anotheroldsoldier | aefenglom ic inbox

Still in one piece?

More like two.

[He leaves a purposeful pause between that and his next message.]

Tony's doing some maintenance on the arm.

You get out okay?

[That’s rude and she hasn’t slept enough for this stress about her friends.]

Not funny. I was imagining you with no arms and a litany of terrible pick up lines from here on out.

I managed to catch a boat out with some refugees.

What caused the damage?

That would be just my luck to lose another arm. I could probably scrounge up a bad pick up line if that'd help, though.

[He's not great at jokes.]

Just a lot of punching. It's routine maintenance. You find much trouble during the rioting?

Just so we’re clear, I welcome bad pick up lines from the likes of you, so bring it.

Nothing I couldn’t survive. Mostly I was the trouble.

Honestly I’m exhausted, but haven’t really been able to rest. Need a hand with anything?

If I said you had a nice body, would you hold it against me?

[He's pretty sure he's actually used that one before, back during the war. The uniform and his smile did most of the work and the lines didn't matter as much, though.]

That I believe.
Nah, I'll be getting my hand back here pretty soon. [Worst.]

Want to meet up for drinks instead?

[She's definitely cringing at that one, but she's also breaking a smile.]

I do, and if you earn it.

[She's teasing, but also quite serious.]

How long does maintenance tend to take?

Yes please. I don't know if I'm up for crowds, though.

[She did say she welcomed bad pick up lines.]

Depends how much I've banged it up. I'm about done here.

Where are you staying? We can head up to the roof of the apartment building. It'll be deserted this time of night. Drinks are on me.

[They don't have anything in the apartment, but he can run out and get something easily enough.]

[Don’t ever stop throwing them down.]

Hopefully it wasn’t too banged up.

I’m fairly close. 10 minute walk once I put on real clothes like pants.
Honestly that sounds perfect.

[So long as it doesn’t rain while they’re up there.]

Edited (Derp derp) 2019-10-09 06:31 (UTC)

Well, don't get dressed up on my account.

[There's another one for the bad pick up line bank.]

I'll meet you there in 30 then?

[Even if it does rain, honestly, it's still an improvement over the oppressive fog over Dorchacht.]

[Behind the screen, it earns a soft chuckle.]

We want that roof to stay deserted, don't we?

[Aside from the fact that it's chillier now, given the style of clothing here, her walking around bare assed would be quite the head turner.]

I'll be there.

[Or just the oppression of Dorchacht.]

Aw, who's gonna notice in a city of thousands?

See you soon.

[He's teasing, he's not expecting her to prance around naked.

A little while later, he can be found up on the roof, shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows, suspenders hanging from his pants and his shirt unbuttoned about a third of the way down. He's going for casual tonight, and he's got the promised liquor, a couple of beers. Nothing excessive, but enough to unwind. There aren't any chairs up here, but he has dragged up a couple of pillows to sit on, and a pair of throw blankets to guard against the light chill.]

Someone always notices.

[She teases right back before putting her phone away to finish getting ready. Someone's always watching, and though that includes him as a guarantee in this hypothetical situation, she prefers such a display stay private.

Having spent the majority of her time in Dorcht, beyond a few trips to the baths, on the streets or on a smuggler's ship, Sheva's embracing her access to a hot shower and going for an aesthetic that's less period-tactical. She's wearing something more casual for her, which in the end, means less layers and more freedom of movement. Tonight, it's a mid-weight dress in charcoal grey with a waist corset laced loosely and with softer boning that's more a visual detail than anything. Of course, she's wearing boots and has a few weapons hidden out of sight. Surprisingly, her longer hair's also in loose waves around her shoulders.

She finds herself walking with a quicker than necessary pace. It's been a long couple of months, and she hasn't really seen Bucky properly since that terrible dream walking. When she steps onto the roof and catches sight of him, Sheva can't help but smile at him, then at the set up as she closes the distance.]

Hey. You look good in one piece.

[Bucky smiles back, more at ease than he's been in a while. Dorchacht was a hard month roughing it with the Resistance; it's actually nice to be back in Aefenglom where he only gets judged somewhat for the extra eyes. He gives her a half-assed salute and then waves the liquor bottle at her invitingly, lounging back on one of the pillows.]

Same goes for you. Look who let her hair down. [At least he's not underdressed. It's nice to be casual for a change.] Hope you like bourbon. Best thing they had at the corner shop.

