verb.
To come or go back to a place or person.
noun.
The firing of a weapon to counter a shooter's shot.
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They recoiled from their pasts, and in doing so found each other.
But the universe isn't kind enough to let a moment of peace last.
It took se...
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"I'm not sure this is a good idea."
"Of course it is. Trust yourself a little, ikati."
Casting a doubtful glance at where Shuri hovered at her shoulder, Kat slipped her hands into the pockets of her linen shorts, mostly for fear that the young princess would put them to use if she left them in view. "No, it's really not. I'm a mechanic, not a neurosurgeon."
"And I'm a genius, but you don't see me throwing that label around."
"Don't I?"
"It's beside the point." Shuri waved her hand dismissively as she gestured to the illuminated panels before her, "Come on, you've seen me do this nine times, and you watched like a hawk for every second. You know the process."
Swallowing thickly, Kat shook her head again, this time letting her eyes wander to where the object of their conversation stood over the chair he was soon to occupy, his right hand resting on the black leather, the fingers flexing slowly against the supple upholstery, just one of the indicators of the anxiety, the trepidation that radiated from him. She didn't miss the way his grip seemed to tighten whenever she spoke, though he was resolutely pretending not to listen to their conversation. "I don't... I don't think I can, Shuri. It just feels... It feels too risky."
"What's the risk?"
"My hand slips and I turn his brain to soup?"
The derisive snort she received in response to voicing that worry aloud almost made her roll her eyes, but she resisted the urge, letting Shuri take her elbow and tug her deeper into the room. "There are parameters set up so that can never happen. And I'll be right with you."
Bucky looked up as their steps approached, his piercing blue gaze landing on Kat's as if he could feel her eyes tracking him, as if he had known she had been searching for him. "It's not my decision to make." Kat finally managed to voice as her steps halted, a few feet from Bucky's chair. "It's not my mind, it's Bucky's."
"Sergeant Barnes is the one who came up with the idea."
Frowning, Kat glanced between the two people that stood before her, catching the slight, fond tug of Bucky's lips at her incredulous expression. "She's right." He murmured softly, "I asked Shuri if she thought you could do it."
"Buck, you can't be serious-"
"I am." He assured Kat softly, releasing his hold on the chair as he stepped towards her. "I really am." That single, warm hand reached for her arm, drawing her fingers from the safety of her pocket to guide them to touch against his temple, sweeping back where a few strands of his overgrown hair had fallen from the loose knot she had tied for him this morning. He was still working on tying it back with only one hand.
She couldn't quite speak, as he smiled at her to trustingly, even though the trepidation that she knew ran through his very bones at the thought of what he was about to go through again, leaning into her touch which he guided.
