au!winter soldier

[fallenson]

Of course I'm laughing.

Look at you. You don't even know what to do with me, now that you have me.

Oh, you know what I'm good for. But that's not what you're after. I can see it. There's no mission here, no information. You just cut my tether to see what I'd do with freedom.

The thing is, there's always someone willing to pay for what I do.

Mm. You're disappointed, now. Well that's boring.

Tell you what, if I'm going to be here for a while, you might as well let Natalia know she can stop hiding. I could use some decent company.

Comments

[wwii]

Yeah, well, fun's kind of my thing. [ :| ]

[fallenson]

Soldiers and guns-for-hire aren't so different.

[wwii]

[ have a chuckle, steve, bc wow. no. ]

That's cute. Who told you to believe that? Karpov?

[fallenson]

[ Congratulations, kid. You're suddenly interesting. ]

I guess this is the part where you feel the need to explain the difference.

[wwii]

[ yeah, he figured. ]

Hell no. Too predictable. But I'm curious: if you're willing to work for anyone, does that include your nation's enemies?

[fallenson]

You're assuming said enemies wouldn't try to kill me on sight. For some of them, that's a lot to ask.

[wwii]

Just gauging your patriotism. I seem to remember loyalty to Mother Russia was something of a priority. [ or maybe that particular allegiance was too stubborn for them to switch and easier to just wipe out entirely. ]

[fallenson]

It is for them. That's all that really matters.

[ He's loyal to his employers. That's as far as it goes. You can only ask for so much when you tear into a guy's skull like they did with Steve. ]

So. You too, then.

[wwii]

No one you would remember. [ shrugs one shoulder. yes that one. ] Unlike Natalia. Guess they let you keep her.

[ more of a question, really, but he's only gently probing. did they? or was she significant to steve like she was to james, an imprint that stuck with him through sleep and so much meddling? there's hope, in the case of the latter. and in the former -- well, it's just an obstacle. steve's in there. of that, james has no doubt. ]

[fallenson]

[ Steve is looking at him rather curiously, now. But there's nothing. Not even a glimmer of recognition, and he's honestly trying. Is he from another branch? He's too familiar with the subject to be an outsider. ]

Natalia is no one's to be kept. If you truly knew her, you'd know that.

[wwii]

[ he'd crack a smile if it weren't too fucking strange how much steve reminds him of himself with that comment. so. that's how it is. ]

I know how memorable she can be, and how dangerous those memories are.

[fallenson]

They can be, if you let them.

[ There's a careless shrug that isn't. Most of him believes those memories of her still exist as a reminder. As punishment.

Even if they aren't always. ]

Luckily for them I'm not easily distracted. She found new employment, and life goes on.

[wwii]

[ furtiveness doesn't suit him. funny how he always tried to get steve to live recklessly, prize physicality over emotion, and now here he is, without his heart on his sleeve, and it feels incredibly wrong. ]

Sounds to me like all you know how to do is make it stop.

[fallenson]

To be fair, I'm very good at it.

[wwii]

And your other hobbies include, what, knitting and four square?

[fallenson]

You forgot reading bedtime stories to orphans.

[wwii]

So you do remember.

[ probably not, but hell. he'll seriously take anything. ]

[fallenson]

[ Well he's a cold, heartless bastard, but he doesn't have to be a dick. He's got social skills of some form or another. ]

...why is this so important to you?

[wwii]

I like a lost cause. Bad habit I picked up from a friend.

[fallenson]

Let's hope his life lessons don't get you killed.

[wwii]

This is me, intimidated.

[fallenson]

I can see that.

[ You amuse him. Which, in the long run? Probably a good thing. ]

We recognize our own. There's not much that can scare you now, I'm sure.

[wwii]

Scare? No. There's a whole hell of a lot that bothers me. [ crossed arms of idk crossiness it's fucking early ] You got a first name, Soldier?

[fallenson]

I have several.

You can use Steve, if you like.

[wwii]

Why, you attached that one?