[She doesn't catch them at first, but once closer, Sheva notices what look like a second set of eyes, eyes that remind her of creatures she faced in Kijuju. There's a moment of pause and lingering gaze, but she remembers how he didn't react poorly to her own changes in the dream. So, she buries anything negative and focuses on the friend she worried about during the lulls of spy work and resistance efforts.

Speaking of hair, she gives hers a bit of a shake and makes a bit of a playfully displeased face, stepping over to join him and ruffle his own longer locks.]

Bourbon will do. [Somehow, she makes settling into the other pillow a little bit graceful and a little bit particular, tucking her knees under her as she situates herself facing him.] I'm here for the company.

[He catches that pause, brief as it is. It's hard not to - he's a little self-conscious about the new additions. They're a little unnerving and he has to look at them in the mirror every morning.] They're, uh. New. [He offers by way of explanation.] At least I know what the fuck I'm turnin' into, bad news is I'm a spider, though. [Good news and bad news. Ugh.

He uncaps the bourbon as she settles down, passes it over - ladies first.] No need to flatter me, I've got nowhere else to be.

[She'd be self-conscious herself, so she's as empathetic as possible, her capabilities for this having grown over the last couple of months for certain. It's still different and her eyes widen a bit at the spider clarification. There's no hesitation when her hand shifts to rest on his thigh in a comforting gesture, giving it a squeeze, but it's obvious that she's chewing on something deeper.]

Do they make special, multi-eyed sunglasses? [Her other hand takes the offered bottle with a thoughtful expression that's slowly being eclipsed by amusement.]

I have other places I can be, but I'm happy to be here. [He receives a pointed look before she takes a decent pull from the bottle, passing it back afterwards.] Plus, I'm far better company than 'nowhere'.

Don't think I wanna know, if I'm honest. [It's a lot to deal with, finally knowing what he's going to be - eventually. It's still nerve wracking not knowing when the worst of it is going to come, though.

He manages a little smile when she says she's happy to be there, though. It's nice to have the company - the company of someone who isn't in his head, at least. He loves Steve and Tony but once in a while he needs his space from them. He takes the bottle back and takes a swig from it.] You're better company than a lot of folks around here. Glad you could find the time in your busy schedule to come hang out.

Then I'll keep it to myself when I find out answers. [But she's still going to prepare for them and she's already adding a few items in particular to her shopping or crafting lists. It can't be easy, particularly since spiders aren't exactly warm and cuddly. At least she's something mammalian in nature.]

I know. [Her own smile lingers, warm and relaxed even through the growing smirk she's trying (poorly) to subdue. Absently, she finds herself leaning in to him, nudging her cheek against his shoulder before settling it there.] Joke's on you, that busy schedule of pampering and feeding myself now falls on your shoulders. Nothing like sleeping awkwardly on a ship after a battle to collect additional aches and pains.

[He snorts, but he's all too willing to drop the topic. His own mutations are not a fun topic of conversation right now, especially since he's seen a few more arachne citizens around since he first got here.

She scoots in first, leaning against him, a solid warmth that he appreciates in the cooling weather. He slips his arm around her before it becomes a conscious thought, settling there easily.

He laughs.] You're tellin' me. I'm getting too old for stowing away and sleeping rough. Hopefully you'll settle for drinking right now since I'm not sure what food places are open nearby.

[There's a soft hum of happiness when he wraps his arm around her, almost sounding like the breath of a purr. She's missed this sort of touch, and it's much welcomed after the time she spent in the other city.

With a side glance his direction, her grin widens and adopts an air of mischief to it. Absently, she gives his thigh a squeeze, but as she speaks her fingers trail a bit higher.]

Who said I was hungry for food?

[Her eyebrow lifts in playful challenge, her hand halting at a relatively respectable distance from the hinge of his hip. While she's opening the door to something more, she's also happy to enjoy his company by other means.]

[If he's honest, he has too. It's been a while, since everything happened with Natasha, and he's spent a lot of time recently up in space, alone except for his partner Daisy, who is definitely not a romantic prospect.

He tugs her just a little closer against his side, settling comfortably, smiling down with a hint of curiosity in his eyes as her expression changes, and her hand shifts up his thigh.]

Well, if you weren't, then I guess we don't gotta go anywhere. That's convenient. [He's teasing, because he can see where this is going, and he's trying to play it cool. Not let on that it's been... honestly decades since he's actually tried to strike something up with someone new.]

