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I’m smarter than I look, a hell of a lot smarter than Sam and Steve. And you can say I said that one.

[ Because he didn’t have to think too much that she was smart enough not to repeat that he compared Steve to having a pet.

Just like he knows she’s in the same way, when it comes to having skills and being willing to make certain sacrifices so others don’t have to pay. But maybe the court mandated therapy ( or Sam giving him some tough love ), along with the conversation with her reminds him that’s not all that healthy, coping-wise. ]

I don’t know. How do normal people do it other than tell each other to take care of themselves and “don’t die”?

Honestly, I kind of want to just so I can watch the three of you argue about it.
I'll make some popcorn.

[Watching them go around in circles is truly entertaining. Largely because she's pretty sure that they all secretly enjoy it way more than they'd ever let on.

Men.

When he asks how normal people do it, it all clicks into place. That kind of self preservation.]

Having something to look forward to, or something to come home to helps.

Glad we can be useful for your entertainment. Be honest, who’re you betting on in that?

[ She knows them all in different ways after all, she might be a decent judge on who would be stubborn enough to out-argue the other two.

And alright, maybe he’d been talking about between the talk of friends and self preservation, going a little further than the little drop-ins in each other’s lives ( or using the cats having a playdate ) but, then he also doesn’t really know how to articulate that kind of thing anymore so it came out like that. ]

Sounds like the cats are a start, but they’re not gonna do much there.

You.

[Did that answer come too quickly?]

Steve will back down first because he won't feel a real stake in it. And he'd secretly like that you were arguing in your own favor. But Sam will burn all of his best arguments first which will let you come out on top.

[She's actually pretty sure Bucky and Sam could get Steve out in one joint turn by just pointing out that he has never once used a chute to jump out of a plane.

Don't worry, Bucky. She's prepared to get things pointing in the right direction.]

Don't underestimate cats.
We could always grab a drink. Or have a movie night.
Take a vacation to a deserted island.

[ One of his rare smiles that's not sarcastic or him smirking or looking wryly at someone manages to creep up, even if she's not there to witness it. Doesn't matter it was a quick answer, he wasn't one hundred percent ( it was high, but not that high ) sure that she'd choose him, but he knew he hoped she would. ]

I'd say it's 'cause I'm older and wiser, but I'm probably just stubborn. And I can pretend I don't remember what they're talking about.

[ Not that he does that regularly, because of course they see through his bullshit sometimes when he does it thanks to his time in Wakanda. But he's not really thinking about how he'd win an argument with Sam and Steve both, once that list comes through. ]

Depends on what we're drinking or watching. Can't say I've had a real vacation in a long time, I'd need some help on that one. I'm rusty.

You have to know your audience if you're going to pull the centenarian card.
I'd use it to joke around with the old guys that play chess in the park.

[Honestly, she's pretty sure that's exactly how Steve ends up with a coterie of veterans every time they have a team party.

Her mouth twitches into a little smile of her own at his response to her list of ideas.]

I'm partial to beer and vodka, but I've been known to make a mixed drink for special occasions.
And we'd have to find something classic you haven't seen yet. There's some 'best movies of all time' lists out there that make a good place to start.

[Vacations are another thing entirely.]

Last time I took one was just because I blew all of my covers.

I can still play that card with Steve, I'm older than he is. [ By a little more than a year but it still counts. ] Guess you found out about what I do for entertainment in my spare time.

[ He's joking. He doesn't play chess with the old men in the park, although god help him, he has thought about checking out a senior center a time or two for bingo? Not that he's admitted that to anyone and has no plans to do so. ]

Alright, I'll bite. What kind of mixed drink? If we can agree on the beer or you stick with your vodka while I drink my whiskey, we could have a drink while catching me up on the classics I've missed.

[ Ah yeah, back when SHIELD fell and he tried to get lost in the wind. That wasn't a vacation at all for him ( and he doesn't count his time in Wakanda ) and something tells him hers wasn't much of one either. ]

Sounds to me like you need one as much as I do.

I'm going to start getting the correct number of candles on birthday cakes for the both of you.
Well, I figured it had to be chess because you wouldn't be hearing the end of it from anyone if you were out there playing shuffleboard.

