snowblindrpg | [log] a bird, a soldier, and a doctor walk into the setup for a bad joke [closed]

[Bucky is the first in, unaware that others are going to be joining him before lockdown.

He spends his first half hour scouting the whole house, every inch, to look for traps, surveillance devices, or any clues. It's good that nobody else is here, it might mean he can get some proper sleep overnight, he can't do that when there are other people who might come on him in a vulnerable position.

Bag down by his side, he slides down against the wall and prepares to nap.

Why aren't his evenings ever peaceful?]

[Davesprite has felt like mud for much of the past week. Already prone to bad sleep in this place, memories of his murder have helped nothing, and he's found himself waking to small sounds in the night. One night he had to spent locked in a coat closet, the only place in that house that locked up tight. Beyond that his mind has been weighed down with existential issues, which meeting with House will only worsen. And if all of that were somehow not enough, he learned from Clint that Al died two nights prior.]

[But staying in one place would have made it that much worse. That's why despite starting in this house, it's only now in the evening that he returns from a trip to the nearest place south. He's hardly paying attention when he opens the door, and so the shape of a person startles him so hard he squawks and jerks back sharply.]

[He's on his feet at once and there's the glint of a scalpel in his hand, dried blood flecking the blade and handle, looming out of the darkness clearly ready for a fight. Not that it lasts when he sees who it is.

The scalpel is slipped away so fast it might never have existed, and his dangerous posture relaxes to something more neutral.]

It's only me.

[Though his first reaction is shock, it takes little time at all to register the fighting stance and glint of a weapon. He drops some of the things he was carrying (a tote bag, a bottle of bleach), and is lifting the third (a plastic bucket loaded with miscellaneous items that wouldn't fit into his backpack) when Bucky relaxes enough to greet him.]

[Only—only him. Davesprite stays staring with the bucket held like he might chuck it at him for a good long moment.]

You want to put the thing you almost attacked me with on the floor where I can see it?

[He wants to be more relaxed, and he wants to trust Bucky more, but the last time people held stances like that at him was the night he got murdered. And he knows Bucky doesn't want to be like that, that he had glowing eyes then anyway, but it still bothers him. He remembers the aquarium. He remembers Jade tackling him out of nowhere, beyond what he could argue with, and the feel of dying to a weapon that small. He can't get himself to ignore it.]

[He knows that stance, he adopts it a hell of a lot these days. It's the look of someone who really doesn't trust the people around them. He can't blame Davesprite, not after the last time they met in person, not after all he knows about his past, and not after the other night. It's still saddening to see in someone so young.

Slowly, deliberately, he draws the scalpel out from where he had hidden it in his sleeve for easy deployment if it was needed. He stoops to put it on the floor, but doesn't step away from it.]

I'm not going to hurt you.

[Davesprite watches the whole process carefully. Then he lowers the bucket, and without looking away, stoops to gather up the things he dropped. Last, he floats into the house proper.]

[Even now he's nervous. He sees how Bucky hasn't moved from the scalpel, and he knows how fast someone can pick up a weapon from the floor when they want to. His back stays pointed to the wall, and stays next to it, moving no closer to Bucky himself.]

House is coming, and I've got plans with him. You're not going to start shit, are you?

[He has no idea what opinion if any Bucky has of him, but it seems worth both warning and questioning him first.]

[The way Bucky's expression changes is extremely indicative of just how he feels about House. Every set of his muscles screams danger, screams hatred.]

No.

[The word is pulled almost reluctantly from him. Why did it have to be House, of all people?]

I'm not going to start anything. I'll keep away from him.

Then back off from the scalpel.

[He speaks it firmly, but his posture is all wariness. He may be trained and experienced, but Bucky is the one who was a soldier, an assassin, and the one who's closest to it to begin with. It's the look and sound of him; they put every nerve on edge.]

[His eyes narrow immediately. He might be doing all he can to combat the paranoia, but he can't completely ignore the whisper in his head that asks why Davesprite is that insistent. Does he want the weapon himself? Is he going to attack.]

No.

[He bends to pick it back up and it disappears back up his sleeve.]

Would you give up your weapons in this place?

[His posture tenses further from that. He wants to think Bucky is better than this, but why does he have to hold onto his weapon so badly if he doesn't intend to use it? His voice comes out sharp and mistrustful as he snaps,]

What weapons? Did I look armed when I ran into you the other night? I got killed with something like that, so don't act like me being wary about it unreasonable.