[Her fingers continue to trail locally along the settling point of her hand, enjoying the heat of him against her, mind wandering to other ways he could help keep her warm. There's no effort to hide the essence of those thoughts from her gaze as she shifts her jaw to rub along his shoulder before situating herself for prime close proximity observation. How very cat of her.]

And preferred. It's getting chilly and you're quite toasty. [Her voice is low and rumbles, the purr sneaking through into her voice now. It's clear that there's not a rush to her movements, for her own reasons, and she's just content to enjoy spending time with him where they're not throwing bodies into dumpsters and crawling in sewers.] Warmth has been difficult to find lately.

Hey, uh, you okay?

[Which implies that he shouldn't be for some reason. Tony realizes that after it's already too late.]

I mean, not that- I'm just checking in.

[When the video clicks on, Bucky is bruised up from scuffs, hair wet from the shower, and he's rubbing a towel through it. He spent those three days of the mist trying to detain those going feral, keep them from hurting anyone.]

Been better, but I've also been worse. How are you doing? How's Steve?

[Tony is visibly relieved when Bucky answers. That's one at least. He makes a face when Bucky mentions Steve though.]

I can't get him to hold still. Usually I'm the one distracted by work, but he keeps disappearing. I don't think I've seen him for a full night for a while.

[Honestly, Bucky is just too exhausted to try to run. Tired, and thankful that he didn't really do anything he regrets during that mess. He wasn't affected by the mist, and if he has any new changes, they're small, subtle, and are part of his natural changing form. Well, "natural". As natural as anything gets around here.]

You want me to trail him? He was never very good at subtle. [Because that's the logical thing to offer here.] That mist, it did a number on him. He even had it out with me. If he's doing the 'running from his problems' thing, it doesn't work forever, believe me.

I know, believe me. I remember.

[He's tried to run from his issues several times. Never with any success. And he does remember when Steve asked him to help track down Bucky. He'd been busy at the time and had to limit his direct involvement, but he can remember how Steve had acted then. Tony can only imagine what happened when he finally caught up to his friend.]

He'll be mad if we start following him everywhere...

[Not that that has stopped him either, apparently.]

Do you think we should?

[They're all pretty bad about running from their problems. Bucky is just thankful he doesn't have any major problems this time around - he'd rather be here for his bondmates, especially if Steve is going to be stupid about things.]

He'll only be mad if he finds out we're following him. [Bucky points out. Which, Steve might notice Tony, or maybe the Bond would work against them, but Bucky himself is not known for being found out when he's trailing a target.] I don't know. What happened was... We don't really have any past experience like it.

He did chase me down for half a year when I didn't want to be around anybody. We could call it payback. [He doesn't like the thought of doing nothing when Steve might need them.]

[They've all had their moments, but Bucky's are the most recent and biggest in Tony's mind. If anyone would know the best way to deal with something like this, it would be the new Cap. And it doesn't hurt that he's good with reading Steve either.]

Well, we can't leave him alone.

[That he's certain of. Whatever the fog is, it left people in bad shape. They don't have their usual doctors to go to here and sticking together seems to be the one solid option there is. But they don't have experience with it. Bucky is right about that too.]

If we let him stew too much, he'll just keep being stubborn. Do you think we can distract him?

[Yeah Bucky is the biggest offender when it comes to literally crossing the globe to run away from his problems. Luckily, Aefenglom isn't nearly as large - fewer places for Steve to run.]

It's been a couple days, he's had enough space. We all have to get used to close quarters here, bein' in each other's heads and all. [Steve doesn't get half a year to run away. Nope.]

Possibly. One suggestion, though. The more you tell him it wasn't his fault, the more he's probably going to dig his heels in an' close off. That's how it was for me. Guilt doesn't know logic. Maybe we can drag him out to rebuild houses, give him a chance to feel like he's making it up.

[Tony would have run from a lot more things if he could get away with it. Luckily he's learned to adapt over the years, but that urge never really goes away. He gives Bucky a dry smile when the other hero says Steve has had enough space. Tony wouldn't have lasted this long if his friends didn't act the same way with him, pulling him out of his head when he needed it most.]

It's not his fault. It's the magic.

[He knows it's not logical. He knows how guilt can eat at people. But Tony is stubborn in his own way too.]

