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]

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.]

[reconstitution]

She has a good heart. Her intentions are noble.

[outstandingbalance]

Very true. Could describe some other people we know, too.

[Not them, but she's glad for the people they have like that in their lives. Her next question is like, obviously still playing.]

Is that what it takes to get an invitation for dessert?

[reconstitution]

Liking dessert is what will get you an invitation for dessert. If dinner is more your style, I'm flexible.

[ Nailed it. ]

[outstandingbalance]

[That gets a smile out of Natasha, amused by his quick come back and maybe surprised.]

As a matter of fact, I do like dinner. Not that I have anything against sweets, but only once I've earned them.

[reconstitution]

I'd offer you dinner, but we're not in an ideal place. And you don't want me attempting to cook right now.

[ It's hard making that protein palatable. ]

So, what are the parameters for 'earning' dessert?

[outstandingbalance]

Well, first you have to have dinner. Just as a start. Other than that...

[She hums, putting on a thoughtful air.]

I think generally the requirement is a workout before hand. For people who don't have superior metabolisms.

[reconstitution]

Fair enough. Workout, dinner, dessert. [ Sounds like making plans for a date, but they're totally not dating. ]

Next time we have a planet where that's possible.

[outstandingbalance]

And you still owe me a dance. Don't think you can get out of it.

[It is clearly a very platonic plan. Nothing like a date at all.]

Your treat?

[reconstitution]

Yeah, my treat. [ As if he'd let her pay, anyway. He does the same thing to Kara. ]

Nothing wrong with dancing so long as you've got the right partner.

[outstandingbalance]

[That gets a little snort out of her, amused. Maybe it's generational? Still, she likes the answer.

After a brief pause, thoughtful and wryly amused by their situation:]

Come here.

[She says it with a gesture, waving two fingers to encourage him toward her.]

[reconstitution]

[ If he should be suspicious doesn't come to mind, but then again it is Natasha. She's more than earned the right not to be on his list of concerns.

Their conversation is relaxed and hell, almost normal.He steps toward her, head tilted slightly in question. ]

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha sets the bottle aside. Too bad it's not stronger or she could blame it—but she knew this was a possibility more or less from the beginning.

With him close enough, almost leaning in, it's easy to slip one hand over his shoulder and to his neck, and pull him down. She doesn't move too quickly, or force him. She knows too well what kind of reflexes he has.

But she's confident.

And she doesn't hesitate to brush a light kiss over his lips, lingering experimentally just two seconds before she pulls back.]

[reconstitution]

[ He lets her maneuver him closer, things seeming to slow down a fraction until her lips press softly against his own. She only lingers for a brief moment and pulls away, but it's enough. It was intentional and he can't fathom why he deserved it.

He's not going to brush it off, though. Excuse him for just a moment, his brain needs to come back on line after that. Bucky is not prepared for how to even handle this. Does he kiss her back? What does he say?

He remembers being good at this before, where is all of that now? ]

[outstandingbalance]

[Looking up at him, Natasha has to wonder if she read the room wrong. Not that he seems angry or threatened. She didn't figure that.

But baffled... hm. She sighs slightly, a slight, sad smile. Maybe that was too much?]

I didn't—[She starts to explain, faltering briefly when she hears her own voice, a little too sincere in her own ears. When she continues, it's cool again, unaffected. Her hand stays where it was, though, lightly cupped against his neck.]I didn't want the only thing I gave you for your birthday to be a weapon.

[She still gave him the knife, though. She wouldn't think too closely what that said about either of them, but she was fairly sure that whatever it was, it was something they had in common.]

Should I not have?

[reconstitution]

That's not it. [ It really isn't. It wasn't bad, just surprising. ] It was nice..

[ The weapon and the kiss. She didn't need to do either, but she did, so that alone makes him feel pretty damn special. Even a little undeserving. ]

Surprising, but nice.

[outstandingbalance]

Nice. All right...

[Her hand slips down to his shoulder, staying there briefly before falling back to her lap like she's not entirely sure where she should put it now.]

I guess from now on, it won't be as surprising?

[She's not sure what she's doing. But she pretends pretty well.]

[reconstitution]

So you're saying I should expect more of that?

[ Which.. isn't a bad thing? It's just new and slightly terrifying. He looks back up at her, offering a small, but genuine smile. ]

Guess it'll keep me on my toes. [ He'd like that. He'd like that a lot. ]

[outstandingbalance]

I'm saying... [Does she even know what she's doing? She hasn't thought it through. She didn't have a plan where she meant to go from here.

Natasha is playing this all by ear.

But she finds she knows the answer when he smiles.] I'm saying I wouldn't rule out the possibility.

I like keeping you on your toes.

[reconstitution]

[ They both don't do plans well. That's not how spies work- not how they were engineered to work. Plans get fucked up. Making it up as you go along works much better so long as the end result is the same.

But what does that make the end result? It's not something he's going to think about right now. ]

I like that, too.

[outstandingbalance]

[That answer very nearly gets him another kiss right here, but she holds back. She tells herself it's because she doesn't want to spook him, but it has as much to do with not wanting to spook herself.

It feels good though. She doesn't let herself examine that reaction too closely.]

Happy Birthday, Barnes.

[reconstitution]

Have to say, it's one of the best ones in recent memory.

[ How far back 'recent' is can be up to Natasha. It started out as something he was bothered by, but that's not quite the case anymore. ]

[outstandingbalance]

I'm glad to hear that. I think at this point, you deserve a few nice things. And—

[She slips off the counter, feet hitting the floor lightly.]

Maybe we can give you that.

[reconstitution]

Maybe one or two. Let's not get carried away.

[ He takes a step back so that he's not crowding her when she slips off the counter. His fingers brush against her hand briefly before he pulls back. ]

[outstandingbalance]

Do I look like someone who gets carried away?

[Gently, still smiling. Her fingers twitch at the touch, not quite reaching to meet it, but a reflex she doesn't quite tamp down.]