thirteen ✪ video/spam

[imfollowinghim]

[Bucky didn't really mind that flood one way or the other. There were worse things than being six years old again, and while getting some insight into Natasha's childhood was kind of horrific, he hadn't been one of the people she'd stabbed in the thigh so. Again, there were worse things.

He's out on deck, and since it's gotten colder, he's got his Howling Commandos jacket on instead of just his regular service uniform.]

So, New York's not exactly an easy place to grow up when you're a kid and you don't have any parents, and, you know, kids can be assholes. There were these kids who used to wait in an alley over near Tenth Avenue to jump kids and make 'em pay a toll to pass back and forth across the street. This one day, when I was about six, I was walking back to the orphanage and heard these kids picking on this scrawny blonde kid who apparently didn't wanna pay the toll. They were really trying to beat the crap outta him, but for some reason, he wasn't just running away or handing over the cash, and I'm thinking what the hell is wrong with this guy? When I say he was scrawny, I mean it looked like the wind could snap him in half, let alone some bully with a decent right hook. But he was still mouthing off at them and trying to land a decent hit, when any sane person woulda been high tailing it down the street.

But I'd seen these kids doing this routine for weeks, right? And I figured you know, if this kid can stand up to them, why the hell couldn't I? Takes guts not to run away from a fight. So I jumped in and helped him out, [And he grins sort of self deprecatingly, because this is sort of filling his feelings quota for the month and it's not exactly hard to figure out who he's talking about considering 1. the flood and 2. it's not as if it's a totally unknown story.] and the rest, as they say, is history.

[Private to Banner]

Thanks for looking out for me and Steve. You another one of his Avenger pals?

[Private to Peggy]

Is it really too much for you to call me Bucky even when you're a ten year old, Agent Carter?

[He is entirely just teasing you but lmfao. Really Peggy.]

[Private to Natasha]

[Ahaha what even to say to you Natasha. :c I mean it is extremely unsurprising that your childhood was awful - happy people don't become spies - but just. Holy shit. :c]

... I know being social's probably the last thing on your mind right now, but if you need anything, let me know.

[Spam for Ben]

[A while after Bucky made his post, he realized his item wasn't registering Ben anymore, which was, frankly, all kinds of concerning, because he really had come to care about the guy, even if he was nuts, and so he hurried down to his (former?) inmate's room to see what the hell was going on. The door was still the same, which was at least quasi reassuring, but that still didn't explain what had happened, so he banged on the door a few times, not bothering to filter the concern out of his voice.]

Ben? You in there?

[Forward dated Spam for Natasha]

[Bucky wasn't an idiot, he knew Natasha would need space after what had happened and considering the way she'd acted the last time they'd come back from being different people, he was pretty sure he wasn't high on her list of people she wanted to see. Admittedly, this was a little different than coming back from being married, but still. He'd kept his space.

But she still wasn't out and about, wasn't on the network and he hadn't heard from anyone else if they'd actually caught up and talked with her, yet, and he couldn't help it. He was concerned. So, not really expecting anything to actually come of this, because whatever their relationship was here - they weren't really friends, weren't really coworkers, but acquaintances seemed stupid, and since when did he have to categorize shit like this anyway? - it wasn't like they were actually close, he headed to her room and knocked on the door.]

Natasha? It's B- [He cut himself off, because she never used his nickname and he didn't really get why, but. He didn't get a lot of stuff with Natasha.] It's James. You in there?

Comments

[not here]

[persuadeyou]

[Nope sorry dude. B( She has thrown her communicator across the room and is sincerely hoping it broke. She wan't be looking at it for a few days.]

[not here]

[imfollowinghim]

[Then he'll see you in a few days. B(]

[ Spam ]

[warisart]

[The routine, by now, is typical; when Ben found himself back to normal and remembered in full where he is, why he's there, and all the things that had happened to him and he'd done in the past eleven years, his immediate course of action had been to put himself on lockdown in his room while he tries to sort it all out.

