turn back time;

[advanced]

who: Bucky and OPEN
what: Various prompts spanning Prijata, the AU, and just random things.
when: The month of June
where: Around and about
warnings: Panic attacks

notes: Because this spans pre-AU and during-AU Bucky, I don't mind if anyone wants to tag in more than once to interact with both bits. Open to new or existing CR. If there isn't a prompt you like, just PM me and I'll work one out with you!

[i: Prijata; around the abandoned city and Quarantine]

[Bucky has been delivered a lot of unexpected things for the Prijata celebrations, gifts from people he never expected to get anything from, and gifts from anonymous sources. They're all thoughtful - food vouchers, clothes vouchers, survival equipment - but there's one gift that really takes him by surprise. A dog. An actual dog. The letter that comes with it states that this is a service dog designed to help veterans, she's his to borrow for six months and then either give her back or take her full time.

The things is...

He has no idea how to take care of a dog. It's not something he had as a kid, and the Soldier certainly wasn't given pets. He knows common sense things, like that she'll need to be fed and walked, but that's about it. Which is why he can be found in one of several places:

a) skulking around the various pet shops of Quarantine with a black lab trotting at his side.
b) sitting out in the outskirts of the abandoned town, throwing a stick idly for her and watching her return it.
c) awkwardly hoisting said dog into his arms so that he can climb the side of a building.]

[ii: Good and bad; at night down an alleyway; cw: panic attacks]

[Maybe it's being given the dog that's meant for a specific purpose that brings it to the surface, but Bucky has been dwelling more and more on his time as the Soldier. It leaves him on edge, tenser than usual, and less willing to mingle with the crowds. He doesn't sleep for as long as he can, unwilling to leave himself vulnerable to attack, but in the end he's only human.

Whenever he does manage to get some sleep, his dreams are far from pleasant, enough that he's not exactly a silent sleeper. The occasional moan might draw attention to his hiding spot, and anyone who tries to disturb him will find that he's not in the mood for it at all.]

[iii: Sergeant Barnes; AU plot; the park]

[It's absolutely amazing!

Of course he's been here for a few months now, but it's still mind boggling that he could be living in a place where there were people from all sorts of places and times. It's like one of those dime novels he used to read, all aliens and fanciful technology. He can still barely believe cell phones are a thing, he can only imagine how much this might have enhanced the war effort back home.

The only problem is... he doesn't seem to have a place to stay. All of his stuff was down an alleyway with him, and that's not exactly ideal. He's dressed in world war two uniform, having not quite got round to getting changed yet, with the insignia of a Sergeant clearly visible. Though he's obviously still Bucky, same face and same body, there are differences that might make him hard to identify. He's clean shaven, he doesn't walk with the wariness of a predator stalking prey, and he's smiling.

He even raises a hand in a friendly and lazy sort of greeting, friend or newcomer.]

[iv: Wildcard; anywhere; anytime]

[Got something you want to do with Bucky or Sergeant Barnes? Put it here, and let's do it!]

Comments

[pundemic]

[She isn't winded enough not to sound completely fucking exasperated:]

Oh, fuck that.

[Her breathing's almost back under control. She closes her eyes very briefly, her fingers tighten on her gun and with an effort of supreme and tireless will she tucks it back away. After that it's just a matter of getting to her feet and going over to where he's trying to puke up his last few meals.

Her fingers twitch a bit, but eventually she reaches out to touch his shoulder. Conversationally,]

You know, I almost stabbed my girlfriend once when she woke me up.

[She's pretty sure it's the first time she's mentioned Riley outright. It feels weird to just... do it so casually, but. It hurts less to think about than it did once.]

[advanced]

[He flinches when she touches his shoulder, but he doesn't actively pull away. He has to get a hold of himself and push all of this down where it belongs, he can't afford to lose control. Not now, not ever.

A whining comes from inside the makeshift shelter and a dog crawls out to press against Bucky's leg, making him twitch again.]

Then you know it's not safe.

[His voice gets softer, ignoring the dog for now.]

I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt anyone.

[pundemic]

[The dog's a new thing. Ellie sort of blinks at it, and drops her other hand in case it wants a sniff, but otherwise she keeps her focus on James.]

Safe enough, right? I'm not dead. What's a few bruises between friends?

[Ha, ha. A beat.]

Sorry I kicked you in the balls.

[advanced]

You should've shot me, I could've killed you while you were wasting time on a kick.

[It's what he knows how to do the best, unfortunately, and so someone defending against him needs to be fast.]

What the hell are you doing down here, anyway?

[pundemic]

If I thought you were going to use that knife, I would've.

[She says it with a shrug. Maybe it's a lie, maybe it isn't. She isn't even sure herself, but she's not going to let him just beat himself relentlessly up over it. She rubs his back helpfully (?) and then steps back to give him some space.]

I was chasing this stupid cat that tried to kill itself in traffic. I thought maybe it was someone's pet.

