13233/One tin soldier and a big Blue Meanie

One tin soldier and a big Blue Meanie
Date of Scene:	09 May 2021
Location:	Suite A3 James Barnes, The Triskelion
Synopsis:	Tin soldiers, Big Foot and breakthroughs. Bucky, Steve and Hank will fix it.
Cast of Characters:	Winter Soldier, Beast, Captain America

---

Winter Soldier has posed:
    He's trying to be okay, really he's trying. But lately the nightmares have been bad and Bucky is seeing HYDRA in every face on the streets. He's been loathe to talk to Steve or anyone else about any of it because he's already worried them enough.
    ...so he reached out to someone adjacent to his 'circle' but not actually IN it. He reached out to Henry McCoy.
    ...but now maybe he's regretting that decision. The closer it gets to time for Hank to arrive, the more Bucky wants to flee. He's pacing the room nervously and has actually opened the door a time or two to leave before gathering his nerve and closing it again.

Beast has posed:
This is probably not something that the good Doctor needs to know, but if he did he'd be ever so curious about it. What do you expect me to do, wrap you up in clingfilm and force you to watch happy shiny things with your eyes peeled? What?!

So, he arrives at the prescribed time, a little early in fact and looks for all the world like there's not a single suit anywhere that has been made, that can adequately look right, on someone that's build like he is and of this particular shade of blueness. He tried though, with a waistcoat and bow-tie and a nice blazer. It did help some of the hairy eyeballing that he arrived in a very nice convertable Bentley, but hey. Valet parking, saunter on in. THe knock is nothing exciting, just a rat-a-tat-tat. "Mister Barnes? It's Doctor McCoy...."

Winter Soldier has posed:
     Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Is he actually going to answer the door, or answer at all? Just when enough time has passed that it seems like Bucky might have stood Hank up, he pulls the door open. "Bucky, it's just Bucky," he mumbles before turning around to walk back inside. It's really easy for someone that knows these things, that he's trying to gather his wits and just needs a beat, over there, away from the door and Hank, to do so. "Want a beer," he mumblegrumbles almost inaudibly. "Don't have much else, beer and coke. I mean... soda, y'know, not coke like..." A beat.. "You can sit if you wanna." He's so not good at this.

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy stands in the doorway for that first impression moment, watching the man's actions with both bushy eyebrows lifting up his face. "All right, Bucky," he adjusts his bow-tie, glances up at the ceiling and around the coving of the door and frame, smiles brightly and steps inside, looking about with the inherant good cheer of someone that generally looks on the bright side of everything. Well, almost everything. "Beer would be fine, thank you..."
    The suit ends at his feet, which are in oversized but nice looking sneakers. Dress shoes and Hank don't get along, most days. "You can call me Hank if you like, or Henry if you would prefer, or even Beast if that's what keeps sticking in the brain. I must say, I'm a little surprised to get a call from the Triskelion, I haven't had one in oh... a donkey's age."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Kitchen, beer, little more distance to try to figure out what to do with this situation now that he's got himself into it. It is SO painfully obvious that Bucky isn't a 'talk it out' kind of dude. Which is probably a good indicator of just how bad things must be for him to have reached out?
    He returns, two brews in hand. Bucky's close enough for a good look at his face when he hands one of the beers off. The dark circles under those pale blue eyes need their own zip code. One bit of information gleaned without talking, he's obviously not been sleeping well, if at all. "Hank," he repeats as if trying the name on for size. "Ummmm..." So eloquent isn't he? "So, you've been here before?"

Beast has posed:
"Yes, once or twice," Beast replies, settling on the couch and occupying a seat and a half on it. Physics. He takes the beer, clinking the neck lightly and settles back with the bottle in his lap, resting on a thigh. "Usually, when there's something that the resident geniuses don't know the answer to and need an extra pair of eyes on it. Not often, in other words." He looks mildly over the top of his spectacles, smiles, then clears his throat.

"Sorry, I'm a little bit excited," and suddenly that's painted all over his face. "I don't often get to speak to well... veterans of the second world war that aren't asking me to repeat myself or asking me if I'm a yeti. True story that, this little old Gurkha. He was awesome. Showed me his kukri." Pause "That sounded /way/ better in my head. The sentence definitely ended up in a different county from where it started." Ice-breaker? Maybe.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    James Buchanan Barnes has one hell of an intense stare and for just a few seconds, Hank gets the brunt of it. It's almost creepy, that stare. Just before it crosses over into 'totally weird' territory, Bucky looks away. "You're not a Yeti?" he asks, deadpan. He's joking right? Hard to say! A beat and he looks back again, "So you know who I am." A second beat... "Who I used to be?" He's watching Hank sooooo intently now, waiting for his reaction to that question, looking for involuntary cues as to the other man's REAL thoughts on that question.

