![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
Illyana and Bucky | Backdated 2/22
Bucky's settling in, but instead of meeting his fellow students, he meets someone who isn't.
Of all stupid things to forget...
Yana grumbled as she made her way back to the school from Vex's treehouse. Granted, she could've teleported - but she was tired, and teleporting tired always meant the distinct possibility of losing time in Limbo. Given that she was really looking forward to sleeping over in Vex's treehouse, she really didn't want to chance it.
On the other hand? She definitely wanted her phone, and she'd left in Vex's room. And thus she was trekking through the snow, barefoot and wearing her "Come to the darkside" tank top and sleep pants.
Taking Buttercup out for a walk started as Bucky’s excuse to be outside. When he accepted the fact it was going to be another sleepless night he scooped the tiny dog up and kept walking. She was zipped up snugly inside his jacket, tiny head peeking out and pillowed against his chest. Bucky kept one arm free and the other tucked under her body. He walked quietly, a black shadow crunching softly through the snow.
When he spotted Illyana exit the woods he stopped moving. She could move as quietly as she wanted, there would be no way to miss her. Between the long blonde hair, bare feet, and tank top in this weather... Bucky watched her for a moment before taking an intentional loud step. “I’m guessing you’ve got a winter mutation?” He asked. “Or should I be concerned for your well being?”
She was being watched. Illyana knew it, could feel it with that sixth sense Cat had trained into her, but couldn't immediately locate anyone. It was probably, she reasoned, Inu-Yasha up in a tree, somewhere, and kept walking. Until she heard a deliberate footstep, anyway, and she spun towards a dark haired guy she didn't recognize. One with a tiny dog head sticking out of his coat.
"I don't, but you don't need to be - it's really not that cold," she assured him. She grinned crookedly and pointed her chin at his chest. "Is that a dog? Or a guinea pig?"
He snorted. “Dog. She has less tolerance than you do for cold feet.” He stroked Buttercup’s head softly. She blinked but chose to nestle back in to nap, completely unconcerned by the late night stroll.
"Well, she's got way smaller feet, and probably never spent any time in Siberia," Illyana reasoned. She debated whether or not it'd be okay to come over and pet the dog, and decided that it was almost definitely within his personal space.
“Fortunately not,” Bucky said softly. “You’re right. She’s too small for that cold. You’re from Russia?” He asked curiously.
"Originally. I haven't been back there in years," Illyana admitted.
A cold dread chased down Bucky’s spine. His memory was riddled with holes, but that didn’t stop his instincts from screaming. Capable looking young woman. Unaffected by cold. Carried herself with confidence, didn’t jump when someone came out of the night unexpected. Maybe she was a student and it was normal for kids to go wandering at night. Maybe she was something else.
It didn’t matter if his handlers lost track of him decades ago. He was the one jumping at shadows.
“Do you speak Russian?” Bucky asked. It might be a risk, but he was sick of the unknown controlling him.
Illyana looked up at him with surprise. "I do. Are you from Russia, then?" She grinned. "You should introduce yourself to Yuri if you haven't; I don't think there's been anyone else here who does since I left."
“I’m from around here, but I lived there for a while,” he told her. “I guess you know how it is. Some things stick with you.”
"Yeah, I get that. How long have you been at the school?" she asked curiously. Granted, she hadn't been around much, but she was pretty sure she'd have remembered if she'd seen him before. He looked kinda like the guy from that show with the demon hunters. Just without the tattoos.
“Only the week,” he said. “I haven’t seen you around. How did I miss you?” His gaze flickered to her tank top briefly, because really the lack of sleeves or jacket was distracting. She certainly stood out right now.
"I'm not a student here," Illyana admitted, her face warming a little with what seemed like it might be a compliment, though it was entirely possible he was just talking about her walking around in the snow barefoot. "I mean, I was? But I left about a year ago. I'm just here having a sleepover with Vex in the treehouse."
“Sleepover makes more sense for the apparel. Almost. Please tell me there are blankets in the treehouse, or that your friend is as much an arctic fox as you are.” He smirked and lifted Buttercup up a few inches, zipping his jacket higher.
"Blankets, sleeping bags, and a thermos full of hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps in it," Illyana assured him. "Vex feels the cold, even if I don't." She grinned impishly. "I'd invite you up, but it looks like you're getting cold just standing here. And I was going back inside to grab my phone."
