𝔸/ℕ: HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!! this one is ♡ short but very sweet ♡ hope you like it!!
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LOCATION: WAKANDA, RIVER TRIBE - MEDICINE HUTS
— What do you mean I can't go?- Magna scoffed. — No, I'm coming too.- she was just about to head outside when Bucky stopped her by blocking the doorway. His strong muscular arm barred the entrance of the hut and prevented her from passing. — What are you doing? I'm going with you!- the eyes of the brunette were wide with shock, raw pain filling her voice.
Shuri tilted her head in sympathy and joined the two. Ayo stood stoically next to Bucky, while two other guards flanked the princess from behind, their lowered spears cutting off Magna's escape.
— Mags,- Shuri pleaded, lowering her voice. — He must do this alone.- Magna ran a hand through her hair, desperately searching for a way to take control of the situation.
— I need you to stay here.- Bucky chimed in, desperate to reason with her. The brunette glared at him, clamping her lips tight. Unable to resist, he cupped her cheek in the palm of his hand and trailed his thumb over her skin to the corner of her mouth.
— But– Magna tried, her eyes frantically searching the floor around her, not understanding. He cut her off, speaking to her in a low, gentle voice.
— Promise me.- he said, and she raised her eyes. Magna heard the rasp of his breathing and felt his thumb travel slowly down her cheek, over her chin and back again. — Promise me you'll stay here. We don't know what's gonna happen. Please... I need to know that you are safe.- Bucky's hand shook slightly on her face and he looked very much like she felt. Broken, terrified, angry.
Reluctantly, Magna nodded in understanding. Adding unnecessary worries wasn't going to help either of them. It certainly wouldn't help Bucky.
— I need you to say it, Mags.- He just stared at her. At his skeptical look, she smiled softly, yet it lacked the spark that Bucky expected.
— I promise.- she relented. Bucky gave her a nod, studying her face, and she watched the way his magnetic blue gaze lingered there. A moment later, the man bent his head to touch his lips to hers. It was over too soon, and then he drew back. A flash of something in his eyes made her add, — I'll be here.
She glanced over Bucky's shoulder to find Shuri, Ayo and the guards awkwardly standing, looking anywhere but at them. Letting out a faint chuckle, Magna laid a hand on his chest, experiencing his warmth and the quick beat of his heart. Bucky caught her hand, holding it there firmly in place before leaning in, until his forehead touched Magna's and their lips were tantalizingly close again. The two stayed still for a moment before she pulled away first.
Ayo remained motionless, watching as the princess engulfed Magna in a hug.
— This is necessary.- the teen whispered in her ear, squeezing her tighter. The brunette simply nodded, in resignation, rather than out of true conviction. — Trust us. Trust Ayo.
— I do.- was all she managed to say, pulling away. Then, her kind eyes fixed on Ayo. — I do.- Magna repeated with honesty, speaking in a much clearer voice.
The princess was the first to leave, commanding the two guards to keep watch outside the hut, albeit discreetly. Bucky let out a heavy sigh and followed Shuri outside. He walked to the doorway and paused briefly to look back at Magna. The former soldier's gaze took her in for one final moment. After Bucky was gone, Ayo lingered by the entrance and locked eyes with Magna. The latter could hardly see, for the tears blurred her sight. At last, the Dora Milaje fighter bobbed her head, the latter's unreadable expression softening noticeably.
— Have faith.- was all the warrior said, and headed outside after that, leaving Magna completely alone.
— Now what?- she asked herself, feeling utterly lost. Silence was the only response she got. And now we wait, was the best answer her inner voice could come up with.
Magna let the gravity of the situation drag her down in front of the crackling blaze on the hearth. The young woman didn't even have the strength to pull up the bedside chair to sit down, but squatted on the floor and hugged her legs.
— And now we wait.
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The pair walked in silence for what felt like hours until they finally reached the outskirts of the city, where an abandoned hut awaited. Bucky looked around. They had stopped halfway up one of the highest hills; a location that was covered with rocky surfaces, tall trees and an impenetrable mass of vegetation meant to deter its intruders with dense, tangled thickets, rapierlike thorns and prickly foliage. Entering it, the dense shade of the jungle gave a blacker blackness to the night.
