9408/Handy at Heroism AND Handball

Handy at Heroism AND Handball
Date of Scene:	03 October 2019
Location:	Central Park, Manhattan
Synopsis:	Bucky and Steve indulge in an old hobby: handball. There's also potentially a v-blog in the future?
Cast of Characters:	Winter Soldier, Captain America

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Winter Soldier has posed:
Once upon a time, Bucky was aces at this. Back in the knickerbocker, ice-wagon days. But then the war, HYDRA, all he's done since. And Steve, the poor thing, never had a chance, before the war.

Which why they are, at the moment, in one of the handball courts nearest the Mansion, with Lili lying off to one side, nose in her water dish, playing. Both of them are tough enough that they don't need gloves. Buck's in a t-shirt, compression sleeve, and sweats, and he plays with the old easy grace. Taking it easy on Steve, for now. Steve's muscles are iron and his nerves are steel, but even he needs a chance to learn.

Captain America has posed:
Also in sweats and a workout tee shirt, its fit glossy and tight to him, Steve grunts as he makes a dive for the ball shooting off the wall at an oblique angle. A lunging stretch of legs means he doesn't have to roll on the court itself and he whallops the small blur of a ball towards the wall again, smiling to himself.

"Gonna have to try harder'n that, Buck," he says on a breathless laugh, happy to have his heart rate up and enoying the brisk cooler air of impending autumn.

Winter Soldier has posed:
He snorts at Steve. "I'm goin' easy on ya," he says. Even the accent is stronger, as it is so often when he's doing something that bolsters his memories. A dart to the side and he swats it back, lazy as a cat. A sidelong grin for the big soldier. "Nice to do it without feeling like your lungs are gonna collapse like the Hindenburg, huh?"

Captain America has posed:
Sneakers grit on the pavement as Steve janks hard to beat the ball before its second bounce on the court. He nearly overshoots it in his enthusiasm and laugh-huffs again as he swats it severely wide down the wall, in hopes of making Bucky run this time.

"I'd say I was getting an oxygen high off the whole affair if I didn't know any better about the serum," he replies with a dimpled grin nearly ear to ear. When was the last time they devoted energy to a pasttime involving nothing to do with HYDRA or taking on the problems of the world?

It's been a long time since Steve's eyes twinkled like this. He seems completely at ease with lightly perspiring at his temples and revels in this innocent display of physical prowess on both soldiers' parts.

Winter Soldier has posed:
There's Buck's old, shining grin, too. Sweat at his temples, an actual flush on his cheeks. Steve's one of the few who can really make him run. "Right?" he says, lifting his hand for a pause, ambling over to get his water bottle. Lili looks on with the forlorn look of a dog who doesn't understand why they're throwing balls for each other and not for her.

"We need to do this on the regular. Make you run around and play. I'll come bounce a ball off your window at the Mansion." And he sends his voice into a boy's falsetto sing-song, "Missus Roooogers, can Stevie come out to play? I'll help him with his homework."

Captain America has posed:
Combing his fingers back through his hair, Steve joins his friend for a water break. Stooping to snatch it, he shoots a stream of it into his mouth lasting a good number of seconds. Each soldier has more than one bottle, all dripping with condensation, given their metabolism burns through everything at an increased pace.

From where he crouches down on one knee to offer Lili some gentle jaw-line scritchies with dull nails, the Captain laughs quietly. Boy, that sounds familiar, the imitation.

"Wouldn't say no. Helps take the mind off of things for a bit." True-blues lead the tilt of his head up towards Barnes. "You gotta do the falsetto though," he insists jokingly.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Big bottles, indeed, since Lili can't go fetch water for them. She thumps her tail on the pavement, lets her tongue loll, then licks Steve's hands.

"Sure," Buck says, cheerfully, walking it off. "And then we can play jacks and hopscotch. I wonder if the kids now with the fancy phones have as much fun as we did with nothing more than a penny spaldeen. I don't see 'em playing out on the stoops like we used to. Though some of the playgrounds they have now are pretty neat."

Captain America has posed:
Steve very gently ruffles the big ears of the shepherd before he rises to his feet again with a grunt. He too then gets to pacing back and forth, not letting his legs go cold.

"The playgrounds have definitely become more interesting architecturally," he agrees. "Wish we'd had some of those climbing walls back when. 'm not a fan of the knotted rope walls, but something with projected grips would've been nice."

And bird-boney Steve probably would have fallen off and broken something, knowing his rickity luck back when.

"Prolly have to use sidewalk squares for hopscotch," he also notes with a small laugh. "But...yeah, I wonder too with all the phones. At least some of the apps make'em want to get out 'nd about instead of sitting down all day." Another stream of water is consumed before he sets the water bottle back down and then rubs his palms together.

Winter Soldier has posed:
"Yeah," Buck agrees, bouncing the ball in his human palm. "I feel like they don't get to play and run around like we did. Remember how we'd come over the Bridge and get lost in this Park?" He gazes around, fondly. "'s a different world, then." A more innocent time, he doesn't have to add.

Then he flicks the ball back into play, with a resounding *pop* off the wall.

Captain America has posed:
"'t'was a different world then, yeah," Steve agrees even as he lopes easily back onto the court. The jumping bounce of the ball off Bucky's palm bodes another practiced angle of attack and indeed, he hasn't calculated wrong. The first bounce is almost beyond the reach of his fingertips and the return shot at the wall is weak (in terms of super-soldier reflexes and power).

It means it's all too easy for Barnes to kill the shot and whiff the ball so far beyond reach at an impossible angle for the Captain to return. He tucks to roll even after attempting to reach it and follows through shoulder to hip to feet with a laugh. "Damn, Buck, you sure you don't want to retire 'nd take this up for the Olympics?"

Winter Soldier has posed:
"Guys like us can't compete," Buck's voice is a little mournful. "Other than in exhbition stuff." Something in his voice has Lili looking up from her contemplation of the reflection in the water bowl. When I blep the water, the dog in there goes away....and then she comes back. It is a mystery.

"You'll be handing me my ass at this soon enough," he says, easily. "You pick up things so quick, now, Stevie."

Captain America has posed:
"Sure, I'll grant you handball doesn't take a degree in rocket science, but exhibition stuff could still be something you could look into -- could bring back the sport to the public eye?"

Even as he muses, Steve stoops to swat back an easy drop of the small ball high off the wall, intending to make Bucky have to dance backwards and even possibly leap like a cat at a lure to make contact with the hyper-bouncy sphere.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Up he goes, feline indeed. "We should both," he says, firmly, even as it just brushes past his fingers and goes spinning out of bounds. "You and me. We should do stuff about the games we used to play. You're a celebrity, Steve. YOu're in the public eye. It'd be good for kids, now."

Captain America has posed:
He watches Bucky land as easily as the four-footed creature aforementioned and laughs to himself, pleased to have finally gotten a point past the near-supernaturally agile soldier.

"You thinkin' you want to start doing public television snippet or something? Little...they call 'em v-blogs, I think? What'd we call it, if we did?" Steve seems curious enough to actually consider the idea rather than joking about it even as he jogs to fetch the ball. After all, Lili has a reflection to consider in her water bowl.

"I'll think of something clever," the Captain continues as he returns. The ball makes a loud pop off his hand for his serve and the rallying continues deep into the night, interspersed by friendly jibes and terrible, terrible pun-laden examples of names for their prospective v-blog.