Bucky's years of paramilitary training -- first as an army recruit and then as the Winter Soldier -- had taught him to recognize and pay close attention to certain things. He was very quick to spot movement and recognize change (be it a break in a visual pattern or a deviation from a routine). He could usually clock a person who was in disguise or otherwise out of place. And he could almost always tell when he was being watched.
As the newest resident in a small fantasy village, and one whose cybernetic arm had become a lot harder to hide since the fountain lost his luggage, he'd felt eyes following him all day. So far, it had been no cause for concern. Mostly soldiers who seemed (rightly) to regard Bucky as a potential threat, or curious locals who wanted a better look at the bionic man. But this was different -- a pair of eyes were fixed on him, and while it wasn't registering as a threat, it still made the hair on the back of his neck stand at attention.
Slowly, so as not to draw attention, Bucky averted his gaze to chance a look in his watcher's direction. And he spots the person he most -- and least -- wants to see.
A one-two punch of sudden relief and impending dread hits Bucky in rapid succession. His best shot at getting out of here alive is probably a rescue party. But since their last encounter involved Bucky shooting Steve, fighting him to a standstill and then fleeing the scene, Bucky's not so sure a rescue mission is what Steve has in mind. Every time Bucky does something like this, something he knows Steve hates, he's a little worried there won't be a next time. One of these days, he'll come to bury Bucky, not to save him.
Bucky quickly scans the marketplace for an exit strategy in case things turn dicey, deciding on a path that would take him from a nearby donkey cart to a low thatched roof and away from the center of town.
Steve is stronger than Bucky, but Bucky is faster -- or he was, anyway. Given how long it took Bucky to clock him, he could be at a considerable disadvantage.
no subject
As the newest resident in a small fantasy village, and one whose cybernetic arm had become a lot harder to hide since the fountain lost his luggage, he'd felt eyes following him all day. So far, it had been no cause for concern. Mostly soldiers who seemed (rightly) to regard Bucky as a potential threat, or curious locals who wanted a better look at the bionic man. But this was different -- a pair of eyes were fixed on him, and while it wasn't registering as a threat, it still made the hair on the back of his neck stand at attention.
Slowly, so as not to draw attention, Bucky averted his gaze to chance a look in his watcher's direction. And he spots the person he most -- and least -- wants to see.
A one-two punch of sudden relief and impending dread hits Bucky in rapid succession. His best shot at getting out of here alive is probably a rescue party. But since their last encounter involved Bucky shooting Steve, fighting him to a standstill and then fleeing the scene, Bucky's not so sure a rescue mission is what Steve has in mind. Every time Bucky does something like this, something he knows Steve hates, he's a little worried there won't be a next time. One of these days, he'll come to bury Bucky, not to save him.
Bucky quickly scans the marketplace for an exit strategy in case things turn dicey, deciding on a path that would take him from a nearby donkey cart to a low thatched roof and away from the center of town.
Steve is stronger than Bucky, but Bucky is faster -- or he was, anyway. Given how long it took Bucky to clock him, he could be at a considerable disadvantage.
"Steve?"