Day 2- Neighbors!AU/Mass Effect Crossover Bucky/Darcy Rated T
Day 2
Neighbors AU- Mass Effect Crossover
Bucky/Darcy
Rated T
Eden Prime 2187
When the front doors of his prefab housing unit glided closed behind him the lights flickered on overhead and illuminated the sterile furnishings within. Though the rooms, all three of them, were small and compact, they were still more spacious then the crew quarters on board the SSV Avenger. Bucky took a deep breath and waited for the weight of duty to melt away. Apparently, it wasn’t that simple.
He continued to feel the pull of the metal arm that stretched up through his shoulder and into his chest and neck. If he had to pick one word to describe himself it would be strained. He felt tired and weak and unsteady, as though he would give out at any moment, and yet…
Here he was in a new place with a chance to start a real life, start over and begin fresh, but he still felt the past like gravity, holding him in place and keeping him from moving forward.
He snorted indelicately and strode into the room so he could place his footlocker next to the plain sofa. He didn’t know when he’d become so god damned poetic. He walked back towards the section of prefab designated for food preparation, and opened the cupboards and drawers to take stock of what was included with the unit and what he would need to pick up at the main settlement later. He activated his omni-tool feeling relieved, not for the first time, that he had qualified for the Alliance’s cybernetic prosthetic program as he started a list. The orange glow of the tool around his titanium-alloy arm still made his heart skip even after all the months of physical therapy and cybernetic adjustment.
After the kitchen, he stepped into the bedroom, noting that he would need to supplement the current stock of linens with another set of sheets. Moving to the back door, he slipped out onto the small balcony and looked out over the plot of land that he had purchased with a good portion of his Loss of Limb settlement. He had plans to build an actual house on the piece of land he now called his own.
He had purchased a set of blueprints from an architectural firm based on Earth that was back up and running all ready, (it hadn’t quite been a year since the end of the Reaper War), and wanted to get a start on marking out the dimensions as soon as possible. He added stakes and string to his list as he moved into the sunlight.
A quick survey had the ideas flowing quickly enough, how long to make the drive, which way to face the entryway, where he wanted to plant the genetically adapted willow tree he’d ordered for the back yard…
His creative flow hit a dam as a snarling, slobbering varren charged around the base of a small hill set back towards the rear of his property. He drew his M-5 Phalanx and took aim. He didn’t think there were varren on Eden Prime…
“Nagini!” The word echoed around the hollow, faint but still identifiably from a female throat.
He hesitated as the voice made the varren turn and lope back around the slope of the terrain. His heart was still racing. He was simultaneously startled at the appearance of the predatory creature, surprised by its obedient reaction to the strange word, irritated at the trespass onto his property, and relieved that he hadn’t pulled the trigger and ensured his introduction to his neighbor would be the worst possible impression. He wanted to make his home here. It was probably best he didn’t start by killing someone’s pet, the bizarre nature of their choice in companion notwithstanding.
Feeling off balance and shaky with adrenaline he holstered his weapon and fled back inside. He would have to meet his new neighbor another time.
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The biggest adjustment Bucky had to make when he retired from the military and settled down planet-side was getting used to the schedule. A full planet rotation on Eden Prime was 64 hours long. Day and night were both 32 hours. The colony ran in 8 hour blocks which meant most people slept 8 hours a day and 8 hours a night. Luckily, he’d ordered the blackout windows on his prefab unit. It still took him almost two weeks to get used to sleeping on a different time table. Between his PTSD insomnia and the screwed up hours he was too exhausted to start building on his house, though he had managed to get the supplies he needed to get started ordered and have them delivered.
He’d spent the majority of his time over that two weeks reading, cleaning and maintaining his weapons and body armor, trying to sleep, catching up on his extranet messages and spying on his new neighbors. His property was on the outskirts of the main colony, but it was still a populated enough area that he could see the homes of his nearest neighbors peeking out from between the rocky crags and grassy hills.
