"All of us live with a demon inside. Somedays you control the demon, and other days it controls you. And it's always hungry. It feeds on lust and longing. And while you may slumber, the demon never sleeps. It temps you into crossing every line you've ever drawn, all while it tests you, haunts you, and once it has turned your loved ones into enemies, the demon had consumed you whole."
- Rebekah Mikaelson
Song: House of Memories by Panic! At the Disco
"I don't want to be afraid. The deeper that I go, it takes my breath away. Soft hearts, electric souls. Heart to heart and eyes to eyes. Is this taboo?"
**************
Jodie had arrived late in the day the very next day, so Bucky decided to get checked out by Shuri as early as he possibly could. He went to see Shuri, as Harlow brought Jodie to meet T'Challa. T'Challa had approached the girl with a pretty little flower in his hand, and she accepted it with a shy smile.
"We have a small class of her age, and if you want, you can send her to the class. I have already talked to A'mani, and she would love to have her in class," T'Challa told Harlow, and Harlow smiled.
"Well, Jodie is a bit of a genius, according to Mr. Stark. Her IQ is two hundred, if I remember correctly, so would she be able to learn in that class, or does she need her own class?" Harlow asked, causing T'Challa's eyes to widen.
"Oh, wow, that is impressive. I believe Jodie might benefit by working with my sister when she isn't busy," T'Challa replied, making Harlow bite her lip.
"Are you sure? I don't want to burden Shuri anymore than we already are," Harlow commented, causing the man to laugh.
"You would not be burdening Shuri at all. She would see it as a new project. I would not be surprised if your daughter came back to you with an IQ of two hundred sixty by the end of the month," T'Challa jokingly said, and Harlow smiled.
"Then I will definitely accept her learning with Shuri," Harlow replied, causing T'Challa to smile as well.
"Okoye," T'Challa called, causing the woman to walk over,"please bring Harlow and Jodie to see Shuri and Sargent Barnes. I do believe Shuri should have some news on him by now," He said, and the woman nodded.
Okoye quietly lead Harlow and Jodie to Shuri's lab, before giving them a nod and walking away. The woman was nice, but Harlow couldn't help but feel a little intimidated by her. As soon as Jodie was in the room with Bucky, she ran over and hugged the man. Yes, she had already seen him when she arrived, but she was worried about him since he was getting medical tests done on him.
"So, what's the news?" Harlow asked, as Bucky occupied Jodie.
"Well, the good news is that I will be able to remove the programming from his brain, and he should be fine," Shuri replied, and Harlow bit her lip once again.
"And the bad news?" She asked, causing the young girl to sigh.
"We will have to put him in cryofreeze like he was when he was in HYDRA. I believe that will make it easier for me to find a solution and fix him. It will take a while, but we will have answers," Shuri said, and Harlow nodded.
Harlow was worried about Bucky going back into cryofreeze after so many years, especially since HYDRA were the ones that would freeze him, but she trusted Shuri. The young girl seemed to always know what she was talking about, and she also built some pretty neat things. She actually reminded Harlow of Tony Stark, but she believed Shuri may have been just a bit smarter than the man.
Once Shuri was finished with Bucky for the day, Harlow, Jodie, and Bucky went back to their home. Jodie wasn't really use to Bucky having one arm, but she also thought it was pretty cool. Honestly, she almost told him how awesome it was the moment she seen him with only one arm.
Later that night, after Harlow and Bucky put Jodie to bed, Harlow decided to lay with Bucky and talk to him about how he felt. She knew he wasn't always asked how he felt about things, and she knew if she was nervous about the procedure, than he definitely was as well.
Once they were changed into their pajamas-which Steve had brought, as well as quite a few other clothes that he had packed of theirs-Harlow and Bucky laid down in their bed. Harlow laid her head on Bucky's chest, and wrapped her arm around his waist.
"So, what do you feel about the procedure?" Harlow asked, as she angled her head to look up at Bucky.
"I'm nervous," He replied almost instantly, before he let out a sigh,"I know she'll be able to fix me. If anyone can, she can, but that doesn't keep my nerves down. The thought of going back in cryo scares me. Having her messing around in my head scares me. I need to get better for my girls though, I don't want to hurt you guys, so I need to do this, no matter how scared or nervous I am about it," He answered, making the girl sigh.
"You don't have to do it so soon, if you don't want to. I mean, you can take more than a week before you go if you want," She commented, but he shook his head.
"No, I have to do this as soon as possible. I need to do this," He replied, and she nodded.
"I love you, Bucky Barnes," She murmured, as she sat up and kissed him.
"I love you, Harlow Simpson," He replied, kissing her again.
She was worried about him, but he was adamant he needed to be fixed. She knew he'd only be happy if he was finally clear of HYDRA's mind control forever...
YOU ARE READING
Apartment 102 (B. Barnes) (AU)
Fanfiction*The story has been edited and revised* Bucky Barnes had finally ran away from HYDRA, but he was in hiding. He was too worried, and a bit scared, to go to his childhood friend, Steve Rogers, so he tried to hide from the blonde as well. Bucky had jum...
