[ A thoughtful flicker of his expression. Still thinking it over. And then he props himself up with an elbow, angling to look at Daisy a little more head-on. Taking a leap of faith, he reaches out with his right hand after all; a raise of an eyebrow, a wry smile as he echoes her exact words: ]
[Smiling in amusement, Daisy brushes her hand against his open palm of his actual arm.
This is definitely a first for her. Sitting on the beach, just touching arms with a guy she had been set up with. It's--
Not usually what she would be doing with her date on the beach. Daisy looks at his expression, trying to figure out if he can feel it or not.]
Well?
[From her perspective it defintiely feels less tense, but she can still feel some sort of vibration. Not enough that it bounces off of him like it does on his metal arm.
For him, however, it might feel like something is crawling under his skin.]
[ It feels different compared to his metal grip. His sense of touch is more pronounced, but he isn't absorbing the energy this time; it's both subtler when it's not bouncing around inside the vibranium, but he can still feel it beneath his skin.
The whole scene is strangely intimate, despite the fact that they're sitting fully-clothed on the beach. Bucky feels naked with the one glove off. Realising that he's been sitting there holding her hand for a probably-awkward amount of time, he finally, finally lets go and settles his weight back on his elbows in the sand. The left arm is forty pounds of dead weight, enough that it affects the way he walks, so there's a heaviness to the way he settles. ]
Different. A little strange, but not bad. 'Bees' is right.
[When he let's go of her hand, Daisy lets out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding in until now. For a minute she stays in the same position before leaning back. Trying to act like that didn't just happen, and that it definitely hadn't left her feeling some type of way about it.
Oh. He was speaking.]
Oh, uh--
It used to? But, I'm so used to it now that I kind of forget what it's like to feel nothing.
Guess we can pretty much get used to anything. [ Case in point: said arm. Bucky's mostly come to terms with it, or thinks he has, but there's still those occasional moments like a skip in the record. It's been easy enough to purposefully not think about it as long as he keeps it under long sleeves and nobody's ever close enough to deal with it outside of combat, anyway. ]
It's cool, though. That you have actual superpowers. Enhanced strength and speed is kind of— I dunno, vanilla in comparison.
[It definitely feels nice to hear someone respond so positively to her having powers. When she first got them, everyone around her was so desperate to suppress them. Hell, she had been desperate to get rid of them.
Now, though, they were a part of her.]
You can’t run super fast, can you? Because that would be cheating.
[If they were even going on that run still. In all honesty, she’s really enjoying just sitting here getting to know him.]
[ It's literally just her coffee now. Bucky lets her have it; that battle is long-since lost. ]
I mean, that's pretty much the gist of it. Everything's just dialed up a notch. Super-strength, durability, speed, agility, stamina, reflexes. Faster metabolism, which is a bitch for getting drunk. Slower aging. I heal a little faster than normal — but it's not extreme, so don't go chopping off more limbs. And the arm's super-strong too and can absorb impact, which you already got a sense of earlier.
[ He isn't accustomed to being— proud? of his capabilities, considering they're mostly a product of the serum and horrific experimentation. But there are silver linings. It makes him useful to have in a fight. He's grateful for that part. ]
[Her eyebrows shoot up again as she looks at him over the coffee cup. She knew he was strong enough to do, well, the things she had seen on TV. Doesn’t make it any less surprising when he tells her a whole list of extra abilities he has. The slower aging is the one that surprises her the most.]
So no cold cream for you then.
[Daisy teases as she sets down the coffee cup between them.]
That had to take a while to get used to. Being able to do all of that.
Hey, I hear staying moisturized is a good idea no matter what.
[ Bucky's still cracking light jokes where he can. But when Daisy brings that up, his thoughts inevitably wend back to those readjustment periods. As ever, he's not used to broaching the subject of Steve, but he touches on it now, and that's where his answer comes from: ]
Yeah, it took me a while. Our whole lives, I was always the one looking after Steve. Then I had to get used to him being superhuman, suddenly bigger and better than all of us, the cornerstone of our squadron. Then, later— my abilities matched his. It's been a lot of changes.
[She knows he’s old but he better get that reference or she’s out of here!
She honestly forgets that there was a time where Steve Rogers was anything but Captain America, but Bucky knew him well before all of that happened. The fact that Bucky and her have so much in common is almost a relief though. They don’t need to explain in so many words how each other feels, they just—-
Get it.]
Yeah, it was pretty bad.
[Daisy smiles sadly, looking down at the sand as her finger traces shapes.]
