Hello Sergeant (Bucky Barnes)

Strawberry lipgloss

James' POV

"Here's that cable, Skye," Bruce said, coming back over to us and handing her the cord. "Do you need any others?"

"Nope, just needed this one. Thanks, Dr Banner." Skye said as she moved closer to me, reaching up to connect me in.

"James, just let me know if you need anything. We're going to be over there running some different genetic tests while Skye has you connected in," Bruce said, pushing his glasses back up on his nose.

I nodded and Bruce turned to go back over to his work. Skye patted me on my shoulder, dropping back down from tiptoe. "James, will you please sit down so I can see what I'm doing? I'm having issues getting this in."

"Of course, sorry," I said, immediately sitting down on the chair beside her and shifting so I'd be able to see what she was doing while I was connected. "It was the only place that worked to add the port in."

She leaned over me, her long brown hair tickling my neck as she fiddled with the cord until I felt it slide into the port. "Success! We're in business now, baby." She plugged the cord into her laptop and I felt the familiar tingle of data transmission. "I understand why they chose that spot; I'm just not tall enough when you're standing."

"So why were you looking me up?" I asked, continuing our earlier conversation.

"Just curious. I'd never heard of the Winter Soldier until you were found."

"I thought you were just working on my arm."

She grinned, looking up from her computer. "I am – your schematics are currently downloading at a snails pace. You're in dire need of an upgrade, James."

"I think Sarah and Tony are working on that already, but they need a surgeon they can trust." I flexed my cybernetic arm, drawing her eyes to it. "This is hardwired into my nervous system."

"So you can feel with it? Can you feel the download? Does it hurt?"

"I can feel it; it's neither pleasant or unpleasant. I'm used to it being worked on before and after missions. Skye, can I ask you something?" I said, watching her typing rapidly.

"Sure," she answered distractedly. "I can't promise I know the answer, though."

"It's not about my arm, well, not directly. Why are you not afraid of me?"

She looked over at me, her fingers pausing. "Do you want me to be? I might be able to pretend if I have to or something. I was in a play in 6th grade once; I was the best tree in the whole forest."

I smiled at her less than serious response. "No, I just don't understand why you're not."

"You haven't given me a reason to be afraid of you, James. When you were with Hydra, did everyone always act like they were afraid of you?"

"There was no act about it; I routinely made grown men wet themselves when they saw me coming towards them in my battlesuit. I was not to be looked at or spoken to unless it was to give me orders or hear my mission reports; violators were punished harshly."

She looked troubled by this. "So they cut you off from pretty much all human contact unless they needed your skills? Even going so far as to put you in cryo to keep you isolated? Damn, James – no wonder you want a piece of them so badly. I would too if they grounded me for almost 70 years!" She put her hand on me again, squeezing my forearm. I looked down at her small, delicate hands, surprised that she would willingly touch me.

*                  *

Several hours later, Skye was finally done with my arm and disconnected me. Time had passed quicker than I thought, bantering with her and watching the trio of scientists at work. Skye looked over at me while she packed up her computer and gave Bruce back his cord. "Do you want to see our jet, James? I want to put my stuff away and grab a couple things."