I THOUGHT THE COLD WAR WAS OVER!

[zymasoldat]

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. ]

Comments

II

[bechdelpls]

[ Sarah had just planned on hanging out at lunch, visiting a few teachers with free periods - then someone tipped her off that Kenzi's cousin was modeling for the art classes.

Okay, they didn't say Kenzi's cousin, but that's the context she sees him in, even if she only knows him in passing.

She knows his cousin well enough to stick her oar in on Kenzi's behalf, which is why she goes to the art room to see if he's there--

And boy, is he.

Good thing the lighting in here is decent - she's going to get a few shots before this class winds up. Then she'll talk to him. ]

[zymasoldat]

[ Bucky's sitting on a stool, his chin propped on his knuckles, elbow on his knee-- a sort of 'thinker' pose that he was told to assume. But even if he's doing a good job being still for the students, he sees you there, kid, with your camera.

He doesn't know Sarah, exactly, but his false memories supply that she's a friend of Kenzi's-- which means she probably knows him as Kenzi's cousin. Probably why she's taking the pictures. Bucky may not be able to move, but he does lift his brow at her, as if to say: Really?

Yeah, Sarah's got some explaining to do once he's allowed to move again. ]

[bechdelpls]

[ Sarah catches the look, and grins at him over the camera. She gives him an open-mouthed, smiling wink, the sort of gesture that would rightly be accompanied by the phrase wink wonk.

Still, there are only so many pictures one can take of the same pose in a still life drawing class. So instead she positions herself by the door and waits for the bell (and for the flock of students admiring him after it rings to dissipate). ]

[fidelis]

[ Sam's acquaintance with Bucky begins with his nose acquainting itself with Bucky's metal arm.

This is what happens when you're cramming last minute for a class you have to teach on a subject of which you have no memory. It's what happens when you turn a corner too quickly without looking up from the book you're inhaling between classes.

It's a volume covering the late 1800s and western expansion, both topics that can state unequivocally that he has no interest in.

He probably will state that, too. In class. Which will help the lesson along by leaps and bounds, no doubt.

The first and most important order of business, however: figuring out how he ended up in the floor by running into some giant man's arm. ]

...Sorry about that.

[zymasoldat]

[ Even though he's currently got himself covered with a pair of sweatpants and a zip-up hoodie (trying to look normal and inconspicuous while he stretches his legs before Steve's next art class), Bucky's attempt at minimizing the obviousness of his robot arm is ultimately for nothing. Because the second a teacher rounds a corner and walks right into it, it becomes pretty obvious that there's unyielding metal underneath his sleeve.

So. Sorry about that, Sam.

At least Bucky's nice enough to offer him a hand-- the metal one, in fact. ]

It's fine. I think you felt that more than me.

[fidelis]

[ Sam takes the proffered hand - and then does a double take at it, realizing the instant that he does that the action is probably rude.

But there it is, a metal prosthetic, each finger carefully articulated. He didn't even know something like that was possible. ] That's-- Apparently that's a possibility. The whole arm?

[ So much for being rude. ]

II: SCHOOL - April 8th ish?

[babyhunter]

[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.]

[zymasoldat]

[ 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. ]

[babyhunter]

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.]

III

[onteamdyson]

[See, this is something only true family would know. They may not be blood, but Bucky truly knows her and OBVIOUSLY LOVES HER BECAUSE...

He brought her a PIZZA! The most perfect food of all foods. Sacred and cheesy and no green peppers. Ugh, she was so ready to shun him and pout at him and say catty things, but this? This changes everything. How can she be mad at him ever after this? ... Okay, maybe she wouldn't go THAT far because there are tons of things to be mad at Bucky for, but this isn't one of them.

She stands up, wiping tears from her eyes that formed from the beauty of free pizza, and grabs his stupid face to pull him closer and kiss his cheek before taking the box out of his hands.]

You are such a weirdo stalker but you're my weirdo and I accept this offering on the following conditions!