“I don’t notice it much, but it’s hard not shiver watching you. It’s the bare feet. I’ve seen a guy walk across coals before like he was tough shit, but I think I’m going to give it up to the lady in the snow.” He smiled. “Where we come from that’s usually how you lose the feet. No matter how much you spike that thermos.”
Illyana looked down at her feet by reflex, then back up as she grinned and shrugged. "I don't think I could do the coals. The snow - I just don't really notice it." She made a face. "Or at least, I don't notice it until I start thinking about it. Mind if we head towards the building?"
He took a step back, gesturing for her to take the lead. “Good plan. Keep thinking warm thoughts. Don’t let me psych you out.”
"I don't psych out that easy." Illyana started walking, then looked over at him. "Any chance I can hold the dog?" she asked hopefully.
He was hesitant to pass her over, but Buttercup probably wouldn’t mind. Bucky wasn’t having a bad night. He was pretty certain he was here and now, and she wouldn’t need to wake him from another walking nightmare. He’d find out quickly enough if this went south. “You get the jacket too if you’re holding her. You might not be cold, but Buttercup doesn’t deserve the weather.” He notched the coat down.
"Oh. Just keep her, then," Illyana said, then grinned over at him. "I wouldn't want you to freeze."
He snorted. “I never freeze for long.”
"You do it a lot?" Illyana asked, her eyebrows rising though her grin stayed firmly in place.
“Not as much these days.” He waggled one gloved hand. “I am blissfully toasty right now. Doesn’t matter if the cold can’t hurt me. If you have the option of snuggling up cozy, not sure why you’d choose not to.” He grinned. “Unless of course you’ve lost your phone.”
Illyana laughed. "I didn't lose it," she protested. "I know exactly where it is - it's right on Vex's desk." She tilted her head. "It can't hurt you? What's your power?"
“Resilience. And things in that wheelhouse,” he said with a little shrug. “How about you, if it isn’t an ice queen thing?”
"Chronospatial teleportation," she explained, then smiled crookedly. "Plus, I'm a demon sorceress. I think the jury's still out on whether or not magic's a mutation, but I had to learn it; I can't just," she waved her hands around a little, "like Billy."
“Huh.”
Illyana's eyebrows rose. "Well, that's new. I've gotten all kinds of reactions, but never huh."
“It’s a lot of stuff,” he said. “Also some big words. Chronospacial. You move through time and space? So you’re like a TARDIS and also... you know what, unpack that first. Demons second. Magic I get.”
Surprised, Illyana smiled. "Ok, that's really a reaction I never get. Normally people are just like "Teleporting's cool - hold it, you're what? But yeah, kinda like a Tardis. I teleport into a dimension that's outside time and space, and then back in where and when I want. Or, y'know, that's the theory." She grinned crookedly. "The reality's a little less accurate on the where and when. I mostly do "now" really well; other times are harder."
“How far have you gone back?” He asked, casually curious.
"I landed myself and one of my teammates in the middle of what I'm pretty sure was the Russian Revolution once." Illyana made a face. "I don't really recommend it as a vacation site. We were somewhere with redwoods, too, but I'm really not sure when that was."
That earned another quiet, “Huh...” Bucky stroked Buttercup’s head. His expression was nonplussed. He had too much experience keeping the interest out of his body language. “How about forward? Do you do power training stuff even if you’re not here anymore? I can only imagine how you practice that one.”
"It's hard to tell with forward? I mean, time doesn't really run consistently in Limbo, so...if I get back to Earth a week later than I meant to, did I teleport to the future? Or is that "now" compared to now in Limbo?" She shrugged and grinned. "Also, let me know if I start giving you a headache. Everyone hates when I start talking about this stuff."
He shook his head. “Nah, it’s interesting. So Limbo is outside this time and space, and you exit backwards and forward from it. Do you just pop in and out, or to do you need to go distance there to come out distance here?”
"No distance, I just need to call the right disks. I mean, the disks I use to teleport exist in Limbo naturally. So my mutation is basically to control them." Illyana gave him an apologetic look. "It's easier to show than explain."
“Where do the demons come in?” Bucky asked.
"They live there?" Illyana grinned. "It's a hell dimension." She paused and considered that, then shrugged. "Well, it's a little less hellish than it used to be? But still pretty much hell."
