ostavil | seeking a friend for the end of the world

[ So the world ended. Again. Or, rather, it's in the process of ending, and there doesn't seem to be a damn thing Daisy can do to stop it except lay down and die. Which she isn't willing to do. Yet.

More than once since the start of all this, she'd given as many blood and tissue samples as she could, first to SHIELD scientists and then to the government that took control of a quickly crumbling country. As soon as they'd discovered Inhumans were immune, she and the others had willingly done everything asked of them to try to help. Until they asked for too much. Maybe it went deeper, they said. Scans and samples weren't enough. It's for the greater good. They'd taken Charles against his will, Coulson had told her, and by the time he was found...

The only thing to do was run. Those scientists were no closer to finding a cure than they'd been at the start and they'd dissect each and every one of them if that's what it took. Coulson had given her weapons, a bag, and what might be the last hug she'd ever get from the only father she'd ever really known.

Getting out of the quarantine zones is easy enough for someone with her abilities. It's up and over the fence and right into a cluster of infected. Despite having a gun, she doesn't shoot them, not willing to risk drawing that sort of attention from the living or the dead. They're quaked away with just enough oomph to give her space and then she's running, boots pounding the pavement and pack cinched tight against her back.

Two hours out, she makes it to a quieter part of the city with few living or dead milling about. It might be a stupid move to stop and get her bearings, but if she wanders into an area with patrolling soldiers, she'll be in an even worse position. Fishing a flashlight out from her pack, she's trying to get a look at the nearest street sign when that voice comes out of nowhere.

Shit. How had he gotten this close without her noticing? He's not a soldier, at least, they've all got twitchy trigger fingers these days, but there are plenty of assholes leaving the quarantine zones to try to make their own way. She really doesn't need one of them figuring out who she is; the public may not know about Inhumans being immune, but who knows if the government will change that to use civilians to round up their missing lab rats.

Slowly turning around with her hands out at her sides, there's a biting remark on the tip of her tongue, ready to lash out at whoever this is because she is not in the mood, but as the flashlight beam swings over to him, the words catch in her throat. She doesn't point the light at his face, she can see well enough with it aimed at his feet, but— ]

Holy shit. Sergeant Barnes.

[ To say she's shocked at the sudden appearance of one of her personal heroes would be one hell of an understatement. ]

( Getting called by his rank brings up a lot of memories, good and bad, and it's clear that whoever this is took a trip to the Smithsonian before the world fell apart. If she's expecting that Sergeant Barnes, he fell off a train in the 1940s and would probably have died early on in the pandemic anyway. Too trusting. Too willing to be a hero. Too willing to stay in the lines of wrong and right.

No, the Winter Soldier is much more equipped to survive these days no matter how complicated it is to reconcile that with who he is now and what he used to be. Bucky shakes his head. )

Never thought someone would be recognizing my face in this mess. Can't say I know yours, though. You got a name you're using?

( She's not military even if she has military grade gear and she's well trained to his eyes. Maybe former military before the fall? They're sure as hell not training them this well now. Now it's mostly just point and shoot because it's all conscripts and no careers. )

[ The relief at seeing a trusted familiar face is like a punch to the gut, nearly forcing the air from her lungs. She's been running on nothing but adrenaline for hours and it's catching up to her, though she'll use every bit of training she has to combat the effects. Bucky Barnes might not know her from anyone else in this dying world, but she'd trust him with her life, and that goes a long way these days. ]

My name's Daisy Johnson. I'm an agent of SHIELD. Or I was, until a few hours ago.

[ Not that it's meant much since the government took over and demanded they play ball or get out of the country. They've done their best to do good, their field agents out on the front lines while their techs and scientists worked around the clock for better defenses and steps toward a cure, but things have only gotten worse. The fences fall, the zones shrink, and more and more people die every day.

Given Sergeant Barnes' personal history with the organization, she fully realizes it might not be the best idea to divulge her affiliation, but it only takes a single moment of consideration for her to decide she's not going to lie to him. About anything. He's had enough of that in his life. ]

( Bucky arches a brow at that. SHIELD. The great love of Peggy Carter's life diminished into a HYDRA recruiting corps and he guesses HYDRA doesn't really matter at the end of the world because there's hardly anything to exploit anymore and the government is where you want to be if you want something from someone. He doesn't think anyone would willingly identify themselves as SHIELD or HYDRA anymore because it doesn't matter. It'd be like saying you like the Dodgers or the Yankees.

She's saying it as if she recently broke free, though, and he has to wonder just how much agency SHIELD even has anymore. He should look into it, probably, but he's not looking for staging a coup, he's looking to survive. He's looking to get by on the day to day and not find solutions for the future. That's for other, hopeful people. He's not one of those people. )

SHIELD? You're just gonna announce you're HYDRA in front of the Fist of HYDRA? Pretty brave.

( There. Here's her chance to fess up to it. What does she have to lose? She knows who he is and she has to know her survival chances if she tries to make a move on him so it's going to be better to go with truth instead of fiction. As long as she doesn't have the words, he's golden, and he doubts that damn book even exists anymore and if it does, it's probably buried so deep even God couldn't find it. )

You expecting me to salute you and ask what my orders are? Probably not gonna get what you want.

[ He doesn't know. It's like a bucket of ice water dumped over her head, cold dread pooling in her gut. How long has he been living thinking they're still out there? There's no shortage of evil to take their place, especially in times like these, but HYDRA will always be the worst of the worst. After everything they did to the world, to her family, to him... ]

That's the furthest thing from what I want.

[ Her voice is strained, expression stricken as she takes a single step forward and then stops, thinking better of it. He won't understand if she doesn't try to explain, and he deserves an explanation. Anger threads through her next words, so cold it burns. ]

HYDRA doesn't exist anymore. We rebuilt SHIELD from the ground up and hunted those monsters down. We cut off every head, and if they try to regrow another one, I'll cut it off too. I don't care if the world's on fire, I won't let them hurt anyone else. And I know you have no reason to believe me, but it's the truth.

[ Even if he walks away and she never sees him again, she's suddenly desperate for him to believe this much. If nothing else, he needs to know they're gone. ]

( Burning out all of HYDRA? Idealistic. Even if it's true and they're all out of SHIELD, they have to be skulking around somewhere even if their knowledge might not be the most useful unless it's the science side. He knows they'd be experimenting on him if they had the chance to get him. Still, she seems genuine, and he believes that she believes it and that's good enough for him. If she's duped, she's duped. )

You don't start barking at me in Russian and we're good. So you just got out? What the hell is happening? I know just enough to keep out of the way of the military because I don't want them jabbing needles into me. They did enough of that when I was the Winter Soldier.

( If she's got information, she's useful, and this isn't a wasteful use of his time. He could be looking for carbon arrows or having this conversation. This conversation is interesting enough to keep him engaged. )

[ Okay, so he probably doesn't believe her, but she gets it. It's not like she has proof of what she's saying. Honestly, she's lucky he didn't shoot her on the spot, throw a knife at her head, or any of the other hundred ways he probably knows how to kill her. Not that he would have succeeded, but still.

She shifts her stance, thinking for a moment, then clicks off the flashlight. Using it for too long is a risk they can't afford. Even though there doesn't seem to be anyone around, she lowers her voice as if worried they'll be overheard. ]

The government's getting desperate. It hasn't been announced publicly, but Inhumans are immune and they can't figure out how to use whatever we have to make a cure. We were cooperating, trying to help, but then they took one of us and— [ She can't say it. ] The rest of us ran.

