inbox.

[bionicstaringmachine]

overflow (tfln & other text posts) and text/audio/video in general.

Comments

tfln continuation — 02/16/2024 — @franfalle.

[bionicstaringmachine]

( from here )

Because I'm not pretending. Sam knows a lot of people and the ones I know, I already have saved in my phone.

[ There's a frown at his phone and it's hard to tell if it's his typical expression or if it's because he wonders what Sam is up to. ]

If this is about not answering his texts back, you can tell him I planned on getting around to it eventually. I've been busy.

[ No he hasn't. But it's easier to bend the truth over text. There's a beat, deciding to bring it back to this person so he can figure out who they are. ]

How do you know Sam?

[franfalle]

Because Sam lives in the woods?

[ This is not making sense. Sam texts? Sam the giant she can maybe understand because he has opposable thumbs and everything, but Sam the wolf, unlike her brother, is an actual wolf, not a wolf shifter. ]

Is this some kind of joke? Are you pranking me back after I accidentally set you on fire?

[ It was an accident! And it was just Fenris' tail, not all of him... ]

[bionicstaringmachine]

[ What the ...

He stares at his phone for a moment, his expression showing his clear confusion that's built with the latest response and then something else happens --

He laughs. He laughs at the idea of Sam living in the woods and then as it becomes clear that he and this mystery person think they're texting someone else. ]

I don't joke. [ He jokes. ] But I think you meant to text someone else earlier and I got it instead.

[ There's a beat, as he tries to figure out introducing himself. He's said James 'Bucky' Barnes so often while trying to make amends for what he'd done as the Winter Soldier but he doesn't know this person ( probably ) and now it's time to put things back on the right foot. ]

I'm Bucky.

idk let's just say it's easy to send letters during the war??? or something LOL

[spokelse]

So I got the job.

[ And because he'll inevitably ask how someone who doesn't exist in their world actually managed to pass herself off as American enough to be accepted in the Army— ]

Forged my papers, of course. And charmed the recruiter. He was very friendly.

really advanced stark tech, OBVIOUSLY (or yeah it doesn’t take 84 years to send letters)

[bionicstaringmachine]

Knew I shouldn’t have underestimated you, doll.

[ He’s impressed, proud a little but also there’s something else? A need to protect ( not that she needs it, it doesn’t stop the urge ) because he knows war is ugly but he has high hopes that he’ll make it back alive. ]

Recruiter was probably glad to see a dame like you after dealing with a bunch of guys like me all the time.

[ Flirting and self deprecation all rolled into one, who knew? ]

it's our AU we make the rules here hahaha

[spokelse]

[ She's fought in more wars than you, handsome. Hence her seemingly irrational need to follow him into the Army, as if she could protect him from it. Or maybe she just has a death wish. ]

So you admit it.

[ Just teasing. She knows she made a terrible first impression. ]

He was. Said I'll look good in uniform.

[ In just the uniform, precisely, but she'd smiled and pretended like she didn't get the insinuation. She needed to get her foot in that door so she'd let it slide. Next time, she's going to break noses. And fingers, if they try to get too close. ]

tfln continuation — 04/19/2024 — @sinne.

[bionicstaringmachine]

[ from here ]

What, you're tellin' me you like me for my personality?

[ More teasing. He has to, to be able to let the conversation they're really having to settle there for a moment in the background so he can deal with the battle of wills going on inside of him. The part of him that doesn't want to kill versus the part of him that wants Hydra to be gone completely. It's not just for him, it's for Steve, it's for what Hydra took from them and others. He wants to hit 'em once for him and then another for Steve and then keep going until there's nothing left. Of them, assuredly. Of him, maybe. ]

Yeah, I do. I'm not gonna let anyone else do this but me. And if we try to save some, we end up letting SHIELD know who you really are. Peggy and Howard can only do so much, they've got other people involved now. [ Because they're getting old now, the old guard is crossing soon and that means others involved they don't have the same history with. ] And I don't wanna owe them too many favors.

[sinne]

Nah. I'm just here for the sex.

[ Teasing, but it's also not entirely untrue.

She gets it all — his internal struggle, his desire to take Hydra down, his concerns about her, not wanting to owe people favors. She hates the thought of not fighting by his side, especially after having done that for so long, but she also understands why he insists upon it. (Or so she thinks, anyway.) ]

Then it sounds like we have a plan.

[ He might be going at it "alone" but it's still a we thing. ]

What else do you need?

[bionicstaringmachine]

Now making up for all the time apart makes sense.