Beast has posed:
"Only on tuesdays," Hank replies, without missing a beat and a terribly serious expression, for all of a moment before the amiable grin is back. The intensity of stare doesn't miss its mark, exactly it just seems as if the doctor takes it mostly in stride. The X-man has faced many a stare, some of which quite literally could melt steel, but he does dial it down a little on the scale. There's no guarding, he doesn't fold any body part away from Bucky, his posture is open, his eyes maintain contact, even from that Thousand Yard line.
    "Old mission reports, the brief files. It's a point of pride that you should never go into a situation without some knowledge -- that's how you end up with a SNAFU. But who you are? You can't learn that from a dossier."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Bucky FINALLY settles into a seat, a comfortable old recliner, but not before he moves it so it's more across from the sofa instead of to the side of it where they both provide a view of the flatscreen on one wall. He swigs from his beer and leans forward a bit, elbows on his knees. He busies himself picking at the label of the beer bottle. "I dunno how to do this," he admits suddenly, but softly. A beat and, "Are you Big Foot on Thursdays?"

Beast has posed:
"No, I'm a Yowi," again, the reply comes without missing a beat. Hank carries on though. "There isn't any right way or wrong way to do this, as it were. You need to talk, so talk. You don't have to talk about anything but what comes to your mind--" leaning back a little, a swig of beer is taken, the neck popping with the suction release. "--Or I could talk, if you want. THough I warn you, I ramble at times and go off on interesting tangents into bizarro-world at times. So that might not be the best option, if we want to get anywhere." He half-winks.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Bucky snorts back a little half laugh, "So kinnda like Steve?" It was funny to him anyway and he does have a nice laugh, even when it's halved. He sucks in one long, wavering breath and lets it out slowly. Like ripping off a bandaid, he just lets words flow out along with that breath. "I go to sleep and I kill them all, everyone I care about or I see their faces, the ones I really did kill." He stops peeling at the label, one leg bounces up and down rapidly. "I'm not... that's not me anymore, the Winter Soldier, it's not. I'm Bucky Barnes... It's not me." Is he trying to convince himself or Hank?

Beast has posed:
"I take that as a form of flattery, thank you. ALthough now I'm imagining that and I might end up grinning like an idiot if I meet him again," Beast chuckles, then as the wound is open and gushing, he flicks a thumbclaw out and quietly scores a line in the bottom of the beer label whilst Bucky talks. He might interrupt at some point, interject an observation but this is not that moment. He remains wide open, in attention and body language, as Bucky speaks. It's not done, by a long shot.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    ...there's a looooong pause, like maybe he's not going to continue? But in the end, Bucky does go on first with a question, "Do you think a man is defined by the worst thing he's ever done?" He looks up, there's that intense stare again, weighing every reaction, every miniscule facial expression.

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy takes the question seriously, his bushy eyebrows beetling together like a pair of caterpillars. One of them attempts to crawl over the other and reaches an impass there as he thinks upon it. "No. I imagine that a man who thinks deeply, might define himself in that manner. But that isn't ever the whole of the thing." He exhales a soft sigh, the eyebrow-pillar attempting a submission hold on the other now. "We are /haunted/ by our worst memories and deeds. We are not defined by them."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Those eyebrows! They cause a little quirk of the lips up in a small smile before he can stop it. He pauses again, peeling the label of his beer bottle. It looks like Bucky is trying to peel it all off in one piece and that he just might succeed at the arduous task. He's staring intently at the hand peeling the label now, so at least the heavy intensity of that gaze is gone from Hank for the moment. "I can't ever make it right." Tick. Tock goes the clock. "...Sometimes I think I should leave, get away from Steve and Nat and everyone so I never have the chance to hurt any of them... or worse. But I'm really tired of running."