[A scalpel, a letter opener, some small blade of that nature—he didn't see clearly, fast as it happened, and the what was less important than that it happened at all.]

Edited 2016-12-09 16:49 (UTC)

I'm not going to use it on you.

[He steps back a bit so that he can rest with his back against the wall, a deceptively relaxed posture like a predator pretending to sleep to coax prey into the open.]

But I'm not giving it up either. That's just the way it is.

['Deceptively relaxed', please. Davesprite doesn't trust it either. It feels like a head game, like Bro testing him, an attack waiting to come as soon as he puts his guard down. Bucky says that, but how is he supposed to buy it? Even if he says it to him, what about House? He saw that look.]

Then it looks like the part where we doodle stupid stuff together is canceled.

[He shrugs broadly, the motion irritably jerky.]

I'm going to warn House, too. Can you promise you won't jump him at the door if he knocks first?

I just told you that I'm not going to attack him, or you, or anyone.

[He's frustrated and it's already so tense in here that he feels as though he should leave, but he'd never make another shelter before night comes.]

...I'll put it in my backpack.

[He's trying to make a concession, looking over at Davesprite with hard eyes to see if that compromise will be acceptable.]

[He had to be clear. He knows there's no way either of them can go anywhere else at this hour, and House is surely on his way already. Whatever happens once they're all here is inevitable.]

[The backpack is a good idea, though. Not as safe as him not having the scalpel, but more out of the way, harder to reach quickly. Going for it would be telling. So Davesprite nods, and watches, even as his own hands fish his tablet out.]

[Once Bucky has the scalpel put away, he messages House in text.]

bucky is here
he has a scalpel that he wont hand over but he has it in his backpack
knock before you come in

[House gets the message and he's too close to this building--too far from another--to be able to turn around and get somewhere else before lockdown. The fact that Davesprite's only indicated Bucky is telling. It means Bucky's slipped his handlers. Why? Is he following House? Waiting to get him alone?

The good doctor doesn't need any help from MN Poisoning to aid in his own paranoia. What else is there to do? At least Davesprite isn't in on it.]

fine

[It's maybe half an hour later that House raps sharply on the door before entering. His pen flashlight illuminates the entryway as he steps in. Bucky is the first one he looks for, just to have a gauge on where he is. If he's not in the immediate vicinity anymore, House will go hunting for Davesprite. Whether it's both or just one he finds, his first words are the same.]

I'm taking the bedroom for the night.

[Because it is an enclosed space that he can keep Bucky out of.]

[At least Davesprite doesn't seem to object to him putting the scalpel away, and he has two other weapons secreted under his clothes if he really needs them and a fight breaks out. He doesn't want that to happen, he wants a quiet night, but fate doesn't seem to smile on him recently.

His eyes zero in on House as soon as he walks in the door, dark and brooding, but he makes no move toward him.]

Stay out of my way.

[God, does he ever want to hit him, and it shows all over his face.]

[House's response is short. He'd explain more—he feels like ass that this happened at all—but he didn't know Bucky would show up, or that he had a hate-on for House, or that he'd be this stubborn about keeping armed. He thought you were cool now, Bucky, come on.]

[So he puts his tablet away and waits, ass parked right where he put it because, hah, how can he relax like this? He can't just let House show up to Bucky alone without someone to make sure nothing happens. Not that he could do much if they were sufficiently determined, but still.]

[He looks up when he hears the knock on the door, and there's House as expected. He gets a stiff, perfunctory wave and a tightly flattened expression. Behind his shades, Davesprite is more focused on Bucky.]

Sup. Do we all just want to pick a corner and stick to it for the night?

[He sounds about the way he looks.]

Then don't be in the bedroom, Buckster.

[House's tone is filled with false bravado. The way he stops and tenses, himself, probably says more about his actual level of fear than his words and tone.]

And don't bother playing peacekeeper, kid. He'll either attack me or he won't. We'll probably find out in the next five minutes if the Avengers still have his balls.

[He can't help the step forward that he takes, hand balled into a fist at his side. This man-- god, he riles him up so much. It takes a lot of effort to remain still after that one step and not just punch him.]

Fine.

[Through gritted teeth.]

You take the bedroom. Alone.

