pineslog | I THOUGHT THE COLD WAR WAS OVER!

Who: Bucky Barnes and OPEN, with a few specific closed prompts.
Where:
When: April 1-12
What: Catch-all for Bucky things!
Warnings: N/A, will update as necessary

[Open & Closed Prompts]

I: HOUSE [OPEN TO HOUSEMATES AND CR]
[ The Romanoff-Rogers-Barnes household has been busy lately, having recently been the site of a clandestine autopsy, under the radar from the local law enforcement, thanks to a well-timed 'diversion' in the form of blowing up a cop car.

Unfortunately, it was decided to hold the autopsy in the second bathroom-- ie Bucky's bathroom, so he's been steering clear of the tub for a little while, despite the repeated bleachings.

After that, things returned to normal-- except that they didn't. With Rumlow in town, and the mystery sickness, and the malformed body at the root of said sickness, suddenly laying low and staying off the radar has become less of a priority. Which isn't to say that Bucky's going to be throwing caution to the wind and acting restlessly, but it does mean that he's a little more willing now to let the 'townie' mask down, at least around those who are similarly eager to get to the bottom of this town's mysteries: what happened to them, and why are they here?

With the new month came the arrival of another batch of 'friends' and 'neighbors'-- except, this time, some of them were people he actually met before. And now, the Romanoff-Rogers-Barnes household is the Romanoff-Rogers-Barnes-Wilson household, which is... It's fine. Really. It is.

It's just a bit of adjustment. Kind of like when he had to get used to living with Liho, only Sam takes up more space and can talk back. And it's certainly made game nights even more competitive. (Bucky just can't seem to get the hang of any video games, and Mario Kart is the worst of them.) But at least now there are more people to split the household chores between.

Bucky spends more time home now than he used to, living as more of a housemate than a sad ghost who hides upstairs. The guilt and shame is always lingering somewhere in his mind, but it's easier, now, to be part of... not the world, exactly, but his friends' worlds, at least. Steve's and Natasha's and, now, Sam's (even if 'friend' is a stretch there). Each relationship carries a different set of complications, but as long as they're stuck living in a snow globe with no exit strategy, he's not going to hide anymore.

Lately, Bucky's been experimenting more with cooking, branching out from meals that are more practical and utilitarian in nature, to things that might be... tasty? He's no chef, but it's a work in progress. He's also broadening his horizons with books and movies and music. And, sometimes, he'll even practice with the SNES. He's going to beat Natasha at Rainbow Road one day... ]

II: SCHOOL [OPEN TO STUDENTS AND FACULTY]
[ Back in Brooklyn, he used to tag along to Steve's art classes. He wasn't any good at it, but it was fun, getting to paint the models. He didn't think much of it, and he might've made a few dumb, snickering comments to Steve the first time a model took off her robe. Thankfully, he grew out of that quickly enough.

And now here he is, modeling for the kids in 'Mr. Rogers's' art classes. Not in the buff, but in a too-tight tank top and a pair of tactical leggings, so that the students can study his musculature for their drawings. Holding the various poses Steve and Allison request of him is easy enough, but after living in the shadows for so long, it takes some getting used to, being on display as the center of attention in a room full of people.

Sometimes, he gets to see the students' drawings of him, which is always a... mixed bag. He definitely has a whole lot more empathy now for the models in the classes he and Steve used to take. And he has to wonder: how did he let Allison talk him into this?

Anyway, feel free to talk with him when he's not striking a pose. When he's not in the classroom, he'll be covered up in sweatpants and a zip-up hoodie. ]

III: NAIL SALON [CLOSED: KENZI]
[ She's not his family, and she's 'married' to an agent of HYDRA. For those reasons, Bucky ought to stay away from Kenzi. But it's kind of hard to when he still feels like they're family, when his false memories are as vivid as his real ones.

And when his own family is long dead.

Kenzi may not be related to him through anything but lies implanted in both of their heads, but he thinks of her as a second chance. And avoiding her doesn't do any of them any good, no matter who her husband is.

(Besides, Kenzi could help him keep tabs on Rumlow, while he's keeping tabs on her safety and wellbeing.)

So, with reconciliation in mind, Bucky shows up at the nail salon where Kenzi works, around her usual lunchtime (don't ask how he knows) with a box of pizza in tow. He knows her well enough (even though he hardly knows her at all) to know that pizza's always a way to Kenzi's heart. ]

Kenzi... Hey. [ He holds the pizza box out in offering. ] Peace offering?

[ You know, for vanishing from her life after that awkward run-in with her husband. ]

IV: CAFE [CLOSED: WANDA]
[ TO BE WRITTEN IN THE MORNING, I'M SO CLOSE TO PASSING OUT. ]

WILDCARD [OTA]
[ Whatever you want! Bucky goes running early in the mornings, stops by Java Joe's for coffee and reading before work, works at S&D Automotive as a mechanic (penance for destroying so many vehicles back home???), occasionally goes to bars to people watch, and goes to the veterans' support group, where he refuses to talk. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Clary loves her art classes the most. She’ll often stay later or work the same picture again and again until it feels right. It’s easier for her to picture the world when it’s in terms of how she might draw it. She drew what was there but she also tried to imprint a felling into her work, it made her art style unique.

Her red hair is pulled back into a pony tail with a few wisps that she continued to tuck behind her ear.

At first she drew Bucky as he was, the curve and contours of his muscles, the strength that he held in his shoulders and posture. There was uncertainty in his eyes and Clary drew that too. When her first drawing was done it felt… wrong, despite that fact that she’d drawn exactly what she saw in front of her. Frustration knotted between her shoulder blades and she tore the paper from her sketchbook to try again. She didn’t crumble up the first drawing, as she was known to do, because it had followed the art assignment perfectly and she’d most likely turn it in with her second drawing.