Beast has posed:
"Well, that's the ultimate definition of immutable fact. Without time travel and the ability to create a causality loop, you never can take back an action that has already occured. If we all could do that, the world would be -incredibly- boring. We'd all get things right the first time, because we'd repeat the moment until we got the desired result and nobody would ever be the wiser. It's cliche, but the past is done, the future is unknown, but now is a gift. That is why we call it the present." Beast says this simply. "You can smack me for that one, now, if you want."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Bucky chews on the inside of his cheek, nervous habit. He stops when he eventually tastes blood in his mouth. His head bobs a few times. He agrees, but ... "It's still there, Hank." A beat, two, three... then he explains. "The triggers, the programming, it's still THERE, in my head. How can I live like the present is a gift knowing that my future could be snatched away with a few spoken words." Oh, now he's talking, now the root of it all is coming out. "...a few words and they could tell me to kill Steve and I would or die trying. I'm done, I'm worn out and so fucking tired of being used as HYDRA's weapon. I don't ever... I can't ever... it can't happen again. I even made Nat promise she'd kill me if it did."

Beast has posed:
This probably isn't the greatest of responses to that. "Huh," Beast closes his mouth, lofts eyebrows and the caterpillars are freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! And he glances out of the window, thoughtful. "You remind me of a friend of mine. You don't turn partially into steel, get really unhealthy in skin tone and fly at as fast as a fighter jet, do you?" he asks.

Winter Soldier has posed:
     The shocked reaction sets Bucky on edge for a moment or two. Just for a few beats it looks like he might stand and end all of this. He even puts down his beer! GASP. But no, no... He takes a few deep breaths instead. When he finally hears the words over the initial reaction, he shakes his head and holds up his left arm. "Only part of me that's ever metal..." Well, it's more than just 'metal'. "Anyway... Yowi, huh?" Time to take a step back, room's getting too hot.

Beast has posed:
"Yeah. It's a thing. I had to do a couple of missions in the outback. Yes, take a moment, imagine that if you will..." Beast gestures to his body with one hand, down, up, down again, then in a vaguely circular gesture. "All of this, in the middle of australia. That was an interesting experience in sweat and drinking bucketloads." He pauses then, because this may seem oblivious, but the intelligence in the eyes tells the story of how he knows this is a distraction and an atmosphere popping moment. "It's singularly interesting, that in the USA, they throw shit at you for being blue, sometimes they even try and kill you. But in Australia, they insult, or in the case of the people of Ayres rock, they ask you if you want honey. Very nice actually. Apparently, Sasquatches and Yetis are a pan-global thing. Who would've thunk it, eh?"
    He looks over the arm, tilts his head just a little doglike in the action. "Good. Two winged maniacs would be awkward. But I'll tell you the same thing I told him, when he was having a crisis of identity and worrying that he was going to get triggered and kill us all; I know a courageous man when I see one, because the coward hides from it. There are ways to help, whether it is by extensive investigative bioreadings and a lot of awkward questions, or a more direct route. Bucky, you've got this. There isn't any good reason to get all terminated."

Captain America has posed:
Steve Rogers figures it's a good idea to check and see how Bucky is doing. He hasn't seen his old friend in a bit and, well, isolation doesn't seem like it would particularly be the healthiest of options for a man struggling with his identity.

Steve spent a little time first checking the general alert files on the bridge, making sure there weren't any issues that needed immediate attention, then makes his way down to the personnel quarters. He's wearing his costume, having just come from Avengers mansion. Honestly, sometimes he feels more comfortable in the suit than regular clothes. It's easier to be Captain America than Steve Rogers.

He presses the chime to let Bucky know he has a visitor, unaware that his old pal isn't alone, "It's Steve. Just thought I'd come by and say hello."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Bucky's sitting in his old recliner that he loves so much, but it's turned to face the couch rather than where it normally is (beside the couch facing the TV). He's holding a beer with the label mostly peeled off in one piece (always a sign that something's amiss). Hank's on the sofa, taking up more of it than a normal man should! But then again, he's not a normal man.
    ...he's just about to say something, maybe important, maybe not! Then... "Shit," he shoves himself to his feet, nearly dropping his beer in the process. "You're just here for... I dunno..." Oh my God, busted! The whole reason he went OUTSIDE his circle is to not worry the likes of Steve and Nat MORE. "Ummm... don't tell him why you're really here." James Buchanan Barnes NEVER pleads, it almost sounded like he just did.
    He crosses the room in a few strides and opens the door. ...and he smiles, BIG. Almost busted or not, there's not much that can make him smile bigger than the sight of his best friend. "Steve..." There's so much weight to that name. Just the tone says, 'missed you, thank God you're here, but I'm okay mostly, no need to worry'... all in a name.