[Bingo, on the other hand. Natasha would absolutely go play Bingo at a senior center with him and genuinely relish every minute of it. The seniors would probably enjoy it too.]

For you? I'd ease you in to mixology with a maple bourbon smash and then talk you into trying something a little more complex. Maybe a blackberry mojito.
That or we can each drink straight from our own bottles like heathens.

[She can't exactly say that time was a walk in the park, but she doesn't regret it. And she did spend some time at the beach.]

I can't argue with that.

You wanna create a fire hazard? That’s a lot of candles. And you’d need a bigger cake - or smaller candles.
What’s wrong with shuffleboard? That could be what solves all my problems in not having many friends.

[ God, he hopes she knows he’s still joking because he probably draws the line at shuffleboard. He’d have to be really bored to go that route. Unless he could talk Steve into doing it, then maybe that’ll keep the heckling down some - not that it would stop him from giving one of the faces he’s heard referred to as his “murder stare” a couple of times. ]

I’m not gonna pretend I know what either of those are, even if I know those are real things and not you making something up. [ Always aware of his surroundings and all, he picks up on what people order around him even if he mostly sticks to things he has familiarity with. ] There’s nothing wrong with being heathens, but I’ll even label my bottle in case I leave some behind so no one touches it later.

[ Because the movie night they’re loosely planning here would take place at hers, not his. He wouldn’t describe his place as inviting after all. ]

Yeah, I didn’t think you would. Guess we should work up to that one.

Maybe I do. If we get bigger cakes, we could also do bigger candles.
And I mean, nothing's wrong with shuffleboard if you're ready to join AARP.

[Oh yeah, she can tell he's joking. Which really just means he might find himself signed up for some kind of shuffleboard newsletter.]

I promise I'm not leading you astray.
Yet.

[Was that a little too flirtatious? Oh well. It's not like he'd be too shy to tell her to knock it off. Either way, she's apparently already thinking similarly when it comes to movie night.]

Sounds like a good topic of conversation while the credits are rolling. When are you free to come by?

I dunno, sounds to me like you're just angling to get more cake out of the whole deal. Hey, technically I'm well past the age to join, not that they'd believe me unless they like history or pay attention to the news.

[ He's not joining AARP yet. Or probably ever, is more likely. But he takes all the old man jibes in stride, because he can't help making them himself.

And, hey. Maybe he's into the flirtation, even if he's still trying to figure that whole thing out himself. Not just the...history part they have, but talking to women with intention like he used to do, which explains why his brief experience with dating apps could only be described as a fucking disaster. ]

Looks like that shipment you mentioned arrived, [ Huh, he must've missed that while he was talking to her. So much for being aware of every damn thing around him. ] so I don't gotta wait around for that. Other than Alpine getting used to my place, I don't have much goin on now. [ A beat, in case that was being too forward, shit: ] Unless you're busy, then I can come by another time.

Getting more cake out of the deal is just a side benefit.
Honestly, I bet they'd be thrilled if you tried to join. Granted, they'd want to make you a spokesperson. And you would never hear the end of that.

[From anyone. Especially Sam.

Every day brings new territory to explore. Natasha's been free from the Red Room for years and she still occasionally stumbles into a situation that leaves her off kilter. Not that she'll ever admit it. Regardless, his implied suggestion that he could come over soon is surprising, but welcome.]

Give me an hour and then I'm good for you to come over.
You can bring your new friend if you want. There's a harness for her in that shipment.

I think that’s really the main benefit. [ The face he makes at the suggestion of being the AARP spokesperson. That sounds like one of his worst nightmares. One, since somehow becoming the Winter Soldier is top of the list and will forever remain so, even if the words haven’t worked since Wakanda. ] Not a chance. That ain’t happening. It’s bad enough Steve had to run around like that back when he was Cap.

[ Sure, he poked fun about it too but it was all from a good place. And Sam might not actually mean much by it, but he’s guaranteed to want to punch the new Captain America in the face and he’s been trying his best not to do that to people who are his ~~friend~~ co-worker these days.

He realizes he was nervous waiting for her answer on if it was alright for him to come over soon, something he felt was probably incredibly stupid if he thought more about it, but he genuinely didn’t have anything going on right now. They’ve established he doesn’t really have many friends and he didn’t have anywhere else to be, so it seemed like the move at the time. Because otherwise it was gonna get pushed back and knowing their lives, they’d end up busy then anyway.

