revivalproject | The blizzard doesn't last forever;

Entry tags:

The blizzard doesn't last forever;

WHO: Billy Kaplan, Soldier (Closed)
WHERE: The Hangar
WHAT: Trapped and paranoid
WHEN: Backdated to: Feb 10-14 (Event)
WARNINGS: Paranoia, Anxiety attacks, TDB

Today was laundry day. Admittedly Billy could have just magicked everything clean, but it wasn't really about laundry. It was a little bit of domestic socializing. Chatting (mostly Billy), while they used the ships machines, passed the time with nothing all that out of the ordinary (Billy attempting a few different combinations with the food dispensers, and Soldier trying them without complaint. Not one of them was good.) They'd folded (mostly Soldier) and packed up, and Billy continued to chat as they stepped out into the chill of the hangar (something about Tommy wanting Soldier to come round for dinner). It was a bit colder than when they'd gone in. Which hadn't seemed all that alarming until their communicators went off in tandem, and not long after the howl of the wind followed.

This would be troubling at any time, but for some reason Billy could feel an uneasiness brewing in the pit of his stomach that didn't feel quite...right.

With the now familiar sensation of power loss- Billy's coat faded away. With how often he magicked his clothes he thought he'd been clever keeping it a matter of his will and not strictly 'real'. Big mistake. Huge.

"...Crap."

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"Warmth would be nice right about now." Although for the moment, body heat worked just fine. And the nonbreathable nature of the tarp should help trap sooner of that heat from radiating away. "Keep twitching your hands and feet now and again. Keep the blood flowing."

He nodded; it made sense. Under normal circumstances Billy had quite the convenient wardrobe, what with his magic. "We'll use the replicator to make you one. Better to have a warm coat that doesn't disappear."

He breathed out a small laugh and nodded, glad at least for the warmth radiating off of Soldier and hoping he is giving some back as well, pressed as close as he is.

Even if he'd just magicked it into proper reality it probably would have been all right. But the replicator might be safer. It would certainly save him some energy. "One of those insanely puffy ones?" Billy imagined with a small grin, trying to help distract them with the imagery. "Where I look like the Michelin Man? You'd need one to match. And one of those furry hats with the ear flaps?"

"The what?" Pop culture wasn't his forte, and the reference flew right over his head. More practically, he focused on the idea of warm clothing more than the teasing. "Garments like that do not work for me. Too much fabric to get stuck in my arm." Many times he had to deal with pulling bits of fabric and thread out of the plates. It got quite annoying.

He shifted a little in his seat, tucking Billy closer. Surely just his imagination made the air around them feel colder. "The moon should come out soon. Then maybe we can relocate."

"He's uh...I think he's like a guy made out of tires? But he's all white?" Billy tried to explain before shaking his head. It didn't matter. He nodded faintly, looking towards Soldier's arm and letting himself focus on potential solutions rather than that bitting cold for a moment, teeth chattering. "We could um- we could tailor them? Make them one sleeved? Would that h-help?"

He grateful turned into Soldier as he shifted, closing his eyes and trying to breathe. He didn't feel safe here. They weren't safe. Soldier would keep him safe. Conflicting thoughts swirled and he could feel his chest tightening.

"...I'm scared," he admitted, feeling stupid. It was just a storm. Just a bit of snow. But something was wrong about it...

"My current attire is adequate." A little too light for extreme weather but until today that hadn't proved problematic. With proper shelter they would have been fine; the perfect mess of circumstances worked against them. It almost felt deliberate, though the Soldier knew better than to give voice to that paranoia. "You should add another layer. I can feel you shiver."

Perhaps they would have to consider that campfire sooner rather than later.

He didn't protest Billy pressing closer. Keeping calm in a storm like this was half the battle. He understood that Billy found comfort in the presence of others. "I will keep you safe," he promised. Even from himself, if necessary. Hopefully that could provide enough promise for Billy to have something to cling to against the fear. "Nothing will come for you, without going through me."

"Mmm," Billy made a faint sound of agreement, but didn't want to move away from Soldier's body heat for long enough to find anything.

