16729/Year of the Sunny Bunny

Year of the Sunny Bunny
Date of Scene:	01 January 2024
Location:	4B - Mark and Bunny's Apartment
Synopsis:	What started off as a quiet NYE party for Bunny, Mark and Sunny turns into an impromptu therapy session with Bucky instead. Happy 2024?
Cast of Characters:	Mark Grayson, Bunny Macleod, Sunny Harlow, James Barnes

---

Mark Grayson has posed:
It's not been quite twenty-four hours since the battle in Hawai'i. Mark was at least healed up enough to come home for the New Year, but had volunteered to take the couch. He's still very much battered and bruised and has been slowly moving about when neccessary.

But this was the first New Year with the two and he refused to spend it in the hospital at that undisclosed location. Settled into place on the couch, he's currently in a pair of flannel pants and a shirt that reads:

My girlfriend said I needed to be more affectionate, now I have two girlfriends.

Clearly, he did not pick out that shirt, nor will he ever wear it in public, most likely. He takes a sip from a cup on water and is trying to keep up with the two that share the apartment with him. "You sure you don't need any help?"

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    Bunny is sitting. Technically. She's crosslegged, and in a sitting position, though her pigtails are hanging down... up... err...

    Well she's on the ceiling, shirt front tucked into her pajama bottoms as she gives a :3 expression.

    "I'm good. I think. I mean is it weird? I don't think I can do this for a *long* time but should be okay." she trails on, and brushes her shirt off. Her own T-shirt just has a crown on it and says 'MOTHER FRIGGIN' FAIRY (Princess Crossed Out) QUEEN'. THe pajama pants are bright pink and sparkly.

    She's been stuck on the ceiling for a half hour now.

Sunny Harlow has posed:
Compared to the first battle with Omni-man, Sunny's own injuries were considerably lesser. The advantage of there having been more people to catch his attention this time around she supposes!

Wrapped in her own pyjamas, once more a pair of shorts and a shirt with a small cartoon corgi on the front wearing sunglasses. Below the cartoon creature, the word 'Incorgnito' beneath. Moving back into the room with the tray of cookies and three mugs atop of it, she moved into the space only to pause and look up at Bunny.

"I swear...you're the cutest thing I've seen in my life," she offers the other woman before setting the tray down next to Mark and gently beginning to float Bunnywards and offer a cookie her way.

"Do...you want me to get you a straw for your drink...or some pillows for when you land?"

Mark Grayson has posed:
Mark got all the fun of this one. He totally needs a straw for his drink as they are doing some concert on the computer for the New Years event. He watches the two women for a moment, adding his own commentary. "When you get more control of it, Bunny, we can start taking you to train you for the control and speed part of it. Sunny and I can break gravity at our max speed on ground." he explains, but then he considers.

"I don't think I said it yet." he starts quietly. "This is has been an awesome year. Despite what happened last night..." He reaches up and touches his jaw gingerly. It's knitting well after taking several knees to it.

"I met the biggest surprise of my life...." a glance to Bunny, "And then someone I never expected to find on this planet dropped into my lap." a smile to Sunny.

"And you both could have bailed when all this shit with my father went south. Instead... you stayed and stood beside me. I... I don't think I could have done it without it." He reaches up and gives a little brush at one of his blackened eyes. "...I appreciate it..."

"And I love you both."

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "Hopefully less craters, more catchers." Bunny chirps from the ceiling as she reaches down and pushes off it, and slowly comes to the ground. She reaches over to the leg of the couch and holds on to it. "I think I'm getting the hang of it. And thanks! I'm the cutest thing he's seen in his life too." Bunny grins over to Sunny while motioning to Mark, and then with an exhale, she flops to the floor.

    "This has been a Pretty Awesome Year." she agrees. "GED'd. Looking at college. Found my best friends ever." she gives a bright smile to Mark and Sunny at that. "And -- Beeper!"

    Beeper geeps from his bed, where he's all curled up. He had spent some of the day curled up on Mark's stomach because the creature was convinced that the best thing for Mark's recovery was the physical affection of a sixty pound baby dinosaur.

Sunny Harlow has posed:
"Best year," Sunny nods in agreement, quite happily shrugging as Bunny manages to sink down back to the ground and giggles. There might have been a little pat of her butt in passing, playfully so.