When you're not a willing guinea pig anymore you become a vivisection. I know the feeling. You probably never had clearance to anything on me other than the public stuff but if you did, you'd know HYDRA had their merry way with me when developing poisons and weapons. You got a place to stay?

( Her being Inhuman doesn't surprise him as much as it should. The world is fucking strange and he learned a long time ago that he wasn't the strangest thing in it. It makes sense that she'd be valuable real estate in a situation like this because she's not susceptible to all the shit that humans are. When desperate, humanity always turns tail to save itself. )

If not, you need to come with me. If I could find you, they can find you, and I'm not gonna have more blood on my hands if I can help it. You look like you can handle yourself if you managed to get out of there so you've got powers, I'm guessing? We didn't run into a lot of you back during my heyday with HYDRA.

[ It hurts to hear him talk even in broad terms about what was done to him by HYDRA. She hadn't been able to read all the reports she'd had access to, some of them hitting far too close to home. Even now, her stomach turns at the memories of what she does know of his experiences. ]

That's because HYDRA hunted us during the war. They nearly had my mom, and when she returned to our people, she made sure they stayed hidden and safe.

[ Speaking of Jiaying in any context is still like a knife twisting in her chest, grief aching within her like an open wound. Will it ever get easier? Will her mother's deaths ever stop haunting her? ]

But no, I don't have... anywhere. The plan was just to get out and then go from there.

( He probably tried to kill her mother. It hurts, to think about, and then he pushes it to the side because the Winter Soldier never failed. There had never been an op he'd failed, a mission left undone. It's a small mercy that he hadn't been the one to go after her. He doesn't have time to crucify himself for things he hasn't done, though. He shifts a little, restless from being in the city so long, and shakes his head. )

You're lucky you ran into Bucky Barnes and not the Winter Soldier. Zimniy Soldat takes no risks for anyone. Bucky has a big bleeding heart and still believes in Santa Claus. It's a hike to get back to where I am and I've got too much shit to carry to carry you. If you can keep up, you can go.

( He's pretty sure he could sling her over his right arm along with his AK and still have room for more. He'd carry her if he had to but it's easier to pretend he doesn't care as much about another human being because if he's not invested, he loses nothing. )

[ If she can— Daisy bristles at the insinuation, having to remind herself that he has no idea who she is or what she's capable of. To him, she's just some random woman connected to the organization that ruined his life. He doesn't know she's SHIELD's top fighter, or that she's Quake, the freaking Destroyer of Worlds. But this isn't the time for that sort of introduction, so she'll let it slide this once. Her indignance does help her feel more like herself, though, and she finds herself able to treat him just like she would someone on her team. ]

Oh, I'll be just fine. But you let me know if you need me to slow down, old man. Wouldn't want you breaking a hip.

[ Is she poking fun at him? Maybe. Is it the smartest idea she's ever had? Probably not, but when has that ever stopped her. ]

Breaking a hip? You know how much force it takes to break one of those? My bones are twice as dense as a human's. I'm not Mr. Fredericks at the nursing home that flirts with the pretty nurses. I'm designed to be a walking weapon.

( It does make him laugh though, a harsh bark of a laugh, and he wonders when the last time he laughed was. He hasn't had much to smile about since coming back to himself and certainly not with the state of the world as it is right now but this, this makes him laugh. )

You know about me because of SHIELD? Or is it that stupid museum exhibit they put together?

[ Maybe one day they'll compare walking weapon notes. He's designed for close combat and small range mass destruction and could withstand being hit by a truck, but she'd break every bone in her body tearing a continent apart. They were both made by scientists wanting weapons to fight their wars.

It's funny how much they have in common. And very, very sad. ]

Hey, that was a good exhibit. I knew about you before then, though. History class and internet searches. But then everything happened with HYDRA and... I learned the stuff most other people don't know.

[ She sounds apologetic as she says that last bit. It must be hard to live with that sort of thing hanging over you all the time. ]

( Bucky sets a brisk pace so they can clear the hell out of what passes for civilization but he doesn't go so fast that they can't talk. It's probably a bad idea but he thinks that the military patrols are too stupid to be listening to them; the ones on the front lines aren't the smart ones most of the time. The infected can't understand them and their voices are low and soft in the dark. There's a flickering streetlamp, a relic of past civilization, and he skirts them carefully around it to avoid the weak light it puts off. )

Nice way to meet someone, really. You've got all the cards and I've got shit but a knife and a gun. I bet you know what grades I got on my report card in '33. I wanted to get all As but my tongue just couldn't get around French unless it was kissing so I got a B. Now you. You have to tell me something embarrassing about your private life.

( He doesn't know why he bothers except that he hasn't had human interaction for so long and he's missed it. In ways, it's been worse than being the soldier because at least he was brainwashed to only want the mission. Bucky wants more out of life and can't have it. )

[ Daisy keeps up with only a little effort, grateful he doesn't go full super soldier speed and leave her behind. She has a vague idea of where they are but she really hadn't thought through the next steps of where to go and what to do. Neither had Coulson, for once. The man who meant more to her than anyone else in the world had been so shaken at the thought of possibly losing her that his sole focus had been getting her out before they came for her too. He'd trusted she would be able to figure things out on her own, but she's pretty sure he'd be damned happy at who she lucked into helping her. ]

I didn't know that, actually. I had shitty grades in school because I spent my whole childhood bouncing between the orphanage and foster homes and school just never seemed very important when I was miserable and unwanted.

[ That's more sad than embarrassing, though, so she sighs and provides a more suitable addition. ]

Also, I cosplayed in front of Stark Tower once. [ And then, realizing he might not know what that meant: ] I dressed up as Iron Man.

Tony Stark? Really? I should just leave you here. He tried to kill me, you know. Wasn't successful though because I'm still kicking it.

( The other piece is harder to address. He'd been poor but he had a good childhood with friends and family. To be alone in the world is something he only learned about as an adult, not a kid, and he's not sure he would have come out of something that vulnerable with his wits about him. Says something about strength. )

I don't think they'd put my grades on a history test so I don't think you missed anything. Sorry about...growing up. Sounds hard. But, you know what? People like us survive. You have it easy your whole life, you don't know what to do when everything falls to pieces.

[ She doesn't expect him to say anything about her childhood, so it's surprising when he does. There's the typical apology of not knowing what else to say in the face of something terrible but also awkward. But then he shifts it to something like a compliment and she isn't entirely sure what to do with that. ]

I think I would have rather not had HYDRA destroy my life and be less prepared for the world to go to shit, but I'm guessing you'd probably say the same thing.

[ There's no bitterness or anger there, though. She is angry about everything that was stolen from her, and she probably always will be, but if she hadn't gone through all she did, she wouldn't have ended up with SHIELD and the people who became closer than family. ]

( There's a hole in the perimeter fence that he's been exploiting for a while now and he pulls the chain-link back enough that she can go through in front of him. He has the idea that if he's on her six, he can be more prepared to take on what assaults them than if he was running point. Or maybe he's a gentleman. Whatever. )

Stick to the shadows. Once we get out of here, it's safer, but we have to avoid the goons right now. And yeah, the people who have soft lives don't know how to make it work when the breaks get hard. Gotta worry more about infected out there, though.

( Infected are just target practice for him at this point and it's more to keep himself entertained. Now he has someone to protect so he's more worried about being attacked. Sure, they're probably both immune, but they can still get hurt. )

I was looking for arrows when I ran into you. You ever thought the great Bucky Barnes would be shooting a bow and arrow?

[ Daisy ducks through the gap in the chain-link, mindful of the size and weight of the bag on her back. It's not massively bulky but she'll still have to work to make sure it doesn't snag on anything while they're on the move. But so long as they don't get into any literally tight situations, it should be fine.