He tried to slow his breathing, nodding and trying to convince his irrational mind to listen. He'd never doubted Soldier's ability to keep him safe before now. Why should this be any different? It was just some snow? A lot of snow. Too much snow. What if the hangar couldn't take that much snow??- "I know," he mumbled, not sounding as sure as he wanted to, "I don't know what's wrong with me-"

"Do you want me to make a fire?" Billy had scavenged enough bits of crates for firewood, at least for a few hours. They could get that going and making a more proper shelter from tarp and blankets. Or the Soldier could, while Billy huddled for warmth.

"You're scared. It's nothing to be ashamed of." Fear was a natural emotional and certainly they'd seen the kind of chaos these storms could unleash. What Billy felt — what they both felt — was a normal level of paranoia based on past experience. "Do you trust me?"

"...Maybe in a minute. Can I just-...be close for a bit longer," he mumbled, feeling embarrassed and guilty on top of that, knowing as much as they'd gotten closer, Soldier still wasn't the biggest fan of contact like this. Even if Soldier wasn't a steady supply of body heat Billy would have wanted to be close now, to draw comfort. But the smarter choice is probably to suck it up and attend to their physical needs first.

"I do." And he glance up to be sure Soldier could see how sincerely he meant it. And that was part of where his frustration lay. He trusted Soldier with his life. But paranoia didn't care about logic or facts right now.

"Two minutes," he decided. "Then a fire, and a proper shelter." They'd both benefit from rearranging their current setup to make it better at insulating them against the still dropping temperatures. "You'll thank me when you're warmer."

He met Billy's gaze, as sincere as he could express. "Trust me to keep you safe. It's just a snowstorm." Except it wasn't, but they couldn't focus on that. "It can't last forever, and we can relocate when there's a lull."

Billy gave a small laugh at the precise time allowance, and nodded his acceptance, gratefully soaking in that closeness while he could. "Deal. Thank you."

"Just a snowstorm," he repeated, nodding. And who better to keep him safe in a snowstorm? For the moment at least it seemed to succeed in calming him, breathing evening out. "I'm sorry."

"We're going to make a kind of tent out of this tarp," he explained while they waited. "It'll help keep body heat closer to us. We'll use one of the blankets to lay on so we're not on the ground. We'll stay as close to the fire as we can without it being a hazard." Having a plan laid out would hopefully give Billy something other than the fear on which he could focus.

"Don't apologize. You didn't cause this." At least the storm had caught them indoors instead of out and about; there were far worse places to be. "It's just some snow, and you have the Winter Soldier with you. You'll be safe."

He nodded, letting his mind focus on the plan, and it helped, some of the tension leaving his body despite the way he still shivered.

"I have Soldier," Billy murmured, pulling back finally and offering a smile. "He's even better than the Winter Soldier."

Reluctantly, he gave a final nod and pushed away and to his feet. "I'm ready."

"Tell me more about the kind of materials you saw when you were collecting things. Any cardboard or foam sheets?" Probably not, but worth asking. Something to insulate the floor of their shelter; the Soldier's mind spun ahead to construction plans even as he pulled himself to his feet. While he had a good handle on survival supplies, most of his gear catered to one person and didn't encompass some of the more useful bits for extended cold weather camping. And they'd have to make it work for two, and hope for enough of a break in the storm to head for better shelter.

Once standing the Soldier stretched carefully, trying to combat some of the discomfort in his shoulder and side. Maybe he'd consider Billy's sling idea if it got worse but he wasn't at that point yet. Instead he pulled some rope from his pack and started carefully threading it through the grommets on the tarp. "Put on another layer, the maroon shirt is pretty warm."

"Um...mostly plastic and metal stuff, but there were a few things that might have been cardboard?" He didn't look entirely hopeful, but it was possible. He'd lost track a bit when dragging over some of the heavier debris.

Billy eyed Soldier, pressing his lips together to keep from asking again if he was sure he wouldn't accept help with the arm. It had to be hurting him, but Billy knew pressing the matter wouldn't do any good. "This one?" He pulled it on and rubbed his arms, some of the tension leaving his body for the moment.

He shook his head. "Don't worry about it then. What we have will work." Better to spend their energy on the supplies they had. "Take the thicker blanket and fold it in half, then lay it down and we'll build around it."

From there he'd rely on Billy's help to position the tarp and secure it into a shelter, and build a ring to contain a fire. Fortunately Billy had found a large metal container that might have been part of a conduit at some point; it would serve quite well as a vessel to hold the blaze. Lighting it was comparatively easy, thankfully.