His hand slowed, fingers paused in Buttercup’s fur. “Shit. That’s a complicated power. So where are you from?”
Illyana shrugged. "There, mostly. I mean, I was born in Russia, and I lived a couple of years in Salem? But mostly I grew up in Limbo."
Yeah, no reason to be wary of a girl that grew up in a hell dimension. “Limbo’s better than this school? Should I be worried?”
"It's not better than the school." Illyana frowned. "Why would you say that?"
“You said you’re not a student anymore. Sorry, did you leave for somewhere else?”
"Oh! No, I left and joined the Brotherhood." She shrugged. "My boyfriend's there. And - well, between that and the demon sorceress thing? I wasn't exactly everyone's favorite person here."
“Ah, got it.” He walked up alongside her as they reached the front steps. “Brotherhood were students here too until recently, right? So you’ve got friends you’re visiting, but you’re over there now. Is that pretty common?”
"Not really." Illyana wrinkled her nose. "Most of the Brotherhood don't have friends here - I mean, they went to school here for a couple of months? But people didn't like them much, or at least not enough to keep in touch. Wanda and Pietro have family here, but mostly Tommy and Billy go visit them, not the other way around."
“I’m still trying to figure out who everyone is,” Bucky told her. “I guess with your powers it makes it a little easier to pop by and visit.”
"Yeah, pretty much. Though there really aren't that many people to visit. Mostly Vex and Cal until recently." She shrugged. "I didn't have that many friends here. And not everyone was cool with me leaving." She cocked her head. "Who've you sorted out so far?"
“Not really many,” he said. “Went to class a couple day, and I will probably never forget the chick in our art class that likes to draw dicks in the margin of everything but everyone else I’m still feeling out. So Vex and Cal—good people?”
"Oh yeah, definitely," illyana assured him. "Billy and Tommy, too - they're identical twins other than coloring, you can't miss them. And Kitty." She smiled crookedly. "She was my roommate. She got really pissed when I left, but I think she's finally over it. She's pretty busy designing stuff for Nolcorp, though." She tilted her head and looked up at him. "You're really new then, huh? I just figured I hadn't run into you yet."
“You’re one of the longest conversations I’ve had so far,” Bucky said with a small smile. “Try not to lead me astray. I know it’s real tempting.”
Ilyana laughed. "Are you sure you really want me to not lead you astray?" she asked, her smile turning decidedly impish. "Because if you were worried about it, I kinda doubt you'd be talking to a demon sorceress who's a member of the Brotherhood in the first place."
“With that disclaimer, I hope you’re really supposed to be here and I’m not welcoming trouble into the school. I just got here. What a bad first impression.” It was said like a joke, but Bucky hadn’t written the possibility off. What a great way to test school security. He walked up the steps and pulled the door open for Illyana.
"I have an actual handwritten pass back at the treehouse," she assured him. She smiled as she passed him, heading inside. "Now, I can't promise that Vex didn't forge his signature? But why would she bother?"
“Considering what the headmaster does, I feel like the signature isn’t the important part of that permission slip.” Bucky didn’t bother to unzip Buttercup from his coat once they were inside. She seemed content to nap there and wasn’t scrambling to get down.
"Oh, he can't tell I'm here." Illyana grinned smugly. "Well, I guess he can read your mind or Vex's and know that way? But he can't read mine." Which had kinda sucked when she'd been a student, considering he couldn't actually look and see what kind of stunts Tamara'd been pulling, but whatever. Ancient history now.
Okay, yeah. That didn’t help Bucky’s paranoia. Funny how hanging out with a bunch of teenagers could set him on edge, considering the action he’d seen. Or maybe that was precisely why he didn’t trust pretty girls. The most beautiful were often the deadliest.
“That’s convenient,” he commented. “I’m not a huge fan of people in my head. But... probably no one is. Way too many awkward moments.”
Illyana shrugged. "I don't have anything to hide anymore. I tried that when I first came here, and I gave it up. It didn't work anyway. I can't fake being normal."
Bucky arched a brow. “We’re at a school full of mutants. I really think we’re a far cry from normal.”
Illyana quirked a half smile. "Let's say I'm in a league all my own. Which was pointed out more than once."
Bucky snorted softly. “I look forward to teenage antics. I hope it’s everythung that TV shows make it out to be.”