The cookie she'd offered the pink-haired girl? Well, since it hadn't been claimed she claimed it for herself, placing it into her mouth before stretching her arms out over her head and giving a muffled noise of agreement.

Sure their 'trial' was coming to an end soon and it had very much been eventful, but Sunny wouldn't trade these last few weeks with the pair for anything.

Mark Grayson has posed:
Mark had probably slept through Beeper using his abs as a pillow. He's been in and out of sleep all day as he regather his strength as he moves to sit up a little more to offer room on the couch to the two women.

"New friends, new adventures... I wouldn't change most of it." Sure, he could do without the last couple of weeks. But it only strengthened the bonds between the three. As he folds his hands over his stomach, he considers.

"So, what's our plans for the new year?" he asks thoughtfully. "Sunny and I have college, hoping that the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life joins us." A wink at Bunny, he heard that remark.

"I don't know what my resolution is yet. I need to make it a good one."

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "Less waking your more humany girlfriend with your teeth regrowing." Bunny states ruefully. It honestly did weird her out a few times.

    She leans back against the couch, somewhere about Mark's elbow (and makes pouty faces. She intended to eat the cookie, for reals!), and she tilts her head back to look up at the two Viltrumites.

    "Less panicky. More schooly. And I want to perform someplace other than Rain Beau Brite's." she considers. "Also, travel someplace that doesn't result in a big fight."

Sunny Harlow has posed:
The cookie is broken in two, the other half offered to Bunny by way of apology and a little giggle given as she finishes her mouthful. "Absolutely," she agrees before considering the talk about teeth regrowing. "It's just as weird feeling it, believe me..."

Better places to travel, Sunny nods and gently moves to flop onto the couch herself. "I mean...I'm still backing the ski lodge idea. I hear you got a cute scarf after all."

Nudging Mark lightly in non-verbal fondness she considers. "I mean, I want to do more with my design stuff...waitress less...maybe wreck less costumes..."

Mark Grayson has posed:
Moving his arms, one arm reaches around Bunny to lightly play with her hair, listening to what she's saying as Mark looks thoughtful. "I'll try my best to not get my teeth knocked out. Maybe invest in a mouth guard." that said with a small smirk, "And you decided what you wanted to study yet? Maybe a music degree?" he asks curiously.

He doesn't address the travel part of it yet. Instead, when Sunny joins them on the couch, his other hand rests in Sunny's as she nudges him. "Art told me he was considering moving his shop here." he admits quietly. "With all that's happened, mom mentioned it in passing. I think he's looking to rebuild as well." A thoughtful press of his lips at that.

"I'm for the ski lodge as long as there is a hot tub there." he reminds Sunny. That's his only stipulation in all this, because he already knows what Bunny looks like in a swimsuit. "Where are you wanting to work, Bunny?" he asks curiously, this being the first time he's heard her bring it up.

"I want to... I don't know. Nolan has given the Viltrumites a bad name. I feel like I need to find the truth as compared to what he's told us with the two stories. And maybe help out more. I have the thing with the Young Avengers and the Titans... but I feel like I need to do more."

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    Inside the apartment, there are three people, wearing PJ's, and a sleepy small dinosaur. There's cookies and snacks set up, cheese and crackers, fruit trays, veggie trays, and in general just a very casual hang-out type situation as Times Square's celebration plays on a computer monitor. Bunny's pink hair has returned and is in pigtails, Mark is lounging on the couch (injured af) and Sunny (not quite injured af) has shared a cookie with Bunny, who's sitting on the floor. Beeper, a sixty-pound baby anky, is sniffing around for spare vegetable crumbs in the livingroom.

    Bunny considers, plucking up a carrot from the tray.

    "I dunno. WHne I was younger I performed with the youth symphony and All-State groups for New York. I was considering seeing if I could set up and get tips at like, airports or something when I'm not in class or attending to Young Avengers business." she replies thoughtfully, looking up from her spot on the floor.

Sunny Harlow has posed:
"Well, I'll pay him a visit," Sunny offers, taking her mug into her other hand as she leans against Mark from oneside and smiles down at Bunny across his lap before she flops back. "I mean...the Young Avengers helped us out, and being part of a team is new to me. I'd love to do more with them all..."

"I mean, you were awesome at Beau's. It'd be amazing to see you get to a few more public things, y'know?"