She gives him a sidelong glance, trying to picture the fierce Winter Soldier using a bow like freaking Legolas Greenleaf. The mental image alone is enough to have her biting her lip to hold back laughter. ]

Nope. [ There's no hiding the hint of a smile that sneaks through. ] But you know, it could be a good look for you.

( Bucky huffs a quick laugh at that. It's not about the aesthetics at all but it does make a funny picture, him drawing a bow like he's Clint Barton, and there's a little tug at his conscience wondering whether or not Clint managed to get away from all this with his family or if they fell to it. He doesn't have time for reminiscing and guilt, though. If he starts it, the cycle will never end. )

It's for hunting. Bullets can only be used once but you can retrieve arrows. I thought it would be a worthwhile investment to get one. I've got the bow but wooden arrows would snap under the tension of a compound bow.

( They're clear of the perimeter now and it's just open fields which are both better and worse. No threat from humans but threat from infected. You're just trading your dangers. Still, she's immune so that's something. Bucky doesn't know if he is and he doesn't want to find out. )

All right. Just stick close out here and we should be fine. It's a bit of a hike to get back to the woods but I needed the cover and the ability to sleep off the ground.

[ Every laugh she manages to get out of him feels like a kind of major achievement like she's working toward earning a merit badge or something. It wouldn't surprise her if there are a lot of things like that with Bucky. After everything he's been through, turning into the human version of a feral cat is completely understandable.

Daisy checks to be sure her knife is still at her side as they reach open ground. If something comes at them, it'll be better to use the blade than her powers, given the state of... everything. She's staying close as instructed, trusting him without hesitation to know what he's doing out here, but she nearly stumbles at the mention of sleeping off the ground. In the woods.

Fuck. But she can't explain right now. And maybe it won't be a problem. Maybe, for once, her body won't betray her. It's not likely, but a girl can hope. Doing her best to push down the sudden spike of anxiety, she falls back on humor to get her through tough moments like this. ]

Wow, you really are trying to be Hawkeye. Using a bow and making a nest in a tree. You're lucky Barton's retired or he might be offended you're coming for his job.

Trees are safe when your enemies can't climb. Infected are dumb, after all, which means you only have to worry about humans and let's be honest here. Do you think there's anyone out there that can kill me? I'm not being cocky, I'm being factual. It'd take someone with extensive training to even have a shot at it. It'd take Steve Rogers.

( God, he misses Steve with everything he has and he wishes he hadn't mentioned him because now he has to think about him. There's no time for it, though, so he rolls his neck a little to clear his head and he hears something so he holds up his fist and stops them. )

Wait here. It's probably an animal but I want to check it out. If I'm not back in three minutes, make for the woods.

Be careful.

[ Daisy wants desperately to argue, to point out she doesn't need to be taken care of this, that she can help, but she tamps down those instincts and forces herself to follow orders. Whether she likes it or not, her trips beyond the fences were with a team she trusted, and almost during the daylight. Now, she's literally in the dark and trying not to be noticed by either the living or the infected. It won't kill her to follow his lead for a while — but it might if she doesn't.

Still, she isn't completely helpless. As soon as he's on his way, she kneels to the ground, pressing a hand against the earth and stretching out her senses. Thanks to how empty the area is, it doesn't take much concentration to find the changes in vibration signaling something moving around out here. There's Bucky, but then there's something else. Something big, off in the distance. ]

( It's infected, four, and that's less of a problem than people. Bucky doesn't like killing people even though they have shoot to kill orders on him because depopulating the human race is the last thing the world needs. There's no people out here, so he feels safe calling out to Daisy. )

Four. I can snipe them but it'll be loud. You wanna try to do it up close, walk around, or risk the noise of shooting them?

( He doesn't know what happens if he gets bitten and he doesn't want to know what a superpowered infected would look like so he's not about to risk it. Daisy, though, is a known immune. It makes it safe enough to get close since he doesn't have to worry as much about guarding her from every scratch. )

Ladies' choice.

[ Straightening up, Daisy beelines for him, following the sound of his voice and what she can make out in the darkness. With the city no longer creating so much light pollution, they have the night sky to see by, but clouds are less than helpful that evening. ]

We should do it close and quick. There's something big over there [ she gestures in the opposite direction ] and I don't think we want to draw its attention.

[ The group of four is moving closer, drawn by their voices, and she doesn't hesitate to pull out her knife and make for the nearest one. It's not the first infected she's killed. Far from it. The knife goes through the skull easily; she's had the practice to know how much force it needed to cut through bone. As she pulls the knife out again, she pushes back the thing that had once been a person so it falls away from her. ]

Edited 2023-01-21 22:25 (UTC)

( Bucky uses his arm as a shield against getting bitten and takes out two with his knife, leaving just the one that's moving toward Daisy. Fighting is something he's been bred and conditioned to all these years and he's glad it serves him now at the end of the world. He wishes he didn't have to fight anymore but he's glad he's alive. )

Heads up, last one's coming to you.

( She's efficient, at least, having already killed one, and it's better to let the immune person do cleanup than risk himself. He'd do it if Daisy wasn't capable - he's no coward - but she can more than handle killing a few infected. She broke out of containment, after all, and that says enough to him. )

[ Daisy turns to face the last one approaching, noting that Bucky's already taken out the others. It's good he's letting her help; things would get very tense if he suddenly decided she was a helpless damsel incapable of defending herself. Instead, she approaches the infected, meeting it halfway. A kick to the knee sends it sprawling to the ground, and its teeth click at her as she stabs her knife into its head. When she pulls it out, she wipes the gory blade onto the infected's dirty shirt before standing again. ]

We need to go. I couldn't tell what direction whatever it is was heading in.

[ A group of infected or people, most likely. Heavier than this. Bigger. And just because she's immune doesn't mean she can't be torn to pieces with teeth or bullets. ]

( It's clear she can sense something he can't and Bucky is willing to defer to the abilities of an Inhuman over his own (albeit amplified) human ones. He adjusts his pack and re-sheathes his knife before setting a faster pace than before. He doesn't want Daisy running after him, no, but they need to get a move on before whatever it is gets the drop on them and they're at a massive disadvantage. )

Should be all right once we hit the trees. We have about three miles, more or less, but they're in the complete opposite direction from whatever it is that you felt.

( Bucky hasn't ever let anyone or anything into his base but Daisy is reliable and he wants to protect her, especially if the government is gonna drain her dry looking for a cure that might not even be possible for a baseline human. He's had that done to him by HYDRA more than once and she's an Inhuman; her people have had plenty of run-ins with the worst of humanity. The wind shifts a little and it's cold against his skin. )

A few more weeks and you'd have been up shit creek because we'd start getting ice and snow. Makes it harder to get out. That's why I'm making so many runs right now because I know it'll be harder to make them once the weather turns. Never met Coulson but he seems like one of the good ones if he gave you a head start.

[ Three miles of hiking among the infected. Sounds like a real picnic after hiking through miles of city with roaming soldiers. Plus, it smells better out here with all the fresh air. It'll be the first time she's smelled an actual tree in... months.

That wind cuts through her clothes and she flinches at the sudden cold, hurrying to zip up her leather jacket. She hadn't thought of the fact that it's nearing winter and she's really not prepared for it. Just the thought of the impending weather shift is enough to make her anxious. ]

He's the best. But I'm biased — he's the closest thing I have to a father.

