7549/Blame the Liquor

Blame the Liquor
Date of Scene:	19 May 2019
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Winter Soldier, Captain America

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Winter Soldier has posed:
During the week, except for meeting up with Natasha where-ever they've agreed to conduct their ballet practice, and an occasional dog park expedition, Buck almost wholly confines himself to the Triskelion. And so it is today. Formal training is done for the day, he's had a swim and a shower, and now he's in the food court's dining hall, eating dinner and reading. Not a sociable creature, anymore, not like he once was.

He's got a copy of Omar Bradley's autobiography propped up against the napkin holder, chewing methodically through some kind of sandwich. Lili's slurping from her water dish - by the other empty bowl by her, she's had her dinner, too.

Captain America has posed:
It's been like a massive pinball game for the Captain. Steve's been bouncing from person to person and the only time he's had for himself is in his own bed at night, shades drawn, where he finally drifts off in the wee dark hours only to wake blearily again at the first grey light of dawn. There's some mental list he's working through, one only he knows of the ordering and importance and timeline, and it's led him to the Triskelion's cafeteria today after asking around after the Soldier.

From around the side occupied by Lili at her water bowl, Steve swings around with a tray. On it, a footlong meatball sub-sandwich, melted through with cheese and extra oregano sprinkled within the breading. Somebody behind the counter doesn't mind digging up the little glass bottle of it, apparently. He eyes Bucky across the way with an openly hangdog expression, down to the scrunch of his mouth, and then looks at his plate.

"'m sorry, Buck. I was an ass. Wasn't thinking. You didn't deserve any of that."

And there will be no beating around the bush, apparently!

Winter Soldier has posed:
Buck looks up from his reading, then replaces the bookmark in the book - something from the NYPL, by the stamp on the pages - and sets it aside. "Eh," he says. "We were both drunk. And I was outta line. Forget about it." Or, as it comes out, fuhgeddaboutit. A nod at the table - he's apparently welcome to sit.

Lili, on the other hand, is soooooooo happy to see her human's rescuer. She sits up, smiles, thumps her tail, and whines, looking at Bucky. He grins back at her and makes the little gesture of release. She's immediately leaning against STeve's legs, making little grunts of pleasure. "It's like she thinks you're the guy who invented peanut butter."

Captain America has posed:
By the harder scrunch of his mouth, Steve's relieved on a bone-deep level that it isn't going to be a drawn-out conversation. Apology is apparently accepted. Letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding, he sits down at the table.

"Ooof." It's a little sound of surprise from him when Lili makes her affectionate weighted presence known and he's more than happy to oblige the Shepherd with some ruffling of fingers along her jaw and up behind her ear. Scritchies are much deserved by this dog.

"You..." The Captain lets the thought die off into a sigh. Frowning to himself, he pauses in scratching Lili to open his can of ginger ale. A sharp ka-chik and hissing follows and he takes a long gulp. Looking at Bucky almost guiltily, he asks, "You talked to Peggy lately?"

Winter Soldier has posed:
"No," he says, simply. Steve may be forgiven, but Buck's in one of those moods where he's not going to be forthcoming, it seems. "They had some work to do to make sure she was herself, you know? T hey wanted me out of it, so I couldn't coach her or respond to cues, somethin' like that."

And by his expression, he's wary of his own reactions....or hers. Her own more recent encounters were with the Soldier, after all.

Captain America has posed:
He works up half of his sandwich into his hands and pauses to let melted cheese droop back to under control, his attention on it as Bucky elucidates. His lips pull to one side again.

"Yeah...knew they wouldn't want me around either, so...wasn't," he mutters. Either that, or Steve needed more space than he originally anticipated -- or this has been a rout and he's only just recovering lost ground. "Bet they'll call us both in and talk to us." He takes a bite of the sandwich and chews, the action more habit than appreciation of the food.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Winter Soldier nods at him, still working his way through his own sandwich. If he feels guilty for neglect of Peggy, it doesn't show. But then....he's a far cry from his old expressive self.

Lili's sat down to stare adoringly at Steve, panting a little. So happy. Too disciplined to paw at him, but she can let her feelings show in her big, brown eyes.

Captain America has posed:
"Kinda hoping they'll call us both in at the same time. It'd make sense. Two birds with one stone and all that." Steve takes another larger bite from his sandwich and one of the small meatballs plops free onto his plate. He can be seen to consider it, glance over at the Shepherd, glance up at her owner, and back to the plate.

With really no attempt at guile, he pinches up the meatball and offers it to Lili.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Another nod from Bucky...and another gesture for Lili, who's already looked at her human for a cue. With that wordless permission, she takes it very delicately from him, then tips her head back to bolt it down.

Barnes is still mum.

Captain America has posed:
Wiping his fingers on his napkin, Steve continues eating his sandwich. The first half it disappears within the next minute as he bites and chew neatly and quickly. His gaze strays everywhere else but upon Buck himself until he's finished the portion. He kills most of the ginger ale and then folds his arms to rest on the table, his tray scooted forwards to allow presence of his physique beneath the windbreaker.

"D'you want me to leave you alone, Buck? I don't have to be here," he says quietly, a little flinter in the very bottom of his voice. "'m no more happy about this than you."

Winter Soldier has posed:
"I dunno what to say," Bucky says, quietly. He looks down at his plate, pushes at the crumbs there with a fingertip. "I dunno what to do with it, either." A shake of his head, still not looking up. "It's another thing they made me do, trying to kill her. She's one of very, very few I was set on who survived. Three times I failed with her - that's a record. Nobody else did. Everybody else I fucked up with, they sent me back out, and second time worked."

Captain America has posed:
Steve nods, not able to look at the man seated across from him. He tears off a piece of napkin and begins to work at rolling it into a small, compacted ball. It's soon joined by other bits as he listens, his eyes unable to hide empathy when they rise to the Soldier's face again.

"She knows Bucky Barnes wouldn't do that, not to her, and not to me - because you came after me too. You got me too, Buck, you got me good, but look. I'm here," and he taptaps the tabletop with a pointed finger, straight-down. "Y'know why? Because you're still James Buchanan Barnes. They didn't break you. She saw you, Bucky -- not the Winter Soldier."