The Isle of IKEA, Wednesday Morning

[weirderthanthou]

James's apartment had been largely abandoned for years, and he hadn't exactly made it homey before he left. So there was really only one solution, at least as far as a girl like Jesse went: a trip to IKEA, to at least get him some plants.

And furniture.

And weird little things. (She loved the weird little things.)

Being the disgustingly early riser that she was, it was probably no surprise that they turned up early, walking onto the premises of the island and its massive Swedish monolith a few minutes before opening time. "I always wonder who exactly shops here," she mused. "I think there's actually a special Portalocity station assigned to just the isle?"

[[ for him ]]

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[shapethecentury]

Bucky, dressed in the usual MCU incognito 'laying low' sort of getup of a hoodie and a baseball cap, eyed the building with something approaching mild concern.

Not for himself, obviously.

"All this for furniture and plants?"

[weirderthanthou]

"And meatballs," Jesse said, grinning. "They're important too."

[shapethecentury]

"... Meatballs."

Yes, he was repeating that like he was checking he'd heard it right.

[weirderthanthou]

"Swedish meatballs," Jesse said, amused. "They're kind of famous for them."

[shapethecentury]

"The furniture place," Bucky replied, pointing at the building in front of them. "Is famous for meatballs."

He glanced back towards Fandom.

[weirderthanthou]

"I wouldn't call IKEA a 'furniture place'," Jesse said, amused. "It's just... IKEA."

[shapethecentury]

"You're making it sound like a cult," Bucky told her, as his attention returned back to her. "You know that, right?"

[weirderthanthou]

"I think we should just go inside," Jesse said, deeply amused. "You'll see."

And without thinking about it, she reached to take his arm.

[shapethecentury]

Bucky froze for a second, purely out of surprise, nothing else. He hoped it wasn't too obvious - he was relatively smooth about shaking said surprise off, after all, and letting her do what she was doing.

He no longer had any idea what she'd just said, though. But that was fine. "Okay" went for most situations, right?

[weirderthanthou]

And Jesse, none the wiser, pulled him through the doors of the IKEA, into the large hallway with the escalator heading up.

Sometimes her relative lack of anxiety around him was a weakness, yes.

[shapethecentury]

Well, everything was relative. At least in cases like this where Bucky successfully masked his own awkwarness. Or whatever that was.

He wasn't looking at it too closely. Just nodded ahead. "Up?"

[weirderthanthou]

"Up," Jesse agreed. "First there's a whole layer of model rooms? We can poke through those and see if we can find anything you like."

[shapethecentury]

Bucky managed a little huff. "Don't hold your breath for me having opinions."

He was going to have opinions, probably. He just didn't think he would.

[weirderthanthou]

"Uh huh," Jesse said.

She was determined to make him have opinions.

But for now, they were riding up the escalator, where a little stylish fake living room-and-kitchen waited for them, bathed in pink light.

[shapethecentury]

And as soon they were at the top of the escalator, Bucky took one look at said pink light, and --

"'Kay, I might have some opinions."

[weirderthanthou]

"Feel free to share," Jesse said, fighting to keep the grin from her face.

[shapethecentury]

"Pink's too much."

What, no one said it was going to be an elaborate opinion.

[weirderthanthou]

"Lucky you, then," Jesse said, stepping up to the little screen in the center of the room. She pointed. "You can pick your own colors."

[shapethecentury]

"Can they be just the color of... lights?" Bucky wondered, with a look that maybe qualified as wary.

He was from a simpler time. In terms of lighting.

[weirderthanthou]

"Warm yellow or super-white?" Jesse said. "Because there's kind of... a range there too."

[shapethecentury]

"Warm yellow," Bucky replied, with no hesitation. "The white's... no good."

Good things had rarely happened to him in places with bright white lighting.

[weirderthanthou]

"Right, so if we get lamps, we'll keep an eye out for those," Jesse said. She looked around. "Well, that couch is okay, but... I'm not wild about it." She pointed down the hall, where more living room setups awaited. "Let's go."

[shapethecentury]

Bucky swallowed his question about whether (and/or why) anyone would be wild about a couch.

Instead, he took a fraction of initiative in leading her towards where she'd pointed to. Just trying something out.

[weirderthanthou]

"Ooh, the Kivik," Jesse pointed, as they stepped into a much more subdued, homey, grey-and-dark tones kind of living room set up. "Those are nice."

She was immediately sitting down.

[shapethecentury]

Bucky? Not so much.

He was instead eyeing the couch like he was wondering what he was supposed to be seeing that made it any different from any other couch.