Relapse In Time

𝕤𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕟



*three months later*

        "On your right!" Veda yells as she dangles from the tree next to her friend.  He sighs as she drops the fruit on his head instead of in the basket, "you said on my right, not my head" he looks up.  She jumps down and lands on her feet, "my bad, my aim must be a little off" she shrugs.  He smiles and shakes his head, "grab that bag of soil, would you?" He nods.  She groans, "this is child labour..." she drags her feet over to the trailer. She picks the bag up with no issues, "catch" she throws it to bucky. He drops the pitchfork to catch the soil, "you're cruising for a bruising, V" he raises an eyebrow.

She gasps, "who, me? Never..." she quickly climbs back up the tree to continue picking the exotic fruits.  Bucky looks up, "you dizzy yet?" He enquires.  She lets go with her hand so she's hanging by her legs, "nuh-uh, I could do this all day" she smiles and hands him another apple-like fruit.  He shakes his head, "crazy child" he returns to his work.  Veda sits up in the tree when she sees a dark shadow cruising over the sky.  Bucky looks up and drops his shovel, "looks like we got a visitor" he smiles weakly.  Veda watches as the quinjet lands in the bay, however the familiar face strolls towards the palace first.

         Around ten minutes later, bucky drops his work to grab a drink of water when Steve joins him, "hey..." he pulls his friend into a tight hug.  Bucky nods, "hey" he steps away.  Veda let's go of the tree and hangs down via her legs again, "what about me?" She fakes a frown upside down, exactly on level with Steve's face.  He smiles and pulls her down from the tree, "alright alright" he gives Veda a hug.  She smiles, "guess what?" She grabs the fruit basket and carries it into the hut as Steve follows, "what did you do?" He enquires.  Veda gasps, "woah, I didn't do a single thing..." she smirks. 

          Bucky sighs and enters the hut, "that's a lie" he raises his eyebrows.  Steve looks at his friend in confusion, "she made T'challa think there was an intruder in the forest, just so she could race him through the trees" bucky sighs.  Veda snickers, "okay that was me, but it was harmless..." she raises her hands in defeat.  Bucky scoffs a laugh, "he nearly scratched your throat out" he shakes his head and sits down.  Steve sits down next to him, "but he didn't..." she shrugs and sits down on the floor. 

         "To what do I owe the pleasure?" Bucky looks at his friend.  Steve shrugs, "just checking in" he nods.  Veda sighs, "you gotta' sort your guy out cap, I mean, he doesn't even know which shelf to put the meat on in the fridge" she stands up.  Steve looks at bucky, "oh, well we can't be having that" he smirks.  Bucky shakes his head as Veda disappears into the kitchen to grab a drink, "it's like living with a monkey, absolute chaos" bucky chuckles.  Steve tilts his head, "she lives in this hut? With you?" He enquires.  Bucky shrugs, "it's for the best, the first month was a little rocky. She spent most nights sneaking back into my hut after dark, since she couldn't stand being alone. So I extended my hut, she has her own bedroom now" he whispers.

          Steve smiles weakly, "you look happy, I'm glad" he nods.  Bucky rubs his face, "she's a great kid, it kinda gives me a reason to get up every morning y'know, looking after her and all. Besides, she's usually swinging in the trees before I wake up anyways. Someone's gotta go find her" he nods.  Steve smiles, happy his friend finally found peace and longing, he deserves it.  Veda reappears, "oh, and his pancakes taste like rubber..." she whispers to Steve. Bucky sighs, "I heard that" he slaps his forehead. Veda snickers on her way out, "but really, she's great" bucky adds.  Steve nods, "she seems it, I'm just glad you're both happy" he stands up.

"Leaving so soon?" Veda calls out from the tree top she's currently sat in, picking the apples and throwing them down for bucky to catch. Steve waves, "gotta' go save the city from bad guys" he smiles. Bucky waves him off, "why can't you just stand on the ground like a normal person?" He smiles up at Veda. She scoffs, "because I'm not normal, and neither are you. But that makes us normal" she jumps down.  He raises an eyebrow, "that made absolutely no sense" he uses his arm to pick her up and sling her over his shoulder.  She smiles and dangles over his shoulder as they return to their work, "it sounded more logical in my head" she shrugs.  He chuckles and sets her down on the hay bale, "whatever you say, V" he nods.