Recovery

Authour's Note: Well, at long last, part 2! Got caught up reading The Seven realms series while I was working on editing this part. Hope y'all enjoy the conclusion!

"Why are we doing this again?" demanded Bucky as Kirsi pulled him towards the common room in the Avengers' corner of the palace. He was four months into his therapy and she had decided it was time he started actively socializing with the Avengers.

All Kirsi could do was roll her eyes at him and squeeze his hand reassuringly at the same time. "Making friends with your team is important, James." He opened his mouth to protest but the young woman held up her free hand to silence him. "Steve and Sam do not count. You have neglected forming a bond with Scott, Clint, and Wanda."

"I've been busy getting my arm repaired," huffed Bucky.

"You have had plenty of time to be a thorn in my side in spite of that," she teased with a smile. Kirsi couldn't deny that the work on his arm was as time consuming as his sessions. He had a team of the best minds working on his arm, including a young SHIELD agent who was hailed as the next Tony Stark by Steve. And Kirsi certainly wasn't complaining about the time Bucky spent with her. She had grown quite fond of James Buchannan Barnes over the four months she had known him. In all honesty, the Sokovian born woman could not imagine not having him in her life. She would not change a thing about the life she was currently leading. It felt liberating to finally have someone who understood the pain she had gone through thanks to HYDRA.

It didn't hurt that he was handsome, either. Kirsi had noticed his looks in his file pictures in the beginning but they had been the furthest thing from her mind. The more time she spent with him, the more she got to know him, the more Kirsi took notice. His look from the 1940s was dashing, clean cut, and a little bit arrogant. He had been a man who knew women adored him. Kirsi preferred him as he was – long hair with stubble on his face. His dark locks were so soft and she loved that she got to touch his hair without it being awkward or embarrassing. Bucky liked it tied back when he worked out and he hadn't mastered being able to do that with one hand.

"I don't know anything about modern movies," Bucky continued, pulling her from her thoughts.

She squeezed his hand. "You don't need to. You just sit and watch. Decide if you like it."

"I'm sure they'd rather watch it without me," Bucky tried again.

"Hey Buck, Kirsi! Glad you could join us!" Steve called as Kirsi pulled Bucky into the room. She smirked and squeezed Bucky's hand again. "We're watching something called I Love You, Man. Scott said the main actor looks like him."

"I saw that when it was released!" Kirsi piped up excitedly. She continued to lead Bucky by the hand until the two of them were sitting down on the same couch as Steve. Clint, Wanda, and Scott were on the second couch while Sam occupied an armchair close to Bucky's left side. He raised an eyebrow at them and Kirsi just smiled at him. "How are you, Sam?" she asked pleasantly.

"Doing all right. How you doing?" he replied, his eyebrow still raised. Kirsi saw his gaze was on hers and Bucky's clasped hands rather than at your face and blushed. "Looks like you're doing fine, girl," he added with a smirk.

"Yeah, you finally managed to get Barnes to join us. Your secret super power, right?" chimed in Clint, his gaze following Sam's as he leaned forward to see them around Wanda and Steve. "Super charm? Mesmerizing good looks?"

Her cheeks burned red at Clint's last comment. "I asked politely."

"Leave her alone," Bucky said, his voice taking on a commanding edge. His hand slipped out of hers before he casually dropped his arm around her shoulders.

"Aw, Bucky's got a girlfriend," teased Clint as a huge grin filled his face.

"Jealous Barton?" Bucky demanded more than asked.

Everyone else, Kirsi included, all glanced at Bucky. He hadn't denied Clint's statement. Kirsi felt her stomach flutter at the thought that Bucky could want that type of relationship with her. The two of them had never talked about their love lives; it had never seemed important to discuss. Kirsi wasn't sure it was entirely appropriate, either. He was recovering from a thorough brainwashing. Anything more than a platonic friendship would be crossing a line.

"Really Buck? Did you finally ask Kirsi to be your gal?" Steve asked his friend.

"Good for you, man. She's great," added Scott with a smile.

"We're friends," Bucky practically barked. His tone made Kirsi flinch slightly.

"Sure Barnes, we believe you," scoffed Sam.

"Kirsi? Are you all right?" Wanda asked softly. She could see how uncomfortable her friend was becoming.

Kirsi felt everyone's eyes on her and stood up quickly. "Yes, fine, thank you Wanda," she said quickly. Kirsi gave her fellow Sokovian a tender smile before stepping away from the couch. "It's just… I forgot I have to help T'Challa with something," she added quickly, smoothing out the wrinkles in her skirt. She glanced back at Bucky quickly, his eyes boring into hers. "I'm fine, James," the young woman said softly, answering his unspoken question before quickly rushing out of the room.