One, you have to hang out here and eat half with me. Two, admit you're a huge jerkface sometimes. And three... quit disappearing? I-- ... actually really miss you when you're not around?

[Which is weird because she didn't actually know him until all this craziness.]

[zymasoldat]

[ Well, at least the pizza's well received. Bucky huffs out a little chuckle at Kenzi's affectionate response to his offering, but the idea that he's in the clear is short-lived. Once she lays out her second term, he lets out a short sigh of exasperation and quirks his brow. Really? At least the other two conditions are reasonable. ]

I'm not gonna disappear anymore. You're stuck with me now. [ Because that's how family should be. ]

And... [ He sucks in a breath and makes a bit of a face. ] I guess I can be kind of a jerk sometimes. [ There. Bucky's gaze lingers on Kenzi for a moment, before he throws an arm around her shoulders in a half-hug. ] It's only 'cause I worry about you.

[ Which is true, even if he doesn't really know her. ]

[onteamdyson]

[His response actually warms her heart. Seriously, she's all fuzzy inside and trying not to grin like a crazy person! What she does remember of her real family... it's not good. Not at all. Even in the fake memories, Bucky's the only good part.]

You don't have to worry about me. I'm hella tough. Seriously, like jawbreaker tough.

[Uuuugh, Bucky! Stop hugging her in public with her coworkers and customers watching. Gross. People are gonna think she's actually nice or something. She nudges him with her shoulder and heads towards the back where they can eat in peace. She's got some time.]

Come on. Let's hang out.

II

[seeyaduke]

[Ana seemed to have a problem with losing the markers for the dry erase boards. She wasn't quite sure how she kept losing them, other than the fact that they just weren't there when she needed them to be. Right now she expected that her students (they weren't her students, not really, but they were and the dichotomy was driving her crazy) had made some sort of joke at her expense to other people about it. Of course, given how small the town was, she was sure to hear about it soon enough.

So with her own markers depleted (save for the two that were tucked into her bun like hairsticks that she entirely forgot were in there) Ana moved into Steve's classroom in order to borrow one of his markers if he happens to be around. If he isn't, well, she'll borrow one anyway and return it to him tomorrow.

She's really going to need to go to the store and buy out their stock.

However, when she spotted Bucky, she stopped dead, and smiled at him quickly.]

You, darling, are definitely not Steve.

[zymasoldat]

[ For the time being, Steve's stepped out to attend to something elsewhere in the school, leaving Bucky to loiter around the now-empty classroom. Being surrounded by (and the subject of) so much art, he's feeling inspired enough to try doodling some sketches on a pad of paper. Or maybe it's just boredom.

Regardless, it's pretty clear that art isn't his forte. But at least it keeps him distracted while he waits for his friend to return.

At the sound of footsteps, he glances up from the sketchpad, eyes settling on the woman in the doorway. He looks her over quickly, assessing her in the way that he assesses every stranger. She's attractive (he may not be the ladies' man he once was, but he's not blind), confident, but more than that... The way she carries herself is so purposeful, like somebody who's really in tune with their body. An athlete? A dancer? Something else?

He offers a brief, friendly smile, slipping into a teasing tone of voice, as if by instinct. ] I'm definitely not. [ He pauses for a moment, then continues. ] He just stepped out. I could tell him you're looking for him...?

WILDCARD - BAR

[toten_sie]

[ Randel's here for a purpose, but that purpose has nothing to do with drinking, socializing, or dating; instead, he's here to see everyone coming in, how they act, what they do. He's still searching for more people to fill in the gaps, more memories that would make the world make sense. There's just these holes inside that he can feel in his gut, places unfilled that should be filled, leaving him a teetering Jenga tower of a man with no hope for stability in sight. So he's ordered a coke and onion rings, which were clearly bought from the supermarket and fried up because almost no one else has food, and he's taken up a position at the back corner with a nice view of the rest of the bar.

