[ normally he would be even more skittish, would recoil from that bold touch, from anything more than incidental glancing contact with the hand in particular. but bucky makes himself swallow that instinctive wariness (do not perceive me!!), and instead lets himself talk about it. most people never ask. ]

It doesn't. I mean, don't get me wrong, the Wakandan design is great— I can sleep with it on and it's still comfortable, and it's lighter than the old one—

[ a shrug, gesturing vaguely to the pair of them entangled together, the bed, the fact that she clearly hadn't seen him pop the arm out of its socket and put it away in a box or something in order to sleep. shuri had gone to great lengths to make it a permanent part of him rather than a clunky prosthetic; she'd made it comfortable. the old HYDRA arm wasn't. the old one had been heavier: forty pounds of brute titanium which had affected his gait to compensate, and which made the socket of his shoulder ache on cold days, the bite of chilly metal, carrying that weight. ]

It's better than what most companies can build outside of Wakanda. There's haptic feedback so I can tell when I'm touching something, and I can feel pressure, resistance, and how far I need to reach for something. I can feel your fingers. I kinda know when something's hot or cold, but they dialed back the temperature sensitivity and there's no pain receptors, since they figured — accurately — that I'd be in combat with it.

So. Yeah, I can pour a cup of coffee without looking. And I'd be a shit fighter if I wouldn't be able to tell how far away someone is to punch them, or whether or not the blow landed.

It's not as sensitive, though. It's like wearing gloves, I guess? You can still feel things, but it's muted.