[Open with some closed prompts] Where have all the good men gone?

[livingsymbol]

who: Steve Rogers and anyone else!
what: Various bonding type things
when: General March catch-all
where: Different locations, pick your favorite!
warnings: Nothing yet. Will update as needed?



I. Training exercises [OPEN]

[For any members of the Perimeter Guard hanging around the compound when they aren't on jobs or for those who just frequent the local gyms and need some extra exercise, Steve can be found at both, either very early or late when there aren't as many spectators, running through his routines. It's mostly for his own mental health, although during the midday he offers to do self-defense and combat training or take jogs with people who just want some company. If there are people he's spoken to before that have expressed some interest, he'll probably drag them into a session or two.]

So how do you feel about obstacle courses? We could race.

II. Shield toss beyond the city fences [OPEN]

[Of course Steve Rogers is exploring out alone in the dangerous open wilderness. Of course he's out of his Guard uniform and wearing the navy blue issued to him by SHIELD before he ended up in Quarantine. And of course he's poked his nose right into the middle of a nest of lizard-like creatures each the size of very large dogs, which look none too happy about the human's arrival. This normally wouldn't be too much of a problem, but Steve has somehow managed to find them in a sea of tall grass where they are hunting and the pack is far greater in number than even a super-soldier can handle alone. He's left stranded on a tall rock surrounded by very tall, angry versions of Komodo dragons that are slinking around below, trying to figure out how to reach their dinner. If he tries to attack, he'll most likely lose his one defense and possibly a limb trying to retrieve it. He might make a run for it, but without knowing where all the lizards are, his chances are pretty bad. If anyone happens to pass by or overhead, at least he has their attention.]

This is probably when I should call for help. But it'd be pretty bad for a Search and Rescue member to need rescued. How about it, boys? How smart are you, exactly?

[He may just make a run for it.]

III. Aftermath from his walk in the wilds [OPEN]

[Within the city limits on a few evenings Steve is found limping down the streets. He's probably on his way to buy a burger or some easy food from one of the familiar places he goes to after a hard day out. He has definitely been thrown around and is sporting some interesting scratches and bruises, which mostly means he'll take his meals outside so he doesn't bother other patrons. But he could stand to clean up.

If he happens to run into someone literally by not watching where he's going or if someone gives him and his battered style funny looks he'll stop and give them a polite nod.]

Sorry. I hope I'm not disturbing you.

[It's a zombie Cap cosplay!]

[Closed to MCU!Bucky] Tracking down an old friend (again)

[Steve did try to behave and respect Bucky's privacy. He's been trying to give the man some space and not crowd him, but when his Bucky mentioned that James Barnes of the other world knew who Pierce was and had a history with him, he had to find him. So he starts tracking, asking people around the city if they've seen a guy that looks like Bucky around, and hunting through the city is thankfully not as hard as tracking a man across an entire country, so eventually, with painstaking effort, Steve does catch up. He approaches him in a secluded spot away from everyone else, dropping down before Bucky can bolt.]

I was hoping that you'd call me. Or leave a message at least.

[Closed to Hiccup] Baking can be an adventure too

[As promised, Steve comes to visit Hiccup with a bag of cake making supplies. He might be a bit late considering it's a few days after their talk about his birthday, but Steve is still there and still keeping his promise. He contacts Hiccup and makes sure he's home and then heads over, knocking on the room door of the first floor where the young man and dragon are staying.]

Ready to tackle the oven?

[Closed to Pierce] Tea with enemies

[He's not happy with his own decision to meet with Pierce, but he also hadn't been entirely happy to meet with Loki the first time he did it. This choice is Steve's attempt at keeping an open mind and giving even the worst possible figure in his mind a chance to prove that he's not just out for destruction the way Steve wants to assume he is. It goes against everything Steve believes of him, but at least at this point he doesn't think Pierce will make any hostile moves. Not yet.

So he shows up as planned at the diner, nodding once he finds Pierce even if the motion is slightly stiff.]

After you.

[Because he's going to make Pierce go in first.]

[Closed to Tony Stark] Is this a serious talk?

[Tony did invite him to visit and see his work, so Steve, out of the blue, decides he's going to do that. He also wants to visit JARVIS and Dum-E, so it's not entirely a professional visit, but since Tony seems to be caught up in his own business most of the time, it's up to Steve to bridge the gap. He shows up at the workshop doorstep, greeting JARVIS and asking if Tony is around. And then, of course, making conversation.]

Are you making sure he remembers to eat? He was looking a little thin before.

[You're welcome, Stark.]

Comments

[livingsymbol]

[Bucky is the best and the worst when it comes to Steve. He is a stalwart friend and the one person that truly knows Steve Rogers as legend and man and soldier. He's also just as prone to danger and has an even worse history of jumping into plans than Steve does, so while Steve gets himself into trouble, Bucky manages to get himself into even worse trouble. They are two of a kind in that regard. A pair of troublemakers that can't help but end up in these fights.

