.OPEN POST. (let's play)

[ergon]

[ open. texts, messages, rp prompts and starters. gen & nsfw. ]

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[weaponized]

[ He knows how much Matt sacrificed to keep him alive. Being martyred by the press. Having his legal office vandalized a couple times. Threats and hate mail being sent his way by the people who want Bucky to pay for what he's done, conscience be damned. It seems like an illogical slight against America's pride to let a man who killed one of their most beloved figures to walk away alive. To this day, there are still people who say that it was a weakness on the part of the courts, that the jury was too soft.

He's grateful, but he still doesn't think that he was ever worth any of this. Everybody deserves a fair trail, but he's not sure that still counts when you're a monster.

Bucky knows better than to bring this up to Matt again, though. Like Steve, the man is bullheaded to a fault and would never accept his reasoning. He tells himself that the reason he stops by to check on him is to make sure that he's okay and some patriotic 'vigilante' hasn't escalated the situation beyond hate mail and graffiti. But the real reason is that he has his suspicions, and he's had them for a while. And when Matt comes to the window, they are instantly confirmed. ]

You're him. [ It's a statement, not a question. ] The devil of Hell's Kitchen.

[ He remembers the day they first met. Bucky had thought, he sees too much. It was the way he moved that gave it away, pretending to lack grace. Bucky knows how to spot a threat the instant he sees it. ]

[ergon]

[ Matt is good at his fair share of things, and most especially when it comes to taking a beating and dishing one out himself -- but he's considerably shit at lying, especially to a seasoned veteran like Barnes. Even so, his expression closes into something unreadable; what do you say to a point-blank assertion like that? Barnes' heartbeat is regular, his breathing even, and it's obvious that he means it.

So here is the choice to make: to continue the lie, or own up to it here, before this man, this person who he's come to care for in the months preceding. A denial is on the tip of his tongue, one to be issued instinctively and firmly followed by a change of subject -- but this denial will serve only to insult; after all, Bucky Barnes is too damn good at what he does.

Matt steps aside to let him in, letting the silence hang between them a few moments longer. ]

Did you come here just to tell me that?

[weaponized]

[ Choosing not to lie is a good first step, because it saves them the need to go through a familiar dance of denial and reassertion. Matt says nothing to that effect, but his silence is an answer in itself. Bucky steps inside, but he's trying to make sure that everything about his tone is light and not accusatory.

After all, it isn't like he disagrees with what Matt's been doing. He's not here to admonish him. ]

I came here because I wanted to see a friendly face.

[ It sounds a little flat and lame, and leads to Bucky rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. He doesn't really know why he came, to be honest. ]

Something like that.