Which does include Bucky. Who gets a wave when he notices that the other man is also doing more watching than doing. Maybe they've done this together at some point or another? ]

[zymasoldat]

[ It's hard to miss Randel, even with him tucked away at the back corner. He's the one who most catches Bucky's eye as he does his initial sweep of the bar-- not as a threat, with the way he's carrying himself, but as a potential person of interest. It's the uniform, more than anything.

The other man's wave is met with a short nod and a friendly smile. Taking it as an invitation, he picks up his beer (which is only here for show) and joins Randel at the back of the bar. Now that he's closer, Bucky can see the scars on Randel, though he doesn't make a point of staring. Just opts to open the conversation with a wry observation. ]

I guess we're both being wallflowers tonight.

[ As if Bucky isn't one all the time. ]

II

[oncekind]

[Jiaying isn't the type to rubberneck so when some students started crowding around the door to Steve's art class, she firmly shoos them away. Once they're gone, she turns her head to see what had gotten their attention and catches sight of Bucky posing for the students in class.

She purses her lips and looks away after that. Something about him seems familiar. She files that thought away and walks off. She makes a point to catch him alone while he's still on school grounds, smiling as she walks up to him.]

You must be the new model in Mr. Rogers's class. I'm Jiaying. A teacher here. The students are quite fond of you.

[zymasoldat]

[ Bucky stares at the woman for a beat, trying to place her. She's not just a teacher, is she? She's... a therapist in town. That's right. He offers a quick, polite smile in return, before he lifts his brows with some surprise. ]

They are? [ It's nice to hear, at least, that the kids like him. Then, remembering his manners, Bucky offers his hand-- the human one-- to shake. ] Bucky. Allison talked me into this. [ Allison being Steve's TA, of course. ]

I.

[birdcostumes]

[If Bucky wants to learn to cook, then Sam is probably one of his better bets, as far as teachers go. Whether or not they'll be able to stand being in the kitchen together long enough to accomplish anything is another issue all together.

Sam comes home from the store one afternoon and starts unloading groceries onto the counter--cans of crushed tomatoes, raw hamburger, a couple pounds of spaghetti, a big chunk of Parmesan, among other things.

He doesn't mind cooking. His mother taught him from a young age, and he's always been good at it. The big difference now as opposed to when he was just cooking for himself, though, is quantity. Four people is pretty much a normal family-sized group, as far as quantities go. But when you're figuring super-soldier-appetites into that equation, the quantity starts to not be quite as normal.

He's prepared, though. Plus, he remembered one of the most important parts. Before he actually starts cooking, he pops the cork on a bottle of red wine.]

[zymasoldat]

[ With today being a shorter shift at the auto shop, Bucky's already at home, cleaned up, and dressed down by the time he hears someone come into the house. He's got enough of a handle on his housemates' schedules-- especially Steve's and Natasha's, having lived with them longer-- to figure that it's probably Wilson who just stepped in.

It's always at least a little tense when it's just the two of them with no one else to act as a buffer for their head butting. But, what the hell, the house is equally theirs, so it's not like Bucky's going to play the avoidance game when it's just him and Sam in the house. Besides, he was thinking about making himself a sandwich, which means that their paths are bound to cross.

Bucky heads to the kitchen and stops short of barging all the way in, his eyes scanning over the array of ingredients laid out. Looks like Wilson's planning to make spaghetti... and it'll probably be a whole lot better than any he'd ever make.

After a moment passes with Bucky observing in silence, he finally speaks up, a twinge of dry sarcasm in his voice. ]

Is there a special occasion I don't know about?

[ You know, because of the wine. Time to find out if the two of them can work together as well in the kitchen as they do the battlefield. Or, ideally, better than they did the battlefield, considering how the two of them fared against that spider-kid. ]

I

[vdova]

[ He isn't alone in his house wanderings. The kitten is about four months old now and curious as ever, despite his curiosity getting him into all kinds of trouble. He still has trouble getting up and down the stairs, but he tries. He tries very hard, and he's usually following Bucky when he does so.