[ 'Time apart' is putting it lightly. There was the lack of time alone together during the war effort - he couldn't clear out a tent or get them put on the same mission too often, then he was captured by Hydra and became the Winter Soldier - it took time for her to find him and then once she did, it hadn't been a quick process where he felt at ease with himself enough. ]

You. I don't know how this is gonna play out and how I'm gonna feel about myself after, but knowing you're there after will help.

[ While the fear of the Winter Soldier resurfacing is always going to be there, it's not the forefront of his mind when he says that. He needs her there because he knows that no matter what he chooses, he's probably gonna need her to help put himself back together after and he feels something, almost like a twist in his gut at how unfair that is to her, but she's always managed to put those pieces back in a way that it won't immediately splinter again when it's touched. ]

tfln continuation — 04/19/2024 — @franfalle.

[bionicstaringmachine]

[ from here ]

It's okay. The important part is knowin' you want to.

[ It's still flirting, but there's a touch of that self doubt lurking there when it comes to the idea of Hel wanting or choosing anything to do with him beyond the friendship they've been exploring. ]

[franfalle]

[ Time to one up him on that self doubt! ]

I want to. But do you?

I can keep the glamour on but you know it's just an illusion. You'll still be able to feel the damage. And it's not just on my hand or my face.

[ She knows it's gross. Like if a really old person had scarred from a severe burn. The texture of her skin on that side is weird, the colors weird. She totally understands if he's disgusted by that. Already expected it, even. ]

[bionicstaringmachine]

I heal fast compared to most people, so there's not any scars or old wounds but the one thing that never healed up was the scarring from where I lost my arm - my real arm. Between their shitty surgery and me clawing at it later there's scar tissue and it ain't pretty to look at or touch either.

[ It's not an outright answer to her question yet, but he's trying to at least show to her that he knows what it's like to be scarred. He knows how it feels to look at himself and not like what he sees ( it's better now, he doesn't feel the urge to punch the mirror or block them out these days ) despite his outward appearance. ]

And yeah, I do. I want you.

tfln continuation — 04/19/2024 — @sinne part deux.

[bionicstaringmachine]

[ from here ]

Is that what we were doing before, dancing?

[ It's a question to point out the curious word she used. A word that seemed familiar, not that he could place why. The white noise of his brain was starting to become less of a plain static and wanted to buzz alive, but he was resisting it. His handler, the scientists - they didn't like it when he had those moments where he asked something or did anything remotely like reacting for a change. So he tries to shove that activity in his brain aside. ]

But I will be there.

[sinne]

You wish. You're too stiff.

[ Which is what they've been trained to be: rigid, efficient, unbeatable. But even with all that drilled into her, she still exudes grace and fluidity. The scientists have chalked it up to whatever she is, but she doesn't know that.

The noise in her head isn't also quite as loud. ]

I'll be waiting.

[ She knows he'll take his time. But, somehow, she's good at standing still. At waiting. ]

sorry i don't have an open post for her yet so i'm taking this to yours 🤣

[franfalle]

◜continued from here◞

Well, he reminded me that you were dragged out of here after protesting three times before Sam promised he would have you back in time.

[ Yeah, the boy quoted him word for word. ]

And that you're alright, you're just a little held up because you have a surprise for me. Which is aside from the peace offering flowers.

[ ... there it is. There's the catch. ]

pfft, mi casa es su casa or post i guess lmao

[bionicstaringmachine]

[ He's glad he didn't breathe easy about it, thinking that the kid managed to just repeat what he told him to, because it would've been easy breaths that were wasted. He's glad that Vetle did what he could to try and get Hel to be less mad but did he have to go that extra mile in mentioning a surprise? Now he's gotta think of a surprise. And fast! ]

I knew I shouldn't come home empty handed and that flowers don't count for much, as far as apologies go. It's more of an apology from me, but Sam says he's sorry too - in case he didn't tell you that when you talked to him.

tfln continuation — 07/05/2024 — @hnif.

[bionicstaringmachine]

[ from here ]

I'm not the only one out here doin' the work. But some of 'em are laying low and we're doing a lot more digging and rebuilding than world saving right now.

[ The Hydra uprising and the fall of SHIELD kind of put everyone in a weird spot, including the Avengers, when it came to the public eye and their opinion and the trust they had in people who went out there and did what he did. And a lot of his efforts have been put in finding Hel or tracking down some of the known Hydra agents like Rumlow who managed to get away. He only got involved in actual world saving activities if it happened to be something that required all or most of the Avengers to be present. ]

Yeah, it's called PTSD.