[ Being the all-American superman was one thing, with Steve's strength lauded and plastered over the posters. Being a Soviet bogeyman in the shadows was another. And yet, ruminating about it now, Bucky hadn't ever thought much about reversing the actual serum. What's done was done, and the more important thing had been clawing out whatever hunkered down in his brain and pulled his strings.
He watches the movement of her hand, the whorls in the sand, as if they hold some hidden meaning. ]
Do you know anybody else with powers, or any other Inhumans? People who know what it's like?
[She keeps her tone light, as if the question hasn’t brought up some really upsetting memories for her. Brushing the sand off her hands, Daisy smiles up at him as she moves to sit cross-legged.]
[ Daisy's good at ducking and sidestepping whenever they get too close to something she probably doesn't want them to touch on. He can tell, because it's the exact same sort of thing he does. But he goes with the flow, a shrug of a shoulder: ]
I wasn't specific. But I guess it must be about six months living in the city now. Since getting back from the, uh... [ he waves a hand, a vague gesture, because how do you mime 'getting dusted out of existence'? ] The whole Blip. Thing.
Y'know— not actually as hard as you'd think? It's more like everybody else has a taste of it now, too. Blinking and waking up one day to find that years have passed without you realising it.
[ It should sound horrifying, maybe, but Bucky's used to it by now, so he doesn't sound too bitter talking about it in the context of the Blip. At least that one had been a universal tragedy. There are support groups for that sort of thing, for people somewhat out of time like him. There hadn't been that, before. ]
I did it before, with way longer than five years. And this time I'm not an international fugitive, so it's easier.
[ His blue gaze travels up from her hand to her face. ]
Guessing that means you were part of the half who stayed?
[ He leaves his coffee with her and clambers back to his feet, meticulously dusting himself off and frowning at his hand, before gloving up again. There's probably some sand in the cracks between the metal, and he'll have to go dusting it out when he gets home later. More reasons the beach is more of a pain than it used to be. ]
So how about that run to work up an appetite before they open? We can be the first customers in line at the hot dog stand after we do a loop of the boardwalk.
[ He had, once upon a time, been a pain-in-the-ass physical trainer for Steve Rogers himself. Congrats, Daisy, now you're on the receiving end of it! ]
[ Smirk. And just like that, Bucky's already off and running without giving her any forewarning or a headsup— but he does keep his pace carefully-measured, scaled down to a regular-but-fit human level, so it won't turn any heads and Daisy stands a chance of actually catching up to him, with a little bit of legwork. ]
[Daisy mutters as he runs off, sighing she looks for a place to put the coffee before just placing it back down on the sand. She's got a stomach full of coffee and alcohol, what could go wrong?
Taking off after him in the sand wasn't exactly easy, but she manages to get at least within earshot of him.]
Do you want me to hurl?
[Daisy asks breathlessly, hoping he'll at least slow down.]
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[She's never thought about it before, and she tries to think back to all of the times she's touched other people since getting her powers.]
I don't know. No one has ever said anything.
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[ A thoughtful flicker of his expression. Still thinking it over. And then he props himself up with an elbow, angling to look at Daisy a little more head-on. Taking a leap of faith, he reaches out with his right hand after all; a raise of an eyebrow, a wry smile as he echoes her exact words: ]
Do you mind if I?
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This is definitely a first for her. Sitting on the beach, just touching arms with a guy she had been set up with. It's--
Not usually what she would be doing with her date on the beach. Daisy looks at his expression, trying to figure out if he can feel it or not.]
Well?
[From her perspective it defintiely feels less tense, but she can still feel some sort of vibration. Not enough that it bounces off of him like it does on his metal arm.
For him, however, it might feel like something is crawling under his skin.]
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The whole scene is strangely intimate, despite the fact that they're sitting fully-clothed on the beach. Bucky feels naked with the one glove off. Realising that he's been sitting there holding her hand for a probably-awkward amount of time, he finally, finally lets go and settles his weight back on his elbows in the sand. The left arm is forty pounds of dead weight, enough that it affects the way he walks, so there's a heaviness to the way he settles. ]
Different. A little strange, but not bad. 'Bees' is right.
Does it ever bother you?
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Oh. He was speaking.]
Oh, uh--
It used to? But, I'm so used to it now that I kind of forget what it's like to feel nothing.
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It's cool, though. That you have actual superpowers. Enhanced strength and speed is kind of— I dunno, vanilla in comparison.
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Now, though, they were a part of her.]
You can’t run super fast, can you? Because that would be cheating.
[If they were even going on that run still. In all honesty, she’s really enjoying just sitting here getting to know him.]
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I do, yeah. Was kind of hoping you wouldn't ever find out about that part.
I can go easy on you, though. I do it with Sam all the time.
