Relapse In Time

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         "Do you know who your parents are?" Bucky watches as Veda sits on the wall, the pair of them gazing at the jet flying away in the distance.  Veda shrugs, "I don't know, I can't remember" she doesn't look at him.  Bucky nods understandably, "bucky, it's time to hand that over..." Shuri interrupts.  Veda looks up to see bucky taking his jacket off as Shuri sets a case down beside him.  Shuri taps her fingers a few times before buckys arm disconnects from his body.  Shuri smiles at the pair, "you know where to find me if you anything" she walks away from the balcony.

           "That's creepy, and cool, at the same time" Veda shrugs as bucky wraps the sling around his shoulder just like the girls.  Bucky chuckles, "y'know, I prefer not having my arm" he speaks up.  She looks over at him, "you do?" She furrows her brows.  He nods, "it reminds me that I'm free, I have a life of peace now" he smiles weakly.  She nods, "fair point" she sighs.  Bucky nods, "how'd you get your metal arm? Only if you feel comfortable talking about it..." he enquires.  Veda nods, "it's fine" she smiles weakly, "and uh, they kinda just took my real arm. One day I woke up and my right arm was metal" she shrugs.  Bucky nods, "you fell out of a train, right?" She adds. 

           Bucky nods, "yeah, we were on our way to destroy hydra, but it failed. Now here I am" he smiles sadly.  Veda smiles in return, "well, between the two of us we have a pair of real arms, and a pair of metal arms" she shrugs.  Bucky chuckles, "good thinking" he nods.  Veda smiles, "Shuri said you have claws on your hands and feet. That true?" He adds.  Veda snorts a laugh, "yeah, it is... I can climb things" she nods.  Bucky nods back, "the metal heart isn't anything crazy though" she clears up.  He nods, "what's it for?" He keeps an eye on her body language, making sure she doesn't feel too uncomfortable.

         "The hydra agents used it to send electric shocks around my body, for whenever I didn't comply, or for when I escaped... which was more often than not" she nods.  Bucky doesn't say anything, "but y'know, it keeps me alive so there's not much I can do" she looks out onto the forest.  Bucky looks down, "I'm sorry kid, I wish there was an easier way for you to face this. But what's done is done, as much as it hurts to hear. You just gotta accept it, and start your new life" he stands up.  Veda nods and wipes a tear away which somehow managed to slip down her cheek.

          "It's getting late, you should get some rest" he nods to the door.  Veda stands up, "yeah" she follows him through the maze like corridors.  Bucky presses the elevator button, "it's too late to go to the huts now, but there's a few rooms upstairs" he nods.  Veda stands next to him, "you live here too?" She enquires.  Bucky nods, "ever since I was free'd from hydra, yeah. I like it here" he presses the button.  Veda watches as the door closes, "what do you do to pass time?" She asks.  Bucky smiles, "I have a farm, and I look after the animals by the river" he nods.  Veda smiles, "that sounds nice, and free... y'know, I don't think I've ever been let out of my cell before. All I know is hydra, that stupid chair, and the halls, and their yelling..." she rambles as she runs out of breath.

        "Breathe, kid. Just breathe. It's over now, you'll never be controlled by anyone again. Got it?" He turns and places his hands on her shoulders.  She looks up at him and takes a deep breath, "got it..." she whispers as the elevator door opens.  Bucky leads her onto the main hallway and through a door, "it's a joined room, so I'm just right through this door if you need me" he nods.  Veda looks around, "you need anything?" He adds.  She shakes her head as she memorises her surroundings, "I'm okay, thanks" she looks up at him.  He smiles weakly, "good night, kiddo" he nods as he walks through the sliding door separating their two rooms, "night..." she returns the phrase.

          Vedas mind immediately freezes as she backs away from the middle of the room, her back eventually hits the wall, forcing her to stop. She looks around as the shadows cast shapes onto the wall, she wastes no time in grabbing a pillow and blanket before seeking shelter in the wardrobe next to her. It's a little tight, but closed off and safe from any scary people that may attack. The darkness envelopes her and before she knows it she's sat on high alert, just waiting for something to happen...

~

Bucky wakes up and rubs his face tiredly before getting out of bed. He changes into new clothes before lightly knocking on the sliding door in front of him. He waists a few seconds before entering Veda's room. Confusion hits him straight in the face when he sees an empty bed and a missing blanket, pillow along with a missing Veda. He scans the room silently before he notices the blanket poking out of the wardrobe. He sighs and waltzes over to the doors, with a swift motion he pulls the doors open and a panicked child jumps out whilst throwing punches, "woah, hey... it's just me..." he blocks the one armed punches and holds his arm out. She runs a hand over her eyes, "sorry..." she mutters.

"It's okay... did you get any sleep?" He nods. She looks over her shoulder to see the tiny space she spent the night in, however she shakes her head in response. He smiles, "don't worry, I still struggle to sleep sometimes" he nods. Veda smiles tiredly, "c'mon, you don't wanna miss breakfast" he encourages. She nods, "I better change first..." she yawns. He nods, "I'll be right outside" he points to the door. She nods before he leaves, and she rushes to get changed, already fearing the loneliness when he leaves her on her own.

~

"This is where you live?" Veda follows bucky into a fair sized hut just outside of the village, on the outskirts of the forest. Bucky smiles, "yep, in all of its glory" he nods. She smiles, "I like it, it feels cozy" she sits on the couch which is surprisingly comfortable. Bucky nods, "I can show you some of the animals too, but they tend to only come out in the evening" he shrugs.  She smiles and looks around, "lemme' grab you something to drink, I may be biased but I do make a banging strawberry milkshake" he nods.  She nods in agreement as he walks into the kitchen, leaving her to get comfy on the couch.

Bucky grabs everything he needs to whip up two milkshakes, "the hut next door is free, if you want I could fix it up, make it a little more liveable for you" he calls out. Veda could already feel her eyes slowly shutting, growing heavier by the second, "that'd be nice, we could have those things... what're they called?" She looks up, "oh right, uh-sleepovers. We could have sleepovers. That'd be fun" she chuckles.  Bucky smiles, knowing that this must be difficult and new for the kid.  He's the first to admit that he may possibly be the most awkward and unsocial man on earth, the last time he ever tried helping anyone was probably during his enrolment in the army.  Yet, this kid is bringing out a side of him he didn't even know he had...

"Whatever you want, kid" he calls out. She smiles and rests her head on the back of the couch. She tucks her legs up as the sound of the blender fills the hut. A yawn escapes her lips as she closes her eyes. Falling asleep shouldn't take too long... Bucky empties the milkshakes into the cups, "you want whipped cream?" He calls out.  He backs up to stand in the doorway when he receives no reply.  However, when he's see the kid sleeping on his couch he doesn't hesitate to leave her to rest.  After a sleepless night post all of the stress and confusion she's been through these past few days, she needs some rest.