This time she didn’t draw his shape to the letter. She drew how he looked. His shoulders remained strong but his expression was distant and irreproachable. Clary drew his hair sweeping back from his face with a few loose strands of black falling on the right side of his cheek. She left him bare chested at first, working on his legs which were clad in armor. Slowly she erased, working her way back up his torso, coving each piece with a section of armor. Her history class gave her enough of a likeness that she was able to recall the shape of the medieval armor as well as the gleaming reflection of the metal as the sun kissed its surface.

By the time she was done most of the other students had left the room. She’d drawn a sword in his hand that she hadn’t remembered drawing but no shield. Her bright green gaze glanced between Bucky and her picture looking more pleased with herself than before.]

Sorry I took so long.

[She spoke with a small smile to her subject, suddenly feeling bad for taking so long. Clary often loses track of time when she draws.]

[ Bucky's not given to zoning out these days, even when sitting (or standing) around, perfectly still, while a bunch of teenagers draw him. He's more likely to listen to murmured conversations, or the sounds of footsteps in the hall, or the scrapes of pencils (or pens or charcoal, etc) against paper. Sometimes, he has to stifle a snort of laughter when he overhears Steve's commentary, the helpful suggestions and critiques on how to really capture his likeness. It's all good, genuine advice, of course, so that's not what has Bucky on the verge of laughter. It's just... there is something a little preposterous about it, when he thinks about the last seventy years, even those last few days before Wayward Pines.

Going from that to this, modeling for a bunch of teenagers? He kind of has to laugh a little. It's not so bad-- or, at least, it wouldn't be if this were a normal town and their minds hadn't been tampered with.

By now, there aren't a lot of students left in the room. It's the last class of the day, so it's not like the stragglers need to rush anywhere. Nevertheless, he's a little relieved when the last girl seems to be finished with her drawing.

Bucky shrugs, almost imperceptibly. ]

It's fine. You're all set? [ Juuust checking before he decides to move out of this pose. ]

Yes.

[A smile touches Clary's lips, her green eyes alight with fire as if they had manged to capture the warmth from the sun. She moved her first picture so that she'd be able to place it carefully in her sketchbook without wrinkling or damaging the edges. As she moved she paused, looking from Bucky to the picture.]

Do you want to see it?

[She doesn't usually show off her work but she is curious about what he might think between the two drawings. One perfectly mimicking him while the other shows something more. Clary doesn't know exactly what she's going for but when she looks at the drawing she feels safe, as if the penciled sword in his hand could protect them all.]

[ Now that he can move, Bucky gives his arms and back a stretch, before reaching for the gym bag he brought to the school with him. He's hardly self-conscious about wearing tight clothing, but it'll be nice to cover up with something that doesn't show off every single contour of his body.

Tugging his sweat pants on, Bucky glances over to the girl, somewhat surprised by the offer. Most of the students don't show him their work, for whatever their individual reasons are. ]

Sure. [ His interest is piqued, at the very least. Moving over, Bucky glances down at the artwork. She's got talent, that much is obvious. His eyes linger on the drawing of him as a knight, wondering where she got the idea from. Probably the metal of his arm, since there's nothing about him that says knight in shining armor.

With his past, he's about the farthest thing from it. But he offers a smile, anyway. No need to drag the girl into his own issues. ]

So you like knights and... King Arthur and stuff?

[Clary waits for him to get dress, a light smile tugging at her lips. She likes it when her subjects are cute. It's the talk of the class some days but she realizes that it might be awkward for Bucky and tends to keep her thoughts to herself. It isn't an easy job to stand there and be stared at for hours. They were lucky to have anyone willing to do it.]

Not really.

[She holds up the first picture, holding it next to the picture of Bucky as a knight.]

I drew this first but it was just what you looked like. Then I decided to draw how you seemed. [To Clary, he comes off as a fighter. Perhaps not a knight in the romantic sense but in the sense that he's a defender with a sense of honor.] Do you not like it?

[ He realizes now that he might've come across as too lukewarm, like his own personal issues seeped too much into his response to Clary. It's certainly the last thing he wants, to make her feel like she did something wrong in presenting him in a more... heroic light than he's used to. ]

No, I like it. Just not used to seeing myself like that. [ He looks at the two pictures, side-by-side, and smiles at Clary again. ] You've got a lot of talent.

[Clary looks up at Bucky with a warm smile.]

You know what they say, 'you're your own worst critic' [She shakes her head, releasing bright red waves around her shoulders.] I don't think I'm very good but I do think that you're more like a knight but with a sword and not with a shield. I think they're called long swords and used to knock men off horses.

[She pauses.]

I'm not sure where that came from but you get my point, right?

[Clary feels a strange sense of familiarity twist in her stomach. She knows a lot about knights and dragons but isn't sure why. She remembers someone telling her about them but his face is fuzzy. Who is that?]

[ Bucky doesn't fully get her meaning, wondering if she's maybe talking about jousting, which always seemed like something of a game, or... The cavalry? Medieval warfare isn't quite his strong suit, though he read up a bit on the Knights of the Round Table and all that, as a kid.

He lets out thoughtful hm and looks at Clary, curious. ]

What makes me seem like a knight?

[Clary considers his question for a moment before replying. Her eyes are focused on her papers but it's clear that her mind is off on it's own adventure.]

It's your eyes. [She can't believe that he's a bad person or that he might have any awful tendencies. His eyes show someone who is caring and warm, though often uncertain and at times resolved. That is the reason for the sword without a shield or horse.]

It's just a feeling, I might not be right about it.

[She wishes she was but it might simply be a girls conjecture. Clary has been told that she has a romantic view of things.]

I THOUGHT THE COLD WAR WAS OVER!

II: SCHOOL - April 8th ish?

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