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The Asset didn’t know how long it had been walking. It didn’t know how much time had passed. All it knew is that HYDRA had been exposed and hit, if there was a time to run it was then, leaving the ruined Project Insight and escaping off the grid.
It couldn’t stop picturing The Captain. He was a target The Asset had failed to eliminate… he it probably could have if cognition hadn’t begun to malfunction so harshly.
It stopped suddenly. Why had it stopped?
The Asset frowned, focusing on the body’s signals.
Ah, something had begun growling in its vicinity, quite loudly, in fact.
The Asset lowered into a fighting stance. It might not be in optimal condition for fighting, but it knew better than to show weakness to anyone or anything, even animals.
It couldn’t help but be surprised when (The Asset doesn’t feel) the source of the feeling emerged behind a set of trees. The Asset was certain he it was looking at a man, but the figure was low to the ground on all does and baring his teeth like a threatened animal.
Очень хорошо. If he approached The Asset as an animal, then he would be dealt with as an animal.
The two sized each other up, The Asset taught and ready to strike and the other growling and flashing his teeth. They didn’t move for several minutes, sizing each other up.
The Asset had no orders to put the man down, and he had no desire to (The Asset does not feel), so he it did not attack.
Eventually, the man’s growls petered off, still on all fours, he crept towards The Asset, eyes sharp and calculating.
The Asset flinched (submit for disciplinary action) harshly as the cold tip of his nose pressed against the crook of the body’s arm. The man sniffed the flesh arm a few times, a clearly displeased huff leaving his nostrils.
The Asset didn’t move.
The man circled The Asset, face now firmly set in a frown. It didn’t know what he was looking for.
After his fourth circling around the body, the man stopped in front of The Asset, looking up at it with big eyes.
He… wanted something from it.
The Asset blankly stared him down, unclear of the situation.
He let out a whine, head jerking behind him pointedly. The Asset did not understand.
They stared each other down again.
Patience apparently spent, he grabbed the hand (so he could use them as hands), tugging on it in clear indication for The Asset to follow him. It did so.
He didn’t let go of the hand.
He led The Asset to a cave, ushering it deep inside and gently pushing it to sit on the ground, it was warm and insulated in the cave. The Asset did so despite being utterly confused (The Asset does not feel).
The man tugged lightly on The Asset’s gear, seemingly asking him it to remove the materials. The Asset did not want to (The Asset does not want).
He whined again, stepping back and pursing his lips in thought.
After a few moments, he gingerly lifted the body’s arm. It was bruised in several places with his fight with Stevie The Captain. He pointed to the discolored areas and let out another whine.
Oh. Now he The Asset understood.
Still, its lips curled down in displeasure (The Asset does not emote, submit for disciplinary action) as it removed the layers covering the upper body and feet. The pants stayed on.
The man let out a pleased trill, momentarily jogging off and returning with arms of first aid supplies (given the multiple packs, The Asset assumed the man had either stolen them or picked up what was left behind by hikers in the area).
With unexpectedly gentle hands, the man ran a wet cloth across the chest. The Asset suppressed several winces (it would not repeat its previous malfunction) as the cold cloth wiped away a layer of dried sweat and river grime from his skin. For several minutes, The Asset silently watched him work, making sure it did not further damage the body. However, the man was incredibly mindful for someone so animalistic. Not once did his nails graze The Asset’s exposed skin nor were his touches ever anything more than almost nonexistent.
“… Спасибо.” The Asset told him after it was sure he had finished.
He nodded. He understood Russian then, that was advantageous.
The Asset donned his gear once more. “Do you speak?”
The man frowned, mouth opening. His jaw bobbed up and down. Did he… not remember how?
“Sort…” the work was croaky and more of a breath of air than anything, but he it still received the message. Sort of.
The Asset could work with that. “What is your designation?”
The man blinked owlishly up at him, frown deepening. He shook his head rapidly.
Or maybe not.
He pointed at The Asset.
“I have several designations,” it began confidently, “The Winter Soldier, The Asset, Tool, The Ghost Assassin…” The Captain’s words entered its mind unprompted, “Bucky?”
The man huffed, poking the chest softly. “… Buck.” He managed to squeak out.
The Asset felt the chest tighten. “‘Bucky’ is not an approved designation-“
“Buck!” He repeated louder.
The answer clicked shut.
The man went rigid at the wordless response. “Buck okay?”
The Asset’s eyes widened. It may not be approved, but this man was clearly not HYDRA, so… “Yes.”
The next few months were… unorthodox.
HYDRA had yet to collect The Asset, nor had it heard of any attempts to locate it. Thus, it remained with the strange man in the wilderness.
