the truth remains lethal, a lie made by man.

[dislocked]

Who: Bucky Barnes and YOU
When: Throughout all of May.
Where: Pretty much just in front of Steve's cryotube.
What: Steve goes into cryofreeze, Bucky chills in front of it like a particularly scruffy guard dog.
Warnings: Well, aside from the standard PTSD, trauma, brainwashing, and all the horrors that come with experimented on, nothing much. Will update as necessary.



[ Good things are transient, like soap bubbles that shimmer and catch the rays of the sun before they disappear, taking their beauty (and, perhaps, a measure of hope) along with it.

This is a lesson children don't learn; this is a lesson Bucky Barnes understands better than most. He doesn't need hope or happiness to stay alive, in fact, the latter seems obscene in the wake of all that he has done, the pain and tragedy he has wrought upon far too many people for too long. But when Steve Rogers is taken from him, this small, small shimmer of hope, this little bubble that he refuses to allow himself to touch until it's gone, the loss of it still hurts.

He realizes something's wrong when there are no texts, no updates from Steve, who sends them to him without hoping for a response (or maybe he did each time he sent it, but it's children and bubbles all over again). Radio silence for twelve hours, the longest Steve has ever gone, and when Bucky finds him, Steve is asleep, frozen over in the cryotube in an obscene echo of his own history under the Atlantic and Bucky's.

The world (his world) bleeds out the last vestige of something that resembles warmth; things had not been perfect between them -- there are tensions, distance, with Bucky often vacillating between distance and drawing close, the shining moments of reprieve when nothing else matters but the present, the birthday celebrated in an empty cafeteria with a small cake, candle, and Steve's quiet determination, the way they seem drawn into each other's orbit time and time again. The look on Steve's face when Bucky turns up for the mission to the prison colony, when they sit together after the terrible illusions, the scream throttled in his chest like all the others that had come before it.

Bucky lies, when he pretends he doesn't remember. He remembers everything.

Steve is youthful in repose, but Bucky knows the look on his face -- it's the same look that made him jump in after him as the helicarrier burned and rained down debris all around them. It's the same look that made him grip him tight and haul him to the surface (Rogers doesn't die today), the clarity of that powerful purpose blindsiding the Winter Soldier because he had been created to sanction and exterminate, not protect and preserve.

It's the look that makes him punch the cryotube again and again, metal slamming into unyielding glass in his overwhelming desire to rescue him from his prison (not today, he doesn't die today either, and sleeping is a lot like dying). He tries all ways and means to break him out, but that was hours ago; and when panic loses its iron grip on Bucky's throat, he retrieves Steve's shield, a fresh set of clothes (because Steve will need them when he wakes, please let him wake), his own rifle, and he settles down before his tube, keeping vigil, silently keeping him company and guarding him from anyone who'd try to exploit this moment to their advantage. After all, there still are unknown elements in this ship, and Bucky would rather not take chances.

His knees are drawn up to his chest, Steve's shield propped by his side (with the rifle on the opposite side) like there's nothing more precious to Bucky Barnes in the world than this, than the man who sleeps behind him and refuses to open his eyes no matter how Bucky tries.

He waits, and thinks of bubbles on a sunny day.

Wake up. ]

Comments

[seeingscarlet]

[Why did it have to be Steve and Billy? Wanda doesn't have a lot of grounding influences here. She has friends, certainly, and she has other family here, but more than once she's stayed her hand to avoid making more trouble for Steve or disappointing Billy.

So she hovers throughout the day, glad the chair-bed thing Vision found for her when Peter was here is still around. They're in better shape than he was, at least - there's no pain filtering through the psychic threads this time. So she feels less guilt about not being here all the time when there's a potential chance to save Pietro dangling in front of her. And Wanda knows they'd tell her to take it just as surely as she knows she'd wreck anyone who dared hurt them in her absence. As surely as she knows she'd only get the chance to avenge Steve if there was anything left after Bucky was done with them.

Eventually, he'll get a series of texts: pictures of food in the mess hall and a question. She doubts he's left.]

Do you want me to bring you anything?

[dislocked]

[ Reprieve comes in the form of Wanda Maximoff, a soothing, if not welcome presence at this side. Her concern for Steve is obvious, something shared -- another common thread between them, and it goes without saying that he comes to appreciate her companionship. Wanda is thoughtful, quiet, and remarkably astute; older than her years even if she looks so very young.