"Way to go, you jackasses," she heard Bucky growl as she hurried down the hallway. Kirsi kept going until she found a quiet balcony overlooking the lush Wakandan jungle to hide on. She had always loved the views of the jungle from the palace. They were breathtaking and the balconies were often the quietest parts of the palace. Kirsi had developed a habit of hiding there when her parents had died. The jungle never looked at her with pity or tried to offer hollow words of sympathy and condolence. It had been T'Challa who had introduced her to her hiding spots. The young prince had been the only one who hadn't treated Kirsi like a fragile piece of glass. She remembered it like it was yesterday – the feel of T'Challa's hand on hers, the determined set to his jaw as he explained how the balconies were the best hiding spots. Truth be told, T'Challa had been both her closest friend and first crush. And at that moment, she'd give anything to lean on his shoulder and ask for his advice. He was great at giving advice. Instead, Kirsi gazed out at the jungle in complete silence.

In the silence of the early afternoon, though, she could easily make out the sound of heavy footfalls. They were too heavy to be T'Challa's, though she couldn't be too disappointed. A part of her had been hoping Bucky would come after her.

"You all right, doll?"

Kirsi smiled, loving how his voice was soft and gentle but firm and rough all at the same time. The man behind her was starting to find the balance between Bucky Barnes and the Winter Soldier. It was progress and victory, a sign that four months of hell and nightmares had been worth something.

"I told you I'm fine, James," she told him without looking back at him. She didn't want him to see just how bad she was blushing simply at the sound of his voice. "You didn't need to follow me."

"You lied about needing to see T'Challa," he pointed out. "He's not even here right now. He's been gone all day."

Kirsi bit her lip, cursing herself for forgetting that. T'Challa had even told her he was going to be spending the day at the university. "I'm sorry."

"Would it be so bad?" he asked, his voice lowering to almost a whisper. Kirsi finally looked over her shoulder at him, brow furrowing in confusion. "Bein' my girl," he clarified. She felt her blush deepen as he watched carefully.

"Of course not, James! You are kind and strong and… and you're just so… remarkable," Kirsi replied, stumbling over her words. She was never so inarticulate around him but then, he had never looked at her quite like he was in that moment. His eyes were dark and stormy and Kirsi knew a million different thoughts had to be racing through his mind. He was watching her like a hawk, taking in all of her. "James," she said softly, turning completely around.

"Ain't like I'm gonna break if ya say 'no', y'know," he told her bluntly.

Kirsi knew he was trying to sound tough, nonchalant even, but she was just as perceptive as he was. There had been a slight tremor to his voice. Most people wouldn't have caught it; Kirsi had heard it more times than she could count. After an especially vivid nightmare or gruelling session with his doctors, he would seek Kirsi out. His voice held the same tremor in all those moments. He had told her many times that he felt he could be more open with him because she didn't expect him to act a certain way.

"C'mon Kirsi, say somethin'. I'm getting' nervous standing here," he added, licking his lips as he watched the woman. That little action had her wondering if his lips were as soft as they looked. She heard him chuckle and glanced up to see him smirking devilishly. "I see where your thoughts are, myshka. Wanna find out?"

All the colour drained from her face as Kirsi realized she had spoken out loud. "Oh shit!" she groaned, covering your face with her hands and turning away from him. She had just added to her embarrassment by cursing in front of him as well.

And Bucky? He was laughing outright, enjoying her embarrassment. Kirsi wasn't too mad, of course; hearing him laugh so happily warmed her heart. Bucky closed the distance between the two of them quickly and leaned on the balcony rail next to her. "Feelin's mutual, doll. Been wonderin' the same thing about your lips," he told her. She could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Is this what the women of Brooklyn had to put up with in the thirties and forties? Bucky Barnes' attempts at being utterly charming?" Kirsi asked from behind her hands. The world had suddenly started to spin around her when he'd admitted to wanting to kiss her. Her first instinct had been to run but she knew you couldn't out run the dark haired super soldier. Instead, Kirsi had gone with her next reaction – to treat him like the pain in the ass he was purposely acting like.

"Never had a single complaint from any dame."

"You are highly annoying, Sergeant Barnes," Kirsi huffed, spreading her fingers apart to glance at him in a covert manner.

"Yet you're thinkin' about how kissable my lips are," he teased gently. Shifting slightly, he turned and took hold of her wrists, pulling her hands from her face. He was close enough to kiss as he studied her face carefully. Finally, he brought his hand up to caress her cheek. "You're beautiful."