Mark Grayson has posed:
"I'm promise to try to not show up at all your events, Bunny." Mark promises with a soft sigh. He has to move his hand from Bunny for a moment in order to get his drink and sip from the straw on it. "We've worked with the Young Avengers a few times. They're not quite as well organized and stocked as the Titans, but they're far more... local, when it comes to things?" Trying to find a positive there.

"When I'm better we can all go over and look at the headquarters. Actually, it's in the old publishing company not too far from here if you want to drop in yourself." he suggests to her as he finishes a drink from his cup and moves to settle his hand on Bunny again. "I'm not an awesome designer like you are, Sunny. Or a musician like Bunny. I just punch things really hard."

James Barnes has posed:
    It doesn't count as stalking when you're a SHIELD agent. Skulking around is just how those folks operate, after all. And besides, this definitely counts as official Avengers business.

    Which is the excuse Bucky would give if anyone were to stop him on the street and question him as to why he's casing unit 45 of the Beacon Apartments. Not that anyone would pick him out of the crowd; he's just another New Yorker, bundled up against the cold and sipping coffee to keep warm.

    Who knows how long he's been out there. Probably too long, but the thing about being called the Winter Soldier is that you're probably well-accustomed to cold environs. At some point he dips down into an alley and comes out the other side in different clothes, looking more put-together (and more obviously identifiable) in all black with his signature glove. Soon enough he's taking the steps two at a time up to the fourth floor of the apartment building, then -- believe it or not -- actually just knocks on the front door.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "Should pay Art a visit, he's cool -- AND punching things really hard is important -- without punching things hard, how would we ever survive?" Bunny states with a small smile, and then turns as the door knock reaches her.

    "That might be the pizza -- hold on." she hops up to her feet and goes to the door.

    Beeper turns circles under the coffee table.

    Bunny opens the door, reaching for her bag to grab cash "Hey, hey, I've got the coupon and the caaaaaaaaaa---" she trails off, and looks up at Bucky.

    "... Happy New Year Sir!" she greets Bucky, and then steps back from the door.

    "C'mon in, it's just a little celebration. Considering we're all here to celebrate." she gives a bright smile up to the Winter Soldier, who she knows only by reputation and a few encounters.

Sunny Harlow has posed:
Sunny herself gives a little nod in agreement with Bunny's words, a drink-muffled 'Mhmm!' given.

The possible pizza knocking has the blonde moving to stand but Bunny beats her to it and seems to have rediscovered gravity properly, so instead she turns to lean up and peer over the back of the couch, blinking at the new arrival and looking down to Mark.

"That's...not the pizza guy, is it?'

Mark Grayson has posed:
When Bunny's first reaction happens, that 'Happy New Year, Sir', Mark was moving to start to stand. Because if that is Cecil Steadman... the young man's hand grips to his side, perhaps ready to throw a punch.

When it turns out to be Bucky, he stands down a little and leans against Sunny in a minor form of relief. "...no, not the pizza guy." he comments lightly.

"That's Bucky. Former partner of Captain America and sometimes responsible adult for the Young Avengers. Bucky, this is Sunny Harlow..." he'll let her decide if she wants to out herself to Bucky, he's not going to do it.

James Barnes has posed:
    When Bunny opens the door, it is indeed Bucky, former partner of Captain America. The responsible adult bit is perhaps a stretch, but he only argues the point via a half-hearted shrug of one shoulder. "I just came to check up on you," he says, mouth twisting faintly.

    So apparently he *is* trying to be responsible.

    They each get a subtle but serious once-over, though it's most obvious with Mark on account of all the injuries to take in. Apparently, though, Bucky doesn't find anything too objectionable, because all he says is, "Well, you all look alive," and nods once in satisfaction. Then he casts a glance across the three Young Avengers. "Good. Need anything before I go?"

    Well... he's trying, at least.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    Bunny looks behind to Mark and Sunny, and then up to Bucky.

    "No one should be alone tonight, will you join us for a little while? We've got cheese and crackers, and Sunny's an awesome baker so we have cookies and everything. Beeper's excited to stay up to Midnight." she explains, making sure there is plenty of room for Bucky to enter in. "And we have an extra large pepperoni pizza coming from Giovanni's Pizzaria and Tratoria on its way."

