stardustly | steve rogers : OPEN POST.

Hey Rogers, want to meet up for a drink?

Hey Romanoff, tell me the time and place. I'll meet you there.

In about an hour. Nine isn't too late for you, is it?

I think I might be able to stay up that late. You may be in luck.

Sounds good. Let's go to that pub near the tower. [Nat might actually think this would be a nice date for the two of them. Let's see how it works out.]

[ He looked down at the words with a nod of his head, figuring he needed to put a little more thought into his clothing choices. ] I can handle that. Sure, you don't want me to pick you up and go together?

Such a gentleman. If you want to, I'll be here waiting.

[ With a faint smile playing along his lips, Steve exited his room to walked down to the lobby of the tower to meet Natasha and accompany her out. While he waited for her arrival, he tried to not fidget or look overly nervous in any way. ]

[Nat walks in, a bit more casual than usual, jeans and a light sweater] Hey there.

[ His face positively lit up with her appearance and he held out his arm for her to take. Ever the gentleman. ] Have you been to this pub before? [ He took a step forward to move them outside and towards the pub in question. ] I should probably warn you now about how I can't get drunk.

Maybe once or twice. It's been a while. [she walks with him, enjoying their conversation so far. It's not work related...somewhat normal]

I did hear about that. So...I should probably only have a few. You're no fun, Steve," she jokes.

[ A smile tugged at Steve's lips as a flutter of SOMETHING erupted in his stomach. ]

You're not missing much. I was a sloppy drunk back in the day. They had just invented alcohol, you see.

[ He had gotten on board with the 'old jokes', at least, well enough. They arrived not too long after that, Steve leaning forward to hold open the door for Natasha to step in first. ]

You were, were you? What was your drink of choice? [Nat can't help but smile and laugh at that one. Tony would love this.]

[ he rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, ducking his head the tiniest bit ]. Loved moonshine if I could actually get a hold on it. What about you? What's your drink of choice?

[Nat grins at his shy look] Moonshine? Like the bootleggers did back in the day? Wow. And people think the Russian Vodka was rubbing alcohol.

Would it be stereotypical to say that I like Vodka? I do, but I think my real love now is wine. But yeah, I can get drunk after a few glasses.

[ A small smile tugged at Steve's lips but he tried to hide it as he led them over to a free table. ] It was all we could get from the docks a lot of the time. The fellas enjoyed making it. Can't really say what was in it.

Is that what you want now? Wine or Vodka? I could go get us the drinks.
[ He shook his head a little. ]

No, back then as long as it was made with or was alcohol, people didn't care. [she smirks] How about a glass of the house red, please? [She sits down at said table, making herself comfortable]

After the incident with the Sokovia Accords and the breakup of the Avengers, Coulson feels it's the right time for him to reconnect with the good Captain. But there's no good way to go about it, is there? There's no denying that he's spent the past three years lying about his survival (though his death had not been greatly exaggerated). How does a dead man reach out to a former Avenger?

Maybe by waiting for him at a graveyard. Coulson stands before Peggy Carter's gravestone, watching as the soft wind billows at the offering of flowers. He's received intel that Steve visits sometimes, so Coulson visits everyday at 5pm, leaving behind flowers and waiting for a full hour before leaving.

He's patient. Steve will hear about the presence of a suited man soon enough.

The aftermath of the Accords left everyone gasping for air and scattered all over the place. The physical wounds healed long ago but the emotional ones continued to fester and replay over and over again. The look of betrayal in Tony's eyes haunted Steve and the lengths Shield went through towards Bucky did too. He didn't know where he stood and for the first time in his life, he didn't have a direction to turn to. Other than his visits to Peggy's grave, of course, seeing her still as his true north in all his times of trouble.

However, even the visits were disrupted by the whispers of an unknown presence visiting and waiting. For what, no one seemed to really know but Steve had a feeling it had something to do with him. It usually did nowadays, didn't it? The man with the information but one without a current plan. After some thought and consideration (a rarity, of course), Steve decided to meet his fate so to speak and head over to see who wanted to meet with him in such an unorthodox manner.