Those two words were enough to get Kirsi blushing again. Sure, she'd gotten compliments on her looks before. She'd never received them with the same level of sincerity before and knew Bucky wasn't just referring to her looks. Kirsi had opened up to him a lot more over the last three months and he knew all of her dark and damaged parts as intimately as she knew his.

"You scared kotyonok?" he asked, leaning closer.

Rolling her eyes, Kirsi replied, "Who'd be scared of you?"

"I'm an unstable, ninety-nine year old ex-assassin," he replied with a lopsided grin.

"You're James, my friend," she corrected, placing a hand over his and pressing it closer to her cheek. "A very important friend."

"See? Scared," he stated confidently as he watched Kirsi. Bucky placed a kiss on her forehead. "I ain't going nowhere, doll. I'll wait for you."

"How can you be so sure about this? Doesn't the thought of hurting one another scare you?"

"You see me as I am and it doesn't terrify you. And you don't put up with my nonsense as you like to call it. And you couldn't hurt a fly, myshka."

"I swear, James, I will make you rue those words!" Kirsi hissed, narrowing her eyes at him.

He chuckled again. "There's my Kirsi." His grin widened as she grumbled several curses at him in Sokovian and Wakandan. "What a mouth you have, myshka!" His hand moved from her cheek and snaked around her waist, pulling the young woman against him.

"So help me James…" she warned even as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "You are lucky you only have one arm and that it would be unfair to exact my vengeance now, Sergeant."

"You just wait 'til I get my arm back, doll. Won't be resisting me then," he countered, dropping his head closer to hers until their foreheads were touching. Kirsi began to blush again at how close the two of them were. His breath tickled her skin each time he exhaled. "May I?" he asked, his gaze moving from her eyes to her lips and back again. Kirsi gave a nod, eyes fluttering shut as her stomach did somersaults and her heart pounded against her chest. Bucky slowly ran his hand up her back, making Kirsi shiver slightly, until he reached the back of her neck.

"Just kiss her already!"

Bucky stilled, a low growl emanating from deep within his chest, and Kirsi's eyes snapped open. She was certain Bucky's annoyance mirrored her own. "Fuck you, Barton," Bucky growled.

"I'm flattered, but you're not really my type," Clint stated.

"Everyone's behind us, aren't they?" Kirsi asked quietly. Bucky nodded in response.

"Sorry Buck, I couldn't stop them," came Steve's sheepishly apologetic voice next. Bucky just rolled his eyes and Kirsi sighed, the moment ruined.

"Um… I think this is my fault," came a third voice that she weren't as familiar with. It took Kirsi a moment to realize it was Leo Fitz, the engineering prodigy Steve had recruited. "We need Sergeant Barnes for a fitting for the prosthetic. I hadn't realized we'd be intruding."

"We'll be there in a minute," Bucky told the young engineer.

"You want me to come?" Kirsi asked Bucky.

"Need someone to test the arm out on. Gotta make sure I can treat my best girl proper with it," Bucky replied as he stepped away from her.

Kirsi's brow furrowed at his words as she watched him step away from her. "When did I agree to such a thing, Sergeant Barnes?" she asked him. Her tone was stern as she spoke to him but secretly she was elated. Kirsi was also scared, but she trusted Bucky. She could let herself continue falling for him knowing he would catch her.

Bucky flashed his most charming grin. "It's inevitable, myshka."

Following after Bucky as he made his way back inside, Kirsi rolled her eyes at his arrogance. "You're speaking nonsense again," she countered despite knowing he was right. Loving him had been inevitable.

Six grueling months had passed since Bucky Barnes had come out of stasis in the kingdom of Wakanda, bringing the man's stay in the jungle country full circle. Almost a year to the day he had decided to go back into stasis until his mind could be fixed, until his mind was his own again. The last six months spent in therapy and deprogramming had helped his recovery along but not without incident. He was plagued with nightmares that had ended in a violent episode on more than one occasion. The worst of them usually required Steve or one of the other heroes to help subdue him before Kirsi could even attempt to help him. She had mastered the ability to ground Bucky in the present, to pull him from the terrors of his past. The only other person who'd been able to battle the fog of Bucky's mind was Steve. The fact that Kirsi could as well gave everyone a sense of calm when Steve was away.

