Centennials Are A Nuissance

[reconstitution]

Who: Bucky Barnes & You!
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: SS Heron
When: 3/10


[Broadcast;;]

[ The feed opens up with a view of the Heron's cargo bay, set upon a surface and focused on a very plain, yet sizable crate set in the center. Bucky comes into view, absolutely suspicious of the box addressed to him. He circles the crate a few times before kneeling and pulling out a knife so he can shimmy the lid off. It's removed very carefully and set to the side, much like he's diffusing a bomb. It may as well be, he knows what day it is, and this is obviously some weird thing from the Atroma.

He lifts a piece of paper from the top, skims through it quickly and crumples it and tosses the offending thing across the cargo bay. Bucky takes out a package that looks harmless enough- the crate is filled to the brim with very questionably made bottle rockets? Fiddling with it ends in a very harmless but extremely unnecessary explosion of glitter and confetti.

Boy, those sure aren't very nice words are they? Bucky seems to realize that the communicator is broadcasting this catastrophe, so a very glitter and confetti-covered captain stomps over to the device to shut it off. Not long after, a text comes through the network. ]

I don't care who takes the damn things, just get them off my ship. There are 99 more...

[Action;;]

[ Throughout the day, Bucky can probably be found sulking around the Heron, or sitting in the kitchen trying to clean glitter out from between the plates of his arm. His mood would be so much better if there were cake. ]

Comments

[outstandingbalance]

I'm not bored.

[Which isn't exactly saying no, but seems worth mentioning. She's okay with this, just sort of coexisting. It was nice.]

You know, I missed mine. My birthday. I think I might have been twelve at the time.

[reconstitution]

Then I guess it's only fair we're celebrating together. Don't have anything particularly strong, but there's a bottle of...something in the cabinet by your head.

[outstandingbalance]

Oh, we're not celebrating my birthday. I got out o it.

[Is that unfair? Probably. But she's not the one turning one hundred. Turns out she can very much sympathize with preferring not to draw attention to it.

That doesn't stop her from getting into the cupboard and pulling out the bottle, though.]

You'll have me at a disadvantage if we start in on this.

[reconstitution]

Now you know mine, the least you could do is share in the misery.

[ He shrugs, tilting his head slightly as he watches her. ]

It's entirely likely, though I doubt it's very potent. It's a bit like drinking water.

[outstandingbalance]

[She hums at that, not entirely convinced as she opens the bottle and smells it, but not getting much smell at all.]

Well, it's the thought that counts. And if you don't have friends to drink with you on your birthday, what do you even have them for?

[She will take a drink, game enouh.]

[reconstitution]

[ He holds out his hand for the bottle, because he's not about to let her drink alone. That is reserved for the darker times. ]

Well, I have to keep some of them anyway, don't I?

[outstandingbalance]

[She passes it over, wetting her lips as she swallows, smiling slightly.]

You seem to have quite a few of them at this point. Some of them pretty loyal.

[reconstitution]

The ones I keep close certainly are.

[ He takes a generous drink before passing it back. Doesn't do a damn thing for him, maybe she'll have better luck. ]

[outstandingbalance]

[Well, she's not Captain America. Or Winter Soldier. On the other hand, she's not a lightweight.

Figuratively speaking.

She takes the bottle back for another drink before she responds.]

Seems to be your type. [That being the case, Natasha could almost wonder why she'd be here.] It's sweet. You deserve it.

[reconstitution]

I don't know if 'deserve' is the right word to use. I don't take any of them for granted.

[ He makes it a point to look at her when he says it. She's included in that. How could she not be when they're both made of the same darker pieces that the others aren't? She understands him a little better than most- if only because of their background. ]

[outstandingbalance]

[She holds the bottle in her hands, dropping her eyes to it briefly before she offers it to him again.]

I think it's the right word.

[reconstitution]

[ What the hell, why not. He takes the bottle back and takes another swig before putting it on the counter between them. ]

Didn't mean it like that. Just sayin' it goes both ways.

[outstandingbalance]

[A little smile, because she knows.]

I appreciate it.

[She thinks about saying that she's still not entirely used to that. She's never been a woman people trusted, not if they really knew her. And without trust, there was only so close she could get to people.

Part of what made Steve special.

She thinks about it, but she's not that drunk, and it's not about her anyway.]

I could do a lot worse.

[reconstitution]

I could name a few, definitely.

[ He leaves that open for where exactly he's picking at. Whether it's a jab at the Fleet or even a jab at SHIELD. ]

[outstandingbalance]

[She snorts at that. Could be the Fleet, or SHIELD. Could be other peple she's worked with, though she wouldn't call them friends.]

Careful. If you keep talking like that, I'll start thinking you actually like me.

[reconstitution]

Well, I don't dislike you.

[ They're still just figuring each other out. He hasn't had the luxury of time like Steve has in getting to know Natasha. ]

[outstandingbalance]

Flatterer. [Teasing, with real amusement in her tone. Not that she expected more, especially from him.] I bet you say that to all the girls.

[reconstitution]

Only the ones who could kill me. [ The sass master has come out to play. ]

[outstandingbalance]

Around here, that's not narrowing it down so much.

Though a lot of the ones who could are too nice for that sort of thing. [Kara. Natasha is thinking of Kara when she says that.]

[reconstitution]

[ He knows exactly who you mean, Natasha. He shakes his head, smiling quickly. ]

You just have to find common ground with those ones. Dessert works pretty nice.

[outstandingbalance]

Popcorn and a movie doesn't do too bad either. Though I think your way is probably better in the end.

[Even more amused by the thought of the Winter Soldier taking nice, young blonde girls out for ice cream and cake.]

Plus you get dessert out of it.

[reconstitution]

Haven't tried that one, yet.

[ They can both eat an unnatural amount of dessert without the other judging and he doesn't have to carry a conversation. ]

[outstandingbalance]

The selection is limited, and she seems to like cartoons, but I wouldn't say it's not worth it.

[reconstitution]

She's pretty easy to spend time with, anyway.

[outstandingbalance]

Usually. Sometimes a little thirsty for approval. But she's a good kid.

[Kara is not, in fact, really a kid. But she seems very young to Natasha sometimes.

Natasha reaches for the bottle again.]