The last face he expected to see, though, greeted him there. "Now, I know I've lost it. Coulson?" Steve greeted, shaking his head a few times. "People have got to stop coming back from the dead around here. It's starting to cause a complex." He paused for a moment, hands folded against his chest. "What is it I can do for you?" He didn't forget why he decided to come in the first place.

Coulson turned calmly at the sound of Steve's voice. He smiled, warm and fond, "It's been a while, Captain." Almost 4 years now. "If it helps, I actually did die." He'll spare the soldier the details of his revival though. At least, for now.

He spread his hands out slightly as he spoke again, "I'm just here to talk." Far be it for him to try anything in front of the grave of the great Peggy Carter, after all. "Couldn't think of a better way to reach out."

Mind calculating a multitude of different options, Steve nodded after a few silent moments. For now, he would indulge the man and see what he wanted. For so long, Steve had evaded any sort of governmental official but knew eventually the time would run out there, forcing him to face what he left behind in shambles. He never meant to do such a thing, of course, but protecting his friends mattered the most to him and he would never be able to accept something bringing them direct harm.

"What's on your mind?" Steve asked, dropping his arms to settle his hands against his hips. A little more casual than his former stance but not by much.

If it helped, Coulson really wasn't here because of SHIELD, not that SHIELD had gone public again just yet. He understood Steve's desire to protect friends. Coulson felt the same way. Though the difference between them was, he signed the accords along with the rest of SHIELD, much to his own dismay.

Coulson noted the slightly more relaxed stance with some relief and his smile reflected as much.

"I figured it's time to start telling the truth."

"Well that's something new," Steve responded, feeling bad a few seconds later for the words. He didn't mean to snap but his exhaustion had taken a toll, both physically and mentally. More than anything, he just wanted to sleep and feel safe for once. He couldn't remember the last time he had any sense of peace when he had so many others to worry about and in extension the world. Did the government still have a bounty on his head? Did they still want him to hold trial? It had been hard to come by SOME information when they needed to all stay off the radar.

He let out a slow breath. "I'm sorry, I'm listening. You'll have to tell me later what - this is. I mean, about you being alive."

Coulson shrugged it off easily enough, shaking his head. He knew how it was, to have so much weight on one's shoulders.

"I will. I don't think you'll like it but it's a start." He stepped closer to Steve. "Let's take a walk." He'd rather not stand around in the open like this now that his objective of meeting Steve had been achieved.

Lips pulling into a frown, Steve still nodded his head to walk alongside Coulson. There were so many questions ramming around in his mind but he kept a lock on most of them for the time being. He needed to see what the man wanted first before he unleashed all the things he needed answers for. Besides, things still weren't entirely safe for him and he needed to keep on the move.

"Things have to change from how they were before. Information needs to be actually shared. Now, what is it you wanted to talk with me about? You went to fairly great lengths to catch my attention."

"Honestly, I just wanted to tell you I'm alive. And that so is SHIELD." He raised a hand in a vague placating motion. "I know. I know. But it's different. We're learning from our mistakes. The world still needs protection and SHIELD is in the best position to give it." Hidden and secret for now but still.

Rightfully so, Steve narrowed his eyes at the confession but didn't respond yet, allowing for Coulson to have a few more moments to say what he needed to say. "How exactly is it different?" Steve finally asked, arms folded tightly against his chest. "Who all is in charge now?" he continued, eyebrows furrowed. "Are you still having a group like the Avengers or does everyone still want us locked away?" A lot of questions but Steve needed so many answers for things.

"I am. For now." his position is a bit precarious now that the accords are up and active. "I have a regular team and a team of enhanced people. We keep them secret but the government is pushing us to sign the accords." he doesn't sound too happy about it but if it means keeping SHIELD up and running...