He wrote to his old Captain and told him all about his encounters so far. He told him about the ex-military sniper that lived across from him to the East who camped out on his roof with his sniper rifle for a good portion of every 8. He told him about the wealthy couple with the towering mansion that lived to the South, (he was some kind of inventor/genius mechanic, she was one of the colony officials). They had brought him a ridiculously expensive rations basket to welcome him to the neighborhood. He told him about the massive blonde guy and the petite woman that had an honest to god observatory in their front yard.
The last half of the message that he sent to Captain Rogers was about his crazy neighbor to the West of him, though.
She’s certifiable, Steve! The woman has a varren for a pet! She’s always out playing with it, wrestling and playing fetch. Since her yard and mine connect in the back and I haven’t gotten a fence put up yet, they’re always wondering over into my yard. When she gets closer I can actually hear her talking to it, like it can actually understand her. Who knows? Maybe it can. She’s got it trained pretty well, I guess.
Still, during 4th 8 today she was actually dancing with it! She was close enough that I could hear her singing and she had the thing up on its back legs doing a waltz or some shit! It was fucking nuts, man. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it, and you know we’ve seen some crazy shit. I haven’t actually met her, yet, her schedule is seriously weird and every time I’ve seen her she’s had that damned varren with her. I’m not ashamed to admit that thing puts me on edge. At first, I thought about asking her to keep it on her side of the property line, but now, I’ll think I’ll just try to get used to it. She always picks up after it when it shits on my lawn, (with a little plastic doggy bag, like the thing was a fucking poodle or something, it’s unreal!), and at least she keeps things interesting. Plus, she’s got curves for light years, man, thick dark hair and full, red lips, so it isn’t like it’s a chore to look at her.
Otherwise, I’m going a little out of mind here, to be honest. Once I get a chance to start work on the house things will probably be better. I called the colony construction board to have them send out a backhoe to come dig out my foundation and the concrete guys to come get it poured, but they can’t make it out till next week. I guess they’re pretty busy, what with half the colony needing repairs and all the new people emigrating in from the refugee camps now that some of the relays are back up and running. They must be making serious credits. I think I’m in the wrong business.
How’s the refit on the Avenger coming along? They ever gonna get that ‘ol wreck space worthy again? When you get some leave, you should drop planet side and see me. You can help me get the walls put up on my house and we’ll invite all my crazy neighbors over for beers.
Bucky
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When Bucky had imagined how his introduction to his crazy brunette neighbor with the verren would go, (and he had pictured it, sitting for hours on his deck and watching her and her pet), he never once pictured it going down in the middle of a Batarian Pirate Raid.
When the raid siren went off Bucky was under the deck rewiring a faulty power cable that had left one of his bedroom lamps flickering intermittently. It took him a second to place the meaning of the loud noise that interrupted his concentration, but when he did, he moved swiftly and purposefully.
Bucky rolled out from under his deck and leapt up through the back door into the bedroom. He strapped into his armor with an efficiency he was relieved to see he still had. Breathing a little easier once his shields buzzed to life around him. Then he reached under the bed for his weapons case. He’d just gotten used to moving around his house without having his pistol strapped to his thigh. He holstered his Phalanx and pulled out his M-97 Viper and strapped it to his back. After checking his heat sync clips and loading what he had into his ammo pockets he turned the prefab unit on emergency power mode and made sure the locks were engaged.
The coffee table and couch were quickly rearranged to provide the best cover available in the small unit and Bucky hunkered down behind them to wait, his back to the wall and his eye moving rapidly between both exits.
He’d just forced the tension in his neck and shoulders to relax when his omni-tool pinged, informing him he had an URGENT message from the Colony Operations Defense And Tactics Department. CODACT was informing everyone that this WAS NOT A DRILL and encouraging all citizens of Eden Prime to REMAIN CALM and FOLLOW RAID DEFENSE PROTCOLS. It seemed like the standard issue message that was spammed to everyone after an alarm had gone off.
