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[reconstitution]

Who: Bucky & You!
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: Heron
When: 11/2

[ Hello, fleet! Today you get a message from someone who's been more than a little absent the past month. Some people may be more aware of it than others, but he's finally crawling out of the woodwork.

Waking up has been more than a little disorienting, because he didn't recall falling asleep, or when. It makes him uneasy, a solid weight sitting in his gut. The last time he couldn't remember things, it wasn't so great for the fleet. ]

What year is it?

Not sure how long I was out..Is everyone okay?

Comments

[ladybro]

[ not a bad guy. kate tries not to laugh. ]

Erik's history, back home, is pretty mottled. [ ... ] But he was there when we needed him.

[reconstitution]

That's what matters, isn't it?

[ He pours them both coffee and raids the baking mess for some sugar to put in his own mug. He can't even bring himself to care that he's potentially ruining a great cup of coffee over it. ]

[ladybro]

Always. [ she answers with a lopsided smile. evidently, erik isn't the only man with a mottled past who's been there when it mattered. some of that goodwill bleeds over to the winter soldier. clear as day.

kate reaches for her mug. raises it, almost like a salute. ] Besides, I'm best friends with his -- [ kinda ] grandson. Or, well, my world's version has a grandson.

[reconstitution]

Oh yeah, what's that like?

[ It's still odd that people from her timeline and the ones from his are different ages or affiliations. He can't say it doesn't make sense due to the circumstances of each world, but at the same time.. really weird. ]

[ladybro]

Being BFFs with Billy? [ kate shrugs. ] It's great. He's great. But he's a lot more like his mother, actually, than his grandfather -- abilities-wise, at least. More magical than magnetic.

[ she's talking to much. she knows she's talking too much. but it always happens around versions of him, it seems. ]

[reconstitution]

Some of your Avengers are magic-wielders?

[ Listen, he'll sit here all day listening to her talk about her shit so long as he doesn't have to talk about his own. ]

[ladybro]

Sure. The Scarlet Witch. She's one in your universe too, right?

[reconstitution]

Oh, that's right. Your world's version is a bit different.

[ Though no less spectacular. ]

[ladybro]

Just a bit. [ her half-smile hints at more. more than a bit different. ] Wanna hear something hilarious, though?

[ kate's taking a risk, here. telling a story. a particular one. it's not a bad story -- just an embarrassing one. mostly, she just wants to figure out if she can make him laugh. ]

[reconstitution]

I assumed stories came with this little excursion.

[ There's coffee and snacks, so obviously there needs to be a third in there somewhere to balance it out. ]

[ladybro]

Clint once kissed her. The Scarlet Witch. Wanda. [ which doesn't sound like such a great story, actually, but kate's paused for dramatic effect while she clears off enough space on the table so they could sit across from one another. ] Only she wasn't really her. The Scarlet Witch he kissed was actually Loki -- glamoured, or whatever, so he'd look like Wanda.

Which who cares? A kiss is a kiss. No biggie, really, except somehow he could tell -- via kissing -- that Wanda wasn't Wanda. To this day I am convinced that's actually Clint's superpower.

[reconstitution]

Really? How did he even know that it wasn't really her if he'd never kissed her before?

[ It doesn't make any goddamn sense. ]

[ladybro]

How should I know? Maybe it wasn't the first time. Maybe it was. Frankly, being around for it to happen was bad enough. I try not to ask too much about Clint's personal life 'cause then you start learning about things like him sleeping with robots or -- you know, whatever the hell the thing with the Black Widow is.

[ it's like a chill legitimately went down her spine. kate has mad respect for romanoff, she just can't comprehend why a figure so daunting like her would ever waste time on a half-functioning mess like barton. ]

[reconstitution]

Mm. Guess that's a smart thing. Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answers to.

[ That bit of information is new. Barton and Natasha? Guess he wouldn't have thought of that. Then again, different universe. It makes Bucky wonder just how different things really are. ]

[ladybro]

And, between you and me, the old-school Avengers team kinda leaves the impression that it reached -- like -- freshman college dorm levels of unresolved tension and romantic drama. [ or maybe that's just 'cause clint is, like, 90% of her insight into that team and clint's got a real problem on that front. ]

[reconstitution]

I don't really know from experience what that's like, so I'll take your word for it.

[ It is her world, after all. Maybe all of them have more time for romance than they do in his own world. Sounds weird, but okay. ]

[ladybro]

Yeah, but doesn't it still make the news where you're from? [ a tilt of her head. ] The Richards-Storm wedding made the cover of just about every magazine. Same with The Scarlet Witch and Vision, but that's for a whole other reason.

[reconstitution]

I don't have any idea who they are. [ Richards and Storm aren't two names he's incredibly familiar with. ]

Vision is only a year old, isn't he? [ What the hell is wrong with your timeline, Kate? ]

[ladybro]

Depends on the Vision, I guess. [ she grabs her coffee. drinks deep. that definitely hits the spot. ] The OG version was around before I was. But then there was the newer one -- he was on my team.

[ that didn't end well. ]

[reconstitution]

There's more than one Vision where you're from? [ This is getting weirder the longer he listens. ]

[ladybro]

Just about a handful, now. Or. Well. Vision Jrs. So to speak.

[ it's complicated! ]

[reconstitution]

I'm not even going to ask.

[ He's just going to drink this coffee and think about that. Goddamn, Vision. ]

[ladybro]

It's for the best. [ ... ] I've probably said too much. I don't wanna go futzing you guys up just 'cause my home's a persistent mess.

[reconstitution]

I'm pretty sure mine's not any better. Kind of goes without saying, if it's a place we're involved.

[ladybro]

Not to be a debbie-downer, but it does seem like you still have a lot ahead of you. But who knows, maybe everything'll be different.