"You can warm your fingers over the fire for a bit, if you want." Eventually they'd have to crawl inside their shelter but Billy might be better served closer to the fire for a few moments.

The shelter looked promising. And Billy had been in plenty of Soldier's shelters, so he knew the man could build something to keep them as safe and warm as possible in these conditions, but he could still feel that...dread in the back of his mind, threatening to consume him.

"Yeah," he tried to flash Soldier a grateful smile, holding his fingers closer to the flames and drinking in the warmth. "How are you holding up?" He touched his fingers to Soldier's cheek with a small frown, looking concerned. "...you feel cold."

It was a promising shelter, for what supplies they had available. Better if he'd had a reflective blanket in his gear but there was little sense in wishing for things they couldn't get. At least he had some food supplies if day stretched to night. His mind couldn't help spinning off into contingencies and plans, all the possible situations that could happen and how he'd need to mitigate the potential damage to keep Billy safe.

"Your hands are just warm." Realistically he had an awareness of the potential danger of their situation. But he also knew how to handle cold weather survival; they had a ways to go before what he'd consider the danger zone. "I'm sorry I don't have gloves for you."

"How come I'm not allowed to worry about you, huh?" Billy pushed lightly. Obviously Soldier was better prepared to take care of himself. And Billy. But he was still human. A super enhanced human, but...human.

"I'm sorry I have literally negative to offer us in this situation. Don't stress over gloves."

"Because you worry too much," he replied matter-of-factly. "If you can worry a normal amount I'll allow it." It seemed a silly thing to say, but better that than focusing on their situation.

"You have two functional hands. That's not nothing." The Soldier knew he'd have to rely on Billy as long as the weather kept up. "I'll need your help when we're crawling inside our shelter."

Billy snorted and gave Soldier a look. It was true, but hearing it from Soldier of all people made it funny. He worried at least as much as Billy, just in a more...productive sort of way, as far as Billy was concerned. "What's a normal amount in a blizzard on a alien planet?" he asked.

That gave Billy pause, and he gave a slow nod, ready to help however he could. "Of course," he promised, "Maybe I should take a look later? Just...see if there's anything I can do to make it easier on you until things let up?"

"A five on the Worritron scale. You're at about an eight." Never mind that he just made that up. And never mind his own growing sense of paranoia.

"There's not much you can do," he admitted eventually. "I'll need you to help me tie it up when it gets to the point of pulling too much on my shoulder but I don't want to waste one of our layers cutting it into a sling." He'd sacrifice his pack's straps first, if it came to that.

It at least succeeded in making Billy smile, laughing softly. "I'll do my best to chill out," he promised.

"It's not a waste if it helps you hurt less," Billy argued, but he'd leave it to Soldier to decide when he wanted the help.

"Not literally, if you don't mind. Our work building a warm shelter shouldn't go to waste." A flimsy shelter truth be told but the best they could manage with the materials available to them. The Soldier kept one eye on the hangar door to make sure not too much of the storm was coming inside but so far their tenuous luck held.

"It is a waste to sacrifice a layer we might need." He couldn't be sure that they wouldn't need it later. If the temperature continued to drop it wouldn't matter if they tied up his arm or not. He didn't want to waste their limited layers. "Especially if we're just going to get inside the shelter we just built. I can position it more comfortably."

Edited 2023-04-30 12:40 (UTC)

"Look at you with all the jokes." Billy smiled, and nodded his promise, crossing his fingers in an 'x' over his heart. "Promise," he swore.

"All right. But you'll tell me when I can help, right? Don't just suffer through in pain when I can help take some of it away." It seemed as close a compromise as they were going to get. "Let me help you inside, my hands are feeling better."

At least the banter seemed to distract Billy; the Soldier considered it a success. They had to focus, and he had to keep Billy safe. Nothing lurking in the storm would get to his companion. It was his own promise to himself.

He nodded, though resolved to keep most of the pain internalized. Even if Billy knew there was little he could do without magic and without the Soldier's own HYDRA cocktail. Regular human physiology didn't take too kindly to having a heavy chunk of metal bolted on. "Inside, yes. Lay close to me so we can keep each other warm."

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lol icons are all porn again, i gotta go fix that

lol oops

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