She has more than her share of tragedies, this he knows, and he doesn't fault her in the least when she leaves for the planet below. He hears that there's a chance to go home, a tantalizing promise that Bucky finds easy to pass up on when there's no home for him, when he has to watch his back at every moment because he's a wanted man on several hit lists. Here, people are generally unconcerned, and even if he feels like he's drowning, the wonder of the universe spread out before him reminds him of all the things that lie beyond.

He doesn't ask Wanda about her motivations, and figures she would tell him when the time is right; everyone has their story, and everyone has their secrets.

When his device buzzes, he musters a small smile at the pictures of food in the mess hall and the text she sends. ]

Whatever's convenient. [ He's more than halfway sure she's not going to poison him; if she really wanted to kill him, there are far more efficient ways to do it. ] Have you eaten?

[ Despite himself, he wonders; where did she go? ]

[seeingscarlet]

Ten minutes.

[And ten minutes later she appears, a fuzzy blanket draped over one arm and two plates of food trailing behind her. One is much more loaded down than the other with a little but of everything and it's that one that comes to hover in front of Bucky.

Wanda sits in a nearby chair and offers a fork with a weak smile. She's trying to hold everyone together through all of this drama, but...it's starting to wear on her.]

I don't know what that blue thing is, but it smelled good.

[dislocked]

Thanks.

[ Bucky's only just getting used to her magic, but he supposes there are stranger things out there than this. He takes the plate and fork that's offered with a nod, frowning at the way she looks more worn down than he remembers she had been before. ]

You okay?

[ He asks at length. He's not naturally a prying sort, but there's a line between that and concern for someone who looks like they need a listening ear, at the very least. And for all that she's wordlessly done for him, it's the least that he can do. ]

[ventifact]

[Exploring the ship is still a top priority for Rey, right after finding her way back to her own galaxy. She's seen the gardens and the aft, and crept into the engines to take a look and poke around when nobody else was around. The suspicion that someone will try to sneak up and steal what's hers is still embedded deep in her psyche, so she keeps all of her possessions with her. Even the helmet that had arrived this month is stowed in her makeshift pack, close to her side along with her lightsaber and portions.

But instead of one of her portions, she's munching on a roll from the mess hall. There are a few more stowed in her bag, which almost makes her feel giddy. Nobody tells her not to take food with her when she leaves, nobody tries to question her or extort her. It's entirely new, and she doesn't think she'll ever get tired of it.

It's in the midst of her smugness when she finds where the cryotubes are, and along with them a familiar face. James, he'd said his name was. He and his friend had helped her escape the prison planet, had kept her from being trapped there. She rips off another bit of roll as she approaches him, only taking in the setting as she draws closer.

He's sitting on the floor, which isn't abnormal to her, but it's the way he's sitting that catches her attention. He's pulled into himself, guarded, brooding. She's done that a time or two herself, and knows the look. Her chewing slows, as do her steps. She notes the shield beside him, uncertain of its meaning but knowing it's clearly important to him. For some reason.

Only once she's close enough does she see that he seems to be sitting vigil for someone. The blonde man she recognizes from the prison ship as well. Rey swallows, and does the only thing a scavenger knows how to do.

She offers the rest of her half-eaten roll.]

Hungry?

[dislocked]

[ Rey had saved their asses too -- he won't be forgetting the hum of her weapon in a hurry, the buzz-crackle of electric blue, cutting through the prisoners like a hot knife through butter. She's brusque but straightforward, the hard look in her eyes and the stubborn set of her jaw a familiar one: she's a survivor.

A survivor of what, he doesn't yet know, but he's very rapidly forming his own conclusions when he spots what she carries, an assortment of different things he doesn't know if she wants to throw out or keep. He even spots the barest glimpse of a bread roll or two in her bag -- and something flickers in his memory, an instinctive understanding of that particular behavior.

He looks up at her offer, and if he's surprised he doesn't let on. Rey reminds him of a boy from Brooklyn so long ago; sharing his food with another even if there isn't a solid promise of another meal coming along. It's on the tip of his tongue to refuse, but he hadn't been in the mood to eat for the past twenty or so hours, and without regulation his stomach's been growling. ]

You sure?

