lefthandfree | [meme] open post / picture prompt catch-all

1, 2, 3, 4

[ He goes back to the empty grave on Buck's birthday. Arlington's nearly always deserted in the evenings, voices carrying from guys talking to their buddies and the odd sniffle of a family member. The air rings heavy with solemnity. There's flowers on the grave — his sisters send them regularly. Steve traces the 1 from the year of birth, and he stays there long after the sun sets. ]

[ It's nothing close to a routine. Grief always crashes down like an avalanche — someone on the street with a swagger, someone who looks similar from the back in the distance. Little things, that brick by brick, become something impassable. Steve treads water. He leaves a beer bottle by the grave. Buck pulled him from the river and Sam trails behind him, worrying and solid. The years pass — he starts to wonder, when he's alone, if that empty grave holds more of his friend than the man they're searching for. It does nothing to his resolve. Bucky Barnes never picked and chose the parts of Steve he cared for, and Steve has no intention of doing anything less. That love was tested once in war and again on the helicarrier: Steve knows who he's looking for. He knows who they found and who he chose over the Avengers. ]

[ They're put in the same corridor in Wakanda; separate rooms, though Steve tries to spend as much time with him as he can. Breakfast, trying out everything they can and talking about the flavours. Out in the gardens, with the sunshine and fresh air. Little pieces, for the wall. He's hanging on now. ]

They have Casablanca in the movie room.

[ It's morning just before sunrise, and there's a faint mist drifting in from the east. Steve is sitting with his sketchbook open, the page empty, twirling the pencil. ]

Edited (missing word) 2016-08-12 06:05 (UTC)

[ Wanda's room is at the very end of the corridor, a little too luxurious for her tastes, but plenty of space. T'Challa — or someone — as thoughtfully left a salve on the bedside table that made the marks of the collar fade within two days, and doubles as sunscreen. She claimed one of the smaller training rooms to use with Steve. The first day, the Dora Milaje only watch. After that, they participate. They are quicker and stronger than her, but as Natasha likes to say, it is all good practice. ]

[ Sleep is often fugitive. The bed is too soft, and there's not always something to watch from the window. 3AM finds her in the pantry fiddling with the kettle, a packet of tea bags clumsily torn open on the table. She nods at Bucky when he comes in — she hasn't talked to him much yet, thinking perhaps he might wish to keep away from powers like hers. ]

I am making jasmine. Would you like a cup?

Edited 2016-08-16 08:07 (UTC)

[ Steve steals one of the Private Session signs from the movie room to hang on the door leading to the roof. Wakanda doesn't import Coca-Cola, so instead there's a few bottles of some local fruit punch both he and Buck enjoy having as well as sealed packets of snacks. The servers in the mess agreed to pack some meals and leave them in the fridge if there was need for extra calories; the key is in Steve's pocket, to be returned in the morning. On the roof are two telescopes, both with instruction manuals, and a collapsible tent he's absolutely sure can be done with one arm — he spent the afternoon trying. It's a clear night so far. ]

[ He catches up with Bucky after dinner, nudges at his good shoulder with his own, before moving to Bucky's left side, to cover for him. ]

Buck. Guess what.

[ The Wakandan compound is also, in some ways, a palace. It's a combination of cutting edge technology and a long history, full of both sleek lab spaces and halls lined with ancient artifacts. The combination should be jarring, but Wakanda's interest in both creating the future and honoring the past is something that Steve finds all too relatable.

They're advised not to leave the compound for their own safety, but it actually doesn't feel restrictive, simply because it's so huge. This place is twice the size of the Avengers facility.

There are even gardens, but they're not the kind that Steve's used to from back home. Instead they're filled with tropical plants, as if a small piece of jungle has been transplanted here for them to enjoy. As soon as they're assured that they can go explore it, Steve decides that it's time to stretch their legs.

There's a lot to think about, and walking helps him get his thoughts in order. Running is even better for that, but he doesn't think now is the right time for a jog.

As Steve and Bucky make their way under the canopy, Steve points at a multicolored bird that lands on a nearby tree branch. ]

What do you think that is?

[ Not that he would expect Bucky to know. If they were still kids, they would have come up with their own name for it. ]

[ It's been about two days since Tony more or less went off the grid. He had good reason for it, but that didn't mean certain people weren't getting suspicious. He had part of the mansion on lock down, looking into everything from tech to the best doctors in the world. He's ordered more food in the past day than he has for himself since Thor used to drop by on the regular.

It's only partly for him.

He's given over his bed to the too small kid, and FRIDAY is doing constant surveillance to make sure it's safe. Tony's kicked a lot of wasp nests in his day, but this takes the absolute cake. Someone is going to work out what went down. He's not sure if he's nervous about that or ready for the fight. People who would do this to kids---

He needs to sleep himself, but before he does, he sends out a text: ]

I need you. When can you be here?

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