Closed

[deadthenred]

Who: Bucky (deadthenred) and Kyle (torchbearer)
What: Awkward meetings as
When: The date it happened
Where: A coffeeshop somewhere in New Jersey.
Content Warnings: N/A

[ It's a nice coffeeshop, the kind with white walls, high ceilings, and exposed ductwork, the kind of places you find in Brooklyn, these days, with the kind of prices to match. (When did a cup of coffee start costing $7?)

He's not sure where Jason ran off to and why he left him alone with this guy. (Why is Bucky friends with Jason?)

Before going up to the counter and ordering, there's an awkward silence. This isn't like the other people Bucky's met through Jason, he has no idea what Kyle's deal is. ]

Are you— uh, another one of his brothers?

[ Dark hair, light eyes— they all have a look. ]

Comments

[deadthenred]

To be a better person. More generous, more patient. Less of a smartass, which is what I am, naturally.

[ He shrugs. ]

When someone sees the good in you, you wanna prove 'em right.

[torchbearer]

[ prove them right. what an odd way to look at it. or maybe kyle's just odd about it. no one saw anything in him to begin with and he knows that. and he certainly never weighs his actions on good or bad. seems like moral relativism at work. ]

Okay. But what's so bad about being you?

[deadthenred]

[ He pushes his lips together for a moment and raises an eyebrow. ]

Well, I enlisted when I was fifteen.

[torchbearer]

Putting aside that the army is a predatory organisation that hires kids too young . . . not sure that's the black mark you think it is.

[deadthenred]

Depends who's reading my file. I did a lot of KP duty. [ He shakes his head. ]

I didn't really mean it like that, though.

[torchbearer]

It's fine. I get it. Baggage, past sins, things you wish you've done differently.

But I just don't see a bad guy. Maybe that's why your friend mattered so much to you.

[deadthenred]

There're definitely things I wish I'd done differently. [ Bucky drains the last of his coffee. He doesn't think Kyle actually "gets it" but he also doesn't really want to correct him. ]

But I'm still trying. [ Trying not to be a bad guy. ] Cap meant a lot of things to a lotta people. That's why I knew it had to keep going.

[torchbearer]

[ kyle absorbs that. ]

Is that why you took his mantle? Just guessing.

[deadthenred]

That, and I realized I wasn't gonna let anyone else do it.

[ He would now, of course. But he was in a different headspace then. ]

[torchbearer]

[ kyle hums. ]

I guess in my situation, I took on the mantle because the last guy lost his head. And took out an entire planet in the process. Things like good or bad . . . It's important, sure, but people feel more real than that.

[deadthenred]

They are.

[ But people can be bad, too. ]

Anyone have a problem with you takin' over for planet-destroyer guy?

[ Planet-Destroyer Lad? ]

[torchbearer]

[ sure, but it's what they do that matters more to kyle. ]

Plenty. He was a legend and I was just. A guy.

[deadthenred]

See, that I can relate to. You gotta wear a goofy outfit when trying to introduce yourself to people who don't impress easy.

[ At least they're willing to overlook the goofy outfit. ]

[torchbearer]

[ kyle grins. ]

At least I got to design mine. A little.

[deadthenred]

It isn't just a red helmet, is it?

[torchbearer]

Please. I'm an artist.

[deadthenred]

I thought the word they're using is "creative".

[torchbearer]

Trust me, I've seen enough trends to know artist isn't going out of style any time soon.

[deadthenred]

You aren't secretly 400, are you?

[ No judgment. ]

[torchbearer]

No, but I'm older than 25 which makes me 400 in superhero years.

[deadthenred]

[ Bucky raises an eyebrow, but Rayner ain't wrong. ]

I do feel old sometimes.

[ Bucky's not exactly sure how old he really is, but it's definitely over 25. ]

[torchbearer]

No. Really?

[ he's not terribly surprised there. ]

[deadthenred]

Jason's what, 23? [ A child. ] And all the other versions of him are even younger.

[ He hasn't said he was born in 1925, 'cause that's an awkward conversation, but maybe Kyle can put it together since he keeps talking about Nazis. ]

[torchbearer]

[ that and he acts and looks older. ]

I was 23 when I started this gig.

[deadthenred]

[ Bucky Barnes: paragon of maturity. ]

You've been at it for a bit? [ It's a question. The difference between 25 and 29 isn't always obvious. ]