( Her bag is just one bag and Bucky knows that everything he needs to survive doesn't fit in one bag. Sure, he could pare it down, but living comfortably is something different than just surviving. He'd like to be comfortable if he has to live his life at the end of the world. )

Hard loss, then. Everyone I've ever loved has been dead for decades. I guess it makes it easier when you're used to being alone to be alone again. You're the first person I've talked to in about a year, I think.

( He doesn't hear anything but the crunch of leaves and grass along with their voices and that's good. Whatever she'd heard earlier isn't after them, hopefully. )

And the last one was one of those sniveling weasels they post on perimeter duty. Traded him drugs for bullets. He was not a beautiful woman. You're already better company.

[ His little compliment earns him a glance, though she doesn't say anything about it. Her thoughts are caught on something he'd said before, unable to escape until she untangles the snag. Crossing her arms, she hunches her shoulders against the chill and pretends it isn't also an attempt to hide from her own traumatic past. ]

Being used to being alone doesn't make it easier. You just convince yourself you don't feel the loneliness.

[ She speaks quietly and from experience. A whole lot of it. ]

( She has a point about not feeling the loneliness after a while but now isn't the time to discuss it. They've covered a good bit of distance, though, and once in the woods, Bucky points out a stream. )

Next time you come in and out of here, you'll need to remember the way. This stream leads straight to my camp. Just follow the water and you'll get there, all right? You don't look new at this, or anything, but we also don't have tech to help us.

( Mobile phones had been useful pieces of tech before the world went to shit and all the networks collapsed to just the one the military uses. If there were any towers left, it'd be worth finding one, but there's not. It's better to just use short-wave radio. )

I've got radio at my place. I'm dialed into the military's frequency so I can hear all their shit. I've got a pair of handhelds too. I picked them up on the off chance I had someone else show up. And hey, here you are.

[ No, she's not entirely new to this, but without technology to help her... Well, she's not sure how Coulson thought she would actually manage to survive out here on her own. He's always said she's capable of more than she imagined but this might be taking it to the extreme. ]

Here I am...

[ She murmurs the acknowledgment as she tries to commit their surroundings to memory. It isn't easy — for someone who has been good at recognizing patterns and differences her whole life, each tree and rock looks exactly the same as the last one. To mask her growing anxiety, she keeps the conversation focused on Bucky. ]

How long have you been out here?

Two years? Three? It's hard to keep count. I basically took my go bag and came out here the second it started spreading. I knew they'd be after me to poke needles and do tests. They always do.

( Daisy has done nothing but confirm that, too, because she'd run away because they were killing Inhumans to try and see if they could engineer a cure from their bodies. He doesn't want anyone trying to do that to him. There's a twinge of pain, too, because he wants to rescue them. Those people are innocent and they did nothing except be immune to this bullshit but this isn't the time to play a hero. He's not Steve and that's why he's alive. )

I try to keep away from people. Easier to stay away from infected if you're not in a populated area to begin with and I'm not tangling with the military. I can fight them, sure, but I'd rather not. It's messy and I don't like messy. You landed in my lap, though, and I'm a gentleman. I wasn't gonna leave you out there. ( He pauses for a moment and when he speaks again his voice is soft. )

I get soft when it comes to women and children. It's a weakness.

[ So he's been out here since the beginning. That's... She can't even fathom what it must have been like for him. After being kept from society for so long, he'd finally gotten close to real freedom, and now he's had to find it out here in the wild. Alone.

He doesn't deserve it. None of them do, but him least of all. ]

It's only a weakness if people use it against you. [ Her words are quiet, though she doesn't worry he won't hear them. ] I won't do that. If I become a risk to you, I won't take advantage. I'll leave.

[ Honestly, she might do leave anyway. Take just enough time to get her bearings and then go on her way. If she stays, she'll just end up a burden to him, and she's not willing to do that. ]

You won't risk me. You clearly have enough training to get out of a government facility undetected and I found you without you tripping any perimeter guards so you're not helpless. You've got powers, I'm assuming, so that puts you on more than an even playing field. I'm not worried about you holding me back.

( He shifts his pack and shows her a tree with a deep slash in it. The underbrush is clear here and this is the turnoff to his camp. It's just a little ways ahead and when he gets into view of it, he shines his flashlight. )

Home sweet home. Sleep off the ground and the infected can't get you because they're stupid and I can snipe the military. We'll get you settled in and get you better weapons. I've got plenty you can pick from. Having you here means I can get twice the supplies when I do runs. It's not a bad thing.

[ He says that now, but will he still say it if she loses control of her powers? Just the idea of sleeping off the ground has her anxious. One good nightmare and she could send the entire thing crashing to the ground if they're not careful. It's not as if she doesn't have a dozen on constant rotation. ]

I'll help however I can for as long as I can.

[ He's not wrong about her abilities, powered or otherwise. She's more than capable of defending herself against humans or infected. But the second she becomes more hindrance than help... Taking a deep breath, she lets it out in a heavy, tired sigh. ]

I don't think I've said it enough: Thank you.

Hey, you're doing me a favor. I'm used to talking to trees for company. A person is definitely an improvement over a tree and you're a pretty good person to keep company with. Besides, you're full of knowledge I don't have so you can give me intel.

( Bucky grins at her then and tries to see if she's bought it. It's hardly the whole reason he wants her to stick around. He is lonely and he thinks she's useful and resourceful. If you're going to have someone around for the end of the world, Daisy Johnson seems to be a pretty good person. He doesn't think his judgment's off on this. )

And I can teach you how to hunt and fish. Isn't that exciting? Did you ever go camping as a kid? Because now you get the full Bucky Barnes experience.

I guess I've been pretty spoiled living in the quarantine zone. We've lost people and the government's ruled with a pretty iron fist, but I still had my team. I wasn't alone.

[ Could she have survived alone for as long as he had? She wants to brush off the idea because of course she would, but deep down she knows it would be the worst thing for her. Being truly alone and fighting for her life would bring back every horrible thing she's ever experienced. She would lose herself in all that pain out here.

It's a wonder he's managed it after all he's been through. Forcing a small smile, she loops back to the question he'd asked. ]

But no, I never went camping as a kid. The grand total of what I know about the great outdoors is from SHIELD's basic survival training, which I mostly skimmed just to pass the test. I never thought I'd be in a position to need it.

[ The one time she hadn't learned the material forwards and backward, and it's come back supremely bite her in the ass. It figures. ]

( The Quarantine Zone does have more people in it, true, but there's rationing there and he can eat as much as he wants here. Even if they wouldn't lock him up to run test after test, Bucky's fairly certain he'd be starving to death on rations. His metabolism just sucks up too much for him to function on so little food. When she says she hasn't ever been camping and just has basic survival training, he shakes his head. )

It's fine. I can teach you what you need to know. I didn't even know they had SHIELD agents do survival training but I guess field operatives would need to know it even if the paper pushers never did. I'm still wrapping my head around the idea that SHIELD isn't HYDRA anymore and I can trust them. Well. Trust you. And that Coulson guy you mentioned.

( Anyone who would risk his ass to bust someone out of the QZ is good people and, besides, he'd heard about Coulson from Steve even if that feels like a thousand years ago. He's glad Steve's not here to see all this. He doesn't know if his optimism would have remained if the world got this bad and a broken Steve is something no one needs to see. )

[ The rationing had been hard, though she would never openly admit it. Her metabolism is nothing like Bucky's, though being active means she's a bit thinner than she used to be, but the real trouble was the memories. She hadn't starved at the orphanage, but there was never extra, and she'd survived in the years after she'd left it, though some times were harder than others. It all made her more frugal when she'd finally earned a steady income with SHIELD. She'd accumulated good savings before the world ended; it's too bad money doesn't mean all that much anymore. ]

You know, he would be so excited to meet you. Coulson's always been a big history buff, especially when it comes to SHIELD and the SSR. He used to talk about the Howling Commandos all the time.

