The Perk, Wednesday Noon

[weirderthanthou]

You ever wake up feeling like everything around you was coming apart, and yet you were fine? Jesse wouldn't be able to tell you why, exactly, but that feeling had settled in the pit of her stomach, drenching her in unease.

Town Hall just made it worse, so by the time the morning was almost done with, she decided to head out. Here, to the Perk, with her foot tapping impatiently against the floor as she waited for her coffee to show up.

"Seriously," she muttered.

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Comments

[shapethecentury]

The main thing Bucky was feeling was the persistent sensation like he was constantly returning from Wakanda, lately.

And that was probably just because he was. Like, say, right now, making his way into the Perk.

"Look who it is."

[weirderthanthou]

Jesse blinked when she heard the voice-- then half-turned, grinning at him. "I could say the same for you," she said. "Got more shore leave, huh?"

[shapethecentury]

"Guess they wanna be rid of me every once in a while," Bucky replied, wry but... smiling. Yeah, definitely smiling. "Busy people, got other things to do."

Never mind that it felt exactly like leave, getting back here.

(Seeing her.)

[weirderthanthou]

"Well, grab your coffee," Jesse said, still smiling. "We'll catch up and then I'm going to come along with you and double-check your plants are still alive."

[shapethecentury]

Bucky gave a soft huff, and stepped up to the counter. Near her.

"Well, you heard the lady," he told the barista. "I'll just take a regular coffee. Black."

[weirderthanthou]

Jesse saluted him with her cup, and then retreated to a seat in the corner with a good view of the door.

What? What.

[shapethecentury]

Bucky joined her soon-ish after, coffee in hand.

Or at least made it over to the table, then considered his seating options.

[weirderthanthou]

Well, he had the choice between one of two chairs, or a spot on the bench next to Jesse. Choose wisely.

"So how did it go this time?"

[shapethecentury]

Bucky chose the bench. He didn't tend to put his back towards the door if he could help it.

And as he settled down, he took a sip. Then shrugged. "The same," he admitted. "I... don't know if anything's actually happening. But they say it's gonna take -- they say it's not supposed to be fast."

[weirderthanthou]

"So there's nothing you can tell at all?" Jesse asked. "That must be frustrating."

[shapethecentury]

Bucky looked towards the door. Took another sip.

And then said, a little lower, "Well, haven't let them actually... try the words, yet."

That would be a way to test it, wouldn't it? In a pretty definitive way.

[weirderthanthou]

"Ah."

Jesse sipped her coffee.

"... Okay, I can see why they wouldn't want to just do that to you like that."

[shapethecentury]

"Ayo's asked about it," Bucky admitted. "But it's gotta be a whole thing with the Dora Milaje, and..."

He trailed off, and shrugged.

[weirderthanthou]

Jesse's voice went a little quieter. "Scary?"

[shapethecentury]

Bucky looked down at his coffee.

"I don't want people getting hurt," he said, "just because they're trying to help me."

[weirderthanthou]

"The Dora Milaje sound like they're pretty badass," Jesse offered. "They can probably handle it."

[shapethecentury]

Bucky nodded. It was just a quiet little thing.

"They are," he agreed, "and they could."

But.

"I just don't want them to."

[weirderthanthou]

"But you won't know if they'll have to until you expose them to that risk," Jesse pointed out. "Which you're going to have to do sometime."

[shapethecentury]

"Sometime," Bucky agreed. That much, he could agree with. "But not yet."

Another sip.

"Hoping I'll... feel something. First."

A balance, maybe. Or something approaching it.

[weirderthanthou]

"Like a switch getting thrown?" Jesse guessed.

[shapethecentury]

"Something like that," Bucky replied. Soft and pensive.

Then he gave a wry huff, aimed more at himself than anything else. "If that's even a thing that's possible. But I want to give it more time, if it is."

[weirderthanthou]

"Well, time, you've got," Jesse said, her mouth quirking into a small smile. "So I think that's fair."

[shapethecentury]

Bucky considered that. And then quirked a faint smile back at her.

"What about you?" he asked, because that was enough about Wakanda, and his broken brain. "Did I miss anything?"

[weirderthanthou]

"Do you ever miss anything important?" Jesse asked wryly. "The island is quiet. Somehow it doesn't end the stream of paperwork, but..."

[shapethecentury]

"I don't know," Bucky replied, lifting his cup again. "You might've bought new plants."