Beast has posed:
And so it is, that one Henry Philip McCoy, Hank to his friends Beast to the world at large, ends up rather frozen on the spot and staring at the door a moment BEFORE all this happens. Because sometimes, having superhuman hearing is not all that great of a thing to have. He looks surprised at the reaction from Bucky, nods faintly and then down at himself, at the beer, at himself again and around as if somehow the location will supply a useful spot for him to suddenly look a lot less like an awkward professor. WHY DID I WEAR A BOW TIE?! -- so at the moment of 'STEVE!' he's grinning like a cheese-eating yokel and doing a little fingerwave at Captain America, with a beer in his hand and his glasses wonky.

Captain America has posed:
Steve Rogers cocks his head at both Bucky and Beast, a little amused by the somewhat frantic response. He smiles and reaches out, patting a hand on Bucky's shoulder, "Now, you know I'm going to worry. After everything you've been through, it's not surprising if you're still having a hard time. I had a difficult enough time adjusting and I didn't have so much of the trauma that's been inflicted on you."

He looks over to Hank and raises a hand, "Dr. McCoy. What a surprise! I didn't know you and Bucky were acquainted. Glad to see you," he says.

With both of them smiling and acting a little awkward, he looks back and forth between the two, "I hope I'm not...interrupting anything?"

Winter Soldier has posed:
    A good second glance WOULD reveal those telltale dark circles under Bucky's eyes, the ones he gets when he's not sleeping well, if at all. Nightmares, they suck. But really, he's all grins now and he seems to relax when Hank doesn't immediately give their 'relationship' away. "Nah, not interrupting. Yeah, mean and Hank go back a little bit." He leaves it at that, little vague. "You want a beer?" he asks his friend. Wait. His attention swivels to Hank and he barks out a little laugh. Dude is STARSTRUCK and that's kinda funny! He clears his throat, already on the way to the kitchen for that beer. His own bottle is left behind on the coffee table, with the peeled label.

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy gestures in another vague circular motion to his chest and in the overall of himself, then gestures with a spread of fingers and open palm to Cap. "It's the costume. When you're street, you're Steve, in the costume I have these little hiccup moments of looking at War memorabilia and trips to the imperial museum and I'm five again." At least he can cover it and only giggles awkwardly the once. It's more of a titter really. A snerk of sound. YES IT IS, shut up y'all. He clears his throat a couple of times. "Sorry, I regularly make noises like a school girl, it's a camouflage sound, when out in public. They never expect it."

Beer. Right! He downs half his glass and presses the neck to his mouth to stifle the burp that tries to follow. "Not interrupting. I was just sharing my Australopithecene woes. I am sure someone somewhere in Canada shares blurry pictures of me out in the wilds at the regular conventions of Xenomorphs are us."

Captain America has posed:
Steve Rogers smiles, "A beer sounds good," he says. To Hank, he nods, "Yeah, it isn't that uncommon an occurence. I'm glad that I managed to have such an impact, but it does feel strange sometimes. I'm just a man, after all, mortal as everybody else. But when you clad yourself in Old Glory, I suppose a certain amount of mythologizing is natural," he smiles.

He'll try to find a place to sit, unstrapping the shield from his back and setting it carefully aside. He's used to wearing it, yes, but it still isn't exaclty ideal back support when you grab a chair. "Given that we know Norse gods are real, I wouldn't be surprised if there are a few sasquatches out there. Especially up in Canada. The wilderness there is immense, much of it relatively pristine. A reclusive species might be able to persist there relatively undetected. That said, it's strange that most Bigfoot enthusiasts are such terrible photographers."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    The more Hank babbles and giggles... titters, the harder time Bucky has with NOT laughing. He gets it, sort of, but to him? Well, it's Steve. Costume or no costume, green polka dots, yellow stripes and purple hair, it would still be Steve. Steve, the one constant in his life, the one person that has ALWAYS had his back.
    When he returns with the beer it's all he can do to not absolutely bust a gut! Now they seem to be having a SERIOUS conversation about BIG FOOT. It's almost surreal, fanboying blue fuzzy and Steve and Big Foot. He hands off Steve's beer to his friend, picks up his own.
    ...he decides to make the situation even more awkward if possible. Bucky gestures to the little bit of sofa that's left next to Hank with his beer bottle and says, "Take a load off, Steve. Hank here turns into a Yeti on Tuesdays," he deadpans.

