(( @strainedconscience liked for a starter ))
it had been a long time since bucky had last been
anywhere near s.h.i.e.l.d.
last time he hadn't really been bucky barnes,
he'd been the winter soldier,
and maybe a little bit of him preferred the idea
of being the assassin while around s.h.i.e.l.d;
less thinking,
less glancing around for a face
that might stir up a memory
of things he'd rather forget,
less guilt over the fact
he'd kicked that one guy into a quadjet's engine...
at least he wasn't killing anyone, though.
he'd been summoned by someone whose name bucky hadn't bothered to learn
for something he hadn't bothered to look at.
he hadn't planned on turning up at all,
but steve had said he should
and whatever steve wanted steve tended to get -
bucky really couldn't help it sometimes.
now that he was stood in their new building,
looking around at everything
and wondering how long it'd taken to get things up and running again,
he was considering turning around and leaving.
sure,
steve might be annoyed but it was s.h.i.e.l.d.
bucky still hadn't gotten used to the idea
that the place wasn't filled with hydra agents
and honestly he probably never would.