He jerks at the question and buries his face in more clothes before he mumbles, "Do it." He's hidden from sight and unable to see, his entire upper half obscured by clothing. He wants to see Steve more than anything, but he doesn't want Steve to see him.
She moves a little, shifting so that she's in front of Bucky but not
entirely obscuring either of them from each other's sights, as much as
Steve can see anyway.
"Go for it," she says after a moment and Steve opens the door,looking
inside like a child peeking into a parents bedroom.
He has a coffee in his hand, and after opening the door a bit more, he
holds it out to Natasha. "This is...Not yours." He stated, unsure of how
to even refer to Bucky at this point.
He pulls his legs ever tighter to his chest at the sound of Steve's voice so close. He bites down on his knuckles to try to silence himself, squeezing his eyes shut at the same time.
Then he thrusst his hand out suddenly. He bumps his fingertips against Steve's arm before grabbing on. Steve's warm and solid to the touch. And utterly real.
He pulls away just as quickly as he reached out, fingers cutting into a fist.
Steve sucked in a breath, watching Bucky move and freezing at the touch.
he waits for something else, for Bucky to remember, or for him to at least
come from the closet, but all he gets is the man withdrawing back into
himself.
He closes his eyes, takes in a deep breath and leaves the coffee on the
ground near the two of them.
He doesn't retreat though, not all the way. Instead he takes a seat at the
mouth of the closet,, watching them carefully, looking for a clue towards
what to do next.
He slowly starts to uncurl. There's light in the closet now, but the door is still amost all the way closed. Without speaking, he looks down at the cup. It's foam, with a plastic lid. He picks it up and lifts it to his mouth, carefully taking a sip. It's hot, and sweet, and he can taste the whipped cream- cool, but creamy. He doesn't realize it, but he's smiling. "It's good," he says quietly, relaxing a little.
Steve relaxes a little at the sight of him, a small smile pulling at his
own lips. he's so stupidly grateful to see Bucky smile, to see him relax
even if it's just a little.
Natasha watches, slightly amused. "Yeah, coffee is in fact, the gift of
some great deity that smiled down upon us."
He glances over to the right. He knows Steve's out there, but he can't see and though he's panicking a little inside he can at least focus on his coffee to the exception of all else
Steve settles into his spot, watching carefully and hoping things are going
well. he's not sure what to do from here and that's more than obvious. He
wants to say something, to have Bucky come home with him but he has the
strong feeling that he'll be refused.
"So..." he says, his tone unsure. "Uhm...."
Natasha bites back a laugh. This was hilariously awkward and while she
felt as if she should do something, she wanted to let the other two lead
the discussion more than her doing so
"Can I..." He hesitates, "Can I be alone?" He looks at Natasha, keeping his cup close to his chest. "I want to close the door." He was feeling overstimulated again, wanting to curl up in the dark again.
Steve doesn't say anything for a moment but Natasha is already getting to
her feet. "Come on," she says, moving around him to get out of the closet.
"Let's give the guy a break."
Steve is getting to his feet, a little numbed over at this point. It feels
strange but he honestly has no idea how to react to this new version of the
person he knew. It's more than a little painful but Natasha seems to know
what she's doing, so he lets her take the lead on this.
"I think it's going to take a hell of a lot of time and I think you're
going to have to be patient and willing to deal with the fact that, while
he may get better, he may not be what you expect, but yeah. Yea, I do
think he'll get better."
She moves over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We've got him now,
that's the first step. We'll be able to help him and that's better than
where any of us were before."
He nods. "Where did you find him? How?" Steve moves towards the couch and sits down, resting his head in his hands.
Bucky was back, and he was much more broken than Steve could ever have imagined. Steve could deal with the Soldier. But the broken man in the closet was an unknown.
"He'd been following me," she says. "I'd been waiting to see if he would
approach and he did. I don't know how he's been making it this far. He's
half starved and was pretty sleep deprived from what I could tell."
She sighs. "I don't mind keeping him here. I think he's fond of my
closet."