But, turns out he was nervous for nothing. ]

Other than me and the cat, you want me to bring anything?

Here I was thinking the main benefit was taking a picture of the face you make when everyone sings happy birthday.

[She's picturing kind of a crumple face Kermit situation and honestly, her only regret is that his birthday isn't happening sooner.]

I can't in good faith try to convince you to do it anyway. How often did your unit start singing Star Spangled Man With A Plan?

[There's definitely a fine line between teasing and good natured ribbing, and a lot of it comes down to the relationship with the person being ribbed. It's sort of nice, to realize she's stumbled into this network of people that she feels comfortable with.]

Just you, your cat, and your appetite. I'm sure we'll order something to eat once you're here.

That’s because none of you know how to carry a tune in a bucket.

[ Then again, neither can he. But he knows his strengths and plays to them, all the while looking at the few friends he has like he would rather the ground swallow him up than listen to them sing. ]

Too many to count, when we needed the morale boost. He never did get us in touch with any of those USO girls, if I’m remembering correctly.

[ And these days he remembers a hell of a lot more than he lets on, just because it’s sometimes easier that way. Not that there’s too many people ( he’s talking to one of ‘em ) he can disappoint when it comes to what he does and does not remember. ]

You’re in luck, turns out I’m always hungry these days.

You're going to regret that when I talk everyone into a karaoke night.

[Which, come to think of it, would actually be hilarious. Natasha has been known to enjoy karaoke every now and then - not that she has an impressive singing ability to showcase or anything. But it can be a fun way to unwind once the drinks start flowing.]

Can't say I'm surprised. I think Steve earnestly used the word "rascals" to describe you all once.

[Nobody does sepia toned nostalgia like Steve Rogers. Natasha's not even sure what she would do with a conversation about what Bucky remembers from the Red Room. She's curious, of course. How could she not be? But there's a good chance he didn't feel the same way about their training sessions that she did. Some things are better left in the past.

Even though the past has a way of coming back to haunt her.]

One of these days I'm going to pit you and Steve against each other in an eating contest.

A simple "I'll see you in an hour" follows that, not as a way of shutting down the conversation but, Bucky realizes he has an hour ( less than, since he has to get to her place ) to go through the box that arrived during the time he was talking to her so he can get out the harness she mentioned earlier and any of the other assorted things he might need that are in the box. He never had a cat ( or dog ) while he was growing up, it was more important to make sure that the human mouths were fed, so they didn't have the extra to spend on a pet. There might have been an alley cat or two that might have been fed by one of his younger siblings, but that was about it. This was new for him.

In the end, he has Alpine stashed inside of his leather jacket ( she's nestled between that and the hooded jacket he's wearing underneath, followed by the two layers of shirts that follow ) so he knows she's snug against him on the way over to Natasha's. While the time since half the world's population came back ( him and Natasha included ) led to their little group doing a lot of their own thing - he and Sam working together, Steve in a brief 'retired' state and Natasha off on her own missions and dropping in on his and Sam's on occasion, they did all manage to reconnect at least briefly in those spaces and it was a trade off on who's space ( not his, never his ) everyone ended up at.

So he's been here before, just...not without it involving two other members of their group and without it having to do with making casual small talk that doesn't delve too deep. Now he's about to eat, drink and watch a movie with her. That's new too. Guess you really can make it to over one hundred years old and still do something new from time to time, even if he was in and out of cryosleep for a large majority of that time.

It's exactly an hour later and he's rapping at her door with the knuckles of his flesh hand, using the vibranium one to keep Alpine secure in his jacket before following up with his act of knocking with a verbal 'knock-knock' a moment later.

Natasha is grateful - if not a little surprised - to find herself with plans for the day. Considering she's just been doing the glamorous task of laundry, a break is more than welcome. She and Bucky share an unexpected sort of camaraderie that somehow seems entirely separate from what she remembers of the time he spent training her in the Red Room. She's more or less decided not to mention it. He's spent enough time wrestling with his memory that it feels cruel to drop something else on him.

After all, she's been the keeper of so many secrets over the years. What's one more?

