? A wrap around the outside. I wonder who we can get to add that. I am pretty sure there is a fourth person in this room." And if her point wasn't made clear enough, she turns her head a little towards Bucky. "Come on, no one likes a wallflower. You did not come all the way here to stand way over there and watch us be grossly sappy."

He extends his hand, crouching down to run one finger gently over the top of a ball of fluff and crooks a smile where no one can see at the purr it elicits. Tribbles are safe, maybe like all animals are safe. Safer than most people at any rate; though he thinks that with two of the men he feels safest in the world with in the room.

The fist of HYDRA, undone by cooing puffballs. It's an attractive thought, by sheer merit of how pissed off his old Handlers would be by the fact.

Bucky would be content here, just sitting while the other people in the room had their fun. It'd count as distraction from his worst thoughts. He doesn't miss though when he's addressed in the conversation, slowly turning his head to regard the troll girl and the group hug that's going on while he processes the words.

Children are safer than adults, usually. That doesn't mean he's inclined to move into a hug with one he just met, not when he's particular enough about being touched as it is. "I think you're fine without me."

For a moment, Jet's at a loss. He knows Bucky's hang ups about contact, but he also knows what effect a good hug could have. He didn't want to make his friend uncomfortable when that was the opposite of the point here, but he also knew that sometimes you had to push those boundaries to get past them. It was worth a shot.

He turned his head to give Bucky a small smile. "Maybe. But we'd be better with you." He pulled one of his arms away from the tangle to extend it to Bucky. His smile turned into a small smirk and he raised one brow. "Please?"

Sam fights off a grin when Terezi goes for being much less subtle and just tries to lure Bucky on over. He shrugs one shoulder at him, because hey, Sam tried to keep it on the down low.

He's not going to counter Terezi or Jet's efforts, though. ...well. He's mostly not going to counter them.

"You don't gotta say yes, Buck, you know I know how to take no for an answer." There's a pause, then he adds, "But you also already know my opinion on hugs."

Jet and Sam clearly have the advantage here with regard to persuasive ability. They're the ones who know Bucky after all, and she can't honestly blame him for not wanting to wedge himself into a sandwich with a stranger in his midst. But Terezi also has persistence on her side. Sam might know how to take no for an answer, but she doesn't.

"Is it me? It's me, isn't it? Look, I will just scoot my bony self over this way and you won't even know that I'm here." In the middle of the hug sandwich, Terezi wiggles and worms her way to the outside of the group hug so that she can use Sam and Jet to obscure herself from view. "There. You can't see me, I can't see any of you. We're golden. Come get your manly friend-hug on."

Damn it, it feels a little on the side of unfair to have both Jet and Sam looking at him like that. Jet's careful please is merged with Sam's understanding, tempered with clear encouragement. For a moment he just stiffens up, a little like a deer in headlights before the tension bleeds out of his shoulders.

It helps that Terezi moves herself from the centre to one side of the hug, opening the possibility to Bucky to not have to touch her.

A sigh is bitten back as Bucky gets back to his feet, circling around the room until he's coming up on Jet's extended arm. Being around his friends sometimes feels like he's caught in the tidal force of a whirlpool and struggling will only do him good for so long. "Because you said please."

Just because of that, except not really. There's a part of Bucky that could really do with the comfort, that really wants the comfort on offer. The part of him that went lonely and untouched by kind hands for too long, now ripped raw again by the loss of Steve to Capitol hands. He let's himself sink against Jet's side.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Closed] You've been inside your head for too long

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

hope it's okay for me to jump in here

totally okay!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject