"James, I asked you a question."
At once, reality returned to him. Those troubled, intense blue eyes flicked up to his therapist.
"No."
"We've been doing this long enough that I can tell when you're lying. You're a civilian now. With your history, the government needs to know that you're not gonna…"
Her voice trailed off, exaggerating his past with a gesture.
"It's a condition of your pardon. Are you going to be able to handle this?"
"You want me to become a babysitter?"
"This is what Steve requested per your condition."
Bucky's gaze trailed off to the left.
His therapist removed her pen from the notebook.
"Oh come on, really? You're gonna do the notebook thing? Why? That's passive aggressive."
"You don't talk, I write."
An exasperated, defeated sigh fell from his lungs. "Okay. Okay. I'll do it. I'll be their protector, guardian… thing. Happy?"
She smiled in response.