At any rate, she's looking forward to spending some time with him one on one. When she hears the knock at the door, she leaves what's left of her laundry behind in her room and makes her way downstairs. She has a little two floor townhouse - emphasis on little, but she's made an efficient use of the space. Liho is curled up by the window, centered directly in the sunlight. There's a momentary pause when she hears his verbal knock-knock through the door, and when she opens it up, there's a hint of a smirk at the corner of her mouth. "I'm going to start expecting knock-knock jokes if you do that."

She's dressed casually, wearing an oversized sweater and leggings, hair loosely braided. The smirk turns into a genuine smile as she looks down at where Alpine's secured in his leather jacket. "Hi, beautiful," she greets the cat, holding her hand out so she can sniff her fingers and then butt her head against him. Only then does she move back so Bucky can enter, closing the door behind them.

Just past the little entry hall is her cozy living room, a fire going in the fireplace. Liho lifts her head as Bucky walks in and meows curiously as she sits up and moves into a stretch. With a chuckle, she moves over to her and scoops the cat up, letting her climb up to perch on her shoulders. "Guess we should see if these two get along, huh?"

There was that nervousness again, creeping up in the time it takes her to get to the door. It happened when he suggested he come over today and now it's coming up again. He doesn't like it, although he understands it. He doesn't do one-on-one things like this often, outside of being forced into going on a date or the time he's spent with Sam ( but missions were involved in that, so he doesn't count it ), so it's...different. But he's trying. The nervous feeling fades a moment later when he finds himself letting out a huff of laughter at the idea of knock-knock jokes. His lips even twitch in a smirk of his own, proving he's able to manage at least a few expressions every now and then.

"Guess I'll have to look a few up on the internet, 'cause I can't say I remember all that many," he admits with ease because even without his issues with his memory until not that long ago, he sure as hell doesn't think he'd be remembering jokes that he might have been telling when he was a kid. Maybe not really a kid, but before he shipped off for the war, so he may as well have been in a kid then in comparison to now.

Alpine is all too happy at the attention, all snugly tucked into his jacket so she begins to move a little. It prompts him to slowly unzip his leather jacket, just a little, so she can free herself at least enough to investigate Natasha for a moment before she's bringing Liho over. Alpine's little sounds of curiosity are something he's already getting used to and he brings his vibranium hand out to gently run his fingers in between her ears to let her know she's safe. He's had the damn cat less than a day and he's trying to make sure she's comfortable because it makes him feel like he might be doing something right by her.

"Be a shame if they didn't, since there were already gonna be play dates for 'em in the future." There's a one shouldered shrug after he says this, as if to say that he guesses they don't have much of a choice, do they? Alpine isn't hissing at the other cat, as if trying to warn her off so he assumes the odds might not be too bad at all. "Do we just let them go?" He sounds unsure, even if he should know well enough because getting him to warm up to someone is similar to how a cat needs a little bit of time to do the same.

"Great, you can tell me some of the best ones next time I see you." Natasha delivers the response easily, in a way that makes it clear that she's not actually going to hold him to that. Though her eyebrow does arch, just a bit, in a way that makes it seem like there could also be a challenge inherent in her words. If he wants to accept it.

She watches the way that Bucky tends to Alpine, and her mouth twitches to the side as she tries not to smile. It's pretty obvious that he's already taken with the cat. It's hard not to feel a little bit smug for bringing the two of them together. But mostly, it's just sort of...nice, to see that the cat is something that has the potential to make him happy. Might already have him on the road there, even. She's spent so much of her life doing terrible things. Being able to counteract it with something like this is worth more than she would or could put into words. Especially knowing first hand how hard it is to come back to the world after being used as a weapon for so long.

Liho is balanced lightly, back paws on one shoulder and front paws on the other. She can feel the way the cat's weight shifts as she peers around her head to watch Alpine, letting out an answering mrrow? in response to Alpine's little sounds of curiosity. Natasha's eyes shift, studying Bucky's expression thoughtfully for a moment as she considers the best way to introduce the cats. Considering Liho is (was?) a street cat, and Alpine had been in a shelter, she doesn't think there's any particular worry about them not already being socialized. Nor is Liho particularly territorial of her space.

"I think we should just hang out and let them approach each other when they're ready." One shoulder lifts just a fraction in a shrug so as to not disrupt the feline perched there. "Come on, you've got a mixed drink to try. You good with the maple bourbon smash?"