[ Back before they'd had other things to occupy their every waking moment. HYDRA, aliens, the end of the world... They hadn't been able to catch a break. ]

( Bucky smirks a little, tossing his head. The idea of someone being excited to meet him is novel, considering most of the time when he meets people they end up dead. There was a little while when it wasn't the case, a time when he wasn't the machine, but now he's back to killing people. Never civilians though. He's not like the hunters who rove around and steal from those who don't have it to give to begin with. No, he'll never be like that. He's just a loner. )

My war stories from then were pretty good though I didn't have as many about the rest of the guys than you'd think. I was a sniper. I spent most of my time up in a nest shooting people from far away and not on the ground in the action. I knew those guys, though, and they were good people. All of them. I miss them.

( He gestures to the ladder he has set up. He'd do stairs but Infected can get up stairs so it's a ladder. He can't really get hurt so much that he can't walk so it's convenient enough for him and Daisy seems to be in good shape. )

Go on up. I've got some food up there if you're hungry.

[ I miss them. Over the years, she's lost more than a few people, teammates and family. But Bucky... He lost everything and everyone in one fell swoop. And when he'd come back to the world, it ended not long after. It isn't fair. He deserves so much more than this.

So maybe she can stay awhile. Just until it isn't safe anymore. For him. ]

Okay...

[ She nods as she says it, reaching out to set a hand on the ladder. It is a better idea than stairs, much more secure, but just looking up at the structure above has her fighting back another burst of anxiety. There's nothing to be done about it, though, so up she goes, moving quietly and quickly. ]

( Bucky follows her up the ladder and once they're up in the nest, he points out a few things. It's not a lot but he has an extra bedroll, food and first aid supplies, some pain pills and various medications, and a few indulgent things. He has books, as many as he can manage to scavenge and he has a record player. )

It's not much but it's home. You're welcome to stay as long as you want. You're safer here than in any of the QZs and hunters aren't going to get out here to us. If they do, well. I know what I'm doing with a gun.

( He softens a bit. )

Is there anything you need right now?

[ It's actually kind of cozy, all things considered, and certainly a hell of a lot better than the van she'd lived in for years. Not that she'd ever say that aloud — she'd loved that van, it was the closest she'd ever come to a home until she found SHIELD. But this place... It could be a home.

Thinking of it that way isn't an option for her, though. She has to remember all of this is just temporary.

Shrugging off her bag, she carefully sets it on the floor, looking around the room with tired wariness. After a moment, she shakes her head, feeling every bit like she's just lost her entire world. Will she ever see her family again? She couldn't have stayed in the QZ, but now that she's gone, who will protect them? ]

No, I don't need anything. I think I'm... I'm still just processing, you know?

( Daisy looks lost, shell-shocked in the way a soldier looks when he returns home with half his weight and twice the baggage. He hasn't been affected by these things or run down by life because he spent so long as the soldier but normal people - normal people get hurt by this. He's been out here for a long time without anyone or needing anyone but now he thinks he needed a friend and maybe Daisy can be that.

It's been a long time since he had a friend. )

Yeah, sure. It's a lot to process. I'm not gonna ask you to talk about it. Before everything went to hell, I was in therapy, right? And she always wanted me to talk about shit and I don't process that way. I don't open up to someone because they tell me to do it. I write instead.

( He motions to a stack of journals. He's been keeping them since before all of this, since he was a man trying to piece together the broken fragments of his past. There's years of him in those journals, every emotion, and he'll keep stealing notebooks until he can't hold a pencil anymore. )

[ That stack of notebooks is a healthier way of coping with trauma than she's ever managed. She'd kept a notebook after Lincoln died, but it wasn't to process her grief, it was to plan her penance. A few years ago, she'd burned that book, watching the pages curl within the flames as she mourned yet another loss.

Death follows her wherever she goes. Maybe that's why it's not safe for her to be with Bucky. ]

I've been to therapy before. A lot, actually. [ Crouching down, she sits cross-legged next to her bag. ] Growing up in the foster system, I saw a different one every other year. It never helped. It didn't help when I joined SHIELD, either — there's just so much that's happened that no one could understand.

[ Over the years, she's picked up a few skills in self-analysis, though. So while she might avoid dealing with a lot of her own trauma and issues, she at least is aware enough to usually identify them, and she can pretend that counts for something. ]

We didn't have fostering back then. It was all orphanages. I was lucky, though. We were poor but I had a good family. We all loved one another and there was Steve, too. Even when I didn't have two nickels to my name, I had Steve and he had me.

( It's hard to think about, Steve, but he powers through it anyway because as much as he misses him, he's glad that Steve didn't have to live in the world like this. He's glad that Steve got to live a different life. )

When you're like us, nobody can understand what you go through. We're different. We're not even like the rest of SHIELD because we're not...you're an Inhuman and I'm something that isn't supposed to exist. We'll never be able to stand side by side with the rest of humanity and feel like we fit.

[ She envies him the family who loved him and the best friend who would and had done anything for him. For twenty-five years, Daisy had lived without either of those, and now that she finally has them, it's a searing pain to think they may have been ripped away from her. They've faced the end of the world before, more than once, and it seems so very unfair that now is when they finally lose. ]

There used to be a home for Inhumans called Afterlife. It was just us there, and no one from the outside world knew where it was. We were safe there...

[ Frowning sadly, she moves her bag into her lap, opening it up and half-heartedly examining the contents. ]

But I was an outsider there, too. I didn't follow the same steps everyone else did to get my powers, and no one knew who I really was. SHIELD was the only place I ever felt accepted.

And now your home is gone. I'm sorry. I know being out here in the woods with me is hardly the same but you've got a place for as long as you want it. I'm not going anywhere and I'm notoriously hard to kill. I've got your back, Daisy.

( Bucky doesn't know if it's the right thing to say but sometimes the genuine thing is more right than the thing that will make a person feel better. He's not about white lies or cushioning feelings, not anymore, and he feels like being honest with Daisy is a good policy. )

That is, if you can put up with a 106 year old man and his old man habits. I'm a history book, after all.

[ It is nice to hear all of that, though she wishes she were in a better place to properly respond to it. He's being so incredibly kind and she's just barely holding it together. She's not sure she deserves it, but she is grateful, which she shows through a slightly playful glance his way. ]

I think I can handle that. You know, you look pretty good for a senior citizen.

Yeah? I used to do swimming at the Y but you know, all that stuff's gone now so I have to get my exercise by running around and rescuing fair maidens. It's good for the soul.

( Bucky grins at her and honestly, he's so glad for the company. He might act like he needs no one but he does and this is nice. )

We could embark on an intense training regimen where we go steal shit at night and shoot infected during the day.

[ Daisy's torn between wishing she was alone to face her grief and the sudden shock of change and being glad she isn't. It isn't safe for her to be on her own out here — but it isn't safe for her to be with him either. The whole thing is confusing and frustrating and so... ]

Well, I guess we'll have to do something to pass the time. We can't exactly go to the movies.

[ Or anything else normal people used to do to pass the time. Whatever those things were. ]

Next time we go steal stuff, lets find some cards. I never got them before because I figured solitaire was a waste of my time but with you here, we could actually do something.

( When people made prep lists for the end of the world before the end of the world was a thing, they never mentioned things like music or books or playing cards. It was always stuff like food, ammo, fuel - things you need to survive. But is it living if you're just surviving? Is there life without something to break the tedium? Bucky doesn't think so. )

If nothing else, I can tell you all the things you didn't learn in history class. That'll get you through a month or two.

