worthallthis | The Last Voyages: IC Inbox

[Loyalty outside of all reason is possibly a thing B might understand. Maybe. He eyes Ellie a moment, on his knees in the blankets next to the finished fort.]

And she's nicer to you now that she knows?

[Look B is not... super fond of Tess. This will remove at least one reason to not be fond of her, and he thinks it's important that he's got it right.]

Yeah.

[Ellie decides it's time to leave her perch and plops down to peek inside the fort.]

... I think she thinks I'm not right in the head, but whatever. There's worse.

[Have a deeply skeptical look, there, Ellie, even while he scoots back a little to give her room. It's her blanket fort, he said. Go on and see what it's like in there.]

Why would she think that?

Because Joel is an asshole and not a good person. I'm choosing him over the whole world.

[But she knows this. And easily gets on her elbows to crawl into the little fort, huffing out a laugh.]

[B is pretty sure Joel isn't worse than he is. He's definitely sure he's not worse than literally anybody at HYDRA. And if he had to choose between Ellie and the world, or Godric and the world, or Steve and the world--

He doesn't know. He won't ever have to, he's sure, at least. They don't leave those kinds of decisions up to murder machines. So all he says is:]

I don't think you're not right in the head.

[And then he drops a blanket down over the front of the pillow fort, blocking her from sight. As a joke.]

Thanks, B.

[He might not be the best judgement of character, but she'll take it. And she laughs a little more when she's closed in.

Except she can stick an arm out between the pillows. Slow enough, and she's not going to grab him, but it's in his general direction.]

[B is an excellent judge of character, thank you.

He considers that reaching hand soberly for a minute, then reaches down to give it a gently, low-five. (There's such a thing, right? High-five up high, low-five down low. It makes logical sense, anyway.)]

[It takes Ellie a moment to realize what, exactly, he's done. It makes her laugh again.]

This is cool, but it's not that fun by myself. I think we need to get creative with these pillows and the sofa and make a tent or something.

[She waves that arm around a bit.]

[Well, if she really wants. It'll have to be pretty big for both of them to fit, and not so close that he freaks out. He considers a moment.]

We can turn the couch around and use the back for a lean-to.

[Never let it be said B isn't resourceful.]

[He's string enough to do that with ease, though...

Ellie points in Bucky's direction.]

I don't know what's fallen under and behind my couch. I've literally never cleaned back there. Careful. And don't judge me.

You should have a cat to bat things around under there. Keeps it cleaner.

[He's not entirely serious, there. He picks himself up and shuffles over to the couch, kicking blankets out of the way so he can move it without getting tangled up in anything.]

Having a kid at home is enough in that category, thank you very much.

[Even if he's too young to really bat things around very well. He just kind of likes sticking things into his mouth and screaming.

That said, it looks like a child's mess behind the sofa--the usual dust, and then there's colored pencils, regular pencils, a t-shirt covered in dust bunnies, a notepad, a comic book, and some pieces of paper with horses sketched on them.]

Oh. Huh. Wondered where all this went.

[He can move the sofa while she gathers all that shit up. Oops.]

How did the shirt get under there?

[He's moving it like a normal person would, at least: no active serum, so no hefting furniture around like it weighs nothing. It gets shoved to one side and tugged around more than lifted.]

I took it off, threw it over here, and... I dunno. It got lost.

[She looks over to her open closet, where there is... a lot of plaid. She wears a lot of plaid. One going missing is easy.]

Don't look under my bed.

Why would you throw it at your couch, Ellie. You could have at least thrown it at your closet.

[He really does need to pick up his stealth cleaning again, doesn't he. Yunlan doesn't need it anymore, but it kind of looks like Ellie does.

He pivots the couch around, as much as he can in the space, bumping at the current pillow fort in the process.]

'cause it wasn't dirty. I was gonna wear it again.

[Ellie wears her shirts until they begin to stink or get a stain on them. So, does she wear plaid almost every day some weeks, or is she cycling through the same two or three that she just throws on the couch...?]

Anyway, we're here to make a fort you can hang out in with me, not discuss my--me. Chop chop, B.

[He actually stops to frown at the closet.]

Is your closet full of dirty clothes, Ellie?

[There might be an emergency laundry day in the offing in his head right now.]

What? No! I just keep the clothes that aren't clean enough to be put back, but not dirty enough to be washed, out here.

[She motions to the sofa... and the bed. The bed is made, with some lumps. Probably a hoodie or two tucked away under there.]

Oh my god, you're judging me.

[He's silent for a minute before he admits,]

Maybe a little bit.

[He gets the couch properly in place, but then he's starting to pick through the blankets, looking for clothes. He'll deal with the fort adjustment in a minute.]

Oh, my god.

[He's not even trying to be subtle. Ellie throws a blanket over him in attempt to stop him.]

Nuh-uh. You're not doing that right now, mister. Turn into a mom when it's not your birthday... thing.

[There's probably one lone, stray sock around here somewhere.]

C'mon! Fun first.

How do you know this isn't fun?

[But when he pulls the blanket off his head, he's smirking, and he comes to dismantle the blanket fort to start rearranging the cushions.]

[She really wants to hit him with a pillow, because that's fun for her, but refrains. Physical things and Bucky? She thinks twice. Instead, she huffs, amused and glad to see him enjoying himself even if its at her expense.]

You're just asking for me to kick your ass, you know? Keep it up and see what happens.

[Ellie is actually no help with this fort building, as she flops her body onto the stacked cushions and bounces off, onto the soft sea of blankets, face down.]

[It's fine. He's intending to build this, himself. He makes a shooing motion at her.]

Hey, get off my building materials.

I see you are very intimidated.

[She rolls away, but stays on her side to watch the construction.]

Terrified.

[It comes out too flat to be serious. Even if he is a tiny bit. Not a lot, though, and not right now really. This kind of joking around is familiar and comfortable enough to let it slide.

He sets about wedging the couch cushions up again a little ways from the couch back. It'll make a kind of lean-to tent, once a blanket is laid across the top.]

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