[It's the sigh that stops him, triggering the part of his brain that registers signals of displeasure, connects it directly to the factual knowledge that displeasure will mean punishment, that punishment is never mild; all of that happens in less than a moment and he goes still, focused and listening, desperately wanting to please.
But what he's hearing isn't doing much against the fear trying to gain a chokehold on his thoughts; he doesn't want to be reassigned, and he can't quite believe that no one is going to disappear. He doesn't like when things change. That's when it gets confusing, when he doesn't... Ben breathes out, looks up at the emphasis and for a long moment that's it: just looks, considering, weighing.
A muscle in his jaw jumps and he swallows, doesn't look away at all.]
Yessir. [It's hard to push out past his teeth and he wants to take it back, but he can't; it's out of his control. As usual.] Yes, Bucky.
[An uncertain shift of his weight, and then:] What do we do now?
[ Spam ]
But what he's hearing isn't doing much against the fear trying to gain a chokehold on his thoughts; he doesn't want to be reassigned, and he can't quite believe that no one is going to disappear. He doesn't like when things change. That's when it gets confusing, when he doesn't... Ben breathes out, looks up at the emphasis and for a long moment that's it: just looks, considering, weighing.
A muscle in his jaw jumps and he swallows, doesn't look away at all.]
Yessir. [It's hard to push out past his teeth and he wants to take it back, but he can't; it's out of his control. As usual.] Yes, Bucky.
[An uncertain shift of his weight, and then:] What do we do now?