cycleofages | Action

Who: Bucky Barnes and OPEN
What: Arrival
Where: Around HQ
When: 9/28
Warnings: N/A! Will also match action brackets

Bucky was disoriented when he opened his eyes. He didn't remember passing out or anything that could have led to waking up in an entirely different location. What was even more worrying was that nothing that greeted him looked like Siberia. Even worse? Steve wasn't there. No one was there. He barely stayed in the hospital wing long enough for the stranger to show up and tell him what was going on. Bucky took the phone, but the explanation wasn't satisfactory.

He left the hospital even though he had plenty of reason to stay, being as sweaty, bruised, and aching as he was, but he knew there wasn't much they could do for broken ribs. He'd just have to wrap them himself later, after he'd found Steve and figured out what was going on. That was also the hard part, because he didn't know where he was as he wandered the halls and he was too stubborn to ask anyone for directions. Not that it would have helped, unless someone could give him directions to a quinjet or a tall blonde. He would just have to search the place from top to bottom.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Grace smiled. "I'll remember." She'll make sure to do something that he'll really like and given they were heading into winter she had time to learn what Bucky really liked.

Her head tilted as he pinned up the picture. "Can you please hang this one next to it?"

He didn't expect much, given how far away his birthday was and how no one had celebrated it with him in a very long time, but he'd hold onto a little hope, at least.

"Sure thing," he said, hanging the next picture beside the last one.

If they are still here when it's his birthday she's going to throw a party. It'd be a nice surprise for him.

"Thank you. That's perfect." After putting up the last picture Grace began to shift her weight awkwardly between her feet. "I'm sorry about before." Her head hung low while her eyes fixed on the ground.

"You look a lot like Papa and sound like him too."

"No problem." He never would have thought, in a million years, that he'd end up standing in a cafeteria helping a little girl hang up pictures. It still felt surreal.

"It's alright. I've never been mistaken for someone's dad before." He hadn't thought he was father material, honestly.

Grace wasn't sure what to say to him.

She had a serious expression pull across her features which didn't fit her cute stature. After a moment she pulled up a chair from one of the tables and climbed on its seat so that she was eye level with Bucky. Her lips tugged into a warm smile.

"I am sorry." She was very sorry about crying in front of him and hugging him and calling him dad. "I think you'd be an amazing father. Your eyes are a little sad but they are very strong and kind. I can tell."

Oh. That hadn't been what he'd expected her to say. Then again, nothing that was happening today was anything that he expected. It all came out of left field. First Siberia, now a little girl telling him he'd be a good father. It was emotional whiplash.

"You don't have anything to apologize for, kid." He hadn't minded, he'd just been confused. "I'm not so sure about that, but I appreciate the thought."

Grace shook her head. "I'm sure I don't but it feels like the right thing to do. I also didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I really believe it though and I think that it takes other people to see the good in ourselves sometimes. You can't always see it."

She smiled at him and carefully stepped down from the chair. She didn't want to fall. After placing it back where she found it she turned towards Bucky. "Where are you staying? I can take you to your room. I know the way."

Doing the right thing was important and he respected that. She reminded him a lot of Steve--the good qualities, not the special knack for getting into fights, but the other things. The things that didn't drive Bucky up a wall.

"Thanks." He smiled. Her opinion was unbiased, but he didn't know if it would still be the same if she actually knew about him. He didn't plan on telling her.

Right, his room. He remembered being told about that. "Room 201," he said, "In the...sea dorms?" He was pretty sure that was right, at least.

Grace smiled and turned to show him the way. "I'm in the Sun Dorm. The Star Dorm is down the hall from me." She knew where it was simply because she explored all the dorms in her first week here.

As Grace walked forward and reached for Bucky's hand, tugging him gently along.

"Are they all named like that?" he asked, following her even though he was hesitant to take her hand. Sea, Sun, Star...they had some kind of nature theme going on.

"Yes. I don't know all the names but they all have to do with the outside somewhere." She turned the corner, her expression thoughtful.

"There is Sun and Moon. Sea, Star, Forest and Mountain I think." She was missing some but that was a few.

Action | Intro

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