[ Daisy sorts through some of the things in the pack Coulson gave her. No clothes, there wasn't time for him to grab anything from her room, so it's just standard supplies with some extras thrown in. She holds one of the white pill bottles in her hand, feeling the shifting tablets within. ]

I didn't just learn about you in history class. At least, not just the ones in school. Coulson told us stories all the time during my first year with SHIELD, and then after HYDRA... We talked about you sometimes. What we knew about what happened to you. [ She doesn't look at him as she admits the next. ] I couldn't read all the files we found.

( SHIELD would have files on him. He'd been a ghost story for a long time, sure, but when SHIELD reformed after HYDRA had been rooted out, a lot of files that had been hidden suddenly opened up again. There's information on him that isn't public knowledge but it would be accessible to a SHIELD agent and, depending on the clearance, it might not be information he'd want out. )

They were in Russian, I bet. Or you mean you didn't have clearance? I know there's intel on me that was HYDRA eyes only. Things about...how they tested on me, what poisons and what drugs. What kills I made. What other things I had to do.

( He scrubs at the plates in his left hand in absence of anything else to do. He's never been much of a fidgeter but this is a hard thing to talk about. )

Pimped out to any government or terrorist who wanted me, for the right price. Not such a hero to you anymore, am I?

[ Glancing up at him briefly, she notices the way he rubs at his hand and wonders if it's the usual way he expresses his discomfort. Everyone has their tells, even the best spies, and she'd rather learn his from the start so she knows when to back off and offer whatever he needs, be it space or comfort. She'll need to learn that too. ]

Of course, you are. Growing up, you and the others were the stuff of comic books, but now that I know the monsters you faced and the horrors you survived, I understand how much you really deserve the title. Because look at you — still standing, still helping people.

[ She stuffs the pill bottle back into the backpack and pulls it up onto her lap, her hands gripping hold of it like it's a security blanket. He's not the only one who has things that are hard to talk about. ]

And I do understand. A little. More than most. What it's like to be used by someone who only sees you as a tool... to have your mind rewritten so you don't fight it.

Wouldn't wish it on anyone. Sorry that it happened to you, Daisy. HYDRA, I'm assuming?

( They aren't the only ones who could do such a thing, no, but he knows that HYDRA was in SHIELD so deeply that when it all came down, there was a good three out of four agents that weren't trying to protect the interests of the people over the interests of HYDRA. )

They're pieces of shit. Of course, the government in general is a piece of shit right now and they don't even need the help of HYDRA.

HYDRA destroyed my family.

[ This shouldn't be hard to talk about, she's told this story a lot more than the other one, but it all just... hurts. Everything hurts so much more than it should today. It's like her chest is being pried apart while someone twists the knife in her heart. ]

I'll tell you everything about it if you want to know. I want to be an open book with you — it only seems fair when I know so much more about you than you do about me. I just... Not today. I can't talk about it today.

Don't ever have to talk about it if you don't want to. I'm not the kind of person to be into prying into personal lives. Mine isn't private and never will be unless you were born after the world went to shit but doesn't mean you don't have a right to your privacy. HYDRA took from you same as it took from me. That's all I need to know. If you ever wanna tell me more, you're welcome to.

( Bucky frowns at her in concern. Daisy looks shell-shocked and he knows it's been a hell of a day (night?) for her so he wants to see if he can comfort her somehow. He's not so good at that but he can offer what he has. )

Are you hungry?

[ It's nice of him to say all of that but it's not enough to change her mind, especially when he'll inevitably see the lasting results of all she's endured at the hands of HYDRA over the years. A bubble of panic threatens to break through the numb shock starting to set in and she's grateful for the change of subject even if she's not entirely sure what to do with it. ]

I, uhm... I don't know. [ She looks down at the bag again, though this time she hardly sees it. How long was she running before he'd found her? Hours, maybe? ] I should probably eat something.

Need to keep your calories up. Can't run away from shit if you're fainting from hunger. Here, let me get you something.

( Bucky has a stash of quick rations and he rifles through it and tosses over a protein bar and some jerky along with a thermos of clean water. He spends a good half his time working on water and making sure he has plenty of it to drink. He's grateful for all his paranoia now. )

We'll have something more substantial later when I cook but that should hold you over. I haven't checked my traps because I was raiding tonight. Didn't think I was bringing a partner back, though.

[ He's right. Keeping her calories up is something she has to worry about out here. At any moment, something could come upon them that they'd have to fight or run from, and there won't be a safe place to fall back to like there was in the quarantine zone. They don't have storerooms of shitty rations to rely on, only whatever they can scavenge or hunt. As many times as she'd gone on runs outside the walls, she hadn't been prepared for this.

Taking a bite of the protein bar that tastes like cardboard that sat next to a jar of peanut butter, she chews on auto-pilot, swallowing it down before speaking. ]

You can hunt and cook. I don't know how to do anything useful out here that you can't already handle yourself. [ Doubt and guilt well up inside her and she struggles to ride the familiar tide of it. ] I'm sorry about that. But I'm a fast learner.

You think I would have brought you with me if I thought you weren't worth the effort? I shoot people on sight most of the time because I don't want them telling their little friends who I am. I don't exactly have an unrecognizable face.

( Daisy should know, considering she'd spotted him on sight. People of a certain age are going to know exactly who he is and it's too dangerous to let them live to go back and tell the military or whoever that Bucky Barnes is ghosting around the QZ. He's got to live with it now. )

Bringing you back with me was my choice, not yours. I guess I've gotten soft in my old age.

[ Worth the effort. He hits the nail on the head with those words. Ever since she was a kid, she's had to worry about everyone around her in ways the average person doesn't. Will she be what they expected? And if she's not, will they reject her for it? Will they decide later she isn't worth the effort after all and regret wasting their time on her?

She's had to hide sides of herself to be what others wanted just so she could stay, and already she can feel those old tendencies rising up inside her. It will take a lot for her to even approach believing that it won't be an issue now, if it's even possible at all. ]

Yeah, I guess so. [ There's a strain to those words, though she manages a semblance of a smile for the next ones. ] The next step is creaky joints. You excited?

Know so. And yeah, I'm waiting to get my walker in from the VA. Don't even know if that exists anymore. Probably not. If you're alive in this bullshit, you're probably already walking wounded.

( Bucky studies her face in the low light and tries to decide if Daisy is the type to bolt in the middle of the night and rat on him. He decides she's not after a second. He believes her about being Inhuman and he believes her story about being tested on. She needs him. He might not need her here but he wants her here. )

You got any news with you? I don't get a lot of that because it's not my focus. Rebellions, shit like that?

[ Daisy is very much the type to bolt in the middle of the night, but not to rat on anyone. If she disappears into the darkness, it'll be out of fear and guilt, possibly even a misguided sense of needing to protect someone. The number of times she's sacrificed her own happiness because of feeling someone is better off without her is definitely well into double digits now.

She takes another bite of the bar and chews carefully while she thinks over his question. ]

Working on a cure is kind of the biggest thing lately, though the public doesn't know about it. Until there's actual progress, they don't want to give false hope — but people are starting to get desperate. Crime is on the rise, and there have been a few attempts by assholes to take control of the QZ. [ After a moment of silence, she continues quietly. ] It's not a perfect place, but we've heard some of the others are worse.

[ The murder and dissection of Inhumans notwithstanding, of course. That singular event is threatening to change her entire opinion of the system and she's not sure how to cope with that. ]

Better than the places controlled by criminals. Although I guess I'm technically a criminal by the definitions set down by our wonderful Federal Government.