Currently, he's sitting in the entrance to the living room, tongue stuck out just a little. Watching. Waiting. As Bucky plays the SNES, in practice, Liho stares at him, until he's scooped up by a pair of hands. He mrps at Natasha as she lifts him into her arms, cradling him against her chest as she pads her way into the living room. ] What are you doing, little one?

[ She croons to the kitten in Russian, stopping when she sees Bucky on the couch, a small smile creeping along her face. ]

I see. Still trying to beat Rainbow Road?

[ She pitches the question, in English, a little higher to get Bucky's attention. ]

[zymasoldat]

[ He's had a couple months to get used to Liho, and yet, the kitten (cute as he is, Bucky will admit) can still unnerve him, just a little. The way Liho stares at him with that unreadable feline face, for so long that it's almost suspicious--

Yeah, he knows Liho's just a cat, and not even a particularly bright one, and that he shouldn't project onto the little creature... But it's still kind of creepy. And he's pretty sure Liho's throwing him off his Mario Kart game.

(If only that were the reason why he's so terrible at it.)

He's doing his best to ignore the cat when he hears Natasha approach, first crooning at the kitten before directing a question at Bucky. Judging by the look on his face, the low-key frustration as he veers off the side of the road and into the abyss, it's pretty clear that "try" is definitely the operative word here. ]

These controllers aren't as responsive as they should be. [ EXCUSES. ]

I

[overdraws]

[ Honestly, honestly, she'd suggested the idea as a joke. Not the idea of having someone come in to model for their classes, still life drawing is a good way to learn how to draw people, but the person in question—

It wasn't like Allison thought Steve would take her seriously. But then he'd looked at her with something inscrutable in his eyes, told her that not only would it be a fantastic idea but she should ask him, and there was no backing out. Their house is on the way home to hers, so Allison figures it'd be easier to just stop by and ask in person, rather than go home and make a phone call.

She can do this. It's not a big deal. He's just. Super hot. That's all.

Taking a deep breath, Allison reaches forward, and presses the doorbell. ]

[zymasoldat]

[ Since nobody else is home right now, Bucky's really not expecting any company to stop by the house. He's just minding his own business, toweling off from a post-workout shower, when he hears the chime of the doorbell.

Though he manages to quickly slip into a pair of jeans and a fitted tank top before making his way to the front door, he's a little wet, the towel draped over his shoulders.

Imagine his surprise when he opens up and sees Allison standing on the other side of the door. ]

Oh. Hey. [ His voice practically screams UNSURE right now. She can't be looking for Steve, since she probably just left him at the school, so... ] Did... something happen to Steve?

[ He's assuming if something did happen, it's not an emergency. She's not carrying herself like a person in the midst of a crisis, after all. ]

[paragon]

[ Objectively, Bucky's a good choice, if not one exactly made in that spirit, Steve thinks. Surprise had kept his own expression even enough when Allison had made the suggestion — save for a slight raise to his brow — but he'd meant it when he said it was a good idea and managed to keep any amusement schooled and to himself.

He doesn't need to make any such effort with Bucky, but there hadn't been much time to talk before the class started. It's a little strange to Steve, too. Mostly because a year ago Bucky had been the proverbial ghost in Steve's life, only visible to him in dated photographs or his own sketched recollections, and now he's looking at the face of the man at the center of the room standing out from multiple canvases, none his own. He knows Bucky's just as trapped as the rest of 'em, but he doesn't have to be here in this room, and Steve likes to think that means something. Even if it's just that he always had a hard time saying no to a pretty girl. ]

Thanks for doin' this, [ Steve says, a small twitch to the corner of his mouth as the last stragglers leave (late) for their next classes, Allison moving some of the finished pieces into a side room. ] They usually can't wait to get out of here.