House—

[His feathers ruffle and he moves forward a space, too, but thankfully Bucky holds himself back. Still, Davesprite watches them, glancing between with nervy anticipation for what may happen.]

Can I just take the dining room or something? Off to myself, nice and quiet away from this? And you two keep your distance and nothing explodes or injures anyone during the night.

[When Bucky steps forward, House takes two back, one arm coming up defensively. But the other man manages to restraint himself, and then the kid is squawking.]

What if I wanna spend some quality time with Tang, here?

[The false bravado is far more strained. Davesprite is ignored. Sorry, Davesprite.]

[The two steps back and arm coming up almost makes him smile, a part of him pleased that House is scared of him. He should be. But the other part of him is disgusted for wanting House to be scared at all, no matter how much he deserves it.]

Then you spend time with him while I'm there.

[He glances to Davesprite, slight apology for being dictatorial when it comes to his movements, but he doesn't trust House enough to leave him alone with a kid.]

Davesprite, you're with me.

[His feathers lay back slowly in time with a tense sigh. His posture is no better, still stiff as anything, but what else is new?]

Glad I'm being ignored. Thanks, Jay, I'm not going to sleep tonight. Didn't need the rest anyway, right? I'm just a packet of fake drink mix to argue about.

[Looking to Bucky again, he asks,] You know I'm leaving with House tomorrow, right? Unless you want to treat me like a hostage, too. What are the ransom demands?

[House hadn't actually realized Bucky and Davesprite were that close. He actually manages to keep his mouth shut for a moment, looking between the other two and wondering just what Bucky will do with that nugget of information. House highly doubts the other man is going to let Davesprite stick some rubble through the hole in his chest if he comes with them.]

Edited (wrong icon) 2016-12-12 16:22 (UTC)

[His eyes narrow slightly at Davesprite and he jerks his head towards one of the other rooms.]

Come with me.

[Gaze flicking back to House.]

You stay out here.

[He's not going to force Davesprite not to travel on with the other man, but he's going to make sure that he's informed before that decision is fully made.]

[He spreads his arms in a shrug, feigned nonchalance, but he's too stiff and his expression too tight for it to be read as anything but false.]

Nah. Don't feel like it.

[And honestly, going alone with Bucky away from the doctor? His paranoia is being a lot more emphatic about that no on the inside.]

[Well, that's interesting. The birdboy is antagonizing Bucky, too?]

You're the third wheel here, Buckaroo. Maybe take a hike off to one of the other rooms.

[He does his level best to ignore House, though the tension is in every line of his body. He focuses wholly on Davesprite, voice low.]

Please.

[There's not much more he can do than that.]

[Davesprite glances back at House with as apologetic a look as he can manage under the current stress. This here? This is bullshit. He didn't want to invite him into a situation like this, and wouldn't have if he'd known at all that Bucky would be here too.]

[What bravado he managed to sass Bucky fades off with that piece there. He's tired again as he looks back.]

Jay, I don't trust you, House doesn't trust you, and I've got no idea what you want me alone with you for. If this is some effort to try and build back a good impression, you've fucked it up so bad it belongs in a niche porn flick. You want to say something, just spit it out. If it's something else, tell me. I'm not going to go along just because you say so and try please like a last resort.

[Okay. House is going to hold his tongue again, watching between the boy and the other man. He does kind of want to do these experiments with Davesprite and dying will set back those plans.]

[The absolute last thing he wants to do is discuss House in front of House. But, God help him, he's become fond enough of Davesprite over their conversations that he can't just let it go.

His gaze slides to House, steady and warning, before back to the incredibly annoying teenage brat that he's trying to help.]

I'm trying to keep you safe.

[He keeps his voice level.]

He can't be trusted. [Deep breath, hand still clenched at his side.] He blackmailed me, he's just as dangerous as I am in a different way.

[Is that it? Clint did ask him before if House was blackmailing him, and now he supposes he knows why. But he already went through the conversation with House last night. He can't not do the experiments, because the not knowing would kill him inside.]

[He runs his hands back through his hair.]

There's blackmail and then there's maimed a guy to the point he almost couldn't walk. The only things he's got on me are things I could admit myself if I wanted. I know he's a jackass, I know what I'm doing, and I'm not changing my plans.

House, you want to chime in?