( Bucky watches her, taking in every movement. Daisy seems shaken but resilient, the kind of person who takes a hit and keeps on going. He doesn't feel like he's made a mistake bringing her here and he's going to trust his gut until he has a reason to turn on that intuition. As it is, he doesn't think she's done anything but tell him the truth and it will be helpful to have someone else. )

I thought about going up into the mountains in West Virginia? I figured it was emptier up there and I would be dealing more with stragglers and the lone human than hordes of infected. There's no QZ close, though, and the winters are harder than they are here closer to DC. We get snow here, sure, but it's nothing like what I'd get up there. I'm kind of glad I didn't move camp. If we move now, it'll be both of us. I'll get you outfitted in weapons tomorrow. Tonight, though...you want to listen to some music? I managed to steal a record player and some records. You can go pick.

[ Shaken but resilient is the perfect way to describe her current state. With everything she's been through in life, she's learned to be the type to take the hits and keep going, adjusting her armor to cover the new vulnerable spots. And she's feeling pretty damn vulnerable right now, with everything and everyone she cares about ripped away when she ran for her life. What kind of life is she supposed to have out here? What if this is all the life that's left for the world?

It feels strange to still be so relatively close to the QZ. He mentions the mountains and it sounds so much safer than being within a few hours of travel. The talk of snow is concerning, though, and she's distracted enough by calculating how soon winter will arrive that she doesn't realize what else he's said at first.

A record player. Coulson would love that. ]

Is it safe enough here for that?

Who's gonna come up here and try me, Daisy? They'd have to bring an army since I've been stealing all their riot weapons. I've got grenade launchers up here - the Feds are the only ones armed enough to take me and it'd have to be a whole tank of them, which they won't send out here.

( Bucky pauses for a moment. She still seems shell-shocked and he can't blame her. SHIELD agent or no, not many people have seen as much war and death as he has and while he's able to brush off just about everything because he's numb to it, it doesn't mean normal people can. He hasn't felt anything for anyone in so long that surviving day to day is his only objective and feelings don't come into it. )

It's up to you but I've had it for a while and I haven't had infected or people come up here because of it.

[ The fear and doubt rise up again as her mind latches on to one possible scenario that might convince someone to face the former Winter Soldier. If the government believes Inhumans are the path to a cure and they run out of test subjects... These are the times when people get desperate enough to do cruel and stupid things. If they get wind that she's hiding here with him, they might just send that tank. And then she'll have to go with them because she would never risk his life and freedom like that. ]

Okay. [ She nods absently at first, then more firmly. ] Okay. But you pick tonight. I'll do it tomorrow.

[ She isn't ready to get up and think and choose. Even the idea of it is exhausting. He can carry the burden of this simple thing tonight, and tomorrow she'll start carrying her weight in all things. ]

I'll pick tonight. I think I've got smooth jazz for elevators if that makes you happy.

( Bucky shuffles through his records until he finds a Billie Holiday record and put it on. He loves jazz and always has and if Daisy is overwhelmed and tired, she won't think this is too much. If not, he can try pop, but the jazz is probably more relaxing. He drops the needle and the music plays out in his treehouse. )

You can relax, okay? I know that sounds...I'm the most tightly wound guy alive, I know that, but I'm not going to let anything happen to you. You can relax.

[ The opening notes of the song hit just right, smoothing out the ragged edges of her nerves and settling something within her. Daisy's not naive enough to think she'll be able to keep hold of this sense of comfort, but she'll try to enjoy it while she can. ]

I've never been very good at relaxing. [ Her admission is said with a bit of a smile though. ] I like the music. Coulson used to listen to this in his office. I'd tease him about it sometimes.

Yeah? Coulson is climbing higher and higher on my list of people I like. Wish I could meet him. It's just you and me for now, though. I've got a lot I need to do before it gets too cold for us to do foraging in the woods but it'll wait until the morning. I want to get you in the routine fast, though, because you need to know how to do this in case something happens to me.

( It's borrowing trouble to say it, he guesses, but he needs to be open and honest with Daisy about what life is like here and how it's different than inside the QZ. )

I don't want you having to go back there. Ever.

Thank you.

[ There isn't anything else she can say to that. The weight behind that statement is almost overwhelming with all it means for them. He knows what she would be facing if she went back there, and she knows what he's capable of if he puts his mind to it. But he'll learn what she's capable of, too, sooner or later. ]

But nothing's going to happen to you. I won't let it. This thing goes both ways.

( Bucky's certain he could fight his way through the QZ to get her if he had to but hopefully neither of them are ever going to have to worry about it. It's sheer luck that he found her and he doesn't believe much in God or good fortunes anymore but he thinks there must be a little of that stuff still out there because he found Daisy and scooped her up before something could come at her that she couldn't handle. )

Got it. I'll try not to make you have to pay up on that. You've got my six and I've got yours. Next time I see a dilapidated church I'll toss a prayer up. I was gonna die of being lonely. I'm sure you didn't expect the big, bad Winter Soldier to admit he was lonely, did you?

[ He's probably trying to make a joke, but it isn't a funny topic for her. For over half her life, she'd lived and breathed loneliness. Not once in her life had she known what it was like to not carry that aching emptiness inside her — not until she'd joined SHIELD. Everything changed after that. ]

Everyone gets lonely, Bucky. I would have expected the Winter Soldier to be the loneliest of all.

( Daisy says it soberly and he guesses she must know something about the kind of lonely he feels deep in his bones because she's right - the Winter Soldier is the loneliest of all. Cut off from engaging with the world in any real way except for programmed commands, Bucky had been screaming to get out for all those decades. The loneliness he experiences now is nothing like that. )

I don't trust people anymore. Even before the world went to shit, I didn't, because people are worse than any other kind of threat out there. They're worse than monsters or weapons - people choose to kill, to maim, to hurt. Even moreso now.

You're not wrong.

[ People are the worst threat out there. They're worse than the infected and worse than any alien invaders. Humans are one of the worst species she's ever encountered in the universe — but there are good people out there, too, and she hopes she can help remind Bucky of that. There are still people worth fighting for.

Glancing around, Daisy's quiet for a moment, letting the music fill the space. Finally, she makes a quiet observation. ]

It's pretty late.

[ She actually has no idea what time it is, and it doesn't really matter all that much, she's just tired and trying to find a way to approach that subject. ]

Yeah, it's late. If you want to get sleep, I'll keep watch. I have my trip wires set up so no one is going to sneak up on me but I'll keep a watch just to make sure. I want you to be able to get some good sleep.

( He wants Daisy to be able to trust him, too, and if he keeps watch for her while she rests, maybe that will go a long way in establishing that trust. )

[ Part of her wishes he would take the time to sleep too, even though she knows she'll sleep easier knowing someone is on watch. For now, anyway. Hopefully, with more time... But there's still a logistical issue to take care of. ]

I appreciate that. [ She pauses, then: ] I have nightmares sometimes. If you have to wake me up during one, it's safer if you don't touch me.

Noted. Better if you let me wake up from mine, too. If you touch me, I might punch you, and nobody wants that. We'll just let each other come up out of our own nightmares.

( Bucky gives her a soft look. )

I'm sorry you have them. Wouldn't wish it on anyone.

[ She doesn't know what to do with that look. Of course, he understands, and of course, he has his own nightmares, but offering words like that? It makes her uncomfortable simply because she wasn't expecting it.

She also doesn't know how to tell him he might have to wake her sometimes. If she stays with him long enough, there's bound to be a night when the dreams are so dark and terrible that she'll use her powers on pure instinct. But it likely won't be tonight, so they can cross that bridge tomorrow. ]

There are people who have it a lot worse. [ Like him. ] But thanks.