[advanced]

[It's better when she steps back, though he's still got the dog in his space pressing her whole weight against him as she's been trained to do. She's not paying any attention to the other human in the alley, she has her job to do.]

Did you catch it?

[Yes, let's focus on the cat rather than anything else, that'll make things better.]

[pundemic]

[If it were anyone else, she'd snap out am I holding a cat? But it's not. She just sort of shrugs.]

Nope. Fucker escaped through a window. [She points at the one in question helpfully.] I guess cats are gonna just do whatever.

[advanced]

[He scrubs his hand through his hair, the flash of metal bright in the distant streetlight as he doesn't have his gloves on at the moment.]

Did you know I was down here, or was it an accident that you woke me up?

[pundemic]

[She glowers at him. He has got to know her better than that by now.]

I wake up all my friends by dropping a cat on them, didn't you know?

[She's always fairly gentle with him, but not too gentle for sarcasm at the moment, apparently. Okay, so it was a can, but the cat featured heavily.]

[advanced]

Yeah--

[He attempts a laugh, but it just comes out as a shaky and broken exhalation.]

Dumb question, sorry. I'm kind of-- not good.

[pundemic]

[Her expression softens, and she heaves a deep breath. Her hands go to her hips and she sort of cants her head downward so she can study her shoes rather intently.]

Nah, that was an asshole thing for me to say. You're good. I know it's tough. Do you... [a slight, noticeable hesitation,] want me to leave you alone?

[advanced]

[He rubs a hand over his nose, not really knowing how to answer that question when it's both a yes and a no that's the truth.]

I don't want to hurt you.

[That's a good enough answer, right?]

[pundemic]

[She gives him a grim little smile.]

You know, I'd rather spend time with you and risk it than hang out with anyone else. If anything happens, well. [A shrug.] I'll just shoot you.

[advanced]

[That does make him relax a little, head falling back against the wall.]

You're a good kid, Ellie.

[That's a normal reaction to a teenager threatening to shoot a man, right?]

[pundemic]

I'm a great kid, thanks.

[She beams at him, all happy and delighted at that concession. She's maybe a little starved for praise, after Joel.]

Hey. Have you seen my new place yet? With Taako? I think you'd really like it.

[advanced]

Yeah, I've seen it.

[Not that he's a big old stalker or anything. He's not been inside, but he's scouted around the outside a fair bit.]

Why Taako?

[pundemic]

[That's a complicated question. Were it anyone else, she'd just... say that she likes him, and leave it at that.

But.]

He's a nice dude. And... [She huffs.] He's not threatening. Not-- you know. The way you see a lot at the end of the world.

[advanced]

[He doesn't quite agree with that, Taako sets him on edge just because of his abilities, but he understands what she means and so he nods.]

He made the splint for my leg.

[Back when he needed one.]

[pundemic]

[Ellie is way less freaked out by magic than she is by guns. Maybe it's a lack of context. Maybe the fact it just seems so fucking out there by her standards that she can't fully grasp its dangers. Or maybe she does and just doesn't care, because it's never been used against her.

Whatever the reason, she trusts Taako. And hearing that he helped Bucky makes her smile.]

Was he like, super fussy about it?

[advanced]

No.

[He scrubs a hand through his hair, but he's not about to lie to Ellie or sugarcoat it, she's not the sort of person to appreciate that.]

I tried to hurt him when he found me, I was lucky that he helped at all, but he didn't fuss.

[pundemic]

[Her smile turns a bit wistful.]

Don't think it would have scared him off anyway. He's tougher than he looks.

[advanced]

[Obviously Ellie sees something in Taako that he doesn't, but that's good. He's glad that she has people here that she can trust who are looking out for her, better than her support network being one ex-assassin with a broken brain.

He pushes himself up, finally able to stand now that the shaking has started to die down, stretching out his legs.]

He won't be worried where you are now?

[pundemic]

[She rolls her eyes.]

He's not my dad. I go out all the time, and my place has its own... [handwave.] locks and doors and external entry points. It's pretty independent.

[advanced]

[He huffs something that might have been a laugh, if it weren't so hollow and shaky.]

Not good at hints, kid.

[He's trying to get her to leave without forcing her to, still scared that he might end up hurting her with the state he's in at the moment.]

[pundemic]

I'm not hinting anything, honest.

[She's not anywhere near subtle enough to hint at anything, oop.]

You already know you're welcome there if you want it. I had Taako set the wards for you.

[There's a bit of a lingering silence, as she just looks at him. There's nothing about her that seems scared, or wary. She's woken up Joel bad a couple times too. To be fair, he's done the same to her. Ever see a grown man back away from a teenage girl with a pocket knife?]

Look-- if you want me to leave you alone I will. I just... what I want is for you to know you aren't alone. No matter what sort of fucked up shit goes on in your head, or whatever you do.