The second message was much less reassuring. It came in less than a minute after the first and informed Bucky that the Raiders’ vessel had landed less than a mile from his place of residence and that, if he was home, he had better get his shit together, arm himself, and prepare for war. Granted, it was much more professionally worded then that, but that was the basic gist of it. It did also mention that Eden Prime Security had been alerted and was on their way, which was a small comfort.
All he had to do was hold out until they could arrive. It was a good thing Sargent Barnes was well practiced at holding his own.
When the hack started on the back door lock, he was more than ready, he was eager. His heavy pistol felt at home in his hand and his posture fell easily into a ready stance. The first Batarian through the door was trying to move quickly and stealthily. Bucky fired four shots in such rapid succession that the sound of them blurred into one. The first three brought down the pirate’s shields, the fourth took down the pirate. He never saw the slug that hit him dead center of all four eyes coming. The second bastard leaned around the door to fire at him, got off two shots which lodged in the over turned coffee table, and then fell back with a hideous scream as Bucky took his arm off just above the elbow with another four shots.
He almost winced in sympathy, and then decided not to waste the energy. The still shrieking invader stumbled to his knees and reached for another weapon with his remaining limb. Bucky put two in his face before his shields could re-charge.
He waited, listening as he moderated his breathing and wondered if (when) more would come. He heard shots out past the front of the unit and figured his neighbor with the sniper rifle was doing his part to discourage pillaging and plundering.
Bucky heard eight shots and then more silence. It was enough for two guys, maybe three. More than likely the assailants had spilt into pairs to try and scout each residence. Snarling growls and a feminine scream from the back yard drew him up and through the unit to the back doors that were propped half way apart.
A quick survey of his deck revealed two Batarian corpses and not much else. Scanning the back yard, though, he spotted his curvy neighbor and her varren trying to flee from her own set of Batarian pirates. He took cover behind the railing of the deck, holstered his Phalanx and unslung his Viper from his left shoulder.
One of the raiders had grapped her roughly and had an arm around her neck trying to lock a slavers collar in place. She was thrashing for all she was worth, though, and kept reaching back with her omni-tool to shock him in the side or in the thigh, wherever she could reach.
The second one was attempting to dislodge the Varren from his forearm by striking it across the back of its neck with his other arm. Bucky new that tactic was hopeless, but was grateful for the time it bought him to help the woman.
He raised his rifle and aimed down the scoop just in time to see her twist just right and land a blow right between the raiders legs. He didn’t know enough about Batarian biology to know if that would have the same effect as it would on a human male, but with the way the guy dropped, twitching and curling into the fetal position on the ground, he figured it must be pretty comparable.
She turned to the other raider who had just pulled a shotgun from his back and wedged the barrel into the varren’s partially open mouth.
“NO!” the woman screamed and slammed her arm down, knocking the shotgun loose. The three of them went sprawling across the grass, the varren rolling over the top of them and releasing his grip on the pirates arm in the process. In the tussle, the Batarian managed to kick the varren away, and jumped on the woman, who was going for the shot gun.
Bucky had the time to fire twice before the varren barreled into the raiders back and sent him sprawling, his shields still flashing. Bucky tried to get his crosshairs back on the invader, but the girl was up on her feet again and trying to keep the four-eyed alien from hurting her companion. In the process, she kept getting in the way of his shot.
“Move out of the way!” Bucky yelled and waved at her to step aside. If she was smart, she would run, he figured. His crazy neighbor looked up and squinted at him, her attack on the Batarian pausing long enough for the pirate to pull out a pistol and fire it into the varren’s underbelly.
“Nagini!” she screamed and started kicking the Batarian bruitily in the head. “You fucker!”
The armored raider swung his arm and caught her in the knee, sending her sprawling. It was enough to get her out of the way, though, so Bucky squeezed the trigger three more times and watched the attacker go still on the ground.
Bucky surveyed the surrounding area, (it was too open, there was no cover), and called to the girl again. “Come on! You have to get inside!”
