[Open] And outside, the world slipped over the brink

[communish]

WHO: Bucky Barnes & others
WHAT: Catch-all, open & closed starters, continued TDM
WHEN: April
WHERE: Free Cities, Nocwich, maybe Horizon
WARNING: None yet, but discussion of violence seems likely with this guy.
OTHER: Brackets and prose are both fine.

ɪ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴀᴛ's ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ᴀɴʏᴍᴏʀᴇ
ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴏᴜᴛsɪᴅᴇ ɪs ʙᴜʀɴɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ʙʀᴀɴᴅ ɴᴇᴡ ʟɪɢʜᴛ
ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ ɪsɴ'ᴛ ᴏɴᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴀᴋᴇs ᴍᴇ ғᴇᴇʟ ᴡᴀʀᴍ
ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ɢᴏ ᴍɪsᴛᴀᴋɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴏᴜsᴇ ʙᴜʀɴɪɴɢ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀᴡɴ

Comments

[assembles]

It doesn't take all that long for Bucky (and Steve isn't questioning it at this point, he just knows it's him) to realize that he's being watched. When their eyes meet from across the crowded marketplace, there is an immediate flash of recognition on Bucky's face, but also wariness, like he isn't entirely happy to find Steve here of all places.

To be honest, it reminds Steve of when he first tracked Bucky down to that apartment in Bucharest. He'd tried to act like he didn't remember a thing about Steve, but there'd been little tells, even if the underlying emotion had also been dread at what would come next.

And, well, to his credit? What came next had been a giant mess.

With no further context to pull from with this Bucky, Steve has no clue where they might stand. Is this Bucky's memory also spotty? The metal arm says a lot on its own, especially since it doesn't seem to be the Hydra model.

And then comes his name in a voice that's just a few degrees off of what he was expecting. It's weird, there's no doubt about it, but Steve decides to just trust his own instincts on this. So he crosses the distance between them in a few quick strides, nodding in confirmation.

"When'd you get here? It's..." He cuts off, glancing around them for a moment and nodding to the merchant, somewhat awkwardly. "Well, for me it's been a while." This is surreal, but he's still glad to see him, his hands twitching with the urge to reach out for a shoulder clap or something, but not knowing if he should assume that kind of familiarity. He realizes he hasn't shaved yet and his hand comes up to his beard for a moment, wondering what Bucky will make of it.