BATTLE BORN ; Bucky Barnes

twenty ; three

"You sure about this?" Scout heard Steve ask as she walked into the room.
"I can't trust my own mind. So, until they figure out how to get this stuff out of my head I think going back under is the best thing... for everybody." He said. James was sat on one of the examination tables, the wires that had been dangling from his arm had been made safe by wrapping the end of the arm in a dark fabric. He was wearing soft white pants and a vest top. Scout was hidden in the shadows as he and Steve talked about this decision. She had her hair pulled up in a soft bun, she'd dyed it back to be its natural brown colour, and she'd changed into jeans and a grey jumper. As Steve stepped back, she walked out of the shadows, her ankle boots clicking on the floor.
"Hi," she said, a small, apologetic smile on her lips. He didn't know why she seemed like she was apologising.
"Scout." He said, and Steve took one look at the two of them and left the room.
"This is really your choice?" She asked. He nodded.
"Yeah."
"Then I gotta tell you something, this isn't meant to change your mind, but, over the past months, I've grown to, goddamnit" she muttered, finding the right words was difficult. "Bucky I think I love you." She said, and all that confidence she'd built up, reminding herself of the nights they'd slept side-by-side when they were on the run to the kisses they'd shared both in and out of character. All of that had gone and she was back to being nervous again. Then he smiled.
"That's a relief, I thought it was one sided." He said. "I love you, Scout." He added. The nerves went away and Scout was clear-headed again.
"I love you so much James, so much." She said, throwing her arms around him and burying her head in his neck. He smiled, stroking patterns on her back. They quietly talked, nothing of importance, apologies, I love you's and stories. Scout broke the hug, looking right into her James' eyes. He smiled at her, and she shifted forward, and they kissed, Scout didn't understand why she was crying. There was a pain in her chest, but at the same time, she felt light. They broke apart and Bucky wiped the tears from her face.
"Don't cry." He muttered.
"I think it's time that you go into Cryo, it's still your own choice." She said. He smiled sadly. The doctors and nurses came filing in, prepping him. Scout stood back, next to Steve who had re-entered with the nurses.
"Y'know, he never really loved anyone before," Steve said. Scout looked puzzled so he expanded. "He had all these girls wrapped around his finger back in the War, he never really loved them." Scout didn't really have an answer to that, and so, she did what she did best, she disappeared. When Steve looked next to him to see if she was still listening, he was greeted with empty air.

;

On the way out of the compound, she was stopped by the Big Cat himself, T'challa. She froze, normally she wasn't caught leaving places.
"Georgiana," he said, but Scout glared at him, and he corrected himself. "Scout."
"Yes?" She asked.
"What are you planning to do?"
"Leave, create a new alias, go to Clint's brothers wedding, visit Steph, visit Emmaline, visit mum, wait."
"What are you waiting for?"
"To be needed again, I don't want to be an assassin anymore, I don't want to be a science experiment, I want to be an Avenger."
"You are needed, you're needed here, when he wakes up, he'll want to see you. We have expert psychologists coming in to help de-program him, we're building him a new arm, he's going to go through a lot, he'll need you." The King said.
"What do you propose then?" She asked.
"Stay, I can give you a very nice room here, you'll be under my protection."
"It's a nice offer, but I don't like being restricted." He laughed at Scout again.
"You won't be restricted, free to leave whenever you need, we have research labs and libraries with thousands of years of knowledge, please, stay." He said. Scout smiled.
"It would be nice not to have to run away every second day." She mused. "I'll take you up on that offer, thank you." He smiled.
"He'll be very glad I managed to persuade you to say."
"Barnes set you up to do this?" She exclaimed.
"Yes, however, we both want you to stay."  Scout smiled.
"Nice to be wanted, thank you." She said.
"Come, I'll show you your room."