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Three small children stare at him when he opens his eyes. It takes him a moment to realize that his skin is no longer freezing, and he can hear birds in the distance, chirping as if nothing in the world matters. It takes him a moment for his mind to remember.
His body does not jerk into action when something rustles outside the tent, sending the children running back outside. Bucky rubs his eyes as he sits up and looks around the small hut. A cot lies far off in the corner, even if it is circular, with a thin pillow tossed aside. A small picture sticks out from the covers.
He groans softly as he pushes himself to his feet and steps towards the opening. A small village lies before him, a lake a few feet to his right along with a girl who seems to be waiting as the children surround her.
Bucky straightens his back as she shoos the children away. She looks familiar, but he cannot place her as she meets his gaze and offers a small smile. Glancing around, he walks over to her as she says, "Good evening, Sergeant Barnes."
"Bucky," he replies.
"How are you feeling?"
"Good." Something is missing, though. "Thank you."
The girl smiles as if she can see his hesitance. "Malka will be here shortly. In fact, she does not know you are awake yet. We thought she might appreciate the surprise."
Bucky cannot stop the warmth that spreads through his chest when he glances around the village. "Malka doesn't like surprises."
"Yes, well, she has been having a difficult time since they started deprogramming her," the girl says, clasping her hands in front of her. "My brother has been helping her since she figured it out, but it is not easy. Her programming is more advanced than yours. It will take longer and with more pain. Not to worry, Bucky. She knows how to help you. In fact, she should be here in," She checks her watch, "about three seconds."
Bucky follows the girl's gaze as she turns to a small hill. He can just make out two figures appearing at the top. One is most definitely King T'Challa with a grin on his face.
His heart almost stops when he sees her. He cannot make out every detail of her face yet, but he sees the bag she holds drop to the grass as she meets his stare. It only takes seconds for her to race down the hill, leaping over rocks as she makes her way toward him.
Bucky's feet move without him thinking, especially when he can hear her laughter through the air. They get closer and closer until she jumps through the air, her legs wrapping around his waist as he uses his one arm to hold her close, splaying his fingers over her back as her rapid breathing echoes in his ear.
"Sneaky royals," she mutters as she slips off of his body to her feet and pulls back to look over his face. "They kept me distracted all day, and here you are."
"Here I am." He takes a moment to really look at her. He can see a few bruises peeking out from her shoulders and a cut on her jaw along with barely hidden circles beneath her eyes. It does not surprise him that her left eye does not move or that the scar has healed so quickly. Any residual anger disappears as she smiles—a wide smile that brightens her face. A smile Aura never had. A smile he has never truly seen before on Malka.
"Wait," the smile drops as Malka looks back at T'Challa and the girl. "The deprogramming isn't ready yet. We're still testing it and fixing it, and it hurts." She spins back to him as her hands press against his chest. "It's going to hurt a lot."
Bucky raises his hand and presses it gently against her cheek. She sighs as she leans into his grasp while he says, "It's ok. And, apparently, it's ready enough since you started without me."
Her eyes widen before she spins around and sends the girl a glare. "Shuri—"
"Malka, it's ok," Bucky chuckles as she returns her attention to him. "It's ok."
She bites her bottom lip before she says, "Turn around, you two."
The girl, Shuri, begins complaining, but T'Challa rolls his eyes and forces her around, holding his hand in front of her eyes.
Within seconds, Malka presses her lips to his with a playful laugh. Obviously, Bucky reciprocates. Why wouldn't he? It's all he has been able to think about since going under however long ago it was. Bucky Barnes was always a playboy, but now—he cannot imagine anyone else in his arms, kissing him passionately as if they were the only two people in the world.
When she pulls back, Malka presses her forehead to his, their noses brushing together as she smiles. "Glad to have you back, Bucky," she whispers.
"Has it been hell without me, doll?"
"Hell on Earth."
"I can tell by the bruises."
"I can handle myself."
"Don't I know it."
"Ugh! You two are worse than T'Challa and Nakia!" Shuri shouts, followed by a sharp yelp. When Bucky glances over Malka and she looks back, both see the siblings watching them with grins, despite Shuri rubbing her arm. Malka presses closer to him, her body trembling with concealed laughter as he tries to hide a smile.
Malka clears her throat and says, "Would you rather I send you both away and close off the home you've given to me so we can—"
"No!" Shuri exclaims, waving her hands in the air.
Bucky glances down at Malka to see a satisfied smirk along with a deep blush covering her cheeks. He never would have thought she would make such an insinuation, and she still has the same reaction—blushing a deep red and trying to hide her face—but it impresses him.
"You two," Shuri points to the two of them. "Come. There is much for him to see, yeah? You'll have time to talk later when I am far away. Far, far away. Nasty animals, the both of you."
✗ ✗ ✗
Oh, the hope of domesticity. It'll be crushed in the next chapter.
