music and mayhem

[advanced]

who: Bucky and OPEN
what: A variety of prompts, serious and more light-hearted, for existing and new CR
when: The month of September
where: Quarantine and the ruins
warnings: Minor injury/blood discussion

[i: thief at the hospital]

[Bucky has used the last of what Steve brought him on the night he was pulled from underneath the girder and patched up, but the wound still isn't completely healed and he doesn't want to risk it getting infected from substandard care. The bastardised serum he has might help keep infection at bay, but he's still human and he knows better than to risk it.

So clearly the best thing to do is head on over to the hospital, right?

Anyone passing by the hospital on a few days throughout the month might catch sight of a man subtly climbing in through one of the upper windows, and then climbing out again a few minutes later with his hoodie noticeably more full as if he's been pilfering supplies... mostly because that's exactly what he's doing.]

[ii: a stitch in time]

[Following the hospital raids, Bucky can be found out in the ruins tending to himself.

He has his shirt off, meaning that his metal arm is exposed to view for once, and is dealing with a nasty looking gut wound. It's already been stitched up, he's not in danger of keeling over any more, but he's cleaning out the dried blood and wrapping with fresh bandages.]

[iii: kiss and tell]

[After the disaster with Obi-Wan, Bucky has been keeping a very close watch out for those stupid little lights, determined not to get himself trapped under someone else's influence again. But they're more numerous than he'd like and sometimes one doesn't get seen until it's just a bit too late...

A warning to anyone getting themselves caught with Bucky in the kiss and tell, he may not react well and it could lead to fighting rather than kissing.]

[iv: songs from the old days]

[Bucky doesn't have much of a solid base, more a few bolt holes that he uses in a random pattern to keep him from being easy to track down, and that means that he doesn't have much in the way of possessions. It has to be easy to carry and flee with at a moment's notice, after all. But he has one or two indulgences that he's picked up on a whim, driven by half remembered days from before the Soldier.

He has a kite that he can sometimes be seen perched on a rooftop flying in the breeze, looking unaccountably peaceful. He also now has a record player. He found it in a little curiosity shop, a proper old one with some vinyls to go with it. He doesn't play the music too loudly, but anyone passing by some of the abandoned buildings or ruins might hear the quiet strains of the Andrews Sisters.]

[v: wildcard]

[Bucky can also be found at nights having nightmares, skulking around at the gun range watching others play, or generally observing the world around him. If you would like to play any of these, or have a completely different idea for a prompt, just go for it and I'll follow your lead! You can also hit me up on bibbety for plotting.]

Comments

[inebriety]

[There's a short pause as Tony considers what this means. He knows what they're like, but he didn't expect any of them to anger someone to the point that there seems to be a chance that it'd be taken out on him.]

If you're going to hit me can you avoid my head? Brain tumour.

[And after this he is going to demand that they give him a list of everyone they've pissed off so he knows what to look out for.]

Or give me a five second headstart.

[advanced]

[Brain tumour? Is he being serious? He thinks so, it doesn't look like he's joking about something so bad, but he can never quite tell with Stark.]

I'm not going to hit you.

[He just might run away a lot faster.]

You don't know who I am?

[inebriety]

[He relaxes when he's assured he's not in any physical danger, but that gives way to puzzlement.]

Am I supposed to? You didn't know who I was until just then.

[Tony gives him a onceover. Not everyone looked the same, but there were generally enough similarities that gave it away. However white man with dark hair and stubble is rather generic.]

Clint? Braddock? Bruce? Tell me if I'm getting close.

[advanced]

[He should say that it doesn't matter and make an escape, it's not worth dealing with this again. But a part of him is morbidly curious about what the Barnes in this universe is like, if he's even still alive, and if he's wronged this Stark in the same way.]

James Barnes.

[He watches with eyes like flint the whole time, focused for any minute reaction giving him away.]

[inebriety]

[Tony snaps his fingers in recognition, but it's not in the way he's expecting.]

Oh, I met the other you here. Are you a Captain America too?

[He has never met the Bucky Barnes of his world, the only thing he has to go off on is the other one who got his hackles up every time Tony needled the neurotic Tony.]

[advanced]

[What?

Is there no Bucky Barnes in that world? Or maybe there had been and he had died in the war, as he should have done. Bucky just frowns, shaking his head emphatically.]

