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Mystery Sign Theater 3000, Thursday

January had come and gone.

And when Bucky showed up to the movie theater this morning, Ingrid greeted him like he hadn't even been gone at all. Just went right into badgering him about their concessions stock and the screening charts for March, and something about a good deal for 'Lucas Lee movies', whatever that meant.

He hadn't been the one originally hire her, but goddamn did he appreciate her. In his own quiet way.

NOW SHOWING
I'll Stay the Night

Mystery Sign Theater 3000 was open.

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Mod Ingrid or talk to Bucky, looking at some of the new things Ingrid's added to the stand.

A group of professors working on a new encyclopedia encounter a mouthy nightclub singer who is wanted by the police to help bring down her mob boss lover.

It had been a while since Jesse had seen a new marquee go up at the theater.

She pushed inside quietly and looked around, smiling reflexively at Ingrid.

"Hey," she called, once she spotted James. "Long time no see."

Ingrid gave her a cheerful wave back.

Bucky just looked vaguely sheepish as he turned. "Been away for a while." Yeah, Buck, she could probably tell. With that greeting and all.

"I noticed," Jesse said, quirking a small smile. "How have you been?"

He never knew what to do with that question.

"Fine," he said, and tried for a smile. Was it a lie? He couldn't tell. "Busy." That -- was true, yes. "What about you?"

"Fine," Jesse said, with faint amusement. "Busy."

Touché. Bucky couldn't help his quiet huff, somehow, though he could let his head hang for a second, as if that covered it up.

Then he looked up again. "Here for today's flick?"

"I am if you are," Jesse said, flashing him a quick smile. "What kind of movie is it?"

"A comedy." Many of them were, not that Bucky ever seemed to get further with them than a faint smile. "Should be good."

He remembered it being a big deal. (Or thought he remembered. These things were always complicated.)

"Uh huh," Jesse said. "Should be good, huh?" She gestured towards the popcorn. "I'll buy us two of those if you can tell me what makes you so sure."

"Easy," Bucky said with some attempted lightness of tone, stepping behind the counter. "Ingrid doesn't let the place show anything that isn't."

"Remind me what you actually do around here, again?" Jesse teased.

"I manage."

That was true on more levels than the obvious!

Anyway, he was getting popcorn.

"Ha ha," Jesse told him. "Just for that, you can get me some soda, too."

Bucky's very small smile was also very wry.

"Coming right up."

Jesse shook her head and took her wallet out of her pocket. "This movie better be funnier than you," she teased.

"Low bar," said Bucky.

Then he caught her reaching for her wallet, as he set the soda and the tubs of popcorn onto teh counter, and shook his head. "Nah. 'S on the house, today."

"Okay," Jesse said, slowly sliding her wallet back into her pocket. "I guess I can forgive you for that joke."

"So kind of you," Bucky said, aiming for joking, hitting... a slightly too-soft version of it.

Cleared his throat.

"Anything else, or you good to go with these?"

"I'm good," Jesse said. The small, wry smile she shot him was... some kind of acknowledgement of that tone, yes. She reached for her soda and one of the popcorn containers. "You ready?"

Was he ever, really?

"Uh huh," he said, grabbing the other container as he went to step out from behind the counter.

Jesse smiled at him, and in a fit of... some kind of amusement or something, she held her arm out for him.

...Right, that might be weird. Uh... let's sell that with an eyebrow-waggle.

She waggled her eyebrows.

Steve had grinned to see the marquee. "'I love him because he's the kind of guy who gets drunk on a glass of buttermilk, and I love the way he blushes right up over his ears,'" he quoted as he came into the lobby.

That quote had resonated with Steve in 1941 and had stuck with him.

Bucky didn't even have to look across the lobby to see who'd just walked in. Not with that entrance.

"You can handle this one," he told Ingrid, ignoring the very confused look she was giving her in response.

He was already heading for the back office.

It was still kind of weird. And it was... Bucky didn't know what it was.

He forced a laugh. Only it wasn't forced, was it, it had bubbled up before he'd thought he should do it.

Maybe he was getting real good at lying.

He took her arm after a beat, either way. (With his real, fleshy arm, out of sheer dumb luck, he assumed.) "I trust you know the way."

It wasn't like she cared if he used the metal arm or not.

"I think I can find it by now," Jesse said, and ceased eyebrow-waggling in favor of walking into the theater.

Can you just try not to be weird for like, five minutes, Jesse?

Steve watched Bucky retreat--hey, proof of life wasn't nothing--then swallowed hard and gave Ingrid his best smile. She probably didn't care about the bruised look in his eyes, anyway.

"Ticket for one, please," he said politely.

The movie was really good, at least.

She might not have. But he very much cared.

He also gave her another faint huff, and let her lead the way.

Ingrid cared enough that Bucky suspected he was getting questions about this one, even though she let him be gone for weeks on end without a word.

But that wasn't going to stop him from staying in the office.

All through this next screening, if he had to.

Jesse knew his favorite spot in the theater by now, so she maneuvered them that way, and picked a seat.

Let go of James's arm in the process.

It'd been faintly warm. And soft. And Bucky hadn't really registered either while her arm was there.

There was a pang of something he shoved swiftly aside. Just went to take his seat.

Jesse smiled at him, and settled her popcorn in her lap. "Right," she said, "Let's see if this lives up to the hype."

"The hype that it's... supposed to be good?"

God, that was almost a joke. Even if the quirk of his lips was small.

"Yeah. Let's."

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Mystery Sign Theater 3000, Thursday

Lobby/Concessions [02/04]

NOW SHOWING: I'll Stay the Night

OOC [MST3000 02/04]

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