Steve nods. "It's been months, he must have survival instincts or something, right?" He looked over at the closet. "I just want to see him, tell him it's all going to be okay." He sighs.
"Give him time," she says with a small smile. "he's only just getting used
to to this whole socializing with people thing. He'll come around soon
enough."
She casts her eyes toward the closet. "Besides, now that he has a safe
place and people he can trust, I think it's going to make a hell of a lot
of difference."
"I'm not sure it's fear exactly," she says, picking up her drink and taking
a sip. "Remember that you knew him. There's a lot of expectation when
there's really not as much with me."
"That's probably not the whole thing," she adds after a moment. "But it
probably doesn't help matters."
Steve thought back to the glimpse of Bucky he had seen through the cracked open closet door - dirty and unshaven and afraid, even when he was drinking the coffee and smiling.
"I just want to help him, Nat. He's my best friend and I hate feeling so helpless."
"And you will," she assures with a hand on his shoulder. "It's just going
to take time. Probably a lot of it and you're going to have to take
whatever progress comes your way."
Steve sighs and leans into her touch. "I should probably go... I don't want to make him feel unsafe." Leaving was the last thing he wanted to do. But he didn't want to pressure Bucky. "Will you call me if anything else happens? Or he asks for me or whatever."
"Yeah, definitely." She offers him a smile. "We'll figure this out. I
can't promise you will enjoy the conclusion that we come to but we will
figure it out."
Steve gets to his feet with a nod, then crosses to the closet. He crouches down next to the door. "I'm gonna go, but if you want to talk to me or anything, just tell Natasha, okay?" There's no response from Bucky, but he didn't really expect one, either.
He rises up. "Thank you, Natasha. If you need anything, even if it's for me to bring you coffee, tell me and I'll do it. I have to help him however I can, even if it's by helping you." Then he leaves, pulling the door shut behind him.
When the door closes, he lets out a soft sigh of relief and finally relaxes. His coffee is already almost gone, but he doesn't much care. He's warm all the way and safe.
She waves him off. "I'll make you regret that one day," she says with a
light grin. "But yeah, I will. I'll keep yu posted on how he's doing."
She watches him leave, collects her drink and settles on the wall next to
the closet door, listening for any noise that might tell her something's
gone south.
He's almost too warm. He sets down his cup and started to strip out of his jackets until all he's wearing is the tank top he had been wearing under his armor, his pants and his boots.
Then he opens the door and peeks out. He watches Natasha carefully, studying her features.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2014-07-21 07:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-07-21 08:17 am (UTC)She moves a little, shifting so that she's in front of Bucky but not entirely obscuring either of them from each other's sights, as much as Steve can see anyway.
"Go for it," she says after a moment and Steve opens the door,looking inside like a child peeking into a parents bedroom.
He has a coffee in his hand, and after opening the door a bit more, he holds it out to Natasha. "This is...Not yours." He stated, unsure of how to even refer to Bucky at this point.
no subject
Date: 2014-07-21 08:27 am (UTC)Then he thrusst his hand out suddenly. He bumps his fingertips against Steve's arm before grabbing on. Steve's warm and solid to the touch. And utterly real.
He pulls away just as quickly as he reached out, fingers cutting into a fist.
no subject
Date: 2014-07-21 11:43 am (UTC)Steve sucked in a breath, watching Bucky move and freezing at the touch. he waits for something else, for Bucky to remember, or for him to at least come from the closet, but all he gets is the man withdrawing back into himself.
He closes his eyes, takes in a deep breath and leaves the coffee on the ground near the two of them.
He doesn't retreat though, not all the way. Instead he takes a seat at the mouth of the closet,, watching them carefully, looking for a clue towards what to do next.
no subject
Date: 2014-07-21 04:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-07-21 04:20 pm (UTC)Steve relaxes a little at the sight of him, a small smile pulling at his own lips. he's so stupidly grateful to see Bucky smile, to see him relax even if it's just a little.
