Stasis || Bucky Barnes (1)

Twenty eight

They got the tattoos. They kept with the sun idea but when the man had finished poking out the outline and the flames of the sunlight, Bucky stopped him. "Can you add birds in the middle there?" He asked, gesturing to the empty red skin in the circle of the sun. The medic had nodded but demanded more of Basil's boiled sweets. Basil had huffed but given up the rest of the tin, willing to go along with what Bucky was planing. It had taken a bit longer but it was worth it. The shadow silhouettes of a bird in flight was set evenly in the centre of each of their sun's.

"What was the bird for?" Basil asked later that night, when the sun had gone down and their tattoos were already scabbed over. (They were healing remarkably fast. He would have to keep an eye on that). He was starting at it in the dark. The sun just beneath the crook of his elbow of his left arm, matching the one on Bucky's right. It had been Basil's idea to get them on their dominant hands.

"I guess I just liked the thing you said about those birds rising from the ashes", Bucky murmured. He was sprawled on his back, one arm across his stomach and the other spread out under Basil's head. He yawned in the dark. Around his throat, Basil could read the stamped out words of his dog tags. One metal rectangle said James Buchanan Barnes. The second said Jahi Basilton Parrish. The sight of it made Basil smile. (It made his chest swell and the weight of his own dog tags round his neck felt like a lifeline. He wanted to scream and show it off to everyone he knew. That this man had promised to stay with him, that thought they hadn't said the words 'I love you' aloud yet, it was there. In tattoos, shared beds and the metal around their necks).

"Phoenix", Basil prompted.

Bucky huffed sleepily. "Yeah those, that we survived so far. We are like phoenixes".

"I like it".

"Good. Cause it's permanent now Parrish".

"Wow Tattoos are permanent. Never knew that Sarge". Basil giggled as a hand poked him in the head.

"Shut up and go to sleep".

Basil rolled closer so that he could bury his head into the crook of Bucky's neck. He wrapped an arm over Bucky's chest and felt the arm under him bend to encircle him. "Night Sarge, make sure the bed bugs don't bite".

"The only one who bites here is you", Bucky yawned.

"That's just because I'm kinky. But not without permission".

"So freaking talkative". There was a pause and Basil felt Bucky's mind turn. "Didn't you bite that scientist back at the lab? That's why they strapped your head down".

Basil frowned as he tried to remember. The whole thing had been a blur of pain and jumbled stories told in the dark. "Oh. I did. Drew blood and everything. I had forgotten about that". He giggled and shrugged. "Okay. I bite in life or death circumstances too. As long as you don't try to kill me, I won't bite you".

"Noted", there was dry amusement in Bucky's tone. "If I ever try to kill you, you have permission to bite. Now go the fuck to sleep".

"Well if you fuck me to sleep"- Basil cut off with a cackle as Bucky groaned loudly. The man rolled over and shoved his hand over Basil's mouth, muffling any further words.

"What am I going to do with you Parrish?" The sigh was irrefutably fond. Basil wriggled his eyebrows as his reply came out muffled. Bucky fixed him with a tired look. "No more talking. Just sleep". Then he closed his eyes. Basil watched as Bucky's breathing slowed and the hand over his mouth relaxed. He gently reached up and moved the hand away as he cuddled closer.

He listened to the deep breaths, feeling the rise and fall of his chest. With a grin he leaned forwards and pressed a soft, barely there kiss to Bucky's forehead. "Love you Bucky". The words were whispered. A soft, vulnerable acknowledgement. Then Basil closed his eyes and drifted into the arms of sleep.

——

"Oi Bucky! Basil! Get up!" Basil jerked as Dum Dum's shout started him awake. He sat upright and immediately hit his head on something hard. He flopped back down with a pained groan, eyes blinking blearily. Above him was a wooden surface. He gazed at it unseeing first a minute as the pain in his forehead ebbed. The sound of Bucky shifting and sitting up startled him into realisation. The wood was the underside of his cot. He could feel the oiled canvas of the tent floor under him, rocks and uneven ground digging into his shoulder blades.

"Parrish?" Bucky called in groggy confusion. "Where are you?"

"I'm down here", Basil spoke up. There was the sound over movement as Bucky got up. Basil saw as his feet hit the floor, then his knees as Bucky bent down to peer at him.

Bucky frowned. "Why are you down there?"

"Oh just checking out the whole coffin experience", Basil grumbled, hand still rubbing his bump. "Thought I'd see what the whole dead experience is like". Bucky rolled his eyes with a snort. He disappeared and Basil watched as his feet moved round the beds to his side. Hands took hold of the wood and the whole cot was lifted and moved easily to the side. Bucky held out his hand and Basil took it. The man pulled him to his feet.

"How the hell did you get down there?"

"I don't know. One minute I was asleep, the next I was on the floor. Maybe I sleep walked?" Basil sat down on his cot and began pulling on his trousers and shirt. They had managed to wash their uniforms and it was nice to pull on clean clothes.

"Yeah and you sleep crawled under your cot too", Bucky rolled his eyes. "Any symptoms?"

"Any symptoms?" Bail parroted back.

"Head aches, hunger. I've been feeling starved. Like I can eat a horse. Maybe I should steal Steve's special protein stuff. Exhaustion, jitters. The usual". Bucky buttoned up his shirt and sat down to pull on his boots. He gave Basil a look. "Now you".

Basil sighed. "Hunger. Increased healing? I think. I haven't been injured enough to test that. Maybe increased metabolism? It would explain the jitters and hunger. Also I've been feeling weird. Floaty and hollow". He shrugged. "Nothing too unusual".

"Maybe we should talk to Steve", Bucky suggested. "I mean, whatever the hydra people were testing on us was supposed to be like his super soldier serum. Maybe he'll know something".

"Maybe", Basil murmured. "But he said that his experience was quick and controlled right? He described them using energy to speed up the change. We don't have that. Maybe after this mission. See if anything changes".

"Okay. You're the doctor". Bucky stood. "Let's go and see what the fuss is about. I swear we were supposed to be allowed to sleep in today". He pushed out of the tent flap and Basil got up to follow. There was unease in his stomach. For all his medical training, he had never learnt about super soldier serums before. He just hoped that he was doing the right thing.

Unedited