It was late now, and a weird, wild night, for the wind didn't blow steadily with a strong blast, but came in fitful gusts and passed on with a distant echo, leaving all still again. The light, too, came occasionally; away from the flickering lights shed by the Citadel, the quiet night was lit by the soft splendour of the moon. Its majesty every now and then obscured behind thick, dark clouds that sometimes burst out, illuminating all, and then, again, cloaked over. It was like a midnight traveller carrying a dark lantern, which he suddenly turned for an instant on his way.
A log fell in the enormous fire and sent up a spray of glowing sparks. Bucky sat, silent, and couldn't help but feel that their location had been selected a while ago. Bringing him out there, far away from the city and innocent civilians... Nothing about the events of that night felt random nor arranged last-minute; Part of him wondered if perhaps that final test should have already taken place and for some reason Shuri and T'Challa had mercily granted him delaying it as much as possible.
That was probably the case, given Shuri trusted Magna and it was perfectly obvious that the two agreed on not running away from risks. Plus, the princess thought of the pair as her friends, people she truly cared about. However, friendship or not, Bucky was also her responsibility. And despite all the time the teen genius could have bought them... it was time.
— It's time.- Ayo announced, breaking the silence, and interrupting his train of thought. He fought the lump in his throat. She was right. Those were the final days of his deprogramming. And now it was time to face his demons. It was time to test the Winter Soldier's code words that once triggered him.
— ... You sure about this?- this was it. And if things were to turn ugly... Well, he was probably never gonna make it back home to Magna.
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— I won't let you hurt anyone.- Ayo stood on the other side of the flames, eyeing him with caution. He had seen the Dora Milaje in action, therefore Bucky knew that she could probably stop him if anything did go horribly wrong. The warrior took a step closer, and Bucky readied himself.
𝙇𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜.
𝙍𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙.
𝙎𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙣.
With each word, Ayo walked further ahead, approaching him warily. She tightened her grip around the middle of the vibranium spear. He couldn't breathe, and panic crashed over him.
— It's not gonna work.- he whimpered, shaking his head with obstinate self-contempt. However, Ayo relentlessly carried on.
𝘿𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠.
Bucky's field of vision began to narrow, fading. No, no, no, he thought. It was tears, but he didn't realize it at first. The latter kept his focus on the flames right in front of him. Another breath. Focus. Keep breathing, he told himself.
𝗙𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗰𝗲.
𝗡𝗶𝗻𝗲.
Not again. Not anymore. Bucky fought the urge to close his eyes. No. Seeing nothing would only make it worse. Darkness wasn't welcome. He needed to focus his eyes forward. Tiny bits of memories, painful memories, flashed behind his sorrowful eyes. An undying reminder of all the things he destroyed, all that happiness he'd taken away. It was almost funny, the way his mind now decided to flush out every single moment of horror through a slide show. A heartbreaking montage of his life. Or lack thereof. So much pain, so much death that he wanted, needed to forget, yet he was forever cursed to remember.
Suddenly, a fragment of a different memory had mixed into the others without asking for permission; this one was far more recent. There was a black hole in the depths of his mind, raging storms surrounding it, and the one thing he was still able to identify above the noise, his ghosts and their shadows was the ring of a familiar voice. It was Magna's voice. And he recognised its roots too; the recollection provided context and took Bucky back to the night she'd passionately talked about mythology, sharing the story of Atlas with him.
"Do you wish you didn't remember?"
"No" had been his answer back then; the admission uttered decidedly.
The voice of Ayo brought the man back to reality. However, reality didn't offer any guarantees. It most certainly didn't mean that things would get easier and hurt less with each passing second. That much he knew. No, reality was just a tangible manifestation of truth.
𝘽𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙣.
He thought about Stark's parents, all the lives he'd taken, the awful people he'd helped gain power over the years...
𝙃𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜.
The bonfire threw out flickers of light from the giant log that burned steadily. Bucky scowled, feeling disgusted. Nostrils flaring, he pushed back. His entire body tensed up, as he desperately braced himself and prepared to fight back against what was about to happen. Because it always happens. Tonight would be no different. He couldn't escape it. He couldn't run from it.