Beast has posed:
"And a Yowi on thursdays, don't forget that," Hank sighs, shakes his head a bit and laughs -this- time rather less nervously. He removes his glasses, takes a moment to clean them with a soft cloth which is also the time it takes to regain composure and puts them back on his nose. Bucky gets an eyeballing, but it's in good humour. Honestly, it's very hard to get Hank in a -bad- mood. People have tried. Some of them for many years. Presumably, it does happen on occasion though. "You could argue though, that it's not that the photographers are bad, but that the Sasquatch has a defense mechanism that interferes with the light spectrum and makes it easy to discredit those that have seen them. After all, when it was inuit and first nations, nobody thought 'Oh, just a moment, let me get my chalk and charcoal and depict you in motion in this instance' they just rendered it into mythos. It might actually be a thing for all cryptids, given that so many may be from the Dreaming, and/or astral plane. Or others. It could be a technological interferance mechanism and goddammit, now I have to persuade someone to give me some time off to persue that as an avenue of research. Dangit!"

Captain America has posed:
Steve Rogers smiles, "I promise, Buck, my load is fully shed. Still, nothing wrong with making myself comfortable," he says. With that, he pulls his mask back, tugging it down to reveal his blonde hair and the rest of his features, running a gloved hand through his hair to tousle it a bit.

"Something like a natural camo or a stealth gift. Perhaps something similar to that creature in the 'Predator' movie Clint had me watch. Terribly gory and frankly shows a less than kind depiction of our military men. I'm not certain I liked it, but I could understand why it was compelling. I couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to fight such a thing."

He waves a hand, "I don't know anything about the astral plane or such mystic things. I'm a practical man by nature, I'm just glad we have experts on hand to help with such problems to I don't have to."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Bucky settles into his recliner once again. This time he kicks back a little in it rather than sitting on the edge. There was a time, a long time ago, when he was Mr. Social, not so much anymore. He's quiet, just following the conversation, sipping his beer... and dare say, maybe looking a little sleepy? It's always easier to sleep when one feels safe. There isn't much in the world that makes Bucky feel safer than being around Steve. It's only a moment or two before he actually lets out a yawn... all the tension he normally holds in that intense face of his is gone, it makes him look all the younger too. If his hair was shorter, if his five o'clock shadow was gone, well, he'd almost look the same as the day he enlisted. "Y'all just keep talking," he mumbles quietly. ...because it's comforting.

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy has to glance at the shield. Vibranium is familiar to him in other forms, but it doesn't hold his focus. Rather, he smiles at Steve's initial words, then nods at the follow up, listening intently to the point of the predator and having to fight something like that. "Ohhhh, trust me, those sorts of things are more than unpleasant. Some of the kinds of things I've dealt with, I'm surprised I'm still blue and not stark white by now. I have to wonder at times-- plus Chitauri. One predator. An entire fleet of Chitauri." He gestures from the seat of the couch to above his head. "Fwish. No comparison."

Bucky gets a glance, sidelong. "By the by, you have my number right? Next time you want to hang out and mock my cryptozoological roots, just send me a text, before you doze off." But he's smiling as he says it, glancing back at Cap. "Speaking of experts in all the fields we handle, how are things going? I haven't heard anything from anyone in the tower for the longest time. I was beginning to wonder if everything had somehow become sensible or something."

Captain America has posed:
Steve Rogers smiles at Bucky drifting off a bit, "You always could sleep wherever we were. Train, car, transport truck. He slept through our camp being bombed once. I wouldn't be surprised if you fell asleep halfway through a parachuting," he chuckles.

"Well, a lot of the Avengers had recently spent some time in space, but they've recently returned. I've been keeping the lights burning here, but lucky it hasn't been too world-threatening while we were short-handed. The Justice League helps to pick up the slack thankfully. Good folks. Been working on some more streetwise troubles lately. Ninjas. Pesky."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "M'not sleepin'," Bucky mumbles, but it's clear he will be soon, if only he'd STAY asleep. But he won't spill that beer! No way. OH MY GOD, Pesky Ninjas! That makes the sleepy soldier snort out a sleepy laugh. "Neeenjas," he repeats. He sits up a little bit, eyes more open than not for a second or two and mentions, "Hey, if it gets late and you two are still jawboninin' at each other, there's a free bed in the spare room." ...not to mention that his will probably be free too since he'll be fast asleep in that chair. Those that know him well AND those that are just well trained to pick up on these things will take that offer for what it is, Bucky doesn't want to wake up alone tonight or... in the morning if he makes it that far.

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy's eyes flit to the chair and the mumbling of the Winter soldier. Behind those glasses, his slitted eyes go very thin, then adjust a few times as he makes observations, looking back at Steve with a shrewd look for a moment or two. He glances back at Bucky, "Just a thought for you, Bucky... your bed is all cushy, I take it? Maybe swap it out for a military bunk for a while. See if that helps with the interrupted sleep. Also, military turn-down on the sheets has a similar effect as weighted blankets. Just as an observation," he lets that hang. Nevermind that Slumberparty connotations went to a very different place too, it's all in camaraderie, no?

