ʙᴀʀɴᴇs (wintertime) wrote in thecityof, @ 2017-12-21 08:05:00 |
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Entry tags: | bucky barnes, kate bishop |
WHO: Kate Bishop and Bucky Barnes
WHAT: In which our intrepid heroine introduces the Winter Soldier to modern coffee
WHEN: Wednesday morning
WHERE: The apartment lobby, then Starbucks
WARNINGS: Nothing, really~
STATUS: Complete
She, Kate Bishop, the amazing Hawkeye, was going to meet Bucky Barnes for coffee. Well, she claimed ‘amazing’, but considering the practical word vomit she had projected at the poor guy in all her glory, she was probably more like the goofy Hawkeye, only just scraping above the actual human disaster level that was her partner. But in her defense, she was about to meet up with someone who was a version of a guy she had had a minor crush on since forever. The James Barnes (the Winter Soldier turned Captain freaking America) of her timeline had been proof that sometimes you really should meet your heroes because they turn out to be as awesome as you expected. But even she, as ridiculous as she could be at times, understood that this Bucky was not the same guy and she couldn’t go in expecting him to be. Even if she hadn’t already encountered the other versions of Wanda and Pietro, what she knew of the Winter Soldier programming was enough to tell her not to go in with any preconceived ideas. It wouldn’t be fair to him. Even if he was giving the impression of being just as cool as his counterpart so far. She practically bounced into the lobby of the apartment building, dressed in her best not-a-date-date casual pretty, which basically translated as clean jeans and a soft and slightly girly sweater that didn’t have any holes in. As much as she wanted to have her bow with her, she just about managed to resist that urge, figuring that if they did come across any trouble out there on the streets of LA, between their badass fighting skills they would probably have it covered. Part of her brain would always be in Avenger mode. Glancing around, she tried to spot Bucky, not sure if he was the type of person to be on time for a potential friend meet up like this. Bucky was more than simply ‘on time,’ he was early. It helped him to arrive before Though actually, he was kind of curious about what a latte was. And other classy-sounding drinks that, to him, were things he’d guess were fancy pieces of Italian furniture. He was wearing jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt, a coat thrown over that (because it was snowing apparently, what the hell?) and also a baseball cap because he knew he needed a haircut and this was a good, temporary solution for the time being. For some reason, he hoped he didn’t look too much like a hobo. That wasn’t a good way to make an impression. “Hello, Kate.” He appeared beside her, like from out of nowhere. Stealthy. She did pride herself on being a somewhat alert person, one didn’t become an Avenger- young or otherwise- by sitting back and doing nothing. So she wasn’t completely shocked by Bucky’s appearance, sensing his movement a split second before he spoke. But it said a lot for his stealth skills that it took her even that long to realise where he was. “Bucky, it’s good to actually meet you,” she turned to greet him with a huge smile, taking the sneaky opportunity to get a proper look at this version in person. Yes, there were definitely similarities between him and the Bucky she knew. Change the hair, the clothes, they could pass for almost the same person. That person being a gorgeous badass. Okay, Kate, stop swooning. “So you ready to venture into the terrifying world of Starbucks coffee?” She had checked the app on her phone, because everything had an app, and unsurprisingly there was a Starbucks not too far from the apartments. “It’s fairly easy to walk there if you wanted?” “Sure, we can walk there,” he nodded, heading out to get the lobby door for her. He had gloves on too, one over flesh and blood and bone and one over his metal hand, since he thought it best to not unnerve people. Besides, last time he went out he hadn’t bothered to cover his arm and ended up saving a woman from being mugged - then encountering her creepy and needlessly jealous boyfriend. You might think he’d be hesitant to go out again after that, since it wasn’t the best introduction to the city (and he’d lost the plums he’d purchased) but Bucky didn’t think he was much of a coward. One day at a time. The snow was nice to look at - it had been on and off, from what he’d noticed - and he actually didn’t mind it. There was something innocent about the simplicities of catching snowflakes on the tongue, or sledding. “Hope it’s not too terrifying of a world,” he flashed a small smile, “What do you recommend?” He really was a gentleman. Kate couldn’t remember the last time a guy had opened a door for her. Well, any guy who wasn’t being paid as a doorman, that didn’t count as gentlemanly behavior. And so her smile grew a little brighter as she stepped outside. The cold was there instantly and she shivered for just a moment before she pulled her gloves on. She was a New Yorker, born and bred, and even she was finding this chill a bit much at times. But it was undeniably pretty. And festive. And she took a moment to appreciate the way it looked, the flakes fluttering down. “Well, there are probably some people who would rather face HYDRA goons than venture into Starbucks, but I think those people are weird.” And possibly Clint at times. Kate laughed and gestured which way to walk. “It really depends on what you think you might like and how sweet your tastes can be.” She glanced up at him. “Christmas flavors are awesome. Do you like peppermint?” Bucky snorted a disdainful laugh. “I’ve had enough of HYDRA,” he said. And that was the damn truth. He’d take coffee over those snakes, he’d take most anything over them - they had already ruined enough of the world. “Figures they would be everywhere, in other timelines too.” Not just his own - a disappointing thought, but not surprising. “I think I like peppermint though,” he tacked on there, once he’d considered. A lot of foods, a lot of flavors, he hadn’t really even tried - all he had to harken back to was the 1920s and 1930s, when people ate a lot of different things though some stood the test of time. He could recall Campbell’s soup, 3 Minute Oats, gelatine products. The recipes may have changed over the years, was the difference. But it wasn’t like he had many choices about what to eat when kept in cryostasis. “What’s another Christmas flavor?” He just liked hearing the options. Options were nice to have. “Everyone’s had enough of HYDRA,” she commented dryly. It had seemed a pretty safe bet, that they were a problem across the timelines. “Do you have the Red Skull in your timeline? I never had to deal with him myself, but I know he’s been a real problem for our Captain America over the years.” Peppermint was a good start, and Kate brightened at the talk of coffee. “Well, assuming that the Starbucks here match the ones I know at home, gingerbread is a common theme. Cinnamon and nutmeg spices in lattes. I love eggnog lattes, but some people find them way too sweet.” Clint often turned his nose up at her coffee choices, preferring the simple options. Which Kate did approve of as well, it had to be said. Just like her partner, caffeine ran through her veins. “And there’s mochas which are coffee and chocolate combined, those are really good.” “Red Skull? Yes - Schmidt...that was a long time ago,” Bucky mused. The weapons facility, the Tesseract, a mask in a fire. HYDRA had survived anyway, as they all knew - instead of the megalomania, they went for a more stealthy approach. Quietly rising up - like the true snakes in the grass that they were. When they got to the coffee shop, he held the door for Kate again, letting her go in first. The smell - it was strong, the air was thick with it. Not unpleasantly, however. He watched for a moment, noticing the white china cups and the milky foam - leaf designs, some of them, in pale brown. He wasn’t sure if he needed anything so artistic, but he’d definitely try something new. “Gingerbread sounds good. What are you getting?” In her timeline Skull had been resurrected somehow, because wasn’t that always just the way of things, couldn’t keep a villain dead for long. Though she supposed the same sort of logic had brought Clint back from the dead, so she couldn’t hate it all. Once again, Bucky showed his gentlemanly side and Kate couldn’t resist smiling again. Really, why didn’t they make guys like him anymore? The smell and noises of the Starbucks was reassuringly familiar. It was good to know that some things remained the same no matter what the timeline. She wondered if her loyalty card would still work here. “I’m going to get the eggnog latte.” Since she had mentioned it, she wanted one, in all it’s sweet glory. “And you’re welcome to try it, if you like.” Afterall, introducing him to Starbucks meant more than just one drink. “Want something to eat too? My treat.” The coffee shop was also a bit crowded; Bucky assumed that it was a popular one (no kidding, considering Starbucks had taken over the world by now - he even saw them in Bucharest but never got a chance to go in, being a fugitive and all). Crowds could make him nervous, sure, but he told himself he had to start getting used to it. He couldn’t hide away forever, take walks alone, and expect to not encounter others. This was a big city. “Not afraid of my cooties?” he teased, when Kate mentioned trying her drink. “Hm - “ He studied the various baked goods in the glass case - there were sandwiches too, egg and sausage and turkey, but he selected something called the cranberry bliss bar. It looked like it would live up to its name. “All I know is that this is all going to be a sugar rush.” Oh, right, the barista was asking for his name to write on the cup. He went with James, made it easy on her. Not many people knew that Bucky was a nickname for Buchanan. The idea of him being in crowds hadn’t actually occurred to her, which she would have been kicking herself for later. No version of Winter Soldier would have loved being around too many people. But then again, this was LA, there wasn’t really much room to escape crowds, especially at Christmas. “Oh, I think I’m brave enough to risk your cooties if you’re not scared of mine,” she laughed and yes, put a hint of a flirting tone in her voice because she couldn’t resist. Also it felt natural to have that little bit of teasing in there. Maybe it was strange to feel so comfortable with someone who was notorious for being one of the deadliest men in any universe, but Kate was finding it quite easy to just enjoy herself. For herself she ordered some ginger cake, offering her own much easier name to the barista. “How long has it been since you last enjoyed a proper sugar rush? Because I’m guessing it’s been a while and Christmas isn’t Christmas without at least one.” Receiving the order, he took the paper cup with its cardboard sleeve along with the bliss bar wrapped in wax paper. “Not since I was a kid. But back then I was really into a good sugar rush. From penny candies. There was also a newsstand, but I guess a candy store too - it had the best egg creams. The first egg creams, I should say.” He wondered if here was any place in this city to get one, but he doubted it would taste authentic like the kind you’d get in New York. Glancing around the Starbucks, he saw an open table in the corner - that might be beneficial, since Bucky didn’t quite want to sit in the thick of things. At least it was somewhat quieter over there. “Is that okay?” he asked, motioning to the table he was thinking of claiming. Accepting her own order, she sat down at the table he was thinking of, taking the chair that faced the wall, allowing Bucky the chair that would let him avoid leaving his back exposed. Normally that was her seat of choice, something that would let her have a decent view of everything, but she suspected Bucky would appreciate it more than she would. She took a sip of her eggnog latte with a small sound of appreciation as she smiled at the way he was talking about his childhood. “I do like the image of you getting a rush from penny candies and egg creams. Have you been back to New York since?” Since the 1940s. Pushing her cup across the table, she gestured for him to take it. “Want to try?” “No. I’d like to go back though, and see New York - how it is now, and how I remember it.” Sort of comparing and contrasting - the more Bucky remembered, the more curious he was about if many of the relics he and Steve had frequented were still there. It was all just a pipe dream, however, since he was clearly stuck here - but since timelines and realities were funny things, maybe a version of him would be awakened from cryo, a cure for his brainwashing found, and he’d be free to live his life. Or he’d be awakened for yet another disaster, some asshat trying to destroy the world. That option seemed more likely. He did appreciate being given the seat where his back was to the wall - some habits were firmly ingrained, and that was one of them. It took a lot of trust for a person like him to give someone else his back. “Yeah, let’s try this eggnog one,” and he gave Kate part of the cranberry bliss bar in return. Already he’d broken a piece off and it was good. The eggnog was...interesting. “Are you sure that’s not spiked with gin?” he asked, because it sort of tasted like pine needles to him. “I grew up in New York,” Kate commented. “So if we can’t get there ourselves while we’re here, I can always tell you about the one I knew, if you wanted. Though I only really know parts of it, Clint calls me a Park Avenue Princess.” She made a face at that, because while she had been somewhat spoiled as a child, the fact her father was something of a supervillain soured all of those memories. Nothing quite like accidentally seeing good old dad murder someone in his office to stop someone from ever being a daddy’s girl. But better thoughts. Like trying some of the cranberry bliss bar and it tasted delicious. She made a happy sound before catching a crumb from her lip with her tongue. “Now you’ve got to admit, these taste better than 40s stuff.” His question made her laugh, taking another long sip of her drink. “I’m fairly sure Starbucks don’t have a license for alcohol. Think this is just some spice and syrup combo, I’m not entirely sure though. I just know I like the taste of it.” Bucky laughed a little. “You don’t seem like a Park Avenue Princess to me,” he observed. One of those wouldn’t offer to have coffee with a former assassin who was left with pretty much zero social skills. “And while unfortunately I don’t think we can leave the city - “ If they could, he was certain it would have been brought by now; however, people just talked about bouncing back (literally) which didn’t seem like a good sign, “...I’m still interested in hearing your tales of New York.” They probably grew up in different parts - Park Avenue, the fancy part of Manhattan as opposed to the rough n’tumble Brooklyn - but that didn’t matter. It was still a connection with home, in a way. He sipped his own hot beverage, pleased with the choice. It tasted like spice and molasses. “This is good, by the way. Thanks for bringing me here.” She had made him laugh. She had made the Winter Soldier laugh! Officially going down as one of Kate’s biggest achievements. And of course now she had managed it once, she really wanted to make it happen again. Bucky looked good laughing, it suited him. “Well, I got better, haven’t actually been back to the old neighborhood for a long time now.” Which was convenient considering her father was possibly involved with a woman who wanted to kill both her and Clint. That would make for an awkward family dinner. “We can definitely trade stories some time. And it would be a trade, I’d love to hear about the New York you knew.” If he could remember it. Kate paused for a moment, never entirely sure how much Bucky had been able to remember from all the decades of abuse he had suffered. It both broke her heart to think about and made her want to beat the hell out of HYDRA for it. “You’re very welcome,” she grinned at the thanks. “And hey, if you wanted me to introduce you to any other 21st century delights, I am all yours. You’re good company.” Which he was, and not just because of the opening doors for her thing. |