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

[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. ]

[torchbearer]

Three to four years now? Not long to many, but long enough.

[deadthenred]

That's longer than I did it. [ Well, longer than he was Captain America, anyway. Obviously, if you count the war, and what came after that, it's a lot longer. ]

[torchbearer]

Aren't you from the forties?

[deadthenred]

Sometimes I really wish I was.

[ Maybe in the next dimension he turns up in, he could just pretend he came direct from 1944. That might be easier. ]

[torchbearer]

I dunno, man. Seems like a rough time.

[ the 90s in contrast, weren't all that bad. ]

[deadthenred]

It was. [ To be fair, he only saw the first half of it.

Bucky stands up.]

Look, I'm gonna get another coffee. You want anything?

[torchbearer]

I wouldn't mind another latte, thanks.

[deadthenred]

You got it. [ He's not just getting coffee because he needs a little breathing room if he's gonna fill in— well, more about his past. But that's part of it.

Damn, he really should stop talking about Nazis. ]

[torchbearer]

[ kyle watches him curiosly. he's much more . . . mundane or quiet for a jason friend. or maybe jason has changed. which is wild to consider but not impossible.

at least, kyle always believes it's possible. for all of them. ]

[deadthenred]

[ Bucky spends his time in line thinking about what to say. Back home, everyone knew his story, or they could if they typed his name into a search bar. He'd gone to court, and gone to therapy, and didn't think he deserved a blank slate.

But he knew he couldn't heap his troubles onto strangers, neither. Doc Sampson had called it a "boundary."

He returns with the coffee, puts it down but doesn't drink. ]

I was born in 1925. When I first put on a mask, it was 'cause the Army told me to. Back in those days, they called heroes without powers tourists. And I didn't want to be a tourist.

[ He wanted to be taken more seriously than that, probably because he was sixteen. ]

[torchbearer]

[ hm. ]

So it's like you're chasing it. Superheroism, or being a good guy.

[deadthenred]

Maybe. [ He wasn't dousing himself with experimental formulas or anything crazy, but he was jealous, and it was easy could feel small. ] Happened more than once that some mad scientist type kidnapped my entire team, but left me behind. 'Cause I had nothing to offer.

[torchbearer]

And you believe that?

[ just curious. ]