"Basing things off tv doesn't work," Illyana pointed out with more than a little regret. "They always leave out how you get from Point A to Point B." She frowned as she realized the implications of what he'd said. "Why are you basing teenage antics on TV?"
“Sarcasm. Really.” He shook his head. “I didn’t go to a regular high school, and a friend recently introduced me to a bunch of shows and movies I’d never seen to teach me the joys of detention and prom. Don’t really think I’m going to need to worry about that.”
"I managed to get detention here once." She smiled a little and shrugged. "It's kinda overrated. No proms, though, or at least, there weren't any while I was here. They throw some decent parties, though. What kind of high school did you go to?"
“I didn’t. Pretty much just tutoring after grade school.” There was no way for Bucky to talk about his past without serious dissonance. He didn’t have all the pieces, but he remembered wanting to fight in the war more than he wanted to attend lessons. And later, lessons...
"How come?" she asked curiously. Granted, she'd had pretty much the same arrangement (okay, minus most of grade school, and she didn't suppose Cat's lessons were on any kind of syllabus) but she knew enough to know that wasn't the norm.
Bucky considered how many of these kids had experience with the Right. Illyana’s background sounded strange enough itself. “After my parents passed I didn’t really have a normal upbringing,” he said wryly.
Illyana grimaced. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "Sometimes I don't know when to stop asking questions."
“Don’t worry about it,” Bucky said. “Based on the few people I’ve met, I’m pretty sure there’s a bunch of us with tragic backstories around here. There’s some stuff it’s weird to talk about, but I’m thinking that going to be normal.”
"Pretty much," she admitted. "What kind of stuff? I'm sort of an expert on weird."
Bucky unzipped his coat, slipping Buttercup out. “It’s a really long story. Another night, maybe? I don’t want to keep you from the winter slumber party all night.”
"Which is to say I asked one too many questions." Illyana gave an apologetic half smile. "It's cool. It was nice meeting you." She smiled at the dog, but managed to keep herself from reaching out to pet it. "You too, guinea pig. Stay warm."
Bucky snorted. “You keep doing the same. Sweet dreams.”
"You too." Offering one last smile, Illyana hurried off to Vex's room. It wasn't until later when she was telling Vex about the encounter that she realized she didn't know the dog carrying guy's name.
Of all stupid things to forget...
Yana grumbled as she made her way back to the school from Vex's treehouse. Granted, she could've teleported - but she was tired, and teleporting tired always meant the distinct possibility of losing time in Limbo. Given that she was really looking forward to sleeping over in Vex's treehouse, she really didn't want to chance it.
On the other hand? She definitely wanted her phone, and she'd left in Vex's room. And thus she was trekking through the snow, barefoot and wearing her "Come to the darkside" tank top and sleep pants.
Taking Buttercup out for a walk started as Bucky’s excuse to be outside. When he accepted the fact it was going to be another sleepless night he scooped the tiny dog up and kept walking. She was zipped up snugly inside his jacket, tiny head peeking out and pillowed against his chest. Bucky kept one arm free and the other tucked under her body. He walked quietly, a black shadow crunching softly through the snow.
When he spotted Illyana exit the woods he stopped moving. She could move as quietly as she wanted, there would be no way to miss her. Between the long blonde hair, bare feet, and tank top in this weather... Bucky watched her for a moment before taking an intentional loud step. “I’m guessing you’ve got a winter mutation?” He asked. “Or should I be concerned for your well being?”
She was being watched. Illyana knew it, could feel it with that sixth sense Cat had trained into her, but couldn't immediately locate anyone. It was probably, she reasoned, Inu-Yasha up in a tree, somewhere, and kept walking. Until she heard a deliberate footstep, anyway, and she spun towards a dark haired guy she didn't recognize. One with a tiny dog head sticking out of his coat.
"I don't, but you don't need to be - it's really not that cold," she assured him. She grinned crookedly and pointed her chin at his chest. "Is that a dog? Or a guinea pig?"
He snorted. “Dog. She has less tolerance than you do for cold feet.” He stroked Buttercup’s head softly. She blinked but chose to nestle back in to nap, completely unconcerned by the late night stroll.
"Well, she's got way smaller feet, and probably never spent any time in Siberia," Illyana reasoned. She debated whether or not it'd be okay to come over and pet the dog, and decided that it was almost definitely within his personal space.