"You know, that's reassuring. If you're short handed though, and I know I say this as being a member of another group of individuals that have a lot of work to do but still... if you have a need, please do reach out. I sleep like, half an hour most nights, in my basket. So." He might be joking.

Captain America has posed:
Steve Rogers smiles, "If you pass out, I'll carry you to the bed. Wouldn't be the first time. At least this time you won't smell like rotgut whiskey. I still have no idea how Private Hattie made a still out of the remains of that Jeep. Kid would've given Howard Stark a run for his money," he says.

To Hank, he nods, "I'll keep it in mind. Tony tends to be the one who handles the official personnel, but I think you - both of you in fact - would be strong additions to the Avengers roster. There's no reason for us to leave resources lying around. I know you have other responsibilities, too, Dr. McCoy, but I'm sure we could work something out."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Y'know I'm always ready if you need me, Steve." Bucky's eyes are more closed than open again and his words are soft and mumbly, but he IS following some of the conversation. He shakes his head just a little. "Not the bed, it's the shit I see when I close my eyes," he says, a little more clearly. "Maybe some of that rotgut would help, huh?" He sits up. "Steve, Hank isn't just here to hang out." Seriously, how long did anyone really think he would keep a secret from his childhood friend. "I didn't wanna worry you more than I know you already worry about me. I haven't been sleepin' much." There, he's laid it all out on the table, so time to move on from it. "Kid did give Stark a run for his money... as far as rotgut whiskey goes anyway, don't think anyone coulda beat him on that."

Beast has posed:
Well, now at least Hank doesn't have to pretend he's clueless.

GLancing at Cap'n, he looks genuinely stunned for a moment, blinking a few times in rapid succession. "I would be honoured. I believe I'm currently on the roster as an ally, for consultation purposes as far as I can tell. Personally, I suspected that too many brains in the room would possibly give Tony some confidence issues, but then I thought twice about that and realized that you could throw a nuke at Stark ego and it would bounce." He grins at that, lacing his hands over his midriff. Don't. Geek. Out. Just don't. You've stood up infront of the president and laid out your case for crying out loud. DO NOT GEEK OUT.

And now to Bucky his attention turns and likely weighs his words against his own integrity, for the sake of how trusted he would be, before offering. "I have a couple of very good friends that could help in part. Let me ask around, to see if we can't help work you through the nightmares. One of my friends is a Valkyrie actually - asgardian by elevation. I'm sure she'd help with the nightmares, it's part of her talent. And I'll speak to my team-mates. Nothing any of us do is going to be overnight though, it will take work."

Captain America has posed:
Steve Rogers frowns and nods, "It's not exactly surprising that you get nightmares, bud. After the things you've gone through, anybody would. I'd be more worried if you weren't having after effects - you're too good a man to have experienced those horrors without having it leave a mark," he sighs.

"I'm glad to know you're getting help. Dr. McCoy's a good man for the job and, as he says, he knows others who might be of help. I understand wanting to stay strong, but the best way to do that is to let the rest of us shoulder a bit of that burden sometimes. You're not alone, Bucky. Never were," he says.

He nods at Hank's suggestions, "Someone with psionic talent might be of use in helping him deal with some of this. I don't know the logistics of such things, but I know you have several with such talents among the X-men."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Am I?" Bucky asks Steve. ... too good a man? That's part of it isn't it? Bucky doubting that he can possibly be a GOOD man after all he's done? But he staves off any impending answer with a wave of his metal hand. "I know," he offers in regards to the rest of it, or more to the 'you're not alone'. His brow furrows, his right hand twitches a little, then he taps each finger on it against his thumb once. Nervous gesture, that. He chews the inside of his cheek until it bleeds a little before he stops, another nervous little tick. "Sleep would be a good thing, but..." It's clear he's a little anxious about someone ELSE poking around in his head.
    Time to CHANGE THE SUBJECT, room's getting a little hot. "We should go to Coney Island and ride the rollercoaster..." Random! Or maybe not?
    "Sooooo... please don't EVER EVER, fanboy over Stark like you just did Steve, huh?" It's directed at Hank. "I mean, you got the ego thing right, let's not add to it."

