DDU-DU DDU-DU // joining

[buckingham barnes]

Buckingham wanted to start his life over, have a fresh, new start. The maine coon was only beginning to feel a sense of relief on his chest, he is finally at peace. At first, Bucky thought he just had to accept the person he was reworked into. Back then, Bucky thought one thing: the Asset and Buckingham Barnes were one. He was no longer the Asset, yet he was no longer Buckingham Barnes, they were a mixture. For a long time, Bucky just accepted that he had to continue being an assassin, despite how badly he wished he could stop it. He thought whether he liked it or not, this was his life now.

But as months past, Buckingham began to realize he couldn't just 'accept' it anymore. The amount of guilt he felt made his chest unbelievably heavy- everyday became a struggle to wake up and go through the day. He was tired of tearing families apart, he began to realize how much he hated seeing his blood stained metal claws. He had to stop the killing, he can't ruin anyone else, especially if they're innocent. It was then the assassin decided to silently leave his home, not saying goodbyes to anyone he found close, and didn't look back.

Since he left, there's been one only person he killed. And unlike the rest of them, he felt no guilt towards this one individual. Who were they exactly? They happened to be the one person Buckingham hated the most, and wanted to see dead the moment he was no longer the Asset- his handler. Buckingham accidentally came across Ximen's scent when traveling, and knew he couldn't just go by it. Usually when Bucky killed someone, the amount of guilt he felt was unbearable. But when he watched the life drain from Ximen's eyes, he felt the exact opposite. Buckingham couldn't describe the relief he felt the moment he knew Ximen was truly dead. He was finally free, after all that torment and suffering, Bucky almost thought it was a dream. Ximen couldn't hurt him anymore, nor could the mutated cheetah harm anyone else.

Shoving that thought to the side, the maine coon found himself padding near the border, making his way on paws that were light as feathers. Even though he's free from Ximen, and that he knows he no longer has to be that Asset, he can't remove certain things that he was conditioned to do. One of them being so quiet it was like he's a ghost. Back then, he had to make sure he would stay hidden, or risk the consequences of getting caught, especially in missions. Now, Bucky doesn't use his stealth skills to sneak up on someone to sink his claws into their throat. Moving around like he can't even be detected is normal to him- it feels so unnatural for him to put more weight into his steps. He doesn't like it, he doesn't like putting more force into his paws, he feels the most comfortable when he's moving around like a ghost.

Buckingham was the next one to slip into the scene, shortly arriving after Beverly. Buckingham has enhanced senses- he has better hearing and smell, but his sight, touch, and taste is completely normal. Buckingham picked up Hana's scent when he was getting close to the border, and heard that strange, unfamiliar word escape her jaws. He automatically assumed she was a joiner, but wondered if she couldn't speak English- it would be difficult to communicate with her if that's the case. Though, those thoughts were tossed to the side when he heard her speak up again, but this time in English. "My name is Hana, and I'm looking to join."

The former assassin found his gaze locking onto Hana, blue eyes blinking as he got a good look at the oriental cat. Buckingham hadn't seen her before, she looked like a stranger without a doubt. But, it seemed like Pierce recognized her, which the male glanced momentarily at. He wondered how long the two knew each other, but he pushed that thought to the side for now. "Welcome to Sunhaven, Hana," Bucky meowed with a swish of his bushy tail, "I'm Buckingham Barnes, feel free to call me Bucky."

"What language were you speaking in originally?" He asked, unable to put a name to it. Unfortunately, Buckingham wasn't entirely familiar with other langauges, he grew up only learning English.