She shot him a quick glare and then went to her knees next to the bleeding varren, sprawled on its side, a puddle of red expanding out from its wound.
Bucky cursed to himself, considered leaving the lunatic for the pirates for half a second, and then felt ashamed immediately after that thought crossed his mind at all. It wasn’t a very neighborly thought, for sure. His mother would have his hide if she knew such a thing had even been considered by any son of hers.
“I must be as insane as she is,” he muttered and vaulted over the railing of his deck and sprinted across the lawn to her side. On his way, he put a double tap into the first Batarian she’d downed as he was starting to come around.
“Come on, there’s probably more on their way here, we have to find cover!” He wrapped his left hand around her upper arm and tried to pull her to her feet.
“No! Not without Nagini! She’s hurt. We have to help her!” she insisted, pulling out of his grasp as her eyes threatened to overflow. “She was just protecting me! I can’t leave her here.” She turned from where she was trying to put pressure on the injury and looked up at him. “Please, can you help her?”
Bucky looked from the woman with teary eyes to the bleeding varren with the heaving chest and slack jaw. That slack jaw held fangs longer then his palm. The thing wasn’t any less unnerving now that it was incapacitated.
“Fuck,” he whispered and knelt beside her. After a quick glance around to make sure no one was sneaking up on them, ready to attack, he slid his sniper rifle back into its place on his shoulder and activated his omni-tool. “I don’t even know if this stuff works on varren,” he said in exasperation as he selected the medi-gel dispenser application. He gave her a desperate look, and she nodded her approval.
“We have to try something,” she pleaded and moved her hands out of the way.
He sighed in resignation and applied the gel into the hole in the animal’s belly. As long as it wasn’t toxic to varren, it would at least stop the external bleeding. Probably.
“That’s all we can do for it. Can we go now?” he said, reaching for the woman’s arm again as he stood.
“She,” the brunette whispered as she reached out to stroke along her pet’s neck.
“What?”
“Nagini is a she, not an it.” She smiled reassuringly at the varren and leaned over to plant a kiss on its scaly forehead. “It’s okay, girl. I’ll get you patched up in no time. You’re gonna be fine.”
The sounds of more weapons fire reached them from the south and Bucky’s heart-rate increased rapidly. “None of us are gonna be fine if we don’t get inside,” he growled, trying a third time to get his crazy neighbor on her feet.
She slapped his right hand away and gave him a determined glare. “I won’t leave her.”
Praying for patience and huffing in frustration Bucky pondered his options. She wasn’t going to leave her injured pet behind, and he couldn’t, in good conscious, leave her out here at the mercy of any slaver or pirate who happened along. The discarded collar lying in the grass was a very real indicator for what these Batarians intended for anyone they managed to get their hands on. During his second deployment he and his unit had come across a Batarian slave pen. It wasn’t a fate he’d wish on anyone.
With one last curse and snarl he walked around behind the animal and crouched down. It, (she), whined faintly and tried to lift its head to follow him. “She isn’t going to bite me if I pick her up, right?”
“No, she won’t,” the girl looked at him hopefully. “She’s pretty heavy. Do you need me to help?”
“I think I can get her,” he said as he slid his arms under the creature, one under her neck, the other under her hind quarters so as to move her abdomen as little as possible. Without his metal arm, he doubted he could have lifted the weight on his own. There were some benefits to having a cybernetic prosthetic.
“Let’s go,” he grunted as he started heading for his prefab unit.
“Okay,” she agreed enthusiastically and followed him.
He stepped carefully over the corpses on his deck and maneuvered with caution through the half closed doors. He grumbled under his breath, but laid the panting varren on his bed. When he turned to shut the doors behind them, however, he discovered she wasn’t there. He ran to the doors and peeked out.
Relief flooded over him when he found her limping up the stairs slowly. He frowned then and stepped out to help her with an arm around her waist, pausing briefly to listen to the sounds of fighting coming from the direction of the observatory. He recognized a battle cry that could only belong to the giant of a man who lived there. He hoped him and his woman were okay.