Doesn't mean that yours aren't terrible. You only know the extent of how bad your own shit is and what you can handle. If it's hard for you to handle, it's hard, and there's no comparison you can do. I'll keep you safe. Said I would, didn't I?

( It includes nightmares, even if his abilities don't extend to psychic ones. He can be there in the aftermath and talk - or don't - until the fear has passed. Sometimes just having another person there can help him and maybe it'll help Daisy. )

[ She wants so badly to believe him, but no one can save her from the nightmares. They're terrible memories twisted into even more horrific incidents, her traumatized mind unable to escape the events that caused the worst damage. And relying on someone to help her through them... It's too much. Her pain is too much to expect anyone to carry.

Nodding is her only response; she hopes he assumes it's because she's tired. Instead of going in verbal circles around this subject, she grabs the extra bedroll he'd pointed out earlier and unrolls it in a clear patch of floor. ]

( Bucky ends up taking first and second watch so that Daisy can just sleep and when the sun is peeking up over the horizon, he gently wakes her with a touch of his hand to her shoulder. )

Hey, you get enough sleep? I want to show you what I do during the day so you know how to work on those things before our next run into the QZ. I just let you sleep through second watch. Looked like you needed it.

[ Daisy doesn't wake once throughout the night, physical exertion and anxiety draining her of every last ounce of energy. That touch to her shoulder drags her up from deep sleep, and it's the presence of significant metal on the person that keeps her from groggily lashing out. It reminds her senses of people she loves — Coulson and Sousa and Yo-Yo, people she's trusted for years, and so her subconscious associates that feeling of trust and safety with Bucky now too.

Blinking blearily up at him, she glances around for a moment before rubbing at her eyes. ]

Thanks, but you deserved to rest too. [ It's a half-hearted protest, though, because there's no point in making a real fuss unless it continues to be a problem. Sitting up, she scoots off the bedroll so she can roll it up again and set it off to the side and out of the way. Then she stands, runs a hand through her sleep-mussed hair in an attempt to tame it, and nods. ] Okay, yeah, let's go.

I can actually go without sleep for longer than you. Plenty of time for me to sleep tonight while you do a watch for me. I don't need that much if I have to go without. Winter Soldier special.

( Bucky rifles through their supplies again and gives her a protein bar. It's not the best but it's portable and he wants to get them moving as quickly as he can. )

Setting traps and gathering today. When the weather turns, we'll lose the berries and mushrooms, so we better get them now while they're still out there. I like to keep a store up of the useful shit to dry out too. Not that Willow Bark does much for me but if I was dying of a fever and we had nothing else, we'd be glad for it. You can tell me as much as you can about what's going on inside that QZ. I only sneak in at night but I haven't heard any of the gossip.

[ No, the protein bar isn't the best with its chalky cocoa flavor and dry yet chewy texture, but it's better than nothing. She might have her preferences, but Daisy learned not to be picky a long time ago.

Carefully chewing a bit of the bar, she listens to Bucky explain the basics of what it's like here, the details she'll need to remember if she's going to survive. When he comes to the mention of talking about things inside the QZ, though, she nearly flinches. She'd really rather not talk about things back there, but it would probably seem ungrateful and more than a little suspicious to tell him that. ]

I've never done anything like this, I grew up in cities, but I'm a quick learner and I can pull my own weight.

Didn't think you'd be an anchor on me. Don't worry about it. If it's anything to you, I'm so damn lonely that as long as you didn't lead anyone back here, I'd let you stay for free. But I think you're not that kind of person so I'm really not worried about it.

( Bucky wipes at his left hand with his t-shirt, one of his very few tics, and gives her a look from under hooded lashes. )

You'll pick it up fast. It's just rote and repetition.

[ Holding the protein bar with her teeth, she leans over to tug on her boots, the only thing she'd done to get more comfortable last night for sleeping. They'd been left right within reach in case she needed to get up fast, but without any frantic need pulling her into action, she's able to take a moment to lace them up properly. She takes another bite of the bar as she straightens up again, talking around the tough mix of oats, nuts, and who knows what else while she grabs her bag. ]

I'll take your word for that and hope you're right.

[ Maybe it's overkill to take her bag with her, but out here, she's willing to lean into those slightly paranoid instincts for a while longer. She pulls to tighten the shoulder straps and then nods. ]

Okay, teach. Let's go.

First thing I do every morning is check my trip wires. Now, we'd know if someone actually triggered them because they'd yell about being strung up in a tree but you want to make sure your ropes are tight and aren't frayed. I'll show you where you can walk to avoid them, too, so you're not the one getting strung up.

( Bucky merely jumps down from the top of the treehouse but he knows that Daisy may or may not be able to do that. )

Jump it if you can and spare yourself the climbing. I only put the ladders in to go up, not down.

[ Daisy watches him go, that super soldier serum making it look as easy as breathing, never mind that they're a good ways up. Eyeballing the distance, she decides it's better not to risk a broken leg just to show off, so she jumps with both hands out at her sides, sending out the slightest ripple of vibration to catch herself. There's a mild rumble as she lands, her knees bending with the impact, but it's not enough to be felt more than a few years away in any direction. ]

I can go up without a ladder too if I need to. [ She says with a shrug like it's no big deal. ]

Neat trick. Could come in handy sometime. Let's check these trip lines. Of course, we already know nothing tripped them since we didn't get woken up by them but good to make sure they're sturdy anyway.

( Bucky goes over to the first one, hidden well in the grass and fallen leaves and soon to be buried under snow. )

See, the line's still taut and not frayed. I'm gonna climb that tree and make sure squirrels haven't chewed my net.

[ The snow isn't something she's looking forward to. Everything will become harder then, from finding food to just walking around. And if she's worried about her nightmares now... But it's inevitable, and the changing seasons aren't a problem she can outrun.

Carefully following Bucky's steps, she watches him closely. ]

Climbing trees. Yeah, okay.

[ That's one thing she's definitely never done before. She can jump over trees, but climbing them is going to require a totally different skill set. ]

( Climbing trees is nothing he learned as a child and is really just a lateral transition of skill from climbing a rope or a cliffside and just making his handholds bark instead of niches in rock. Trees don't tend to be as dangerous but there's danger in anything and he can't get complacent.

Bucky shimmies his way up the tree and perches on the sturdy branch that is connected to his tripline and it seems like the squirrels haven't gotten to it. Yet, anyway. )

This one's clear. I check them every other day. It's a waste of time to do it daily but you want to look at it more than once a week or you run the risk of getting caught by nasty surprise. There's a hive up here. You think you can vibrate in a way to make these bees come out and abandon it?

[ In an attempt at learning something, she watches him make his way up the tree, trying to spot what he's grabbing hold of along the way and how he's leveraging his weight. It's a ridiculous exercise, though — the man's a supersoldier, he can probably bench press a car, so of course he can haul himself up into a tree.

His question takes her by surprise and she has to really consider her answer. Obviously, he's not allergic, but it would still hurt like hell to be stung. And if she's the one up there... ]

I'm not sure. Maybe? But you probably don't want to be up there while I try.

Fair enough. Let me get back down to the ground and see if we can do it from there. If we can get them to swarm and abandon the hive, I can go back up there and get it. Seems a waste not to since it's on our doorstep.

( Normally he'd go through the pain of smoking them out but he thinks Daisy might be able to help him with this and he wants her to feel useful too, like she's contributing something other than good company for him. He makes his way back down the tree and hits the ground boots first. )

Showtime, I guess.

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