Natasha watches, slightly amused. "Yeah, coffee is in fact, the gift of some great deity that smiled down upon us."
no subject
Date: 2014-07-21 04:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-07-21 05:10 pm (UTC)Steve settles into his spot, watching carefully and hoping things are going well. he's not sure what to do from here and that's more than obvious. He wants to say something, to have Bucky come home with him but he has the strong feeling that he'll be refused.
"So..." he says, his tone unsure. "Uhm...."
Natasha bites back a laugh. This was hilariously awkward and while she felt as if she should do something, she wanted to let the other two lead the discussion more than her doing so
no subject
Date: 2014-07-21 05:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-07-21 05:57 pm (UTC)Steve doesn't say anything for a moment but Natasha is already getting to her feet. "Come on," she says, moving around him to get out of the closet. "Let's give the guy a break."
Steve is getting to his feet, a little numbed over at this point. It feels strange but he honestly has no idea how to react to this new version of the person he knew. It's more than a little painful but Natasha seems to know what she's doing, so he lets her take the lead on this.
no subject
Date: 2014-07-21 06:06 pm (UTC)Steve watches the door shut, before he turns to Natasha. "Do you think he's going to get better?" He feels lost and is sure he looks that way too.
no subject
Date: 2014-07-21 06:19 pm (UTC)"I think it's going to take a hell of a lot of time and I think you're going to have to be patient and willing to deal with the fact that, while he may get better, he may not be what you expect, but yeah. Yea, I do think he'll get better."
She moves over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We've got him now, that's the first step. We'll be able to help him and that's better than where any of us were before."
no subject
Date: 2014-07-21 06:29 pm (UTC)Bucky was back, and he was much more broken than Steve could ever have imagined. Steve could deal with the Soldier. But the broken man in the closet was an unknown.
no subject
Date: 2014-07-21 06:34 pm (UTC)"He'd been following me," she says. "I'd been waiting to see if he would approach and he did. I don't know how he's been making it this far. He's half starved and was pretty sleep deprived from what I could tell."
She sighs. "I don't mind keeping him here. I think he's fond of my closet."
no subject
Date: 2014-07-21 06:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-07-21 07:25 pm (UTC)"Give him time," she says with a small smile. "he's only just getting used to to this whole socializing with people thing. He'll come around soon enough."
She casts her eyes toward the closet. "Besides, now that he has a safe place and people he can trust, I think it's going to make a hell of a lot of difference."
no subject
Date: 2014-07-21 07:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-07-21 07:52 pm (UTC)"I'm not sure it's fear exactly," she says, picking up her drink and taking a sip. "Remember that you knew him. There's a lot of expectation when there's really not as much with me."
"That's probably not the whole thing," she adds after a moment. "But it probably doesn't help matters."
no subject
Date: 2014-07-21 08:25 pm (UTC)"I just want to help him, Nat. He's my best friend and I hate feeling so helpless."
no subject
Date: 2014-07-21 08:53 pm (UTC)"And you will," she assures with a hand on his shoulder. "It's just going to take time. Probably a lot of it and you're going to have to take whatever progress comes your way."
no subject
Date: 2014-07-21 09:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-07-21 09:12 pm (UTC)"Yeah, definitely." She offers him a smile. "We'll figure this out. I can't promise you will enjoy the conclusion that we come to but we will figure it out."
no subject
Date: 2014-07-21 09:26 pm (UTC)He rises up. "Thank you, Natasha. If you need anything, even if it's for me to bring you coffee, tell me and I'll do it. I have to help him however I can, even if it's by helping you." Then he leaves, pulling the door shut behind him.
When the door closes, he lets out a soft sigh of relief and finally relaxes. His coffee is already almost gone, but he doesn't much care. He's warm all the way and safe.
no subject
Date: 2014-07-21 09:31 pm (UTC)She waves him off. "I'll make you regret that one day," she says with a light grin. "But yeah, I will. I'll keep yu posted on how he's doing."
She watches him leave, collects her drink and settles on the wall next to the closet door, listening for any noise that might tell her something's gone south.
no subject
Date: 2014-07-21 09:47 pm (UTC)Then he opens the door and peeks out. He watches Natasha carefully, studying her features.
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From: