It wasn't your fault. And I'll remind you of that every minute of every day, if that's what it takes to make it sink in. You got out of there. You made sure to keep things from going too far, because you're stronger than you think you are.
You're good, Bob. The best of any of us, by far.
[Not that it's all that high a bar, given the rest of their team.]
Look, I spoke to Yelena while you were sleeping. We're going off grid for a while. So go warn Adrian before he sends out another search party for you. We're heading out in the morning. Just the three of us. [Wait.] Four. You're on goat-sitting duty.
[Because if anyone needs an makeshift emotional support animal, it's Bob.]
[ bob does not admit, here, that he almost stayed. that if embry hadn’t released his wrist and told him to go, they might be in the void together, or embry might be gone forever. stupid and selfish and reckless as he’s always been. ]
Armand did a lot of the work. [ he hushes it, like a secret. ] It was like he was rewriting the — the other world as it was changing. Like he was calling me back to this one. I think that’s why I remember more.
[ in handfuls of seconds rather than singular flashes. immediately, rather than weeks later, in a nightmare. ]
But I did follow him. I mean, I walked out.
[ of the room with embry. of the waking nightmare. maybe doing it once with the team and once with armand means he’ll be able to do it himself, eventually. stronger than he thinks, like bucky says. ]
Tomorrow? [ no week-long depression coma for bob? ] Are we, like — is it a lock-in? Do I need the coat you got me? The goat — the goat hates me, man. It knows you like me the same or more. I can tell.
[Because while he may not know how Armand does it, he knows having the vampire keep watch over Bob makes the man feel more comfortable when they train. So pulling him back from the edge now? Yeah, a thank you might not actually cut it.]
Yelena's picking the location, so that's anybody's guess. [Though he doubts she's going for anything less than the best for Bob.]
And you know, I've got pictures of Ithemba using you for a pillow that say otherwise.
[Sure, it's mostly once Bob's fallen asleep. But they absolutely count.]
[ asset to the us government and bucky’s fucking goat. that’s his life now. ]
Okay, I’ll see what she says. [ a beat. ] Don’t, uh, let this get between you and Ash. Or Greer. I want you to be happy, man. You’ve been really happy.
[He has to bite back a comment on using that particular word to describe himself. There's still a lot Bob doesn't know about him, and he knows he's end up blaming himself if he mentioned it now.
So instead-]
What I have with them is only temporary. You and Yelena? That's permanent. So I guess it's a good thing you make me happy too.
[ softly, ] It’s not either/or, for me. That’s all I’m saying.
[ bucky shouldn’t miss out on anything. ]
But. [ audibly touched, smiling into the phone. ] Yeah. I mean, yeah, I feel the same way. [ whatever that feeling is. ] The other day was — the best. With you.
[...well, it was only ever a matter of time before that came up.]
It shouldn't have happened like that. [Though he'd sound a lot more apologetic about it if he regretted what they'd actually done.] It shouldn't have taken a plant to make it happen. You deserve better.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
You're good, Bob. The best of any of us, by far.
[Not that it's all that high a bar, given the rest of their team.]
Look, I spoke to Yelena while you were sleeping. We're going off grid for a while. So go warn Adrian before he sends out another search party for you. We're heading out in the morning. Just the three of us. [Wait.] Four. You're on goat-sitting duty.
[Because if anyone needs an makeshift emotional support animal, it's Bob.]
no subject
Armand did a lot of the work. [ he hushes it, like a secret. ] It was like he was rewriting the — the other world as it was changing. Like he was calling me back to this one. I think that’s why I remember more.
[ in handfuls of seconds rather than singular flashes. immediately, rather than weeks later, in a nightmare. ]
But I did follow him. I mean, I walked out.
[ of the room with embry. of the waking nightmare. maybe doing it once with the team and once with armand means he’ll be able to do it himself, eventually. stronger than he thinks, like bucky says. ]
Tomorrow? [ no week-long depression coma for bob? ] Are we, like — is it a lock-in? Do I need the coat you got me? The goat — the goat hates me, man. It knows you like me the same or more. I can tell.
no subject
[Because while he may not know how Armand does it, he knows having the vampire keep watch over Bob makes the man feel more comfortable when they train. So pulling him back from the edge now? Yeah, a thank you might not actually cut it.]
Yelena's picking the location, so that's anybody's guess. [Though he doubts she's going for anything less than the best for Bob.]
And you know, I've got pictures of Ithemba using you for a pillow that say otherwise.
[Sure, it's mostly once Bob's fallen asleep. But they absolutely count.]
no subject
[ asset to the us government and bucky’s fucking goat. that’s his life now. ]
Okay, I’ll see what she says. [ a beat. ] Don’t, uh, let this get between you and Ash. Or Greer. I want you to be happy, man. You’ve been really happy.
no subject
So instead-]
What I have with them is only temporary. You and Yelena? That's permanent. So I guess it's a good thing you make me happy too.
no subject
[ softly, ] It’s not either/or, for me. That’s all I’m saying.
[ bucky shouldn’t miss out on anything. ]
But. [ audibly touched, smiling into the phone. ] Yeah. I mean, yeah, I feel the same way. [ whatever that feeling is. ] The other day was — the best. With you.
[ things that sound so stupid out loud help. ]
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It shouldn't have happened like that. [Though he'd sound a lot more apologetic about it if he regretted what they'd actually done.] It shouldn't have taken a plant to make it happen. You deserve better.
[A beat-]
Next time, it will be.
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[ whywouldyousaythat. this is why he doesn’t talk on the phone. ]
Definitely, uh, won’t say no to next time. Better, though, I just don’t know.
[ better than dreamboat bucky barnes putting the moves on you for the first time, unlikely to impossible. ]