Bucky watched her as she moved across the room curiously. When that panel slid away to reveal that impossibly large supply of bags, he fought not to look too sheepish. It was only enforced further when she brought up Steve. He looked off to the side and let out a short breath. To a trained ear, that might sound something like an amused scoff. His BFF. Was he really? The past was foggy, but he could remember... "You gotta understand," He began, looking slightly distant, but fondly so. "back when I used to watch Steve whip the old bag into shape, that wasn't something I ever thought I could do. Not like that." He shrugged his real shoulder and lifted his gaze back to the bags. It was almost as if his mind still wanted to think like it did back then, even knowing everything he'd been made to do and what he'd been turned into. Some part of his James Buchanan Barnes personality still wanted to think of himself as the guy who went from the protector of Steve Rogers to being protected by Steve Rogers.
The next question caught him entirely off guard, however. Given how she moved around him and the fact that he had hurt her on more than one occasion as the Soldier, he wondered if he misheard her. Was she offering to spar with him? Or did Stark have some secret, advanced training robot he was keeping somewhere? Bucky realised he might have been staring a little too long before he decided to shake his head. She didn't take the out...
"I--" He began then stopped and looked a little more sombre, recomposing his answer carefully. "Is that such a good idea?" Part of him was a little concerned about stepping up to sparring when most of these people here were leery of him at best. True, he'd fought alongside Steve to get out of that building and he'd done so without hurting anyone more than necessary. He fought alongside him against Stark's posse--Hell, he'd actually been pretty impressed with the red-and-blue pyjama kid's strength. He'd even tag-teamed Stark with Steve when the man lost his temper, so he wasn't worried too much about losing control of his strength by accident.
"Most everyone around here seems uncomfortable around me. I don't blame them one bit. I'm pretty sure I've hurt a couple of people here." He lifted his gaze just slightly to give her an apologetic look.
Steve had tried, quite a few times, to get him to spar. He couldn't bring himself to accept the offers. It was too close to home. Not only that, but Steve was all too ready to green-light everything and let him jump into the field as it were. Not that there was really a field to jump into, but the blonde was just too eager to pick up things as if they didn't have seventy years of loss between them. Even if neither of them had been conscious for the full seventy years. In the back of Bucky's own mind, there was that small fear of 'what if this is all a trap'. He did make the perfect bait time and time again. History repeating and all that.
He sighed, coming to a decision, "If you're comfortable with the idea, maybe I would like the challenge."
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The next question caught him entirely off guard, however. Given how she moved around him and the fact that he had hurt her on more than one occasion as the Soldier, he wondered if he misheard her. Was she offering to spar with him? Or did Stark have some secret, advanced training robot he was keeping somewhere? Bucky realised he might have been staring a little too long before he decided to shake his head. She didn't take the out...
"I--" He began then stopped and looked a little more sombre, recomposing his answer carefully. "Is that such a good idea?" Part of him was a little concerned about stepping up to sparring when most of these people here were leery of him at best. True, he'd fought alongside Steve to get out of that building and he'd done so without hurting anyone more than necessary. He fought alongside him against Stark's posse--Hell, he'd actually been pretty impressed with the red-and-blue pyjama kid's strength. He'd even tag-teamed Stark with Steve when the man lost his temper, so he wasn't worried too much about losing control of his strength by accident.
"Most everyone around here seems uncomfortable around me. I don't blame them one bit. I'm pretty sure I've hurt a couple of people here." He lifted his gaze just slightly to give her an apologetic look.
Steve had tried, quite a few times, to get him to spar. He couldn't bring himself to accept the offers. It was too close to home. Not only that, but Steve was all too ready to green-light everything and let him jump into the field as it were. Not that there was really a field to jump into, but the blonde was just too eager to pick up things as if they didn't have seventy years of loss between them. Even if neither of them had been conscious for the full seventy years. In the back of Bucky's own mind, there was that small fear of 'what if this is all a trap'. He did make the perfect bait time and time again. History repeating and all that.
He sighed, coming to a decision, "If you're comfortable with the idea, maybe I would like the challenge."