“Fortunately not,” Bucky said softly. “You’re right. She’s too small for that cold. You’re from Russia?” He asked curiously.
"Originally. I haven't been back there in years," Illyana admitted.
A cold dread chased down Bucky’s spine. His memory was riddled with holes, but that didn’t stop his instincts from screaming. Capable looking young woman. Unaffected by cold. Carried herself with confidence, didn’t jump when someone came out of the night unexpected. Maybe she was a student and it was normal for kids to go wandering at night. Maybe she was something else.
It didn’t matter if his handlers lost track of him decades ago. He was the one jumping at shadows.
“Do you speak Russian?” Bucky asked. It might be a risk, but he was sick of the unknown controlling him.
Illyana looked up at him with surprise. "I do. Are you from Russia, then?" She grinned. "You should introduce yourself to Yuri if you haven't; I don't think there's been anyone else here who does since I left."
“I’m from around here, but I lived there for a while,” he told her. “I guess you know how it is. Some things stick with you.”
"Yeah, I get that. How long have you been at the school?" she asked curiously. Granted, she hadn't been around much, but she was pretty sure she'd have remembered if she'd seen him before. He looked kinda like the guy from that show with the demon hunters. Just without the tattoos.
“Only the week,” he said. “I haven’t seen you around. How did I miss you?” His gaze flickered to her tank top briefly, because really the lack of sleeves or jacket was distracting. She certainly stood out right now.
"I'm not a student here," Illyana admitted, her face warming a little with what seemed like it might be a compliment, though it was entirely possible he was just talking about her walking around in the snow barefoot. "I mean, I was? But I left about a year ago. I'm just here having a sleepover with Vex in the treehouse."
“Sleepover makes more sense for the apparel. Almost. Please tell me there are blankets in the treehouse, or that your friend is as much an arctic fox as you are.” He smirked and lifted Buttercup up a few inches, zipping his jacket higher.
"Blankets, sleeping bags, and a thermos full of hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps in it," Illyana assured him. "Vex feels the cold, even if I don't." She grinned impishly. "I'd invite you up, but it looks like you're getting cold just standing here. And I was going back inside to grab my phone."
“I don’t notice it much, but it’s hard not shiver watching you. It’s the bare feet. I’ve seen a guy walk across coals before like he was tough shit, but I think I’m going to give it up to the lady in the snow.” He smiled. “Where we come from that’s usually how you lose the feet. No matter how much you spike that thermos.”
Illyana looked down at her feet by reflex, then back up as she grinned and shrugged. "I don't think I could do the coals. The snow - I just don't really notice it." She made a face. "Or at least, I don't notice it until I start thinking about it. Mind if we head towards the building?"
He took a step back, gesturing for her to take the lead. “Good plan. Keep thinking warm thoughts. Don’t let me psych you out.”
"I don't psych out that easy." Illyana started walking, then looked over at him. "Any chance I can hold the dog?" she asked hopefully.
He was hesitant to pass her over, but Buttercup probably wouldn’t mind. Bucky wasn’t having a bad night. He was pretty certain he was here and now, and she wouldn’t need to wake him from another walking nightmare. He’d find out quickly enough if this went south. “You get the jacket too if you’re holding her. You might not be cold, but Buttercup doesn’t deserve the weather.” He notched the coat down.
"Oh. Just keep her, then," Illyana said, then grinned over at him. "I wouldn't want you to freeze."
He snorted. “I never freeze for long.”
"You do it a lot?" Illyana asked, her eyebrows rising though her grin stayed firmly in place.
“Not as much these days.” He waggled one gloved hand. “I am blissfully toasty right now. Doesn’t matter if the cold can’t hurt me. If you have the option of snuggling up cozy, not sure why you’d choose not to.” He grinned. “Unless of course you’ve lost your phone.”
Illyana laughed. "I didn't lose it," she protested. "I know exactly where it is - it's right on Vex's desk." She tilted her head. "It can't hurt you? What's your power?"
“Resilience. And things in that wheelhouse,” he said with a little shrug. “How about you, if it isn’t an ice queen thing?”
"Chronospatial teleportation," she explained, then smiled crookedly. "Plus, I'm a demon sorceress. I think the jury's still out on whether or not magic's a mutation, but I had to learn it; I can't just," she waved her hands around a little, "like Billy."
“Huh.”