Beast has posed:
"I have a problem with that, unless it's after hours." Hank offers mildly, regarding Coney island. "But I have a feeling you didn't mean me." He smiles though, snorting once afterwards. "Oh, there's a difference between Stark and Steve, here. I had an old trading card my dad owned of Captain America, from way back. Hero worship doesn't extend to genius billionaire philanthropists. Besides which, I'm comfortably wealthy, have a brain just as smart as his, can actually understand his engineering /and/ I'm blue. So I win, by default of being blue. Plus, I can see in the dark, without night vision goggles." And yes, he does give a little 'so there' lift of his chin at that. "Bucky, we won't go where you can't follow. All I will do is set up a meeting... if it does not pan out, it's not because we didn't try. Deep psychological conditioning is very hard to undo, even -with- psionic assistance. We -may- have to take the lesser of two evils, if you're serious about it. I took oaths, to the school of medicine and to a good man, to try and do right by people, even when they're absolute asshats. I promise, I will -not- let things get out of hand."

Captain America has posed:
Steve Rogers has no question about what kind of man Bucky is, even if Bucky does. He believes in his friend in the same way Bucky believes in him. He sees the tics and tries to suppress his worry - not that he thinks it will turn out badly, only that he knows his friend is suffering and there isn't really anything he personally can do about it. Steve doesn't like feeling helpless.

He nods in agreement with Hank's assessment and thoughts, "Sometimes I wonder if Tony's ego isn't just a feint - a way to keep people from taking him seriously. A defense mechanism he put up because he couldn't please the people around him, no matter what he did, so it was better not to need anyone else's affirmation about his worth. Or maybe I've been reading too many psychology books myself," he says with a slight smile.

"A roller coaster does sound good."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "...and you're furry too," Bucky points out as another... possible point to win against Stark? "...bet you save a fortune on winter gear." He's settled back in his chair again but one leg is bouncing up and down. He's not quite as relaxed as he was before, it's this line of conversation for certain. He rolls his right shoulder in a shrug. "Maybe," he half concedes. "Can Steve be there?" He doesn't bother to ask Steve /if/ he'll be there because he just knows Steve will be if Bucky needs him. "...and maybe Nat?"
    "...so you can puke again?" Bucky asides to Steve with a crooked, almost impish little grin. He lets out a little laugh. "No, Tony's just arrogant, doesn't mean he's not a decent person, good man even... but he's arrogant." Of that he's certain.
    He sits up again and leans forward in the chair, arms resting on his knees and that beer bottle dangling between two fingers of his metal hand. Bucky peels the rest of the label off with his right hand. He's label peeling, shit is about to get REAL. "Look, I'm gonna say it once and then it's over for now and you two can go back to talking about big foot and predator movies while I sit in my damned chair and fall asleep listening." Just a beat to make sure everyone's clear on it and he continues, "I'm struggling, I know I'm struggling. ...and I'm avoiding the people that care about me because of it. That's not working. Steve, I don't wanna live in this cookie cutter apartment alone right now. I don't wanna wake up in a cold sweat and screaming in the middle of the night /alone/ anymore. I don't want to be afraid that every noise or every shadow is HYDRA coming for me AGAIN. It always feels that way when I'm alone. It fuckin' SUCKS." His words all rush out on top of one another like if he pauses too long over any one word, he'll lose his nerve. This is HARD. "So we need to fix it." He sits back again and downs his beer, that was soooo hard and EXHAUSTING!

Beast has posed:
"Six of one, Five plus one of the other." But then Bucky is introducing his five cents and Beast dots his beer, recently reclaimed, in the man's direction. "He is what he is."
    And then there is the talk, the awkwardly spoken, exhaustion driven and exhaustion inducing talk. Hank glances between the two military men, brothers in arms, best friends from childhood and is actually quiet in the aftermath. He knows that energy. He's dealt with it before.

Captain America has posed:
Steve Rogers listens stoically. It hurts his heart to hear his friend's pain so bluntly, but he also recognizes the value in finally unstopping that cork, in letting loose of everything Bucky had been holding inside.

"Then we fix it," he says, simple enough. "Might not know how to do it at first. Might make some mistakes. But we fix it, one way or another. We help your mind, we help your spirit. Maybe we kick the living hell out of some HYDRA to remind them to keep their god damn distance and keep stomping that snake until it dies."

