"I live my life through fear. If I'm afraid of it I'll do it just so I'm not afraid of it anymore."
- Jeremy Renner
Song: One Day by Logic ft. Ryan Tedder
"And maybe one day I'll be wiser, 'cause maybe one day I'll be further from here. Put all of my faith in tomorrow. Dark days keep me up all night. Only thing I know, it's gonna be- alright."
***************
It seemed like time had barely passed, but it had been longer than Harlow had wanted. The day had come for Bucky to be put in cryofreeze, and she was terrified. If something went wrong, Bucky could be permanently stuck in cryofreeze or his brain could be ruined far more than HYDRA ever ruined it. Harlow had faith in Shuri—she did, but that faith only went so far. To be honest, Harlow's worry was eating away at her faith.
Bucky hadn't been allowed to eat after midnight, since Shuri wanted to make sure nothing could make him sick before, during, or after the procedure. Harlow had decided to go without eating as well, since she didn't want to eat in front of Bucky when he wasn't allowed to eat
Jodie still ate though, since she was a little girl, and she needed to have all the sustenance she could.
Since the two were unsure of how long Bucky would be under, Bucky had decided to try and make as powerful of a memory for Jodie as possible. He took her out to a beautiful pond, and sat with her near it and had a cute picnic. He made her a small bracelet out of flowers, which he had learned from Harlow, since he wanted to learn something extra special for Jodie. That night, Jodie had come home and told her mother all about the fun day she had with Bucky.
Anyhow, after getting dressed for the day, Jodie and Harlow decided to walk Bucky to Shuri's lab. Almost as soon as they arrived, Shuri hooked Bucky up to a couple of machines, since she wanted to monitor everything she could to make sure the procedure came out as good as possible. She wanted it to be successful as much as Harlow and Jodie did, but she wanted it mostly because she was the "doctor" and it was her project to deal with.
"You should say your goodbyes now," Shuri commented,"I'm not sure how long Sergent Barnes will be in cryofreeze," She added, and Harlow nodded.
Harlow and Jodie were left in the lab with Bucky for a bit, since Shuri wanted to give them time together without her being there to feel like she was eavesdropping. Jodie sat on Bucky's lap, as he wrapped his arm tightly around the girl, but nowhere near tight enough to hurt her. He was always so careful with his little girl, even when he was in a bad mood or hurt himself.
"I know you might not like the idea, but if Shuri can't fix me, I think it might be better if you and Jodie find someone that's worth your time. You two can find someone who will love you both unconditionally, and never put you in danger. Definitely someone who isn't wanted by the entire American government," He said, causing Harlow to frown.
"Buck," Harlow started, as she took a step closer, and placed her hand on his thigh,"we love you, and no matter how this procedure turns out, we will always choose you. There's never going to be another man in the world that will make us as happy as you do. We will never turn our back on you, Bucky, so don't try to tell me we should turn around and never come back to you if something in this procedure doesn't work out," She stated, making him smile lightly.
"I love you girls so much, Harlow. I will try my hardest to get better for you," He replied,"I know it's going to be hard, and I know it'll be long, but I'm coming back to you girls," He added, and she smiled as well.
"You will get through this, Buck, I promise. Jodie and I believe in you," She murmured, placing her head against his shoulder for a moment.
"We should get started. The sooner we start, the sooner we'll hopefully be able to heal you," Shuri commented, as she peeked into the room, and the two adults nodded.
"It's time to go, darling," Harlow told Jodie, causing the little girl to frown.
"I love you, Daddy. Please don't forget me," Jodie said, as she wrapped her arms around Bucky's neck.
"I love you, Jodie, I could never forget my favorite girl," He replied, kissing the side of her head.
"This is only temporary, Bucky, I promise," Harlow commented, as she helped Jodie to the floor,"I love you, Bucky Barnes, get better soon," She added, kissing him for a moment.
Shuri watched the two girls leave, and her eyes saddened. She knew Bucky was going to be better, even if it was only a little bit, but she was determined to make him better. Harlow was really worried, but she had to put on a brave face for Bucky and Jodie. She refused for Jodie to see her sad or to see her cry, even if she was terrified of what was going to happen.
Harlow had used her burner phone to text Steve. She only sent him one message that told him a small explanation of what was going on and what the procedure was going to do. Steve had messaged her back, telling her that he would be there if she needed him. She did believe him, but she also wanted to try and do this on her own. She and Jodie didn't need to depend on Steve and Sam for everything. Yes, they were important to the girls, but the girls needed to be independent as much as possible, otherwise they'd never be able to get through life if something happened to Bucky...
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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...