Illyana's eyebrows rose. "Well, that's new. I've gotten all kinds of reactions, but never huh."
“It’s a lot of stuff,” he said. “Also some big words. Chronospacial. You move through time and space? So you’re like a TARDIS and also... you know what, unpack that first. Demons second. Magic I get.”
Surprised, Illyana smiled. "Ok, that's really a reaction I never get. Normally people are just like "Teleporting's cool - hold it, you're what? But yeah, kinda like a Tardis. I teleport into a dimension that's outside time and space, and then back in where and when I want. Or, y'know, that's the theory." She grinned crookedly. "The reality's a little less accurate on the where and when. I mostly do "now" really well; other times are harder."
“How far have you gone back?” He asked, casually curious.
"I landed myself and one of my teammates in the middle of what I'm pretty sure was the Russian Revolution once." Illyana made a face. "I don't really recommend it as a vacation site. We were somewhere with redwoods, too, but I'm really not sure when that was."
That earned another quiet, “Huh...” Bucky stroked Buttercup’s head. His expression was nonplussed. He had too much experience keeping the interest out of his body language. “How about forward? Do you do power training stuff even if you’re not here anymore? I can only imagine how you practice that one.”
"It's hard to tell with forward? I mean, time doesn't really run consistently in Limbo, so...if I get back to Earth a week later than I meant to, did I teleport to the future? Or is that "now" compared to now in Limbo?" She shrugged and grinned. "Also, let me know if I start giving you a headache. Everyone hates when I start talking about this stuff."
He shook his head. “Nah, it’s interesting. So Limbo is outside this time and space, and you exit backwards and forward from it. Do you just pop in and out, or to do you need to go distance there to come out distance here?”
"No distance, I just need to call the right disks. I mean, the disks I use to teleport exist in Limbo naturally. So my mutation is basically to control them." Illyana gave him an apologetic look. "It's easier to show than explain."
“Where do the demons come in?” Bucky asked.
"They live there?" Illyana grinned. "It's a hell dimension." She paused and considered that, then shrugged. "Well, it's a little less hellish than it used to be? But still pretty much hell."
His hand slowed, fingers paused in Buttercup’s fur. “Shit. That’s a complicated power. So where are you from?”
Illyana shrugged. "There, mostly. I mean, I was born in Russia, and I lived a couple of years in Salem? But mostly I grew up in Limbo."
Yeah, no reason to be wary of a girl that grew up in a hell dimension. “Limbo’s better than this school? Should I be worried?”
"It's not better than the school." Illyana frowned. "Why would you say that?"
“You said you’re not a student anymore. Sorry, did you leave for somewhere else?”
"Oh! No, I left and joined the Brotherhood." She shrugged. "My boyfriend's there. And - well, between that and the demon sorceress thing? I wasn't exactly everyone's favorite person here."
“Ah, got it.” He walked up alongside her as they reached the front steps. “Brotherhood were students here too until recently, right? So you’ve got friends you’re visiting, but you’re over there now. Is that pretty common?”
"Not really." Illyana wrinkled her nose. "Most of the Brotherhood don't have friends here - I mean, they went to school here for a couple of months? But people didn't like them much, or at least not enough to keep in touch. Wanda and Pietro have family here, but mostly Tommy and Billy go visit them, not the other way around."
“I’m still trying to figure out who everyone is,” Bucky told her. “I guess with your powers it makes it a little easier to pop by and visit.”
"Yeah, pretty much. Though there really aren't that many people to visit. Mostly Vex and Cal until recently." She shrugged. "I didn't have that many friends here. And not everyone was cool with me leaving." She cocked her head. "Who've you sorted out so far?"
“Not really many,” he said. “Went to class a couple day, and I will probably never forget the chick in our art class that likes to draw dicks in the margin of everything but everyone else I’m still feeling out. So Vex and Cal—good people?”
"Oh yeah, definitely," illyana assured him. "Billy and Tommy, too - they're identical twins other than coloring, you can't miss them. And Kitty." She smiled crookedly. "She was my roommate. She got really pissed when I left, but I think she's finally over it. She's pretty busy designing stuff for Nolcorp, though." She tilted her head and looked up at him. "You're really new then, huh? I just figured I hadn't run into you yet."
“You’re one of the longest conversations I’ve had so far,” Bucky said with a small smile. “Try not to lead me astray. I know it’s real tempting.”
