[ The explanation seems to mollify his concerns and some of his guilt to a degree. Not that he wouldn't trust him by his word, but the hand on the back of his neck already confirms what he says about the pain, without worry about him downplaying.
As far as the physical damage and how to get it fixed, neither of them are in the position to do anything about it here--
His hand starts to coast across his fur and the muscles beneath that spot twitch reflexively, a soft flicker of surprise. For all the physical contact they've been indulging in these days after all that time apart, this feels like like a friendly squeeze on the shoulder and more like... fingers stroking through his hair, a little more intimate than is meant for the two of them.
Physically it feels good, soothing (he tries to think about his ma's hands, gently feeling his brow when he was sick, brushing his hair back from his forehead)-- except that it's threaded with an undercurrent of self-deprecation, hinting at deeper embarrassment and frustration, partially (intentionally) buried deeper than the surface level of the bond can accurately relay when he becomes too self-aware and digs his heels in.
He sends Bucky another brief memory of Red Wings set up as a safe point, then the PRESERVE site they'd slept at earlier, the latter from his perspective, lying on his back with his head turned toward Bucky. Tries to fix on the momentary safety of those places. Urging.
Whether or not Bucky can decode any of that, he figures he already knows what he'll say to the suggestion.
Stubbornly he's trying to get it right just to get it right. Not one to give up on the first try.
(and also, maybe, in spite of his own fear of being left alone, away from the contact that gave him his thoughts back) ]
no subject
As far as the physical damage and how to get it fixed, neither of them are in the position to do anything about it here--
His hand starts to coast across his fur and the muscles beneath that spot twitch reflexively, a soft flicker of surprise. For all the physical contact they've been indulging in these days after all that time apart, this feels like like a friendly squeeze on the shoulder and more like... fingers stroking through his hair, a little more intimate than is meant for the two of them.
Physically it feels good, soothing (he tries to think about his ma's hands, gently feeling his brow when he was sick, brushing his hair back from his forehead)-- except that it's threaded with an undercurrent of self-deprecation, hinting at deeper embarrassment and frustration, partially (intentionally) buried deeper than the surface level of the bond can accurately relay when he becomes too self-aware and digs his heels in.
He sends Bucky another brief memory of Red Wings set up as a safe point, then the PRESERVE site they'd slept at earlier, the latter from his perspective, lying on his back with his head turned toward Bucky. Tries to fix on the momentary safety of those places. Urging.
Whether or not Bucky can decode any of that, he figures he already knows what he'll say to the suggestion.
Stubbornly he's trying to get it right just to get it right. Not one to give up on the first try.
(and also, maybe, in spite of his own fear of being left alone, away from the contact that gave him his thoughts back) ]