And of course neither of them are going to back down from the high risk life or avoid the unfriendly path before them. Steve loves his brother more than anyone for that. He can always depend on Bucky, just like he is now while they both beat back angry lizards with fists and shields, meeting in the center of the grass with the pack circling around. It's home, in a way, the two of them on the battlefield.]

Bet if you stripped them down you could get at least some jerky out of them.

[the meat would be stringy and lean, but Steve is optimistic. Deer is naturally the better choice. He chuckles, panting as he kicks one of the lizards away from them and smacks another as it tries to take a swipe with its claws.]

It's not my fault. I was just passing through. It's not like I told them all to gather'n meet me here.

[anotheroldsoldier]

[As different as they are, their penchants for getting into trouble remain the same. At least in a friendship like this, you always have that built-in backup. They bring out the best and worst in each other, and Bucky wouldn't have it any other way. It's somehow only right when they fight their way to each other's sides, standing back to back at the center of a ravenous herd of reptiles, fighting in sync like they have for years and hundreds of battles before.

Maybe Bucky isn't as annoyed as he pretends to be. He likes the excuse to hit something he doesn't have to feel bad about hurting or killing. That's the big plus of Riverview, maybe, that he gets this outlet for all his restless energy without the complicated moral questions. These are wild beasts, not sentient people, and if he has to kill them to protect the city, to protect his brother, he can and he will and he'll still sleep at night after.

Bucky makes an exaggerated face at that suggestion, not that Steve can see it, driving his knife into the throat of one beast that lunges too close with its claws out. He rips it free and then plunges it into the chest of another one.] You got no idea where these have been. Anyway, predators don't taste as good. [Not that other predators out here seem to mind. They'll have to come back and check this spot a few times over the next few weeks just to make sure anything that stops to eat their kills is moving on.]

Nah, you just put a big navy blue target on your back. Jungle camo too good for you, Rogers?

[livingsymbol]

[They rely on each other and that trust carries them through even the worst situations. It's more than just friendship for Steve. Bucky is a supporting part of his life and he knows he can trust him to be there even when he shouldn't be able to turn to anyone else. What they've been through is what keeps him going, defining him in ways that even Steve can't fully place.

And part of him enjoys the fight with his friend at his side. Steve knocks a few of the lizards back as they rush in, thinking that they can snap at the men from the side. He snorts at Bucky's comment about taste, trying to keep the pack from rushing them all at once while they make their gradual retreat.]

Something will eat them. They aren't the biggest boys out here.

[He's thinking the same thing, that they'll have to come back to check the spot later. The blood will attract other predators and scavengers.]

Can't afford that much green.

[anotheroldsoldier]

[Bucky flips one lizard and hurls it into another small, tight group of them; when they bare their teeth and hiss, he bares his right back, caught up in the adrenaline. Another rushes him, and he grapples with it for a moment before he manages to snap its neck. The fight is exhilarating like this, with Steve at his back, bantering while they take out the pack of creatures baying for their blood. He takes some cuts and bruises, but that's good in its own way. It makes him feel alive.]

Don't I know it. Saw something bigger than these guys last week down south. [Another pair rush them from the side, and the hard-light shield flares to life to block them, hard. He sweeps their feet out from under them in one fluid kick.

Bucky snorts, sparing a few seconds to send Steve a look.] You could if you wanted to. You just like to stand out, find trouble.

[livingsymbol]

[There's a sharp crack as Steve swings his arm with the shield held in front of him, the metal impacting one of the lizards and making the body give, sending it flying back into the creatures behind it. The others scream, claws and teeth showing as they start to realize that even with their numbers, the two potential targets are not easy prey. If Steve could see Bucky threatening the creatures with his own grin of intent, he would laugh.]

Yeah? Not headed our way, was it?

[He feels Bucky drop down behind him and hears as a couple of bodies hit the ground. The advantage they are gaining is palpable, and Steve raises his shield, taking an aggressive swing at several lizards that are starting to change their minds about closing in.]

Are you coming, or do we come and get you?!

[The high shrieks are turning into chattering noises as the pack shifts and seems to debate on their next move. Some keep attacking, but others are reacting with fear and the instinctive knowledge that they might not come out of the fight with food.]

Don't know what you're talkin' about, partner. I was just minding my own business.

[anotheroldsoldier]

We could swing around and check. See if they're heading toward the city or away. [He gets onto Steve for finding trouble when he doesn't have to, but honestly, Bucky is just as bad. He's eager for the excuse to fight and exert himself, to work out all the negative shit in his head on the field. He feels like he fits in with the Guard better than he has with any other group in a while, maybe since the Army. He gets rolled into the dirt by a lizard leaping onto his back, and he rolls to pin it, driving his elbow hard into where its sternum would be.

While he's down there, he pulls another one to the ground with a hard thud, yanking on its ankle, and as he rolls to his feet again, he uses the creature in his grasp to knock into another one.]

They're startin' to run scared. I guess even lizard-brain knows when it's outmatched.