“Maybe I will. I gotta see if there are any new ones out there anyway.” Bucky’s smirk is holding in place now, making it clear that the challenge she’s issued is one that he’s not afraid of taking. It’s stupid and ridiculous, but he actually doesn’t care all that much. He used to be fun, he knows that, so maybe he’s trying to prove that he’s still capable of doing it. And because he never used to back down from a challenge.

He nods a little at the suggestion they just hang out, let the cats approach each other when they’re ready and he almost wants to laugh at that phrasing. Because it sure as hell sounded like something someone would say about him. There’s a slight tug to his lips, almost in a smile at the reminder of mixed drinks.

“Y’know it’s not gonna do anything, right? So it better at least taste good,” he tells her as he follows her lead further into her place. He doesn’t really do a lot of socializing like this unless it’s the rare times he’s with the group, so he doesn’t usually get comfortable and drop his guard right away either. He’s not really thinking about entries and exits right now, about any various weapons that are likely to be stashed away and that while she can be a threat, she isn’t.

He’s really not thinking about it.

Alpine is slowly let more out jacket, now able to move if she liked to but she’s still trying to figure out her surroundings, just like him. She’s giving those same curious noises, like she’s looking for the approval that everything is alright. “You can look around, Alpine. I know you wanna,” he says as he lets her down even if she doesn’t go too far away from him.

“I dunno what kind of classic you were thinking about watching but as long as it came out in ‘45 or later, we know I missed it, although I might’ve missed a few before that,” he tells Natasha after a beat, not admitting he might’ve looked at a list or two before he left, as Alpine investigated the contents of the Chewy box.

Natasha's pretty sure that there's a - comfort, almost, in these activities with low stakes. Knock knock jokes. Watching old movies in her living room. They open a door for him, but not one that comes with any pressure or expectation to walk through it. She remembers what it felt like, in those first years after she defected to SHIELD. Like everyone was waiting for her to drop the act and snap someone's neck. Every choice she made had been measured, weighted. If he's feeling even a fraction of that, well - she can definitely understand what that's like.

"I've been making cocktails since I was thirteen," she answers in a tone that seems to say obviously it's going to taste good. Like so many of her skills, it's one she learned in the Red Room. But she's reclaimed it for herself, the same way she's found the joy in ballet, or in using her deadlier abilities to do some good in the world. There's a momentary pause as she thinks about the reality of alcohol for him. "I could ask Valkyrie about getting some Asgardian mead for you, if you want to see what something a little stronger will do."

The kitchen is, in a word, efficient, with a two seat table tucked into the corner. Liho hops off of her shoulder and onto the table, where she perches at the edge to watch the other cat curiously. While Bucky talks about their movie options, she moves through the kitchen with a thoughtless grace to get what she needs to make the first cocktail. It's clear that she's comfortable in her space. And not just because she knows where all the weapons are hidden. She's at ease with him there, even when her back is turned.

"Is there something you've been wanting to watch?" she spares a quick glance and a smile at him over her shoulder as she adds a globe of ice to each tumbler. Something about the way he mentions movies he might've missed makes her think he might have a few in mind.

Even with being nervous earlier, Bucky feels mostly at ease and that's something that doesn't happen often. Steve might be the only one who manages to get it without trying, but they have a damn near life-long friendship to back that up. He'd been guarded with his therapist, he was guarded with Sam until recently and that was only with his defenses part of the way down. He can recognize what's going on here with Natasha, that they're taking a history that they're dancing around ( because they haven't talked about the Red Room and if she's not gonna push it, then he's not bringing it up on purpose ), shared friends and occasionally shared missions with those friends, to let that ease him through the door into making another connection with someone.

He finds that he appreciates it, even if she might never be aware. Just like he appreciates the way she actually turns her back to him and shows she's comfortable with him in her space like this. It's something else that he doesn't say out loud, but maybe she'll figure it out one day.

