static | BUCKY BARNES

12

"It happened all the time, he was just too stubborn not to get into fist fights with guys triple his size," Bucky says with a light chuckle.

The corners of Sparrow's lips lift at the memory Bucky shared. Even though Sparrow can't remember anything from her life before HYDRA, she finds great joy in listening to Bucky's memories. He almost remembers everything, but there are still a few bits and pieces missing here and there. It gives Sparrow hope that one day she will remember who she was, too. If she knows who she used to be, then maybe she could know who she is now.

Bucky isn't blind; he sees how the anticipation and dread of the test results are affecting Sparrow. Her anxiety has been trough the roof and she can't keep still. Bucky has found sharing his memories distracts her from worrying about the tests and even makes her smile.

Bucky and Sparrow were having breakfast when he noticed that she could barely touch her eggs and toast. He decided to tell her about his friendship with Steve in the past. Just like he thought, Sparrow calmed down and actually finished her meal without a second thought.

"Did he ever get seriously hurt?" Sparrow asks.

Bucky shrugs. "Not really. I'd usually step in and tell the guys to scram before Steve got too beat."

Sparrow hums in response.

The door to the kitchen opens. Bucky and Sparrow's heads turn as Tony steps in, a conflicted yet curious expression on his face.

Sparrow doesn't need to hear the words that come out of Tony's mouth to know why he's here.

"Your results are in."

Sparrow immediately stands, her chair scraping against the smooth tiled floor. She doesn't move towards Tony, she just stands there, a storm of thoughts passing by her mind. Does she really want to know more about herself? Of course she wants to be able to remember who she is, but does that include who she was when she was with HYDRA?

Bucky slowly stands by her side. His metal hand gently brushing over her metal arm draws her out of her thoughts and she glances at Bucky. He gives her a small nod as if to say Go ahead. What are you waiting for?

Sparrow lets out a shaky breath. "Can you come with me, Bucky?"

He gives her a small smile. "Yeah. Of course."

Bucky gives Tony a sharp look before he could blurt something about the two former HYDRA assassins being lovebirds. Tony just raises his hands innocently and turns, leading Bucky and Sparrow out of the kitchen towards the medical wing.

"So, surprisingly, the blood tests weren't all that helpful," Tony starts as the three of them enter a big room with loads of empty space. He glances back at Sparrow. "But I did find out that you have perfect levels of iron. So good job."

Bucky rolls his eyes.

Sparrow ignores Bucky's irritation and asks, "So what was helpful?"

"The scans I had done of your brain," Tony replies, then presses a button on his phone. A blue hologram is displayed in front of the trio. The images of Sparrow's brain scans show up. You can see where her brain was replaced by machine.

Tony presses one and it enlarges.

"So I was most curious about your brain of course, because you said you were experiencing abnormal flashes that seem real where you're in places you don't remember."