The man was not a handler, nor was he a subordinate. They were almost… partners (The Asset was not accustomed to working alongside equals, much less without a supervisor). And yet, it found their time together quite satisfactory.
The man clearly had heightened senses, even beyond the levels of The Asset’s at full capacity. He hunted for them at least once everyday, returning to the cave grinning proudly and dropping dead animals at the soldier’s feet like a cat (how did The Asset know to make such a comparison?) while The Asset skinned and cooked the meat, it had learned through unpleasant displays that the man would eat the meat completely raw if left to his own devices or faced with impatience. While he may be able to survive doing so, The Asset doubted it could do the same. Besides, he seemed more content eating cooked sustenance, and then The Asset could utilize the pelts of the kills to make them additional means of warmth and tools.
Outside of hunting, The Asset had designated itself the task of helping the man improve his verbal communication (in both English and Russian). He had been progressing greatly, and now was comfortable speaking in broken sentences in both languages (often switching between the two in the same conversation similarly to The Asset itself).
“What is your designation?” The Asset (Buck?) asked him again after living alongside him for just under three months.
He whined and shook his head. “Not X. Don’t wanna be Weapon X. Не заставляй меня, пожалуйста.”
That had made something inside The Asset begin to break free. “Then… what should I call you?” It was a risky question. The man had expressed that he remembered next to nothing about his past (and the things he did remember often lead to bodily harm for The Asset or himself).
The man pursed his lips. “… Logan?” It was more of a question than a statement, but it was enough for Bucky.
“Very well, Logan.”
His expression shifted to something The Asset couldn’t identify (a visual representation of inner conflict, most likely).
“Logan?” Bucky had been waiting for several hours for the shorter man to return to the cave covered in animal blood like he usually did. He was starting to get worried.
It he walked outside their (when had it become their) cave, checking the entire perimeter. The snow had long since covered his footprints from that morning, and there were no new ones.
Bucky cursed under his breath. “Logan?” He called out.
He went quiet, waiting (hoping) for a response. Logan was pretty good about responding to help quell Bucky’s anxiety, but this time he was met with silence.
Wait, he strained his ears. He hears growling in the distance.
Logan.
He sprinted in the direction of the sound without a second thought.
Logan was on all fours (he tended to revert back on his animalistic tendencies in the presence of those they had run into in the past), snarling at… “Steve?”
The man’s baby blue eyes widened as his head snapped towards him. “Oh my God, Bucky!”
He ran towards the brunet but was stopped by Logan planting himself between them, flashing his teeth and growling even louder.
“No no, Logan, this is-“ he paused, lips pressing together uncertainly, “Он друг.”
Logan’s growls quieted, but he didn’t move from his protective stance in front of Bucky. “He looks like a Ken doll.”
Steve sputtered indignantly. Bucky barked out a laugh. That was not how he was expecting the animalistic man to respond. “You’re not wrong.” Bucky couldn’t help but chuckle, earning a glare from his old friend(?).
But he was still confused. “Why are you here?” Why now?
Steve grimaced. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, Buck. When I learned that HYDRA had ties with the guys who manned the abandoned Alkali Lake base, I thought…”
Logan tensed at the name.
“We stay away from there.” Bucky informed Steve. “There’s nothing there but old lab equipment.”
Steve sighed. “I was hoping maybe there were some HYDRA documents or something.”
Logan growled again, muscles tensed. “There’s nothing there.” Bucky understood. He didn’t want anyone going in and revitalizing The Weapon X Project (Bucky had heard bits and pieces about how he was experimented on from his intermittent nightmares and flashbacks).
“Okay okay, I don’t need to check.” Steve listed his hands placatingly. “I’m not here on orders.” His gaze shifted back to Bucky. “I was just looking for an old friend.”
Logan pursed his lips. Bucky saw the worry in his eyes. “Я не оставлю тебя.” He murmured under his breath in a low voice, though it did little to ease the tension in the other man’s posture.
Bucky focused back on Steve. “You want to bring me back home, right?”
The blond nodded earnestly. “More than anything.”
Bucky wanted to go with Steve… maybe remember who he used to be, but New York wasn’t his home anymore. “I don’t want to leave Logan.” Said man looked up at him in shock.
Steve blinked, looking down at the little man on all fours. “Um… I guess… I have room for two?”
Something in Bucky’s chest fluttered around hopefully. “Вы хотите прийти?”
Logan thought for a second. “Могу ли я остаться с тобой?” He asked hesitantly.
“Of course, Lo.”
“Then…” Logan gave him a tentative smile, “I guess I could give the city another try. Let’s do it.”