jumpthegun | WtL Mailbox

Trial run. She moved in a few days ago, but she still has her house in case Sherlock's too much. Or I'm too much. Just testing it out.

[That's interesting, especially given that John doesn't remember his wife from home or Norfinbury, and it makes it more likely to run into someone else if he visits here.]

Didn't even know you were together.

[He's not sure if it's good or not.]

Kept that quiet.

You didn't see us flirting on the Bulletin Board before the island trip? [They were disgustingly blatant, really. John had realized that only after they'd returned from the trip.]

I must have missed it.

[Which is a little disturbing, as he usually tries to keep a close eye on these things. But before the island trip, he was still spending days isolating himself completely, so that might explain it.]

I'm happy for you, John.

[His smile is gentle.]

Yeah. It's good. I like it.

But you wanted to talk about something?

Yeah.

[And then he falls silent for a long few awkward moments, wondering how to even broach this. People usually went softly into big things, right? But he can't think of the words, and so eventually he just blurts it out, blunt as ever.]

Renart told me she loves me. I told her I love her too. She's gone back to Monty.

[Uh...

John's silent for a long moment as that processes. As he takes in that Bucky admitted to someone he was in love with them. And then his mind turns to Renart and that kiss she most recently pressed to his lips after their argument. He wants to be a supportive friend. It's wonderful that Bucky's found it in himself to fall in love! He also wants to be a realistic friend. Renart really doesn't seem like the best person for Bucky, in particular, to fall in love with.]

That sounds complicated. [Neutrality for now.] How d'you feel about that?

Concerned.

[At least he can be a bit more candid with John about this than he could be with Renart, not wanting to offend her or spit on her choices when it wasn't his place to do so. He doesn't even consider yet that John actually means how does he feel from an emotional standpoint as the lover not chosen in this scenario.]

He's already proven he doesn't have remorse for killing, only for getting caught, I'm worried he's gonna hurt her.

I'm a little more concerned about what he might do to hurt you if he finds out you've confessed your love for each other, Bucky.

He only managed to get me before because I was trying to protect him, I won't make that mistake again.

[He's fairly confident in his ability to best Monty in a fight if it ever came to that.]

But I don't think he'd come after me again, pretty sure that'd ruin his chances with Renart.

[John frowns.]

So, you think he's going to try not to do anything to ruin his chances with Renart, but you think he might hurt her?

I don't know.

[And that's what scares him.]

He killed me out of jealousy, a man like that doesn't take a big leap to translate a relationship into ownership.

[John's eyes widen.]

Has she told you he's hurting her?

[With Renart's regenerative abilities, it would be hard to actually see any signs.]

No, and I don't think she's hiding anything either.

[He doesn't actually think Monty is hurting her yet, but he really doesn't trust what he's seen of that man's true nature.]

But she's scared of him hurting someone else, it doesn't seem right. I'm worried for her, and-- I don't know if she went back to him because we decided nothing could happen between us. It was pretty quick after.

D'you know if he was pushing her to get back together?

[It could be some evidence...]

I think he was trying manipulate it, but I can't be sure, I only know what Renart's told me.

[There's a slight undercurrent of warning here, to tell John to keep this between them. He's sort of betraying trust to be talking about this at all, but he needs to talk to someone.]

I just don't trust him. I saw what he really like, he didn't have any regret for taking someone's life, that's not a man I want around people I care about.

Right.

[John has no regrets about taking certain lives. But his murders have been to protect other people, mainly.]

What are you going to do?

Nothing.

[He doesn't look happy about it, though.]

Being with Monty is Renart's choice, I'll just be ready if something happens and she needs me.

[Love is difficult.]

People make bad choices sometimes. [And John doesn't like waiting around for something bad to happen.] And need to be protected from them, honestly, Bucky. Sometimes, that's the only way they can break out of a bad cycle.

So, what? You're saying we should force Renart away from Monty?

[It's a complicated situation, and trying to figure out the morally right thing to do is hurting his damn head.]

Have you heard of an intervention?

[He's not sure they had those in Bucky's day and age, but... maybe?]

No.

[He knows the word in and of itself, but not the application of it here.]

It's basically when the people who care about someone and see that person in a bad situation sit them down and have a big talk about what's wrong and what they need to do about it as a group. The person the intervention is for might resent it, they might see it as meddling, intrusive. They're not wrong, but it's also sometimes something that needs doing when they can't pull themselves out.

[That makes sense, and even if it hadn't had the specific name back then, he has vague memories of people banding together to talk to a fella that drank all his wages away. It's something he's wary of being part of, though, he's not sure where the line on respecting someone else's choices is.]

...you think we should do one of those for Renart? Stop her being with Monty?

I think it's something to consider. If you really think she's in danger with this man, that's something that should be got out. Especially if other people think it, too, for different reasons.

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cw: spousal abuse

cw: spousal abuse

cw: spousal abuse

cw: spousal abuse

cw: spousal abuse

cw: spousal abuse

cw: spousal abuse

cw: spousal abuse

cw: spousal abuse

cw: spousal abuse

cw: spousal abuse

cw: spousal abuse

cw: spousal abuse

cw: spousal abuse