Who: Bucky and Leonard What: Random Encounter When: Before the bugs Where: Verdant Warning: Low/ None Status: Completed via Gdoc
Having tossed out a guy with a particularly nasty case of body odor, Leonard eagerly made his way to the bar to take his break. Seating himself on an empty bar stool, Leonard raised a hand to signal for the bartender. He couldn’t drink while on duty, but enforcing the rules and kicking people out of the club still managed to make one very thirsty. The thief stuck to a simple glass of ice water.
Leonard slipped his phone from his back pocket and skimmed over the network. Nothing exciting. Bummer. The bartender finally came by with his glass of water. Leonard looked up and gave the guy a nod in thanks. He reached for the glass and took a sip, trying hard not to think about how much he wished it was a beer he was sipping instead.
There were a lot of places to explore in Madison Valley. Bucky had a list of all the places he wanted to see, and he was slowly making his way through them, one at a time. This place had been toward the top after everything he’d heard about it.
He headed in and meandered straight to the bar, taking in the ambiance of the joint. Sidling up, he ordered a drink from the bartender--something strong--then he turned and took a look around the room.
Leonard’s gaze landed on the new arrival at the bar. He was a new face too. Leonard had an eidetic memory; if this guy had ever stepped foot inside this club before now, Leonard would have recognized him instantly. However, the man was a stranger to Leonard. Well, maybe he had to remedy that. He had a solid fifteen minutes to kill so why the hell not?
The man had claimed the stool next to the former thief. Once the guy ordered his drink, Leonard spoke up. “First time in the club?” He inquired though he already knew the answer. It was just a way to ‘break the ice’ without sounding too creepy. Hopefully.
Bucky turned to the man he’d settled beside--the man who’d spoken to him. “Is it that obvious?” He asked, almost playfully, breaking into a smirk. Bucky felt like most of his life now-a-days was a fish out of water situation. He was awkward in a way that he’d never been before.
“I’m pretty new to the area. Just… exploring,” he explained.
Leonard smirked. “It was a guess.” Not really, but Leonard wasn’t about to go into the details on how he had an eidetic memory with a stranger. Though, even without it, Leonard was good at reading people. He could tell Bucky wasn’t exactly comfortable on that barstool. He was definitely awkward.
The thief nodded. “Well, Verdant is not a bad place to start or end. Depending on where you are in the process.” Sure, the club was something for hipper, younger generations, but Leonard couldn’t picture himself anywhere else. Of course a lot of that had to do with a certain blond.
“When did you get in?”
“Good guess,” Bucky said, grinning softly. After reconnecting with his best friend here, meeting his best friend’s gal and her beautiful daughter, and then going on Speed Dating? Bucky was coming out of his shell a bit here in Madison Valley. It’d probably been a good seventy years since he struck up a conversation with a random stranger in a bar.
“New Year’s Eve,” he responded. “A few weeks. So far I’ve seen most of the restaurants and liquor stores in the area. Still working on night life.” And a job.
“Thanks.” It hadn’t really been much of a guess, but Leonard wasn’t going to get into all of that with a stranger at the bar. That kind of talk was reserved for people with a deeper bond than they currently had.
Leonard nodded. “Well, Verdant is a good place to start for the night life part. If you like hip music and dancing. The drinks are good here and sometimes you meet interesting people at the bar.” Leonard enjoyed that aspect of his job the most. Sometimes he would get to chat with random strangers at the bar. Hearing their stories was fascinating and provided him with some entertainment during the slow days.
Bucky definitely knew about what sorts of conversations were reserved for people in the inner circle of trust. He wasn’t about to come out with by the way, I’m over a hundred years old, and I have a bionic arm or how do you feel about recovering brainwashed assassins? Some things were best unsaid.
“I’m more interested in drinking and… maybe people.” Maybe. Bucky wasn’t actually so great with people, but he was trying. That was more Steve’s department. (A total flip-flop from when they were kids.) “You seem to know a lot about this place.”
Leonard chuckled. “Not much of a people person then? It’s fine. For me, it depends on the person.” Normally, Leonard could tell right away if he wanted to be around someone for longer than a minute. Bucky had obviously passed that test, but there were others that Leonard spoke with who hadn’t. “But the drinks are good here. We have plenty of variety or just a regular beer if that is your poison.”
The only reason Leonard knew a lot about the place was because of Sara. She’d helped to settle him in when he first arrived, helped him get acquainted with his job at Verdant and learn the “ins and outs” of the business. “I know the owner. She taught me the ropes when I was first hired on.” Well, her and the staff.
“Doesn’t it for everyone?” Bucky asked, not unkindly. He liked that this guy wasn’t pushy. Some people couldn’t leave him alone--they pushed him into things he wasn’t ready for. And it was true--it absolutely depended on the person for him. So far he’d met quite a few here in Madison Valley that he thought were good people. It was a little awe inspiring that he was able to start new here.
“I’ll drink anything.” It didn’t really matter to him. He’d spent enough time in the military that he grew a taste for most liquors and fermented drinks. And he was the Winter Soldier, so his metabolism took care of the booze before it got him plastered.
“I’m James. James Barnes.” He offered a gloved hand to the other man. “Friends call me Bucky.”
Leonard smirked and shrugged. “Possibly. Of course some people just don’t like to be alone, regardless of how annoying someone can be.” Leonard wasn’t pushy. Pushy made people uncomfortable and while he was all for doing that, this wasn’t the time or the place for it.