Outside of his sessions, Bucky was a master of his emotions. He was almost always stoic with everyone but Kirsi. Recently, however, Bucky was finding it hard to keep his emotions in check. He'd been doing everything possible for two months to woo her, to make Kirsi his girl. Most days, Bucky felt it was working. He understood why she was hesitant and he would wait until she was ready, but he wasn't going to stop proving to Kirsi that he was serious about a relationship with her. Other days, he was lucky he didn't erupt in a fit of jealous rage. He knew Kirsi was on good terms with Steve's team. She had known them longer than she had known Bucky. He knew the fact that he felt anything was a positive, but he felt guilty for instinctually wanting to smash his fists in peoples' faces as a show of dominance. His jealousy was the only thing he did not talk to Kirsi about. For that, he relied on Steve. Bucky knew if he ever slipped up, at least Steve could survive a fight against Bucky.

That day was one of Bucky's bad days. Kirsi, Bucky, and the team were sitting outside on one of the many balconies, enjoying lunch together. Bucky was there because it made Kirsi smile more when he was social. He loved seeing her smile. Everything had been fine before and during lunch, when she had been by his side. Kirsi and Wanda had been having quite the conversation, slipping between English and Sokovian. Bucky liked Wanda; she was like Kirsi and Steve. While Wanda had voluntarily gone to HYDRA, she knew what it was like to be one of their experiments too. And she had chosen to fight with Steve, fight with Bucky to stop Zemo.

Everything had been fine while Kirsi was with Wanda. After lunch, though, Wanda and Clint had disappeared together. Kirsi had slipped away briefly, leaving Bucky with Sam and Steve. Scott was off in his own world, absorbed in his tablet. Bucky had been so caught up in reliving the past with Steve that he hadn't noticed Kirsi return until he heard her laughter across the balcony. He stopped mid-story, his gaze snapping over to where she sat next to Scott, their heads together as they both stared intently at the tablet. Kirsi had covered her mouth to stifle her laughter while Scott was saying something that Bucky couldn't hear.

"You all right man?" Sam asked, concern on his face.

"Buck?" added Steve, his hands flexing as he watched Bucky carefully.

"Fine. Fucking fine," Bucky ground out, his jaw clenching as Kirsi leaned against Scott, her body shaking from laughter. Bucky's hands clenched into fists as he watched her and Scott with narrowed eyes.

"Don't read too much into it. That girl only has eyes for you," insisted Sam.

"Does he need to sit that close to her?" Bucky growled, ignoring Sam completely. He wanted to march over there and drag Scott away from Kirsi. He didn't like that Scott was likely a better fit with her than Bucky was. Scott Lang was blessedly normal compared to Bucky. He wasn't plagued by nightmares and didn't need therapy almost daily. He wasn't a monster like Bucky was. It killed him to even think someone else could offer her more than he ever could. He would always be a fugitive while the other Avengers could always be granted pardons. "Fuck," he cursed under his breath. He raked his new prosthetic arm roughly through his hair. He was going to lose it; Bucky felt himself slipping into that rage-fueled haze that always accompanied one of his episodes.

He felt Steve's hand clamp down hard on his real shoulder, giving Bucky a firm squeeze. "How 'bout a movie, Buck?" the blond suggested, his tone firm and authoritative. Bucky recognized it as his friend's Captain America voice. Bucky's gaze flicked over to Steve, catching the look in Steve's bright blue eyes. They only reinforced Steve's words.

"You see The Empire Strikes Back yet?" Sam offered, quickly catching on to Steve's plan. Even Bucky understood what Steve's intentions were. The goal was to get Bucky out of the situation before it escalated and people, namely Kirsi, could get hurt. Scott could hold his own, but Kirsi wasn't a fighter. Compared to the Avengers, she was fragile like a porcelain doll.

"That could be a good one," agreed Steve as he stood, pulling Bucky up as well. Sam followed suit, seconds slower than the super soldiers.

"You guys heading in?" came Scott's voice, the trio's movements catching Kirsi's and Scott's attention. Kirsi gave Bucky a curious look.

"Gonna get our Star Wars on," answered Sam.

"Are we finally watching Empire?" Scott asked, his eyes lighting up.

"…Yeah," replied Steve, hesitating slightly. Scott raised an eyebrow before his eyes shifted to where Steve's hand was still holding Bucky.

"You're gonna love Empire. Sets the stage for the most epic movie reveal ever," Scott said.

"You should go with the boys, Scott," Kirsi suggested.

"You wanna watch, too, Kirsi?" Sam asked, trying not to be rude.

She shook her head and smiled at Bucky. "No, I'll be fine. James will do well to have some guy time. Besides, my crying over Han and Leia will only ruin the experience for him." Kirsi gave Bucky an encouraging smile.