[ventifact]

[Using the lightsaber on the prison ship might've been the most terrifying thing she'd done since her duel with Kylo Ren. She hadn't even been sure the weapon would work, but it at definitely slowed the prisoners down more than her staff. But using the weapon still left a sour taste in her mouth, as if she isn't really supposed to use it. Even though it had called to her in Maz Kanata's castle, even though it had come to her and not Kylo when she had called to it with the Force, it still seemed off somehow.

Maybe she should've given it back to Luke when he'd told her it was his.

The question lets her know that yes, he really is hungry. In one fluid movement, Rey descends to sit cross-legged in front of him, still offering the roll forward.]

Yeah.

[She isn't exactly insistent, but her tone lets him know that she wouldn't offer if she wasn't sure. Food is as important to her as clean drinking water, even if both those things are in abundance on this ship. With her free hand, she swings her pack from her shoulder, various odds and ends clanging on the metal floor through the thin cloth. The Rebel helmet gives its own solid thunk and she rolls it a bit to the side to make it fit in the pack better. Hazel eyes stay on Bucky for a second before moving up to the man in the cryotube. She's never seen one in person, but she knows about the tech and how it works. She jerks her chin upwards, eyes drifting back to the man sitting across from her.

The glass on the tube looks a bit roughed up.]

What's that about?

[commontype]

[Eggsy only knows Steve a little. This Steve is the second that he's known or maybe he's the same one and he just didn't remember him. He's not sure, but point is, he's his roommate and friend's best mate, which means something to Eggsy. He's worried that maybe Bucky's not handling it so well, if the way he hasn't left Steve's side says anything, and Eggsy isn't always sure how to handle comforting someone else.

So he does it the only way he knows how. With a lopsided grin, a bit of optimisim, and an armful of animals.

Sneaking into the medbay with JB and the kittens isn't so bad, not when he's got them all tucked into the jacket he's wearing, arms wrapped around them carefully. It's probably obvious as fuck, but nobody stops him, so he counts that as a win.]

Hey, bruv. Hope you're wantin' some company, cause you're gettin' it.

[He pulls up a chair, flush to Bucky's, too close but that's the point.]

Lean closer, yeah?

[Eggsy unzips his jacket, looking around him before leaning over to show Bucky who he's brought with him.]

They missed ya. Especially that one. [JB of course.]

[dislocked]

[ Bucky stares when Eggsy comes up close to him like he's smuggling something contraband, and he can't help but make a soft noise of amusement when the little wriggling animals that Bucky has come to love poke their heads out of his jacket. The smile is genuine, unbidden when he looks back up at Eggsy and the unspoken gesture of kindness. It's still new to him, these little anomalies, the things that catch him by surprise.

Eggsy had more or less accepted him from the get-go, becoming one of the first friends Bucky had made for himself ever since he'd ended up here. His presence had been no imposition, and the man's tactful reticence in regards to Bucky's irregular hours and the aftereffects of his nightmares had been a welcome change. JB, the kittens, and Stark had of course been a wonderful bonus, and he can't help but reach in to carry JB out for a surreptitious cuddle (don't tell anyone that he's got a soft spot for small animals). ]

And here I thought you meant you. [ Bucky tells him dryly, grateful nonetheless for the reprieve and the company -- it's impossible to brood when Eggsy and his animal pets are around. He pulls JB close, happy to be licked by the pug that he serves as a willing armchair for. Bucky's quiet for a few moments before he adds, ]

I'm sorry if I worried you.

[commontype]

It's a package deal, mate.

[Eggsy makes sure Bucky's got JB, mouth curved in amusement as the little pug makes himself at home in Bucky's lap. He'd feel betrayed by how quickly JB had taken a shine to his roommate if it weren't for that fact that Eggsy knew why. Bucky was good to him, held him whenever he demanded it, and JB could tell that he wouldn't hurt him.]

Nah, it's alright. Figured it was somethin' important if you hadn't come back round.

[He settles back in his chair, scooping the kittens up and setting them on his chest.]

What's wrong with him? Didn't get to meet him properly, least not this version of him, but any friend of yours, is a friend of mine.

[cookshisgoose]

[Peggy was well aware of the cryotubes, well aware people spent time in them, for reasons beyond their understanding. But that still didn't prepare her to see Steve trapped in one.