When Bucky said he would drink anything, Leonard chuckled. “Well, then you’ll fit in fine here. As I said, we have plenty of variety to choose from.” Leonard usually stuck to a beer, but he was known to drink the hard liquor once and a while. It really depended on his mood.
The man introduced himself, offering his hand and Leonard took it. “I suppose I’ll stick with James then, unless we happen to get better acquainted.” Which it was always possible, especially if Bucky chose to come in here again. “I’m Leonard Snart. You can call me Leonard or Snart. I respond to both.” And he had no preference.
Bucky nodded. He had known people like that before--mostly from before the war. He’d had girls hanging off of him, just to be around someone, not because they liked him specifically. Bucky didn’t need to be around people. He didn’t need to be alone, either. He just… was.
The people that Bucky knew who went by their last names were military. He wondered for a moment if this man with the sly smile was military. He wouldn’t put it past him. “Good to meet you, Leonard.” Bucky said, shaking his hand, then releasing it. He flagged down the waiter to order something. Liquor didn’t have a ton of effect on him--he had to drink a lot to feel tipsy. And he didn’t have that kind of cash.
“So, are you a transplant?” He asked, turning to Leonard once more. “From another universe?”
>
Some people were afraid to be alone. Leonard was not one of them. In fact, he often preferred his own company to that of others. There were a precious few he’d say were the exception to this thought. Both Sara and Mick had proven to Leonard that they were worth his time and energy.
“Likewise, James.” Once Bucky released his hand, Leonard sat back on his stool. If Leonard knew he was wondering if he was military or not, the thief would have been amused. He was as far from law-abiding as one could get. A few heroic gestures would never change the fact that Leonard was a criminal and a murderer. But as far as he knew, the guy sitting next to him at the bar could be too. This place sucked in all kinds after all.
Leonard took a sip of water and nodded at Bucky’s question. “I am. I was in the midst of my spectacular swan song when this place pulled me here.” Unfortunately, it didn’t have the courtesy to take his cold gun too. But he couldn’t be too upset given he was still breathing. “What about you?”
Bucky raised both eyebrows at that. “A spectacular swan song?” He repeated curiously. “That sounds like a story.” He wasn’t about to press for details, though. It wasn’t his business. If Leonard wanted to tell it, Bucky would listen.
At the question, Bucky thought for a moment. What was his story? “The last few years have been quite the adventure.” Actually the last seventy years had been quite the adventure. But that was a lot. “I really shouldn’t have been surprised that something even more insane happened.”
“It’s a complicated story.” One he never thought he’d live. Of course Leonard always figured he’d go out in a blaze of glory, but he didn’t see it being because he saved the world. He figured it would be a magnificent heist for a hefty treasure and he figured Mick would be beside him.
Leonard smirked. “Sounds as if we’ve both led interesting lives before being pulled to this place. I suppose at the very least it prepared us for what this place can potentially throw at someone.” Good or bad.
Boy did Bucky understand complicated stories. He nodded, as if to say say no more. He got it. Of course, he could lend an ear if Leonard wanted to go on, but he wasn’t pushy.
“Ah, yeah.” Bucky was pretty much prepared for anything after the life he’d lived. Very little things surprised him anymore. Then again, the moment that thought went through his head, he was sure something was going to jump out of the woodwork and freak him out.
“What’s the most surprising thing you’ve seen here in Madison Valley so far?”
Leonard was relieved Bucky didn’t push even if part of him expected the other man wasn’t the nosey sort. Maybe if they came to know one another better, Leonard would be more inclined to share his spectacular ending back home.
Bucky inquired about the most surprising thing Leonard had witnessed in Madison Valley and the thief was more than happy to change the topic. “Well, I ended up trapped in a portal with a bunch of monsters and creepy plants. I also turned into some Renaissance guy with a wife and daughter.” Who also happened to be residents of Madison Valley.
“What about you?”
"I'm still pretty new," Bucky confessed. The bartender set a drink in front of him, and he lifted it for a sip. "The strangest thing I've seen so far is Speed Dating." The random power outages and internet downfalls didn't really count.
"Though after reading that network I'm sure there are strange things in my future."
Leonard chuckled. “I bet there were interactions at speed dating that could be considered just as strange as some of the things that Madison throws at us.” Leonard never attended a speed dating event. He’d found the only woman for him upon arrival in town. He was just fortunate enough that she gave him another shot.
The thief shrugged. “It’s entirely possible. This place doesn’t exactly give us any hints about that sort of thing.”
Bucky smirked a little at that. The fact he’d never gone speed dating before meant it was quite unusual for him. Then again, he wouldn’t compare it to that Upside Down business he heard about not too long ago. “That’s entirely possible. I had fairly timid experiences.” Meeting Johanna was definitely a shining moment in that whole ordeal.
“Can you imagine if it did? I’m not sure anyone would believe them.” He sipped again from his drink. Or, maybe it was a gulp.
“Then I suppose it was either a relief or boring,” Leonard replied. Though, he found it hard to believe that anyone here could truly be considered boring.
It was possible the Dome did give them signs of what was to come, but no one was able to pick up on them. “Probably not. They might think it was a trick.” Leonard’s gaze shifted to the clock behind the bar. His break was nearly up.
Polishing off his water, Leonard stood. “The exit door and sloppy drunks beckon. Though, it was fun chatting with you. Maybe we can do it again sometime without a time limit.”
Bucky thought about Johanna again. He nodded. "It was unexpectedly good," he mused, smirking.
"Yeah, man," Bucky said, offering the other man his hand again for a quick shake. "Find me on the network and we'll grab a beer."