| closed | life moves very fast

[readytocomply]

Who: Bucky and various
Where: Hell
When: During the event
Rating: Will update as needed
Summary: Fighting and general event shenanigans
The Story:

Closed to Steve:
[Waking up in a strange place was disorienting, no more so than waking up in the orchard had been, but that's because he was getting used to all these events. All he had to do was make it through them and everything would go back to normal. He blinks awake that first morning, tense at the unfamiliar surroundings, only to roll right over into Steve.

He's immediately more calm, not relaxed, but better.]

Wake up, Steve.

[His hand on Steve's shoulder, he gently shakes.]

There's an event.

[Everything had been good the night before. No nightmares, falling asleep with Steve curled around him, but the longer he's awake, the more pissed he is about it all. He's frustrated with how often the events come around.]

Closed to Mettaton:
[After finding out where they are and what's going on, to the best of his ability, Bucky goes looking for his people. Those he cares about and wants to make sure are okay. It's methodical, how he crosses them off the list one by one, no real way to find anyone other than search each hut until he does.

Relief washes over him when he sees the robot.]

Mettaton.

[Sure, he's just busted in on a hut that wasn't his without asking if he could come in first, but they're in Hell and certain allowances have to be made.]

Is everything okay? [He glances around them.] Are you okay?

[After checking, then he'd tell Mettaton that he's feeling differently down here. He has the right to know.]

Comments

[readytocomply]

[Bucky makes a sound, a low, angry noise, and turns away to head back into the building. He says fine, too, but it might have been in Russian. His head isn't on straight right now, and he's got an ache in his chest from the sting of Steve's words.

He goes up a few floors and then finds a good vantage point to watch where Steve's going. Bucky only manages to maintain that position for a few minutes before Steve gets out of his line of sight and a small wave of panic hits him.

After that, he follows Steve. Close enough that the man knows he's there without actually getting near enough that they can talk to one another. Bucky doesn't mean to track him, but he can't shake that he's supposed to stick by his side no matter what.]

[assembles]

[ Almost as soon as Steve is on his own, he regrets what he did. There was no reason to turn that discussion into an argument in the first place, and now he's out in unfamiliar territory alone, and who knows what's even out here in this wasteland?

He's too stubborn to actually turn back, though, and so he convinces himself that he can handle things alone, at least up until he hears movement behind him and realizes he's being followed.

Steve turns toward the noise, and it isn't long before he spots Bucky behind a grouping of rocks. He could have remained silent if he'd chosen to, which means that he wanted Steve to notice. ]

What do you want? [ The words come out more harshly than Steve means to, and he sighs in frustration. What's wrong with him, that he can't seem to control his own mood? ]

[readytocomply]

[Bucky frowns, standing up and taking a quick look around them. They're alone, as far as he can tell. Doesn't seem like things are going to be any better between them, so he'll have to tough it out.]

I don't want anything, Steve.

[He crosses the space between them and points at Steve's chest.]

You're an ass, but I'm not leaving you out here alone. [He's being one, too, but he's not going to point that out.] So suck it up.

[If Steve tells Bucky to leave again, it'll be too much, but he'll do what he asks.]

[assembles]

[ Bucky has never shied away from being blunt with Steve about when he's being an idiot, but it still isn't very often that he'd call him an ass. That alone is enough to snap Steve out of whatever hold this place has on him for a moment, his mouth twitching with amusement.

Really, it's good to see Bucky assert himself like this, and it's true that there's no point in them continuing this argument when there had really been little point to it in the first place. ]

Sorry. [ He shakes his head and sighs. ] Don't know what's come over me, but I'll try not to snap at you anymore. You didn't do anything wrong.

[ There, at least he's smoothed things over a little. Steve glances over his shoulder when he hears a distant roar. ] Anyway, probably not much time for fighting right now anyway... sounds like we've got work to do.

[readytocomply]

[Bucky deflates. It's as much his fault as it is Steve's.

There's no reason that he couldn't have followed his lead, he's good at that, he trusts Steve to make the right call, but he hadn't. He'd lashed out and only made things worse.]

I'm sorry, too.

[He opens his mouth to say something else when he hears that sound, eyes snapping up as he shifts to put himself between Steve and whatever the hell that sound was.] Let's go.

[This time, though, he steps to the side so that Steve can take point while he watches their backs.]