It brings back all too much, the heartbreak she felt when she lost him the first time, the guilt and regret when she learned he spent nearly seventy years just like this, all because she failed to rescue him from that ice.

Her heart ached every time she went to see him in the Medbay, every time she stood there, helpless to save him once again.

But that didn't stop her from going, every chance she got, every free moment she had between her ship duties, she was there, waiting. Because if one thing was for sure, she wasn't going to lose him. Not again.

When she arrived that day, she wasn't surprised to see Barnes there. He was there just as much as her, if not more. She came prepared for just that, too. With her was a bag of food -- not much, just some sandwiches, flasks of tea, and other snacks she had grabbed from the dining hall. Something just told her Bucky wasn't taking care of himself like he should. Maybe she couldn't do anything to help Steve, but she'd be damned if she didn't keep an eye on his best friend in his absence.]

Any changes?

[dislocked]

No.

[ Bucky had barely left Steve's side save for the very brief breaks -- but always only when someone's around to hold the fort for him, so to speak. Today is just like the others, with the soldier camped out before Steve, marking down another twenty-four hour cycle.

He's not surprised that Peggy's here again, and it's good to have company now and then, serving as a distraction from his brooding. The quiet, he thinks, does no one any good; it just makes it easier for the ghosts to be heard. It's a shared helplessness, and he understands how Peggy feels looking at him enclosed in the tank -- nothing tastes quite as bitter as failure. Nothing else sits in the heart as heavily.

He takes in the bag of food in her hand and leans back, a ghost of a smile tugging at the side of his mouth. ]

I'm assuming that's not for him.

[cookshisgoose]

[He voiced what she already knew; Steve was still asleep, still unaware of the goings on around him. She knew if he had awoken, she would know, whether she was there or not. Bucky would let her know, or Steve would himself.

But there's a part of her that clings to the hope that there will be a sign. Maybe he'd open his eyes, his hands would flicker-- something, showing he was coming around.

But not today.

She bites her lip, lost in thought when Bucky speaks again, asking about the bag in her hand. She offers a small, tight smile, before she holds it out for him to take.]

I thought you might be hungry.

late May, while Toriel is in cryo

[skelepun]

[As far as the Moira went, the cryochamber held a staleness in the air that was all its own. Maybe it was all the people filtering in and out, visiting loved ones or checking to see if a friend they'd lost had turned up yet.

When it came to Sans, being around people was second nature. Social butterfly was the term. Any room he entered, he usually had a friend within the first few minutes. Give him an hour, and he'd know the names of everyone and all their kids. It's a talent. They wouldn't know anything about him, but that's a talent too.

But this wasn't a bar or a restaurant or a crowded town square. The patrons of this place weren't exactly chatty inside their cryotubes, and that's exactly what Sans was after. Some quiet. A place to think. A spot to sit at Toriel's side and tell her jokes, even if she couldn't laugh at them yet.

He wasn't exactly expecting company. That was probably dumb of him.]

Oh, uh. Hey. [He stops in the door, spotting Bucky and, more importantly, the rifle. His grip on the joke book in his hands tightens.] 'Sup, pal?

[dislocked]

[ Bucky's seen quite a few things in his lifetime -- a lot of them are things he'd done, and even more are things that had been done to him. He's also seen quite a few things here on this ship as well, and has very quickly learned to take the weirdness in stride.

He likes to think that he's quite good at that kind of thing. But then something comes along and challenges that belief all over again, and this time that something comes in a form of a short skeleton in clothes, clutching a joke book.

Bucky thinks there should be a punchline somewhere as he looks up and does a silent double-take, quite unable to process what he's seeing. Of course, he'd seen the Red Skull before in all of his fury and malevolence, but this one is... this one is different. This one actually looks friendly (how do skulls even manage to look friendly?), and Bucky doesn't miss the way his gaze goes to his rifle, like he's wary of it; and something in him clicks, and he shifts the rifle, muzzle facing away from him.

A small part of him wonders, do skeletons get hurt when they're shot? But Bucky figures it's rude to ask, so at length he manages a: ]

Hey. [ He's proud of how that came out, considering the many seconds of awkward silence that just spanned between them. And because he can't think of anything to say without behind rude, he continues with: ] Here to see someone?