    The short, pink-haired heroine, who a few weeks ago was nearly executed by Omni-Man to prove a *point* to Mark and Sunny about human fragility, gives a bright smile.

    "And I can give you the briefing on the last few encounters with Omni-Man and my own ah..." Bunny states, and then she looks around a moment "... my own powers. It's weird. It's *so* weird."

Sunny Harlow has posed:
"We do have cookies!" Sunny offers in agreement and greeting before lifting a hand. She doesn't give her heroine name, but it didn't really take much to guess that the blonde here with Bunny and Mark was Indestructibelle...plus she'd been called Sunny over the comms by Bunny, so it wasn't going to be difficult.

Briefings to exchange? She couldn't really help with that, but she does at least offer baked goods by way of greeting.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Bucky."

Mark Grayson has posed:
Mark stands down immediately and moves to settle back on the couch. "Pull up a chair, Bucky. It's a weird story." he manages as he leans back again and draws in a breath as he feels his insides continue to knit back up. That's why he's only drinking and not actually trying any of Sunny's excellent baking.

"You've come this far, we can at least share the story of... what happened last night." His look for a moment is immediately guilty, he is shouldering much of the responsibility of what happened, especially to Bunny and Sunny. What happened to him doesn't matter.

Bunny is taking it far better than he is, that much is obvious, but he's at least putting up a brave front.

James Barnes has posed:
    The introduction to Sunny is belatedly acknowledged with a nod; his name's already been given, as well as a (very abriged-slash-sanitized) version of his own history, so there's not much for him to say. Not that Bucky would say much, anyway.

    There's some back-and-forth glancing happening at the offer to stay, but Bucky apparently decides that at least a few minutes can be spared as he steps fully inside and unzips his jacket. "You don't have to explain yourself to me," is how he starts off, then he lifts a hand. "But if you'd like to talk, apparently I'm a very good listener."

    The blank look that accompanies that statement is definitely done on purpose, but it's maybe a bit subtle for a joke.

    The dinosaur doesn't even get a blink. Though it does, along with what Bunny has said, prompt him to add, "You're training to be Avengers. Weird is part and parcel with the job."

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "Your boyfriend's dad stealing kryptonian DNA and making it into possibly body-altering pills weird?" Bunny asks, her nose scrunching up a little bit.

    Beeper, seeing this guy take off his jacket, and he launches himself at Bucky's leg for full investigation smells.

    "That's Beeper. He's mostly harmless. We've got him trained to a command word for clubbing stuff." Bunny explains as she closes the door and offers to take the jacket to hang it on a hook.

    "And I mean it is really weird. But also good debriefing? Because finding out Omni-Man still had powers was weird but finding out he didn't have powers but took this pill and these pills would make Mark and Incredibelle -- another Viltrumite -- as strong as he was was pretty terrifying!" Bunny states, beginning the run-down, describing how she chose to take the pills and *WOW* was that a bad idea because she ended up almost dying in an unknown SHIELD facility except for a Kryptonian owed Mark a favor and was all like 'go go alien tech sparkly stuff!' and then once she had started to get over a cold that the alien had given her in order to combat her own immune system on hyperalert going plaid and THEN she had almost flown out the window in the bathroom by accident because she wasn't alerted that she may have residual powers!

    And while she is doing this she fixes Bucky a plate of a couple cookies, cheese and crackers (because he looks like a cheese and crackers guy) with a couple slices of pepperoni and a pepperochini pepper pile (a paticular pile of peppers that have been picked and pickled), a cold Mango Nectar soda pop and also refilled drinks all around.

    "So yeah, now I have like, flight, and super strength, and it's *Weird* because I sometimes get stuck on the ceiling."

Sunny Harlow has posed:
Sunny's own debriefing was...comparatively tame, partially because the others covered the content well and partially because until Omni-man's reveal? She'd thought the original Viltrumite hero exactly that, a hero worthy of emulating. Hell, her first costume had been a variation on his own famous look...but that one almost certainly wasn't going to come back.

She'd just been the partner trying to do her best to support the other two, considering for a moment. "It's adorable though, if inconvenient. But she'll get the hang of it."

Mark Grayson has posed:
"While she is Incredibelle," Mark says gently, a warm smile for Bunny, "She goes by Indestructibelle." There's a wink for the pink-haired girl as Bunny starts the run down of the last couple of weeks. When she's done with her part, he starts on his.