[ Smarm. ]
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Reaching forward, Daisy makes a grab for his coffee to take another sip. Remember when she said one sip? Yeah, she was lying.]
What else can you do?
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I mean, that's pretty much the gist of it. Everything's just dialed up a notch. Super-strength, durability, speed, agility, stamina, reflexes. Faster metabolism, which is a bitch for getting drunk. Slower aging. I heal a little faster than normal — but it's not extreme, so don't go chopping off more limbs. And the arm's super-strong too and can absorb impact, which you already got a sense of earlier.
[ He isn't accustomed to being— proud? of his capabilities, considering they're mostly a product of the serum and horrific experimentation. But there are silver linings. It makes him useful to have in a fight. He's grateful for that part. ]
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So no cold cream for you then.
[Daisy teases as she sets down the coffee cup between them.]
That had to take a while to get used to. Being able to do all of that.
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[ Bucky's still cracking light jokes where he can. But when Daisy brings that up, his thoughts inevitably wend back to those readjustment periods. As ever, he's not used to broaching the subject of Steve, but he touches on it now, and that's where his answer comes from: ]
Yeah, it took me a while. Our whole lives, I was always the one looking after Steve. Then I had to get used to him being superhuman, suddenly bigger and better than all of us, the cornerstone of our squadron. Then, later— my abilities matched his. It's been a lot of changes.
Yours must've been an adjustment too, though.
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[She knows he’s old but he better get that reference or she’s out of here!
She honestly forgets that there was a time where Steve Rogers was anything but Captain America, but Bucky knew him well before all of that happened. The fact that Bucky and her have so much in common is almost a relief though. They don’t need to explain in so many words how each other feels, they just—-
Get it.]
Yeah, it was pretty bad.
[Daisy smiles sadly, looking down at the sand as her finger traces shapes.]
I was so desperate to try and get rid of them.
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He watches the movement of her hand, the whorls in the sand, as if they hold some hidden meaning. ]
Do you know anybody else with powers, or any other Inhumans? People who know what it's like?
[ So you're not alone. ]
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[She keeps her tone light, as if the question hasn’t brought up some really upsetting memories for her. Brushing the sand off her hands, Daisy smiles up at him as she moves to sit cross-legged.]
How long did you say you’ve been back here for?
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I wasn't specific. But I guess it must be about six months living in the city now. Since getting back from the, uh... [ he waves a hand, a vague gesture, because how do you mime 'getting dusted out of existence'? ] The whole Blip. Thing.
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How's that been going for you? Readjusting to everything.
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[ It should sound horrifying, maybe, but Bucky's used to it by now, so he doesn't sound too bitter talking about it in the context of the Blip. At least that one had been a universal tragedy. There are support groups for that sort of thing, for people somewhat out of time like him. There hadn't been that, before. ]
I did it before, with way longer than five years. And this time I'm not an international fugitive, so it's easier.
[ His blue gaze travels up from her hand to her face. ]
Guessing that means you were part of the half who stayed?
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I can't even imagine.
[Her heart skips a beat when he makes eye contact with her again, but she'll just brush it off as having too much caffeine.]
Yeah. It's--
I didn't experience it on a personal level though.
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[ He doesn't sound incredulous, just curious. ]
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[
It's the least the Universe could for her tbh.]Anyway, you still up for paying for over expensive hot dogs?
[Because that cake pop wasn't going to cut it.]
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[ He leaves his coffee with her and clambers back to his feet, meticulously dusting himself off and frowning at his hand, before gloving up again. There's probably some sand in the cracks between the metal, and he'll have to go dusting it out when he gets home later. More reasons the beach is more of a pain than it used to be. ]
So how about that run to work up an appetite before they open? We can be the first customers in line at the hot dog stand after we do a loop of the boardwalk.
[ He had, once upon a time, been a pain-in-the-ass physical trainer for Steve Rogers himself. Congrats, Daisy, now you're on the receiving end of it! ]
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hisher coffee, Daisy gets to her feet and chugs down a good portion of it.]I thought you were joking about the jog.
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[ Smirk. And just like that, Bucky's already off and running without giving her any forewarning or a headsup— but he does keep his pace carefully-measured, scaled down to a regular-but-fit human level, so it won't turn any heads and Daisy stands a chance of actually catching up to him, with a little bit of legwork. ]
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[Daisy mutters as he runs off, sighing she looks for a place to put the coffee before just placing it back down on the sand. She's got a stomach full of coffee and alcohol, what could go wrong?
Taking off after him in the sand wasn't exactly easy, but she manages to get at least within earshot of him.]
Do you want me to hurl?
[Daisy asks breathlessly, hoping he'll at least slow down.]
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