His walls are bare and he'd been bothered by that before, but now his skin is crawling with the glaring absence of the familiar signs with their key words on them; he knows where he can find a marker or a can of spray paint maybe, but that would involve leaving, and all he really wants to do right now is...

He hears Bucky coming before the knock on the door, and the swift pace is only more alarming once the banging starts. It's only that it is Bucky that makes the transgenic unfold from the bed, crossing the room as though to meet him but stopping just short, wide eyes narrowed on the door.

Ben. His name is Ben.]

I'm here, sir. [Back to blank-toned, but there's the by-now familiar edge of hollow desperation that always signals an imminent shutdown, or a shutdown in progress.]

[ Spam ]

[imfollowinghim]

[Bucky lets out a sigh of relief and lowers his hand, staring at the door and wondering how bad a meltdown Ben's having right now.]

You alright?

[ Spam ]

[warisart]

[On a scale of 1-10? Low enough that after a minute he actually opens the door for the first time ever after a breach; however the situation looks about normal for this stage of the game, even though he's a bit calmer for all that he'd still been himself. No new memories or relationships forced on him, just a reminder; one he's not sure how to feel about and, overall, he's surprised at how glad he is to see Bucky.

He actually nods.]

Yessir. You?

[thestarspangledman]

Those kids were jerks, anyhow. I woulda worn 'em down eventually.

[imfollowinghim]

If your asthma didn't get you first. When the hell was the inhaler invented and how come it wasn't earlier?

[thestarspangledman]

I dunno, we should look into that. Could definitely come in handy around here.

private;

[notthatfondue]

[She grins.]

I was a bit of a tough one to deal with, wasn't I?

private;

[imfollowinghim]

Doesn't surprise me in the slightest.

private;

[notthatfondue]

I'll take that as a compliment, Sergeant.

[most_feared]

I was a scrawny sort of kid, too. [Him being a child is on record here so he's not worried about mentioning it.] It's tough to be the little guy.

[imfollowinghim]

Tell me about it. Tougher when it might be medically beneficial to just stay in bed all day because the outdoors are literally trying to kill you.

[private]

[lastincident]

[ Bruce doesn't answer for some time, and when he does, it's in text. ]

Yes, I am. I've heard a bit about you, but we've never had a chance to talk before now.

[private]

[imfollowinghim]

Nothing but good things, I hope.

text;

[aggravating]

[Oh look, guess who's in the text party with Bruce right now]

so there's one thing i can't figure out

did you or did you not have a shank. because you looked like a kid with a shank.

text;

[imfollowinghim]

No, I was six. Why would you think I had a shank?

[Video]

[silvestris]

Not a history I know. Did you lose any teeth, or did courage rule the day?

[Video]

[imfollowinghim]

We were fine, bullies tend to run away when someone's actually willing to fight back.

[darknessb4me]

Not my history.

[imfollowinghim]

It's an expression.

[toldinthebook]

Kids can be jerks anyway. [ She might have a great one but some of the ones she lived with in foster care? NOT SO GREAT ]

[imfollowinghim]

Some of 'em are okay. But let's just say socking these guys was pretty damn satisfying.

[spam]

[persuadeyou]

[She hadn't thought Tony or Bruce would make what had happened public - in fact, she doubted it very much. But it was hard not to imagine what James might know, or what he may have been told. She was silent in her room, but after a long moment, maybe long enough for him to give up, she stood and headed for the door.

She didn't open it all the way, didn't invite him in, didn't even really want him to see much of the room that had been haunting her.]

What's wrong? [Because what is checking up on people.]

[spam]

[imfollowinghim]

[More like long enough for him to consider knocking again and/or saying something else, because he really wasn't too keen on the idea of just walking away without her telling him to leave.

And that was exactly what he'd been about to do when she opened the door, which meant he looked a little surprised when she did actually open it instead of insisting they talk through the locked door or continue playing the quiet game.]

Nothing. Have you been in there the whole time?