[ Bucky being alive changed everything, regardless of the intel describing him as the Winter Soldier and the 'crimes' he committed. None of it mattered to Steve and he would defend his friend until his very last breath. He hadn't been aware and HYDRA had forced him into the programming, which had to mean something. Yes, Bucky still did the things but not by his own control. His own say so.

So, he went looking for the man, following the trails until it led him back to where it all started - Brooklyn. Weaving in and out of the buildings, he stopped moving as he took in the profile of someone.

Someone he knew very, very well. The one who haunted his dreams each and every night, in fact. ]

Bucky? [ The single word broke and shattered as it escaped his mouth. His trembling hands locking his shield back in place on his back because he doubted he needed it. The one before him didn't have any of the look of the Winter Soldier and it confused Steve. ] Do you know who you are? Do you know who I am? [ He cautiously approached, keeping his hands in plain view. ] I don't want to hurt you, okay? I just want to talk.

[Nothing worse than missions where you end up crashing a HYDRA R&D lab that wasn't supposed to be there - as twisted as Hydra's top dogs are, the lab rats? Those guys are a helluva lot worse in Bucky's book. You never knew what kind of FUBARED mess you were gonna find when you stepped into one, so Bucky, he's preferred to take it slow, be careful. Problem is, when one's right under your nose and you and the boys stumble on it while busting doors down and the enemy starts shooting before the door's even hit the floor, there's no way to stop a bullet from snagging one of the items on the desk. A blue light roared out toward him. And before he'd even had a chance to dive to the side, the sweeping beam catches him.

When he opens his eyes, Bucky finds himself on the other end of the planet. He knows the smell of New York before he even leaves the building, even though there's something off about it too. Whatever it was, just dumped him far from the war, Bucky thinks, as he trots out of the alley, hand resting on the gun resting in the holster at his waist; he could've sworn the beam hit one of the HYDRA soldiers or two, so if they're around her as well....

That's when Bucky about rounds the corner and comes out onto the main street....and stops and stares at the glowing lights dominating the skyline and bleeding up into the clouds, making the evening almost as bright as day, or the cars - looking sleek and almost alien- clogging the street, or sure, that's a diner he recognizes, but it's nestled in among newer, taller buildings, crowded with flat screens blaring out flashes of information-

That's where Steve finds him, huddled back in the alley, back turned to him and peering out at the street as he gets his bearings, fingers wrapped tight around the gun like a kid with a safety blanket as he tries to come to grips with what's staring him straight in the face, and what to do next. Bucky starts, then his shoulders start to relax with the sheer relief of Steve being here too, only...well, that's when he turns around to a Steve with a harder edge to him and closer, spiky hair, and this look like he's coming up on a feral dog]

Steve? [Bucky drops his hand from the gun, instantly, but he pauses at the questions, unnerved] The hell are you talking about? That a trick question, pal? It's not funny, something went tits up in that raid...

[ Not being attacked on the spot allowed for Steve to really take Bucky in, noting the shorter hairstyle and the lack of raw intensity seeping in his eyes. He looked less machined killer and more, well, the guy he knew before the train happened. Could it be possible? This coming from a guy who woke up after being frozen in the ice for seventy odd years. Anything could be possible he had figured out very quickly over his time in the new era where advancements happened everyday it seemed. Some of which he used in his day to day life with only mild difficulties.

Taking a few steps closer, Steve felt his shoulders drop in near relief. Bucky had said his name and not just referred to him as a 'mission'. But the relief proved short lived when a whole host of other problems slammed around in his mind. He needed to find the Winter Soldier version of Bucky before more dangerous things happened.

But could two Bucky's exist in one time? Were they the same Bucky and HYDRA found a new trick to ensnare him within? ]

Tell me everything you remember. What's the last thing that happened before you ended up in this alley? [ He paused for a moment, rubbing at the back of his neck in his nervous tick he had never managed to stop. ] What's the last thing you remember about us? What were we doing?