"Yeah, I might wanna try that. If it's from off world, it's gotta do something, right?" He's shrugging a little a moment later, since he's decided once he figured out he couldn't get drunk anymore ( or he assumes, unless he's looking to rack up an expensive tab just to find out ) he'll just do it for something to do sometimes. "Unless Steve's tried it and you already know what it's gonna do." Now he's squinting a little at her, putting on an air of suspicion when really he isn't that suspicious at all. He can see Steve trying it or Thor ( the little bit he knows of the guy ) pressing until he gave in and if it turns out it was something that might actually do something? He'd just be surprised.

Alpine hasn't wandered off too far, making sure she keeps within distance of Bucky so she can come back and rub along his jean clad legs before looking for something else to explore. It gives him a chance to take his leather jacket off and deal with the little white cat hairs that have gotten on his dark zip up hoodie and blue henley that were underneath. He's pondering her question since he did glance at the lists, grabbed a few titles that sounded interesting or at least looked like something he would've watched before.

"Steve gave me his book, I'm going through his list and so far I've watched Star Wars and that's it." He picked Star Wars after finding out it was kind of a fantasy movie but set in space. "But looking at some of those classics lists, I probably would've watched North By Northwest or Rebel Without A Cause back then. Unless you had one in mind."

Edited (that moment when you remember this man is wearing like four layers of clothes jfc) 2024-04-14 07:28 (UTC)

Natasha is always aware of her surroundings. And part of that includes being able to read the people around her. Part of the Red Room's purpose had been to make deadly assassins, but well - the world's most valuable currency was power. And power was fueled by information. An operative couldn't be considered skilled until they were able to figure out the inner workings of other people. And the Red Room had pushed her until she was at the top of her class.

Literally. She's the only one left.

So she does figure there's a good likelihood that he appreciates this. It helps, too, that this isn't an act - a lot of the time, she puts people at ease by making herself into whatever it is they need. It helps that this is just her, which means that she's looking forward to the evening too. It's not often that people want her around just exactly as she is.

She can't help but chuckle a little at his suspicion as she puts the finishing touches on the drink and pours it carefully into the two waiting glasses. "Thor shared some with Steve at a party. He gave him a really small amount and I'm pretty sure it only gave him a light buzz." Turning, she hands him one of the glasses. "The same amount absolutely wrecked an older vet that Steve bought. So I'd say it would stand a pretty good chance of getting you drunk if you took a couple of shots."

On the table, Liho rolls onto her side and stretches a paw out towards Alpine with a meow. She lifts her drink in Bucky's direction in a quick toast and then takes a sip. "Oh, let's definitely start with North By Northwest. That'll be a good gateway into me talking you into watching a James Bond movie. How's the drink?"

Bucky's lips move not into a pout, but dip in a way that seems as if he's considering the idea of Asgardian mead as an option, because it sounds like it might actually do something in the long run. "Good thing he has the serum, he'd be worse off than that vet if he didn't have it." There's an amused sound after he says this, he won't call it a snort but it's something because he's thinking about skinny little Steve Rogers who couldn't handle his liquor - not that it was something he got a lot. With Steve's health, they were cautious a lot of the time anyway. But it's still a thought, something that he finds amusing and he cherishes that for a moment. Sure, it's at past Steve's expense in his mind but it's still amusing as hell. "You're not allowed to have your phone out if it gets me drunk," he warns her a moment later, realizing she would have the opportunity to get blackmail material if she felt like it.

Something told him she'd feel like it.

He's taking a sip of the drink and it's followed by another. He hadn't been expecting much when it came to it - he can't say he really drank mixed drinks even when he could get drunk - but he's finding that he's surprised by it.

As he's surprised by the drink, Alpine is now moving closer to where Liho is, her tail swishing back and forth as she moves along. A moment later, she is leaping up to come up near the other cat and is answering her back with her own meow after briefly glancing over at Bucky and Natasha. He takes this has to mean she is warming up to the place and feels comfortable enough to get to know Liho. Maybe the cat is like him after all.

"It's good. I thought it'd be too sweet, when you mentioned maple," he admits, because he's an old man and doesn't understand why everything has to be so goddamn sweet. "That's the one's about the guy who's a spy, right?" He raises an eyebrow just a little as he questions this, knowing because it's hard not to pick up on things just in his day-to-day life. Even if he doesn't put himself around a lot of people, pop culture is referenced by people even without them thinking about it too much and that means he finds himself on Google more often than he likes. "I saw there were books they were based on, but I haven't read 'em yet."

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