No, never.

[The other him shouldn't be one either.]

I'm not a superhero.

[inebriety]

[Tony readily accepts him at his word having no background to work with.]

Well it was a decent guess. It was either that or an old man and you don't look like a senior citizen yet.

[advanced]

[This is very strange, and it at least makes him look less like he's either going to bolt or punch Tony.]

You don't have a James Barnes where you're from?

[inebriety]

He exists, but I've never met him. Actually he might've died by now, I never really paid attention to Steve's old war buddies.

[He looks thoughtful for a moment before shrugging and moving on.]

Oh well.

[advanced]

That's all he is?

[The question slips out before he can stop it, just a little jealousy seeping through his tone.]

Just an old war friend of Steve's?

[inebriety]

[That sounds like there's a story there, but he judges the chances of hearing it to be zero.]

Probably? Like I said I never met the guy. Although that might be why Steve's a bit of a hardass.

[advanced]

...it sounds like the place you come from is a lot different from the one I know.

[Because of all the ways to describe Steve, 'hardass' could never be one of them.]

[inebriety]

Well everyone does looks at me weirdly whenever I say something.

[He smiles as he says that, but it's not that great realising how shitty things are for him in comparison to everyone else.]

[advanced]

[He mentally debates for a second, but the prospect of information is more alluring than his supplies and so he leans against the wall instead of making good his escape.]

I want you to tell me about it.

[It's more of a demand than a request.]

[inebriety]

[He blinks in surprise at the sudden request.]

Only if you agree to do the same.

[He's a businessman so reciprocation was to be expected here.]

I don't work for free.

[advanced]

[His expression shutters a little bit, but he shrugs all the same, information is too important to pass up out of fear.]

Not sure how much I can tell you, but sure.

[inebriety]

[Well that clears up how important this is to Barnes.]

Whatever you're comfortable with. Now was there something in particular you wanted to know or should I start with my history?

[advanced]

[Obviously he wants to know all about Steve and anything he might know about the war-buddy Barnes from that reality, but he's not about to just say that.]

I want to know it all, so start wherever you think is right.

[inebriety]

[If he's not going to say it than Tony has no other choice.]

Alright then, life history it is.

I am the second child of Howard and Maria Stark. It was clear that I was destined for greater things when I earned my first degree at the tender age of eleven. As an adult, I inherited Stark Industries and built it to where it is today as one of the biggest multinational corporations in the world.

Now I'm going to pause there so you can tell me a bit about yourself too.

[advanced]

[Okay, so it seems like Tony Stark is a smartass in whatever reality he's from, good to know.]

I don't think you have siblings where I'm from, tell me about 'em.

[No thanks, focus on you.]

[inebriety]

[Tony waggles his finger and tuts.]

We had an agreement remember? I'll tell you all about Gregory after you give me something.

[He wasn't actually that curious, but it's the reluctance that has Tony pushing.]

[advanced]

[He frowns, searching about for something not that incriminating.]

I was born in Brooklyn, and I used to box semi-professionally.

[That's enough, right?]

Tell me about meeting Steve, the Avengers.

[inebriety]

[Tony is satisfied with that because he recognises getting him to say that much is a victory in itself.]

I was in the room when Steve woke up. We tried to tell him what happened, but he decided to beat up a room full of armed soldiers and jumped out a window instead because he didn't believe us.

The Avengers is the name of the black ops team my brother ran. The word you're looking for is the Ultimates. Nick Fury recruited me to bring a bit of respectability to a highly risky idea. Stark is a trusted brand name and it would assuage a lot of people's misgivings in putting so much money into a team that was essentially a just in case. Of course we've since proved our worth.

Your turn. And you can say whatever you're comfortable with.

[advanced]

Tony Stark is Iron Man where I'm from, he's one of the first team members of the Avengers, and he doesn't have any brothers. There's no such thing as any team called the Ultimates.

[He's met people from other worlds and realities, but for some reason this is unnerving him more than those did.]

So Steve is an... Ultimate? Not an Avenger?

[inebriety]

[Tony smiles proudly at Bucky cheating.] I already knew all that, you're learning.

And yes, I think we're pretty much the equivalent to your Avengers, world's mightiest heroes and all that. People brought together to handle the problems too big for one person.

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