And I was brainwashed. Still feels bad when you know it was your hands that did it. [Unfortunately he has a lot of experience here. Bucky has worked through a lot since Steve first used the Cosmic Cube on him, but he still wakes up in a cold sweat some nights, remembering and feeling guilty.]

Hopping on that train won't be productive. You know how he is. Thinks he's responsible for the whole damn world sometimes.

Yeah, I know. No one is as stubborn as Steve Rogers.

[Apparently he tried to be and that turned out to be a complete disaster. Tony knows himself well enough to know he had to have a good reason, a good justification for it, but he is also practical enough to see the reality of results and accept what it means. There's no good way to push Steve.]

We'll just have to keep him busy, then. How are you feeling? With the changes, I mean.

Not a damn soul. I've never met someone as hard-headed as he can be. [For all his words, though, Tony can probably feel just how much affection there is behind them. They're family, always have been, ever since the war.

There's a moment of hesitation when Tony asks about how he's feeling. That's a much trickier subject, always is. He drags a hand through his hair.] Not fantastic, now that I got a better idea of what's going to happen. I'm startin' to feel some changes in my arm, the hairs are gettin' thicker, and I can feel the vibrations in the floor every time you two get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.

[The package left on his doorstep contains a plate of homemade cookies from Marie and a fresh lily flower.

“Happy Holidays! We are not friends yet but I hope we can become friends in the coming year.” is what the attached note says]

Stealing a stack of containers full of food from the holiday festival...
Shameful or victorious?

Also, are you hungry?

Sounds resourceful to me. Not like they're going to miss any of it.

I don't know if I'm up for food right now. Sorry.

[Crawling out of the cocoon you've been in for days with six more legs than you had before kind of destroys your appetite, he's finding.]

[Whatever witty retort she was going to muster for the first comment was ignored in favor of the second.]

What happened?

[Given her own horrible changes and what type of monster they made him, Sheva now has a sickening feeling in her stomach.]

A lot.

[The answer is vague, and there's a pause before he follows up. A fairly lengthy pause. He's trying to figure out the words.]

Pretty sure the changing part is over for me, at least.

[She doesn't know she's holding her breath until she exhales suddenly to sharply replace the air in her lungs.]

Shit. I'm sorry.

[What else could she say? Hell, she's terrified she'll hurt him by reacting poorly, because spiders.]

I also stole good booze.

Not your fault. Believe me. This was a foregone conclusion.

Normally I'd be all for that, but I'm not sure you wanna see me in person right now. It's a lot to take in, compared to the eyes.

Honestly, when is a good time for that? Like, a burlesque show where you shimmy one leg at a time into view to some old school music?

Or, you could twerk.

The least I can do is guarantee that I've seen worse and promise not to reach for my weapon.

You know, I've gotten pretty good at forgetting I'm old, and then I read words like 'twerk' with my own six eyes.

I'm really not sure if you've seen worse. If you really want to chance the nightmares, you can come by, though. I can't

I don't feel like leaving just yet. Everything's still a little. Soft and freshly-molted.

Have I shown you twerking yet? It involves a bounty of butt shaking. Must look interesting in 7-D.

I've seen a dog split open four ways like a fucking flower with teeth all along the inside. It then tried to eat me, and not in a fun way.

What's another nightmare to the pile? It will take some getting used to, yes, but I'm not going anywhere over some changes in appearance.

[She almost typed 'packaging' instead, but that's a topic she's not going to broach anytime soon.]

In other news, I'm still growing that tail without fur.
I look like one of those naked cats, only darker.

I'm horrified and fascinated.

By both of these things.

[Modern dancing is just one of those things he doesn't quite Get, and- well the other thing sounds horrifying no matter what.]

Hey, I'm sure it's not that bad. That's got to be cold, though, in this weather.

You’re getting a demonstration. Of the twerking, not the dog.

It could be worse, but I already hate the cold and a tail-sweater is not an option. I’d stuff it in my pants to keep it warm, but you know the type I like to wear... Which leads me to another mystery: men wearing skinny jeans. Just, how?

Alright, but you don't get to make fun when I inevitably make a 'kids these days' comment.

Girls wore leg-warmers in the 80s. Why not a tail warmer? I'll learn to knit you one.

Opening the door to elderly jokes. Bring it mister.

I’m both horrified and intrigued. I’m still holding out for proper fur.

Prepare yourself for matching leg warmers then. How is your temperature regulation?

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