HIATUS.

                concern etches itself and remains in dark features, eyes bright with it, flickering from his face ( his nose ) to the rest of him, inspecting him for more injuries. aside from flustered —- nervous ? —- he seemed perfectly okay. “ i’m not one to laugh at someone’s misfortune. it’s not in my nature. but are you okay? aside from the nose, any other injuries? it was a nasty fall. ”

"Baby, I know places we won't be found."

"All you had to do was stay."

"People like me are gone forever when you say goodbye."

"Everybody here wanted something else."

"Welcome to New York."

"You can want who you want."

"I could dance to this beat forever."

"Any true love drives you crazy."

"I could show you incredible things."

"You look like my next mistake."

"Love's a game, wanna play?"

"I can make the bad guys good for a weekend."

"I'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream."

"Oh My God, look at that face."

"I can read you like a magazine."

"I know you heard about me."

"I'm dying to see how this one ends."

"It's gonna be forever."

"I love the players, and you love the game."

"We're young and we're reckless."

"They'll tell you I'm insane."

"The worst is yet to come."

"I can make all the tables turn."

"Who is she?"

"You'll come back each time you leave."

"It's gonna go down in flames."

"You can tell me when it's over, if the high was worth the pain."

"Boys only want love if it's torture."

     time’s blurred, since siberia. since bucky barnes went back to one of the last places on earth he’d ever want to go back to. since everything fell apart for steve    ( because of him )    and steve pulled him out of there anyway. since they were offered sanctuary by one of the men who’d been hunting him, after vienna.     ( though not without solid reason. )

     life in the wakanda facility’s been… a haze. a lot of sleeping.    ( and not sleeping. )    neither of which help with keeping track of what day it is. and any time he hasn’t spent closed up in the quarters he was given, he’s been under the eyes and hands of scientists, under the bright lights — poked, prodded, examined. doing his best to shut himself down, or else his head feels like it’ll explode from too many memories of other times he’s been sat down and… maintenanced.

     with all that going on, it’s a bit of a surprise when they get a visitor. even more of a surprise, now, when bucky’s just trying to walk down a hallway    ( moving and feeling like the ghost everyone keeps telling him he’s pretty close to being )    and he finds himself flagged down. smiled at. after a pause — and a narrow-eyed, furrowed-brow stare — he responds to the summons. but carefully. slowly. closes with the man with something wary predator in his body language. doesn’t know him. can’t know just what of a threat he might represent.    ( but even before the offer of a fight, he knows a fellow soldier when he sees one. )

     “name’s bucky.” does the gravel in his voice sound a little defensive…? grumpy, even? probably. the taut lines around his eyes remain, as he studies the other. figures since he’s been talking to steve, that he knows what his name is. which just annoys bucky further. but when the gleaming hand hanging at his side flexes, it’s not all from irritation. “it’s new.” he says, flatly. doesn’t shift his intense gaze. “haven’t fought with it yet.”

     which is sort of a warning, and a sort of an indication of interest, both.

     bucky dips his heavily-stubbled chin at the man. makes him an offer. “i spar with you… you use my name.” pauses. almost lets genuine curiosity shine through his weighty expression. almost. “ —— and you tell me who the hell james dean is.”

             aloof  as  ever   ,  puck’s  knowledge  of  one  james  buchanan  barnes  were  limited  to  what  he  saw  on  the  news  -  and  whatever  his  sister  was  willing  to  spill  .  so  ...  he  knows  a  little  .  not  a  lot  ,  but  enough  for  him  to  be  aware  of  who  the  heck  the  winter  soldier  is  ,  and  what  he’s  done  ,  under  the  horrifying  persona  .  it  causes  puck  to  shiver  involuntarily  ,  thinking  gravely  how  maria  still  can  work  herself  with  such  dark  terms  and  terrifying  secrets  .

           no  .  for  maria  ,  puck  would  do  so  much  more  .  he  has  to  .  he’s  not  smart  ,  and  he  ain’t  a  super  soldier  by  a  long  shot  -  but  he  can  still  protect  ,  if  he  tries  .  and  if  he  gives  up  now  just  because  of  a  horror  story  ...   puck’s  grin  doesn’t  waver  as  he  listens  to  barnes  introducing  himself  ,  sounding  like  a  classic  old  man  .  in  fact  he  laughs  ,  entertained  ,  dude  sounds  more  like  a  living  dinosaur  than  rogers  !  ,  before  his  eyes  shift  to  the  arm  ,  wiggling  his  brows  .

        ❛     m’gonna  be  the  first  then  ,  huh  ?  lucky  me  .  hey  -  that  one  doesn’t  have  like  ,  a  rocket  launcher  or  something  ,  does  it  ?  ‘cause  like  ,  that’d  be  so  unfair  .  i  mean  ,  it’d  be  awesome  as  heck  cause  then  it’d  be  hundred  percent  like  those  cartoons  ,  y’know  ?  but  ,  still  .  appreciate  not  getting  my  ass  roasted  by  some  secret  explosive  tech  ,  ja  feel  ...      ❜    the  thief  slash  mercenary  continues  to  tape  up  his  knuckles  ,  before  he  halts  ,  eyebrow  raised  at  the  other’s  term  .

           ❛      hey  ,  robotic  james  dean  !      ❜      the  grin  puck  gives  is  wide  ,  nearly  borderline  childish  before  he waves  ,  motioning  for  the  other  guy  to  come  closer  .  puck  isn’t  always  a  friendly  guy  :  like  maria  ,  he’s  comfortable  at  keeping  his  distances  (  although  unlike  her  ,  he’s  also  prone  to  unexpected  and  explosive  behaviour  which  sometimes  could  mistake  boldness  with  simple  idiocy  )  ,  his  lonesome  job  sharpening  such  quality  even  more  so  .

              but  -  he’s  bored  .  maria  has  already  sent  him  here  at  wakanda  under  a  cover  so  big  cap  can  exchange  reports  (  and  argue  )  with  his  sister  about  what  the  fuck  actually  happened  at  the  airport  and  shit  (  his  sister’s  big  on  damage  control  -  it’s  like  her  fucking  hobby  or  something  )  and  puck’s appointed  to  stay  for  at  least  three  days  before  he  flies  back  and  resumes  his  life  and  job  .  three  days  ,  so  his  sister  could  get  enough  report  to  settle  all  of  these  matters  discreetly  .

              ❛  okay  so  …  I  think  we  have  a problem  here,  dude.  I  saw  it  first  so  it’s  mine.  Find  another  thing  to  eat.   ❜  She  doesn’t  care  who  this  guy  was.  He  could  be  the  president  and  she  would  still  fight  with  him  for  that  nutella.