A rundown of the two-week warning, the attack in Hawai'i, the involvement of the Maulers. How Bunny was able to use Mark's comms to gather a small task force to stand against Omni-Man, who took out most of his aggressions on Mark. And then that Omni-Man just... retreated. Mark doesn't grasp why, but it felt like it tore the heart from his chest.

That there was help, Billy, Caitlin, Miles, Sunny, Belinda... they were able to stop the broadcast to Viltrum.

With Sunny's addition, he gives the blonde's hand a squeeze. And a small smile. Because he remembers the story of that first costume as she told him and her folly at wearing colored underwear beneath it and not realizing that it water would do to the cloth. It's a needed distraction from other thoughts.

James Barnes has posed:
    Somehow, Bucky finds himself with a plate of snacks and a soda. This is... unexpected. What he said is true, though: he is a very good listener. His expression is usually either grumpy or intense, and it tends to favor that second one as he takes in the story from each of the Young Avengers present. And though he never interrupts, he does nod at salient points.

    "That's a lot," he says, at the end. That seems to be his grand total sum of it all, no judgment passed otherwise. "I'll follow up on that SHIELD facility," he adds.

    He's also, believe it or not, eaten his snacks. The Winter Soldier is indeed a cheese and cracks kind of guy, apparently. In the sense that he grew up in the Depression and he will eat just about anything put in front of him. "Thanks for the debrief, I can add it to the report for the Avengers." Then his brow furrows. Bucky pauses, and takes a breath. "How are you all feeling, though?"

    That was a tough one, for him. He's not good about feelings.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    Bunny looks embarrassed at her gaffe, and she flumps to the floor. She looks up at Mark and Sunny, and then over to Bucky, and she shakes her head.

    "I'm okay. I'm going to have nightmares for a while, but these two -- they lost an idol, and a father. So if they say they're fine they're really not fine." she states, dropping all pretense that Sunny wasn't super, because Bucky is both experienced and smart.

    "They've got the worst of everything, injuries *and* trauma."

Sunny Harlow has posed:
Embarassing memories of her first fire rescue aside, Sunny herself gives a little exhaled breath before shaking her head at Bunny's words. She doesn't have an answer, but she -does- at least seem to consider what to say for a few moments as they nom away at their snacks.

"It's been tough. It is tough...we're just doing our best, all of us."

Mark Grayson has posed:
Bunny called it. We'll get that out of the way now.

"Once I'm healed. I'll be back on patrol. I'll be fine." It's a blatant lie, but it's the one he chooses to use. "There's nothing I can do about what my father did. All I can do now is fix the mess he left behind." his voice is quieter for a moment.

And what a mess he made. Loved ones, family, friends, the two women that mean the most to Mark. It's a wide swath of destruction in the wake of the last two weeks.

"It'll be fine." he repeats, as if trying to convince himself of it.

James Barnes has posed:
    Bucky doesn't argue with any of the trio. Not Bunny minimizing her own trauma in favor of everyone else's, or Mark denying his. At least Sunny seems to acknowledge things, which earns her a solemn nod. The other two, though, only get a contemplative look. It's not as if he's going to give them a pep talk, or anything.

    What he does say is this: "If you ever feel like you need to talk to someone, I know a guy who knows a lot of people." Then he sets his food and bev aside to pull out his phone, into which he types (pretty quickly for an old dude who shouldn't know how to deal with technology) and within a few seconds of each other, several other phones in the room beep or ring or buzz with a text from an unknown number. "You can contact me whenever you need."

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    Bunny leans against the couch from her spot on the floor. She gives a little smile, sad as it is, to the other two, and then she motions to Mark with feigned frustration when he says he wants to go back on patrol ASAP.

    But Bucky doesn't get worked up. She stays calm, and leans back -- and when her phone beeps, she pauses to look at the phone.

    "Thanks, Bu... is... is it OK if we call you Bucky too?"

Mark Grayson has posed:
When Mark's phone goes off, he looks at it. There's a bit of a sigh, but he saves it to his credit. "I'll keep it in mind. Thank you. And I won't contact you just for random things, promise." he offers the slightest hint of a smile.

This wasn't how he expected to spend New Years Eve, but it's probably the New Years Eve he deserves.