[ Then just for his own peace of mind here. ] What's one thing I could eat continuously and never get sick of? [ The answer being jam and right from a jar too. No one else would know such a thing besides Bucky and if he added in blackberry jam, well, Steve had few greater weaknesses. ]

[A little shiver of uneasiness goes down Bucky's spine when Steve still just gives Bucky this once over, as if seeing something that's off, eyes lingering on his hair (suddenly self conscious, Bucky reaches up, combing his fingers through it instinctively like maybe it's sticking up like a crow's nest or something) or his eyes, and that makes Bucky shift a little from foot to foot. Because Steve's lingering there, as if searching for something with this dead-serious intensity that Bucky's not sure to do with.

..Well, if Steve got dumped here too, Bucky can't blame him for acting funny. Maybe he got stranded here even earlier, like getting on the same train only to get booted off too early; Steve was at the edge of the blast, Bucky thinks, maybe he got dragged in. Explains why Steve's not going wide-eyed like Bucky at the world outside this alley, this New York that's shiny and loud and wrong. Explains the hair cut too. Bucky's not sure he like it.]

[Bucky holds up his hands; hey, big guy, hold your horses, like that'll slow the questions down.]

We stumbled on another Hydra R&D tucked underneath our target. Surprised 'em as much as they surprised us, then the shooting started. Blackberry jam, you'd trade a week's pay just to get a stinking jar of one out here if you could.

[Now Bucky cocks his head, eyes narrowed]

Look, what's with the twenty questions here?

[ Sucking in a breath, hope bloomed so quickly and fiercely through Steve it almost crippled him in the intensity of it. He wanted so badly to believe his Bucky stood in front of him filled with recognition and far more peace than he saw earlier.

Who the hell is Bucky?

The words still clung to every corner of his mind and he couldn't let them slip through his fingers no matter how he wanted to try. What could he do? He wanted so desperately to help Bucky just like the man always did for him in the past. Without Bucky he wouldn't have made it to even receive the serum but he couldn't even protect him for a single moment.

What kind of friend did that make him?

Letting out the breath, he nodded his head. This Bucky had arrived from much earlier in the timeline. How, though? His eyebrows crinkled as he tried to remember the mission Bucky rattled off but he couldn't recall it. How could he not remember? ]

I had to make sure you weren't a trick to try and trap me. [ He winced and shook his head quickly. ] I've got a lot to tell you but we have to get somewhere safe first. If anyone sees you - there's kind of a kill order on your head. Look, I'll explain, just come with me, alright?

[Bucky's eyebrows shoot upwards, like it hadn't even occurred to him that this was where Steve was going here. Trap him? Seriously?

Then again, that device that went off had just dumped him somewhere that sure wasn't the New York it left. Maybe Hydra had something in R&D to make the perfect spy, maybe something to change appearances. An ugly shiver goes down Bucky's spine at just the thought of one of those appearing out in the war; how easy would it be to get gutted by someone you thought was a friend.

Bucky lowers his hands, slowly, but just in case, keeps them where Steve can see them. See, nice and easy - though when has Steve acted so squirrelly before? Bucky has to laugh, dry, and a little humorlessly]

Steve, I wracked up a big Hydra head count, 'course they got a bounty on me. [but Bucky waves his hand out, back towards the way Steve came, down the alley, indicating Steve go first.

Just in case maybe Hydra R&D did actually make their deadline, in case this is an agent, it'll put Bucky behind him] Lead the way, Cap.

[ In some ways, Steve didn't want to have to tell Bucky what happened and what his future self had gone through. He didn't want to admit aloud yet again his ultimate failure and shortcomings. His need for justice having clouded everything else, including the safety and security of the person most important to him. They should have planned more or Steve should have remained by Bucky's side.

He should have done more for him.

Shoving the thoughts away for the time being, he turned on his heel to walk towards one of the many safe houses spread throughout the country. He would have preferred Bucky in front of him but knew of the man's natural instincts to protect him so he didn't push it for the time being.