𝙊𝙣𝙚.
Any moment now, he thought. Suddenly, Magna's presence returned in the form of an anchor, and her voice echoed into his mind. It was the softest of whispers working as an invisible rope, wrapping around his heart, pulling him up to the surface. Bucky could almost feel her soft fingers around the rope, as she secured it fast in her grip, dragging him to light.
"I've always liked the time before dawn..." she spoke with a tender voice, barely louder than a whisper, and moved one hand at the top of his head, combing his hair with her fingers.
𝙁𝙧𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙧.
A lone tear trails down the side of Bucky's face. And many more were to follow.
"... There's no one around to remind me who I'm supposed to be," her eyes fixed on his for a moment, and a smirk formed on the corner of her mouth, "... It's easier to remember who I am."
It took him but a minute to notice that Ayo was no longer speaking. The weight of the last word that he was supposed to feel never arrived, and Bucky sucked in a gasp at the realization. Hot sweat drops gathered to his forehead while tears coursed down his cheeks and dropped upon his beard. Deep sobs shook his frame. Bucky's lips quivered with uncaged emotion, anguish painted all across his face, which was covered with a burning blush.
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— You are free,- he vaguely heard Ayo say, but it sounded muffled; the hollow roar of his racing pulse was beating in his ear.
Ayo was even showcasing what most definitely could have been described as the ghost of a smile, but he was still too shocked to fully contemplate and appreciate the rarity of that gesture. Bucky looked up at her in disbelief, feeling more vulnerable than ever. Three words, she had said. Was it real? Did he imagine it? Should he welcome happiness? Would it be taken away from him in a matter of seconds?
It was frightening, so frightening Bucky was sure Ayo could sense his fear, his reluctance. He didn't want to believe it. He didn't want her to give him any false hopes. The woman took yet another step closer and whispered those three words a second time. As she did so, her smile grew.
You are free.
Finally, the former soldier let go, in every sense of the word. With his head down, he burst out sobbing, as an intense feeling of relief washed over him. The impact knocked the air out of his lungs, as a mixture of enormous joy and incredulity took over. Even if he wasn't deserving of ever feeling that way, Bucky selfishly replayed Ayo's sentence over and over and over again.
The Dora Milaje watched him with a pleased expression, moving away from the fire and giving the man some space to process. Grinning in disbelief, he covered his mouth with his fist and stared out at the dark jungle. The dancing fire cast strange shadows across his face, and deep down he knew he probably looked insane, but he couldn't care less.
It had worked.
It worked.
I'm free.
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LOCATION: WAKANDA, RIVER TRIBE - BUCKY'S HUT
Magna stared out the hut's entrance. The one she wasn't allowed to cross. The two Dora Milaje guards who stood with her made that clear. She stared out until her vision got tired, the horizon became too blurry and a headache threatened to appear. Only once the woman had tried to go outside. All she got a hard stare in response. They were there for her own protection, she was aware of it, but Magna also knew that they were there to prevent her from rushing up the hill.
— It's gonna work,- Magna couldn't be certain, not really, but she had to say it. Because it needed to be true. — It's gonna work. It's gonna work. It's gonna work...
By the time Ayo and Bucky returned, Magna was literally climbing the walls, crying, and pacing the room like a wild animal, her soul in revolt under the bitterness of her fate. Despite the warmth of the fireplace, her body was trembling in fear.
Sudden movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention, pulling her mind out of the endless circle of questions and dark thoughts in her head. One of the guards peeped their head in. And she wasn't alone. Magna stopped midstep, her gaze settling on the entrance. Moments later, the woman moved out of the way and another figure occupied her previous spot.Eyes widening, a sharp little gasp left her lips.
James.
Seeing him standing in the doorway, his frame filling it, was enough for Magna to suspend her breath for a second. Joy beat deep inside her, and new tears filled her eyes. He was there. He was right there. What a sight.
Ayo showed up as well, placing a hand on Bucky's shoulder as the latter was about to step inside the hut. Their gazes met and there seemed to be a silent exchange of growing awareness between them. The look of gratefulness radiating from his incredibly blue eyes was more than enough thanks to satisfy the warrior.
On their way there, Ayo had watched Bucky closely and witnessed the noticeable way in which his demeanor seemed to change with each step that brought them closer to his hut. Closer to her. The time it'd taken them to get back was enough for him to eventually calm down, his posture looking... lighter, much more graceful in his movements.
Magna's tearfilled eyes met Ayo's and the latter saw the appreciation for what she'd done.
— Thank you.- she silently mouthed. Ayo smiled, then; the first time Magna had seen her do so. What a night.
The Dora Milaje headed back to the Citadel, finally leaving the two alone.
— ... James?- she said, her voice vibrating with emotion.
Bucky looked up, his face so open and vulnerable it took Magna a minute to recognize he was the same man that had left her hours earlier. Although he was the same, there was a shift in the atmosphere. The man standing before her was a changed man, a tired man, a sad man, a hopeful man. A freed man.
His eyes were red. He'd definitely been crying. Magna started to feel anxious again. He wasn't speaking. How could someone look so sad, yet so relieved? What had happened out there? Magna's lips parted, ready to ask him something, anything, but Bucky surprised her and narrowed the space between them in two quick, long strides.
She managed to gasp, but Bucky didn't give her a chance to say more. The latter pulled her body to him, crashing his lips to hers. He kissed her thoroughly again and again, seeming unable to say anything to her in any other way.
— The words didn't work,- the former soldier panted, in between kisses, like he still couldn't quite believe it himself. — They didn't work..- he drew back slightly, keeping his face so close to hers that his breath bathed her cheeks. — I was so fucking scared,- pulling Magna flush to his hard solid body, he chuckled under his breath. — It's over, Magna, it's over...
— You're free,- Magna whispered against Bucky's mouth, kissing him back forcefully, smiling against his mouth every now and then. — You're free...
Unfortunately, Magna had no opportunity to keep going, for her mind got easily distracted when Bucky squeezed her hip as he ravaged her mouth again.
— Is this okay?- he asked as his hand massaged her thigh. — Doll?- his husky voice murmured against her ear; he was trying hard to stay in control. The brunette pulled his head down to hers and gave him a long, lingering kiss as her answer. Groaning, he kissed her harder, backing them up against the nearest wall of his hut.
She was already digging her nails into Bucky's back in anticipation when the latter jerked his hips closer, and she accommodated by wrapping one long, tanned leg around his waist. Threading her fingers through his hair, the brunette arched her back, pressing herself even more tightly against him.
— James, are you...- she whimpered, out of breath, when his mouth momentarily lowered and focused on her jaw. — Maybe we should...- she trailed off, unsure. Bucky's movements halted. Like a drugged man, he raised his head to look at her with glittering blue eyes.
— Oh...- he rasped, eyes smoldering with desire and a hint of fear. His pulse was quick, almost too quick, but so was hers. She gave him a lopsided grin, forehead and neck glistening with sweat. — Mags, I think...
— ... That we got a little carried away?- she murmured, her gentle fingers caressing his flushed cheeks. His face softened.
— I don't wanna hurt you.- he admitted, licking his lips. — Even if the words don't work on me anymore... I'm still... me...- his eyebrows knitted together as his voice trailed off, uncertain.
— It's okay.- she assured him, pressing a kiss to his cheek. — I get it. We could just read...-the sudden feel of his tongue teasing the rim of her lips distracted her. Magna's eyes closed, their breathing became heavy. — ... Or... maybe... watch a movie... - the words were slow and muddled, as though she was struggling to form a coherent sentence.
— Right. Or...-Bucky faked pondering that, casting his eyes heavenwards and setting his mouth in a thoughtful expression. Magna pulled away a little so that she could look up at him.— We could just keep making out. - he deapanned, finally looking down at her.
— Right,- she also deadpanned with a nod, a mock serious expression on her face matching his own. — Good idea...- the smile on both their lips melted into another kiss.
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♡ 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕜 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘!
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