[ His response might read as dry and while it was in part an attempt at levity, he does have a point. She's dealing with PTSD from everything she's gone through, because even he deals with it and he didn't have his mind wiped and reprogrammed who knows how many times. It's a thought that makes him want to use a little more force than necessary on Rumlow or anyone else he can find from Hydra, even if it's too late to make what was done to her right, but making sure that they pay for it is better than nothing. ]

I'm stronger than I look. You saw I was up and around and it wasn't long after you pulled me outta that river. I can handle myself.

[ He also doesn't sleep all that soundly either. He might not have episodes like she does, but he wakes to random noises, he'll see things he'd rather not - glimpses of the past, events he wishes he could do over - and is often times fitful. ]

Le'me help you.

[hnif]

Isn't harboring a fugitive against the law? Unless you've changed your mind about killing me.

[ Maybe he should just kill her and save everyone the trouble. That'll put an end to her potentially hurting other people, and him having to worry about her. In some abstract, shallow sense, she understands why he seems to be compelled to help her. He's told her about their past. She's observed others — couples — behaving in a similar fashion. She can come to terms with that, make some sense out of the situation.

It's when they're together — even just like this, talking — that she struggles. It's... different, when he's around. When he's close. She feels. She wants. ]

Was I good to you?
When we were together, before.

tfln continuation — 07/05/2024 — @brushpass.

[bionicstaringmachine]

[ from here ]

Yeah and no, if I'm bein' honest.

[ And that's what she's asking for, he thinks: his honesty. He might have an idea she was looking for a reaction, kind of when she mentioned being topless not all that long ago, but he also knows she's not gonna push him past any boundaries he's not comfortable with.

Just like he's not gonna do something that he thinks might go past her own personal boundaries. He's gonna check first, even if it's not with the actual words of "is this okay?" because he's never gonna want to impose himself on her, not even accidentally. ]

I didn't know you could improve something like that. [ They had things that were marketed for massaging back in his time that turned out could be used in other ways and he has eyes, along with access to the internet. He just never thought of being able to fix and improve a sex toy like that, all with the knowledge she already had. ] And I think I might owe you that dinner.

sorry not sorry bucky!

[brushpass]

Good.

[That he's being honest. And it's not really that she's looking for a reaction. Even if there is a piece of her that relishes the opportunity to get him a little flustered. Mostly, she's pretty sure that this is a way of reminding him that she is interested in him in more than just a friendly way.]

You can pretty much always improve something like that.
Oh yeah? Got a craving for something?

[Yes, that is double entendre.]

tfln continuation — 08/09/2024 — @brushpass.

[bionicstaringmachine]

[ from here ]

You know if I'm gonna spoil her, I'll end up doing the same to Liho right?
I can take longer if you need it. I'm old, I gotta move slow to get there.

[ It's bullshit, because while he might move slow on occasion, he doesn't always feel every bit of his age in the years since his birth, as opposed to the years he's actually lived. But it's to say that he's not rushing her. His suggestion of thirty minutes was to prove he wasn't going to drag it out, make her wait and instead make this move while it was there. He's been making her wait a lot, he's gonna try to put an end to that. ]

You think I can't move in what I usually wear?

AWW YEAH

[brushpass]

I don't have any ground to stand on to counter that, considering I went from "I'll feed you but you can't come inside" to letting her live here full time.
Take your time, old man. I'll be ready.

[Meaning - she understands what's between the lines there and is maintaining her stance. But also that she'll be fine if it takes him a little bit longer than thirty minutes to get to her place this evening.]

Of course you can.
Just figured you wouldn't want to get your nice clothes dirty when I knock you on your ass.

gen texting continuation — 11/17/2024 — @letsfkinggo.

[bionicstaringmachine]

[ from here ]

Half the time those drinks smell like they're too sweet just from being around enough of 'em since getting back with half of the world. I thought the point was tasting the liquor, not masking it with a bunch of bullshit.

tfln continuation — 03/13/2025 — @workingtheory.

[bionicstaringmachine]

[ from here ]

A margarita or three counts as zero drinks? Next time someone's wondering how many knives I got on me, I'm saying I might have one or three on me, but it's zero.

[ He's being a smart ass, forgive him probably-drunk-Darcy. Instead of insisting that she might want to eat something if she's possibly had three margaritas in the last hour, he goes with: ]

I guess I'm getting some food when I get there. I might share some of it with you.

YAY!

[workingtheory]

Oh come on. We all know you have at least one hundred knives on you at all times. It's okay though. I forgive you. Besides, it's kind of hot.

[ This is something that Darcy more than likely would have still said sober, so she's not going to be ashamed about it. ]

I would offer to share my margarita, but it's probably going to be gone when you get here.

Oops?