Bucky could feel his anger calming down as Kirsi smiled at him. He thought he saw a faint pink tinge to her cheeks as she spoke of the two characters from the movie. Bucky had to admit it made him curious and not about the movie. The bickering between the princess and smuggler in the first movie had been a dead giveaway to Bucky. "I'll catch up. Need to talk to Kirsi first," he practically barked at Steve.

"You sure Buck?"

Bucky just gave Steve a look. "Of course I am, punk. Get outta here," he replied.

"Jerk," huffed Steve as he released Bucky from his hold.

"Want me to find the other two?" Scott asked as he began to head inside.

"Guess it wouldn't be right not to ask Barton and Wanda," Sam said as he followed Scott.

"Bucky, maybe I should stay," Steve said.

"James, what's wrong? What happened?" Kirsi asked, sounding alarmed.

Bucky muttered a few curses under his breath as he glared at Steve. He loved the blond like a brother but he wanted to smack him for that damned Captain America voice. "It's fine. I'm fine."

"I'm not leaving until I know you won't hurt Kirsi."

"I'd never hurt her!" Bucky growled as Kirsi said, "James would never hurt me!"

Bucky could see that Steve was having none of it. "Not intentionally but I'm not taking any chances," Steve stated as he folded his arms over his chest. All Bucky could do was glare at his friend. Lashing out would only validate Steve's reaction.

"James?" Kirsi's gentle voice and the feel of her hand slipping into his caused all the anger to just suddenly leave his body. "Please talk to me."

"I'm jealous," Bucky muttered, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "Anyone one of these punks would be better for you and I'm jealous." He watched carefully as her brow furrowed in confusion at his confession.

"None of them are you, though," she finally said, looking up at him. "Are you… did you change your… your mind about me?"

Bucky looked at Kirsi, taking all of her in. She had gone completely rigid and, while her voice hadn't waivered, the fact that she had to stop and figure out her phrasing spoke volumes. Her eyes were dry; Bucky knew Kirsi wouldn't cry with Steve there. She was careful to always remain cheerful and smiling in front of everyone else. Her darker feelings came out when she was alone. "Never. You and this punk are the only people I am sure of in this world. Even if you kick me to the curb, I won't give up on you. You're the only woman I want, doll." The dark haired man used his hold on her hand to pull Kirsi into his arms. He didn't care that Steve was still awkwardly standing there as he brought his free hand up to cup her cheek tenderly. Before Kirsi could utter a word about Bucky's actions, his mouth was on hers. He couldn't wait any longer and he reveled in the way her lips felt against his, the way they tasted of mint and honey. He smiled against her lips as he felt her free hand clutch tightly at his shirt as Kirsi kissed back. He released her hand and let his arm wrap protectively around Kirsi.

The kiss ended much too soon for Bucky's liking as Kirsi pulled back slightly, her face redder than he'd ever seen it before. "Steve's here," she whispered, clearly embarrassed.

"Don't mind me," Steve said. "This is Bucky's MO."

"You did the exact same thing with Peggy's niece," countered Bucky, making Steve blush faintly.

"So, guess you're his gal now, huh?" Steve asked Kirsi, smiling despite his own embarrassment.

Kirsi glanced up at Bucky with what he could only describe as a devilish smile. "I don't know, Steve. I'm not sure he really deserves that. He's been awful rude."

Steve let out a snort at the expression on Bucky's face. "He's a real jerk."

"I think he should ask politely if I would consider it," Kirsi continued, her voice sugary sweet.

Bucky just scowled at her and Steve. "All right, Punk. Get outta here. Me and this little minx have some things to discuss." Steve chuckled but patted Bucky on the back, content that his friend's rage had died down. The blond left Kirsi and Bucky alone on the balcony.

"Again with the dreadful pet names! Must you vex me so, Sergeant Barnes?" Kirsi demanded with a scowl that matched his.

"You love it when I vex you," replied Bucky with a sly smirk. He pulled her close again, dipping his head slightly to whisper in her ear, "And you're beautiful when you're vexed."

"Such nonsense you speak!" the young grumbled, her cheeks burning brighter than before.

"So, are you my girl or what, kotyonok?" Bucky asked with a grin.

"I always have been," she replied, smiling back at him.

Bucky's grin widened before he caught her lips up in another kiss – this one more searing and urgent than the first.

Bucky Barnes had come a long way since he went back into stasis twelve months ago and his recovery was far from over, but he would be able to come through it knowing he had Kirsi and Steve behind him every step of the way. He held her tighter and vowed to never let go.