[skelepun]

[Silence. Not one of Sans' favorite sounds. This one seemed especially potent too, awkwardness muting even the ambient noises of the ship. It's a blessing when Bucky breaks through it, and Sans relaxes in turn.

With the same hand clutching his book, he points to the cryotube directly adjacent to the one Bucky is keeping vigilant (and armed...) guard over. Through the frosted glass, the form of a large monster can be seen. A friend.]

I figured she could use some company. Brought some new material. [He waggles the book again, confident enough to move from his place at the door and settle at her tube. The book flops open at his lap, opening on its own to the well loved section on wordplay. Sans eyes drift back towards the rifle.] You doing some hunting later, or...?

[tearmeanewone]

[She's gotten used to keeping her fingers on the pulse of what's going on on the Moira-- it was rough going at first, so many things to absorb and prioritize, but it's getting easier. Someone going postal on a cryotube does reach her, and so she heads down to the medical bay to investigate. At a leisurely pace, truth be told, given she was reassured the likelihood of one of these tubes being compromised was very low.]

[When she gets there, apparently there's a small camp being set up in front of one of the tubes but no more trying to force the tube open. Elizabeth watches him for a moment before coming closer.]

I don't know much about why this happens... but I do know that nobody's faded away in one of these.

[dislocked]

[ Bucky's settled on a new strategy; to wait for the person responsible for imprisoning his best friend and seeing where that goes. He regards her cautiously when she comes, but he doesn't reach for his rifle. He knows her, had spoken with her before, and her words surprise him. ]

Who puts them in there?

[tearmeanewone]

The medical bay staff. [She comes a little closer. If she's reading him right, he just looks upset, borderline bereft maybe, so this is where she has to be. Working with the crew through these things.]

There's a signal that's sent out by our MIDs if a crewmember needs to be put in one of these, and the medical bay staff comes to help. I don't think anyone knows why it happens, but it does.

[She comes up next to him, looking into the unit to see who he's here to watch over.] But I do know he'll come out of it.

[highlyintuitive]

[ Sometimes she wanders without a destination in mind. The Moira is so much bigger than Serenity could ever dream and her feet are still learning what paths to take on days when her mind wants to wander. This time it leads River to the cryotubes and the man standing as a sentry for one in particular. It reminds her of the look in Zoe and Mal's eyes. Old soldiers.

She doesn't step into the room, not yet, but fingers brush the doorway and she peers around so she can see him properly. ]

It's not much like sleeping. [ She knows that well enough. ] More like... everything stops. You don't go slowly, it's all at once. You don't dream. Just wait.

[dislocked]

You're right.

[ He knows exactly what she speaks of, and he looks up to see a stranger peeking in. A girl, with strange eyes and an uncanny gift of describing what being asleep like this is like. Which, of course, begs another question -- how does she know this? ]

Who are you?

[highlyintuitive]

I'm River.

[ She steps inside now, picking her way over to Steve's cryotube to look at the man within. Pretty. Big. Not the sort of big that the roughs working for Badger or any of their other disreputable contacts. More like Mal if all the rough edges were sanded down. ]

Waking up isn't easy, everything is... too much. Like an exposed nerve.

l-late with... starbucks???

[sidecars]

[ Bucky isn't great with dealing with his problems or others in a serious way. It brings up too many emotions from everyone, and that's just soo uncomfortable. So that's why when he finally comes to Barnes he comes in his cardboard tank.

Yup. Just this big cardboard tank that starts creeping into the room, Bucky doing his best to make the sounds of the tracks rolling across the floor as he moves closer. ]

omg yeeeees

[dislocked]

[ That's okay, Bucky. This Bucky isn't very good at dealing with his problems at all. Generally speaking. He's emotionally tapped out -- then again, dealing with getting your own shit together tends to be that way.

But then Bucky sees something that he doesn't in a million years expect to see, a cardboard tank trucking in without a care in the world. He looks up, surprised and not entirely sure what to do with something this unexpected, and he clears his throat. ]

Hey?

[sidecars]

[ He doesn't speak up, simply stops and turns the cardboard front to face the older man. Then an arm pops out from the side and fires a shell, aka a colored marker. ]

KAPSHHHHH!! Brrraa braa pow peew!