Ilyana laughed. "Are you sure you really want me to not lead you astray?" she asked, her smile turning decidedly impish. "Because if you were worried about it, I kinda doubt you'd be talking to a demon sorceress who's a member of the Brotherhood in the first place."
“With that disclaimer, I hope you’re really supposed to be here and I’m not welcoming trouble into the school. I just got here. What a bad first impression.” It was said like a joke, but Bucky hadn’t written the possibility off. What a great way to test school security. He walked up the steps and pulled the door open for Illyana.
"I have an actual handwritten pass back at the treehouse," she assured him. She smiled as she passed him, heading inside. "Now, I can't promise that Vex didn't forge his signature? But why would she bother?"
“Considering what the headmaster does, I feel like the signature isn’t the important part of that permission slip.” Bucky didn’t bother to unzip Buttercup from his coat once they were inside. She seemed content to nap there and wasn’t scrambling to get down.
"Oh, he can't tell I'm here." Illyana grinned smugly. "Well, I guess he can read your mind or Vex's and know that way? But he can't read mine." Which had kinda sucked when she'd been a student, considering he couldn't actually look and see what kind of stunts Tamara'd been pulling, but whatever. Ancient history now.
Okay, yeah. That didn’t help Bucky’s paranoia. Funny how hanging out with a bunch of teenagers could set him on edge, considering the action he’d seen. Or maybe that was precisely why he didn’t trust pretty girls. The most beautiful were often the deadliest.
“That’s convenient,” he commented. “I’m not a huge fan of people in my head. But... probably no one is. Way too many awkward moments.”
Illyana shrugged. "I don't have anything to hide anymore. I tried that when I first came here, and I gave it up. It didn't work anyway. I can't fake being normal."
Bucky arched a brow. “We’re at a school full of mutants. I really think we’re a far cry from normal.”
Illyana quirked a half smile. "Let's say I'm in a league all my own. Which was pointed out more than once."
Bucky snorted softly. “I look forward to teenage antics. I hope it’s everythung that TV shows make it out to be.”
"Basing things off tv doesn't work," Illyana pointed out with more than a little regret. "They always leave out how you get from Point A to Point B." She frowned as she realized the implications of what he'd said. "Why are you basing teenage antics on TV?"
“Sarcasm. Really.” He shook his head. “I didn’t go to a regular high school, and a friend recently introduced me to a bunch of shows and movies I’d never seen to teach me the joys of detention and prom. Don’t really think I’m going to need to worry about that.”
"I managed to get detention here once." She smiled a little and shrugged. "It's kinda overrated. No proms, though, or at least, there weren't any while I was here. They throw some decent parties, though. What kind of high school did you go to?"
“I didn’t. Pretty much just tutoring after grade school.” There was no way for Bucky to talk about his past without serious dissonance. He didn’t have all the pieces, but he remembered wanting to fight in the war more than he wanted to attend lessons. And later, lessons...
"How come?" she asked curiously. Granted, she'd had pretty much the same arrangement (okay, minus most of grade school, and she didn't suppose Cat's lessons were on any kind of syllabus) but she knew enough to know that wasn't the norm.
Bucky considered how many of these kids had experience with the Right. Illyana’s background sounded strange enough itself. “After my parents passed I didn’t really have a normal upbringing,” he said wryly.
Illyana grimaced. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "Sometimes I don't know when to stop asking questions."
“Don’t worry about it,” Bucky said. “Based on the few people I’ve met, I’m pretty sure there’s a bunch of us with tragic backstories around here. There’s some stuff it’s weird to talk about, but I’m thinking that going to be normal.”
"Pretty much," she admitted. "What kind of stuff? I'm sort of an expert on weird."
Bucky unzipped his coat, slipping Buttercup out. “It’s a really long story. Another night, maybe? I don’t want to keep you from the winter slumber party all night.”
"Which is to say I asked one too many questions." Illyana gave an apologetic half smile. "It's cool. It was nice meeting you." She smiled at the dog, but managed to keep herself from reaching out to pet it. "You too, guinea pig. Stay warm."
Bucky snorted. “You keep doing the same. Sweet dreams.”
"You too." Offering one last smile, Illyana hurried off to Vex's room. It wasn't until later when she was telling Vex about the encounter that she realized she didn't know the dog carrying guy's name.