About twenty minutes later, they arrived and this time Steve insisted on Bucky entering first, allowing him to quickly checking the perimeter and send a few quick texts to Sam and Natasha. ]

There's a lot we need to talk about. [ The words were his announcement into the word, his fingers quickly setting all the locks into place. His eyes quickly swept the area, trying to see if there were any bugs put into place. SHIELD couldn't be trusted as he once thought they could be. ]

Most of it isn't going to make sense but I think you already figured out you're not in your time anymore? This - well, it's seventy years or so into the future. I've - uh - been in this era for a few years now and - [ How could he say it? How could he horrify his friend this much? ] Things happened to you Buck. Before I - well - I kinda died but I got frozen and the serum kept me alive. Then I got discovered and in this time period. All that time - I thought you were gone but you weren't. HYDRA - they did things to you. You survived but at a really - at the worst possible cost.

[As they wind through the alleyways (and those smell funny, they don't smell nearly as as he remembers) Bucky studies the back of Steve's head like that'll give him all the answers somehow. Even something as small as his haircut is enough to throw Bucky off; Bucky only just saw Steve moments ago, but he knows he'd never go for that shorter spiked deal like this - it gives Steve a more hard, severe look, and the big guy's always liked having that sweep to the front.

Steve also wasn't nearly this thorough, even as Captain when it came to sweeping an area, Bucky notices as they enter the safe house. That's something that came with experience, and Steve doesn't have nearly the same combat and field experience the rest of the Commandos have yet. Steve just did it as natural as breathing.

Bucky finds himself distracted for a moment with the strange, flat little box Steve fiddles with first, but if Steve's going to fill him in on what that is, it's apparently not any time soon. Bucky jams his hands in the pocket of the peacoat, and turning, cocks his head. Sure, let's start with when they are. Maybe finish with 'how-the-hell-to-get-back-asap']

Seventy years? [Bucky can't even hide the shock, but he falls silent, let's Steve speak. That figures, if Steve got stranded here longer, he'd try to fit in. Okay, he can roll with this, Bucky thinks, until Steve goes on. Whatever he was about to say dies before it even comes out. Bucky stares at him, wide-eyed and face draining of it's color; Steve died? The hell? Got dethawed like a piece of meat in the future? How did he even end up frozen?

And Hydra - Hydra got him again. Bucky knows, just knows Zola would've made him his lab rat all over again if he got his grubby mitts on him again. Bucky's throat works, as he tries to find the words, and comes up empty]

That's- [Bucky has to try again, voice a little shaky] That's a lot to take in. Look. We got Hydra on the run. So whatever happened, maybe it's not gonna happen that way this time.

[ Guilt tugged Steve under so quickly he nearly felt he would drown in it all over again. He often felt in over his head in the current time period, even more so after finding out what happened to Bucky. At least, the Bucky of his timeline or did this Bucky count as the same? He really didn't know how such matters worked and would need to talk to Stark about it. If he could because there were certain things they needed to keep in the dark. Such as Steve's plans to find the Winter Soldier and help him. Bucky didn't deserve punishment when others were in control of him.

His Bucky would never commit such atrocious acts willingly.

Looking down for a moment, Steve let out a slow breath. He needed to keep calm and collected for Bucky's sake and not give too much information. It could damage the future but if Bucky came from a different timeline it changed regardless. ]

Now that is the same - I mean - when I was in the past, we seemed to have the leg up on HYDRA for a time but it didn't last. It only took one moment and things fell apart. I did what I had to do to save - [ He shook his head, motioning for Bucky to sit down because he looked pale. ]

Need some water? You hungry at all? There are a lot of different - uh - kinds of food in this time. Like instant things. Well, nearly instant. It still takes couple minutes. All the safe houses are stocked but probably not with those meals I just mentioned. They might go bad quicker and now I'm - [ Rambling. A bad habit when he felt nervous or unsure about something, which he did at the moment in spades. ]

There's a few people I can talk to. Try and figure out what got you here and - how to get - you back. [ Did he even WANT to send Bucky back, though? This Bucky not only knew him but didn't have the same haunted burned away quality. ]

steve rogers : OPEN POST.

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