the fossil is becoming even older

[noparachute]

Who: Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, and anyone that's friends with Bucky (or at least tolerates)
Where: An open area in district 7
When: March 10th
Summary: It's Bucky's birthday and Steve wants to celebrate it. Friends and tolerated allies are all invited.
Warnings: None for now!



Unlike the potluck, Steve already had all the food out and ready for the party. None of it was really fancy, mostly just pizza and sandwiches that he bought. He wasn't exactly rich, so those would have to do. But he did manage to get a birthday cake for Bucky and it was lying in the center of a table, thankfully only covered with two candles that read '98.'

He had asked Bucky who he wanted to invite to the party and from there, Steve asked them through the communication network if they could attend. He was hoping that many showed up... although he was pretty pleased to know that Bucky had several people here that liked being his friend. Or. At least tolerated him.

That was a good step.

The overall area was decorated with an adequate amount of balloons and there was a place where people could place their presents if they bought one. Steve didn't really require anyone to buy one though.

For now, Steve was just standing around with Bucky, talking to him as they waited for guests to arrive.

Comments

[heismymission]

Bucky still didn't really know what all of this was supposed to be about, but he hadn't argued about Steve doing things for him. If it was really what he wanted, why should Bucky stop him? He was still trying to be the person his friend wanted.

"This is all usual, huh?"

He looked around the area and all the preparations, trying to remember if he'd... had any birthdays he celebrated. He couldn't remember any, but that was nothing new. He'd try to focus on what he learned.

[smallspot]

"Yes, birthdays are important! You should always celebrate them somehow!" Diarmuid smiles up at Bucky happily and then holds a package out to him. It's wrapped in paper that has childish crayon drawings on it, "This is for you! I wasn't sure what to get for you, but I think this will come in handy."

There isn't anything he can do to help Bucky remember the things he has forgotten, but there are things he can do to make sure his friend remembers the things he does here.

[heismymission]

Bucky opened his mouth to ask about why birthdays were so important, but he didn't manage to get anything out before Diarmuid presented the gift. ... He guessed he'd ask later.

"Thanks," he said somewhat awkwardly, feeling uneasy. He hadn't really received a lot of gifts, especially not during celebrations that were exclusively for him. He did have the sense to start opening the wrappings, but was careful not to tear anything too badly, given the amount of work the boy must have put into it.

[smallspot]

Once Bucky gets the present opened, he will find a notebook inside. It has a leather cover with a symbol stamped into it. Diarmuid stretches up onto his tiptoes so he can point at the symbol, "This is like the symbol we use for protection back home! You have helped to protect me a lot while I have been here, plus the book is a place you can write down the things you do so you don't forget. You can also write down whatever you remember so you don't forget again! It will protect your memories if anything bad ever happens again!"

Diarmuid wants to hope nothing else bad will happen to his friend's memories, but with all of the things that have started to happen around here, he isn't as hopeful as he used to be about everything working out okay.

[heismymission]

A notebook... he hadn't really thought about writing things down, for the most part, although he does still have the note his past self wrote. But now that the option has been presented to him, it makes sense to do it. Maybe it'll make things easier to sort out.

Something close to a smile crosses his face for a brief moment. It's a thoughtful gift, just like the boy himself. He reaches over to ruffle Diarmuid's hair affectionately.

"I'll make good use of it."

[smallspot]

Diarmuid giggles at the hair ruffling, very happy that Bucky likes his gift, "I didn't know what else to get you. I know it's not a very exciting gift, but it is a helpful one, right? Oh! And the shopkeeper told me that when you use up all the paper, you can get a refill and just reuse the cover. That made me happy because it's a really nice cover!"

Excuse him, Bucky. He's just rambling because he's so excited his gift was well received.

[heismymission]

"It's a good one," he reassured Diarmuid. "I will if I do."

He didn't think he'd be filling up the book that quickly, certainly not here if he had anything to do with it, but it was worth keeping in mind, he guessed. Carefully, Bucky placed the notebook on the table, along with the folded-up drawings that served as its wrapping. His eyes move to the cake that he has yet to have any of and he looks at the candles for a moment.

[smallspot]

The reassurance seems to be enough to get Diarmuid to stop babbling at least. He watches as Bucky places his gift carefully on the table and then his expression grows curious when his friend seems to grow so focused on the cake.

"Is something wrong? Do you want some cake? You have to blow out the candles first. And make a wish! But don't tell anyone the wish or it won't come true. That is what people tell me they do now anyway!"

[heismymission]

Bucky shakes his head at the kid's question; the cake itself hadn't really been what he was focusing on.

"I was just looking at the candles. Thinking about how long 98 years seems."

He knows it's technically true that he's been... around for that long, but he was pretty sure most of those years didn't really count.

[smallspot]

Diarmuid's expression falls a little and then walks over to put one small hand on Bucky's arm, "Does it make you sad that you know you've been around so long, but so much of that time is missing? I know it would make me sad." The boy takes a deep breath and then looks up at Bucky with a smile, "The past is important, but you can't just focus on it. Birthdays are about more than just thinking about the past. They are also a time to know you are starting a brand new year where anything is possible!"

[heismymission]

"Not sad," he replies, gaze still focused on the numbers. "Not really. I want to remember, but."

He takes in a breath, trying to think of how to put it. Of how he'd come from a place where two weeks felt like a long time. He finally turns to look at the boy after a few seconds.