Winter Soldier has posed:
"Can I stay with you for a bit?" Bucky asks. "Or at least at the mansion?" His voice is softer now, almost a whisper. "Hell, I sound like a fucking two year old," he grouses in that same quiet voice. He sucks in a breath. "I think I just need to be where, if one night it IS HYDRA coming again... I'm with people that have my back instead of... here alone. I know it's stupid, man. The security here is insane and I know that, but it's easy to forget in the middle of the night." He drags his hand down over his face and scrubs at his cheek a minute before pushing that hand through his long mop of mussed hair. "I just gotta do it different, Steve. For so many years, I've been running from them, from myself, hell even from you... to keep you safe. None of that's working. I don't wanna run anymore."
    He fixes that intense stare of his on Hank, once again weighing the man's demeanor, his reaction to all of this. "If you're people try to help, you can keep them safe if they trip some damned trigger I don't even knows there? You'll do whatever you have to do to keep them safe? Whatever. You. Have. To. Do? Even if it means..." Ending Bucky?

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy can't seem to help this reaction. "Have you met me? Seen me?" Again with the full body gesture, at all of the Himness that is there, blue square with fangs and claws and silky fur. "Bucky, I do not mean to rain on your parade, in fact, I mean to reassure you ultimately -- I am an x-man. My best friend can fire concussion grenade strength beams from his eyes. My classmates can telekinetically set fire to the air around them, levitate tanks and occasionally wield enough force to level cities. One of my friends is pretty much indestructable and has a very bad attitude at times and myself? I'm blue and fuzzy, but I can bench press about five tons without a sweat and I suspect dance like Natasha can, in a pinch. If you flip out, in amongst my friends and family, we are /more/ than capable of containing the outcome, even if we get black eyes in the process. If nothing else, we'll float you into the air so you can't actually hurt anyone until we figure a way to knock you out." He glances sidelong at Cap at this and away. Erm. Yes.

Captain America has posed:
Steve Rogers shakes his head, "You don't sound like a two year old. Of course you can stay with me. Hell, you can have my bed if you want it, I sleep pretty good on the floor. Whatever you need, man," he says. He reaches out and squeezes Bucky's shoulder again. "Some of the SHIELD higher-ups might kick a little bit, but you let me handle them. I still have a little bit of clout around here."

"I think what Hank is trying to say is - you have nothing to worry about in that regard. We're not going to let anything happen to you and we're not going to let you lose control again. This can be conquered."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "A'ight then, let's fix it," Bucky announces, the affirmation aimed at both men. When he settles back into that comfortable chair again, he just slumps. It's not, however, a defeated slump. It's the slump that comes after carrying a huge damned weight around for far to long and then having that weight lifted... or at least finally getting help carrying it. The kicker? That help was there all along if only he'd had enough sense and courage to just ASK for it before. "...and maybe go stomp some snakes just for shits and giggles, yeah?" He drapes one leg over the arm of the chair, his eyes drift shut lazily. Not really caring if Hank or anyone else hears his mushy moment right now, he murmurs, "Love you, bud. We got this," and for right now, in this moment, Bucky actually believes it, actually has hope. "I'm done being all dramatic and maudlin now, go back to Big Foot. I'll pack my shit tomorrow."

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy nods, about as sombre as he's been here. He listens of course, both to Steve and to Bucky, then rises. "My work here is done for now. Cue me, exit left." He smiles though. "Call me if you have a need, if not, I'll reach out to you when I've secured at least a meeting, somewhere secure. Oh." He looks at Steve here. "I have clearance as a visitor here, thanks to being a consultant, but I might have to ask you to clear any X-man visitor for consultation purposes, Captain. I suspect it would sit better with S.H.I.E.L.D. if any assistance was performed under their nose, where at least there is containment protocol on their terms. Will that work?"

Captain America has posed:
Steve Rogers doesn't like to express his doubts about SHIELD. SHIELD is a good organization with the best of intentions, but as regards Bucky, he isn't sure they entirely have his friend's best interests at heart. "SHIELD will try to put national security first, in all situations. Frankly, I'm most concerned about everything going well. Whatever clinical conditions are most ideal, I'd suggest we do it that way and, if feathers need to be soothed, I can do it afterwards."

He stands and offers his hand to Hank, "Thank you for looking out for my friend, doctor."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "I'm not convinced he didn't do it on the off chance you'd show up," Bucky teases. He's sounding kind of sleepy again. "Y'stayin'?" he asks Steve. ...if the answer's yes, then this one tin soldier will actually sleep through the night for the first time in months. It's really amazing, damned near miraculous really, what being around family can do for a man.

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy has no hesitation about shaking Cap's hand. He does so and actually without geeking out. Some things mean more. "We will work it out," he looks over at Bucky and smiles slightly to himself. It is so very similar, it's hard not to pull at the heart strings of memory. "Good night. I will get back to you as best I am able." He nods to both men, then makes his way out.