He helped her inside and let her down next to her pet on the bed. In a rush, he had the doors closed and locked once more. Turning back, he went to his knee in front of the injured woman.
“Where are you hurt?” he asked and brought up his omni-tool again.
She cringed and placed a hand on the varren’s side. “I’m fine, it’s nothing.”
“Bullshit,” he hissed and ran a quick scan over her legs. Her right knee was swelling. It was probably at least sprained, if she was lucky, dislocated or something torn if she wasn’t. “Take off your pants.”
“Um… no,” she said pissily. “I don’t even know your name. I’m grateful for your help and all, but I am not that kind of girl.”
He rolled his eyes and reached deep for his last ounce of patience. “My name is James Barnes and you can either take your pants off now, or the paramedics can cut them off later after your knee’s swollen to the size of a cantaloupe.”
She frowned at him and then tilted her head asking, “What’s a cantaloupe?”
He shook his head, gestured to her knee again. “It’s a melon, a fruit, from Earth. You gonna take those pants off now, or not?”
She rolled her eyes back at him and reached for her zipper. “Damn, your bossy. You’re lucky you saved both me and my dog, otherwise I’d be introducing you to the electroshock application of my omni-tool.”
He felt a surprised laugh burst out of him as he eyed her in shock. “Your virtue is safe, at least from me.” He eyed her with narrowed eyes as he helped her strip off her pants. She hissed when it took an extra tug to get the leg down past her already abnormally large joint. “You know that isn’t really a dog, right?”
Given her antics over the last few weeks, he wasn’t entirely sure she did.
The look she gave him was beyond withering. “Of course, I know that. It’s just… people tend to freak out when they hear the word varren.”
“Uh, huh,” he said wryly, “for good reason. Hold still.”
He pressed the medi-gel hydrostatic applicator to the swelling area and applied an internal dosage.
“Ouch,” she gasped through gritted teeth.
“Don’t be such a baby,” he grumbled and reached out to open one of the drawers that held his pants. He retrieved a pair of athletic pants that should be big enough on her to get on an off around her knee. “That should help with the pain and swelling. Put this on, just in case we need to move. I’d hate for the Batarians to get the wrong idea.”
She glared at him again, but moved to obey. “You’re a real smartass, you know that?”
“It has been brought to my attention, yes.”
Her mouth twitched in an almost smile as she sat back on the bed and turned to check on her not-dog. “As long as you’re aware,” she said absently as she checked the seal over the wound and began wiping blood from the surrounding scales with her pants. When she noticed blood smeared across the bed spread she glanced at him and winced guiltily. “I know I have a funny way of showing it, but I am grateful for your help. I just fall back on my snark and biting wit when I’m under stress.”
“Well, one smartass to another, you’re welcome,” Bucky said with an awkward nod as he stood and moved to one of the windows to peak outside. He could see smoke rising over the horizon and flashes of light to the north informed him there was still fighting going on.
Looking over the woman and her varren one last time he nodded in satisfaction and pulled an extra hand gun from the weapons case on the floor at the foot of the bed. He handed it to her and gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “I’m gonna see if I can go help the others. You gonna be okay here by yourself?”
“We’ll be fine,” she said, handling the gun carefully. He turned to head for the front door when she called after him.
“You’re name was James, right?”
He looked back at her over his shoulder and gave her a shy smirk. “Yeah, but everyone calls me Bucky.”
“Well, Bucky, I’m Darcy.” She let one corner of her lips twist upwards. “Give ‘em hell for Nagini, ‘kay?”
“Sure thing,’ he agreed with an answering smile and turned to go. As he finished unlocking the door he heard her call out one last thing.
“By the way, welcome to the neighborhood!”
He chuckled as he stepped outside and locked the door again. To think, he’d been worried things here would be too quiet. He tightened his grip on his weapon and rushed to help the others. After all, what are neighbors for, right?