He already outted himself, so my blackmail's moot at this point. I never actually told anyone anything. And I let him off doing the thing I'd blackmailed him to do. So he's sure bitching a lot for something that came to nothing on my end.

[He physically flinches, but only the tiniest amount.

For some reason he wasn't expecting Davesprite to throw that back in his face, especially not when he was trying to help and after the conversations they've had since. The small whisper in his head murmurs a satisfied 'told you so'. He's was just pretending to understand, but he's just like the rest, another enemy he can't trust.

His expression hardens and he takes a step back.]

Fine.

[Consider that a lesson learned.]

I'll spend the night here. House, pick another room and stay out of my way. Davesprite, do whatever you want.

[He understands why it happened, but how is he supposed to trust under such high tension? Bucky wouldn't even put the scalpel down. He barely trusted to have him in the same room at the aquarium, and that was before Jade killed him with a weapon just that small. Bucky's not Jade; he's trained and doesn't always trust himself. He's seen the results of what he can do. And while if he were to say it plainly, he can't blame Bucky in the least for not trusting House (particularly with how vague his answer is), that doesn't change the level of threat he perceives.]

[Bucky's reaction doesn't either.]

Alright. Good.

[He glances between them again. Driving up tension worse would do them no favors.]

House, you want the bedroom, right? Take it. I'll hole up in another room. Either of you wants to talk to me, then do it on the tablet.

As you wish, Your Lordship. [But while his tone is dripping with sarcasm, House will start moving toward the bedroom provided Bucky isn't directly in the way.]

[That's it as far as he's concerned.

He will wait until both have gone to their respective rooms, watching intensely and silently, before he slides down against the wall to wait out the night. If anyone comes out during the night they'll find him still there, awake, and he'll be gone as soon as lockdown ends.]

you want to tell me why you thought being creepy and threatening was going to get me to stick with you
us meeting was supposed to be your chance to undo that
to act something more like a normal person and not like you were on the brink of kicking house through the wall
i know youve got dangerous stuff to get blackmailed about and im not going to begrudge you disliking him because of it
hes a jackass so i cant say fondness is what i feel either
but you were acting a lot like you did the first time i saw you
ive seen what you can do
what you already admitted you fucked up majorly by doing
and thats different from a threat house never carried out

[He almost doesn't reply, leaving it a long while before he does.]

It's MN poisoning. I'm on my way to get it fixed.

ok see
thats important
you could have said that at literally any point before now and it would have helped defuse the situation

Did you only contact me to tell me off?

am i not allowed to be frustrated
i wanted a chance for all the old stuff to get overwritten with something better
and now were all scattered across the house because we cant trust each other to share a room
i actually liked talking to you before jay
when we made up about things and you explained how you want to be better
but im tired of feeling like ive always gotta be watching my back

I was trying to overwrite that by protecting you from House, you made it clear what he did was nothing compared to what I had done.

[He's frustrated too, as well as angry and exhausted, it doesn't make for a particularly good conversationalist.]

I thought we were becoming friends. I wouldn't have hurt you. Forget it.

im going with house because hes a doctor and what im doing is important
im not saying anything more than that
but i have my reasons and i have less danger from this than you did
im not a super soldier
im just a weird teenager

[A pause, then:]

i wanted to be your friend too
i just cant relax when youre so tense

[If Davesprite wants to go with House, that's his choice. He tried, he failed.]

That's why I'm going to John, he thinks he can cure the paranoia.

blood transfusion right
i remember that post

Yes. I don't want to be this way either.

[If text could sound weary, this would. Everything keeps piling up and he never seems to quite make it to friendship without ruining it with people.]

[There is a good stretch with no response at all, enough that it may seem like that's the end of it. But eventually he does message him again.]

sorry
if this is paranoia then its not really your fault the way it could be
i didnt know you were going to show up here or else it might have gone smoother
i could have warned you or told house to wait but i had no idea you two had history
good luck with your transfusion
i dont want to stop trying to talk to you
its just not working with circumstances the way they are
so if things get better maybe we can try again
if you want

[There's an equally long silence here.

He should apologise himself, he should say he will call back if things get better because a small part of him likes this kid, he should... but he doesn't. In the end, he doesn't reply at all, the silence stretches into a non-answer and eventually the line goes dead.]

[log] a bird, a soldier, and a doctor walk into the setup for a bad joke [closed]

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cw: reference to child abuse

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@featherydouche; text → @username

text; private

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