"How old are you, Diarmuid?"

[noparachute]

Steve wasn't completely sure how Bucky would handle a birthday party dedicated to him, but he seemed to be doing okay so far. It made him relieved, although he sometimes couldn't tell what was going on in his head. He knew that Bucky tried to be the person he used to be still, so it sometimes made things more bittersweet than it should.

However, for right now, he wasn't acting how he used to be. That sincerity was nice, so Steve smiled a little at him.

"For the most part. Usually you had more girls in your parties though."

[heismymission]

It was exhausting trying to keep up the act of being more like the old Bucky, and he slipped up sometimes without thinking about it. He would just have to keep a closer eye on what he said and did. He did want to know some things that he couldn't possibly find out on his own, though, so it meant sometimes he had to make the sacrifice and ask.

At Steve's reply, he raised his eyebrows and made a show of looking around for a moment.

"Chromia's here." So there was a girl. Technically.

[noparachute]

Steve raised an eyebrow at that. While Chromia was a girl and he really enjoyed talking with her, she didn't quite fit in the same category as the girls that he used to see at Bucky's parties.

Her being a giant robot was a big part, but he didn't want to state the obvious.

"Sure, Buck. But that's like sayin' your mom's here."

[heismymission]

"It's not like there are any women our age here," was Bucky's only reply as he tilted his head skeptically. He wasn't about to mention Wilykit, and he wasn't going to say anything about Chromia acting like a mother. He hardly remembered what a mother was supposed to be, anyway.

[noparachute]

Steve just patted Bucky's shoulder at that comment. It was definitely true, there weren't that many women in this city that were around their age. Maybe Fortuna? But they were just... friends? At least they get along from what he knew.

"Guess you're just gonna have to settle for me." He joked lightly, not really serious.

[heismymission]

Technically speaking, there weren't exactly any 90-year-old women in the city apart from the natives. In any case, Bucky didn't really think of anyone in a romantic way--not the way that his past self did. Fortuna was a friend an ally in his mind, and he didn't really think much else about it.

He nudged Steve with his elbow and raised his eyebrows. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

[noparachute]

He couldn't stop himself from looking pleased at that. Not only was Bucky joking back with him, but his comment really meant a lot to him. Part of him wanted to be sappy, but he knew that doing so would only be a little awkward right now.

"Don't really pull a feminine figure all that well."

[heismymission]

"You sure?" he countered, his expression carefully neutral as he looked at his friend. "I can't remember. Maybe you should jog my memory."

[noparachute]

Steve looked flabbergasted for a moment, his jaw dropping slightly as he tried to think of a response. Did Bucky really say that to him? He wasn't imagining that, right?

He punched his friend in the arm, but he was clearly amused... and a little embarrassed, if that small blush was anything to go by. "Idiot. We both know that you look more like a lady than me anyway."

Pretend this isn't stupidly late. >.>

[alley_kit]

"I don't know," Kit said, glancing around at all the decorations as she approached. "We never had the money for big parties and stuff back home, so a birthday just usually meant a special meal, and maybe a cake. It is really nice, though!"

She offered her package. It's smallish, mostly flat and rectangular, and unlike Diarmuid's it's obviously been professionally gift wrapped in shiny, dark blue paper. "Happy birthday, James!", she said. "I hope you like it. I didn't know what to get you at first, but I figured you could use this."

[heismymission]

"Yeah," Bucky agreed, but it wasn't like he had much to compare this to. Pretty much any kind of celebration would have been nice to him.

By now, he had gotten enough gifts to make him a little more used to it, even if it still felt strange. He held the package for a moment and turned it over in his hands before starting to open it. Whatever was inside, he would appreciate it just by the fact it was a gift.

[alley_kit]

When Bucky opened the package he would find a fancy, new multi-gadget pocket knife with a metallic red casing. It even came with a little instruction booklet explaining all the different gadgets the knife has and how to access them.

Not that that stopped Kit from telling him about a few of them herself. "This knife is really cool," Kit said. "It doesn't just have a knife blade, it's got a scissors, a corkscrew, a bottle opener, a screwdriver, and a bunch of other stuff! It's practically a whole tool kit you can carry around in your pocket."

((OOC: Kit's gift is actually somewhat fancier than that, and has more widgets, but that's the closest image I could find to what I was picturing.))

[heismymission]

He was somewhat familiar with the Swiss Army knives that were used back in his own world, just because they were useful and sometimes he'd needed tools other than weapons. He hadn't thought of getting one for himself, but he's... glad that Wily-Kit had thought of it. Glad isn't really a word that can describe him often.

Bucky smiles just barely--but it's enough of a change from his usual expression that it's fairly obvious--and reaches over to ruffle Kit's hair with his right hand.

"Thanks. It'll come in handy."

[alley_kit]

Was that a smile? It totally was! OK, it was just a little one, but still, mission accomplished. James really needed more reasons to smile.

Kit grinned when her hair was ruffled, though Bucky might notice that there's a bit more structure to what he's ruffling than just hair could account for. "I'm glad you like it," Kit said. "The guy at the shop didn't want to sell it to me at first, cause I'm just a kid, but when I convinced him that I was telling the truth about it being a gift, he said OK." And a bit of extra cuteness thrown in there hadn't hurt matters either.